One of the most valuable things in life is knowing we've spent our time and our money wisely. Living a good life means we made it worthwhile with every effort we could. The people in our lives are that meaningfull and important to us. We take care of ourselves so we are able to be there in good health for those we love. When it comes to healthy choices, we know it is far better to buy the best in good food. Most importantly, food that is fresh, grown safely and responsibly. We want to know where our food comes from. Getting that down right is worth the cost.

As often as we can, choose food that is locally sourced. It's getting to market at the peak of freshness and fueling the local economy. It is your best investment to be sure your food producer is a trusted source, with enforced regulations of being chemical free, non-genetically modified and certified as organically grown. Of course we also want the foods we eat to come from humanely treated sources as well.

Choose fruits & vegetables that look bright, colourfull and are crisp in flavour. Make good choices with products that have been through a minimal amount of processing and production. Sometimes we have the opportunity to buy farm fresh at the source. Educate yourself on what to look for as well. Eggs, for example should have a bright, dark orange coloured yoke. Leafy greens should look alive with freshness. You want to be prudent with what you've spent your hard earned money on so don't buy too much at one time and have it go to waste. By eating foods past their peak in quality, we've lost much of the nutrient value anyway, doing our bodies more harm than good. So try sharing a meal often, with the company of family and friends. Make mealtimes a community effort, celebrating the joy of food and a good meal getting close with others.

Planning for what we put in our bodies by making these choices pays us back in the long run, both in our best health and for the planet we're here to take care of. Being thoughtfull of packaging, storage, recycling, composting and waste all contribute to a sustainable lifestyle. One we can enjoy and one we can leave behind for our loved ones. Treat the planet like your choices matter. That's a healthy investment we can all make.