I’d like to share some healthy advice with you that benefited me.

Janell Yule in “The 21-Day Detox Challenge” says just because you shop at a local grocery does not mean every item is a good choice.

A cookie is a cookie. Even if it contains organic sugar.

• When you are shopping for produce, check the numbers on stickers.

If it starts with a 3 or 4 it’s been grown conventionally. If it starts with an 8 it’s genetically modified. If it starts with a 9 it’s organic.

If you can buy organic, that is ideal. Otherwise use the Clean 15 as a starting point.

Find the Clean 15 at https://www.ewg.org/food-news/clean-fifteen.php

• Buy local and in season. These foods are fresher, taste better and are cheaper.

Organic berries in January are going to be really expensive because they are not in season and have to travel a long ways to get here.

• When buying nuts and seeds, opt for raw, unsalted, un-sugared varieties.

Shop the bulk section and store them in the fridge for long-term use.

Nuts and seeds can oxidize if stored under light or heat.

I store all our nuts and seeds in the fridge.

• Don’t be fooled by health claims on packages. Food manufacturers want you to buy their products. Many make false health claims or use appealing packaging to get you to buy.

Read labels and check for ingredients.

While following a detox diet, there aren’t many things you will buy that have a label.

• Cheap food such as sugary drinks or packaged grains really aren’t cheap. They are cheapened through big subsidies and mass industrial production. And eventually you will pay for this with your health.

You get what you pay for. The real cost is paid at some point somewhere.

• Bring reusable shopping bags. Take care of the environment’s health as well as your own by minimizing the use of plastic bags.

These bags end up in a landfill for years. We expose ourselves to more BPA by using so many plastic bags.