A traditional Japanese diet today consists of some 11-15 servings of vegetables? Meanwhile, our USDA food pyramid recommends a paltry 3-5. Knowing that there’s a multitude of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients available in these rainbow colored foods should be all we need to hear to get us on the veggie bandwagon. These colorful plant foods also contain antioxidants, which scavenge free radicals (causing cell damage and aging), aid longevity and youthfulness, and fight cancer. They cleanse the blood, offer hydration and healthy sugars, support the liver, regulate cholesterol levels, and promote healthy elimination. It doesn’t hurt that they taste delicious either! Make it a goal to put a rainbow on your plate.
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Month: May 2019
If Strangers Meet ~ e.e. cummings
If strangers meet
life begins-
not poor not rich
(only aware)
kind neither
nor cruel
(only complete)
i not not you
not possible;
only truthful
-truthfully, once
if strangers(who
deep our most are
selves)touch:
forever
Today’s Reflection ~ Be Yourself
“To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight.” ~ e.e. cummings
Longevity Tip ~ Make Connections
Meet a friend for coffee, check out that photography class, or FaceTime with your grandkids. “Investing in meaningful relationships is one of the most important things we can do to increase our health, quality of life, and wellbeing,” Dr. Kaiser says. One big reason why? Social wellbeing is tied to lower levels of interleukin-6, an inflammatory factor involved in chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s, heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, and some cancers, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA).
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Wellness Tip ~ Get Outdoors
Lack of time in the sun means you’re not getting your Vitamin D, which is necessary for many, many important functions in the body, including constructing all of our hormones. Being cloistered indoors leads to feelings of depression and stress. Meanwhile, a walk on the beach, or in the mountains, or in the woods, provides a plethora of negative ions that balance our circadian rhythms, slows our heart rate appropriately, and creates a sense of peace and well being in the body. Take a picnic lunch. Go for a hike on the weekend. Make it a priority to reconnect with the greater world beyond the one humans have made. It will increase your awareness of our interconnectedness and belonging to the Earth.
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A Dream Within A Dream ~ Edgar Allan Poe
Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow–
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand–
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep–while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
Today’s Reflection ~ Act
“To know what you are going to draw, you must begin drawing.” ~ Picasso
Longevity Tip ~ Protein is Your Friend
Muscle loss is a normal part of aging, but eating enough protein can help you preserve what you’ve got—and even support your efforts to build more. How much should you get in a day? . . . Adults over 65 need 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of weight to support muscle health. (That’s at least 68 grams of protein per day for a 150-pound person.) Make sure to add a lean protein source to each meal, like fish, poultry, or beans. Think: Greek yogurt with fruit, hummus with veggies, or a protein-packed nutritional drink.
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Wellness Tip ~ Fighting Traveler’s Constipation
While estimates vary, traveler’s constipation is thought to affect as many as 40% of travelers. “Do this digestion exercise to help prevent falling prey to traveler’s constipation,” the Nutrition Twins said. “It will make your stomach flatter by helping to flush waste and toxins from the body by encouraging elimination of stool through the intestines,” they said. “Suck in your stomach as far as you can, then stick it out as far as you can. Meanwhile, breathe in when sucking in, and breathe out when pushing your stomach out. This small exercise helps blood flow to the stomach, aids in digestion, and exercises your abdominal muscles.”
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A Bee ~ Matsuo Basho
A bee
staggers out
of the peony.
