Below are a couple of links I hope you’ll take the time to check out. It’s all about the food we put into our bodies and how it can work for or against us. It boils down to making smart choices and being proactive in the supermarket. I guarantee (unless you answer to the name Dr. Oz) that’ll you’ll find information that you never knew – a couple of facts that’ll make you sit up and take note.
The first few links feature food expert Michael Pollan. He researches food the way my husband researches golf. All over it. His food rules has sparked a lot of conversations in my family. Conversations about what foods we need to eat more of, less of, and what foods we vow to never buy again. We long ago vowed to only purchase foods that are “cruelty free,” and I hope that’s something you’ll also commit to. Mostly, I hope that you’ll take your health extremely seriously and eat foods that’ll promote a longer, healthier, and happier life.
A few of Michael Pollan’s food rules:
- Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
- Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.
- Eat only foods that will eventually rot. Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.
For a video featuring Oprah with Michael Pollan explaining his food rules: Food Expert Michael Pollan’s Food Rules Video
Food 101 with Michael Pollan, a wonderful slideshow: Food 101 with Michael Pollan
Dr. Oz talks with Michael Pollan about making smart choices: Dr. Oz Interviews Michael Pollan
Buy Michael Pollan’s book, Food Rules, on Amazon: Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual
Surprising Superfoods – Maple Syrup? Who Knew?!: Surprising Superfoods
It’s all great, great, great information and I guarantee you that you’ll be glad you took the time to read, watch, listen, think…. and then act.
You’ll never know if you like something or not unless you try it… unless you give it a really good shot. Below are a few things that I’ve come to swear by. To varying degrees, these things can make your life healthier, easier, less stressful, happier, and, yes, even better. They have mine! Which is why I’m passing them along to you.
- Mozilla Firefox Browser. I fought this one tooth and nail for a long time. As someone who spends at least
half the day working online, I resented the new kid in town. I didn’t want to have to start designing, coding, and manipulating the way my websites and blogs looked to compensate a fox, however cute he (she?) was. And to be honest, in its early days, Firefox didn’t read stylesheets very well and things were pretty screwy looking in the Firefox Browser. The fox has come a long way in a short time, though. Frankly, when it comes to blogging, I only use the Firefox browser now. There are a lot of aspects that just work better, faster, and easier in Firefox. One of my favorites is the spell check function. I’m a good speller and I pride myself on that. However, as I said, I spend a lot of time writing and typing, so mistypes will happen. When I’m typing my posts in the Firefox browser and make a mistake, the fox nudges my hand as though to say, “Are we spelling it that way today?” Then I can slow down enough to realize that, actually, I’d rather go ahead and hit the e instead of the r or add an extra l. It’s a lot easier than reading and re-reading, or (I hate this one!) finding it days later and wondering if your readers thought you were a total idiot! Note: Firefox doesn’t appreciate contractions, and will nudge you (by underlining the word in red) when you use one. You can work around this by left clicking the contraction when you use it and clicking Add to Dictionary. You can do the same with words it hasn’t learned yet like yabba dabba do and fugly. For someone like me who makes up words to suit what they’re trying to say, this is functionlicious.
- You could have had a V8! You should have had a V8! I’ve already preached to you fairly recently about getting your quota of vegetables and fruits. In short, you probably aren’t getting enough. Unless you want a future appointment with the likes of cancer, weight problems, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, high blood pressure – you need to have between 5 to 8 servings daily. That’s where V8 comes in. One can, alone, counts for 2 servings of vegetables. The ones I buy (regular V8) have only 70 calories, but the sodium is more than what a lot of people would want it to be. If you’re watching sodium, try their Low Sodium variety. Also check out V8’s various juices. They’re all delicious, healthy, and a very convenient way to sneak in extra vitamins and
antioxidants. V8 for Sinus Problems: According to Nature’s Natural Healing, V8 is a great friend to have when your sinuses are bullying you. Their suggestion is to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, a clove or two of garlic, and a couple of dashes of hot sauce to a large glass of V8. Heat it up and enjoy. Apparently, in addition to the vitamin c and germ killing powers of garlic, this boosts your immune system AND the hot sauce clears the sinuses. Oh, yeah, I’m trying this today. My sinuses are just fine, mind you, but I’m trying this today.
- Support your local community. With the economy the way it is, it’s wiser than ever to support your own community. Sure, buying things online (or in a distant town) is necessary sometimes, but whenever possible, support your local stores. It makes a lot of sense to keep your money at home, after all. Think of it as helping your own neighbors as opposed to helping someone else’s neighbors.
- Don’t let the scales keep you from Starbucks. Instead of Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My! – Some of us cry, “Fraps, Cappuccinos, and Lattes, Oh Thighs!” But don’t become a stranger with your favorite baristas, just order smarter. Try the delicious Tazo teas, for example. Wild Sweet Orange and Passion are a few personal
favorites – and if you’re feeling really fiesty, order a grande with one Wild Sweet Orange bag and one Passion bag. Heavenly and no calories. Also, fall in love with their coffee, black and beautiful. They even have a few new drinks that are kinder to the waistline, Apple Chai – which I’d walk three miles barefoot for – and London Fog (ditto with the miles and barefeet). As for lattes, fraps, and the other sexy but fattening drinks, experiment with skim milk. Ask the barista to make them as figure friendly as possible. You’ll get used to the difference, it really isn’t that noticeable – the way your jeans fit will be much more noticeable!
- Get your e-mail traffic to within reason for a sane human being. I know, I know – not so easy. Personally, I love helpful, informative newsletters, and I’m not going to pretend that I’ve unsubscribed to all of them – or to my News Alerts (love, love, love News Alerts), but I have cut down on extra e-mail that really didn’t serve a point. I didn’t want any formal e-mails taking away attention from the personal ones – you know the ones that come from one actual person, they’re the most important ones. If they care enough to contact
me, I don’t want anyone trying to jump in front of them. I recently had that very thing happen. An e-mail from a young woman got, somehow, shuffled in the midst of news alerts and newsletters. I was 3 days late in finding it and responding to her. THANK GOD, it wasn’t anything pressing (she actually wanted my recipe for a Cocount Cake I’d mentioned). I apologized profusely for not replying right away and she said that I answered her faster than most people did. (I guess letting your e-mail get out of control’s a popular problem). At any rate, it was a lesson I learned right away. I check my e-mail more often now and have cut way back on the the newsletters. The ones that remain know they’re incredibly special!
- Get a Laptop. If you’ve been flirtting with the idea of a laptop, go ahead and ask one out. My husband began talking about getting one months ago. We already have 3 computers in the house (with 5 people in the house, it’s not as extreme as it sounds), so when he expressed the desire for another one, I at least assumed he meant a desktop, personal computer. When he said he was leaning toward a laptop, I thought he was nuts. But he said it’d be great for me to carry around the house and use wherever I happen to be. He knows how much I LOVE
watching the birds in the front yard (out of our dining room and kitchen windows) and he knew how cool it’d be for me to sit at the table, writing while watching the cardinals, doves, bluebirds, robins, etc enjoying the food I leave out for them. Well, guess where I’m writing from now – all while keeping my eyes on about 12 cardinals enjoying breadcrumbs in the snow. Alexa (our youngest cat) is beside me, also keeping her eyes on them. I love the laptop so much I can’t imagine NOT having it. For anyone who is nearsighted, even slightly, they’ll appreciate how close you are to the screen of a laptop. And for busybodies like myself, you’ll love the fact that they’re always in the mood to pick up and go at a moment’s notice.
- Read more! I’m in the middle of two wonderful books right now and excerpts and reviews are forthcoming: The UltraMind Solution by Mark Hyman, M.D. (a fascinating read for those of us fascinated with mental fitness), and Road Rules by Andrew Sherman (you’re going to love this one!). Challenge yourself to read more books each month. Your mind loves to learn new things and books are little gateways to knowledge.
EDIT: I just found this, but didn’t want to post a new post – I want the Martin Luther King Jr post to stay on top for the remainder of the day. If you have a wordpress blog (and you should, you really really should), you have to check out http://wordpress.tv/. If you’re new to the world of Wordpress, you’ll especially love all of the video tutorials. They do all but come into your house and do it for you. The best just gets bester (firefox is going to love that one).
As I said a few posts back, I recently overloaded my book reading plate. Actually, if life hadn’t thrown me a few curve balls, they probably wouldn’t have seemed so overwhelming – but, as it was, having a cat with one leg in a cast and more online work to do than one person should even TRY to do found me staring at my pile of books like, “Are you even serious?!”
When the holidays decided to join in the mix, complete with baking, decorating, and shopping – I stopped staring at the pile of books, I put them out of view. The ones that were sitting, politely, waiting to be reviewed as well as the ones that were waiting to be read – they were each ushered to a shelf on a wall I seldom see. I promised them that I’d come back for them, after I caught my breath.
I was glad to see, this morning when I did in fact return for them, that they were right where I’d left them. And they were in good spirits, too. That’s the great thing about dealing with books – they’re so intelligent and insightful.
I just wrote a review about one such book on my Mental Fitness blog. The book is titled The Language of Emotional Intelligence and you can read the review by clicking the link. It was an incredible little book.
Below are other books I’ve enjoyed reading. They’d make great books for yourself AND/OR for book lovers on your Christmas list.
Saying Goodbye to Your Angel Animals
Saying Goodbye to Your Angel Animals: Finding Comfort after Losing Your Pet
: I have a confession to make. When I got this book in the mail (to review) it happened to be only a day or two after my much beloved, oldest cat Prissy (she was 19 then) had suffered a really bad stroke. She had already lost her sight and with this stroke, I knew my girl was on borrowed time. When I brought the package into the kitchen and opened it, right in view of Prissy lying on her favorite pillow, I burst into tears when I saw the title.
I put the book into a roll top desk because I didn’t like what it had on its mind – Goodbye. I was not ready for goodbye! Amazingly, neither was Prissy! She celebrated her 20th birthday recently and seems to be doing as well as expected for a tiny, antique cat. She purrs just about constantly and remains the happiest, best natured little thing on earth.
When it was clear that we’d weathered that storm, I brought the book out and read it. As one of the biggest animal lovers the world has ever known, I always want to read books by other animal lovers. Kindred spirits and all that.
Saying Goodbye to Your Angel Animals: Finding Comfort after Losing Your Pet is a beautifully written book. Any pet lover would appreciate it, whether they’re currently having to let go or not.
Riding into Your Mythic Life
Riding into Your Mythic Life: Transformational Adventures with the Horse
is a must read for horse lovers. Living in Kentucky, I have the great fortune of seeing these beautiful animals daily. I always knew they were beautiful and very special, but this book caused me to appreciate them even more.
I know horse lovers everywhere would cherish every word of this book.
The Way of the Horse: Journal
Way of the Horse: Equine Archetypes for Self-Discovery – A Book of Exploration and 40 Cards
is one of the prettiest books or journals I’ve ever seen. The artwork takes your breath away. This journal is positively something you MUST get for horse lovers on your Christmas list. Coupled with the book above, you couldn’t go wrong.
The Hero With a Thousand Faces
The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Bollingen Series)
was originally written by Joseph Campbell in the 1940’s. This is a profoundly interesting book. It’s easy to see why it is one of the most widely read books of the 20th century.
I always encourage everyone to occasionally read “up” or “above” the reading level they currently read the most often. For me, personally, I generally hover around Dean Koontz and Agatha Christie – they’re my happy place when it comes to reading fiction. I try to stretch my mind as often as possible, though, by reading books that are more challenging – whether it’s Shakespeare (Love Shakespeare!), other classic literature, or great non-fiction books from years ago, like The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Bollingen Series) is a brilliant way to stretch your mind while educating yourself.
I was just responding to a comment left on one of my posts when an idea for this post struck me. My husband and three daughters (Emily, Brittany, and Stephany) are very busy people. They come and go at all times – most of our cats gave up, long ago, trying to keep up with them. One, Alexa, is fighting the good fight and still stays on top of watching the revolving kitchen door.
For some peculiar reason, when one of them or one of their boyfriends (we’ll exclude my husband on that one) come through the door, Alexa will find me to “tell” me that she/he is here. She knows that’s when I like to go meet them and see what they’d like – be it coffee, tea, hot chocolate, food, or an ear.
Needless to say, they don’t have as much time to get lost in a great book as I do. Ahhhh, the sweet perks of working from one’s home. I read all the time – as I’ve said before, I usually have at least 3 books going at once. If I recommended EVERY single book I like to them, they’d think I was completely off my nut.
I’m still trying to keep that fact a secret from them, so I only recommend only the books that I KNOW will touch their lives and make them and their future brighter and better. The following are the last 5 books that I recommended to my much beloved family. I’d like to recommend them to you, because I heart you a great deal, too!
- The Bible. Obvious, much? I’ve always loved the Bible and reading it has been a constant in my daily life for too many years to even count. Every single one of life’s problems can be found in the books of the Bible and I’m convinced that the first step in living a better life begins with being a faithful Bible reader. After losing my mom, far sooner than I should have, in 2006, I found a great deal of comfort by turning to Psalms. The beauty of the words brought more calmness into my heart than it thought possible.
- Just Who Will You Be? by Maria Shriver
- Click HERE for my review of this remarkable little book. Each one of my family members has read this book and commented on how much they loved it. It’s a very fast read, and I think each one of them read it in one sitting.
- How to Think Like a Millionaire – Read my review of this exceptional book HERE.
- One Can Make a Difference: Original stories by the Dali Lama, Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Dennis Kucinch, Russel Simmons, Bridgitte Bardot, Martina … Dozens of Other Extraordinary Individuals
– How’s that for a title?? This is another wonderful book that’s also easy and fast to read. It’s actually compiled of a series of amazing essays, so they can be read in a one essay a day fashion. I would actually advise you to read them that way, because each essay stands on its own as a powerhouse of motivation and inspiration. The book is so amazing that you’ll want to devour them all at once. I have to confess, that’s the way I did it. But I’m going back now and reading them one essay at a time – really allowing each one to “set in” before moving to the next. This is a profound and powerful book that will change you forever. The truly beautiful thing? If enough of us are changed, we can change the world!
- Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS
- A wonderfully fun, yet highly motivational little book. It, too, will change your life for the better – by changing the way you “look at” things. It’s a make-over for your attitude, which is pretty essential because your attitude touches every single inch of your life.
- Strength for Life: The Fitness Plan for the Rest of Your Life
– My family’s health is even more important to me than my own, so I recommended this great all-in-one book to them. The author, Shawn Phillips, has as much knowledge about nutriton and fitness as any author I’ve ever read. He lays it all out for the readers in an easy-to-read and easy-to-live style that puts better health within arm’s reach.
For my daughters, I also recommended a fictional book by Kate Jacobs: Comfort Food
. She’s the talented, engaging author who also wrote “The Friday Night Knitting Club.” I love her style! Comfort Food is about a lovable host for a television show on the Cooking Channel. The main character, Gus is a fifty year old mother who has had this show for 12 years. The ratings are dipping, so the producers add a diva-like co-host, Carmen. Carmen loves nothing more than Carmen, so you can imagine how well that goes over.
Carmen decides to use her show as an on-air cooking class that brings together her fighting daughters Sabrina and Aimee.
Another great character, Oliver, provides the romance for the novel. He’s the new culinary producer who adds spice to Gus’ life. Sorry, I couldn’t resist the spice comment. I tried – but, in the end, I had to go with it.
Every so often, I’ll absolutely, positively overload life’s plate. My eyes will write checks my calendar can’t possibly cash. I’ll line up a billion and one things that I just can’t live without, then stand around wondering, “How did I ever think I could manage all that?”
Hmmm, there’s an unsettling similarity in my approach to budgeting, too…
My desk is covered, literally covered, with amazing books I’m reading. I’m honestly in the middle of 5 right now – a personal best. The two I just finished, How to Think Like a Millionaire and The Emotional Lives of Animals (Click the link to read my review of this beautiful book) were each great books. I’ve been on a real roll this year. One Can Make a Difference, Strength for Life, and Why the Wind Blows (review in the works) are just three that come to mind as being super special and life-changing.
I’m nearly halfway through another beautiful book titled, “The Hero With a Thousand Faces.” It’s by Joseph Campbell and I honestly get hand cramps from all the note taking. But I just stretchit out, pour more coffee, and get back to something I dearly love – getting lost in a great book with a great author.
People don’t read enough books lately, if you ask me. Sure, we read blogs, e-mails, and online articles – and, when we have time, we even read the newspaper. We should all (oh no I didn’t just include myself here) make a point of reading more books.
There’s just nothing quite like curling up with a cat, a cup of coffee, a homemade cookie, and a great book. Or five.
