Balanced

What is needed to sustain life?  Oxygen, water and food, glorious food!  Yet, not enough importance is given to the act of nourishing our bodies.  We scarf down fast food in our cars, graze while standing in the kitchen, or text while sitting in a restaurant. Some of us have a contentious relationship with food. It can evoke feelings of guilt and inadequacy.  It can reflect our attitude about our environment and ourselves.  I expect more books are written about food than almost any other subject, but you’ll have to Google that for yourselves. Mindful eating is big business these days and there is so much information about it that it will make your head spin.  There is at least one entire website devoted to mindful eating (thecenterformindfuleating.org) and entire shelves full of books on the subject.  Mindful eating can change your relationship with food, improving your well-being and overall health.  Food is so central to our survival, it should be enjoyed, cherished and respect

Oftentimes I refer to the word mindfulness and I've described what mindfulness is in an earlier post . I use the word mindfulness more often than meditation because, let's face it, meditation has gotten a bad rap in the past. But I'm here to change that. Generally speaking, meditation is the practice of quieting the mind. It is in meditation that we develop our mindfulness. It's a simple practice, not easy for most, at least in the beginning, and it does take some time, energy and discipline. But sometimes it's easier to talk about what meditation isn't . So, I offer the following myths & truths to the question of "what is meditation": Myth: It is just a relaxation technique Truth: While you do relax when doing meditation, it’s so much more than that. It has proven health benefits like stress reduction, pain management, increased happiness, better memory, increased compassion and on and on. Myth: Meditation means going into a trance

Throughout history, people have naturally moved. It’s only been in the last hundred years or so that has changed. With the advent of the combustible engine and later the movement of technology into our everyday lives, that has changed and we have become more and more sedentary. The healthiest happiest cultures today have movement built in to their everyday lives. They garden, they walk their dogs, and they have other ways that nudge them into moving every 20 minutes or so.  In the United States, the happiest populations live in cities that are safe, walkable, bikeable, have plenty of green space and have access to fresh produce. Most of us know that exercise is one facet of a well-rounded program for better health. Many of us know that a lifestyle that incorporates intentional movement leads to greater happiness. So we sign up for that gym membership in January, and then by May we find we haven’t been in months. Or we buy a treadmill or exercise bike and now we’re using it as a c

Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said, “The truth of who we are is that we are, because we belong.” The importance of social connections has really come into focus in the science community recently. And I’m not talking the Facebook kind of connections, I mean real face-to-face connections with real people. What researchers have found over and over is that our connections to others are instrumental, essential even, to our happiness. Social interactions rank right up there with your smoking/drinking habits as one of the most important predictors of longevity. It is one reason why women live longer in our country – women tend to have closer social networks, or what I like to call tribes, that they cultivate over lifetimes. Our tribes include our close relationships (spouses, family and others whom you call on in a crunch) as well as our social integration (how much you interact with people, the groups you belong to, people you interact with on daily basis). And social media contact no

I have a confession to make, but don’t close this window just yet. I’m a vegan – no animal products at all, no fish, chicken, dairy, eggs, nothing that comes from an animal. It works for me. But guess what? I’m not going to try to change you into a vegan. I’m not even going to ask you to give up meat. I have my own reasons and health is just one of them. Although if you are interested in becoming a vegan or vegetarian, just ask me. I’d be happy to help you on your way. That said, there are things for you to consider that will add years to your life, and life to your years. Now assuming you don’t have any food allergies or other health conditions like celiacs, colitis, or Crohn’s Disease, the like, here’s what I want you to do: While I'm not saying to eliminate it, try reducing the amount of meat your eating (diets low in animal products are more diverse in gut microbiome), make it more like a side dish or a condiment. Strive for your plate to be ½ fresh veggies (especiall

Just so you know, I’m not one of those for those long drawn out clever little recipe posts with lots of step-by-step photos. Give me one photo, a short background and take me right to the recipe. So here goes. I was gifted recently with several very large butternut squash, which I absolutely adore. So, I started looking for recipes that will make use of the beauties. I always adjust the recipes that I find to make them processed sugar-free and vegan, as well as lowering the fat content as much as possible. Here is the result, and to my palate it’s just sweet enough. Disclaimer: I gave up sugar back in May and a side benefit is that everything tastes sweeter. Ingredients 2 tbsp ground flax seed or egg replacer  6 tbsp water 1 cup whole wheat flour ½ cup unbleached white flower ½ tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp each – cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice 1 banana, mashed + applesauce to equal one cup 1 cup cooked and pureed butternut squash or pumpkin* ¼ cup ol