Heat, Fires & Savoring What We Have

Nothing reframes priorities like natural disasters, and the record-breaking heat wave we're experiencing in this country is doing just that. As crops burn in the fields and water evaporates, it's easy to translate what's important.

Food and water.

You can forget the paper money you've got stashed away, or the pulse on your 401K. Without water to drink, or healthy food on the table, it means "nada"!

The visual for me is that less than a mile from my home, the Colorado River is ankle-deep, while smoke billows on the horizon above the Bookcliffs from a fire that has raged for days. Over in Colorado Springs, over 300 families have lost their homes to fires of epic proportion there.

All of a sudden, giving thought to which shade of paint to select for my kitchen walls or which style of sandal to purchase seems glaringly inappropriate in the light of what appear to be obvious shifts from life as we know it.

Am I a doomsdayer?

No. That would be to focus on hand-wringing or mindless distractions.

Every day of our lives, there are choices that lie before us as to how we might play a better role in our world.

I believe it begins with gratitude.

For me, I'm grateful that I even have a kitchen, or a strong body so I can do the things I need to do ~ with or without new sandals!

And if you have good food to eat and fresh, clean water to drink, don't miss any opportunity to whisper a prayer of thanks!

Mindfulness Isn't Thinking!

There's a veritable "mindfulness" movement going on!

I've married it to "eating" in my blog entries, but it's so much larger than that. And, if you apply mindfulness to eating, you can then apply it to the other areas of your life.

When you create enough space in time to step back and be aware of your food choices, eventually you will find it easier to act on that awareness and make better choices. The other benefit is that when you create some space in time, a pause, you begin to ratchet down your stress level.

The reason "mindfulness" is resonating now is because we're all wound way too tight trying to control everything as the ground shifts beneath us ~ and we're finding that our inner terrain is all we can really count on.

When it comes to that universal challenge of eating well, our minds run like hamsters in a cage as we research the best way to do it, make a plan, and then mentally flog ourselves when we don't make it happen.

But in that calming arena of "mindfulness," we discover that we're not in this to "win," because there is no finish line. Every moment is our opportunity to feel better, and the food choices that we make play a very large part in that because the better the food, the more energy is delivered at a cellular level.

We've been so programmed to investing our efforts in the future, or worthlessly, in the past, that we neglect the very real opportunities before us, right now.

To be mindful, or fully present in the moment, is our reset button.

We all get caught up in the momentum of the things we have to do everyday. Just don't let your food choices become a part of that blur.

Take some time and savor something that you know is good for you!

Why Do We Do What We Always Did?

(I've taken a break while I dealt with allergies this past month ~ Now I'm back at my keyboard!)

So why is it that we choose foods, or drinks, we know are going to make us feel bad later? Why is it that despite previous experience, we continue to do what we said we wouldn't? Part of it has to do with the definition of insanity: Doing the same think over and over again, but hopin for different results.

It's the "hoping" part.

We "hope" to feel better. We "hope" to lose weight. We "hope" we'll make better choices ~ next time.

"Hoping" implies that something's going to happen without any participation from us. Of course, there may be some real physicial addictions at play that we need to recognize and be aware of.

But if we ever want to change our lives, we have to, by intention, put ourselves out there. It starts with looking closely at what we believe about ourselves.

Do we believe we deserve to feel better? That we deserve to nurture ourselves with good food?

We make the choices that we do becuase there is some perceived reward for us ~ maybe just calming uncomfortable emotions, or feeding some emotional hunger that we mistake for physical hunger.

Knowing that what we seek isn't to be found in that bag of salty potato chips is a start.  Then find something that really does nurture you and choose that instead!

Of Food & Finances

There’s an article in USA Today this week about how the “millennials” are struggling with financial literacy.

They’re not alone. Plenty of “boomers” who majored in liberal arts back in the day, yet failed to pick up an economics course, are probably in the same boat.

For those trying to figure out where to find firm footing amidst all this economic turbulence, I suggest starting with food.

Here’s where I’ll repeat my old “saw” ~ Americans waste 40 percent of the food they buy in grocery stores and in restaurants. Since we all have to eat every day, all that wasted food can translate into wasted cash that could be set aside for a car payment, utility costs or a savings account.

So where do these “millennials” and every other struggling American start?

The answer is in their kitchens. With some planning, we can eat better and spend less.

Somewhere along the way, we mistakenly learned to equate meeting basic needs with deprivation. We stopped viewing having a place to live, good food, clean air and clean water as the abundance that it really is.

So lacking economic certainly or a road map on how to find it, we need to look to the one area that we clearly can control; and that’s what buy and what we eat.

Cut down on the coffee and the soda pop, and carry a water bottle. If you’re spending as much as $5 a day on that, you’ll save about $25 a week, or $100 a month.

Buy more veggies and learn to stretch your meat portions. Meat is expensive, and our bodies need much less protein than we think.

Incorporate whole wheat or gluten-free pasta into your menu planning. True, it’s a source of carbs, but you can lessen its glycemic effect by cooking it no longer than seven minutes. (Keep the pasta portions smaller, and top it with lots of sautéed veggies).

If you’re still stymied by the plethora of food choices, start by buying a bag of apples and eat one every day for a week, without making any other changes. Pay attention to every bite, and truly savor it, knowing that it’s improving your health and nurturing your body. (A bag can cost as much as a latte’!)

Then start doing some simple menu planning. Even just having a fresh garden salad in the fridge can always be a fallback. (Serve it with the kids’ macaroni and cheese; just give them more salad than pasta!)

It’s easier than you think, and you’ll soon find out that it’s “money in the bank!”

Diabetics Should View Food as Their Pharmacy

That Southern belle of kitchens everywhere, Paula Deen, has provided huge absolution for millions seeking solace and comfort from food by providing recipes and demonstrations on how to cook up sugary, high-fat, palate pleasers.

Examples range from her “sweet tea” to entrée’s like her cheesy macaroni & beef casserole, to dessert finales like her skillet-fried apple pie (cooked in 1/2 inch of oil~ seriously!)

Earlier this year, she announced she has Type 2 diabetes.

She’s on a couple of meds to control her diabetes, and said she still enjoys those kinds of dishes, but in smaller portions.

That’s a good start, but her path could be so much better.

Truth is, there’s a better example to be set for the 26 million Americans with diabetes, 90 percent of whom have the Type-2 variety.

Because avoiding saturated fats, high-fat dairy and animal products especially ice cream, cheese, hot dogs, bacon, hamburgers and sausage ~ all those things Paula Deen fans love ~ can go a long ways towards even reversing diabetes.

As for the “sweet tea”, sodas and juices ~ those should be the first to go!

The acidic properties of the “white stuff” like white bread, rice, pasta and sugar help to insure that that environment of inflammation continues ~ putting out the welcome mat for those illnesses we to want to avoid, namely diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Those rolling blood sugar levels that are the hallmark of diabetes can often be quickly stabilized by combining regular exercise with plenty of high fiber fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans. That is, of course, minus the dollops of butter when they’re served up “Southern style”.

Just cutting sugary drinks from your diet can improve your glucometer readings in a matter of days!

Choose A Fork!

I watched that much-talked about documentary, “Forks Over Knives”, the other night.

Basically, it presents a scientifically-sound argument for a diet based on whole foods, illustrating their incredible healing properties. (The array of fruits and vegetables out there contain more than 25,000 vitamins, minerals and enzymes.)

It’s a very hopeful message at a time when more and more Americans are being diagnosed with catastrophic illnesses, many of which can be linked to diet. That’s because not only can eating well prevent serious disease, in many cases it can even reverse what deterioration has already occurred.

Whoa! If that’s true, then why would millions of people depend on a cascade of expensive pharmaceutical drugs to keep their sick bodies functioning? That doesn’t make any sense.

Actually, it does.

We can all sit and nod in agreement about the importance of eating good food, but applying that is altogether different.

No one wants to be sick. But the complicated lives most of us live often just siphon off what little motivation there might be to make lasting changes. Factor in a food industry that cranks out products with virtually no nutritional value and addictive ingredients that stoke the furnace of inflammation, and it can seem like a losing battle.

After all, we’re talking about a very, very large group of people who are sick, and they’re also tired.

The documentary interviewed a few of the more chronically ill. Their blood labs basically read: Change or die! (Maybe not tomorrow, but it was in the cards at some point!)

So what did they do?

They started eating mostly fresh, whole foods.

They rid their cabinets of sugar, fats and salt; and they either eliminated, or cut way back on dairy and meat products. They got their protein mainly from sources like beans, nuts and whole grains. (That’s not to say that eliminating dairy and meat should be the course for everyone. You may well decide your body type needs those particular food sources.)

But for the people interviewed, after just eight weeks the results in their blood labs were dramatic. They had literally vacuum-cleaned their arteries!

You’ll say: “… but most of us can’t get from here to there.”

That, of course, is a personal belief, and beliefs are very powerful.

But so are fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans) and nuts! Once you make them the underpinnings of your diet, you might just have a very different view of what you can and cannot do.

(Those with serious or chronic conditions should only reduce their meds under the direction of their physician. Your family physician can be your partner in helping you reach your health goals.)

It's Not Just Food That Feeds Us

There’s another very important element to eating well, and that’s dining together.

There’s even a biblical reference that “man does not live by bread alone.” It’s true. We need each other.

Aside from whatever nutritional properties our food might provide, I believe there’s also an alchemy that’s directly related to the social environment in which we eat. No matter how healthy a plate you have in front of you, eating food in a setting where your heart can be nurtured at the same time is the recipe for actually thriving.

Sitting down with other people in a non-stressful atmosphere not only makes food taste better, but it also affects how it’s metabolized inside your body.

But if you bring anger, or even just irritability, to the table, it can set the stage overeating and indigestion. This may sound radical, but if you’re trying to eat in an atmosphere of conflict, you’d be better off eating a hot dog in a less stressful setting.

(There’s another biblical reference that weighs a plate of herbs against a fattened calf; the better meal has love as an ingredient. My take is, it could be either.)

I suggest inviting people to dinner on a regular basis; at least twice a month. There can be a certain lightness and pure enjoyment to be gained from that because you bring a different part of yourself to the table; maybe a more elevated part of yourself.

Of course we know that’s not always the case.

If you regularly get together with people who are critical, negative, and spend most of the time complaining; you don’t tend to come away truly nourished. (I’ll include myself here, because there are times when any of us can slip into that!) Those may be the very situations where people are more inclined to overeat because, regardless of how much food they might eat, their hearts are starving in that setting.

If you understand what your needs are, it’s more likely they’ll be met because then you can be more purposeful about seeing that it happens.

If you want to feel optimistic about life, dinner table conversation shouldn’t revolve around how bad things are, and the lack of options for getting better. That kind of chatter carries a low, bottom-dredging frequency that will send your guests dragging out the door as you retreat to the dishes. Even if it’s just your family, dinner isn’t the time to talk about the bad habits that irritate you, your kid’s sliding grades, or how much you hate your job. (The caveat here, of course, would be if you’re moving from one point to explore solutions.)

The “heavy heart” is not just a metaphor. Neither is the “hungry heart.”

In a larger, but very real sense, people sit down together to find encouragement and support, and to talk of possibilities and the prospects for positive outcomes. Also, in a very real sense, those are the kinds of gatherings that feed our hearts.

Sharing meals with other people is a way to stay invested in eating well. It’s true. We need each other.

Just make sure you pick the right people.