Category Archives: Food Talk 4 You!

One of the most important elements to good health is how you fuel your body. Let’s talk about how you can make sure the fuel you are using is the best it can be!

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You’ll Find That Life Is Still Worthwhile – If You Just Smile …

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Little Orphan Annie had it right, “You’re never fully dressed without a smile.”

Not to be disingenuous in valuing and recognizing human emotions, I often taught my high school Health Science students that they may need to use fake smiles and happiness upon entering their on-site training locations.

Yes, they may be in the pits of relationship angst, bad news, tragedy, or physical discomfort, but they needed to leave all that negativity at the door when they entered the building. Their smile might have the makings for an Oscar nomination, but they were to display a smiling, optimistic attitude.

Sure enough, in their clinical post conferences they reported that, because of a forced smile, they were soon feeling a smile that reached their eyes – their whole outlook had lifted – and that new feeling lasted for the rest of their day.

So, do you start smiling when, say, there’s a knock at your door?

Do you wait until you open the door, see who’s there, and wait for something smile worthy – if seeing their face is not enough?

Or have you picked up the habit of smiling before you open the door?

That’s me.

I’ve even learned to smile before answering the phone! While that sounds a bit hardcore, a smile can be heard. If you let that smile reach your eyes, especially, there’s a naturally sunny brightness in the voice that sets a positive tone.

We can thank a French neurologist, Guillaume Duchenne, for noting that there are two types of smiles. Those that rest solely on the lips, and those that spread up to the eyes.

Guillaume Duchenne

Basically, polite/fake vs. real smiles.

The reason why starting out with even a forced smile will eventually make us happier is because both kinds of smiling cause the release of the mood stabilizing neurotransmitter serotonin in our brains. As a natural stress reducer, serotonin can eventually help turn that forced smile into something very real and reaching to our eyes – just like my students reported.

And – smiling is contagious.

Who knows the needs of those we meet? They may long for the lift you are giving yourself, as well. Two people can ride on our one smile. Heck, maybe a whole roomful of people can be boosted with our less-than-hearty smile.

Pretty soon everyone will have a more positive outlook.

Sounds like the makings of a ground swell of positivity.

In honor of National Smile Day – yes, I revisited nationaltoday.com – start with a smile!

Smiling:

  • Takes fewer muscles than frowning
  • Increases productivity and creativity
  • Lowers blood pressure, heart rate, pain
  • Increases strength and endurance
  • Boosts immunity
  • Helps our brains become more receptive to positive neurotransmitters
  • Helps our brains become more receptive to positive neurotransmitters

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Deidre

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Blogging for good health!, Habit Building, Stress Reduction, This -n- That

Getting Grounded and Chasing May Rays

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It’s always national something month or national something day. Going to nationaltoday.com can be such a hoot and might give us an excuse for an indulgence.

For instance, with next Tuesday’s posting deadline looming, and editor, Sheree, is starting to panic because this is Thursday, I have discovered that today is National May Ray Day. Who knew we would recognize the rays of sunshine lighting our lives with hopes of spring and an eye toward the summer?

Ahhh.

Or, that it’s the National Devil’s Food Cake Day as well? Many of us could really get behind that one.

Tomorrow is something I may have to honor: National Quiche Lorraine Day. Yes!

Today is also National Barber Mental Health Awareness Day – which is also recognizing that May is National Mental Health Awareness Month.

Talk about a hot topic in today’s world.

Clearly better mental health is something we should all be striving for in our lives. Any reminders and skills we can get to boost our personal approach to balancing, centering, or being grounded should be appreciated.

Case in point. Last night, I went to a presentation titled, Mental Health and Well Being, led by Sarah A. Patterson, D.Min., LCSW, from WakeMed. She pointed out that life changes – births, deaths, marriage, divorce, new job, moving, etc. – create emotional responses that are colored by our respective past experiences.

The research into resilience building I am doing for my next book in the Toolkit for Caregivers series, has taught me that emotions are just thoughts, and that we can learn to guide/direct/control our thoughts. If our emotional responses in the past have only created more anxiety for us, then it is possible to retrain ourselves to achieve better outcomes.

One difficulty we often face is our inability to calm down in stressful situations that are eliciting all kinds of anxiety. At foodtalk4you, we have explored techniques in box breathing, gratitude and blessings jars, forest bathing, naming our emotions, exercise, and journaling to help de-stress.

That tried-and-true method of slowly breathing and counting to ten may help somewhat if we are short on time, but I learned from Sarah last night that researchers have found it takes a full two minutes – or more – to really calm down and regulate our responses.

What to do in those magic 2 minutes?

Sarah showed us two new things I want to pass on to you: Guided Grounding and The Pretzel Move.

Guided Grounding is as easy as a 5-4-3-2-1 in focusing on each of our senses:

Find a quiet spot to leisurely survey what you are sensing as follows:

5 things you are seeing right now – colors, objects, textures, smiles, sunshine

4 things you are physically feeling/sensing – feet feeling the ground, pressure of chair on your back, the warmth or coolness of the environment, hair falling on your face

3 things you are hearing – voices, birds chirping, your breathing

2 things you are smelling – coffee brewing, fresh air

1 thing you are tasting – the lingering taste of your toothpaste

This survey of your senses helps to focus thinking and concentration on something other than the object of your anxiety triggers.

The Pretzel Move we did was a stationary hold of position; an active version for children can be found at healthymindstherapy.blog, “Pretzel Breathing Technique for Children,” which is complete with a child-led video. Here’s how we did The Pretzel last night:

Find a quiet spot to do the following – otherwise, you’ll have to explain why you look so funny

Sit with your ankles crossed

Hold your arms out straight in front of you, palms facing together

Turn your palms with thumbs down

Cross your dominant hand/arm over your nondominant hand/arm

Join your palms and lace your fingers

Bring your joined palms down and in toward your chest and up toward your chin

Hold for two minutes while you box breathe (count of 4 in, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4, repeat)

If you are unable to bring your crossed arms/palms into your chest and up, just keep your crossed arms extended in front of you.

You can see that both techniques are basically ruses to get your mind to concentrate on something other than its source of anxiety – but these simple methods are effective in bringing us back to center to be “grounded.”

Sarah reported that she’s seen this Pretzel technique stop an anxiety attack quickly.

If the source of your anxiety or your response to it is too overwhelming, there is still help for you. Sarah shared with us that psychologytoday.com can be used to find resources in your own community based upon the specific needs you may have such as symptoms, diagnosis, availability of health insurance or not, transportation, and more. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

Being healthy physically, spiritually, and mentally does not mean we accomplish it alone. On the contrary – when we break a bone, we don’t think twice about getting medical help – when our minds are challenged beyond our capabilities to treat, we should think nothing about seeking outside help.

We continue to gather tools to help ourselves as in these grounding techniques shared here but being proactive about our mental health also includes seeking help from others.

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In health-

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!

When You’re Happy and You Know It –

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How to be healthy. How to be happy. How to be resilient.

Wait. Resilient?

Not on the tip of your tongue?

Well, nothing is new under the sun – but we repackage Truths in new terms and look at them from different angles as our circumstances change.

Ancients of old wrote of the benefits of having a heart of compassion, kindness, gratitude, forgiveness, and healing to reach our full potential and to obtain/maintain vibrant health.

As I research and write the third book in my caregiver series: Toolkit for Caregiver Emotions and Resilience, I see the Truths of this ancient wisdom being presented in a new light.

The new light is found in measurements taken on the brain’s activities showing us the whys and hows of such Truths in action. It’s cool to me that wisdom thoughtfully surmised and revealed hundreds and thousands of years ago, stands up to the measurements and proofs of modern science.

Dr. Amit Sood’s short animation presented HERE reveals three discoveries about the human brain: 

We feel other’s physical and emotional pain as our own. Seeing or hearing pain in others fires up the same network in our own brains as if we had experienced it ourselves.

Imagery is real to the brain. If you dream about falling off a cliff, the same brain network fires up as if you had really fallen.

Emotional and physical pains are absorbed the same in the brain. Broken hearts and broken bones are equally absorbed.

Back up and reread those three points. Are you seeing the connections?

Right away, I better understand the drive behind compassion for others – we have a shared pain. When we help others stop their pain, we feel better as well.

Second, I am recommitted to controlling what my brain absorbs. Long a believer of garbage-in-garbage-out, I want to guide my experiences to natural beauty and not random blow-em-up-shoot-em-down big screen extravaganzas.

The emotional blows we receive are absorbed by the brain as if they were physical blows. I can attest to physical sensations literally washing over my body when negative interactions with others occurs.

Disruption to a positive flow with those around me creates a physical disjointedness that’s hard to describe. Until my emotions are mended, my body is not properly functioning.

Of course, Hollywood producers use these truths to grab and hold an audience, but how do we translate these into an actionable plan for optimal health?

Gratitude and compassion have been shown to be the perfect partnering of traits that, when put into action, can lift spirits, and help us rise above negative feelings that may overwhelm.

At foodtalk4you, we have long recommended using a blessings jar or gratitude journal to help grow our awareness and mindfulness by finding the blessings in even challenging times.

Having and demonstrating our compassion for others grows a sense of personal satisfaction. It’s as if our own troubles get lost in the process of helping others. The blessings of our outreach bounce back in healing for us, as well.

How does this relate to the idea of resilience?

Once referred to by a host of other descriptions – being able to bounce back, keeping an optimistic outlook, endurance, robustness, stamina, and perseverance – resilience is today’s term that reflects being able to return to a previous condition/state after being “stretched out of shape” by life events.

Ideally, a resilient person would be able to come back to something close to or even better than they were prior to their negative experiences.

How do gratitude and compassion help resilience?

Even while standing in ruins, we can boost our resilience by looking around to find the blessings – maybe a supportive smile, helping hand, or a random sunbeam through the dark clouds.

We can also build our resilience skills by looking away from our own circumstance to reach out in compassion to others – shift the focus, change the subject, and appreciate the progress we helped create – we garner a renewed sense of control which is often lost in negative circumstances.

So, to paraphrase Dr. Sood, we should start in this moment, now, today, to practice gratitude and compassion with the one who is a breath away.

Going across town or into another country is not needed. There are abundant opportunities to show compassion right next to us – right now.

Then, at the end of the day, we should count our blessings and remember with a heart full of gratitude.

Practices such as these will boost our resilience skills to help us land on our feet, bounce back, and survive better than ever.

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In Health –

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!

Just One More Thing …

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As a follow up to last week’s post about do-it-yourself Near East Quinoa and Rice blends, let me share by adding about a tablespoonful of olive oil to the mixture as it cooks, rounding out the depth of the flavors.

In fact, while cooking any kind of rice or quinoa, I’ve come to add either olive oil or my “happy” butter from grass fed Irish cows. As a lover of butter on hot rice, adding just a tablespoon during cooking satisfies my butter desire while decreasing the quantity I might consume when applied afterward.

Also, this recent dive into quinoa, inspired a fun new texture ingredient for how I tweak gluten-free boxed muffin mixes.

Whenever we want to linger over coffee or tea in the morning before our first real meal, a mini-muffin will fill the bill.

There’s something about a mini muffin that just says, “I love you!” Increase that love message by cranking up the nutritional factors.

Here’s what I am doing:

Tweaking Concepts for Muffin Mixes

For plain gluten-free mixes such as King Arthur, create your own flavor profile such as:

Orange-Coconut-Walnut

To the dry mix add:

Zest of one navel orange

Handful of walnut pieces, chopped

1 – 1 ½ cups/ 235 – 355 ml, cooked quinoa, cooled

¼ cup/60 ml collagen hydrolysate

2 TBS/ 15 ml freshly ground flax seed

Cinnamon to taste

For the water/milk component measure out:

Juice from that orange

One half can of full-fat coconut milk (use half of the solid coconut cream and half

of the coconut fluid)

Enough water or dairy of choice to measure up to the required fluid total

Follow the package directions regarding eggs and melted butter. If the batter is too dry, add a bit of fluid of choice, stirring after each small addition.

Mix, spoon into prepared mini-muffin tins and bake as directed.

Cranberry-Walnut-Orange-Apple

Add chopped fresh or dried cranberries

Chopped walnuts

Orange zest and juice

½ cup/ 120 ml unsweetened applesauce

Try freshly ground chia seeds instead of the flax

Cooked quinoa

Collagen hydrolysate

Cinnamon

Blueberry-Lemon-Coconut

For the gluten-free blueberry mix such as Krusteaz, add all or some of the following:

Zest of one lemon – lemon is the perfect complement to blueberries

1 – 2 TBS/ 15-30 ml of lemon juice

½ cup/ 120 ml unsweetened finely grated coconut

And the usual options as mentioned above:

Cooked, cooled quinoa

Collagen hydrolysate

Ground flax seed

Walnuts

Cinnamon

I had no cooked quinoa the other day but managed to cook and cool some by the time preparation for everything else was complete. Remember to thoroughly rinse the raw quinoa in a colander under running water prior to cooking to help neutralize the factors that inhibit nutrient absorption.

This is concept cooking at its finest!

There’s no pressure for precise duplications, but the texture of these muffins, with the added quinoa, makes me want to keep it as a go-to tweaking element.

Personal allergies to nuts or dairy can easily be accommodated by switching out ingredients.

To learn more about the nutrients behind these ingredients and how to prepare nuts for optimal nutrition, check out my book, Toolkit for Wellness.

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In health-

Deidre

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Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Recipes, This -n- That

Let’s Take A Trip To The Nearly Near East

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I have a problem with quinoa.

No, it’s not the spelling or the pronunciation – (KEEN-wah).

It’s the texture – or that its texture is so loose and not stuck together, which makes it seem too light, fluffy, and not substantial.

Oh, they make sticky quinoa just like sticky rice; but, for me, it’s too sticky.

Now I sound like Goldilocks. Too loose. Too sticky. Searching for the middle ground.

When my sweetheart showed me his favorite quinoa at the store, we bought and prepared it for dinner that night. Just like Goldilocks, this one was just right.

What was the difference?

The Near East brand he liked was a mixture of both quinoa and brown rice and offered the perfect blend of herbs and spices.

Voila and Eureka!

But I didn’t like buying a small box of the stuff every time I wanted savory quinoa. I have giant bags of quinoa and brown rice at home; so, all I had to do was duplicate the spice blend.

After snapping a picture of their ingredients list on the box, I set out to create my own version of their recipe for yumminess and texture.

I know labels start with the largest quantities of ingredients and in descending order, continue to the least. That list gave me a hazy road map – the rest was up to me.

Ingredients:  Quinoa**, parboiled long grain brown rice, salt, maltodextrin, yeast extract, onion powder, garlic powder, dried rosemary, dried parsley, tomato powder, dextrose, sugar, citric acid, spices, tapioca maltodextrin, natural flavor, sunflower oil, olive oil, tocopherols – preservative.

Clearly, some items were never going to be in my version: maltodextrin, yeast extract, dextrose, citric acid, tapioca maltodextrin, natural flavor, (highly processed) sunflower oil, and tocopherol preservatives. I also had plans to replace the sugar with a pinch of erythritol and monk fruit sugar alternative.

Did you know that according to Better Homes and Gardens magazine, “natural flavor” is a mystery ingredient defined by the FDA as:

“a substance extracted, distilled, or similarly derived from natural sources like plants, (fruits, herbs, veggies, barks, roots, etc.), or animals, (meat, dairy products, eggs, etc.), via a method of heating, with its main function in food being flavoring not nutritional.”

Why am I not leaping for joy?

As for the tomato powder, I’ve never had any. Is it a thing? But I found a tomato/basil seasoning blend recently and will be using it as I prepare for this post. We’ll see how it works out.

On to my concept recipe with no measurements for the spices:

Nearly East Quinoa and Brown Rice with Olive Oil

In a saucepan put:

  • 2/3 cup/ 156 ml       quinoa – rinsed in water and drained to reduce the anti-nutrient content
  • 1/3 cup/ 78 ml         brown rice
  • 2 cups/ 473 ml        water
  • Salt
  • Onion powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Crushed dried rosemary
  • Dried parsley
  • Optional pinch of sugar or erythritol
  • Additional spices/herbs that may contain:
    • Dried tomato flakes
    • Dried basil
    • Dried oregano

Give everything a good stir, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook until all water has been absorbed.

We have been totally satisfied with the results of combining two parts quinoa, with one part brown rice, along with this assortment of spices and olive oil.

It’s also more economical to easily duplicate this mix from what is already in your cupboard than buy it pre-done.

This quinoa/rice blend is a handy side dish and makes a nice addition sprinkled cold on a salad or added to a breakfast bowl instead of grits.

Why do we eat quinoa?

It’s an ancient grain once considered to be sacred by the Incas.

Really a seed, quinoa is prepared the same way grains are. Full of protein, nutrients, and fiber quinoa is also gluten-free and contributes to an anti-inflammatory diet. Rinsing before cooking reduces the elements that prevent our absorption of key nutrients.

Note: If you have chronic kidney stones, the oxalates in quinoa could contribute to stone formation.

The fiber, protein, and a host of nutrients make quinoa a smart carbohydrate to incorporate into your diet. Adding brown rice to the mix doubles down on the high fiber and nutrients.

Both grains can contribute to balancing of blood sugar levels, weight loss, regularity, and reducing cholesterol. What’s not to like?

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In health-

Deidre

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Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Recipes

Big Red Gets Your Body Fed!

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When in doubt, go for the color.

Colorful fruits and vegetables are chockfull of benefits. They are often described as having phytonutrients – which means they have plant-derived compounds that are good for us.

Whether you can quote all the phytonutrients found in each colorful bite or not doesn’t matter.

Just know colorful foods are full of goodness, have less or none of the bad, will not weigh you down, are convenient and affordable, and offer a whole body health boost – as stated by the American Heart Association.

Today, we are concentrating on all things red, with a recipe for red/purple onions at the end.

Lycopene is the standout phytonutrient of red fruits and vegetables. The push to add extra tomato sauce and paste to recipes is because studies show lycopene helps to prevent, and even reverse, prostate cancer.

Watermelon is even higher in lycopene than tomatoes, and it also has citrulline which may help treat Erectile Dysfunction.

But reds are not just benefitting the guys.

We are all getting an abundance of vitamins and minerals with each bite – along with a host of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. Remember, excess inflammation drives disease and oxidative stress drives aging and causes the creation of free radicals which contribute to disease.

My recent foray into red onions included an inspiring meal at B J’s Restaurant and Brewhouse in Cary, NC. The food in this chain restaurant was fresh and did not taste mass produced. The Cauliflower and Quinoa Power Bowl with Blackened Salmon sent me home in search of marinated red onion recipes and a desire to recreate the basic parts of this dish.

Many recipes for marinated red onions often include large quantities of sugar in the brine mixture. That’s a no go for me. Others involved several boiling water baths for the onion rings.

Meh. Too much work.

I finally settled on this combination of ingredients that was easy:

Marinated Red Onions 101

In a large, wide-mouth glass jar or large bowl, place 1 large red onion, sliced into thin circles.

In a smaller bowl, combine the following:

1/4 cup / 60 ml         red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup / 60 ml         water

2 Tbs. / 30ml              extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. / 5 ml                 Dijon mustard – I used spicy brown mustard this time

1 tsp. / 5 ml                 honey

1 Tbs. / 15 ml             chopped fresh herbs or 1 tsp. / 5 ml dry herbs (to taste) – I used dried oregano

1/2 tsp. / 2.5 ml        sea salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste.

Whisk the ingredients until well-combined and pour over the onions.

If using a glass jar, screw on the lid and shake a bit to coat and break apart the onion slices. Refrigerate and shake every so often.

If using a bowl, stir the onions and marinade, separating the onion rings as you go. Cover, refrigerate, and stir occasionally.

These rings will be crunchy and tasty in a few hours, and deliciously wilted in a day or two.

Marinated red onions offer visual, taste, and textural appeal to salads, protein entrees, tacos, burgers, and to top savory quinoa.

You don’t have to tell the family they are getting blood pressure lowering sulfur, lots of quercetin to calm inflammation and impart antibacterial protection, fiber, probiotics, or a host of other things.

Nope. Just enjoy the compliments

Look how our dinner plates turned out. The protein was sliced boneless pork chops.

Recipe for my homemade version of Near East Rice with Quinoa next time.

See if you can add some red pepper, tomato, strawberry, raspberry, watermelon, apple, cranberry, cherry, red onion, pomegranate, or beet to your next meal.

In health-

Deidre

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Wash Day Blues? Here’s One Solution!

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Foodtalk4you readers: Aww. Come on.

Me: Yes? Got a problem?

Readers: Yes. First you told us we’re eating foods that will do us harm.

Me: That’s right. The introduction of processed foods into any society marks the beginning of modern medical illnesses.

Readers: Then you told us we even talk to ourselves the wrong way.

Me: Absolutely. Negative self-talk doubles down on predictably bad outcomes.

Readers: You also told us we might be breathing the wrong way.

Me: Correct. Aren’t you enjoying your lower pulse, blood pressure, and increased energy since you stopped breathing through your mouth?

Readers: Hmmm, yes.

Me: So why the long faces?

Readers: Now you’re going to tell us how to do the “@#$%&” laundry?

Me: Well, yes. Seems I might have been doing laundry wrong myself. See, I’ve learned about a guy who is THE laundry guru. I read an article about him in Reader’s Digest that made sense, so I bought his book. You know, I love to pass on helpful information.

Readers: You do specialize in sharing great ideas.

Me: Thank you. Are you ready to learn something cool?

Readers: Okay. You’ve never steered us wrong before. You’re probably going to say we need to wash in special detergent using bottled water, right?

Me: Funny. No. Just sit back and follow along. I think you are going to like this.

My mom adored doing the laundry. Back in the day, she taught me to enjoy the fresh outdoor scent in the sheets and towels, before machine dryers were a thing.

We’d even watch the clothes slosh around in the washer with fascination, while wondering why my grandmother was such a hold-out as she continued to use her wringer washer well into the late 1960s.

Most of our concerns today seem to center on water and power conservation – along with being kind to our clothes and gentle on our skin and to the environment.

Therefore, many of us use cold water exclusively. Patric Miller’s book is making me think differently. He holds free Laundry Camps at the Mall of America in Minneapolis where he shares his research and experience in the care of textiles.

Bottom line: The cold water in our homes is usually 53 degrees F or so, and is too cold to dissolve our cold-water detergents that need 58-62 degrees F. The result is that soap can accumulate in our clothes, along with the dirt and body oils, it is not helping to release.

To prove his point, simply put a cold water washed item in some truly warm water and watch it suds up.

He also suggests using the express cycle exclusively to save wear and tear on fabrics – clothes will be in warm water for only 8 minutes – too short of a time to bother delicate items. This short cycle saves time and water.

Fabric softeners? They are coating our clothes with silicone. How healthy could that be for our skin?

Miller suggests using a ball of crunched-up aluminum foil to prevent static cling in the dryer. The aluminum should neutralize the electricity and you can use the tight ball of aluminum foil several times before replacing it.

His best dryer idea is to use at least three wool dryer balls to eliminate static and cut drying time by up to 40%. I have just purchased my first set and will report back to you how I like them. No aluminum or silicone!

Shortening wash and dry times will more than pay for the small bit of warm water used. Replacing dryer sheets with wool balls will save some cash, trash, time, and exposure to chemicals.

Miller has more tips on effective sorting, keeping blue jeans blue, and keeping whites, white. I think you would benefit from using his strategies.

Decreasing our exposure to chemicals in the fabrics touching our skin can go a long way to improving our personal health and that of our planet.

Here’s to cleaner laundry.

In health-

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!, Habit Building, Stress Reduction, This -n- That

It’s Our 8th Birthday at FoodTalk4You!!

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Today, exactly 8 years ago, foodtalk4you.com was born.

We have covered quite an assortment of topics over the years – all to uplift and edify those who knew there must be a more natural way to get and stay healthy.

Research in the last 12 months has revealed new paths to self-renewal that I have shared with you. As a nod to our anniversary number, here are what I believe are our top 8 by reader popularity.

  1. Last April, I introduced you to Breath – The New Science of a Lost Art, by James Nestor, which sets the stage for optimal health through how we breathe. Who knew our very anatomy and physiology would be so dependent upon how we get air into our bodies? Nestor dramatically shows how he reversed his mouth breathing and a host of common health problems. All breathers should read this book.
  • A post in May shared how to do a Body Scan prior to, and just after, exercise. Why did this make the top 8? Because this easy 2-minute body scan is yet another way to be more mindful of our bodies. Our thoughts are so often directed away from ourselves that we seldom “check in” with how we are doing.
  • Combining two posts featuring crockpot soups from Creamy Fascination and Game Day Crock Pot Soup , we are reminded that home cooking from scratch can involve minimal preparation and effort yet yield wholesome goodness.
  • With supplies as simple as a fine-tipped pen and a shading pencil, creating a relaxing artistic process with little-to-no skills was shared in October with Zentangles. How I love to grab a small piece of paper to practice organized doodling. There are Facebook groups, ZIA Tangling for beginners and Zen Tangle 101 to learn and share – including how people are managing their personal limitations by exploring this art form.
  • My foray into a better understanding of how to avoid human infirmities started off in 2022 when I discovered Metabolical by Robert H. Lustig, MD. Lustig is putting things together for me with more clarity than I’ve read before. If you believe we are designed for health like I do, this one is for you. It set the stage for me to read the eighth article in our list.
  • Whether you are a person of faith or not, the writings of John Roedel in his Hey, God, and, Remedy, books speak to the souls of anyone who has ever had self-doubt, trauma, depression, or personal angst of any sort with words of understanding and compassion. Both of his books provide me with a helping hand that comes through the page and into my own.
  • I saved the best for last. The one written resource that is improving my natural health is undoubtedly, Vitamin K and the Calcium Paradox. As shared in early March, I am learning about, not just one vitamin, but several. There will be more posts about this in the future, but by applying the wisdom from this one book, you could save your life.

That is our top 8. Sheree and I hope you have enjoyed FoodTalk4You so far and you have learned helpful knowledge over the years to improve your health.

You keep reading and we’ll keep sharing!!

In health-

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!, Recipes

Someone Say COOKIES??

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Who among us does not enjoy a good homemade cookie?

Small, portable, and usually clean to eat, cookies can be a satisfying treat.

They can also pack a wallop in terms of the ill-effects of high fat, white flour, and white sugar. Not exactly health food.

But could it be?

Simply converting a few ingredients to gluten-free versions helps; but we’re still left with high fat and sweeteners. I reserve such cookies to special indulgences over the holidays – and only when I can give most of them away.

A recipe for a healthy cookie crossed my path the other day that really caught my eye. Naturally, I tweaked it to pack in even more goodness, and the results are quite pleasing as I paired it with my afternoon cup of tea.

No butter to soften and no flour at all! Let’s look at this recipe without further delay:

Healthy Cookie

Makes 24 cookies.

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup apple sauce – I just cooked up one apple, mashed it, and used all of it

2 cups of gluten-free rolled oats – I used a bit more because of the increased applesauce –

1 Tablespoon whole flax seeds, freshly ground –

1 Tablespoon chia seeds, freshly ground  

About 3 Tablespoons water to moisturize the ground flax and chia for 5 minutes

¼ cup dried fruit, softened and coarsely chopped – raisins, craisins, cherries

¼ cup chopped nuts

3 ounces of good chocolate, chopped – I used 72% dark chocolate  

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Optional: 3-4 Tablespoons of erythritol and monk fruit plant-based sugar alternative 

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas and add ingredients in order given.

Yes, I did use a bit of the erythritol and monk fruit sugar substitute. This is not the chemical wasteland that phony sugar substitutes are and does not give the sugar/carb hit that comes when people turn to honey, agave, or maple syrups.

Spoon onto a lightly greased baking sheet or use parchment paper to line pan.

Bake 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator or freeze.

NOTE- The dried fruits and ground seeds may be used dry, but you may need to add up to ¼ cup of your favorite milk type if the dough is too stiff.

About seed grinders: I tried to find an equivalent to my decades old – yet trusty – seed/spice grinder on Amazon and would recommend this one for spices and seeds. This one has great reviews and is a good price.

I like having a simple small device dedicated to seeds and spices. Coffee beans get their own grinder and I do not have to worry about extra clean up to avoid crossing up flavors.

My cookie was rich and satisfying – one did the job.

Here’s to an afternoon treat with lots of fiber, good fats from nuts and seeds, minerals, and antioxidants.

In health-

Deidre

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Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Exercise, Habit Building, Stress Reduction

Three-Legged Stools

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Sometimes we need reminders – that includes authors of healthy lifestyle blogs.

Yes, even me.

You see, we were wondering why something wasn’t working so well as I bustled around the kitchen this morning – “being all healthy.”

Soaking chia seeds for my sweetheart’s smoothie. Grinding up flax seeds for us both. Sautéing unbreaded okra slices for my gluten-free breakfast bowl. Drinking a glass of water as our first fluids of the day. Vitamins.

All the good things … Except.

Someone was complaining of “death balls” after a trip to the bathroom.

And someone else left the bathroom in happy amazement and relief.

What was the difference between the two of us?

It goes back to that truth-giving, three-legged stool. Take away just one of those legs, and the stool no longer functions.

Regardless of age, the human body needs three things in consistent daily supply for optimal bowel function. Yes, we’re talking about poop – and I’ve done this before HERE – but it bears repeating. Not sorry if this is TMI.

Repeat after me –

MY BODY NEEDS:

  1. WATER
  2. FIBER
  3. EXERCISE

There should be enough water to lighten up the color of urine – which will be darker first thing in the morning. The number of 8-ounce glasses varies depending upon the level of hydration and if there is sweating. Generally, the number is 8 glasses.

Fiber minimums for adults are 21-25 grams for women and 30-38 grams for men. Most of us are dramatically deficient in getting enough fiber. You can read about ramping up fiber in our March 8th post.

Okay. That’s two legs of the stool. Isn’t that enough? No, foodtalk readers, it is not.

Nothing takes the place of exercise.

When I took my walk early yesterday morning at a jauntier pace than usual, and then did a repeat walk in the afternoon, I left the bathroom smiling today.

What with doing taxes at the computer for days and sitting to write a bit more, the walks were less peppy and not as long. The resulting disappointments in the bathroom were predictable.

Duh!

In health-

Deidre

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