Adding dehydrated mushrooms to all my soups, stews, and chilis has added a new dimension to our warmth-giving winter dishes.

Not only do I find the toothy chew of these dried mushrooms delightful, but there is that undeniable “something” they impart with their flavor factor, aka umami. It is like the fifth flavor after: sweet, sour, bitter, and salty – followed by that savory, yet unidentifiable umami wonderfulness.

ADAPTOGENS:

For several years there’s been a whole thing about mushroom coffee: brews enhanced with adaptogens from certain mushrooms.

Adaptogens are herbs, roots, and other plant substances such as mushrooms that help our bodies manage stress and restore balance. Learn more here.

Some of us think we need that caffeine boost in the morning to sharpen focus and to be our most alert selves, but often find a feeling of being “wired” plaguing us. Yet, there we are, reaching for another cup.

Mushroom coffee mixes are a combination of ground coffee beans and ground mushrooms that are reputed to help us with their adaptogenic effects, including these mushrooms:

Lion’s mane

Chaga

Reishi

Cordyceps

Turkey tail

Therefore, by definition, there is less coffee and caffeine per cup – but always read the labels for the caffeine content.

Each different kind of adaptogenic/medicinal/functional mushroom boasts qualities that help various health concerns HERE. But in general, these ancient Chinese sources of healing are anti-inflammatory, decrease our stress response, and are beneficial to healing, natural immunity, and proper functioning of every body system.

Users report less of a desire to have a second cup of their reduced caffeine brew because they are totally satisfied with how they are feeling – there’s no need for more and there are no nervous jitters – only mental clarity and a certain calm. HERE.

We are reminded by experts to always check with health professionals for recommendations on ingesting any kind of supplement. Medicinal mushroom powders are considered to be supplements and their content is not strictly controlled by the FDA.

If kidney stones or digestive troubles are possible for you, UCLAhealth.org advises:

“In addition, certain types of mushrooms often used in mushroom coffee (notably, the chaga variety) contain high levels of compounds called oxalates. A diet that contains too many oxalates puts you at risk for developing kidney stones.”

Today, I did not use expensive mushroom coffee powder. Rather, I grabbed a dehydrated shiitake mushroom cap and used the microplane grater to reduce it to a powder.

After frothing a splash of half and half along with a few drops of vanilla, 1 teaspoon of mushroom powder, and maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of turbinado sugar, I poured my freshly brewed coffee on top and stirred.

The results were yummy. There was a just bit of mushroom powder sludge at the bottom of the cup because I had not used a food processor, but then, I only had a microplane to wash – that’s a win, any day.

We’ll see how I like doing this. I may convert to a more traditional selection of healing mushroom varieties to add to my own brew. I would love to know if you are using mushroom powders, especially in your coffee – please make sure to comment below.

The relaunch of the latest updated version of Toolkit for Caregivers is moving to the formatting and production stage, and the work that Sheree is doing on some of the supplementary materials we will be offering readers is so beautiful!

I can’t wait to show you the covers for the audio download and complementary materials that will provide caregivers with additional strategies for their own wellbeing. Soon. Very soon!

If we ever needed a boost in mental clarity and destressing, that would be now and in the coming months.

In health –

Deidre

Can you relate to these two things I am discovering about myself?

1. It’s hard to sustain all the good things I want to do for my health all the time without reminders.
2. While I don’t believe in a ‘magic pill’ approach to anything, there’s a part of me that wants to.

Take lunges, for instance. I’ve written about them in foodtalk4you and in my books several times. Lunges are a great movement to do to stretch those muscles that tighten up from too much sitting.

If you have a watch or device that reminds you to stand and move every hour, just take a minute to lunge.

Why did I forget that?

For now, my goal is to do lunges several times a day when I get that reminder. Lunges keep us tuned in to balance and stretching.

Out of practice? Make sure to start out easy, no big deep knee bending, but enough to get you going. Check out this link for beginner lunge techniques.

On to the “magic pill” mentality.

In the October 10^th post last year, I was sharing various fiber sources in foods and the benefits of stir-in fiber goodness found in seeds and products like Metamucil. As faithful readers know, fiber feeds the ‘good guy’ inhabitants of our microbiome, adds bulk to the end product of digestion, and making stool easier to pass.

Our household was consuming a lot of fiber, but the results were less than stellar in terms of time spent in the bathroom.

What we neglected was remembering that there are other ways to feed gut bacteria: ingesting live bacteria found in yogurt, unpasteurized sauerkraut, and supplementation of live probiotics in capsules.

So, when recently taking an antibiotic to put the kibosh on my 5 week URI/crud, I naturally turned to an old friend, a probiotic pill briming with live bacteria, to repopulate my gut from the effects of the antibiotic.

Not only did I get my voice and overall health back, but my digestive system was functioning like a champ. Eureka!

And no Metamucil!

One easy to take capsule every morning. I used to do that way back when.

Why did I forget?

See discovery #1 which so conveniently ties into discovery #2.

Our good health is so interrelated to everything. Yes, there’s a lot we can do on so many levels that we may feel it’s hard to work it all in most of the time.

Will my “magic pill” be the sole answer to “keep me going?”

Not without daily exercise, adequate hydration, good sources of fiber from whole food, and creating an inner balance to managing stress.

So, here’s a friendly reminder to consider adding or beefing up probiotics from various sources to your daily diet along with the many other things you are already doing. Oh, and try some lunges when your device reminds you to move.

I may secretly long for that “magic pill,” but answers come from understanding the bigger picture and applying myself every day.

In health –

Deidre

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I remember a grade school scientific experiment in which a young seed sprout was planted in a small pot and placed at the bottom of a box with overlapping half shelves above it. When the box was closed, the little seedling received no direct light, even though there is no lid on the box.

Yet, with watering, it grows.

Its pale stem grows around each half shelf above it until it finally wiggles around the last overhang that separates it from the direct light it needs for photosynthesis.

It’s life sustaining light is found!

One of my regular sources for uplifting thoughts is Amit Sood.

His recent post was this: “Just as trees grow their branches toward the sun, spend more time with the people who are your source of light.”

We need light, too.

We love sunlight, not for photosynthesis – but for warmth, clearer vision, and for that mental/physical/spiritual uplift we get from being in the light.

People can have the same effect on us.

Some people seem to block out the light and drain our energies like those shelves in the dark box, while others literally brighten up our day like sunshine after a storm.

Amit Sood suggested that we consider what is special about the people who are our source of love and light.

Have we noticed what it is about them that, “lights up our life”?

Do others feel that way about us?

As plants and trees seek the sunlight, we too should be seeking the company of others who lift us up. It’s good for us, normal, and healthy.

And – we should be that ray of sunshine for others, as well. What are the traits that we possess that are helpful to others?

So, yes, let’s be more like a tree seeking life-giving sunshine more regularly and let’s be more like the life-giving sun to those around us.

In health –

Deidre

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Happy New Year!

While some people are cleaning up the festive hats and noisemakers from year-end celebrations, I am looking at my new antibiotic prescription and supplement of probiotics.

This is a good thing. I am truly celebrating as my month-long symptoms of upper respiratory crud begin to taper off.

Hallelujah!

In mid-December – with lots of prayer, cough drops, and hot tea, I managed to do a podcast with enough voice to sound normal.

I was invited to share something about my caregiving experience as related in my book, Toolkit for Caregivers, on a podcast that was new to me. The half-hour radio show/podcast airs on AM radio in major cities in Texas, and Tampa, Florida.

My interview was on December 16^th – with the complete list of all their podcasts HERE.

Hosted by nationally recognized gerontologist, Carol Zernial, and veteran broadcaster and attorney, Ron Aaron, “Caregiver SOS On Air,” features a wide variety of caregivers, medical experts, and others, who explore topics important to caregivers.

This radio/podcast outreach program is just one part of the WellMed Charitable Foundation, which is designed to support seniors and their caregivers. I am happy to share these links which might be helpful to you or someone you may know.

Speaking of being helpful, let’s return to those probiotics I am taking.

What’s that all about?

When taking an antibiotic, not only are the bad guy/disease-causing bacteria being killed, but the good guy/beneficial-bacteria in our gut is also getting annihilated.

Many people find that gastric upsets are often associated with taking antibiotics – anything from sour stomachs to diarrhea. While we should always be proactive with maintaining a healthy gut biome, it is especially important while on antibiotics.

For a great synopsis of probiotics and gut health, a great read would be from our old friend, the Mayo Clinic.

We remember that probiotics are living microorganisms available in our food and supplements. They keep a balance of bacteria within the gut and assist with its optimal functioning for digestive and total body health – including immunity.

Always check with your health care provider about taking a probiotic with your antibiotic in case there may be special considerations for your situation. Sometimes, it’s recommended to take the probiotic two hours after taking the antibiotic.

In our diet, probiotics may be found in:

• Kefir
• Kimchi
• Kombucha
• Miso
• Pickles
• Sauerkraut
• Tempeh
• Yogurt

A caveat about sauerkraut and pickles: The probiotics in these foods generally do not survive the pasteurization process. You can find unpasteurized sauerkraut and pickles in the refrigerated sections of some grocery stores, but always check the label to make sure the product has not been pasteurized.

Another tip about antibiotics: always take the full course. Stopping the meds as soon as you feel better can be a recipe for disaster, as the toughest-of-the-tough germs that survived several days of an antibiotic are left to multiply – and they will create vast numbers of super-strong bad boys like themselves! You could find yourself in a relapse that’s worse than the original illness.

Now, where’s my kombucha?

Happy New Year in health – Deidre

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Wait! This is the last post for 2023! How did that happen?

One second at a time – 86,400 of them each day.

Or maybe it’s easier to wrap our brains around 1440 – that’s the number of minutes in each day.

I have a yellow sticky note on the wall of my office with that number on it – 1440.

Whether we burn those minutes up scrolling through social media for hours, applying every brain cell to help launch a rocket into space, or finding a cure for cancer – we must all account for those 1440 minutes.

Are we any better for having lived those minutes? Is anyone else better?

As we wrap up this holiday season which celebrates love, life, light, hope, peace, and home – my wish for us all is threefold:

1. –That we may be evermore mindful of having a grateful heart. May our blessings jar be filled to the brim by the end of the year. As we review each blessing we have noted, and as we pause to reflect and relive that positive experience, may we remember countless more. I am reminded that those who practice gratitude experience a more positive life. Sure, there are forces of good and bad all around us, but we need to be more open to seeing and being that force of good.

2. –That we may continue learning and changing. I’m talking about learning and not information gathering. Learning implies a resulting change of behavior. If my actions remain unchanged, I am simply aware of trivia. May we be vigilant in examining various viewpoints with open minds and hold ideas and people up to the Four-Way Test used by the Rotary:

a. — Is it the TRUTH?

b. — Is it FAIR to all concerned?

c. — Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

d. — Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

3. –That we may continue to seek balance in every aspect of our lives. Balance produces harmony, and the vibrations of harmony will reverberate throughout our lives and move into the world around us.

Our future posts will include an exploration of alkaline water; a podcast resource for family caregivers; more made-from-scratch recipes, and lots more.

Blessings to one and all for a safe and healthy New Year.

In health –

Deidre and Sheree

Over the years, readers of foodtalk4you have been encouraged to embrace healthy choices, if made on a regular basis, would result in a better inner balance; a health status more naturally obtained; and nourishment from foods that are anti-inflammatory.

All well and good.

Oh, and health checks. We’ve covered those, too.

Have you been seeing the dentist every six months for a cleaning and checkup? Yes.

How about that yearly mammogram for women? Done.

Update with your primary care physician every year? You bet.

Annual prostate screening exam, PSA, screening for men? Good.

Eye-exam every year? Absolutely. I need my sight.

I still see the optometrist from my old town every year; he has known me for thirty years, and I would never skip a yearly appointment with him because that’s where I get my contacts. I count the days for that annual visit so my lenses can get updated.

Have you ever been to a dermatologist for a full body check of your skin? Yes?

How long has it been since your last exam? Well…

That’s where I came up short.

Regular as clockwork, I had went to see my dermatologist.

That is, until I moved.

Then I discovered getting established with new care providers was such a chore, I made plans to keep my dermatologist as well – just schedule my yearly checkups on the same day as my eye doctor.

Two important checkups on one day trip. Easy peesy.

Until one of them had to reschedule, and I could no longer piggyback appointments.

Eyes demanded attention. Skin … not so much. Skin needs an advocate, and I fell down on that job.

Several friends in my new community were already sporting small bandages here and there after they got established with their new dermatologists. Small, being the operant word here.

Then, a friend came back from having a couple skin biopsies done – only to learn a few days later – they were both melanomas.

Good grief.

That did it. Getting established with a new dermatologist suddenly moved to the top of my list. I called the office nearest me to schedule an appointment as a new patient. Well, the next available appointment was two months out and I had no choice but to wait.

Finally, at my appointment, the tiniest biopsy I’ve ever had was taken from my forehead. It came back as basal cell carcinoma.

It would be my fourth basal cell, and I wasn’t overly concerned, especially because of the biopsy’s size.

While I might have developed a basal cell growth on my forehead anyway, the adage is now ringing very loudly in my head: “A stitch in time, saves nine.”

If I had not delayed, then maybe that tiny basal cell would not have developed so stealthily along a nerve, enabling it to grow and travel more easily.

Long story short, there’s a 6.5 cm long incision, still covered up by Steri-strips and brown tape, running vertically up and down the middle of my forehead.

Geez.

Thank heavens for Mohs surgical technique, developed in 1938 by a surgeon, Dr. Frederic E. Mohs, which allowed the doctor to microscopically remove as little as possible; create slides of the tissue taken; analyze for clear boarders and call me back to take another small slice – which he did four additional times, before closing the wound up.

Seven hours later, my body image more than slightly shaken, and a giant pressure bandage on my forehead, I am driven home.

Sometimes we need reminders. I had never been one to skip regular checkups, but I allowed myself to become that person.

Yes, I use sunscreen and hats. Yes, I make countless decisions each day to enhance my total body health; but none of that takes away the need for regular checkups.

No skipping!

Stop what you are doing and make calls right now for your annual medical checks.

Just do it!!

In health –

Deidre

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Like a skilled acrobatics artist walking a tightrope over the heights, we are called to maintain balance in every aspect of our lives.

Work, play, learning, doing, time outdoors, time indoors, family, friends, cooking, cleaning, gardening, focus on goals, focus on being free from any agendas, concentrating on self, doing things for others, etc.

I could type examples forever.

How do you maintain a sense of balance?

With the continual evolving nature of our lives I mentioned last week, the balance we achieve one day may not fit the next one.

The season of festivals and holidays is upon us, and I noticed I had been spending more time this year writing; and I had become transfixed on getting Toolkit for Caregivers freshened up and relaunched to the exclusion of nurturing my other passions, pastimes, and time devoted to friendships.

Imbalance seldom works over the long haul.

Sure, we can, figuratively, stand on our heads briefly, but for an extended period? Not so much.

My sense of imbalance was causing an inner pinch that became uncomfortable and demanded adjusting.

So, here I am, covered in glittery holiday ornament fallout, and having a ball. I am doing advanced prep-work for our neighborhood’s Second Annual Holiday Home Tour, and my house is on the tour!

Will I meet my self-imposed publishing deadline? Not sure.

Am I going to punctuate my days with more time doing the crafty things that provide creative release and joy? You bet.

Will there be more time each week with friends? Absolutely.

Is writing and making final edits being abandoned? Not at all. I am just allowing myself to move through my days on a longer leash – and it feels good.

May I encourage everyone to go ahead and rebalance your inner-self, which could be uncomfortable with the status quo?

That rebalance will work for as long as it’s meant to work.

May we all mindfully listen to what our spirits are telling us and respond accordingly.

In health and holiday glitter –

Deidre

There are letters to the editor. Kids write letters to Santa. We sometimes write letters to our elected officials. We anticipate letters of acceptance. We would like to forget those dreaded Dear John letters.

Much of this correspondence has been translated to texts, tweets, and emails — so much so, when we see a real written note or letter in our mailbox, we are thrilled.

Unless your name is John.

What if we were to pull out a piece of paper, and pen a letter to our younger selves?

Surely, we have gained wisdom, perspective, and experience enough to counsel our younger selves at a time when a comforting word of encouragement would have done us a world of good.

What would our advice look like?

You are enough.

Be easier on yourself.

Look up and breathe.

Relax.

You are strong enough, smart enough, and kind enough to make a difference.

This world needs you.

You are discovering wonderful things about yourself, and that will never stop.

For as long as you live, you will build upon your strengths and abilities.

When things get rough, remember who you are.

Do good.

Search for the easiest, small task you can do to move closer to your goals, and then keep doing that every single day.

Always fill your mind with gratitude for the blessings in your life, both great and small.

Of course, our younger selves cannot read that note just written, full of encouragement and hope. Would we have benefitted from such a note?

I think so.

Therefore, what could we write about to our present selves? We still have cares and concerns; projects can overwhelm; relationships hit snags; and we can still lose our way sometimes.

The same way we might have regarded that unsure little child in our first letter, let’s regard ourselves today, with an equal measure of love, patience, and understanding.

Like that child, we are breaking new ground every day. We’ve never been this old before. Everything is new.

The world is constantly changing, our bodies are changing, there are new ways of doing things, and we still need words of encouragement.

As we figuratively write that letter to ourselves, or as we visualize sitting on a park bench with ourselves, may our counsel be helpful.

May we realize that those around us need our uplifting words of hope and inspiration as well.

In practicing kindness to ourselves first, we can more easily be kind to others.

In peace and health –

Deidre