A Matter of the MindWritten by Bob Curtis
Aging is a matter of mind. The years may creep upon us, and seasons come and go, but we all have a choice how we age in our mind and heart. In physical terms, I am now in my fifties. Mentally, I rarely pass beyond my twenties. The statement, so often spoken, “The mind is willing but body refuses to respond” becomes ever more true as we get older in years. But we don’t need to age mentally or emotionally. I have crossed paths with so many people I have known in my life, and there are so many that have not only aged physically, but mentally, as well. There is often no sparkle or light in their eyes. They not only “look” old, but their very presence “feels” old. Combating age is really a two-fold process: 1) Physical Aging 2) Mental and/or Emotional Aging Of course, we all know rhetoric on dealing with physical aging: “Diet, exercise, adequate sleep”. So many of us know what to do. So many of us intend to do well. But so often we just don’t get around to it. But take heart. It’s never too late to start! But you must start, and start now. Begin gradually, of course. Don’t try to become an olympic contender overnight. Gradually work into a physical routine and get plenty of rest and eat properly. My wife and I began our regimen when I became sixty pounds overweight. The kicker was that my blood pressure went from 120/80 to nearly 160/95! My wife found some books on healthy eating and lifestyle, and we began. I have now lost 40 pounds and am well on way for rest.
| | Maximizing Your Nutrition DollarWritten by Karen Walker
Getting most nutrition for every dollar spent is of great concern for those interested in maintaining good health. Yet for average consumer, nutrition derived from fresh food dollars has substantially decreased over past three decades. Why is this happening and what can be done about it?Everyone wants good nutrition from foods we eat and we are encouraged to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Yet in light of methods used to bring food to our tables, getting even minimal levels of nutrients from foods we eat can be a challenge. Why is it such a challenge to get good nutrition from our most basic foods? The answer lies in many of habits of our modern lifestyle. We no longer live on farms, so our foods often must travel great distances from field to table. Because consumers demand produce with an attractive (read ‘perfect’) appearance, food industry focus is on producing fruits and vegetables that ship well, not nutrient content. Picked green in field and shipped in cold storage, many types of produce that look great in store fail to produce optimal nutrients that develop only in ripe state, or lose much of their nutrients in cold dark conditions. Examples of this are tomatoes and lettuce. Vine ripened tomatoes are proven to contain higher levels of beta-carotene, lycopene and soluble fiber than green picked fruit. Lettuce loses up to 46% of certain nutrients within 7 days of cold, dark storage. Another reason for nutrient poor produce is very soils they are grown in. Soils throughout North America have been depleted since ‘dust bowl’ years of 1930’s. Soil depletion is a problem worldwide, because of poor farming methods that take from soil without returning minerals vital to good health. Modern methods replace only minerals necessary for good plant growth, not trace minerals essential for human health. Although this trend is beginning to be reversed by today’s organic farmer’s careful cultivation of soil, depletion continues to be a problem throughout world with little attention paid to contribution of trace minerals to good health.
|