#451 – Radishes lead to nutritional data

There they were – bright red globes of radishes that enticed me to drop them into the shopping basket.

When I got home, I wondered about the nutritional value of radishes, so I did a Google search. I landed on this page – Self Nutrition Data, which allows you to search for a particular food item. In addition to the regular nutrition facts, it also gives you a Glycemic Index (G.I.) rating and an Inflammation Factor.

In case you want to know, radishes are mildly anti-inflammatory.

Have you entered my giveaway for a copy of Manage Your Stress?

#445 – Earl Grey Tea

I used to brew up a pot of Earl Grey Tea whenever I had a particularly tough day teaching. I have since learned about the medicinal properties of bergamot, the herb that gives Earl Grey Tea that distinctive aroma and flavour.

My body instinctively knew what I needed to help steam off the detritus of the day. (Back then I didn’t have the stress undressing techniques I now have.)

Bergamot is known to help with:

• anxiety
• depression
• indigestion
• infections
• inflammation
• insomnia
• parasites
• stress.

In the world of aromatherapy, it is purported to help release the need to be in total control, allowing you to flow with the rhythm of life. Not a bad thing to do, especially if you live with a chronic illness.

Two posts that you might enjoy:

• Your Body Speaks
• Kernel Knowledge of Happiness.

You still have time to enter the giveaway for Lene’s book, Your Life with Rheumatoid Arthritis. If you already have a copy, enter on behalf of a family member, friend or colleague. 

#436 – Alimentary Appropriation

Mother Nature’s bounty is being tampered with, and in the process, so are you, when it comes to some packaged foods – snack or otherwise. It’s a scientifically engineered hijacking of our taste buds, and our food.

Do you ever wonder why it’s so difficult to only eat just one chip? Does ice-cream call to you from the chilly depths of the freezer? Perhaps you’re craving one of those pre-packaged meals?

Chemists, physicists and neuroscientists are all hard at work in research facilities. Their job is to make food more palatable addictive.  They use terms such as ’mouth feel,’ ‘maximum bite force,’ and  ’sensory specific satiety’ – the rate at which a food product loses its appeal as it is being eaten. You don’t need a dictionary to know what those terms mean to you , especially after you’ve opened that bag of chips or wondered how those cookies ended up in your shopping cart, especially when they weren’t on the grocery list.

Food cravings engineered by industry is an eye-opening article that will forearm you with information that will hopefully keep you out of those aisles that can alter your best intentions.

Resistance is futile, at least that’s what the food industry is counting on. Developing some defensive strategies will help you as you go up against this powerful force.

Things like:

• establishing some food rules, including making a commitment to eating healthfully
• if you must satisfy one of your cravings, opt for the smaller-sized package
• use the long-line at the store to your advantage when it comes to cravings
• shop the outside aisles of the grocery store,  as much as possible
• make as many meals as you can from scratch, like soup.

#432 – Birthday Cakes and a Compromised Immune System

Even if you’re not on any immunosuppressant medication, you may wish to adopt this birthday tradition. Not only does it reduce the spread of germs; it also incorporates the whimsical Power of the Wish. Wouldn’t it be great if the power behind those wishes is amplified, just because people combined their wishes?

You can always count on a creative and unique twist when you interact with Maarten. I have a new birthday tradition, thanks to his twist on the traditional birthday ritual of blowing out the candles on the cake.

Along with a slice of cake, we each received a hand-crafted votive, and with tea-lights brightly glowing, the birthday girl asked us to make our wishes. Then, upon her signal, and with a collective breath, we blew out our respective candles.

I don’t know if any of those wishes have yet come to life, but in my imagination, I see those wishes bubbling, effervescing and gurgling below the ground of our consciousness, until they push up, and break through, just  like  a newly formed spring.

I have since implemented a version of  The Power of the Wish at our family birthday celebrations. So along with wishes of good health and well-being, we’re keeping anyone who may have a compromised immune system safe.