Meatless Monday - Exercise - Sleep

 

Holistic Habits by Cheryl A. Mothes, Ph.D. Natural Health Nutrition Counselor

It is meatless Monday and one of the criticisms of eating less meat is that “eating healthy is expensive.”  It may surprise you that some of the poorest countries eat a lot healthier than we do – because of the super healthy attributes of a few foods in their diets. There are several ways to save money, eat healthier and purchase wholesome, delicious, nutritious foods on a budget – costing less than meat. First, of course, is to avoid eating out. It is costly and difficult to find healthy choices, with much-added sugar, salt, and oil. Second, buy frozen whole-food veggies (except stay away from those white potatoes), and what we mean by whole- food is nothing has been added or taken away. Beans are a SUPERFOOD and SUPER CHEAP, as are whole grains and wonderful oats. Leafy greens are a staple for good health and should be eaten every day and are not expensive, and nuts and nut butter can be cheaper than meat and packed with protein. Also, save money by buying in bulk and freezing foods. Watch for fruits on sale and chop them to freeze for smoothies. Go to meatlessmonday.org to learn more!

Not only can eating less meat be healthier for us, but it also does not have to be expensive, and sometimes it is hard to know how to begin. There are several great cookbooks, like the "How Not to Die" cookbook which is all whole-food based, meatlessmonday.org, or nutritionfacts.org also have great recipes.  Before you buy a cookbook, see if your local library has some you can peruse. One of the keys to success is finding two, three, four, then five good “go-to” recipes that work for you and your family. Instant Pots are great for transitioning to more beans and whole grains in our diets and adding spices just dials up the nutritional value to boost our immune systems. You can live longer and live stronger with these tips have a terrific Tuesday everyone!

 As we grow older, we are prone to more serious illnesses, and eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep are all important to prevent them. A large new study suggests that the qualities of optimism, happiness, social support, and purpose in life are especially important as well. It turns out that how people feel about their lives is important to their health – those feelings have tangible, significant effects on how long we live. Those with significantly higher than average satisfaction, positive feelings, purpose in life, OR optimism at age 50 lived an additional 5 to 8 years! Having these feelings may lead to us taking better care of ourselves by being physically active, sleeping better, and engaging more in preventative healthcare. It would also be the reason that it helps us cope better with stress. The one aspect of well-being that was MOST protective was having a purpose in life. On this wonderful Wednesday, have a check-in on these four important keys to living longer!

Ever feel like your brain is just foggy? If you are having trouble staying focused, making decisions, or remembering things, here are some ways to clear up that fog. First, become more intentional about consuming news – repeated exposure to negative TV, newsfeeds, or social media “doomsday” topics wreaks havoc on our well-being so we need to break away from technology. Second, exercise regularly and it should be outside if possible. It truly clears our heads! Third, very importantly, stay connected to others. Socialization keeps our brains working better. Fourth, try new challenges – even walking a new route, or learning a new skill. Lastly, be kind to yourself. Self-compassion includes not beating yourself up about forgetting things or being foggy-headed. Enjoy a wealth of health everyone by trying these five tips!

We have never discussed this before, but this ancient food has long been esteemed for its nutritional and medicinal properties, and new research has found it can improve our bone strength. We are talking about (wait for it….) PRUNES! Yes, study after study shows that eating a few prunes every day can help or delay bone loss and lower the risk of fractures. Plums are high in nutrients with fifteen different vitamins plus minerals and they are rich in antioxidants. They are also loaded with fiber, nature's perfect prebiotic to get our gut microbiomes ready to fully absorb nutrients. In addition to boosting bone health, they can help regulate blood sugar and benefit our heart health. Add some health to your shelf by purchasing some dried plums today (just sounds better than prunes) and have a fantastic Friday everybody!

And a blast from the past:

Yes, it is AUGUST, and did you know that August is Summer Sun Safety Month? It makes sense - but did you also know that plant-protective nutrients can function as internal sunscreens to help stop the harmful UV rays? Yes, antioxidants are powerful in protecting us from sunburn, UV-induced skin damage, aging, and even skin cancer. The best foods to incorporate into our diet to provide the nutrients for that INTERNAL sun protection are avocados, carrots, dark chocolate, goji berries, grapes, green leafy vegetables, oranges, pomegranates, green tea, and watermelon. So, on this meatless Monday, load up on these great summer foods to protect your skin, but use an all-natural sunscreen too! Have a marvelous Monday!

Let us talk more about the power of plants:  a large, 30-year study showed that those eating a mostly plant-based diet were 32 percent less likely to die from a cardiovascular condition, and 25 percent less likely to die from any other cause. They also found that if you move to a fully plant-based diet and stay there for one to three months, virtually everyone switched their taste preference to love those vegetable, fruit, and grain dishes and stopped their cravings for meat and dairy products. SO, hang in there for just a few weeks so you can live longer and live stronger, and have a terrific Tuesday!

One of the best ways to make sure that we get the phytochemicals (that fight inflammation and boost our immune systems), vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants we need is to "eat the rainbow". That means deeply pigmented fruits and veggies in at least five assorted colors - it assures that we get ALL those great micronutrients and get them in the right combinations to work together. Remember that the magic of our health and immune systems begins in our gut, and our gut functions best when we eat a widely diverse array of foods - strive for thirty different nuts, seeds, beans, fruits, vegetables, and grains every week. And have a wonderful Wednesday everyone and improves your wealth of health by eating the rainbow!

Yesterday we talked about the importance of "eating the rainbow" to make sure you get five dark-colored foods every day - and there are apps for it! It is called Eat the Rainbow Food Journal, Eat Five or VegHunter. They will help you get a larger variety of green, blue and purple, red, yellow and orange, and brown foods we need! We know that our gut health is critical to our immune systems and preventing disease - and it is exciting to know that shifting to healthier plant-based foods can cause a big shift in our gut in less than five days. Great enzymes, probiotics, and prebiotics can be added to our gut to boost health and wellness. So, get one of those apps and live longer and live stronger everyone!

Let us talk more about eating the colors - meaning deeply pigmented foods to boost our health. Dark greens have cancer-blocking chemicals and are high in folate and calcium for stronger bones, muscles, and heart regulation - think spinach, green tea, avocados, asparagus, and kiwi. Blue and purple foods wipe out free radicals, boost our brain health, reduce inflammation and delay cellular aging. Add blueberries, blackberries, black grapes, and eggplant to your shopping list. Red foods like apples, beets, cherries, red peppers, and tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a potent scavenger of gene-damaging free radicals. Yellow and orange foods are high in vitamin C and beta-carotene, they inhibit tumors, detoxify our bodies, reduce inflammation and boost our immune systems. Add apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, oranges, and mango to your day. Lastly, get lots of great nuts and beans to eat deep brown foods and gain healthy fat and protein, and lower cholesterol. Power up your plates on this fantastic Friday by eating the rainbow! 

References:  Natural Awakenings, July 2021 and Darin Olien.com