Our Amazing Bodies - How to Take Great Care of Them - BE an Influencer!

 

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

Content is a daily radio script from my KHIS radio spot - tune in at 6:15 (CST) every morning to Justin and Meredith’s morning show on 89.9 FM.

 Did you know our bodies have 37 trillion cells, performing 37,000 billion, billion (that's a quintillion!) chemical reactions per second, with 36 million heartbeats per year and 86 billion neurons with 100 trillion connections in our brains?  WOW, what a wondrous body we have!  And how can we take the best care of it?  By eating a whole food, plant-based diet and drinking only water and green tea.  It may be a big leap for some of us, but we can move there gradually.  This week we'll talk about how!  Since it's Meatless Monday is to purchase "Be a Plant-based Woman Warrior Cookbook" or "Engine 2 Cookbook" and get started! 

Let's be honest - we all know what we should do, and stop doing, to be healthier, or at least most of it.  The tobacco industry went for years denying nicotine was addictive, and the food industry has done just the opposite. "You can't eat just one" is the prevailing message to get us hooked on foods that are engineered specifically for us to eat more.  It's what they do - sell more to make more money - it's business.  We have junk food in hardware stores!  The development and marketing have resulted in substance abuse for many - food-like substances.  The first step to fighting this?  We must be able to see a future version of ourselves that is healthier.  If we can visualize that version that feels better, stronger, and happier then we can develop resiliency to fend off the marketing and cravings.  Close your eyes...who can you see in yourself as that healthier person?  Let it BEGIN on this terrific Tuesday by plantifying your plates! 

We know how miraculous our bodies are - we talked about that Monday.  And we know that the first step to healing our unhealthy lifestyle is visualizing our future self as healthy in every way, which we talked about yesterday.  What do we have to gain?  More "presenteeism" - less absenteeism not only from work but from life.  It's all about a plant-based diet in what we eat and drink and every sip and bite matters.  Plant-based diets provide significant improvement in emotional well-being, physical well-being, quality of life, general health, and a healthy weight.  We truly can feel better every day by trading out bad foods and drinks for good ones.  YES, there are bad foods!  The "all in moderation" is extremely unhealthy.  Get a copy of the Plant-based Nutrition Quick Start Guide online for free and have a wonderful Wednesday! 

The choices we make every day about what we eat, and drink are critical to our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.  But did you realize that it's also critical to those around us?  You may have heard that you become the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with - research shows it's MUCH bigger than that.  Your friends and family impact you greatly - all of them!   And what's super exciting is that you impact all of them!  Eat healthier around them, tell them you're no longer drinking alcohol or soda, and share that you've stopped sugar, and it will make a difference in their lives and health.  YOU are an influencer in what you do, to help not only yourself but help others live longer and live stronger. 

It's Fix-it Friday and here's a nutrient-dense winter weather Big Bean Barley and Sweet Potato Soup!

 Ingredients:

1 C sliced shallots or onion.

4 cloves chopped garlic.

1 T minced fresh ginger.

1 tsp dried rosemary

6 C vegetable broth

1 cubed large, sweet potato

1/2 C barley

1/8 tsp black cayenne pepper

2 C cooked large beans (lima beans, butter beans, or navy beans)

1 bunch chopped red-stemmed Swiss Chard (or other green)

1 T white miso

1 T balsamic vinegar

 In a large pot over medium-high heat, add 2 T water to the shallots and cook until they are soft.  Stir in the garlic, ginger, and rosemary for 30 seconds, add the vegetable broth, sweet potato, barley, and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 20 minutes.  Add the beans and greens and cook for 3 minutes.  Place some of the soup broth in a small bowl and stir in the miso, then add to the pot along with the balsamic vinegar.  Serve it up!

 References:  Plant-based Healthcare Nutrition Conference, Dr. Scott Stoll Session 1, Be a Plant-based Woman Warrior Cookbook by Anne Crile Esselsytn and Jane Esselstyn

 More from LAST year!

 The world cancer research fund and American cancer research institute provide the following recommendations to prevent cancer:

-  Eat whole foods, not supplements

- Eat a diet rich in grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans

- Limit consumption of alcohol consumption, sugar-sweetened beverages, red and processed meat, fast foods, and processed foods that are high in fat, sugar, and starch

- Be physically active and a healthy weight.

 On this meatless Monday, go to bluezones.com to find great cancer-fighting recipes!

 Most cancer research is devoted to finding cures rather than finding ways to prevent the disease.  There are more than 200 types of cancer, but they all share the same ten hallmarks.  Chemotherapy drugs are engineered to attack only one hallmark at a time.  Evidence suggests that compounds found in whole foods can target most if not all the 10 hallmarks!  Berries, greens, and broccoli target each of the 10, and they target only the cells that are the problem, are inexpensive, and have no side effects.   We've mentioned before that taking those same "purified phytochemicals" - supplements that try to mimic fruits and veggies - doesn't exert the same anti-cancer effects as whole foods.  The whole is greater than the sum of its parts - it's called "food synergy".  So, power up your plantified plate and have a terrific Tuesday!

 COVID, colds, and flu are very prevalent now, so let's talk about the things that weaken your immune system because a healthy one is crucial for our body's ability to ward off viruses.   Many of our own behaviors, our choices, wreak havoc on our immune systems.  Here are a few things you can change to live longer and live stronger:  reduce the amount of sugar you consume, get more rest and sleep, avoid caffeine late in the day, eat more fiber, find stress management techniques, reduce alcohol consumption, get more exercise, and get "social" - yes, loneliness weakens our immune systems.  Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone! 

 Yesterday we talked about actions we can take to boost our immune systems, one of which was increasing the amount of fiber we consume - only plants have fiber, and all plants have fiber.  There are certain foods that boost us more than others.  They are beans, greens, sweet potatoes, nuts, green tea, oats and barley, fruit, turmeric, garlic, and shiitake (pronounced she-tok-e) mushrooms.  Stock up to make your health on the shelf full of immunity boosters!

 In the Blue Zones, where people live the best and longest, in addition to their eating habits that boost their health, they have more face-to-face interactions than other groups.  They have close friends, and social interactions, in person, every day.  Whether it's someone you work with or interact with at the grocery store or the person who delivers packages, those interactions are one of the strongest predictors of how long you'll live!  It's possible that it's part of the reason why women around the globe live longer than men - women prioritize in-person relationships more than men, which can stave off disease and mental decline.  On this fantastic Friday, interact with more people today, in person, to enjoy a wealth of health!