Urban Gardens, Healthy Travel & The Best Plant Proteins

 

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

Content is 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.

 There is a relatively new term you may hear, called "regenerative agriculture" - growing food in ways that feed not only humans but the ecosystem that produces it - restoring soil and managing erosion and water usage are just a few examples. Healthy produce has become a priority for more of us, and a company called "WhatsGood" introduced a model that bypasses farmers' markets to allow consumers to order goods online directly from farmers for home delivery.  They are in twenty-one states, not yet in Missouri, but their app looks great! It is Meatless Monday, and those farmers' markets are in full swing, so take adv! age of them and have a marvelous Monday!

 To get healthy produce into areas called "food deserts" - mostly urban areas that have access to little fresh food, some nonprofits are getting creative. Small farms in cities are being created and not only are they growing food, but they are also educating, training, and developing leaders in growing crops. The foods are then loaded on buses that deliver to the local communities and health centers and churches. Interest in gardening and in volunteering has increased since the pandemic, and it contributes to better health for all involved! South Side Farm, sponsored by Saint Francis Healthcare System, is a great example. Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!

 

 Yesterday we talked about the rise in urban gardens and the importance of fresh produce that is available for everyone. Not only does it benefit the recipients greatly, but there are also many health benefits of gardening. Simply being outside in a GREEN space is good for our mental health and it reduces stress. Gardening also counts as an exercise that boosts our immune systems, and of course, pushing a tiller or lawn mower is even better :) Gardening gives us a sense of purpose, connects us with others who enjoy it, allows us to be "in the moment", and importantly gives us something we can count on. Knowing we come home to a few minutes of yard work or gardening gives us certainty, which boosts our mental health. And plantifting your plate with your produce makes us healthier too! You can do a tiny garden in your kitchen window if you do not have much space. Have a wonderful Wednesday and happy gardening!

 For many years, a good number of us avoided corn because we considered it "unhealthy". Associating it with high fructose corn syrup is part of the turn-off, as well as the heavy butter and salt that normally goes with it. But it is time to reframe corn as a healthy food that is loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals AND even though it is called sweet corn, it has less sugar than beets or fruits. It is also a good source of protein and antioxidants. Popcorn is too! In Costa Rica, a Blue Zone where people live longest and best, they lean heavily on what they call the "three sisters" of corn, squash, and beans. But - they do not add butter or salt, which effectively negates all the health benefits. Put corn in fresh salsa, soups, on salads, and get Skinny Girl popcorn for your health on the shelf!

 Recent results of the Global Burden of Disease Study shocked many, finding that consuming more than just two teaspoons of wine or 2.5 tablespoons of beer a day causes health risks, stating, "Young people should not drink". Oxford University also completed a large study showing there was "no safe dose of alcohol" when it comes to brain health. And a study in Ireland just concluded that alcohol poses a greater risk of heart disease than previously thought. We cannot forget that ethanol breaks down to a known cancer-causing compound that damages our DNA. The best beverages for these fantastic bodies we have been given have no calories, no side effects, and little to no cost:  water and tea. Start reducing your alcohol consumption today to live longer and live stronger on this fantastic Friday!

 And from a year ago:

 On this Meatless Monday let us talk about the BEST plant-based proteins - even though we get way more protein than we need in America, you can switch to more plants, and rest assured you will be covered! So, the countdown is:

#10 Walnuts

#9 Cashews

#8 Chia seeds 

#7 Oats 

#6 Flaxseed 

#5 Pistachios 

#4 Almonds 

#3 Hemp seeds  

#2 Peanut butter 

#1 Pumpkin seeds - they have eleven grams of protein in a quarter cup. So, on this Marvelous Meatless Monday, add some nuts, seeds, oats, and peanut butter for your protein!

 Haven't the Olympic games been incredible? So much discipline, determination, and skill, and some extraordinary and inspiring stories of their journeys. As we have talked about before, The Blue Zones, where people live the longest and best, have found that exercise is good not only for our bodies but for our minds and souls, and it releases endorphins that give us a sense of well-being. VERY interestingly they have found that synchronized movement with others, such as in sports, leads to connections that are important to longevity. Close social relationships in sports make us perform better - sprinters who practiced alone had slower races than those who warmed up coordinated with others - by a lot! And those hugs, high fives - the social motion that goes along with it? Those also make us perform better! In our world where a third of us are chronically inactive, finding a friend to move with might be the ticket. Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!

 Summertime is vacation time for many families - especially after last summer of limited travel and it is interesting to know that there is a lot of research being done to find out how we can stay healthier while we travel. Corporations are also concerned about this because they have employees who travel a great deal for work - keeping them healthy is important to their productivity. Interestingly, staying in "decent hotels" where there is good security, it is clean and comfortable can reduce stress and improve health. Wearing noise-canceling headphones on flights can help - engine traffic from the jet is a major stressor for our bodies and minds! So, book a good destination and buy some of those headphones to improve your health on trips - and have a wonderful Wednesday!

 

 Yesterday we talked about ways to stay healthy while we travel - staying in safe, clean, and comfortable accommodations and wearing noise-canceling headphones can help reduce our stress. Additionally, eat and drink your water - only more of it while you travel. We have mentioned this before - drinking water is important but not as important as eating hydrating foods - you know, fruits and vegetables. Not only are they hydrating, which is important when we travel, but they are loaded with nutrients and antioxidants that are health-promoting, to help our immune systems. Chia seeds are excellent to toss into a smoothie because they absorb a lot of water and convert it to gel water - more hydrating than water! So, hydrate up when you travel through your foods and live longer and live stronger everyone!

 Let us talk more about staying healthy while you travel - IF you start to feel sick or run down, avoid these foods:  sugar, dairy, and wheat. They are the most inflammatory things we can consume. Also, take along lavender oil to help you relax, peppermint oil to prevent vertigo and nausea, and lemon oil to boost your mood. Very importantly, when we travel, we should MAKE SLEEP A PRIORITY. As much as we want to see and do all we can, the rest of our cells is critical to combating illness and feeling good. As soon as you step onto a plane or get into the car, adjust your mind to the clock at your destination and eat and sleep accordingly. The last thing - it is interesting to note that travel wellness is the biggest new thing in the tourism industry - travelers want to focus on their health throughout their trips. Have a fantastic Friday everyone!

 Reference:  The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner

Eating the Rainbow for Tummy Health

 

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

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

 We know that gut health is the foundation for better digestion, increased metabolism, decreased inflammation, and risk of chronic diseases. But how can we make it better? This week we will focus on some simple tips. Understand that gut health means overall health, meaning it is SUPER important in building your health and reversing the damage that has already been done. The first tip is, yes, like we always say, eat more whole grains, nuts, veggies, beans, and fruits. And remember the more variety, the better it is for our gut microbiome. Shoot for thirty different foods every week and go to mondaycampaigns.org for great recipes!

 Though it is so basic, gut health is crucial to our well-being. Interestingly, Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, believed that all disease begins in the gut. So, we have known this for a long time! To decrease inflammation and the risk of disease, we are focusing this week on simple ways to improve your gut microbiome. Brushing and flossing your teeth frequently helps our gut! Yes, bacteria in our mouths get to our stomachs and cause problems with the balance of gut microbes. Brush after each meal and floss every day to boost your ability to prevent disease. Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!

 All week we are talking about the ESPECIALLY important link to long-term health - the health of our gut microbiome. Healthy gut, healthy life, meaning it is critical to our overall wealth of health! In addition to eating thirty different foods each week, eating fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and tempeh will increase the beneficial bacteria in our gut. If you are not familiar with tempeh, it is fermented soybeans that can be crumbled up on salads or added to any hot dish. All these foods can be found locally, so power up your plantified plates with fermented foods and have a wonderful Wednesday!

Here are some additional tips for boosting the health of our important gut microbiomes:  consume dark chocolate, red grapes, almonds, onions, blueberries, broccoli, and green teas. The powerful compounds in these foods improve gut health overall. Look for the 80% or higher cocoa content for dark chocolate, as you will get too much sugar with the lower concentrations. Stock up your health on the shelf with these foods to live longer and live stronger!

 Our last tips for boosting the super important health of our gut microbiomes are to help our good gut bacteria fight the bad bacteria by adding spices such as turmeric, ginger, garlic, and cinnamon to our foods and by limiting artificial sweeteners. Our gut is truly where all the magic happens to build the foundation of our health, prevent disease, and reverse diseases - you can start improving it today! Have a fantastic Friday everyone and if you have not already signed up for Nutritionfacts.org, do so today to get more of these useful tips!

 And some powerful stuff from LAST August!

 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 different 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 improve 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, or Eat Five, or VegHunter. They will help you get a larger variety of green, blue, purple, red, yellow, 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 literally 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 dark 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

 

 

 

Childhood Obesity, Great Teas, and Our Legacy

 

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

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

  Some of us struggle with weight, and some of us have children who struggle with weight. A book you might be interested in is "Helping your Child with Extreme Picky Eating", which puts growth charts in perspective and addresses topics like understanding BMI, being underweight, and childhood obesity.  Speaking of which, over the last three decades, childhood obesity rates have more than doubled and the rate for adolescents has quadrupled. If children are obese at age three, the probability of being overweight or obese in the teen years was almost 90%. Early childhood is a critical age for prevention strategies for parents to have an enormous impact in terms of forming healthy habits, such as family meals and plant-centered diets. It is a meatless Monday and a wonderful time to help our kiddos live healthier!

 Children who are obese have a much higher rate of hypertension and it is a key risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. This disease has tough complications - eye, kidney, and vascular damage are common. High teen BMI scores triple the rate of adult diabetes and increase the risk of coronary artery disease by five times. Childhood obesity also results in orthopedic problems, gallstones, fatty liver disease, polycystic ovarian disease, sleep apnea, and asthma. Additionally, it is associated with a variety of negative mental consequences - body image issues, low self-esteem, eating disorders, and even depression. Others can be unkind and even bully overweight or obese children. In the book "Your Child's Weight: Helping Without Harming", there are approaches that can support their health and eating patterns. Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!

 We have been talking about the health of our children for several days, and it is sobering to know that 75% of youths ages 17 to 24 would not be able to qualify for being in our military. These reasons are obesity, lack of a high school diploma or GED, being a convicted felon, and taking prescription drugs for anxiety, depression, or other health issues. The Pentagon reports that the quality of those willing to serve has been declining rapidly. If you recall the impact of families who have five meals per week together, their children are physically, mentally, and emotionally healthier, do better in school and are much less likely to take drugs, smoke, or drink. As rapidly as health has declined for our kiddos, we can turn it around through nutrition. Power up those plantified plates to help them develop their full potential on this wonderful Wednesday!

 We know that many of those who live the longest drink green tea. It contains healthy compounds that improve brain function, and fat burning, and protect against cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Pretty powerful stuff! In one area of the Blue Zones, where people live longest and best, they eat Milk Thistle - and you can purchase it in a healthful tea. It protects the liver, bones, brain, and blood sugar levels. Tomorrow we will cover two more - these teas can all be ordered in tea bags from Amazon to help you live longer and live stronger!

 Yesterday we talked about two powerful teas - green tea and milk thistle tea and here are two more. Moringa is so powerful that it is called the tree of life. Moringa tea possesses exceptional nutritional value to boost our energy, regulate blood sugar, support our heart health, protect our liver, boost our moods, and help us heal better - wow! Lastly, astragalus (ah-strag-u-lus) tea slows the effects of aging, reduces the effects of stress, helps our hearts and kidneys, detoxes, protects our livers, and supports healthy cell regeneration. Improve your health on the shelf by ordering green tea, milk thistle tea, moringa tea, and astragalus teas from Amazon and have a fantastic Friday everyone!

 References:  Helping your Child with Extreme Picky Eating by Katja Rowell, MD and Your Child's Weight:  Helping without Harming by Ellen Satter, MS, RD, LCSW, BCD

 From the Archives:

 On this meatless Monday, we are talking again about our genetic makeup, that "legacy" that our parents bestow upon us, but we know from last week that there is great news to empower us - we are not victims of our genes. We have more control than we ever thought because most of what we inherit from our family is simply their habits, and we can certainly change our habits! Also, studies show that over five hundred genes can be favorably changed through diet. For example, hundreds of oncogenes that promote cancer can be switched off in only three months! And of course, it is by going meatless and increasing vegetables, grains, fruits, beans, and seeds. Stay tuned for more and have a marvelous Monday! 

More today about how you can turn up good genes and turn down bad genes - yesterday it was about turning down genes that promote cancer, but our lifestyle habits also affect genes that promote heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and other conditions. Enzymes called sirtuins (sear--tu-ins) wrap your DNA around proteins to stop bad genes - isn't that just miraculous? These sirtuins that we can turn up through lifestyle changes can be called anti-aging proteins and have a key role in many chronic diseases. Our lifestyles can be HEALING. Have a terrific Tuesday everyone and come back tomorrow to learn more to live longer and stronger!

 Yesterday we talked about sirtuins, those anti-aging proteins that reduce chronic diseases. Glycation is a process where the sugar in our bloodstream attaches to proteins and fats, and it forms harmful molecules called Advanced Glycation End-products - the acronym is appropriately AGE's - AGE's makes you age! They suppress those good guys, the sirtuins, and therefore make us age faster. AGEs are in our food, especially high in meat. They cause oxidative stress and inflammation, leading to all sorts of health conditions. So, on this wonderful Wednesday, consider improving your wealth of health by eating more plants and less meat.

 Yesterday we talked about AGE molecules that make us age by stopping good proteins that help our genes, and those AGEs are found to be remarkably high in our standard American diet. It is not just the foods we eat but the ways we cook them that can increase the deadly AGEs. Animal foods that are high in fat and protein are AGE-rich and cooking them only increases those AGE's. We know from the book The Blue Zones, that those in the world who live the longest and best eat predominately plants. So again, we can live longer and live stronger by improving our DNA by eating a diet with more of a plant slant.

 We have talked all week about fixing our genes - yes, we can - increasing good proteins called sirtuins and reducing AGE's, both of which can be accomplished through foods and how we cook or do not cook them. A soy burger cooked in a microwave has only 20 AGE's - those harmful molecules - and if you add one teaspoon of oil to a pan and fry it, that number raises to 131. In huge contrast though, two strips of fried bacon, a piece of steak, and a roasted chicken thigh, all with no oil added, have over 10,000 AGEs to age our cells! And if you barbecue that chicken thigh? It goes to 16.000 AGE's. WOW. Consider overhauling your health on the shelf by choosing low AGE foods - vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruits, beans, and grains, and getting rid of the high AGE meats have a fantastic Friday everyone!

 References:  Undo It! How Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases by Dean and Anne Ornish and The Blue Zones, Eating and Living Like the World's Healthiest People by Dan Buettner