How embracing the earth saves your health
So, it’s the week after Earth Day (the poor Earth only gets a day?), and what have we learned? Have we learned that going back to the earth – doing things in a more natural way, eating whole foods, embracing how nature designs our environment — will help preserve both the earth and us?
I’m not so sure. I come back to this thought every spring when all these pretty yellow flowers crop up in a few yards. They are gorgeous! Sprinkled throughout, they add visual interest and color.
They even offer health-giving properties (if they haven’t been pesticided to death). As a salad or tea, these flowers create a natural diuretic, can lower your blood pressure, are good for your liver, bladder, spleen, pancreas, stomach and intestines, and improve the health of people who are chronically stressed, sluggish and sedentary.
Want to grow some? It’s easy! Stop thinking dandelions are the scourge of the earth! Yes, those are the pretty yellow flowers I’m talking about. I swear that if dandelions only existed in certain areas, cost a fortune and were near impossible to grow, we’d attempt to grow them by the yard fulls!
When we fight Mother Nature, we harm her and we harm our health. The chemicals used to give us the golf course lawn someone somewhere decided was mandatory are dangerous. To your health, to your kids’ and grandkids’ health, even to your pet’s health. On top of that, the time and money we spend on having a perfect lawn could be put to much better use.
So along these lines, I thought I’d share a funny e-mail my son sent me long ago. At minimum, it’ll probably make you laugh. At best, perhaps it’ll make you think. Dare to be different; grow dandelions!
The e-mail (minus my son’s comments, which shall forevermore remain between him and me!):
GOD: “Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there in the U.S.? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistles and the stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of color by now. All I see are patches of green.”
ST. FRANCIS: “It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. They are called ‘Suburbanites,’ and they went to great lengths to kill and replace them with grass.”
GOD: “Grass? But it is so boring; it’s not colorful. It doesn’t attract butterflies, bees, or birds — only grubs and sod worms. It’s temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want grass growing there?”
ST. FRANCIS: “Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing it and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.”
GOD: “The spring rains and the warm weather probably makes the grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites very happy.”
ST. FRANCIS: “Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it has grown a little, they cut it, sometimes two times a week.”
GOD: “They cut it? Do they bale it like hay?”
ST. FRANCIS: “Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.”
GOD: “They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?”
ST. FRANCIS: “No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.”
GOD: “Now let me get this straight. They fertilize it to make it grow and when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?”
ST. FRANCIS: “Yes, Sir.”
GOD: “These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.”
ST. FRANCIS: “You aren’t going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.”
GOD: “What nonsense! At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep the moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves become compost to enhance the soil. It’s a natural circle of life.”
ST. FRANCIS: “You’d better sit down, Lord. As soon as the leaves fall, the Suburbanites rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.”
GOD: “No way!!! What do they do to protect the shrubs and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?”
ST. FRANCIS: “After throwing the leaves away, they go out and buy something called mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.”
GOD: “And where do they get this mulch?”
ST. FRANCIS: “They cut down trees and grind them up to make mulch.”
GOD: “Enough! I don’t want to think about this anymore. Saint Catherine, you’re in charge of the Arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?”
ST. CATHERINE: “Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It’s a real stupid movie about…”
GOD: “Never mind – I think I just heard the whole story from Saint Francis!”
Dreams change the world
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer.
Always remember, you have the strength, the patience, and the passion
to reach for the stars to change the world.”
~ Harriet Tubman
Live fully
“Unbeing dead isn’t being alive.”
~ E.E. Cummings
Can you keep growing?
“I do not think that I will ever reach a stage when I say,
‘This is what I believe. Finished.’
What I believe is alive … and open to growth.”
~ Madeleine L’Engle
How to trick your eyes and brain to eat healthier
Nutrition and how much you eat, of course, is an important part of being well. But did you know you can make some small changes that don’t feel like sacrifice but will help you rein in overeating and perhaps even your desire for junk?
I’ve been reading a book by Brian Wansink, Ph.D., called “Mindless Eating.” It’s a fascinating, quick read if you want to check it out. I knew some of what’s reported but still was stunned at other parts.
The information it provides, based on a variety of studies, can definitely help you choose healthier portion sizes with some easy changes. These changes can help you can cut a reasonable portion out of your daily diet without a lot of effort. It’s simply changing habits and awareness.
First, a few easy changes to help reduce portion size, which definitely can impact your health if you are overeating:
- Serve your food on smaller plates. Our eyes eat! A portion on a small plate looks bigger and will feel more satisfying to you than the same portion on a large plate, where it will look tiny by comparison. You know those optical illusions in which you’d swear one line was longer – but it isn’t? This is the same principle.
- Don’t eat “family” style. Dish up your plate in the kitchen, and leave the food there. Food served in big bowls on the table leads to eating more.
- Pour drinks with calories in tall, thin glasses, and you’ll drink less. Drinks in short, wide glasses seem like they have less, and you end up having more.
- Keep food out of sight. When food is left in plain sight, you eat more. Instead, keep things like fresh fruit and veggies – clean and ready to go – in view.
- If you want a snack, get yourself a portion on a small dish, and put the rest away. The inconvenience of having to go back and get out the item to get more may stop you from eating extra. Carry the bag of whatever, tub of ice cream, etc. to your chair, and you’re going to mindlessly eat much more than you would have.
One of the most fascinating studies involved two groups of diners served the exact same food and wine. The only difference was in how the wines were labeled. One was presented by wait staff as a new wine out of California. The other? As a new wine out of North Dakota. Yeah, North Dakota isn’t exactly known for its fine wines!
Guess what happened? The people served the allegedly Californian wine enjoyed their meal and thought the wine was amazing. The people served North Dakota wine? Not so much! They complained about the wine and the food. Remember — each group was served the exact same thing.
But what is more interesting is how much they ate. The group served the “Californian” wine ate more. This is what the author calls mindless eating. With the introduction of the wine, they thought: “Oh, this is going to be good!” and ate with that expectation.
You may not realize you’re influenced by these sort of things, but you are. No one in the studies thought they were influenced by what something’s called or how it’s presented. But studies over and over showed we all absolutely are.
My suggestion? Catch yourself at this, particularly when you’re eating out, which is probably the most likely place you’re going to get one of those “healthy” salads that have more calories and fat than if you’d super-sized your meal a couple times over at a fast food restaurant.
Don’t be influenced by the description. Think about what you’re getting, re-name it in your own mind. In addition, pre-determine that you’re not going to eat that huge portion size. Share with someone. Or, get it, but ask for a take out container along with it, and immediately put half in that. Think – then you’ll get two meals for the price of one! You’ll have lunch or dinner for another day, and you’ll enjoy the food just as much without damaging your waistline and your health.
Use this in reverse at home. Serve something healthy, and give it a delicious-sounding name. If you have kids in your life, enlist their help in naming some healthy dish. Call the stuff that’s not as good for you something unappealing. I know you’re not going to do this all the time, but you can make some inroads. Re-name some seriously unhealthy item that you love with an icky name. Have it, but make yourself call it by that name. Bet it loses some — or all — of its appeal! Put your creativity — in the name of your good health — to work against the restaurant and fast food marketers.
Also really pay attention to how something tastes. Have you ever eaten plenty of something that actually wasn’t that good? The studies in this book show you aren’t alone. Very stale popcorn served at a movie theater was still eaten, even though some in attendance commented that it tasted like styrofoam packing peanuts! On top of that, the ones served this nasty-tasting, stale popcorn in bigger buckets ate even more.
Mindless eating is easy, and it has become our habit. But you can change that now that you’re informed, and, as a bonus, not even really feel you made any drastic change.
Start right now, and identify where you can make the first switch. Don’t do all of the above, and get overwhelmed. Do one thing. Let it become natural. Then do the next. The road to good health is paved with these little steps.
