Spirulina is an algae powder consumed for centuries due to its nutritional value and health benefits. It grows naturally in oceans and salty lakes like Lake Texcoco (Mexico) or Lake Chad (Africa). When harvested correctly from non-contaminated ponds and bodies of water, it is one of the most potent nutrient sources available. Spirulina grows in […]
The parsnip is a root vegetable closely related to the carrot and parsley. Parsnips are native to Europe and Asia and were introduced to North America in the 17th century. Larger parsnips can have a woody texture, but smaller roots have a tender texture and sweet flavor. Parsnips’ hearty texture stands up well to roasting. Try combining […]
The truth is making healthy choices starts at a very young age!
New parents often rush out and buy family health bibles. Then, a lot of parents read them cover to cover, so they’re prepared to recognize health problems in their kids. But, many of them fail to realize that there are issues their children may face during their development which would never cross our minds.
For the most part, we relate such conditions to teens or adults. As such, we don’t even consider looking out for them in our youngsters. And, of course, you can’t become a wealth of knowledge about every condition under the sun. That’s why I’ve put together a list of three health issues you would never consider your kids could suffer from. Best to be prepared, after all!
Let’s be honest; most of us relate hip problems to elderly grandparents with tired bones. While this is often the case, the elderly aren’t the only ones…
View original post 368 more words
Protecting Children from the Environment. Every year air pollution kills 570,000 children. With all the challenges children face, the air they breathe shouldn’t be one of them. Exposure to air pollution may also increase children’s lifelong risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer. via Air Pollution and Children — DES Daughter Network
via Air Pollution Biggest Environmental Risk to Kids’ Health — The Most Revolutionary Act
Humans have been hunter gatherers, gardeners, and now grocery shoppers. Today, in our shining citadels of civilization, we have become far removed from the process by which our food is produced. Food comes in boxes, wrappers, and cans. We open it and then we eat it. We buy in bulk, buy for price, and buy for the convenience. We buy things we like, but do we buy what we need?
Humans can survive eating all kinds of food. In fact, foods like bread, rice, potatoes, dairy, and poultry have been staples across all kinds of societies throughout history. If you eat only certain types of food though you might become stuck in a nutrient deficient diet. Think of the sailors with diets high in carbohydrates that got scurvy due to a lack of Vitamin C, or those living in around the Great Lakes in the 1920s who had diets filled with food but lacked iodine, leading to the area being termed the “Goiter Belt” as people’s thyroids inflated. Neither diet left the person hungry, yet both diets led the body to starve for nutrients.
This is the 21st century. That stuff does not happen anymore you might say. Believe it or not, nutrient deficiencies still exist today in the United States! According to data collected in 2012, nearly 16 million Americans have deficiencies in Vitamin C and 23 million have deficiencies in Vitamin D (Bird, Ciappio, Murphy). The deficiencies are caused in the exact same way they have been caused before, only now we know how to fix them!
Humans in our society have access to foods grown across the globe, and it is important make use of them. Let us eat our dark leafy greens, our deep red beets, our bright orange carrots, our purple plums, and our golden, whole grain wheats. It takes a rainbow of color to provide human beings with the wide array of nutrients we need. These colors, in their natural and raw forms, once prepared right, are delicious and far more nutritious than wrapped, canned, or packaged foods!
If you cannot manage to eat right, you may be able to take a multivitamin. The study cited above found that non-users of nutritional supplements were 2.5 times as likely to have a nutrient deficiency. While a simple pill may do the trick, there is no comparison to eating whole foods on their own. The moral of the story is: do not discriminate with your fruits and vegetables. All are welcome on the plate of the healthy and balanced individual.
Works Cited
Bird J, Ciappio ED, Murphy RM. Adult full spectrum multivitamin/multimineral supplement users have a lower prevalence of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Presented at: Experimental Biology 2015, Boston MA; March 29, 2015.
Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Oz
Chip… chip… chip…
Goes the pick axe against the stone.
Chip… chip… chip…
The carrot miners toil and groan.
“Are we nearly there? Are we done yet?”
The miners whined, dripping with sweat.
“Not yet, we’ve got orders from the king.”
They continued mining and the chipping continued to sing.
Chip… chip… chip…
Though they were tired and wanted to quit.
Chip… chip… chip…
They carried on with passion and true grit.
“What’s that shiny rock you see?”
“It looks like diamonds, some for you and me!”
Chip… chip… chip…
Those who persevere through the trial,
Chip… chip… chip…
End up with a reward that will make them smile!
It has been a while since publishing a post, so a goal is to write more in 2017. Here is a new short story about the importance of Walking Humbly. Enjoy!
There once was a tall and healthy, round peach youth named Victor. He was the firstborn of eleven siblings, so he was always the tallest and the oldest in his family. This made him believe he was the best at everything else as well. Victor would often times boast that he could eat the most, run the most, and laugh the most out of everyone his own age. He loved playing sports, but only if he would win. He also thought his own stories were far more interesting than the stories of others.
One day, Victor was spending some time with three peaches his own age in the peach village: Lily, Christy, and Frank.
Lily, a very kind peach girl was sharing her own story. “I saw this worm in the garden today that was this big,” Lily said raising her hands shoulder width apart. “I picked it up and then–“
“Ha! That’s nothing.” Victor interrupted. “One time I found a worm this big!” he said holding up his own hands double the length.” Lily was quieted and Christy tried to speak.
“I’ve grown a collection of worms in a box before,” she chimed. “I had two dozen worms or more that ate the rubbish I would give them.”
Victor did not like that the other peach were so impressed by Christy’s story. He had never grown a box of worms before, so he needed to think of a new way to get everyone’s attention back on himself.
“Look at me!” he said as he started doing somersaults across the grass. “This is fun! Do you want to join?”
Everyone turned to watch him, but no one turned to join him. He rolled one last time, noticed that his three colleagues were all looking at him, and then said, “Why don’t we go do something fun instead of sit here all day?” he asked anxiously.
Frank then said, “I have an idea for what we should do today! How about we hike through King Wheaton’s fields up to the Golden Hill then go for a swim?”
“That’s boring,” Victor said with a wave. “I did that last week. If you want to do a real hike, why don’t you go up into the Primary Mountains? From there, we can look down on the rest of the puny Frutopian villages. They are no where near as sophisticated as ours!” Victor boasted.
Lily, Christy, and Frank shook their heads. “No thanks,” all three of his colleagues said.
“How about Lily and Christy, you come over to my place, then we go for a swim?” Frank asked.
“Sure!” the two girls happily agreed.
“What about me?” Victor asked.
“You’re not invited,” Frank said.
“What, why can’t I come?” Victor shouted.
Lily then replied:
“If you think of yourself more than you ought,
You’ll end up treating others as you should not.
You may then come to see,
People enjoy to be,
With those who walk humbly!”
