Grow Yer Own!

America's Health Future: If we continue to put health backseat, so will life quality & length be.

nobody@vox.com(HEALTH MATTERS Health & Wellness Coaching) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:42:15 -0700

What will it take, America? Seriously, I’m asking a real question & would truly like an answer because I’m ever baffled when I look around me today at the state of our public health. Look around you, what do you see? Because this is what I see…sadness, illness, & death.

The prevalence of disease according to the CDC continues to rise.
We have the first gen of kids that won’t outlive their parents age according to the CDC as well.
We have a society where every 2^nd commercial on tv, in a magazine, in a store, on a billboard is for a drug.
We fail our children with schools where kids have no energy outlet anymore so they show up with guns and violence due to pent up unreleased aggression & then are drugged up after the Dr’s claim they have ADHD when they’re simply victims of no exercise & poor diet of sugar that jacks them up & wires them.
Obese kid
We have a world today where the words gastric bypass and diabetes are as common as ‘the’ & ‘of’ to our vocabulary, and it’s nothing to someone to invade their body & destroy the natural system of disgestion to cut it to pieces & tie it up – that’s more appropriate to them then simply eating right and exercising!

I had a client recently say so eloquently about why she wanted to finally work with me towards making changes in her health & life, “I finally realized if I don’t have my health I have nothing.” If I could put those words on a billboard throughout America I would, because the American people have lost their way when it comes to their health.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Our first wealth is health”… so why is it that when we have a health symptom to address or if it’s just attending to our health in our lives we put it off, it’s always the last of thing to get to, to take care of on our list of to-do’s...washing the car, buying a new tv, going on vacation, shopping at the mall, ALL more important - C’mon, you KNOW you are guilty of this!

Or the best is the all too common attitude of people that if I need a health treatment for caring for my health, but my insurance doesn’t cover, I won’t do it because I can’t afford the extra expense – but we can afford vacations, fancy cars, cigarettes, all the costs of our hobbies like golf or motorcycles or hunting, going out to $100 dinners & $40 movies every weekend, high test fuel for our vehicles, and new flat screen tv’s, THOSE we can afford.

I'm here to tell you, look around & take a gander at the cost of NOT AFFORDING OUR HEALTH IN OUR LIVES. Isn’t it funny how people put their money where their values are? Isn’t is sad that as a country we have entirely LOST health somehow as a core value?

Healthy family

Look where we were 20 years ago, look where we are today, now envision where we’re headed ….. mindblowing, isn’t it? Because this is where not valuing our health anymore in our lifestyles is taking us:

a world of still increased death at younger and younger ages due to MORE diabetes, MORE cancers, MORE heart disease, MORE death due to failed surgery of gastric bypass or use of pharmaceuticals that toxify and posion the body over time
still no recommendations by Dr’s and healthcare practitioners and no actions on people’s part to address their poor diet & exercise regimen, and just wait til the arteries clog up with junk & I’ll just get the Dr to open me up and fix what I’m not adult enough to take responsibility for in my own health because that’s the easy way, that the magic bullet Americans want & I’ve always got that back up plan if all else fails
children not able to think in class, learn and excel , or even socialize b/c they’re so slow from excess weight on their bodies and sugar in their bloodstream they can’t function optimally, let alone barely at all
a world where 50% of people are walking around on assisted walkers, something once only common to the elderly and aged, because they can’t use their own joints anymore such as their knees or hips to do a function as normal as walking because they have too much weight on their joints naturally to sustain them
a world where our life expectancy, at supposedly the time of most advanced medicine in the history of the world, begins decreasing!
a world where costs of airplane tickets and healthcare insurance become too astronomical for the average person to afford as a result of the commonality of obesity in our country and what that does to EVERYONE’s pocketbooks; don’t be fooled, we ALL share the cost & pain of this sad glutonous out of control trend we’re on, with no end in sight….

Corp fitness dilmena

We cry when our loved ones contract cancer or diabetes or heart disease and we lose them, THAT makes us sad, THAT makes us react, THAT makes us finally CARE ABOUT OUR HEALTH.

Then why is it that we don’t value and care for our health UPFRONT?
Why do we wait for the worst to happen BEFORE WE ACTUALLY PAY ATTENTION TO OUR HEALTH?
Why does it take FEAR for us to finally value the God given gift of our health that is the one blessing we can count on each day, that allows us to live our lives to the fullest?
What will it take in this country for people to finally say enough is enough, I want to put my health on the TOP of my to-do list today & everday, and I will be grateful for my health & tend to it as such?
What sign can exceed the signs we have already have now, that not valuing our health is a path of sadness, illness, and death? I can’t bear to imagine….

Don’t you want to see a different health future than where we’re currently headed?? I surely do! So you can bet I will do my part & have my health as #1 on my to-do list today, and all the rest of the active, happy, energetic, capable, healthy days of my life.

We all wake up with the same 24 hours in a day, and we all wake up with our health…what we do with those two factors is up to each & every one of us….and tomorrow is a new day, but HOW MANY days we all have on this earth differs based on what you invest into this equation through your efforts to attend to your health & this is SOLELY UP TO YOU, and you alone –

So how many days do you want to be here on this earth enjoying your loved ones & this life? Put your health on YOUR to-do list as one of your top values finally tomorrow – today it’s the only investment you can count on & I promise you it will pay you back tenfold.

Strength

Don't be like the average American and wait for the diagnosis to make your move, when it's already too late...Harsh maybe, but we've come to a time in our public health where somebody needs to stand up & scream a wake up call because they care deeply about the madness of what they see going on around them & where we're headed. Are you listening?

In health,
Heather Dubé - Health & Wellness Coach
Wellcoaches LWC Trainee, Group Wellness Coach, NASM CPT, BA Psychology

You & Improved Coaching
"Revitalizing Wellness in Health & Home"
www.youandimprovedcoaching.com
healthmatters.vox.com/
hdube@youandimprovedcoaching.com | 408.667.7551

| Do you feel exhausted, overstressed, or drained of energy most days? | Are you unhappy with your quality of life or health, & want to discover how to achieve your desired life & health goals? | Do you have unhealthy habits correlated to a family health history of illness, disease, or death that you need to conquer to ensure your longevity for yourself & your family? | Are you living your life on maintenance prescriptions & fearful of longterm unknown consequences? | Do you have persistent health symptoms that no Dr. can resolve? | Wellness Coaching Can Help You Feel & Live Better - Find out More Here.

"Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime." - Lao Tz
“If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.” - Anonymous

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CHEW ON THIS: Much To-Do About Phelp's Diet; the media does it again...

nobody@vox.com(HEALTH MATTERS Health & Wellness Coaching) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:21:30 -0700

B_logo

Amidst Michael Phelp's Olympic achievements this past week there has been much publicity and attention centered on his diet. Here is an article that lays out point by point what he eats at every meal & some commentary to his strange eating plan: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7562840.stm .

As people hear more and more of his high fat high calorie plan, we'd like to make sure no one misinterprets this info as a "free pass" to think that everyone who eats like Michael can be in the health of an Olympic athlete, as this is certainly not the case.

In fact, what it should make people think is: imagine just how much more this man could achieve if he fueled his body with good, quality, nutrient-dense food sources?

THAT is what the media should be talking about, instead of sending out the wrong message about the example Phelp's is not setting for people in the area of nutrition. It upsets me to no end that the media constantly needs to create drama, and in doing so they consistently choose to publicize negative topics to stir the pot.

If he eats that way, then NBC and other media sources should think about the number of people they have as a captured audience in this format & how they can HELP them to eat well through the message their sending, not patronize & confuse their viewers the way they are talking endlessly about Michael's junk food eating program. Have they never heard the phrase, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all."?

This is the exact stuff that confuses people and is a detriment to the state of our public health both in adults and children. We may possibly now see a resurgence in the awful Atkins diet, which is basically filling your arteries with fat & unhealthy oils, based on the specifics they're putting out on tv about Michael's diet.

Keep in mind the frequency, length & intensity of someone's training of Michael's athletic caliber can counter some of the junk he is taking into his body for food. So what may APPEAR to not effect him negatively is partially due to the counter effect of his exercise schedule - but remember, you don't see his insides, and outward physical appearance is not always indicative of inner health both short & long-term.

That is how professional athletes sometime die shockingly from cancer or a heart attack unexpectedly every once in awhile to everyone's surprise. People too often wrongly associate outward appearance as synonomous with inward health quality. If he continued to eat like this over time, regardless of his training, it would no doubt take a negative toll on his health.

I'm rather surprised that an athlete of his level is not working with a nutritional consultant on a regular basis to support his training both in term of nutrient choices, meal composition, and nutrient timing to support his pre, during, and post workout periods properly with what he eats. The majority of athletes that compete at that level either are supporting their body with health nutrition through the consultation of a sports nutritionist, or through their own knowledge of being in and around the sport for many years.

I'd also like to mention his diagnosis of ADHA, which is important to note along with the correlation that he's openly admitted he's been eating this way for 20+ years. Why people don't connect what he's putting in his mouth in terms of loads of sugars, processed chemicals and foods, junk food, soda/caffeine, and high fats, along in direct relation to this exacerbated temperament as a child growing up to today leaves me speechless.

How we choose to support or not support our bodies nutritionally to do the work of their natural processes has everything to do with our resulting mood, ability to concentrate, ability to focus, to think, to have energy or not, to function, etc. For anyone who is diagnosed with ADHD or ADD, the absolute FIRST thing any Dr should do is assess the client's diet and rework it to put them on a whole foods paleolythic diet, by removing all processed sugars, all caffeine, all packaged foods, leaving only lean meats, decaf coffee or tea, loads of water and vegetables, and minimal fruit. Once that transition sets into their body over 4-6 weeks, then and only then should the client be reassessed for what type of possible additional medicinal support may or may not be needed at that point. Unfortunately, most Dr's do not even address the current diet and exercise program of the patient both in diagnosis and treatment.

In the article on Phelps, Barbara Lewin, a nutritionist who has advised international athletes on their dietary health for almost two decades, states "Health-wise, if he were eating like this long-term, he'd probably be having to see a cardiologist regularly," Mrs Lewin told the BBC.

It's too bad he has set such a stellar example on areas of physical health & achievement in sport for adults, childrens, athletes throughout the world, yet fails to set a similar good example of nutrition in this world at a time when it's SO needed by someone of his reach. Just like Mary Lou Retton was a unstoppable force and the athlete-to-inspire of my generation, Phelps is just this for figure for generation Y, which needs a lot more positive role models on the exercise & nutrition front today then we needed back then.

I'm hoping as his accomplishments set in that the realization the amount of kids along with that that look up to him will to, and he'll begin to see the tremendous amount of responsibility that comes along with that & therefore how he can use this platform to help others in these areas of health.

And yet someone who is using high performance nutrition to reach her Olympic goals at the age of 41, Dara Torres, & would prove a wonderful example for people throughout the world on how she approaches her training to get where she has both physically and nutritionally, gets called out by the media in her interview asking if she's using steroids.

Can someone please just release the media from their duties? They are the cause of so many problems in our society today with the drama they try to create. So the media immediately skews and ruins a potentially great example for people by asking Dara if she's taking drugs, automatically assuming she is. Of course she has to be, right? No, not right.

How about asking her how she does it...how she achieves such physical goals at her age? THAT again is what would HELP people watching the Olympics via encouragement, vs. the over-asked steroid question. Just because you don't understand how someone achieves something, doesn't automatically mean it's not possible to achieve or they cheated to get there; it just means she has had some experiences in controlling and developing her health in a manner through her life that you haven't in your own, and we'd benefit to learn from her.

But of course the drama will always be more important to the media than doing what's right to help better people's health in their lives. I do hope people do see through the drama being made over Michael Phelp's diet to realize that it's basically much to-do about nothing & not worth the air time it's getting, as most things the media harps on.

Let's just enjoy his wins for the amazing feat they are & hope that, should he return to future Olympic competition, he adds in a great nutritional program to support his future athletic goals so we can see him at his true best ... & how incredible that would be.

Heather Dubé - Health & Wellness Coach
Wellcoaches LWC Trainee, Group Wellness Coach, NASM CPT, BA Psychology

You & Improved Coaching - "Revitalizing Wellness in Health & Home"
www.youandimprovedcoaching.com
healthmatters.vox.com/
info@youandimprovedcoaching.com

| Do you feel stressed or drained of energy most days? | Are you unhappy with your quality of life or health? | Do you have unhealthy habits correlated to a family health history of illness, disease, or death that you need to conquer to ensure your longevity? | Are you living on maintenance prescriptions & fearful of unknown consequences? | Do you have health symptoms that no Dr. can resolve? | Wellness Coaching Can Help You Feel & Live Better - Find out More Here.

"Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime." - Lao Tz

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Hornworming

nobody@vox.com(Margy) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:37:44 -0700

Well, the bug in question is a tomato hornworm. A caterpillar. Big, ugly and voracious. I brought hubby out to destroy the beast and he he couldn't see it at first. The conversation went something like this:

"Where? I don't see anything? There's nothing on...OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL IS THAT????!!!!!!"

He got a bigger stick and knocked it off the plant. "Did you kill it?" I asked.

"Uh, no," he replied.

"Could you kill it, please?" I asked. "He'll just climb up there again."

Hubby steeled himself for the task as I went back into the house. I heard some substantial whanging and banging outside the back door, then saw my husband marching for the trash can. "I'm almost sorry I had to kill it," he said. "It's actually quite beautiful." Then he said, "Damn! That was the biggest bug I've ever seen in my life!" He dropped a brick on it, actually. He said it was too big to squish with his shoe.

Yes, it was kinda pretty. But he was going to eat all my tomatoes and that wasn't fair. He could have had some if he'd been willing to leave the rest for me. Looking at that ugly mother*$*#)@ chomping away, it was clear that was not in the cards for this critter.

Oh well. This girl's on bug patrol.

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No Rest For The Weary

nobody@vox.com(Margy) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:17:09 -0700

As if things weren't bad enough: I went outside just a while ago to check on my tomatoes. Noticed something on one of the vines. I didn't recognize it at first, since it was the same color. But, it's a slug or worm of some kind and it's eating up my tomatoes!

Damn! The wet weather has brought them out. I'm going to get my husband to pick off and destroy the little *($&%*#(, then I'll set out some beer traps for any neighbors.

Brrrrrr. I hate bugs.

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Act Now! The California Fresh Raw Milk Act of 2008

nobody@vox.com(Nicole) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:44:32 -0700

It Can Do The Body Good

My friends and family know that I am not a fan of milk, nor do I think people should drink it on a daily basis. Thanks to the pasteurization process, the milk on today’s grocery shelves is devoid of any worthwhile vitamins, minerals, enzymes, or probiotics (with the exception of the synthetic Vitamin D that is added after processing). Plus, if your milk is not organic, it is filled with the residue of numerous antibiotics, pesticides, fertilizers and high amounts of synthetic estrogen (that your body recognizes as the real thing) from the growth hormones. In addition, the majority of people are lactose intolerant—for good reason, as adults are not supposed to be drinking milk—we got over that as a baby.

However, milk can be a very nutritious supplement to your diet if it has never gone through the damaging, high temperature pasteurization process. Raw milk is not only chock full of nutrients like calcium, but also the magnesium to support that calcium, and tons of very beneficial probiotics that help keep your intestines healthy and immune system strong. Numerous people have had health problems alleviated by switching to raw dairy.

Currently, raw milk is available in California in certain natural food stores or through dairy farm cooperatives, but it is expensive, obscure and there is no real standard of regulation. If purchasing raw dairy, it is very important that it comes from an impeccably clean facility with strict handling procedures.

The Fresh Raw Milk Act of 2008, Senate Bill 201, creates a new system for the regulation of raw milk. It will pioneer regulations that will ensure the safety of the products on the market, and not only give the opportunity to other dairy farms to clean up their act and participate in raw dairy market, but also give us the right to choose raw milk. Show your support of this ground breaking bill by calling the Governor Schwarzenegger’s office at 916-445-2841, or fax to 916-558-3160.

If you don’t live in California, but support the bill, call anyway! Remember, after a precedent is set, other states will follow suit. Let’s finally get some healthy milk on the shelves!

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Summer Salads - Cukes and Tomatoes

nobody@vox.com(Margy) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:19:23 -0700

My husband visited a farm stand on his way home and brought back some cucumbers and tomatoes (among other things). These are pretty constant summertime visitors in our house, so I hunted around for a salad or some type of fixing for them. I came up with this one on grouprecipes.com and gave it a try tonight.

It's very tasty and very easy to make. I also sprinkled a little parsley on the salad when it was combined. I thought that red wine vinegar might be better than cider vinegar, but tastes vary.

Give it a try. It's easy!

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Ingredients

4 large tomatoes, cut into wedges, halved and seeded

2 cucumbers, cut lengthwise, then sliced thin

1 large red onion, peeled and sliced

1 large green pepper, chopped

Dressing:

1/2 cup of olive oil

1/4 cup of cider vinegar

1 tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

coarsely ground black pepper to taste

Variations/Suggestions:

Instead of making the dressing above, try 3/4-1 cup of your favorite italian dressing.

Chop crusty bread in the bite size pieces, mix in before serving.

Directions

Place chopped vegetables in large bowl.

In a smaller bowl, wisk together oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and black pepper.

Pour dressing over vegetables and refridgerate for 1 hour.

Toss well before serving.

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Summer = Pesto

nobody@vox.com(Margy) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:12:37 -0700

I've got basil growing all over the place in my garden and I've just harvested it to make my first batch of pesto. This recipe, which I've prepared for years, is an adaptation of one in the Moosewood Cookbook Cooks at Home. It's fabulous!

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup loosely packed fresh parsley (optional)

3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/3 cup pine nuts

4 large eggs (optional)

2 cups stemmed fresh green beans (about 3/4 lb)

8 small or 4 medium potatoes, quartered

2 tomatoes, sliced into wedges or chunks

1/2 cup sliced red onion (optional)

Diced fresh mozzarella

Prepare pesto using first six ingredients. Combine everything except the oil in a food processor. Slowly add oil while processor is running to form a smooth paste. Set aside.

Boil, cool, shell and slice eggs, if using. Cook green beans and potatoes and let cool somewhat. Add tomatoes, onions (if using) and fresh mozzarella.

Fold in pesto. Serve immediately.

Green Bean Pesto Salad @ Group Recipes

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There, I Must Be Feeling Better

nobody@vox.com(Margy) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:12:07 -0700

Just forgot to mention, I made the first batch of pesto from my basil this afternoon - while I was stewing, it was becoming garlicky and potent:

Tower of Basil

There's the basil pesto, all tipsy in my refrigerator. Underneath it are 1) baba ganoush and 2) chick pea and spinach salad. The bottom two came from a very nice Armenian grocery story.

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CHEW ON THIS: The next time your Dr offers you nutrition advise, think twice!

nobody@vox.com(HEALTH MATTERS Health & Wellness Coaching) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:57:24 -0700

How often have you asked for or received nutrition advise from your Dr. during a health checkup or a hospital visit?

Whether it's making diet suggestions, or supplement/vitamin suggestions, it's not uncommon for Dr's to offer their thoughts in these areas to their patients, and yet they are not nutrition experts by any means to be offering such advise. Sadly, too many people expect their Dr's to be experts in ALL things health-related, and this simply isn't the case.

Apple_tape

In fact, "only about one-fourth of all medical schools in the US require medical students to take even one nutrition course; less than half of medical programs even provide an elective nutrition course. Students in such classes receive less than twenty total hours of nutrition education - an amount they themselves consider inadequate." ("Understanding Nutrition" 10th edition)

To put this in better perspective, all US nutrition students that complete one college-level intro to nutrition course receive 45 total hours of nutrition instruction and are deemed more educated on nutrition as a freshman college student than all US medical Dr's.

So knowing this I ask you...

Would you ask your car mechanic for advice on how to cook?
Would you ask a chef how to perform your oil change or change your tires?
When your chef offers you advice on how to do your oil change next time, are you going to be so inclined to take their advice so blindly without checking into it for yourself?

Food pyramid

In today's world of failing healthcare systems & failing methods of Western medicine and pharmaceuticals, it is now more important than ever that we shift into the mindset of taking personal responsibility for our own health through EDUCATING ourselves, and ADVOCATING for ourselves. This means sometimes not believing everything you are told by Dr's and blazing your own path through taking the time to self-educate & get more in tune with your health & body.

So the next time you need to seek advice on the nutrients you put in your body for your health support, remember that your Dr's thoughts on your nutrition are just that: their THOUGHTS & OPINIONS. What they're offering you is not expert advise from an educated nutrition professional that has been schooled on industry research studies & how to assess a client's entire personal health history in relation to their nutrition profile in order to give accurate advise in this area that is specific to the client's needs. Remember, you could leave the Dr's office & go get yourself an Intro to Nutrition college course book & get yourself more accurate information.

Be sure to educate yourself & seek out experts that are educated in the advice which you seek, especially when it is in regards to nutrition for the quality of your health. Dr's are not experts in everything health-related, they are experts their area of study & expertise, which is ONE thing health-related.

"Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime." - Lao Tz
“If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.” - Anonymous

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Quick Garden Inspection

nobody@vox.com(Margy) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 08:45:31 -0700

Tomatoes

More Tomatoes!

Pesto

They grow, once it stops raining.

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