I've been getting a lesson in circulation these days. When I lived in NYC, I walked everywhere, rode my bike a lot, and always had jobs where I was on my feet most of the day. I can't say I felt great because of it, mostly I felt exhausted, but moving to a place where I'm suddenly much more sedentary I am definitely feeling the affects.
I remember years ago, most winters, my hands and feet would always get cold, to the point of never warming up until I got into bed. But the last few years, my hands and feet have been fine in the winter, cold, but not unmanagably, unwarmably, cold. And now, once again, they are like little blocks of ice. And I blame my suburban studious sedentary lifestyle.
And the sad part is, I know that this is much more than just an inconvenience. If my blood isn't circulating very well, then my whole body is running at a much lower level than it should be. Oxygenated blood coming from my heart might not be reaching all of my organs, and the blood that is returning to the heart might not be getting there as quickly as it should. The cleaning mechanisms may be slower, or may be missing something. My lymphatic system won't be up to par either, so I could have more trouble fighting off infections, and building up my body and detoxifying.
So, those of you that know me, know I'm not much of an exerciser, but that's not even what this is about, it's about movement! So I'm starting out slow, going on the mini-trampoline for 10 or 15 min a day, and stretching on top of that. I'll probably have to do much more, but that's my first step. I'll try to update about the temperature of my feet. Ha. Snow flurries are in the forecast for tomorrow. Yikes!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
vegetarians
It's funny how defensive people get about food. It is a rather sensitive subject, what other thing do we all have in common, that we need to survive, but that is also intricately connected with our families, heritage, emotion, mood, health, vitality and more?
When I started eating more vegetarian, 10 years ago, I had the idea that it was best for everyone, those other people just didn't know that yet. I don't think that anymore. I do think, that we, as a nation, consume too much meat, of all kinds. But the idea of one diet being perfect for everyone seems very far from the truth. Each of us has a different body, different blood, different cells, and different genetic predispositions. While some of the basic workings are the same for everyone, if you don't pay attention how your body responds to what you consume, you are missing a big piece of the puzzle.
Aside from the general question of health, with so many issues bound up with the question of food (not least of all emotional), my question is, how do we start a dialogue with everyone, with each other, about food and health? I was introduced to someone last week who took one look at me and said "You're so skinny, I hope you aren't a vegetarian!"... Unfortunately, the person who introduced me, mistakenly said that I was. I tried to explain, that I'm not a strict vegetarian, I have added fish and poultry into my diet, that it's not about restriction...but it was too late.
She tells me "Oh I tried that once, but it just doesn't work". Already, I'm unsure what she means, what didn't work? What did she want it to do? Does it mean that everyone who is doing it now is wrong? But she seemed uninterested in dialogue. As she was walking away she tries to get in one last assertion, sure that she won't have to have a conversation to back it up: "You need protein, people need protein" (or maybe she even said "meat").
And so I'm left with the question, how do we start a dialogue? She made me feel attacked, and even insulted, as if I don't know that people need protein? It felt pre-emptive, as though she was afraid I would have taken a hard line, tried to convert her.
All I can do is try to stay open. I think what's more important than restrictions, especially at the beginning of learning about health, is how to add in positive, healthy foods to your normal routine. When you realize that eating fresh green veggies and whole grains might even make you feel better than you normally do, it makes you want to eat them again!
So what are our barriers to eating better? Some of mine are: social situations, energy or time to cook or plan delicious and nutritious food stuffs, expense of buying the good stuff or the better stuff as opposed to the crappy stuff, feeling still hungry after making a yummy nutritious meal which feels discouraging...
I think if we put our heads together we can overcome some of these difficulties. It's worth it when you know you'll be living better and longer and healthier.
When I started eating more vegetarian, 10 years ago, I had the idea that it was best for everyone, those other people just didn't know that yet. I don't think that anymore. I do think, that we, as a nation, consume too much meat, of all kinds. But the idea of one diet being perfect for everyone seems very far from the truth. Each of us has a different body, different blood, different cells, and different genetic predispositions. While some of the basic workings are the same for everyone, if you don't pay attention how your body responds to what you consume, you are missing a big piece of the puzzle.
Aside from the general question of health, with so many issues bound up with the question of food (not least of all emotional), my question is, how do we start a dialogue with everyone, with each other, about food and health? I was introduced to someone last week who took one look at me and said "You're so skinny, I hope you aren't a vegetarian!"... Unfortunately, the person who introduced me, mistakenly said that I was. I tried to explain, that I'm not a strict vegetarian, I have added fish and poultry into my diet, that it's not about restriction...but it was too late.
She tells me "Oh I tried that once, but it just doesn't work". Already, I'm unsure what she means, what didn't work? What did she want it to do? Does it mean that everyone who is doing it now is wrong? But she seemed uninterested in dialogue. As she was walking away she tries to get in one last assertion, sure that she won't have to have a conversation to back it up: "You need protein, people need protein" (or maybe she even said "meat").
And so I'm left with the question, how do we start a dialogue? She made me feel attacked, and even insulted, as if I don't know that people need protein? It felt pre-emptive, as though she was afraid I would have taken a hard line, tried to convert her.
All I can do is try to stay open. I think what's more important than restrictions, especially at the beginning of learning about health, is how to add in positive, healthy foods to your normal routine. When you realize that eating fresh green veggies and whole grains might even make you feel better than you normally do, it makes you want to eat them again!
So what are our barriers to eating better? Some of mine are: social situations, energy or time to cook or plan delicious and nutritious food stuffs, expense of buying the good stuff or the better stuff as opposed to the crappy stuff, feeling still hungry after making a yummy nutritious meal which feels discouraging...
I think if we put our heads together we can overcome some of these difficulties. It's worth it when you know you'll be living better and longer and healthier.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Chewing food
I was going to comment back to Anonymous's comment on the saliva post in a comment, but it's getting a bit long, so here's another post....
Dear Anonymous,
It is really important, I don't know if I'd ever get anything done if I chewed 100 times, but hey, what works works.
I've read some about digestion times varying depending on the kind of food you have just ingested. But that becomes like a complicated rule book that's much too long to describe here.
From what I understand, people recommend not drinking anything (or less than 4-6 oz) during a meal because it dilutes the digestive enzymes in your stomach. I would add that if you are using liquid to help soften the food before you swallow, you probably haven't chewed your food enough to mix the enzymes that come from your saliva into your food.
Another thing to think about is that if you skip that first step, of chewing your food well, once the food reaches your stomach, the enzymes that came from your saliva are deactivated by the hydrochloric acid, and the other gastric digestive enzymes. So you are essentially making your body work much harder, and raising the chances that your food will not be properly digested. Or only partially digested. If that happens, not only could you become gassy and bloated, but you aren't receiving the vital nutrients you need from the food you just ate. (Of course I'm assuming that you are eating healthy whole foods that contain vital nutrients...)
But back to the question, should we drink tea immediately after eating? They say ginger is good for digestion, so maybe ginger tea would be the exception. The Weston A. Price foundation has a lot of great information about food and they recommend not drinking liquid 20-30 min before or after meals. You can read their seven tips to enhance digestion here.
I think it's probably a good idea to wait a little. But the best thing is to listen to your body. Every body is different, and will probably let you know if things aren't digesting so well!
Dear Anonymous,
It is really important, I don't know if I'd ever get anything done if I chewed 100 times, but hey, what works works.
I've read some about digestion times varying depending on the kind of food you have just ingested. But that becomes like a complicated rule book that's much too long to describe here.
From what I understand, people recommend not drinking anything (or less than 4-6 oz) during a meal because it dilutes the digestive enzymes in your stomach. I would add that if you are using liquid to help soften the food before you swallow, you probably haven't chewed your food enough to mix the enzymes that come from your saliva into your food.
Another thing to think about is that if you skip that first step, of chewing your food well, once the food reaches your stomach, the enzymes that came from your saliva are deactivated by the hydrochloric acid, and the other gastric digestive enzymes. So you are essentially making your body work much harder, and raising the chances that your food will not be properly digested. Or only partially digested. If that happens, not only could you become gassy and bloated, but you aren't receiving the vital nutrients you need from the food you just ate. (Of course I'm assuming that you are eating healthy whole foods that contain vital nutrients...)
But back to the question, should we drink tea immediately after eating? They say ginger is good for digestion, so maybe ginger tea would be the exception. The Weston A. Price foundation has a lot of great information about food and they recommend not drinking liquid 20-30 min before or after meals. You can read their seven tips to enhance digestion here.
I think it's probably a good idea to wait a little. But the best thing is to listen to your body. Every body is different, and will probably let you know if things aren't digesting so well!
saliva
yesterday i learned that in addition to supplying us with lots of needed enzymes (which is why you should chew your food carefully and not drink much liquid when you eat: digestion begins in the mouth!) saliva is also slightly antiseptic.
so when you see a child throw their pacifier on the ground and then you see the parent pick it up, stick it in their own mouth before giving it back to their child, however unappetizing it may seem...it's actually a good call. nature's double antiseptic!
so when you see a child throw their pacifier on the ground and then you see the parent pick it up, stick it in their own mouth before giving it back to their child, however unappetizing it may seem...it's actually a good call. nature's double antiseptic!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Integers
I haven't posted because I've been learning things that are more like facts, than things you might want to hear about. Like this:
(+)(+)=+ (-)(-)=+ and (-)(+)= - !
(okay, so it was more like "re-learning")
Also, the parathyroid glands control calcium. And Aldosterone (a steroidal hormone produced by the adrenal cortex) controls sodium in the blood. These two things are going to be very important in understanding the scientific basis for the acid/alkaline eating philosophy, but I don't have all the pieces yet.
In the meanwhile, it got cold here. Feel free to post some yummy soup recipes...I'm craving the daily homemade varieties from The Garden...Pickle soup anyone?
(+)(+)=+ (-)(-)=+ and (-)(+)= - !
(okay, so it was more like "re-learning")
Also, the parathyroid glands control calcium. And Aldosterone (a steroidal hormone produced by the adrenal cortex) controls sodium in the blood. These two things are going to be very important in understanding the scientific basis for the acid/alkaline eating philosophy, but I don't have all the pieces yet.
In the meanwhile, it got cold here. Feel free to post some yummy soup recipes...I'm craving the daily homemade varieties from The Garden...Pickle soup anyone?
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