Five Seasons Women’s Wellness: Health and Wellness Blog

A 100% organic diet is ideal, but due to the cost and availability of many organic items, it is simply unrealistic for most of us.  Eating a mixture of organic foods, and foods produced with fewer pesticides may be the next best thing.

The Environmental Working Group investigated pesticide contamination of conventional produce and found that people can lower their pesticide exposure by almost 80 percent by avoiding the top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead.

The “dirty dozen” include: peaches, apples, pears, bell peppers, celery, carrots, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce and imported grapes.

The “clean fifteen” include: onions, sweet corn, asparagus, sweet peas, cabbage, eggplant, broccoli, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, avocados, pineapples, mangoes, kiwi, papayas, watermelon and grapefruit.

Read the full story

A few months ago I was forced to have an intervention with myself. With my busy schedule, I found myself dining out far too often and my diet and pocketbook were suffering.

In the interest of personal health and wealth, I sat myself down and vowed to make home cooked meals at least 6 nights a week and pack my lunches for work every day. I made a weekly chart and put myself to the task of coming up with a weekly meal plan.

The first few weeks, I planned different dinner fare for each night, but found it impossible to cook nightly meals with my tight schedule. So instead, I decided to cook larger dishes at the beginning of the week so I would have leftovers to eat each night. Success!

I tend to be a simple eater, and finding healthy recipes that will last for several days has proven to be a bit of a challenge, but I have managed to find a few.

Here is one relatively healthy recipe that fits the bill. It is a variation of Ellie Krieger’s Mom’s Turkey Meatloaf recipe. I usually serve it with a large mixed green salad or some other veggie.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup oats
• 1/2 cup milk (I use soy milk)
• 2 pounds free-range ground turkey breast
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Chop the red bell pepper, onion and garlic. Sauté in olive oil until soft.

In a large bowl, stir together the oats and milk and let sit for a few minutes. Add the turkey, egg, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, sautéed veggies, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Mix just until well combined.

Transfer the mixture to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and shape into a loaf about 5 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches high. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatloaf. Bake for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to15 minutes before slicing.

Yield: 8 (1-inch thick) slices.

Bon appetite!

In these advertising-driven times, it can be hard to get down to the truth about what a healthy diet really looks like.  So many highly processed products are labeled as health foods, but are they really good for us?

Blogger Sarah Pope shares with us an interesting history of butter and the marketing machine:  The Untold Story of BUTTER

Knowledge is power- now it’s time for you to decide!

As consumers become more nutrition savvy, clever food manufacturers are changing their labels to reflect consumers’ values.  Phrases like “all natural,” “made with whole grains,” and “a good source of fiber” are common sights in the grocery store, but these slogans can be misleading.

Tara Parker-Pope of New York Times Health exposes six common meaningless claims on food labels.

NY Times Article: Six Meaningless Claims on Food Labels

For an authentic, 100% natural diet, avoid all prepackaged and processed foods.  Eat a diet rich in fresh organic produce, whole grains, nuts and local farm raised meats.  Simple, whole foods are not only better for your health, but they are usually easier on your wallet than their “natural” processed and prepackaged counterparts.

According to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, winter is associated with the water element, and is a time for preservation and storage.

The water element corresponds with the kidney system in the body. The kidneys house the root of our energy and substance - the energetic fire and water that feed our bodies’ functions.

Cold winter weather drives our kidney energy deep into our bodies, making the kidney system more vulnerable and open to damage if care is not given.

In Chinese medicine, a weakened kidney system might manifest as:

• Bladder and kidney infections
• Low back pain
• Knee pain
• Cavities in teeth
• Weak or broken bones
• Infertility
• Low Libido
• Premature gray hair or hair loss
• Ringing in the ears
• Increase of phobias or fears

With just a few simple adjustments, you can protect your kidney energy and maintain your health during the winter and throughout the year:

• Stay warm! Bundle up when you go outside and avoid cold drafts. Take extra care to keep your head, neck, feet and mid-section warm.

• Eat cooked seasonal foods and hot soups with warming spices such as fennel, cinnamon and ginger. Avoid raw and cold foods.

• Follow your natural tendency for winter energy storage: go to bed earlier and rise later.

• Exercise, but in moderation. Avoid strenuous exercise that causes heavy sweating, as this consumes yang energy that should be stored. Try more internally focused exercise such as tai qi and qi gong.

• Get plenty of sunshine. The sun provides vitamin D and warming yang energy that help to balance the cooling yin energy of the winter. In dark places such as the Pacific Northwest, a vitamin D supplement can be helpful.

Certain foods are more nourishing to the warming energy of the kidney. Include some of these foods in your daily diet:

• Grains: quinoa, wheat germ
• Vegetables: cabbage, kale, garlic, leek, mustard greens, onion, parsnips, radish, scallion, turnip, watercress
• Fruits: citrus peel, dates, cherry, raspberry
• Beans: adzuki, lentil
• Nuts/ Seeds: chestnuts, pine nuts, pistachio nuts, walnuts
• Fish: anchovy, lobster, mussel, prawn, sardine, shrimp, trout
• Meats (1 to 3 servings a day): chicken, lobster, lamb, venison, shrimp, kidney
• Spices: basil, black pepper, caper, cayenne, chive seed, cinnamon bark, clove, dill seed, fennel seed, fenugreek seed, garlic, dry ginger, horseradish, nutmeg, peppermint, rosemary, sage, savory, spearmint, star anise, turmeric, thyme, white pepper
• Other: chai tea

In order to experience the lively, dynamic energy of the spring (the time of re-birth), it is important for us to allow our bodies to slow down and experience our roots in winter (the metaphorical death). When we are in harmony with the seasons, we are naturally healthier!

If you are already experiencing symptoms of kidney imbalance, acupuncture and herbal medicine can be used to strengthen the kidney system and prevent further damage.

Check out this interesting NY Times article on how culture influences mental illness.

The Americanization of Mental Illness by Ethan Watters

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added a warning to Tamiflu’s label after repeated reports of self-injury, suicide and delirium associated with the anti-viral drug.

Side effects, including panic attacks, delusions, delirium, convulsions, depression, loss of consciousness, and in some cases, suicide, occurred primarily in children under the age of 17 within a day of taking the drug.

Tamiflu is one of four treatments for seasonal flu in the U.S. It is usually taken to prevent or lessen the severity of the virus.

A new study published in the Journal of Food Science reports that the polysaccharides found in black tea may benefit people with diabetes by helping to slow down the absorption of sugars.

Full Article

Gibran Ramos, ND, MSOM, shares his top five secrets for good sleep:

1. Stick to a routine.
2. Start bedtime early.
3. Use your bed for sleep (and sex) only.
4. Sleep like a princess (or prince).
5. Build a cave, sleep like a bear.

These are all great ideas, especially #1 and #2.  Our bodies thrive on routine.  Keeping a regular sleeping schedule not only improves the ease and quality of sleep, but it improves daytime energy and overall vitality.

Check out the Full Article for more details.

Happy sleeping!

Read More at the FDA’s Website