Beginnings

I was taught from an early age that mankind can live off the land. My parents had a large garden in our backyard, in which was grown nearly every vegetable, melon, and tomato that went on our plates when we ate. We lived in an area of the country that is not conducive to fruit trees, but we had plums, cherries, and peaches growing in the side yard. We had herbs growing in the front yard, taken from cuttings of established plants from an herbalist’s dream garden. Society has forgotten the “roots” of our health, and has come to depend greatly on doctors and hospitals to cure us of our sins. If you don’t eat wisely and healthfully, you will suffer, because your body is a wondrous organic machine that must have the proper nutrients, and the proper amounts of those nutrients, to thrive. Each person is responsible for what goes into their bodies, and for that reason, if you choose not to be healthy, guess what? Yes, all those terrible things that just flashed through your mind can happen. Eating healthy is not a diet, or any kind of qualification for your food, but a lifestyle. Living healthy, you eat just what you need to, you exercise as much as you need to, and you find yourself in a lot better shape in just a few weeks. Round is a shape, but is it a good shape? How long can you tolerate a new diet? What’s your track record for weight-loss diets? These questions become null after you make a few minor lifestyle changes. You get to eat what you want, when you want, and lose weight. Or gain weight. Or build muscle tone. Whatever your personal goal is, I can help you to learn how to make the changes in your diet and exercise regime that will keep your hunger satisfied, your craving for your favorite foods, and you’ll succeed at your goal. You’lll succeed because you’re not on a diet. You don’t have the mental retaliation that many people experience with the word “diet.” It’s a four-letter curse word that you hear every day and it inevitably will irritate you, whether at yourself, at your willpower or lack thereof, and/or your body’s stubborn refusal to do what you tell it to.

Your first thought when you hear about a woman who weighs 180 pounds: is it favorable? NO. Is it pleasantly plump? Hardly. Your first thought is probably a woman who wears a size 22W, has a large rear end, and large busom, and looks like she spends the greatest part of the day stuffing her face and sitting down. You’d be wrong. I wear a size 12, and no that was not a missprint. I have a very active life, and have a post-pregnancy figure to die for. I have 3 children. I don’t exercise a whole lot, because I have other health concerns that prevent me from moving around a whole lot. But, lack of exercise, minimal food intake, and maximizing what nutrients I do take in keep me healthy, active and able to control my weight. I have not gained or lost any significant weight (more than 5 pounds) in the last 5 months, with the exclusion of my pregnancy. That, however does not count. Losing 25 pounds in a day is only possible by giving birth.

Editorials

Osha root is a known antibiotic/antibacterial. It is the only known antiviral and antibacterial herb of it’s kind. It only produces the potent chemical that is it’s main attribute if it grows in harsh conditions. Grown indoors, in a pot, pampered and fed, it does not produce this agent in as high quantites. It seems to thrive in rugged, harsh conditions, and where it may not die indoors, it will not be as beneficial.

Chamomile is a known sleep aid, calmative and relaxant. It does not, by itself, induce sleep. Paired with other effective herbs such as valerian or kava kava, it aids in a natural progression to sleep. Do not mix kava kava and valerian as this will induce a physical depression, resulting in too much sleep, and other symptoms of depression.

Valerian by itself will aid in sleep, but results in a “crash” feeling and resultant dependency. This is avoidable for most people, but for some, it means a better night’s sleep, and general grogginess upon waking.

Kava kava is similar to valerian’s “crash” sensation, but does not result in grogginess. For some people, kava kava can cause physical depression-like symptoms, due to oversleeping. In some cases, kava kava can cause sleep apnea if taken in large doses.

Cinnamon is a weight-loss diet aid. Adding a tiny bit of cinnamon to your breakfast cereal, coffee, and other sweet-type foods can increase metabolism of the foods you eat. Mustard has the same effect for savory-type foods. Use dry mustard, as this is easier to measure. Eat regular small meals, 5-6 per day, instead of large meals 3 times per day. Breakfast should be the largest, and each subsequent meal should be smaller in proportion than the last.

Fruits and vegetables provide an excellent source of fiber in the diet, and should be consumed regularly, throughout the day. High-acid-content fruits, such as tomatoes, oranges, lemons and limes should be limited in any diet. They help to digest the foods you eat, but do not consume more than one at a time, because the acid content can damage the lining of your stomach and intestines, causing unpleasant side effects. Side effects occur with many foods if consumed out of proportion. Such side effects are: Apples- diarrhea; Oranges and other citrus fruits- gas, bloating, and indigestion; Melons- diarrhea, gas, stomach upset; Celery, kale and cabbage- feeling of fullness, inability to have a bowel movement, restriction or blockage of bowels, gas, bloating, and large, rough stools. None of the foods I mentioned are cooked before eating, and each has many nutritional benefits, but if too much is consumed at once, the body’s reaction can be a little harsh.

Apple cider vinegar, a product that has been on the market for years as a metabolic booster, is often overlooked when dieting. It takes a good bit of getting used to, as the flavor is sharp, tangy and generally considered unpleasant. It works. It will wear away the lining of the stomach if too much is consumed, but in small doses (1/4 cup per day), it is an amazing diet aid. If drinking it once a day is too unpleasant, try drinking it in teaspoon-sized doses throughout the day.

Cheese is a delicious snack, and should not be consumed more than twice a week. It causes a feeling of fullness, but, like high-roughage-content vegetables, can have harsh consequences. The difficulty in consuming cheeses is the differences in the calorie count, hardness (or softness) of the cheese, and the color of the cheese. Certain cheeses have a lower calorie count, smaller serving size, and as a general rule, lower side effect. Parmesan, asiago, and romano cheeses are in this group. Sometimes you find a cheese that is delicious, has a wonderful texture, and just begs to be eaten in handfuls. Swiss, cheddar, mozzarella, and other common cheeses fall into this category. Avoid these, as they have a higher calorie count, smaller serving size, and can cause serious side effects if over-consumed. Sometimes you simply have to get past the smell of a certain type of cheese. If you become nauseated from the smell, avoid it. If the look of a particular cheese repels you, try it unless you are allergic to some component of it. You might find yourself surprised.

Meat is good. Meat is delicious. Meat that has been treated with chemicals to enhance the flavor prior to the creature’s death is BAD. Your best bests with the meat issue is to try more fish, seafood, and game meats. Not ranch-grown and “harvested” game, but wild-caught and free-range game animals such as deer, rabbit, squirrel, and wild boar if you feel you must have pork in your diet. Pork is a high-fat, high-calorie, high-cholesterol food that should be eaten only in winter because it raises the body’s internal temperature, which warms the body throughout. Beef is only acceptable if you knew the cow-critter it came from. That is because, in many cases, commercial producers of beef are interested in improving the muscle and fat content of the beef critter, and use steroids and  hormones to this end. The hormones and steroids are not always natural, or non-toxic, and can cause serious consequences later in life. This is true of many (but not all) commercial meat producers. If you want chicken, buy only natural steroid- and hormone-free chicken. Eggs are also in this category, as they provide a natural source of protein. However, you have to watch your brands. If you want healthy eggs, be discriminating. Organic, Free-range, and Natural don’t always mean what you think they mean. Read up on the definitions.

Salt is not always bad for you. Salt with nutrients is, in small doses, quite good for you. Don’t cook with salt, unless it’s meat. Use spices if you must add flavorings. Over-salting can cause many unpleasant side effects that you don’t notice until later in life. Certain salts, not sodium chloride, but potassium chloride, and others, are not really called “salts” as much as they are referred to by their mineral name, such as “potassium”.

I encourage you to experiment with seasonings and spices, and try new flavor combinations. Try rice with lemon and pepper seasoning. Try pork with paprika and mustard. Be gentle with your seasonings, because you must remember each seasoning and spice started life as an herb, with medicinal properties. Again, the warning about over-indulgence. You wouldn’t over-medicate yourself with 3 or four different medicines for the same thing at once, so research and know what each herb can be used for, how it has been used in the past, and how it applies to your life.

Children

I have much to say on the subject of children, as I have 3 of them, and a protective viewpoint. Safety is key when raising children, and so is patience. Children who grow up safe, healthy and protected from most harmful things are children who grow up happy, well-adjusted, and responsible, and turn into well-adjusted, communicative, and intelligent adults. Healthy children do not get that way by staying clean all the time. Children who have no outside playtime stay unhealthy, and children who are left outside and ignored for hours at a time get into trouble and become slightly feral. I know, because I was one of the latter group. I stayed healthy all my summers, but during the winters, we were kept indoors most of the time, and became ill anytime we went to school, which was every day of the school week. Children must be carefully tended, much as you would an infant, caring for every aspect of life. Though children have many autonomous aspects of their lives, and do not require that you should feed them, spoon in hand, for every meal, they do still need you to cook for them. And though they do not require your hand on their bike after they have mastered the art of balacing the bike and riding it, they do need you to watch out for them and keep them in sight in case they fall or anything. Although I use this over-protective stance on children’s safety and health, it is my opinion also that children must be educated about the world, and allowed to understand in their own time what dangers lurk. Teaching them to fear strangers is a self-defense mechanism, but teaching them to fear all strangers is not as good as it may have been, say, 30 years ago. Teach a child to learn to trust the child’s own insticts about strangers, and you’ll never have to worry about your child. Even when the child grows older, and you worry about their going to college in another state, you will be able to trust the child’s instincts and your relationship with your child. Teach a child about the dangers of crossing the street without looking, certainly. Take the child’s hand and do not ever give them a choice even when they’re in elementary school, explaining every time they ask with a quick viewing of a CSI snippet, once they are mature enough, around 6 or 7.  Before that, the best and most effective reason can be demonstrated by the dead animals found on the roadside, not showing the child, but telling them if you should happen to cross one. If you feel this is too graphic, let them watch those commercials on the television about the crash tests. That’s equally effective. Children learn about safety in two ways: by having it ground into their brain cells from birth, or by allowing the child to do something unsafe, and allowing them to suffer the consequences. Both methods have to be employed in order to have a safety-conscious child, who may or may not be naturally clumsy. Allow the child to do unsafe things when the consequences are not going to cause the child lasting harm, but will teach a lesson on listening to one’s parents. Unless a child is of an age to drive, and have control over how much time he spends at home, never let them do unsafe things that may cause permanent damage, unless it is beyond your control. They are rarely ready for such difficulties.

Husbands

I know that many women say they’re going into a marriage with both eyes wide open, but girls, you’re wrong. Unless you have been able to watch a marriage progress from sweetness and light to dark and stormy, and then to it’s drastic conclusion, you’re not ready. Study how a marriage falls apart. Study it so you don’t fall into those traps. Learn to keep your mouths shut from time to time. Learn the right words to say to keep him from thinking you’re nagging. Men hate nags. Study the right way to make a marriage last. Go to pre-marriage counseling. Go to marriage counseling right after you get married. That is so you don’t have to do it later. Men hate marriage counseling. Men hate a lot of things that annoy them. Don’t ever become that annoyance. Be who you really are with your girlfriends when you’re with him. That’s the woman he married.  Don’t expect him to change much. Don’t tell him he “has” to do anything. Beg, plead, bribe, and resort to subliminal methods if you have to, but do not try to force him to do anything. Men are rebellious. If a man has a good job, don’t make him quit that job because it’s dangerous, or risky, or does anything other than pose a significant and immediate health hazard. Getting shot on the job as a policeman could happen, true, but it’s a one in a million chance. Working at an asbestos factory, such as happened to many men in the 80′s, is a guarantee. So you married him, huh? And now you’re not happy? Why not? What have you been doing? What  haven’t you been doing that you were before? What did you change about yourself? Ask yourself these questions before you go blaming your husband for whatever it is that you’re unhappy about. And: Get Over Yourself, Already.  That man did not think the world revolved around the two of you before you got married, he was just thinking he would build his world around the two of you. And he expects the same from you.

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