Self Care And The Time Change

Today, it is time change day, and so I'm feeling sluggish.  I almost didn't go out and ride my bicycle but pushed myself, and I am glad I did.

Since I got my bicycle carrier on my car, I've been trying to get out to the wooded trails at least twice a week.  Each time I go, I'm riding about 5 to 6 miles which is pretty good.  I'm not in the best shape, so that's far enough for me at the moment.

It feels good though to go out and ride my bicycle.  Life has been incredibly stressful lately, and it is showing up in physical ways.   Until I can get to an appointment for some bodywork, this helps.

I do try to stop and notice the turtles along the path, the birds flying around, and the butterflies.  Sometimes in the middle of the bicycle ride, I'll just stop and rest and observe all that is around me.  It is very meditative and peaceful and relaxing.

When I get done, I try to take some moments to cool down and observe.  With all the trees around this place, it just helps you find your grounding and balance in life.

Here's a video clip of the park I go to, and it is just so beautiful.

When I get back home, I've had the 180 Nutrition product that I love.  I've been experimenting though with it and found a drink that I really enjoy as a result.  Here's the recipe in case you want to try it.  The 180 Nutrition stuff is very healthy, and we've been using it for years.  One of those products that we would be lost without.

Here's my Chocolate Almond Banana Drink

• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1 Cup Almond Milk (or your favorite)
• A touch of Honey (since I use almond milk with no added sugar)
• 1/2 scoop 180 Nutrition 

So delicious, it didn't last long (and HEALTHY)

So that's what I did today for the time change and just trying to do some #Selfcare.



Full Disclosure:  I am an affiliate for 180 Nutrition.  I only promote and endorse products that I completely love and have used. 

We Think We Lead Healthy Lives

Written By Don Shetterly

I'm more and more amazed at the behaviors I see every day when it comes to people's health.  We as a country claim we eat healthy, live healthy and do all we can to stay healthy.

Unfortunately, that is not true.

A recent news article showed just how much fast food consumption is increasing while everyone claims to be eating more healthy.  Just the kind of unconscious behavior that is alive and well in our world today.  People aren't in touch with what they actually do.  They lead themselves to believe they do more than they say they do.

I know - it is a harsh truth isn't it?  It doesn't sound nice.  We like to think EVERYONE else out there does these things, but we are all guilty of it.

If you don't believe me, go into your local grocery store.  See which things take up the most isle space.  It will prove my point many times over.

No one hardly eats food that is whole and unprocessed anymore.  Produce that is lightly steamed or cooked is a thing of the past for most.  Frozen vegetables or vegetables obliterated by cooking is what is for dinner!

I've had people tell me that frozen vegetables are the same as whole produce.  I hate to break it to you, but they are not.  Yes, they can measure out the vitamin and mineral percentages, but what is not accounted for is the enzymes and phytochemicals destroyed in processing.

In our house, we try to eat plenty of gently cooked whole vegetables in our day.  I can't remember the last time I went to a McDonalds or any other fast food place.  It is the place I eat at only if I'm starving and there's nothing else for 50 miles.

We don't go for the sugary coffees and energy drinks and soft drinks every day.  Most of the time, you'll only find water in our house to drink.

In 2009, we learned through Jeff Primack and Food Based Healing about whole food smoothies.  Nope, they aren't some mix or supplement that goes into them.  Nope, they aren't yogurt or ice cream or other nonhealthy stuff.  They are basic produce items.  You can read the blog post on My Flu Shot to learn more about them.

The other thing is, I don't get crazy worried about germs out there or other people getting sick.  To me, in my mind, if I do that it becomes nothing more than attracting that which I fear.  I don't need the extra stress and worry on my mind in this toxic stress world.

We also get bodywork with Dr. Paul Canali done frequently so our nervous system is more balanced and we're not taken under by the toxic stress.  I wish more people would do this.

So, when people come and tell me I should get a flu shot, I roll my eyes.  Why do I need to introduce that stuff into my body when I know how to take care of myself.  They claim that I will somehow put them at risk.  Really?  Then the flu shot is not that effective and if you have one, then using your facts, you would be protected.  So, the logic doesn't work at least in my mind.  Again, it is unconscious thoughts and behavior. 

It is a free country, and you can do what you want to do, but this is the path I've chosen.  Just know that I'm not in agreement with what most of this world does.  I think it is short-sighted and unconscious.

If people focused on truly taking care of themselves from what they eat to dumping the toxic stress, we'd all be better off in this world.  Of course, that feels like utopia to me, but I still hope that we as a world will wake up.

My Healthy Green Tea Latte

A friend of mine introduced this delicious drink to me, and I thought I'd share it with those who read this blog.  I love this healthy green tea latte.

It is not difficult to make either.  I have a Nutribullet that I use which makes it super easy to do.  Best of all, it doesn't cost as much as a commercial latte beverage.

Now, I can't vouch for the specifics of the healthy part, but the ingredients I put into this are healthy in my mind, so I think it is something good.  The best part of it is that it doesn't have all that sugar that you would normally get in commercial beverages.

I'm really trying to cut back on sugar and by drinking this first thing in the morning, it helps me set my tastes and desires for food so I'm not wanting as much sugar.  Plus it feels soothing to me and I like that, because it helps me take the edge off of stress that seems to show up in a day.

Here's the ingredients

• 1 Coffee cup of Water
• 1 Handful of Cashews
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Royal Matcha Green Tea Powder
• Small amount of Cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon of Honey

Here's how I make it

1. Place the cashews, water, cinnamon and Matcha Green Tea Powder in the Nutribullet.
2. Grind everything up good.  I usually shake the Nutribullet container and then run it a few seconds more.
3. Place the mixture in a small sauce pan and add the honey. (Hint:  I put the honey in a spoon that I can leave in the pan and as the honey warms up, it comes out of the spoon.)
4. Warm the mixture up slowly for a few minutes, to the desired temperature
5. Pour it into your coffee cup and enjoy

I buy the organic raw cashews at Costco and they are much cheaper than if I buy them in Publix or a regular store.  The Royal Matcha Green Tea Powder comes from Dr. Mercola.   I use organic honey that I get at Target.

Of course, the Nutribullet I have is by far one of the best things I've ever bought.  Sure, I have my Blendtec blender that I use for whole food smoothies every day, but for things like this, the Nutribullet just cleans up easier.  It is less mess!  It is simple to use!

If you do your research on the Royal Matcha Green Tea, you'll see just how healthy and beneficial this is to your body.  It is the high end tea, but using a half teaspoon in this beverage recipe makes it not as expensive.

Thanks Marie for sharing this with me!

    

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Moderation For The Mind Body

How many times do we just over-indulge?  If you say you don't, then I'll send you a nice, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie.  Oh wait, that might not be the healthiest thing.  *smile*   Unfortunately as much as we think we do life in moderation, evidence suggests the complete opposite is true.

Moderation for the mind body is essential to our health and well-being.  It helps us run efficiently in our day.  It keeps our body operating for the long-term. Moderation helps us balance the psychological and biological stresses of the day with peace, joy, and contentment.

So, let's ask the question again.  How many times do we just over-indulge in life?

It could be with the candy and cookies that someone at work puts out.  Maybe its the extra portion of food at the restaurant or the super-sizing of those fries and drink.  Heck, it could just be that instead of really needing to tack on the extra "value size meal", we instead say no to all the stuff we don't need.

Buying the smaller size...

Maybe we're just going for a soda (or soft drink) and instead of buying the smaller one, the large bottle is a good deal.  We don't think anything of it, and we tell ourselves that we are saving money, while in reality, we just don't really need to drink that much.

Maybe we're sitting at the restaurant and instead of showing some restraint, we go for that extra food serving.  After all, we're eating out and so that's a special thing.  We can do it just this once, we tell ourselves.  Unfortunately that "ONCE" quickly and easily becomes a habit.

Maybe instead of that super extra large sugar flavored coffee, you go with the small size.  Maybe instead of the coffee or supersized soft drink, you grab a glass of water first.  These little changes can help you change your life in some dramatic ways.

Exercise and physical activity...

Another way we might indulge stress in our life is forgetting to spend time exercising.  If exercising sounds like a dirty word to you, get some activity in your day.  It doesn't have to be extreme.  Maybe a walk at lunch for 15 minutes or one when you get home could be a big boost in your day.  Maybe take the steps back up to your office, rather than the elevator.  Its the little things that add up.  You could even park a little ways out in the store parking lot and get some extra steps in.

There are things that we just don't do for the mind and body and so we indulge behavior that is not helpful.  Regular massages, vacations, relaxation and times to just stop in our life, help us from indulging in poor behavior that will only lead to health issues.

Sometimes moderation for the Mind and Body can be just what the doctor ordered.  Sometimes, its that few bites of food, or the discovering the importance of daily activity that make the difference.  We are a sedentary society and it is showing in health conditions from heart disease to diabetes.

There are so many things that we can do to bring balance and moderation to the mind body that cost very little and are not hard to do.  I can only write and encourage you to do like I'm doing.  I'm working to find moderation in the things I consume and increasing my own daily activity with walks at the park. 

Don't wait until your doctor says that your blood results require immediate action.  Don't wait until your doctor is writing out a prescription to help "mask" the failure to find moderation in your mind and body.

Simply changing things in your daily activity, portion control and beginning to be mindful of what you take into your body can bring life changing improvements.  We only have on body, so lets see if we can find a way to take care of it.  The more we take care of it, the more it will be there for us.

Let's work at finding balance in a crazy world.

#Healthy

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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What More Could You Be Doing?

Our health is one of those things that we think about, know about, and act on every day, but sometimes we just don't do as much for our heath as we should.  So, my question to you is, what more could you be doing for your health?

It sounds like such a simple question but in all reality it is not.  If we all did as much for our health as we should, our country and the world would be far healthier than it is.  Health care costs would be lower and people would most likely not be as cranky because of pain.

Part of the problem is that we see the doctors as holding the key to our health, rather than impacting our health through our daily actions and activities.  We think because we have insurance for when something goes wrong, that we can put off the little healthy activities that add up.  It is part of our human behavior to do this.

I am always amused when I hear people talk about how healthy they eat.  I worked in a fast food restaurant and people would order the salad bar and then add on fries and a milkshake.  I always sat there dumbfounded, but hey in the fast food world, its profits over health.  We weren't allowed to encourage people to think about what they eat.  We were to sell them as much as we could get them to eat.

People talk about how healthy they are...

I see people talk about how healthy they eat, but then if you go into the grocery store of certain areas, it does not match what people claim.  If you look at the overall obesity in these same areas, there is plenty of evidence that people don't eat as healthy as they think they do.  Look at how much produce is purchased versus how many soft drinks, snacks, and processed foods go through the cash registers.

How many people go and gulp down sugar-flavored coffee drinks every day.  Do you realize just how many calories are in one of those things?  If not, do a google search and you'll find the answer.

If you aren't reading the labels in the grocery store, you're eating stuff that is of questionable value and most likely full of sugar or other things that do nothing for your health.  I am constantly amazed at what is put into foods in the grocery store.  It blows my mind and if you don't read every label, you're going to get bamboozled.

Activity that gets you moving...

How many people go out and walk or take part in activity that gets them moving where they can burn some calories, move the toxins from the cells, and get those joints a rocking?  We've all got the same amount of minutes in a day and its really up to us in how we use those minutes.  Are you being effective with your minutes?  If not, what can  you do to change that?

Diabetes is fast becoming a major health issue in this country and so much of this is caused by lifestyle choices.  If you keep dumping sugar and junk into your body, sooner or later it is going to catch up.  Why not start cutting back on sugary drinks or sugar in your diet.  Add more "water" to your day.  Keep a glass of water close to your desk and see how many of those you can drink in a day.

There are so many things we can do to impact our health, but for whatever reason, we don't do them.  We talk about it.  We sometimes mock those that don't do it.  Yet, we're right in there making the same poor choices.

About medications and doctors...

Just because you're on a medication that has balanced whatever issue out in your life, it doesn't mean that this condition is okay.  It just means the medication is replacing your role in the condition.  Yes, I know that there are some medications that are needed and I'm not telling you to stop your meds.  What I am urging you to do is think about your role in the situation.  What more could you be doing?

Don't expect your doctor to have the time to hold you by the hand.  Many doctors are so overwhelmed with patient loads that they have little time to counsel you.  Many really want to help, but outside factors, including your willingness to change, often prevents them from doing what they need to do. Far too often, doctors have their own paradigms of healing, so why not learn on your own and discover how you can interact with your own health.

We all make choices on our health.  We all make decisions as to whether we're going to work to be more healthy or not.  Often, everyone waits until they are at the critical emergency state before we wake up and start to do something.

Our health is not going to improve on its own if we keep treating our mind and our body like garbage dumps.  So, I'll end with the question I started with on this blog post.   

What more could you be doing for your health?

Feel free to leave a comment of what you think you could be doing to help your own health.  See if you can come up with a plan where you take action and do something.  You may just be saving your own life from misery, pain, and expensive medical bills.

#health

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Movement Does A Body Good

We all know this.  It isn't anything new, is it?  Yet, it seems like we all forget about it.  We go through life, sitting on our backsides far too much.  Whether its at the office all day long, or at home in front of the TV and the computer, we are far too sedentary.

Movement does a body good, but in order to do that, you've got to get yourself moving.  You need activity.  Exercise is often considered a negative word and people don't do it, but if you just take a 15 minute walk every day or twice a day, it could really change your life.

I know, I'm just as guilty as the next person.  I either get to busy and forget to do it or I just don't make time to move and get active.  So, while I'm writing this to the "collective blogosphere", I'm really writing this to myself.

Yet, I'm not going to let you off the hook that easily.

We as a society are far too sedentary and it is affecting the health of our country.  If you really want to do something for your health, get moving.  Studies show that you'll help ease chronic pain, diabetes, obesity and weight issues plus overall, you'll just feel better.  Movement does a body good!

You don't have to make it elaborate!  Just get moving your body.  Get out there and find whatever it is that you like to do, and do it.  It could be a 15 minute walk in the morning or at night.  Maybe even taking 15 minutes and going for a walk at lunch could do so much for your mind and body that you would improve your health and well being drastically.

If you're like most, you probably say, but I'm too busy.  I don't doubt that, but if you keep running your car without an oil change, what will most likely happen?  You'll have a major repair.  The same goes for the body.  If you keep pushing it without taking care of it, sooner or later you'll be sitting in the doctor's office with some major health condition.

Find a time, any time of the day that works and make your activity simple.  We all have a few minutes at some point in the day.  Take five minutes every hour and walk up and down several flights of stairs in your office building.  Take 15 minutes at lunch and walk around your office building or workplace.  It can be that easy and it can make a big difference.

I'm personally going to start trying to walk 15 minutes a day in the evening.  It will help me clear my mind and sort of draw my day to an end.  It will give me some activity that may very likely prevent some major health conditions showing up.  Statistics show that if we don't get activity (or exercise) in frequently, we're just setting ourselves up for major medical costs.

So, will you join with me and start doing some activity each day?  Go ahead and leave a comment below and together we can have a great impact on our health.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Glued To The News Of A Tragedy

Lately, we are overloaded as a people.  Our nervous systems are designed to handle a great deal and so is our brain.  Yet, when we see events of the past few weeks unfolding every day, we push the limits of all that we can endure.

If we are glued to the news of a tragedy, it can be just as harmful in my view as if we were right there involved in the tragedy.  I say this because I can see it in myself.  When we watch the images that are repeated over and over, its like we are re-traumatizing ourselves.  It imprints into our brain and wires us with emotion to make this a very strong neural pathway.

Even if we hover over every news article and tweet or Facebook posting, we are allowing ourselves to be glued to the news of a tragedy.  It is not healthy for us.  It keeps our body revved up as if the events are happening and continuing to happen.

It keeps fear alive inside of us...

It keeps fear alive inside of us because when we see these things unfold, it connects with that part within our mind and body that says, "it is not safe".  When we connect with the unsafe part, it recalls all those memories where we did not feel safe.  It re-traumatizes us as if not only this current event is happening, but that there is a strong basis for past events to have happened.

When we keep our body and our mind ramped up in fear, we are not taking care of ourselves.  We are not allowing our nervous system to calm down.  We are not feeling in our body, because the last thing that fear does is allow you to feel anything in your body.  The less we feel, the more we set ourselves up for illness and health conditions that will have an environment to grow.

Our nervous systems are overloaded...

Our nervous systems are already overloaded in this world.  We have pushed ourselves far beyond the normal limits of healthy behavior.  Events like we've seen unfold lately only push those limits into the upper ends of the danger zones for our mind and body.

It is up to each one of us to limit how much we take in during these tragedies of life.  Being glued to the news is not something that is helpful.  I'm not telling you to stick your head in the sand, but limit your intake of this harmful and toxic news that is replayed hour upon hour.

The media's goal is to keep you hooked into their programming so they make money.  They are not here for our evolution or awareness or consciousness.  If they limit what they show, you'll turn to those that don't.  If you truly want to take care of yourself, then don't glue yourself to the news of a tragedy.  It will only harm you, not help you.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Is The Food You Eat Killing You?

I know at one time, I never really worried about what I ate.  In fact, I doubt I even understood what good nutrition was.  I grew up in a home that had a big garden and so we enjoyed fresh vegetables much of the year or even canned produce through the winter.  I didn't realize for a long time that vegetables came from the store.

Unfortunately beyond that, we didn't practice good nutritional eating skills in the house I grew up in.  We didn't have an overabundance of candy or soft drinks, but we had plenty of cookies and other things.  Until I got sick in high school, much of our food was fried or cooked in ways that weren't healthy.

I'm glad we didn't have all the candy that there is on the shelves today.  I'm glad we didn't have the sugar flavored coffees and endless supplies of junk food.  Heck, I'm grateful we didn't have "normal food you now buy" that is so adulterated with foodstuffs and ingredients which in my view, are not healthy.  The food manufacturing industry wasn't quite as toxic as it is today.

Consume far too much sugar...

These days, everyone consumes far too much sugar.  In fact, if people really stopped to look at how much sugar they consume in their day, maybe they would wake up.  Maybe you're one of those people like I was that didn't pay attention to this.  Don't just assume that the products you buy or the things you eat don't have added sugar.

Most people barely eat whole foods in a day.  They miss out on the phytochemicals, the enzymes and the raw vitamins and minerals.  They miss out on the live stuff that helps fuel the body and keep it healthy.  The whole foods helps counteract some of the junk that we stuff into our body.  Every day, we do a whole food smoothie and you can read about it in my blog post at Making Whole Healthy Food Smoothies.

Sure, you may have gotten this far in life and have no health issues that you know of at this moment.  The more junk and sugar and non-whole food stuff that you consume, the more you're taking on a risk that could get life threatening.  It really can.  Just observe the increase in cancer and diabetes and other health ailments.  So many of these things can be prevented or reduced, but once we get past that point of no return, then we play havoc with our lives.

Start paying attention to what you eat...

If you want to change the course of things in your life and really take care of your body, then start paying attention to what you eat.  Know what is in the stuff you consume.  Read the labels.  Take notice of it.

Make little changes each day.  Trying to change all at once can be overwhelming, but make it a goal that you replace something that is junk or full of sugar with something that is more healthy.  Replace soft drinks and coffee with pure water, not some adulterated sugar flavored beverage that claims to be healthy.

Start making yourself whole healthy food smoothies using a Blentec Blender.  I will tell you that this has been one of the best things we ever did.  We don't get sick and we don't do flu shots.  We have a much more responsive and healthy digestive system.  We feel better and don't need to go to the doctor constantly for everything.  Whole food smoothies are nature's medicine.  If you truly care about your body, you will strongly consider doing this.

Take an inventory of what is in your cupboard and look at all the sugar amounts plus other ingredients.  Now, I do realize the food manufacturers try to hide some of the ingredients and there are some I don't think they actually list on products.  Be careful when reading the labels, because sometimes they are very tricky.  Get to know what you consume.

We've only got one body in this lifetime.  If we abuse it, it will try to keep up for a time. If we continue abusing our body, it will not be there for us.  Minor changes in what you eat can make big differences.  We all owe it to ourselves to be the healthiest we can be and we owe it to the ever increasing costs of health care to try to help ourselves, rather then just sit back and let our food kill us.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Are We Getting Healthier?

It is so easy these days to think that we are people who are doing everything that we can to be healthy.  In fact, the media often report it as such and with half baked research writing, they prove it to be so. Yet, I would submit to you that we are not getting any healthier.

Health care costs are rising at dramatic levels and have been doing this for several years.  However, I don't see where people are any more health than they were 10 or 20 or 50 years ago.

Yes, we take many prescriptions and over-the-counter medications to help suppress symptoms that we encounter in our life.  Then we take even more to counter the side effects of those prescriptions.  At the end of the day, the symptoms are still there, but they are suppressed.  Does that mean we are getting healthier?  If you hide a fire under a blanket, does it mean the fire is gone?

If we truly want to become more healthy, we need to discard our old way of thinking and embrace truth that we can demonstrate in our own lives.  It isn't about following a dogma or thinking happy thoughts or embracing what someone says.  It is about going in and discovering our innermost parts of our life.  This is where true healing takes place.

For more on this subject, you may want to read "Losing Focus In Healing".

What Does It Mean To Take Responsibility For Your Actions?

This morning, one of my twitter followers posted this question.  I thought it was interesting because I have struggled with this at times in my own life. To state a little more, Frank Fine said most clients struggle with this even though they tell you they are doing just that.

Frank Fine ‏@frankfine asked, "What does it mean to you to take responsibility for your own actions?"

My initial response was simple or as simple as you can state in a tweet of limited characters.

@frankfine Realizing that my choices create my outcome and I chose my actions/behaviors/thoughts whether they are healthy or not healthy.

While I thought I had explained what I meant clearly, I soon found out there were gaping holes in my explanation.  Another twitter follower pointed this out and when they did, they made me really stop and think about what I had said.  Here is what they tweeted.

What The World Eats

We all think we have it bad sometimes (and some of us do), and we often think we are the most healthy eaters in the world.  Yet, when you look at things from a bigger picture, you'll learn some interesting facts that may make you a little uncomfortable. 

This article in TIME shows it in a way like no other can.  Take a look at the link to the story, What the World Eats:  A Week's Worth Of Groceries.  If this doesn't touch you in a deep way, I will be surprised.

Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast

I saw something similar on a google search the other to what I am about to share.  However, I can't find the link and I wish I could.  So, the thank you goes out to whoever it was.  You inspired me!  However, I'm making this different than what was shown anyway, so in many ways I was inspired their creation to create my own healthy oatmeal breakfast.

The way I create this oatmeal is to my taste.  You don't have to follow what I do.  You are free to create whatever it is that works for you, using ingredients that you enjoy and love.  I'm just giving the basic oatmeal breakfast that I find healthy and satisfying.

The other great thing about this recipe is that it doesn't take that long to make, doing it the way I do.  If you are in a hurry, than this should not take more than about 10 minutes to prepare and make this.  It might take a few minutes longer than that, but not much.  Here are the instructions and ingredients.

Healthy Easy Banana Bread Recipe

I came across this on a google search and boy it is delicious.  Of course, I modified it a little bit because the original recipe had nutmeg in it and we did not care for that on the first attempt.  I also added pecan pieces to it and I make sure I put in at least the amount of bananas that the recipe calls for or just a little more.

In the original recipe, it stated a 50 to 55 minute baking time at 350 degrees.  Unfortunately, I found that I had to bake it for almost 60 minutes.  Of course that could be my oven.  So please experiment with what works best in your kitchen.

This is a very healthy recipe made without any oil or all the other bad stuff that people tend use in baking.  We used Mott's Apple Sauce (NO sugar added) and it did not have high fructose corn syrup.  We try to avoid high fructose corn syrup as much as we can. 

So here is the easy recipe.

We Need To Talk About Anger

Time and time again, I see things happening in our society that make me roll my eyes.  In fact, you could even say it makes my blood boil with anger.  Yet, that might be pushing the envelope of drama a little too much.  I have no desire to sensationalize such an important issue.  However, we need to talk about anger in our society!  We really do!

Anger is one of those things that we are taught from our early days as a child that it is not good.  If a little kid gets angry and attempt to show their anger, parents are quick to chastise and discipline the kid.  They quickly show the kid that anger is a BAD emotion.  If you don't believe me, put on your analytical hat and just watch the interactions of kids and their parents on this issue.  In fact, some form of discipline may be used to control the anger, thereby connecting the anger and physical punishment together forever in their life.

The church often teaches that anger is a bad emotion.  After all, God gets angry, but to most churches, while that is okay, it isn't good if us normal and regular people get angry.  If you even talk about being angry with God, you will quickly get shunned or counseled as to why this is inappropriate.  I remember one time someone coming down hard on me for being angry at God.  I looked at them and stated that if God wasn't big enough to handle me being angry, then he must not be as big of a God as you make him out to be!  Regardless, churches make anger out to be something equal to sin and something that must be avoided at all costs.  This leads people to bottle it up, rather than express it in a healthy way.

Survival Response In The Natural World

In the natural world, the survival responses we've been discussing are normal, healthy, and to the animals advantage.  When animals experience life-threatening events, they quickly move beyond the initial shock reaction and recover.  Their reactions are time limited and do not become chronic.  Observing this behavior can give us an understanding of our own instinctual ability to successfully overcome trauma.  We can also learn more about how not to interfere with our instincts.  Pg 86, Waking The Tiger

Are Your Nuts Healthy?

Just wondering when the last time you bought some healthy sunflower seeds to munch on as a snack?  Were they healthy nuts, or did they have stuff added to them that you didn't realize?  If you're like I was, I bought some Planters Sunflower Kernels and didn't even pay attention to the ingredients.  After all, who would think they would add so much junk into a natural product.  It seemed like such a simple purchase!

I know, I know - I've said it a million times.  You've got to read the labels, but on something as innocent as sunflower seeds?  Really?  Unfortunately you do, because if you see what I'm looking at right now, you'll most likely be as shocked as I am.

To Check out "What's In Your Pantry" blog post, click this link.

Some of the ingredients in this Planters Dry Roasted Sunflower Kernels include the following ingredients.

So What's In Your Food Pantry

What's In Your
Food Pantry?

If you have not had a chance to read yesterday's blog post, Do You Consume Too Much Sugar (2/22/12), take a moment and go read this blog post. It will help what is written here to make more sense. Even if you think you know what is in your food pantry, I've got a feeling you may be surprised by the ingredients if you look at individual items.

Even though we try to buy healthy food, I am still amazed at just what they put into these food products. It really makes me wonder about the intelligence of humans. Most likely as you will find, I was surprised at just what was in our food pantry.

So take a moment, after you have read the previous blog post, and take an inventory of the food products in your house. See which ones have sugar, high fructose corn syrup and various other substances that may not be helpful to the human body. If you are unsure of something, do a Google search on it and see what it is. This may very likely surprise you.

Please feel free to list what you find and learned in the comments below. I would love to know as well because you might just be teaching myself and others something we don't already know. Please don't use the comments to promote some product, but give it a genuine effort to share what is in your food pantry. Help enlighten everyone through what you learn. Let's make this a group effort!

Do You Consume Too Much Sugar

Do You Consume Too
Much Sugar?

These days, so many people eat so much sugar. Some of it we can easily understand in what we eat and the rest of it, we may not be aware. How many labels of the food products that you buy, do you read and understand? The bottom line is that we eat far more sugar than we need.

According to a program that aired (2/17/12) on ScienceFriday.com of NPR, UCSF pediatrician Robert Lustig states that sugar is the main cause of the obesity epidemic and metabolic diseases we face in our country. His premise is that we are eating far too much sugar for our body to take in and adequately use or need.

Check Your Anger At The Door

The other day, I had a job where I was working with a customer and delivering new laptops to the various people in the organization. While most people were more than happy to get their new laptops, there is always the problem child. No matter what you give some people, they will resist through fear of getting something new. When they resist, it is not uncommon for them to push back and become difficult to work with.

While I am quite aware that this will happen, one individual pushed my buttons the other day in a very big way. Imagine having a roomful of 50 or more people coming in to get their laptops and a limited number of techs on hand to make sure all questions were answered. There was a short amount of time that these people were going to be there. One of the first individuals that I got to work with was a man that either was having a bad day or is normally a very angry person.

Asking an innocent question if he needed help, unleashed a furry of words and actions that left me dumbfounded and surprised. No matter what I tried to do or how I tried to help him, he just lit into me as if I was the lightening rod for all his anger. He did this as he assured me that he normally doesn't get this upset and frustrated. As my eyes rolled at that statement, he continued to berate and scream at me. At one point he picked the laptop up and I thought I was going to have to duck because that thing was going to be sailing at me.

Normally, I am pretty good about diffusing situations like this. If I would have had more time to spend just with him, I would have let him unload on me but time was limited and I could not do that. Regardless of what I did or how I tried to show him I cared, he just continued with his tirade. Finally, I went and got someone higher up in the organization and asked them to deal with him because I needed to move on to other people. Unfortunately, they were not able to deal with him either as he just continued his tirade on everyone that was in the room.

After we got a break, I made my exit outside and just breathed and found my center point again because that was a very intense moment. It was extremely stressful and affected the rest of my day. The day actually went longer than expected so by the time I got home I was very exhausted. This was after 13.5 hours from the previous day.

It made me sad for the gentleman though, that he felt he needed to do this to someone else. Maybe he wasn't even in touch with himself in what he was doing and maybe there were other things going on in his life. It wasn't fair to me or others in the room. We were there trying to help and assist, not to be emotionally beat up.

What makes a person lose it in this way? What gives another person the right to emotionally beat up on others? I witnessed events like this all my life and there have been times that I've lost it through holiday seasons or other triggering events. It saddens me when I think of those times. I've been working very hard to release things in my life and rid the source of the anger so that I don't continue any of these things on.

My heart went out to this gentleman. He was actually a sales person in this company and I could not help but wonder how he comes across to people. There is so much anger in our world and like this gentleman, it often spills over into all areas of our world. All you have to do is turn the radio or TV on and see this person or that person screaming out in an angry tone to force others to believe what they think is right. In fact, if you get into the political realm of our country, you see the anger portrayed as "passion" and if you watch other countries, you see the anger spill over into violence and uprising.

I'm not disputing the validity of these events but I am trying to get everyone to see that so much of our communication in this world is from a point of anger. It is not healthy for ourselves or for others and yet it is practiced as the norm in humanity every day. Passion and discussion of ideas is one thing but when anger is introduced into the scenario, we begin to erode the respect away that we have for others and for ourselves.

Anger is a valid emotion but there is a time and place for it. In the scenario above, too many computer techs experience the anger that is not checked at the door. After several years of dealing with it, the computer techs get to the point of saying, whatever and losing some of that passion they have for the job. As many techs may joke, they are a psychologist, punching bag and superman all rolled up into one package. I remember one president expecting me to get an AT&T satellite working so he could have a video conference call. I remember the time this same President of the company called me an idiot in front of a roomful of company employees because the power point projector would not work. There is a time and place but we all need to be mindful of that time and place as well as the person on the receiving end. If we value the other person so little, we value ourselves to the same degree.

Each of us needs to find our own outlet for anger and frustration that we experience in life. It is never okay to take it out on any other human or animal or even ourselves. The healthy thing is to get to the source of it and find ways to release it and let it go.

So the next time you find yourself ready to lash out at someone through your own misdirected anger, realize that they are not the ones that deserve. Yes, if they are the source of it, assertively find a way to confront them, but check your anger at the door. You can assertively confront someone without losing your temper and going ballistic.

We are all on this planet to build a civilization that uplifts and encourages each other. Let us not tear it down by living our life out of anger but one of seeing the good in each other and ourselves. There is a time for anger but not at the expense of someone else.



Blog Post & Images (c) 2/16/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Carob

Many religious scholars believe that John The Baptist in the Bible lived on carob pods which were called locust beans in his day. In addition, the story of the prodigal son references eating the pods the swine were fed and it is believed to be the pods of carob trees.

Even the Greek Theophratus recorded in 4 B.C. that carob was the Egyptian fig. The Romans are thought to have eaten the carob pods as well.

The carob tree is a legume that grows in arid conditions in places like the Mediterranean areas. Because of the areas it grows in, they are naturally alien to fungus and pests so little or no chemical sprays are needed. It is a large tree and grows up to 50 feet. It flowers in September and October. The tree produces no fruit for the first 15 years of its life. A large tree can produce up to one ton of beans in one harvest and can often produce fruit well into its old age.

One tablespoon of unsweetened carob powder has 25 calories, no fat, no saturated fat, no cholesterol, and 6 grams carbohydrate. One tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder contains 12 calories, 1 gram of fat, no saturated fat, no cholesterol and 3 grams of carbohydrate.

Carob has been called the health substitute to chocolate. For people, who cannot eat chocolate, carob is a good alternative. Carob is free from caffeine and theobromine found in chocolate which are stimulants. It is also naturally sweet, so carob products will generally contain less sugar than chocolate.

For More Information:
1) http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/what-is-carob.htm

2) http://www.living-foods.com/articles/rawcarob.html

Carob can be purchased in your local health food store or in places like Whole Foods. It is available for purchase online at Amazon.com as well if you are not able to find it in your area.