eating healthy

Following our ancestors’ lead, a healthy bones diet should be nutrient rich and contain:
Fruits in a variety of colors

4-6 servings a day (one serving equals one fruit; 1-2 cup frozen or canned fruit; 1-4 cup dried fruit or 6 oz fruit juice)

Vegetables of low and medium starch content (in a variety of colors)

2-4 cups mostly cooked vegetables

1-2 cups raw leafy salad vegetables

Grains/High-Starch Root Crops

7-8 servings a day (one serving equals one slice whole-grain bread,

1/2 cup dry or hot cereal or 1/2 cup cooked rice, other grain or pasta)

Animal protein (fish, poultry, meat, eggs)

2 or fewer servings a day

Nuts, Seeds and Dried Beans

1-2 servings (one serving equals 1/3 cup nuts, 2 tablespoons seeds or 1/2 cup dried beans, cooked). If you don’t eat meat, include one or two servings of beans a day.

Fats and Oils

2-4 servings a day (one serving equals 1 teaspoon vegetable oils or butter, 1 tablespoon salad dressing or 1 tablespoon cod liver or flax seed oil). Include 500-1,000 mg Omega-3 oils.

Fermented foods

A daily serving of 1 cup yogurt or kefir or 2-3 oz. tempeh or sauerkraut. Use pickled vegetables, umeboshi plums or miso as condiments.

Wholesome Sweets

3-5 times per week (one serving equals 2 small whole grain cookies; 3/4 cup pudding, compote, ice cream, sherbet or sorbet; 1 small piece fruit-based dessert or piece of cake) As near as possible, today’s healthy bones diet should include adequate amounts of all the 19 key bone-building nutrients, at least 64 ounces of water and a 15-minute “serving” of sunlight to maintain internal vitamin D production

Breakfast•

Alkalinizing whole-grain hot quinoa cereal with yogurt, milk or milk substitute, fruit and a few nuts. Green tea or grain/herb coffee substitute•

Fresh mixed-fruit salad and cow, sheep, goat or soy yogurt or cottage cheese with roasted nuts and seeds sprinkled on top•

Almond or cashew butter, ghee, avocado, sheep, goat or cow milk cheese on rice cakes or other whole-grain crackers/bread with fruit or fresh fruit juice•

“Green rice” (avocado mixed with wild or brown rice and a pinch of sea salt or tamari) served with fruit and hot beverage•

Left-over lentil or vegetable soup or stew accompanied by a toasted sheet of nori sea vegetable• An omega-3 enriched egg omelet (or scrambled tofu omelet) with 1 cup of chopped vegetables, fresh cut fruit or a fruit salad•

Vegetable miso soup with wakame sea vegetable and brown rice (optional)•

Mashed sweet potatoes or yams served with eggs, or slices of tempeh and fruit

Hot herb tea, green tea, grain/herb coffee substitutes, lemon or lime water and 100 percent fresh fruit or vegetable juices are healthful additions to any breakfast. Those with sensitive stomachs might want to heat or cook the fruit in these dishes, or eat it separately as a between-meal snack.

Lunch•

Steamed vegetables (broccoli, bok choy, cut-up kale leaf, carrots, celery, red , yellow or orange peppers), grilled tofu or chicken (3-4 oz), brown rice, quinoa, millet•

Whole-grain bread sandwich with avocado, cheese, lettuce and tomato, served with a salad of mixed field greens•

Vegetable lentil soup with a salad of mixed greens, green olives and artichoke hearts•

“Green rice” and steamed vegetables•

Salad with pieces of leftover baked potato•

Beans and brown or wild rice with avocado slices and steamed vegetables

Dinner •

Stir-fry vegetables with tofu or meat and alkaline-forming root crop like sweet potatoes, yams or parsnips•

Baked fish, turkey, chicken or other meat with baked squash and sauteed greens (collard, kale, dandelion or turnip greens)•

Whole grains served with steamed or sauteed vegetables (2 cups) and a small amount of animal protein (e.g. meat or fish) or beans

Dinners may occasionally include a �nourishing sweet� such as baked apples, fruit compotes or rice pudding made with maple syrup, rice syrup or raw cane sugar, naturally and lightly sweetened fruit pies or apple crisp with whole-grain topping or whole-grain cakes and cookies.

Snacks•

Fresh fruit•

Yogurt (cow, sheep or goat)•

Whole-grain crackers with almond or cashew butter, cottage cheese or sheep or goat cheese• Lightly roasted almonds or pumpkin seeds•

Fresh fruit or vegetable juices•

Vegetable broth•

Frozen fruit-juice treats, sherbets or smoothies•

Frozen blueberries

Indigenous peoples say that in order to return to our true nature, we must befriend four essential symbolic bones in our body. All four bones are needed to fully develop our character, dispel cynicism, and cultivate wisdom as we age.

Which of these four bones, with its essential character and qualities, needs strengthening or realignment?

Backbone: The quality of courage, to stand by one’s heart or core.
Wishbone: The quality of hope, to stay open to dreams, blessings, and possibilities.
Funny bone: The quality of humor, to foster joy and maintain flexibility.
Hollow bone: The quality of trust, to maintain openness, curiosity, and faith.

To eat mindfully is to live in the present. It calls for paying attention to every act, every sensation and perception, for its own sake, in the moment. From the start to the finish of your meal, your intention is to link the moments together into a continuous stream of sensory awareness. Some suggestions:

Be mindful. To become focused, become silent and breathe in a relaxed manner. Choose a time when you’re not hurried or distracted by other things.

Visualize the meal. Become focused in your mind’s eye on what you’re going to prepare, its appearance, aroma, ingredients, etc.

Plan the meal. Mentally focus on all the steps involved in preparing the meal. Will you prepare it? For whom will you prepare it? What will you make?

Prepare the meal. Be mindful of the action of washing the food, such as vegetables you may be preparing for a fresh salad. Notice yourself reaching for the refrigerator door, and other preparation activities.

Set the table. The table on which you eat can be as sacred as the rest of the meal. Create a table that is inviting, for both you and the food.

Serve the meal. Be mindful of each action associated with serving the meal: selecting dishes and utensils, setting the table, bringing food to the table, etc.

Eat the meal. As with the Zen monastic meal, be mindful of each aspect of the food you’re eating. To begin consider saying words of thanks or appreciation for the food. Savor the aroma of the food by inhaling deeply.

Clean up. Regard this as a sacred process, too. It is just as important a part of the meal as the other phases.

Digest the food. After you’ve eaten, be aware of how the food feels in your stomach, how you’re feeling. Are you aware that you overate? Under-ate? Are you still hungry, or ate just the right amount?

From start to finish and throughout the dining process, continue to witness the effects of having prepared, eaten, and digested the meal. For in the witnessing lies the essence of life itself.
Adapted from Feeding the Body, Nourishing the Soul by Deborah Kesten.
Some believe that boosting your immune system is the single most important thing you can do for your health.

Here are some essential nuggets of information that represent many of their key ideas to help boost your immune system into great shape.
1. Put some color on your plate.Eat nine to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
2. Sample the supplements.Take a multivitamin plus vitamin E, vitamin C, and calcium.
3. Discover the wonders of working out.Get moving for 30 minutes a day.
4. Enjoy the powers of sleep.Get your eight hours.
5. Up your emotional quotient.Pay attention to your psychological health.
6. Listen to your body and learn your family history.Study your family tree to target your disease prevention.
7. Wet your whistle.Drink eight to 10 8-ounce glasses of water and once cup of tea a day.
8. Remember, variety is the spice of life.Eat a wide variety of foods.
9. Be a fat detective.Eat the good fats, not the bad.
10. Exercise kitchen care.Use safe cooking methods.
11. Hold hands with a friend.Be social, stay connected, have fun.
12. Celebrate your sensual side.Have great sex!
13. Discover the dynamic DTake 400 IU of vitamin D a day.
14. Seek out serenity.Practice stress reduction techniques.
15. Turn on the magic of touch.Get a massage.
16. Tap the poet within.Keep a journal.
17. Embrace cleanliness.Brush up on good hygiene.
18. Practice an ounce of prevention.Get appropriate vaccinations and make doctor and dentist appointments.
19. Send those sneezes packing.Protect yourself against allergies.
20. Treat yourself to the miracle herbs.Try herbs to heal and protect your body.

Oh, the lovely bounty of nature. As the weather warms, home gardeners around the country are able to look no further than their backyard for flavorful herbs to add that farmstead layer of taste to their dinner entrees. We’ve always known they’re yummy but now we know they offer a heck-of-a-lot more than just flavor.

Everyday garden herbs possess legions of medicinal properties and, when eaten in conjunction with healthy vegetables and spices, have powerful cancer-preventive properties. “The easiest, least-expensive way to reduce your risk for cancer is just by eating a healthy diet,” says Rachael Stolzenberg-Solomon, PhD, MPH, RD, a researcher at the National Cancer Institute in a recent article. Below are five, easily-found, herbs you might consider eating more of.