#5 of Top 7 Blog posts--Why add fruits and vegetables to our diet?

Why are fruits and vegetables important in our diet?  Have you heard of antioxidants?  Antioxidants protect us from those pesky free radicals that the experts believe do cellular damage.  Our bodies produce free radicals.  (Think of them as chemicals with unstable electrons which cause damage to our cells).  When we eat and drink fruits and vegetables, we get antioxidants.  The antioxidants attach to the unstable electrons (making a stable compound) and remove the free radicals from our bodies.  Some common antioxidants include (among other compounds) vitamin C and E.  The experts believe that eating fruits and vegetables help protect us from cellular damage and cancer. 

Some very important plant-based chemicals called phytochemicals are found in fruits and vegetables.  Included in the list of phytochemicals (plant-based chemicals) are lycopene (found in tomatoes, watermelon, red peppers), betacarotene (found in orange and dark green vegetables) and lutein (found in dark greens) to mention a few.  When we eat fruits and vegetables, our body gets antioxidants and can better protect itself from cellular damage.  http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/what-are-phytochemicals

Another benefit of fruits and vegetables are the added flavor without added calories.  That’s why nutritionists talk about adding fruits and vegetables to our diet. 

#4 of Top 7 Blog Posts of 2012--Cool, clean water

Clean, drinkable tap water.  We who live in America and other developed countries think nothing about turning on the tap to brush our teeth or get a drink of water.  Many people around the world cannot say that. 

As I discussed cholera recently, it’s an illness which occurs when people drink water contaminated by  the germ Vibrio cholera.  This old disease still occurs in many parts of the world.  It can occur when catastrophes happen.  During natural disasters such as flood, earthquake, tornado and/or earthquake occur, the water supply may be damaged.  Drinking water may become contaminated by wastewater sewage.   If that occurs, the germ and/or parasite-contaminated water may cause debilitating illness and/or death.  How do we know that the bottled water we are drinking is safe?  More next time.

How do we know that the bottled water we are drinking is safe?  When you are drinking bottled water (at home or while travelling the world), look for the words “reverse osmosis” or “distillation” or “filtration with an absolute 1 micro filter”  Any of these terms describe water treatment methods of the highest quality.  These three water treatment methods should protect you and your loved ones from water-borne bacteria and even Cryptosporidium, a parasite which can cause gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms.  For people who are immunocompromised (with weakened immune system), these three types of water treatments are recommended by CDC as preventing illness and possibly being lifesaving.  More information can be found at CDC, Commercially Bottled Water, http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/bottled/

#3 of Top 7 blog posts of 2012 --Everyone needs a hug sometime

Everyone needs a hug sometimes—even hummingbirds.   

One October Saturday our high temperature was in the mid 50s and a cold north wind chilled the bone.  My husband found this hummingbird lying and shivering on the ground under our feeder.  After my husband gently held the bird for a few minutes (a hug for a hummingbird), he opened his hand.  The hummer darted off.  We hope this straggler hummingbird makes her way south to warmer weather.  Fly, little bird, fly.  

January update--we hope our little hummingbird made it safely to Central America where she could stay warm and healthy until springtime brings her back north to our hummingbird feeder.  

#2 Best of 7 blog posts of 2012--Family Treasure

Recently my sister sent me a text:  “I’m feeling poorly with allergies.  Do you have Mom’s cream of tomato soup recipe?”  Whenever we were sick as kids, Mom would make something special for us to eat.  We all loved her cream of tomato soup.  She made it from scratch and our childhood memories make it our ultimate ‘comfort food’. 

Since Mom died in 2005, we’ve been without her cream of tomato soup or the recipe.  That’s why sister texted the message—does anyone have Mom’s cream of tomato soup recipe?  No.  We all started digging around in our recipes and I found one recipe.  Was it?  Could it be Mom’s?  I quickly typed the ingredients and instructions with the question:  is this Mom’s recipe?  It was not designated as such in my family cookbook.  Peggy cooked it and sure enough, that simple, from-scratch-recipe is Mom’s original recipe.  She responded, “that’s it.  I’m happy and I feel the love.” 

We have found our family treasure.  Some treasures do not involve money or jewels.  Sometimes, our biggest treasures involve memories of our mother’s love and a bowl of soup.  

 

#1 of Top 7 posts of 2012---The Great Race of Mercy

As I look outside my office window, I see remnants of two snows which fell during this past week.  It is cold outside and I cannot imagine spending hours and days traveling through the cold Alaskan winter to deliver medicine.  I love this story of the Great Race of Mercy (the beginning of the Iditarod Race).  

The Iditarod Race began as a mercy mission.  In 1925 people in Nome, Alaska, were dying from diphtheria.  10,000 people of that region were at risk from diphtheria, a contagious bacterial disease which caused people’s airways to become blocked by a thick coating in their throat.  

The Nome, Alaska doctor, Dr. Curtis Welch, recognized the illness and quarantined people (kept people at home to decrease the chances of spreading the disease.)  He recognized the danger to his people but did not have the medicine they needed.  Diptheria antitoxin was available—in Anchorage, Alaska (many miles away.) 

How could the diphtheria antitoxin be delivered?  The Alaskan Territorial Governor came up with a plan.  By using relay teams of 20 of the best mail carrier mushers (dog sled drivers) and 150 dogs, the antitoxin could be delivered to Nome (674 miles).  

The heroes (mostly unknown) took the antitoxin through blizzards and temperatures of 50 degrees below zero as they traveled day and night in an effort to save lives.  This “Great Race of Mercy” was completed in 5 days and 7 hours.  While five children died from diphtheria, the heroic efforts of the dog mushers saved many lives.  What a great story from history.  The Iditarod commemorates the heroism of these brave men.  http://www.cdc.gov/24-7/SavingLives/diptheria/index.html