Water, Water, Water Everywhere...

     or not. nothing seems simple anymore! well, maybe drinking water is although in many parts of the world clean drinking water is not so simple. and look at california where mandatory conservation rules are in place with the possibility of several desalinization plants opening in the near future. we don't always think of how much water is used say in, for example, two  popular drinks that happen to be on opposite ends of the health spectrum.
     almond milk is rapidly gaining in popularity with most almonds being farmed in california. it has been estimated that it takes over a gallon of water to produce one almond. that's one almond! so think how much water each crop will need. the ingredients in most almond milks are: ground, toasted almonds, filtered water, added vitamins, minerals and natural flavors. some also have a stabilizer called carrageenan that is made from seaweed. instead, some brands  use  gellan gum that is a non-gmo fermented bacterial culture. wow. but that is thought by many to be "better" than the carrageenan. so the major concern here is the huge amounts of water needed to grow almonds on land that must be irrigated.
     another popular drink-coca cola-contains the following ingredients: high fructose corn syrup, caramel color (to make heat sugar with sulfite and ammonia), phosphoric acid (burnt phosphorus is processed to have the arsenic removed), vanilla, cinnamon, kola nuts, caffeine, carbon dioxide and water. coca -cola is shipped around the world and if you add up all the water involved in making a can of coke (other sodas are probably similar in usage) plus the shipping it uses over 30 gallons of water-for each can!*
     just something to think about the next time you have a drink of water, almond milk or soda.

*if you would like more details on this read "how to fly a horse" by kevin ashton. the book is about creativity in all of its many forms.
     

Recently Reported

here are some of items that recently caught my attention in the news. i use the term "news" loosely. the news used to be about important happenings around the world- "all the news that's fit to print"* -such as the terrible tragedy in nepal and not that madonna tripped during a performance. so....

• many pro athletes are going gluten-free for better performance.
• dr. oz-what to make of this? not sure. is it mostly about the non-gmo labeling issues and big business or something else? chipotle mexican grill is big business but they just announced that they are going totally non-gmo.
• coaches giving their college athletes  low fat chocolate milk as the perfect (unless one is lactose intolerant and/or doesn't do dairy) after workout recovery fuel. most of the colleges mentioned own their own milk cows.
• sandra bullock as one of the most beautiful people but some people complained how that could not be possible as she is over 50!
• in regards to the above-not the beautiful part but the age part-jeb bush who is also over 50 and will most likely be running for president against some much younger men is currently on the paleo diet, so far having lost about 30 pounds. good for him-we all know how hard it is to lose weight  although i would remind him to be careful with his favorite snack-almonds-as they have 530 calories in a cupful
• spanx is a $400 million a year product line in the shape wear area but is running into trouble as it seems that trends are shifting to the line of clothing called athleisure that is much less constricting, more about comfort and the diversity of women's bodies. too thin fashion models may be banned from the paris runways. how about healthy bodies being beautiful?
• a harvard neurosurgeon, scientist, neurologist, whatever states that the single, most simple thing we can all do to keep our brains healthy as we age-you guessed it-exercise

to end-i have never worn spanx nor do i think that madonna or sandra has-did you see her in gravity?- they exercise. jeb also knows that besides diet he needs to exercise-he runs up stairs-but there is a line of spanx for men, just in case. i am gluten free and upon the rare occasion that i crave chocolate milk its chocolate almond milk. are those college milk cows non-gmo?

*the new york times tag line

Allergic to Spring?

i so look forward to spring but like many people it seems the older i get the more spring allergies that i have. previously i have posted on how honey-local honey-is believed by many to reduce the symptoms-itchy eyes, runny nose, sore throat-that happen in the spring as everything starts to bloom. i was curious what other foods might help us naturally to fight these symptoms. the following  have been researched, seem to help and are good for us in many other ways. so try more of them and see if they  make a difference for you.

• oranges, apples and red grapes
• almonds
• broccoli
• yogurt
• capers
• onions and scallions

Its Taxing!

     its april 15th and our 1040's are due. many of us find this annual chore taxing, to say the least and i know i do as did many of the people i encountered at the post office doing last minute mailing. of course those who file early and/or get a refund probably are feeling better about the entire experience.
     but if you are one of those feeling stressful here's a reminder about some of the foods that help reduce stress naturally:

• foods containing tryptophan such as turkey, pumpkin seeds and shrimp
• brussels sprouts, asparagus and broccoli are good for their high folic acid content
• especially if you live in northern states getting enough vitamin d along with some actual sunlight helps
• vitamin c such as in fresh fruits (avoid just juice) can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol 
• if stress increases your desire for crunchy snacks try carrot sticks with hummus or celery sticks with some almond butter. nuts are great for crunch but remember that a 1/2 cup has about 265 calories

     many financial advisers recommend that now is a good time to review our money matters for the upcoming tax year so that we have time to make any changes. my suggestion is to also review your stress level and see what changes  you can make in your life to reduce stress and improve your overall health during the year. remember "the first wealth is health"*.

*r.w. emerson

Staying Young

     spring chicken (stay young forever or die trying) by bill gifford, currently on the ny times best seller list, takes us through the most current studies on staying healthy for the long term. he has an easy to read style with a combination of humor combined with more serious information.
     in case you don't have time to read this book here are a few of his key findings-many of which you might already know. the big number one-keep moving! he and i can't stress this enough. red wine in moderation, coffee, curcumin, vitamin d but also with some  real sunlight on your skin, aspirin/ibuprofen (talk with your doctor first about this), and of course as much kale as you can eat-all recommended to help us stay young.
     and one more important activity he writes about in his book in order  to stay young-give hugs!

Target Heart Rate

    just like any other muscle the heart needs to work out too-you know-cardio. but to get the most benefit for your heart* you need to work out at a particular heart rate-your target heart rate or THR. this is usually a percentage of your maximum heart rate-MHR- depending on how fit-or not- that you are.
    let's not get too complicated here. the easiest way to figure your MHR is to subtract your age from 220. but this is based on averages so many people fall at either end. a better formula is 208-(.7 x age). for instance a 50 year old would have a MHR of 173.  if that person wants to work at between 50% to 60% of their MHR their THR would be from  86 to 103.
    so here again you have choices on how to know whether are not you are in your THR zone. you can just stop and count your heart beats for one minute with the first beat being zero. or there are all kinds of tech and apps available. the most accurate heart rate monitors are the types that you actually wear around your chest and that transmit the info into another device such as a watch.
    the point is not to get too complex but to understand what your heart needs to get the most benefits. once you figure this out and work out at your THR you will know how it feels and can just judge future workouts by that feeling. but remember, as you get more fit you need to progress and work at a higher percentage of your MHR.

*heart disease is the #1 cause of death in women

Tracking/Spring

    happy spring! have you thought about putting a bathing suit on in 60 days? or, if you are a gardener, have you started your tomato seeds? these last few days i have lost track of spring as it has been below freezing here and we recently had another 4" of snow. but warmer weather should be here soon and being able to do more exercise outside, including swimming, will be wonderful.
    so do you use an activity tracker to keep track of your exercise? trackers such as the fitbit, nike fuel band and coming soon to a store near you the apple watch all claim to be accurate but are they. yes and no. it seems that they are quite good at counting steps-walking or running, but counting calories did not fare as well with some under counting and others over counting. so go for those 10,000 steps but don't pay too much attention to the calorie numbers.
    but there is one tracking device that more of us should have-a good heart rate monitor. knowing your target heart rate and working at that level will help you get the most out of the time that you exercise.  there are quite a few on the market with a wide range of prices.  i will be posting more on heart rate monitors next week.