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I often say there is much more to a wellness lifestyle than maintaining a power pantry and great whole food choices. Thanksgiving is one of those attitudes and practices which brings depth to our wellness, and our American tradition of thanksgiving is a perfect opportunity for focus.
Without gratitude we are apt to think we are the source of all the goodness happening around us, like our relationships, the improvement in our health, maybe even a deep, abiding spiritual walk... The reality is that over years and decades, and by overlaying wisdom with our life experience, I think we can't help but give credit for all we have to a sovereign God who chooses to give us so much, and bless us in so many ways. Not only are we blessed beyond measure, but He chooses not to take us out for the craziness we collectively generate in world around us.
So I think it's fitting to reflect on one of the best Thanksgiving day writings ever: Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation 106, of 1863. Prior to that year, Thanksgiving was celebrated state-by-state or locally, but not on a national level. We have Lincoln to thank for uniting our thought behind gratitude as a nation, specifically on the fourth Thursday of November. Here are some of my favorite parts of this proclamation:
The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.
...
Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore.
...
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people.
If you'd like to read Proclamation 106 in its entirety, you can find it here...
Happy Thanksgiving to you and those you love. Besides some great power pantry choices, I'll encourage you to take the few extra minutes for a gratitude break during the day. We are blessed in so many ways - well beyond our need, and definitely beyond our capacity to understand God's providence.
By the Way
Jen has been reading an incredibly inspiring daily devotional, based on a great gratitude book, One Thousand Gifts, A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, by Ann Voskamp. In it the author tells of taking on a friend's dare to count 1,000 things she loved. She took on the challenge and experienced more daily beauty and surprising wonder than she could ever have imagined. Her daily hunt for God's grace had ushered her into a fuller life...
Jen has taken this challenge as well and is now logging her first one thousand gifts. I think I might make the time in 2015 to start my own list as well...
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There is something truly wonderful about the holiday season. Fall harvest time melds into the celebration of abundance at Thanksgiving, and that opens the door wide for Christmas gatherings and remembrances of God come to earth. With all the celebrating and blessings it can be difficult to maintain the healthy eating side of our power pantry. I don't think this is a time to put our wellness goals on the shelf with the intent of picking them up in the new year. Instead, it's a great time to keep it simple and put intentional effort into our power pantry lifestyle.
To stay focused it's good to have a guide for some reminders and boundaries. I found a great one this past week from Dr. Joel Fuhrman, author of Eat to Live and several other 'must read' books on nutritious eating. Dr. Fuhrman describes himself as a 'nutritarian', not a vegetarian or omnivore or flexitarian, but someone focused on the nutrient density of the foods he chooses to eat. With that in mind, Dr. Fuhrman offers a useful list of things we can eat daily over the holidays to stay grounded in nutrient dense and healthful foods.
Sure there will be turkey and stuffing, and cakes and pies, and maybe even sweet potato casserole with mini marshmallows on top. But indulging a little in those holiday treats and traditional dishes doesn't need to totally derail us. Check out this article from Dr. Fuhrman, which includes the nutritartian list, and think of how you can incorporate some of his guidance in your holiday food choices: The nutritarian diet and checklist
A wellness lifestyle is just that, a lifestyle. If you're becoming more and more of a health-motivated person, keep at it, and incorporate some good meal planning and thinking into your holiday meals. That way you won't need to make a big reset come January, to regain healthy ground you've lost. Instead, you can just keep on track with wellness choices as part of everyday life.
By the Way
To give an idea of how quickly we can lose ground with holiday eating, check out this post from Coach Up (I saw this referenced in the Sunday paper today...)
"Get Active on Thanksgiving"
The average American Thanksgiving meal encompasses 4,500 calories - yeow. It would take me almost 8 hours of running, or 15 hours of cycling to overcome all those calories.
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A couple of weeks ago I posted about how limiting dairy has significantly improved our health as a family, and I got some push-back from folks. I welcome the dialog... as I said in that post, I think everything is born out in experience. I'm confident that if you experience joint pain, regular congestion, skin issues, and various forms of bloating and gut discomfort, try eliminating dairy from your diet for 4 - 6 weeks and see if you benefit. I know we do.
The same friend who was part of the original dialog on dairy, sent me an email this week admitting that maybe I wasn't as off-my-nut as he thought. It turns out The New York Times ran a piece saying that milk may not be good for us after all. Check out what the NYT says...
Milk Might Not Be Doing You Much Good
My post on the ills of dairy was on 11/6, a full 11 days earlier than the NYT piece, and yet it looks like we're singing from the same song book. I don't feel so off my nut after all.
I like to think of it this way: if this was the 1840's and we lived on the plains of Kansas, we'd be very glad for a cow and several chickens, and we'd definitely eat the eggs, and drink the cow's milk, and probably make cheese and butter. The alternative is to eat prairie grass or die, so getting some daily allowance of calories, protein and fats was obviously welcomed.
But we don't live in the 1840's and we don't even live on farms any longer. We have more and better food products and abundant nutritional choices than at any time in our history, and yet we continue to be brainwashed into a lower standard of health and vitality by an out-of-date industry (namely dairy). (I know... there I go again sounding like I'm some vegan extremist... which I'm not.) We can truly create a power pantry, filled with nutritionally dense, fiber-rich, plant-based foods. It simply takes the choice to move in that direction a step at a time.
I'll give the whole dairy debate a rest for a while after this post. Jen and I aren't militant about our wellness choices, and we'll go with the flow in almost any instance. When it comes to the opportunity to make a simple choice that yields superior health over time, though, I'm in.
By the Way
A main culprit in dairy is casein - the protein which causes inflammation and ill-health in our bodies. Casein was studied extensively in The China Study (see my Food Is Medicine post here for more information.) There are many dairy alternatives which provide better nutrition without the casein; you might try almond or soy milk, for example. Here's to better pantry choices and better health...
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Living out a wellness lifestyle takes a lot of conviction; it's not easy to launch into new thinking and different ways of living life. I recognize that my journey has not taken shape over months or even years... I'm now up to decades. It's been years for my wife, Jennifer's, journey as well. Yet we've always stayed curious and tried to look beneath the surface of what seemed okay to find out what really worked for us. The truth is, we've sought out, and thankfully found, good resources to move us a little further along in our journey.
Stocking a power pantry is a lot like that. A little step at a time, a change here and trying a little something else there, and before you know it you're living a healthier, more vibrant life, and you almost forget how you got there. Five years ago we had no idea what quinoa was, and had never tasted hummus. Now quinoa (pronounced keen' - wah) is a staple in our pantry, and we're always making a new hummus or guacamole flavor for snacking. What we need most is the conviction to keep going, to try and see the whole story, and gather resources to support our progress.
The great thing is how much our health has improved, in significant ways down to relief from the most simple distractions. Now we revel in healthier skin, only a rare headache, no joint pain, plenty of energy for climbing stairs and doing chores, and the confidence that comes from pursuing and achieving a worthwhile goal. We're constantly looking for new, valuable wellness information to support our power pantry,
So it was great news when we learned this past week that Whole Foods Market will be building a store in Lancaster, PA. What an opportunity for us to have access to a wider array of healthy and organic food choices, as well as handy resources for buying conscientiously. That's some strong power pantry support... Whole Foods has good website resources, and great selection to support healthy food choices. Have a look at these pages on their web site. I'm sure you'll find information and guidance to help you work on your story.
Whole Foods Market - "Healthy Eating"
"Simple Changes for Lifelong health"
By the Way
You can check out the news release from the local paper, concerning Whole Foods selection of Lancaster and their proposed 2016 opening:
Whole Foods Market coming to Lancaster
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I was at a training meeting the other day where a business friend was telling me about his work with Spartan Races. He's a very accomplished businessman with role of significance unlike anything he's ever done before. He's been a marathoner for years, and through an interesting turn of circumstances, now finds himself on staff, planning, directing and executing Spartan Races around the country.
Are you familiar with these "mud run" style races? They are designed to challenge all sorts of physical and mental endurance, and truly bring out the best in the participants, especially where training, perseverance and tough-mindedness are concerned.
Check out these videos on Spartan Races and see what you're in for if you choose to try one out:
Official Spartan Race video
Longer video so you get the big picture
I believe we are more than we think we are... and more than even our closest family and friends may think we are. Living a power pantry lifestyle is about fully engaging in life and choosing to be fully alive. And it is a choice. We can take on the challenge that's confronting us and live into the adventure it brings with it, or we can shrink back, play it safe, and wonder what we might be missing.
For me, I'm looking forward to 2015 as the year I run my first half marathon (it was on my list for 2014 and didn't make it to the top). Maybe you have a challenging goal ahead of you; go tackle it.
By the Way
The Spartan Races are one of numerous "obstacle course races" which are developed and promoted regularly. There's bound to be one near you, if you're game for the investment it takes to do one. Check out this top 5 list of mud runs from www.builtlean.com:
Top Obstacle Course Races
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I often say that there is more to a power pantry lifestyle than whole food choices and healthy eating habits. There are also human interactions which benefit our body chemistry, temperament and stress level; we need to tune into these regularly and be sure not to overlook simple solutions. One great opportunity to invite good feelings and health into our day is simply to engage in a good long hug.
Research shows that lingering, physical, non-sexual touch has great health benefits. The main value comes from the release of oxytocin, the "love hormone", as well as dopamine and seratonin, all of which bring us feelings of elation, well-being and fulfillment. And the best news? Hugs are free.
If you look into the ideal length for a valuable hug, you'll find anything from six to 20 seconds, with 10 seconds being a great guideline. A six second full-body hug is a long time. This lingering kind of embrace (and this is a real, full-body hug, not the polite cheek-to-cheek kind where nothing else touches) establishes an emotional connection between those participating, and both will benefit.
Check out some of these resources, addressing this concept of lingering physical touch and the benefits we get from it.
Dr. Joseph Mercola: Fun Facts about Hugging
From the Huffington Post: How to Be Happier...
Here is a Prezi slide show by Molly Pyle: The Six Second Hug (with a great Soulpancake video embedded in it...)
Maybe a cuddle break would add to your power pantry wellness today. Give it a try, and I bet you'll feel better in no time at all.
By the Way
Having a pet is another opportunity to gain calming and enriching physical touch. It has long been known that stroking a pet and/or having a pet around the house brings numerous health benefits. Things like lowering blood pressure, encouraging exercise, releasing more of that feel-good hormone, seratonin, even lowering the risk of heart disease all come from pet ownership. Check out more pet benefits in this slide show from WebMD...
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I'm no longer a fan of milk. Don't get me wrong, I love a cold glass of whole milk (like once a year); to me, it tastes like drinking ice cream. A friend and I were having breakfast yesterday and it came up about limiting or eliminating dairy from our diet. I said we've gone significantly dairy-free as a family, and have reaped huge health benefits. Our kids are more healthy now, where they used to have any number of colds, bugs, stomach aches and passing illnesses, not to mention all the facial and skin irritation and breakouts. It's like we can literally turn on sickness and turn it off, just by how much dairy we eat (or don't eat).
I know what you're thinking... "Muller, that's sounds off-the-wall... milk 'does a body good', and we've been bombarded with 'Got Milk?' for decades... surely a dairy-free perspective is radical and ill- conceived..." Don't judge too quickly, though. I think everything is born out in experience; our own cause-and-effect evidence should win the day. Have you tried to go substantially dairy-free for 4-6 weeks to see what would happen?
I'm sure a next thought is, "where will I get my calcium?" We've been lulled into thinking dairy products are our best and only available option for calcium. Did you know that simple whole foods like sesame seeds, romaine, collard greens, spinach, kale, sardines and even broccoli are great sources of calcium? Big Dairy has us all mind-numbed into thinking that milk is the one and only source of calcium... I beg to differ.
A significant draw-back with dairy, which very few people in our western culture know or talk about, is that we invite inflammation and sickness into our bodies whenever we consume it. Check out some of these expert perspectives on the drawbacks of dairy in our diet:
Dr. Amy Myers - The Dangers of Dairy (on MindBodyGreen.com)
Dr. Mark Hyman - Dairy: 6 Reasons You Should Avoid It
Dr. Joel Fuhrman - Protect Yourself Against Osteoporosis
Need further evidence? Jen found this article on FoxNews recently:
3 daily glasses of milk linked to higher mortality rate in women
For decades, we've been overwhelmed with marketing on benefits of dairy, but the truth is, dairy is a significant source of inflammation and stress on our immune system and health. And calcium is readily available in a multitude of healthful whole foods if we simply do a little research. So give it your own test, and see if limiting dairy brings you some healthful benefits. I bet it will.
By the Way
I often say that cow's milk is a perfect food for one recipient: a baby cow. As humans, a mother's milk is the perfect food for a human baby for the first year or two; that's the way God designed it to work. Realize that there are whole cultures on our globe which consider the consumption of cow's milk to be not only strange, but gross. Why would we consume the milk of a 2,000 pound bovine? Ewww...
I've even heard it said that in California dairy is maligned in the same way as cigarettes (folks from the west coast, feel free to weigh in with a comment...) Dairy consumption is well out of the mainstream in those more progressive foodie locales. Maybe pushing against dairy is a bit ahead of the curve... check in with me in 15 years and we'll see...
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Millions of Americans have an unhealthy relationship with food. Our obesity rate has been on a dangerous increase since the 1990's, and it's affecting fundamental elements in our society. A staggering one third of our nation's adults qualify as obese; that's over 78 million Americans.
The changes this weight gain has wrought are many. For example, specific design criteria, which had been standardized for years, are now being challenged and increased. I remember some years ago hearing about high school and college desks for students. While the desks had been a standard size for decades, they needed to be increased because of the increased size (weight) of the average student. I remember thinking, "wow, that's just not right..." The eating and lifestyle habits of the average student were unhealthy enough to warrant larger accommodations...
Jennifer saw this article about crash-test dummies, with the same premise and result. Because the average American has grown larger, the 167 pound average crash-test dummy was no longer appropriate to run accurate trials - he / she needed to be enlarged. Here are the details from FoxNews:
As people get heavier, crash-test dummies gain weight
And if there's any doubt millions of us have an unhealthy relationship with food, check out the CDC stats on obesity from the 1990's until now.
- CDC's Obesity stats (from 2011 to present)
- Here is a powerpoint from the CDC from 1994 to 2010 showing the dramatic, regional increase of obesity in America: CDC PPT
This is sobering data, and strangely mimics a pandemic. No wonder our government is aggressively trying to instill healthy lifestyle choices in our nation.
So, what can we do about it? Individually, we can invest some time and thought into our own lifestyle habits. I'm content being an 80/20 or 90/10 eater. In other words, I try to get 80% to 90% of my calories from plant-based whole foods. I cheat every so often, and that's okay... hopefully it keeps me 'normal'. But my wellness lifestyle choices are radically improved over where they were just 5 years ago, and I'm so grateful for the health benefits which have come my way. Maybe it's time to set some simple, attainable goals for healthier eating and activity - I have no doubt you'll be thankful for it in no time at all.
By the Way
Our military has also recognized that, as a nation, we're "too fat to fight". It's almost becoming a national security issue. Check out the initiative at Mission Readiness; this is right from their home page:
"Currently, more than 70 percent of 17- to 24-year olds in the U.S. cannot serve in the military, primarily because they are too poorly educated, too overweight, or have a serious criminal record. Investing early in the upcoming generation is critical to securing our nation's future."
Whew... that's serious stuff...
