"Ebola's mystery...

...one boy dies, another lives." This was a headline in yesterday's NY Times.  But is it Ebola that is mysterious? Is the flu mysterious? Some people get the flu, some don't, and some even die of it. So it goes with all afflictions. Maybe the mystery lies elsewhere, although it is typical of our present culture to see the mystery in Ebola, in the flu, and in any event outside of ourselves.

But every person is unique, everyone comes with a different agenda or predisposition into this life, everyone deals with situations differently, everyone lives in unique and individual surroundings.

We seek predictability from science, we want the same test results validated again and again to "prove" something scientifically. We want to believe that a certain treatment will result in the same repeatable healing mechanism. But it doesn't!   Our immune systems are unique, our mental patterns are personalized, our healing mechanisms are individual and unique.  Instead of trying to shoehorn the effects of treatments into supposedly predictable outcomes, which they don't, how about looking at healing as a personal and individual process that is unique to each one of us?

I believe that the mystery lies in our human nature, not in Ebola.

ditch your microwave

In the name of speed we often enthusiastically adopt new technologies without fully knowing their effects and implications. Microwave ovens are ubiquitous in office pantries and kitchens, and are practical for quickly heating up a cup of soup or leftovers, or thaw frozen food you forgot to take out last night. Some people are even cooking in their microwave to reduce kitchen time, such as for making baked potatoes, which would otherwise take well over an hour in the oven.

Growing up in Europe we never had a microwave at home. And I ditched the one and only I ever owned about 20 years ago and don't really miss it.   At the time it hadn't been proven that microwaved foods were safe to eat.  Now we know that microwaving food alters its molecular structure, rearranging the food's biochemistry, and with it our blood chemistry (!!). In addition to what it does to your food, which has of course an effect on your body, we also know that the electro-magnetic field of a microwave, even if it doesn't leak, has health implications. See a comprehensive article in the HuffPost on the whole microwave issue.

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  It's no big deal to live without a microwave oven. I reheat a single cup of tea or soup in a very small casserole on the stove on simmer - doesn't take much more than the minute it takes in the microwave.  I try to remember to take my frozens out ahead of time so they can thaw in the fridge. But if I do forget I either thaw them in a big bowl in room temperature water, or I simply leave it out on the counter to thaw (I know I know, those bacteria scare tactics, but I am alive and well, and I don't make a habit of it). Soup or broth can be thawed on the stovetop on simmer as well. And frozen vegetables go right into a casserole with a bit of water or butter on low. Leftovers, such as casseroles without liquid, go in the oven to reheat. As for popcorn - put a generous tablespoon full of oil in a large casserole, add 1/3 cup of popping corn, close the lid, put on the stove on high, and in less than five minutes your popcorn au naturel is ready. Sprinkle with some salt, some parmesan cheese, some nutritional yeast, or whatever else strikes your fancy (cumin gives it a TexMex taste). It doesn't get much faster than that (and it won't rearrange your blood chemistry).

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please don't take my sunshine away

The whole controversy about sunscreen and skin cancer has made us scared to be out in the sun without a thick layer of white sunscreen on our face, long sleeves and a hat. However, this prevents us from soaking up vitamin D through the skin, which the body needs for calcium absorption and a healthy immune system.   So we put ourselves between a rock and a hard place and take vitamin D supplements (and make the whole supplement industry very profitable along the way), although those supplements are not the same as sunshine au naturel.

In addition, we need at least 10 minutes of real sunshine a day to reset our circadian rhythms, which promote a healthy sleep cycle.

And, talking about the absence of sunshine in our life, people have gotten so used to wearing sunglasses for fashion looks that their eyes are becoming overly sensitive (have you ever seen an indigenous person with sun glasses?), when in reality our eyes were made for sunshine (other than extremely bright conditions, such as a walk in the Sahara, skiing in the mountains under a sunny sky, or a sunshine filled glacier walk).

Get some real sunshine in your life by going out at lunchtime, parking your car a bit further on a sunny day and walking that extra half mile, sitting on a park bench and soaking up that sun, getting off the subway or the bus one stop before your's to get that extra bit of sunshine, and a bit of hiking and biking on the week-end.

on balancing

"If you don't take care of life it becomes messy," my yoga teacher said this morning. Health is an ongoing and continuous balancing act which requires that we keep checking in with ourselves.   Health is not "just there," it's something that needs to be worked at. And health consists both of mental and physical aspects. So, not only do we have to eat healthy foods, get enough sleep and some exercise here and there. We also need to dust off the cobwebs in our mind on a regular basis. For that we need time to check in with ourselves.

Whether that means meditating, journaling, simply being aware of what goes on "up there" or in your body, doing yoga or any other practice that rebalances and refocuses you, doesn't matter much. It just matters whether you do it or not. Otherwise it's easy for things to get out of kilter, and that's when we can get sick, either physically or mentally.

Take a look at your life and scan it for such balancing activities. It is good to spend time alone with yourself. Such a grounding and alone practice could also be writing a poem, doing calligraphy or ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arranging), gardening, or going for a massage. The possibilities are endless as long we do such activities in a mindful way that focuses inwards.   If you don't already have such an activity in your life consider making time for one, or two, or three.

3-course meal in 25 minutes

Fast Food is nothing new apparently. When I recently unpacked my cookbooks I found a slim little French cookbook from 1930 (!!!) that I had forgotten all about. It's called La Cuisine en 10 Minutes, roughly translated as 10-Minute Recipes, and was written by 10-minute Maestro (as the Guardian called him) Edouard de Pomiane. This book proves that you can cook and eat well on a busy schedule during the week without having to toil in the kitchen for hours. 10-minute meat or fish - I have become a 10-minute master at sautéing some meat or fish quickly in butter and olive oil (cod, sole, shrimp, calf liver, thin pork chops, chicken strips), then deglazing the bits on the bottom with whatever you have around - more butter, wine (white is good with fish, add some capers), cream (add some mustard), other liquor (brandy, sherry, even vinegar), broth - the whole thing takes minutes and tastes very French. Instead of serving the sauce over the meat you can also throw your cooked/steamed vegetables (corn, greens, cauliflower, whatever you have on hand - frozen is ok, leftovers are ok) into the deglazed sauce - et voilà, tasty vegetables.

10-minute spinach - épinards à la créme - melt butter in a saucepan, add frozen spinach right out of the package (unless you have had time to take it out in the morning), heat up, add cream (sour, heavy) or more butter, season.

5-minute dessert - coeur à l'ananas - mix some farmer's cheese or Greek yogurt (whole milk, please) with some cream or mascarpone, add sugar and some clear kirsch brandy (the French touch that makes the difference), pineapple pieces (fresh or canned, whatever you have), and a cookie.

Start out with some saucisson sec, some nuts and a glass of wine, and there is your 3-course meal prepared in 20-25 minutes.

As luck would have it the book is available in an English translation. It may be the best $8.97 you'll ever spend. Bon appétit!

break/brake for lunch

I realize that many of my posts are about slowing down and being more mindful. That's because our lives have become so incredibly fast and overscheduled in the name of profitability. So here goes another one. Taking the time to eat slowly, especially at lunch time, and enjoying your meal goes a long way. Not only do you truly taste what you eat, even savor it, it also helps to keep your weight in check and aids the digestion, and then some. How so?

When you wolf down food quickly to get it over with and get on with the next task the brain doesn't have time to keep up with what's going on in the stomach, there is a communication delay. It actually takes the stomach about ten minutes to communicate to the brain that it has had enough to eat. Eating slowly permits mind and body (or mind and stomach) to remain in sync; when you eat too fast the stomach (and eyes and taste buds) get ahead of the mind and gobble up more than you need to feel satisfied. Hence, eating too fast can lead to weight gain.  In addition, slowing down and chewing longer not only predigests the food and helps the body to assimilate the nutrients much better, it also aids the digestive process.  And lastly, what about actually enjoying and savoring what you put into your mouth? May as well, since it's more pleasurable.

Slowing down for lunch during a hectic day - I know, "sometimes it's just not practical," you'll say - helps to refocus your attention from the scatteredness of multi-tasking back to one specific thing.  It powers you down, gives you time to realign with yourself, and regroup for a more productive afternoon.

my cup of tea

I am not a coffee person, at least not most of the time (I do enjoy an espresso after a big meal, but that's just about as far as my coffee love goes). Especially early in the morning coffee tastes harsh to me and I like to wake up gently and ease myself into the day. And no, I'm not an herbal tea kind of a person, barely even a green tea person. Those don't have enough oomph for me. I like my tea black and strong, forget the teabags. Assam, English or Irish Breakfast and such, Earl Grey, too, but more in the afternoon or evening than earlier in the day. I buy my tea in bulk and hang a special canvas tea brewing bag with a generous amount of tea into my pot and let it steep to a deep dark color that looks almost like coffee. Tea is a comfort beverage for me. I drink it all day long, always with milk, no sugar.  In the morning I make a big pot full and warm up cup after cup throughout the day. When we go away to someplace with a kitchen I bring my whole tea paraphernalia with me, and I miss it dearly when we go on vacation and I can only get teabag tea. When we moved recently the tea supplies went into a carton marked "Open First," like a first aid kit.

Although this post is more about the emotional benefits of having a "nice cup of tea," black tea incidentally has all sorts of health benefits, such as promoting heart health, lessening type 2 diabetes risk, and its potent antioxidants are anti-inflammatory and supposedly counter visible aging effects. A good cup of strong tea makes everything "all better" for me.  But most of all tea for me is about slowing down, while coffee is for speeding up.

about being a sugar cop

We are navigating a difficult food world, fraught with so much misinformation and downright inaccuracies. Just think of the cholesterol and fat myths that caused the egg white omelet and "lite" fat syndromes, and that were proven wrong in the end. Especially as mothers, in charge of food and the health and wellbeing of our families, it's like stepping through a minefield these days. And even though we want the healthiest foods for our families we have to police within reason without becoming rigid fundamentalists about it.

Many teens in this country develop a dysfunctional relationship with alcohol, because the culture is too fundamental about it - no alcohol, none, until you are 21. Of course this forbidden fruit becomes super desirable, and college binge drinking is a real problem. When I grew up in France kids would get a drop of red wine into their water with dinner, and the older the children became the pinker the wine would become - more drops of wine were added. There the children are brought up to drink responsibly and in moderation within the family environment, no need for binge drinking.

In my wider circle of acquaintances there are some sugar cops. Granted that sugar is unhealthy in large quantities (like anything in excess), that we have a diabetes epidemy in this country, that many are literally addicted to sugar. No wonder. Big Food has put sugar into just about everything and the sugar lobbies are going strong. I find most American dessert recipes (cookies, cakes, puddings, ice cream) too sweet and cut the sugar amount by about 1/3. I also find that many breads have sugar in them (sugar in bread, say what?), that bottled salad dressings are really sugary (just use oil and vinegar), and that the super sweet corn tastes like candy (yuk).

It's just that abstinence and prohibition always seem to achieve the exact opposite of what we are aiming for. Yes, I used to skim from my kids' Halloween bags, every day a bit, so it wouldn't be so noticeable, to reduce the pile. Yet, I wouldn't make them throw it all in the trash or donate it to the local dentist (who would in turn donate it to overseas troops - why should they eat the poison?). They were allowed to eat it (some), although for Easter and St. Nicholas they get good dark chocolate instead of candy.   I used to allow each of my kids to choose one of those colorful sugary mainstream cereals once a year, and take them to a fast food place just before school starts in the fall.

So we learn by comparison. It's just as important to experience the opposite in order to crystalize out the healthy choices. If your thinking is balanced and makes sense, if you model "good behavior" (and don't sneak a candy bar when you think they are not looking, or drink excessively at a party in plain sight) your children will get your arguments about healthy and balanced choices. Then you'll come out on top and so will they.

no to TV

We have no television, never have, never will.   Although it's nice to save a few dollars on cable, that's not why.   And don't get me wrong, we love good movies and do watch them. What I'm really talking about is a totally different reason for not having television, the one that Waldorf schools have advocated all along. Television with its massive amounts of manipulative commercials that constantly disrupt programs and the stream of thought, and with all those pictures of ugly events, from natural disasters to man-made ones, creates a distorted and highly negative picture of the world. Weather predictions, too, are designed to create hype. Think of the nervous anticipation the weather people create before a winter storm or a heat wave (and sometimes nothing much manifests and you could have spared yourself all that adrenaline). When, on top of that you hear the same story repeated over and over and over over the course of a day or two or three the nervy effect is cumulative and highly toxic.

Not only does it feed our anxiety level, another consequence is our heightened need for safety and security to compensate for this seemingly dangerous world. Think of it, teachers wish the kids a "safe summer" before summer vacation. When friends go travelling we wish them a "safe trip." And we hover over our children, taking opportunities away from them to grow and become independent, assess risks on their own, learn to get themselves into a situation and back out. Remember when you were young? I bet you were more independent than your own children are now.

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer by far my paper newspaper. I can skim over the ugly stuff, filter it, or read it without that frenetic anxious energy of live on-screen reporting. Without television the energy in our home is a lot more peaceful.

feel your body, understand your food

Have you ever gotten up from the table and felt sluggish and stuffed, and perhaps even lethargic after a meal? Has it happened that you've eaten something and then felt your stomach acting up an hour or so later? On the other hand, have you noticed that certain foods energize you, that your stomach feels light after eating them, yet satisfied?   I always yearn for lots of greens, raw or sautéd, and my stomach feels light after I eat them. When I eat meat in larger quantities, on the other hand, my stomach feels heavy and full. My husband says that cheese and wheat clog him up.  

You can learn to tune in to your body and understand which foods are beneficial for your particular digestive system. Science wished there were a one-kind-fits-all diet.  But that is just not so. Nature is complex, and we are complex.Think of extreme diets like that of the Masaai in Africa (beef, blood, milk) or the Inuit diet that consists mostly of fish and other marine protein. These peoples' stomachs would rebel if prescribed the Mediterranean Diet.  Yet, the Mediterranean Diet has been touted as the world's healthiest. I like it very much, but I come from Northern Europe and rye bread, sauerkraut, and butter all work well for my system, too.   Or how about the raw food diet (just another craze, we do need a balanced mix of raw and cooked foods), or the Paleo Diet, which often has been misconstrued to contain lots of meat (hunter-gatherers ate little meat and only perennial plants since there was no agriculture yet, ergo no annual grains).  And let's not forget veganism (beware - especially in childhood and adolescence we need protein to develop the brain).

It helps to understand your ethnic heritage, which can be a bit of challenge in this country when your heritage is something exotic like Irish-Italian, or Japanese-Spanish. Our digestive systems tune into the plants and animals in our particular geographic area over hundreds and even thousands of years. They even claim that our digestive systems haven't yet fully adapted to the annual grains our agriculture of the past 10,000 years has brought forth.

So lean in to your body, tune in, learn to read your digestive system's signals, - good and bad -, and let them tell you a story of what works for you, what makes you feel good, what energizes you.