According to Dr. Jonathan Wright’s Nutrition & Healing Newsletter¹, (Vol. 17, Issue 3) it is not where you live or how much sun you get but what you eat that makes the most difference for protecting us against UV-related skin damage. Summer time foods in particular are aging and cancer preventatives. Another way to put that is if you want the very best skin protection stay on a Mediterranean diet. Think seafood, olives, olive oil, garlic, colorful fresh vegetables, bright greens such as spinach and kale, grapes, citrus and other fruits. And don’t forget to use plenty of fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano.
What nutrients are most important? Along with vitamin A, C, D, E, and B complex remember to use other antioxidant supplements such as green tea, beta carotene, lycopene, and lutein. One might wonder how to get these in without being a walking supplement cabinet. It’s easy really; go to your garden or the local market. Notice what’s in plentiful supply. Those plump and juicy tomatoes just waiting to be made into a fresh sauce are a bountiful supply of lycopene. Add zucchini to that dish and you’ve created a lutein supply as well. By putting your sauce over a bed of kale or spinach you’ve added a rich supply of beta-carotene and additional lutein. If you began your cooking adventure with olive oil and garlic even better as these too protect against skin cancers. Even your glass of red wine provides polyphenols, known to protect against cancer induced UV-radiation.
For a mid-day pick-me-up try green or black tea with a little citrus peel over ice. Simply put three bags of tea in a ½ gal. jug of water and set it in the sun. Studies have shown an association between higher tea consumption and lower levels of basal and squamous cell cancers. Adding citrus peel appears to increase that protection.
According to research by Dr. Wright; in an article written by Dr. Niva Shapira in the journal Nutrition Reviews, she notes how a group of researchers found that by taking a lycopene supplement while being exposed to the sun, it actually “reduced the count of sunburned cells by 83% over those who did not take the lycopene.” Pondering this statistic one might think even if this percentage were 40 or 50% it is still a significant benefit.
So what foods might increase the effect of sun damage? Alcohol for one. In general alcohol weakens your immune system, stresses your liver and reduces your vitamin load. Dairy products and red meat also increase susceptibility. However what we mainly want to focus on is a favorable omega 3-6 fatty acid ratio. Grass fed, free-range animals have higher omega 3’s than their grain fed counterpart. Taking fish oil also supplies beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. While fish oil and olive oil support your body’s assimilation of healthy sunlight other oils such as vegetable oils high in omega 6 fatty acids increase your chances of DNA damage as well as tumor growth.
If I am already burned fish oils containing omega-3 fatty acids are one way to lessen the symptoms of sunburn. Drinking water hourly; eating foods such as watermelon, cucumbers, honeydew, celery, squash, peaches, zucchini, and apples are all useful for removing trapped heat and cooling down the body. Of course, avoiding foods that promote heat is equally important such as alcohol, coffee, barbecued, spicy, and deep-fried foods. Accordingly Dr. Maoshing Ni in Secrets of Self-Healing, reminds us that certain drugs make our skin more susceptible to sunburn as well. Drugs such as “tetracycline, thiazide diuretics, anti-anxiety medications… and NSAID’s.”²
Information such as this helps me assist my body’s need for sunlight while continuing to protect myself from dangerous sunscreens. In fact I stopped using sunscreen years ago when I noticed skin-cancer risks appeared to be increasing at the same time sunscreen use was growing. I now prefer to take vitamins, eat lots of healthy sun protecting foods and use a combination of aloe vera and coconut oil to protect my skin topically. I also keep a light weight, long sleeve shirt handy.
So, does using sunscreens increase your chances of skin cancer? Who knows? Maybe. The unregulated cosmetic industry has been known to use innumerable carcinogenic ingredients. You may wish to check out the website of the Environmental Working Group³ for more up to date information regarding the few sunscreens they deem safe.

1. See www.wrightnewsletter.com

2. Dr. Maoshing Ni, Secrets of Self-Healing, Penguin Group, NY, NY. pg.485

3. See http://www.environmentalworkinggroup.com/

A conversation occurred recently between me and my higher mind and it went something like this:  You knew always that you wanted to be a mother? Yes.

You knew that that was a necessary part of your life – in fact, something you wouldn’t tolerate living without? Yes.  Their growing up was also a known fact? Yes. It’s just that we are lost when it actually happens!  We are Mothers, not machines.  We are care-givers; we are lovers of an ever changing routine.  We are ‘Home Makers;’ a title I have always hated and yet it is only now taking on new meaning.

What are we supposed to do next?  When the ‘Home-Makers’ have no one home, what’s the use of having all that space?  When ‘Home-Makers’ are not caring for someone they now become housecleaners, cooks, gardeners and managers of the estate.  All tasks they did before only without someone needing their attention; someone in their arms, on their laps, hanging on their apron strings, or tagging after them.  Home-Makers/caregivers are the onsite medical team, the first responders, the psychotherapists working with clients in different stages and varying degrees of craziness as they embrace steep learning curves.  They work 24/7.  What other profession is so demanding, asking for such a wide range of know-how and yet has no training other than on-site?  I realize I may have been in the elite group due to only needing to work ‘part-time outside the home.’  However, in many countries women’s work ‘outside the home’ means we walk 5-10 miles each day to get the water or food for the family.

Why not be excited to have an opportunity to fulfill some of your other dreams now that you won’t have the interruption of a child at home? Because, I’m not ready!  I mean I have projects lined up and waiting and yet I can’t get beyond missing their companionship. It feels like an overwhelming loss.  My heart aches for the few minutes of truly relating we would have each day; the humorous way they appeared each morning, always ready to teach me a new way to view the world.  Even our challenging conversations are missed.

There are plenty of books written about raising children and what we might call the technical difficulties but each step of the way was still a surprise challenge – at least for the first child arriving at the gate.  After that one might think we know something about childrearing but the truth is each child experiences life a little differently.  Each child demonstrates that experience in their own unique way.  But do the manual writers on childrearing identify what changes will occur in the parents?  NO!

How does one reconcile with this new stage of childless Motherhood?  As I walk down the street and see Mothers with baby carriages I want to stop them and say – “I once did that.  In fact 3 times over!  And I’m here to tell you that these beautiful little beings will one day grow up and leave you.  So hold on to your hearts!”

I now find myself in the place regarding my children; as going, going, gone – And I weep because there is no way to fully prepare for this day.  The tears simply pop from my eyes when I least expect it.  I may be concentrating on something totally different and then out of the blue the thought arrives that my last child is moving out and I succumb to heart break all over again.

When we birthed these children we had no idea who they would turn out to be.  When we disciplined the two year old or the fourteen year old it all seemed like it would go on eternally; that we would be always in the midst of turmoil.  When we were trying to get them to do homework or chores, who had time to think that one day they would actually pack up and move out forever?

Yes, I used to say to them:  One day you will grow up and leave me and then I will have nothing if I don’t increase my skills and make my way now.”  And then I would leave for the conference, workshop, or prayer group.  But I couldn’t have known then what I do now.  That it really truly happens and no matter how well you’ve tried to prepare, it still breaks you open into the nakedness of a whole new life.

This morning I created a ritual to help me with the transition.  I recently had a tooth pulled from the back of my mouth.  It was dying and had to go and I admit that that letting go was also hard.  The ‘hole’ creates an unbalanced feeling in my mouth and reminds me of the changes in my life at large.  Anyway, I took my tooth and with prayers of intention around loss and change and the growth that comes from it; I buried the tooth under the tree that was planted in honor of my last birthing experience.  You see our last child was born at home and we planted his placenta amid those roots.

It seems fitting that as he leaves I bury a symbol of a part of me that leaves too.  No longer will I lay awake at night waiting to hear if he has arrived home.  No longer will I get up to check whether all lights are out.  I won’t be leaving dinner on the stove or calling to find out if he is truly planning to come home to eat.  There probably won’t be a curious questioner wanting to know how my workshop went as I walk in the house.  My spouse is usually too involved in his own life.

What I have come to realize recently is that the kids were my team, my co-workers in a sense.  They found plenty of ways to challenge me, to impose deadlines, to teach about boundaries, and to keep me on my toes around who to rescue next (or not) and what strategy to use.  A home with growing children is much like a small corporation with parents playing CFO and CEO;  only it must slowly dissolve as each child leaves the nest.  And then eventually it becomes the empty nest and we look around and wonder where the years have gone and how we got here.

Yes, surely there is resolve around this whole transition from active motherhood.  But I’m not there yet.  For now I simply let the tears fall where they may.

This day, this week, and actually for however long I can remember – I choose to focus on the midpoint; the place where common ground lies such as the midpoint for being full but not overly; the midpoint for just enough rest to support action; the midpoint for providing nourishment for mind and spirit.  Heading into the spring equinox I am acknowledging the need for balance.  The midpoint for me represents optimal health.

I know our bodies are actually quite amazing in their ability to continuously seek refinement; to bring us back to a healthy middle ground.  Yet they can get pretty congested after a long winter.  They are as complex as the universe some might say and constantly adapting to whatever we come in contact with.  And yet I also know that I mess with my body’s self-regulating powers when I am constantly under stress.  If I add a bombardment of poor nutritional choices – something as simple as baking a birthday cake and having it around the house – I double the strain.  The same thing happens in an office where sweets are brought in as the norm for morning meetings.

So who can I use as my allies in this spring mid-point quest?  To re-balance and support internal systems I’m headed back to the tonic herbs.  Herbs such as:

• Tumeric – Known to accelerate detoxification and to improve circulation, tumeric (Radix curcumin) is also a potent anti-inflammatory.  (I highly recommend Super Bio-Curcumin, by Life Extension)
• Dandelion – A powerful liver support reducing swelling and congestions, a natural diuretic and regulator of hormones.  (I pick those tasty early spring greens every chance I get and eat them in salads).
• Citrus peel – From organic ripe oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, limes and lemons, they help lower cholesterol, re-balance blood sugar, regulate spleen/pancreas digestive energy, thin the blood and move a stagnant liver.  (Just simmer the peel in water for 20 minutes and drink the tea).
• Milk Thistle – An excellent liver cleanser, milk thistle can stimulate growth of new liver cells doing major repairs.  (Look for a high quality brand)
• Astragalus – Known to restore metabolic balance she likes to normalize our body functions and greatly benefits the immune system improving energy levels, heart health and circulation.  (I take a dropperful of tincture morning and night).

I also use another welcome ally to start my day: a teaspoon or two of organic vinegar plus a teaspoon of honey in water.  Both the bitterness of vinegar and the sweet of honey have detoxifying affects on the liver.  And spring is all about healthy livers.  The body is naturally trying to cleanse itself after winter’s sluggishness and just like the freshening air around us our bodies try to create an inner spring.  Finding a mid-point for balanced health should be easy by including these supportive foods, drink and supplements.  Now if I could just recreate this cleanse in my household environment…

What was I thinking? Who was I waiting for to walk the walk to match the talk?  Within each day lies an opportunity to express fully the vision that lies within my heart and yet I get caught in such notorious dilemmas. One of my old dilemmas is whether I actually have time to exercise and to take my health into consideration or stay buried in the chores of the day. All of us know that the chores of the day lay waiting for us whether or not we do them now or tomorrow.  They are always going to be there.  The catch is how to bring balance to each individual day so that body, mind, and spirit all have their needs met.

Notice I stated this as “one of my old dilemmas.”  I’m hoping that means I’m putting it into my past.  I don’t know about you but I can get caught doing all sorts of healthy routines regarding my dietary needs such as eating really healthy foods and adding necessary supplements, yet I can be miserably lacking in energy when it comes to stretching the muscles of my body or doing something aerobic like walking a mile or three. For the past three weeks I have actually been achieving my goal of including exercise into my weekly, if not daily routine.  I’m now hopeful that I am conquering the old excuses as I see my mini-routines picking up.

One tactic I’m finding invaluable is eliminating the story that to exercise I need to set aside a large lump of time.  I can get up in the morning; spend 20 minutes in centering prayer or meditation and then 15-20 minutes doing yoga.  I used to think including yoga meant that I wouldn’t have time for prayer.  That was unacceptable to me.  But now that I’ve let go of the thought that yoga has to take 40 minutes to an hour I see I can include both.  Previously I thought my walks had to be a good long hour or so to make a difference.  Now I am allowing 15-30 minutes and doing it more often.  Sometimes even twice in a day!

I’m now finding it so much easier to get the exercise I need by adding short 5-minute routines as well.  One great little cardio strengthening routine is to simply stand with my feet shoulder length apart and begin to swing my arms back and forth.  I can do this for 5 to 10 minutes or I can add some foot work for variation and a heartier workout; such as come up on my heels for a time and then when ready I can begin jumping off the ground with the momentum of my swinging arms.  I’m telling you this simple little movement really gives the lungs a work out too not to mention moving the lymph system.

What’s working for you?  How are you managing this part of the diet dilemma?

Many of us were never exposed to the grandeur of beets.  However, since their development in the Middle Ages by German gardeners they have been considered an important food for all manner of healing.  Rich in iron, copper, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, carotene, B-complex, and Vit. C, beets are known to reestablish numerous functions of the body.  We can also use beets to insure adequate vitamins and minerals on a regular basis and that’s what I’m hoping to do.  From a Chinese medicine point of view, beets treat liver stagnancy, promote the flow of bile, cleanse the blood, and treat nervousness and congestions of the vascular system.  “Beets, both roots and tops, have the property of cleansing the liver and the blood, and are often prescribed in cases of cancer..,” according to Pritchard. Other reasons beets are beneficial to cancer patients is their ability to lubricate the intestines to avoid constipation problems.

In Hanna Kroeger’s, Heal Your Life with Home Remedies and Herbs, she suggests eating beets as a remedy for Leukemia, and to heal Kidney or Bladder stones.  In the later case, she recommends boiling 5 whole beets in 3 quarts of water for 1 hour and then drinking 7 ounces of this water 3 times daily.  I think if I was in a battle with Leukemia I could down most anything as long as I knew it supported my healing.

The question for many of us is just how to go about adding beets to the diet when we have never acquired a taste for them.  Fortunately I’ve discovered a wide range of recipes that have served me well.  When I was extremely ill several years ago with heavy metal poisoning (among other things), I juiced beets regularly with a variety of vegetables such as carrot, cucumber, celery, parsley, and ginger in order to cleanse toxins from my system.  Granted I never learned to absolutely love the taste but it was extremely helpful in my recovery. And now that I want to boost my metabolism, soothe my nerves, and take corrective action to ward off a middle bread basket, I’m returning to some of the tactics that worked earlier.

I’ve also discovered that I could get the whole family to eat beets by grating them raw into salads.  The younger the kids the easier it is to add this bright red vegetable.  Pickled beets are also an excellent way to bring beets into the menu. They were a common sight at my Grandmother’s table and I’m certain she knew why!  Beets are one of the easier vegetables to grow and can last well into the cold months while still in the garden plot.  So what do I hope to gain from falling for these blood-red beauties?  A slimmer me!

It’s odd how the “plan” works.  Last Monday I had planned to be juicing all week and to blog about how great that works.  The truth is I went from juicing in previous weeks to negating it completely.  This wasn’t due to any reason other than my own laziness around purchasing the extra vegetables I needed.  I guess I now have a greater understanding of how quickly we can let go of good intentions.

Where did I go with the diet plan this week?  What wonders did I bring into my life that enhanced my health?  Yoga!  The DVD arrived and it is fantastic.  Whereas the one I received for Christmas stated it was for beginners and just about killed me with its speed into really tough positions; this one is all of what it portends to be and more.  I highly recommend: Yoga Journal’s Complete Beginner’s Guide, a 2-disc set by Jason Crandell. (To order, visit www.shopyj.com).

The days I couldn’t fit in a Yoga workout I stretched or walked and/or used the trampoline.  All of which gave me great energy toward succeeding in the increased demands I was making of myself.  One important discovery was to see how easy it has been to forget the myriad of benefits we give up when sedentary.  Like feeling ALIVE!  Truly there is a sense of aliveness that permeates the cells.  It feels like the cells of my body are having a gab-fest and enjoying the heck out of each other. I’m also growing greater clarity around my energy levels.  By this I mean I’ve discovered I often eat because I’m tired rather than for any other reason.  The quandary is I’m needing rest but have work to do. My pattern has been to choose food as the wake-me-up rather than take time to stretch out and get the blood flowing; or step outside and breathe deeply to oxygenate myself.  Even taking a brief walk outside can re-energize offering another hour or two of work whereas the snack to stay awake extends to an endless chain of snacking. Of course this eventually leads to self-disgust and who needs to add that to the package!  The need for rest is not necessarily due to lack of sleep at night.  I get 7-8 hours generally. However I think that it says a lot more about the stuffiness or messiness of a room or the lack of movement while working at the keyboard.

Consequently, the NEW PLAN is to get up and move my body more.  From morning to night, I intend to bring greater ‘awareness’ to how I’m sitting, moving, stretching the muscles and of course for how long.  In meditation I am consistently guided to – breathe, so I shall add conscious breathing to the plan as well and of course hope to share information on the benefits of juicing soon.

When a natural disaster hits such as the earthquake in Haiti and we sit glued to the news of the mass loss of life as well as seeing a lack of the most basic necessities such as water and food for those who survived; it is difficult to wrap my arms around concern over a diet.  Instead I would like to offer thanks for each bite I take, each drink I have that I wish I could offer to the one who sits on the side of the street suffering from dehydration and malnutrition.  Instead I offer thanks to the gift of life and remind myself not to abuse it.  I let go of the fear that there won’t be enough; that sniggling unconscious fear that often causes us to eat ravenously.  When you stare at real life not “enough-ism” I believe our imaginary one gets the boot.

I can’t say that I’ve given much attention to my diet this past week, not only because of the earthquake news but because of going to visit my parents.  One of which has been nauseous for three months now.  Continually focused on what might sound good to her; we wonder what we could fix that would catch her attention without stimulating the gagging reflex.

What odd relationships we have around food.  One person never seems to remember to eat while another struggles to ever stop.  I have my days where healthy eating is not a chore at all.  When I can easily set limits on portion size and not feel like I am withholding the goods.  Other days you would think I am hosting a tape worm family.  Speaking of, I did give that consideration upon embarking on a diet journey.  In fact I just completed a two week parasite cleanse just in case that was aiding and abetting the waistline problem.  My chosen cleanse basically consisted of taking horrible tasting herbs morning and night. I was told to start it right before full-moon as they become more active at that time of month.  Given the number of bathroom visits it certainly seemed like I was letting go of a few extra pounds.  “Hindsight” tells me it was a worthy effort in my quest for a lighter body!

You may be wondering why I don’t just write about how I lost 5 pounds and then share the perfect diet.  Well, for one I am trying to stay away from the scale until I can imagine getting on and being thrilled!  And secondly, I don’t believe the “perfect” diet exists.  My perfect diet may not benefit anyone else.

Fortunately the whole week hasn’t been like that.  I’ve noticed my pants getting looser.  I’m remembering to include stretching a bit in each day’s efforts.  I’m drinking more water and ‘noticing’ what I eat.   Bringing greater consciousness to my actions has been my biggest success so far.  At least until today…

I had combined breakfast and lunch into a nice healthy brunch – scrambled eggs with a little chopped peppers, green onion, roasted garlic and bleu cheese, spelt toast with butter – but hey, it’s good organic fats!  I had consumed a whole quart of nettle, thyme and sage infusion earlier; flushing myself out.  I was on a roll.

Along about 2:30 I just needed something small to carry me through till dinner.  Doubter had started creeping in with her ‘should-of’ whine:

“Should have eaten a healthy early breakfast and light lunch – You wouldn’t be so hungry now.  You should have gotten that article written earlier.   Should be more successful if you’re so good at what you do…”

You know the voice.  I reached for the Tortilla chips.  There’s only a little in the bag;  I’ll just finish these broken ones, I thought.  I headed out of the kitchen.

But wait – they’d be so much more ‘nutritious’ with some cheese melted on ‘em – not just wasted calories.  I stepped back in, quickly grated the cheese, and slammed it into the microwave (I never use that old microwave!)

And before giving the diet plan a second thought I found myself munching down while answering emails.  Doubter reminded me of my failings about half-way through the plate.  But who’s going to stop halfway through a  ‘small’ plate of nachos?

It’s now after 3 pm on a dark winter’s day.  Night is falling fast along with the rain and I really don’t want to go out to walk.  I haven’t finished the article due today either.  I scratch the walk and go online to order that long desired yoga DVD.  It’s almost as if I’ve done the work out.

Right?!

The windowsill behind the computer was another haven for dust notes.  I could have written a whole sermon in 3D.  How can these things called homes become such trash collectors?  Normally when one thinks of Home a warm fire comes to mind or at the very least shelter from the dirtiness of the world around us.  But No – our homes are actually gathering spots for unseen mites and fleas that couldn’t possibly exist out in the cold; for magazines with news from the 1970’s and books bought but never read.  I even have a box of presents purchased yet never given… Isn’t that an odd one?  One day I shall host a party and ask only that each one that comes, take something away with them.

The whole cleaning binge started when I got on the scale this morning to find the numbers bigger than I’ve ever been.  I figured I needed a clean out and began with what’s easiest – whatever I laid my eyes on.  I’m hoping tomorrow I will have lightened my internal load.  We know there exists in the microcosm a reflection of the macrocosm and vice-versa so I decided it should work within me as well.

The good news is I lost my appetite for at least half the day.  Juicing at 10:am then a bit of cold cooked broccoli to nibble.  Next a small handful of almonds got me clear to the 2:30 hour.  It was the grocery store run that thwarted the process. My plan was to stay on liquids or fruits and vegetables all day.  But the shrimp and sole looked mighty good behind the glass and I thought possibly low-cal until I got home and began to look up recipes.  The shrimp and spinach stuffing would need something to bind it and a white sauce with wine and butter ought to help.  The avocado needed to be eaten so adding that to the salad probably placed me more toward the 1200 calorie meal category.

Right now my Xmas chocolate is calling from the desk drawer and I am hoping to get to sleep before the voices get irresistible.  My goal is to lose a few pounds before the end of January and yesterday’s homemade Mac and cheddar is still holding down space in the refrigerator.  I am finding that way more dangerous than chocolate or cheese cake.

Strangely enough I just realized that this is Monday.  Do diets that begin on Monday really work?  I’ve never known them to but maybe, due to the fact that I hadn’t thought of that earlier, I’m in luck.

PS:  Unreported foods:

2 tangerines

2 celery sticks with peanut butter

8 baby shrimp with Caesar dressing

1 glass chardonnay