“Live a little.”

This was what my husband said to me when I said “no thanks” to his offer of some artificially flavoured popcorn. My response was, “I want to live a lot! That’s why I choose not to eat that crap.”

Now, to be fair, I don’t like cheese-flavoured things. I don’t like spicy. And I’m just so-so about popcorn. So, this particular snack of jalapeno cheese flavoured popcorn was not a temptation for me. I may have said yes to a piece of dark chocolate cake or a muffin.

But, really, even my biggest temptations are enjoyed in moderation. I enjoy a piece of high quality dark chocolate almost every day. But, it’s a small piece that I make sure to savour. After all, we are more likely to fully appreciate the things that are limited. When we think of something as “special,” we pay more attention to it.

I am certainly able to eat a large muffin every day–and almost all café muffins are super-sized large. I used to do that. But now, I rarely eat muffins–i.e. cakes-in-disguise–and no longer miss them. I also don’t miss the fatigue, headaches, and excess weight that came along with eating them. So, given a choice of eating or drinking items that make me live my life a bit weaker and perhaps a bit shorter, I choose to “live a lot” and select foods that support my health, while savouring small amounts of foods that also feed my “live a little” self.

I did this a little while ago. You can see the cut that happened immediately. But what you don’t see in this picture is the bruise that should have appeared. Should have appeared, but never did. Why? Because I immediately started a routine of applying Traumeel cream to the area. Then reapplied every 3-6 waking hours for a couple of days. No bruise. Pain went away quickly. This picture was taken 2 days after the hit, when my shin should have been a lovely shade of blue or maybe yellow.

I love colourful, but prefer my skin not display a rainbow. Thank you Traumeel! Oh, and I should mention that I do injections of Traumeel for those who have deeper pain than just a bruise.

And now my husband and I share a healthy shake every day. This is just one of my favourite blends.

Kale Mango Protein Shake

2013-05-08 22:59:20

Serves 1

Pack a punch power shake

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Prep Time

5 min

Prep Time

5 min

Ingredients

1-2 leaves of kale

1/2 zucchini

1 mango

3-4 strawberries

1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I used New Zealand Whey)

2/3 cups kefir (my failed attempt at making yogurt with sugar-free coconut milk ended up being a lucky mistake) or use water or your choice of milk or milk alternative

Instructions

You can use a Nutribullet, Vitamix, or blender to mix all ingredients.

Notes

If you want it cold, place in the fridge or add an ice cube. Or use frozen fruit.

By Dr. Melissa Carr

Active Life Health http://www.activetcm.com/blog/

Ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine Approach Has Relevance In Modern Times

Fermented Milk Thistle

I’ve used Botanica’s other fermented herbal products before, so I was looking forward to trying this. Milk thistle helps support a healthy liver and the fermentation helps make the herb more easily digested. I often say that I’m not a good judge of what other people might find tastes good, or even okay. That’s because I have taken Chinese herbs on and off for over 16 years. But this is a great way to help cleanse the liver, so I think it’s worth holding your breath if the taste doesn’t work for you.

Oregapet Dog Treats

Oregano oil helps kill bacteria, parasites, and other pathogens and since one of my dogs just had 17 of her teeth removed, chew treats that can help prevent the loss of more teeth is something I’m happy to give them. And, well, they seemed to like them. Simple as that. I haven’t tried it, but I am also interested in their Bed & Body spray. It’s meant to prevent and kill ticks, fleas, parasites, and bacteria on animals and the materials they come into contact with. It looks like a great alternative to the chemically unhealthy Febreeze.

Itoen Green Tea

Reminds me of my time spent in Japan, so I love this cold green tea. To avoid the plastic bottles, I’ll make my own from loose leaf tea. But, if I’m out and looking for a drink on the go, I’d rather skip the pop or juice and choose this option instead. Green tea, as you’ve probably heard, is a healthy beverage. It’s high in antioxidants, boosts metabolism, fights cancer, and supports a healthy heart.

Arayuma Cinnamon

Did you know that most of the cinnamon you buy is not actually cinnamon? What you may actually be eating is cassia, or Chinese cinnamon. True cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum (“true cinnamon”), is medicinal, helping to balance blood sugar, kill bacteria, support healthy blood vessels, and aid digestion. This cinnamon really does taste better. Not only that, but it’s also Fair Trade Certified, organic, and gluten-free. I use cinnamon a lot, so I think I’ll need to get this one by the dozen.

Kokuho Rose Rice

I’m half Japanese, so I grew up with rice as a staple of my diet. Though most of the rice of my childhood was white rice, I now choose brown or other more whole rice options for their health benefits. At the health show, my mom and I recognized this rice label immediately, as Kokuho Rose is the brand she used most. I didn’t know that what I might be buying in the store may be different from this one. We chatted with one of the granddaughters of the founder of this rice company. Just as grapes vary depending on the soil and their growing conditions, so too does rice. The northern grown rice yields faster growing strains, but may not taste as good as this particular one, grown in the south. After trying it, I have to say, I agree. Maybe I’m turning into a food snob. I don’t know anything about wine, but am “particular” (i.e. picky) about dark chocolate, tea (especially green), and maybe now also rice.

Goji & Milk Thistle Nut Butter

I love nut butters, especially almond, cashew, and hazelnut. This one caught my eye because the addition of the herbs sounded intriguing. Now, I’m not sure if the quantity of the herbs in here would be significant enough to have therapeutic health benefits–I doubt it–but healthy foods eaten regularly accumulate their benefits, so I think it’s worth it. These are the ingredients: raw organic cashew butter, raw organic almond oil, raw organic goji berry powder, raw organic agave, raw organic milk thistle, raw organic vanilla powder. This is a superyum superfood. There are other flavours as well–marine phytoplankton, blue-green algae (looks disgusting as it’s a dark green, but it tasted good), berry antioxidant, and acai berry. There are 2 downsides. One is that I’m not sure if you can find it on the shelves yet, as I was told it’s new to Canada. And second is that it only comes in single-serve packets. I wouldn’t buy it unless it came in jars.

One Degree Products

I only got the business card for this, but what I found most unique is that every product they sell (bread, flour, seeds) has a QR code on it that will lead you to their website with specific information about where each ingredient is sourced. You “meet” the farmer online. Can’t comment on the taste, but a very interesting idea in this world of mass production.

Tea Tibet

This is a 100% (!) non-profit tea company. All profit goes to benefit charities in Tibet. The management of this was spearheaded by the co-founder of Stash tea and Tazo tea. Beautiful packaging with lovely quotes on the back of the teabags. Wonderful causes.

Your experience?

Have you tried any of these products and have comments on them?

So, here is a link to part one: Ancient Medicines Find Favour with Canadians (or click here for the PDF version)

I’m not a runner. But I need to be for June 22nd. That’s when I do the Tough Mudder. Or, at least, that’s when I hope to do the Tough Mudder. I’ve signed up for it, paid the fee, and started training. But I do wonder if I’ll make it.

Running is hard on the body. Or at least it’s hard on my body. Some people seem built to run. I recall my “Gait Analysis” course from my university days. I remember checking out the feet of my friend, a triathlete. I looked at his running shoes. My analysis was that he was an injury waiting to happen. But it didn’t happen. He was—and is—one of those people who loved/s to run. His body had somehow figured out how to make running work. My body simply does not understand the purpose of running beyond catching a bus or rushing to an appointment.

You see, my knees don’t have enough cartilage under the kneecap to protect them from the friction that happens during repetitive and pounding activities like running. But, then I see how a runner with the wrong feet can be a great runner. I’ve also seen a YouTube videos of a two-legged dog running without any extra support. And I see the patients at my clinic who regularly move past their own pain, suffering, and challenges. So, there is a way.

I am trying to start slowly. I run only on soft surfaces—chip trail, grass, and mud. I keep track of my distances, increasing them gradually. I’m now at 7 km, having started at 4 km. I walk when I need to walk. I listen to my knees. To a point. My knees talk pretty frequently when I run, but I’m learning when their chatter is nothing and when it’s telling me to stop. Last week I erred in my communication with my knees. I pushed an extra km and paid for it. I could barely walk a couple of blocks that afternoon. My knees were M…A…D…mad… at me. But some TLC afterward and I think we are resuming our happy relationship with each other again.

Are you a runner? If yes, what do you like about it?

I’m not a runner. I’ve never been a runner. Even as a kid I didn’t like soccer, basketball, or track. I figure skated, danced, dove, swam, did gymnastics, and played volleyball. I had good reason not to like running. Running hurts my knees. Yet, here I am, signed up for an event that includes 10-12 miles—yup, miles (16-19 km)—of running.

I know that this is interspersed with obstacles (mildly put) and is not a straight running course. Where most people I know are worried about the “arctic enema,” “electric eel,” “boa constrictor,” “fire walker,” and “walk the plank” obstacles, I’m most worried about the running. This distance is close to that of a half marathon (21 km) and I’ve never done a 10K or even a 5K.

So, why am I doing this? Well, I like a challenge. Tough Mudder proclaims that this is more than an event, saying, “it’s a way of thinking.” Pushing through obstacles and challenges all the while having fun and sharing the experience with a group of people all there to support each other sounds like a lot more fun to me than racing a bunch of strangers.

Plus, I turn the 40 this year. I remember the big birthday party my mom threw for my dad’s 40th. I remember the “over the hill” jokes and how I thought of 40 as old. Of course, “old” is a very relevant term and we now hear that 40 is the new 30. Did I hear that or did I say that? Hmmm…I forget. Uh oh, forgetfulness.

But seriously, I do believe that new experiences and opportunities to learn are a great way to stay feeling vibrant. I may never do this again, but while I still don’t enjoy running and I may not like the potential for the 10,000 volt zaps, I know that I will enjoy the camaraderie and the chance to celebrate making it through each obstacle. Even if it ends with a couple of ice packs and lots of Tie Ta Wan (one of many Chinese herbal formulas for injury).

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced that has brought you a sense of accomplishment?