Change, Choice, and Toilet Paper

Grocery stores are too big and I dread going there. By the time I'm done shopping in the mega-sized supermarket, I've walked 3 miles pushing a cart. The mileage doesn't include the hike in the parking lot.

When I was about 7, I was required to shop with my mom. Dad had just bought her a $50 car so she could drive herself to the store so he wouldn't have to, oblivious to her fears. She needed me to help get her there for food. She drove the car but I had to watch out for the little things...... like other cars and stop signs. I don't know how or if she ever passed her drivers test.

 

I was also her coach. When the engine made that clunking grinding noise, I was there to tell her she forgot the clutch ---- again----and not to pull over on the side of the road in panic ---- again. Getting to the store was an adventure. Needless to say I was always thankful we got there in one piece and that for the five minutes we would be in the store she could stop shaking.

It really did only take us about five minutes to shop. The store was small, the choices extremely limited by today's outrageous standards. For laundry soap there was Tide or Ivory Flakes and bar soap was Dial, Ivory or Palmolive. Period. No grand debate, no variety of choices to mull over. Today there is an entire soap aisle, some 50 to 100 feet of products all competing for a chance to jump into the shopping cart. 

 

Competition should be for sports.

 

We had one brand of toilet paper  in my days of yesteryear, (ok, it was as soft as butcher's paper) while today we have ultra this, extra that, with lotion, with aloe, scented or unscented. Lets have another huge aisle for paper stuff.  (Other than the toilet paper, today I quickly pass this whole aisle.)

 

Cereal was easy back then too - just the basics, no sugarfied, chocolatized, fruitified imitations. The cereal aisles today are brimming with choices, 90% of which are not even cereal, and if they ever change the bright yellow box of plain old shredded wheat, I will never find it in the maze. I'm amazed there is one entire long aisle full of chips; corn chips, potato chips, endless brands, and so many with creative flavors produced by modern chemistry.  (Another aisle to skip today!)

Today the bread aisle is overwhelming, the cookie selections take up more room than the entire store mom went to, and the only thing mom would recognize desert-wise is Jello and Fig Newtons, which was our odd little treat.   (Yes, back then we didn't know much about too much sugar but neither do hospitals, which I found  horrifying  they gave me jello with every meal!)

 

Today,  I'm panting when I get to the check-out, which is always 20 aisles from wherever I am when I put the last item in the cart. Today I have a list of basics that  I buy quite reminiscent of days gone by, simple things really, but the mileage on my cart seems insane!

Is having all this stuff to choose from necessary? Are we gluttons of choice? The bigger the store the better? Just how much do we NEED? I took a friend from Europe to our supermarket. Her expression was childlike awe and read like "Disneyland!" She had never seen a store so huge and asked if this was why Americans were so overweight. I hadn't considered it. I thought we walked off pounds just shopping!

If we removed all the products that really aren't good for us, stores would shrink, making this whole marathon with carts a thing of our unhealthy past. If only some god-like health sensor would come along and remove the fat-producing, artery-clogging nonsense that hops into shopping carts so we don't have to decide whether we should buy it or not, even indecision and pausing to read labels could be eliminated.  If I were god of the market, things would surely change!

 

However, just leave the new improved soft toilet paper right where it is! Some change is a good thing.

suZen

The Grocery Store Musical - Really!

For your weekend entertainment and I hope a delight, here's a bit of spontaneous silly stuff from an improv group in a grocery store - watch the faces of the shoppers and the comments at the end are cute too! 

Enjoy!

Hugs,
suZen

What Should I Do With the Rest of My Life? A book review

I'm part of a book tour for Bruce Frankel's new book "What Should I Do With the Rest of My Life?",  true stories of finding success, passion and new meaning in the SECOND half of life.

When the book arrived, my 25 year old daughter was over as I opened the package.  She looked at the title and said, "I need help with the FIRST part of MY life!"

I smiled.  Yes.  We are always asking that question aren't we?  What to do now?  What is next?

Those are fine, wonderful questions.  They keep us going, growing and moving on.  At least until we get older.  I mean as in senior citizen older.  Many (sadly and somewhat expectedly)  approach those years as if they are shuffling their way to the Bus Stop for the trip to Graveland.  Frankel should have a book stand there at the Bus Stop.  It would be a great place to hand over some inspiration to those folks.  Reading his book could cause them to re-think their choice.

"The age at which we imagine limitation encroaching on our abilities to perform mentally, physically, and sexually has been receding rapidly" says Frankel in his opening.  "But far too often the old beliefs cling to everyday language, attitudes, behaviors, hiring practices, and perhaps most important, to the conversations we have with ourselves."

He goes on to report that "a groundswell of research has been confirming that our brains can remain fit, like our bodies, for a quarter of a century BEYOND sixty and, increasingly common, longer still."

Maybe this doesn't sound exciting to YOU, but let me tell you, to me, at 62, this is the Hallelujah Chorus, honey!

The characters in the stories that Frankel shares in this book are entertaining and inspiring.  In the authors own words - "They do not so much defy age as defy the limitation that our culture places on age, a culture that too often discounts, trivializes or humors the ambitions of older adults."

For me personally, to tell the stories and end the book with the last story was a missed opportunity by the author to sum it all up, to produce a bit of reflection on the characters as a whole and make the reader really FEEL what it is that we have in common with the people he wrote about. It could maybe ease the pain of those in mid-life crisis too.  If only by letting them know that isn't the only time they will re-think their next decade!

There were common threads, or characteristics, that each person in his book shared - pay attention now, young whipper-snappers because this is a very positive lesson!  There wasn't one person who carried regrets around with them.  There wasn't one person who walked in Fear Shoes, or had a Bowl of Doubt for breakfast.  They all over came obstacles by looking past them, by moving forward.  Oh sure, there are twists and turns on everyone's path and they didn't all get exactly where they thought they were going, but they remained open to possibilities. And they also, perhaps unbeknownst to them, carried in their heads my personal theory and mantra, "Do NOT let an old person IN" - by that I mean  IN your head!

I have the pleasure of knowing people like the ones in this book.  They are not aware of their age or limitations.  They don't "think" old.  They all have lively, inquisitive spirits.

 By contrast, the majority of my peers blame every little thing on "old age".  I just ran into an aquaintance this week at the beauty shop.  I was shocked at her aging appearance since I had not seen her in five or more years.  As I listened to her, she used the word old or old age dozens of times in a 10 minute conversation.  She has caved in.  She has "bought" it.  She looks for things to label as typically old age related.  She had a heart attack several years ago and that, to her, was her signal that the "time" is upon her.  I asked her what she was doing to keep herself busy and she said "nothing".

Would this book have helped her?  I wonder.  So I kept on wondering.  I wonder who the author wrote this book for?  It might serve  more inspiration if he plumped up the end, to spur someone into action.  Some people  really need a catalyst  (like my friend in the beauty shop) to keep them from shuffling to that Bus Stop.  In the end of my wondering I decided that thirty-forty year olds probably should read this - a decade or two before they start thinking old.  NOTHING is what is used to be - and old age is sure on that list!  People need to know that retiring today is more often a beginning than an end!

I can appreciate why Frankel told those stories and by writing this book he shed a bright light at a stage of life that has been too long in the shadows.  It has compelled me to write another Living Commandment -

Thou shalt not discount in any way the capabilities and zest for life of someone with gray hair and wrinkles.

(Remind me to share the other Living Commandments someday!)

And so, as I said to my 25 year old daughter, we always keep asking what should I do with the rest of our lives.  There is not an age limit to this question, only a mind limit, and that needs to change!    The quest for finding success, passion and new meaning is what keeps us ALL going.  And go we do.  And do, we do.  Like the characters in Frankel's book, I am not going to that Bus Stop.  Rather, I'll get run over by the Bus!

Hugs to Bruce Frankel for sharing these wonderfully diverse true stories of No Limits people!
And thanks to Lisa for inviting me to read this and share my thoughts with all of you.
Go Seniors!
suZen

Happy Spring Equinox

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Exciting just to say "Spring" after a long winter of shoveling a LOT of snow!  And it's Spring Equinox - time is in perfect balance today!  So here is an uplifting - visually and with music - post to get you hoppin and boppin your own spring dance!


What says spring more than flowers popping open and a little Vivaldi? 

The 100 Year Diet, Economy & Good Eating Tips

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 In a recent issue of "Experience Life" magazine I came across some healthwise wisdom.

"The most overpriced foods in most stores aren't whole foods, they are the highly processed products - prepared foods, packaged snacks, beverages and frozen/dried ready-to-eat meals.  Such foods often contain only a few pennies' worth of actual nutrition and use cheap ingredients like refined flours, industrial fats, processed sugars, salt and artitifical flavors to creat the ILLUSION of substance.  What you are really paying for is the processing, manufacturing and marketing - not FOOD and nutrition.  High-quality food is a relatively good health bargain, one that generates the vitality, energy and immunity you need to be effective and resilient in times of stress.  Economizing in ways that reduce your nutritional intake, unbalance your diet, and expose you to toxic, inflammatory compounds could cost you far more than you save by making you vulnerable to miserable and EXPENSIVE health conditions."

I know many people think they cannot afford to eat real food but in many cases it's more about not wanting to take the time to prepare real food.  Here are a few tips on healthy foods you can incorporate into your diet by cooking ahead of time.

Oatmeal - if you hate it because its mushy, try the whole grain Steel Cut Oats which have a chewier texture, less mushy, but gives you MORE fiber and protein than the flaked oatmeal.
The kicker is, it takes longer to cook.  No worries!  Make a large pot of this on Sunday night or Monday morning and keep it in the fridge.  Then you can dish it out, warm it up in the microwave, throw on some dried cranberries, walnuts, cut up banana, raisins or whatever, pour on your organic milk, almond milk, or vanilla soy and voila - breakfast in flash.  (Notice I didn't add sugar - I gave that up - but if you must have something, try agave or even a good quality maple syrup.) By putting different toppings on it each day it's a bit different.

Brown Rice instead of white.  Yes, it takes longer to cook, but again, you can make a large pot of it and use it in several dishes during the week.  It's far healthier than white rice.  Speaking of white - switch to whole wheat pasta.  Great increase in fiber and nutrients.

Roasted Vegetables - OMG how I adore these now - and so easy!  I make a few pans of them at once and then mix and match and combine all during the week.  Bake them all for one hour at 350 - make any combo you like.  I toss ALL in olive oil - or you can use the olive oil spray.
Carrots/Parsnips - peel, chop small, toss in olive oil, bake.(sometimes I add potatoes and/or lima beans with this - you would be amazed how sweet this is just naturally)
Brussel Sprouts - peel outer leaves, cut in half, toss in olive oil, pepper. (NEVER had a recipe for these I really liked until this.  Before I felt obligated to eat them, now I crave them!)
Sweet Potatoes - peel, cut up in size as if quartering a tennis ball, toss in olive oil - bake.(These are SO good I even had them for breakfast!)
Green Beans - cut up, add garlic, or any herb, toss in oil and bake.

You can use most any veggie, tho I don't do broccoli this way.  You would not believe how delicious brussel sprouts are roasted like this.  Anyway, I bake veggies once or twice a week on a large scale, keep them in the fridge and mix and match and combine all week long.   Look on line for other ideas, or pop me an email - you know I love to share!  This is a simple way to increase your veggie intake.  Also consume dark leafy veggies - spinach, kale etc.  Lettuce, while an American favorite, really has only trace amounts of any nutrients, it's water basically - better to go darker.


I wish I could take credit for THIS refreshing way to exemplify what is meant by a whole foods diet.  I found this on a blog by Paul D. Maher, MD - healthjournalclub.blogspot.com

Basically it is to eat what was available to us 100 years ago, hence The 100 Year Diet.   I think it is positively brilliant in its simplicity!  Dr. Maher's site has many blogs in the archives that are singing the same tune with regard to the food (and drug) industry as you've read about here.  Even more interesting when you consider not only is he a doctor, but he actually used to work for the FDA!

There is Dr. Mercola too.  There are MORE - believe me.  This is not just me getting whacked out - I'm in great company with my ranting!   mercola.com

Dr. Oz has said many times, if your grandmother would not recognize what is in your shopping cart, do NOT buy it!  Same principal here.  Doing this you have automatically eliminated any food additives, preservatives, and the whole chemical laboratory that created this stuff in the package.

Yes, we have made such wonderful advances in technology and I'm in awe of this information super highway we are now communicating on - but wait just a minute here - get technology OUT of our food!  It was perfect just the way it was - and so were the chickens, cows and pigs.  Leave them alone!  (ok, my rant is over for now)

A few people emailed me about the aspartame blog and asked what to use that was safe. Stevia, which comes from a plant, is the most recommended by the sites I follow.  I personally thought it tasted artificial - go figure huh?  My choice is agave, comes from a plant too, and looks a bit like honey.  I rarely use it but to flavor ice tea which I add so much lemon to that I simply must use something!  Try both and see what you think.  Giving up sugar as much as possible is a good thing.  Avoiding artificial ANYTHING the wisest of all.  Oh - and watch out for the newest lie - Amino-Sweet.  Don't be fooled.  It's the same bad stuff, new name is all.

High fructose corn syrup is another to avoid - again, read labels cuz this crap is in so much it is frightening.  If you are eating organics and whole foods you can relax - whew - I sure have and shopping is so fast now.  We eat much simpler than before.  The shelf in the pantry that had all the snack food is now just nuts, a whole grain organic cracker box and organic granola. It seems I am buying a lot LESS food altogether so the fact that organics cost a bit more hasn't really affected the budget all that much at all.

I've tried to give you all as much info as I can - and I hope those of you who do consume a lot of milk are switching to organic.  I also hope I have encouraged you to read labels and maybe do some research on your own.  Go back to my post of March 1st for some links to healthy websites.  Or you can email me anytime!  Just start one thing at a time changing your eating/shopping habits - I know this overwhelming.  It has taken me a year even though I was up to my eyeballs in researching.  Change takes time.  I'll write gentle reminders - I promise I'll be gentle! :)

Oh yeah - One last thing - and I wouldn't tell you to do anything I haven't done myself - going one step further,  I also eliminated fast foods!  Grandma never had those, why should I?

Here's to your good health!
suZen

Cheap Peeps

I don't know if you have heard of Michael Pollan - or if you saw this Oprah show interview - but it has a LOT to say about our food and diet.  Please take the time to listen.

Interesting (perhaps) personal note - You know I've been changing our food/eating habits in our house.  During this interview Pollan says, years ago we only had chicken for Sunday dinners and I actually remember those days - Sunday dinner was special.  Well we are going back to that.  While not totally vegetarian, we save our organic meats for the Sunday dinner - once a week - and with this plan, it is easy to save money as well.  Yes, the organic chicken was a dollar or two more - but it's only once a week.

Oprah's Newsletter this week has several articles on eating organic foods on a budget.  Yes!  It can be done!  Check it out!  (Edit - this Oprah video is not showing up so I put on another one)
















Have a great weekend!

How SWEET it is!

I know it takes a long time to make some changes.  I made a lot of changes but none of them overnight.  I had been in la-la land about the food I eat.  I started investigating and researching probably a year ago.  It was then, on Mercola.com, that I first heard about the genetically altered foods being in the grocery store I shopped in, and it was not labeled as such.  Without information, I just bought what was there and available.

As you know from the previous blog, I've been horrified about what I have learned and I am trying to pass along to you the information EVERY consumer of food should know - well, that would be everyone alive I guess - and the choices you make in the future should be based on truths and not lies. 

One thing I learned was no surprise to me.  The sugar-free diet anything (soda, gum, or the other 5,000 items in the store with this additive) is NOT GOOD.

In the mid-80's I knew any time I had something that was sugar free,  my colon would react badly.  When I told my doctor that, he said I was probably allergic to the artificial sweetner because he had many patients complaining of problems that were immediately "cured" when artificial sweetners were discontinued.  So way back then I stayed away from that stuff.

My friend Margery had migraines almost daily until she gave up her diet cokes for a week on a dare I made her.  Voila - no more migraines.  I never allow that diet stuff in my house - period.  I've done everything I can to nag others about it, especially hubs who orders it occasionally in restaurants.  I have friends who put those blue packets into their coffee, looking at me defiantly because they've heard my tirades about the sanity of using this poison.  I decided this sugar free nonsense had to be part of my research.  Here's the result of my findings.

The FDA said Aspartame failed testing.  Failed.  As in "do not go to market" failed.  As in "this crap isn't safe" failed.   J.D. Searle made it, and Donald Rumsfield was the head guy there.  When Regan took office, Rumsfield said he wanted a new head of the FDA so Regan appointed a Rumsfield-approved person, and wow, imagine this, he approved Aspartame.  It FAILED tests, it ate holes in mouse brains, it killed others, but with the FDA stamp of approval (bought and paid for!) it hit the market and it is now in over 5,000 foods.  "They" say it's safe.  People believe it.  Do YOU?

Toyota's recall is costing them billions.   I watched an interview with Brian Williams (NBC News) and Ray LaHood, Sec'y of Transportation in Washington.  Here is a quote from Mr. LaHood:
"We are holding Toyota's feet to the fire!  We will not sleep until there is a 100% assurance that these cars are fixed and safe!"

While I applaud his passionate concern, I would invite ANYONE in Washington to have the same level of concern for the food on the market that we consumers gobble up daily!  Who is it that will buck the power of the big money big business big lies and give US, the people, a 100% assurance that our food is safe????

 It will cost Toyota dearly and so it should.     It would cost godonlyknows what to take Aspartame off the market - and they won't as long as people keep buying it.  Consumers have more power than they think they have.  If we refuse to buy products with that ingredient, the company would eventually get the message - because, Money Talks!

Here is a link to an article on Mercola.com - quite extensive - but if you are into Aspartame (Nutra-sweet) and think you are saving yourself calories, it is not worth the risk of cancer or the many, many side effects of this chemical.  Also please note - a "new" marketing campaign these geniuses have come up with are to re-name this product  "AMINO-SWEET" to fool you some more into thinking this is good stuff.

 Url: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/02/old-monsanto-food-toxin-disguised-under-new-name.aspx


The independent studies done on Aspartame are out there - I cannot believe people ignore them, but they do.  Here are two of my favorite videos about WHY you don't want to have this stuff in anything!

 The quality of the video is visually not great - but listen to the whole Rumsfield connection and how he used clout to market something the FDA had said NO to!



This video is only over a minute long - there are a TON of videos on YouTube - search Aspartame!  I hope this will help you to join me in boycotting products that contain this poison!

Too Much of a Good Thing

Here's a quick little video with some GREAT tips about eating!  Portion sizes are really out of whack - this video will help trim down the food budget as well as our butts!  Also, I might add that if you think switching to organic foods is just too expensive a change for you, if you are actually eat LESS, you might not even notice the increase cost.  I barely did.  What I did notice was the weight I lost by eating less and simpler foods and how much better I feel.

Have a great weekend!