April roundup of good health in the news

What joy! The Dalai Lama in India, April 28, 2013. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

Sibling dynamics. NPR discusses an interesting study on the influential power of older siblings' behavior on younger siblings.  I can think of many families where this does apply, but also other families where it does not. What about yours?

Food coloring. How helpful is this? A chart color codes produce by nutrients and cooking times. Do you see some new-to-you produce here?

Healthy food fast. If Taco Bell made healthier food, would you go? According a nutritionist quoted in this story, she doesn't "see anything that supports that people go to Taco Bell wishing it was a little healthier."

Viva la fruta! Exploring the superfruits of Latin America. First stop, guayabano in Mexico!

How hot do you like it? What temperature do you brush your teeth. Personally, it never occured to me to use hot water, but it seems that some people question what water temperature is best to brush. This dentist interviewed by the NY Times says that it doesn't matter what temperature a person prefers, the most important is just to brush. And don't forget to floss!
 
And now let's see what more May brings us in the Good Health world!
 

One of the superfruits: Guayabano

Guanábana from a farmer's market in Tijuana, Mexico

Introducing guanábana, also known as guayabano, soursop, and Brazilian pawpaw. The taste is a cross between strawberry and pineapple with sour citrus notes and a hint of banana. Native to Mesoamerica and northern South America, it's supposedly good for cancer prevention and treatment. In the same family as the Peruvian chirimoya, it makes great fruit juice when mixed with something sweet, like strawberry, to temper the sourness.

According to NaturalSociety.com, guayabano is "known as a sedative, a nerve tonic, and used to maintain proper intestinal health. Guyabano is just one medicinal tool stemming from the graviola tree. Throughout history, each part of the graviola tree, such as the bark, leaves, roots, fruit, and seeds have been used for medicinal purposes. The seeds have been used to treat nausea and vomiting, while herbal medicine practitioners recommend using the fruit and leaves to relieve stomach distress, pain, cough, asthma, and fever."

Naturally rich in vitamin C and the B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin and niacin, this fruit has gotten a lot of buzz through the years about its benefits in cancer prevention and treatment. However, research has not found this to be entirely accurate, as the fruit itself does not seem to have benefits to preventing cancer, but instead it seems to be mainly the bark and seeds, which are, unfortunately, highly toxic.

 

So it's safe to say, while research on it's effect on cancer cells continues, just enjoy eating the fruit and reap the benefits of its nutrients and possible digestive relief!

 

Best of the Web: March good health tidbits

March offered some fun good health sundries. Here's a recap of what I posted this month on Jackie's Take on Good Health Facebook page.

via backstoryradio.org

Cultural Cleanliness. The more I read about cleanliness, the more I understand that it's a cultural obsession. Reading these American colloquialisms puts into perspective how generations have historically evolved in both cleanliness and verbiage. Which of these colloquialisms do you and/or your family use? Read this Facebook post from Reza Ezclaminia for lots of interesting facts and sayings.

The Last of the Winter Veggies. Do you enjoy root vegetables? Many of them, especially the orange ones, are super high in Vitamin A, as well as fiber. Enjoy a fresh supply while winter's still here. Because spring veggies are just around the corner! Read this New York Times blog entry for some fun ways to cook these veggies.

Gender Norms. A recent World Bank study "detects ‘a window to aspire’ in which ‘women have gained some autonomy to decide about their education, jobs, marriage (who and when), and reproduction, although they still are permanently challenged not to neglect their domestic duties.’" Check out this Oxfam blog on changing gender norms.

Food Tribulations. While we Americans worry about whether our food is locally grown, genetically modified, or even organic, those over in Britain and France wonder where their meat comes from. Horsemeat was recently found in many different meat products, including meatballs from an IKEA store in the UK. The horse meat came from Romania, due to liberal trade agreements across Europe. The meat was processed in a plant in France, where it was mislabeled as beef. A question for those meat eaters among us: What would you think about your meat coming another animal source, especially considered a little more sacred or precious than others? Read this NY Times article on the recent horsemeat controversy.

Reforming Solitary Confinement. What do you think about solitary confinement? According to this NPR article, the principle behind when the first prison opened in 1829 dedicated to reforming the penitentiary system was that solitary confinement was to be used as "sensory deprivation to reform inmates. The thought was that the isolation and quiet would free the innately good soul." Archaic or not?

via jrn.com

The Heart of a Mummy. Turns out the ancient Egyptians had problems with heart disease. What does this mean? High fat diets have been a challenge for us humans for centuries! And you think we would have learned by now, huh? Check out this recent Gawker article. 

The Wonders of Kitchen Oil. Though not written from a health angle, this is an interesting article from Lifehacker on what are best oils to use depending on what you're using it for. What about you, what oil do you use to cook with? And do you use your oil for anything else health related? Like olive oil for the skin or scalp treatment, etc.?

via oneworld-publications.com

Food Science. Mary Roach, humorous author of two of the most interesting reads out there, "Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers" and "Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void," has a new book coming out. Called “Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal,. Recently, the New York Times published an excerpt, which included such gems as, quoting a food scientist, "'People eat physics. You eat physical properties with a little bit of taste and aroma. And if the physics is not good, then you don’t eat it.'" And, "Hot dogs, grapes and round candies take the top three slots" of "particularly treacherous" foods that choke people. And, describing why foods crunch, "When you bite into an apple, the flesh deforms and at a certain moment the cell walls burst. And there is your crunch." And, this new-to-me phrase, "horked out," a perfectly gross description of how some food can regurgitate through the nostrils, These tidbits alone have me dying with curiosity about the rest of her book, so it's now up on my Goodreads to-read list. How about you? 

Losing My Bacteria. This fascinating NY Times article describes how bacteria in the gut impacts whether or not a person loses weight. Something that's of particular interest is exactly how to transplant good bacteria from one person to another. It's not for the faint of heart!

Where are you? No, it may not feel like it, but truly, today, right now, this second, you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Embrace it. Sit for a second, and just embrace it. Read this neat Positively Positive blog for some inspiration.

Let's see what April brings us good health-wise!
 

2013 Goals Update

via tinybuddha.com

We're already a quarter into 2013, so it seems a good time to take a look at the goals I posted for this year and see how I'm faring so far.

HOME
1. Provide a stable, independent home for myself.
Action plan: By end of January, find a stable place to live independently for at minimum 3 months, preferably 6 months. By July 15, decide if I'm staying in San Diego or moving on to another city and/or country.
Update: Accomplished! With the help of a good friend, by mid-January I moved into a new home in Tijuana, Mexico. In February after starting a new relationship, I decided to return to Lima, Peru by end of 2013. If my plans change, I'd like to live and work in Mexico City. In the meantime, I'll continue to make my home in Tijuana.

FINANCES
2. Become financially stable.
Action plan: Pay off debt. Maintain stable payment plan with student loans. Save for next step whether it's travel or moving.
Update: Not started. At this stage, my finances are client by client. I'm earning just enough to pay my bills for each month, though that is obviously not my end goal.

WORK
3.  Build my tutoring and design business.
Action plan: By January 15, and throughout the year, increase clientele via marketing campaign (website, flyers). By March 1, decide whether or not to apply for a San Diego business license. Continue to apply for full-time work in San Diego to help with financial and home stability goals.
Update: In progress. As of March 27, I've decided not to apply for a business license since I won't be staying in San Diego long term. Unless it offers me better benefits for the future, I don't see this as my best option business-wise. I'm working on my marketing campaign now, having created a Facebook page for Amidon Studios and am posting flyers in coffeeshops and college campuses to market my services.

TRAVEL
4. Seek novelty that's calming and rejuvenating in new locales. 
Action plan: By October 31, take a two-week vacation just for me. By December 31, travel to at least one new country.
Update: In progress. In February, I took a 16-day vacation to Peru to volunteer at a medical mission, visit my friends, and sit on the beach eating seafood and drinking beer. That was nice. (Total understatement.)

ZEN
5. Maintain calm and peaceful mindset.
Action plan: Continue with meditation for at least 10 minutes per day. By January 15, restart 29 Days of Giving project. By March 1, join a spiritual group. Continue with hobbies: knitting, pottery, music, writing.
Update: In progress. I meditate for at least 10 minutes a few times a week. I haven't yet restarted the Giving project or joined a spiritual group, and I'm not working on any hobbies at the moment besides blogging.

HEALTH
6. Maintain good health for an entire year.
Action plan: Eat an Anti-Inflammatory Diet at least 4x/week. By January 15, make 6-month follow up doctor appointments; repeat the same by July 16. Throughout the year, maintain weight in the 150s. By March 1, run one 10k; by September 1, run another 10k; and by December 31, run one half-marathon.
Update: In progress. My health as been pretty poor already this year, but a healthy diet and resting seems to be the key. This week I started being more physically active by running and biking. My weight is definitely not in the 150s, but it's holding steady. I've been too ill to train for a 10k so far this year, but it is still something to strive for by May.
 

Introverted Personality Types

See the full-sized graphic at HealthCentral

Having one's own business is great for a social introverts. We social introverts like to socialize when we're ready to poke our heads out of our shells, and Beth L. Buelow of The Introverted Entrepreneur has one of the most interesting sites devoted to introverts, social or otherwise, working for themselves. 

On the Introverted Entrepreneur's Facebook page the other day, Buelow posted the above interesting graphic on personality types. As someone who's worked with people with mental health issues, I think some of these traits are interesting. Personally, I've certainly displayed a variety of these traits that led to problems in my life, including marriage, work, and relationships with family and friends. 

But certainly, these traits don't lead to mental health issues, they're just interesting to read, to reflect on, and then move forward from there in the best way that works for you. 

No more, no less.

Do you fit into one or more of these categories, and if so, how has that impacted your career or relationships?