Having a tree three stories high in my back yard helps me keep my life in perspective.  It is a lesson in humility. It reminds me that I play a small part in the bigger picture of the Universe. The tree has been here long before my time and will be here long after I am gone.

I am a spiritual being in a material world. A world that is complex and dynamic; a world of energy ebbing and flowing.

I am a fleeting moment in the spectrum of time but I hope that my life has contributed to the higher good of all just as my life has been impacted by the ripple effect of so many other lives.

“Life is a long lesson in humility.”
James M Barrier

Researchers found that people who pass through an entryway near the kitchen tend to eat 15 percent more than those who use the front door.

Oatmeal, citrus fruits and honey can boost your sex drive and improve fertility. Oats produce a chemical that releases testosterone into the blood supply, vitamin C improves sperm count and motility, and vitamin B from honey helps your body use estrogen, a key factor in blood flow and arousal. A perfect weekend breakfast when your mornings can be more leisurely!

Natural Health Magazine
February 2006

What did the young man get for his public display of gluttony? $400, 3 T-shirts and a “burger hangover.” What could have been done with this same “burger of the century?”

A 15 pound burger could feed a family of 4 for 15 meals. What’s wrong with this picture?

April 7, 2009

Missed opportunities. They can really bum us out but we  have two choices. We can catastrophize and say “I miss every good opportunity every time!” and berate ourselves or we can mark our calenders for next year.

Once upon a time I was a “catastrophizer.” Melodrama was my middle name. My last name way annoying.  It didn’t get me anywhere except alone. No one wants to be around a drama queen.

No one wants to face all the challenges we are facing as a nation but again we have two choices. We can react by moaning and groaning and create and perpetuate a negative climate. Or we can respond and take our best shot.

Plan A. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Plan B. Sometimes it’s a better idea than Plan A, sometimes it’s not.

The big challenge is when neither Plan A nor Plan B work for several situations in a row. An even bigger challenge is or when neither Plan C nor Plan D work repeatedly.

We have two choices. We can moan & groan, catastrophize or just quit. Or we can save the plans for a more opportune time.  Smart move in a troubled economy or anytime.

Nice blogging with you but I gotta go plan a great workshop on nutrition for next March. Don’t miss a great opportunity!

We know that we are all in the same boat. Those of us who are wise smile and put on a cheerful front.  Others become melodramatic and wear their hearts on their sleeves. Still others are immobilized by the stress of the situation. They isolate and catastrophize.

We all have choices. We can respond to the situation, weigh our options and make careful well-thought out decisions. Or we can fail to analyze the situation and react in ways that are not in our best interest.

We cannot always choose what happens to us but we can choose whether or not we give away our power and allow the situation to control us. We can choose to be survivors instead of quitters.

I choose to respond to a challenging situation with a renewed spirit. I choose to have an inspired and mission driven life to improve the quality of people’s health by helping them improve the quality of their diet. I choose to hold onto my lofty ideals.

As hosts the Chinese had five mascots which represented the five elements. They believe that these five elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water govern the Universe. These elements correspond to color, emotion, taste, sound, energy, organs and bodily functions. They are assoicated with the time of the day, the seasons of the year and the organs of the body.

 The mascots also represented the five tradiotional beessings of: prosperity, happiness, passion, health, and good luck. What do these traditional blessings mean to you?

To me prosperity and abundance are two sides of the same coin. Happiness and contentment are another coin and health and wealth are on a third. Passion and faithfulness, health and wealth and good luck and hard work are each on seperate coins. These are the traditional blessings that fill my wallet and make me feel rich.

What coins are in your wallet?

Most of the time I’m a happy person. When I’m not I pretend to be. I’m gregarious and am told I have an infectious laugh. It’s easy to make friends when I’m having fun. People like to be around people who love to laugh.

Happy people have stronger immune systems than unhappy people. According to a study by Nicholas Christakis, a professor at Harvard University, happy people produce fewer stress hormones. They have a broader base of support which helps shorten the duration and minimize the intensity of stressful times in their lives.

Happy people typically have more friends, are well connected, and are at the center of social networks. Having have friends and siblings close by is a more important contributing actor than  a happy  marriage. Close friendships with girlfriends is especially important for women.

Happiness spreads more consistently than unhappiness. Every friend increases your chance of being happy by 9%. Every unahppy friend decreases it by 7%. The way I see it you never have too many friends. So I’m going to keep on smiling at strangers every day as I walk my dog in the park. All I want for the new year is to continue to be healthy in the new year. 

All I want for Christmas is a smile from a stranger.

WARNING; the following statistics are SCARY! 

Burger King Enormous Omelet Sandwich: 1,940 mg. salt
Pizza Hut 4 All Individual Meat Lovers Pizza: 2,150 mg. salt
Cosi Individual Pepperoni Flatbread Pizza: 2,731 mg. salt
Macaroni Grill Chicken Parmesan Lunch: 2,030 mg. salt
Subway Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Foot Long: 2,400 mg.salt
McDonald’ Kids 6 piece Chicken McNugget Meal with fries & 8 ounces of 1% milk 940 mg. salt
KFC Chicken and Biscuit Bowl: 2,420 mg. salt
Quiznos Tuna Melt, regular: 1,535 mg. salt 
Auntie Anne’s Glazin’ Raisin without butter: 460 mg. salt
Auntie Anne’s Original Pretzel: 930 mg. salt  Let’s put this into perspective. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 mg. of sodium per day while The Institute of Medicine is urging us to eat only 1,500 mg. A recent study posted by the British Medical Journal concluded that a 25 to 35 percent decrease in dietary salt cut cardiovascular risk by 25 percent.  Prepared or processed foods, ingredients that mean lots of salt include but are not limited to monosodium glutamate (MSG), baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), baking powder, (disodium phosphate found in some quick-cooking cereals), sodium alginate (often used in ice cream), sodium nitrate (used in cured meats), sodium benzoate (used as a preservative in many sauces and salad dressings), sodium propionate and others.   Is this frightening?   Please DON’T pass the salt.  

Dr. Rob, syndicated columnist  Bucks County Courier Times August 15, 2008

All that led up to putting the tooth under the pillow was part aof the entire tradition. The tooth started wiggling just a little. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle while you’re in class. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle while you’re in the car. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle while you’re watching TV. Sometimes the tooth co-operated and it came out easily. Other times everybody would joke about tying one end of a  string around the tooth and the other end around a doorknob. The tricky part is tying the string to a slippery “still in the mouth” tooth.

We all know the routine, right? Put a tooth under your pillow at bedtime,  wake up the next morning and take the dough. We all know that a tooth without fillings is worth more than a tooth with fillings, right?

There are lots of children’s books about the Tooth Fairy; lovely bedtime cuddle and reads. Recently a friend told me about a comic strip she read where the Tooth Fairy left cholesterol medication instead of money.

What’s wrong with this picture? It’s funny but it’s not.

According to the Bucks County Courier Times July 8, 2008, “. . .the American Academy of Pediatrics Monday issued new guidelines calling for routine cholesterol screening for children under age 10, and more aggressive use of cholesterol-lowering drugs in some children as young as age 8. ” Yikes!

Let’s see if we can put this is perspective. American children watch on average 3 hours of TV a day. Yikes!  31% of American children are overweight or at risk of obesity. Yikes! Do you think there might be a connection between the two?

School age children typically bring 99% of their lunch in the form of packaged foods. What % of trans fats are in those foods? I think I read somewhere that trans fats have some relationship with cholesterol levels. Do you think there might be a connection between the two?

Back to the Tooth Fairy.  Image One: The child wakes up, hair all dis-sheveled, rubbing the “sleepy dirt” from their eyes. They flip over the pillow, find the money and go running down the steps to tell everyone, “The Tooth Fairy came!” Image Two: The child wakes up and flips over the pillow. Finding their cholesterol pill he plods down the hallway to take his medication. Image One: Personification of American Tradition. Image Two: a sad commentary on the state of the American diet.

Bobbie Burkhart
Holistic Health Counselor
www.bevitalwithbobbie.com

On the Border Grand Taco Salad with Taco Beef
1450 calories
102 grams fat
2410 mg. sodium

Uno Chicken Grill Chicago Classic Deep Pizza
2310 calories
162 grams fat
4470 mg. sodium

Bob Evans Caramel Banana Pecan Cream Stacked and Stuffed Hotcakes
1540 calories
77 grams fat
9 grams trans fat

Chili’s Awesome Bloomer
2710 calories
203 grams fat
6360 mg. sodium

On the Border Stacker Border Nachos
2740 calories
166 grams fat
5280 mg. sodium

Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce
2430 calories
128 grams fat
5290 mg. sodium

To put this in perspective: to maintain her weight the “average” active woman should consume 1800 to 2100 per day and the”average” active should consume 2400 to 2700 calories.

Trans fats should be avoided entirely. They lower your “good” cholesterol and raise your “good cholesterol.

Your daily sodium intake should not excede 1000 mg.

This information is intended to assist people in making the healthiest choices at these restaurants, not to avoid them.

 
Quizno’s Classic Italian Sandwich
1510 calories
82 grams fat
3750 mg. sodium