Nutrition Fridays

In the Lyon Study (France) not only were the results remarkable, but the follow-up studies demonstrated that the diet was palatable enough to keep the patients using the diet! Not only that, but its ease of use was another factor in patients continuing the diet.

One of the keys to this diet is that many of the recipes from the Mediterranean diet do not use any meat.  Personally, I would suggest for avid meat-eating folks to gradually taper the use of meat.  Start with tapering off the size of the portions. Then, eliminate beef first. It is the hardest of all the meat products to digest and causes the most problems to digestive health.

My second recommendation is to purchase the freshest, best appearing, in-season fruits and vegetables. Buy in small quantities, frequently, so that your fruits and vegetables are remaining fresh until depleted. Shopping for food should be an activity that you enjoy, and you should take your time.  In Europe, the market is a social venue, just like the promenade (evening walks). 

Stock up on whole grains, legumes (beans), lentils, pasta, olive oil, seeds & nuts, and dried fruits. I will be posting a “must-have” pantry list with everything to start a healthy life-style diet.  It will also have the most-important kitchen items added to the list. 

As far as recipes, I am posting some on my Metamorphis Arts site as the “Nutrition Fridays” blog.  you can also find recipes on my daughter's blog: Vegan Iowa as well as other information regarding Vegan diets. The Mediterranean diet does not just cover Italy and Greece, there are diets from other countries as well! Such as: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon, and Turkey.  I will be including recipes from all over the Mediterranean.  

Q: What is a “Serving Size”?  To be answered in next Wednesday's blog!

New Direction

Normally my blogs are based upon excerpts from various courses that I have developed and taught in the past, offered as courses via eMail.  Those blogs were written to entice and encourage you, my audience, to take the courses.

I am about to take the blog into a new territory.  I am an artist, and have been for 20+ years.  At my Metamorphis Arts blog, I write about the art I create. The image below would be a good example of the type of artwork that may be inspired by the future blog topics, in that it is based upon a healing herbal plant, and the healing practices of Indigenous Native healing practices (i.e. sand paintings of the Huichol):

 From the "Queens Series"
The Queens: Echinacea

I have also studied herbalism, nutrition, and alternative healing. This is due to the fact that I am a disabled artist, who was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Immune deficiency disorder, and osteo-arthritis. Most recently, I have learned that I am developing cataracts in my eyes.  The latter is the most frightening, in that I need to see to do my work! 

What I want to do is share my experience, my own expertise in the following areas: 

•  Herbalism

• Alternative healing concepts

• Nutrition

Along with these three, recipes that I have created and gardening tips, experiences and ideas. Gardening and cooking good food are my recreational hobbies. 

These will be covered here in this blog. The art produced due to being inspired by the aforementioned topics, will be shown and discussed at the Metamorphis Arts blog. The “art” will include a short discussion of recipes with photography, once a week. This will be an interesting project to construct…and you get to see it from inception. 

SCHEDULE:

Mondays – “Herb a Month” with information about the herb, applicable recipes using the herb, any other relevant writings

Wednesdays – “Nutrition” this will cover all sorts of things, including: GMOs, Fad diets, Organic vs. non-Organic foods, book reviews, research.

Fridays – “Alternative Healing” will cover pros/cons on methods, information gleaned through my own work, research, suggestions, etc.

AT THE METAMORPHIS ARTS BLOG:

All the artwork created due to what inspires me, and explanation of that process.

Please do subscribe to both blogs!