Swine Flu Phenom.

I find it disturbing that just when we should be focused on something outrageous that our government is pulling that the government gives us something to focus on so we sort of forget about 1) war, 2) inflation 3) healthcare, etc. This year, it’s SWINE…. a few years ago, it was SARS, before that it was Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Swine flu. From Dr. Nany Schneiderman telling health care workers just to “get their DAMN shot” to the some states making it mandatory for hospital workers to get their vaccine, the world is going a little mad with this thing. If you’re a healthy person and practice safe hygiene including handwashing, gripping door handles and knobs with your sleeve pulled down and covering your hand, wiping your shopping carts down with at the door disinfecting wipes and good nutrition skills (plenty of water, fresh fruits and vegetables … stay away from empty calories (sweets and alcohol), then you should be just fine against the swine flu. I did all of this and still got the swine flu (although I did shop somewhere where they didn’t have those wipey things), but with all the natural health practices I do when I start to feel sick, I was down for the count for less than 48 hours. Four days into it and you’d never know I had it!

Double up on your multi-vitamins during cold and flu season, pile on the garlic into just about everything you eat, eat lots of onions too, throw together a berry smoothie everyday, sleep, watch your alcohol intake (it tears down your immune system, apart from a glass or two of red wine a week), eat two servings of raw fruits a day (the enzymes aid in digestion and keep your intestinal tract clean which is key to health), MOVE (get a little exercise everyday even if you’re marching in place at commercial times). Drink plenty of GOOD CLEAN WATER — forget the city water that comes out of your tap; it’s likely to make you sicker and tear your immune system down. To really build up your immune system, take Astragalus. It’s a Chinese herb that works with your deep immune system. The Chinese make a big pot of this soup during the winter season and eat it once a day. It works. I’ve used it for years.

Don’t forget to get the stress out of your life by: hot baths, walks, candles (these calm down any house), reading, holding family game night, playing with (and paying attention to…) your pets, journaling, painting, scrapbooking…. anything that relaxes you and doesn’t cause undue stress or drain on your energy will nourish your body and spirit. And these two tiny little things can keep you well throughout the winter months.

gloria

Something’s Gotta Give….

I called my “real” closest girlfriend today. She lives an ocean away in Italy. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed her. I miss my life there too. My daughter and I talk about going back more and more these days. As we see America change and become less friendly even to Americans, we long for the simpler life we had in Italy. We didn’t have much, no one there really does. Even the richest Italians, don’t live like the richest Americans. They may live in palatial villas, but compare their homes to Bill Gates’ and you’ll find it’s not as technologically advanced (of course), or even well-heated with updated plumbing. Grocery stores aren’t as well-stocked. People wear clothes they’ve worn for years. The young people scour the open air markets for decent jeans (okay, so those are better here), fabulous shoes (those are everywhere) and one of a kind fashions. STUFF is cheaper here. I can go to the dollar store and buy all my household cleaning products for under $10! I’d need about $50 in Italy. Food is more expensive; cars are cheaper, but I can expect to pay a few hundred dollars to take the license test. Getting around is a much bigger challenge… fewer roads, rail and bus strikes, and childcare if you don’t have a relative there???…. forget it. It’s damn near impossible to get a babysitter and then they earn as much as I did as an English teacher.

If I went back now, at least I’d be an American-educated Registered Nurse. I know that the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has a hospital in Palermo, but I can’t see myself living in Sicily…. too many public works left undone that would drive me up the wall.

I miss the slower pace in Europe; the greater reverence for living and no one being able to keep up with the Joneses. I appreciate how easy it is to live in America compared to there; I really do! But there is just something about there as opposed to here. I also appreciate that we have a better education system, although that can depend a great deal on where you live in America. When I first moved there, it took me about four months to really adjust to their way of living. You learn to do without a lot of stuff. After awhile, however, you don’t miss it as much…. and after an even longer time, you can’t imagine why you ever wanted or needed anything except what you have. It’s a simpler life. A more reverent life. You learn to do without air conditioning or screens on your windows for that matter — you don’t need them. You drink homemade wine, eat the freshest tomatoes and learn the difference between a good olive oil and a bad one. And I swear the sun there doesn’t scorch your skin like it does here, even though the heat comes up from Africa! I NEVER burned there and never wore sunscreen, figure that one out.

I think what I miss more than anything is the history and walking by building after building that has stood for thousands of years. We don’t even have anything 500 years old here.

I remember sending pictures back to the States of my visit to the Roman Forum. My dear young nephew exclaimed, “Yuck, why would she want to live there? It’s so run down!” Well, I’d move back tomorrow if I didn’t have to pack and start all over again. My daughter would be at a disadvantage for forgetting her Italian, but she could be tutored or better yet, enrolled at the International school in Rome.

I have more “stuff”…. or should I say more “convenient stuff” here. I indulge in my favorite pastimes — garage sailing in the summer and sipping expensive coffees on the patio of Starbucks and traveling freely between the States. You would think the lure of the easy would quiet my wanderlust and quench any desire to live in a country where you have to buy extra milk on Fridays because you may not find an open store until Monday afternoon!

With all the conveniences available to me in a country where I am a natural born citizen, I have to ask myself, are the conveniences merely a temptation which prevent me from living the life that wants to live in me?

A car giant crumbles and bargains in Hamptons’ rentals!

I have New Times alerts sent directly to my cell phone and last night was surprised at a few minutes to midnight that my phone beeped and there was the news that GM’s assets were approved to be sold off to a new government-backed company. I immediately mused to my boyfriend “I wonder if that means China?” I giggled and then realized that it wasn’t all that funny. Our trade deficit with China is so large that our children’s children’s children will inherit the legacy. Lucky them.

On a more positive note, you can rent a home in the Hamptons (probably not beach front at this point) for a lot less than you could in the past. Along with your low-priced two-month rental fee of $225,000 you can get a facelift and a private staff to help you recuperate. I’m already in the car.

A sound artist has done a clever thing in New York. He’s taken recordings that he’s gathered from the pedestrian tunnel just north of the Central Park Zoo, edited them and is now piping the recordings back into the tunnel. While I think that it’s probably kind of interesting to listen to, I also like the sound of my footsteps and the birds as I walk through the tunnel. Mind you I haven’t been there in a while, but in the times that I’m the lone soul traversing through the expansive dome, the sound of my sneakers crunching leaves and stones sends a little tickle through me. I’ve often imagined the rest of world has disappeared or I’m hiding from deadlines, phone calls or my loved ones who are just getting on my nerves a bit that day. It’s my guilty little pleasure when I’m in New York that calls to me in my hotel room until I return to pay homage. And now it’s filled with sound…..that isn’t normally there…. that doesn’t happen by chance. Okay, so I’m trying to say it’s not organic.

Anyone that knows me knows that my preference is “organic” in just about anything — and that I can too put down my Blackberry….. as long as I know where it is!

gloria

Eating Healthy Without the Fuss

A fairly good guide to follow

When you go to your cupboard or refrigerator, do you have a difficult time knowing exactly which foods fit into your healthy food plan? Do you simply grab anything, hoping that the nutrition labels’ claims of “whole grain,” “low fat” and “low sugar” are true? Have you tried to teach you kids what to eat, but they forget and go for the chocolate or the chips?

As busy people we live on the go and eat on the go. For most people, a nightly family dinner is something unknown. What goes with that often are nutrition unknowns. We must rely on clever packaging and hope we are not being led down the yellow brick path to unhealthy eating. By law, the FDA allows nutrition labels to be “off” by 30%. This means that a product that touts “100 calories” could be more than 130 calories; 33 grams of sugar becomes 44 grams and so on. If you wish to eat healthy you simply must spend time in the grocery store reading labels.

When you bring your purchases home, how can you remember which foods you bought for their most valuable nutritional content? If you have just spent two hours in the grocery store reading labels, you may forget which food had what in it. One of the easiest ways would be to label the foods and that’s where Easy Diet Labels come in. (www.easydietlabels.com)

Easy Diet Labels is the no fuss way to knowing every time the greatest benefit of any given food on your shelf. Once a week after your shopping trip is all the time it takes to label your foods. You will never again stand in front of the fridge wondering if that container of yogurt is a better choice than a high-fiber, low-fat cookie. You will know which food choices are low in sugar, high in fiber, low in fat, or danger foods that you should eat only once in a while because you will have labeled it with an Easy Diet Label.

Easy Diet Labels make it easier to stay on track with your diet, no matter which diet plan you follow. Perfect for diabetics, the elderly who frequently forget to eat well and those on the latest diet food plan, Easy Diet Labels works with them all. Kids love them because they are colorful and easy to read, and they always know they are making “parent approved” snack choices just by looking at the label! Involve the kids into labeling the foods when you open your shopping bags, they will love sticking the labels on the packages and remember which foods are the good choices for them.

One of the most beneficial aspects of Easy Diet Labels is they allow you to label the “danger” foods – the ones you should eat only once in a while, but still want to have as a treat. The “Not on My Diet” labels allows you to label those foods that one member of the family insists on being in the house, but is a bad choice for you on your food plan.

Remember, good food choices begin with label reading and two of the ingredients to avoid in your food purchases are “partially hydrogenated oils” which are trans fats and “high fructose corn syrup.” Current ad campaigns aside, high fructose corn syrup is actually a preservative which keeps foods fresher longer. Unfortunately, this very common preservative made from corn is causing people’s waistlines to expand. Partially hydrogenated oils clog up your arteries with arterial plaque. Avoid these ingredients at all costs. Yes, you may have to give up some of your favorite products, but lately food companies have been listening to consumers and are rethinking and reengineering their food ingredients to meet the demand for healthier foods. Easy Diet Labels helps you label those products that are good for your heart, high in antioxidants and low in sugar. Truly by labeling your good food choices, no longer will you be standing in front of the cupboard wondering what to choose to stay on your diet and lead a healthier life.