Tuesday 4 Food and Health and More!

 

Food and Health


Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4....

How we eat, drink and exercise are important to our health. Let's talk about it.

1. Do you believe you eat a healthy diet and what makes it healthy?

I try to eat a healthy well balanced diet.  I believe in the old fashioned food pyramid of a balance of fresh fruits, vegetables, protein/meats, whole grains, and some dairy in three different meals a day. I try to stay away from sugars and fats as much as possible, but I do prefer real butter to margarine if I am going to eat butter.   The only area I probably don't eat enough of is fruits and leafy green vegetables, although I try to eat fresh spinach in a salad every day for lunch, and I also try to eat an apple every day. I don't do well with citrus fruits as they are too acidic for my system, but I do love berries and melons in season. For supper tonight (actually a late lunch/early supper) we went out to eat with our Pastor and his wife to the new Longhorn's Steakhouse in the city near us.  I had the 6 oz. "Renegade Sirloin Steak", with a side salad and a baked sweet potato. It was very good and I feel like it was a healthy meal.

2. What sort of drinks do you have with meals or between meals. Does it include enough water?

I drink a cup of hot tea in the morning and then a cup of water with breakfast. I usually have a glass of unsweet iced tea for lunch and drink water for supper. I try to drink several glasses of water throughout the day in between meals. In the winter months I may have a cup of hot tea in the afternoon, and sometimes, like tonight, if it is chilly, I may drink a cup of hot Ovaltine in the evening before bedtime. *Ovaltine is not like real chocolate, which I can't drink, and it has more vitamins and minerals in it and less caffeine and sugar than hot chocolate.*  I do NOT drink Sodas at all, except maybe a root beer float in the summertime. I don't do well with high caffeine or sugared drinks at all. I do not drink any form of alcohol.  It does not agree with me and therefore I do not agree with it! LOL.  I also do not drink coffee...same reason! LOL.

I fill up this 24 oz.Tervis Tumbler several times a day with ice water and take it with me everywhere I go. The key is to remember to always bring it back home with me! It's been left in some funny places, but thankfully I always manage to find it.

3. Do you enjoy snacks throughout the day and what kind do you enjoy?

I do not eat many snacks throughout a normal day. I will only eat a dessert when there is a special occasion and there is a good pie or cake that needs to be eaten. LOL. Sometimes I bake cookies and I will eat a couple while baking them when they are still warm. I bake them for hubby, who loves them with a cup of milk for his snack. I do not tolerate sweets well at all, and cannot eat chocolate (except maybe a small piece of dark chocolate, but only one!) Sometimes I eat some crackers with cheese or peanut butter. Oftentimes my "bedtime snack" is one piece of bread with peanut butter on it, or a bowl of yogurt with granola and fresh fruit when I have it.

4. How do you make sure you get enough vitamins and minerals in your diet?

Our Doctor has put us on a special vitamin called "Two Per Day Multivitamin" from Life Extension Co.  Our Doctor's office actually gives to them to us free so we will not have any excuse for not taking them. Although I will admit I usually only take one per day, as I think that is enough based on the percentages. So far my labs are always good so I'm not worried about it.   But again, I try to eat right and eat a well balanced diet so that I will get what I need from my food.  

Thank you, Annie, for these interesting questions today!  You can join in Here if you want to play along with the rest of us each Tuesday!

Now, earlier I was reading one of my favorite blogging friends, Aritha, who lives in the Netherlands. I have to use the language translator to read her blog as it is written in Dutch. But I enjoy her posts so much and find that we have a lot in common even  though we live across the ocean from each other.

  

This was on her post today (Monday, when I am writing my post), and I found it an interesting little exercise and thought I'd share it with you along with my answers to the questions:

From my friend Aritha at "Moments, Frozen in Time, on her post Happy Cold Monday"

"Yes, a mindful exercise against worry. This 54321 exercise can be done in many different ways. This one is nice:

See five things : Name five things in your environment that you can see. Pay attention to the details of these objects.
Feeling four things : Name four things you can feel right now, such as the texture of your clothes, the air on your skin or the ground under your feet.
Hearing three things : Identify three sounds around you. Maybe it's sounds from the environment, such as birdsong or traffic.
Smell two things : Name two smells you notice, whether they are subtle or strong.
Tasting one thing : Consider what you are tasting at that moment or, if you don't taste anything, think about your last meal and try to remember that taste."

My Answers:  

5 See: 

1)Although it is dark outside, I can see the lights across Still Waters Pond through the darkness.

2) Pictures/photographs on my wall, some of which I have photographed myself. 

3)My computer screen as I type 

4)Pamela's Victorian Cottage to my left (dollhouse) 

5) my little bookshelf with special books and pictures that are meaningful to me.

Here is the unretouched real picture of what I just described above. Yes, I probably should have cleaned up a few messes before taking this picture. Now you see the REAL "uncensored" "Room with a View"  LOL. This is where I work and read and write and dream and scheme...

4 Feel: 

1)The keys on the keyboard as I type this, 

2) my feet resting on the iron bar under my desk, which is an old "White" sewing machine table  that I repurposed. (see photo on right)

 3)my soft, warm flannel shirt around my neck and shoulders 

4)the comfy cushion in the seat of my desk chair as I sit here typing. 

3)Hear 

1) The TV in the other room where my husband is watching it 

2) ringing in my ears like little crickets (tinnitus?) 

3) The keys clicking on my keyboard as I type. 

2 Smell: 

1)Warm Ovaltine in my cup that I just drank 

2)The fresh lemony citrusy fragrance of Tea Tree Verbena hand soap on my hands from recent washing. 

1: Taste: 1)I can still taste the Ovaltine and warm milk in my mouth. It was good and comforting on a damp, chilly evening..

*Ovaltine is 99.9% Caffeine Free! 

I enjoyed doing this little "54321" exercise, and thought maybe you would too. Thank you, Aritha, for sharing it with us. I hope you don't mind that I have borrowed it to share with everyone here in my blogworld.

Here's a good Scripture verse to sum up all of the above questions and answers:

1 Corinthians 10:31

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

And my "Strength" verse for today:

Psalm 73:26

"My flesh and my heart fail;

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Amen!