Massage and a Facial Every 3,000 Miles

Rule #5 EAT GOOD FOOD. Oh my, there are so many studies and stories about food. There is mad cow disease so we are afraid of serving beef for dinner, there is bird flu so we think twice or three times before eating chicken. There’s mercury in fish, there are pesticides in veggies and fruits, and there’s salmonella in eggs. What can we eat? The answer is: EVERYTHING. However, eat in moderation. Stay away from fast food and packaged dinners; they are loaded with fats, sodium, and sugars. We get so busy with everyday life that we don’t think we have time to cook a nice meal. We want to buy fast food as a quick fix. This is okay maybe once a year but not once a week, much less once a day. Everybody likes their French fries now and then but eating such foods on a regular basis will very quickly take its toll. You do have time to cook a meal. I wrote a cookbook called CAMP COOKING IN THE ADIRONDACKS, which outlines six basic meals that are easy to prepare after being out all day hiking or skiing or golfing or rowing my boat. It translates well for working families who all arrive home hungry after work and school. Put the chicken in the oven, put the rice on, use frozen peas. While everything is cooking set the table, return a few phone calls, open your mail, and help your kids with their homework. When the meal is ready unplug the phone, light the candles, and all sit down together. Share the day with one another. You will be surprised at how rewarding this simple procedure is. Remember: good food should be savored and enjoyed. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, eat whole grains such as rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, and quinoa. Eat free-range chicken, fresh fish from a good market (locally grown if possible), beef, lamb, pork, elk, and duck. Eat potatoes – they’re loaded with vitamin K, which is good for your blood. I like to put butter on my potatoes but another great way to prepare them is sliced thick, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with garlic powder and herbs. Bake them at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Broccoli and mushrooms are loaded with antioxidants – so are blueberries and pink grapefruit. Antioxidants fight cancer. It is always good to fend off a lurking enemy. Garlic and hot pepper kill viruses and bacteria in your throat and gut. If you have a sore throat, take a tablespoon of hot sauce, such as Tabasco. Oh, you’ll find it makes your eyes water, but the sting will go away and you won’t get the cold. Also good to keep in mind is that there are two different kinds of cholesterol: High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) are good because they cleans the blood vessels. You get HDL from cold-water fish such as shrimp, lobster, and clams. Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) is the bad kind of cholesterol because it clogs the blood vessels. LDL is present in butter, cream, fat on steak, or anything cooked in fat such as chicken nuggets or French fries. I have a particular penchant for heavy cream on my oatmeal and blueberries, so I stay away from fatty steaks and fast food. It’s a worthwhile trade-off and it works because I keep my intake moderate. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” It’s an old wives tale but it’s true! The process of biting into the apple cleans the teeth and massages the gums. The tannic acid in the apple kills anaerobic bacteria that hide up in the gums and cause tooth decay and gum disease and, if virulent enough, can cause problems elsewhere. Apples contribute to overall health, which begins in the mouth. Sweets are a special problem. Our primordial instincts, remaining from our days as cavemen, make our bodies think, “Sweet means ripe,” so therefore it’s good for you. But sugar, especially manufactured sugar, is not good. Cut down on it. It adds unnecessary calories, causing weight gain. It causes blood vessels to corrode. It contributes to the causes of diabetes, which is a dreadful disease. Still, we crave sweets, so don’t always deprive yourself. Just limit the amount. Have a small cookie for dessert instead of a large piece of cake. I carry a bag on M&M’s with me most of the time. Three M&M’s will satisfy me after lunch or dinner. Sometimes I order a cup of hot chocolate. Now that’s satisfying!