Starting With The Man In The Mirror

Differences abound, and thank goodness. How boring our world would be if everyone were the same.

I’ve about had it with today’s news. The parade of conflict and discord is an exercise in stress management. Whatever happened to the ‘golden rule?’ Can’t we all play nice?

Differences abound, and thank goodness. How boring our world would be if everyone were the same. The same is true about our state, our city, our neighborhood, and our marriage. It takes many different ingredients to make a decent cake.

The trick with difference is to establish accord – a workable arrangement based upon understanding and cooperation. Differences lay at the heart of discord, and the best way to promote harmony is to acknowledge diversity and appreciate distinction. Ours is an ever increasingly pluralistic society that demands open-mindedness, tolerance, acceptance, and in some cases - change. It will be impossible to remain ‘United’ without concessions to unify. It’s not about winning and losing – it’s about collaboration and compromise – ‘doing unto others…’

That said, cooperation doesn’t mean compromising values and morals. It doesn’t mean surrendering standards or not taking a stand. There are values and standards worth fighting for – worth defending. Peace, love and freedom come to mind.

Mother Teresa said it well - Peace begins with a smile.

Maybe that’s it. We need more smiles, more laughs - more chumminess. There are no language barriers or cultural differences when it comes to smiling. In fact, in all my travels it seems that everyone smiles in the same language. And there is real power in a genuine smile. Perhaps smiling just may be the key to establishing accord. Regardless, it can’t hurt to try.

I have to admit that when I stand in front of the mirror my lighthearted look trumps my serious or sultry. Yes, I see some other features that could be changed; it takes a lot of work to maintain my rock hard six pack. (One day, I always say.) Each of us, regardless of our situation, status or background, can change to better health, better happiness, and better living.

Go ahead. Make that change.

5 Foods You Should Eat Every Day

There are some foods with such a strong link to disease prevention and a wealth of nutrients that it makes sense to eat them every day.

The wider the variety of the foods you eat, the better chance you have to get all the nutrients needed for good health. But there are some foods with such a strong link to disease prevention and a wealth of nutrients that it makes sense to eat them every day.

1. Oranges (or orange juice):

A great source of folic acid, fiber, antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C, and anti-cancer compounds flavonoids and carotenoids. Drink fresh orange juice, eat fresh oranges for snacks, make fruit salad with oranges, toss peeled orange sections into a spinach salad.

2. Dark Leafy Greens:

Full of anti-cancer compounds, vitamins and minerals. Contains folic acid to help prevent neural-tube birth defects, antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C, fiber, and anti-cancer compounds beta-carotene and lutein. Try spinach, collard greens, kale, turnip greens. Eat raw or lightly cooked. Use in salads and stir-fry.

3. Bran Cereal (or other rich source of wheat bran):

Prevents constipation, is a potent anti-cancer agent, prevents polyps, may fight breast cancer by diminishing estrogen supplies. Mix in with your other cereals, make bran muffins, sprinkle on salads, mix into casseroles, even eat out of hand with a mix of raisins and nuts.

4. Yogurt (low fat, with live cultures):

Supplies calcium to prevent osteoporosis, boosts immune function, fights bacteria, has anti-cancer properties, may prevent yeast infections. Make fruit and yogurt smoothies, top vanilla yogurt with fresh fruit and granola, use on baked potatoes instead of sour cream.

5. Soy:

Contains phyto-estrogens that may help relieve hot flashes and fight osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, anti-cancer activity may be antagonistic to breast cancer, source of high-quality protein. Eat as tofu, tempeh, soymilk or boiled soybeans. Add tofu to stir-fry, grill tempeh instead of burgers, use soybeans instead of pintos for refried beans. Add chilled cooked soybeans to salads, make bean soup with soybeans, use soymilk instead of cow's milk on cereal.

Welcome to CitiHealth

Welcome to the CitiHealth.com blog page, where we will be posting timely tips and ideas pertaining to Beauty, Fitness, Food, and Wellness.  

Here's our first tip:

Price of Healthier Foods Rising Drastically

Written by: Citihealth, Inc.

We've been concerned for a while now that healthy, low-calorie foods such as fruits and vegetables is so much costlier than the highly processed, high-calorie foods. And it doesn't look to improve any time soon. In fact, the situation is getting even worse. The December, 2007, issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reported that the prices of fresh fruit and vegetables and other low-calorie foods in the United States and Europe have jumped nearly 20 percent in the past two years, according to a University of Washington study. The result? A nutritious diet may be moving out of the reach of some consumers.

So, what do we do about it? The researchers concluded that we need to focus on large-scale changes such as revamping the U.S. Farm Bill, which is revised every five years. Congress had a chance to substantially reform the 2007 Farm Bill late last year and squandered it. As in the past, the bulk of the latest Farm Bill’s funding will support cheap food commodities such as corn, soybeans, wheat and rice rather than fruits and vegetables. What can you do about it? Urge your congressman to remain vigilant on this issue, as bills affecting food policy come up often. And in the meantime, support local fruit and vegetable growers at your nearby farmers’ market, where prices are often better than those in stores.