Pumpkin Tales

October is the month most of us associate with pumpkins. Yet few of us know much about this enduring symbol of autumn. Time to learn.

It’s common knowledge today’s corn was first cultivated in Mexico as maize around 4500 BCE.

However Mexican peoples were eating pumpkin long before that, as early as 7000 to 5500 BCE.

Mexican pumpkin was one of the world’s first cultivated plants.

Pumpkins are a fruit, not a vegetable, because anything starting from a flower is a fruit, and the pumpkin has beautiful yellow flowers. Its flowers are a delicacy in themselves. Fried pumpkin flowers are a common breakfast meal especially in the South.

The greatest majority of pumpkins grown in the United States come from Illinois. Illinois farmer Sarah Frey is called the “Pumpkin Queen of America”.

She gets her queen title by selling over five million pumpkins annually from her pumpkin plantation in southern Illinois not far from where Ron grew up.

The United States produces a million tons of pumpkin yearly. China produces 1/3 of the world’s pumpkins at 7.7 tons yearly.

Check the menu if you visit China. You might be surprised.

Some of remember getting bowl haircuts from our parents when we were young. In earlier times, there was no waste of a bowl.

New Englanders used to be nicknamed “pumpkin heads” because a local law required them to cut their hair short around a pumpkin rind.

Use the name sparingly in today’s times. Since the days of Opie and Andy Griffith, “pumpkin head” has come to be known as an idiot or fool. Gomer and Goober were pumpkin heads.

The pumpkin is one of the world’s most nutritious foods.

Practically every part of the pumpkin, including the fleshy shell, the seeds, the leaves, and the flowers, is edible with high nutritional value.

Get the full scoop by clicking on the link immediately below.

Pumpkin: Nutrition, Benefits, How to Eat

But of course, there’s a dark side to every silver lining.


A Horse is a Horse,

Of Course Of Course…

Hey there. Remember me?

You watched my tv show weekly from 1961-1966.

Remember how smart I was?

Well, I was smart enough to start using the Bemer microcirculation device for horses when it came out a few years ago, and I’m smarter than ever, all while being almost 70 years old.You know, there’s a human version for the Bemer microcirculation device too.

Can’t guarantee you’ll become as smart as me, but you might want to take a look at it.

My good friend, Donna, will be glad to arrange for you to test it out.

Sincerely,

Mr. Ed


 

Pump(kin) Yourself Up by Avoiding These Common Ingredients

Learning to read labels can seem like a daunting task if you’re just getting started, but with practice, it will eventually come like second nature to you.

Here is a list of 15 common ingredients that you want to avoid.

  • Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
  • Artificial Food Coloring
  • Nitrates and Nitrites
  • Guar Gum
  • High-Fructose Corn Syrup
  • Artificial Sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, saccharin and acesulfame potassium)
  • Carrageenan
  • Sodium Benzoate
  • Trans Fat and Partially Hydrogenated Oils
  • Xanthan Gum
  • Artificial Flavoring
  • Yeast Extract
  • Brominated vegetable oil (BVO)
  • Potassium Chloride
  • Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)

Label reading takes a little practice, but it’s well worth it. And then before you know it, you’ll be looking at labels and putting certain foods right back on the store shelf without even thinking about it. And, if you have kids, it’s never too early to teach them too!

 

Click Here for Ways to Reduce Your Intake of Food Additives


It’s Pumpkin Time!!!

According to the American Heart Association, men should consume no more than 9 teaspoons/36 grams of added sugar per day and women should consume no more than 6 teaspoons/25 grams of added sugar per day.

Did you know a grande Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks has 50 grams of sugar? You should try this tasty, yet healthy alternative instead!

 

So what has the State of Kansas contributed to the world which has reached practically every corner of our planet?

 

Sunflowers, you say? WRONG! The greatest majority of sunflowers in the world are grown in Russia and Ukraine.

 

 

Nope, Kansas changed the world by introducing the Icee (aka Slurpee).

 

The Icee was invented in 1958 by Omar Knedlik, a Dairy Queen owner in Coffeyville KS in the very southeast corner of the state on the Kansas-Oklahoma state line. (For more senior readers, you may remember the Dalton Gang. That group of desperados made Coffeyville their home base.)

 

 

Omar’s soda machine broke down, and he began placing bottles of soda in his freezer to keep them cold.

He began selling bottles of the soda which would instantly turn to slush once opened.

The frozen soda became popular with his customers, and the Icee was born.

Omar brainstormed with a lady friend in Coffeyville, and they came up with the name Icee together. His hometown friend then created the Icee logo still used today.

Omar invented and patented the first Icee machine made from a car air conditioning unit, and the rest is history.

In the mid-1960’s, the Southland Corporation, owner of 7-11 convenience stores, took notice of the popularity of the Icee and negotiated a licensing agreement for using the machines in its stores.

 

The marketing executives at 7-11 saw a win-win by changing the Icee name to Slurpee based on the slurping sound people make when drinking the beverage and by marketing off the sound.

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, Slurpee had its own song/jingle, which rivalled the Ozempic and Jardiance earworms of today.


Listen at your own peril.

 

Last year almost 170 million Slurpees were sold in 7-11 stores. One day every July, all 7-11 stores worldwide offer free Slurpees.

Additionally, over 500 million Icees were sold worldwide in 2023.

But none of the 670 million slushes sold last year offered even a single gram of whole food nutrition.

Mankind will not survive on Icees/Slurpees alone.

 


 

Also, Did You Know?

 

Did you know there are a greater percentage of thoroughbred horses (against the total race horse population in the U.S. of 1.1 million) than people (against the total U.S. human population) using the Bemer?

Most racing thoroughbreds in the United States use microcirculation devices as part of their training regimen, and Bemer is the overwhelming favorite microcirculation device amongst trainers.

Bemers are legal for the general health of the horse, just not allowed to mask pain from injuries.

Check out the very short video below for an understanding of the equine Bemer.


 

6 Keys To Making Lasting Changes To Your Health

 


Do you ever feel like it’s easy to start making healthier changes, but it’s hard to continue long term or life gets in the way? Here are 6 keys to making lasting changes to your health!

  1. Take time for yourself daily. Even if it’s 2 minutes to focus on the positive things in your life. You can even write down 1 or 2 things in a gratitude journal to start your day off right or keep it by your bedside to write in just before you go to bed.
  2. Nourish your mind and body. Fuel your body with good nutrition, lots of fruits and veggies and keep feeding your mind with positive thoughts.
  3. Move more! Our bodies are made to move, even if it’s a 10 minute walk around the block or 15 minutes of stretches.
  4. Take a moment to reflect and feel these changes. Take notice of how good you feel when you are taking care of yourself.
  5. Inspire others. It can be difficult to get started, so make it easier for someone else by bringing them with you on your health journey. Inspiring others will also inspire you!
  6. Create a community. Surround yourself with like minded people. It’s so much easier to keep healthy changes when you have a community to cheer each other on.

 

 

Berries and Lemon Cream Parfait (Serves 4)

This light fresh dessert can be prepared in a matter of minutes. Elegant enough for company.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup each of blackberries, raspberries and strawberries or (any berries you like)

One 8 oz. container of Greek yogurt 1%

1 cup Kefir, plain

3-4 tbs. Lemon curd, Dickinson’s or Stonewall kitchen – (in jelly section of most grocery stores and certainly at a specialty store)

One 1/2 tbs. chopped candied ginger

1/4 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

Mint for garnish (and toasted coconut or Go Lean cereal if you like on top)

Gently mix berries in a medium bowl and set aside.

Mix yogurt, kefir, lemon curd and ginger until blended. Adjust amount of lemon curd based on how lemony you want your cream to taste. Layer parfait starting with lemon curd, followed by berries and repeat ending with lemon curd. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, or if just for family sprinkle Go Lean cereal on top. Garnish with mint.

Thomas Jefferson….one of our greatest Presidents. Maybe greater than you thought or could drop a bit when you hear this news.

Thomas Jefferson introduced french fries to America in 1802, at the time he was the third President of the United States, when he served them at a White House dinner. He became a fan of fries years earlier when he was living in France as American Ambassador.

Being we are in between June 22nd’s National Onion Ring Day and July 12th’s National French Fry Day, it seems appropriate to give equal time to the onion ring, the french fry’s junior sister.

Crisco (Remember grandma having it under the kitchen sink?), hydrogenated oil in solid form introduced to replace animal lard in 1911, and which turned out to be only marginally healthier, promoted a recipe for onion rings in a 1931 marketing campaign.

It was a very successful marketing campaign, and onion rings were here to satisfy our American cravings from then on.

Fries versus onion rings?

The typical American consumes 40 pounds of fries and 20 pounds of onion rings annually, an interesting ratio since onion rings hold twice the grease of fries.

Studies have been conducted where participants abstain from eating fries/onion rings for a whole year, achieve significant weight loss and have a healthier heart. Why are so many irresistible foods unhealthy?

But there is a workaround.

With the skyrocketing price of fast food fries and onion rings these days, you can both save a ton of money and eat these popular foods in a healthier way by popping them in your toaster oven or air fryer (or even a regular oven) and enjoying them grease free.


 

Sharpen Your Brain

Wrote this month’s HH Tips in a matter of minutes thanks to this new product.

 

JUICE PLUS+ LUMINATE


 

Bemer Me Up

Call or text Donna 949.463.0520, and she’ll set you up with a demonstration wherever you are.

BEMER 2.0 – THE EVO


 

Summer’s Here – Hydrate

 

About 20% of daily fluid intake usually comes from food and the rest from drinks.

So, how much water should we be drinking this summer? Check out the chart below from the National Academy of Medicine.

Click here for more information and more ways to stay hydrated.

1- 3 years 4 cups, or 32 ounces
4-8 years 5 cups, or 40 ounces
9-13 years 7-8 cups, or 56-64 ounces
14-18 years 8-11 cups, or 64-88 ounces
Men, 19 and older 13 cups, or 104 ounces
Women, 19 and older 9 cups, or 72 ounces
Pregnant women 10 cups, or 80 ounces
Breastfeeding women 13 cups, or 104 ounces

 

 

 

Did you see Jerry Seinfeld’s new Netflix movie, “Unfrosted”?

Told the story of the cereal wars in Battle Creek, Michigan in the 1960s in humorous but fictional fashion.

Now for the real story.

 

 

Did you know America’s love for cold cereal started with the 7th Day Adventist Church? Headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan at the time, the church placed an emphasis on diet and health, including a regimen of plant-based foods.

The church opened the Battle Creek Sanitarium, world-renowned health resort with 1,300 guest rooms, in the late 1800s. It had a nickname of “Little Chicago” considering a large percentage of guests came from the nearby big city.

The sanitarium was managed by surgeon, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, a last name you are surely familiar with.

Dr. Kellogg began experimenting on a healthy alternative to the American breakfast diet of the times…meat, eggs and potatoes.

Near the turn of the century, he created a wheat flakes cereal right there at the sanitarium for guests to enjoy.

There was soon a falling out between John and his brother, Will Keith (W.K.), who had partnered with John in opening a cereal business.

John was into health; W.K. was in to profits. W.K. developed a cheaper version of the cereal, using corn instead of wheat, and John said “I’m out!”

Kellogg’s Corn Flakes hit the market in 1899.

 

One of the guests at the sanitarium, Charles William (C.W.) Post, must have held a glass to a door, because he soon thereafter introduced Post Grape Nuts, which were neither grapes nor nuts, but grain pulverized into small chucks with a grinder.

He is pictured above with his young daughter, Marjorie Post, who replaced C.W. as principal in their cereal business at age 26 after his passing in 1914.

Marjorie, 44-year owner and managing director of Post, became immensely wealthy.

Perhaps her biggest claim to fame came posthumously. Her estate sold Mar-A-Lago, her long-time residence, to Donald Trump.

Kellogg’s and Post became the two titans in Battle Creek, which became known as the “Cereal Capitol of the World”. Because cold cereal was so easy and cheap to make, over 100 competitor companies flooded the town in the first 25 years of the 20th Century.

Some tried to produce knock-off products. Some just bought cereal off the shelves and repackaged it.

That reflects how in a few decades cereal took over morning breakfasts. People were gravitating from farms to factories. Suddenly they were on the clock, needed to eat fast and get out of the house.

Let’s take a hall of fame stroll through the most popular new cereals by decade.

1920s – Wheaties

Famous from the outset for highlighting famous athletes on its boxes, for many years with early Olympian, Bob Richards.

Chose to highlight a more recent box in the series, the Bruce Jenner box. Who would have ever imagined the future of Bruce (Caitlyn).

1930’s – Cheerios

Cheeri Oats, as they were first known, became the king of the cereal hall of fame, ultimately the most consumed cold cereal in the world.

1940s – Rice Krispies

The three mascots of the cereal, Snap, Crackle and Pop, were so effective at selling the cereal to kids that, from then on, mascots became an essential part of cereal marketing.

1950s – Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes

Did you know the voice of Tony the Tiger (“They’re Great!”) was Thurl Ravencroft, who sang many Disney songs and “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”?

In the 1980s and 1990s, he was the narrator for the Pageant of the Masters summer art pageant in Laguna Beach.

1960s to Present – Crap

Ironic that the cold cereal business was started as a healthy breakfast alternative and turned into a swampland of sugary diabetes-promoting slop.

The good news is many Americans are giving a side eye to whole milk and sugar.

With the exception of the height of the pandemic, ready-to-eat cereals have been declining in sales about 4% a year in recent years.


 

Donna Enjoying Bemer 2.0

We’ve had our new-generation Bemer Evo set for over month now.

Same benefits as the first-generation Bemer, but more powerful and with several new applications.

All of the applicators are more powerful for more targeted microcirculation. The new B-Body pad has sixteen coils versus six in the original Bemer.

Also, there is now a Beauty Pack, two infrared lights for skin therapy, including a light for skin issues such as acne and another for deep skin cleansing which can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

Check it out in this link:

BEMER 2.0 – THE EVO


 

Familiar with Prevagen or Neuriva or Other Brain Boost Supplements?

Introducing Juice Plus+ Luminate, a WHOLE FOOD Alternative

The powerful whole food ingredients in Juice Plus+ Luminate help with mental energy, alertness, focus and help you adapt to physical, mental and environmental stressors.

Check it out in this link:

JUICE PLUS+ LUMINATE


Brain Exercises

Research has shown there are many ways you can help your brain stay healthy. Here are 13 evidence-based exercises that offer the best brain-boosting benefits.

  • Jigsaw puzzles
  • Play cards
  • Build your vocabulary
  • Dance
  • Use all your senses at once
  • Learn a new skill
  • Teach a new skill to someone else
  • Listen to or play music
  • Take a new route
  • Meditate
  • Learn a new language
  • Take up tai chi
  • Focus on another person

Find more detailed info here.

 

We all feel comfortable talking about Intelligent Quotient (IQ) scores. but where do they come from and what do they tell us?

There have been many attempts to measure human intelligence over the years, but the one ultimately seen as the standard measure is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS).

David Wechsler (seen above) developed and refined the scale over many years (1937-1967) as Chief Psychologist at the famous Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital in New York City.

The WAIS scale was first introduced in 1957 and had several improvements over the years. If your great great grandpa bragged about his IQ score, he was fibbing. No one knew their IQ score before 1957. IQ scores for people back in history are extrapolations, not of course direct measures.

100 +/- 15 points on the scale is average intelligence, which is adequate for most of us. The lowest IQ score ever recorded was a 20, which represents extremely developmental. Anyone at or above a score of 130 is bright enough to be in the top 1 percent of intelligence in the world’s population. Anyone above 160 is considered a genius. There is no upper maximum to the scale.

Intellectual intelligence is solely based on genetics. To date, no intelligence genes have been identified, so you are as smart as you are ever going to be. No upgrades currently possible.

As an interesting side note, celebrities past and present never seem to crack 160 genius. There are some exceptionally intelligent ones out there such as Martha Stewart, Snoop Dogg, Jodie Foster and Matt Damon, but they don’t quite ring the bell at the top of the carnival strongman strike scale.

 

So let’s take a quick look at some of the most intelligent humans who ever lived starting with Cleopatra.

Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt for 30 years, highly educated for her time, had an estimated IQ of 180. She was fluent in 12 languages. History tells us she had major influence over the Roman Empire.

 

Leonardo da Vinci had an estimated IQ between 180 and 220.

With skills ranging from art and science to music and architecture, da Vinci didn’t just work in different fields—he excelled at them.

 

Over the course of his lifetime, William Shakespeare completed 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two narrative poems, and a variety of other poems, all with the help of a 210 IQ.

Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American inventor—and arch-rival of Thomas Edison—reportedly had an estimated IQ falling somewhere between 160 and 310, depending on the measure.

Nikola invented the Tesla coil, precursor to alternating current (AC) electricity. He also had a brand of electric cars named after him.

 

Albert Einstein, the greatest theoretical physicist of the 20th century, had a measly little old genius IQ of 160.

He also was recognized for having extremely high emotional intelligence, which he used in supporting many humanitarian and social sciences agenda.

Maybe his intellectual brain needed to leave space for his social brain.

 

And finally in our sample, Marilyn Vos Savant, born in St. Louis in 1946 and still with us, who for many years held the Guinness Book of Records record of world’s highest IQ of 226.

Marilyn dropped out of college, as many contemporary genius-level people have done. Maybe some geniuses are so smart that they don’t believe they need college.

Marilyn gravitated toward medical sciences. She married Robert Jarvik (one of the co-developers of the Jarvik-7 artificial heart) and was made Chief Financial Officer of Jarvik Heart, Inc., a post she held for many years.

She is most well know for her “Ask Marilyn” magazine column appearing in Parade and other publications from 1986 to 2022.

Imagine what these geniuses could have accomplished if they had access to the new Juice Plus+ Illuminate to enhance their mental energy, clarity and focus through specially formulated plant-based nutrition.

We’ll introduce you to Illuminate and what it can do for you in our next monthly Tips.


 

What, We Have No Tomatoes?

Are you one of those travelers who feels guilty returning from Arizona or Nevada with fruit or vegetables in your car as you pass through the California Agricultural Border Checkpoint?

Since they most of the time wave us through without even speaking to us, many of us don’t have to admit our transgressions. Yep, we’ve done it ourselves.

With agriculture being a mega-industry in California, the state is ever diligent regarding agricultural products coming in from other states and countries, inspecting at every port of entry to guard against diseases and blight which could cause major economic damage.

And now that diligence has extended to Tower Garden seedlings shipped from other states. Beginning April 1 each calendar year, tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings may no longer be shipped into California until the following January 1. (Eggplant, no loss.)

if you miss the April 1 deadline, you go back to the old fashioned way…

buying seeds at Home Depot and growing your own seedlings under warm sunshine through an exterior window.

With Southern California weather so crappy this spring, we delayed our seedling orders and had to go the seeds to seedling route. All is good. Our Tower Garden tomato seedlings are taking hold. Just an extra step this year when the sun don’t shine in California.

Watch the video below if you’d like to refresh yourself on the Tower Garden and the produce it can grow in your back yard or on your patio.


To Your Poison-Free Health

 

The Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list highlights produce items most heavily contaminated with pesticides, emphasizing the need for caution.

By cultivating your own fruits and vegetables or opting for organic varieties, you can significantly reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals linked to various health concerns, including developmental issues in children, hormone disruption, and increased risk of certain diseases.

Prioritizing organic and homegrown foods not only supports your health but also promotes sustainable agricultural practices, ensuring a safer and more environmentally friendly food system for future generations.

Find out more about EWG’s Shopper’s Guide Here


 

Vacationing with the Bemer

 

We haven’t been able to travel much in recent years because of family obligations. But we do hit the road regularly for Palm Springs, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

And any road trip (or occasional flight) we’re on includes the Bemer.

We plug the Bemer console into the charging outlet under the dashboard and cruise down the highway with our neck and back receiving microcirculation all the way.

When we arrive at our destination, the Bemer comes inside our lodging and is there for us to receive electromagnetic therapy just as we do daily at home.

Check out this article on Vacationing with the BEMER 

 

Here we are right in the middle of the annual March Madness college basketball tournaments. Historically the men’s tournament was the big daddy, but we’re heading into an era where both men’s and women’s tournaments garner premiere attention.

A women’s tournament game featuring Caitlin Clark, a generationally talented female athlete from the University of Iowa, set an all-time women’s viewing record this past Monday evening.

For those of you who don’t follow college basketball, consider it a teaching lesson for you.

For our household, it reflects are own special madness.

As first generation college graduates in our families, we fell in love with our schools.

Donna fell so in love with the University of Kansas, she stayed for a second degree, which gave her more time to camp outside the basketball arena on cold winter nights for the opportunity to see her team.

Ron fell in love with two schools, first the University of Illinois and then the University of Washington through a teaching assistantship which brought him to the West Coast.

For years beyond his maturity, his residences were full of college team spirit gear, some classy but most suggesting he was emotionally still living in his teens.

For decades, even though both of us were living in Southern California large distances from our colleges, we followed our teams faithfully in the best ways we could.

We kept our faith through scouring the LA sports pages for scores and news. We’d pull out our transistor radios (remember those?) when a rare opportunity came up to listen to a game. And if we were really lucky, and the rabbit ears or later cable tv afforded us a special treat maybe once every couple of years with a televised game, we were right there watching.

 

For years, we had limited opportunity to follow the colleges we loved.

But in the past year or two, we’ve begun to experience a brand new wonderful world.

Cable + streaming + 4k TV + sound bars + every game of our schools telecast somewhere across the spectrum = bliss.

Games for all teams record on demand for us. With YouTube TV, we can click “key plays” and see a whole game in minutes when we don’t have the time to watch it live or in full.

We will be ready tonight when Ron’s Illinois Fighting Illini hit the court back in Boston attempting to move from the final 16 to the final 8 in the men’s tournament.

 

Our son, Hunter, graduated from a major university with sports teams a few years ago.

Think the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree? Guess again.

He only knows and cares about one sport, which he plays with his hands.

Donna and I are mad, but not about the products we represent.

Both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Association of College Athletes (NCAA) encourage whole food nutrition and microcirculation therapy for its college athletes.


Whole Food Vs. Multivitamins

  • 70% of Americans are trying to fill gaps with a multivitamin
  • A multivitamin only has a few isolated nutrients
  • An apple has approximately 10,000 PHYTONUTRIENTS working in synergy
  • Research shows that isolated vitamins may do more harm than good

ANNALS of INTERNAL MEDICINE. DEC 2013

Click Here for More on Juice Plus+ Vs. Vitamin and Mineral Supplements


Salad in a Jar

Not only are salads in a jar sustainable,

they are delicious and easy too!!

Click Here For A Priintable Version

Most everybody knows 2024 is a Leap Year, when this coming week we add February 29 to our calendar.

Leap Year occurs every 4 years in the year evenly divisible by 4.

Since we get an extra day this coming week, it seems appropriate to share how we got to the Leap.

Until the time of Christ there was no Leap Year or Day.

In pre-history, we as people just knew the four seasons.

We knew the equinoxes, the days when the daylight and nighttime hours were equal, using structures we built to pinpoint those days through the positioning of the sun.

Stonehenge is a famous example of early calendar tools.

 

There were other primitive solar/lunar calendars in the centuries before the time of Christ, but all were primitive approximations.

The first widely adopted Western calendar was the Julian calendar, the first strictly solar calendar, through an edict from Julius Caesar on January 1, 45 BC.

He added a Leap Day every four years, but all months, by custom in the Roman Empire, had to be even numbered. The month of February continued to have 28 days, but on Leap Year, February 24 was repeated to account for the extra day.

If you were born on February 28 of a Leap Year, you got to have a 48-hour birthday every four years.

The Julian calendar worked well for a while. Still over the course of almost 600 years, the Julian calendar overcalculated by roughly 11 days. The vernal equinox had moved from March 21 to April 2.

No self-respecting Pope could allow that to continue, so in October 1582 Pope Gregory XIIII introduced the more refined Gregorian calendar, which is the standard calendar in the world today.

Pope Gregory replaced two February 24ths in the Julian Leap Year calendar with a new day, February 29, as Leap Day on the Gregorian calendar.

Pope Gregory got his monk mathematician star power to work, and they calculated a calendar year at 365.2422 days instead of the 365.25 days in the Julian calendar. That took care of some of the 11 day overage in the Julian calendar, but still we would be a little off without a further adjustment.

Strain your brain to the maximum to get this: Once every 400 years, there is a Century Year with a Leap Day. That is the Century Year divisible by 400.

All other Century Years will not be Leap Years.

The Century Year 2000 was a Leap Year (2000/400=500), The Century Year 2100 will not be a Leap Year (2100/4000=5.25).

The next Century Years to be Leap Years will be 2400, 2800, 3200.

By then most of us living likely will be on Mars instead of Earth, so the calculations will be meaningless.

That’s it. The most perfect calendar except for the occasional need to add a Leap Second in some years. We let the atomic clock take care of that.

Of course, as we well know these days, human beings can be prone to suspicions and conspiracy theories, and we have some about the calendar too.

In Ireland and England, for instance, it is a tradition that women may propose marriage in Leap Years. (Hopefully, we are past that one year every four years limitation!)

In Finland, the tradition is if a man refuses a woman’s proposal on Leap Day, he has to buy her a skirt. (Might want to up the stakes on that a bit to maybe buying her a car.)

In Greece, marriage in a Leap Year is considered unlucky. One in five engaged couples in Greece will plan to avoid a wedding in a Leap Year.

Fortunately, there are no Leap Year or Leap Day prohibitions on taking whole food supplements or using a microcirculation device. Leap Days are just bonus days for better health.


 

Eliminating Toxins from Our Food

 

Now that we have your attention, it’s crucial to recognize the significant rise in environmental toxins over recent generations, including microplastics found in our food, water, and air. While we strive to reduce exposures, it’s not always feasible, and our bodies require support to efficiently eliminate these toxins.

Accumulation of toxins can lead to various health issues such as autoimmune diseases, fertility issues, including low sperm count even in young men, brain fog, allergies, cancer, thyroid disorders and more. Toxins are also sadly found in 99.9% of pregnant women.

Please watch the video below featuring Dr. Tamara Sachs, for more information on where these toxins come from and find out how and why to detox with plants!


 

Meditating for a Healthy Heart

Problem: During stressful situations at work or home, the release of stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine can lead to increased heart rates and blood pressure, contributing to cardiovascular stress and potentially severe health issues such as kidney damage, heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes—leading causes of death in America.

Solution: Meditation activates the body’s “rest-and-digest” functions, countering the “fight-or-flight” response. Incorporating meditation into your daily routine has been associated with lower heart rate and blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart disease. Take a breath and remember to do something for yourself every day.

Whether that is carving a little time out to relax or unwind, taking a bath in the evening, scheduling a yoga class, waking up 5 minutes early to drink your coffee alone, or curling up with a good book. When you take care of yourself, you are also better able to take care of others.

Free meditation resources are readily available on platforms such as YouTube or you can download a meditation app on your phone. We use an app named Calm and highly recommend it. There is both a free version and a subscription version which runs about $60 a year. You can download it to your phone or through any streaming platform.

Discover how meditation benefits your heart, body, and mind for overall well-being.


 

It’s a Three-Peat for the Stoffels!

We’re ordering a third Bemer for our household this month, this time the new Bemer Evo with enhanced electromagnetic pulse and new features, including a dedicated LED light for facial repair, including acne.

And the best news is the new model has a lower basic price than the original Bemer.

We’ll give you a personal review after we have a chance to experience it.

 

 


Heart Healthy Dessert (or Breakfast) Hack

Treat yourself guilt-free with a delicious Banana Split made with yogurt or a plant-based alternative (preferably unsweetened), topped with your favorite berries, nuts, granola, coconut, or any other toppings you desire!

Better yet, make it for yourself and savor every bite of this wholesome treat!

OK, it’s three weeks into the new year. Did you make any New Year’s resolutions, and if so, how are you doing with them?

If you made resolutions, where are you on the frown smile scale?

Most of us unfortunately are on the declining frown face side of the graph.

Only 9% of Americans make resolutions and keep them. 23% quit by the end of the first week. 43% more quit by the end of January. There is actually a “Quitters Day”, January 17 every year, when over half our resolutions collectively have vaporized.

What, according to USA Today this month, are the eight most popular American resolutions, in order?

  1. Exercise more
  2. Eat healthier
  3. Lose weight
  4. Save more money
  5. Spend more time with friends and family
  6. Spend less time on social media
  7. Reduce job stress
  8. Reduce spending on living expenses

 

 

And what two resolutions are abandoned first for most of us by Quitters Day?

Exercise more and eat healthier.

Just sayin’. Most of us need help maintaining healthy bodies year-round.

When Ozempic becomes as commonplace as orthodontia, a lot of us will be happy with our thinness. But without exercise and whole food nutrition, thinness will be like an M&M….solid on the outside but soft underneath.


 

A New Year’s Resolution You Might Be Able to Keep

 

Jumpstart your health in just 10 days with Juice Plus+ Shred10!

This dynamic program encourages clean eating, hydration, exercise, and quality sleep to jumpstart positive habits. Whether you’re aiming for increased energy, weight management, or overall health improvement, Shred10 provides a supportive framework for your goals.

 

Join our community challenge on February 5, 2024, to boost your health and shred old habits that no longer serve you well. Contact me for more information and the written guidelines or text “jumpstart” to 901-850-3000 to join in!

 

Now through March 31, 2024, get 20 FREE single-serve sachets of Complete shake mix with a new trio purchase of Juice Plus+ Essentials Fruit, Vegetable, and Berry Blend capsules or all four with Omega Blend. (Exclusive offer for new orders only shipped within the United States. Excludes Healthy Starts.)

Join us for 10 days of mindful living and experience a healthier, more vibrant you! See more about what Juice Plus+ and the SHRED10 has to offer below!


Peanut Butter/Banana/Chocolate Muffins

 

Are you looking for a tasty, protein packed, healthy,

Shred10 friendly snack?

TRY THIS DELICIOUS RECIPE


Don’t Just Focus on 2024, How about a Lifetime Health Resolution

By this time, most all of you have heard of the BEMER microcirculation device.

We made a resolution seven years ago this month to commit to the BEMER and regularly use it.

We have used our BEMER practically daily at home and even when we are out of our routine and traveling, both in the car while driving and when visiting others or in hotel rooms and resorts, for business or leisure.

You can multitask while using it, as it is a passive tool that works for you in the background, even while sleeping.

This was one resolution that easily carried over from 2017 to subsequent years and promises to extend for years to come.

If you don’t recall any past sharing about the device, click on the logo above and get a full understanding of what it is and how it contributes to better health.

 


 

Start to Use the Right Onion in 2024

Sweet Onion: It’s best for onion rings, gratins, roasted vegetables, and frying.

Red Onion: It’s best for eating raw, making guacamole, salads, and sandwiches.

White Onion: It’s best for salsas, chutneys, and stir-fries: it is the crunchiest onion.

Yellow Onion: It’s best for general cooking, meat roasts, sauces, soups, and stews.

Shallot: It’s best for vinaigrettes, egg casseroles, and garnishes; it is the mildest onion.

 

Some of you may have already seen our 2023 family holiday greeting with the Marilyn Monroe theme.

Seems appropriate this month to address a common misconception about Marilyn and Christmas.

Many of us associate Marilyn Monroe with the classic Christmas song “Santa Baby”.

 

Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Ariana Grande, Gwen Stefani, and Trisha Yearwood, among many others, have covered this perennial holiday favorite over the years. It was a featured song on Taylor Swift’s 2007 Christmas album.

But the consensus best version of “Santa Baby” was by the entertainer the song was written for in 1953, a sultry singer of the 50s and 60s, Eartha Kitt.

Perhaps because Marilyn Monroe was a famous celebrity when the song came out and because as years pass, our memories get fuzzy, it’s assumed by most of us Marilyn sang “Santa Baby”.

Marilyn did have a hit song in 1953 for the movie “Gentleman Prefer Blondes”. The song: “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”. It is questionable, however, how much of the singing is her real voice.

Marilyn did not sing “Santa Baby”. She was probably saving her voice for “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” nine years later.

The myth persists about Marilyn singing “Santa Baby”. Watch the video below with Eartha Kitt’s voice and Marilyn mouthing the words like the way mouths move in cheap cartoons.

 

“Santa Baby” was composed back in 1953 by long-time songwriter and current resident of Pacific Palisades, Phil Springer. At age 97, Phil continues to compose 35 or so new songs every year.

Phil Springer takes Juice Plus+ and uses the Bemer for microcirculation.


A Gift of Small “Interest” for the Holidays

Bemer microcirculation pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF) can be a god-send for people seeking an incremental way to maintain good health or who have chronic health challenges to be addressed.

It also can take a substantial bite out of a wallet when purchased with a single payment.

Bemer is now offering low interest financing for spreading the cost of a Bemer system over up to 36 months.

Click the Bemer Financing link below for details. Contact Donna for more information if you are interested.

 

BEMER FINANCING

 


 

Ginger – It’s More than a Cookie Ingredient!

More and more people are becoming aware of the significant culinary and medical benefits of ginger. And that number might see a significant increase with growing interest in ginger’s potential to support immune health.

READ MORE

 


 

Make and Gift this Chocolate Bark

A perennial, “quasi-healthy” holiday favorite!

RECIPE

 


 

Veggie Humor

Next Page »nextlabel