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Happiness is. . . Folate, Fruit, and Parrots |
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1/27/2010 | |
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B9 & Depression: The B vitamins help your body convert food into energy. B9 or Folate (Folic Acid is the synthetic form) is important for proper brain function and research has shown there may be a link between depression and low Folate levels. The University of Maryland Medical Center says folic acid is key for mental and emotional health. “Some studies show that 15 - 38% of people with depression have low folate levels in their bodies, and those with very low levels tend to be the most depressed. Low levels of folic acid have also been associated with a poor response to antidepressants.” There are a number of foods that are great deliverers of Folate. Fruits and Veggies: Spinach, broccoli, and peas are great sources of Folate. But most of us cook these foods before we eat them and that can destroy almost half the amount of Folate. Beyond eating green leafies raw, increase your intake of oranges, bananas, grapefruits, and strawberries to get to your RDA of 400 mcg of Folic Acid. Enjoy and be fruitful! - Chris Mittelstaedt chris@fruitguys.com Check out the section on our site that explains what each fruit is: www.fruitguys.com. Click on the ladybug to see what’s in your mix. Wellness: Taking it One Breath at a Time
Pranayama is the ancient yogic practice of breath awareness and control. As described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras (circa 200 BC), pranayama involves lengthening and extending the breath by observing and analyzing inhalations, exhalations, and the pauses between the two. Formal pranayama requires years of daily practice with the supervision of a teacher, but some of its gifts are available to all of us at any time. Breath awareness exercises and some simple breath patterns can quickly ground you and help bring you into the present moment, allowing worries and anxiety slip away. Try the following quick exercises at the office, waiting in line, or while stuck in a traffic jam. Suddenly everything that seemed overwhelming can melt away, leaving you refreshed and better able to face the rest of your day. Breath Observation Breathe normally. Soften your eyes. Observe your normal breath. How high does it come up in your chest? Which is more calming, the inhalation or the exhalation? Do you naturally pause between the two? Now allow your eyes to close, but don’t let your chest drop. Relax your jaw and allow the skin of the face to relax down towards the lift of your chest. Observe the length of your breaths. Are the inhalation and exhalation of the same duration? Breathe normally and observe for 10-20 breaths, or as long as you feel comfortable. Practice observing your breath at least once a day for a few days before continuing to the next exercise. Altering the Breath Start practicing breath awareness. Observe the length of the inhalation compared to the exhalation. When you are ready, begin the breath work at the end of an exhalation. Begin a new inhalation, and adjust your inhalation or exhalation, so that it is as long as the longer of the two. Ensure your jaw, face, shoulders, and abdomen are relaxed. Continue breathing and adjusting for ten cycles, then return to your normal, or automatic breath, relaxing completely. Read about more breathing exercises for relaxation and stress relief in our next issue, Feb. 9th. Subscribe to our mailing list here. - Rebecca Taggart Rebecca Taggart is a San Francisco yoga instructor. Profile: The Lady of Lemons
Lemon Ladies Orchard is comprised of 40 Meyer Lemon trees planted in suburban Emerald Hills, CA, south of San Francisco, in the valley once known for its fruit trees and now famous for its silicon. Each tree bears a tile with a name: Madeline, Debbie, Hildegard, Lynette, Zohreha, Celia. Karen named each tree after a woman, friends, family, clients, and colleagues, who helped or inspired her through various chapters of her life, from the computer business time where women started companies to sell her software; from flight school where she promoted women students an Karen planted her orchard in 2004 because she had an empty backyard and "adored Meyer lemons, and back then they were very hard to come by." She jackhammered 40 holes and filled them with young trees and organic compost. She pruned heavily the first two years and has been treated to beaucoup harvest ever since. Meyer Lemons grow on a thorny bush-like tree, ripening in a constant succession of fragrant blossoms to fruit from August till May.
- Heidi Lewis You can taste these delicious Meyer Lemons next week if you order The FruitGuys' TakeHome case or West Coast fruit mix. Order online.
Highlight from the January Wellness Letter The archive is available online at www.wellnessletter.com. The password for January is fiber. Recipe: Celery Root, Apple, and Shallot Soup INGREDIENTS PREPARATION Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return puree to pot and season to taste with salt and pepper. You can add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin soup to desired consistency. Grate Parmesan or Pecorino cheese and set aside. When you are ready to serve the soup, re-warm it and divide among bowls. Sprinkle grated cheese over each serving and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and serve. See more recipes here. Try The FruitGuys TakeHome case and you’ll receive fresh fruits and veggies to prepare dishes like this delicious soup. Delivery at your office to take home or to your home.
WEST California Water Law Symposium Food Writing for Kids CENTRAL Snow Days/Sculpture Events Taste of Yesterday Wagner Farm EAST Winter Jam Wild Side Performance Series for Children at the Zoo Refer a friend to The FruitGuys and earn some cash while you're at it! Has it been a while since you received our farm fresh fruit? We'd love to have you back!
See what's in the mix in your region this week. If you have any questions or would like more information, call toll-free
at 1-877-FRUIT-ME View this message in a browser.
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Maybe it’s the rain, or the cold, or the winter light, but at this time of year those Calgon-take-me-away-moments seem nearer. One of the best for me was a few winters back: at a small restaurant I was helping my twin toddlers and my young son, who was wearing his favorite stuffed green parrot wrapped on his arm, to use the restroom. The room was small. My son handed me the parrot because – well, you can’t use the restroom with a parrot looking over your shoulder – and was now washing his hands. The twins were squirming like fish. As I tried to manage one and then the other in each arm, and then wash their hands while “Hey, stop opening the door” and “Don’t fill the back of your sister’s pants with air from the hand dryer,” I leaned over and, in the slowest of slow motion, with little helpless plastic parrot eyes looking up at me whispering “Why?,” the parrot, my son’s constant pirate companion, slipped from my hands into the depths of Davey Jones’ porcelain commode. There was a muted splash and then a moment of shocked awe. Kids were frozen in place, one was wrapped in toilet paper, another had washed and dried her hands, but her clothes were soaked. My son just stared in horror. All three opened their mouths and sucked in air to power the loudest cries of horror that the 10’ x 6’ restroom had ever known. Trudging home in the rain, parrot finally blown dry but forever changed, kids red faced and still crying as passersby asked if they were alright, I wanted nothing but to be taken away. I’m sure the kids felt the same way. Winter and just the complexity of life can often fray our nerves. But whatever triggers stress for you, remember this: get your Folic Acid, it may make you happier.
Breathing. Is there anything we do so often yet think about so little? Our breath is fundamental to our lives, but we only seem to notice it when something interrupts it, like a bad cold. Yet if we take a moment to notice our breath, we can learn a lot about ourselves, and even use it to calm and energize our thoughts and bodies.
“From a career standpoint I would be better off selling apples on the corner then being a VP at General Motors," Karen Morss' father told her. Yet Karen has had success in both business and agriculture. She has done her part breaking glass ceilings in boardrooms and the upper atmosphere with careers as a software entrepreneur and owner of a flight school geared toward women. Now she’s an orchardist, or orchardess, as she calls herself. Karen is the lady behind 
d instructors; from her screenwriting chapter, when she developed a script about the Wright Brother's sister Katherine. 
Meyer Lemons are a lemon-mandarin cross. Chefs and bakers prize their thin skin and heavenly scent. Karen’s favorite thing to do with Meyers is add a slice to water: "Everybody knows you're supposed to drink more water - but it’s not always easy. [Add] Meyer Lemon in water and you'll just gulp it down - it’s such a treat!" Karen also makes marmalades and recommends an
Italian pudding called 
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