Why is it always my hand? & Healthy salad for the brain, January 24, 2022

Two doctor appointments today. One that gave me a good bill of health from my leg vein surgery I had 4 months ago and one to look at my hand and see what I really did to it on Saturday. Someone said to me that I should be wearing gloves. I always wear gloves but we were putting zip ties on the fence and that cannot be done in gloves so I had taken them off temporarily. Do you ever look back on sometime when you get hurt and say, if I could redo the last 2 minutes this would not happen? But life is not that way. This time, there was nothing I could do to stop it. Life just happens and most of the time we are okay. A few times we get hurt.

Here is the report from the doctor about my hand. It is very swollen and sore and my thumb and index finger react when I move certain directions. They did an x-ray that came back with no fracture. YAY!!! They told me that if in 2 weeks it still hurts to come back for another x-ray because hands are tricky that way. He prescribed Keflex since it is swollen and it was barbwire. I did not argue. The barb wire is only 75 years old… But for some reason the prescription never got called in even after me checking back with the doctor and the pharmacy. I will see what it looks like tomorrow. Jim would not let me do anything today without my gloves on. It is frustrating that my getting hurt puts more work on him but he is always kind.

Nutritional Information

My mother and her sister tried to eat healthy food. I observed it as eating strange food like slippery elm tea and wheat germ in cottage cheese and handfuls of vitamins and still my mom had years of mental health issues. Her sister, on the other hand may have eaten differently, even more deliberate, for she lived to be 100. I fought against eating the way my mom did because I did not see a value in it. I only saw depravation. It was years before I started trying to feed my family better food. I got the book, Feed Your Kids Right by Dr. Lindon H. Smith and tried it for a while but it was difficult to go away from the norm. The book had the primus of “most tissues of the body require many varying nutrients to make them function properly”. Of course, that is what I believe now but it was difficult to be a young mother of four children under five and have the time or financial means to feed my kids right. So, I did it for a while and then slid back into the normal western diet of sugar, soda, white flour, rice, pasta and other inexpensive items to feed my family.  

Decades later when I started seeing the value of getting rid of processed food and with just Jim and I being home, it was easier to do. Even then, the dietary changes came in increments. The last item I allowed into my life is the value of supplements. My mom took so many pills that I barely took an aspirin, let alone a handful of vitamins. Even now, I still strive to grow my vegetables to get my nutrients but I now understand that all vitamins and amino acids are not in the diet for everyone all the time. I have had to concede that there are times in our lives when vitamin and amino acid supplements may be necessary and when taken in wisdom and with correct knowledge can be beneficial.

All that said, I realize it is important for me to have grace with others who are in the place I was over a decade ago. I have had time to peel back the onion of nutrition and see the value of certain areas. My hope for your health, your depression, your anxiety and your addictions is that you can start peeling back the onion layers. Trust that what I say may to helpful for you and I hope that you are not afraid to open up your own research on any subject in nutrition and see what is right for you to “feed your body right”.

Let me explain first of all why this salad is so good for us. So often we just throw something together and do not know what is good about it or what it contains that will feed us properly or harm us. Of course, food needs to be easy and we need to be able to just prepare food and eat it. But once in a while I want you to understand why a food might be good for you and why you should eat it for the nutrition it can give you.

Avocado is a really great fat. Your brain will benefit from the Vitamin E and a wonderful great fat that lowers your blood pressure which also lowers the risk of cognitive issues. This great fat also signals from the gut to the brain that you are satiated and you do not need to eat any more. In this salad, your mouth will feel different textures, a multitude of flavors and it is exciting to eat.

Citrus of all types are loaded with phytonutrients and flavonoids that enhance our cognitive functioning. Grapefruit is so powerful it may delay the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease in people that are predisposed to getting it. It is filled with Vitamin A and C and citrus just makes people happy. It feels fresh and light.

Fennel is a great source of B vitamins and boost the brain memory.

Mints high in vitamin A that boosts learning skills and vitamin C that protects against cognitive decline. (Katz, 2015)

Avocado Citrus Salad by Rebecca Katz from her Healthy Mind cookbook

1 medium grapefruit

Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon of honey

1 teaspoon of grated ginger

Sea Salt

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

4 cups of packed arugula and mixed greens

½ cup shaven fennel or celery

¼ cup mint leaves, chopped

1 sliced avocado

½ thinly sliced red or white onion.

Separate the peel and membranes from the grapefruit When all the segments are out squeeze out remaining juice to be used later. If not enough juice, cut another grapefruit and juice. You will need 2 tablespoons. Put the grapefruit, lemon and lime juice into a small bowl along with the honey, ginger and 1/3 teaspoon of salt. Slowly pour the olive oil in whisking until combines. Pour into a bottle where the dressing can be shaken.

Mix the arugula and greens, fennel, and mint into a large bowl. Add a tablespoon or two of the dressing and toss. Top with avocado grapefruit and thinly sliced red or white onion. Drizzle with amore dressing and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

May add cooked shrimp or shredded cold salmon.

You can substitute oranges or tangerines or mandarin oranges.

1 teaspoon may be too much ginger so reduce as needed to taste.

Click on the book below to order her cookbook through my Amazon link.