By Elizabeth Goodman Artis
I grew up in Center City Philadelphia in the 1970s, an enclave of
clog-wearing moms and bearded dads. I went to a school run by
peace-loving Quakers, and even my own mother, more preppie than hippie,
went through a phase of growing alfalfa sprouts on our kitchen counter.
Of course I rolled my eyes at all of it, but looking back, many of the
food and lifestyle choices these aging hippies espoused were spot on.
Here are five ways the "me" generation got healthy living right:
1. They dug tofu:
The first time I ever had a tofu "burger" was at a backyard barbecue
thrown by a friend's vegetarian parents. It was literally a slab of tofu
an inch thick, thrown on the grill and then stuffed between a hamburger
bun. While this was not the most creative way to make a burger
substitute, you can't argue with its healthfulness, especially when
compared to red meat.
Studies show that tofu, which is produced from soy beans and is the
only plant-based food that is a complete protein source, can lower risk
of heart disease and improve bone health. Unfortunately, most Americans
are still a little wary of the stuff: compared to the Japanese, who
consume about 8 grams of soy protein daily, we only eat a gram.
2. They were big on brown: As a kid, everywhere I looked I saw the color brown: brown corduroys, brown shoes, and yes, brown food. The first time I ate
brown rice
I was bewildered by its chewiness-why was this so different from the
boil-in-the bag stuff I had at my grandmother's house? The difference is
that brown rice hasn't had its endosperm-the healthy outer
coating-stripped away. This is where all the nutrients are, including
the fiber and antioxidants that keep your
heart healthy and reduce risk for diseases like cancer and diabetes.
3. They were vegetarians:
That tofu burger wasn't the only non-meat meal I encountered growing
up; odd, sesame-coated macrobiotic noodles, seaweed salad, and an
oatmeal-colored dip someone told me was called "hummus," which would
later become best friend to baby carrots and afternoon snackers
everywhere.
In addition to the ethics and environmental benefits of eating a
vegetarian diet, studies show vegetarians weigh less and have lower risk
of all major diseases, including heart disease, stroke, cancer and
diabetes. And more and more Americans are following a vegetarian or
modified vegetarian diet-currently about seven million people in the US
consider themselves vegetarian.
4. They meditated: When I was 11 years old, I joined a friend's family on a car trip from Philadelphia to
Chicago
. Every morning before we could get back on the road, we had to wait 20
minutes while the mom meditated. At the time we mocked it relentlessly,
but looking back, it likely gave her enough patience to endure a long
car ride with restless, bickering kids.
Meditation's value as a stress reliever and all around mood booster is
impressive; extensive research has proven that it can lower risk of
depression, beat anxiety, and improve mental health. And it doesn't take
much. Studies show that people who practice mindful meditation-sitting
quietly with your eyes closed and repeating a word or "mantra" over and
over-for just 20 minutes a day reap significant benefits.
5. They let it mellow: Anything yellow that is. This was such a common occurrence in my youth that I started to think Philadelphia had a serious
plumbing
problem. But resisting to the urge to flush saves three gallons of
water each time. If a family of four flushes six times a day (the
average amount an individual needs to pee in a day) that's 24 gallons of
water wasted. While I must admit it's not a practice I particularly
love, if you drink enough water so your pee is clear-which is a sign of
proper hydration anyway-then nothing "yellow" need mellow.
No comments:
Post a Comment