Let’s take a look at what I call the “Farm Diet”. No, this is not a new book out at Barnes & Noble. I don’t believe amongst the myriad of diet books, that one on farm eating has ever been published (don’t steal my idea)!

Since I work on a farm, I am really close to these wonderful fruits and vegetables. So close in fact that when I arrive at the farm during the summer months, I have a whole watermelon for breakfast and then some cherry tomatoes just before lunch. It’s like a gigantic pantry where I can eat as much as I want of everything! Sort of like heaven, now that I think of it.

I doubt that many of you are vegetable farmers or have this kind of opportunity. That’s okay. All I am saying is, do your best to get as close as you can to a farm stand, farmer’s market, or health food store. If you don’t have a farm stand or farmer’s market near you, and have to go to a supermarket, do your best to choose products that were grown nearest you. This will severely limit the choices for some of you, but will ensure the nutrients, enzymes, and vitamins are more intact than food that has been picked weeks or months before. We are after the nutrients that embody fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. These are what our bodies crave for optimal energy, a clear head, and happiness. And, summer is the most abundant time to take advantage of this.

Finally, what item do these farm foods lack?

Anyone?

A BOX – with ingredient lists that count calories, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, to name a few! For the majority of our diet, we don’t need these boxes! They mean that the foods have been frozen, pasteurized, fortified, cooked, and congealed. In a future post, we can look at the research to see what all these things mean and determine how they compromise nutrient quality. But for now, we don’t need studies to show how good we feel when we start to eat local, fresh, and creative. Forget about all the details so many diets have trained us to look at. Go with your intuition and know that you are safe when you eat whole foods/farm foods.

There are no limits or rules with these foods and that is the most fun. I hope you enjoy this lovely recipe highlighting peaches, and check out the link I have included to find a farmer’s market near you.

Stone fruits are the heart of summer, says Deborah Madison in her book Local Flavors. These include: cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines, and pluots.

Spiced Peaches, Local Flavors
Serve with pork or duck, spooned over vanilla bean ice cream, or spread on toast for breakfast.

4 cups sliced peaches and/or nectarines
½ cup sugar
2 long cinnamon sticks
6 cloves
seeds of 3 cardamom pods
1 T balsamic vinegar
12 pieces candied ginger, chopped

1. Peel the peaches and slice ½ inch thick. Include any smaller odd-shaped pieces as well.
2. Pour the peaches into a wide nonstick skillet. Sprinkle on the sugar and add the remaining ingredients except the ginger. Turn the heat to high to get things bubbling, then reduce to medium and cook, stirring every few minutes, until the syrup is thick, 15-20 minutes.
3. Add the ginger, Store in a clean jar and keep refrigerated.

Enjoy your food!

Guest Blogger: Katie Fugnetti
email: kfugnetti@gmail.com

In the current issue of WholeLiving.com’s Body+Soul Magazine the goal for the month is “Let Yourself Flow.”
I first subscribed to this magazine for research and ideas for topics we could discuss on our blog and our future website, SkirtsInDirt.com. However, after receiving my first issue and reading it cover to cover, I realized that subconsciously I had subscribed for my own personal business, body, mind and spirit.

Terri Trespicio, a senior editor at Body+Soul, writes that “fall inspires nostalgia and winter a longing for warmth, summer has an endless amount to give, if only we can stand still and receive it. This season, resist the urge to control every last vestige of time.” Boy, how right she is, at least for me this summer.

Summer is half-way through its season and as I reflect on the past month…my father has found a very nice lady friend who he has asked to be his companion and live in my mother’s home. My husband changed jobs. Skirts Networking has finally gone live with our blog. A close family friend lost her 27 year-old son due to a drug overdose. And my niece is getting ready to go to college. And, yes! I want to take control of it all and feel stressed. Are you wanting to control everything and feeling stressed to the max?

So, I read the article “Feel Your Best!” with great interest since obviously I wasn’t feeling my best. The article features 17 tips from well known experts in integrative health care. Below are a few of the tips that jumped off the page at me.

Listen to Your Body - Dr. Tracy Gaudet, executive director of Duke Integrative Medicine and author of Consciously Female, tells us that our bodies are talking to us all of the time, but we don’t listen until it screams. She recommends that we make a commitment to listen to our body on a daily basis. Start this by taking a breath and bringing yourself to the present and then ask yourself, “How does my body feel? What does it need from me today? Do I have any discomfort or pain? How is my energy?” Gaudet says that this practice should be done first thing each morning.

Practice Forgiveness – for better health overall, let go of the past, advises Dr. Brent Bauer, Director of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic.

Be Grateful – Mimi Guarneri, M.D., medical director at the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, recommends shifting away from negative emotional patterns. She also says “Every night before bed, list 10 things that you have to be thankful for. You quickly realize that though your life is not perfect, you have a lot.”

I can’t predict what the remaining summer months will bring, but I can practice now to be prepared to handle anything. At the same time, I can increase the likelihood I’ll enjoy the summer for its bright and brilliant possibilities.

I encourage you to join me and try these three tips during the rest of the summer and enjoy this season of bright color and light.

I’m moved by the American Cancer Society’s latest marketing campaign. Their “Movement for More Birthdays” strikes me as genuine and simple. The landing page for the campaign says it best:

To most people, birthdays are just a reminder that they’re getting older. But at the American Cancer Society, “Happy Birthday” is a victory song, because a world with less cancer is a world with more birthdays. And that’s definitely something to celebrate.

As a cancer survivor myself, I appreciate my birthday. And I appreciate a lot of things that I didn’t before. I lost a considerable amount with cancer, but in return I gained an appreciation for certain life’s realities that I otherwise might have taken for granted.

According to the American Cancer Society cancer is second to heart disease as the most common killer in the U.S. In 2008, nearly 1.5 million cases of cancer were diagnosed in America. Another 1 million of non-invasive cases were treated. Approximately half a million people died over the course of the year, which equates to 1,500 people every day losing their lives to the disease. With numbers as high as these, we all know someone who…

My own current ‘someone who’ is a dear friend, Karin, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Her own story is one that gives me shivers. She literally had a series of dreams that compelled her to get checked. Several doctors and much poking and prodding later, they found what she ‘felt’ and Karin began the fast and furious fight to combat the intruder.

Because of Karin’s insistence and gut instincts, she’ll live to celebrate another birthday. She’ll be shy a head of hair, entirely too knowledgeable about the throws of flulike symptoms, and out insane amounts of time spent watching her own body’s fluids come and go as she sits through treatment. But come her next birthday, she’ll blow out the candles and make a wish – that life remain sweet and safe, for herself, her children, her family, her loved ones.

Karin knew something was awry in her body and sought assistance until she confirmed what she knew. But we’re not all leveled with such realizations. We’re not all in such tune with the in’s-and-out’s of our own bodies. That said, what should we be doing to make sure we live to celebrate another birthday ourselves?

The following points have all been preached at us before, but I’m compelled to offer a refresher and do my own part as a disciple in fighting cancer. I’d like to be a part of the solution that will eventually help us combat the disease.

Take note, take heart, take one or two steps of action. It won’t hurt. In fact, not taking action might…

Milestones. After 20 years of age, annual health exams become a reality, and regular exams for common cancers are recommended. Here’s how they should map out:

Education – spread the word, teach your kids, reach out to girlfriends, volunteer, wear a pin, walk in a fundraiser or awareness rally. The more we know, the less likely we’ll be afflicted. It’s that’s simple.

Don’t take my word without more insight. Everything I’ve shared here and more can be researched and appreciated online. Here are a few sources I used. Any others – as well as personal stories – are appreciated.
www.cancer.org
www.prevention.com
www.morebirthdays.com
www.cancer.gov

]]> http://www.realestateskirts.com/2009/07/we-should-all-be-around-to-blow-out-the-candles/feed/ 0 http://www.realestateskirts.com/2009/07/practicing-the-art-of-self-care/ http://www.realestateskirts.com/2009/07/practicing-the-art-of-self-care/#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:27:40 +0000 Leah Turner http://www.realestateskirts.com/?p=683

Self Care is defined as the art of taking care of one’s self. Remember the old L’Oreal commercials where the beautiful spokesperson ended by saying – ‘because I’m worth it’? That statement really exemplifies what Self Care means. It is giving yourself the gift of health, peace, time and wellness because you ARE worth it. As women, especially, we take on so many different roles! We are mothers, wives, employees, bosses, sisters, aunts, and so much more! We are SUPER Woman!

All too often in this busy world, we spend so much time taking care of people and things and getting so caught up in the *busyness* of life that somehow our needs and wants get lost in the shuffle, buried somewhere between picking up the dry cleaning and taking our child to soccer practice! It’s time to stop the madness and start practicing some self care!

So, where do you start? Here are a couple of tips!

Self Care is ALL about:

Saying NO to the things we don’t want to do. When we say No to those things, we are saying really YES to ourselves. How many times have you been asked to do something you don’t really want to do and you say Yes? Think of the extra time you would have in your life if you learned to say No.

Most importantly, it’s about honoring and respecting yourself enough to make YOU a priority in YOUR life!

After all, you ARE worth it!

Guest Blogger: Leah Turner
email: Leah@CreatingYourMasterpiece.com
website: CreatingYourMasterpiece.com
407.709.6816

]]> http://www.realestateskirts.com/2009/07/practicing-the-art-of-self-care/feed/ 2 http://www.realestateskirts.com/2009/06/the-worklife-tug-of-war/ http://www.realestateskirts.com/2009/06/the-worklife-tug-of-war/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:28:31 +0000 Ernie http://www.realestateskirts.com/?p=371

Pressure. Tension. Stress. 

We feel these as they squeeze us.  But do we only feel these with our brain, or are we also feeling them with our body? 

As we struggle with the ups and downs of today’s economy, we put more and more pressure on ourselves.  It’s harder to make money and we worry about the future.  So, we work harder and take less care of ourselves.

Here are some things to consider in deciding if the balance between your work and family lives is out of whack: