Spotlight Series: POWER FOODS

To help you stay in peak shape (and nutritionally attuned) this summer, I am sharing three installments of Spotlight Series, where I focus on a specific nutritional topic for a handful of successive posts. The installments for summer 2012 include POWER FOODS, KEY SUPPLEMENTS, and TREAT YOURSELF RECIPES.  


One of my main nutritional practices is eating strictly whole foods: no isolates or packaged/processed foods parading around as "healthy." Basically, I eat things as close to their natural state as possible. It is a matter of knowing how and with what you consciously nourish your body. You have to take extra care for her so that she will shine for you when you need her most!

***

POWER FOODS: Whole Milk Thistle Seeds 

Say what? Yeah, you've probably never heard of these puppies, and if you have, I bet you didn't know you could eat them whole. People commonly take milk thistle in capsule form, and let me tell you, they are missing out! 

The whole seeds, which you can buy from nuts.com, taste like a cross between hemp and flax seeds. They are 18-25% protein by weight and boast an excellent amino-acid profile. I like to sprinkle (err, more like dump) them on my monster evening salads but you can use them just like you would any other nut or seed (i.e. in shakes, baking, etc). 

But the true magic in milk thistle comes from a bioflavanoid called silymarin. This compound enhances cell membranes in the liver and can boost cellular growth by stimulating protein synthesis. Healthier liver cells, in turn, prevent toxins from entering and damaging the liver. And what does a healthy liver do for you? 

• Promotes weight loss: the liver metabolizes fat and purifies blood
• Maintains hormonal balance: a healthy liver can filter out bad forms of estrogen 

While many people take milk thistle supplements (ahem, isolates) to treat hormonal imbalances or to enhance liver function, It is important to note that like many other herbal remedies, milk thistle is not subjected to the same rigorous evaluation as pharmaceutical drugs and therefore, has not been approved by the USFDA for any treatment purposes. But if you're eating the seeds whole like me, it doesn't really matter because you are eating a whole food that is nourishing you with protein, crunch, taste, and has the added benefit of tuning up your liver. Your muscles will be happy (protein), your brain will be happy (amino acids), your taste buds will be happy (CRUNCH), and your liver will be happy (what's up now, toxins?!). 

Now, isn't that holistic goodness better than worrying about USFDA approval for that isolate you're poppin' every morning?!

The majestic milk thistle

The scrumptious whole seeds

On Attuning

For years, it has been my intent to start a blog: To create a central place where I could record and track my musings and insights that I've picked up along the way. But of course, by choosing to actually publish my inquiries and discoveries means that I intend for this project to serve as a forum for the dissemination and exchange of ideas. 

Another intent is to encourage connections, whether these be confined to the oddly shaped walls of the internet, or whether these materialize into tangible relationships within the wellness, fitness, yoga, social science, and creative communities of NYC. 

Consequently, I may write about nutrition, my journeys in running, philosophy, psychology; or perhaps, I may share my artwork/writing, or include articles that serve as guideposts to my approach. 

In this initial post, I'd like to share a bit about why I settled on "attune" for my blog title. I believe attuning (to our inner self) is the primary (and requisite) stepping stone to inner peace, wellness, and happiness. 

***

Attuning is the process by which we tune in to our own frequencies: it is the path to happiness.

How do we "attune"? 

To attune, we must first engage (in whatever it is we do) with consistent attention. This includes everything from eating consciously to working consistently to establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships. Consistent attention and care in what we do uncovers and gives shape to our intention (Why am I doing this? What purpose does this serve for me, right now?). Only after this unfurling, may we project our freshly-hewn intentions on our worlds. 

What does projecting our intentions have to do with happiness?

By knowingly projecting our intentions and creative energies on the world around us, we abstain from acting as a reservoir for others' intentions and energies, which only serve to weigh us down. By projecting with intent, we act as agents in our own happiness, rather than conductors to our pacification. 

Attunement, then, requires consistent attention and intention, and correctly transferring that internal masterpiece to the external world that surrounds the self. The "work" of attunement is constant: everything is in flux (both the internal and external) and hence, our masterpieces are works in progress. It is that work which is happiness.

***

I will always end my posts with a single image, passage, or melody that resounds with me. I love discussion so all comments are welcome. Take care, xxNARGUS

:: my grandmother :: my ground ::

آهسته برو مهمان، آهسته برو