Slice of Life Tuesday

Today is Slice of Life Tuesday – where we are encouraged to share a slice of our life at “Two Writing Teachers”. I have been absent for a while – a need to take a break from blogging. I am ready to return though.

 

This past weekend, our city held its first “Street Art Festival” – for grafetti and chalk artists from around the world. Part of our downtown was closed off and along the river walkways huge tarps became canvasses for the artists.

From all reports, the streets and riverside walkways were packed. We missed the actual painting as the rain kept us indoors, but did not stop the artists.

But then some disgusting racist had to deface one of the paintings with derogatory words. Why do people have to be so depraved to show their ignorance? The town had to make the decision whether to leave the words or cover them up. The decision was made to leave them over the weekend, with a note”

This is an example of a hate crime that unfortunately happened last night.”

 

This afternoon, we wandered along the bridge over the river to look at all of the canvases. What stunning images. I took photos of most of them – my favourites were:

the chess game

And the dog.

It looked like the disgusting words had been covered up now.

The painting on the left.

I hope they charge the twisted individual(s).  So much hate in the world – and it has to touch this wonderful festival. I hope it will return next year.

 

“Eat to Beat Alzheimer’s” Review – Part of WOW Blog Tour

Today I am part of the WOW! Women on Writing blog tour for Francie Healey’s new book – Eat to Beat Alzheimer’s.

My mother had been diagnosed with dementia in her mid 70’s, although she died of stroke at age 78. As I near 65, my concerns about stroke and dementia as well as about my own health issues (arthritis and stomach problems) are weighing more and more on me.

When I had the opportunity to read Francie Healey’s new book Eat to Beat Alzheimer’s, I jumped at it. And I wasn’t disappointed. It was a fascinating, informative read. One that I plan to use to improve my own eating habits.

I was greatly impressed with her knowledge of the brain, how diet affects the brain and how to eat to improve brain health. Ther knowledge really affects everyone – not just the elderly.

Francie is well qualified to share this knowledge and provides it in an easy to understand manner. From a discussion about what Alzheimer’s is, to how it affects us, we learn some startling statistics about just how many will be affected in the years to come.

Then Francie discusses why a diet high in high-quality protein and fats, as well as complex carbohydrates is a necessity to brain health. I loved the quote she shared (pg. 31):

“Food can either be the slowest form of poison or the most powerful of medicines, but knowledge is power.”

Francine provides us with the knowledge we need to make changes to our daily diet, and gives us recipes  in the last section to incorporate healthy foods into our meals.

My daughter is vegan and has tried to convert me. I have tried and enjoyed many vegan dishes but I am still an omnivore though. I was encouraged to see recipes for fish and chicken included. There is a wide range of recipes to try – for the three meals of the day and for snacks – from eggs, salads, curries, baked dishes, sweets, as well as meat and vegetarian dishes. Many of the recipes include turmeric, a spice that has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

The recipes are easy to follow and provide nutritious meals to improve our health.

I loved the Sweet Potato Salad as well as the Quinoa Pumpkin Muffins. I am looking forward to trying many more recipes – from Black Bean Soup, Chicken Skewers to Seafood Curry and crab Cakes.

Easy to read, “Eat to Beat Alzheimer’s” is an excellent guide to understanding the brain and how to improve its health. Making simple changes and adding some healthy ingredients to our pantries can improve our overall health as well.

I highly recommend Francine’s book.

Summary: Eat to Beat Alzheimer’s offers a practical guide and an empowering tool to bring nourishing, healthful, and delicious food into the lives of people concerned about Alzheimer’s and other cognitive problems. Almost 9 million people in the U.S. suffer from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, and the toll is rapidly increasing. This book will appeal to everyone concerned about dementia and memory loss in either themselves or a loved one.

Recent research makes clear that the impact of aging on the brain can be reduced by simple diet and lifestyle modifications. The delicious food choices and easy-to-prepare recipes in this book are based on the latest findings showing that they can help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and other conditions like it, or prevent them entirely.

Readers will gain the knowledge and tools to take charge of their health by incorporating tasty, healing foods into their diet. The information in this cookbook will be as relevant and useful 20 years from now as it is today. And the recipes will still be just as delicious.

 

Meet the Author:

Francie Healey is a licensed mental health counselor in private practice in Santa Fe, N.M. She specializes in the psychology of eating, helping people with health conditions to develop conscious eating habits and understand how food contributes to healing. Using her expertise to help clients manage cognitive decline through nutrition, Francie educates them on meal planning; the creation of simple, nutritious meals; and other keys to achieving a healthy relationship with food. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling, and is a Certified Health Counselor and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Find Francie Healey Online:

Website:   http://foodtohelpwithdepression.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/francie.healy.7?fref=nf

Twitter:   @FrancieHealey

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franciehealey

 

Eat to Beat Alzheimer’s is available on Amazon & Barnes and Noble

 Paperback:  200 pages

Genre:  Cookbook
Publisher:  Terra Nova Books (June 30, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1938288610

ISBN-13: 978-1938288616

Amazon Link: click here