Nutrivention, a million shades of love and...

Nutrivention is (finally) an acknowledgement by the medical community that food is an important medicine.  The medical use of food is a means of healing sick and other patients.  'Other' would be patients who don't ever want to be sick and/or who want to live forever.  Please Google Dr. Urvi Shah,  "Nutrivention," to find your favorite format of her presentation.  She suggests eating 30 different fruits/vegetables/legumes per week.  This is a great challenge. 

Good Energy, by Casey Means, focuses on managing many different aspects of one's life to preserve and maximize energy and health.  In addition to consistent sleep, exercise, and a low stress lifestyle, she encourages exposure to daylight, walking in nature and minimizing toxins in air, water and food.  No white sugar, no white flour, no seed oils.  She adds nuts and fresh herbs to the list of fruits/vegetables and legumes she suggests we eat each week.  That makes reaching 30 a more attainable goal.

No discussion of loneliness or the need for love in one's life, however.  I tell my children that there are a million shades of love we can experience in life; not all love is romantic love.  Our hearts are big and have love available for many.  We can love people who are not even in our life for the inspiration or joy that they have brought us. 

This morning I walked around the local high school track as my daughter ran.  She runs for her college and runs a marathon's worth of miles every few days.  

This morning I saw a grey haired man on the track wearing an old HS basketball uniform.  Although I could have worn something similar to the track (because of a lack of clean clothes in my closet), I felt that maybe he was hoping to evoke a feeling that he may have felt in his HS days, before he was grey. 

His shoulders were hunched as he started to run.  After the first lap, color came into his face and with each subsequent lap he stood a little taller.  I did not want to meet him or know his name, but I wanted to tell him that he looked happier and taller with each lap that he ran.  I would have been happy if someone had said that to me.  

I did not say that because in this sad, miserable world full of senseless and barbaric wars and politicians convicted of sex felonies, people who make kind comments, God forbid a compliment, 'must have a hidden agenda.'  People can't be nice anymore just for the sake of being nice.  So we are all miserable.

Which brings me to Heather.  

I live in a town filled with beautiful people: beautiful women and beautiful men,  Although I am terrifyingly heterosexual, I appreciate beauty whether it is a woman or a man (or a flower, painting or sculpture) that is sporting it. 

One midday about 13 years ago I went to an expensive ladies lunch, for some important cause at a beautiful club in my beautiful town.  I knew the women who were working at the entry table checking off names of entrants.  One woman that I knew looked especially beautiful that day.  Sans plus. 

I happened to see said woman at another event weeks later and I told her that she looked very beautiful at first event. "What is it that you are trying to sell me?" she asked.  I was shocked and insulted and I told her that I had nothing to sell her and nothing to gain from my comment.  I knew that I had nothing to learn from her in general, to be honest.  I steer clear of her to this day. 

I still will try to be kind to people with whom I am not close.  Smiles help.  Small words of encouragement help if they are declared with disinterested anonymity.  And then, just keep walking. 

 "You have to get over her" my daughter declared tonight after she heard me recount this story again.  "Her reaction was a reflection on her, there are many people in this world who would be happy to receive your subtler shades of Laurie love."

Spread any color of love that you feel in your heart.  Spread warmth, kindness, encouragement as you can, it truly heals.  

Ours is a tough world.   Give love.  Best to do it to people you know or people you don't know at all.  Kindness heals. 

*******************************************************

Dr. Urvi Shah will be presenting Nutrivention on August 29 at 2 pm EST through Healthtree.org (see below).

https://healthtree.org/myeloma/community/events/august2024-nutrivention-study-research

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