LyrArc Article Gist
Physical exercize done regularly, done daily, and a willingess to put up with the mundane, boredom of the mundane to put on the sneakers, getting out or getting on a treadmill, rower or bike, to keep pushing forward, day after day. This is important to ward off cancers, heart issues, metabolic disorders, and keep mental health. Good sleep is important, so is emotional wellbeing, mindfulness in its 4 forms, and meditation, prayer and reading. Healthy eating and eating habits that help build up health, and medication such as herbal supplements including turmeric and ginger use, are other important actions to take for healthy living.

LyrArc Article Gist
Turmeric a health herb popular in India has beneficial effects on health and is only now getting the attention it deserves.

LyrArc Article Gist
Jan Ruckert-John, Professor of Sociology of Food  at the University of Applied Sciences, Fulda, Germany is interviewed by DW.com on theissues involving gender preference for vegetarian food, the issues with meat. Particularly at this time of coronavirus and climate change the issue of overemphasis on meat in diets around the world is a topic that comes up. Men trend more towards meat. The role of cows and meat in climate change is not adequately understood.

There is less understanding about the benefits of more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts in our food, with less meat and the need for public education, a role for health departments in many countries to create public education campaigns. Even less understood is the role of herbs such as used in Asian countries from turmeric and ginger to cinnamon in promoting health. 

LyrArc Article Gist
Two parts per million of lead in cinnamon is the maxiumum that is considered normal. Five parts per million of lead in cinnamon is considered bad for health. Children are particularly affected by lead contaminated products. High lead contamination in applesauce product pouches lead to recalls by the US FDA recently. In the case of the cinnamon applesauce pouches this Washington Post report says federal investigators have called it "an act of economically motivsted adulteration." The European Union limits lead to 2 parts per million. McCormick & Company says it adheres to strict safety protocols and procures whole cinnamon bark rather than ground cinnamon to control adulteration and contaminant. Frontier Coop which sells brands Simply Organic and Aura Cacia says it tests for heavy metals and follows New York standard of one part per million of lead in spices. People are discouraged from buying in bulk for turmeric and cinnamon as this creates risks of contaminated or adulterated product. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Garlic, ginger, turmeric and similar products are vital for healthy living and healthy food. So it is surprising that so little has been done before the Trump tariffs on Chinese food dumped in the U.S. This BBC report by Pamela Parker says 1994 was when the U.S. confirmed dumping by China of garlic yet the tariff that was placed was of an ineffective type that could be circumvented. As a result the U.S. producers such as Vessey in California that produced garlic for 100 years and 5 generations decided to not produce it beside cauliflower and cabbage. Of the surviving producers one producer today in California produces 100 million pounds of this product that has value way beyond the actual dollars as vital for healthy food supplies in the U.S. In fact after reports of contaminated water supplies in China imports of ginger and other such food products have been shifted away from China.  It is well known that the industrial revolution in China came too quickly and at a large cost to the environment after 1990 including contamination of the water, rivers. For this reason it is stunning that the people setting trade policy in Washington could have ignored the vital need of U.S. meeting food needs for healthy living out of its own soil and trusted farming community. To not have done so and let producers of garlic or ginger or other such vital food products to sustain health to go out of business is nothing less than a part of the growing calamity of self inflicted wounds that have happened so far. At no time more compelling an issue as today in the pandemic. The truth is that when it comes to healthy food supplies it is vitally important, as important as national security. And local supplies grown in one's own state or country particularly for vegetables, herbs, and fruit, are very critical. There is no way to even compare product grown locally to product grown in any country where water supplies may be contaminated by rapid industrial growth. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Obesity is a problem today of global dimensions. In the U.S. this problem has reached a new high and increased U.S. risks in the face of the coronavirus. This author and her nutrition organization say the U.S. dietary guidelines put out by a government agency have failed over decades to do what they were supposed to do - guide people in the right direction to make good food choices. People at this time of the coronavirus need to make their own choices, independent of these guidelines that have failed. Intuitive choices for healthy eating by increasing vegetables and fruits in the diet, increasing use of healthy herbs such as turmeric, basil and ginger, eating carbohydrates and fat in a sensible way, increasing ancient whole grains in the diet, reducing meat in the diet in favor of plant based foods such as lentils and a large variety of whole grains.