Ronda Snow's Blog, page 18
June 9, 2014
Merry Monday: Bucket Lists
I forget the artist’s name, but downtown in Pittsburgh in the cultural district (and other cities around the world) there is a fantastic interactive art installation “Before I die…”
There are places on a large three sided chalkboard for anyone to anonymously write in their way of finishing that sentence. There were wishes to see baseball-teams-who-shall-not-be-named (because they aren’t the Pirates. I’m no baseball fan, but do suffer from occasional civic pride), prom date hopes and dream vacations aplenty…but there were some thought provoking ones too. My favorite one was “Before I die I want to ….live”
Although I’ve never seen the movie, I think there is a lot to be said for “Bucket Lists”… you know, a list of things you want to do or experience before you “kick the bucket”. Bucket lists really are marvelous things. They help us see how short and precious life is. They put things into perspective, and prioritize a bit.
Happy is the person whose bucket list consists of what they are doing right now. Today tastes sweeter when you make the things at your fingertips the absolute top of your bucket list.
Once you have the truly important stuff out of the way, like family, friends, health, happiness, here, now, etc…then it’s time for the fun stuff!! What is the fun stuff on your bucket list? You have a bucket list, right? If not, why not? You don’t have to do them all right now. So making a list is just a harmless idea, a thought experiment, really. Once you make a list, why not DO something from it? You don’t have to wait until you are on death’s doorstep to indulge in a little living. Sure, climbing Mount Everest or living in Hawaii may not be within reasonable means, but what on your bucket list IS attainable? If there isn’t anything, why not FIND something that is both do-able AND bucket list worthy?
It’s a mental thing, if you get right down to it. Some things I didn’t realize they were on my bucket list until I was already in the process of doing them, and was just that grateful for the experience. I’m glad I tried a rare steak. I’m never eating well done again…at least not a a decent restaurant. First bite and I realized it was “list worthy”
Somethings take a little more time and effort…those are worth starting now, at any age. My long range “list activity” is learning Esperanto. Started that this weekend. There is a fantastic free to download program at http://www.kurso.com.br and online study at en.lernu.net.
What are you doing from your bucket list?
It’s like the art installation…those bucket lists are full of living.
June 7, 2014
Originally posted on 
June 4, 2014
Q&A: Does Debittered Yeast Have Chromium?
Q: Does “debittered” brewer’s yeast contain chromium?
A: Nope.
It’s that simple. The de-bittering process takes out chromium from brewer’s yeast. Other strains of yeast (they are all basically the same species of one celled fungus.)
Baking yeast isn’t a source of chromium anyway… and is best used for just that, baking. Think of them as Alton Brown’s burping sock puppets on “Good Eats” (love that show). They are “active”…some of the wee beasties are still alive to ferment your dough. Let them live! And burp! nd make wonderful things in your kitchen.
There is also “nutritional yeast”. It has a stronger flavor, but adds a wonderful cheesy element to soups and sauces without adding the fat and calories of actual cheese – if you are into that kind of thing. It’s a wonderful culinary tool for vegans. I think this is the stuff they use in vegemite and marmite. I’ve never had the privilege of trying either spread, but after having nutritional yeast, I imagine it is actually kind of tasty. They could definitely wake up your morning toast. I’ve used a powdered blend of brewer’s and nutritional yeast in vegetable broth until I could find a non-debittered yeast tablet. Definitely had a zing to it. I can see where the flavor wouldn’t be for everyone. Brewer’s yeast alone is much milder in my opinion.
“Brewer’s yeast” that you find in health food and supplement stores is a little bit of a misnomer. It is, like nutritional yeast, INactive – the wee beasties have done their brewing duty and expired. It is like harvesting a mushroom. It isn’t alive anymore, but boy does it taste good. I like to think of nutritional yeast and brewer’s yeast supplements as itty bitty one celled mushrooms…you know, food. The yeast you actually brew with…in making beer for example…is more of the active burping sock variety. The “brewer’s yeast put into tablets has already done its burping and is now the harvested mushroom kind of thing.
The up side is actual brewers yeast does contain all sorts of lovely trace minerals, like chromium, selenium and others to go along with the B vitamins and iron. The down side is that brewer’s yeast has trace minerals…which can give it a pretty funky flavor. That’s why the debittering process came about in the first place. Originally, most people used brewers yeast as a source of iron, back when meat was only for the wealthy and leafy greens were not available year-round. Back then iron deficiency anemia was more common. The trace minerals were less of a concern and gladly purged to get a better-tasting iron source.
In the first-world nations, where meat, greens and whole grains are now abundant, the chromium in non-processed brewer’s yeast is the part we want. Often marketed as “glucose tolerance factor” or “chromium gtf” chromium in yeast form is easily absorbed, inexpensive, natural and according to several studies effective too. (University of Maryland has an excellent list of supporting research HERE).
So whether you choose dibittered brewer’s yeast or unprocessed brewer’s yeast depends on which part of the yeast you want to use. For iron intake and B vitamin supplimentation, either form will do. For chromium supplimentation, only the NON processed, NON-debittered form will work.
It is a challenge to find this non-debittered form…even some tablets labeled as “natural” are still debittered, since the yeast itself is a natural food and the debittering process is fairly ‘natural’ too. Powders are more likely to be non-debittered than tablets.
BUYER BEWARE! Read, read, read those labels! Reputable manufacturers will list the trace minerals in their product, so if there is no chromium listed, it is better to assume it is a debittered product. If it has chromium, it should list chromium, and what form the chromium takes.
Be cautious when you see the term “chromium” or “gtf” as well. Non-biological chromium is very abundant, so take care to read. If you are looking for brewer’s yeast, make sure the “gtf” isn’t chromium piccolinate or chromium nicotinate.
MEDICINE TAKERS BEWARE! There are some medicine that can block chromiums absorption and other medicines where chromium changes the medications absorption and action. Please read this fact sheet from the National Institutes of Health for more information.
It seems very easy to process chromium right out of foods, so chromium deficiency may ironically be on the rise in industrialized nations where processed food are a large part of the diet. Brewer’s yeast to the rescue! Just like it used to help with iron deficiency and B-vitamins, now it can safely help with chromium deficiencies.
Broccoli, grapes and whole grains also contain chromium – so eat your veggies and whole grains, and you are less likely to need chromium supplementation in the first place. For those with special needs, like glucose intolerance, extra may be needed. However, those with diabetes or other health concerns should coordinate using chromium suppliments like brewer’s yeast with their doctor.
If you are healthy, though, brewer’s yeast is just wee tiny food with a big health impact.
June 2, 2014
Merry Monday: Envelopes
Not the paper kind of envelope, the “Right Stuff” kind. Remember that old movie? Being a space enthusiast since the Moon Landing in ’69, I had to see it, if for no other reason than to catch Chuck Yeager’s cameo.
Sometimes any life can have a little test pilot in it. If not…I suggest you go get some. Eleanor Roosevelt is quoted as saying “you must do the things you think you can not do”. Or in Tom Wolfe’s words…you have to push the envelope. I can’t imagine a life without a little limit testing, and just ‘seeing what will happen’. Part of me LIKES stress. As you’ve seen, I’ll triage blogging right off the page if needs be, but by the same token, I can’t imagine a life that doesn’t need a little of that triage every now and then. Pushing the envelope can be done right, and it isn’t always a recipe for disaster. Triage is your friend as much as a parachute is a test pilot’s. How are you going to know what your mental and emotional boundaries are unless you take a cautious peek at them every now and again?
Like Mr. Wolfe suggests…envelopes move in two directions. Once you push them out, you have to be able to haul them back in again. That is where the stress management we do here comes in. Reiki, aromatherapy, Tarot, meditation are all ways you can haul the envelope back in, peek at your edge without falling over, do those things you think you can not…and live to tell.
Most of the time, the Merry Monday list of delights will be real, tangible, fun and cool things. Literal stuff. Ideas can be just as delightful. Sometimes one idea, one quote, one analogy will flip a mental switch and make all sorts of things better. For me, “pushing the envelope and hauling it back in again” is a great example of living well, and an example of that mental/spiritual well being that holistic health embraces.
Envelopes are there to be pushed and challenged…and to be hauled in. No pushing and you could suffocate from stagnation and boredom. No hauling and you could wind up in real trouble. It is important, it seems, to both know your boundaries and respect them. Know how much stress you can take, and how to cope with it if/when you get in over your head.
So here is to the virtual envelopes that keep life interesting…and let us know when to throttle back on the interesting.
May 31, 2014
From the archives: How Do You Know If a Psychic Is Ethical?
From my Tarot Blog…the idea of ethics and tarot is especially important when you use them as a tool for stress management, and the mental/spiritual aspects of natural, holistic health.
Originally posted on Modern Oracle Tarot:
Recently a client asked: “There are a lot of crooks out there. How can you tell if a psychic is for real or not”
“For real” could mean a lot of things, but in this case they were talking about ethics. They wanted to know how to tell if a psychic wants to help people or just make a quick buck.
Good question. One everybody should ask before they pick up a phone, get online or drive to see a “psychic”
We are all in this business for one reason or another. And yes, we do ask either a set price or suggested donation for our work (after all, we need to eat too, but we’ll explore this part more in another post). Just the same, here are some simple signs that a “psychic” is someone who is sincere about what they are doing and may be in this…
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May 27, 2014
Why: Reading is a Modern Superpower…
Originally posted on JamesRadcliffe.com:
It is my contention that: In the modern world, Reading is no less than a Superpower.
In this post I will explain the thinking behind this, and share 7 reasons why you should consider make reading an integral part of your daily life.
So sit back, strap in, and turn on, dear reader, while I expound upon…
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May 22, 2014
Housekeeping….I’ll come back later
Think of it what you will, but I do like Harry Potter. The past couple of days has felt like that scene from “The Prisoner of Azkaban” movie where the housekeeper knocks on the door, her hair is blown back by light and sound and a wind and a roar…and she calmly says she’ll come back later. That’s a great image to keep in mind when you are feeling stressed…be the housekeeper.
Another well-worn image is the low pressure center of a hurricane…be the eye of the storm
Or, if you prefer “Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves”…my favorite scene is where the sheriff (yes, I’m an Alan Rickman fan too) comes storming in, throws things and stabs dinner viciously with a knife. His sister the witch just calmly watches, and when he ends in a huff, evenly asks “something vexes thee?” Stress management coaching in a nutshell, that.
In my opinion, there are lots of nice things about finding analogies to your situation in tv, books and movies. It’s fun…you can tap into what you felt watching the movie or whatever, and bring that feeling into your situation…like the housekeeper, or the sheriff’s sister, or another of my faves, the Captains on “Deadliest Catch”… they control what they can, adapt and react to what they can’t, and “it is what it is”.
I draw from this idea over on “The Vampire Diet“… I call it a “mental cosplay” to add a little Halloween style fun and motivation to doing what needs done. Spoonful of sugar and all that.
What pop culture image, character, or genre helps you to rise to stressful occasions?
May 20, 2014
Yeah, it might be a train
That light, over there at the end of the busy-tunnel. It might be a train, but for now I’m just calling it June 11.
I’ll be honest. I don’t get paid to blog, and it hasn’t been pulling in clients lately, so have to put blogging lower on the list of stuff to do over the next couple of weeks. That’s reality AND it’s leading by example…that kind of triage and prioritization is key to stress management. So this is me, showing you how I manage my own stress…with a little Reiki and aromatherapy thrown in for good measure, but you can’t see that in a blog.
So there you have it folks…yes, I DO use this all myself, and yes, it WORKS. I wouldn’t offer it to you if it didn’t.
Sorry to be so scarce around the blogosphere – but will be back in full force with new ideas for Merry Monday and Tao Tuesday then.
Have a fantastic week :D
May 17, 2014
Light Housekeeping
Do you like candles? I find them relaxing, even comforting on a rainy day and in the winter. It goes without saying I like the fragranced kind. If you use candles, occasional wax drips and spills are almost inevitable.
On BBC America, they used to have a charming show “How Clean Is Your House”…the hostesses cracked me up. And they had some of the most dead useful hints ever.
One was for those wax spills. After accidentally bumping a just-blown-out pillar candle and splashing bright pink wax on the mantle and down the glass of the fireplace insert – had a chance to give the hint a try – and it works beautifully.
Just whip out a hair dryer on low setting, and warm the wax until it just wipes away. Repeat with a clean cloth for any streaks left behind. Simple. Genius.
