Hello friends, and welcome to this month’s Joyinmovement newsletter,
As I often do in November, I share information about multiple topics that don’t require whole newsletters on their own. This time I’ve got three fun ones to share: Wild Rocket Salad, what’s so special about curcumin, and a TED talk I think you’ll enjoy!
1. Wild Rocket Salad.
Over the last few years I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Europe. It seems like no matter which European country I visit, when I order a salad, it’s called Rocket Salad. And I’ve become addicted to rocket salads. Rocket is actually wild arugula and it’s a derivative of the French word “roquette.” Although it’s been eaten for centuries by the Italians and French, I’ve seen it become more popular in the states, or at least in my household!
It’s high in vitamins A and C and is a good source of calcium and vitamin K. And for me it’s been a welcome change from using spinach and lettuce in salads. It’s got a peppery flavor, which I enjoy. I make my own salad dressings so I keep it simple and use oil and vinegar on my rocket salads. It can also be used in place of basil for arugula pesto.
As I said, I’m addicted to rocket and wondering if anybody out there is enjoying rocket salads as much as I am???
2. Curcumin
Curcumin is the active ingredient in the spice Tumeric. A recent study published in Diabetes Care (the official Journal of the American Diabetes Association) examined treating pre-diabetic patients with curcumin. The study’s goal was to see if curcumin could prevent pre-diabetics from developing actual Type 2 Diabetes. You can read the study for yourself at http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/35/11/2121.full)
I’ll tell you, though, that the results were impressive. Not one of the patients given curcumin extract (250 mg three times a day) developed Type 2 Diabetes in the course of the study.
This doesn’t mean, of course, that people taking curcumin will never develop Type 2 Diabetes, but it does point to the beneficial effects of curcumin and the possibility of its being useful in helping to manage blood sugar. And anything that helps manage blood sugar is worth knowing about.
Curcumin is also said to have possible benefits for a whole host of other conditions such as: certain cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, psoriasis, kidney disease, and protection from viral and bacterial infections.
Curcumin also shows anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-arthritic properties.
Do your research and if you’ve experimented with curcumin as a supplement, let me know how and if it worked for you!
3. A fun TED talk I think you’ll learn from and enjoy.
Check out Amy Cuddy’s TED talk called Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are. http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are.html
It’s only 20 minutes and chock full of interesting science. I’ll often talk about posture and how important it is to your health and well being, but she talks about it from a mind/body framework. She’ll also teach you about harnessing the best of both hormones, cortisol and testosterone. Indeed your body does shape your mind and I don’t want to give you too much information about what she shares because I want you to watch it for yourself. But here’s a hint……tiny tweaks create big changes! Let me know what you think about her talk.
So that’s it for this month. Make it a great month for health and fitness, and eat plenty of rocket salad while engaging your best posture!
shelli
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