| It's Okay to be Lazy and Eat Fatty Foods--Sometimes |
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 Obviously, being lazy all the time is not healthy. But on occasion it is beneficial to kick up our feet and eat pizza to relax. Get Lazy There is more to a healthy life than crossing things off your (or someone elses’s) to-do list. Consider how your life (not someone else’s) would proceed if some of the things on your list just disappeared and everyone is still happy.  Lau Tzu in the Tao de Ching tells us about doing nothing and how everything gets done. Attaching metaphors or a meditative quality to tasks can make them more spiritually useful. Washing dishes can be incredibly meditative if you focus on sloshing through water and methodically cleaning each dish. Can this mundane gesture also scrub away a particular annoyance that happened that day? Sweeping & mopping can be handled in the same way. If you need to burn off energy because you didn’t get your exercise for the day, do these chores as quickly as possible with a sense of play. They still get done. Who knows, if everyone sees you having a good time doing chores, they might volunteer to help, so they can have a good time as well. All of that said, there is a place of honor for laziness in a healthy life. Judicious laziness can be rejuvenating. Unplanned can be draining. Watching the sun rise or set with a cup of something reconnects us with the cycle of day and night. Watching masses of things pass by with nothing on your mind relaxes the muscles in your head. These masses can be clouds, ships (especially big tankers that take 40 minutes to move past your spot), people, birds, or fish. Alternatively, being trapped in front of the television, knowing you could/should be doing something else can be exhausting & can lead to headaches. Consider that if you ensure enough lazy time for yourself, you’ll be in a better position to fulfill your responsibilities to yourself & others, which ultimately is greatly satisfying. Food Focus: Oils and Fats   Life isn’t possible without small amounts of the right kinds of high quality, naturally occurring fat & oil from whole foods. The heavily processed fats (trans or otherwise) in prepared packaged food can be damaging. The right amounts of the right kinds of fats stabilizes our metabolism & hormone levels as well as nourishes skin, hair, and nails. It also aids in digestion.Fat keep us warm, protects organs and can be soothing. A healthy percentage of fat in a meal provides energy, fulfillment & warmth. Not enough fat can leave us feeling cold and hungry with dry hair & brittle nails. Too much, especially of poor quality, processed fats lead to weight gain, high blood pressure and sense of physical and mental sluggishness. One way to add healthy fats & oils to your diet is with sauces, dips & dressings. For sautéing & baking, butter (regular & clarified) because it doesn’t break down at high temperatures. For sautéing at moderate temperatures extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil are both tasty. The oils that works best at cool temperatures, including flaxseed, sesame, walnut, & pumpkin seed are best for salad dressings for any combination of greens, veggies, or grains. Mixed with something acidic, vinegar, lemon and/or lime juice & herbs/seasonings of your choice make perfect dressings. Healthy fats to eat directly (and in moderation as calorie counts can be high) include nuts & seeds and their butters on toast or added to salad dressings add variety. Whole foods such as avocados, olives and coconuts are great sources of healthy fats, along with the high-quality fats in wild salmon and omega 3-6 organic eggs. If you’re so inclined, moderate amounts of animal based fat, duck, goose, or beef prepared and served with plenty of vegetables are another addition. |
