WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: What the World Needs Now

 

"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.  Where there is hatred, let me sow love."

                                                                                           --Francis of Assisi

We have entered this new year with a preponderance of violence. 

How can children be expected to grow up surrounded with kindness, love, and peace when daily newscasts are filled with the ugliness of violence?  It is OK to turn off the TV and not watch the news. I certainly do it. It is OK to light candles and create a loving home space where the art of conversation can be enjoyed and shared with children. 

If we fail to create the world in which we want our children to be raised, then we have no one to blame but ourselves if the cycle of violence continues to the next generation. Raising kind and loving children is key to raising healthy children who will love themselves and care for the planet which we all call home.  Sow what you want to grow. I choose to sow seeds of love. 

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Children and Childhood Obesity

“Children who have obesity are at greater risk for diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, which have a significant impact on health and healthcare costs.  Obesity can also increase the risk for severe symptoms of COVID-19, even among children.  Additionally, decades of data show that children of color and those growing up furthest from economic opportunity are at greatest risk for obesity.”

                                                       --Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Please consider these realities:

• Adult obesity rates continue to increase.  Four in 10 adults in the US are obese.
• Youth age 2-19 obesity rates continue to increase.  One in 5 children and adolescents in the US have obesity.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, parents can do 5 things at home to prevent childhood obesity:

1.   Eat rainbows

2.   Move more

3.   Slow down on sugar

4.   Limit screen time

5.   Sleep well

We can ALL benefit from using these suggestions to live healthier lives every day.  Growing Healthy Kids is focused on creating solutions to reverse and prevent childhood obesity and building partnerships with others committed to ensure that all children have access to healthy foods. 

There is an urgency to end this childhood obesity crisis and protect children’s health and lives.  For example, children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can expect to have a shorter life by 15-17 years.    

Together, we can do great things to improve the health – and lives – of America’s children.

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

Photo above: Kids at a Growing Healthy Kids workshop getting ready to visit the Vero Beach Farmers Market

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: What You Eat Matters

“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarians.”

                                                                        --Paul McCartney

What you eat either feeds disease or heals. Your choice. 

By eating a variety of plants (mainly vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains), you are healing yourself, especially when you choose organically grown foods. 

Plant-based eating is a delightful way to support local farmers, learn to create new dishes for family and friends to enjoy, and eat food because it makes you feel great and doesn’t leave knots in your stomach, as often happens from consuming meat, due to delayed digestive times. 

Take a week and think about small changes you can make to what you eat every day to shift to plant-based eating.  At the end of a week, stop eating all animal products for a month.  Avoid processed foods, especially those with ingredients you can't pronounce.  Record the changes in how you feel, sleep, think.  Give it a shot and be amazed.  Heal to be healthy.  

What you eat matters. For your health and the health of your children. For our minds, bodies, and spirit.  For the health of our planet. 

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

Photo above:  Kevin O'Dare sharing fresh herbs with a youth at a Growing Healthy Kids' workshop.