Exposure to pesticides used on common kid-friendly foods — including frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries and celery — appears to boost the chances that children will be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, new research shows.

Youngsters with high levels of pesticide residue in their urine, particularly from widely used types of insecticide such as malathion, were more likely to have ADHD, the behavior disorder that often disrupts school and social life, scientists in the United States and Canada found.

Kids with higher-than-average levels of one pesticide marker were nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as children who showed no traces of the poison.

~ JoNel Aleccia, MSNBC.com health writer
read the full article here

Of course pesticides are harmful. One of the Total Health Makeover® steps is to live using as few chemicals as possible because we just don’t know the long-term effects, even at low exposure rates, especially for children. Food without chemicals is a safer choice.

The experts in the article suggest buying organic and washing your produce.

• Buying organic food * We know that family budgets don’t always allow for eating organic. And there are parts of the country and the world where organic foods aren’t readily available. If you have to make a choice, check here for information on when to choose organic versus conventional produce.
• Washing your produce * You don’t need a fancy product to wash your produce. Thick-skinned fruits and vegetables (apples, citrus, potatoes, root veggies) can be scrubbed with soapy water and a brush or cloth, and rinsed thoroughly, or scrubbed with a little baking soda (as an abrasive). Delicate produce (salad greens, berries) can be soaked in vinegar water (about 1/4 cup inexpensive (white) vinegar in a sink full of cool water) and gently rubbed by hand. Wash before you peel to ensure you’re not just moving the pesticide residue. Peeling is not always required.

We heard Serena Ryder in concert recently and we loved her energy! She performed without her band, so all her percussion was in the way she played the guitar and stomped her feet. And wow, did she make some noise.

Get up and dance. Stomp your feet, twirl around, shake your head, and really get into it.

We tend to keep our feelings buried in our bodies, repressing them in hunched shoulders, downcast eyes, smaller steps, and poor posture. Play this song and let it all go. Loosen up all your muscles. Shake it out. Vent your feelings in movement. Give your body a fresh start while you burn some calories.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Clean Food: A Seasonal Guide to Eating Close to the Source
Terry Walters

Of course we’d be attracted to any cookbook called “Clean Food.” It’s the perfect title for those of us who love whole foods, seasonal foods, and vegan foods.

The book is in five sections (although the table of contents doesn’t divide it this way – this is how we see it): basic information, spring, summer, fall, and winter. It’s perfectly organized for seasonal eating, which is the best way to eat the freshest available – and therefore the most local – foods.

Each season has it’s own index of recipes, which is helpful when you’re using the book as intended. There’s also a complete index at the end of the book. Some of the recipes are not terribly original; others are refreshingly unique. Some are simple, others more complex. There’s really something for everyone here.

The real brilliance is the first section on basic information. It’s 35 pages on eating local and seasonal, eating organic vs. conventional foods, eating for balance, tools, methods, and ingredients. There’s a lot of great information in this first section of the book, and it is presented clearly and simply. This is especially helpful for anyone new to “healthy” eating who may be unfamiliar with some of the ingredients.

We love this book – we think you will, too.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Grilling season is here! We love to hand off some of the kitchen duties to someone else, so we can concentrate on getting the side dishes ready. (And yes, we know that could sound very 1950′s, but we like to think of it as sharing the work.)

The “work” in this recipe is preparing the marinade. Allow time for the fish to sit in the marinade – 1-4 hours is ideal (or you can put it in the marinade in the morning and cook the fish for dinner). When it’s time for dinner, prepare simple side dishes like braised greens and steamed green beans. Or ribbons of summer squashes, lightly sauteed and seasoned. The bolder flavors of the marinade work well with simple sides.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Moroccan Grilled Salmon
Green * Serves 4

1 cup chopped fresh organic parsley
1 cup chopped fresh organic cilantro
3 cloves organic garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon sliced or slivered raw almonds
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch hot pepper flakes
3 Tablespoons fresh organic lemon juice
1/3 cup vegetable broth
1-1/2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 salmon fillets, about 1/2 pound each

In a food processor, finely chop the parsley, cilantro, and garlic. Add the almonds, salt, paprika, pepper, cumin, hot pepper flakes, lemon juice, vegetable broth, and olive oil and grind to a coarse puree, running the machine in short bursts. Taste, adding salt and pepper if needed.

Run your fingers over the pieces of fish, feeling for bones, and removing any you may find with tweezers. Pour 1/3 of the sauce over the bottom of a glass or ceramic baking dish just large enough to hold the salmon. Arrange the salmon pieces on top. Spoon another 1/3 of the sauce over the fish and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 4 hours covered. (The longer you marinate, the richer the flavor.) Reserve the final 1/3 of the marinade until serving time. Preheat the grill to high. Oil the grill grate. Grill the fish 4 to 6 minutes per side, turning with a spatula until preferred doneness. Transfer the fish to plates or a platter and spoon the remaining sauce over it.

Photo by Katarzyna Lipińska

I still need more healthy rest in order to work at my best. My health is the main capital I have and I want to administer it intelligently.

~ Ernest Hemingway

Marilu.com has a “Spirit Sunday” tradition. Take some time today to rest, to relax, to breathe. Enjoy a moment in nature, or a nap, or a yoga meditation, or a prayer. Just take a little time out.

We were intrigued by this story in the New York Times about ultramarathoner Scott Jurek.

Ultramarathoners are distance runners – really long distance runners. Jurek is currently preparing for a 24-hour race in France, where runners compete by circling a 1.4 km route repeatedly for a whole day, and then find out who went the longest distance. He also runs 100-mile races, races across deserts, and up mountains.

And… he’s a vegan.

Jurek eats from 5000 to 8000 calories a day, all plant-based. He gets plenty of protein, and of course lots of carbs for endurance. He eats lots of vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fruits, nuts and seeds. Plant-power is pretty awesome when it can provide this much fuel.

You gotta stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.

As you shift to your weekend routine, make sure you are standing strong in your commitment to your health, your goals, your plan.

Sometimes it’s easier to just let everything slide until Monday. But if you do that, you’re just doing the two-steps-forward-one-step-back dance every week. Why not give yourself a head start on next Monday – by sticking to your weekday plan on the weekend?

• Do your exercise (look! music for you to walk to, squat to, do pushups to, dance to).
• Eat your fruits and veggies.
• Make sure all your grains are whole grains.
• Skip anything that makes you eat more, or think less about what you’re eating.
• Look for ways to be active and have fun.
• Take a personal timeout for some pampering.

Take a stand this weekend. For yourself.

Don’t put yourself back in the fire again.
You gotta stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Jumping rope is not just for playgrounds anymore! Get your very own boxer body with a jump rope.

Start slow – with two hops per rotation. Build up to one hop per rotation, then speed up the rope. (Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!)

When you’ve got basic jumping mastered, go from one foot to the other, and try swinging the rope backwards. Challenge yourself to 5 straight minutes of jumping rope!

Take it further:

• Invite your kids or the neighborhood children to join you in a jumping contest.
• Get the whole block involved in Double Dutch (good for coordination and team work!).
• If you can jump rope like a boxer, why not try boxing?

Spring weather can be a bit … unpredictable. If it’s cold and rainy outside, soup is a welcome meal. Homemade soup is so easy, and you’re in control of the sodium content, the quantity of the vegetables, and the quality of the ingredients.

Optional: Add 1 cup of cooked brown rice for Not-Chicken & Rice Soup.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Not-Chicken Soup
Blue * Serves 4

4 quarts vegetable broth (homemade, or try Imagine Foods No-Chicken Broth)
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped (including leaves)
4 carrots, scrubbed and sliced
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
2 cups green beans, cut in 1″ pieces (fresh or frozen)
2 cups broccoli stems and tree tops (peel and slice the stems)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot bring vegetable broth, onion, celery and carrots to a boil. Let simmer on medium-low heat. Add mushrooms, green beans, broccoli stems, and thyme and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and add broccoli tops. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.