Benefits of Broccoli

Broccoli! What an amazingly versatile vegetable. You have to love a vegetable that turns such a beautiful shade of green while it’s cooking, to let you know it’s ready. Easy to prepare, and just as happy to be steamed, boiled or sautéed, it’s a friendly vegetable, and gets along well, hot or cold, in a salad, a main course, as a side dish, or dipped and dunked in any number of sauces like mustard, veggie dip or cheese.

If you’ve always known in a vague way that broccoli was good for you, but want to learn more, a quick trip to HOWSTUFFWORKS will really convince you. “This tasty vegetable is rich in dozens of nutrients including vitamins C, A, folic acid, calcium, and fiber. It’s good for your bones. The fiber found in broccoli is half insoluble and half soluble, helping to meet your needs for both types of fiber. Broccoli has been linked to a reduced risk of numerous conditions, including cataracts, heart disease, several cancers, high blood pressure, and colon cancer.” Broccoli is also inexpensive, easy to find, and has only around 30 calories per cup (for raw & chopped)!

And now for the good news! In a recently published study, researchers have discovered that a compound found in “broccoli called Sulforaphane can encourage the body to produce more enzymes to protect the blood vessels as well as reduce high levels of molecules which cause significant cell damage.” Let’s repeat that one, it protects you from damage, and helps prevent the changes that allow damage to occur.

“Sulforaphane activated a protein in the body called nrf2, which protects cells and tissues from oxidative stress by activating protective antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes.” So broccoli is like a trip to the spa for your insides.

The “study suggests that Sulforaphane from broccoli may help counter processes linked to the development of vascular disease in diabetes.” Researchers also hope “a diet rich in vegetables [like broccoli] has health benefits for diabetic patients.”

Check out our recipe for Broccoli Slaw, and remember to eat your vegetables!

- Nancy

Related Articles: Researchers have discovered eating broccoli could undo the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels

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Summer Grilling

Summer is my favorite season. It really is. I like everything about it. The light clothes, the bright sunshine, the endless evenings, the voices of kids playing outside. The sounds, tastes, and smells of summer nights carry memories with them and remind me to take time to enjoy life. A perfect summer evening is not just what you serve, it’s also what you share, the company of friends, and the time to relax and realize life is good.

Everything smells great when you are cooking outside. Most people say everything tastes better too. Though you still shop, chop, prepare, marinate, and wrap, you are setting the stage for that magical moment when the sun starts to sink and it’s time to light the grill. My husband always walks outside, stares at the platters, plates, utensils, and fire-fighting equipment I’ve piled up around the grill and shakes his head.

I love that moment when our dinner starts to sizzle. Packets of veggies begin to steam, corn on the cob gets a little charred, onions and garlic merge. I’ve started to experiment with shish-kebobs, and I’ll try anything that looks like it’ll stay on the sticks and survive the flames. I just learned to soak the sticks in cold water before I use them. After a few minutes, my husband still asks, “Shouldn’t the little sticks be on fire?” I tell him the new ones are fireproof. He believes me.

He’s still very cautious, because my meals often take on a life of their own. Sometimes my barbeque forces him to take evasive action, grilling what I have prepared can be an extreme sport. Perfectly folded foil packages, holding brightly colored, carefully prepared food often become burnt, bitter, brittle broccoli, exploding cherry tomato volcanoes, and randomly erupting fires where too much marinade and lots of our dinner have slipped through the grates to a fiery death below.

Hungry friends and co-workers have suggested combining the broccoli with the tomatoes, a sprinkle of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, a shake of sea salt, and leaving the packets closed during the cooking process. They have given excellent reasons not to slice meat, fish, or chicken ahead of time, staring sadly into the bottom of our grill.

Now that I’ve conquered the little burning sticks, and received all this other great advice, I’m ready to try something new and different for desert.

My main sources for inspiration are Renee, Josee, Lauren and Tim at Sensei. Their ideas and recipes are creative, healthy and delicious. I love to tear recipes out of newspapers, but usually I just throw them in a folder and never look at them again. I’ve kind of developed a crush on William Sonoma. His recipes are easy to follow, and practically foolproof. Jennifer Saranow of the Wall Street Journal must have heard I was planning a barbeque. She just profiled summer barbeque and entertaining expert, “Patrick Hind-Smith, a senior buyer for Williams-Sonoma Inc.” I might be able to copy his “pizza grilled on a pizza stone” and possibly “a salad of grilled romaine lettuce where the heads are drizzled with a vinaigrette and tossed on the grill”. His desert is “grilled mango or peaches with ice cream”. I can’t imagine anything more fantastic!

I decided instead to prepare something I can’t melt, burn or lose. Fresh summer fruit salad. Katy McLaughlin of the Wall Street Journal inspired me with her description of amazing new species in Sweetness of the Season. “Fruits like pluots, white peaches and golden raspberries…better-tasting fruit in a variety of shapes and colors.” She learned of “extensive research into hybridization and crosses that make traditional items like peaches, plums, melons, and berries sweeter, juicier and more vibrant.” The best news is that these “fruits are now widely available in regular supermarkets”. Marge Perry, of Newsday reminds us that we should “wash blueberries and all fruit just before serving to preserve their flavor and nutrition as long as possible”.

I always plan a few barbeques in early summer, then I get kind of lazy. I know it’s time to invite my friends again, because moms and kids are everywhere doing back to school shopping. That means summer is slipping away, and I want to enjoy all the new recipes and summer evenings I can. I hope you enjoy yours as well.

- Nancy

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Think Again

Half way through the summer of 2008 desperate parents everywhere are trying to tempt, threaten or tease our kids into spending more time outside, exercising, playing and participating in healthy activities. Yahoo News released figures July 25th showing that the “U.S. sales of videogame hardware, software and accessories through the end of June totaled $8.27 billion.” You try to set a good example, limit TV and video game play time. The kids won’t stop asking for Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2, with all the newest “accessories available, like a Fender Stratocaster Controller, and an Ion Drum Rocker.” What’s a parent to do? Scientists say it may just be time to “Think Again.”

A new study, recently released by the Times of London, and heard on the BBC, reports on the physical fitness and stamina of an unlikely athletic hero. “The results of the Clem Burke Drumming Project, a study conducted by scientists at the University of Gloucestershire and the University of Chichester in Britain” followed Blondie’s drummer, rock star Clem Burke on concert tours for 8 years. “The stereotype of a rock drummer may be more party animal than star athlete, but the stamina it takes to play for a concert tour is no joke”, according to the scientists who studied him.

Clem Burke, Blondie’s drummer, “has been participating in the study for eight years, allowing his heart rate, oxygen levels and other statistics to be monitored during his performances”. The BBC reported that his “numbers are comparable to that of athletes, but while they might reach that level once or twice a week, a drummer on tour is likely to do it almost every night.”

Dr. Marcus Smith, lead scientist from University of Chichester’s team, said “For me, as a sports scientist, he is no different than the Olympic athletes I have worked with.” He found that “an hour in concert could burn between 400 and 600 calories. His heart averaged between 140 and 150 beats a minute, peaking at 190, levels comparable to other top athletes.”

“One goal of the research is to help develop programs enticing overweight children not interested in athletics to find alternate ways to stay fit.” Think Again! Go release your inner rock star, find your Mamma Mia. Play with your kids. Send me a video!

- Nancy

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Disco Returns

Songs from the 1960’s play and I’m moved, body and soul, right back to the place I was when that song was new, or new to me. My brother still insists I talked during the Beatles first performance on Ed Sullivan, and ruined it. Everyone else in America loved that ‘really big show’. The Beatles will always be my first love.

The Mamas & The Papas music always makes me sad. Such beautiful voices, and so much talent, but their history was a short, sad story.

Motown will always be my second love. The girl groups, singing so sweetly about love and disappointment, then there were the guys, singing and stepping to the beat. All that love, and pain, in matching gowns and suits.

Disco arrived next for me, and the memories still make me smile. It’s all about those spectacular voices, crossover influences, and a hard dancing beat. Late 1970’s music…The Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Barry White, ‘The Hustle’, and Saturday Night Fever dance moves.

Then there was a huge lonely black hole, no music, no sound, no sleep, no adults...unless the opening chorus of Sesame Street by day and some fond memories of the Muppet Show each night counts?

Now Heather Murphy Monteith has arrived like Kevin Bacon in Footloose. We can sing, we can dance, ‘Boogie Nights’ (ok, afternoons) are back. Her goal was “to allow children and adults the opportunity to enjoy music in a fun and safe way.” Brad Schleifer highlighted the Fort Lauderdale, FL event last week, and Disco Baby’s history. “In 2004, she rented out Philadelphia’s Fluid nightclub and daytime disco parties started.” Known as Baby Loves Disco Family Dance Party, the “events now occur regularly in scores of cities, including London and Manchester in England.” Ms. Monteith says the music is carefully picked. “You won’t hear kid-specific songs or anything vulgar. The playlists are compiled by DJs and usually focus on disco and ‘80s dance music. It can play as long as it’s clean, the lines are simple and has a solid rhythm.”

“The Baby Loves Disco events cross the nation like a rock concert tour, and sell out like one, too.” Kathleen Seiler Neary, a correspondent for The Washington Post, explained in March, 2008, after her first time, “The dance parties, which are as much for adults as they are for children, have become popular among parents as a fun way to socialize.”

“Andy Blackman Hurwitz, a New York Dad and music producer, was hooked after his first event. ‘It was the first time my kids, my wife and I all walked out of an event and all had a good time.’ Hurwitz and Monteith cloned the concept in other cities; there are Baby Loves Disco events in more than two dozen cities in the United States and the United Kingdom.”

Cell phone lights on, stand, sway, sing Eddie Kendricks “No more lonely days, no more lonely nights”…followed quickly by Abba’s “Thank you for the Music”.

These two are dedicated to you, Heather Murphy Monteith.

- Nancy

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Set Yourself Free

Diet is a 4 letter word. Yes, one of those bad words. I think for most of us the word represents a battle. A battle in a war that never really ends. The ‘4 letters’ aren’t the problem, our relationship with food is.

The list of 10 reasons not to diet makes the word the problem. Words are not to blame. (Well, maybe some words are to blame…but that’s another story for a different day.)

The challenge for most of us is to find a happy relationship with food. To be able to think about food in a calm, friendly, more manageable way, we have to think about what we will eat, and when. Not every morsel, not every moment, but we need to understand that what we need is awareness.

“Making small gradual changes to our lifestyle” (reason 1 on the list if 10), and learning that with a plan we can navigate safely through temptations and choices. Without a battle, without bad feelings, your relationship with food can become a peaceful, positive one. Planning ahead gives you strength and support. It is amazing what a few hard boiled eggs, some lean grilled chicken and cut up veggies ready and waiting can do for you.

People who plan defend themselves from unwanted attacks. Let healthy choices, smaller portions, planned meals and snacks replace skipping meals and eating ravenously later. It’s the way to go. Planning is energizing. It’s positive attitude. It’s learning to live, maybe even enjoy, not fear, your self around food. Brian Wansink, Ph.D. calls it ‘mindful’ eating. Jane E. Brody rewards herself with ‘controlled indulgence’.

‘Planning’ to be a healthier, more balanced eater doesn’t limit your life, or make you negative, or push you to be critical or lose control of what’s real or true for you. It sets you free. Numbers are not really that ‘arbitrary’. If your weight is pushing the limits for your height, your health, or your ability to participate in and enjoy life, it’s disingenuous to say that extra weight is not an issue. Controlling your relationship with food allows you to feel good about your choices, your energy, and your possibilities.

Put an end to the battles. Why wouldn’t you want to try?

- Nancy

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Life Is Good

Have you seen Jake? He has an honest, open face and a simple message. “Life is good.” More than 30,000 of his supporters gathered in Boston last Saturday to enjoy his most recent festival. His fans believe in his smile and buy T-shirts and hats decorated with his image.

Maybe they don’t read the paper or listen to the news? Actually, they do and they realized that “the happiest people alive are the ones who are happy with the simple things.” Travis Piotrowski, one of Jake’s many fans, thinks the message is right on target. He came to celebrate with his wife and kids.

Jake is the “Life Is Good.” mascot. He’s “a symbol about what is right with the world. Jake is happy not because of anything he has or because he is materialistic.” Bert and John Jacobs, company founders, think that “people relate to the concept because it’s simple, and because too much of what is happening in the world is complex.”

Eric Wilson, of the New York Times, thinks
“the Life is good T-shirts have caught on among people who feel the products are spreading a positive message in a troubled world”. His theory must be right, because “the years when the company has thrived have been the most economically, politically and socially challenged years.”

The Jacobs’ brothers began selling T-shirts in 1989. 6 years later, “in 1994 they adopted the mascot “Jake”, a smiling stick figure and the mantra “Life is good.” together expressing everything the brothers believe in.”

Something else these brothers believe in is helping others. “Life is good is known for its charitable work and recently established the “Life is good Kids Foundation”, which was created to improve the physical, emotional and social well-being of children.”

Most of their fundraising is done during “the festivals, which began in 2003, and are extraordinary in that they draw thousands of adults (and their children) to socialize, partake in folksy contests like relay races, dog-bowl bowling, and watermelon-seed spitting. The events have raised more than $3 million for children’s charities.”

It’s not too late to become one of “the growing legions of Jake fans…16 more…events are scheduled around the country this summer.”

Buy a T-shirt, find a festival, and wear it proudly. See you there...where Life is good.

- Nancy

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Local Attractions

Back in the days when I thought everyone was young and everything was local, summer was the time of year we waited for. Summer days were perfect and the nights were better. We had traditions we loved and locally grown, seasonal food that meant spring, summer and fall had arrived.
We celebrated the last day of school, and first day at the beach, with homemade popsicles and new strawberries. Tomatoes that still smelled like the earth, sweet watermelons, and corn-on-the-cob came from farm stands straight to our dinner table. Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day. They all meant summer. Do you remember those days? Neighbors knew each other, no-one locked their doors, and kids played outside, alone.

Patricia Leigh Brown, of the New York Times, explores the roots of small town harvests, and the festivals that celebrate them. In spite of the changes time and trends have brought to American towns, traditions survive, and celebrations continue.

“The agricultural fair tradition dates back to 1784, when Elkanah Watson tied two merino sheep under a tree to entice neighbors to breed them.” Crowds gathered and “Agricultural Fairs in America: Tradition, Education, Celebration” began.

Patterson California is the home of the Apricot Fiesta. If you grew up in, or near, any small town, you’ll recognize Patterson. “The fiesta began in 1970, when 40% of the nations’ apricots were grown here. Like many other agricultural fairs, it began as a business promotion, and it raised money for the community.”

Apricots flourished in California’s long growing season, and in 1970, the fiesta’s first year, 7,300 acres of apricots were harvested. Nearby, Stockton California was the center of a canning industry, where fresh apricots were cut and dried, and “local teenagers could once rely on a summer job.”

Fast forward almost 40 years. American preferences for dried or fresh fruit led to the decline of the canning industry. 95 % of dried apricots sold in the United States are imported. ‘Sprawl’ swallowed up orchards; “acreage devoted to apricots is dwindling.” Local farmers say imported dried fruit sells for so much less than their locally grown apricots that they can’t compete. They’re selling their land “to developers or switching to less labor-intensive crops like almonds”

When a town in New England or a community in California loses the crops or industry they were known for, the town changes forever. What is lost and what remains after time and ‘progress’ have taken their toll? For each community, the answer is different.

What would an old neighbor or a new resident find in Patterson at this years’ fiesta? Most of the town still turns out to celebrate. “Boy scout troop 8 is serving up the last of 111 gallons of homemade apricot ice cream they had hand- mixed at the local fire hall.” You have to buy your ice cream early, because it always “sells out.” The incredible smells and tastes from the booth selling “deep-fried apricots only $3.50 – Yum!!!” are still a local favorite. “Joanne Waters is selling hundreds of apricot pies, $13.00 dollars apiece. The pie recipe came from a local woman whose secret she refuses to divulge.”

Ms. Waters isn’t sure “the new folks understand the relationship between farmland and food.” She’s probably right. New neighbors wouldn’t know that their homes were built on the old orchards and replaced the old way of life. New residents have never known the joy of watching apricot trees bloom, and the fruit grow ripe enough to bake into pies. The ‘new folks’ will bring a hunger to belong, and a desire to make friends. Communities, like families, are often blended, and come in all shapes and sizes today. They will eat pie from old recipes, shop in local markets, and appreciate the community they join. Next year they’ll know the apricots are local. They’ll share the traditions and celebrations of their new hometown.

Keith Boggs has a booth at the fiesta. He is from “the county’s office for economic development.” He will explain that small town living has so much more to offer than meets the eye. “It’s all about perception. The skyrocketing costs of gas makes our small-town neighborhoodly roots a draw.” I think he’s right. Smell the pies, get some ice cream. Everything is local. Everything is good. Traditions survive, and life goes on.

- Nancy

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Caveat Emptor – Buyer Beware

Sometimes we fool ourselves, sometimes we let others fool us. New studies and ancient proverbs remind us that we are often persuaded to make ‘poor’ decisions with our money. Making good choices can be confusing when the numbers don’t add up. What we buy on sale may be costing us much more than we realize.

Alina Tugend of the New York Times interviewed experts in the fields of behavioral economics, marketing, and debt-proof living. She brings us their warnings about how our behavior is affected by the psychology behind a sale sign. Even the most savvy shopper can be persuaded to buy because advertising is a very powerful tool. Headlines and sale signs convince us to buy in ways we are not always aware of. She warns us: “Free is not bad, but it can lead us to make irrational choices. Not only do we con ourselves that we’re not really spending as much as we really are, we often feel virtuous while doing so.”

Did you know “that the word ‘free’ acts like a drug for many people?” Tempted by the word ‘free’, we lose sight of the value and benefit – or “the economic theory of cost-benefit”- when we let a low price or a ‘free offer’, convince us to spend. The expert here, “Dan Ariely, Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University, and the author of Predictably Irrational” explains that “getting something for free feels very good. Zero is an emotional hot button-a source of irrational excitement.”

“Free is an aphrodisiac” according to David R. Bell, Associate Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. “A Free Shipping offer that saves $6.99 is more appealing to many customers than a discount that cuts the purchase price by $10.00.” How can that be? Professor Bell found that people will “increase their average order size to get free shipping. People may buy things they don’t need or want to attain free shipping.”

“Mary Hunt, founder and editor of a Web site called Debtproofliving.com http://www.debtproofliving.com” explains another mistake we make. “Using a debit card makes us feel like we’re getting away with something, we pretend that a debit card is the same as cash. But it has a hidden danger, which is that we will spend more when we use plastic than when we have cash.” She also warns us that fees involved with debit and credit cards can be very deceptive. “A credit card may appear to be a better deal because it charges no annual fees. But it’s not better because it charges a higher interest rate than one that does require yearly fees.”

“Duncan Simester, a Professor of Marketing at M.I.T.’s Sloan School of Management, conducted experiments asking people to bid on certain items. One group was told they could only use cash-with access to an A.T.M.-a second group could use their credit cards. The second group bid significantly higher than those limited to cash.”

There is a very old warning, written in Latin, still in use today: CAVEAT EMPTOR – LET THE BUYER BEWARE. I hope you will.

- Nancy

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Bad words

Lately I’ve been thinking that a budget is a lot like a diet. Neither is a happy word. These are the words we use after we’ve lost control. We never say budget ‘til we’ve overspent…badly. We never think diet ‘til our clothes are too tight…painfully. They both require drastic measures and damage control. Don’t you hate that?

It’s really a lot of work to overspend and overeat. You have to make believe that you don’t know what you are doing while you are doing it. Put off balancing that check book. Only reach for the most forgiving clothes in your closet. Denial is exhausting. Fooling yourself gets old. The day of reckoning always comes. I used to hate that day. And then myself.

When you’re ready to give up all the drama, you’ll probably find that making little changes can be a painless process. A little planning goes a long way. Becoming a ‘mindful’ eater, or a ‘mindful’ spender allows you to achieve a kind of balance where anxiety used to rule. Planning ahead rewards you in almost every way, but especially with meals and money.

You already know that when you’re ready to lose weight, and keep it off, Sensei can help you learn to make good decisions. We don’t want you to ‘diet.’ We will help you plan a healthy life.

Planning ahead, learning to make good decisions, and choosing a path with financial stability is on all our minds today. Lauren, Josee, and Renee can add up calories, find hidden fat, and balance your meals. They know so much about healthy shopping, saving on your grocery bills, and delicious healthy food. They love sharing what they know, and what they learn, in their blogs. When it comes to making good financial choices, understanding the numbers can be a little more confusing. Stay tuned for more on this next week.

- Nancy

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Buying Local Produce

We don’t want to give up fresh healthy produce, especially when summer provides so many wonderful choices, but now we also have the ‘fear factor’ to consider when we shop.

Vegetables we carefully picked and fed our family last night are part of a mass recall today. We can’t remember what country, state or region our vegetables were grown in or transported through. The F.D.A. isn’t sure either. We’re already trying to balance the rising cost of transportation with higher prices for groceries. Now the ‘fear factor’ has moved from our television to our kitchen table.

Locally grown produce should be the solution. Sadly, that’s not always what we find in our local markets, even this time of year. Only our melons, and Mr. Whipple, if you’re old enough to remember him, should complain about feeling squeezed, but today consumers, retailers and growers are feeling bruised from all the squeezing rising prices and uncertain times bring.

Wal-Mart Stores has responded to all our bruises with an amazing new plan. “The world’s largest retailer” has a new title. Wal-Mart has become “the nation’s largest buyer of locally grown fruits and vegetables”. Responding to “academic studies”, Wal-Mart learned they could “save 100,000 gallons of fuel, and cut away 672,000 food miles – the distance produce travels from farm to a customers’ plate”. Famous for “leveraging bulk purchases to keep prices down,” and distributing through shipping centers nation-wide, this change brings them “$1.4 million in annual savings,” and will “also assure customers of a product’s provenance amid mass recalls.”

“Wal-Mart considers locally grown produce anything farmed within a state’s boundaries. Customers will soon see signs, stickers and labels to indicate produce comes from within your state.”

The next time you want the freshest in locally grown fruits and vegetables, head to your nearest Wal-Mart Store. “Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. plans to purchase and sell $400 million of produce grown by local farmers within its state stores this year, an effort the company says will only grow.”

This is a ‘just in time’ solution.

- Nancy

Related Link - http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/tomatqa.html

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Control…What Works for You?

Lauren and Josee both wrote about temptation, craving, and control last week. As a ‘civilian’ employee who is always hungry, and always looking for a cure, I find myself searching for some kind of magical protection or secret dietitian knowledge hidden in their words. You know ‘If I can crack their secret code, I’ll be thin for life’ kind of thing.

All of us who struggle with food are searching for something! We all need to be reminded that there really are no secrets, or magic words, to ward off temptation. Well, maybe there are two: Plan Ahead. Planning ahead…is power, and Lauren just gave it to you.

Avoiding temptation is really difficult. The world seems to work against the struggling dieter. Commercials, supermarkets, other peoples’ birthdays, old feelings, new anxieties, and even my parking space at work tempt me. When I’m leaving work, hungry and grumpy before dinner, cooking smells from the gas station food mart rise up like I dream of Jeannie from her bottle to tempt me. It’s not just a smell, it has the shape of food, and it moves toward me, I swear.

I’ve carried around some version of baked potatoes, apples, carrots, or now almonds, for years. It doesn’t always work, but it makes me feel strong. I can eat them or throw them at the food smells from the gas station. They are my ‘secret’ weapon. What works for you?

I always say I’m only good until I’m not…I have no middle ground. Whether it’s a feeling that gets the best of me, or a food I denied myself that now I can’t get out of my mind, craving is the beast you can’t deny. Josee described the craving and the cure. Find something that tastes right and satisfies your urge. Enjoy it…in a small amount. Like Lauren, I love fresh berries and frozen low fat yogurt. It works for me. What works for you?

Control. That’s a tough one. If I scoop the frozen yogurt into a small bowl, I win. I will eat only the amount I scoop. I will have plenty for the next night. I’ve eaten only the amount I planned, and I’m a happy snacker. It should be a no-brainer. When I start to eat from the container, I will finish it. All. But I still make believe I don’t know that about myself, and I’ll start from the container and be surprised when I’ve eaten more than I planned. That’s the no-brainer.

How do you ‘surprise’ yourself? What works for you?

- Nancy

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Save More Money…Coupon Web Sites!

When I was young, I thought receiving mail was a very grown up privilege. I longed for the day I would go to the mail box and find letters addressed to me. Newspapers in your driveway ranked second as incredibly adult behavior.

When I was finally old enough to have a newspaper subscription, and checks with my name printed on them, I learned that bills were the real reason mail arrived. I was thrilled to ‘discover’ coupons in my newspaper. At first, I would forget all about my list, and go coupon ‘savings’ crazy. I learned to resist unless a coupon was ‘my’ brand, ‘my’ flavor, and worth more than my childhood allowance. I would proudly pile my $1.00 off coupons on the items riding the conveyer belt to the check-out. After rejections for expiration dates, flavor factors, and other small printed exclusions, I learned to read and shop carefully. I even learned to cook…a little.

I don’t remember when my coupon use faded away. My interest in newspapers never did. My husband and my kids read the news as it happens, on line. They think it’s funny that I read my newspapers at night, long after the news has ‘happened.’ The kids almost never check their mail box either. Their messages are ‘instant,’ their bills are paid on line, their checks are deposited directly. Sometimes their groceries are ordered on line and delivered to their homes! They still have to go to the gas station. We share that pain.

This summer, as I worry about the rising price of almost everything, I find I am scanning my newspapers once again for coupons, hoping for sales on what I need, and wondering if the price of my newspapers would be better spent on gas. Then I came up with a plan: What if gas stations offered money off coupons in local papers, wouldn’t that reverse the downward trend in newspaper sales and help us all fill our tanks? Until that happens, I decided to find out how on line shoppers are getting their coupons and what smart grocery shoppers are doing in tough times. It seems I wasn’t the only one looking into this. Amy Hoak of the Wall Street Journal had the idea first.

What she found was really amazing. Online coupons. Lots of them. It really is a whole new world. The internet makes grocery shopping coupons available "for consumers to scope out deals." You can sit back and relax, because the experts have been here and done that, and their work can save us all some time and money.

You can go online and print out a coupon for many stores, but you will also find "many store ads are now on the Internet and comparison-shopping Web sites make it easier to find the best deals." In other words, you spend less for milk when you find the store where the price for milk is lowest and combine it with an additional manufacturers’ coupon. That makes so much sense, but it sounded time consuming. The expert here, Stephanie Nelson, runs CouponMom.com http://www.couponmom.com. She’s done all the work and made it available at no charge on her site. "To cut on grocery costs, Ms. Nelson’s site combines recent coupons found online, as well as those distributed in newspapers, and pairs them with the sale prices listed in the stores’ weekly flyers." The number of visitors to CouponMom.com, Ms. Nelson’s site, has “more than doubled” in the past year.

SmartSource.com has an amazing site. It allows you to explore their coupons, as well as many 'micro sites' without leaving SmartSource’s home page. You can choose a product, and then shop for the very best price at "MyGroceryDeals.com, a site that helps customers compare sales among stores in their area." You print out your coupons, and you are on your way to savings!

The third great way to save is at "manufacturer’s Web sites." Kim Danger, "family savings expert for Coupons.com and creator of Mommysavers.com" will give you great advice, "direct you to free samples offered by manufacturers" and help you "to stay updated on the newest deals."

I haven’t spotted any coupons for gas yet, but I’m hanging on to my newspapers and hoping for the best.

- Nancy

Related Article:
MarketWatch: Enter code here: Playing the Online Coupon Game

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METABOS – Seeking Trim Waist

56 million Japanese citizens stand accused of being part of the dreaded Metabo Group. “Officials have moved aggressively to measure” the Metabos “in what the government calls ‘special checkups.’” Metabos represent “one of the most serious and politically delicate problems facing Japan today.” Employers and local governments have been ordered to give the Metabos 3 months to obey “the new state-prescribed limit under a national law that came into effect two months ago.” After that, “those people will be steered toward further re-education.”

How will the local population respond to Metabos living among them after the government has identified them as the cause of a national crisis? Will family, friends, neighbors, or employers unite to protect Metabos from persecution, or will the “new law,” under which a company faces severe penalties for failure to control “not only its employees, but also their families and retirees” turn opinion against Metabos?

An “anti-metabo campaign” song has the population dancing in the City of Amagasaki. “An official in Matsuyama, a city that has acted aggressively against Metabo, said he would leave the debate over the campaign’s merits to experts and health officials in Tokyo.”

Metabo is “the preferred word in Japan these days for overweight. Obesity has a negative image, Dr. Sakamoto said. Metabo sounds much more inclusive.”

Obesity does have “a negative image.” The one wearing the extra weight knows the emotional costs. Mean names and cruel campaigns are personal tolls that can turn life into a spectator sport. The health risks of metabolic syndrome include obesity, vascular disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease. A cute sounding name like Metabo won’t change the risks or penalties of obesity. Statistically, being overweight is held against you by insurance companies, prospective employers, airplane seats, and comedians.

Middle Georgia Moms posted this just hours after the Metabo article appeared in the New York Times: “Now about the story, I think it is no good (I of course am a big girl) Laws to over come obesity are doomed to fail.” Her ‘short story’ may rival the saddest words Elizabeth Berg has written. Doomed to fail…the thoughts and results so many dieters know so well.

Laws ‘to over come obesity’ may be ‘doomed to fail.’ Wishing, hoping and most ‘diets’ fail as well. To lose weight you have to learn to eat healthy foods in smaller portions. To keep the weight off you need to learn new, healthier habits. You can change your life. Sensei can help you. We can share a plan for small changes, better choices, and healthier long term habits. Our goal is to help you get started, and be there for you all along the way.

Laws may not overcome obesity. Choosing to change your life will.

- Nancy

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YOUNG@HEART

Do you love to go to the movies? I really do. I’m fond of old, worn-out theatres with a broken spring in the seat, a sticky floor, and 1 or 2 screens. I admire the ones that always advertise 'Still Playing.' They’re also a little faded around the edges, but they offer us one last chance, like they know we might need it. The idea of a multiplex showing 18 different movies thrills me. You walk block after block on flocked carpet until you arrive at your feature, passing 17 other jumbo cardboard displays of everything now playing or showing soon. In Times Square, at the Empire Theatre, I really get carried away. The escalator brings you up 11 flights and offers 25 screens!!! I imagine going from showing to showing to showing and being entertained for a day and a night and all the next day. My absolute favorite is the Palace in Boca Raton, with reserved, reclining seats, speakers that rumble, valet parking, and really good food.

A trip to the movies is like time travel. My goal is the same. Transportation to a different world, filled with other people’s stories that I borrow while I watch.

Yes, I love the idea of watching at home in my bathrobe, it just doesn’t work for me. Knowing I can get up, hit pause, and come back, spoils the sense of suspended belief I really need to enjoy a movie.

A really great movie makes me laugh out loud or [try to] cry secretly into my tissue. The best movies make me do both. My husband never cries. Ever. Instead he turns to look at me exactly when I’m about to secretly sob. He watches me feel the movie. He’s more firmly planted in the here and now.

YOUNG@HEART is a documentary about a group of 24 older seniors. Their full title is The YOUNG@HEART CHORUS. Like an old movie theatre, this group looks their age; OLD, worn, and more than a little frail. You worry when they struggle from their chairs at home, drive carpool on the highway, then carry chairs or just 'carry on' during rehearsal. You relax when you realize that coming to sing, tell their stories, practice their jokes, being together, is how they celebrate life. When they stand as a group, voices raised in song together, they light up the screen. They are 'Still Playing.'

When we rush through our lives multitasking, hide from our true feelings in a movie or with food, spend every moment with a techno-device in one hand that we think connects us to the world around us, but doesn’t – we might be missing the real show. The one playing now. Ray LaMontagne sings BE HERE NOW. We should. .

The YOUNG@HEART group doesn’t rush. Maybe their secret is they never did. They sing like they’re enjoying every moment they have on this earth, and it gives new meaning to most of the lyrics. When they struggle to memorize a complicated phrase, and match it to the beat, you know they can. I hope we will. Enjoy this movie.

- Nancy

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FREEWHEELIN

Humana, Inc., a leader in the healthcare industry, is sharing their plans for a healthier lifestyle in America. Freewheelin, Humana’s new bike sharing program began almost a year ago at their headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. Their program was designed "in partnership with Bikes Belong, and bike industry leaders" and modeled after successful programs "In European cities including Paris and Amsterdam to encourage 'green' and congestion free transportation." Humana has designed their free bike sharing program to encourage a healthier life style for the rider as well as for the planet.

"Humana piloted their Freewheelin program by installing bikes and racks for use by employees free of charge. More than 2,500 employees registered for the program."

Humana plans to bring their bike sharing program to Denver, Colorado this August, and to Minneapolis/St. Paul in September. These cities