What would humans eat in a zoo?

Photo Credit: Humphrey King via Compfight cc

There’s been a lot of debate recently—well, in the past 50 years—about what human beings should and should not be eating. As a recent article by Dr. David Katz points out, we know what to feed animals in zoos. Why do we have such a difficult time feeding ourselves? Most advice rests on continuing to eat the food groups available to us, but just in moderation. That clearly isn’t working for a lot of us. So what’s missing?

The newest in a long line of diet guidelines is the Paleo Diet, which asks us to imagine ourselves as cavemen and eat only what a caveman would have been able to find. As far as guidelines go, that’s pretty good. It’s not far off from “If your great-grandma wouldn’t recognize it, don’t eat it.” At its most basic, it’s eating what you can find naturally. That’s pretty broad, and can be interpreted a lot of ways. And in some ways, that’s great-- it can be applied to many different ethics, cultures and value sets fairly easily. In practice, it’s usually not hard to answer whether we would have been able to eat it. Doritos? Not natural. Eggs and spinach? Easily foraged, that’s a go. Whole wheat bread? We would have had to invent agriculture for that, so also a no.

There are some inherent problems with this way of thinking. It’s broadness can lead to some huge swings in interpretation. If you want to take it beyond just a guideline, and make it something to seriously live by, i.e. an actual set of rules, it’s helpful to know what we actually would have eaten as cavemen. Anthropologically speaking, not just in the land of imagination.

Let’s start by looking at our closest living ancestors, the bonobos. They’re a ground-dwelling primate similar to chimps, but their social structures operate more like ours. They’re omnivorous, mostly eating fruit they can pick off trees and bushes, but also forage and eat leaves, and sometimes smaller animals like squirrels, rodents and bugs. What about chimpanzees? They’re a bit more aggressive as a species and have been known to hunt, so they have a more evenly omnivorous diet than bonobos, but eat roughly the same things.

Applying this behavior to humans, one can infer that the human diet would consist of foraged foods, small animals and insects. We probably ate more fruits in the summer, fattening ourselves up, and then ate calorically and nutritionally dense animals in the winter. Though it’s probably safe to say that the difference between summer and winter wasn’t jungle hot versus ice age wooly mammoth cold, so don’t go crazy. 

Depending on the region of the world your ancestors lived in, the proportions of the diet probably varied a lot. If you’re looking at a more nomadic “caveman”, it was probably a lot more meat from following the herd. If you’re looking at humans that lived in coastal or tropical areas, it was probably a lot of fish, shellfish and sweet fruits.

They probably ate slower, too. Try sitting down with a bowl of shelled walnuts and eating a handful versus cracking them open and eating them one by one. You get full after about 5 when you’re shelling them, but with them already shelled it’s easy to stick a couple handfuls in your face. Imagine finding your berries and picking them off the bush one at a time.

Seems easy enough. But there’s another logistical issue with this diet: Since the advent of agriculture, we’ve bred and chosen the fruits and vegetables we like to eat to make them the biggest and tastiest. I’m not even just referring to GMOs and factory farming. The modern yellow banana with its super sweet soft flesh is nigh unrecognizable when compared with its starchy ancestor. Even tomatoes, formerly small, lumpy, purplish bulbs, look alien versus their rotund, spherical and perfectly red modern counterparts. The guideline of “if your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize it, don’t eat it” probably wouldn’t realistically apply to nearly any of our produce available today. Comparing ancient bananas to current bananas is more like comparing an arctic wolf to a chihuahua. If we want to eat like cavemen did, the supermarket selection is already completely beyond the pale. So rather than just eat any fruit or vegetable we can find today, we’ll have to be more selective to balance out nutrition for breeding.

And then, of course, there’s exercise. The good news is that primates enjoy a lot of meandering with short bursts of strenuous activity, and lots of naps. So the good news is, running 3 hours a day probably isn’t ideal to mimicking how our ancestors moved. And getting tired in the afternoon? Totally normal. The problem is, even that amount of activity is more than what most people do, and lucky is the person who has the luxury of afternoon naps.

So how do we realistically apply these points to the lives we’ve manufactured for ourselves?

For starters, we need to eat a lot more plants. Unfortunately, we’ve bred most of our fruit to basically be candy, so a lot of that is out. Citrus fruits and berries are still pretty close to what they originally were, so they’re good. Super sweet fruits like bananas, mangoes, grapes…. Not so much. Still better for you than cake, but they’ll probably make you put on a bit of weight. That leaves vegetables. White potatoes are also overbred, so pick the ones that are more nutritious, like white sweet potatoes and yams. Dark green leaves are fantastic, as are squashes and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts. If you have the luxury of growing or foraging organic nettles and dandelion greens, more power to you. Radishes, celery, carrots, mushrooms, bok choy…. There’s really quite a selection to choose from. The agricultural phenomena we’ve created would, however, be out: soy, corn, grain, potatoes.

What about protein? My guess is that most of you aren’t on board with eating bugs, though I would highly recommend them. Most wild animals are pretty lean meat, with less than 10% body fat. Lean cuts of any meat will probably count, but grass fed is best as that’s the herd animal’s natural diet. The nutrition the animal eats is the nutrition you eat in turn. Fish is also a good source, as are eggs from free range chickens that are allowed to peck and forage. There’s evidence that cavemen got a lot of nutrition from organ meat, such as stomach, liver and brain. I’m going to venture that’s out of the picture for a lot of you too, but again, very nutritious if you’re a meat eater. Interestingly, as the contents of the stomachs of animals would sometimes carry fermented dairy (calves) or fermented fruit (small monkeys and rodents), yogurt, soft cheese and wine could occasionally be on the list. If you’re getting technical, of course.

Cooking? Eating raw, steaming and roasting with limited oil are ideal. Remember we didn’t have oil until the advent of agriculture, and animals were pretty lean in the body fat arena. If you need to use oil, use the ones that can withstand the heat and didn’t have to go through a lot of processing to be created. Coconut oil, butter and animal fat. Olive oil and avocado for cold dressings.

There are trimmings to the tree that we could add that are still super nutritious, and some that are superfluous but make life that much more interesting. Cocoa, coffee, spices, herbal teas, flax oil and flax seeds, powdered spirulina and wheatgrass, gelatin, are all full of antioxidants and a great way to boost the nutritional value of your food. Nutrition, unfortunately, is also lost with modern agriculture. Supplementing with some whole foods additives like those listed is sometimes necessary, but also enjoyable.

And what about sweets? We may have had occasional access to honey. Wine is not entirely unimaginable. But these are more occasional treats than regulars. For sweeteners, it’s probably best to stick to eating straight fruit, stevia or sugar alcohols that won’t spike your insulin.

And of course, exercise. You can’t really leave your desk to roll in the grass, but there are things you can do to counter sitting all day. If you have a job that requires movement and manual labor, you’re already ahead of the game. You could maybe do yoga or 20 to 30 minutes of strength training 3 to 5 times a week to feel at your best. For those of us tethered to a computer, or sitting on our couch at length at the end of the day, start incorporating long walks into your daily activity. Play outside with your kids. Go for short high-speed runs (HIIT and interval training are great primers for this). Walk or bike to work. Convert your desk to a standing desk. Go for walking meetings. Move around the office to chat with your coworkers instead of sending an email, stand to make phone calls. Just move around more in general. And the naps? If you have the luxury, take a 15 minute nap on your lunch break or in the afternoon instead of that third cup of coffee.

Vegetables and leaves, citrus fruits and berries, a few nuts and seeds, limited oil, lean meats, eggs and fish. Bugs and organs if you’re game. Possibly yogurt, cheese and wine on occasion. That’s what we’d eat in a zoo. Abundant, yet at the same time austere. No worries about calorie counting or logging long runs. All in all, as a diet it’s pretty forgiving. The amounts of protein and vegetables are probably a bit variable, but I would err on the side of far more veggies than protein. Eat slowly and mindfully. Move around more. Allow time for short siestas. And above all, keep it clean. :)

Growing an Avocado Tree at Home

A great way to save money and brighten up your home is sprout your own plants. One of the easiest things you can do is use the seeds and pits you would normally toss out. Avocados make beautiful indoor plants, and if you live in a warm climate, in a few years you can plant it outside to grow a tree! Fruit bearing-trees take many years before they start to give fruit, but are still lovely and rewarding to grow at home. Below are instructions on sprouting an avocado.

1) Cut open a fresh, ripe avocado length-wise and scoop out the pit. Eat the fruit! Yum yum yum.

2) Wash off the pit, removing any traces of fruit.

3) Press 4 toothpicks into the pit, half-way up and around the middle. Use them to balance the pit in a glass of water. The pointy side should be up, and the bottom quarter of the pit should sit in the water.

4) Let the pit rest in the water, keeping it at room temperature or warmer, for a few weeks. If you live in a colder climate or are doing this in the winter, you might want to use a heating pad or a grow lamp.

5) Refill the water as needed to keep the pit moist.

The pit will sprout roots, and eventually will crack in half with a sprout coming out at the top. This will probably take a few months. Once it sprouts, you can transplant it to a pot, gently covering the roots with soil and putting it in a place with plenty of sun.

Sprouting is the hard part, so once you have the sprout you can sit back and enjoy! Until next time, keep it clean!

Preventing Sunburn Inside and Out

We all enjoy a good picnic in the park or day lazing on the beach in the summertime. A little bit of sun is good for us, and even recommended. It may not make you impervious from harm or give you the power of flight, but sunlight is still super for increasing your levels of contentment and boosting the much-needed Vitamin D most of us lack. But what do you do when you want to spend more than 30 minutes in the great outdoors? Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself.

Antioxidant-Rich Diet
Too much sunlight on your skin breaks down your skin cells. You can slow down that breakdown with a diet packed full of nutrition. The nutrients and antioxidants in food will mop up any cell damage and stimulate your cells to produce new healthy cells to replace the damaged ones. The most nutrient dense foods you can eat are dark leafy greens, non-starchy vegetables, berries and citrus fruits, nuts, cocoa, avocados, coffee, tea, olive oil and coconut oil. A healthy diet won't completely protect you from the sun, but it will reduce the damage considerably and help you heal much faster.

Essential Oils
There are a lot of plant oils that naturally prevent sunscreen. Coconut oil is a good start, but add 5 to 10 drops of other oils to boost protection. Myrrh, lavender, helichrysum and red raspberry seed oil all block out a significant percentage of harmful radiation when applied to the skin. Mix essential oil with some coconut oil in a jar and apply every hour or two throughout your time outside.

Cover Up
Anyone who's ever experienced Farmer's Tan or a Phantom Watch knows that clothing will block out sun exposure. bring a swimsuit cover-up like a long-sleeved linen shirt, a hat or a long cotton dress to wear after a swim.

Have a Friend Watch Your Back
Many times you'll be burned way before you even feel it. Hang out with friends, and especially if you burn easy, let them know they can feel free to point it out when you're starting to look red so you can stop it in its tracks before it gets worse.

Soothe the Burn
As careful as you are, it's probably going to happen eventually. Cut a leaf of aloe or mash up a cucumber to cool raw skin, or cut a raw potato and apply directly where it hurts. Bonus points: put the potato in the fridge first. The starch will help soothe your skin. Oatmeal can be used similarly by applying to the skin or soaking in a bath of it. White vinegar will kill the pain too. Apply every 20 minutes to where it hurts the most.

Enjoy your summer fun, and until next time, keep it clean!

Natural Skin Care

It's no secret here at Azuma that we dig the natural lifestyle. One of the things that I'm most proud of are all the compliments on my glowing skin. The great thing is, there's really no magic or expensive secret to keeping it clean, gorgeous and healthy. Here's my regimen for looking fresh.

Baking Soda

The easiest and cheapest trick in the book. Forget expensive exfoliating gels and creams. Baking soda is proven to do it all. Removes dead skin cells, whitens and brightens uneven color and dark splotches, removes blackheads, and alkalizes the skin surface to prevent zits from getting out of control. Just put about a teaspoon in your hand, add a little water, and scrub in the morning and before bed.

Witch Hazel

It's not magic, just a wonderful plant with great astringent qualities. You can get witch hazel extract for cheap in the first aid aisle of most grocers, but fancier scented varieties such as Thayer's are also out there. The antioxidants fight acne, relieve eczema and psoriasis, and soothes swelling and cracked, dry skin. I like to wipe down my face with it after removing make-up or scrubbing with baking soda. It also works great as an aftershave! No more razor bumps.

Aloe

Aloe is also a wonderful skin soother and mild moisturizer. Keep some in the fridge for days when you're a bit puffy and smooth it on your face. I also mix aloe as a carrier for other oils as a daily moisturizer.

Sweet Almond Oil

There are a few different oils to choose from for moisturizer. Some prefer castor oil, some like coconut or avocado, but I've found the one that least irritates my face and delivers the right amount of moisture without clogging my pores is Sweet Almond. All of these natural oils have amino acid chains similar to the oils your skin naturally produces. That means that it soaks in and penetrates rather than just sitting on the top and sealing in what oil you have. I put half and half almond oil and aloe into a travel bottle, shake it up and squeeze out a dime sized amount when I need lotion for my face.

Eat Right

I know, I know. We've heard it a million times. But it is SO important to eat your cruciferous veggies and greens. The nutritional powerhouses are packed with antioxidants that clean your body inside and out and leave you with a healthy beautiful glow. I firmly believe my plant-strong diet is the biggest reason why my skin stays healthy and young. Kale, arugula, broccoli, collards, romaine, chard, cauliflower, mustard greens galore!

Exercise

Some type of movement every day keeps your blood moving, delivering important nutrients and oxygenating your cells, triggering the hormonal responses necessary to make new cells and revitalize your skin. Running, walking, yoga, playing with your children, swimming, biking. Science has proven time and again that those of us who stay young mentally and physically exercise regularly. Whatever it is you do, keep active.

Until next time, keep it clean!

The Value of Keeping Health Simple

When navigating the health world, there are all sorts of suggestions, plans, programs and pitfalls. A simple journey to living a healthier lifestyle can become a mind-numbing mess of gadgets, apps, calorie counting, restrictions, 5AM trips to the gym and endless label-scrutinizing that would send any person back to bed to avoid all the work. It's no fun being healthy when you're constantly monitoring every thing you do! Here are a few absolutes that every expert can agree on to help you simplify things.

Enjoy life and the body you were given to live it in.
It's fine to set goals for yourself and have things to aspire to, but focusing too much on the end product will often result in endlessly beating yourself up if you don't get there and frustration. One Ayurvedic lesson is to treat your body like your friend. If your friend was sick or struggling, or if something was clearly wrong, you wouldn't belittle her or get angry at her for not being perfect. Listen to your body and identify what you struggle with and try to work with that. And celebrate and work on improving your inherent strengths.

There isn't one single life plan for everyone.
There are certainly things that will universally help your health and make you look better in the process, but remember too that each body is a unique biological organism. Real lasting change takes a lot of time. Depending on your habits, medical history, genetics and what you've been eating all your life, your metabolism could function completely differently from the next person. What works for one person may not necessarily work for you. What one person enjoys eating or doing may not be what makes you passionate about being healthy. You may look great at 140 pounds while someone else does better carrying 110. That is completely normal and okay.

Eat your vegetables.
Even if you eat vegetables at every meal, you could probably still eat more of them. Everyone agrees and the science overwhelmingly backs it: there is nothing more super and more nutritious for your health than veggies! Eating fruit or a multivitamin or a "superfood" is NOT a substitute! Avoid peas, corn and potatoes and go for nutritional powerhouses, especially leafy greens like spinach and collards, and cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli and cauliflower. Eat huge salads for lunch, wilt spinach in your breakfast scramble, throw a few handfuls of raw spinach into your smoothie. They will make you feel full, boost your energy and keep you young. No pill, powder or any amount of exercise can replace that.

Don't go crazy with supplements.
There isn't any herb or pill that you can take that will alter your health more than being active and eating well. Some things certainly help. If you're a vegetarian, it's probably a good idea to take a B-complex. To boost your metabolism, you may want to consider drinking more green and herbal teas. Coconut and flax oil is certainly good for you, but there's no reason to go out of your way to eat a tablespoon of it every day if you're already preparing your meals with it. Anything a superfood or supplement has can probably already be found in the foods you're eating daily. What you should do is probably what you already know: Avoid packaged and sugary foods and eat a natural diet of vegetables, lean protein, fruit, nuts and seeds to get your nutrition. Focus on the food and staying active and save your money for better things.

Strength is not complicated.
There's no such thing as "muscle confusion" or shrinking your muscle mass to look long and lean. Your muscle size is determined mostly by genetics and how much weight you lift. That's pretty much it. Doing 100 crunches a day or complex reverse interval training will not give you abs. Do exercises you like to stay active, like yoga, swimming, riding your bike, playing with your kids, taking walks with your significant other, or playing sports. Make sure you  move around regularly instead of sitting at your desk or on your couch all day. If you really want to build muscle, look into doing deep muscle training twice a week (slow, heavy reverse weight lifting until your body can't lift anymore). But beyond that, you don't have to do anything weird to stay fit. Your body doesn't know the difference, and your brain will appreciate the break.

Keeping things simple gives you more time to focus on what matters to you. Instead of making your health the center of your life when life is already short, use that time to enjoy who you are, build your relationships and your talents, and have fun! Until next time, keep it clean!

Keeping Your Clothes Like New

It's always a little bittersweet to finally part with a piece of clothing, whether it's stained, colorless, the fabric has lost its luster or it's gained a few holes along the way. Sometimes you're ready for it to go, but sometimes  there are pieces you have to repeatedly replace like socks and underwear or that favorite rock concert t-shirt that you just can't seem to let go of. You don't need fancy detergents or dry-cleaning to keep your clothes perfect. Here are a few tips to extending the life of the clothes you have, and saving a few bucks while you do it!

Fading Away
Nothing makes a piece of clothing look old like faded color. To prevent fading, wash colors on cold, avoid hanging colored pieces in the sun to dry, turn pieces inside-out during washing (especially jeans) and consider adding 1/2 a cup to 1 cup of white vinegar to your wash cycle to preserve the color. If the color has already faded, you can add new life to your clothes by dyeing similar colors. Black clothing is great place to start. You can find affordable fabric dye online or in most grocery stores in the laundry aisle.

Hard Fabric
Everyone knows the unpleasant feeling of a scratchy towel or crusty socks. For thicker fabrics, be especially sure that you're not overloading your washer with too much detergent. You can run the washer on a rinse cycle with towels, socks or sweaters and if it looks sudsy, you're using too much. Another good prevention technique is to avoid overloading the washer to begin with. Keep lighter weight clothing and heavier fabrics in separate loads, and don't put more than 5 pairs of jeans or towels in one load. Only loading the washer 3/4 full and not packing in or pushing down the clothes are good rules to remember. Make sure socks are completely unrolled when you throw them in the wash. To soften your clothes, add a big scoop of baking soda to the wash water. Using hot water for sweaty clothes like socks and workout gear and purchasing natural fabrics like cotton, bamboo or hemp help keep things softer too.

Threadbare or Stretched Out Fabric
Hot air is great for fluffing up towels and sweaters and making your clothing feel soft, but most clothing can take a beating if they're heated for too long. Try to line-dry or lay flat your more delicate clothing, anything with elastic or spandex blends and thinner fabrics like shirts. Elastic does not mesh well with heat, so be especially careful with socks, sportswear and underwear. Check the dryer periodically when drying and take out the clothes immediately when they no longer feel damp. Smaller loads, line drying before using the dryer for fluffing or splitting up large loads into smaller ones all insure less exposure to heat and a longer life for fabric and color.

Dingy Colors
In time, lighter and brighter colored clothing can get dingy, grayish or pinkish. For whites, soak in hydrogen peroxide or an oxygenated detergent overnight. Many colored fabrics can also withstand oxygenated detergent, however be sure to test an inconspicuous spot first or use an oxygenated detergent formulated for colors. Always separate your colors into like colors when washing. It can be a pain, but it's worth it.  Wash new clothing items the first few times separately or by hand to avoid the new dye mixing with your older clothes. Did a red shirt sneak in to your load of whites? The minute you notice your clothes have encountered color bleed, take out the offending odd-colored piece of clothing and re-wash the load with oxygenated detergent or bleach. If you let the clothes dry first, chances are the color will set and there's no turning back.

Follow these tips and your clothes will stay with you for years to come! Until next time, keep it clean!

Removing Pit Stains

There are few things quite as embarrassing and clothing-ruining as pit stains. If you like wearing fresh white shirts or wear a lot of undershirts to work daily, the dinginess of a pit stain is pretty pervasive. Often enough, failure to remove these hard-to-clean stains will result in the premature purchase of new shirts when the shirt could have still been in its prime. Fear not! They can be removed!

Stain Prevention

A lot of people assume that the protein, salt and bacteria in your sweat building up on the shirt over time cause these stains. The stains look pretty gross so we assume it's a natural occurrence. Actually, it's a chemical reaction between your sweat and your deodorant. If you use any basic store-bought deodorant, chances are it contains aluminum, the real culprit of the weird color. (You guys who use body spray may have noticed that your pit stains extend to your chest and neck area, right?) The best way to avoid the stains is to switch to a natural deodorant. Spreading on coconut oil and/or rubbing a salt stick where you sweat the most work amazingly well at getting rid of odor-causing bacteria. If you sweat a lot, you might want to consider trimming back your chest or armpit hair a little so it doesn't hold so much water against your shirt. You'll still smell lovely, I promise.

Don't Bleach the Stain

This would seem like the most obvious thing to do, but the chemicals in bleach will react with the stain and make it worse. There are easier and more natural alternatives. If you bleach some of your whites, like towels, do a separate load without bleach for stained shirts.

Lemon Juice

Have you ever put lemon juice on your hair before going to the beach to lighten your locks? Same principle here. Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on the effected area and hang to dry in the sun for a day. Voila!

Hydrogen Peroxide

That same stuff that's great for disinfecting cuts is also wonderful for pit stains, and is often safe on dyed fabrics too (be sure to test a hidden spot on your colored shirt first). Spray on the area and let it sit for 15 minutes or even respray and let sit over several hours for more pernicious stains. Throw in the wash and it will come out stain-free.

Oxygenating Detergent

Some powdered detergents like OxyClean create hydrogen peroxide when combined with water, which helps to lift stains. You can also pre-soak clothing in the detergent for really tough stains. Detergent is usually more formulated for colorfastness than straight hydrogen peroxide, so if you have blue or patterned dress shirts this may be your best bet.

Use these tips to extend the life of all your clothes and keep looking so fresh and so clean! Until next time!

Give Your Room a Weekend Makeover

Whatever room in the house you're looking to give a lift, nothing makes a bigger statement than color. It's also the cheapest and easiest way to make everything look new, different and fresh. Depending on the paint, size of the room and what you'd like to paint, you can expect to budget anywhere from $75 to $200.

Choose Your Palette
Art and Furniture
This could arguably be the most difficult part of the process. A great place to start with most people is with what you already have. Check out your existing furniture. Is your furniture more traditional or modern? Do you have art hanging on the walls? What colors are in the art? What color are your floors? Is the room you want to update well-lit and open, or dark and small? If your furniture is more traditional, look at a traditional painting with colors you like for ideas, like a John Singer Sargent or Da Vinci. For bright and modern, check out more contemporary art like Kandinsky or even pop art like Warhol.

Just Color
Conversely, you could just think about color alone. Do you gravitate towards earthy, neutral colors or do you like bright and bold? Remember that certain colors can change the feel of a room. If you want a room to feel smaller and more cozy, you may want to choose a dark but soothing color like a warm brown. If you want a bold pop of color but don't want to feel overwhelmed, try painting a single accent wall, or a small room like a bathroom or pantry. Bold colors also work great as accents in rooms where there isn't a lot of wall space to paint, like kitchens.

Compare, Complement and Contrast
It's very helpful to use a color wheel to decide what colors you're going to use. If you want to get really fancy, check out a book or search online for "color theory" for ideas. Try to look for the base color in any neutral color, and use the color wheel to see what complements it. If you are painting the walls grey, but it's a bluish gray, you may want to include colors that are also bluish in your furnishings, like painting a side table an interesting shade of blue, or having a mirrored surface on a table or lamp. You can also pick the color opposite your chosen color on the color wheel to make a visually interesting statement. The color opposite blue on the color wheel is orange, so maybe you could move some terra cotta pots into the room to bring in warmth.

Prepare to Paint
Check out the square footage of the room or piece of furniture to gauge how much paint you need. A single master bedroom will probably need 2 gallons of paint, where a small table probably will only need a quart. If you're staining furniture, remember that a little goes a long way. Ask a person working at the hardware store if you're in doubt. Remember you can always get more later if you need it.


You also need to think about the surface you're painting. In places with lots of moisture, like bathrooms and kitchens, you'll want a glossier surface that won't soak up the water. If the surface you're painting is already glossy or shiny, you'll need to sand the surface, use acetone or mineral spirits to remove the shine, or use a paint-on primer so the paint will have something to stick to. If there are holes or dents in the wall, this is a good time to spackle over them. Be sure to lay down fabric tarps or rags over anything you don't want paint on. Taping off areas you don't want paint is helpful, but you can't always rely on the tape to give you straight lines. Even if you choose to tape off a spot, be careful and use the tape only as a fail-safe against drips or smudges. Painting directly on the tape will often assure that you have blotches or runs on the edges.

Stand back and enjoy!
Allow a few hours for the paint to cure before removing tape and tarps, then clean up and enjoy your work! New paint can update a place, obliterate smudges and stains and make everything feel brand new.

Until next time, keep it clean!

Giving Yourself Over to Trust

As children we take trusting others for granted. We rely on our families to feed and protect us, religious leaders and teachers to educate and guide us, friends to comfort and accompany us. However, as we get older, we learn along the way that not everything we hear or are taught is completely true. It's one side to a vast world of stories, cultures, needs and beliefs. We learn that our families may not have known the best path to take in every situation, that what may have seemed like solid fact is more based in belief, that educators don't always know more than their students, that friends sometimes say one thing but end up doing another.

And as we get older still, rather than learning to resent that unreliability, we see in ourselves those same flaws. We realize being older does not always grant wisdom, that we're not always sure what the difference is between the right path and the easy path. And we see ourselves making the same mistakes that we previously could not understand in others. To avoid making mistakes, we retreat into what is safe, or even punish ourselves for past decisions.

To protect against this disillusionment, we each turn to different things. Maybe it's getting lost in a faith or a political belief, because knowing one thing has a clear right and wrong helps everything that doesn't make sense fall into place. Maybe we turn to physical comforts, like food, alcohol, or sitting in front of the TV for hours. Some may get lost in another person like children or a significant other to define their life. Some get lost in their work, so that they don't have to go home and think about their problems, or even think that being productive or successful will make everything else easier.

Whether a person has a strong religion, works hard or loves food, it isn't these habits themselves that define a person or that cause problems. It is whether we approach the things we do every day with fear or love. Fear can sometimes be healthy. It can protect us from dangerous situations, help us to plan ahead and drive us to make stronger choices for our future. But fear can also close us off, cause us to drop or miss connections and opportunities, cause us to hate without reason, prevent us from learning something new, and even prevent us from finding peace, gratitude and love in our lives.

Our intention, in everything we do, can completely change our lives. Try waking each morning and meditating on your intention to let go of your fear and open your heart to opportunity, possibility, and what other people can offer you. Instead of worrying about what may happen or thinking about the bad things that have happened in the past, live in the moment you are in. You may be surprised about the new people you meet, the adventures you find and the things you discover about yourself.

Until next time, keep it clean!

A Quicker, Healthier Oatmeal

Not everyone has time for a hearty hot breakfast in the mornings. But breakfast is the first thing that fuels your body after (hopefully!) 8 hours of rest. It's what kick starts your day and judges, in some ways, how energetic you're going to be. Oatmeal and porridge are pretty common breakfast foods world-wide. Unfortunately, they take a long time to make, can be messy to make even when they're instant, and because they're heavy on grains don't give your metabolism a boost in the morning.

Instead of oats, you can buy large bags of ground flax seed or whole chia seed either online or at your local natural grocer. Chia and flax are nutrient rich, high in omega fatty acids and because of their texture make you feel fuller longer. Here's how to make a delicious bowl of hot cereal out of either of them.

Seed Oatmeal
1/2 cup seed (ground flax or chia)
1/2 - 3/4 cup water or almond milk
packet of stevia or other natural sweetener
vanilla extract
cinnamon or pumpkin spice

Place your seed and water in a microwave-safe bowl and stir thoroughly, making sure all the seed has gotten wet. Let sit for a couple minutes while you make your morning tea or brush your teeth. Come back and stir the mixture again. By now the seed will have absorbed most of the water, making a sticky, oatmeal-like texture. Add your sweetener and vanilla and spices and stir again. Pop in the microwave for 30 seconds to make it warm. Dress it like normal oatmeal with nuts, raisins and milk. Enjoy!

The Surprising Benefits of Green Tea

You've probably heard before about green tea being good for you. Aside from being a lovely beverage, green tea has a host of health benefits. However, you need to drink a LOT of tea to reap them. Rather than water, I sometimes make a big pot of tea and keep it iced in the fridge for drinking throughout the day. Some people will make a super-infused cup of tea by placing several bags in a cup and drinking it in one go. Others still will add tea to their smoothies or just drink a cup here and there throughout the day. Probably the easiest way to get in all your tea is with an extract in a supplement form. Instant green tea is also available in powdered form in the grocery store. To see benefits, you need to consume about 100mg of tea per kilogram of body weight. For most people, that's about 6 to 10 cups of tea per day. Why go through all this trouble and all this tea? Here are a few great reasons.

Morning Wake-Up without the Jitters
Green tea does contain caffeine, but it also contains a compound called L-theanine which naturally calms you, so you can stay awake yet focused and at ease.

Metabolism Boost
People who drink green tea, especially before a work out, are more efficient at burning fat and less likely to store fat. Simple as that!

Super Dose of Antioxidants
Antioxidants are the molecules that prevent the oxidation, or breakdown, of your cells. Antioxidants are found in abundance in plants, and in abundance in green tea. Preventing the breakdown of your cells helps you recover quicker from a workout and keeps you looking younger longer by staving off the effects of aging.

Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Green tea has been shown to keep you at a calmer, more even state of mind. This can help you to focus and rationally respond to stressors throughout the day. Lowered stress can also help prevent weight gain by reducing high-stress hormones in the body and reducing the likelihood of habits like stress-eating.

If you haven't already, try adding green tea to your diet. If you already drink green tea, try increasing the amount you drink. Enjoy! And until next time, keep it clean!

A Weekly Date... with Yourself!

Things can get hectic in day to day life. Everyone has different demands and responsibilities, which can get overwhelming. Myself, I keep a strict diet, exercise every day, and lately have been spending any time not working or staying healthy by renovating my home. Add in stressors like taking care of kids or relatives, keeping up friendships, going to school, moving, second jobs or projects, and there's no end in sight to the work.

Sometimes because of all the endless activity that I seem to be doing for very little result (everything takes time), I get worn out not just physically but mentally and emotionally. What's the point of working so hard when you can't enjoy what you reap from it? Sometimes working towards a goal is reward enough in itself, but it's also important to take a moment to reflect on other things.

My husband and I often work 6 days a week, and usually very long hours. So every Sunday morning we set aside some "us" time. It's informal and no pressure, we just go where we want to go and do what we want to do. There's no set schedule or itinerary. Often we'll have breakfast or lunch away from the house and sit and have a long chat, sometimes we'll see a movie, go to church, take a walk in a park, go to a museum, visit family or go to the beach. On these days I don't think about my diet or exercise, I don't work on any projects (unless I just really take joy in it that day). Fulfilling or thought-provoking conversation and a good meal recharge my batteries, but it could be anything that makes you feel great and fulfilled.

The point of taking the time out is to give your mind and your body a reprieve. There are some days where I'd rather not take the day off so I'll give myself just a couple of hours. But it's the refreshment of having a long thoughtful discussion and not obsessing over anything I need to do and allowing myself not to take things so seriously that gets me through the week. You don't need a significant other to have your weekly date. You can spend the time with a friend or family member, or even take joy in being alone with yourself. But always knowing that I have my quiet Sunday mornings keeps me sane and balanced, even on a Wednesday when the weekend feels far away and I would much rather have a peanut butter cup than another plate of grilled veggies. Knowing that I'm blessed enough to be able to take a couple hours to myself each week is plenty for me to be grateful for.

Find a day that works with your schedule and commit it to being your time to yourself. Know that no matter what crazy things happen you will always have that time. Until next time, keep it clean!

Father Christmas: A History!

     With Christmas nearing in on all of is with only 6 days left, I felt it appropriate to talk about holiday related topics! Today I'd like to talk about Christmas, and everyone's favorite: SANTA CLAUS! Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nickolas, Father Christmas and also "Santa", is a figure with legend, myth, history, and even magical origins! Santa is rumored to bring presents to the homes of all the good children during the late evenings and over night hours of December 24th, also known as Christmas Eve.

     Santa Claus is generally portrayed as a hefty, joyful, white bearded man - sometimes with glasses - wearing a red coat with white collar cuffs, white cuffed red trousers, and a black leather belt and boots. According to tradition, which can be traced to the 1820's, Santa lives at the North Pole, with a large number of elves and nine flying reindeer to pull his sleigh named Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer leading the pack!
     Santa has been believed to make a list of children throughout the world categorizing them according to their behavior ranging from naughty to nice. Santa is rumored to deliver presents of toys and candy to the good children of the world, and coal to the naughty children.

     The tradition of Santa Claus entering ones home through the chimney is shared by many European seasonal gift-givers. In the tale of Saint Nicholas, the saint tossed coins through a window, and, in a later version of the tale, down a chimney when he finds the window locked. Santa's entrance into homes on Christmas Eve via the chimney was made part of American tradition through Moore's A Visit from Saint Nicholas where the author described him as an elf. The North American traditions associated with Santa Claus are derived from a number of Christmas traditions from various countries. Some rituals (such as visiting a department store Santa) occur in the weeks and days before Christmas while others, such as preparing snacks for Santa, are specific to Christmas Eve. Some rituals, such as setting out stockings to be filled with gifts, are age-old traditions.

     Santa Claus appears in the weeks before Christmas in department stores or shopping malls, or at parties. The practice of this has been credited to James Edgar, as he started doing this in 1890 in his Brockton, Massachusetts department store. He is played by an actor, usually helped by other actors (often mall employees) dressed as elves or other creatures of folklore associated with Santa. Santa's function is either to promote the store's image by distributing small gifts to children, or to provide a seasonal experience to children by listening to their wishlist while having them sit on his knee. Sometimes a photograph of the child and Santa are taken. Having a Santa set up to take pictures with children is a ritual that dates back at least to 1918. 

    Writing letters to Santa Claus has been a Christmas tradition for children for many years. These letters normally contain a wishlist of toys and assertions of good behavior. Girls generally write longer but more polite lists and express the nature of Christmas more in their letters than in letters written by boys. Girls also more often request gifts for other people.
     Santa isn't the only one who loves Christmas! Here at Azuma we love the holiday season and recognize as many different holidays and traditions as we can! Until next time, keep it clean, and ha-ha-ha-happy holidays!

     

Summer Travel Talk!

Summer is right around the corner! If you have decided to take a summer vacation then  it is likely that you are now wondering where exactly you should go and how you should go about planning it. Today, that is what we're going to discuss!

There are a number of things which you really need to think about when it comes to planning your summer vacation. The climate is definitely one of the main things that you need to consider. Obviously if you are going to the beach then you will need to pack appropriate clothing. You do not want anything too hot and so bathing suits, shorts and t-shirts should all be packed. However, even if you are traveling somewhere really warm, it is still a good idea to ensure that you have warmer clothing packed too just in case.

Another thing that many people do not consider carrying around with them is identification. It is always a really good idea to keep identification on you at all times. You never know when you might need it and if you are in a foreign country and you cannot produce identification it could easily get you into all kinds of trouble. Tourists to any country should always have identification so if you don't have your drivers licence then at least make sure that you have an ID card.

Planning your summer vacation should take time and effort as it is the one time of the year when you finally get to relax and forget about everything. However, it is not always easy to plan everything and that is why often people do tend to need advice from deciding where to stay to how get a car rental.

If you have decided to take the family camping then you will need to make sure that you plan everything thoroughly. Usually you are camping in the middle of nowhere and so it is vital that you pack absolutely everything that you will need. It is not like taking a break at a local beach, there will often not be any stores around for miles and so it is always better to be safe rather than sorry. So pack plenty of food and if you are camping out in a tent then ensure that you have all of the pieces that are needed to put it together. It may sound obvious but it is always worth checking out!

Overall it is incredibly important to plan your summer vacation properly. No matter where you are going, if you do not plan properly then you could end up having a really miserable vacation. So as long as you take the time to think about your destination and what you will be doing, you should be able to enjoy your summer vacation to the maximu! From all of us here at Azuma Leasing, happy vacation! Don't forget to wash all those clothes before heading out, in your leased washer and dryer rental! Until next time, keep it clean!

Now You Know: The History of Cinco De Mayo

The holiday of Cinco De Mayo, The 5th Of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. It is primarily a regional holiday celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of Puebla and throughout the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico, and especially in U.S. cities with a significant Mexican population. It is not, as many people think, Mexico's Independence Day, which is actually September 16.
The battle at Puebla in 1862 happened at a violent and chaotic time in Mexico's history. Mexico had finally gained independence from Spain in 1821 after a difficult and bloody struggle, and a number of internal political takeovers and wars, including the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and the Mexican Civil War of 1858, had ruined the national economy.

During this period of struggle Mexico had accumulated heavy debts to several nations, including Spain, England and France, who were demanding repayment. 

Siimilar debt to the U.S. was previously settled after the Mexican-American War. France was eager to expand its empire at that time, and used the debt issue to move forward with goals of establishing its own leadership in Mexico. Realizing France's intent of empire expansion, Spain and England withdrew their support. When Mexico finally stopped making any loan payments, France took action on its own to install Napoleon III's relative, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, as ruler of Mexico.

France invaded at the gulf coast of Mexico along the state of Veracruz (see map) and began to march toward Mexico City, a distance today of less than 600 miles. Although American President Abraham Lincoln was sympathetic to Mexico's cause, and for which he is honored in Mexico, the U.S. was involved in its own Civil War at the time and was unable to provide any direct assistance.
Marching on toward Mexico City, the French army encountered strong resistance near Puebla at the Mexican forts of Loreto and Guadalupe. Lead by Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin, a smaller, poorly armed militia estimated at 4,500 men were able to stop and defeat a well outfitted French army of 6,500 soldiers, which stopped the invasion of the country. The victory was a glorious moment for Mexican patriots, which at the time helped to develop a needed sense of national unity, and is the cause for the historical date's celebration.

Unfortunately, the victory was short lived. Upon hearing the bad news, Napoleon III had found an excuse to send more troops overseas to try and invade Mexico again, even against the wishes of the French populace. 30,000 more troops and a full year later, the French were eventually able to depose the Mexican army, take over Mexico City and install Maximilian as the ruler of Mexico.

Maximilian's rule of Mexico was also short lived, from 1864 to 1867. With the American Civil War now over, the U.S. began to provide more political and military assistance to Mexico to expel the French, after which Maximilian was executed by the Mexicans - his bullet riddled shirt is kept at the museum at Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City. So despite the eventual French invasion of Mexico City, Cinco de Mayo honors the bravery and victory of General Zaragoza's smaller, outnumbered militia at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Until next time, keep it clean with that Azuma Leasing washer and dryer :)

Easy Grow Spring Gardening

     We all know it's that time of year again, and several of us say "next spring I'll plant a garden!" and next spring comes, and we're always too busy to make it happen! This year, I actually will have a garden! I am going this weekend to visit my mother and help her plant a garden, that I too, will reap the benefits of. :) It's already mid April, so we're cutting it pretty close on time, but it isn't too late for you to grow a garden of your own, too! Today I just want to provide you with a few easy to grow veggies and a little bit about them! 

Bush Beans : Green beans are a healthy summer favorite! Green beans provide a bounty of nutrients: vitamins A, C and K, manganese, potassium, folate and iron, as well as fiber. Plant your bean seeds in well-drained soil where they’ll receive full sun. Sow seeds every few weeks to enjoy a continual harvest through the summer.

Beets : Beets are an earthy, sweet treat. 1/2 cup of cooked beets has a mere 29 calories but boasts 2 grams of fiber and provides 19 percent of the daily value for folate, a B vitamin needed for the growth of healthy new cells. Beets’ beautiful color comes from betanin, a phytochemical that’s thought to bolster immunity. You can plant your beets as soon as your soil can be worked in the spring.

Carrots : Carrots can be prepared in a variety of ways. The pigment that makes carrots orange—beta carotene—is the same compound the body converts to vitamin A, a vitamin essential for vision, healthy skin and the immune system. Plant carrots as soon as the soil can be worked. They thrive in fertile sandy loam.

Cucumbers : Cucumbers are a tasty addition to salads! While the cucumber isn’t known as a nutrition powerhouse, it does provide refreshment: at 95 percent water content, a cup of cucumber slices is nearly as thirst-quenching as a glass of water. Give your cucumber plants generous amounts of organic matter and good fertilization and they will respond with lots of crunchy cucumbers; harvest them regularly to increase production. 

Gourmet Lettuce Mix : Lettuce is easy to grow, making it a great choice for container gardening. Although nutrients differ with each variety of lettuce, leafy greens are a great start to any meal, supplying vitamins A, C, K and folate. Lettuce thrives in cooler weather so plant it in the spring and fall, sowing every few weeks for a continuous harvest.

Snap Peas : These sweet peas with edible pods make a great snack on their own, and are just as welcome cooked up into a satisfying side dish! With one-third of your daily value of vitamin C and 3 grams of fiber in every cup, these vegetables are a healthy choice. Snap peas don't do so well in hot and dry weather. Plant your peas so that they can mature as early as your planting schedule allows and sow more seeds when cooler fall days return.

Radishes : Radishes are more versatile than you may think: add them to a salad or temper their heat by cooking them in your favorite veggie stir-fry. One radish has just 1 calorie! Even if you don't have a green thumb, radishes are easy to grow in containers and gardens; spring radish varieties are often ready in just three weeks and are more mild in flavor - hotter summer soil produces spicier radishes.

Basil : No other herb epitomizes the taste of summer like basil. Whirl up a batch of pesto or sprinkle basil on your favorite pasta dish. Plant basil in rich, moist soil where it can enjoy full sun. Sow your basil every few weeks for continual harvest. 

Cilantro  : Cilantro is a flavorful herb prominent in Mexican and Southeast Asian cookery. Try it as an alternative to basil in pesto to top fish or stir it into your favorite salsa recipe. The stems are as flavorful as the leaves—just discard any that are tough. Plant cilantro early in the season and sow seeds regularly for a continued harvest.

 Parsley : Often parsley is used as a garnish, leaving its delicious flavor under appreciated. Not only does it have a great aromatic quality, but parsley also contains vitamins A and C. Plant parsley in fertile soil with good amounts of organic matter and moisture.

From us health nuts here at Azuma Leasing, good luck with your new garden! There is nothing better than fresh, home grown, organic fruits and veggies. Not only are they delicious, but they are jam packed full of nutrients! Until next time, keep it clean with your washer and dryer rentals! :)

Now You Know: Antioxidants

     We all hear about all these different things that we need in order to be healthy. We all hear about super foods, organics, you know the list goes on! As a person who is currently making a lot of life changes, and trying to live healthier, in general; I often find myself more curious about how things work. I've even been tempted on taking a few nutrition classes to better educate myself! I found myself browsing the internet for some information, and stumbled across something about antioxidants, so today I'd like to share with you my findings! :)

     In short, antioxidants are substances that are capable of counteracting the damaging, but normal, effects of the physiological process of oxidation in animal tissue. Antioxidants are nutrients (vitamins and minerals) as well as enzymes (proteins in your body that assist in chemical reactions). They are believed to play a role in preventing the development of such chronic diseases as cancer, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, and cataracts. 

     I know this is long, and overwhelming, but in short, antioxidants contribute in our fight against life long diseases. At least, that's the only thing about antioxidants I need to know along with how they benefit us, and the best ways to intake them. A Free radicals can be bad for your health. Quite simply, free radicals are the bad guys that harm you, and antioxidants are the good guys that pro­tect you.

There are three different types of Antioxidants:
Carotenoids - special antioxidants that give fruits and veggies thier color. 

• over 600 kinds.
• prevent the formation of free radicals in the first place.
• starve cancers by preventing blood vessels from growing up to feed the cancer.

The top 3 ways to get Carotenoids are:

1. yellow squash, in taking 1 1/2 cups per week helps prevent lung cancer
2. carrots, in taking 1cup per day helps prevent kidney cancer
3. persimmons in taking 2 per day prevents stomach cancer

Flavonoids  

• protects the body indirectly; creating uric acid that neutralizes free radicals.
• prevents lung cancer.

The top 3 ways to get Flavonoids are: 

1. Red Cabbage - in taking 1/2 cup per day
2. Kumquats - in taking 2-3 per day
3. Raspberries - in taking 1/2 cup per day

Isothiocyanates 

• activate a self defense mechanism in our body; help cells produce more antioxidant enzymes that go out directly and intercept and help destroy free radicals.
• most are found in leafy green vegetables.
• help prevent ovarian cancer.

The top 3 ways to get Isothiocyanates are: 1 cup of raw veggies per day

1. Chicory
2. Swiss Chard
3. Parsley

      There are a few other small tips that are worth mentioning! Something as simple as how you make your tea can make a difference! By dunking your tea bag, instead of letting it sit, you actually release more antioxidants, than leaving it sitting in the bottom of the cup! Also, by adding lemon to your tea makes antioxidants more stable. Another thing you might be surprised to hear, roasting your peanuts is better for you than raw, for antioxidants, because roasting increases the antioxidant levels by 20% or more! We all know that eating veggies is good for us, but did you know that by combining tomatoes and broccoli you get more cancer fighting activity than either food alone! Additionally, boiling veggies destroys nutrients in veggies, always steam them instead! 

      I know that is alot of information to take in at once! Something as small as adding a few of these to your diet, is all I ask! We hope that as you do your laundry in your Azuma washer and dryer rental, or unload your groceries into your refrigerator rental, that you take these tips to heart. A healthier you means a happier life! :) Until next time, keep it clean!