Strongself

Here are interesting alternatives to some commonly eaten foods. Trying them can expose your palate to different taste sensations and expand the variety of foods in your diet.  

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  If you enjoy artichokes try sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes). They work well in a salad or stir-fried with shallots, carrots, and cashews.

• A wonderful substitute for cucumber isIt can be peeled, grated and added to coleslaw.

• It you like water chestnuts try jicama. Peel, dice, make into a salad withapples, garbanzo beans, oil and white balsamic vinegar.

  https://strongself.net/jicama/

Is grip strength important? Is there a connection between grip strength and health? In business, a strong handshake will generally make a good first impression. However, the strength of your handshake may be an indication of overall health and longevity. Researchers are connecting grip strength to overall muscle strength, heart health, and doing simple tasks as people age (carrying objects, preventing falls etc.). Grip strength is measured in 3 ways. “Crushing Strength” refers to how strongly you can grip using all your fingers as well as the palm of your hand. “Supporting Strength” indicates how you can hold onto something or hang from something. “Pinching Strength” is how firmly you can pinch an object between your fingers using your thumb. If you are into weight training, grip strength will enable you to increase weight load. If your aim is to increase grip strength, walking carrying heavy bags, wrist curls, or just hanging from a bar are some simple ways to accomplish this. More research needs to be done so that the connection between grip strength and health can be better understood. Education focusing on increasing grip strength can influence the outcome of a person’s health.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254620300752

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/14/health/handgrip-strength-cardiovascular-disease-study/index.html

Depictions of mushrooms, in hieroglyphics, date back some 4,600 years. They were prized by the pharaohs in Egypt and believed to possess properties of immortality. Mushrooms are low in calories, high in fiber, low in cholesterol and low in sodium. They have their own taste category umami. Ancient civilizations never cultivated mushrooms but allowed them to grow in the wild. Skilled persons knew the difference between edible as opposed to poisonous. Many met their intentional demise via poisonous mushrooms such as the roman emperor Claudius. Ancient Asian civilizations believed mushrooms supported health by strengthening the immune system, in particular shiitake and maitake varieties. Mushrooms lack color, roots, leaves and seeds and are classified as fungi which is why so many people do not find them a desirable meal choice. They are extremely high in selenium, iron, copper, potassium, and niacin. In spite of the fact that they are grown in the dark, mushrooms are a good source of vitamin D (sunshine vitamin) and this vitamin is increased if mushrooms are left in the sun for even 5 minutes before use. There are now so many different types of exotic mushrooms- heishi, cordyceps, turkey tail etc. but even the common white button mushrooms are now believed to hold strong properties that can benefit the immune system. Try exploring the different taste sensations whether you incorporate them in soups, sauces or with other vegetables. My favorite is with breadcrumb stuffing.

https://realmushrooms.com/blogs/rm/7-medicinal-mushroom-benefits-for-health

https://rrcultivation.com/blogs/mn/exploring-the-role-of-mushrooms-throughout-history?srsltid=AfmBOoo2zoXUJtTwmDguSRxuvn94gQww0xKWn4AjF2O4WdzNamh216tl

Drones, satellite imagery and artificial intelligence are now being used in what is known as precision farming. It is a way of growing food by improving yield, saving money and reducing harm to the environment. Sandborn farms of Portland Michigan go even further by using precision conservation. Certain fields in the Midwest produce very little yields. This results in over fertilizing these fields with nitrogen a main source of growth in plants. However, if this does not increase growth, nitrogen will be released into the environment and increase greenhouse gas, or leach into the water supply and kill aquatic life. Satellite imagery can reveal which areas are green and thriving as opposed to those more yellowing and therefore struggling to survive. Our butterfly population has decreased 22% in the last 20 years. Butterflies are vital to pollinating our crops. By taking these areas of farms that are not as productive and giving them over to wildflowers and clover, these areas can encourage natural crop growth and save money. At present 10 large farms in Michigan are part of the endeavor and have set aside 450 acres to encourage wild floral growth. The other 23,000 acres will be fertilized in the usual manner. These unfertilized acres will reduce carbon dioxide release into the environment by some 4,000 tons a year and encourage more butterflies to make children happy.

https://afbeducation.org/michigan-native-butterfly-farm-conservation/