News for Now Update: Week ending January 1, 2022

Dietician Champions Healthy School Lunches
Angela Gomez, a registered dietician working for the Laveen Elementary School District in Arizona, tells her story of coming to understand the critical importance of a healthy diet in a new article from AZ Central. As an advocate for school nutrition, Gomez has been working to improve funding, culinary training, and the general perception of school lunch. “If we want our children to be nourished and the best they can be in all the ways they should be, they need nutrition first and foremost,” says Gomez. Read the article at AZ Central.

Mindfulness in the New Year
Recent research out of the University of Cincinnati showed that methods of practicing mindfulness, such as meditation and breathwork, can be effective in reducing mind-wandering. Past research suggests that 30 – 50% of our daily thoughts are spent away from our present focus, so why not have your New Year’s resolution be geared toward being more present, grounded, and clear in thought. Learn more in UC News.

Benefits of Coconut Water
Coconut water has long been used in tropical regions as part of a healthy diet and has a history in Ayurvedic medicine for benefiting the gut and kidneys. As a clean and excellent source of electrolytes, coconut water makes for a great hydrating drink that is low in calories and sugar. And because of its vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant content, it may also help support the heart and skin. Learn more about the advantages of coconut water in this article from Medical News Today.

Plastic Exposure Linked to IBD
New research from a journal of the American Chemical Society showed that tiny pieces of plastic are more common in the feces of those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) vs. healthy subjects. Estimates suggest that the average person consumes tens of thousands of microplastic particles each year, and the IBD patients with more severe symptoms tended to have higher concentrations. The most common types of microplastics found were those from plastic bottles, food containers, food packaging, and textiles. Find out more at Science Daily.

Natural Treatments for Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative colitis is an autoimmune, inflammatory condition of the colon with common symptoms being abdominal pain, bleeding, and diarrhea. There is no conventional therapy capable of curing the disease, but there are natural treatments that can be beneficial. Find some great recommendations in this list of home remedies from Verywell Health.

Featured Social Post: Dr. Weston A. Price and the Relationship Between Nutrition and Disease
In February 1930, Dr. Weston A. Price addressed a meeting of the Cleveland Homeopathic Medical Society on the relationship between nutrition and disease—specifically, the cause of winter and spring hospital pilgrimages. Due to high demand for the information, he wrote this article based on his speech. 

Dr. Price’s observations on the seasonal illness cycle are even more relevant today than they were 90 years ago. Read the article here.