French toast with syrup and sausage; nachos with meat and cheese; fried mac“n”cheese; popcorn chicken; hot dog with French fries; meatball hero; stuffed crust pizza. Sounds like a kids menu at local restaurants or popular fast food chains but this is actually a sample lunch menu from many local public and private schools in Monmouth County. An honorable mention should go to the chilled fruit cup served daily with the above meals. There is usually an alternative to the daily lunch special of plain bagels with cream cheese and jelly or stuffed pretzels with cheese.
“No dessert if you don’t eat your vegetables.” Remember hearing that at the dinner table, or saying it? Vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains are good for you but do you know why? Many of us suffer from genetic predispositions to diseases. We inherit the likelihood to develop certain health conditions from our parents and their relatives. What if certain foods could change the course of your health and well-being, genetics aside? You would eat them, wouldn’t you?
The Chinese have studied ways of creating and maintaining healthful longevity for thousands of years. One of “the jewels” coming out of this quest for everlasting youth is the gentle, life enhancing exercise practice of Qigong (pronounced chee-GUNG).