A Natural Sedative

“Food is thy medicine. medicine is thy food.” -Hippocrates

A few days ago I made a vegetable-juice smoothie for my lunch. I drank it while visiting my husband. I shared it with him. That was not a good idea. Yes, he needed the nutrients and it was healthy but there was a sedative in the drink.  I had no idea. My alert husband was suddenly a very sleepy man. I thought his medications were the culprits but alas, it was me and my juice. I don”t know why I didn’t get as sleepy. I looked back on my day and I did get pretty relaxed. I guess he was more vulnerable in his weaken state.

I discovered while researching something else that Walnuts contained an acid that is a powerful sedative. So if you can’t sleep eat a handful of walnuts and go to bed.  🙂 I am not guaranteeing deep sleep but you stand a good chance of relaxing.

Who I Am and Why I Blog

This an assignment in Blogging University.

Looking back on my life, sharing what I had learned was what I did. I guess that was the teacher in me. Early in my life, first grade, I was projected into speaking before large groups. I have come to a place in my life where I feel like I am bursting with thoughts about a lot of things. And I am still learning. I decided to try blogging as my teaching and speaking platform. I like to provoke thought and conversation. I am an interactive teacher and I respond to verbal and nonverbal feedback when I speak. This allows me to read other people’s thoughts. Their thoughts and opinions inspire me to research and study more.

I have several strong interest presently. They are nutrition, mental wellness and the Bible.

Several years ago my husband and I did a Daniel Fast. That fast is based on the dietary practice of the prophet Daniel and his friends in the book of Daniel. In one instance, they ate only plant-based foods for 21 days. The results for them were clarity of thinking and glowing countenance. The result of our fast was an elimination of beef and pork. The following year it was an elimination of chicken. The other result was an interest in vegetarian cooking. My new interest is vegan cooking because of the dairy free recipes. I am lactose intolerant. I still eat turkey and fish, so I am not truly vegan. The reasons for vegan recipes have increased to include gluten-free, soy-free, certified organic foods. You can thank GMOs for that. I am decidedly moving in the non-GMO direction as much as possible.

My community activities are in the area of decreasing the stigma associated with mental illness and therapy in the black community. I have a heart for helping black boys become strong black men. One of the obstacles they face is learning style. I have encountered so many who have felt that they cannot learn, when the problem was not theirs. It was our school system. Studies have shown black and brown young men flourish in an activity filled learning environment. They have to touch it, feel it, build it, explore it. In other words, the “sit still” lecture environment is not that helpful to the majority of them. In this endeavor, I have discovered that nutrition is a factor in our academic success. As I learn about brain and emotional health’s relationship to food, I would like to share that.
My biblical belief is the foundation and framework for all that I do and I would like to share my new finds as a I study.
I can’t wait to converse with you all.