“Dija Know…”
Joe’s Newsletter #143, Winter 2017-18
Sheila (archives available at JoesDining.com)
Aria and Chuckie, resting – preparing for the Chinese Year of the Dog starting Feb.16
♦ According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2018 is the year of the Dog and its characteristic word is ACTION (in spite of the picture above)! Chinese New Year in 2018 is on Friday, February 16 and ends on February 4, 2019. Like a major aspect of the dog personality, the Year of the Dog is traditionally associated with establishing the safety and security of loved ones. In a larger sense, the sign’s influence will also see society’s disenfranchised finding new champions to speak up for them. While the Year of the Rooster last year was best summed up by the grandiose excesses of the few, the Year of the Dog will focus on the many. World leaders will also increasingly feel the pressure of a public “pack” mentality that raises its voice in protest at perceived social injustices. Whether on the public scene or in their private dealings, success in 2018 hinges on emulating the best of dog traits, namely — intelligence, companionship and unwavering loyalty to friends and loved ones. In addition, those compatible with the Dog — the Horse, Tiger and Rabbit in particular — will find 2018’s circumstances inspiring them to greater personal happiness and professional success. The Chinese Horoscope 2018 predicts that this year of the Brown Earth Dog is going to be a good year in all respects, but it may also be an exhausting year. For those born in the year of the Dog, 2018 is a very good year regarding the financial aspects, but a little difficult from a health point of view. Actually, in the year of the dog, all zodiac signs will want to pay special attention to their health. 2018 is the ideal time to start eating healthy, doing sports and getting rid of bad habits.
♦ Richard Eeds broadcasts the Richard Eeds Show live from Joe’s each 1st Friday of the month from 1-5pm on Hutton 1260 AM KTRC. Richard keeps us abreast of all the New Mexico news. Richard is broadcasting in house March 2nd and then April 6th.
♦Sheila Kaplan’s lovely dreamy New Mexico scenes are showing in the Red Room and along the ramp. Don Rehorn’s exuberant watercolors are exhibited in the upper dining room. Both artists are long-time locals. If you collect, collect local! All are for sale.
♦ DiJa Know? The flu. Our immune systems are our first-line defense against all types of infections, bacterial or viral, so the most effective way to avoid coming down with the flu is to bolster your immune function. Conventional health authorities urge that the flu shot is the best way to ward off influenza. But the medical literature actually suggests vitamin D supplementation may be far more effective, and more than a decade of evidence bears it out. Dr. John Cannell, founder of the Vitamin D Council, was one of the first to introduce the idea that vitamin D deficiency may actually be a causative factor in influenza. His hypothesis was first published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection in 2006 with additional studies following – all reaching the same conclusions. People with the lowest vitamin D levels indeed reported having significantly more colds or cases of the flu. 25 randomized controlled trials were included in the review, involving nearly 11,000 individuals from more than a dozen countries. People with significant vitamin D deficiency (blood levels below 10 ng/mL), taking a vitamin D supplement reduced their risk of respiratory infections such as influenza by 50 percent. The take-home message here is that vitamin D supplementation far exceeds the flu vaccine in terms of effectiveness, and the more deficient you are, the greater its protective effects.
My opinion? – we are sun deficient!
♦ Chocolate truly must be the elixir of the gods. So much research has come out in the last few years to validate what women have always known – chocolate is good for you. Here’s another benefit recently reported about that divine food. It’s always when you’re trying not to make a peep—you feel that tickle – the beginning of a cough. The next time it happens, you just might want to reach for dark chocolate. According to Professor Alyn Morice, head of cardiovascular and respiratory studies at the University of Hull, chocolate is actually a more effective method for relieving a tickle (or hacking cough) than other over-the-counter drugs. In a recent study patients who took a new medicine containing cocoa (versus cough syrup) saw a significant improvement in their cough within two days. There’s an alkaloid in cocoa that is better at suppressing the urge to cough than codeine. Codeine! There’s more research to be done, of course, but in the meantime, we’re happy to test the theory
♦ And this from a German news reporting source – DiJa Know – fast food, highly processed food (with addictive flavor enhancers and preservatives) causes the brain to react as if the body now has a bacterial infection. In a recent study by the University of Bonn, mice on just one month of junk food exhibited an alarming inflammatory response. Even worse, when taken off the junk food, their genetic markers did not return to normal. The damage to their immune systems was permanent. (OMG!)
♦ Feeling “grounded” is very important for our well-being and can be very simple. Earthing is a word coined by Clinton Ober in his groundbreaking book, “Earthing, The Most Important Health Discovery Ever”. It’s not so far-fetched a claim when you understand that Earth carries a negative ion charge and our lives (with stress, artificial living surroundings, chemicals, EMF’s etc.) create in us a positive ionic charge. This positive charge, when not reversed, creates the perfect environment for disease. The more we ground, connect with the earth, the healthier we will be. Just as the sun gives us warmth and vitamin D, the Earth underfoot gives us an endless, natural, and gentle energy. What does that mean to you? Maybe the possibility of feeling really good, of having boundless energy, of sleeping well. And it is as easy as walking barefoot on Mother Earth!
♦ Wondering how to reverse bone loss, muscle loss, balance loss and joint instability? There is an answer! Pick up the DancingBones yellow brochure at the door and give DancingBones a call. Our next open house is Monday Feb 19th at 6pm. All are welcome. Right here in Rodeo Plaza! 505-557-6209. www.DancingBones.us
♦ If you have not yet seen the film Seed, the untold story, please put it on your list. It is a beautifully-produced documentary connecting the dots all over the world of the deadly devastation (individual, community and global) Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer, Conagra, and the other global-industrial “food” giants, are wreaking on our planet. Complicit with governments, they wield unspeakable power over our food supply. Without the revolving door (industries’ CEOs transiting to powerful government positions) we the peoples’ demands would have equal voice. Hmm… not the case. What can we do? Yes march, yes call our representatives, yes speak out – all of that. But on a day-to-day level, vote with your dollars. Check labels. Make sure your food is GMO-free. Talk to grocers. And most assuredly, buy from our local farmers. The labeling laws are not seamlessly in place in the US. But certain responsible food-producers do care that what they produce and sell is free of GMO ingredients and they are proud to declare it on their labels.
♦ Some of the farmers & ranchers who supply Joe’s: They get their seeds from heirloom seed banks, family and friends, their fertilizer from animals and compost and their agronomic advice from tradition: Monte Vista Organics, Jacona Farms, Green Tractor, Camino de Paz, Synergia Ranch, Romero Farms, Shepherd’s Lamb, LaMont’s Buffalo, Sweetgrass Co-op, Susan’s Sprouts and others.
♦ Why are we at Joe’s so persistent about this “buy local” stuff? Many factors are out of our hands when it comes to our food supply. Most of what ends up on the American dinner table derives from a shockingly few giant agribusinesses. Their reach is long- from designing
the (GMO) seeds to planting, fertilizing, processing and shipping. We as consumers cannot with confidence hand over the entire stewardship of our food to these few multinationals. Our passion here at Joe’s is for a local sustainable food supply – food produced by growers who are accountable for what they grow. KYG – Know Your Grower. We are able to look our local farmer in the eye and ask him about his growing practices or even visit his operation. This gives us the confidence that we are eating food that is healthy, wholesome, non-genetically engineered, often better than organic, humanely treated and minimally processed. It is grown with a smaller energy-use footprint and transported short distances. We cannot divorce human health, the economy, ecology, personal (perhaps spiritual) satisfaction or honorable work from food. Food is fundamental. What we eat, where it comes from, the stewardship of food animals, the nurturing and building of soils – all these factors affect us at a cellular and visceral level. Santa Fe is fortunate to have one of the very best Farmers Markets in the nation. Here at Joe’s we offer this bounty to you, keeping dollars in the community. In the interest of transparency, in 2008 Joe’s spent $30,000 on local foods. In 2009, $60,000. Each year since 2012 we have far exceeded $100,000 per annum (over 30% of our purchases).
Land, economy, health – inseparable.
♦ Joe’s will give you $10. What’s the catch? Well the way we figure it, if you cut out the middleman by NOT using a credit card, we can give that back to you and then some. Credit cards costs the retail merchant about 3-5% and extra time & paperwork. Now let’s be real – in today’s world you can’t function without them. But there are alternatives that reduce our dependency on the Big Banks and actually save all of us money. We have a couple of suggestions: (1.) Joe’s Check List – If you are a “regular” and wish to pay by check, please ask your waiter to get you on the list. (2.) Joe’s gift card – purchase $100 gift card with cash or check and get an extra $10 value!
Giggles: The truth about alcohol and fats
The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. The French eat a lot of fat and drink lots of wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. The Italians drink lots of wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of fatty sausages and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
Conclusion: eat and drink what you want. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
Joe’s Dining
2801 Rodeo Rd (at Zia Rd) Santa Fe, NM 87507
505-471-3800 www.JoesDining.com
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