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Photo Credit: Rebecca Harlow
Spring is a special time of the year in North Idaho, this is no exception here at Beehive Homes Assisted Living.
With the warmer spring weather, longer days the gardens are getting prepared for the planting season.
A series of raised beds lining the perimeter of the courtyard give staff and residents opportunity for local fresh homegrown vegetables. Strategically placed, you will find quiet relaxing and stimulating nooks hidden among the
jungle like utopia, macaw parrots talking, coi fish swimming, ponds, waterfalls, music,
outdoor patio, stone pathways and state of the art BBQ area where Chef James creates culinary magic all
transform Beehive Homes into more of a retirement vacation paradise.
Nutrition is vital to health and wellness.
The art of gardening is great for the mind and soul. Getting one's hands in the dirt cultivating the soil
is a precious moment that our residents enjoy if they so choose.
Strolling by plump, fragrant fruits, tubers and vegetables and harvesting just to taste the nostalgia of
perhaps a time long ago on a family farm brings much enjoyment to the souls and tummy's of our residents and their families. |
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| Photo Credit: Rebecca Harlow |
While enjoying the sunshine the other day, I noticed that our coi fish and begun to emerge from the depths of the pond promising a long beautiful summer ahead of us. In the past week, I have noticed many of our residents strolling by the ponds, I observe them while they gaze for long periods of time at the fish, when they notice that I am watching a smile appears on their faces and I can see a youthful resemblance of who they might have been perhaps a time long ago. The residents here are precious to us. Not just their physical health, but their emotional and mental health as well.
We are passionate about providing our residents with a sense of belonging, memories, family, friends and importance. I have many opportunities to go work elsewhere, photograph the world, adventures or what have you... I am devoted to the lives of aging population, they are those who pioneered before us, creating the paths of our futures, the intelligence of the times, in the winter of their lives, I find value in each and every wrinkle, scar and memory in an individual and unique way. I find that the more time I spend with the residents and those who care for the elderly the abundance of gratitude I feel...
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| Photo Credit: Rebecca Harlow |
As you will find on this blog, food is a vital element to health and wellness, and therefore I will spend a great deal of time presenting Beyond the Kitchen with Chef James, our in house executive chef and because one of my passions is photography, I just can not help myself but to take pictures of much of the food (or what I call "good groceries") that our residents enjoy day to day.
Grapes are a healthy and tasty snack and a delicious and
wholesome ingredient for salads and other dishes. A serving of grapes is low in
calories and rich in vitamins, minerals and other vital nutrients. An extra
benefit of grapes is their health-boosting polyphenols, such as flavonoids,
especially concentrated in red or purple grapes that provide powerful
antioxidant protection against disease, including heart disease and cancer,
according to the nonprofit organization The World's Healthiest Foods and
MayoClinic.com.
Primary vitamins in grapes include vitamin C, vitamin
B1/thiamine and vitamin B6/ pyridoxine. Vitamin C provides antioxidant support
and helps fight disease. It also promotes the immune system and is vital for
collagen production, according to the Vitamin and Mineral Encyclopedia. Vitamin
B1 is essential for the repair and growth of body tissue and the processing of
carbohydrates for energy. B1 also promotes mental aptitude and attitude. Vitamin
B6 helps bodies use carbohydrates, proteins and fats and helps with serotonin
production, according to the Vitamin and Mineral
Encyclopedia.
One serving of grapes offers 33 percent DV of manganese
at .66 mg; 1.29 percent DV of calcium at 12.88 mg; 2 percent DV of copper at
0.04 mg; 0.61 percent DV of iodine at 0.92 mcg; 1.44 percent DV of iron at 0.26
mg; 1.15 percent DV of magnesium at 4.60 mg; and 5 percent DV of potassium at
175.72 mg, according to The World's Healthiest Foods.
Manganese and potassium are the main minerals found in
grapes. Manganese promotes fertility and reproduction as well as growth and sex
hormone production. It also helps with bone/cartilage formation and blood sugar
regulation, according to the Vitamin and Mineral Encyclopedia. Potassium helps
transmit electrochemical impulses in the body and promotes cell function. It
also helps regulate blood pressure.
Grapes contain polyphenols which provide potent
antioxidant benefits. Three main kinds of polyphenols are found in grapes --
flavonoids, phenolic acids and resveratrol -- and are concentrated in the
"skins, stems and seeds of grapes," according to The World's Healthiest Foods.
Antioxidant benefits of grapes include promotion of blood vessel health,
enhancement of vitamin C effectiveness, protection from free radicals and cell
damage and prevention of inflammation. These nutrients and others found in
grapes help to thwart cancers, such as colorectal cancer; fight heart disease;
lower cholesterol; lower high blood pressure; promote lung health; reduce the
risk of Alzheimer's; protect against food-borne illness and stave off the
effects of aging, explains The World's Healthiest Foods and
MayoClinic.com.
Get the greatest health benefits of grapes from drinking
purple or red grape juice and red wine or nonalcoholic red wine, according to
The World's Healthiest Foods and MayoClinic.com. Whole grape processing promotes
antioxidant concentration and the protective polyphenols found in red wine are
higher in wines produced with traditional methods, such as those produced in
southwestern France or Sardinia, according to the World's Healthiest
Foods.
Read more:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/269819-nutrition-information-for-grapes/#ixzz1rs4wfEOv
One serving of grapes equals 61.64 calories and provides
an array of vitamins and antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E. In a single
serving of grapes you get 1.84 percent of the daily value, or DV, of vitamin A
at 92.00 IU; 6.1 percent DV of vitamin C at 3.69 mg; 5.3 percent DV of vitamin
B1/thiamine at .08 mg; 5 percent DV of vitamin B6/pyridoxine at .10 mg; 0.09
percent DV of biotin at 0.28 mcg; 1.60 percent DV of vitamin E at 0.32 mg; 0.89
percent DV of folate at 3.58 mcg; and 0.20 percent DV of pantothenic acid at
0.02 mg, according to The World's Healthiest Foods.
Read
more:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/269819-nutrition-information-for-grapes/#ixzz1rs1jmsGL
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