I recently wrote this article for Merchant Processing Resource, an independent resource for merchant processing and merchant cash advance, where my contributions are posted as part of The Small Business Corner.  I wrote this particular article to pay tribute to all of those women who are not business owners, but whose  contributions as Homemakers lead the way for many of us who followed our dreams to become business owners against all odds.  Since Mother’s Day is just around the corner, here it is one more time. 

Culinary Byte$...A Mother’s Day tribute

I was raised in a household with a mother who was known in those days as a Homemaker, a woman whose career choice was to raise her children in a way that included parenting skills such as cooking, sewing, medicine, sports and psychology.  If you fell off your bike, Mom administered first aid.  If you were invited to the school dance, Mom made your gown.  When you broke up with your boyfriend, Mom said you were too good for him anyway.

By now you are probably questioning, how relevant is this to the small business corner?  Here’s how.  I owned and operated a successful small business for twenty-three years.  It was a retail store.  It required skills in marketing and human relations, as well as budgeting and cost saving, and character traits such as perseverance and diplomacy.  Although I graduated from various colleges with a variety of degrees, none was in business management or marketing or anything else that would prepare me to be the successful retailer that I was.  No, I was not successful because of any formal training that I received, but rather from the example set by my mother, a Homemaker who showed me how to stretch a dollar when I tagged along to the grocer, the Green Stamp redemption center or the downtown Salvation Army outlet.  She taught me how to persuade my dad to give me the keys to the car, what to say to keep my other siblings from fighting, how to get the front seat on the long ride, how to sell the most Girl Scout cookies, and most of all--- not to give up.

Thank you, Mom, for all the lessons without which I would not have enjoyed the successes and learned from the failures.  Happy Mother’s Day to all Homemakers everywhere!

Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef Angela Bell 

Beyond the Bulll (an "eat smart" kitchen)

233 W. Main St., Central, SC 29630
http://antiaginggastronomy.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ChefAngelaB

https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheBull

Ten Reasons to Eat Smart, America

Eating smart means eating a diet packed with anti-inflammatory foods, what I refer to as anti-aging gastronomy.  Eating a diet based on the 60/40 ratio of alkaline forming to acid forming foods is anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and has multiple benefits. Here are the top ten reasons to eat smart, America.

Beyond the Bull
Quinoa Cakes

No more mood swings

You know the moodiness that plagues you mid morning and mid afternoon and sometimes results in brain fog as well?  Most likely it is from eating sugary, refined grains (cereal and bread) at breakfast and luncheon meals.  When the body gets a load of these, it reacts with a load of insulin.  The result is elevated blood glucose from the sugar (happy, happy) followed by a plunge of blood glucose (grouchy, grouchy) when the insulin does its job.  Eating smart guarantees your family and friends can tolerate you 24/7 with no timeouts in between. 

More energy

Without the mood swings from high and low blood glucose, you will find you have more energy and are more productive at home or at work.  Eating smart results in a constant level of blood glucose where and when it should be in your body to do its work---to energize. 

Higher libido

Naturally, when you feel better all around, the feel-good feeling makes for a higher libido.  There’s no more to say about that!

More awake time

With more energy and clairvoyance, you don’t need to sleep to noon anymore and still wake tired.  Your spouse will be happy to converse with you before your morning caffeine fix and your boss will be pleasantly surprised when you arrive on time.  More awake time means more time with family and friends who can now tolerate you 24/7 with no timeouts in between.

Kick the over the counter meds

You can finally stop taking anti-inflammatory drugs for nagging aches and pains, anti-histamines for allergies and decongestants for stuffy nose and sinus.  Eating smart means eating fewer acid producing foods.  Acid producing foods cause excess mucus formation in most people resulting in symptoms of sinusitis and congestion.   

Complements from family and friends

After 4 to 6 weeks you will be receiving unsolicited, genuine complements from family and friends.  Why?  You will see a difference in hair, skin, and nails.  Hair will be shinier (maybe even thicker since it will no longer be falling out) skin less dry and nails stronger and healthier (no more ridges).  You might not see it in the mirror, but when your long lost cousin turns up to visit after a year or two of absence he will think he came to the wrong address.  Oh, and did I mention that your clothes will fit you better?  Cutting down on sugar and refined grains and increasing vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts will also result in shedding of the extra pounds around the middle.  That pesky “beer belly” look will slowly fade away.

Reduce risk for age related chronic disease

There may not be scientific evidence that eating a diet based on anti-aging gastronomy reduces the risk of heart disease, joint/autoimmune disease and diabetes II, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence.  I, for one, can document my history of success, lowering blood glucose from 109 to 85, reversing hypothyroidism, and turning heart disease risk factors from bad to good, not to mention reversing the joint swelling that plagued me since my mid forties.  You won’t need a scientist to prove it to you. 

Longevity

Of course you will live longer without obesity, diabetes II, auto immune disease or heart disease!

Grow your savings account

How does eating smart mean a bigger savings account?  Here’s how:  fewer medical bills, lower household food expense, no more over the counter drugs to buy, lower expenses for dining out, less time off work and maybe even more overtime, a second job, who knows?  With all the extra energy, you may even want to start a second career. 

Be a role model for your kids  

Childhood obesity and diabetes has been on the rise for decades now and needs to come to an end.  For your kids, eat smart, and they will too. 

For more information on the anti-aging diet read the book EAT SMART,AMERICA, an anti-aging diet primer by Chef Angela Bell available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble in paperback and ebook format.  For those of you in the upstate of SC, visit the first "eat smart" kitchen, Beyond the Bull, recently opened in downtown Central, SC.  Be sure to mention  you saw it in this blog and I will be happy to step away from the kitchen and sign a copy just for you.  

Eat smart, America! 

Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef AngelaB.