HEARTh & HOME

  By Betsy Bruns World Vegetarian day is October 1st, and so is my birthday.  Coincidence? Probably not. Is it possible we are born to be vegetarian? I’m convinced I was born this way because even as a small child, if I just started thinking about the animal who I …

By Betsy Bruns As summer is sunsetting, my husband and I are looking forward to squeezing in a bit more Lake Michigan beach time with loved ones. Moving away from family and friends in 2021 means that gatherings are less spontaneous and occur mostly on weekend visits. The memories we …

  By Betsy Bruns Have you ever heard of the song “Peaceful Easy Feeling” by the Eagles?  I had that feeling recently when eating green rice for breakfast while gazing at our French Bulldog Buddha statue. The bully Buddha is purposefully placed across from the kitchen table to remind me …

  By Betsy Bruns We are already halfway through the year, and summer and sovereignty day are here. On July 4th, 1776, thirteen colonies claimed independence from England, leading to the formation of the United States.  Each year on the fourth of July, Americans celebrate the freedom and independence that …

By Betsy Bruns I’ve never had much of a green thumb—more like a brown one. Although it’s my mission to inspire others to eat more plants, I’m much more comfortable in the kitchen than in the garden. This year, a friend planted a small garden for my husband and me. …

    By Dr. Jennifer Mieres and Dr. Stacey Rosen  One in three women will die from cardiovascular disease this year. For men, the American Heart Association says it’s one in four. That’s higher than all types of cancer fatalities combined. Of course, there are risk factors that can increase …

  By Betsy Bruns On our last Mother’s Day together, I brought Bunny (my mom) her favorite treats to eat. Bunny’s health had been on the decline for quite a while, but I felt assured things were stable. We had been to the doctor a couple of weeks prior to …

  By Betsy Bruns I have a confession to make. I’ve been overdosing on vitamin D all winter. How does one get extreme doses of the sunshine hormone? One way is spending lots of time outside in the light. Five to fifteen minutes of midday sun exposure can be enough …

  By Betsy Bruns When it comes to exercise, leaning out, and building muscle, the proverbial nutrition plan in modern history has been akin to Rocky Balboa’s. For those of you too young to remember in the 1976 movie, Rocky, Sylvester Stallone plays a lovable loan shark debt collector with …

  By Betsy Bruns Welcome to February, the month where we celebrate the heart—in health and in love—with both Valentine’s Day and National Heart Health Month! In Feb. 2016, I spent the days by my sister’s side as she recovered from open heart bypass surgery. It was her 52nd birthday. In the …