How are you? Are you taking care of you? So often we push our own needs to the back burner because we were taught that we aren't to be selfish. Like everything else, this is sometimes taken to the extreme. The point I am making is that taking care of self is NOT selfish. When we see to our own needs, our own health and well-being, we are presenting a gift to our loved ones. We are happy and content which puts our minds in a lot better shape to see to the needs of the loved ones in our lives.

The past couple of months or so I've been sharing one of my issues with you: hearing loss. In fact, I'm planning an e-book about my hearing loss journey. I hpe that it will help others who are on the same journey and don't know what to do. So, stay tuned to Senior Living at BellaOnline.com and tell your friends. Help me to get the word out. Help is on the way. In the meantime, I'm taking questions on hearing loss. If I don't have the answers, I will find them for you.

Shifting gears here...I remember my dad talking about "indigestion" when he was pushing 40 or so. Seems llike today we call it "acid reflux." I'm noticing changes in our diet now that my husband and I are past the golden (50) year. Then there's the cholesterol watch after peri-menopause. And the calorie count and consciousness of less body water and more body fat.

For cholesterol eat more beans. (I'm making baked beans, 15-bean soup, and navy beans and ham soup more often these days.) Less activity means consuming fewer calories. (THAT must be what I'm doing wrong since I've been half-heartedly working at losing two pounds a week for the past 9 weeks and not doing a good job of it.) Acid reflux means little to no foods like rice, tomato sauce, and what's the deal with pasta?! Does everything eventually become bland puree? Who wants mashed potatoes EVERY day?

If you have a favorite recipe that works especially well for seniors, will you share it with me so I can share the recipe(s) with everyone else? Send it, along with your name (first name only is OK) and your state or nation of residence so I can give you the credit.

But remember that I can't share if you don't send me your responses. Can you take five minutes right now to post your favorite elderly nutrition recipe to me at seniorliving@bellaonline.com? Thanks!

Here's the latest article from the Senior Living site at BellaOnline.com.

Hearing Saga Continues
What do you do when the new hearing aid fails to produce the miracle you had so hoped for?

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art51029.asp

Please visit seniorliving.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Senior Living.

To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Senior Living located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=53

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback and participation!

Til next week, let a smile be your umbrella...and if it rains and pours, you can always duck under your best friend's umbrella so you don't have to go it alone.

Cathy

Cathy Brownfield, Senior Living Editor
http://seniorliving.bellaonline.com

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