Family Fun Time As Flax Helps with Mental Health
We wanted to share some good news with you from the heart and from great medical studies. It’s easy to say Happy Labor Day…or Happy Birthday…or have a good day. However, sometimes having a “good day” just isn’t that easy. Sometimes we call this “the blues”, that listless, down in the dumps feeling that a good night’s rest just won’t shake. Another name for this is atypical depression, the most common form of depression. Did you know that eating flax every day is a powerful tool to battle that down in the dumps feeling? Recent medical science has been studying the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA which is found in flax), and how it fights against depression. The study reported that flax has a mood boosting effect, and that flax is essential for the proper function of brain cells. Unfortunately, the study has shown that 85% of women aren’t getting an adequate daily supply of DHA. A solution to this deficiency is to eat flax on a daily basis. Additionally, Dr. Martha Clare Morris of Chicago’s Rush-Presbyterian-Saint Luke’s Medical Center found that eating just 2-3 tablespoons of Flax every day can help up to 2/3rds of woman suffering from depression, feel significantly better within 8 weeks! Read more about her study at http://www.dvo.com/newsletter/weekly/2011/07-15-712/flax-seed-facts.html
So, if on this Labor Day, you are feeling down in the dumps, or maybe are just having a bad day, take time to have some fun and consider feeding your brain with some “feel good” food…Golden Valley Flax! You can order today, fresh from our farm to your home at https://www.goldenvalleyflax.com/
Another great way to improve mental health is to take time for family fun. We do that as often as possible as can be seen in the picture here with our grandkids.
Labor Day is a special time for family fun
Life on a farm can be hectic. There are many pressures facing the farm family, unrelenting work, financial pressures, uncertain weather and markets. Farmers, like anyone with a demanding work load, often run the risk of having an unhealthy work-life balance. As we seek to obtain our best possible health, we have learned that we need to be intentional about rest. This is also true for all hard working folks in every kind of task performed across our great country. All of us need to take a break and have fun for the sake of our good mental health. Recently on labor day our family celebrated together with an “old time threshing bee” Every family brought food for this fun event as we reminisced about how our pioneer ancestors brought in the harvest. Featured were several antique machines including a wheat cutting machine called a binder made by John Deere, a Minneapolis-Moline separator, and a LA Case tractor with a belt pulley designed by my uncle Gordon Gronhovd when he was an engineer for JI Case at Racine, Wisconsin. Without horses to pull the wagon full of bundles we had the use of an old Ford tractor. Then we invited over many of our neighbors and had fun North Dakota style. We would encourage you to take time for fun, it will improve your health many times more and far exceed the value of the dollars earned by working non stop. Here you can see the bundles of wheat from the binder being pitched into the separator. It was a wonderful time for our family as we were mentally refreshed. See more about old time threshing at https://rollag.com
What’s For Dinner Mom, Great recipe for family fun time
How about a pork chop supper that includes everything you need. This is what we brought to the celebration. It has the meat, potatoes, vegetables and Golden Valley Flax all together in a very easy to make recipe. Our friends the Berntson’s from Valley City created this recipe and we hope you enjoy it.
Pork Chop Supper
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 pork loin chops
3 medium red potatoes, cut into small wedges
2 cups baby carrots
1 medium onion, quartered
1 ½ cans cream of mushroom soup, not diluted
4 tablespoons ground Golden Valley Flax (see above to order)
¼ cup water
In a skillet over medium heat add the canola oil. Brown pork chops for 3 minutes on each side. Add the potatoes, carrots and onion. Combine the soup, ground flax and water; pour over the top. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Enjoy!
