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The Alphabet of Lent – Letter N

N for Nourish

Food is an essential part of daily life, wherever in the world we find ourselves.
Nowadays, publicity does not fail to display what is seen as appropriate choices in terms of food.
Advice, recommendations, suggestions of healthy dishes, information about diets, nothing is missing.

It is interesting to note that the topic of nourishment comes back also… in the gospels!
More than once, Jesus speaks about it.
The texts of the gospel speak at least twice about occasions that lead to a memorable miracle.

The text of Luke shows us the apostles, after a long period of teaching, asking Jesus to send back the people (Luke 9:12-17).
“Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging”.

We know what happened: Jesus nourished (provided food for) the crowd of 5000 people by multiplying five loaves and two fishes.

An interesting detail is given to us at the end of the story of the young daughter of Jairus whom Jesus brought back to life.
The text mentions clearly:

“Jesus told them to give her something to eat (Luke 8:55).

Yet, we must remember what took place during Jesus’ retreat in the desert.
Tempted by Satan to change stones into loaves of bread to feed himself, Jesus replied to the one tempting him:

“A human being does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

Deeper still is the affirmation of Jesus who says:
“I am the bread of life,
he who comes to me will never be hungry” (John 6:34).

During this period of Lent, it is good to ask oneself what truly satisfies us…
Does the word of God nourish me every day?…
Do I welcome his presence – bread-of-life – giving me the abundant life (John 10:10) that he offers me from day to day?…

Perhaps I would need to adjust… my menu…

 

Source: Images: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

 

 

World Vegetarian Day – 1 october

The Many Different Types of Vegetarianism

A vegetarian is a person who does not consume meat or products of animal slaughter due to ethical, moral, or religious concerns. There are many varieties of vegetarianism. Ovo-Lacto vegetarians, for instance, eat eggs and milk, but no other animal products. Adherents of more strict forms of vegetarianism, such as vegans, tend to abstain from consuming anything that may include any kind of animal products or may be made from animal labor, such as animal testing. Other types of vegetarians include raw vegetarianism, where followers only eat raw foods or products that have been dehydrated; and fruitarianism, where adherents only consume fruits and nuts, preferably obtained without any harm to the plant.

In India, members of the Jain religion follow a form of vegetarianism that not only prohibits eating animal products, but also restricts consumption of root vegetables like onions, potatoes, and garlic.

From Religion to Saving the Environment

In many cultures, vegetarianism is an integral part of religion. Many sects of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism prohibit the consumption of meat and animal products, though the use of milk, honey, and sometimes unfertilized poultry eggs is acceptable.

Religious vegetarianism tends to be rooted in a philosophy of non-violence and compassion towards the natural world. Many other people follow vegetarianism as a way to protect the environment – they believe that raising and killing of animals for food negatively affects the environment, creates pollution, and contributes to climate change.

Many follow vegetarianism out of concern for animals and their treatment at farms where they are being raised for food. Others on the hand, adopt the vegetarian diet for its health benefits. Research has shown that a plant-based diet can help reduce the risks of heart disease, diabetes, and some kinds of cancer.

 

Source: Text: https://www.timeanddate.com/    Image: https://www.lapetite.com/blog/2021/09/world-vegetarian-day/

International Snow Leopard Day – 23 October

On October 23rd, International Snow Leopard Day celebrates this endangered cat. It’s also a day to learn more about the snow leopard and how to protect this elusive animal.

Although called snow leopards, these big cats are more closely related to a tiger than a leopard. Snow leopards live in alpine areas that are 18,000 feet in elevation, mostly in the Himalayas. China and Mongolia have the highest numbers of snow leopards. They also live in Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Russia.

These cats earn the name snow leopard because they adapt well to the snow and cold. Their wide fur-covered feet act as natural snowshoes. Snow leopards are often called “ghosts of the mountains” because people rarely see them. One reason for this is they usually only come out at dusk and dawn while it’s still dark. Snow leopards are also well camouflaged, which makes them hard to spot.

Snow Leopard Facts
  • Their thick fur is grey and yellow-tinged.
  • They have long, thick tails that they wrap around themselves to stay warm.
  • Instead of roaring, they meow, yowl, or blow through their nose with their mouth closed.
  • They can travel over 25 miles in one night.
  • They can jump nearly 30 feet, six times their body length.
  • These big cats have pale grey or greenish eyes.

A snow leopard’s diet consists of wild sheep. However, wild sheep are also a food source for humans. With the reduced numbers of wild sheep, snow leopards resort to killing livestock. This causes farmers and herders to kill snow leopards. These retaliatory killings are one reason for the low numbers of snow leopards in the wild. Today, there could be as few as 4,000 snow leopards. Due to their low numbers, snow leopards are considered endangered.

 

Source: Text & Image: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/international-snow-leopard-day-october-23/

World Heart Day – 29 September

Heart Day is part of an international campaign to spread awareness about heart disease and stroke prevention. This is the perfect day to quit smoking, get exercising and start eating healthy – all in the name of keeping your ticker in good working order, and improving the health and well being of people the world over.

The World Heart Federation have found that heart disease and strokes are the world’s leading cause of death, killing 17.1 million people every year – that’s more than victims of cancer, HIV and AIDS and malaria.

Overeating, lack of exercise, unhealthy diets and high blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels are all factors which can trigger heart disease and threaten our own lives, and those of loved ones. Heart Day was set up to drive home the message that heart problems can be prevented.

The aim is to improve health globally by encouraging people to make lifestyle changes and promoting education internationally about ways to be good to your heart. This lesson is becoming increasingly relevant as reports of obesity, poor diet and physical inactivity in children and young people become more and more common.

Source: Text: DAYSoftheYEAR  Image: fr.dreamstime.com

 

World Hypertension Day – 14 May

WorldHypertensionDay_SmallThe WHD was first inaugurated in May 2005 and has become an annual event ever since. The purpose of the WHD is to promote public awareness of hypertension and to encourage citizens of all countries to prevent and control this silent killer, the modern epidemic. The theme for World Hypertension Day is Know Your Numbers with a goal of increasing high blood pressure (BP) awareness in all populations around the world.

Hypertension is very common indeed and hence a major public health issue. The prevalence is expected to increase considerably in the coming years. In 2000, the estimated number of adults living with high blood pressure globally was 972 million. This is expected to increase to 1.56 billion by 2025! Lifestyle factors, such as physical inactivity, a salt-rich diet with high processed and fatty foods, and alcohol and tobacco use, are reasons for this increased disease burden, which is spreading at an alarming rate from developed countries to emerging economies, such as India, China and African countries.

Adequate treatment of high blood pressure lowers this cardiovascular risk towards normal levels. However, the biggest problem for controlling hypertension is compliance with treatment. Despite very effective and cost-effective treatments, target blood pressure levels are very rarely reached, even in countries where cost of medication is not an issue. Sadly, many patients still believe that hypertension is a disease that can be ‘cured’, and they stop or reduce medication when their blood pressure levels fall to normal levels. Despite the availability of effective and safe antihypertensive drugs, hypertension and its related risk factors (obesity, high blood lipids, and diabetes mellitus) remain uncontrolled in many patients. One often talks about ‘the rule of the halves’: Only one half of the patients with high blood pressure in a population have been diagnosed, only half of those detected have been treated, and only half of those treated have been adequately treated to a normal blood pressure.

Source: Text & image: International Society of Hypertension