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www.bobnortonconsulting.com 877-799-3736 info@bobnortonconsulting.com JANUARY 2019 NORTON NEWSLETTER EASE OF MIND • AVAILABILITY • FLEXIBILITY • INDIVIDUAL APPROACH • EXPERIENCE • TAX SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES THE REAL ESTATE TAX PRO ™
FROM THE DESK OF Bob
This time of year, many people resolve to eat healthier. It’s a noble goal, but it can’t be accomplished through wishful thinking alone. There are infinite fad diets and eating challenges you can try in order to improve your diet, but more often than not, these methods produce fleeting results. It’s much more logical to transform your diet through simple, actionable steps rather than attempting a complete overhaul based on obscure methodology or marketing gimmicks. Fortunately, one of the biggest steps you can take to improve your diet is also a simple one: Increase the amount of local and seasonal produce in your pantry and on your plate. Fruits and vegetables are the cornerstones of nutritious eating habits, and sourcing from local purveyors guarantees you’ll get your produce at the height of freshness. In addition to the health and taste benefits of eating fresh produce that hasn’t traveled thousands of miles to your store, seasonality and locality affect the sustainability and price of your food. “If people are prepared to eat locally and seasonally,” says philosopher and food theorist Peter Singer, “then they probably do pretty well in terms of environmental impact.” On the economic side of things, the shorter the distance between farm and store, the lower the price, which is why you can always find great deals at your local farmers market. To help make 2019 a year of seasonal eating, you’ll need to know what’s at peak ripeness each season. Of course, some of what’s available in your area will vary based on the climate where you live, but the vast majority of this guide will be applicable to the 48 contiguous states. A GUIDE TO EATING SEASONALLY W hat to B uy and C ook T hroughout the Y ear
You may have noticed a pattern to the articles I select for this newsletter.
I like stories about animals, history, and health. My passion is helping people be successful in their business, so I can’t help including a business article occasionally. I also like to cook, so the recipes I include are recipes that I find personally interesting. I’ll admit that I haven’t tried them all yet. Recently, someone asked Penny what she was preparing for Thanksgiving and she responded,“Oh, I don’t cook on holidays. I have a Bob for that.”Now, I don’t get too fancy and I like to grill. One of my favorite grills is an“oil-less fryer,”which is a propane grill where the heat roasts the meat with indirect heat. We cook our turkey in this and it comes out
moist like it was deep-fried, but there is no hot oil to deal with. I’ve tried other meat in this as well, but turkey is the best. If you like grilling, you’ve got to get one of these.
-Bob Norton
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Cover story, continued ...
WINTER
the pickiest of eaters can get behind. The downside with spring produce is that the season tends to be relatively short, so you’ll have to enjoy these treasures while you can.
begin appearing more frequently, as well as unique varieties of carrots and apples. Fall is also the best time of year for foraged mushrooms like oysters and chanterelles. As with the weather, autumnal foods are the bridge between the brightness of summer and the depths of winter. SeasonalFoodGuide.org is a great to tool to find up-to-the-minute lists of what’s in season in your state, from traditional favorites to obscure vegetables you’ve probably never heard of. When it comes to seasonal cookbooks, you can do no better than Joshua McFadden’s “Six Seasons,”which divides the calendar beyond our traditional four quarters for maximum specificity. Here’s to a year of enjoying seasonal, local produce. It will expand your horizons and improve your health — a win-win by any measure. TOOLS FOR EATING SEASONALLY
While you may not expect it, the coldest portion of the year produces a bounty of vegetables that are earthy and subtly sweet. At the top of this list is cabbage, which comes in many varieties and is at its peak during winter. Root vegetables like parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, and kohlrabi are also in abundance. On the fruitier side of things, winter in the warmer parts of the country yields delicious citrus harvests. At no other time of the year will you find such an awesome variety of oranges, lemons, limes, and more. Be on the lookout for exotic varieties like blood oranges and pomelos. Unsurprisingly, spring is when bright green vegetables start to emerge en masse. From asparagus and artichokes to snap peas and fava beans, you’ll find no shortage of delicious veggies to signal the blossoming of a new season. Spring is also the best time to eat strawberries, which is something even SPRING
SUMMER
Variety is at an all-time high during the summer months, but a few categories of produce deserve particular attention. Nightshades, including tomatoes, peppers, chilis, and eggplant, shine during this time of year. In fact, eating a tomato in December is a pale imitation of what you’ll get in July, making it one of the best examples of the stark difference between eating seasonally and grabbing whatever is languishing on the shelves at the grocery store. The same goes for corn and stone fruit like peaches, which are barbecue staples for a reason.
FALL
Think of the Thanksgiving color palette, and you’ll have a good idea of what’s in season. Hearty greens like kale and Swiss chard will
MOM REALLY DOES KNOW BEST 3 Wives’ Tales Proven True
“Make a face like that, and it’ll stay that way forever.” You may have heard something like this fromMom’s book of wisdom. Maybe you never disputed the idea that mother knows best. But as you grew up, it slowly became clear that hair doesn’t grow back faster and thicker if you shave it, cracking your knuckles doesn’t cause arthritis, and gum doesn’t stay in your stomach for months after you swallow it. After a whirlwind of wives’ tales over the years, many common claims have been put under scrutiny. Wives tales have been known as pseudoscience and blind intuition, but even as many were disproved, some surprisingly proved to hold weight. Here are three wives’ tales that have proven to be true.
GARLIC CURES COLDS
HEARTBURN MEANS A HAIRY BABY
For decades, moms have professed the healing properties of garlic, suggesting it can cure colds and help the body fight sickness. It turns out they were absolutely right. Garlic has antiviral properties that strengthen the immune system and nutrients that help combat illnesses. The effects of garlic can actually be more effective than over-the- counter flu medications. Some studies show that regular consumption of raw garlic lessens the likelihood of getting a cold, so if you feel a tickle in your throat, try a clove before you open the medicine cabinet.
It’s hard to list wives’ tales without bringing up one about pregnancy. Many are solely based in intuition, but a few that sound odd have proven to be true. In 2007, a study done by Johns Hopkins attempted to debunk the myth that heartburn during pregnancy would mean a hairy baby at birth. Instead of proving it wrong, they found that 82 percent of women with severe heartburn during pregnancy gave birth to hairy babies. Turns out the hormones that cause heartburn in pregnant women also affect fetal hair growth.
JOINT PAIN PREDICTS THE WEATHER
Did you ever look at your mom with skepticism when she would predict rain because her knees hurt? If so, you might owe your mom an apology, because there is a scientific connection. The drop in barometric pressure that’s common during storm weather causes pain in arthritic joints.
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Live Long and Prosper
HOW LONGEVITY VITAMINS CAN HELP YOU LIVE A HEALTHIER, LONGER LIFE
New research suggests that you aren’t getting the key vitamins and minerals you need to live a longer, healthier life.
“Survival vitamins” are even more critical to your health, and the symptoms are noticeable when you’re deficient. For instance, the main symptom of vitamin C deficiency is scurvy, which causes weakness, soreness, and a number of skin issues, including bruising. It usually takes about a month of vitamin C deficiency before symptoms show. Vitamin K deficiency, on the other hand, can be tougher to diagnose. Vitamin K is essential in forming blood clots. When your body doesn’t get enough vitamin K, excessive bleeding can occur. The vitamin is also needed to produce an enzyme that promotes better blood flow. Over time, low vitamin K levels in the body increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. If you want to live a healthier and longer life, make sure your diet includes these longevity vitamins and minerals. They can give you a significant advantage when paired with a healthy diet and exercise so you can enjoy many more years with your loved ones.
A 10-year study published in October 2018 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identified several “longevity vitamins” as necessary to living a healthier, longer life. These are
vitamins and minerals that can keep chronic diseases such as heart disease, certain types of cancer, and dementia at bay.
Researchers classified the following as “longevity vitamins”: vitamin D,
vitamin K, carotenoids (alpha carotene and beta carotene), astaxanthin, ergothioneine, pyrroloquinoline quinone, quinine, taurine, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene.
Some of these vitamins and minerals may sound familiar. Lycopene, for example, is another carotenoid. It’s found in tomatoes and other red fruits and is a powerful antioxidant. In fact, many longevity vitamins are found in fruits and vegetables, but we often don’t eat enough of these foods.
Take a Break!
CITRUS AND AVOCADO SALAD
Ingredients
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1 blood, cara cara, or navel orange, sliced 1/8-inch thick and deseeded 1 Meyer or regular lemon, sliced 1/8-inch thick and deseeded
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1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
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1 bunch arugula
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1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
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4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
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1 avocado, cut into wedges
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Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Heat oven to 425 F.
lemon juice. Season with salt and let sit for 5 minutes.
2. In a rimmed baking sheet, toss citrus slices with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast citrus until lightly charred and caramelized, about 10–15 minutes. Let cool. 3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine onion and
4. Add citrus, arugula, andmint to onionmixture. Drizzle with remaining oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss thoroughly. 5. Add avocado, combing very gently to not crush avocado
Recipe courtesy of Bon Appétit
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Bob Norton Consulting, APC
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THE REAL ESTATE TAX PRO ™
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of Bob PAGE 1 The Value of Seasonal Eating PAGE 1 3 Wives’ Tales That Are True PAGE 2 Are You Taking Your Longevity Vitamins? PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Citrus and Avocado Salad PAGE 3 What Happens to Military Service Dogs? PAGE 4 There are around 2,500 military working dogs currently in service, and their efforts help save the lives of countless soldiers and civilians every day. One of these brave military dogs is Sgt. Fieldy, an 11-year-old black lab who was trained to locate the No. 1 threat in Afghanistan: IEDs. Sgt. Fieldy was deployed to Afghanistan with his handler, Cpl. Nicolas Caceres, in 2011. Early in their deployment, their vehicle struck a pressure plate while they were on patrol. Fieldy and Caceres were all right, but one of the other Marines in their company was badly injured in the explosion. The injured Marine could not be evacuated by helicopter until the landing zone was secured. Fieldy found another IED in the area and alerted Caceres. The bomb was quickly disarmed, and the injured soldier was taken to safety.
SGT. FIELDY COMES HOME
Reuniting Brothers in Arms
lives. After his deployment, Caceres returned home, but Sgt. Fieldy served several more tours without him. While Fieldy continued to protect soldiers and civilians by tracking down IEDs, Caceres worked tirelessly to make sure he could bring Fieldy home when his service was over. Military working dogs can be adopted by former handlers, law enforcement, or qualified civilians when they retire. After three years apart and a total of four tours served, Sgt. Fieldy was reunited with Caceres. In 2016, Fieldy received the K9 Medal of Courage Award, and in 2018, he won the American Humane Hero Dog Award for his service.
“These dogs are out there with us,”said Caceres when he and Fieldy accepted the Hero Dog Award.“The dangers we face, they face them too. They deserve to be recognized. We ask so much of them, and all they want is to get petted or play with a toy. They’re amazing animals, and Fieldy is just an amazing dog. I can’t begin to express the gratitude I have for him.” If you are interested in supporting our nation’s working dogs or would like to adopt a retired working dog yourself, you can learn more at Missionk9rescue.org.
This wasn’t the only IED Fieldy found. His sharp nose and dedication helped save thousands of
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