Of course I dream of Paris. Don’t most of us? I can see myself outside a café at a little table, sipping something lovely coupled with a delicious pastry.

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Say it isn’t so …

Haven’t we been taught that foods sold in the U.S. are basically, for-the-most-part, kinda, somewhat safe?

I mean, that’s what the FDA is for, right?

Hmmm … not exactly.

“For numerous suspicious and disturbing reasons, the U.S. has allowed foods that are banned in many other developed countries into our food supply,” warns nutritionist Mira Calton, who co-authored the new book, Rich Food, Poor Food.

Calton and her husband spent six years traveling the seven continents to investigate food additives and ingredients. From their research, they compiled a list of dubious products that, although forbidden by foreign governments for health reasons, are permitted in foods sold here in the U.S.

Here are the top 13 offenders:

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You’ve thought about it, haven’t you?

Come on, admit it …

You’ve wondered what it would feel like to live in an era where women wore big hats dripping in feathers.

Mlle Germaine Le Blon by Herman Richir, 1908

Don’t blush.

A farmgirl flaunts the fact that she feels all

aflutter

with the fanfare, fancy, and frill

of a flock she might wear that would help her step back in time.

I dare you

to divulge

that you have dreamed also …

of chickens.

Your secret is safe here.

So, let’s indulge together.

If you’re already a Mother Hen,

you cherish your charming clucks.

But, if you haven’t yet committed to a coop,

I have found a book that will send you swooning.

One glance through the gorgeous images within, and I guarantee …

there will be a flock in your future.

Behold … The Magnificent Chicken.

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Do you tend to …

• shy away from certain kinds of group activities?
• express yourself in writing?
• enjoy solitude?
• dislike small talk?
• listen more than you talk?
• do your best work on your own?
• avoid conflict?
• think before you speak?
• feel drained after group interactions, even if you’ve enjoyed yourself?

Photo by Andrew Kudrin from Novosibirsk, Russia (CC-BY-2.0) via Wikimedia Commons

If you answered “yes” to most of my questions, join the club.

Don’t worry,

I’m not talking about a club where people party to the beat of loud music, or meet up in noisy restaurants, talking over one another.

I know that would make you uncomfortable.

I’m using the term “club” figuratively to describe 57 percent of the U.S. population

(that’s right, more than half)

who are introverts.

You may be wondering what exactly separates introverts from their polar opposites, extroverts.

“Extroverts are energized by people, and wilt or fade when alone. They often seem bored by themselves, in both senses of the expression. Leave an extrovert alone for two minutes and he will reach for his cell phone. In contrast, after an hour or two of being socially ‘on,’ we introverts need to turn off and recharge,” writes Johnathan Rauch of The Atlantic. “This isn’t antisocial. It isn’t a sign of depression. It does not call for medication. For introverts, to be alone with our thoughts is as restorative as sleeping, as nourishing as eating.”

Still with me?

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“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

In honor of Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel’s birthday, March 2 is Read Across America Day. So sit down with someone, read to them, or have them read to you. Go to far-off places … get a little lost.

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