Good-Natured Nutrition
Good-Natured Nutrition
Researchers from the University of South Florida, the University of Missouri, A.T. Still University, Indiana University, and the Children’s Hospital Colorado asked that exact question in their recent study. Focused specifically on patients with mild cognitive impairment, they concluded the following:
“Preliminary findings show that daily elderberry juice consumption for 6 months in patients with MCI is feasible and well tolerated and may provide some benefit to visuospatial cognitive flexibility. Patterns of preliminary blood-based inflammatory markers suggest that elderberry juice may lead to the reduction in low-grade inflammation compared with a placebo–control. These promising preliminary findings provide support for larger, more definitive prospective studies with longer follow-ups to better understand mechanisms of action and the clinical utility of elderberries for potentially mitigating cognitive decline.”
Read the full article here:
This week’s delusion is pretending our grocery stores don’t have a weak point.
This week’s re-illusion is remembering that strength comes from building on what already works, not acting like we’re starting from scratch.
Hy-Vee does a really good job bringing in local barbecue sauces, jams, honey, and other value-added foods from the Heartland.
We’re not starting from zero.
But we are starting from small.
So I handed Santa a LionBerry and gave him my Christmas list:
A fortified Hy-Vee — one that expands the Heartland section that already exists into a full, accessible, stocked-every-day aisle for local foods.
Not to replace the global or national imports like Florida oranges, California almonds, Mexico avocados, pineapple juice from Thailand, or coastal produce —
but to stand beside them, so the region isn’t left vulnerable the next time anything shakes the system:
Any one of these can break a supply chain.
A fortified regional shelf — built from the farms around Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska — keeps us fed.
The World Cup is coming to Kansas City.
Soccer tourists from Germany, Brazil, Japan, everywhere — living in Airbnbs for three to six weeks, shopping at Hy-Vee for everything from breakfast to body soap.
If we went to Germany, we’d want Wienerschnitzel.
If we went to Brazil, we’d want feijoada.
If we went to Japan, we’d want ramen or sushi that actually tastes like Japan.
So when they come to the Heartland, they don’t want a New York hot dog or a California cheeseburger.
They want us — the real Midwest.
What do we grow and make here?
And soccer tourists staying in AirBnB’s need actual essentials:
This is exactly why a stronger Heartland aisle matters — not just for crisis, but for culture, tourism, and everyday life.
This week’s delusion is pretending our grocery stores don’t have a weak point.
This week’s re-illusion is remembering that strength comes from building on what already works, not acting like we’re starting from scratch.
Hy-Vee does a really good job bringing in local barbecue sauces, jams, honey, and other value-added foods from the Heartland.
We’re not starting from zero.
But we are starting from small.
So I handed Santa a LionBerry and gave him my Christmas list:
A fortified Hy-Vee — one that expands the Heartland section that already exists into a full, accessible, stocked-every-day aisle for local foods.
Not to replace the global or national imports like Florida oranges, California almonds, Mexico avocados, pineapple juice from Thailand, or coastal produce —
but to stand beside them, so the region isn’t left vulnerable the next time anything shakes the system:
Any one of these can break a supply chain.
A fortified regional shelf — built from the farms around Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska — keeps us fed.
The World Cup is coming to Kansas City.
Soccer tourists from Germany, Brazil, Japan, everywhere — living in Airbnbs for three to six weeks, shopping at Hy-Vee for everything from breakfast to body soap.
If we went to Germany, we’d want Wienerschnitzel.
If we went to Brazil, we’d want feijoada.
If we went to Japan, we’d want ramen or sushi that actually tastes like Japan.
So when they come to the Heartland, they don’t want a New York hot dog or a California cheeseburger.
They want us — the real Midwest.
What do we grow and make here?
And soccer tourists staying in Airbnbs need actual essentials:
This is exactly why a stronger Heartland aisle matters — not just for crisis, but for culture, tourism, and everyday life.
A shared warehouse, a shared distributor, and a unified block of local makers would let regional foods move with the same efficiency as national brands — while staying rooted right here.
Tourists will buy it.
Locals will keep it.
And if anything ever shakes the world, a fortified Hy-Vee keeps the Heartland standing.
That’s what I told Santa.
That’s my wish this year.
And that’s exactly what LionBerry is built to help do — bottle by bottle, aisle by aisle.