Mark Nassutti
Historical Fiction, Memoir, Essay
www.marknassutti.com
The most important thing I do to stay healthy and productive is focus my professional activity on what I love to do. In my case, it's writing historical fiction, stories derived from the real experiences and big questions faced by my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Since writing means a lot of sitting, I build plenty of activity into my day. Every day I walk my dog. Three times a week I go out with my rowing club or swim at our local pool. I also work in my orchard and garden, where I produce apples, berries and leafy greens.
What gets me up in the morning is the hope that the example I set will have a positive influence on my children and grandchildren, and that the knowledge I've acquired about prior generations can be passed along to future generations and help them avoid making the same mistakes.
I love food, and I love to cook. My partner and I are fish-a-tarians, all organic (and I occasionally enjoy a small piece of grass-fed, grass-finished beef — especially from a friend's cow that's been fed my excess apples!) We prefer Italian food but sometimes we need to do something quick and easy like a stir-fry. We try to cook fresh as much as possible. For example, two nights ago, I foraged along the edge of a forest grove next to my house for stinging nettle leaves. I made a delicious, emerald-green pesto sauce (in Italiano, pesto d'urtica) for an amazing pasta dinner.
I live in a rural area where most people grow at least some of their own food. If you live in a city and have never cultivated a garden or worked on a farm, then get yourself a small pot or cut out a square meter of your grass, add some good soil and compost from your local garden center, and throw down some lettuce seeds. Growing and eating this little bit of your own food will help you appreciate the power of the fresh ingredients that go into Ambronite.
I usually use Ambronite when I'm on my way to go swimming or rowing and I need something to eat but not a full meal, and nothing that will slow me down. I generally use one cup water and one cup apple juice (from my orchard, of course) and sometimes will blend in a cup of organic blueberries. Half a portion gets me through the outing, then I finish my Ambronite right afterwards to accelerate the recovery process. Also, my partner is an actor and she just completed a community theatre show. There were many busy days with no time between work and rehearsal to sit down for a meal, so Ambronite solved the problem.