1. Ommegang Aphrodite
2. Dogfish Head Chateau Jihau
3. Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale
4. Mataveza Morpho
5. Port Brewing Older Viscosity
cheers,
dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Healthy Spirits: New Stuff
1. Ommegang Aphrodite
2. Dogfish Head Chateau Jihau
3. Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale
4. Mataveza Morpho
5. Port Brewing Older Viscosity
cheers,
dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals
1. Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Brut
2. Mikkeller Chipotle Porter
3. Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca
4. Jolly Pumpkin Weizenbam
cheers,
dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610
Monday, August 29, 2011
Deschutes The Stoic Now on Shelves!
Deschutes the Stoic just landed. It's a Belgian style quad aged in wine barrels. Come and get it.Nate
Men who are skinny-fat: There are quite a few of them
The graph below (from Wikipedia) plots body fat percentage (BF) against body mass index (BMI) for men. The data is a bit old: 1994. The top-left quadrant refers to men with BF greater than 25 percent and BMI lower than 25. A man with a BF greater than 25 has crossed into obese territory, even though a BMI lower than 25 would suggest that he is not even overweight. These folks are what we could call skinny-fat men.
The data is from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), so it is from the USA only. Interesting that even though this data is from 1994, we already could find quite a few men with more than 25 percent BF and a BMI of around 20. One example of this would be a man who is 5’11’’, weighing 145 lbs, and who would be technically obese!
About 8 percent of the entire sample of men used as a basis for the plot fell into the area defined by the top-left quadrant – the skinny-fat men. (That quadrant is one in which the BMI measure is quite deceiving; another is the bottom-right quadrant.) Most of us would be tempted to conclude that all of these men were sick or on the path to becoming so. But we do not know this for sure. On the standard American diet, I think it is a reasonably good guess that these skinny-fat men would not fare very well.
What is most interesting for me regarding this data, which definitely has some measurement error built in (e.g., zero BF), is that it suggests that the percentage of skinny-fat men in the general population is surprisingly high. (And this seems to be the case for women as well.) Almost too high to characterize being skinny-fat as a disease per se, much less a genetic disease. Genetic diseases tend to be rarer.
In populations under significant natural selection pressure, which does not include modern humans living in developed countries, genetic diseases tend to be wiped out by evolution. (The unfortunate reality is that modern medicine helps these diseases spread, although quite slowly.) Moreover, the prevalence of diabetes in the population was not as high as 8 percent in 1994, and is not that high today either; although it tends to be concentrated in some areas and cluster with obesity as defined based on both BF and BMI.
And again, who knows, maybe these folks (the skinny-fat men) were not even the least healthy in the whole sample, as one may be tempted to conclude.
Maybe being skinny-fat is a trait, passed on across generations, not a disease. Maybe such a trait was useful at some point in the not so distant past to some of our ancestors, but leads to degenerative diseases in the context of a typical Western diet. Long-living Asians with low BMI tend to gravitate more toward the skinny-fat quadrant than many of their non-Asian counterparts. That is, long-living Asians generally tend have higher BF percentage at the same BMI (see a discussion about the Okinawans on this post).
Evolution is a deceptively simple process, which can lead to very odd results.
This “trait-not-disease” idea may sound like semantics, but it has major implications. It would mean that many of the folks who are currently seen as diseased or disease-prone, are in fact simply “different”. At a point in time in our past, under a unique set of circumstances, they might have been the ones who would have survived. The ones who would have been perceived as healthier than average.
The data is from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), so it is from the USA only. Interesting that even though this data is from 1994, we already could find quite a few men with more than 25 percent BF and a BMI of around 20. One example of this would be a man who is 5’11’’, weighing 145 lbs, and who would be technically obese!
About 8 percent of the entire sample of men used as a basis for the plot fell into the area defined by the top-left quadrant – the skinny-fat men. (That quadrant is one in which the BMI measure is quite deceiving; another is the bottom-right quadrant.) Most of us would be tempted to conclude that all of these men were sick or on the path to becoming so. But we do not know this for sure. On the standard American diet, I think it is a reasonably good guess that these skinny-fat men would not fare very well.
What is most interesting for me regarding this data, which definitely has some measurement error built in (e.g., zero BF), is that it suggests that the percentage of skinny-fat men in the general population is surprisingly high. (And this seems to be the case for women as well.) Almost too high to characterize being skinny-fat as a disease per se, much less a genetic disease. Genetic diseases tend to be rarer.
In populations under significant natural selection pressure, which does not include modern humans living in developed countries, genetic diseases tend to be wiped out by evolution. (The unfortunate reality is that modern medicine helps these diseases spread, although quite slowly.) Moreover, the prevalence of diabetes in the population was not as high as 8 percent in 1994, and is not that high today either; although it tends to be concentrated in some areas and cluster with obesity as defined based on both BF and BMI.
And again, who knows, maybe these folks (the skinny-fat men) were not even the least healthy in the whole sample, as one may be tempted to conclude.
Maybe being skinny-fat is a trait, passed on across generations, not a disease. Maybe such a trait was useful at some point in the not so distant past to some of our ancestors, but leads to degenerative diseases in the context of a typical Western diet. Long-living Asians with low BMI tend to gravitate more toward the skinny-fat quadrant than many of their non-Asian counterparts. That is, long-living Asians generally tend have higher BF percentage at the same BMI (see a discussion about the Okinawans on this post).
Evolution is a deceptively simple process, which can lead to very odd results.
This “trait-not-disease” idea may sound like semantics, but it has major implications. It would mean that many of the folks who are currently seen as diseased or disease-prone, are in fact simply “different”. At a point in time in our past, under a unique set of circumstances, they might have been the ones who would have survived. The ones who would have been perceived as healthier than average.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Lemon-Curry "Peach of a Pear": A Tasty Summer Sandwich Filling
This tasty sandwich filling is perfect for a summertime snack, -- a delightful combination of fresh fruit and garden veggies. Ripe juicy peach and buttery avocado meet crunchy carrot and crisp cucumber in a fiery lemon-curry dressing. A generous portion of nutty hemp hearts and sunflower seeds ups the nutritional profile of the recipe, adding healthy unsaturated fats and protein as well as an appealing texture. The filling stuffs a pita with flavour, or dresses up an English muffin for a lovely light lunch.
You'll Need: 1 carrot; 2 small cucumbers; 2 peaches; 1 large avocado pear; 1 carrot; 1/2 lemon; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 teaspoons Madras (hot) curry powder; 1/4 cup soaked and sprouted sunflower seeds; (soak seeds in fresh water for 2 hours, drain and let sprout, covered in fridge for 2 hours, or overnight); 1/4 cup hemp hearts.
Method: Grate carrot finely. In a large bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon of olive oil with juice of half a lemon. Add 2 teaspoons of curry powder, and whisk until well combined. Stir in sunflower seeds coat with dressing. Add grated carrot and combining it thoroughly with lemon-curry mixture. Cover the bowl and set aside to marinade while preparing other ingredients.
Dice the peaches and cucumber into small pieces. Add to carrot mixture along with 1/4 cup hemp hearts and toss until well-combined. Cut avocado into similar-sized small pieces, spritz with lemon juice and gently fold into sandwich filling.
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| On a Toasted English Muffin |
Serving suggestions: Fill a pita, or a crusty roll for a hands-on snack, or top a toasted English muffin and enjoy the elegant flavours with a knife and fork.
A meal that will leave your tummy and your tastes buds happy!
For thoughts about food, and food for thought, visit Zen-cuisine, a blog about mindful living.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Healthy Spirits: New Stuff
1. Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek
2. De Molen SSS Pattinson's Imperial Porter
3. De Molen Storm & Averij IPA
4. Haandbryggeriet Odin's Tipple
*** Beer of the Month Club September 2011 now ready for pick-up***
cheers,
dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610
2. De Molen SSS Pattinson's Imperial Porter
3. De Molen Storm & Averij IPA
4. Haandbryggeriet Odin's Tipple
*** Beer of the Month Club September 2011 now ready for pick-up***
cheers,
dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Healthy Spirits: New Stuff
1. Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin
2. Shipyard Smashed Blueberry
3. Uinta Punk'n Ale
4. Paulaner Oktoberfest
5. Hofbrau Munchen Oktoberfest
6. Meantime Coffee Porter
7. Flying Dog IPA mixed 12pk
8. Caracole Troublette Witbier
9. Sierra Nevada Tumblr
10. Ballast Point Sculpin 6 packs
11. Grand Teton Cellar Reserve Saison
12. Ayinger Celebrator
13. Lindemans Faro
14. Pinkus Munster Alt
15. Pinkus Weizen
cheers,
dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals
1. Evil Twin Ryan and the Beaster Bunny
2. Evil Twin Katz Pis IPA
3. Evil Twin Before, During & After Xmas
4. Schmaltz/Terrapin Reunion Ale '11
5. Bruery Autumn Maple
cheers,
dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610
Monday, August 22, 2011
Refined carbohydrate-rich foods, palatability, glycemic load, and the Paleo movement
A great deal of discussion has been going on recently revolving around the so-called “carbohydrate hypothesis of obesity”. I will use the acronym CHO to refer to this hypothesis. This acronym is often used to refer to carbohydrates in nutrition research; I hope this will not cause confusion.
The CHO could be summarized as this: a person consumes foods with “easily digestible” carbohydrates, those carbohydrates raise insulin levels abnormally, the abnormally high insulin levels drive too much fat into body fat cells and keep it there, this causes hunger as not enough fat is released from fat cells for use as energy, this hunger drives the consumption of more foods with “easily digestible” carbohydrates, and so on.
It is posited as a feedback-loop process that causes serious problems over a period of years. The term “easily digestible” is within quotes for emphasis. If it is taken to mean “refined”, which is still a bit vague, there is a good amount of epidemiological evidence in support of the CHO. If it is taken to mean simply “easily digestible”, as in potatoes and rice (which is technically a refined food, but a rather benign one), there is a lot of evidence against it. Even from an unbiased (hopefully) look at county-level data in the China Study.
Another hypothesis that has been around for a long time and that has been revived recently, which we could call the “palatability hypothesis”, is a competing hypothesis. It is an interesting and intriguing hypothesis, at least at first glance. There seems to be some truth to this hypothesis. The idea here is that we have not evolved mechanisms to deal with highly palatable foods, and thus end up overeating them. Therefore we should go in the opposite direction, and place emphasis on foods that are not very palatable to reach our optimal weight. You might think that to test this hypothesis it would be enough to find out if this diet works: “Eat something … if it tastes good, spit it out!”
But it is not so simple. To test this palatability hypothesis one could try to measure the palatability of foods, and see if it is correlated with consumption. The problem is that the formulations I have seen of the palatability hypothesis treat the palatability construct as static, when in fact it is dynamic – very dynamic. The perception of the reward associated with a specific food changes depending on a number of factors.
For example, we cannot assign a palatability score to a food without considering the particular state in which the individual who eats the food is. That state is defined by a number of factors, including physiological and psychological ones, which vary a lot across individuals and even across different points in time for the same individual. For someone who is hungry after a 20 h fast, for instance, the perceived reward associated with a food will go up significantly compared to the same person in the fed state.
Regarding the CHO, it seems very clear that refined carbohydrate-rich foods in general, particularly the highly modified ones, disrupt normal biological mechanisms that regulate hunger. Perceived food reward, or palatability, is a function of hunger. Abnormal glucose and insulin responses appear to be at the core of this phenomenon. There are undoubtedly many other factors at play as well. But, as you can see, there is a major overlap between the CHO and the palatability hypothesis. Refined carbohydrate-rich foods generally have higher palatability than natural foods in general. Humans are good engineers.
One meme that seems to be forming recently on the Internetz is that the CHO is incompatible with data from healthy isolated groups that consume a lot of carbohydrates, which are sometimes presented as alternative models of life in the Paleolithic. But in fact among influential proponents of the CHO are the intellectual founders of the Paleolithic dieting movement. Including folks who studied native diets high in carbohydrates, and found their users to be very healthy (e.g., the Kitavans). One thing that these intellectual founders did though was to clearly frame the CHO in terms of refined carbohydrate-rich foods.
Natural carbohydrate-rich foods are clearly distinguished from refined ones based on one key attribute; not the only one, but a very important one nonetheless. That attribute is their glycemic load (GL). I am using the term “natural” here as roughly synonymous with “unrefined” or “whole”. Although they are often confused, the GL is not the same as the glycemic index (GI). The GI is a measure of the effect of carbohydrate intake on blood sugar levels. Glucose is the reference; it has a GI of 100.
The GL provides a better way of predicting total blood sugar response, in terms of “area under the curve”, based on both the type and quantity of carbohydrate in a specific food. Area under the curve is ultimately what really matters; a pointed but brief spike may not have much of a metabolic effect. Insulin response is highly correlated with blood sugar response in terms of area under the curve. The GL is calculated through the following formula:
GL = (GI x the amount of available carbohydrate in grams) / 100
The GL of a food is also dynamic, but its range of variation is small enough in normoglycemic individuals so that it can be treated as a relatively static number. (Still, the reference are normoglycemic individuals.) One of the main differences between refined and natural carbohydrate-rich foods is the much higher GL of industrial carbohydrate-rich foods, and this is not affected by slight variations in GL and GI depending on an individual’s state. The table below illustrates this difference.
Looking back at the environment of our evolutionary adaptation (EEA), which was not static either, this situation becomes analogous to that of vitamin D deficiency today. A few minutes of sun exposure stimulate the production of 10,000 IU of vitamin D, whereas food fortification in the standard American diet normally provides less than 500 IU. The difference is large. So is the difference in GL of natural and refined carbohydrate-rich foods.
And what are the immediate consequences of that difference in GL values? They are abnormally elevated blood sugar and insulin levels after meals containing refined carbohydrate-rich foods. (Incidentally, the GL happens to be relatively low for the rice preparations consumed by Asian populations who seem to do well on rice-based diets.) Abnormal levels of other hormones, in a chronic fashion, come later, after many years consuming those foods. These hormones include adiponectin, leptin, and tumor necrosis factor. The authors of the article from which the table above was taken note that:
Who are the authors of this article? They are Loren Cordain, S. Boyd Eaton, Anthony Sebastian, Neil Mann, Staffan Lindeberg, Bruce A. Watkins, James H O’Keefe, and Janette Brand-Miller. The paper is titled “Origins and evolution of the Western diet: Health implications for the 21st century”. A full-text PDF is available here. For most of these authors, this article is their most widely cited publication so far, and it is piling up citations as I write. This means that not only members of the general public have been reading it, but that professional researchers have been reading it as well, and citing it in their own research publications.
In summary, the CHO and the palatability hypothesis overlap, and the overlap is not trivial. But the palatability hypothesis is more difficult to test. As Karl Popper noted, a good hypothesis is a testable hypothesis. Eating natural foods will make an enormous difference for the better in your health if you are coming from the standard American diet, and you can justify this statement based on the CHO, the palatability hypothesis, or even a few others – e.g., a nutrient density hypothesis, which would be closer to Weston Price's views. Even if you eat only plant-based natural foods, which I cannot fully recommend based on data I’ve reviewed on this blog, you will be better off.
The CHO could be summarized as this: a person consumes foods with “easily digestible” carbohydrates, those carbohydrates raise insulin levels abnormally, the abnormally high insulin levels drive too much fat into body fat cells and keep it there, this causes hunger as not enough fat is released from fat cells for use as energy, this hunger drives the consumption of more foods with “easily digestible” carbohydrates, and so on.
It is posited as a feedback-loop process that causes serious problems over a period of years. The term “easily digestible” is within quotes for emphasis. If it is taken to mean “refined”, which is still a bit vague, there is a good amount of epidemiological evidence in support of the CHO. If it is taken to mean simply “easily digestible”, as in potatoes and rice (which is technically a refined food, but a rather benign one), there is a lot of evidence against it. Even from an unbiased (hopefully) look at county-level data in the China Study.
Another hypothesis that has been around for a long time and that has been revived recently, which we could call the “palatability hypothesis”, is a competing hypothesis. It is an interesting and intriguing hypothesis, at least at first glance. There seems to be some truth to this hypothesis. The idea here is that we have not evolved mechanisms to deal with highly palatable foods, and thus end up overeating them. Therefore we should go in the opposite direction, and place emphasis on foods that are not very palatable to reach our optimal weight. You might think that to test this hypothesis it would be enough to find out if this diet works: “Eat something … if it tastes good, spit it out!”
But it is not so simple. To test this palatability hypothesis one could try to measure the palatability of foods, and see if it is correlated with consumption. The problem is that the formulations I have seen of the palatability hypothesis treat the palatability construct as static, when in fact it is dynamic – very dynamic. The perception of the reward associated with a specific food changes depending on a number of factors.
For example, we cannot assign a palatability score to a food without considering the particular state in which the individual who eats the food is. That state is defined by a number of factors, including physiological and psychological ones, which vary a lot across individuals and even across different points in time for the same individual. For someone who is hungry after a 20 h fast, for instance, the perceived reward associated with a food will go up significantly compared to the same person in the fed state.
Regarding the CHO, it seems very clear that refined carbohydrate-rich foods in general, particularly the highly modified ones, disrupt normal biological mechanisms that regulate hunger. Perceived food reward, or palatability, is a function of hunger. Abnormal glucose and insulin responses appear to be at the core of this phenomenon. There are undoubtedly many other factors at play as well. But, as you can see, there is a major overlap between the CHO and the palatability hypothesis. Refined carbohydrate-rich foods generally have higher palatability than natural foods in general. Humans are good engineers.
One meme that seems to be forming recently on the Internetz is that the CHO is incompatible with data from healthy isolated groups that consume a lot of carbohydrates, which are sometimes presented as alternative models of life in the Paleolithic. But in fact among influential proponents of the CHO are the intellectual founders of the Paleolithic dieting movement. Including folks who studied native diets high in carbohydrates, and found their users to be very healthy (e.g., the Kitavans). One thing that these intellectual founders did though was to clearly frame the CHO in terms of refined carbohydrate-rich foods.
Natural carbohydrate-rich foods are clearly distinguished from refined ones based on one key attribute; not the only one, but a very important one nonetheless. That attribute is their glycemic load (GL). I am using the term “natural” here as roughly synonymous with “unrefined” or “whole”. Although they are often confused, the GL is not the same as the glycemic index (GI). The GI is a measure of the effect of carbohydrate intake on blood sugar levels. Glucose is the reference; it has a GI of 100.
The GL provides a better way of predicting total blood sugar response, in terms of “area under the curve”, based on both the type and quantity of carbohydrate in a specific food. Area under the curve is ultimately what really matters; a pointed but brief spike may not have much of a metabolic effect. Insulin response is highly correlated with blood sugar response in terms of area under the curve. The GL is calculated through the following formula:
GL = (GI x the amount of available carbohydrate in grams) / 100
The GL of a food is also dynamic, but its range of variation is small enough in normoglycemic individuals so that it can be treated as a relatively static number. (Still, the reference are normoglycemic individuals.) One of the main differences between refined and natural carbohydrate-rich foods is the much higher GL of industrial carbohydrate-rich foods, and this is not affected by slight variations in GL and GI depending on an individual’s state. The table below illustrates this difference.
Looking back at the environment of our evolutionary adaptation (EEA), which was not static either, this situation becomes analogous to that of vitamin D deficiency today. A few minutes of sun exposure stimulate the production of 10,000 IU of vitamin D, whereas food fortification in the standard American diet normally provides less than 500 IU. The difference is large. So is the difference in GL of natural and refined carbohydrate-rich foods.
And what are the immediate consequences of that difference in GL values? They are abnormally elevated blood sugar and insulin levels after meals containing refined carbohydrate-rich foods. (Incidentally, the GL happens to be relatively low for the rice preparations consumed by Asian populations who seem to do well on rice-based diets.) Abnormal levels of other hormones, in a chronic fashion, come later, after many years consuming those foods. These hormones include adiponectin, leptin, and tumor necrosis factor. The authors of the article from which the table above was taken note that:
Within the past 20 y, substantial evidence has accumulated showing that long term consumption of high glycemic load carbohydrates can adversely affect metabolism and health. Specifically, chronic hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia induced by high glycemic load carbohydrates may elicit a number of hormonal and physiologic changes that promote insulin resistance. Chronic hyperinsulinemia represents the primary metabolic defect in the metabolic syndrome.
Who are the authors of this article? They are Loren Cordain, S. Boyd Eaton, Anthony Sebastian, Neil Mann, Staffan Lindeberg, Bruce A. Watkins, James H O’Keefe, and Janette Brand-Miller. The paper is titled “Origins and evolution of the Western diet: Health implications for the 21st century”. A full-text PDF is available here. For most of these authors, this article is their most widely cited publication so far, and it is piling up citations as I write. This means that not only members of the general public have been reading it, but that professional researchers have been reading it as well, and citing it in their own research publications.
In summary, the CHO and the palatability hypothesis overlap, and the overlap is not trivial. But the palatability hypothesis is more difficult to test. As Karl Popper noted, a good hypothesis is a testable hypothesis. Eating natural foods will make an enormous difference for the better in your health if you are coming from the standard American diet, and you can justify this statement based on the CHO, the palatability hypothesis, or even a few others – e.g., a nutrient density hypothesis, which would be closer to Weston Price's views. Even if you eat only plant-based natural foods, which I cannot fully recommend based on data I’ve reviewed on this blog, you will be better off.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals
1. Duvel "Graffiti" Series glassware (multiple designs)2. Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidan Black IPA
3. Hair of the Dog Fred Batch #82
4. Fish Tale Swordfish Black IPA
5. Fish Tale Starfish Imperial Red
6. Fish Tale Blonde Ale 6pk
cheers,
dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Yellow Beans with Garlic and Chives
A delicious addition to any meal, yellow beans in profusion are a gift of summer gardening. This dish blends the flavours of a fruity olive oil, fresh chives and garlic with tender-crisp yellow beans in this quick and easy-to-prepare recipe.
Serve these tasty 'haricot jaune' with crusty bread for soaking up any extra garlicky-chive olive oil.
You'll Need: 2 cups yellow beans; 1 large clove of garlic; 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives; 2 teaspoons fruity olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar.
Method: Slice garlic clove into thin pieces. Chop chives into small bits. Holding yellow beans in small bunches, slice across tops to remove stem. Leave the pointy tail end intact. They soften when cooked, and add visual interest to dish. Lightly steam the beans until tender-crisp.
Gently heat olive oil until just warm.
Add the thinly sliced garlic, and stir gently over low temperature for 20 - 30 seconds.
Remove pot from heat, and add finely chopped chives. Drizzle rice vinegar into mixture and stir.
Add steamed yellow beans to olive oil dressing and toss to coat with garlic and herbs.
Yellow beans, also called wax beans, French beans, or haricot jaune. are a good source of fiber, complex carbohydrates, Vitamin A and C, and protein.
Click to visit for zen-cuisine: a mindfulness in the kitchen blog
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Looking Past Rotten and Seeing Potential
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| I See Potential!!! |
Now that is an opener for you…I have to say that I absolutely love rotten fruit…well, not completely over the top rotten…but most definitely very over-ripe, brown tinged, fragrant sitting on my counter fruit. What do I see??? I see potential…I see that with some blending and mixing that I can create wonderful healthy foods. I look past the rotten and into the beautiful creation of OMG…this is over the top fabulous (one of my fav words) and so good for me. YES…I even maintain a positive attitude about rotten fruit…do I toss it…NO WAY…it has potential…potential to become something better than before. This can apply to who I am as a person as well…when I was injured…did I toss in the towel…throw myself away….give-up…NO, NO, and again…NO. I saw potential with a little mixing and blending of different therapies and exercise, I DID become better than I was. So, YES…do I go over the top about such things as rotten, over-ripe fruit…well...YES…that is ME. I savor every small thing in life because they are truly the big things…and tonight…the rotten overripe fruit is the BIG thing that I am going to create something very special with.
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| What Do You See? |
I also think…why throw away a perfect piece of rotten fruit…OH MY…what a waste of $$$$...and I am not about doing that. In fact, as I have shared in the past, I am all about saving every penny I can, clipping that coupon, and the deals…RIGHT…who does not want a DEAL. OK…off that save money by saving the rotten fruit soap box. Getting back to what I am doing with two rotten bananas and pears…creating another version of my Stay Healthy Omega Muffin. If you have been following me, you know my passion for creative Stay Healthy cooking and baking. It is truly therapy for me. After a long work day, I find it so much fun to make a B-line to the kitchen and let the juices flow…no pun intended…but in a way…YES. Having a passion in life is so important with the balance of who I am….I truly enjoy working in my passion which to me is not really working. My sharing of Stay Healthy recipes is also a way I can reach out and motivate people to please get healthy and Stay Healthy with the one life that we all have. So…if that means saving rotten fruit and sharing what can be done to create healthy snacks…I will click on that video to do just that…share my passion for cooking, share the enjoyment of healthy baking, and showing the outcome of living this way….PRICELESS. I hope that this Blog comes to mind the next time you have rotten overripe fruit on your counter…and can look past the blemishes and into the potential that something better can happen with a little blending and mixing.
Motivation of the Day: You Do Not Have to Get an “A” Everyday ~ a Great Client Share
Workout of the Day:
Cardio Time: 45 Minutes ARC Trainer
Ended with Ball Work for my Core/Stretch
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| Stay Healthy Omega Muffins |
Nutrition of the Day:
Coffee, one cup
Stay Healthy Banana Omega Muffin
Post Workout Shake & ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
Egg Whites, palm of raw nuts, watermelon slice
Grilled Salmon
Stay Healthy Banana Pear Omega Muffin x 2 ~ fresh baked from the oven
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| Here to Motivate YOU!!!! |
IF YOU ENJOYED MY BLOG, LIKE IT, LEAVE A COMMENT, AND IF INSPIRED…OFFER ME A PROTEIN SHAKE!
Stay Healthy!
Asian Flare Salad...
This is just an idea for you.... a lot of parts to this salad are "choose your own adventure" if you know what I mean- pick what you like and as much of it that you prefer... no measuring on this one! Let your taste buds be your guide!
Ingredients:
Lettuce or Cabbage
Carrots, shredded
Broccoli or cucumber, chopped
Bean Sprouts
Snap Peas
Bell Pepper, sliced
Fresh Mint, chopped
Grilled or Browned Chicken Tenderloins
Toasted Almond Slivers or Slices
A few Shakes of Sesame Seeds
Dressing:
1 TBSP Soy Sauce
1 TBSP Rice Vinegar
2 TBSP Grape Seed Oil
1 tsp Sesame Seed Oil
2 tsp creamy peanut butter
1/4 tsp grated ginger
Chicken:
I actually made my chicken in the crock pot for this salad. I added a splash of soy sauce, a splash of chicken broth, and a pinch of grated ginger. I cooked it on low for 3 hours. That's it. Then I chopped it up and threw it on top, super simple, super tasty!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Peanut Asian Salad Dressing...
NOTE: I have updated the last two posts with pictures, sorry I posted them without pictures initially, someone has been doing a hack job on my blog and stealing my recipes, pictures and posts... lame huh??? Anyhow, without further a-do... here's the latest:
The other night I was in the mood to mix things up a bit from my ordinary salad dressings and think outside the box :) So... I came up with this tasty dressing for on top of an "Asian Style" salad. I have made it 3 times since, changing it a bit each time, but I have finally landed on the "official one". I will post the salad recipe tomorrow, but for now I will tempt you with the dressing...Ingredients:
1 TBSP Soy Sauce
1 TBSP Rice Vinegar
2 TBSP Grape Seed Oil
1 tsp Sesame Seed Oil
2 tsp creamy peanut butter
1/4 tsp grated ginger
Directions:
Combine, shake and serve over Asian Flare Salad or as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken tenderloins.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Book review: Sugar Nation
Jeff O’Connell is the Editor-in-Chief for Bodybuilding.com, a former executive writer for Men’s Health, and former Editor-in-Chief of Muscle & Fitness. He is also the author of a few bestselling books on fitness.
It is obvious that Jeff is someone who can write, and this comes across very clearly in his new book, Sugar Nation.
Now, with a title like this, Sugar Nation, I was expecting a book discussing trends of sugar consumption in the USA, and the related trends in various degenerative diseases. So when I started reading the book I was slightly put off by what seemed to be a book about a very personal journey, written in the first person by the author.
Yet, after reading it for a while I was hooked, and literally could not put the book down. Jeff has managed to write something of a page-turner, combining a harrowing personal account with carefully researched scientific information, about a relatively rare form of type 2 diabetes.
Jeff has a genetic propensity to insulin resistance, just like his father did. What makes Jeff’s case a little unusual is that Jeff is thin, and apparently has difficulty gaining weight. The most common type of diabetes is type 2, and most of those who develop type 2 diabetes do so via the metabolic syndrome. Typically this involves becoming obese or overweight before getting diagnosed as a diabetic.
In fact, in a thin person who is insulin resistant it seems that body fat cells become resistant to the normal actions of insulin much sooner than in the obese. This essentially means that they start rejecting fat. This is a problem, because fat should either be stored in fat cells (adipocytes) or used for energy; as opposed to being deposited in other tissues or remaining in circulation. Apparently this makes it even more difficult for them to control glucose levels once insulin resistance sets in; there is no “cushion”, so to speak.
Still, Jeff appears to believe that his case was that of a skinny-fat person, where body fat percentage is a lot higher than expected based on a low body mass index, and where excess visceral fat is a main culprit. In fact, Jeff seems to think that most cases of thin folks who developed type 2 diabetes are like this, as they follow the metabolic syndrome progression pattern. Fasting triglycerides go up and HDL cholesterol goes down, among other things, but in a skinny-fat body.
Somewhat predictably, what Jeff found out is that, in his case, adopting a low carbohydrate diet made an enormous difference. In fact, it made the difference between having a fairly normal life versus constantly suffering through hypoglycemic episodes. And, at the stage in which Jeff caught the problem, he did not have to avoid all natural carbohydrate-rich foods, not even things like apples. (He had to control portions though.) It is the refined carbohydrate-rich foods that were the problem for him.
I must say that I disagree with a few of the statements in the book. For example, the author seems to believe that excess saturated fat and salt may be quite unhealthy. I think that foods rich in refined carbohydrates and sugars are much more of a problem; cut them out and often excess saturated fat and salt either cease to be a problem, or become healthy. Jeff doesn’t seem to think that excess omega-6 fats can also cause diabetes; I believe the opposite to be true, via a pro-inflammatory path.
Still, this is a great book on so many levels. Jeff meticulously records his experience dealing with doctors, most of whom seem to be clueless as to what to do to prevent the damage that is caused by abnormally high glucose levels. This happens even though diabetes is those doctors’ main area of expertise. He talks about himself with complete abandon, and manages to mix that up with quite a lot of relevant research on diabetes. He gives us an insider’s view of the professional bodybuilding culture, including its use of insulin injections. His description of the Amish is very interesting and somewhat surprising.
For these reasons and a few others, I think this is a great book, and highly recommend it!
(Source: Bodybuilding.com)
It is obvious that Jeff is someone who can write, and this comes across very clearly in his new book, Sugar Nation.
Now, with a title like this, Sugar Nation, I was expecting a book discussing trends of sugar consumption in the USA, and the related trends in various degenerative diseases. So when I started reading the book I was slightly put off by what seemed to be a book about a very personal journey, written in the first person by the author.
Yet, after reading it for a while I was hooked, and literally could not put the book down. Jeff has managed to write something of a page-turner, combining a harrowing personal account with carefully researched scientific information, about a relatively rare form of type 2 diabetes.
Jeff has a genetic propensity to insulin resistance, just like his father did. What makes Jeff’s case a little unusual is that Jeff is thin, and apparently has difficulty gaining weight. The most common type of diabetes is type 2, and most of those who develop type 2 diabetes do so via the metabolic syndrome. Typically this involves becoming obese or overweight before getting diagnosed as a diabetic.
In fact, in a thin person who is insulin resistant it seems that body fat cells become resistant to the normal actions of insulin much sooner than in the obese. This essentially means that they start rejecting fat. This is a problem, because fat should either be stored in fat cells (adipocytes) or used for energy; as opposed to being deposited in other tissues or remaining in circulation. Apparently this makes it even more difficult for them to control glucose levels once insulin resistance sets in; there is no “cushion”, so to speak.
Still, Jeff appears to believe that his case was that of a skinny-fat person, where body fat percentage is a lot higher than expected based on a low body mass index, and where excess visceral fat is a main culprit. In fact, Jeff seems to think that most cases of thin folks who developed type 2 diabetes are like this, as they follow the metabolic syndrome progression pattern. Fasting triglycerides go up and HDL cholesterol goes down, among other things, but in a skinny-fat body.
Somewhat predictably, what Jeff found out is that, in his case, adopting a low carbohydrate diet made an enormous difference. In fact, it made the difference between having a fairly normal life versus constantly suffering through hypoglycemic episodes. And, at the stage in which Jeff caught the problem, he did not have to avoid all natural carbohydrate-rich foods, not even things like apples. (He had to control portions though.) It is the refined carbohydrate-rich foods that were the problem for him.
I must say that I disagree with a few of the statements in the book. For example, the author seems to believe that excess saturated fat and salt may be quite unhealthy. I think that foods rich in refined carbohydrates and sugars are much more of a problem; cut them out and often excess saturated fat and salt either cease to be a problem, or become healthy. Jeff doesn’t seem to think that excess omega-6 fats can also cause diabetes; I believe the opposite to be true, via a pro-inflammatory path.
Still, this is a great book on so many levels. Jeff meticulously records his experience dealing with doctors, most of whom seem to be clueless as to what to do to prevent the damage that is caused by abnormally high glucose levels. This happens even though diabetes is those doctors’ main area of expertise. He talks about himself with complete abandon, and manages to mix that up with quite a lot of relevant research on diabetes. He gives us an insider’s view of the professional bodybuilding culture, including its use of insulin injections. His description of the Amish is very interesting and somewhat surprising.
For these reasons and a few others, I think this is a great book, and highly recommend it!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals
1. Koshikari Echigo
2. Echigo Stout
3. Echigo Red Ale
cheers,
dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals
1, De Molen Pek & Veren
2. De Molen SSS Pattinson London Porter
3. Hitachino Nest Ancient Nipponia
4. Cuvee Du Jonquilles Biere De Garde
cheers,
dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610
I Wear a String Everyday
DO YOU LIKE MY BLOG…OFFER ME A SHAKE TODAY!!
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| I Wear A String!!! |
I absolutely LOVE my string…when I wear it, I feel strong, balanced, and sexy. I would not go anywhere without it…I wear it all day long when I am at home or on the go. It is so important for my everyday functions for work and play. So….what the heck am I talking about…the String…really Darla…my string is my imaginary connection to the ceiling from my upper chest that maintains correct posture all the time. My body just like all bodies is adaptable to the functions it performs. If I were to sit all day slouched into my computer, standing with my shoulders slumped forward, driving all crooned into the dash board, or hunched over cardio equipment…YIKES…would I be in serious muscle dysfunction. My anterior muscles of the chest, front deltoids (shoulders), neck muscles, and even core would become tight and adapt to that position…YUCK for the lungs as well…all crunched up and not able to deliver great oxygen supply to my body…OK..NO WAY.
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| Do I have my String On? |
Also, do I want to be a person who stands humped over…OK...BIG NO…not healthy, not sexy, not ME. Let’s talk about what would happen to my back muscles…overstretched & loose to accommodate the slump…Forget it people…NO WAY. So, I prefer to pretend that my string is attached to the ceiling from my sternum area just like a puppet…walking, working, exercising, sitting, standing, driving all in perfect posture and to maintain great body balance & avoid muscle tissue dysfunction.
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| Posture Check |
This is not about being vain & cocky walking with my chest puffed out…certainly not about that…it is about beautiful posture. I have talked with so many women especially who want to hide let’s say large breasts or small breasts so they adjust their posture to ensure that all is hidden…OK…on a soap box here…STOP DOING THAT!!!! All bodies are genetically different and we need to embrace that, stop hiding, and LOVE who we are and please start wearing that FABULOUS STRING…get that chest out, walk proud, be confident, accept yourself…and feel on top of the world. I have to admit when I first starting wearing my string it was a conscious effort of maintaining it all the time. I had to constantly check myself and before long, it became automatic, and is now a part of what I do to maintain my 47 year young physique. When I wear it I can feel my core contracted and strong, the ability to take large full breaths filling my tissues with fabulous oxygen, confidence and of course...I feel very tall…lol. Such an important topic….posture… and now you know the secret behind my STRING…it is FABULOUS and part of my Stay Healthy Life and the BEST part…now you can wear one;)
Motivation of the Day: “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one.”
Workout of the Day: (neck is flared :/ so limited on the upper body this week)
ARC Trainer 45 min
Body Stuff:
Variety body weight legs
Squats/variety lunges/step ups: 20 reps each exercise x 4
Nutrition of the Day: (Enjoy the Video)
Coffee: Great one cup on an early morning
Protein Shake
Pumpkin Seeds & Home-made Protein cookie
Post- Workout Shake (watermelon)
Egg Salad on Thin bun
Grilled Chicken Breast Patty & Corn (Super YUM!!!)
IF YOU ENJOYED MY BLOG, LIKE IT, LEAVE A COMMENT AND IF INSPIRED, OFFER ME A PROTEIN SHAKE!!
Stay Healthy!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Potassium deficiency in low carbohydrate dieting: High protein and fat alternatives that do not involve supplementation
It is often pointed out, at least anecdotally, that potassium deficiency is common among low carbohydrate dieters. Potassium deficiency can lead to a number of unpleasant symptoms and health problems. This micronutrient is present in small quantities in meat and seafood; main sources are plant foods.
A while ago this has gotten me thinking and asking myself: what about isolated hunter-gatherers that seem to have thrived consuming mostly carnivorous diets with little potassium, such as various Native American tribes?
Another thought came to mind, which is that animal protein seems to be associated with increased bone mineralization, even when calcium intake is low. That seems to be due to animal protein being associated with increased absorption of calcium and other minerals that make up bone tissue.
Maybe animal protein intake is also associated with increased potassium absorption. If this is true, what could be the possible mechanism?
As it turns out, there is one possible and somewhat surprising connection, insulin seems to promote cell uptake of potassium. This is an argument made many years ago by Clausen and Kohn, and further discussed more recently by Benziane and Chibalin. See also this recent commentary by Clausen.
Protein is the only macronutrient that normally causes transient insulin elevation without any glucose response. And the insulin response to protein is nowhere near that associated with refined carbohydrate-rich foods. It is much lower, analogous to the response to natural carbohydrate-rich foods.
A very low carbohydrate diet with more animal protein, and less fat, would induce insulin responses after meals, possibly helping with the absorption of potassium, even if potassium intake were rather limited. Primarily carnivorous diets, like those of some traditional Native American groups, would fit the bill.
Also, a low carbohydrate diet with emphasis on fat, but that was not so low in carbohydrates from certain sources, would probably achieve the same effect. This latter sounds like Kwaśniewski’s Optimal Diet, where people are encouraged to eat a lot more fat than protein, but also a small amount of carbohydrates (e.g., 50-100 g/d) from things like potatoes.
Kwaśniewski’s suggestions may sound counterintuitive sometimes. But, as it turns out, potatoes are good sources of potassium. One potato may not be a lot, but that potato will also increase insulin levels, bringing potassium intake up at the cell level.
A while ago this has gotten me thinking and asking myself: what about isolated hunter-gatherers that seem to have thrived consuming mostly carnivorous diets with little potassium, such as various Native American tribes?
Another thought came to mind, which is that animal protein seems to be associated with increased bone mineralization, even when calcium intake is low. That seems to be due to animal protein being associated with increased absorption of calcium and other minerals that make up bone tissue.
Maybe animal protein intake is also associated with increased potassium absorption. If this is true, what could be the possible mechanism?
As it turns out, there is one possible and somewhat surprising connection, insulin seems to promote cell uptake of potassium. This is an argument made many years ago by Clausen and Kohn, and further discussed more recently by Benziane and Chibalin. See also this recent commentary by Clausen.
Protein is the only macronutrient that normally causes transient insulin elevation without any glucose response. And the insulin response to protein is nowhere near that associated with refined carbohydrate-rich foods. It is much lower, analogous to the response to natural carbohydrate-rich foods.
A very low carbohydrate diet with more animal protein, and less fat, would induce insulin responses after meals, possibly helping with the absorption of potassium, even if potassium intake were rather limited. Primarily carnivorous diets, like those of some traditional Native American groups, would fit the bill.
Also, a low carbohydrate diet with emphasis on fat, but that was not so low in carbohydrates from certain sources, would probably achieve the same effect. This latter sounds like Kwaśniewski’s Optimal Diet, where people are encouraged to eat a lot more fat than protein, but also a small amount of carbohydrates (e.g., 50-100 g/d) from things like potatoes.
Kwaśniewski’s suggestions may sound counterintuitive sometimes. But, as it turns out, potatoes are good sources of potassium. One potato may not be a lot, but that potato will also increase insulin levels, bringing potassium intake up at the cell level.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals
1. Midnight Sun Meltdown DIPA2. Midnight Sun Mayhem DIPA
3. De Dolle Dulle Teve
4. Struise Elliot Brew
5. Struise Svea IPA
6. Ridgeway Oxfordshire Blue
7. Thornbridge Hall St. Petersburg Russian Imperial Stout
8. De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis
9. Ducato Verdi Imperial Stout
10. Ducato L'Ultima Luna Vintage 2009
cheers,
dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals
1. Sierra/Dogfish Life & Limb Batch 2
2. Scaldis Blonde Tripel
3. Scaldis 75th Anniversary Refermentee
4. Bieken Honey Ale
5. Drake's Denogginizer and Expedition 22oz bottles
6. Bruery Batch #300
7. Theakston XB ESB
8. Fuller's London Pride
9. Fuller's ESB
10. Fuller's Pint Glasses
11. Deschutes/Boulevard Collaboration: Conflux #2
cheers,
dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610
Spicy Basil Jelly
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| An Abundant Crop |
The Spicy Globe Basil in the roof top garden has exploded with abundant tender green. We've harvested a huge amount and used some to make a delicious basil jelly. Herb jellies taste spectacular spread on a toasted English muffin, or served as a condiment. They add a little zip to most meals. Try floating a teaspoonful on top of a warm creamy vegetable soup. The jelly's flavour and tart-sweetness also goes well with peanut butter in a sandwich.
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| Basil Tea and Jalapeno: A Spicy Infusion |
You'll need:
1.5 cups of basil, packed; 2 cups water; 1 hot green jalapeno pepper, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; pinch of sea salt; 3.5 cups sugar; 3 oz. liquid pectin (makes 4 - 8 oz. jars)
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| Infusion ready to jell |
Method:
Wash basil, pat dry and coarsely chop. Place leaves in saucepan and crush with a pestle or wooden spoon. Add 2 cups of water and finely chopped jalapeno pepper. Bring to a boil for 10 seconds. Remove from heat. Pour into a heat-proof container, cover and steep for 10 - 15 minutes. Strain basil tea-infusion, and measure 1.5 cups.
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| Richly Coloured Jelly |
In a large pot, combine basil tea-infusion, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 3.5 cups sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. When it reaches a 'hard rolling boil' that cannot be stirred down, add the liquid pectin. Boil for 1 minute.Remove from heat.
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| Jars of Spicy Globe Basil Jelly |
Skim foam from top of mixture. Pour into 4 - 8 oz. sterilized jam jars. Leave 1/2 inch head-space in each jar. Top with sealer jar lids and let set.
We experimented with this mixture. Allowing it to cool and thicken slightly, we poured it on to non-stick teflex sheets and put them in the dehydrator at a low setting until slightly dry and 'non-sticky' but still flexible. The basil jelly sheets were rolled like a fruit skin, and cut into bite-size pieces. A sweet home-made candy!
Contemplating cooking? Ideas abound at
http://zen-cuisine.blogspot.com/
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