I am asked often what got me going in the right direction. Over time I have answered that question in different ways as I reflect on it more. The simple reality of the story is that I went out for a walk.
I took a step.
It's that simple really. If you know you need to change then take a step in that direction. Don't think about how long the road is, just take one step at a time.
I still find it helpful on steeper hills NOT to look up very often. I prefer to keep looking down until I can see more - which happens when you level out more. Anyone can make this change of mind if they choose to do it.
I recently saw a quote from Adelle Davis who said, "As I see it, everyday you do one of two things, build health or produce disease in yourself." It is simple to look at things that way, and it makes choices simple.
Nobody is perfect so there will be times you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start over, but as long as there are fewer days like that than the others you stay on the right path. Failure is when you quit getting back up - quit trying.
If you buy ant of this then you see that EVERY STEP IS A BIG STEP and every move in the right direction is better than the other ones. It is not hard to start or keep going. It is not even hard to fail and start over. What IS hard is living a lesser life than you deserve to live.
Take more steps forward than you do backwards and eventually the hill WILL be behind you.
Be well and more soon...
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The Snipey Follow Up
Here are the last pictures we need to share from Mt St Helens. They include the newest member of our hiking group. Look forward to seeing him on future adventures.
He's a little overprotective, but we love him.
This is my glissade outfit. I am doing the Homeboy Cali Raisin pose and sporting a brand new sunburn on the summit of St Helens just before we glissaded down.
Be well and more soon....
Monday, May 28, 2012
Standing On Top Of A Mountain On A Clear Day
I knew I'd get you with the title, but we did make the summit of Mt St Helens Sunday and it was a clear day, but that is not the whole story.
We arrived Thursday evening to Beaver Bay Campground just behind Lisa and Gary. They had picked a nice spot where two sites would work for the whole group. The weather forecast gave us no cause for alarm. It was to be mostly sunny and about 70 Friday and Saturday with a chance of some showers on Sunday.
It was a little drizzly Thursday so we set up an awning over the table on one of the sites to help the table keep dry. We relaxed by a nice fire and noticed that there was a sniper aiming at us. We got him into a less conspicuous spot and went back to hanging by the fire.
We had a group dinner at the campsite on Saturday evening which left us lots of time to play so we explored the Ape Caves at Mt St Helens. I'm not big on caves, but it was pretty cool.
Dinner went great as people really did a great job with their contributions. A great time was had by all.
We gathered for breakfast at the campground at 5:15 so we could get the carpools worked out to the trailhead. Some people were leaving Sunday night for home and others were staying until Monday so there was a good bit of packing and running around going on. It was an all too familiar drizzly morning so I decided not to bring my big camera.
13 of us headed for the Marble Mountian Sno Park at Mt St Helens and 11 of us hit the trail at 6:30 AM. Dave and his son Lance were behind us. We didn't know if they were still packing their truck to leave later or what so we headed out. As it turned out they followed the signs to the Climber's Bivouac and were delayed an hour.
I began with a very stiff upper right hamstring and figured it would loosen up as we went. It never really did quit hurting or ease up any. As we went a foggy mist seemed to get thicker and thicker and our chances for the summit seemed pretty foggy at best.
At 4600 feet- after 1900 feet of elevation gain we gathered as a group of 11 one last time. Pam informed us the she Natalie and Emily were going to turn around in a little bit. I threw out some inspiration and headed up still nursing an ever tightening hamstring.
Seven of us were at about 5400 ft when the foggy mist seemed to get even thicker. We discussed the safety of continuing and had mostly decided that as long as we could navigate by the tracks of others that we would continue. Then as we hit 5600 feet - like a tired bible story - the skies opened up and we were in the sun and the clouds were beneath our feet.
If you have ever been doing anything challenging in nasty conditions and then had the weather change to great conditions you know what I mean when I say that it was rejuvenating and energetic to see the sun and the summit in view.
My leg was feeling worse and worse as I went and we have the Grand Canyon through hike coming right up so I was weighing the value of continuing up while risking a worse injury. That went on as I trudged up to about 7300 feet of altitude and roughly 5 miles of climbing. I was hiking to there with Gary, Terry, and Tom - sort of the old guys contingent. We had stopped for a quick break.
Something in my head at that moment said "First things first, Paully." I knew that I had to go up. The opportunities to summit any peak are rare and we had perfect weather. If my injury got worse I could always get out the baling wire and duct tape and piece it back together to hike the Grand Canyon. With a new mindset I pushed for the top and arrived at the summit at 12: PM.
The views were spectacular. All told 9 of our 13 summited with Lance catching and passing some of us as he skinned his way up on skis. Sherrie was first followed by Lisa then Justin, Lance and Phillip. I followed them and Terry, Tom and Gary were just behind me.
We were able to glissade down until we were back in the for again. After that it gets dicey since there are drop offs and without visibility you can;t see them coming. We opted to trek down from that point and were all back to the cars by about 3:15. 13 began and 13 returned. That is the only real definition of a successful climb.
We arrived Thursday evening to Beaver Bay Campground just behind Lisa and Gary. They had picked a nice spot where two sites would work for the whole group. The weather forecast gave us no cause for alarm. It was to be mostly sunny and about 70 Friday and Saturday with a chance of some showers on Sunday.
It was a little drizzly Thursday so we set up an awning over the table on one of the sites to help the table keep dry. We relaxed by a nice fire and noticed that there was a sniper aiming at us. We got him into a less conspicuous spot and went back to hanging by the fire.
We had a group dinner at the campsite on Saturday evening which left us lots of time to play so we explored the Ape Caves at Mt St Helens. I'm not big on caves, but it was pretty cool.
Dinner went great as people really did a great job with their contributions. A great time was had by all.
We gathered for breakfast at the campground at 5:15 so we could get the carpools worked out to the trailhead. Some people were leaving Sunday night for home and others were staying until Monday so there was a good bit of packing and running around going on. It was an all too familiar drizzly morning so I decided not to bring my big camera.
13 of us headed for the Marble Mountian Sno Park at Mt St Helens and 11 of us hit the trail at 6:30 AM. Dave and his son Lance were behind us. We didn't know if they were still packing their truck to leave later or what so we headed out. As it turned out they followed the signs to the Climber's Bivouac and were delayed an hour.
I began with a very stiff upper right hamstring and figured it would loosen up as we went. It never really did quit hurting or ease up any. As we went a foggy mist seemed to get thicker and thicker and our chances for the summit seemed pretty foggy at best.
At 4600 feet- after 1900 feet of elevation gain we gathered as a group of 11 one last time. Pam informed us the she Natalie and Emily were going to turn around in a little bit. I threw out some inspiration and headed up still nursing an ever tightening hamstring.
Seven of us were at about 5400 ft when the foggy mist seemed to get even thicker. We discussed the safety of continuing and had mostly decided that as long as we could navigate by the tracks of others that we would continue. Then as we hit 5600 feet - like a tired bible story - the skies opened up and we were in the sun and the clouds were beneath our feet.
If you have ever been doing anything challenging in nasty conditions and then had the weather change to great conditions you know what I mean when I say that it was rejuvenating and energetic to see the sun and the summit in view.
My leg was feeling worse and worse as I went and we have the Grand Canyon through hike coming right up so I was weighing the value of continuing up while risking a worse injury. That went on as I trudged up to about 7300 feet of altitude and roughly 5 miles of climbing. I was hiking to there with Gary, Terry, and Tom - sort of the old guys contingent. We had stopped for a quick break.
Something in my head at that moment said "First things first, Paully." I knew that I had to go up. The opportunities to summit any peak are rare and we had perfect weather. If my injury got worse I could always get out the baling wire and duct tape and piece it back together to hike the Grand Canyon. With a new mindset I pushed for the top and arrived at the summit at 12: PM.
The views were spectacular. All told 9 of our 13 summited with Lance catching and passing some of us as he skinned his way up on skis. Sherrie was first followed by Lisa then Justin, Lance and Phillip. I followed them and Terry, Tom and Gary were just behind me.
We were able to glissade down until we were back in the for again. After that it gets dicey since there are drop offs and without visibility you can;t see them coming. We opted to trek down from that point and were all back to the cars by about 3:15. 13 began and 13 returned. That is the only real definition of a successful climb.
Now we enter our final preparations for the Grand Canyon. Color me excited!
Be well and more soon.....
Thursday, May 24, 2012
This Dog Blog Needs More Dog
That's right I hijacked Athena's blog for my own purposes. I've nearly cut her out completely. So this post is all about the pooch.
She is somewhere between 4 1/2 and 6 years old now - they don't require ID at the Humane Society. They also don't do any carbon dating. They look at their teeth and guess.
She maintains her physique at roughly 70 lbs by only eating what she needs. I just keep her bowl maintained and she handles the portions. If she gets a lot of exercise she eats more - simple.
Normally, she sleeps through most of the morning and early afternoon. Today is an exception because she has not missed me loading the RV for our Mt St Helens weekend. She is up and reminding us that she is a good girl worthy os going along on the trip. In a little bit I'll take some of her stuff out there and really get her going.
We chose the name Athena for her because she needed to have a strong female name and what is stronger than the Greek Goddess of War, Industry, Wisdom and more? Since her naming she has earned several nicknames.
She likes to drink out of a bird bath we have on the deck so I call her Bird and Little Bird. She is a precocious kid which has earned her the names Boogga and Boogga Boogga. She acts younger than her age - we like to think that is because we allowed her to be a puppy again - so I call her Kid. I think it's important to let her remember that I am bigger than her so she occasionally goes by Itsy Bitsy. Finally, she has a sneaky streak that shows itself through licking out of the side of her mouth and other stuff that I find creepy so she earned the name Creep or Little Creep.
If Athena had her way she would live off carrots, brocolette, apple and popcorn. She would supplement that diet with whatever table scraps she could get, but her faves are above. I do the air popped popcorn and toss it with a tiny bit of organic butter mixed with organic canola oil and some natural sea salt. She eats more than 1/2 of the batch and will pretend she is out when she gets under 20 pieces to go.
She gets some large dog treats as well and likes to use them as a good game of keep away. She likes to growl hideously as she protects the treats. She likewise growl when playing with her pull toys. I like to pull with one hand and scratch her head with the other which makes her growl even more since that is NOT how the game is supposed to be played.
She is a super empath which manifests itself when she goes for drives with me. I don't even have to say anything about the dumbass ahead of me and she's already feeling it and chirping at me. It makes me take myself to a better place where stupid and expected things like stupid drivers are not an issue worth spending energy on. Pam has been trying to get me to that place for almost 26 years and Athena does it in 2 1/2.
She is currently staring at me wondering what is so important that I am not paying attention to her. If she only knew.
We leave this afternoon for our little camping/climbing trip. She won't get much sleep down there so she'll be good and tired when we get back.
That's the Athena update. As you can see she has found her way deep into my heart and runs me like a fine pocket watch.
Be well and more soon....
She is somewhere between 4 1/2 and 6 years old now - they don't require ID at the Humane Society. They also don't do any carbon dating. They look at their teeth and guess.
She maintains her physique at roughly 70 lbs by only eating what she needs. I just keep her bowl maintained and she handles the portions. If she gets a lot of exercise she eats more - simple.
Normally, she sleeps through most of the morning and early afternoon. Today is an exception because she has not missed me loading the RV for our Mt St Helens weekend. She is up and reminding us that she is a good girl worthy os going along on the trip. In a little bit I'll take some of her stuff out there and really get her going.
We chose the name Athena for her because she needed to have a strong female name and what is stronger than the Greek Goddess of War, Industry, Wisdom and more? Since her naming she has earned several nicknames.
She likes to drink out of a bird bath we have on the deck so I call her Bird and Little Bird. She is a precocious kid which has earned her the names Boogga and Boogga Boogga. She acts younger than her age - we like to think that is because we allowed her to be a puppy again - so I call her Kid. I think it's important to let her remember that I am bigger than her so she occasionally goes by Itsy Bitsy. Finally, she has a sneaky streak that shows itself through licking out of the side of her mouth and other stuff that I find creepy so she earned the name Creep or Little Creep.
If Athena had her way she would live off carrots, brocolette, apple and popcorn. She would supplement that diet with whatever table scraps she could get, but her faves are above. I do the air popped popcorn and toss it with a tiny bit of organic butter mixed with organic canola oil and some natural sea salt. She eats more than 1/2 of the batch and will pretend she is out when she gets under 20 pieces to go.
She gets some large dog treats as well and likes to use them as a good game of keep away. She likes to growl hideously as she protects the treats. She likewise growl when playing with her pull toys. I like to pull with one hand and scratch her head with the other which makes her growl even more since that is NOT how the game is supposed to be played.
She is a super empath which manifests itself when she goes for drives with me. I don't even have to say anything about the dumbass ahead of me and she's already feeling it and chirping at me. It makes me take myself to a better place where stupid and expected things like stupid drivers are not an issue worth spending energy on. Pam has been trying to get me to that place for almost 26 years and Athena does it in 2 1/2.
She is currently staring at me wondering what is so important that I am not paying attention to her. If she only knew.
We leave this afternoon for our little camping/climbing trip. She won't get much sleep down there so she'll be good and tired when we get back.
That's the Athena update. As you can see she has found her way deep into my heart and runs me like a fine pocket watch.
Be well and more soon....
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Final Preps For Mt ST Helens Part One
We are nearly off for our first Mt St Helens climb this year. I have been readying the RV with provisions and precooking anything that makes sense.
Our plan is for a potluck on Saturday - Climb Eve- with pasta and fixings. For that I made a huge pot of tomato sauce with some chicken Italian sausage. There was too much sauce for the container so we had some for dinner last night and it was good.
The other dinners will be mainly on our own so I made up some adzuki beans for "black bean" style tacos. That way I just heat them up and they are ready to go. I figure I will saute some onions to go on top and serve them with a salad.
The packs are checked and packed and ready to go and all of my clothes are in the RV. Pam promises to have hers ready this evening. She works from home tomorrow and we leave the minute she logs off. I have a small list of stuff to finish today and other than that I am short timing hard.
Athena isn't sure whether she is going or not but she notices the activity and knows that at least I am going somewhere soon. Tomorrow I will make sure she sees me pack some of her stuff so she can get properly excited by the whole thing. If I did it today she would drive me nuts until we go.
I hope our weather window allows for some pictures on the mountain. It can be super spectacular in the snow. Here is a link to pictures from last July when we climbed in the snow. http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8848467381802551039#editor/target=post;postID=3150680872274527362
As we always do, we will have fun down there hanging out with friends even if the weather turns us around on the mountain. In the past the party has been a little crazier when we don't make the summit.
Be well and more soon....
Our plan is for a potluck on Saturday - Climb Eve- with pasta and fixings. For that I made a huge pot of tomato sauce with some chicken Italian sausage. There was too much sauce for the container so we had some for dinner last night and it was good.
The other dinners will be mainly on our own so I made up some adzuki beans for "black bean" style tacos. That way I just heat them up and they are ready to go. I figure I will saute some onions to go on top and serve them with a salad.
The packs are checked and packed and ready to go and all of my clothes are in the RV. Pam promises to have hers ready this evening. She works from home tomorrow and we leave the minute she logs off. I have a small list of stuff to finish today and other than that I am short timing hard.
Athena isn't sure whether she is going or not but she notices the activity and knows that at least I am going somewhere soon. Tomorrow I will make sure she sees me pack some of her stuff so she can get properly excited by the whole thing. If I did it today she would drive me nuts until we go.
I hope our weather window allows for some pictures on the mountain. It can be super spectacular in the snow. Here is a link to pictures from last July when we climbed in the snow. http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8848467381802551039#editor/target=post;postID=3150680872274527362
As we always do, we will have fun down there hanging out with friends even if the weather turns us around on the mountain. In the past the party has been a little crazier when we don't make the summit.
Be well and more soon....
Monday, May 21, 2012
What's In A Voice?
I try to present as stable and straight forward a voice as I can in this blog. I am a voracious information hound so I try to pass on the things I think are of value and that are accessible. Accessibility, for me, is about being able to not only get the point, but see where you could employ the information in your own life.
Along this journey - now almost a year writing this blog - I have changed some diet items, but I think the quest and voice are still the same. My goal is to learn and pass on as much as I can about food and diet unrestrained by what is being taught to dietitians and nutritionists in schools currently. Most of their curriculum is supplied and funded by the meat and dairy industries.
The biggest changes have been cutting dairy and meats to a bit of hard Italian cheese on pasta dishes and a tiny bit of organic butter blended with organic canola oil to top air-popped popcorn along with a little organic chicken every month or so and some fish. I was making and using yogurt daily and using it for sauces and even dressings.
I have never felt better and had more even moods than I do now! There should be a healthy feeling gauge installed on people so everyone can see what I feel like inside. That sounds weird, but I mean it. No one would pass up feeling this good everyday if they knew it was true. My bandwagon would need room for a full orchestra!
I am not closer weight-wise today than I was when this blog began, but I know my health is better. I have far better stamina and better energy than I did a year ago. I'm going to get to my goal weight eventually because I'd like to have less to pedal or drag up hills when I'm out exercising.
So, that's where I'm at nearing the first year of this adventure. I hope that all of my readers have added one thing at least that has made their life better in the same time frame. I plan to keep writing this as long as people are reading it. I'll try to keep it entertaining or at least interesting. I hope to add some videos of kitchen skills or something. I just have to figure it out.
Be well and more soon.....
Along this journey - now almost a year writing this blog - I have changed some diet items, but I think the quest and voice are still the same. My goal is to learn and pass on as much as I can about food and diet unrestrained by what is being taught to dietitians and nutritionists in schools currently. Most of their curriculum is supplied and funded by the meat and dairy industries.
The biggest changes have been cutting dairy and meats to a bit of hard Italian cheese on pasta dishes and a tiny bit of organic butter blended with organic canola oil to top air-popped popcorn along with a little organic chicken every month or so and some fish. I was making and using yogurt daily and using it for sauces and even dressings.
I have never felt better and had more even moods than I do now! There should be a healthy feeling gauge installed on people so everyone can see what I feel like inside. That sounds weird, but I mean it. No one would pass up feeling this good everyday if they knew it was true. My bandwagon would need room for a full orchestra!
I am not closer weight-wise today than I was when this blog began, but I know my health is better. I have far better stamina and better energy than I did a year ago. I'm going to get to my goal weight eventually because I'd like to have less to pedal or drag up hills when I'm out exercising.
So, that's where I'm at nearing the first year of this adventure. I hope that all of my readers have added one thing at least that has made their life better in the same time frame. I plan to keep writing this as long as people are reading it. I'll try to keep it entertaining or at least interesting. I hope to add some videos of kitchen skills or something. I just have to figure it out.
Be well and more soon.....
Sunday, May 20, 2012
The Path More Travelled
So Saturday we decided to hike Mt Si. I have always resisted Si because it is known to be so busy and with just 3200 ft of elevation in just under 4 miles it isn't much of a training hike. We tend towards hikes with 1000 ft per mile.
With Mt St Helens next weekend we decided to take it easy with a hike that allowed us to get some other stuff done so Si it was.
We hit the trail at 7:31 and I arrived at the top 3.9 miles later at 9:12 with Pam following at 9:28. We were greeted by a nice view and hung around for some other friends who were not in it for the race to the top like we were.
With Mt St Helens next weekend we decided to take it easy with a hike that allowed us to get some other stuff done so Si it was.
We hit the trail at 7:31 and I arrived at the top 3.9 miles later at 9:12 with Pam following at 9:28. We were greeted by a nice view and hung around for some other friends who were not in it for the race to the top like we were.
On the way down Pam and I decided, for yucks and giggles purposes, to count hikers on the way up. The total was 437! In 3.9 miles down there were more than 400 people coming up - WOW! We had no problems with traffic jams on the way down or anything, but it was really unnerving that there was a constant flow of people.
The parking lot was overflowing and there were cars parked quite a ways down the road from the parking lot as well. It is more often the case on our hikes that there is less than 10 cars when we return and often none when we arrive so Si is truly a different sort of animal.
This week is Mt St Helens prep. We are hoping for a good weather window for Sunday 5-27 for our climb.
More soon....
Friday, May 18, 2012
Smoothie Recipe Alert
I have been working this recipe out for a while. I steal most of my stuff from others. In law school we were taught that they made your eyes to plagiarize and I take that to heart. This one started out on Dr. Oz where they used just the almond milk, chia seeds and Stevia for a tapioca like shake. I tried it and it was not worthy of my readers so I tinkered.
I tried adding banana instead of the stevia for better flavor, but I didn't like that either. Pam comes home one day and tells me that Melinda Miller recommended an Organic frozen fruit blend that she found at Costco. I tracked it down. It is called Organic Antioxidant blend and is from Townsend Farms.
After a couple of stabs at this I have a final recipe - which you can continue to adapt to fit your palette.
Ch Ch Ch Chia Seed Smoothie
1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk - I used Pacific brand Original Unsweetened
1 Tbsp Chia seeds
1 tsp Agave Nectar or Honey
1 cup Frozen Organic Fruit
Soak the chia seeds in the Almond milk for about 20 minutes. So put them in the milk and go take your shower. Add them to a blender with the Agave nectar and fruit and blend for a couple of minutes. The Antioxidant blend has pomegranate seeds so the longer it blends the less crunchies there will be.
Here is the great news.
This has:
195 Calories
6 Gr Fiber
5 Gr Protein
2282 Mg Omega 3's
30% RDA of Riboflavin
25% RDA of Vitamin D
10% RDA of Vitamin A
6% RDA of Iron
6% RDA of Calcium
It also has 7 grams of fat of which 0 is saturated. This is the source of the Omega 3's.
The Chia seeds puff up and make you feel full and the fiber carries that out longer so you get a very satisfying breakfast with less than 200 calories that is a significant source of Omega 3's and other vitamins that keeps you full for a while.
Give it a whirl - blender reference - and I think you'll like it as well.
UPDATE: I was just at Tacoma Costco looking to replenish my supply of the frozen berry mix and they do not have them now. Please comment if your Costco still does.
More soon....
I tried adding banana instead of the stevia for better flavor, but I didn't like that either. Pam comes home one day and tells me that Melinda Miller recommended an Organic frozen fruit blend that she found at Costco. I tracked it down. It is called Organic Antioxidant blend and is from Townsend Farms.
After a couple of stabs at this I have a final recipe - which you can continue to adapt to fit your palette.
Ch Ch Ch Chia Seed Smoothie
1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk - I used Pacific brand Original Unsweetened
1 Tbsp Chia seeds
1 tsp Agave Nectar or Honey
1 cup Frozen Organic Fruit
Soak the chia seeds in the Almond milk for about 20 minutes. So put them in the milk and go take your shower. Add them to a blender with the Agave nectar and fruit and blend for a couple of minutes. The Antioxidant blend has pomegranate seeds so the longer it blends the less crunchies there will be.
Here is the great news.
This has:
195 Calories
6 Gr Fiber
5 Gr Protein
2282 Mg Omega 3's
30% RDA of Riboflavin
25% RDA of Vitamin D
10% RDA of Vitamin A
6% RDA of Iron
6% RDA of Calcium
It also has 7 grams of fat of which 0 is saturated. This is the source of the Omega 3's.
The Chia seeds puff up and make you feel full and the fiber carries that out longer so you get a very satisfying breakfast with less than 200 calories that is a significant source of Omega 3's and other vitamins that keeps you full for a while.
Give it a whirl - blender reference - and I think you'll like it as well.
UPDATE: I was just at Tacoma Costco looking to replenish my supply of the frozen berry mix and they do not have them now. Please comment if your Costco still does.
More soon....
Thursday, May 17, 2012
How WWII Is Killing Us
In World War II there was a need to get food to the troops that could be easy to prepare and deliver a lot of calories and it had to be cheap. From that need was born the MRE's or Meals ready to eat. Also born from that was the idea of processed foods.
All of the factories and farming practices that were developed to produce the original processed foods were kept rolling after the war. Now they were producing cheap, easy to prepare foods for mass consumption. The tax subsidies put in effect to ensure that the troops were fed stayed and became the basis of the American agriculture system.
Products like wheat, soy, and corn were and still are given huge subsidies to be overproduced. 70% of the subsidy money goes to the largest 10% of the farmers. That allows their crops to be sold to the companies that process them into everything unhealthy for less than the actual cost of production. I hear some of you saying "Sounds good to me Paully. Cheap food," but the fact is that we pay through our tax dollars for that cheap food. As we know nothing is free.
So, we have this system where the worst of the foods grown are subsidised so that the processed "dead" foods provide much cheaper calories that the healthy, un-subsidised foods that we should be eating.
Today we wonder why we can't get healthy foods in school lunches. The reason is simple - we have many government programs that benefit large farmers and food processors and their paid for representatives that are completely at odds with the idea of cutting out the processed crap. It's really that simple.
Fruits and vegetables are considered "specialty" crops by our Dept. of Agriculture. That means they get no place in government programs. They are looked at as extras because the emphasis is on the grain crops. Everyone knows the fix for the American diet is less processed foods and more fruits and vegetables, yet the programs in place are in total opposition to that.
So now the problem is clear what is the answer? Vote with your dollars. Buy as much as you can from Farmer's Markets and buy as much as you can from organic growers. Stay out of the middle of grocery stores where all of the processed crap is.
It's too expensive Paully! If you factor in the additional health care costs that accompany the American diet eating fresh and organic doesn't cost any more. Pre- WWII we spent more of our money as a percentage on food than we do now, but we spent a lot less of health care as a percentage than we do now. I'd rather pay more for food than for doctors and prescriptions. How about you?
More soon....
All of the factories and farming practices that were developed to produce the original processed foods were kept rolling after the war. Now they were producing cheap, easy to prepare foods for mass consumption. The tax subsidies put in effect to ensure that the troops were fed stayed and became the basis of the American agriculture system.
Products like wheat, soy, and corn were and still are given huge subsidies to be overproduced. 70% of the subsidy money goes to the largest 10% of the farmers. That allows their crops to be sold to the companies that process them into everything unhealthy for less than the actual cost of production. I hear some of you saying "Sounds good to me Paully. Cheap food," but the fact is that we pay through our tax dollars for that cheap food. As we know nothing is free.
So, we have this system where the worst of the foods grown are subsidised so that the processed "dead" foods provide much cheaper calories that the healthy, un-subsidised foods that we should be eating.
Today we wonder why we can't get healthy foods in school lunches. The reason is simple - we have many government programs that benefit large farmers and food processors and their paid for representatives that are completely at odds with the idea of cutting out the processed crap. It's really that simple.
Fruits and vegetables are considered "specialty" crops by our Dept. of Agriculture. That means they get no place in government programs. They are looked at as extras because the emphasis is on the grain crops. Everyone knows the fix for the American diet is less processed foods and more fruits and vegetables, yet the programs in place are in total opposition to that.
So now the problem is clear what is the answer? Vote with your dollars. Buy as much as you can from Farmer's Markets and buy as much as you can from organic growers. Stay out of the middle of grocery stores where all of the processed crap is.
It's too expensive Paully! If you factor in the additional health care costs that accompany the American diet eating fresh and organic doesn't cost any more. Pre- WWII we spent more of our money as a percentage on food than we do now, but we spent a lot less of health care as a percentage than we do now. I'd rather pay more for food than for doctors and prescriptions. How about you?
More soon....
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Recipe Alert!
I invented a Penne Primavera of sorts today and thought I'd share it. It goes as follows.
Penne Primavera
3 cups chopped Brocolette - you could use broccoli or broccoli rabe.
1 medium chopped Yellow Onion
2 cups slice Crimini Mushrooms
3 cloves garlic - minced
1 25 oz can Whole Roma Tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh Thyme
1 tbsp Dry Basil
1 tsp dry Oregano
salt and pepper to taste.
Olive Oil
Fresh grated Pecorino Romano
1 lb Penne Pasta
Start your pasta water and then add 2 tbsp Olive oil to a large skillet. I try not to use non-stick and did not use one for this. Add the onion and saute on high for a couple of minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for a minute or two then add the brocolette and saute for a couple more minutes. Salt and pepper as you go. Add the garlic and stir through then add the tomatoes taking each and carefully tearing them open as you add them. This gives the garlic just enough time to cook. when all the tomatoes are in add the basil, oregano and thyme and reduce heat to medium.
Your water should be boiling so add the pasta with about 1 tbsp of salt to the boiling water and set the timer for 2 minutes less than whatever the package says. continue stirring the sauce and tasting it for salt and pepper remembering that the cheese will add some saltiness if you choose to add it. When the pasta is 2 minutes from the time on the package drain it and add it to the skillet with the sauce. Turn the heat to high and stir the pasta and sauce for 1-2 minutes and then remove from heat.
Serve with fresh grated or shaved Pecorino Romano cheese. Enjoy!
Options:
Add grilled chicken breast when you toss the pasta in.
Do not salt along the way and add capers and kalamata olives when the pasta gets added adjust the salt after the pasta is tossed well with the capers and olives.
Switch the Brocolette for Brussel Sprouts in the same order or switch with un-marinated artichoke hearts and add them right when the pasta is added.
There are a million other variations and you SHOULD play with your food.
More soon.....
Penne Primavera
3 cups chopped Brocolette - you could use broccoli or broccoli rabe.
1 medium chopped Yellow Onion
2 cups slice Crimini Mushrooms
3 cloves garlic - minced
1 25 oz can Whole Roma Tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh Thyme
1 tbsp Dry Basil
1 tsp dry Oregano
salt and pepper to taste.
Olive Oil
Fresh grated Pecorino Romano
1 lb Penne Pasta
Start your pasta water and then add 2 tbsp Olive oil to a large skillet. I try not to use non-stick and did not use one for this. Add the onion and saute on high for a couple of minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for a minute or two then add the brocolette and saute for a couple more minutes. Salt and pepper as you go. Add the garlic and stir through then add the tomatoes taking each and carefully tearing them open as you add them. This gives the garlic just enough time to cook. when all the tomatoes are in add the basil, oregano and thyme and reduce heat to medium.
Your water should be boiling so add the pasta with about 1 tbsp of salt to the boiling water and set the timer for 2 minutes less than whatever the package says. continue stirring the sauce and tasting it for salt and pepper remembering that the cheese will add some saltiness if you choose to add it. When the pasta is 2 minutes from the time on the package drain it and add it to the skillet with the sauce. Turn the heat to high and stir the pasta and sauce for 1-2 minutes and then remove from heat.
Serve with fresh grated or shaved Pecorino Romano cheese. Enjoy!
Options:
Add grilled chicken breast when you toss the pasta in.
Do not salt along the way and add capers and kalamata olives when the pasta gets added adjust the salt after the pasta is tossed well with the capers and olives.
Switch the Brocolette for Brussel Sprouts in the same order or switch with un-marinated artichoke hearts and add them right when the pasta is added.
There are a million other variations and you SHOULD play with your food.
More soon.....
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
This Guy Is Surely Smarter Than Me
I came across this the other day. As much as I like boring you with my own words these are best taken from the Doctor's own mouth.
Dr. Dwight Lundell
We physicians with all our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here... it is. I freely admit to being wrong. As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries, today is my day to right the wrong with medical and scientific fact.
I trained for many years with other prominent physicians labelled "opinion makers." Bombarded with scientific literature, continually attending education seminars, we opinion makers insisted heart disease resulted from the simple fact of elevated blood cholesterol.
The only accepted therapy was prescribing medications to lower cholesterol and a diet that severely restricted fat intake. The latter of course we insisted would lower cholesterol and heart disease. Deviations from these recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice.
It Is Not Working!
These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart disease and other chronic ailments will be treated.
The long-established dietary recommendations have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences.
Despite the fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite the fact we have reduced the fat content of our diets, more Americans will die this year of heart disease than ever before.
Statistics from the American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes. These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers every year.
Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.
Inflammation is not complicated -- it is quite simply your body's natural defence to a foreign invader such as a bacteria, toxin or virus. The cycle of inflammation is perfect in how it protects your body from these bacterial and viral invaders. However, if we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or foods the human body was never designed to process,a condition occurs called chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is just as harmful as acute inflammation is beneficial.
What thoughtful person would willfully expose himself repeatedly to foods or other substances that are known to cause injury to the body? Well, smokers perhaps, but at least they made that choice willfully.
The rest of us have simply followed the recommended mainstream diet that is low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates, not knowing we were causing repeated injury to our blood vessels. This repeated injury creates chronic inflammation leading to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.
Let me repeat that: The injury and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet recommended for years by mainstream medicine.
What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.
Take a moment to visualize rubbing a stiff brush repeatedly over soft skin until it becomes quite red and nearly bleeding. you kept this up several times a day, every day for five years. If you could tolerate this painful brushing, you would have a bleeding, swollen infected area that became worse with each repeated injury. This is a good way to visualize the inflammatory process that could be going on in your body right now.
Regardless of where the inflammatory process occurs, externally or internally, it is the same. I have peered inside thousands upon thousands of arteries. A diseased artery looks as if someone took a brush and scrubbed repeatedly against its wall. Several times a day, every day, the foods we eat create small injuries compounding into more injuries, causing the body to respond continuously and appropriately with inflammation.
While we savor the tantalizing taste of a sweet roll, our bodies respond alarmingly as if a foreign invader arrived declaring war. Foods loaded with sugars and simple carbohydrates, or processed with omega-6 oils for long shelf life have been the mainstay of the American diet for six decades. These foods have been slowly poisoning everyone.
How does eating a simple sweet roll create a cascade of inflammation to make you sick?
Imagine spilling syrup on your keyboard and you have a visual of what occurs inside the cell. When we consume simple carbohydrates such as sugar, blood sugar rises rapidly. In response, your pancreas secretes insulin whose primary purpose is to drive sugar into each cell where it is stored for energy. If the cell is full and does not need glucose, it is rejected to avoid extra sugar gumming up the works.
When your full cells reject the extra glucose, blood sugar rises producing more insulin and the glucose converts to stored fat.
What does all this have to do with inflammation? Blood sugar is controlled in a very narrow range. Extra sugar molecules attach to a variety of proteins that in turn injure the blood vessel wall. This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off inflammation. When you spike your blood sugar level several times a day, every day, it is exactly like taking sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels.
While you may not be able to see it, rest assured it is there. I saw it in over 5,000 surgical patients spanning 25 years who all shared one common denominator -- inflammation in their arteries.
Let's get back to the sweet roll. That innocent looking goody not only contains sugars, it is baked in one of many omega-6 oils such as soybean. Chips and fries are soaked in soybean oil; processed foods are manufactured with omega-6 oils for longer shelf life. While omega-6's are essential -they are part of every cell membrane controlling what goes in and out of the cell -- they must be in the correct balance with omega-3's.
If the balance shifts by consuming excessive omega-6, the cell membrane produces chemicals called cytokines that directly cause inflammation.
Today's mainstream American diet has produced an extreme imbalance of these two fats. The ratio of imbalance ranges from 15:1 to as high as 30:1 in favor of omega-6. That's a tremendous amount of cytokines causing inflammation. In today's food environment, a 3:1 ratio would be optimal and healthy.
To make matters worse, the excess weight you are carrying from eating these foods creates overloaded fat cells that pour out large quantities of pro-inflammatory chemicals that add to the injury caused by having high blood sugar. The process that began with a sweet roll turns into a vicious cycle over time that creates heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and finally, Alzheimer's disease, as the inflammatory process continues unabated.
There is no escaping the fact that the more we consume prepared and processed foods, the more we trip the inflammation switch little by little each day. The human body cannot process, nor was it designed to consume, foods packed with sugars and soaked in omega-6 oils.
There is but one answer to quieting inflammation, and that is returning to foods closer to their natural state. To build muscle, eat more protein. Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colorful fruits and vegetables. Cut down on or eliminate inflammation- causing omega-6 fats like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them.
One tablespoon of corn oil contains 7,280 mg of omega-6; soybean contains 6,940 mg. Instead, use olive oil or butter from grass-fed beef.
Animal fats contain less than 20% omega-6 and are much less likely to cause inflammation than the supposedly healthy oils labelled polyunsaturated. Forget the "science" that has been drummed into your head for decades. The science that saturated fat alone causes heart disease is non-existent. The science that saturated fat raises blood cholesterol is also very weak. Since we now know that cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease, the concern about saturated fat is even more absurd today.
The cholesterol theory led to the no-fat, low-fat recommendations that in turn created the very foods now causing an epidemic of inflammation. Mainstream medicine made a terrible mistake when it advised people to avoid saturated fat in favor of foods high in omega-6 fats. We now have an epidemic of arterial inflammation leading to heart disease and other silent killers.
What you can do is choose whole foods your grandmother served and not those your mom turned to as grocery store aisles filled with manufactured foods. By eliminating inflammatory foods and adding essential nutrients from fresh unprocessed food, you will reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body from consuming the typical American diet.
Dr. Dwight Lundell
We physicians with all our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here... it is. I freely admit to being wrong. As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries, today is my day to right the wrong with medical and scientific fact.
I trained for many years with other prominent physicians labelled "opinion makers." Bombarded with scientific literature, continually attending education seminars, we opinion makers insisted heart disease resulted from the simple fact of elevated blood cholesterol.
The only accepted therapy was prescribing medications to lower cholesterol and a diet that severely restricted fat intake. The latter of course we insisted would lower cholesterol and heart disease. Deviations from these recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice.
It Is Not Working!
These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart disease and other chronic ailments will be treated.
The long-established dietary recommendations have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences.
Despite the fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite the fact we have reduced the fat content of our diets, more Americans will die this year of heart disease than ever before.
Statistics from the American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes. These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers every year.
Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.
Inflammation is not complicated -- it is quite simply your body's natural defence to a foreign invader such as a bacteria, toxin or virus. The cycle of inflammation is perfect in how it protects your body from these bacterial and viral invaders. However, if we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or foods the human body was never designed to process,a condition occurs called chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is just as harmful as acute inflammation is beneficial.
What thoughtful person would willfully expose himself repeatedly to foods or other substances that are known to cause injury to the body? Well, smokers perhaps, but at least they made that choice willfully.
The rest of us have simply followed the recommended mainstream diet that is low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates, not knowing we were causing repeated injury to our blood vessels. This repeated injury creates chronic inflammation leading to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.
Let me repeat that: The injury and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet recommended for years by mainstream medicine.
What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.
Take a moment to visualize rubbing a stiff brush repeatedly over soft skin until it becomes quite red and nearly bleeding. you kept this up several times a day, every day for five years. If you could tolerate this painful brushing, you would have a bleeding, swollen infected area that became worse with each repeated injury. This is a good way to visualize the inflammatory process that could be going on in your body right now.
Regardless of where the inflammatory process occurs, externally or internally, it is the same. I have peered inside thousands upon thousands of arteries. A diseased artery looks as if someone took a brush and scrubbed repeatedly against its wall. Several times a day, every day, the foods we eat create small injuries compounding into more injuries, causing the body to respond continuously and appropriately with inflammation.
While we savor the tantalizing taste of a sweet roll, our bodies respond alarmingly as if a foreign invader arrived declaring war. Foods loaded with sugars and simple carbohydrates, or processed with omega-6 oils for long shelf life have been the mainstay of the American diet for six decades. These foods have been slowly poisoning everyone.
How does eating a simple sweet roll create a cascade of inflammation to make you sick?
Imagine spilling syrup on your keyboard and you have a visual of what occurs inside the cell. When we consume simple carbohydrates such as sugar, blood sugar rises rapidly. In response, your pancreas secretes insulin whose primary purpose is to drive sugar into each cell where it is stored for energy. If the cell is full and does not need glucose, it is rejected to avoid extra sugar gumming up the works.
When your full cells reject the extra glucose, blood sugar rises producing more insulin and the glucose converts to stored fat.
What does all this have to do with inflammation? Blood sugar is controlled in a very narrow range. Extra sugar molecules attach to a variety of proteins that in turn injure the blood vessel wall. This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off inflammation. When you spike your blood sugar level several times a day, every day, it is exactly like taking sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels.
While you may not be able to see it, rest assured it is there. I saw it in over 5,000 surgical patients spanning 25 years who all shared one common denominator -- inflammation in their arteries.
Let's get back to the sweet roll. That innocent looking goody not only contains sugars, it is baked in one of many omega-6 oils such as soybean. Chips and fries are soaked in soybean oil; processed foods are manufactured with omega-6 oils for longer shelf life. While omega-6's are essential -they are part of every cell membrane controlling what goes in and out of the cell -- they must be in the correct balance with omega-3's.
If the balance shifts by consuming excessive omega-6, the cell membrane produces chemicals called cytokines that directly cause inflammation.
Today's mainstream American diet has produced an extreme imbalance of these two fats. The ratio of imbalance ranges from 15:1 to as high as 30:1 in favor of omega-6. That's a tremendous amount of cytokines causing inflammation. In today's food environment, a 3:1 ratio would be optimal and healthy.
To make matters worse, the excess weight you are carrying from eating these foods creates overloaded fat cells that pour out large quantities of pro-inflammatory chemicals that add to the injury caused by having high blood sugar. The process that began with a sweet roll turns into a vicious cycle over time that creates heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and finally, Alzheimer's disease, as the inflammatory process continues unabated.
There is no escaping the fact that the more we consume prepared and processed foods, the more we trip the inflammation switch little by little each day. The human body cannot process, nor was it designed to consume, foods packed with sugars and soaked in omega-6 oils.
There is but one answer to quieting inflammation, and that is returning to foods closer to their natural state. To build muscle, eat more protein. Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colorful fruits and vegetables. Cut down on or eliminate inflammation- causing omega-6 fats like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them.
One tablespoon of corn oil contains 7,280 mg of omega-6; soybean contains 6,940 mg. Instead, use olive oil or butter from grass-fed beef.
Animal fats contain less than 20% omega-6 and are much less likely to cause inflammation than the supposedly healthy oils labelled polyunsaturated. Forget the "science" that has been drummed into your head for decades. The science that saturated fat alone causes heart disease is non-existent. The science that saturated fat raises blood cholesterol is also very weak. Since we now know that cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease, the concern about saturated fat is even more absurd today.
The cholesterol theory led to the no-fat, low-fat recommendations that in turn created the very foods now causing an epidemic of inflammation. Mainstream medicine made a terrible mistake when it advised people to avoid saturated fat in favor of foods high in omega-6 fats. We now have an epidemic of arterial inflammation leading to heart disease and other silent killers.
What you can do is choose whole foods your grandmother served and not those your mom turned to as grocery store aisles filled with manufactured foods. By eliminating inflammatory foods and adding essential nutrients from fresh unprocessed food, you will reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body from consuming the typical American diet.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Camp Muir Part Two
I'm not big on cliches but I have to say that so far this year we have been living a charmed life. We went up To Mt Rainier on my birthday in April and had a beautiful and clear day. We didn't get all the way to the camp for a couple of reasons, but we did get a great hike and went up to 8000 feet before turning around.
Yesterday, we had an even more spectacular day and were able to finish what we had not in April. We arrived at 10,080 feet at Camp Muir on a clear day that - at times- was actually a little too warm. I know that seems odd, but it is true. The bulk of us were wearing lined pants commonly referred to as "guide pants." The fact that they were black added to the heat.
Any time you attempt Muir you can expect wind and we only had a little early on as the high and low pressure systems were in the last throes of their battle that was eventually won by the high pressure. It was a balmy 38 at Camp Muir with a slight breeze that caused us to re-layer.
We were able to glissade maybe 1/4th of the total distance down, but that is enough to giggle like school children and have some real fun.
All in all it was a fantastic day. I did a decent job of sunburning my face - enough so that I have some blistering on my nose - but I would do it all again the same way if necessary to have a day like that.
Today we took it east with a 30 mile bicycle ride mostly on the Burke Gilman Trail from Woodinville to Seattle and back and then some wine tasting at Cougar Crest and Airfield Estates.
As usual, a perfect weekend requires a great group of friends and Pam and I thank Lisa, Gary and Rowenna for hiking with us and Xavi for joining us for the bike ride and wine tasting.
It was widely reported that a good time was had by all.
More soon....
Yesterday, we had an even more spectacular day and were able to finish what we had not in April. We arrived at 10,080 feet at Camp Muir on a clear day that - at times- was actually a little too warm. I know that seems odd, but it is true. The bulk of us were wearing lined pants commonly referred to as "guide pants." The fact that they were black added to the heat.
Any time you attempt Muir you can expect wind and we only had a little early on as the high and low pressure systems were in the last throes of their battle that was eventually won by the high pressure. It was a balmy 38 at Camp Muir with a slight breeze that caused us to re-layer.
We were able to glissade maybe 1/4th of the total distance down, but that is enough to giggle like school children and have some real fun.
All in all it was a fantastic day. I did a decent job of sunburning my face - enough so that I have some blistering on my nose - but I would do it all again the same way if necessary to have a day like that.
Today we took it east with a 30 mile bicycle ride mostly on the Burke Gilman Trail from Woodinville to Seattle and back and then some wine tasting at Cougar Crest and Airfield Estates.
As usual, a perfect weekend requires a great group of friends and Pam and I thank Lisa, Gary and Rowenna for hiking with us and Xavi for joining us for the bike ride and wine tasting.
It was widely reported that a good time was had by all.
More soon....
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