Horse Camp and No Further

We set out Saturday to tackle Mt Rose on the north shore of Lake Cushman. In your best shape and in the best conditions Mt Rose will kick your ass. From the car to the summit is just over 3 miles and has 3500 feet of elevation gain. She is one relentless trail!

Gary, Pam, Athena and I hit the trail at about 9 AM and started up. I forgot to mention that this is a truly pretty area. Most of the Olympics are like this, but there are great trees and foliage. Saturday the water was running fast in the creeks. It is quiet there, too. Since it is 15 miles off of HWY 101 the sounds you hear are natural ones.

We arrived at Horse Camp which is only 1.1 miles to the summit and found that there were tons of downed branches as well as snow and we were unable to find the trail to continue to the summit. There were no boot paths to follow and we haven't done the trail enough times to go from memory. We elected to head back down and settle for just under 5 miles.

The tree fall at Horse Camp.

Another shot of the Tree fall at Horse Camp.

 

Sunday Pam and I got in some cycling on the Orting Trail. We estimate that we got in 25 miles on a beautiful day. Mt Rainier escorts you along on a day like today so it's hard to notice you are even exercising.

Be very well and more soon....

Parts Is Parts

I know you've heard it and maybe you've said it. "Kids can eat anything." or "As long as you work out you can eat anything you want." If there is any research anywhere that shows that children are immune from the effects of eating non-nutritional "foods" then I am unable to find it - ANYWHERE.

As far as the argument that you can eat what you want if you exercise, if you like making your system spending most of it's time fighting off toxins instead of using the nutrition you feed it to maintain and heal itself then you are right. In the back of your mind you know the reality.

Some people actually face and embrace that reality and others won't. Since over 70% of people are visual I thought a visual aid might help so here goes.

Wendy Thomas as the ad men want us to think you will look if you eat their food.

 

 

Wendy Thomas in reality.

 

 

 

It' sort of like "This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs."

 

Your health and sense of well being are in your hands. You choose where to go, what to buy and what to put in your mouth. You even choose how to get where you go. Just make the right choices.

 

In the Northwest we are going to be treated to a great weekend. Get out and use it up. Do some walking or hiking or biking or gardening or paint your house. Just enjoy it.

 

Be very well and more soon....



Gobble-De_Glycemic Blah!

I have had many people warn me about the glycemic index of foods I regularly eat. I have been chastised for bananas, apples and other fruits. So, what is the glycemic index and should we be worried about it?

The glycemic index is a measure of carbohydrates effects on blood sugar after they are eaten. It is a scale from 1 - 100. So, it tells you if you eat this it affects your blood sugar like this. Why is this important information? In most cases it isn't important at all. Honestly, unless you are a diabetic the glycemic index is at best too much information and at worst harmful nonsense.

Why do we keep hearing about it then, Mr. Smarty Pants? There are people who love their numbers and create "diet" programs around them. The Zone diet was all the rage and used it.  It sounds like some great official stuff, doesn't it? The problem is most of us will get no benefit from spending the time sorting our food by this scale and may actually opt for a less healthy food because of it's lower glycemic index number.

Skipping that apple because of this means you also skip the fiber and a bunch of other stuff that is great for you. What we need to avoid is processed foods and products made form them like fast food. If it didn't exist 50 years ago don't eat it.

If you have diabetes don't skip your fresh fruit - skip the mac and cheese. There have been great results for both type 1 and type 2 diabetics that go on a raw food diet and many who link the family history of diabetes to a family history of diet and exercise as the real cause of the link.

All this being said man cannot live on fruit alone. When they say you need so many servings of fruit and vegetables they should say vegetables and fruits. If you eat more whole foods and get regular exercise you do not need to even remember there ever was a glycemic index.

Eat whole foods and exercise shouldn't surprise anyone. Apples and bananas aren't going to hurt you.

Be very well and more soon...

The Pack Forest - You Can't Name Every Trail The Wildlife Trail

We drive by the Pack Forest twice when we head towards Mt Rainier - once on the way out and once on the way back. We usually say "We have to check that place out sometime when we don't have a bunch of time or snow conditions - avalanche conditions - are dicey.

We had both reasons Saturday so we checked it out. There are a bunch of trails there that it could take a very long time to explore. They have a bad habit of naming any trail where you might see wildlife as the Wildlife Trail. We learned that the hard way with a loop that was unintended.

When we arrived and parked we saw The Hugo Peak trail and anything with a Peak in the name generally wins for us. We were joined by Phyllis, Sue, and for the first time this season Chris, Harry and Tami. Off we went up the Hugo Peak trail and were quickly at the Hugo Peak destination since it was a whopping 2.5 miles there.

After a snack we decided to try the Reservoir Trail for the way down. They call the area the Pack Experimental Forest and they have signage for showing different areas and what they have done. It would be cool for a school group with an intrepid teacher. We cruised along and came to where the reservoir was and headed down towards the trailhead.

Along the way there was a fork where we could head a little out of the way so we decided to add a little mileage. Along that route there was a small turnout for the Wildlife Trail so we decided to take that as well. Somehow or another we missed a right turn - it must have been overgrown - and ended up back on the Reservoir Trail again.

Another pass by the reservoir in question and we were again headed back to the trailhead - this time with a better sense of what not to do. The rest of the hike was uneventful and we were back at the car uninjured and with a little over 7 miles behind us. It was widely reported that a good time was had by all.

Be very well and more soon....

Superfood

Through this journey from a sedentary bad eater to a clean eating guy who likes to exercise I have only found one food that gives an immediate healthy feeling the minute you eat it and that is kale.

I was like everyone else before who would have never invested any time into including kale in my diet, but since I began eating cleaner the evidence always suggested that kale was the number one food to have in your clean diet.

For us, kale was an easy transition in juices as we started with spinach. The tougher part was to find other uses as well. Since I am also avoiding as much fried food as possible a well the kale chips and other "chip" type dishes didn't interest me. I was looking for ways that would preserve as many of the micro-nutrients as possible.

I have switched to using kale as the greens for my salads. I realize that not everyone is ready to go there so I have some other uses that you should like that are easy as well, but first the reasons why.

Health Benefits of Kale

Kale is a very versatile and nutritious green leafy vegetable. It is a widely popular vegetable since ancient Greek and Roman times for its low fat, no cholesterol but health benefiting anti-oxidant properties.

Kale, like other members of the Brassica family, contains health-promoting phytochemicals, sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinolthat appear to protect against prostate and colon cancers.

Di-indolyl-methane(DIM), a metabolite of indole-3-carbinolis an effective immune modulator, anti-bacterial and anti-viral agent through its action of potentiating "Interferon-Gamma" receptors.

Borecole is very rich source of ß-carotene,luteinand zea-xanthin. These flavonoids have strong anti-oxidant and anti-cancer activities. Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body.

Zea-xanthin, an important dietary carotenoid, is selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea in the eyes where it is thought to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions. Thus, it helps prevent retinal detachment and offer protection against "age-related macular degeneration related macular degeneration disease" (ARMD) in the elderly.

It is very rich in vitamin A, 100 g leaves provide 512% of RDA. Vitamin A is required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is essential for vision. Foods rich in this vitamin are known to offer protection against lung and oral cavity cancers.

It is one of the excellent vegetable sources for vitamin-K; 100 g provides about 700% of recommended intake. Vitamin K has potential role bone health by promoting osteotrophic (bone formation and strengthening) activity. Adequate vitamin-K levels in the diet help limiting neuronal damage in the brain; thus, has established role in the treatment of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

100 g of fresh leaves contain 120 mg or 200% of daily-recommended levels of vitamin C. Scottish curly leaf variety yet has more of this vitamin, 130 mg/100g. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, which helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.

This leafy vegetable is notably good in many B-complex groups of vitamins such as niacin, vitamin B-6(pyridoxine), thiamin, pantothenic acid, etc., that are essential for substrate metabolism in the body.

It is also rich source of minerals like copper, calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure by countering effects of sodium. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme,superoxide dismutase.Ironis required for cellular oxidation and red blood cell formation.

 

Kale provides rich nutrition ingredients that offer protection from vitamin A deficiency, osteoporosis, iron-deficiency anemia, and believed to protect from cardiovascular diseases and colon and prostate cancers.

So here are some easy ways to include it in your diet.

1. As salad greens.
2. Wilted in olive oil and a little water or water and vinegar mix. Ready to eat in 10 minutes.
3. Steamed - depending on the kale you use 5-10 minutes and the kale is tender and easy to eat.
4. In a smoothie.
5. In a juice.
6. In a stir fry
7. In a soup
8. Kale chips

I like the steamed kale with fried rice or a stir fry on top. The wilted kale is perfect as a side to a Southern meal like Red Beans and Rice or Jambalaya. Green smoothies are all the rage these days. I have seen some great sounding recipes for smoothies with pineapple and kale. We use kale in a juice that we  have in the afternoon that has green apple, pear, fennel, lemon, cucumber and ginger. It is an instant jolt of energy that lasts all afternoon.

3 ounces of kale has 35 calories and provides 2 grams each of fiber and protein. It also is 110% of your daily vitamin C, 20% of vitamin A, 15% of calcium, 6% of iron, 11% of your potassium and tons of micro-nutrients and phyto-chemicals.

Did I mention this stuff grows year round in the Northwest? Otherwise, they have Organic Baby Kales at Costco.

Get some more kale in your life. Be very well and more soon....

Fake 'Em Out "Meatballs"

I have been spending entirely too much time looking for meatless recipes for traditional meat items. I am still perfecting my no bean veggie burgers, but I hit a home run with my meatless "meatballs" the other day.

I know there are those who think faux meat is a dumb idea. They'd tell you to pick a side and get over it, but there is a place for this stuff.  You want a burger sometimes whether you want to eat meat or not and don't get me started on meatballs with a nice marinara sauce.

If you go out and try to find organic veggie "meatballs" you will find some funny sounding ingredients that I find a little scary. That is what began the experiment. The results are a product with great color that has simple  - easy to source- ingredients. They stand up to being reheated in sauce and taste like a proper Italian meatball and have great meatball texture.

Paully's Meatless Meatballs

4 cups sliced Crimini mushrooms
2 cups steamed short grain brown rice
4-6 cloves garlic
1/4 Cup Ready to Eat Sundried Tomatoes - NOT IN OIL
1/2 medium red onion
3/4 cup Thick rolled oats (Bob's Red Mill has a gluten free one if that is an issue for you)
1/2 cup ground flax seed
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp Fennel Seeds - I like mine pan toasted
Fresh Basil - 8-12 large leaves
Thyme - 2-3 sprigs
Oregano - 2 tbsp fresh or 1 tbsp dry
Olive oil

Saute mushrooms until softened - 4-6 minutes on high - they squeak when they are done. Add Balsamic vinegar and allow to reduce until very little liquid remains. Add the garlic, onion, tomatoes, oats and flax seed to the food processor and run until combined well. Add herbs, mushrooms and rice and process until mixture comes together.

This will make 12 - 2" balls. I like to roll them and then lightly roll them in Brown rice flour.

Saute balls in a hot pan with olive oil until browned and then finish in oven at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes. For the prettiest result sauce the balls prior to serving.

Since you did all that work don't save time by saucing them with bad sauce from the store. If you must use pre-made, use one without any corn syrup or heavy amount of sodium. There are some decent organic sauces, but a couple of cans of crushed organic tomatoes some onion and garlic along with some basil salt and pepper and you have some marinara of your own.

Be very well and more soon....

What If They Were Crack Addicts?

If your friends is an IV heroin users or a crackhead you are obligated to intervene. You are a bad friend otherwise. If your friend is a drunk you are likewise obligated to intervene. If they have an eating disorder you should intervene as well, right?

When your friends quit smoking or face their addiction you applaud their success. You are supposed to help them and applaud them when they find their way out.

Just don't take their bacon away!

That's right. The one thing you aren't supposed to do is take their bacon away or suggest it is unhealthy for them. Never inform them of the links to virtually every chronic disease including a very strong link to Alzheimer's disease. That would be mean and unnecessary.

The facts are certain that cured meats have been shown to contribute to cancer, COPD, asthma, heart disease, diabetes Alzheimer's and other dementia disorders, but informing your bacon loving friends about it is grounds for expulsion from your circle of friends. None of the cool kids would do such a thing!

Just because it causes a condition that they now refer to as diabetes for the brain doesn't give you the right to intervene. Just leave them alone! A little Baconator now and then won't hurt right? Everything in moderation, right?

I'd rather lose a friend for trying than lose a bunch of them being quiet when I know I should speak up, especially when I know that it's just like quitting smoking - in 2 weeks you won't even miss it.

There is no room in a balanced diet for stuff with NO upside and all downside. So there I went and crossed the bacon line and even took your salami and pepperoni with it. Just say no to stuff that will certainly mean you will take another prescription in your last 5-10 years of life.

Be very well and more soon.....