Lifelong Learning – garyskitchen.net

May 31, 2023

More Sugar More Fat Please

Food Addiction?

The study, published online Wednesday in the journal Cell Metabolism, found eating a snack high in fat and sugar every day alters the reward circuits in human brains to create lasting preferences.
Fatty and sugary foods train your brain to hate healthier options: Yale study — New York Post, March 22, 2023

HT to Sally Feltner for the original post. Link to the original post is provided above. I’ve also credited the New York Post because I’m not sure who wrote the sentence I’ve quoted.

What I am sure about is my cerebral reward circuits still function very well if I have to choose between a piece of fruit or a cup of ice cream. Or a piece of pizza versus a salad. Or french fries rather than a plain baked potato.

April 23, 2023

Cranberries

A global study looking at the benefits of cranberry products published in Cochrane Reviews has determined cranberry juice, and its supplements, reduce the risk of repeat symptomatic UTIs in women by more than a quarter, in children by more than half, and in people susceptible to UTI following medical interventions by about 53%.
Flinders University. “A myth no more: Cranberry products can prevent urinary tract infections for women: New medical evidence shows consuming cranberry products is an effective way to prevent a UTI.” ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230420080722.htm (accessed April 23, 2023).

Journal Reference – Gabrielle Williams, Deirdre Hahn, Jacqueline H Stephens, Jonathan C Craig, Elisabeth M Hodson. Cranberries for preventing urinary tract infections. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023; 2023 (4) DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001321.pub

UTI is short for urinary tract infection but you are prone to these infections you already knew that.

April 15, 2023

Scary Chart for Old People

Aging may be the greatest threat to your freedom and independence you’ll ever know, only because of what it does to your muscles.
Sean Hyson. How Old Is Too Old to Start Strength Training? – Medscape – Apr 14, 2023 — https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/990794?src=rss#vp_1

April 9, 2023

Eat Broccoli, Protect Your Gut

Broccoli is known to be beneficial to our health. For example, research has shown that increased consumption of the cruciferous vegetable decreases incidence of cancer and type 2 diabetes. In a recent study, researchers found that broccoli contains certain molecules that bind to a receptor within mice and help to protect the lining of the small intestine, thereby inhibiting the development of disease. The findings lend support to the idea that broccoli truly is a ‘superfood.’
Penn State. “Broccoli consumption protects gut lining, reduces disease, in mice: Researchers discover that a certain molecule in broccoli interacts with a receptor in mice to promote gut health.” ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230406152639.htm (accessed April 9, 2023).

March 26, 2023

Chicken Thigh Week – Sunday, The End

Another short post today. There’s too much bracketball to watch today.

Breakfast – Roasted chickpeas and veggies

Lunch – Ampaipitakwong Fried Rice (aka Pete’s), egg roll (yes, it does resemble last night’s dinner)

Dinner – Chicken fajitas

I enjoyed tracking my meals this week and learned a lot.

I no longer need to track consumption like I have in the past. The habit and behavioral changes have stuck around.

My snack last night was grapes and crackers. They found my mouth after I posted.

The very ripe spotted bananas seemed to ripen faster when residing in the same bowl as the once rock hard green avocados that are now ripe enough to eat hence fajitas for dinner tonight.

I made Whole Wheat Banana Muffins (updated). See above.

Snack – muffin?

For the week 1/3 of my meals were meat based. Time to rename The 90% Solution The Nearly 70% Solution.

Still not a vegan.

March 22, 2023

Five healthy habits net more healthy years — Malheur County Health Department

Are healthy habits worth cultivating? One recent study and a previous similar study suggest healthy habits may help people tack on years of life and sidestep serious illnesses, such as diabetes and cancer. Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that five low-risk lifestyle habits are critical for a longer life expectancy. The more of […]
Five healthy habits net more healthy years — Malheur County Health Department

February 20, 2023

How to Thrive in Retirement

1. Do not smoke or, if you do, quit.
2. Maintain a healthy body weight to avoid diabetes, hypertension,and elevated lipids.
3. Eat a healthy diet with plenty of vegetables, minimize red meat,and drink lots of water.
4. Participate in aerobic exercise for an hour several times a week.
5. Use body weight and functional exercises to maintain muscle mass.
6. Stretch and do functional movement exercises or yoga to maintain flexibility.
7. Develop an anti-stress regimen such as meditation or “forest bathing.”
8. Maintain social connections.
9. Optimize cognition through lifelong reading and learning.
10. Get adequate sleep and practice good oral hygiene.
Functional Longevity: What Use Is Retirement If You Can’t Move and Think? — https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/functional-longevity-in-retirement/

When people think about retirement the first thing that typically comes to mind is the financial aspect. This list is a reminder to focus on the non-financial aspects of retirement as essential elements of your plans too. I plan on using this list as a personal report card, a regular and routine check up of how I’m doing and what needs improvement. I’ve given myself passing grades for 9/10.

#4 – improvement needed.

February 12, 2023February 12, 2023

Understanding Your Body’s Defended Fat Mass

Jastreboff’s research focuses on novel anti-obesity medications, specifically nutrient stimulated hormone therapeutics. She believes that a critical need in the field is to better understand obesity pathophysiology, especially how the body signals to the brain how much fat an individual should carry to store sufficient energy to function optimally; this is called the defended fat mass… Jastreboff cites the environment as a cause of obesity, specifically what she and other scientists call the obesogenic environment. “It’s not just the food, it’s not just the fact that we lead fairly sedentary lives,” Jastreboff explained. “It’s the stress, it’s the lack of sleep, it’s the circadian rhythm disruption, it’s things in our obesogenic environment that have led to this elevated defended fat mass on a population level.”
Yale Endocrinology Obesity Medicine: Approaching Obesity as a Complex, Chronic Disease — https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/yale-endocrinology-obesity-medicine-approaching-obesity-as-a-complex-chronic-disease/

You can now add your body’s defended fat mass to your personal list of reasons why you just can’t lose weight.

I must to go now. Super Bowl pig out starts soon and I have to adjust my defended fat mass set point.

January 7, 2023

Don’t Eat More of Anything (Until You Decide What to Eat Less Of) — A Country Doctor Writes

A year ago this week, I made a stir with my post about five common weight loss myths. Today I had a patient conversation I have had so many times before: Someone was trying to eat healthier and lose weight at the same time. They are not necessarily the same thing.
Don’t Eat More of Anything (Until You Decide What to Eat Less Of) — A Country Doctor Writes:

Saturday morning. Coffee, clean the shower, catch up on news. Later I’ll work for a few hours on my Future Best Seller rewriting and editing my essay on changing habits, food choices and emphasizing what you don’t eat is just as important as what you do eat. Well, The Country Doctor wrote a nice post on this topic.

Thanks Doc.