Category: Memoir

Posted on

Saturday 07.22.22 – The Day I Remembered This is a Food Blog

“So what are you going to do when I’m in Colorado?”

“Work.”

“So what are you going to do on the weekend?”

(silence…)

There are people who have to have to make plans and have plans for every day. There are people who don’t plan and see what the day brings. I am one of the second type of people. It’s Saturday and despite having a list of chores and errands I didn’t “plan” on doing much of anything at all. But I did manage to complete a few things off my list which made the entire day a guilt-free experience.

serendipity (noun) from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.
  • The fact or occurrence of such discoveries.
  • An instance of making such a discovery.

One errand I absolutely needed done was getting gas for my Non-Green Non-EV. On the way home I stopped in a Pakistani/Indian restaurant and grocery store in Edmond Oklahoma. I’ve lived in this town for nearly 20 years and only learned today that Edmond has a Pakistani/Indian restaurant and grocery store. Of course I had to explore and see what I could find. I was motivated to see if I could locate some replacement spices and herbs because one of the other things on my list was to clean out the spice rack. There were just a few that expired.

  • Cayenne – August 2017
  • Dill – July 2010
  • Coriander – December 2016
  • Curry powder – February 2019
  • Ground mustard – no date
  • Ground ginger – no date
  • Sesame seeds – January 2018

No I’m not embarrassed. I’m mortified. The rack looks better now that I’ve tossed 7 or 8 containers.

At the Pakistani/Indian restaurant and grocery store I chose not to replace any of discards from the list. I simply don’t use these spices enough to justify buying replacements just to have sitting around for another 10 years or more before getting tossed out from lack of use. But here’s my haul from the Pakistani/Indian restaurant and grocery store:

Tomato paste from Turkey. Five bucks for 25 ounces.

Mild red chili powder. This is not the chili powder blend in the store but just ground chili from India. I almost bought the hot version but chickened out at the last moment.

Roti from Canada. Yes, Canada.

Photo by ZNu2019s Food&NatureArt on Pexels.com

I bought a single samosa for a snack. But I neglected to snap a picture before I ate it so here’s a stock photo. I did get some of the red sauce and it’s spicy hot.

Morning stretches followed by a morning walk. Drank coffee. Read a book. Cooked a pot of chickpeas. Wrote a journal entry. Cleaned the shower and scrubbed a toilet (totally guilt-free after knocking these two things off my list). Got gas in my Non-Green Non-EV. Cleaned out my spice rack. Found a Pakistani/Indian restaurant and grocery store in of all places Edmond Oklahoma and bought some awesome tomato paste, ground chili and roti.

5:00 PM. Drinking a beer. It’s been a good day. Hopefully there’s a World Cup soccer game on the tube tonight.

Posted on

Drink More Water

Keep an eye on how often you pee—pale urine, six to seven times a day, or every two to three hours, is good. You want it to be “basically like a Chablis, a Riesling, Pinot Grigio, or champagne-colored,” John Higgins, a sports cardiologist at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, in Houston, told me. “If you notice the urine is getting darker, like a Chardonnay- or Sauvignon Blanc–type of thing, that generally means you are dehydrated.”


Are You Sure You’re Not Thirsty? — https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2023/07/the-dos-and-donts-of-hydrating-in-a-heat-wave/674704/
Posted on

Eat This Way – PURE Study

A diet comprised of higher amounts of fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish, and whole-fat dairy is associated with lower CVD and mortality in all world regions, especially in countries with lower income where consumption of these foods is low.

Our findings suggest that globally the key to a healthy diet is probably one that includes diverse natural foods in moderation, rather than restricting intake to a small number of food categories.

Diet, cardiovascular disease, and mortality in 80 countries — https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad269/7192512

Presented without the usual snarky comment about some of my dietary choices like whole-fat Greek yogurt and full fat cheeses.

Time to make lunch. Spinach quesadillas with whole-fat cheddar cheese.

Posted on

Research Reveals One Simple Habit That Promotes Longevity AND Provides Extra Income in Retirement

Many thanks to OlRedHair at https://olredhair.wordpress.com/ for the CNN link.

Studies point to the health benefits of beans, backing up what people in blue zones have long known, Buettner said. The soluble fiber in beans can cut cholesterol and help prevent type 2 diabetes by stabilizing blood sugar. A 2001 study found eating beans four times a week cut heart disease by 22%. A 2004 study found people lived approximately eight more years for every 20-gram intake of legumes — that’s about an ounce.

Eating this food may be a reason why some people live to 100 — https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/29/health/beans-longevity-blue-zone-wellness

Beans are cheap and good for you.

Posted on

The Big Bet on Meat Alternatives Fails

Existing meat substitutes are not as affordable as real meat and not similar enough in taste. And they have not been proven to be healthier than real meat. So many consumers cannot justify spending money on plant-based products in order to help the planet.

The Big Bet on Meat Alternatives Fails — https://www.newsweek.com/big-bet-meat-alternatives-fails-1805425#Echobox=1686529746

I just had my annual wellness checkup. I’ve reached the point in life where all of my doctors are younger than me.

I’ve gained 4 pounds over the past 2 months. Trips to Colorado, Texas and Owasso might have had something to do with it. SugarSaltFat. I’m not panicking. Yet. Over time I’ve gotten much calmer about my sudden bursts of weight gain. Just need to eliminate the causes and get back to doing what worked in the past.

I am an omnivore, and my diet is not meat heavy. I feel better eating less meat and tend to gain weight whenever I overindulge in meat. A few weeks ago I kept a food diary. Between 66 and 75% of my meals are meat-free. Remember that what works for me may not work for you.

I stopped buying and eating fake meat products quite some time ago. The rise and fall of bleeding plant burgers doesn’t surprise me. What surprises me are vegetarians who return to meat eating ways.

It’s not as though the ethical concerns that first drive people to vegetarianism magically disappear when they decide, for whatever reason, to eat meat again. This kind of dissonance between our values and our actions can be super uncomfortable, and most of the people I spoke to often feel guilty about eating animals and polluting the environment, or struggle with the ick factor when they have to handle or cook meat. “When I stopped being vegetarian, I was very upset with myself and felt that I was betraying my values and the animals,” says Sent. “I spent at least a year eating meat, fish, and eggs in secret.”

After Years of Being Vegetarian, They Couldn’t Help But Eat Meat Again — https://www.bonappetit.com/story/vegetarians-eat-meat-again

I loved being plant-based. My running idol (besides my own father – hi, Dad) is the one and only Scott Jurek, and he’s vegan. And there are plenty of things I owe to my vegetarianism. First, my awareness of my personal environmental impact. Second, the acknowledgement of my privilege to choose healthier vegetarian options when for some it’s not as accessible. And lastly, the understanding that my choices don’t make me a better person, nor make anyone else a lesser person. The biggest barrier halting me from transitioning to an omnivore diet was shame. Practical concerns aside, I was afraid of what other people who had only known me as a vegetarian might think of my sudden change of plan. I was wracked with guilt for even considering breaking my vegetarianism.

A Vegetarian Runner’s Quest to Become a Meat Eater — https://www.outsideonline.com/food/food-culture/a-vegetarian-runners-quest-to-become-a-meat-eater/

Posted on

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.

Blog at WordPress.com.