Category: Thoughts About Food

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Swapping Rice for Burgers

Source: China obesity ‘explosion’ blamed on swapping rice for burgers

Over 40 years ago I lost 200 pounds.  With age I found 35 of those lost pounds but remain extremely pleased the other 165 stayed off.  I loved this article about obesity in China.  This article could have been written about my childhood.  I swapped burgers for rice and got fat.

Real fat.

I’ve been part of a weight loss study for decades.  I answer a couple of questionnaires every year.  Most people don’t believe I used to be fat.  I need to find some old childhood pictures and post them as proof.

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Breweries are the Mark of a Thriving Community

 

That successful towns have a brewery or two is no coincidence.

Source: Breweries are the Mark of a Thriving Community

The Boss and I took the day off.  The plan was to hit Nic’s Grill for a burger and then the arts festival in downtown OKC.  Meandering would be a good word for the day.  After the arts festival we decided to revisit the Urban Farmhouse to check out their stuff.  This business is located in an old crappy industrial area of Oklahoma City.  As we slowly snaked down a narrow alley in search of a parking space I noticed a brand new sign on the building across from the furniture shop.  Anthem Brewing set up their operations in the warehouse next door.

Great little breweries in the crappy parts of town are a good thing.

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Your Healthy Lifestyle Won’t Necessarily Make You Healthier

Public health researchers are beginning to see that changes in how you live are no guarantee of changes in your health.

Source: Your Healthy Lifestyle Won’t Necessarily Make You Healthier | WIRED

Understand there are limits.  Kale, quinoa, and the latest antioxidant, anti-aging diet, exercise routine, hot sweaty yoga, mindfulness meditation, whatever only helps your health.  There is no perfect diet.  There is no perfect exercise regimen.  There is no magic bullet.

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Beans May Help With Weight Loss

 ‘Pulses’ like these may help dieters feel fuller and reduce food cravings, new analysis shows

Source: Beans, Chickpeas May Help With Weight Loss

I have two bean stories.  I’ll start with my second favorite memory of beans.

I moved from NJ to Texas at the age of 25.  Talk about culture shock.  It was a big brand new world to explore.  And if you enjoy ethnic cuisine you try to eat whatever the locals ate.  I wasn’t quite sure what Texas cuisine was besides smoked brisket.  On one day of exploration I passed a rather cheap and gaudy looking fast food joint that probably no longer exists.

“I wonder what this is?”

So I stopped, went in, stared at the menu and had absolutely no idea what anything was.  So I ordered a bean burrito.  It was your typical fast food burrito, thick brown paste, a little cheese, a little chili sauce, all wrapped up in a flour tortilla.  This happened so long ago the only remaining memory was that I liked it.  A lot.

So ends my second favorite bean story.

 

 

 

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Random Thoughts 02.28.16

My problem is that with the two of us, I just need more people to feed. – Sue Lau

It took some time and effort but I think I’ve finally broken some old habits.  When I shopped for groceries if I found something, anything on sale I’d buy it.  Ten pounds of boneless chicken thighs at $1.77 a pound?  Bought it.  Organic carrots five pounds for $4.00?  Bought it.  Dried pasta on sale for $0.99 a pound?  There was a time when I didn’t have to buy pasta for six months.  I was particularly bad with fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy.  But when I started tossing stuff in the garbage because it went bad before I could use it I knew I had to change.

The other habit (which was easier to break BTW) was making enough of one dish to feed eight or more.  Gradually I reduced the quantities of the dishes I cooked so that the leftover collection in the freezer got to a manageable level.  Besides, I got real tired of eating leftover leftovers.

I shop more frequently but buy less.  I’m not wasting as much food due to spoilage.  The cupboard remains well stocked but not overflowing.  I have adjusted to just the two of us and it wasn’t easy.

The half and half in the fridge says use by February 26.

Unopened.

 

 

 

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What Would Seinfeld Say?

A recent study revealed that some young adults feel that eating cereal for breakfast is too much trouble.

Source: Will Millennials pass time crunch or breakfast munch on to their kids? – CSMonitor.com

Nearly 40% of the survey respondents stated cereal was a poor choice for breakfast because you had to clean up afterwards.  Let me think about this.  One bowl and one spoon.

This appears to be the Gladwell Tipping Point.  We’re doomed.

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Eat More Nuts

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Blogs/LifestyleMedicine/55500

 

I have to admit as a child I rarely ate nuts.  The closest I got to a nut was peanut butter…on pancakes.  I added more tree nuts to my diet when I drank beer in bars.  The good bars always had good nuts.  That’s where I discovered my love for cashews.  I would pick all of the cashews out of a bowl of mixed nuts.  Still do.

This Medpage article offers up a short summary of the clinical evidence for higher nut consumption.  I eat a small handful of nuts daily.

Cashews and peanuts.

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Happy Holidays 2015

Biscuit08

I haven’t been a very good boy this year Santa.  It seems every year is the same.  I want to write more and dig some more recipes out of my brain but life gets in the way.  This year was both good and bad for me.  While I’d like to blame aging and memory loss, the truth behind the lack of words was something else.  A child leaves the nest. My best friend died this year.  Around the same time I was adjusting to additional hours needed for a second work project.  I look back, especially at this online journal and can see when the writing stopped.

But as it always does we humans change and adapt.  The words are flowing again.  The recipes are popping up and asking “Did you write me down yet?”  I’ve adjusted to my new normal and changed my shopping and cooking habits.  There are more slimmed down recipes to serve two.

Santa, I will be a better person next year.  I need to finish writing the book I promised the boys when they were in high school.

 

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