A Longevity Diet? Learning From the Blue Zones | Senior Planet

Summary:

  • high carbohydrate diet centered on whole grains
  • beans
  • eat less
  • eat more earlier in the day, less at night
  • drink alcohol
  • socialize

In my 20’s I was vegetarian for about a year and a half.  I managed to drive everyone around me crazy with my soapbox rants about how eating fast food burgers were the root cause of rain forest clearing for livestock grazing in Central America.  I’ve mellowed with age and no longer rant endlessly about the health benefits of a plant based diet.  I eat almost anything I want, just more of some things and a lot less of other things.  On a weekly basis, approximately two thirds of my meals are meatless.  Bean burritos are a staple, along with homemade bean soups and hummus.  Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, complex carbohydrates, some good craft beer.  I eat differently than I did growing up.  But I guess that’s obvious given my history of losing over 200 pounds.

Good article and audio.  Check it out.

via A Longevity Diet? Learning From the Blue Zones | Senior Planet.

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From Paleo To Plant-Based, New Report Ranks Top Diets Of 2015 : The Salt : NPR

For the fifth year in a row, the government-researched DASH diet (an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) ranked No. 1 overall diet. It’s similar to the Mediterranean diet: heavy on fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts.

via From Paleo To Plant-Based, New Report Ranks Top Diets Of 2015 : The Salt : NPR.

Rather than just another recipe for my first post of 2015 I have posted a link to a story on the best diet for optimal health.  Eat well.  Live well. Stay healthy.

 

The Tomato Plant – 2014 Final Update

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The final tomato.  As you can see, the plant has stopped budding, all flowers have fallen off, and there has been no new growth for some time.

2014 Summary – 6 total fruit, 3 edible.

(unless this little fella ripens…)

The two pots of basil also did not do well.  Some folks have no difficulties growing basil  I seem to have the opposite effect on herbs.  The purple basil died during a short heat spell.  The other sweet basil plant (you can see the tip of the plant in the SW corner of the picture) is anemic.

Reminds me of the summer I tried to grow cilantro.  It’s easier for me to pay fifty cents at the store when I want fresh cilantro.

Memo to Self – scratch “farmer” of list of possible second act careers.

Stroke Rounds: Potassium Tied to Lower Stroke Risk

via Stroke Rounds: Potassium Tied to Lower Stroke Risk.

Women (mean age 63.6) who consumed the most potassium each day (>3,193.6 mg) had a 12% lower overall risk of all stroke (hazard ratio 0.88, 95% CI 0.79-0.98) and a 16% lower risk of ischemic stroke (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.74-0.96) when compared with women consuming very little potassium (<1,925.5 mg/day), reported Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, PhD, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues.

I had a banana with breakfast.  I’m going to pop a few prunes now.

Going Greens: Edmond’s Upward Harvest lives the gospel of local, sustainable growing practices – News OK

via Going Greens: Edmond’s Upward Harvest lives the gospel of local, sustainable growing practices | News OK.

Upward Harvest Home.

I was at the market the other day and I saw potted plants strategically located throughout the fresh produce section.

Why is the grocery store selling plants?  Indoors, no less.

I really didn’t give it much more thought until I stumbled across this article in the local paper.

How cool is it to have an organic hydroponic farm in your town?  Read the article and check out the video.

Kind of makes the earthquakes bearable.

Sort of.

Muesli Pancakes

This weekend I was cooking for one.  Cooking for one is fun because you get to make anything you want.  And if what you make is a disaster (not a bomb because “bomb” now means good) you toss it and never tell anyone else about your screw up.  I bought some organic muesli from Germany at the store.  I tasted it.  Muesli is one of those healthy foods that you have to do something with before you eat it.  Plain milk or soy milk won’t do it.  You need flavored yogurt or a sweet almond milk.

Or you make pancakes.

I have a guilty pleasure.  Leftover pancakes with peanut butter.

But this morning I have no guilt whatsoever.  I topped these pancakes with some fake butter, sliced bananas, and blueberries.

Memo to Kids:

This recipe is not one of your childhood pancake memories.  I just made it up this morning.

1 cup Muesli
1 cup quick oats

2 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 beaten eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup 2% milk

  1. Combine milks, granola, and oats.  Refrigerate for one hour.
  2. Mix remaining ingredients and stir into the granola/oats mixture.
  3. Continue mixing until you have a smooth lumpy batter (yes you read that correctly).
  4. Preheat your griddle/pan to medium/high.  Watch this heat setting as you’ll likely have to lower the heat during the process.
  5. Scoop pancake batter onto your griddle.
  6. Flip when bubbles start forming on the sides.

 

The Tomato Plant – 07.29.14

IMG_0298

 

We harvested our first tomatoes from the plant.  They actually came off the plant several days ago but I couldn’t bring myself to eat them.

But tonight that all changed.

TACOS!  Simple, fast, yummy.

The big boy got cut up.  The little one was spared.

Update 08.04.14

I broke down and ate the little one yesterday.