Happy Healthy Long Life

EyeSpy the Matrix - Find the Smile in the Crowd - Can You Tell a Real Smile from a Fake?

Most smiles are started by another smile.  ~Author Unknown~

Researchers at McGill University in Montreal have come up with video games that will give a boost to your confidence even if you don't think you have any self-esteem issues.

Here's the premise:  Many of us, & count me in on this one, have anxieties about whether we will be liked, accepted or respected by others.  Sometimes we are aware of this, but often we don't even notice our "are-they-going-to-like-me?" or "am-I-going-to-sound-stupid?" unconscious self-chatter. It's often just a habitual behavior.

The McGill folks figured out the difference between the confident & the not so confident.  Turns out, the confident folks have their own automatic self-talk that acts as a buffer to stop them from worrying about "what others think about them".  And the buffer is....they just pay attention to the people who are accepting of them, who smile and encourage them, and ignore the nay-sayers.  Or at least they don't let them get under their skin!

I look at it as the "glass half-full" or the "glass half-empty" way of looking at the world. The McGill psychologists came up with a way to "train your brain" to start looking for the positive strokes and ignoring the negative ones.  They based their research on the old addictive computer game of Tetris.  They noticed that if you play Tetris over & over again it can start to shape the way your look at the world  (even invading your dreams).  Likewise, playing a specially designed computer game might improve your thoughts & feelings about yourself.

Their research has proved very promising, but they're not making absolute claims that it's going to help any particular individual.  Nevertheless, I found it fun, and was challenged to keep beating my previous scores. It's not something I would make a daily practice of, but it's a lesson on how to change your outlook about the positive & negative people you encounter.  Concentrate on the positive people.  There's no way around it - in any social situation, both always exist. 

I wouldn't advise always ignoring the negative folks.  I've learned that appearances are often deceiving, and someone who might look aloof, angry or sullen can often be won over with a smile, a warm greeting, or a heartfelt acknowledgment.  And that's a real confidence booster.  And if it doesn't work out, "Oh well!"

So give the games a whirl.  I tried all three, EyeSpy: the Matrix, WHAM! Self-esteem Conditioning, & Grow Your Chi!  My favorite was EyeSpy: the Matrix.  Sometimes I'd stare at the screen & couldn't find the smiling face for the life of me.  Often I'd mistake a neutral face for a smile.  Hmm.  Here's the link: Click here for games to boost your confidence!  Just click on game pictures/icons & they'll start.  You can keep playing over & over again to try & beat your previous score. They only take a couple of minutes!

And be sure to check out this instructive psychological test based on the research of Professor Paul Ekman, a psychologist at the University of California.  Find out how well you can tell a real smile from a fake smile.  It will only take 10 minutes & in the end I guarantee you'll be surprised & happy about how you scored.  I scored 12 out of 20, & I'm glad I'm such a bad smile judge!  Find out why, by Clicking Here!

Now that I'm all "tuned up" to start looking for smiles & giving out smiles I've just got to keep Elwood P. Dowd's advice in mind. I've always loved this quote from the 1950's play, "Harvey".  I try to remember it every time I get in my misguided "Miss Smarty Pants" mode.  You know what I mean.  Like you're back in sixth grade & you're just madly waving your arm around so the teacher will finally call on you, because you want her to know how smart you are!

"Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" - she always called me Elwood - "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

I wholeheartedly agree!

Last tidbit:  Go see "The Band's Visit"!! It's a must-see movie that just reinforces how important it is to be open to people, cultures, and  experiences that aren't familiar or comfortable or that may even scare you silly. An Egyptian ceremonial police band travels to Israel to perform at the opening of an Arab cultural center, and by mistake gets dropped off at the outskirts of the wrong Israeli town, in the middle of nowhere!  The heroes of this movie are an Israeli woman & a young Egyptian man who have the gift of seeing the positive and are fearless. Subtitles with a lot of English.

Crazy for Quinoa - My New Favorite Food for Breakfast or Dinner

"Quinoa is a complete protein, which means that is has all nine amino acids, and can be prepared equally well as a savory or sweet dish."

                --Nicole Spiridakis of cucinanicolina.com--

I'd heard of quinoa, but never had a reason to try it before I happened on Susan's recipe at her fabulous  Food Blogga's site.   I can't get enough of this stuff.  I've already made 6 batches for breakfast & then made a savory version for dinner last night.

If you've never tried it before here's why you should!  This is an ancient Incan sacred crop, that the Inca's called "chisaya mama", or mother of all grains.  But it's not really a grain.  It's actually a seed. And it's even Kosher for Passover. 

Because it's high in protein, (7 grams per serving compared to 4 grams for brown rice), high in fiber, & is a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron, copper & phosphorus, the United Nations has classified it as a "super crop".  It contains the amino acid lysine which is needed for tissue growth & repair. As if that isn't enough, it's gluten free and a breeze to cook.  Trust me, 15 minutes on the stove is nothing.  Don't let that stop you.

You can use quinoa wherever you'd use rice or couscous. It's kind of risotto-like. My very "picky eater" sister was visiting last weekend & she rolled her eyes when she saw me mix up a batch on Monday morning.  I knew better than to offer her a taste, but this stuff smells delicious, so she asked me for a taste.

She literally took her spoon to the wastebasket, prepared to spit it out.  But Voila, even she loved it.  She said, "What is this stuff?  Is it a dessert?"  Believe me, it's that yummy.  Kind of like a bread pudding.

I don't know if this accounts for all it's nutritive value, but it's a relative of beets, chard, and spinach & we all know how good those are for us.

I recommend you use Eden Organic Quinoa.  They use a mechanical rubbing process to remove the protective saponin coating from the grain, rather than a water wash.  This retains more flavor, fiber & nutrients.  When I compared the nutrient values of Eden's with other brands, it had the highest in all categories.  I found quinoa in my local grocery store, but it's also at Trader Joe's & any health food store.

Here's my "less-work-less-pots-to-get-dirty" version of Susan's Breakfast Quinoa with Dried Cherries, Raisins, and Pecans.  To print on one page click HERE!

A variation based on Susan's recipe from food blogga

1/2  cup dry quinoa, rinsed (this recipe is based on Eden Organic Quinoa which is higher in fiber & nutrients than other brands, so why not get more bang for your buck?)
1 1/4  cup boiling water
1 TBS brown sugar or maple syrup (or Splenda brown sugar blend- I'm not perfect!)
1/4 tsp. pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 TBS. dried cherries
2 TBS. mixed raisins
1 TBS. ground flax or chia

1. Rinse the uncooked quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve in cold water-this helps remove some slight natural bitterness from the grains
2. Boil water in a saucepan
3. Add quinoa, sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, cherries & raisins
4. Return to a boil, and then cover, reduce heat & simmer for about 15  minutes, or until the quinoa absorbs the water,  puffs up, & turns translucent.   Add more water if needed.
5. Quinoa retains a slight crunch when cooked.
6. When done, stir in the flax or chia

Makes 2 servings.  I eat one, & save the rest for the next morning.  It heats up beautifully in the microwave with a little soy milk to moisten it.

 

Nutrition Facts Healthy Librarian's Breakfast Quinoa with Dried Cherries & Raisins
Serving Size: 1 recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories	292
Total Fat	3.5g
Saturated Fat	0g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	18mg
Carbohydrate	57.8g
Dietary Fiber	12.3g
Sugars	21.3g
Protein	7.4g
Vitamin A 4% Vitamin C 1% Calcium    4% Iron 19%

 

 

Last night we feasted on more of Susan's recipes.  You must check out her site.  For dinner we started with her Seductive Strawberry Salad,  and then her Inca Quinoa Salad.

I cut the salad in half, since there were just the two of us, and I used the mesclun mix I had on hand instead of wild arugula & spinach.  Definitely use the fresh mint, basil & blood oranges.  I took the easy way out & instead of making the salad dressing, I had something similar in my fridge, called, Wild Thymes Meyer Lemon Salad Refresher.  It's a healthy ingredient, 35 calorie dressing that is very similar to Susan's!

Check out Susan's Yummy Creations:

 

Friendship Rules!

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, "What! You too?  I thought I was the only one!"
                         -C.S. Lewis-

My friends are on my mind a lot lately.  I don't need a medical or research study to tell me that friends are good for my mental and physical health.  And neither do you.  But, it is documented- --hang out with your friends--you'll feel better & live longer!

I got started on this post because two of my favorite blogs, Zen Habits  and Happiness Project  both had illuminating posts on friendship this month - tips on being a true friend and a user's guide to friendship.

I'll get to those--but first, I have to share an excerpt from a New York Times opinion piece, written by Sally Friedman, last Fall.  One of my best friends sent this out to the group of college friends we still see after 40 years.  It's a must read if you're somewhere in the third quarter of life (age 42-63+).  Here's the link to Times article: Forging a Lifelong Bond While Cheering for the Home Team.

On second thought, no matter what quarter of life you're in, read this article so you'll be sure to keep those connections with old friends alive and well.  Friedman writes about a group of college friends who have been getting together for the Rutgers Homecoming every year since 1961, and "How sweet it is."

"We had hit the stage of life when friends become family, something you may have to live in order to understand.

We needed one another more than ever.  Our parents were all gone, our children were far-flung, and some of us had even lost easy contact with siblings who had moved to places with lyric names in Arizona.

Those of us who had cheered together for the Rutgers football team for so many autumns were awash in new realities: friends fighting disabling illnesses, children divorcing and a world that was far less perfect than the one we'd imagined back in the days when we all believed that ours was the generation that would build the Great Society.  It wasn't so great out there after all.  We were, in fact, searching for meaning and connection at a stage of life when both can be in short supply.

So this connection, which spanned so many years, so many mundane and monumental moments, has become even more central."

I truly treasure all my friends, and in this empty-nest stage, now that my responsibilities for my children and parents are complete, it's a blessing to have time for the wonderful mish-mash of friends that we all have.  Each one speaks to a different part of our personalities, our interests, our souls.  Each one comes from a different part of our life.  There's the one who knew you from junior high, the one who remembers your parents when they were young, the one who shares your quirky tastes in books and movies, the one from work who must have been your sister in a past life, the one who always says "Yes" to any crazy adventure you can cook up, the one who keeps the college gang together by always making plans to get together, and the list goes on.

This morning as I ran errands I was mesmerized listening to Krista Tippett, of NPR's Speaking of Faith, interview John O'Donohue, an Irish poet and philosopher who died in his sleep this past January at age 52.  His best-selling book in 1997 was called Anam Cara, which means "Soul Friend" in Gaelic.

Here's what he had to say about friendship when Tippett asked him if we are less capable of love, friendship and commitment today than in the past.

I don't think we're less capable at all. I think we're more unpracticed at it and therefore more desperate for it.  And I think it's a matter of attention really, just attention. 

That if you realize how vital to your whole spirit - and being and character and mind and health - friendship actually is, you will take time for it, you know?  And the trouble is though for so many of us is that we have to be in trouble before we remember what's essential.

And sometimes it's one of the lonelinesses of humans - that you hold on desperately to things that make you miserable and that sometimes you only realize what you have when you're almost about to lose it.

So, I think that it would be great to step back a little from one's life, and see around one - who are those that hold me dear, that truly see me.  And those that I need.  And be able to go to them in a different way. 

Because the amazing thing about humans is we have an immense capacity to reawaken in each other the profound ability to be with each other and to be intimate.

"Those that hold me dear, that truly see me. And those that I need."  The best definition of a friend that I've ever heard.

Gretchen Rubin, from The Happiness Project blog offers 12 Tips for How to Be a True Friend.  For her complete post, and I advise you to check it out, click HERE:

1. Be supportive when your friend has bad news.

2. Be supportive when your friend has good news.

3. Don't gossip.

4. Keep a secret

5. Exchange favors

6. Don't criticize a friend's sweetheart or spouse.

7. Be kind to a friend's children

8. Be friendly to a friend's friends.

9. Show up.  Sometimes a friend wants you to show up someplace when you'd really rather not.  Recognize a command performance and don't miss it.  This one I have been guilty of, and I still regret those times I didn't show up.

10. Remember birthdays

11. Be nice to their pets.

12. Help a friend think big!  Nothing is more encouraging than a friend throwing out some huge goal and hearing you say, "You should do that!" "You should write a book, you should start your own firm, you should run for office."  You never know, sometimes one encouraging comment can have an extraordinary effect on someone's life.

For more tips on tending to our friendships, check out "A User's Guide to Fabulous Friendships" from the Zen Habits blog: HERE!

Please share your comments.  It's fine to sign in as "ANONYMOUS"

 

New WHO Tool to Assess Osteoporosis Risk - Deciding If You Need a Prescription

"The new fracture-risk tool may help assure the "worried well" that they don't need medicines if their risks are low.  It may also help people with the highest fracture risk get the treatment they need."  -NPR's Allison Aubrey, Your Health-

On Thursday morning, NPR's Morning Edition reported on a new online tool (FRAX) from the World Health Organization to help physicians and patients calculate fracture risk and determine  the need for an osteoporosis prevention prescription, like Actonel or Fosamax.  The tool measures your long-term risk of sustaining a hip fracture or other major bone break.

It uses 9 osteoporosis risk factors, like your family history and alcohol use.  There's a handy-dandy metric converter on the left side of the page to help you convert your height and weight.  You will need the results of a bone density scan, your T-score,  to use the calculator. When you enter your score, be sure to include the minus sign (-) if your T-score is a negative!  I had to do a little hunting to find a copy of my score on the report my doctor sent to me last year.  To try the calculator, click here.  The calculator tool is located on the top of the link, and you choose your country and race before running it.

My T-score is: -2.1 and based on my height, weight, age & risk factors my long-term risk of a hip fracture is 1.9% and my major fracture risk is 12%.  The T-score is a "measure of an individual's bone-mineral density compared to what is found in a young, normal adult of the same sex."

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation's Clinician's Guidelines for interpreting FRAX scores, I do not need to be on an osteoporosis prevention medication.  Yeah!  I was surprised and happy because my mother had severe undiagnosed osteoporosis.  She suffered painful spinal stress fractures and when she broke her wrist at age 83, her doctor said her bones were like lace. He advised me to have a bone density test.

The NOF recommends treatment when the 10 year hip fracture risk is 3% or higher, or if the risk of other major fractures in the spine, shoulder or arms is 20% or more.

Here's an excerpt from the NOF's Clinician's Guidelines:

In this new Clinician's Guide NOF states that post-menopausal women or men over 50 with a T-score of -2.5 or lower at the hip or spine or with a prior hip or spine fracture should be treated. In addition, based on absolute fracture risk calculation, patients with low bone mass (T-score between -1.0 and -2.5 at the femoral neck, total hip or spine) should be treated when there is a 10-year probability of hip fracture that is > or = to 3% or a 10-year probability of a major osteoporosis-related fracture that is > or = to 20% based on the U.S.-adapted WHO algorithm.  It is important to note that the WHO algorithm is for untreated patients to help decide when to treat, and does not apply to patients already taking an osteoporosis medication.

For NOF osteoporosis guidelines and recommendations click here.

In the NPR Morning Edition story, Rosemarie Moenster, a 65-year old Cincinnati teacher, was being treated with 2 medicines, Actonel to rebuild bone, and Evista, to prevent bone loss.  When she started to experience complications her doctor advised stopping the Actonel.  She was terrified of worsening osteoporosis, but when her doctor, Nelson Watts ran the new FRAX risk tool, the news was good.  Her risk of hip fracture was less than 1%, and the risk of major breaks was 12%.  She could safely stop the Actonel, and is continuing the Evista.

Bone tips from the April 2008 issue of Health:

• In your 30s & 40s be careful of serial dieting if you are taking in fewer calories than you burn.  Too few calories decreases estrogen production, which is harmful to your bones. "A few weeks of dieting are thought to be harmless; any bone mass lost is likely reversible", says Robert Lindsay, MD, PhD, past president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation. "But several months or longer could be harmful."
• Watch out for stress!! When you're chronically stressed your level of cortisol, the stress hormone, is raised and you don't absorb minerals as well.  It begins to waste your calcium, our bone-building mineral.  Cortisol is the natural form of cortisone-based medications, which is one of the top risk factors for osteoporosis.  This one was news to me!
• Watch your alcohol intake.  Any more than 2 drinks a day risks bone loss later in life.  Alcohol is a diuretic & causes bone-building minerals to flush out of your body.
• Weight gain - too much body fat may lead to a decrease in bone production.
• After menopause your need for calcium jumps. Salty foods, protein from meat, and too much caffeine reduces your body's ability to absorb calcium.  3 cups of coffee a day could lead to bone loss.
• Supplement. If you're over 50, be sure you are getting 1200 mg. of calcium a day, and 800-1000 IU of vitamin D3, to help your body absorb the calcium.  To see my vitamin D post for more info on this important vitamin/hormone, click here.
• Work on your balance.  If your balance is good, you won't fall and break a bone.  Unfortunately, our balance gets worse as we age unless we work on it.  Research shows that yoga and Tai Chi definitely improve balance, not to mention, they reduce stress, which will reduce that nasty cortisol.

Comments encouraged.  Let me know how the calculator worked for you.

T. Colin Campbell of "The China Study" Pays a Visit - Does This Mean I Have to Become a Vegan?

" Eat food.  Not too much. Mostly plants.  Don't eat anything that your great-grandmother would not recognize as food.  That, more of less, is the short answer to the supposedly incredibly complicated and confusing question of what we humans should eat in order to be maximally healthy."
            -Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food-

"People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease...People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease.  These results could not be ignored."
                                                     -T. Colin Campbell, The China Study-

Dr. T. Colin Campbell spoke last Wednesday at the Wellness Grand Rounds at the medical center where I work and as much as I want to ignore or minimize his message, I just can't.  This slight 74 year old articulate dynamo has a rock solid research background and he's comes to the conclusion that a plant-based diet will prevent and reverse chronic disease even though he started his career believing a diet high in animal protein was the healthiest in the world.  He's got 50 years of careful original research experience behind him and at age 74 his motivation is just to share his life's work.  Believe me, the last thing I want to do is eat a vegetarian diet, let alone become a vegan, but Dr. Campbell's evidence is hard to refute.

The topic was provocatively called, "Can Medical Practice Tolerate Nutritional Intervention?" Its purpose was to address the doubts of physicians.   "Although dietary intervention in medical cases is acknowledged as a desired approach, most primary practitioners seriously doubt either the efficacy of such intervention or the ability of patients to comply."

Imagine, a well-respected PhD in nutrition, biochemistry and toxicology speaking at a top US medical center advocating for a plant-based diet to not only prevent, and in some cases reverse, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, type-2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer's, kidney stones, cataracts, macular degeneration, erectile dysfunction and depression.  I know, it's the kind of stuff that makes you roll your eyes and head for the door. It sounds like a snake-oil salesman. That's how I felt. But, Dr. Campbell has me convinced of the value of vegetables!  I'll try give you some of the key points.

• A plant-based diet that enhances health & prevents disease includes whole unprocessed vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes and nuts. If your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize it, it's not whole unprocessed food.
• A plant-based diet trumps genetics and environmental carcinogens every time when it comes to disease prevention!
• Back in the 1950's when  Campbell  started out, good health meant getting enough animal protein into your diet. His first assignment was working with malnourished children in the Philippines, and to figure out the reason for the high rates of liver cancer in Filipino children. It was assumed that aflatoxin, (a deadly mold toxin found in peanuts and corn) was the cause of the cancer, but only the children of the wealthiest families, those who had the "advantage" of a high protein diet of milk & meat, were getting the liver cancer.  The researchers thought it should have been the other way around. They expected the malnourished children to have developed the cancer.
• The breakthrough came when Campbell noticed research from India that shed light on the Philippine cancer.  Indian researchers also thought high protein would protect against cancer & set up a study to prove it. Working with two groups of rats, they  administered carcinogenic aflatoxin to both of them. One group was fed a diet of 20% animal protein, which is typical of a Western diet.  The other group was fed a diet of 5% animal protein.  The researchers expected the higher protein diet would prevent cancer.  Shockingly, 100% of the rats fed the high protein diet developed cancer.  None of the rats fed the low protein diet got cancer. It was a perfect 100 to 0 score.  Campbell and others were able to replicate the exact same results in their own labs.  And not only that, the cancer lesions were reversed when the rat diets were decreased to 5% protein.
• Protein is an essential nutrient but Americans are getting too much.  It only promotes cancer when it exceeds the amount needed by the body.   Only animal protein is bound to these limits. His research puts a deadly spin on our obsession with "getting enough protein".
• Plant protein found in wheat, soy or legumes does not promote cancer, even in diets where it's 20% of the total protein intake.
• Campbell went on to spend 27 years conducting animal research funded by the NIH, the American Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer Research investigating the role of nutrition, especially protein, in the development of cancer.  The results continued to support what he learned in the Philippines and what the Indian researchers originally discovered: Low-protein diets inhibit the initiation of cancer.  When cancer is initiated, a low-protein diet can "turn-off" cancer growth. Casein, which makes up 87% of cow's milk promoted all stages of the cancer process.
• Campbell also directed the most comprehensive study of diet, lifestyle and disease ever done with humans in the history of biomedical research.  The "China Study" was conducted in cooperation with Cornell University, Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine.  At the time of the study, China was a perfect living laboratory to study how nutrition affects disease, because the people in one area of China ate a certain diet and the people just a few hundred miles away ate a completely different diet.  The genetics were similar, and people stayed in the same community, rarely migrating. There were significant regional dietary differences and dramatic differences in the disease prevalence from region to region.  With 2,400 counties each with distinct common diets, Campbell's group was able to come up with over 8,000 correlations of diet to disease. This would be an impossible task to undertake in the U.S. where the population is mobile, diverse and multi-cultural.
• The China Study's conclusion #1: "People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease.  Even relatively small intakes of animal-based food were associated with adverse effects."
• The China Study's conclusion #2: "People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease."
• Findings of other researchers and clinicians have come to the same conclusions and Campbell cites over 750 studies in his book, The China Study.
• Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., a retired Cleveland Clinic surgeon, replicated similar success in heart disease patients who were put on a 100% plant-based no-added fat diet.  Followed for 22 years, patients who adhered to the diet had zero coronary events, and plaque regressed in their arteries.
• Higher intake of animal protein (dairy/milk) = higher rate of bone fractures. I know this seems counter-intuitive, but Campbell explains why.
• An animal protein diet creates an acidosis state in the body that diminishes vitamin D, which is needed to build strong bones.  In addition, when acidosis exists, the body pulls out calcium from the bones in an attempt to neutralize the acid state.
• Research makes the mistake of studying one nutrient at a time, treating nutrition like pharmacology.  It doesn't work that way, which is why most studies don't support vitamin supplement use.  Whole foods provide integrated synergistic effects on our bodies that are difficult to measure as single nutrients.
• Minimize soy milk, or any other "processed" food that Campbell describes as "fractionated foods".  Removing parts of a whole food to make it into something else, like soy protein bars, soy "chicken", or soy protein powder is "fractionating" food.
• Stay away from whey protein, which is a milk product.  Campbell calls it deadly and it's the "health food of the day", widely recommended at fitness centers.
• Only eat nuts if you can keep your LDL under 100.  When your LDL gets over 100 you're laying down plaque in your blood vessels, and nuts should be avoided.

Campbell's conclusion:  Good nutrition supported by exercise, water, and sunshine is greater than the sum of its parts.  It's a biological symphony.

I'm still digesting all of this.  Although I've just naturally moved toward a diet that's probably 80% plant-based I don't do well with super-strict diet rules and restrictions.  I need flexibility!  Food is so wrapped up in friendship, family and fun and I don't want to miss out on any of that.  I can see trying to make even better choices during the week-more salads, hearty soups and incorporating "green smoothies". I definitely eat too many "fractionated" soy products, and probably too many foods my great-grandmother wouldn't recognize. I'm leaning towards my oldest son's dietary approach.  He's a "non-militant" flexible vegetarian during the week, but on weekends, especially when socializing, he'll eat everything! I kind of like that!

Stayed tuned to the juicier part of the story in an upcoming post.  NFL star Tony Gonzalez embarked on a vegan diet after reading Dr. Campbell's book.  He had his best season ever!

Check out Michael Pollan's web site here.   Better yet, read his books, Omnivore's Dilemma & In Defense of  Food.

Check out Dr. T. Colin Campbells' website here .  There's an excerpt at this site.

You can also listen to a lecture by Dr. Campbell here.

What Is It Like to Experience a Stroke? Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor Tells Her Story

"So who are we? We are the life force power of the universe, with manual dexterity and two cognitive minds. And we have the power to choose, moment by moment, who and how we want to be in the world. "        - Jill Bolte Taylor-

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened -- as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding -- she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story of recovery and awareness -- of how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.

            -TED Ideas Worth Spreading-

If you've ever had a relative experience a stroke or if you've ever wondered what the difference was between the left and right brain hemispheres, don't miss Jill Bolte Taylor passionately describe what it's like to experience a stroke and live to tell the story.

If you can't access the video use this LINK

It's a Snowed in Saturday and We're Outside Driving for Dopamine

Here's the post I should have written earlier in the week, but I had a bit of delay getting internet access at home.  So without further ado....

Last Saturday we were completely snowed in. With 30 inches falling in 24 hours (I measured) I honestly can't remember that much snow falling that fast.  The roads were a mess and I was thrilled to stay safe and snug at home and try out a few healthy recipes.

Problem was I didn't have all the ingredients I needed.  My husband, who's always up for a crazy adventure, said he be glad to drive to the grocery store with me, but it would have to wait until the afternoon. 

By 3:00 when we pulled out of the drive (thankfully our snow plow guy had already come 2 times by then) it was a total whiteout.  When we pulled up to our mailbox to get the mail we briefly got stuck, and at this point I said, "Oh forget it!  Let's just pull back into the garage.  I can make something else."   To which my husband says, "No. Let's go.  It will be fun.  It will be a bonding adventure."

Know-it-all-me says, "Yeah, it will increase the dopamine in our brains.  That's what happens when you share adventures with your spouse.  And then you fall madly in love again." 

It's  absolutely true.  So, listen up.  Make sure you and your significant other are continually having crazy adventures, or at least doing something more exciting than dinner & a movie.  Here's what science writer Tara Parker-Pope had to say recently on the subject in the New York Times:

"The theory is based on brain science. New experiences activate the brain’s reward system, flooding it with dopamine and norepinephrine. These are the same brain circuits that are ignited in early romantic love, a time of exhilaration and obsessive thoughts about a new partner. (They are also the brain chemicals involved in drug addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorder.)"

To read Pope's full article, click here.

And if you want to see a very interesting video from Dr. Helen Fisher of Rutgers who has done extensive research on the nature and chemistry of romantic love and marriage, click here.

Back to our snowy adventure and the real reason for this post, the 2 DELICIOUS HEALTHY RECIPES I made while snowed in!  As soon as we pulled onto the main road I knew we were in big trouble!  We couldn't see a thing, the usually plowed main road was completely snow-covered & I knew this was insane.  I envisioned a terrible accident, permanent paralysis, disability, knocked out teeth, totaled car, all for a can of coconut milk, oat flour, and maybe a rental movie. 

There was no way my husband was going to turn back, though.  He was loving this and that dopamine was flooding his brain.  I think cortisol, the stress hormone was flooding mine.  In the end we got to the store, picked up all the needed ingredients, and when hubby asked if I wanted to go on to the video store I said, "Yeah let's do it!  We've come this far."

The video store shelves were pretty much cleaned out, but I took the recommendation of the 20-something video store clerk and rented Reign Over Me with Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler.  I hate Adam Sandler, but love Don Cheadle and took a chance.  You may never trust my recommendations again, but blame it on our dopamine intoxication.  We both LOVED this movie.  It's about grief, loss, the power of friendship, and the need to have someone you can really talk to, especially men.  Let me know if you agree or not with this recommendation.

Now for the recipes.  The first one, Red Lentil Mulligatwney with Apple-Celery Salsa, I got from my friend and cook extraordinaire, Dick.  It's exotic and satisfying!  The original recipe comes from Cooking Light.  The second recipe, Guilt-free chocolate chip muffins, comes from the March issue of Health, and was developed by Bethenny Frankel, a celebrity natural foods chef.  I typically don't like using applesauce for a fat substitute and wouldn't have even tried these muffins, but the picture looked so good.  It's unbelievable that oat flour, applesauce and cocoa can produce such a yummy treat.  Even my husband loved them.  They're so rich that one muffin really satisfies the chocolate addiction.

Red Lentil Mulligatawny with Apple-Celery Salsa  For a copy of this recipe on a single page click here

Salsa:

2/3 cup finely chopped Granny Smith apple

¼ cup finely chopped celery

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

 

Soup:

3 ½ cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup dried small red lentils

1 cup chopped onion

1 ½ cups light coconut milk

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger

½ tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. ground turmeric

¼ tsp. coriander

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

½ tsp. salt

 

1. To prepare salsa, combine the first 4 ingredients, cover and chill.

2. To prepare soup, combine broth, lentils, and onions in a soup pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until lentils are tender. Cool about 15 minutes. Pour contents into a blender (you can do this in 2 batches-I did it all at once) & blend until smooth. Pour lentil mixture back into the pot. Blend the coconut milk, tomato paste & dry spices in the blender until smooth. Pour this mixture into the soup pot & whisk into the smooth lentil mixture. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, until heated through. Remove from heat & add the lime juice.

3. Ladle into bowls & top with ¼ cup of the salsa.

Makes 4 very generous servings

 

Nutrition Facts for Red Lentil Mulligatawny Soup with Apple-Celery Salsa Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 238 Total Fat 6.3g       Saturated Fat 4.6g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 530mg Carbohydrate 34.4g       Dietary Fiber 12.8g       Sugars 5.8g Protein 14.1g Vitamin A 10% Vitamin C 16% Calcium    4% Iron 19%

 

Guilt-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins  For a copy of this recipe on a single page click here.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook:        20 minutes
Makes:      8 muffins

Cooking spray

1 cup applesauce
1 tsp. canola oil
1/2 cup Splenda brand sweetener (or 1/2 cup turbinado sugar)
1/2 tsp real vanilla extract
1/4 tsp real almond extract (optional)
3/4 cups oat bran flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Powdered sugar (optional)

Place 8 paper or silicone liners (if you haven't tried these they're great!) in muffin tin; coat with cooking spray.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine applesauce and next 4 ingredients.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the next 6 dry ingredients.  Add oat mixture to applesauce mixture; stir until blended.  Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Spoon batter into muffin cups.  Bake for 20-22 minutes, rotating the pan a half-turn after 10 minutes.  Muffins are done when tops are firm to the touch.
4. Cool slightly.  Top with powdered sugar, if desired. 
Serving size:  1 muffin

 

Nutrition Facts for Healthy Librarian´s Guilt-free Chocolate Muffins Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 150 Total Fat 5.9g       Saturated Fat 2.5g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 0mg Carbohydrate 24.8g       Dietary Fiber 3.1g       Sugars 9.5g Protein 2.7g Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Calcium    0% Iron 6%

Women With Breast Cancer Recurrence Have Higher Estrogen Blood Levels - Exercise & Diet Can Help

  This study published on March 6 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention reported that women who had a breast cancer recurrence had almost twice as much estrogen in their blood than women who remained cancer-free after treatment.

There is a hopeful message here.  Although it seems logical that higher blood levels of estrogen might be responsible for breast cancer recurrence, until now surprisingly few studies looked at the estrogen levels of breast cancer survivors. Dr. Jennifer Wu of the Lenox  Hill Hospital in New York City, explains:

That's the reason we use drugs that help lower estrogen levels.  Estrogen causes increased cell division; we think it can perhaps start breast cancer.  But this is a good study in that it has a lot of patients and proves that they have a demonstrable increase in estrogen levels over patients who don't have a recurrence.

In this study of 306 women breast cancer survivors, 2/3 were using tamoxifen, a drug that interferes with estrogen's effect on the body. 

But, as study author, Cheryl Rock, a professor of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, says:

Anti-estrogen drugs can only have so much impact.  There are two things apart from these drugs that can help to lower estrogen, or we believe it can, because it can in the general population.  One is moderate to vigorous exercise, and the other is healthy weight management, achieving an ideal weight.

At issue here is the often under-reported fact that estrogen isn't only produced by the ovaries, but it's also produced by our fat tissue.  The more fat tissue, the more circulating estrogen in the body.  The more estrogen circulating through the body, the more likely a recurrence.

So how exactly can exercise and diet lower the body's estrogen levels?  We all have a protein in our bodies, called sex hormone-binding globulin, which binds the circulating estrogen to itself, and in effect keeps the estrogen from entering cells, like breast tissue.  As long as the estrogen is attached to the SHBG, you're in good shape, as Dr. Rock explains:

• If you are overweight you have higher insulin levels in your blood
• Higher insulin levels decrease the production of SHBG, and estrogen doesn't have a place to "bind" to.  It's free to enter our tissues.
• Exercise not only keeps your weight down, but it decreases insulin production = more SHBG production = less free-floating estrogen
• Better diet with more fiber & less refined sugar and flour = lower insulin levels = more SHBG production = less free-floating estrogen

The final piece of good news with this study is the validation that in spite of drugs like tamoxifen different women have different estrogen levels and it is important to monitor them after initial treatment.  Higher levels can put you at risk for a recurrence. As Dr. Wu explains:

This study justifies the use of drugs that help decrease estrogen levels like tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors.  [In the future], we may want to titrate different levels of anti-estrogen medications.  Right now, we have a standard dosage for everyone, whereas women who are heavier or other women who may have higher estrogen levels for one reason or another may need larger doses.

The Best Advice You Can Ever Give Your Grown-Up Kids

Guess what?  I have no idea what the best advice you can give your kids, but I do know the best advice I ever got about giving advice.

About three years ago, I had a wonderful conversation with Norman Fischer, a sixty-something Jewish Zen teacher and poet.  I wanted to know how a parent can best advise her kids.  Should I give an opinion, or only when asked?  What if I think they're making a mistake and my advice would really help?  What if I give advice and it's not the best advice for them?  And how can you really know what's right for someone else?  How do we ever really know what's right for ourselves?

Here's what Norman said, and I'm so glad I wrote it down.

Trust people to make their own mistakes.

Trust people to make their own decisions.

Take care of yourself in order to be present for others.

Whatever works is always changing.

I try to keep my opinions to myself, unless asked, and I had fabulous role models.  Looking back I am so amazed at how much space and independence my parents gave me to learn from my own mistakes and successes.  Trusting parents are real confidence builders.

Here's another nugget I recently came upon.  It's from a column in the Washington Post written by Patricia Dalton, a Washington, DC clinical psychologist.  She asks, "What if money really can't buy happiness?"

She sees the stressed-out kids and their stressed-out parents who are sure that the recipe for success is:

Get high SATs and a high GPA so you can go to an elite college so you will get a very good job (and perhaps find a partner with a comparable job) so you will make a lot of money and live happily ever after.  The part that's never spoken - and would be disavowed if put into words - is that money will make you happy.

Dalton talks about the parents who make real sacrifices in an attempt to guarantee a perfect future for their children, "impoverishing themselves" to pay for expensive colleges.  They claim they only want their kids to be happy and prosperous.  To this, one young man said, "Who are they kidding?  My mother is miserable and my dad works all the time."  No child wants that kind of pressure. Who wants to be restricted to mom & dad's vision of success? I know I didn't when I was in my teens and twenties.

The best advice  Dalton ever heard:

An older woman gave me some words of wisdom that have echoed in my mind every since.  She raised a son and a daughter who are now both grown and gainfully employed.  When they were in high school, she said that she had been fretting to her husband about their study habits and college prospects.  He said to her, "Dear, just let them be.  Let them land where they land."  Now that's a concept.

And as for my kids, they're grown, gainfully employed, charting their own course, and in spite of me, they really have their heads screwed on straight.  I love to ask them for advice.  They know so much more than I ever will, at least about some things!

The Legacy of a Father's Heart Disease - Can Prevention Overcome Genetics? - Steve McKee's Memoir

"There's basically no end to the ways that having kept yourself fit has improved your situation."      

--Dr.David Fein, specialist in Preventive Medicine at the Princeton Longevity Center--

Yesterday morning I caught  Diane Rehm's interview of Steve McKee, a writer for the Wall Street Journal and the the author of My Father's Heart - A Son's Journey.  Here's the promo to Diane's interview:

"After watching his father die from a massive heart attack when he was only fifty, Steve McKee decided to do his best to avoid a similar fate.   But after a life-time of healthy eating and exercise, he one day discovered he also suffered from heart disease."

I was anxious to hear what McKee had to say.  To hear how he ended up with heart disease, in spite of all his efforts to do everything he could to not meet the same fate as his father.  McKee's dad John had his first heart attack in 1963 at age 44, and his fatal one came six years later at age 50.  Grandfather Jack was dead of "probable coronary occlusion" at 53, and great-grandfather Patrick was also dead at 53 of a probable stroke.

Remember, this was back in the 60's.  McKee's dad was a heavy smoker, had a stressful job, and the idea of heart healthy eating, exercise, statins, bypass surgery, coronary catheterization and angioplasties were pipedreams.

McKee's story has alot to do with his anger at his dad for dying, for not taking care of himself, for giving up, for not being there for all the milestone's in his life.  High school and college graduation, his marriage to Noreen in 1978, and the adoption of his son Patrick in 1990.

He vowed this would never happen to him.  He'd be different.  Steve was an avid runner until well past 40, and then turned to a rowing machine for his workouts.  He watched what he ate and never smoked.  He wasn't going to be saddled with a stressful job.  He'd write, teach, have a calling, not a career.  Somehow, writing for the Wall Street Journal doesn't sound like my idea of a stress-free job, but McKee claims otherwise.

Here's the part of his story that most interested me:

In 2005, after years of running, exercise and eating right, Steve turns 52. He's near that age when all the McKee men meet their moment with heart disease. 

I brought all of this with me to an "executive physical" at the Princeton Longevity Center in Princeton, NJ, on tax day 2005. This eight hours of treadmill test, nutritional assessment and full body scan wasn't my idea.  I was 52 years old.  I was in great shape. I ate right.  What was the point?  But Noreen insisted.  The stress test put me in the 86th percentile for men my age.  I had the aerobic capacity of a man eight years younger, the recovery rate of a man 20 years younger.  In the diet analysis I was just a few points shy of an "excellent" score.  The body scan rounded out the day, and then all that remained was the consult with the doctor.  I was ready for my lifetime achievement award.

In Dr. Fein's office McKee learned that in spite of everything he had done to not inherit his father's legacy, he was staring straight at a computer screen showing a blockage in 20% of his left anterior descending coronary artery, about the same in his right, and his risk of having a heart atack in the next 12 months was 10% or more.  If he didn't treat it, Dr. Fein said the risk would "only compound, making a heart attack a near certainty".

McKee's first reaction was that he was failure.  He was worried that he'd never set foot in a gym again.  He was devastated, and the worst of it was, as he saw it, "I had become that part of Dad I had worked so hard never to be."

In the end, McKee changed his mind.  Dr. Fein laid it straight out.

"There is basically no end to the ways that having kept yourself fit has improved your situation," Dr. Fein said.  I'd lowered my insulin levels, improved my blood lipids, built collateral arteries in my heart around any blockages, to name just a few.  The list was endless.  I would probably already have had a heart attack by now -- at best.  More likely, I probably wouldn't be alive to be getting this news.  I was even paying forward, banking reserves on any heart attack that I might someday have.  "The odds that you'll do well if you ever do have a heart attack are very high," Fein said --the most left-handed compliment I have ever heard.

In spite of his aversion to medications, McKee is now taking statins and happy for the option.  He knew he couldn't keep up the super strict diet that would be required.  He had tried that in the 1980's with the Pritikin/Ornish regimen, and even though he was able to get his cholesterol levels way down, it just wasn't practical in the long term.  Of course, he continues to exercise and is grateful at how far medicine and our knowledge of prevention has come since 1969.

I can't imagine my life without all that running and rowing and biking and all the rest.  Day after day. It's who I am, because of my Dad.

Steve McKee's story strikes so close to home for me.  My dad suffered a massive stroke at age 69 that left him alive, but unable to talk, read or communicate for 16 years. What saddens me the most is that he never had the chance to really know his grandchildren.

My dad never went to a doctor until after it was too late.  He never knew he had high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or that he was considered obese by today's standards.  He's the reason I started exercising and eating right over 30 years ago.  Steve's story makes me glad I did!