Category: Uncategorized

January

I went to Catholic school from 1st through 10th grade, and at the high school level, we did get into some really interesting stuff in theology class.

The history of the Bible is, in many ways, the history of human civilization, behavior, and even health.

One memorable lesson was involved leprosy… according to our teacher, it was caused when a person’s body became convinced that it was actually dead and flipped a switch internally… basically telling the microbial counterpart that it was okay to begin decomposing.

The disease could arise from poor sanitation and lack of physical movement (or from touching the sores of someone with leprosy).

We discussed how a bedridden person, or a prisoner held in chains in a dark, moldy dungeon, would be forced to stay sedentary, with who knows what sort of bacterial growth around them.

I was flashing back to that discussion while thinking about how physical inactivity is linked to many chronic diseases and declines in health.

I’ve heard it from many different sources: our comfortable lifestyle is the root of many diseases.

Personally, I’ve had some time off for the holidays and am now adapting to being back at my desk. Long story short: not loving it. I miss being more active.

Weather is another factor. A “feels like” temp of 4° is not helpful in terms of physical activity. Even my dog has stopped wanting to go for walks, choosing just a quick backyard potty time.

And of course, the lack of daylight hours is just plain old depressing. Your body wants to hibernate!

Oh, January… you’re killing me!

Proactive Steps

In light of the toll a cold January can take, I have:

  • Increased reps on the morning activation routine.
  • Added some handweights to a few morning activation exercises.
  • Am striving to get at least 2500 steps prior to the beginning of the work day. These are mostly on my rebounder.
  • And I’ve started taking “stair breaks” a few times per day. I just run up and down the main staircase at my home to get my heart pumping. I try to do at least 3 ups/3 downs per break.
  • Booked a flight to Florida! ✈️

What do you do? Send me your suggestions in the comments!

Peanut Butter

Recently, I bought some Justin’s brand peanut butter. It’s usually more expensive than other brands and has a great reputation for being a clean product. It’s often seen on the shelves of healthy grocery stores or in the “Greenwise” area of a mainstream grocer.

I was a bit disappointed to see that it contains palm oil.

Here’s the healthy choice from Aldi. No added oils! Lower cost, too.

This weekend, I was at my daughter’s apartment and noticed her jar of peanut butter. It was a store brand, in a family-sized giant jar… look at the difference. 😨

I’ve asked her to throw it out, and she said yes! Replacing with Aldi’s brand.

Little steps. 👣

Algorithms

I’ve been in a “low-tox-living” algorithm for over a year now, but once in a while I see my concerns in the mainstream media, too.

Is it my imagination, or is the news about ultra-processed foods, pesticides, seed oils, food colorings, and other harmful food and drink ingredients appearing more and more?

Has America woken up? 🤔

Microplastics, pt 2

Found a couple of videos from Dr. Rhonda Patrick to illuminate the problems with and sources of microplastic exposure.

These are long but very worthwhile.

Warning: These are “Eye of Sauron” videos that may overwhelm you. Take breaks! I had to…

Takeaways:

  • Be cautious with your children’s clothing as they are still in development. Avoid polyester and rayon as they do shed micro- and nanoparticles of plastic.
  • Avoid using “moisture wicking” fabrics, especially because they are generally worn when exercising and, therefore, are heating up and stretching, which hastens the breakdown of the fabric.
  • Avoid drinking from plastic water bottles if possible. Be aware that some single-serve metal water bottles will have plastic lining. But of course, drink from these if they’re your only choice.
  • In the kitchen, avoid heating anything made or lined with plastic. That means avoid microwaving or even washing in high temperatures. It’s best to just throw these away and replace them with glass.
  • Avoid situations where vinegars or acidic fruits are used in plastic (to-go salads, etc.) as the vinegar/acid will work the same as heat to break down the plastic and release chemicals.
  • Microwave popcorn bags are lined in BPA, and that is released in the microwave. Avoid!!
  • Aluminum cans are also lined with BPAs, which are forever chemicals, which take years to leave your body.
  • Avoid getting any hot beverage in a to-go cup (plastic-lined). Because these are cheap and flexible, the BPA is released quickly when hot coffee or tea is put in. Carry a reusable mug and ask the barista to use it directly.
  • Throw out any non-stick cooking pans and replace with steel or cast iron.
  • Silicon baking materials are not to be used or trusted.

Explore her videos for more info on health and microplastics… including how to hasten their excretion from the body. Hint: sulforaphane, fibrous diet, etc.

Microplastics

Soooo, yeah, we are eating and inhaling plastic. Little bits are being found in people’s brains… half a percent on average! 😬

Microplastics are even clogging up arteries, adding to obstructive artery problems, heart attacks and the like. Ugh.

Is it a problem? Yes.

Does it have a connection to cancer? Yes.

From what I’ve gathered, it can work in the same way an oyster creates a pearl. A bit of sand finds its way into the oyster, the oyster is irritated, the immune system reacts, and it coats the sand with layer upon layer of mucus or film until the irritating grain of sand is smooth.

In our bodies, foreign items are attacked by our immune system, too. It usually involves redness, swelling (inflammation), and mucus. Because the plastic isn’t going to break down, the immune response continues. This creates a “locus” or location around which cells may stop functioning properly due to prolonged inflammation.

This is why talcum powder causes ovarian cancer.

This is not to even mention the chemicals that leach from the plastic as it accumulates in our bodies, ☠️ ☣️ or leach into our food as we microwave items in plastic or in cheap steamer bags…

So anyway, if you are looking for a resolution today, New Years Day 2025, I recommend going through your kitchen cabinets and throwing out all the plastic, especially the thin stuff that comes from take-out containers.

Only drink from glass, metal, or pottery.

Get rid of any plastic cutting boards, which can break down as they are being used, with little plastic shavings going right into your food.

And please, get rid of any coffee maker that brews boiling water through plastic. Those Keurig and Nespresso cartridges are so dangerous!! I’m sure you can find an after-Christmas sale on a French press or a coffee maker with a steel grounds holder.

Storage containers and canisters should be changed out for glass. It’s healthier and looks good too.

A lot of food, even organic food, is sold in plastic. So, when you get home from the grocery store, spend time moving the food to glass storage, rather than leaving it in the original plastic.

Little steps. Let’s all take these little steps in the new year for our health, and for our families.

👣

Sad Soup

When I’m sad or upset and don’t know what to do with myself, I make soup.

This one started as they all do, with EVOO and a chopped onion. Then, a lot of celery. Then some red, orange, and yellow sweet peppers. Then some garlic. Carrots, zucchini, spices, salt, pepper. Some green beans. Then the leftovers from a roasted chicken, including the “liquid gold” pot drippings, aka chicken fat.

It’s bubbling away on the stove.

My sister-in-law passed away today, from cancer.

In the days to come, we will plan a celebration of life.

We will celebrate her son’s 21st birthday, if he feels up to it.

We will eat comfort food like this chicken soup.

🥕🫑🧄🧅🫛🫘🌶🥔🥦🍅

BTW: If you are looking for ways to get 30 different plant-based foods into your diet each week (as I am), a soup like this will easily provide 15 or even more of those ingredients.

Stampede of Research

USF is in the news again. GO BULLS!! 🤙

This time it’s a study linking the Standard American Diet (SAD) and the rise in colorectal cancer in young people. The two main problems being ultra-processed foods and unhealthy oils, which cause chronic inflammation, which drives tumor growth.

Take a look:

https://www.usf.edu/news/2024/how-ultra-processed-foods-may-drive-colorectal-cancer-risk.aspx

Pick Up the Phone

I haven’t been writing much lately. There’s a slow and painful thing happening, and it feels wrong to write about it.

My sister-in-law is in hospice. She’s been fighting cancer for more than a dozen years. She’s done it all — surgeries, chemo, radiation, experimental drugs. She’s fought hard, dealt with debilitating side effects, and finally, her body is giving out.

It’s terrible.

What I want to say to you…

Ladies, pick up the phone and make an appointment for a mammogram and pap test.

Gentlemen, pick up the phone and get an appointment for a prostate exam. Do it.

Everyone over 45, get that colonoscopy booked. Put it on your calendar.

Everyone, no matter your age, book an appointment with a dermatologist. Get checked scalp to toes. Your skin is your largest organ! Don’t overlook it!

No matter your age, get a full blood workup. See if anything is out of normal ranges. Check your fasting glucose (and plan to actually fast before getting the test). Ask for the hemoglobin A1C test and check that level — it’s so important to get a feel for your metabolic health. See my blog Are You Metabolically Healthy? to help understand the findings.

If you smoke or did in the past, talk to your provider about the low-dose CT scan for lung cancer. More info in my blog Stamp Out Lung Cancer.

Many cancers are treatable if caught early. If you have medical insurance, these screenings will be fully or mostly covered.

Finally, check yourself. Are there any lumps? Check your neck, throat, etc. Are there any spots on your skin? A weird mole, perhaps? Are you feeling easily winded or tired after light exercise? Does your sweat smell different? Are you shaky when you miss a meal? Unexplained headaches? Notice these little signals and discuss with your doctor.

Please don’t delay. ❤️ Your health and life are precious.

Pleased to Meet You

Hope you guess my name.

We’ve all heard that Rolling Stones song a million times: Sympathy for the Devil.

Today’s post is about sugar — and all the names that particular devil hides behind. Take a look … then go look at the ingredients panel on a few items in your kitchen.

● Agave juice

● Agave nectar

● Agave syrup

● Beet sugar

● Blackstrap molasses

● Brown rice syrup

● Brown sugar

● Buttered syrup

● Cane juice

● Cane juice crystals

● Cane sugar

● Cane syrup

● Caramel

● Carob syrup

● Castor sugar

● Coconut sugar

● Confectioners’ sugar

● Corn glucose syrup

● Corn syrup

● Corn syrup solids

● Crystalline fructose

● Date sugar/syrup

● Demerara sugar

● Dextrose

● Drimol

● Ethyl maltol

● Evaporated cane juice

● Flo malt

● Florida crystals

● Fructose

● Fructose corn syrup

● Fructose syrup

● Fructose sweetener

● Fruit fructose

● Fruit juice

● Fruit juice concentrates

● Glucose

● Glucose solids

● Glucose syrup

● Golden sugar

● Golden syrup

● Granular sweetener

● Granulated sugar

● Grape sugar

● High fructose corn syrup

● Honey

● Honibake

● Icing sugar

● Inverted sugar

● Isoglucose

● Isomaltulose

● Kona-ame

● Maize syrup

● Malt syrup

● Maltodextrin

● Maltose

● Maple

● Maple sugar

● Maple syrup

● Mizu-ame

● Molasses

● Muscovado sugar

● Nulomoline

● Panela sugar

● Powdered sugar

● Raw sugar

● Refiner’s syrup

● Rice syrup

● Sorghum syrup

● Starch sweetener

● Sucanat

● Sucrovert

● Sugar beet

● Treacle or treacle sugar

● Turbinado sugar

● Unrefined sugar

● Yellow sugar

Sugar Alcohols:

● Erythritol

● Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates

● Isomalt

● Lactitol

● Maltitol

● Mannitol

● Sorbitol

● Xylitol

Puzzlin’ you is the nature of my game!