RICE AND RESISTANT STARCH

Rice, Rice, Baby! Oh, that isn’t how the song goes? As a person with prediabetes, rice rarely makes it onto my menu. Chinese and Spanish dishes are some of my favorite meals, so I really miss them. Rice is a dietary staple for over half the world’s population, so changing the way we cook it could help tackle obesity and other diet-related health problems.

 Unfortunately, our usual choice of white rice has a high glycemic index, which means it raises the blood sugar readings two hours after eating and also can cause a swift dip soon after. This is because the way we usually cook rice and eat it prevents us from getting the benefit of resistant starch.

Glycemic Index of Rice Types: wild and brown rice are the lowest. White, instant, and sticky are the highest.
https://glycemic-index.net/glycemic-index-of-rice/

Resistant starch (RS) behaves more like dietary fibre than carbohydrate, as it is not broken down into simple sugars in the small intestine. There are several health benefits associated with resistant starch.

Resistant Starch is the starch which reaches the large intestine and then is fermented by bacteria. Therefore, RS is a type of fermentable fiber and could be considered one type of prebiotic, since it provides “food” for bacteria living in the large intestine. Fermentation of RS results in production of Short Chain Fatty Acids and a reduction in pH in the proximal large intestine.

Researchers using the traditional Sri Lankan cooking process as a starting point (40 minutes of simmering followed by oven drying for 2.5 hours), tested the effects of three other processing steps: adding coconut oil to the boiling water, refrigerating the rice for 12 hours before oven drying, and heating it up in a microwave after oven drying.

The results were interesting:

1. Adding oil to the water created ‘type 5’ Resistant Starch. The oil complexes with the amylose to form amylose-lipid complexes…this prevents the starch granules being attacked by enzymes,’ says Sudhair James, from the College of Chemical Sciences in Sri Lanka.
2. Chilling the rice after boiling increases ‘retrograded starch’ or ‘Type 3’ Resistant Starch when hydrogen bonds re-form within the starch, making some components less soluble.
3. The team found that both these processes led to an increase in Resistant Starch, which reheating the rice after oven drying did not appear to reverse.
4. In fact, the greatest effect, a 15-fold increase in Resistant Starch, was seen when all three treatments were used together. This translates to a calorie reduction of 10-12% in this particular variety, which James says could be ‘perhaps as high as 50 or 60%’ if the treatments were applied other varieties.

What we need to remember from this study is the metabolic response to food isn’t always predictable to what you get from an in vitro analysis.  “We as humans are remarkable at protecting our food intake and will compensate,” says Diane Robertson from the University of Surrey, UK, who has carried out similar studies investigating the resistant starch content of pasta.

She also points out global cooking practices are variable. While some cultures may boil rice for a long time and then dry it, as in this study, many only cook it for 10-15 minutes, which might lead to a more modest result in increasing Resistant Starch and reducing calories.

Some claim only Coconut Oil added to white rice is the “secret magical ingredient” needed to reduce your blood sugar by increasing the resistant starch in cooked, cooled, and reheated rice. Any healthy oil or butter will do the same thing, but keeping the amount to a tablespoon or less is important. More than that will just add too many calories.

Digestive System: from the mouth to the small intestine.

Resistant Starch acts like fiber because it’s digested in the lower colon, not in the small intestine. Consumption of resistant starch is associated with reduced abdominal fat and improved insulin sensitivity. Increased serum glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) likely plays a role in promoting these health benefits. In a recent study, participants typically received 10–60 grams of resistant starch per day. Health benefits were observed with a daily intake of at least 20 grams, but an intake as high as 45 grams per day was also considered safe.

We Americans typically get only about 5 grams of resistant starch each day, while some Europeans may get 3–6 grams, and the daily intake for Australians ranges from 3–9 grams. On the other hand, the average daily intake for Chinese people is almost 15 grams. Some rural South Africans may get 38 grams of resistant starch per day, according to a small study.

Nutrition Label: Prunes, note dietary fiber amounts as an equivalent for resistant starches.

Resistant Starch is defined as the amount of starch that reaches the large intestine. Since the FDA does not allow the term “resistant starch” on food labels, another a purified RS product (Ingredion), Hi-maize 260, is assayed instead for fiber content. This amount can be placed on the food label as the fiber content. Therefore, keeping track of your daily fiber intake is a good equivalent for Resistant Starch. For adults up to age 50, women should get 25 grams of fiber daily and men should aim for 38 grams. Women and men older than 50 should have 21 and 30 daily grams of daily fiber respectively, since they usually have reduced caloric needs due to reduced activity. You can find this nutritional information on the food package or on the internet.

Fibrous vegetables, whole grain breads and pastas, old fashioned oats, nuts, beans, legumes, and potatoes that have been cooked, cooled, and reheated are all good sources of resistant starches. We only need to remember to keep our “dressings light” and not to “eat twice as much, since we’re being so healthy.”

Various types of rice add color and visual interest to your plate and palette.

I enjoy black, red, wild, and brown rice. Long grain or Jasmine rice is better than short grain or parboiled rice. I cook my white rice with a tablespoon of butter added to one cup rice and two cups rice with just a pinch of salt added. I use a small pot with a tight-fitting lid and turn the heat on high. When the pot begins to boil, I turn the heat to lowest possible. I give the rice a stir, replace the lid, and set a timer for 30 minutes. Somewhere near the 30 minutes, I can smell the fragrance of the rice. I check the doneness of the rice by lifting up the rice grains, not stirring. Depending on the humidity, the rice may take longer than 30 minutes to fully cook. Likewise, if it’s dry outside, it could cook faster.

Whole grain, wild, and colored rices also take longer time and need a tad more water to fully cook. All rices increase in resistant starch if they are cooled for at least 12 hours and reheated in the microwave. Let’s get more resistant starch in our diets by consuming foods high in the nutrient or by cooking other starchy foods and letting them cool before eating them. We can do this, for it will bring a good food back onto our menu.

A few important tips as you increase your fiber:

1. Do so gradually to give your gastrointestinal tract time to adapt.
2. Increase your water intake as you increase fiber.
3. If you have any digestive problems, such as constipation, check with your physician before dramatically increasing your fiber consumption.
4. Also, remember, going whole hog into a new lifestyle isn’t advisable for anyone. Couch to 5K programs begin with short walks and gradually add distance and speed. Changing eating habits should follow suit. Add a new fiber source in place of a low fiber food for a week. Next week, take out another low fiber food and add a higher fiber food.

And share your Chocolate Cupcakes…

In my youth, I would wash down a dozen Twinkie’s with a Diet Coke in the dark, while standing on one leg, for I was certain this magic trick eliminated all calories from those billowy sugar pills. Like most heavily processed food snacks, a single Twinkie contains about 140 calories and 23 grams of carbohydrates, contributing to 8% of our daily calorie allowance. This includes 16 grams of sugars and less than 1 gram of dietary fiber.

Now I’m not good at higher mathematics, but 12 of these sweet treats are an overdose if consumed at one sitting. If we were to eat these cake treats, we’d make sure to close both eyes because if we can’t see it, it obviously never happened!! (Magical thinking is an eight year old child trait.)

When I gave up caffeine for Lent one year, I suffered bad headaches from caffeine withdrawal. This was when I was younger and was given to the “all or nothing” approach to life. Now I’ve learned the hard way the body doesn’t appreciate such insults. Only the mad or reckless treat their bodies with disrespect or dishonor. We should honor our bodies, for we are temples of the Holy Spirit and images of the living God.

My occasional offerings are with very dark chocolate

May you enjoy your food and know what you put into your body for better health and life.

Joy and peace,

Cornie

 

Simple cooking changes make healthier rice | Research | Chemistry World

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/simple-cooking-changes-make-healthier-rice/8386.article?adre

Role of Resistant Starch in Improving Gut Health, Adiposity, and Insulin Resistance – Advances in Nutrition

https://advances.nutrition.org/article/S2161-8313(22)00641-X/fulltext

9 Foods That Are High in Resistant Starch: Oats, Rice & More

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-foods-high-in-resistant-starch

The Glycemic Potential of White and Red Rice Affected by Oil Type and Time of Addition, by Bhupinder Kaur, Viren Ranawana, Ai-Ling Teh, and C Jeya.K Henry

Click to access glycaemic-potential-of-white-and-red-rice-affected-by-oil-type-and-time-of-addition.pdf

Should I be eating more fiber? – Harvard Health

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/should-i-be-eating-more-fiber-2019022115927

Glycemic Index of Rice Types:
https://glycemic-index.net/glycemic-index-of-rice/

Homemade Soup Day

Today is Homemade Soup Day, but I can eat this simple soup any day of the week! I often vary the taste by changing the spices. Today I’ve chosen to emphasize basil and Italian spices. Other times I’ll use a chili base or a rosemary garlic base. It just depends on the weather and my mood. I find having a basic form I can “riff upon” allows me to exercise my creative gifts in the kitchen. Also, I’m easily bored, so exact measurements are out. Experiment with “a touch of this” and a “little more of that,”

Simple Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Basic recipe for 4 servings:
Sauté 1/2 chopped onion and 1 clove chopped garlic in 1 Tbs olive oil
Add 1 package of frozen mixed vegetables (4 servings)
Add 12 ounces chopped breast meat (I use deli roasted chicken)
Add 12 ounces grape tomatoes sliced in half (I used multi colored tomatoes) Add enough water to cover the ingredients
Add 1 cube chicken bouillon crushed
Cook until vegetables are sufficiently done to family taste. (I don’t overcook mine, but I still have all my teeth.)

Each serving is about 1 1/2 cups, plus I add 1 ounce of cheddar cheese to each bowl, and the whole is under 350 calories. Sometimes I vary the cheese, but I limit it to 1 ounce.

This recipe has 17 grams of carbs, 4 grams of fiber, plus about 38 grams of protein, not counting the cheese. A carb serving is 15 grams, so this recipe fits into a common diabetic meal plan. It has twice as much protein, so those who want more protein should enjoy this recipe. Protein keeps us satisfied, as do complex carbohydrates.

Simple, over processed carbohydrates, such as crystalline sugar, white flour, and juices will spike our blood sugar and lead to dips also. Those of us with glucose issues try to keep our levels as even as possible, neither high or low. Next time you get the “hangrys,” think about what you consumed two hours ago.

While some avoid all dairy, I keep the cheese for staving off hunger, since I try not to graze in between meals. A little bit of fat also helps keep a youthful skin as well as being necessary to dissolve certain vitamins.

On days when I’m busy, I’m glad Mr. Stove can reheat my meal quickly. Mr. Microwave gave up the ghost right before Christmas. I have his replacement in a box on my kitchen table, but my contractor has been busy with frozen pipe damage and hasn’t been by to install it. We’ve had yet another reminder of winter’s brutality here at the first of February, so I may be bereft until springtime. These are minor difficulties, however, since I live in a protected valley where nature’s underground hot springs seem to send all that dangerous weather around us.

The cold came instead, and I was glad Mr. Coffee kept perking and Mr. Stove and Mr. Oven were on duty. I even lost three pounds, but that might have been from shivering whenever I went outside! Try the soup, keep a positive attitude, and believe always God loves you and so do I.

Joy, peace, and hearty soups for all,

Cornie

Rabbit! Rabbit!

Welcome to February 2023!

Strange thoughts run through my bunny brain on cold and rainy afternoons. While the northern parts of our state wre promised “up to ten inches of snow” recently, my neck of the woods down south had only more of a nearly freezing drizzle. I’ve thrown another quilt on the bed and I’ve been sipping hot green tea all day long. Even my heaviest sweatpants aren’t enough to warm my bunny buns. I’m glad the heating system is still working.

I must be getting old, for I’ve already had an early Ground Hog Day. It doesn’t come until February 2, but I spent a recent Wednesday thinking it was Thursday, so when Thursday actually arrived, it was as if I’d traveled in time. Thoughts don’t get any stranger than that.

Vintage Ground Hog’s Day Poster

What are those strange thoughts, you ask? When I was very young, our parents called severe weather “acts of God.” Today, events, such as floods, earthquakes, or natural catastrophes, trigger these acts of God. Because these events are considered uncontrollable by human intervention, if contracts have force majeure clauses—meaning “superior force”—parties may not be liable if the terms of the contract cannot be carried out. Flood insurance, for instance, is a separate coverage for most homeowner’s policies, as well as earthquake insurance, but many people don’t know this and end up with uncovered losses. Before computers, radar, and other modern tools of weather forecasting, we had no way to predict storm paths or the sudden development of tornados. Now we can tell people the streets and intersections, as well as the path of destruction these storms will take.

Somehow, our ability to predict the chaos in advance doesn’t seem to prepare people for the chaos that follows the storm path. Just because we can give a warning things will go wrong beforehand, we can’t tell people how long it will take to repair the damage on the backside. I’ve always wondered why this is.

Some thoughts I have on the subject: folks have no idea how long it took to put the infrastructure in place to begin with. Take the electric lines. The old rabbits remember when electricity first came to their rural regions, whereas we younger ones have always had the benefit all our lives. Therefore, we think flipping a switch will make the electricity come back, just like we can snap our fingers. The minutes will seem like days for those who don’t have a generator to provide emergency power.

I was on the Blevins Charge when I first came to Arkansas to serve as a pastor. I was rudely awakened by the sound of a freight train going over the parsonage roof. Half awake, I thought, “That’s odd,” since the parsonage was at least two blocks from the railroad tracks and trains don’t fly. Then I went back to sleep, since it wasn’t my time to get up. When I woke up, I couldn’t make coffee because the electricity was out. I got dressed in the daylight, since the overhead lights weren’t coming on. I went to the corner gas station, but the gas pumps didn’t work. Neither did their coffee maker.

“What’s wrong? No coffee, no gas? No electricity at my house either.”
The clerk answered for the umpteenth time that morning, “We had a tornado this morning. Came right through the heart of town, didn’t you hear it?”

“Was it the freight train sound this morning?”
“That was it alright.”

“I’ve always heard the tornado sounds like a freight train. I guess it’s true.”
She just shook her head. This will go down in her book of Dumb Preacher Tricks everyone seems to write.

I had enough gas in my old Ford to go into the nearby big town to see if they had coffee. Not even a tornado would keep this rabbit from her morning coffee. I was sure someone somewhere would have a cup for me to drink.

How long does it take to rebuild what is destroyed? We can restore electrical lines quicker than we can rebuild roads. We can rebuild roads quicker than we can rebuild whole neighborhoods. We can rebuild neighborhoods faster than we can rebuild communities. Our first project in rebuilding communities is to rebuild hope and trust. Without these, we might not even get started on the physical projects.

We rabbits like to share food and drink with each other as a means of sharing trust and community. Those who eat together “commune” together, for they not only share the meal, but communicate their thoughts and feelings with one another. Perhaps the joy of the meal relaxes us, or the endorphins of the carbohydrates ease our tensions, but we find we can find more common ground when we break bread with one another. At least we’re stabbing the baked carrots instead of each other. Perhaps this is why we rabbits in seminary were taught to “follow the food.”

Handmade Tea Treats from Tea Ceremony: Bean, Cranberry, Sugar, and Coconut Oil

I had the privilege of participating in a Chinese Tea Ceremony recently. It is a ritual of simplicity, order, balance, and hospitality. Tea culture is an old ritual of hospitality, balance, sharing, and appreciation of the beauty of simple moments in one’s day. The Classic of Tea, the first known monograph on tea in the world, was written by Lu Yu between 760 CE and 762 CE, during the Chinese Tang dynasty. It described the 28 utensils used to brew and drink tea, including teapots and bowls.

AI CREATED IMAGE “Chinese tea ceremony white rabbit”

Today, the practice of tea culture helps us harried and frenetic bunnies find islands of peace and quiet in the midst of the world’s pandemonium, just as others in ancient days sought balance and harmony in their lives. We don’t need many tools to create calm, for simplicity creates its own serenity. The tea cups are chosen for the season or for the occasion. I understand this practice, for my coffee habit includes drinking from special mugs, depending on the day of the week, the weather outside, or the holiday being celebrated. As the author of The Book of Tea says, “Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others.”

Awakened Tea: First Pouring

I attended a tea ceremony at Emergent Arts, where I learned the utensils need to be prepared, the tea needs to be awakened with the first pour, and then the second heated pouring brings out the fullness of the flavor. In our friendships, we first make an acquaintance, then we awaken to our possibilities, and later we come to know one another more fully. If we just make our friendships in the drive through windows of the fast food shops, we never get the opportunity to have the small rituals or sharing of ourselves or our experiences.

Tea Pet—Bunny Rowing

The tea pet is a fired clay figurine, and is the decoration for the tea ceremony. It’s placed on the tea tray edge, often used to pour on the tea before it goes into the cups. Over time, the pet will get smoother and more delicate. As time goes by in a friendship, we forgive the small differences and those once irritating details smooth over and we ignore them. We focus instead on their better qualities.

Black glazed tea-bowl with Mount Fuji in buff glaze on the outside. Made of pottery. Signed Dohachi, 18th CE. British Museum, London

This bunny thinks our recent past years of isolation have destroyed our social relationships, for we’ve decided we don’t want to interact with people who might have different experiences or opinions. We no longer have energy for this. Unfortunately, we also lose our ability to see another’s point of view or have empathy for others. At worst, we can begin to see those who don’t agree with us as less than human, or unworthy of God’s love and care. Having a variety of friends and relationships keeps us on our toes, or as my daddy rabbit would say, “Keep you hopping!”

Chinese Lantern in the Snow

The Chinese New Year comes to a close on February 5, with the great Lantern Festival. The lanterns symbolize letting go of the old year and welcoming the new year.we rabbits often need an extended period of time to let go of yesterday’s mindsets. How often have we kept an item of too large clothing after losing weight, since we “might need it one day?” That’s a yesterday mindset, or “stinking thinking.” We need to adopt a positive attitude instead.

People in Asian countries enjoy the beautiful lights against the night sky, eat sweet treats, watch the lion and dragon dances in the streets, and try to guess the riddles written on the lanterns. In Texas, everything is bigger, of course. I saw these same photographs with sites in Arabic nations, so this may be a traveling exhibition.

Big Texas Lantern Festival, Dallas

Those born in the year of the Rabbit are believed to be clever, compassionate and generous. Their negative traits include being over-cautious and vain. You’re a Rabbit if your birth year falls on: 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023, 2035, and so on. As the famous rabbit Carl Jung once said, “We each have our own darkness, which we only recognize in other people.”

Jung Quote

Super Bowl Sunday is February 12. It qualifies as a holiday because it’s the second highest caloric food consumption day on the calendar. Only Thanksgiving exceeds it. The Monday after the big game the phones ring off the hook at the diet companies with men wanting to lose the weight they packed on snacking during football season. One in four NFL fans pack on an average of 10 pounds during football season, so the diet company says at the official end of the season, men typically are ready to get rid of the excess.

Super Bowl Commercial for junk food with the Manning Brothers

Other notable February holidays we celebrate are Valentine’s Day and American Heart Month. This year on February 14, I suggest we focus more on the love of God for God’s creation and God’s creatures, than on whether someone loves you or me. After all, God Is Love, as 1 John 4:7-8 reminds us:

“Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is from God;
everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God,
for God is love.”

Presidents’ Day is February 20, a Monday holiday. We can remember Lincoln and Washington for their great accomplishments. Washington helped to birth our nation and Lincoln helped to keep it from splitting into two nations. Lincoln also kept the USA from being half slave and half free, but Jim Crowe laws in the nation continued to oppress persons of color. This search for justice in Black History Month is still a work in progress, but one day perhaps we all will see one another with the eyes of God.

Mardi Gras Crew of Bunnies

Mardi Gras is February 21, with great parades and a final day of feasting on pancakes, sausage and bacon in preparation for the beginning of Lent. Thinking about pancakes on this cold winter day reminds me Ash Wednesday begins on the 22 of February. For Christians, this begins a period of spiritual fasting before Easter.

However, many of us rabbits have been on a fast for weight loss since the first of January. While some of the rabbit clans have adopted various and sundry programs to achieve five and ten pound weekly loses, these have usually come at the cost of elimination of whole food groups, particularly vegetables. While very high protein diets will cause the pounds to drop quickly, it’s mostly water weight. Once the goal weight is achieved, eating veggies and other normal foods will bring back the weight with water gain. A sustainable, long term lifestyle change, even with slower weight loss, will be better in the long run, since it avoids the problem of yo-yo dieting and the metabolic health risks associated with it.

Most Americans get enough protein in their diets, but eat too much fat, and over all eat too many calories and expend too few calories. Aiming for 25% of your calorie intake as protein (low fat animal or plant-based protein) should help curb your desire to snack in between meals. Some folks will cut out every food that has “sugar” in it or every food that is “white.” Unfortunately, this eliminates both the nutritious and unhealthy foods: fruit, Greek yogurt, cheeses, cottage cheese, dried fruits, juices, honey, many processed foods (fructose), and even snack foods such as hot cocoa made with milk. Once a rabbit starts an elimination or restrictive diet, such as the Whole 30 plan, they don’t get to eat out with friends anymore, unless they too are on the same restrictions.

Most of us rabbits have misconceptions about our foods. We give our potatoes wide berths because we’ve always cooked them with half a stick of butter and a cup of whole milk, plus at least a cup of shredded cheese. We’ve never trained our taste buds to appreciate the potato itself with herbs and olive oil, plus some salt and pepper. Three ounces of potatoes with the skins on have only 80 calories, 2 grams of protein and 18 grams of carbs. The daily totals in this serving: 14% Vitamin C, 13% Vitamin B6, 13% Potassium, 10% Manganese, 6% Magnesium, 6% Phosphorus, 6% Niacin and 6% Folate.

Mr. Microwave and Mr. Oven are great helpers when I cook my dinner. Some folks swear by their air fryer, but I never got into that method. My kitchen is quite cozy, and Mr. Microwave is fussy about sharing the kitchen (territorial issues…). I’m surprised when they let Mr. Crockpot have a turn as guest cook.

Pirate Bunny by Mardi Speth

February is Low Vision Awareness Month, so this bunny will celebrate by having cataract surgery. I feel like a pirate now, since I can hardly see anything out of my right eye. This may affect my future painting and blogging activities, but I hope to be in better shape soon afterwards.

I hope the month of February, although short, gives each of you an opportunity to practice love, simplicity, plus

Joy and peace,

Cornelia

Enjoy this sweet children’s song: Year of the Rabbit
https://music.apple.com/us/album/chinese-new-year-year-of-the-rabbit/1660547136?i=1660547386

Reasons to Eat More Protein
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-to-eat-more-protein#TOC_TITLE_HDR_6

Significance of Japanese Tea Ceremony Values with Ceramic Art Interpretation – ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042813048969

Tea Ceremony—scroll down to mid page for video
https://www.sothebys.com/en/digital-catalogues/tea-treasures-rare-vintage-and-premium-puerh-the-inaugural-tea-sale?locale=en

Amazon.com: The Book of Tea(classics illustrated) eBook : Kakuzo Okakura: Kindle Store (Also available in Ibook store)
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Tea-classics-illustrated-ebook/dp/B08RDTKGWT/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2O5H7Y8NRI03D&keywords=the+book+of+tea+okakura+kakuzo&qid=1675102341&s=digital-text&sprefix=the+book+of+tea+okakura+kakuzo%2Cdigital-text%2C646&sr=1-1

Diet Companies See an Uptick With Men After Super Bowl | Fox Business
https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/diet-companies-see-an-uptick-with-men-after-super-bowl

Food To Go For Christmas

My under caffeinated brain did not at first appreciate this fine, but terrible map. When crunch time would come during my working life, I often had to admit I wasn’t Wonder Woman. Eventually too many extra duties would mean take out meals or delivery instead of a home cooked dinner. I only have so many brain cells, and the holidays or other stressful times would fry what few I have left. I don’t have “the I’m working and I have too much to do” excuse now. I just seem to get more easily stressed as I get older. Hello, Domino’s?

Biltmore Mansion Sitting Room Christmas Tree

I also have come to grips with the reality my “fantasy Christmas decor” is guided by the champagne pocketbooks of the Vanderbilt family, who undertook a six year building plan to create the nation’s largest residential project near the turn of the 19th C. The family opened the Biltmore Estate to family and guests on Christmas Eve, 1895. Named for a Dutch town from which the Vanderbilts hailed and “more,” a word for the rolling hills of North Carolina, the home itself covers over four acres of floor space, and has 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. Every living area gets a Christmas tree or holiday decor, but the work rooms were kept scrupulously clean, of course. My Christmas decor is more a beer or Diet Coke pocketbook in comparison.

Biltmore Mansion Main Kitchen and Copper Pans

During the Great Depression, the family opened the home to tourism to help the Asheville economy and in World War II, the National Gallery of Art stored America’s priceless art treasures here, away from “ground zero.” Today, the Biltmore is a National Historic Landmark and offers tours of its buildings and extensive grounds. It also has a winery, as well as deluxe (champagne) accommodations for guests. I stayed with a friend nearby and took the grand tour. With 8,000 acres of grounds, we took the auto tour!

As we get ever closer to the “NIGHT,” for those who believe in Christ and celebrate his birth, sometimes we forget simplicity, love, and worship are more important than rich gifts. After all, only the magi from the east brought gifts fit for a king. Everyone else came to be a witness.

Adoration of the Christ Child, Book of Hours, France, 16th C, manuscript illustration, The Morgan Library

If you don’t have something checked off your to do list by now, don’t stress about this being a “terrible Christmas.” Mary and Joseph weren’t with their family, or even at a Motel 6. They shared the cave and manger where the animals spent the night. None of their family came to help them birth the savior. Angels announced his birth, but only lowly shepherds heard the good news, so they came to adore the little one.

Sandro Botticelli, The Mystic Nativity (1501), London National Gallery

No one back then had credit card debt to pay off in January, which just adds more stress to our already crazy lives. The Holy Family did have to flee to Egypt to escape King Herod, who ordered all the children under two years old to be killed, for the magi had told him a new king had been born. (Egypt is the top right corner on the map above).

Odilon Redon: Rest on the Flight into Egypt, oil on canvas, 1900-1903, Musée d’Orsay, France.

Another place TO GO is your local church for Christmas Eve: most churches, including First UMC in Hot Springs at 1100 Central Avenue, will have an evening candlelight service with carols.

My Antique Santa Mug, from which I drink a small toast to Santa every Christmas Eve, since I was eight years old.

Relax with a mug of hot chocolate, listen to Christmas music on the radio, the tv, or your phone, and enjoy the life and love of the Holy Family poured into your family’s hearts and minds. Hug each other and be thankful. Even for those of us who live alone, remember, we are united into the great and unbroken love of God with all the saints beyond and all the saints still living. We are one large family, part of God’s holy and beloved family.

God bless and Merry Christmas to my Kitchen Peeps!

Christmas Tree Pancake

Joy, peace, and caffeine,

Cornie

The National Gallery of Art calls on Biltmore during World War II – Biltmore https://www.biltmore.com/blog/a-monument-to-art-preservation/

Estate Timeline – Biltmore https://www.biltmore.com/our-story/biltmore-history/estate-timeline/

Say Goodbye to the Intermittent Fasting Fad

The intent of the different intermittent-fasting regimes is to trick ourselves into lowering our calorie intake. Because we live in an obesogenic food environment where we can find affordable food 24/7 in forms we can consume almost instantly, no longer do we have to schlep out to the backyard shed, hack through the cobwebs, rescue the shovel from the pile of garden tools snoozing in the corner, and dig a potato out of the ground, much less find the axe to chop wood, make a fire and roast that spud before we can scarf it down.

One salad does not change your life or your body.

Obesegenic diets are SAD—Standard American Diets. Unfortunately, one third of Americans eat some type of fast food every single day. The average American individually spends $1,200 a year on fast food alone, which equals to around 10% of the income of the average American household.. That adds up to $110 billion dollars a year, an amount which could end world hunger for up to three years.

Mario E. Figueroa, Jr., aka GONZO247. He is the force behind some of Houston’s largest graffiti installations, including this one in EaDo at 1538 St. Emanuel as part of a mural brought about by McDonald’s Houston.

No wonder intermittent fasting became a craze, for it gave people a reason not to slide through the drive throughs and make obesience at the altars of grease. This diet program kept people from buying the giant bags of chips and tubs of dip, which they used to consume nightly before the television set. Intermittent fasting didn’t ever teach a wholistic view of nutrition or the pleasures of eating. It mostly focused only on restricting consumption of food.

As with other fad diets, the approach of intermittent fasting is dependent on long-term adherence, rather than short-term commitments. The Kitchen wags among us might say Intermittent Fasting is more like hooking up with food, rather than making a healthy, long term relationship with our eating behaviors. Oh, wait, I’m not even past the first page and I’ve already gone to meddling! My bad.

Perhaps we need to get a cup of your favorite brew and sit at the kitchen table for a while, so we can talk about the latest news. Science changes. This might be a new concept for some of you, but as we get more information, we sometimes have to change our conclusions. In math, 1 + 1 may always equal 2, but if we make a long term study with more diverse participants, we might get different data than a short term study that has only a limited group for a short term. One problem short term studies often have is a lack of women and persons of color. Since these two groups often have different hormones or food preferences than white men of a certain age (college students), the data might not be applicable to everyone.

It’s time to say “Sic transit gloria” to everything we’ve known to date about intermittent fasting. Forget what your fav celeb says about lemons or cucumbers in water or anything else that detoxes your liver in a fast. Your liver naturally detoxes itself unless you’re the victim of a Putin Poisioning. However, most of us aren’t coming into contact with dread dictators who send goons with poison pens to attack us for our food choices. Pass the hummus, please.

Treating one’s body badly, as if it were a prisoner of war.

The theory behind intermittent fasting is limiting calories by restricting the time in which a person consumes food. Most intermittent fasting diets don’t restrict the type or amount of food, but only the time in which it’s eaten. A common schedule is to skip breakfast, eat lunch and supper, and close the snacking off by 8 pm. This 8 hour window for eating “should” limit your calories, since you’d consume enough to be satiated and you’d sleep at least 6 to 8 hours of the possible 16 hours of fasting. That leaves only half the hours for actual fasting, during which you can drink any amount of noncaloric beverage of choice.

With intermittent Fasting, if you go to bed before 8 pm, you COULD eat cookies in bed. If you went to bed at 9 pm, the answer is NO! Early to bed means cookies, so you might get rewarded for catching up on your sleep.

When time restricted eating was studied in mice, the principle seemed to work. However in a large study among men and women, among patients with obesity, a regimen of time-restricted eating was not more beneficial with regard to reduction in body weight, body fat, or metabolic risk factors than daily calorie restriction. In short, even though the men were limited to 1,800 calories per day and the women 1,500 calories, restricting their eating to certain hours didn’t increase their weight loss, nor did it improve any other health factors.

Dreaming of Food

The bottom line, said Dr. Ethan Weiss, a diet researcher at the University of California, San Francisco: “There is no benefit to eating in a narrow window.” He didn’t want to accept this difficult conclusion, for he’d always been a proponent of time restricted eating and practiced it in his own life by skipping breakfast. He ate lunch and supper. He even asked the researchers to check their work four different times because he didn’t believe their conclusions. Finally, after getting the same answer time and again, he had to become a believer. He now eats three smaller meals per day, plus his family says he’s “nicer” to be with these days.

This emotion is known as HANGRY. It’s resolved by food.

The only reason I can see for anyone doing intermittent fasting is if you’re so distracted and discombobulated that you won’t spend any time on self care. In other words, you’re on the first stage of your journey to health and wholeness. You might be so busy caring for others, you’re not caring for yourself. If food is fuel and nourishment for your body, you’ll need good nourishment if you expect to have the strength for this journey.

With that said, being “too busy to eat” is a self defeating practice. If you think this activity gets you a reward for “strength or commitment to a cause,” you risk working until you’re so rundown you aren’t any good to anyone. If you think no one else can replace you, your loyalty likely won’t be rewarded. Business goes on and someone will need to take your place.

Carrying too many burdens on our journey

People who should not use intermittent fasting are those with an eating disorder or a metabolic condition. Restrictive eating isn’t healthy for anoxeria, bullemia, or persons with body dysmorphic disorders. Learning to see food as healthy, necessary, and appropriate, rather than forbidden is important for recovery from these distorted views of the self. Those of us with any form of insulin resistance—prediabetes, diabetes, PCOS—need to pay attention to how our bodies use carbohydrates. Exercise, stress, illness, and the types of foods we eat all affect our blood sugar. I have friends who manage their blood sugar with candy and sugared soda pops. I have others who won’t take their medication on a regular basis, and wonder why they have adverse symptoms.

I keep my food diary on my Fitbit app, but Nutritionix Track is another app that will separate your food choices into grams of carbs, proteins, and fats, as well as count your calories. They both have a great data base, plus you can manually enter a food and save it. This takes me all of five minutes at most, or about one television commercial, to do my daily entry.

Whole grains, lean meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, Greek yogurt, olive oil, and wine in limited amounts.

I have a small bite with coffee in the morning while I have coffee. Then I eat oatmeal for breakfast. I have lunch between noon and two o’clock. I eat a light dinner of Greek yogurt and fruit about 5:30 pm. Rarely do I need to snack before bed, but I check my blood sugar to make sure it’s above 100. If not, I have a snack bag of popcorn. In general, a diet which is rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and low in processed foods, saturated fats and red meat is beneficial for most people over the long term.

Joy, peace, and good health,

Cornie

The Flaw in Intermittent Fasting
.https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/28/opinion/letters/intermittent-fasting.html?referringSource=articleShare

Scientists Find No Benefit to Time-Restricted Eating
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/20/health/time-restricted-diets.html

Calorie Restriction with or without Time-Restricted Eating in Weight Loss | NEJM
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2114833

Fast Food Statistics | March 2022 | The Barbecue Lab
https://thebarbecuelab.com/fast-food/

Scientists Find No Benefit to Time-Restricted Eating – The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/20/health/time-restricted-diets.html

THE PUMPKIN PALOOZA IS HERE

🎃 PUMPKIN 🎃 SPICE LATTE SEASON IS UPON US

Of course now we ask, “What’s in a pumpkin spice latte?” If you frequent this Kitchen, you already know the answer: Sugar. Of course it has sugar, both the naturally occurring type, but also the added type. Those of us who watch our carbohydrate intake for health reasons have to be aware of the hidden sugars in foods.

First thought on first fallen leaf: pumpkin palooza

It’s not autumn without a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, the various pumpkin patches, and the harvest items, which remind me of slow moving tractor pulled hay rides under full moons during the autumn equinox. Once these tokens of fall arrived closer to October, but now they sometimes show up unexpectedly in late August, much like house guests who made good time on their travels.

“Oh! Hello, I haven’t finished cleaning my house yet,” we say as we open our door to this early bird.

“Silly potato, I came to see you, not your house. Give me a hug.” These words of grace are a blessing from the angels who enter our homes.

Made according to standard recipe

Whenever I visit my favorite Starbucks, I now look up the ingredients of my favorite takeout items. Their mobile app makes this possible. I no longer order the drinks with huge amounts of sugar in them, for even if those pumpkin spice lattes are delicious, the drink is pretty much just a dessert disguised as coffee. With my prediabetes and need to take off some weight, my doctor and I have agreed I’d limit my calories to 1500 and my carbs to 150 grams. This won’t fit into my food plan. I need to stick to nutrient dense foods, not empty calorie drinks.

Recipe for Pumpkin Pie Spice

According to Starbucks, a grande (16-ounce) pumpkin spice latte made with 2 percent milk has 390 calories and a staggering 50 grams (about 12 teaspoons) of sugar. The Starbucks label doesn’t break out how much of that is added sugar. About 22 grams of sugar probably comes from the natural sugars in milk, giving the pumpkin spice latte about 28 grams of added sugar. The American Heart Association recommends no more than six teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar a day for women and nine teaspoons (36 grams) for men.

Pumpkin pie

Much of the sweetness in a pumpkin spice latte appears to come from the pumpkin spice sauce. The first ingredient is sugar, after all, followed by condensed skim milk, pumpkin purée and some additives. The whipped cream topping also contains sugar, in the form of a vanilla syrup.

If you’re trying to cut sugar, there are still ways to enjoy a pumpkin spice latte. A regular grande pumpkin spice latte has four pumps of pumpkin spice sauce as well as whipped cream. If you want to cut back on the sugar, skip the whipped cream and try it with just two pumps of sauce next time you order. You’ll get pretty much the same flavor and cut out more than half of the added sugar. This still gives the grande drink 38 grams of carbohydrates, which puts it into the drinkable sugar category.

As an alternative, another way to cut the calories is to order a “speciality” drink at the coffee shop. If you’re special, and I have no doubt that you are, this are the recipes for you:

Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte:
Grande iced coffee (order a Venti cup if you want extra ice)
1 pump spiced pumpkin sauce
3 pumps Sugar free vanilla
Extra pumpkin spice sprinkled on top
Light cream = half and half

Hot Pumpkin Spiced Latte:
Tall blonde American coffee in grande cup
1 pump spiced pumpkin
3 pump sugar free vanilla
Almond milk steamed
Extra pumpkin spice topping (omit whipped cream)

Pumpkin Pie Spice

You can also make your own fancy pants pumpkin spice latte drink at home. The Food Network’s recipe (link below) for homemade pumpkin spice lattes includes espresso or strong coffee, milk, canned pumpkin purée, vanilla, pumpkin pie spices and one tablespoon of sugar (as well as sweetened whipped cream). But you can play with the recipe to cut even more sugar or use a sugar substitute if you prefer.

Bears eat everything in sight before hibernating

While we’re at it, let’s think about why certain weathers and seasons cue our minds to seek out certain foods. Are we primordially primed to “pack on weight” for the long winter, just as bears and other hibernating animals do? Or do we just find the decreasing daylight depressive, so we eat to soothe our feelings? If you find yourself “carb loading” but not getting ready to run a big race, it might be time to look inward at what else you’re “stuffing down.”

Remember what the sainted Mother Theresa said:

The world today is hungry not only for bread, but hungry for love; hungry to be wanted, hungry to be loved.

Joy, peace, and pumpkins,

Cornie

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/pumpkin-spice-latte-3363265

Food and Justice

I’m counting down the days till the kiddos go back to school. My love of coffee and history have entwined for a brief lesson on the ethics of the common good and the profit motive. The Female Food Riots During the American Revolution are a good example of this.

“Sorry if we can’t feed your current crave. Due to national ingredient shortages and delivery delays, we may be out of some items.” Taco Bell and other food purveyors have supply chain shortages currently, just as stores had toilet paper shortages last year when the pandemic began.

Taco! Taco! Taco! We ride for Tacos!

Taco Bell isn’t the only food purveyor to struggle with food prices and shortages amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic — and we consumers are likely to see continued price spikes at both grocery stores and the bigger chain restaurants as supply chain issues aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic persist across the globe. This means prices for items like meat, eggs, milk, and even potatoes, which skyrocketed at the beginning of the pandemic, saw May 2020 marking the steepest price incline of the cost of food bought to eat at home in 46 years.

Mr. Peabody and his WayBack Machine

You’d have to get in your WayBack machine to August 2008 to go krogering to realize food prices have made their the sharpest 12-month inflation spike. Food prices now are only slightly improved. Consumer prices in June rose 0.9% from May and 5.4% over the past year. It’s been hard on Cornie’s Kitchen, since I try to keep my food costs within reason. I try to buy in season, buy what I can eat without waste, and buy what’s on sale. Sometimes I have to revisit my menus and change them, but that’s a virtue, not a vice.

Be forewarned, coffee growing areas in South America have taken a hit. They had the worst frost in 27 years, an event which could mean the loss of millions of bags of coffee in Brazil. The frost has driven Arabica coffee prices up this week, but coffee prices were rising even before the frost for a number of reasons, including dry weather in Brazil, protests in Colombia, and the increase in shipping container costs, among others.

So, it’s not just climate change that affects our morning brew, but also the unholy demand for shipping containers in this supply chain economy. Once it gets to the bagging site, we hope there’ll be gasoline for the truck and a driver to bring it to your local store. Both of these are affected by either the current world wide Covid emergency or an overwhelmed pipeline not able to get supplies where they’re needed most.

American Women Fought as Patriots

Of course, we don’t have people rioting in the streets yet, like in the War for American Independence. Between 1776 and 1779, food shortages caused more than 30 food riots in the American colonies. Angry men and women accosted merchants who hoarded, overcharged or monopolized pantry basics like coffee, tea, sugar or flour.

Women led many of the food riots during the American Revolution

In Massachusetts, women led some of the food riots in the towns of Boston, East Hartford, and Beverly. They were trying to manage farms, families and shops while their husbands were away fighting the war. To make matters worse, they could buy few scarce imports, for the war cut off trade with the West Indies. Moreover, both the British and Continental armies requisitioned food and livestock.

Women participated in most of the food riots and even organized some of them, according to historian Gary Nash:

Striding onto the public stage, they became arbiters of what was fair, what was patriotic, and what was necessary to serve the needs of the whole community. Fighting for ethical marketplace conduct was consonant with supporting “the glorious cause”…

As one farmer complained, “This is the very same oppression that we complain of Great Britain!”

Boston’s Female Food Riots

After the British evacuated Boston, the merchants faced 14 food riots from March 1776 onward. Abigail Adams wrote her husband John Adams, who was meeting in Philadelphia in 1777, to tell him “there has been much rout and Noise in the Town for several weeks.”

An otherwise patriotic merchant, Thomas Boylston, had tried to drive up the price of coffee and sugar by keeping them off the market. On July 24, 1777, a horde of angry women confronted him, demanding he charge a reasonable price for coffee.

He refused. Wrote Abigail, “a number of females, some say a hundred, some say more, assembled with a cart and trucks, marched down to the warehouse, and demanded the keys, which he refused to deliver.”

When Boylston stood up to the women, “one of them seized him by his neck and tossed him into the cart. Upon his finding no quarter, he delivered the keys, when they tipped up the cart and discharged him, then opened the warehouse, hoisted out the coffee themselves, put it into the trucks and drove off.”

Abigail repeated the rumor that the women had spanked Boylston, her husband’s first cousin once removed. “A large concourse of Men stood amazd silent Spectators of the whole transaction,” she concluded. According to another report, these Boston women offered Boylston’s tea to poor people in the North End. Prior to the War for Independence, the colonists drank tea. After the Boston Tea Party had dumped the tea into the harbor and ruined the goods, coffee became the colonists’ preferred beverage.

While the American colonies had been importing coffee since the mid 17th century, it only became popular after the Boston Tea Party in 1773. Because of the high taxation of tea by the British, drinking coffee became a way to show people were were patriotic Americans. Coffee then continued to rise in popularity during the Civil War, when soldiers drank it to stay alert during their long hours of fighting.

Why would we get in our WayBack machine and time travel nearly 250 years into the past to visit food riots? At Cornie’s Kitchen, I don’t care so much about the riots, as to what caused the people to take matters into their own hands. “An otherwise patriotic merchant,” one who was “close kin to the famous John Adams,” a man who would be the second president of the new nation, this Thomas Boylston thought he’d make a profit off his fellow citizens by hoarding and price gouging. From an ethics perspective, this stinks from a mile away. When hurricanes come and people raise their prices, we now have laws against profiteering from a calamity. During the world wars, sugar was rationed so everyone got a share.

A & P Sugar ration card

The distaff crowd in Boston didn’t care if this profiteer had friends in high places or that he was “otherwise patriotic.” First they asked for a fair price. There’s nothing wrong with this. When he refused, they took prophetic action. This is made the community whole by raising up the valleys and leveling the heights. This is why they gave his tea to the poor and carted off the coffee to sell at a fair price to those who could afford to pay. They added the spanking on account of his obtuseness. In that day and time, a public spanking was a mark of shame. If it never happened, the rumor mill was more than effective to make it as if it were a reality.

Let’s talk situational ethics

Some say the ethics of seizing the coffee was wrong, no matter what. However, the women employed taxation populaire, or the people’s seizure of goods to sell at fair price during extenuating circumstances. It’s part of the moral economy, just as the distribution of the tea at no cost to the poor was. The question we have to ask ourselves in this WayBack machine experience is, “Does private profit come before the welfare of the community?”

Would you call this 18th century redistribution of goods “looting?” We’re all familiar with scenes of storefronts being smashed during demonstrations or during times of calamity. Were the Boston women looters or were they activists working for the common good? Looting means “to rob, especially on a large scale and usually by violence or corruption, or during a war.” Were they confiscating the coffee for their own gain or for the common good? Looters don’t ask politely first, but take by force for their own gain, not for the benefit of others. (For a radical defense of looting, see the NPR link below.)

Grape and Lettuce Boycott

We also have boundaries in our currently developed civil society. While voting the leadership out when we need to enact change is the preferred course of action, nonviolent resistance is sometimes the best way to show our disappointment with the powers that be.

I remember the 1960’s, or the years of grape and lettuce boycotts, in which we supported migrant farm workers so they would get a bargaining group to secure them better wages, working conditions, and less chemical exposure. While I’ve not been a great advocate of healthy cooking from an early age, I have been a supporter of people on the margins of society from the beginning. How we “care for the least of these, our brothers and sisters,” speaks volumes about who we are as people of faith and persons of character.

Likewise, when we cook a meal in our family kitchens, we consider the health needs of our whole family, not just one person. I was raised back in the Stone Age, so when my mother cooked a meal, we ate it, or we went to bed hungry. We were reminded, “People are starving in China.” I never went to bed hungry, since I had a strong sense of self preservation. I could also be bribed by the promise of ice cream before bedtime.

By the time I had a child, many parents had morphed into short order cooks, so everyone could get what they desired. Meal times were hectic or folks called takeout to please everyone. I was still old school cooking, and convincing my child the turkey was just a very large chicken. That was the year she mostly ate white foods, but she would eat at least three bites of the other colors in order to get dessert. That phase lasted about six months before she became a vegetarian. She had food preferences that changed with the seasons. I rolled with them, figuring if she wanted to explore authority and self control, this autonomy was better than drugs or fast cars. Looking for small victories is always better than achieving a Pyrrhic victory at the dinner table.

What are the ethics of mealtime menus at your kitchen? Sometimes we strive for perfection, as if every single meal needs to be nutritionally sound and cover all the food groups and macros. Some days, I like a treat meal, usually whole grain pancakes or French toast. In the winter, hearty soups hit the spot. For small children, learning to eat a new food takes time. Let them grow accustomed to it by bites over a period of time. Nibbling a new veggie covered with a familiar sauce is one way to sneak it in. The three bite rule over a period of time also works, as does withholding snacks in the hour before mealtime. Hunger is a great appetizer.

Offer a cup of coffee to the ones who thirst for justice…

Finally, a caveat: do not get between a woman and her coffee. Then and now, things could get out of hand.

Keeping the coffee pot on and the brew strong,

Joy and peace,

Cornie

You can read more about The East Hartford Food Riot and the Beverly Paper Money for Sugar Riot at the New England Historical Society link below.

With thanks to History of Beverly: Civil and Ecclesiastical from Its Settlement in 1630 to 1842 by Edwin Stone, Food Riots of the American Revolution by Barbara Clark Smith and The Unknown American Revolution by Gary B. Nash.

https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/the-female-food-riots-of-the-american-revolution/

Gary B. Nash – The Unknown American Revolution: The Unruly Birth of Democracy and the … – Google Books

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Unknown_American_Revolution.html?id=j-ofqWZ-b1cC

The Surprising Way Boston Settled A Coffee ‘Shortage’ In 1777

https://www.mashed.com/72864/untold-truth-coffee/?utm_campaign=clip

Pandemic-era food price increases, shortages persist

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2021/07/22/us-food-supply-chain-taco-bell-restaurant-

One Author’s Controversial View: ‘In Defense Of Looting’ : Code Switch : NPR

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2020/08/27/906642178/one-authors-argument-in-defense-of-looting

NOTES FROM THE COVID KITCHEN

Tower of Doughnuts

Are you among the heavy Americans who’ve comforted themselves by eating one too many donuts during this pandemic, but now are frantically trying to slim down as you return to the office? Some of us have tried on our work pants and discovered they aren’t as forgiving as our sweatpants.

Yes, gym memberships are up, personal trainers are booked and Weight Watchers subscriptions have spiked. Around 42% of the population has gained weight, averaging 29 pounds, according to the American Psychological Association’s annual stress survey. Stress eating can strike at any time, but so can bored eating. Also, mindless eating.

The United States of Obesity

What’s a good cure for all of these? First, admit you have a problem and want to make a long term change. Next, set attainable small goals, such as a 5 pound weight loss over a month or exercising for 3 days a week. For some of us, 5 pounds per year may be an attainable goal. Large goals, also known as “all or nothing” desires, often just lead to failures. Most of us live two steps forward and one step back in life, so why do we expect everything to be constant progress? We can learn from our failures to do better next time. This is a skill known a resilience.

Three ingredients Original Triscuit.

Another help is to rid our pantry of nutrition scarce foods, aka “junk foods.” If they aren’t easily available, we won’t eat them. I found some stale whole grain crackers on the top shelf from the pandemic’s dark days. They went into the waste basket, not onto my waist. Yes, as a snack they were better than average. Still, I could only eat 6 at a time, so they weren’t very filling. I was always tempted to eat two servings at a sitting. They were a better choice than my old go to self medication of choice, the saltine cracker. I would eat a whole sleeve at one sitting, for the salt and carbs of that low fiber white wheat melted on my tongue and soothed my anxieties.

We also lose muscle mass as we age. Since muscle burns more calories than fat, we can lose more weight when we have more muscle. Do some weight bearing exercises along with lifting weights for optimal calorie burn. When we sit around all day on the couch or at a work station, we don’t use our body’s muscles much. At my advanced age, it’s “use it or lose it!” And I don’t mean just the pounds, but mental health and cognitive skills also.

My art studio has good light

I’m painting the trim in my condo now. Many people begin to hire out these homeowner chores once they’re in their 50’s, but continuing to do these light “honey do tasks” around your home place will use muscles long neglected. At my advanced age, I now paint every other day, and do lighter tasks on the alternate days.

Aspirational and Heroic Inspiration Meme

One of the skills I learned in my various occupations was the use of a calendar/planner. Some call this an appointment book, day-keeper, or lesson planner. I always blocked off classes, meetings, appointments, research time, exercise time, and me-time. It helped me say NO to excessive demands on my time, or negotiate an alternate date so I could help. Of course, in ministry, my best laid plans often fell apart when someone died or had an emergency hospital visit. Yet, that wasn’t every day, and my calendar helped me to put oil on the churning waters of many a stressful day. I knew when I would I would work, unless God interrupted me with a different plan.

Keeping a food diary is one of the best accountability skills for adhering to a food plan, whether it’s to lose weight or to manage blood sugar or any health condition. There’s many apps for smart phones or computers to do this quickly, or you can keep it on paper. I once kept mine on an erasable magnetic board back in the Stone Age. Measure out your food with the same cups you cook with, or weigh them on a digital scale. Cooking with fewer processed ingredients will help achieve your goals. Eating out less will also help since resturant food is designed to hit a high satiety point of fat-salt-carbohydrates that causes you to come back for more.

If this seems impossible, all I can say is add more vegetables, fiber, olive oil, fish, chicken, and more whole grains to your diet, along with some exercise. Drink your water, not alcohol or sugared drinks. Limit breads, unless you have to really chew to get them down. That’s a sign of “less processing,” and your gut will thank you for it. Eat three meals a day and plan for a snack in the afternoon if you have blood sugar drops. Make your carbohydrate choices be the complex ones, not the simple sweets of sugars and honey. Just because it’s “natural” doesn’t mean it’s good for your overall health. (Lead is natural, but no one suggests ingesting it, since it causes brain damage.)

Oh, yes, and I lost 20.1 pounds last year during the pandemic. So, maybe I’ve finally learned the truth of this wonderful word from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20—

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

Joy and peace, and blessings on your journey to health,

Cornie

U.S. Workers Try to Lose Weight Before Returning to the Office
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-13/trapped-in-a-shirt-u-s-workers-confront-pandemic-poundage

CDC OBESITY MAPS
https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.html

Michael Moss: Salt, Sugar, Fats: How the Food Giants Hooked Us https://www.amazon.com/Salt-Sugar-Fat-Giants-Hooked-ebook/dp/B00985E3UG

Fiber isn’t Just for Clothing

Kimono Fabric Art

As an artist, when I hear the word FIBER, I first think of weaving, rugs, quilting, or clothing, which are often thought of as the homemaking arts. While these are often done by women, men also find some claim to fame also. The late artist Christo and Jean-Claude’s “The Gates,” in New York’s Central Park, is an example his visionary use of fabric to wrap buildings and to define natural spaces.

The Gates, New York, Central Park.

Likewise when we talk about diets, some keep close to the utilitarian needs of the body and food, while others stretch an idea to its most fanciful extreme. This leads us to ask: “What’s a Real Live Paleo People’s Diet?”

The food plan we know today as Paleo focuses on “foods our hunter-gather ancestors would have eaten, with an emphasis on meat.” It eschews grains, sugars, and modern vegetable oils in favor of high-quality meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables. Some folks want you to believe it’s an “All The Bacon You Can Eat Diet,” but they missed the message on high quality. Perhaps they they heard “high quantity “ instead.

Bacon Diet: Very Low Fiber

We modern people don’t have access to the same foods as those who live in nature all the time and get all their food by foraging or hunting. Our modern chickens are raised in concentrated animal feeding operations, in crowded buildings, and fed a scientific diet meant to fatten them up in the shortest possible time. This is why modern chickens are almost all white meat, since the birds rarely use their muscles any more. Our grains are designed for maximum yield and insect resistance. Many of our crops are also resistant to weed killers. Of course, we can buy organic products, but their costs are higher due to the greater labor used to bring in a crop equal to those using chemicals.

We also live in communities, rather than in small groups, so we have access to supermarkets, restaurants, and fast food joints. The more processed our food, the fewer and less diverse our gut biome will be. For instance, if all we eat is biscuits and gravy or burgers and fries at our local window of death, our lives are going to be shorter and less healthy. We know this by studying stool samples. Yep, there are scientists who look at poop. They’ve discovered evidence that our intestinal microbes are profoundly influenced by the foods we eat — or don’t: The gut ecosystems of members of a small group of hunter-gatherers inhabiting Tanzania’s Rift Valley show a strong cyclicality consistent with the population’s seasonally changing diet. The average diet of a western person produces a much less diverse gut biome, primarily due to our low intake of fiber.

Hunter-gatherers of Tanzania experience
seasonal variation in gut-microbe diversity

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine were the first to look at seasonal variations in the gut-microbial composition, or microbiota, of the Hadza, one of the world’s few remaining traditional hunter-gatherer populations. The research confirms that the Hadza microbiota is more diverse than, and substantially different from, that of industrialized countries’ urban-dwelling denizens.

The study was also the first to show that the microbiota of the Hadza population varied seasonally, and that this variation corresponded to their seasonally fluctuating dietary intake.

For more than 15 million years, human beings have co-evolved with thousands of microbial species that take up residence in the lowermost part of the intestine. They earn their keep by helping us:

1. digest food components we’re unable to break down by ourselves, chiefly dietary fiber;

2. manufacturing vitamins and other health-enhancing molecules;

3. training our immune system and fostering the maturation of cells in our gut; and

4. guarding our intestinal turf against the intrusion of all-too-eager competing microbial species, including pathogens.

The advent of agriculture about 10,000 to 15,000 years ago has radically altered our diet. In the past century alone, the typical person’s lifestyle has undergone further vast alterations: labor-saving devices’ encourages a sedentary existence, the introduction of antibiotics and cesarean section births, and the gradual supplanting of fiber-filled whole grains, fruits and vegetables by increasingly processed and fiber-free foods.  

These environmental changes have brought corresponding shifts in our microbial exposures, and in our intestines’ ability to serve as hospitable hosts for these symbionts, which are organisms living cooperatively within one another. But it’s been hard to apportion the relative contributions of technological and societal innovations to the loss of microbial diversity in modern populations. The Hadza study adds evidence that our diet is a major factor in our gut biome population and constitution.

The Hadza number just over 1,000 people, but only fewer than 200 of whom adhere to the traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle, which includes a diet composed mainly of five items: meat, berries, baobab (a fruit), tubers and honey. While Western diets are pretty much the same throughout the year, the Hadza lifestyle doesn’t include refrigerators and supermarkets. So the population’s diet fluctuates according to the season, of which there are two in the Rift Valley: dry—when meat, baobab and tuber consumption play a relatively larger role; and wet—during which berries, tubers, honey and baobabs prevail. (Tubers and baobab are available year-around.)

“The 100 to 200 Hadza sticking to this routine will possibly lose it in a decade or two, maybe sooner. Some are using cell phones now,” says Justin Sonnenburg, a microbiologist at Stanford University. “We wanted to take advantage of this rapidly closing window to explore our vanishing microbiota.”

The investigators collected 350 stool samples from 188 separate Hadza individuals over a roughly one-year period encompassing a bit more than one full seasonal cycle. A thorough analysis of the samples’ microbial contents revealed that the gut microbiota varied seasonally, in harmony with the Hadza dietary intake. In particular, a subset of microbial species’ populations diminished in the wet season, when honey accounted for a significant portion of caloric intake, and rebounded in the dry season, when consumption of fiber-rich tubers peaked.

What Americans Eat

The further away people’s diets are from a Western diet, the greater the variety of microbes they tend to have in their guts. And that includes bacteria that are missing from American guts.

“So whether it’s people in Africa, Papua New Guinea or South America, communities that live a traditional lifestyle have common gut microbes — ones that we all lack in the industrialized world,” Sonnenburg said.

In a way, the Western diet — low in fiber and high in refined sugars — is basically wiping out species of bacteria from our intestines. That’s the conclusion Sonnenburg and his team reached after analyzing the Hadza microbiome at one stage of the yearlong study.

But when they checked several months later, they uncovered a surprising twist: The composition of the microbiome fluctuated over time, depending on the season and what people were eating. And at one point, the composition started to look surprisingly similar to that of Westerners’ microbiome.

During the dry season, Hadza eat a lot more meat, as most Westerners do. When their diet changed, their microbiome shifted as well. Some of the bacterial species that had been prevalent disappeared to undetectable levels, similar to what’s been observed in Westerners’ guts.

But then in wet season — when Hadza eat more berries and honey — these missing microbes returned, although the researchers aren’t really sure what’s in these foods that bring the microbes back.

“We’re beginning to realize that people who eat more dietary fiber are actually feeding their gut microbiome,” Sonnenburg says.

Hadza consume a huge amount of fiber because throughout the year, they eat fiber-rich tubers and fruit from baobab trees. These staples give them about 100 to 150 grams of fiber each day. That’s equivalent to the fiber in 50 bowls of Cheerios — and 10 times more than many Americans eat. “Over the past few years, we’ve come to realize how important this gut community is for our health, and yet we’re eating a low-fiber diet that totally neglects them,” he says. “So we’re essentially starving our microbial selves.”

“I think this finding is really exciting,” says Lawrence David, who studies the microbiome at Duke University. “It suggests the shifts in the microbiome seen in industrialized nations might not be permanent — that they might be reversible by changes in people’s diets.

In closing, while we can’t all move to Tanzania and give up our day jobs, we all could incorporate more whole grains and less processed food. If we make a plan to try one new food each week, we can train our palettes to accept novel tastes and textures. We don’t need to buy 10 pounds of a new food! One pound would do, and we can learn a new recipe. This way we stretch our minds and learn a new trick. I remember learning to appreciate liver on one of these “try something new days.” I held out till I was hungry and then my dinner tasted ever so good! Search the outer aisles and look for foods in their simple state, rather than boxed in a mix.

The average adult person in the USA only gets about 15 grams of fiber daily, despite national health goals to increase intake. The message isn’t getting out. You can use the nutrition information on your package to check for the amount of fiber. For fruits and vegetables, a quick Google search will bring up the answer. I look for at least 3 grams of fiber in any item I purchase. This rules out “white” rice, bread, and most pasta products, but brown rice, whole wheat, and whole whole grain pasta and some bean product pastas can freely substitute for the other. The good news is these fill you up more because of the fiber, so hunger between meals isn’t as much of a problem. They also keep your blood sugar from spiking and crashing, which is another problem many with prediabetes and diabetes have.

High Fiber Veggies

Aim for 25 to 30 grams of fiber daily from your food sources. My morning old fashioned oatmeal contains 4 grams of fiber, the nuts add 2 grams, and the tablespoon of cocoa an additional 2 grams for a total of 8 grams of fiber. I’m already a third of the way there, and I’ve even had a chocolate fix! I usually add a 1/3 cup of instant nonfat milk and a pat of butter to my oatmeal with some vanilla and Splenda. If I can’t enjoy life, especially food, I won’t keep to my food plan.

My “hunting and gathering” is mostly done at my local grocery store, but I have four servings of lentil soup I made yesterday in the old crockpot from the rotisserie chicken and a frozen soup veggie package, to which I added garlic and Italian spices, plus an onion. Today it’s pouring down rain and I feel like doing nothing at all, except maybe a little laundry. Or maybe more coffee! I can always get excited for coffee!

Joy and Peace,

Cornie

Hadza Hunter Gathers Seasonal Gut Microbe Diversity Study

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2017/08/hunter-gatherers-seasonal-gut-microbe-diversity-loss.html

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/08/24/545631521/is-the-secret-to-a-healthier-microbiome-hidden-in-the-hadza-diet

King DE, Mainous AG 3rd, Lambourne CA. Trends in dietary fiber intake in the United States, 1999-2008. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012 May;112(5):642-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2012.01.019. Epub 2012 Apr 25. PMID: 22709768.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22709768/

Healthy Beans and Legumes

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthiest-beans-legumes

The Standard American Diet

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/food-junkie/201308/the-american-diet

‘Ultra-Processed’ Foods and Pandemic Goals

Oatmeal Apple Muffins

What is an “ultra-processed food?” They’re “industrial food and drink formulations made of food-derived substances and additives, often containing little or no whole foods.” That is the accepted definition in the nutrition world.

Typical examples of UPFs are biscuits and confectionery, chicken nuggets, sugar-sweetened beverages, margarine, and many ready-made meals. The purpose of ultra processing is “to create branded, convenient (durable, ready-to-consume), attractive (hyper-palatable) and highly profitable (low-cost ingredients) food products often designed to displace all other food groups”.

During this Pandemic Era, many are tired of looking at their own four walls all day long, being short order cooks for their families, teaching the children or grandchildren, and maybe having to work from also. Others have been let go from jobs, and now try to stretch their few dollars over food, rent, and other expenses of life. The stress is enough to want a sweet, fat, salty processed food to take the edge off one’s nerves. I understand the need to self medicate with doughnuts, for I never passed a bakery without paying my respects to the chocolate eclairs.

At first we thought this Pandemic would be over in a matter of months, for we Americans have always met a challenge and succeeded. Since it has persisted, and appears to be on the model of the great 1919 Flu Pandemic for a timeline, we have to get with the new normal. If we’ve gained a “pandemic paunch“ over the six months, we still can make changes in our food plans to kiss those extra pounds goodbye.

Diets are confusing, and what works for one person may not work for another. Some diets eliminate almost all carbohydrates, others are extremely low fat, while others moderate the amounts of whole, unprocessed foods you consume. A recent study published in BMJ Open has boiled things down to a simple command: “Stop eating ultra-processed foods.”

The study found ultra-processed foods, such as frozen pizza and soda, make up 58 percent of all the calories Americans consume in a typical day. Plus, those “foods,” if you can even call them that, are responsible for 90 percent of Americans’ added sugar intake.

“We are not just talking about a small amount of processing here,” explains Florida-based registered dietitian Jaime Mass. These foods have been so processed—refined, bleached, combined with lab-spun additives and then refined again—that their chemical makeup doesn’t even resemble the whole foods they supposedly mimic.

“Their ingredient list resembles the back of a shampoo bottle more than it does actual food,” says nutritionist Rania Batayneh, who holds a master’s degree in public health and authored “The One One One Diet.”

Previous research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 3 out of 4 people in the U.S. are eating too much added sugar, with high-fructose corn syrup and other refined sweeteners counting for more than 10 percent of their daily calorie intake.

Excess calories aside, added sugar contributes to the onset of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. “These foods are high in things such as added sugars, unhealthy fats and excess salt that we want to limit because of their correlations with chronic disease, and low in real nutrients that fuel our bodies,” Batayneh says.

Unfortunately, and maybe this is to food manufacturers’ credit, ultra-processed foods aren’t always obvious. Here are five deceptively ultra-processed foods that stand between most dieters and their healthy goals, as well as healthier alternatives.

Trade UPF for these 5 healthy and still-tasty alternatives

1. Breakfast Cereals and Bars

Even with the “whole grain” stamps on them, it’s pretty obvious that marshmallow-laden cereals aren’t healthy. But even many “healthy” cereals and cereal bars are ultra-processed, full of added sugars and contain very few natural ingredients. “They look so wholesome with images of fruit on the package, but when you look at the fine print, you’ll find that those ‘blueberries’ are actually ‘blueberry bits’ made from sugar, corn cereal, food starch, partially hydrogenated oils and artificial colors,” Batayneh says. Plus, these cereals’ ill effects on your blood-sugar levels are worsened when you eat them first thing in the morning after a full night of fasting – setting you up for a day of blood sugar highs and lows.

Less processed, still easy: Serve up steel-cut oats in place of your typical morning cereal. Look for instant varieties, or make a big batch in the slow cooker that you can eat all week. Mix in milk, nuts and seeds for some protein and healthy fat to help keep your blood sugar levels steady, she says.

2. Sweetened Fruit Yogurts

While some companies use artificial colors to make their yogurt look fruitier than it actually is, the vast majority of flavored yogurts contain 25 grams or more of carbohydrates and 15 to 20 grams of sugar, Mass says. That’s more sugar than you’ll find 10 slices of white, refined bread! Meanwhile, flavored yogurts are often low in protein, so they don’t offer much in the way of balancing out all that sugar and helping you feel full.

Greek Yogurt, Frozen Strawberries, and Cocoa With Sliced Almonds

Less processed, still easy: Luckily, even brands that make unhealthy flavored yogurts typically have healthier varieties, she says. Look for a plain yogurt, preferably one that’s Greek to get more protein while avoiding any harmful processing, added sugars or fillers. Fold any fruit, nuts or spices like cinnamon right into it for an extra dose of healthy flavor.

3. Reduced-Fat Anything

When you take the fat out of foods like cookies, salad dressings, yogurt and ice cream, you zap a lot of the flavor along with that silky mouth-feel that makes them so satisfying. The solution: Manufacturers add extra sugar, chemicals, fillers and additives to make them palatable, Batayneh says. And, apart from their intrinsically harmful effects on your health, sugars and unpronounceable additives do nothing to promote satiety and reduce cravings, unlike fat.

Less processed, still easy: If you want to treat yourself to some ice cream, cookies or chips every now and then, go ahead and stick with the full-fat variety, she says. Meanwhile, even whole milk may be the healthier option. Research published in the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care shows that people who consume more dairy fat have a lower risk of abdominal obesity, a marker of overall health, compared to those who cut down on dairy fat.

4. Bakery Items

Whether you find them in your grocery store or your favorite coffee shop’s counter, pre-made baked goods are a huge no-no. Even those blueberry muffins (they have to be healthy, right?) usually pack more calories than two candy bars, more carbs than five slices of bread and the amount of sugar found in four glazed doughnuts, Mass says. We don’t know about you, but if we are going to splurge, it’s going to be with a doughnut, not a muffin!

Less processed, still easy: Try making your own muffins, Mass says. You can whip up a big batch of batter (it can take 10 minutes or less), freeze it in tins and then pop it in the oven whenever you’ve got a hankering. Plus, in the taste department, warm, homemade muffins always trump processed ones.

5. Sugar Sweetened Beverages and Fruit Juice

Eat the Orange

You know soda is no good, but from a sugar standpoint, juice and soda “are one in the same,” Mass says. Many varieties are highly processed, boasting food dyes, preservatives, heavy syrups and sugars. Meanwhile, even “100 percent juice” drinks are so full of sugar that if you hold their nutrition labels next to those of sugary sodas, you’d have a hard time telling them apart, she says. “Most preventive medical doctors and registered dietitians will indulge in a sweet treat every now and then. However, I have never talked to one who drinks juices because they are truly that bad,” she says.

Less processed, still easy: Eat the whole fruit! Eating an apple, rather than a glass of its juice, will score you tons of heart-healthy, filling fiber while cutting down on the amount of sugar you’re consuming, she says. Plus, while a whole orange actually contains about half the calories as a glass of OJ, the calories it does have will go to better use. The brain releases a stronger surge of satiety signals after consuming whole foods than it does after drinking liquids, even if their calories are the same, Batayneh says.

Words of Encouragement

We can do this. If you have children at home, let them help in the food prep. You’re training the next generation of cooks, so be aware of age appropriate activities. Stirring the batter or tossing the salad may be better than letting a small child handle a sharp knife.

Also, read the nutrition labels on your food, as well as the ingredient list. I look for the fewest ingredients, the most protein and fiber, as well as the least amount of added sugars in the foods I buy. If you have the grocery app on your phone, this information is added on the item screen.

Acorn Squash stuffed with Meatloaf and Green Beans

If we take charge of our meal plans, we institute one small bit of order into this chaotic world. Spending time in prayer over the meal preparation is important, even if you only think good thoughts about the earth which gave us this food, the farmers who grew it, the transportation folks who got it to the grocer, and the grocery workers who make sure it’s fresh and appealing to you and your table mates.

I hope you’re well.

Joy and Peace,
Cornie

Recipe for Cinnamon Apple Cups https://selecthealth.org/blog/2020/01/apple-cinnamon-baked-oatmeal-cups

https://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/2016-04-08/5-surprisingly-ultra-processed-foods-blocking-your-weight-loss-goals