So I discovered a podcast called "Livin' La Vida Low Carb" the other day during one of my various nutritional forays on the internet and he gets some interesting speakers on the show about health and nutrition. During the 300th episode edition Jimmy Moore is talking with Dr. Jonny Bowden and this one passage struck me as sooo true, so I wanted to share:
Jonny Bowden: "How did you become kind of a crusader for this [i.e. low carb/healthy nutrition]?"
Jimmy Moore: "You know, Jonny, when you change your life and I've met a lot of people since I started doing this who said 'You know what? I changed my life just like you did' and there's just something that happens within you, Jonny, when you make such a dramatic change in your lifestyle? I mean, the Jimmy Moore of 2009 heading into 2010 now, is nothing like the Jimmy Moore of 2003 and before... I don't even think the same way, I have kinda of a... a passion built up within me... it's like 'Hey! I've discovered something that worked for me and it's hard not to be passionate about it, Jonny, when you find out something that has helped you, the biggest thing you want to do is get out there and help other people."
Amen, Brother.
P.S. One of the other things that he goes on to say is that while lo-carb works for him, proper diet & nutrition is not a one-size fits all kind of thing and he's just on about trying to disseminate info about healthy living and nutrition in general to get people information and to get them to start thinking about the choices they make. Amen, again.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Well, that might have gone OKish...
In case you didn't know, I've been working with Kwame Brown in a kinda of apprenticeship to work toward becoming a certified animal trainer (Exuberant Animal, that is). It's been off to a bit of a rocky start, but I think things are progressing. Having taught dance for so many year, I have my stride with that down so that I barely have to think about it. I know well the safety points to hit, the kind of humor that I like to incorporate, the methods that I find effective, have ways to work with different abilities to get the desired results, and have a good feeling for class flow. I started teaching in '99, so it's now a LONG time ago and I don't at all remember what it was like when I started. This has made this learning to lead hard because the methods and skills and MO that I had developed for dance DOES NOT translate 1 to 1 into Exuberant Animal. It's unsettling, because I feel lost, but also fascinating because I am learning a whole bunch of new stuff, new ways to work with people, etc. It's a very good process to be going through. I'm also taking over someone else's class, rather than starting something essentially on my own (with dance, there were several teachers, but we were ALL new at it so there was no established class feel in the beginning). So I've an added challenge (probably mostly in my head) of trying to figure out how I should lead it since the participants are used to Kwame's style and sense of humor and let's face it... I am not him. He is not me. That's just the way things are, so I need to figure out how to get my own stride.
So, on and off, Kwame's been settling me small portions of the class to lead some warm ups or exercises to get my feet wet. It's been a bit awkward because of the issues mentioned above. Last week, he set me up to start the class: "pick 5 things that you want to do and we'll go with that" and then just never really took over again, so last week was my first whole class. It was awkward as hell, especially since I had not enough material picked out, was kinda winging it, trying to figure out how to challenge people but keep them comfortable and safe, and ADDITIONALLY try to come up with what we could do next. Egads! Let's just say that I'm pretty sure the awkwardness that I felt inside carried over. Oh well. This week, yesterday in fact, was my second full class. This time, I was fortunate enough to have a vague heads up about the fact that I'd get the whole class again and so I got some time to prepare, come up with a conceptual theme, and make a list. I felt much better, I think it went much better for the people playing, I know I still have a lot of work to do. I'm not nearly there yet, but it definitely seems like something I can work on, get better at, and actually be able to lead effectively. Yeah, that's the other weird thing about this certification - it seems like one must tread a very thin line between just leading by giving ideas, and teaching. You don't want to 'teach' too much because you want the participants to explore their full range of motion - as far as they're comfortable with, and explore their own creativity. Also, you don't want to leave it too loose because there are certain safety considerations to take into account. It's fascinating. Well, let's hope I keep growing and figuring it out! : )
So, on and off, Kwame's been settling me small portions of the class to lead some warm ups or exercises to get my feet wet. It's been a bit awkward because of the issues mentioned above. Last week, he set me up to start the class: "pick 5 things that you want to do and we'll go with that" and then just never really took over again, so last week was my first whole class. It was awkward as hell, especially since I had not enough material picked out, was kinda winging it, trying to figure out how to challenge people but keep them comfortable and safe, and ADDITIONALLY try to come up with what we could do next. Egads! Let's just say that I'm pretty sure the awkwardness that I felt inside carried over. Oh well. This week, yesterday in fact, was my second full class. This time, I was fortunate enough to have a vague heads up about the fact that I'd get the whole class again and so I got some time to prepare, come up with a conceptual theme, and make a list. I felt much better, I think it went much better for the people playing, I know I still have a lot of work to do. I'm not nearly there yet, but it definitely seems like something I can work on, get better at, and actually be able to lead effectively. Yeah, that's the other weird thing about this certification - it seems like one must tread a very thin line between just leading by giving ideas, and teaching. You don't want to 'teach' too much because you want the participants to explore their full range of motion - as far as they're comfortable with, and explore their own creativity. Also, you don't want to leave it too loose because there are certain safety considerations to take into account. It's fascinating. Well, let's hope I keep growing and figuring it out! : )
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Wish I had that problem. : )
I've gotten my body (and brain) so used to being active that it's now kinda the norm for me. (So much so that I used Apples to Apples as an excuse to do sit ups last night.... laid on the floor and did "sit ups" to submit my card and to get replacement cards.) So this week has been really hard for me - I'm kinda underwater at work, so it's been stressful, other things have been going on that are stressful this week, I'm working a lot to try and not be underwater anymore, and then there are social obligations.... this left me with about 5 minutes a day to move or get exercise, which is not enough. Thereby, I got MORE stressed because I couldn't move. Vicious cycle. That brings me to today...
I wasn't going to be happy until I went for a good run, so I went out at 11:45 to go get lost (which I succeeded in). I've been borrowing a Garmin GPS watch from my friend, Adi, and it's AWESOME! No only does it let me feel more comfortable heading into the woods alone (because I get tell it to get me back to point A), but I can also just go out with a distance in mind and just go & explore without trying to "map a route" beforehand. So yeah, it was fun. I was aiming for something over 4 miles, I got to 4.3 and said "well why not keep going?" and did. In the end I got in a 4.91 mi. run and then called it quits because my knee was muttering at me. For anyone who doesn't know. I've got a weird left knee. I am guessing it goes back to being in a cast when I was 12 - I know I ended up with some muscle atrophy and many of the problems I have now can be traced to muscle imbalances... anyway, that's why I like Pseudo-barefooting in my VFFs - it forces me to pay attention to my body, there's no alternative. So when I run, I'm always aware of that knee. If it twinges, I change my stride ever so slightly until I am moving in a way that keeps it in a neutral state of awareness. I start to zone out, my form goes away, and then my knee usually brings me back to the task at hand. We're partners. : ) So anyway, I got to this point where my knee was not hurting, but it wouldn't stop making it's presence known no matter what I changed, so now it and I are back home and both happy. That's why it came out to 4.91 mi.
So anyway, back to the subject.... I wish I had that problem. At noon it was 55 degrees. I was in capris that are a super-light cotton, like light summer Pajama pants weight. I also started out in a cotton "wife-beater" tank top & a short sleeved shirt over it. After the first 1/2 mile, I was stripped down to my tank. then later, I was hot even in that. Meanwhile I passed people running in warm-up pants and sweatshirts... * sigh * I wish I had that 'problem' - i.e. still being cold while running - only for the reason that it would enable me to keep running over the summers. Oh well. I won't. I will always overheat. That's just the way my body is. Just like my thighs will always touch, no matter how small I am, without getting liposuction (don't worry, it's NOT on my to do list) and I'm OK with that. It just means I'll never ever be able to run in shorts (as evidenced by the mine-field of scabs due to abrasion that my inner thighs looked like after the Run Like Hell, when I WAS wearing shorts (and also ended up overheating).)
Oh, two last things:
1) is that I find the GPS watch cool because I can go back and check my times... I just find it interesting. Today came out, mile# & time: 1 - 9:03, 2 - 9:59, 3 - 13:23, 4 - 12:05, 5ish - 10:51. I find it interesting that after the third mile, I got faster again. Hmmm...
2) I came across a van parked on a side street that looked exactly like the A-Team van!!! Joy!
Have a good one all!
I wasn't going to be happy until I went for a good run, so I went out at 11:45 to go get lost (which I succeeded in). I've been borrowing a Garmin GPS watch from my friend, Adi, and it's AWESOME! No only does it let me feel more comfortable heading into the woods alone (because I get tell it to get me back to point A), but I can also just go out with a distance in mind and just go & explore without trying to "map a route" beforehand. So yeah, it was fun. I was aiming for something over 4 miles, I got to 4.3 and said "well why not keep going?" and did. In the end I got in a 4.91 mi. run and then called it quits because my knee was muttering at me. For anyone who doesn't know. I've got a weird left knee. I am guessing it goes back to being in a cast when I was 12 - I know I ended up with some muscle atrophy and many of the problems I have now can be traced to muscle imbalances... anyway, that's why I like Pseudo-barefooting in my VFFs - it forces me to pay attention to my body, there's no alternative. So when I run, I'm always aware of that knee. If it twinges, I change my stride ever so slightly until I am moving in a way that keeps it in a neutral state of awareness. I start to zone out, my form goes away, and then my knee usually brings me back to the task at hand. We're partners. : ) So anyway, I got to this point where my knee was not hurting, but it wouldn't stop making it's presence known no matter what I changed, so now it and I are back home and both happy. That's why it came out to 4.91 mi.
So anyway, back to the subject.... I wish I had that problem. At noon it was 55 degrees. I was in capris that are a super-light cotton, like light summer Pajama pants weight. I also started out in a cotton "wife-beater" tank top & a short sleeved shirt over it. After the first 1/2 mile, I was stripped down to my tank. then later, I was hot even in that. Meanwhile I passed people running in warm-up pants and sweatshirts... * sigh * I wish I had that 'problem' - i.e. still being cold while running - only for the reason that it would enable me to keep running over the summers. Oh well. I won't. I will always overheat. That's just the way my body is. Just like my thighs will always touch, no matter how small I am, without getting liposuction (don't worry, it's NOT on my to do list) and I'm OK with that. It just means I'll never ever be able to run in shorts (as evidenced by the mine-field of scabs due to abrasion that my inner thighs looked like after the Run Like Hell, when I WAS wearing shorts (and also ended up overheating).)
Oh, two last things:
1) is that I find the GPS watch cool because I can go back and check my times... I just find it interesting. Today came out, mile# & time: 1 - 9:03, 2 - 9:59, 3 - 13:23, 4 - 12:05, 5ish - 10:51. I find it interesting that after the third mile, I got faster again. Hmmm...
2) I came across a van parked on a side street that looked exactly like the A-Team van!!! Joy!
Have a good one all!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Random Thoughts
Someday I'll get a post up about my experiences with the Exuberant Animal East Coast Jam... someday when I can get it all to come out of my head as something other than the deranged babbleing of a hyperactive pre-teen... ("OMG, OMG, OMG!!! It was like_! and then he was like_!.... and then, like, it was like the coolest thing EVER!)
File under the category of "kids say the darnedest things"...
I was at the pool this weekend with my sister's family and my 5 (almost 6) year old niece commented: "You belly button's a triangle!" Me: "Oh, I guess so." Her: "Why is that?" Me: "... uh 'cause that's the way it is, I dunno..."
Try on the fly explaining to a 5-6 year old that your bellybutton's a triangle because your skins a little lose still after losing weight and gravity's acting on it, while trying not to exacerbate the media body image hoopla about we all must be a super model, or should be, or can be...
I was also driving on the way to hang with my sister when I FINALLY paid attention to the Lyrics of "Vogue" by Madonna and it stuck me that they have an amazing message. Take a look and ponder for a sec. : )
All you need is your own imagination
So use it that's what it's for
Go inside, for your finest inspiration
Your dreams will open the door
It makes no difference if you're black or white
If you're a boy or a girl
If the music's pumping, it will give you new life
You're a superstar, yes, that's what you are, you know it
.....
Beauty's where you find it
Not just where you bump and grind it
Soul is in the musical
That's where I feel so beautiful
Magical, life's a ball
So get up on the dance floor
File under the category of "kids say the darnedest things"...
I was at the pool this weekend with my sister's family and my 5 (almost 6) year old niece commented: "You belly button's a triangle!" Me: "Oh, I guess so." Her: "Why is that?" Me: "... uh 'cause that's the way it is, I dunno..."
Try on the fly explaining to a 5-6 year old that your bellybutton's a triangle because your skins a little lose still after losing weight and gravity's acting on it, while trying not to exacerbate the media body image hoopla about we all must be a super model, or should be, or can be...
I was also driving on the way to hang with my sister when I FINALLY paid attention to the Lyrics of "Vogue" by Madonna and it stuck me that they have an amazing message. Take a look and ponder for a sec. : )
All you need is your own imagination
So use it that's what it's for
Go inside, for your finest inspiration
Your dreams will open the door
It makes no difference if you're black or white
If you're a boy or a girl
If the music's pumping, it will give you new life
You're a superstar, yes, that's what you are, you know it
.....
Beauty's where you find it
Not just where you bump and grind it
Soul is in the musical
That's where I feel so beautiful
Magical, life's a ball
So get up on the dance floor
Monday, November 16, 2009
Fruit of the week
Last week's "new" fruit/Veg of the week was cranberries. Not Craisins, not Cranberry sauce, not cranberry juice cocktail. Tart was an understatement, so I wasn't sure if maybe they just weren't ripe enough... Today I got a bottle of unsweetened Cranberry Juice from Whole Foods to compare. Nope, the berries I have are fine - that's just what real cranberry is all about, I guess. : ) I did find that cranberries did very well in salad and will probably be good for cooking, but I can't handle more than 4 or 5 at a time by themselves. : ) I wonder if they'll explode when heated?
Next week (aka this week): Sugar (pie) pumpkin. Can't wait!
Next week (aka this week): Sugar (pie) pumpkin. Can't wait!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Friday Article Wrap-up
Headlines & Links that intrigued me this week...
- HOW THE MAYA LIVED
- After letdown, solar-sail project rises again
- Vanished Persian army said found in desert
- Dear Mark: Your Brain on Junk Food
- New Ideas for Winter Squash
- Gordon Pirie's 'Running Fast and Injury Free' - actually didn't read the whole thing, but I intend to
- Is Pain Relief Medicine Good for Runners?
- Break It Down Again
- Sugar: The Bitter Truth - can't vouch for it, I only watched the first 30 mins, but it was intriguing.
- The Many Uses of Junk Food - useful DIY natural cleaning tips... also, though not stated in the post, you can put flour on a grease or oil stain in clothing before you wash it. The flour will soak up the oil & then wash right out. : )
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Run Like Hell & Samhain Resolutions
After much craziness with preparing for a party, cooking, cleaning, and making my fairy costume, and then other festivities like the Dupont High Heel race in the mix, on Friday, Oct. 30 J & I boarded a plane for Cincinnati. : )
The Cincinnati trip was planned about 6 months ago as a great excuse to see my friend Alex and to commemorate the event that set my running interest in motion exactly two years ago... The Cincinnati Run Like Hell!
We arrived at Cincinnati almost on time, everything went surprisingly smoothly. Got into town, managed not to get lost on the way to our stay-place for the weekend, met up with Alex, got dinner at a super cute cafe called What's for Dinner? and managed to hit the race packet pick up. J & I dropped Alex off to take care of his rental property that he owns in Cincinnati and while he was busy, J & I occupied ourselves with the Cincinnati Art Museum, which was fantastic. The Damascus Room was quite possibly our favorite part, but I always like that sort of thing. J, on the other hand, really liked the intricate victorian "tourist" table. We went back to our stay-place and got ready for the race, with Alex joining us at the last minute.
Off to the Run Like Hell. The traffic stunk, but once we got parked and situated, the atmosphere was very festive and excited. I wore my costume that I specifically designed to be pretty, runable, and going along with the theme of running "barefoot" - I was an autumn fairy, complete with fully boned 18th century stays and gorgeous (IMHO) wings. The wind that night caused a small problem with my wings since the support system was not very robust, so they caught the wind & got blown every which way including into other people and over my head. Anyway, we joined thr group of runners lining up, with me trying to minimize the incidence of my wings hitting other crowd-members, and at about 7:30 PM, we were off. The course was fun, and it started off downhill. During this stretch, I saw a crazy group of 3 guys, two of whom were screaming and running wildy from a third dressed as Jason (who I later found out was truly named Jason). The next stretch was uphill.... a looooong uphill. I mapped it and I think there was a 180ft elevation gain over the course of a mile, so it was long. Please be aware that all the races I've done (all in DC) have had a max elevation change of 40 ft. and most have been completely flat. I was NOT prepared. I made a honorable go of it though since I made it the whole way up the hill, and only walked a little bit once I got back down to the bottom. Half of the hill was into and through a graveyard and that was totally awesome. Did I forget to mention it was a nighttime run partly through a graveyard??? : ) Anyway, the graveyard bit was pretty fun. Nice atmosphere. Well, as I was going back down the hill, I started getting a stitch in my side - result of breathing rhythm thrown off by constricted breathing and trying to figure out how to deal with a hill in progress. I went on, ignoring it until it refused to be ignored any longer. Egads! It let me know it's displeasure with a vengeance and there was nothing to do but walk/run for about 0.25-0.5 mile or so. Grrr. Very frustrating. Anyway, I made it to the end, making good time for the last 0.2 mi. and had a grand time at the post party. It was fun, as always, to mingle and discuss each other's costumes and Alex & I got a lot of questions (as usual) about our Vibran FiveFingers. There was music and free food & drinks, so J & I got to try a Cincinnati delicacy called Goetta which Alex described as "the parts of the pig you wouldn't normally eat, ground up with oats and made into a patty." Absolutely winning description, but as with Haggis, I ended up being pleasantly surprised - it was good! Also, it tasted disturbingly like a Gardenburger Original Patty - a substitution mistake you do NOT want to make when feeding vegetarians! : ) Anyway, a good time seemed to be had by all and then we stumbled home & passed out. Thankfully it didn't rain on us for more than 5 minutes and it was a balmy 64 degrees.
The best part of the weekend, of course, was getting to hang out with Alex and meeting Emily & Tom and their two dogs. It's always the most fun to see a new place with a deignated tour guide, especially if that person has lived there. It's like getting a rosey colored glimpse into their "everyday" lives - seeing their favorite places and local haunts.
The trip finished off with a morning Brunch at another neighborhood waffle shop (which I can't remember the name of) with Alex's friend Amanda and a peak at a very unique house right across the street. Finally, we were off to the airport and on our way home.
The Cincinnati trip was planned about 6 months ago as a great excuse to see my friend Alex and to commemorate the event that set my running interest in motion exactly two years ago... The Cincinnati Run Like Hell!
We arrived at Cincinnati almost on time, everything went surprisingly smoothly. Got into town, managed not to get lost on the way to our stay-place for the weekend, met up with Alex, got dinner at a super cute cafe called What's for Dinner? and managed to hit the race packet pick up. J & I dropped Alex off to take care of his rental property that he owns in Cincinnati and while he was busy, J & I occupied ourselves with the Cincinnati Art Museum, which was fantastic. The Damascus Room was quite possibly our favorite part, but I always like that sort of thing. J, on the other hand, really liked the intricate victorian "tourist" table. We went back to our stay-place and got ready for the race, with Alex joining us at the last minute.
Off to the Run Like Hell. The traffic stunk, but once we got parked and situated, the atmosphere was very festive and excited. I wore my costume that I specifically designed to be pretty, runable, and going along with the theme of running "barefoot" - I was an autumn fairy, complete with fully boned 18th century stays and gorgeous (IMHO) wings. The wind that night caused a small problem with my wings since the support system was not very robust, so they caught the wind & got blown every which way including into other people and over my head. Anyway, we joined thr group of runners lining up, with me trying to minimize the incidence of my wings hitting other crowd-members, and at about 7:30 PM, we were off. The course was fun, and it started off downhill. During this stretch, I saw a crazy group of 3 guys, two of whom were screaming and running wildy from a third dressed as Jason (who I later found out was truly named Jason). The next stretch was uphill.... a looooong uphill. I mapped it and I think there was a 180ft elevation gain over the course of a mile, so it was long. Please be aware that all the races I've done (all in DC) have had a max elevation change of 40 ft. and most have been completely flat. I was NOT prepared. I made a honorable go of it though since I made it the whole way up the hill, and only walked a little bit once I got back down to the bottom. Half of the hill was into and through a graveyard and that was totally awesome. Did I forget to mention it was a nighttime run partly through a graveyard??? : ) Anyway, the graveyard bit was pretty fun. Nice atmosphere. Well, as I was going back down the hill, I started getting a stitch in my side - result of breathing rhythm thrown off by constricted breathing and trying to figure out how to deal with a hill in progress. I went on, ignoring it until it refused to be ignored any longer. Egads! It let me know it's displeasure with a vengeance and there was nothing to do but walk/run for about 0.25-0.5 mile or so. Grrr. Very frustrating. Anyway, I made it to the end, making good time for the last 0.2 mi. and had a grand time at the post party. It was fun, as always, to mingle and discuss each other's costumes and Alex & I got a lot of questions (as usual) about our Vibran FiveFingers. There was music and free food & drinks, so J & I got to try a Cincinnati delicacy called Goetta which Alex described as "the parts of the pig you wouldn't normally eat, ground up with oats and made into a patty." Absolutely winning description, but as with Haggis, I ended up being pleasantly surprised - it was good! Also, it tasted disturbingly like a Gardenburger Original Patty - a substitution mistake you do NOT want to make when feeding vegetarians! : ) Anyway, a good time seemed to be had by all and then we stumbled home & passed out. Thankfully it didn't rain on us for more than 5 minutes and it was a balmy 64 degrees.
The best part of the weekend, of course, was getting to hang out with Alex and meeting Emily & Tom and their two dogs. It's always the most fun to see a new place with a deignated tour guide, especially if that person has lived there. It's like getting a rosey colored glimpse into their "everyday" lives - seeing their favorite places and local haunts.
Saturday morning, Alex took us for breakfast at Findlay Market - Cincinnati's old farmer's market - and we got AMAZING waffles and crepes from Taste of Belgium. I have to admit that I think Belgian accents are even more fun to listen to than french ones.... *swoons * Next, we dropped him off for an appointment and were going to make our way to the observatory, but got sidetracked at a Blockbuster Going out of Business Sale and at Walgreens. By the time Alex called to get picked up from his appointment, I had acquired several Miziyaki Films, Some Like it Hot, and a 8 in. diameter, orange squishy ball with an interior LED flasher - the latter provided much entertainment throughout the day. : ) After retrieving Alex, we did make our way to the Observatory and found: that they had not removed Pluto from their display of the distance between planets, that the human-powered sun dial really does work (when the sun's out) and came across a deer grazing in the meadow. Next we went up to Ault Park and took in the view. Lastly, we headed up to the Fox & Hound in Mason, OH to watch the PSU game. During half-time, Alex & I ducked out, with squishy ball in tow, to check out the surrounding sights. We hit up the local Walmart, checked out the current movie listings at the Regal, hit Borders to look for the Marge Simpson issue of Playboy and came out sans magazine, but with the addition of half-priced, flashing, fuzzy bat deeley-boppers (and I had thought we made that term up.... nope, it's legit according to wikipedia). Life is good. Unfortunately, all the activity from the weeks leading up to this resulted in me being tired & worn out & really not in the mood to don my costume and mingle with hundreds of people that I didn't know. Weird! Huh?
The trip finished off with a morning Brunch at another neighborhood waffle shop (which I can't remember the name of) with Alex's friend Amanda and a peak at a very unique house right across the street. Finally, we were off to the airport and on our way home.
Samhain Resolutions (my goals for this year):
- eat 1 new vegetable every week or every other week
- run a 10K comfortably
- be able to do a pull-up
- drastically reduce my soda intake (I only drink diet, so it's more a matter of weaning off caffiene & chemicals)
- become a certified Exuberant Animal trainer
- Continue to maintain my current weight-loss.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Repercussions beyond me or you....
Just something I've been pondering. On doing lotsa, lotsa research on "Paleo/Primal" eating theory, one thing that's a constant is total and Rampant anti-grain sentiment. Some of the arguments are interesting and may be legit, but at times it's hard to pick through the all out anti-grain rage and really determine what I think for myself on the subject... Also, I'm in a bit of a funk today, so it's hard to go much of anywhere mentally... I'm still about at: "my guts grump at me when I eat breads, so we'll try to keep it to a minimum."
Now I was pondering today: IF there's really something to Paleo and it should be applied to everyone, and IF there was a massive paradigm shift and everyone stopped eating them,.... holy _(fill in the blank)_, a large sector of commerce across the globe would collapse and where would we all be and what would happen to all those people who made their livelihood through grain farming and ..... keep going - there's a lot of 'what will everyone do' that feeds off that. Like the environmental impact of having a major crop shift and population impact because the vast majority of the world's population subsists on grain products because they are very calorically dense and cheap. Would we have more problems with starving people around the world because we would not have enough food for everyone if we switched all grain fields to pastures and green leafy veggies? i.e. Could that kind of agriculture support the current world population?
Sorry, I'm feeling a bit catastrpohic-dooms-dayish, so I'll go away now. : )
Now I was pondering today: IF there's really something to Paleo and it should be applied to everyone, and IF there was a massive paradigm shift and everyone stopped eating them,.... holy _(fill in the blank)_, a large sector of commerce across the globe would collapse and where would we all be and what would happen to all those people who made their livelihood through grain farming and ..... keep going - there's a lot of 'what will everyone do' that feeds off that. Like the environmental impact of having a major crop shift and population impact because the vast majority of the world's population subsists on grain products because they are very calorically dense and cheap. Would we have more problems with starving people around the world because we would not have enough food for everyone if we switched all grain fields to pastures and green leafy veggies? i.e. Could that kind of agriculture support the current world population?
Sorry, I'm feeling a bit catastrpohic-dooms-dayish, so I'll go away now. : )
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Beets Can't Be Beat!
Yup, so I'm not going to share the recipe I need to work on it some more because all the flavors blended together and turned into a very flat taste. (Actually, that's probably good for some people...) Anyway, I'll post the full list of my Samhain resolutions later, as well as a recap of Cincinnati and the Run Like Hell. I need pictures to do it justice though and I keep leaving my cable at work. argh. So one of my Samhain resolutions will be to try a new vegetable every week or every other week. It's partly spurred by how limited I feel in what I eat and partly by things like this... Either way, I need to get around to 26-52 new vegetables this year. This week was beets. Not just the beet, as I've had that before, but the WHOLE beet including beet greens and t he stalks. AWESOME!!! Do NOT throw those stalks away! They are super yummy! So last night I made spaghetti squash as a base and then sauteed the beet greens and stalks in olive oil & white Wine vinegar and garlic and dried mint and chili powder and Galena st. Seasoning and sauteed some Pork tenderloin in it at the end. I scooped all that onto the spaghetti squash. It was good, though the flavor was not as complex as I had been hoping. The three things I loved about it was that I got at least 3 servings of vegetables in one dish, it was colorful, and by using the beets, stalks, and greens, I got 3 veggies for the price of one. : )) the pics don't really do it justice, but ah well...
Friday Article Wrap-up
Alrighty!
So I read a lot of articles and come across stuff that I find fascinating all the time. Lately, it's been within a very narrow genre and since I've been sharing those articles regularly, some people are getting irritated or taking it the wrong way. As a result, I've figured out a way to present the articles that I've found intriguing this week without constantly spamming people. Also, if you aren't interested, don't read them or pick and choose.
Without further ado, here's this week's list in no particular order:
So I read a lot of articles and come across stuff that I find fascinating all the time. Lately, it's been within a very narrow genre and since I've been sharing those articles regularly, some people are getting irritated or taking it the wrong way. As a result, I've figured out a way to present the articles that I've found intriguing this week without constantly spamming people. Also, if you aren't interested, don't read them or pick and choose.
Without further ado, here's this week's list in no particular order:
Fun stuff:
Informative stuff:
- Omega-3 deficiency may be hurting our hearts
- Feeling grumpy 'is good for you' - finally, after untold stories about how J's gonna live 12-14 years longer than me because he doesn't stress.... ; )
- Collins: Letter to young American women
- Animals make the perfect humans - an OpEd that scathing, yet amusing
- Depression link to processed food - I'd like to see the controls on the study, but I've heard enough anecdotal evidence to buy that it's a contributing factor
- Chris Rock on the billion dollar black 'good hair' industry
- 'The myth of the chemical cure' - also something I've heard a couple of different places and worth noting perhaps
- To Meet Your Nutrient Goals, You May Need to Expand Your Food Variety - I want to look up this study too.
- Not So Happily Ever After
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