What's in your kitchen? Fresh, frozen or processed, April 21

 Refrigerator

• Yellow pepper
• Red pepper
• Red leaf lettuce
• Baby spinach
• Green beans
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Peas, frozen
• Olives
• Broccoli
• Cantaloupe
• Pineapple
• Blue berries
• Strawberries
• Red grapes
• Grape Tomatoes
• Oranges
• Cheese, cheddar, American, Parmesan, Cream
• Whole Milk
• Half and Half creamer
• Eggs, fresh and hard cooked
• Butter
• Orange juice
• Apple cider
• Pork loin
• Ham
• Hamburger
• Bacon
• Sausage
• Salmon
• Condiments
• Frozen tater tots
• Ice cream cups, vanilla
• Frozen biscuits
• Homemade sandwiches, meat and cheese on buns
• Chocolate cookies, bakery

Cupboards

• Bananas
• Sweet Potatoes
• Russet Potatoes
• Pretzels
• Soda crackers
• Walnuts
• Rice brown, pasta
• Canned soups, various
• Canned beans, corn, peas
• Canned fruit pieces, various
• Fruit juices, single serving
• Cake mixes, various
• Cheerios
• Oatmeal
• Oat Bran
• Raisins
• Tea bags
• Tea, herbal
• Coffee, decaf
• baking supplies, spices, condiments
• Olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Vinegar
• Cocoa, dark 100% Cacao
• Honey, local

The true cost of food--final 2021 report by Rockefeller Foundation

This report it being touted by various liberal sources charging the "American diet" or "food system" is killing us, the environment, damaging the health of minorities and costing all of us $1.1 trillion annually, much more than the price tag.

 
I've glanced through it (if Washington Post loves it, it must be worth reading, right?) I can't see there's anything different than what I knew when I was Agriculture Economics librarian at OSU in the 1980s. Except the heavy emphasis on equity and underserved communities. That's a giant wet snow ball that gets bigger with every report from the foundations and universities.

 
One thing for sure--as you see more and more stats on the inequities of the pandemic, you can certainly look at diet, obesity, and its outcomes. We were told this from the beginning of Covid that co-morbidities are a serious problem. Obesity is 1.2x more prevalent in Black Americans and diagnosed diabetes are 1.7x higher in Latin Americans than White Americans, and 1.5x higher in
Black Americans than White Americans. So behind the curtain is the "blame whites" for the diets and culture of minorities, even though co-morbidities among whites are nothing to brag on. If we've learned nothing else, we've been told blacks should be arrested, or die, or buy homes at the same percentage as their population.

If you read the bibliography/footnotes/side bars/ tables, you see enough holes to drive a truck of pastries through. This is not to say the "system" isn't wasteful or fattening, but the suggestion is always for big brother to do something--do anything. I've been reading these final reports for 40 years. And Americans just get fatter, waste more food, and eat out even more.

 
And now that Biden is in office, what's another trillion or so? Do you really think the $$ from the $2.2 trillion American Rescue Plan will go to eat more vegetables and fruits? Families with a joint income of less than $150,000 will receive $3,600 per child under the age of 6, and up to $3,000 for children between 6 and 17 years old in 2021.

"Even using this limited scope, human health impacts are the biggest “hidden” cost of the food system, with close to $1.1 trillion per year (est.) in health-related costs to American taxpayers. The majority of these costs—$604 billion—are attributable to health care costs related to diet-related diseases such hypertension, cancer, and diabetes. The additional costs are impacts from health care costs from workplace injuries, food insecurity and pollution, and additional costs attributable to obesity." p. 17

 True-Cost-of-Food-Full-Report-Final.pdf (rockefellerfoundation.org)

You can down load this. Wonderful graphics. Just remember the direction it goes.

Nutrition and diet changes for heart health

When the cardio rehab from Ohio Health called to discuss Bob's diet, I had to be on the phone since I buy, plan the menus and prepare the food. Slowly we're making changes--more for me than him, since he's always been careful and disciplined. 

So the other day I was reading about heart healthy goals, SMART, which are 

Specific, 

Measurable, 

Attainable, 

Realistic, and 

Time-oriented. 

We can hit all those. I've lost 6 lbs., my blood pressure is down, and haven't had the salt shaker on the table for five days. Salty crunchy is my go-to comfort food. However, I recognized that's how my former boss (now deceased) Jay Ladd told me to write my goals for my annual report. For instance. Attend 3 professional conferences--national, local or state, meet with the faculty library committee once a month and send him a report, answer 2 letters a month from school children (two was a good achievable number because there would be many more). It had to be specific, measurable and attainable. That way when he'd visit my library the next year, all he had to do was check, check and check. I hate setting goals, but being specific and measurable helped a lot. Same with health changes.

Since I'm now checking my blood pressure, which I'd never done in the past, I also read an article on how to do it.  

Empty your bladder.  

Sit with feet on the floor and don't cross your knees.  

Sit quietly and relax.  

Lay your arm on the table.  

Apply the cuff correctly (which is difficult for me without help).  

Proceed. 

Some days the high number is over 130, but more and more, it's in the teens as I give up salt and do it correctly. Today it was 112/65 pulse 64. On Feb. 20 it was 116/67 pulse 79. 

About salt.  I don't like adding artificial things if I can just do with less of the natural (such as "lite" salad dressing or "low salt" anything), so I poked around in the cupboard and found a shaker of "The Avenue" signature steak seasoning. The Avenue Steak Tavern  We'd gone there for my 80th birthday before Phil became ill.  The ingredients are granulated garlic, granulated onion, dried parsley, pink peppercorn, black peppercorn, and Kosher salt.  Since salt is the last ingredient, I think I'll use this on some things that are just tasteless. Ricotta, for instance, is as tasty as school paste. The main ingredient is whey.  I browsed the internet for other steak seasoning, and found most listed salt as first or second ingredient. 

A change of diet

I thought I'd mix up our diet a bit and serve more fish. I’m trying to lose my Covid weight, and Bob will probably be told to eat less red meat when he starts heart rehab this week. I usually shop at Marc's and it doesn't sell fresh fish, so I looked at the frozen choices. I always start with Product of the USA or Made in the USA. "Distributed by" is just a way to sell you fish from China or Thailand. I glanced at the label of the "lobster cakes with real lobster" (after checking out the price) and put it in the cart. Today when I took it out of the freezer to thaw in the refrigerator, I took a closer look. Less than 2% lobster meat. There are some other kinds of fish, but also soy, wheat, milk, eggs, etc. Looks like I'll need to drive a bit further for fresh fish.

You can't call it false advertising, but you could call it a Democrat politician.

Homocysteine

I wrote about homocysteine in February at this blog.

Today I noticed this after seeing Dr. Bret Scher on a Prager U video. https://lowcarbcardiologist.com/meat-and-homocysteine-irrelevant-or-dangerous/

This video is on how the government made us fat is good. https://www.prageru.com/video/how-the-government-made-you-fat/

Diet information sometimes conflicts

A recent article in JAMA says weight gain, even in small increments, before age 55 can make you susceptible to chronic diseases, but then a new article in NEJM based on the famous Nurses’ Study (began about 40 years ago) reports that 12 years of modest diet changes (more veggies, less meat, etc.) can extend your life.  I had a bowl of blueberries for breakfast yesterday, but it was downhill after that. Potato chips for a snack, biscuits and gravy for supper, and so forth. I just love those Pillsbury Grands (frozen).  So much better than mine.

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/improving-diet-quality-over-time-linked-with-reduced-risk-premature-death/

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/07/weight-gain-from-early-to-middle-adulthood-poses-risks/

Life style or genetics: The super agers

 I know a few "super agers" over 90, and although I can't comment on their exercise habits, I do know they maintain an active intellectual life (including e-mail, internet, music) and have a better social life than many younger people. 

"While there’s currently no proven method to preserve cortex volume, research has shown specific lifestyle changes that seniors can perform to help keep themselves sharp as they age, Kornel and Wright said. These include:

• Regular physical exercise, including strength training.
• A healthy and balanced diet.
• Brain workouts that involve challenging puzzles or tasks.
• An active social life."

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/brain-scans-reveal-mental-secret-of-super-agers/ 

Links to recent research on lifestyle and cognitive decline:

https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/paperchase-aging/pdf/NjJf3fWGKw4e99CyC.pdf This is the 2014 article with the chart on lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, supplements.

.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4931830/  This is the follow up article on the previous one. Reports on changes and brain scans.

 

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/circj/81/2/81_CJ-16-1011/_pdf Published this year about B12 and homocysteine. 

 

http://www.buckinstitute.org/buck-news/Memory-loss-associated-with-Alzheimers-reversed The above cognitive studies explained in everyday English

Probably not potato chips and ice cream

“The Mediterranean-style diet (MedDiet) involves substantial intake of fruits, vegetables, and fish, and a lower consumption of dairy, red meat, and sugars. Over the past 15 years, much empirical evidence supports the suggestion that a MedDiet may be beneficial with respect to reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, and dementia. A number of cross-sectional studies that have examined the impact of MedDiet on cognition have yielded largely positive results. The objective of this review is to evaluate longitudinal and prospective trials to gain an understanding of how a MedDiet may impact cognitive processes over time. The included studies were aimed at improving cognition or minimizing of cognitive decline. Studies reviewed included assessments of dietary status using either a food frequency questionnaire or a food diary assessment. Eighteen articles meeting our inclusion criteria were subjected to systematic review. These revealed that higher adherence to a MedDiet is associated with slower rates of cognitive decline, reduced conversion to Alzheimer’s disease, and improvements in cognitive function. The specific cognitive domains that were found to benefit with improved Mediterranean Diet Score were memory (delayed recognition, long-term, and working memory), executive function, and visual constructs. The current review has also considered a number of methodological issues in making recommendations for future research. The utilization of a dietary pattern, such as the MedDiet, will be essential as part of the armamentarium to maintain quality of life and reduce the potential social and economic burden of dementia.”

Adherence to a Mediterranean-Style Diet and Effects on Cognition in Adults: A Qualitative Evaluation and Systematic Review of Longitudinal and Prospective Trials. Roy J. Hardman, Greg Kennedy, Helen Macpherson, Andrew B. Scholey and Andrew Pipingas. Frontiers in Nutrition, vol. 3, page 22 -, 2016. DOI 10.3389/fnut.2016.00022

Diabetics need to take charge of their diets and their health

A new study published this week in the journal Neurology shows that people with type 2 diabetes demonstrate a decline in cognitive skills and ability to perform daily activities over the course of only two years.

• After two years, the people with diabetes showed greater declines in gray matter as well as impairments in their ability to regulate blood flow in the brain than the people without.
• Blood flow regulation decreased by an average of 65 percent in the participants with diabetes.
• Among participants with diabetes, scores on thinking and memory tests decreased by an average of 12 percent, from 46 to 41 points, while test scores of the participants without diabetes stayed the same at 55 percent.
• Higher levels of inflammation were correlated with greater difficulties with blood flow regulation.
• Those with the highest levels of blood flow regulation impairment at the outset of the study had more difficulties performing daily activities (such as cooking and bathing) after two years.

Diet changes that could help

Despite cheese's less-than-healthy reputation, a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that cheese-eaters actually have a 12 percent lower risk of the disease than their non cheese-eating counterparts.
Plus, people who ate more cheese, fermented milk and yogurt in the study were also more likely to have a decreased diabetes risk than people who ate less of these foods, noted the

Researchers from the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center found that people who regularly eat tree nuts (we're talking pistachios, walnuts, almonds and cashews) have a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes, as well as heart disease and metabolic syndrome.

University of Washington and University of Pittsburgh researchers found that people who walked the most in their study -- which included 1,826 people from Native American communities -- had a 29 percent lower risk of diabetes, compared with those who walked the least.

Apple, pear and blueberry eaters have lower risks of Type 2 diabetes, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The study was based on the diets of 200,000 people. HuffPost Canada reported that anthocyanins and fruits rich in anthocyanins were linked with lower diabetes risk; flavanoids, however, were not.

Eating a range of fruits and veggies could help to lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes, Medical Daily reported.

Drinking alcohol at a moderate level is linked with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes for some people, according to an American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study.  Harvard researchers found that for women with refined carb-heavy diets, moderate alcohol consumption is linked with a decreased diabetes risk of 30 percent, compared with non-imbibing women who eat similar diets, Reuters reported.

Chinese researchers found earlier this year that coffee may stop a protein linked with Type 2 diabetes from building up, thereby possibly lowering the risk of the disease, WebMD reported. The research, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, suggests that three particular compounds found in coffee are able to have this beneficial effect: caffeine, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid, according to WebMD.

HuffPost Science, July 11, 2015

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769828/

The month after Christmas—author unknown

'Twas the month after Christmas,
and all through the house ...
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste at the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales
there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store
(less a walk than a lumber).
I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;

The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt---
I said to myself, as only I can
" You can't spend a winter disguised as a man! "

So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chips
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
" Till all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.
I'll want to chew only on a long celery stick.

I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore---
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!"

Rick Warren’s new book, The Daniel Plan

                         

Today Gretchen Carlson interviewed Rick Warren about his "The Daniel Plan" which is about healthy eating and exercise, and she specifically asked what he thought about the Obamacare mandate requiring Christians to violate their conscience and teachings, and after telling her Christians had the first hospitals he moved right back to talking about his book and didn't answer her question which included a clip of Cardinal Dolan on NBC.

One of the guests with Warren commented on obesity and brain function. Compared to people of normal weight, overweight people’s brains look 8 years older and obese people’s brains appear 16 years older. Warren has lost 65 lbs.--so maybe that was his problem with answering a very clear question.

http://bebrainfit.com/lifestyle/drains/the-toll-being-overweight-takes-on-your-brain/

Are Lutherans taller than Methodists?

It's Lutheran Chautauqua Week--and so is next week. It's also the 4th of July week, so Lakeside is bursting at the seams. There were about 700 kids in the parade on Monday. Last night's program at Hoover Auditorium (seats about 3,000) was a group of Kenyan Acrobats. The men performers were athletic, slender and muscled; the women were overweight--extremely. Not like here where many men are overweight.

As I sat in my seat looking up and around waiting for the program to begin it occurred to me I had never seen so many tall people--i.e. well over 6'--in my life. I wondered if they were Lutherans. Descendants of the Scandanavians and Germans who settled around here. It is particularly striking among the women. When I was growing up a 6' woman was relatively unusual, but it is nothing today to see women 6'3 or 6'4. I suppose they marry men their height or taller and pass it on to the next generation. Women my height (5'5") just grow sideways.

Yesterday's afternoon program on Stress and Nutrition by Dr. Wendy Stuhldreher was pretty much what I expected--eat less, move more, and eat all the colors. Eating fish is always recommended, but I was impressed by one chart she showed where mackerel exceeded all others (twice as much as salmon) in what we need in acronyms, EPA and DHA. She recommends drinking milk, something I haven't done in about 50 years. . . either skim (yuk) or 1% (almost yuk). So while I'm blogging this morning I'm sipping a cup of milk.

I left before the Q & A, so maybe she addressed this, but the audience was very lean and healthy looking, even with the average age of about 65. In fact, I've seen so many overweight people here, particularly young people, it's almost like a "not welcome" sign had been posted outside the Green Room. She was definitely preaching to the choir. Doesn't that happen with so many topics that could educate us? People, particularly those on vacation, don't want to hear bad news, whether it's political, religious or dietary.

She recommended we look at the portion control web site, MyPlate.gov

Daily challenges

Today someone gave me three of these.

Yes, Panera's cinnamon rolls--620 calories each, 24 grams of fat (There is a nutrition calculator on the internet.) On the plus side, they do contain 20% rda of vitamin C and 13 grams of protein--that's more than a can of black beans! Right now, they are packaged separately and I'm debating their future. It's the last day of exercise class. Should I take them along and divide them among the ladies (and one man)? Should I put them in the freezer where they might call to me? What would you do?

And not a fast food restaurant in sight

The scene "Sunday on the banks of the River Marne (1938) may be idyllic, but they are all overweight. How can that be with all that healthy French food and no evil processed food? Apparently Americans didn't invent this problem.

TLC's One Big Happy Family

Today I clicked into One Big Happy Family, the story of the Coles, who are indeed happy, live in a beautiful home in a nice neighborhood, but are all overweight.

"Each half-hour One Big Happy Family episode will follow the Cole family, which resides in Charlotte, NC and weighs a collective 1,400 ponds between the four of them. Norris, the 41-year-old father who weighs 340 lbs., is a stay-at-home dad while his wife Tameka, a 36-year-old who weighs 380 lbs., is responsible for financially supporting the family while also serving as the disciplinarian for their two children -- 16-year-old Amber, who weighs 348 lbs., and her 14-year-old brother Shayne, who weighs 308 lbs."

Since diet and exercise are usually the #1 New Year's Resolution, it's a good program to watch while surfing for bowl games.

June 1, 2010 update: "The day the doctor said Coles would die, he weighed in at 345 pounds. He's now down to 263. His wife was 380 pounds, and she's at 259 now. His two kids were each in the 330-pound range, and they're down to the 290s.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2010/06/01/2010-06-01_change_your_diet_or_youll_die_so_tlc_family_steers_away_from_fatty_food.html#ixzz0pi4ozho3

Wasn't this settled?

Eat less, move more, don't smoke. "Combined impact of lifestyle factors on mortality: prospective cohort study in US women," Rob M van Dam, BMJ 2008;337:a1440 Here.

I guess it needed more study. Alcohol consumption was also part of the study, but there are trade offs, depending on the amount. The danger is always that "light" will move on to "excessive," thus eliminating the health benefits.

Conclusions
Avoiding cigarette smoking is of pivotal importance for the prevention of premature death. In our study of middle aged women, adherence to lifestyle guidelines involving a healthy diet, regular physical activity, and weight management was also associated with markedly lower mortality. Of note, our results indicate that a healthy diet and regular physical activity have important health benefits independent of reducing adiposity. These findings underscore the importance of intensifying both efforts to eradicate cigarette smoking and those aimed at improving diet and physical activity.

Lose 5 lbs. by Easter

10 lbs. by Memorial Day. That was the story in USAToday this morning. So that's 5 weeks, or a pound a week. There were some interesting suggestions--in addition to more veggies and fruit, portion control, etc., which I hope we all know by now.

Put magazines with covers of fit people on your coffee table.

Hang a summer outfit where you can see it.

Decrease or eliminate fruit juice and sugary drinks, as well as alcohol and coffee dessert drinks.

Sit down at the table to eat.

One pound of fat contains about 3,500 calories, so to lose one pound a week, you should eat 500 fewer calories each day. That probably means my husband will need to finish the chocolate peanut butter pie that's in the frig.

Colorful food tend to be more nutrient dense--blueberries, broccoli, peppers, etc. Remember, mother always said to eat all the colors. That's probably not dark chocolate candy, or golden corn chips.

If you drink a glass of water before a meal, you'll feel more full.

Before you go for seconds, wait 10 minutes; your body will probably tell you that you're already full. Of course, in some homes, everyone will have left the kitchen or cleared the table if you wait ten minutes. Everyone is in such a hurry!

Wear a pedometer. 1000 steps is 1/2 mile. 10 flights of stairs is one mile.

Eat real food. Take the word "snack" right out of your vocabulary. Think about it. A snack usually increases your hunger, not decreases it. It's a set up--don't go down that aisle, don't try that recipe. It's a trick. And a billion dollar business.

See www.smallstep.gov for more tips.

4510

Eating Out, Cheap and Trim

In yesterday's WSJ Suzanne Barlyn rated five restaurants for their calorie and fat accuracy so you might have an idea how to reduce a 2,000-3,000 calorie meal in a restaurant to a more reasonable 600-700 calorie one. Here's the article on-line, but Barlyn has also written some excellent stuff about budgeting and eating healthy which you can find here.

We have had a "Friday night date" for about 40 years, and when our children were young we used to go out to eat with them about twice a month, usually for breakfast after church either at Paul's Pantry or Friendly's in Grandview, or a week-night at Tommy's Pizza on Lane Ave. (We'd call ahead even for table service because our little guy was pretty active). Social engagements or business appointments might send us to restaurants another 2-3 times a month. I think we're below the six times a week eating out that I heard on the radio the other day. One thing the women's movement of the 1970s did was create the modern family's dependency on the restaurant culture--and our growing obesity problem.

My suggestions, which were not included in Barlyn's article since she was evaluating specific menus at Applebee's and Friday's, are:

1) Choose friends or a group you enjoy so that the conversation and socializing are more important than the food.

2) Begin at noon/lunch. If you're going out for dinner, don't go out for lunch, but if you have to because of invitations or business, scale it way back.

3) Eat a small, crisp sliced apple or drink a glass of water before you leave the house, especially if you expect a wait.

4) Park further away from the restaurant than you need to--don't take the place right in front. The extra exercise will do you good, and someone else will love you for doing that.

5) Order your favorite--if you are dieting or even just maintaining/watching--don't use a restaurant menu to punish yourself. You'll soon fall off the wagon if you try to drastically change your diet.

6) Order a to-go or take-out box WHEN YOU ORDER your meal.

7) When the meal is served, put 1/2 or 1/3 in the box and set the box out of view. I've only seen one restaurant meal in my adult life that didn't include a full day's allowance for calories, fat and sodium, and that didn't include dessert or drinks.

8) If you've ordered a salad, always ask for dressing on the side, but DO NOT pour it on your salad.

9) Dip your fork in the dressing, then stab the lettuce. You'll never notice the difference, and you might just be pleased to taste the greens and veggies (at least if they aren't fresh you'll know it!).

10) Pass on the drinks if you're watching calories or pennies, whether a diet soda or wine. You'll not only cut the calories, but it will make a huge difference in the bill and tip. Diet soda, I'm convinced, has contributed to our obesity problem.

11) Slow down, think about what you're chewing and tasting. Pause to reflect, enjoy the company, your friends, spouse, etc. You can probably burn a few calories just by discussing the Buckeyes, or the election, or your latest surgery.

12) Skip the items labeled low-fat, or low-carb--especially cheese or ice cream. They often don't taste good and can just create a hunger for real sugar, or real fat. Eat less and enjoy real food. Want Death-by-Chocolate? Split the real thing with 2 other diners. The first ingredient in a low-fat dressing is water. If you can't resist gobs of dressing on your salad, order the real stuff and mix in some water.

13) I personally like the "senior" option (although my favorite restaurant doesn't have it). The portions are smaller, although I don't think it is as thrifty or as low-cal as halving the regular portion and your husband eating it for lunch the next day.

My all time favorite meal at a favorite restaurant, Schmidt's in German Village

Bahama Mama Sandwich $6.95
A grilled link of their original Bahama Mama (very hot sausage) on a toasted New England Split Top bun.

If you order with a side of chunky applesauce, you can justify not taking 1/2 of it home

Now if you have some suggestions, maybe we can bump this up to 20?

A sober diet

Although I said I wouldn't browse when I returned my books to the library, I lied. Poor Richard's Almanack [Ben Franklin], December 1742, had this to say about eating a sober diet:

"A sober Diet makes a Man die without Pain;

it maintains the Senses in Vigour;

it mitigates the Violence of the Passions and Affections.

It preserves the Memory,

it helps the Understanding,

it allays the Heat of Lust;

it brings a Man to a Consideration of his latter End;

it makes the Body a fit Tabernacle for the Lord to dwell in;

which makes us happy in the World,

and eternally happy in the World to come,

through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour."

Apples help with weight loss

Every day, yes every day, I eat an unpeeled apple and a 1/2 cup of walnuts for breakfast. That way I don't get hungry. If I eat something with grain or dairy, I'm famished within an hour. My favorite breakfast is two pieces of toast covered with thick slices of cheese, topped with peanut butter, but those days are definitely over. And this time of year, I can get Honey Crisp apples. Monday I paid $9 for 8 apples, and one was bad when I sliced it, so it was $9 for 7. I was happy to get them. Last week they were $.30 a pound cheaper, but the store only had 4. Here's a story from the Chicago Tribune that will explain why this apple is so wonderful. Once you eat one, you'll be spoiled for anything else.

The Obesity Society reports that eating an apple before a meal will help curb your appetite.

"A new study shows an apple a day keeps the calories at bay. People who ate an apple about 15 minutes before lunch consumed almost 190 fewer calories than when they didn't have the apple. The research was presented Tuesday at a meeting of the Obesity Society, an organization of weight-control scientists and professionals." USAToday

I'm not sure why this is breaking news, because apple growers have been praising the apples' low calories and health benefits for years. But, the Obesity Society apparently also reported that walking briskly for an hour a day is key to weight loss. Who knew?