O Happy (& Healthy) Day?

O Happy Day?

Researchers at the University of British Columbia, using data analyzed from a American Time Use Survey,  came up with the components of a “better than typical” day.

From the Economic Times report Can every day be a perfect day? Scientists reveal the surprising formula for happiness:

Led by Dunigan Folk, a social psychologist and PhD candidate, the team at UBC used data from the 2013 and 2021 American Time Use Surveys (ATUS). These surveys collect detailed information about how Americans spend their days, from working and socializing to leisure activities and commuting. By analyzing this data, the team employed AI to pinpoint the activities that most significantly contribute to a “better than typical” day.

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans. The survey was administered and conducted online between December 13 and December 19, 2024.

Per their findings, there’s a formula for a truly joyful day:

BDE = 6h family + 2h friends + 1.5h socializing + 2h exercise + 1h eating/drinking – work >6h – TV >1h – commuting >15min

OR

BDE = FAM₆ + FR₂ + SOC₁.₅ + EX₂ + EAT₁ – WRK₆ – TV₁ – CMT₀.₂₅

(All variables measured in hours or minutes. “–” denotes tipping points where enjoyment decreases.)

OR

That’s Best Day Ever = 6 hours with family + 2 hours with friends + 1.5 hours of extra socializing + 2 hours of exercise + 1 hour of eating and drinking – with less than 6 hours of work, indulging in only 1 hour of screen time, and a 15-minute commute.

And, per Talker Research: “When asked if they felt they’d experienced any perfect days in 2024, the average respondent had enjoyed 12 (12.6).”

Huh. I can’t recall any perfect days as formulated above. I’ve lived alone for the past 25 years. A good day for me would include any of the following: being outdoors, exercise, walking, discovering beauty in nature and art, wondering at things beyond my understanding, creating something, writing, spending time with my kids, expanding my personal bandwidth by reading books, and enjoying the life lessons of Calvin and Hobbes.

I don’t know of any use for the findings and the formula as days and people are subject to other factors. No doubt, one’s temperament and personal bandwidth would influence one’s expectations of a “better than typical” day.

For example, someone may be Eeyore-like: “I was so upset, I forgot to be happy”; “If it is a good morning, which I doubt”; “It’s the only cloud in the sky and it’s drizzling, right on me. Somehow, I’m not surprised”; The sky has finally fallen. Always knew it would.”

(Anton Chekhov wrote a short comedic take on human temperaments. He divides them into four major categories – Sanguine, Choleric, Phlegmatic, and Melancholic – and further bifurcates them into male and female varieties. The Temperaments is a hilarious account of personalities.)

Others may not enjoy the present because they are worrying about the future and dwelling in the past.

And some, as clearly evident, spend hours looking at a screen to know what kind of day they must have, e.g., Trump Derangment Syndrome (TDS).

Do some choose the simple daily outlook of the old English proverb “Whoever will rise early shall be holy, healthy, and happy?”

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O Healthy Day?

I’m Still Standing. I never received the COVID-clot shot or the flu shot or the RSV shot or any vaccines since my mother took me to the doctor before entering kindergarten in the 1950s. During annual checkups, my doctor in Chicago has pushed the three vaccines above. I have refused each time.

When he suggested the COVID vaccine I told him that I wouldn’t inject myself with an untested mRNA vaccine that had a spike protein and who knows what else in it for a flu-like virus that was 99.9% curable with  a regimen of vitamin D & C, sunshine, exercise, and the availability of Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin. I would let T cells do their thing.

(Why did the Biden regime inject a country with 12-20 million undocumented and unvetted (legally & health wise) aliens into it?)

During a recent checkup my doctor told me, attempting to alert concern, that several of his patients had developed severe RSV and needed hospitalization. He proposed that I should be vaxed against it. I did not the shot. I should have asked if those patients had received previous vaccines from him.

Why no vaccines? I have had childhood infections such as measles, mumps, and flu. I sweated through the Asian flu with a 106-degree fever (our Swedish doctor made a house call). My body’s T cells have worked to fight infections. Why should I inject a big pharma substance into my body when my body heals itself? And why should I blindly trust anything the government or a government-licensed doctor say?

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You may want to read and listen to all of the following:

Adverse effects of Covid mRNA vaccines

“Soon-Shiong, founder of ImmunityBio ($IBRX) and owner of the Los Angeles Times, claims that the COVID-19 pandemic, and the very vaccines developed to fight it, may be contributing to a global surge in “terrifyingly aggressive” cancers. In the nearly two-hour conversation, the Los Angeles Times owner leveraged his decades of clinical and scientific experience to outline why he suspects an unprecedented cancer epidemic is unfolding. This report examines Dr. Soon-Shiong’s background and assertions, the scientific responses for and against his claims, new data on post-COVID health trends, and the far-reaching implications if his alarming hypothesis proves true.” (Emphasis mine.)

“This Is Existential”: Billionaire Cancer Researcher Says Covid & Vaccine Likely Causing Surge In Aggressive Cancers | ZeroHedge

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong is a surgeon who made billions inventing cancer drugs. He says that Covid, and the vaccines that didn’t stop it, are likely causing a global epidemic of terrifyingly aggressive cancers.

(0:00) Why Are Cancer Rates Rising in Young People?
(6:16) What Is Causing This Cancer Epidemic?
(14:52) Is There a Connection Between Covid and Cancer?
(25:33) Why Dr. Soon-Shiong Never Got Covid
(39:36) How Big Pharma Tried to Undermine Dr. Soon-Shiong
(47:35) Dr. Soon-Shiong’s Analysis of RFK Jr.
(1:02:47) The Healthcare Industry’s Conflict of Interest
(1:05:51) How to Strengthen Your Immune System
(1:10:32) What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You About How to Fight Cancer
(1:20:58) Why Hasn’t Anyone Faced Consequences for These Crimes?
(1:33:59) Why Dr. Soon-Shiong Bought the LA Times

Surgeon who invented cancer drugs believes COVID vax caused ‘terrifyingly aggressive’ cancers… – Revolver News

Doctor: For the first time in my career, I’ve seen an 8, 9 and 10-year olds with colon cancer… – Revolver News

BREAKING: Study Finds COVID-19 mRNA Booster Shots Decrease Pancreatic Cancer Survival by 50%

A world-renowned immunologist is sounding the alarm after his peer-reviewed research uncovered a devastating surge in a deadly heart condition among people who received Covid mRNA “vaccines.”

Dr. János Szebeni, an internationally recognized European immunologist, issued a stomach-churning warning to the world after confirming that the injections have caused a staggering 115,100% surge in myocarditis. (Emphasis mine.)

Deadly Heart Condition Surges 115,100% in Covid mRNA-Vaccinated – Slay News

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COVID Vaccine “Safe and Effective” Narrative Collapses On Camera

The “safe and effective” narrative collapsed on camera during Senator Ron Johnson’s explosive Senate hearing on COVID-19 vaccine injuries Wednesday afternoon.

OB-GYN Dr. James Thorp delivered one of the most haunting moments of the hearing.

He said the COVID shots “MIRRORED” the effects of chemical abortion drugs—and the government knew what it was doing. (Emphasis mine.)

Dr. Thorp pointed to the now-infamous Shimabukuro study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which claimed a 12.6% miscarriage rate following COVID vaccination.

But when you isolate the data for women vaccinated in the first trimester, the miscarriage rate rises to 82%, Dr. Thorp said. This 82% claim remains a topic of debate within the scientific community.

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A group of Italy’s leading scientists has issued an alarming warning of the devastating long-term health risks faced by those who received Covid mRNA “vaccines.”

The experimental medicine researchers found that people who received the injections face persistent neurological symptoms.

The study found that mRNA injections alter human biology to create long-term spike protein production that increases over time.

The scientists warn that the Covid mRNA vaccines alter T cell immunophenotypes, which triggers VAIDS – or “vaccine-induced AIDS.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently made the explosive admission that Covid mRNA “vaccines” are spiked with contaminants that triggered a global surge in cancers.

The federal agency made the admission after an FDA study confirmed that Pfizer’s Covid mRNA “vaccine” contains dangerous levels of excess DNA contamination. (Emphasis mine.)

Major Study Warns Covid-Vaxxed Face Long-Term Brain Damage Risk

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From Dr. McCullough reveals cancer-fighting drug Big Pharma hopes you never hear about…

Medical leaders like Dr. Peter McCullough, who fought tooth and nail to expose the COVID lies, are now digging into a groundbreaking new approach to cancer treatment: repurposing safe, affordable medications like ivermectin and mebendazole to fight cancer.

According to the McCullough Foundation’s latest research, ivermectin shows incredible promise:

-It’s already been proven safe in humans, even during chemotherapy.

-Preclinical models show a wide range of anti-cancer effects.

-Anecdotal cases are pouring in, showing real-world improvements.

Mebendazole is another time-tested antiparasitic, and it’s also showing the same exciting potential. And when combined with ivermectin, the results could be even more powerful.

Dr. McCullough reveals cancer-fighting drug Big Pharma hopes you never hear about… – Revolver News

Ivermectin+Mebendazole– The Wellness Company

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Five years after the greatest crime in American history, the only people who’ve been punished are the ones who told the truth about Covid. Dr. Mary Talley Bowden is one of them.

Chapters:
0:00 Dr. Mary Talley Bowden Was Right All Along
6:19 The Origin of the Government’s Propaganda Campaign
17:57 How the Medical Establishment Tried to Destroy Dr. Bowden
22:30 How Much Money Was Made From the Pandemic?
24:17 How Effective Is Ivermectin?
20:24 When Did the Healthcare Industry Become Politicized?
39:26 The Health of Dr. Bowden’s Patients Compared to Others
49:04 Does the COVID Shot Need to Be Pulled From the Market?
50:06 They’re Giving Babies the Covid Shot
53:33 The Link Between Cancer and Covid
1:00:25 The Legal Protection of Vaccine Developers
1:09:48 Why Is There So Much Secrecy Around Covid Data?
1:13:01 Will Medicine Get Better Because of This?
1:20:00 How to Fix the Healthcare Industry

Dr. Mary Talley Bowden: How Vaccines Got Politicized and the Medical Industry Lost All Credibility

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The Flu Vaccine

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Diagnosing ADHD

‘The diagnosis can create an identity that enhances prejudice and judgment which are associated with even greater feelings of isolation, exclusion and shame.’

Have We Been Thinking About A.D.H.D. All Wrong? – DNyuz

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Steve Templeton, Senior Scholar at Brownstone Institute, is an Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Indiana University School of Medicine – Terre Haute, writes:

I set out to understand why people were behaving in a way that would’ve been seen as unhinged just weeks before. I could see everyone becoming germophobes, and I wondered if that behavior, once ingrained in the population, would ever go away. Could I reason people out of a position they didn’t reason themselves into? Probably not, but there were other people I admired trying, and I couldn’t just stand idle. So I decided to write a book, an idea that became Fear of a Microbial Planet.

“Fear”: One Year Later ⋆ Brownstone Institute

~~~

The pandemic response exposed a systemic rot in US federal agencies that operate in a politicized environment with perverse incentives that favor pharmaceutical companies and powerful wealthy individuals at the expense of the public interest. Very few were courageous enough to stand up for the truth when the vast majority of the public and media were supportive of these agencies, even when their recommendations, authorizations, and mandates were clearly not backed by evidence or driven by minimum standards of ethical behavior that existed before 2020. (Emphasis mine.)

Florida Still Stands Alone ⋆ Brownstone Institute

On December 13, 2022, Florida Governor DeSantis asked for a statewide grand jury to investigate how actions of pharmaceutical companies and federal agencies had ultimately harmed the public. He also appointed seven people to a public health integrity committee to advise him and the Florida Surgeon General Joe Ladapo. I was happy to be named a member of that committee. (Emphasis mine.)

~~~

Measles

Measles and Measles Vaccines: 14 Things To Consider | GreenMedInfo

Kennedy then delivered a devastating jab at the dominant measles narrative, putting everything into perspective and leaving the panel silent.

“I want to say this,” Kennedy began.

We’ve had four measles deaths in this country in 20 years. We have 100,000 autism cases a year. We have 38% of our kids now are diabetic or pre-diabetic. That should be in the headlines,” he said.

*Applause erupted*

When I was a kid, there were 2 million measles cases a year and none of them got headlines. And we had 400 deaths. We had deaths between 1 in 1,200 and 1 in 10,000. We have so many kids now who are afflicted by chronic disease. And the media never covers them. They only want to cover measles,” he added.

“And what I’ve been saying to people is, let’s pay attention to other illnesses as well—illnesses that are really, really damaging our country, that are existential for our country. We now spend almost a trillion dollars a year on diabetes and metabolic disorder,” Kennedy explained.

Then he drove the point home, contrasting the media’s obsession with measles to its silence on autism. (Emphasis mine.)

RFK Jr. Shatters The Measles Narrative With One Brilliant Point

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Mind Blowing CV19 Bioweapon Vax Still on Market – Dr. Sherri Tenpenny

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à votre santé

Per Audrey and Harry – The Budget Savvy Travelers@thebstravelers

For years, we were told to avoid butter because it “clogs arteries,” and instead use margarine, loaded with processed seed oils. Now we’re seeing rising inflammation, cognitive decline, and even links to cancer.

The problem? It’s not natural fats—it’s heavily refined, industrial oils that damage your cells over time.

The solution: Use stable, healthy fats that support your brain, hormones, and metabolism.

Here are some of the best options, sorted from lowest to highest heat tolerance:

 Butter (grass-fed) ~300–350°F – Stove dial: low (2–3)  [https://amzn.to/4lxsRJZ #ad]

 Coconut oil ~350°F – Stove dial: low/medium (3–4)  [https://amzn.to/3RFPsGN #ad]

 Extra virgin olive oil ~350–410°F – Stove dial: medium (4–5)  [https://amzn.to/3Gehfvl #ad]

 Beef tallow ~400°F – Stove dial: medium-high (5–6)  [https://amzn.to/4jyeiUL #ad]

 Ghee butter ~450–485°F – Stove dial: high (6–7)  [https://amzn.to/4j6Sjo0 #ad]

 Avocado oil ~480–520°F – Stove dial: very high (7–8)  [https://amzn.to/4lxXQ8R #ad]

THE RULES
Know your fat’s smoke point! Use an infrared thermometer [https://amzn.to/3Elap6K #ad]

NEVER let your oil smoke. When oil smokes, it releases acrolein (a toxic lung irritant) and oxidized fats linked to inflammation and arterial damage.

DITCH these so-called “healthy” oils:  Soybean, corn, cottonseed, canola, margarine, vegetable shortening (loaded with hidden trans fats)

Storage Tips:
Keep EVOO in dark glass
Refrigerate animal fats like tallow and lard to prevent oxidation
 Bonus Tip: Mix ghee + avocado oil for ultra-stable high-heat cooking.

 3 Rules to Avoid Toxic Oils
 Never Smoke Your Oil → If it’s smoking, it’s harming you.
 Avoid Processed Seed Oils → Chemically extracted, often GMO, highly inflammatory.
 Store Oils Correctly → Light, heat, and air = oxidation = rancid fats.

 Focus on real, nutrient-dense fats—your body will thank you.

~~~

23 insights and reflections from “Public Health SOS: The Shadow Side of the Wireless Revolution

Public Health SOS: The Shadow Side Of The Wireless Revolution: Camilla Rees, Magda Havas: 9781441458797: Amazon.com: Books

The electromagnetic radiation from cell phones, Wi-Fi, smart meters, and cell towers is like those overwhelming, discordant sound waves – invisible but physically impactful, drowning out our bodies’ natural electromagnetic symphony. Some people, like trained musicians with sensitive ears, notice the disruption immediately (the electrically hypersensitive), while others don’t consciously perceive it yet still experience the biological effects. The book’s message is that we need to turn down this electromagnetic noise and create spaces where our bodily instruments can play their natural melodies again, before too many instruments are permanently damaged beyond repair.

Public Health SOS: The Shadow Side of the Wireless Revolution (2009)

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How can you consent to paying for something if you don’t know the price? In today’s podcast, AnneMarie Schieber of Health Care News and Devon Herrick of the Goodman Institute Health Care Blog talk about New York State’s decision to ban “consent to pay” forms at medical practices. Also on tap: reforming health care without a political fight, the RESULT Act being reintroduced, which fast-tracks successful treatments in trusted countries but comes too late for one Alzheimer’s patient, “Name it to tame it,” is over-diagnosing symptoms driving up health care utilization?—and has private equity ruined the doctor-patient relationship?

The Consent Trap: Agreeing to Medical Bills Without Knowing Prices

The Consent Trap: Agreeing to Medical Bills Without Knowing Prices

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In this episode Dr. Karyne Messina, a New Books Network host, and Dr. Harry Gill discussed the negative effects of excessive screen time on young adults’ mental health and development, emphasizing the importance of face-to-face interactions and shared experiences. They focused on Erik Erickson’s first phase of adulthood which is the Intimacy versus Isolation phase from neuroscience and psychoanalytic perspectives.

They both talked about the benefits of turning off phones and televisions early in the evening so that a person, couple or family can have quality time participating in some type of meaningful activity versus watching or reading what people on screens are saying or doing. The also discussed how blue light emitted by screens interferes with the production of melatonin which prevents people from falling asleep.

Brain Rot: How Screens Affect the Minds of Young Adults (4)

Brain Rot: How Screens Affect the Minds of Young Adults (4) – New Books Network

See also One In Four Young People In The World Feels Lonely

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From Exclusive Interview: Steve Bannon Interviews Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò:

Archbishop Viganò: The modus operandi is the same: the deep state finances ideological movements and social pressure groups through USAID and other government agencies to simulate dissent against the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and thus be able to put pressure on the hierarchy to adopt reforms, always in a “progressive” sense. 

Archbishop Viganò: This coup is part of a wider global coup organized by the subversive lobby of the woke left (on the ideological front) and the World Economic Forum (on the financial front). Its aim is the destruction of every form of resistance against the establishment of the New World Order, the establishment of governments totally controlled by an elite of technocrats, and the establishment of a new Religion of Humanity that gives doctrinal and moral foundations to the globalist dystopia. In the minds of these criminals devoted to the Antichrist – because it is the kingdom of the Antichrist that we are talking about – Bergoglio was to be the first “pope” of the new ecumenical and synodal church prepared since Vatican II. And it is precisely because of this total heterogeneity even with respect to his immediate predecessors (and even with respect to the most progressive of these) that Bergoglio cannot be considered to have been pope of the Catholic Church.

Exclusive Interview: Steve Bannon Interviews Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò – Stephen K Bannon’s War Room

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Added 5-13-2025:

Dangerous ticks, green tyrants and the new biological war on red meat…

There’s a tick spreading across the US that’s giving people an allergy to red meat. No, this isn’t some fringe conspiracy theory; it’s actually real, and it’s called Alpha-gal Syndrome. It starts with the bite of a Lone Star tick, and for some people, it ends with a permanent allergic reaction to beef, lamb, pork, even dairy and gelatin. Some farmers and ranchers who get it can’t even go near their own livestock without reacting.

At the exact same time this bizarre red meat allergy is sweeping across the country, we’re also being hit with a coordinated media and political campaign to convince us that meat is killing us, making us sick, destroying the planet, and needs to go. The timing isn’t just strange, it’s downright suspicious…

Red meat is one of the most nutrient-dense, healing, anti-inflammatory foods on the planet. It’s packed with glutamine and contains the nutrients your body needs to fight inflammation and support everything from mental health to cardiovascular function. Yet it’s been falsely demonized for decades in the name of the Marxist “Green” agenda.

Added 5-20-2025:

The MMR vaccine

“I Saw What The SHOT Did” – Michael & The Vaccine Dissident | Dr. Andy Wakefield

Shining a light on the MMR shot: More combos, less choice.

Choice is taken away from parents by combo shots. Making MMR a combination shot, and removing the availability of the individual measles, mumps, or rubella vaccines, was a policy and profit decision

Shining a light on the MMR shot: – Health Freedom Institute

Nobody Does It Better

 

It was almost 5 AM when Carl finished his workout. Carl headed for FoodNation to buy groceries for the day. Once inside, there was no mistaking the smell of freshly baked carbs. Carl smiled. He remembered an old cartoon where an enticing aroma was shown to lift a character off of his feet, draw him along and then place him in front of its enticing source. Carl decided not to be a cartoon character today.

Carl walked past his wafting imagination. He walked past the aisle of styrene-encased carbs and the men in knee pads reshuffling and restocking dated poly-packaged carbs. He walked past the sugar-covered carbs.

Carl walked past the frozen carbs, the cryopreserved carbs.

Carl walked past the aisle of processed ethnic food stuffs. Carl walked past the aisle of colorful billboard-boxed carbs. Each box proclaiming vast health benefits with every “great” bite. Carl walked past the cardboard-boxed dried carbs. Carl walked past the aisle of unembarrassed in-the-bag sugar. Carl walked past the aisles of incarcerated-canned vegetables and the hitting-the-bottle jars of preserved condiments.

And Carl walked past the fashionable colors of carbonation in the liquid sugar aisle.

Carl reached the water aisle and pulled a bottle of drinking water off the shelf. He smiled. Like James Bond he would live to die another day.

 

Carl had come to his health care senses a while back. At that time, he didn’t feel good or look the part of 00Carl. So, there was no doubt – he had to make some changes. And beside his own topology concerns there was one, no, there were many other prompters that changed his health habits.

Carl couldn’t help notice that many men and women were no longer walking. Instead, they were waddling. To go forward they would rock back and forth, shifting weight from one bad knee to the other in a slow, plodding fashion, as if pulling a sled full of lumber. Some of the living dead weight moved though FoodNation driving their immense form around in the motorized shopping carts with the appearance of a parody parade float.

When Carl reached the checkout counter that day he waited while up ahead liters of soft drinks, boxes and boxes of cereal, bags of treats and goodies and packaged preservatives force-fed the conveyor belts.

Once the motorized cart had been emptied of its contents, Carl placed the divider down on the conveyor. Behind the divider he placed his bottled water, a bag of walnuts, a carton of eggs, a bag of mixed greens and a salmon fillet for dinner. Carl had decided to invest in his future. He needed his legs to make a go of it.

 

The end. (But not for Carl.)

 

 

 

© Jennifer A. Johnson, 2017, All Rights Reserved

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When will a grocery store be designed for health instead of consumerism? Along the same line, have you noticed the horrible and often offensive background music?

Mission Impossible Theme>>>

What Your Gut is Telling Your Brain and Other True Stories

no bread

Growing older I have become more food aware.  Not because I watch the Food Network or Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (which is rather fun to watch). But rather because I am more conscious of what my body is showing me and telling me. And, because of what I see around me every day. It’s not a pretty sight.

 At work, I sit in a cube. The cube is in a quad.  There are two other women in the quad and one open desk.  Of the three of us, I am the only one that drinks water all day long.  The other two women, one who is about my age and the other who is much younger but very old-looking from cigarette smoking, both drink Mountain Dew and all day long.

I only ever see The Smoker eat bagels and cream cheese and crackers.  The other woman eats pretzels from the vending machine.  The smoker is thin, of course, and no doubt malnourished.  The other woman is extra-sized and seems to be aging quickly.

 Now I don’t judge them. I just observe them. It’s not my place to say a word about eating habits.

 Another observation:  I walk to and from work every day from the train station. What I see is that at least one in ten people on the street is obese. I don’t mean heavy I mean obese.  They waddle down the sidewalk with knees that will buckle at any moment.

 Mirror, mirror on the wall:  I see a woman in her early sixties with some facial wrinkles but most people tell me that I don’t look my age when they find out.  I believe this has to do with the fact that I changed my diet a couple of years ago.

 First off, I drink lots of water and an occasional soda drink. I drink wine only the weekends and have stopped drinking beer, except, again, occasionally.  Beer has gluten and I try to avoid all the gluten I can.

 I don’t eat bagels, muffins, oatmeal, cereal or toast in the morning. I eat yogurt, eggs, nuts, and different proteins, including red and white meats and fish. I eat a lot of nuts. I don’t eat peanuts because they are legumes and do not qualify as nuts. I eat salads with olive oil dressings containing almost no carbs or sugar. I always find a good tasting dressing and eat a lot of salads at night.

 I steer clear of gluten, which for me means carbs like breads and pastas and also fruits and sweets. I made other changes as well but let’s move on to how I came about this change. It began when I started reading the following book Wheat Belly

 At that time I knew that I never felt good, that I was often depressed and especially after eating a meal I really wanted to eat. I did not sleep well and my belly was an emerging market.

But there was more.  My doctor, after he and I reviewed my bi-annual blood tests found that my Triglyceride number was always above the ‘safe’ level.  My body was turning carbs into fatty cells that would eventually give me heart problems. I need to make some health-smart changes.

 I began noticing that the supermarket seemed to be packed with carbs. Take a look at the frozen food section, the cereal aisle and the snack aisle. Even many condiments have gluten and sugar in them. I learned to be discerning and no longer lazy. I read the labels.

Also, I watched what restaurants offered on their TV commercials.  i don’t have to tell you that all of them offer up all varieties of breaded, carb-ed up, sugared-up filler that is not worth partaking of. I have, infact, learned to think of this ‘kind’ of food as mostly ‘cardboard’ filler and not comfort food.

Now, if you are like me you just might benefit from the following books.  à votre santé

 From the Introduction of Dr. William Davis’ book, Wheat Belly:  Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back To Health:

“You will see that what we are eating, cleverly disguised as a bran muffin or onion ciabatta, is not really wheat at all but the transformed product of genetic research conducted during the latter half of the twentieth century.  Modern wheat is no more real wheat than a chimpanzee is an approximation of a human.  While our hairy primate relatives share 99 percent of all genen found in humans, with longer arms, full body hair, and lesser capacity to win the jackpot at Jeopardy, I trust you can readily tell the difference that 1 percent makes.  Compared to its ancestor of only forty years ago, modern wheat isn’t even close.

I believe that the increase consumption of grains ~ or more accurately, the increased consumption of this genetically altered thing called modern wheat ~ explains the contrast between slender, sedentary people of the fifties and the overweight twenty-first century people, triathletes included.”

 From Part One: Wheat: the Unhealthy Whole Grain, Chapter One, What Belly?:

 “A wheat belly represents the accumulation of fat that results from years of consuming foods that trigger insulin, the hormone of fat storage. While some people store fat in their buttocks and thighs, most people collect ungainly fat around the middle.  This “central” or “visceral” fat is unique:  Unlike fat in other areas, it provokes inflammatory phenomena, distorts insulin responses, and issues abnormal metabolic signals to the rest of the body.  In the unwitting wheat-bellied male, visceral fat also produces estrogen, creating “man breasts.

The consequences of wheat consumption, however, are not just manifested on the body’s surface; wheat can also reach deep down into virtually every organ of the body, from the intestines, liver, heart, and thyroid gland all the way up to the brain. In fact there’s hardly an organ that is not affected by wheat in some potentially damaging way.”

 Heads up:  This brings me to the Introduction of Dr. David Perlmutter’s book, Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs and Sugar ~ Your Brain’s Silent Killers:

“I’m here to tell you that the fate of your brain is not in your genes.  It’s not inevitable.  And if you’re someone who suffers from another type of brain disorder, such as chronic headaches, depression, epilepsy, or extreme moodiness, the culprit may not be encoded in your DNA.

 It’s in the food you eat.

 Yes, you read that right:  brain dysfunction starts in your daily bread, and I’m going to prove it.  I’ll state it again because I realize it sounds absurd: Modern grains are silently destroying your brain.  By “modern,” I’m not just referring to the refined white flours, pastas, and rice that have already been demonized by the anti-obesity folks;  I’m referring to all the grains that so many of us have embraced as being healthful ~ whole wheat, whole grain, multigrain, seven-grain, live grain, stone-ground, and so on.  Basically, I’m calling what is arguably our most beloved dietary staple a terrorist group that bullies our most precious organ, the brain.  I will demonstrate how fruit and carbohydrates could be health hazards with far-reaching consequences that not only will wreak physical havoc on your brain, but will also accelerate your body’s aging process from the inside out.  This is science fiction; it’s now documented fact.”

 He goes on to say that “Brain disease can largely be prevented through the choices you make in life…This (book) is a game-changer.”

From the book’s cover jacket:  “The cornerstone of all degenerative conditions, including brain disorders is inflammation, which can be triggered by carbs, especially those containing gluten or high in sugar.”

 The book discusses a host of health problems generated by our unhealthy diet:  a low cholesterol number (perhaps due to meds w/statins) has been shown to correlate to depressive mood disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, diabetes, digestive disorders, memory dysfunction and so on.

 Do you think you should read this book?  You better before you lose your mind!no-Grains

 My son gifted me a book this past Christmas:   Death By Food Pyramid:  How Shoddy Science, Sketchy Politics and Shady Special Interests Ruined Your Health…and How to reclaim It! by Denise Minger.

 From Denise’s blog Raw Foods SOS, “About:”

“This site isn’t specifically low-carb or high-carb, vegan or carnivore, raw food or cooked food, or anything else that could be neatly labeled. My own experience as a (recovered) raw vegan taught me that diet-dogma is killer, so the emphasis here is on unraveling research rather than building an ideology. My goal is to make nutritional science accessible and non-boring to those who really care about their health”

Denise takes on the well-known food pyramid that most of us were taught as school kids.

 “Though my faith in white coats would eventually crumble, I started in the same place most people do:  a state of blissful ignorance.  We grow up thinking nutrition is a fine-tuned science ~ one carefully guarded by the National Institutes for Health, the American Dietetic Association, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and other big-name authorities with clout and confidence far beyond our own.  We spend our lives soaking up their ubiquitous advice, filing it away in the brain cabinet where true things go.

Saturated fat clogs your arteries.

Whole grains are heart-healthy.

Lowfat dairy makes your bones strong.

White meat is better than red.

Vegetable oils are healthier than butter.

High-cholesterol foods cause heart disease.

In most cases, we can’t pinpoint where we first heard these things ~ we just know they must be right.”

As usual I am reading several books at the same time. So, I am just getting into Death By Food Pyramid.  And, as usual, I will question what I believe to be factually true against further evidence or knowledge. More food for thought.

Flowers of the Field

I went for a mammogram on Good Friday.  This was my first mammogram even though I am about ten years from retirement.  I put off health tests ( I tell myself)  because I am so busy.

 After the images were taken I was told that a radiologist would review my scans and send a report to my doctor. This would take about a week.

 The following week I waited anxiously because of what happened as I left the medical office: 

 I opened the door and walked over to the elevator.  There a few feet away were two women facing each other. One of the women, clutching papers in her hand, turned away when I came out the door.  Waiting for the elevator I could hear the other woman, perhaps her mother, comforting her:  “It will be OK.  You will be alright.” I quickly realized that the woman had received some bad news from the radiologist’s report. She was quietly sobbing.

 A lot of things go through your mind when you are in medical limbo. For me there was fear, then anger and then calm took over as I give the matter back to the Lord.

 The next Friday I came home from work and found the report in my mail box.  I wondered why they sent me the report.  They told me that my doctor would get the first look.

 Well, I was relieved to find that the mammogram was “normal.” The staff wanted to let me know right away. 

 The tentative calm became a sigh of relief and then a prayer for the woman at the elevator:  “Lord, please remove all cancer from this woman’s body. I ask this in the name of Jesus.”

 Maybe five years from now someone will pray for me as I stand by the elevator crying. Life is like that.

 ***

 It was during this time of waiting for the radiologist’s report that I heard the shocking news that a coworker had died overnight. 

 This man was slightly older than me.  He died of a brain aneurism ~ in an instant without any warning.

Something like this gives one pause:  How close to death am I?

 Yet, I do not fear death.  It is a matter of perspective.

 I know that even though the dust I am made of will crumble and return to the earth I will live on within the dancing embrace of the Trinity ~ as a flower of the field that never withers or dies.