Low-carb Spaghetti Squash side dish can be the main course on a busy weeknight

c 2012 Kim Ykema. Spaghetti Squash, Avocado, Tomato, and Parmesan

Tempt your tastebuds with this side dish that can be the main course for a vegetarian meal in less than an hour.  We served it alongside steamed fish and it was equally wonderful paired with sauteed chicken.  Please invest in good-quality parmesan cheese and take the time to roast the spaghetti squash; both of these efforts provide a sweetness and ZING that will make you smile.

The prize-winning recipe is on the Apartment Therapy website but the picture won’t look quite the same.  My daughter added wedges of tomato to the dish, making it so much more attractive and tasty.

Here’s a time-saving tip:  Roast the squash, shred its flesh and refrigerate it for use another day.  To heat it up, saute some minced garlic in warm olive oil, then add the squash, stirring to coat the squash in the garlic-infused oil.  While the squash heats up, prep the avocado, tomatoes, cheese, and basil.  Voila!  Dinner is served!

Spaghetti Squash with Avocado, Tomato, and Parmesan
makes 2-4 servings

1 medium spaghetti squash
1 or 2 avocados

1 or 2 tomatoes or 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
4 fresh basil leaves, sliced
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise (if it’s too hard to cut, put it in a microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds) and scrape out the seeds. Lay squash cut side down in an oiled baking dish. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until tender. For an even quicker meal you can microwave the squash whole if you pierce the skin a few times with a knife.  Cook on HIGH for 12-15 minutes.  (Roasting brings out the carmelized sweetness of the squash.  Please take time for this important step!)

When squash is close to done, put olive oil in a pan over low heat and add the garlic.  Sautee the garlic for 30 seconds until you can smell it’s goodness; remove the pan from the heat.  Cut the avocado and squeeze the fresh lemon juice on it to keep it from turning brown.  Cut the tomatoes into wedges or slice the grape tomatoes in half.  Slice up the fresh basil.

Remove the squash from the oven and place cut side up on a cutting board. Use a fork to separate the spaghetti-like strands. Scoop a serving into a bowl, drizzle with the warm oil, top with chunks of avocado, and add the parmesan, tomatoes, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.

 

Be Green in the Restroom: Shake and Fold

Beige spring load (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you’re like me, you grab at least two paper towels after washing your hands in a public restroom.  One is rarely enough to do the trick… until I learned to Shake and Fold, thanks to Joe Smith on TED Talks.

You can reduce paper towel waste in public restrooms by changing two simple behaviors when you wash your hands.  First, shake the excess water off your hands with twelve shakes.  Then, fold a single piece of paper towel in half before drying your hands.

According to Joe Smith, that simple fold takes advantage of “interstitial suspension.”  I’m not sure how Joe defines that fancy phrase, but I think that means the paper absorbs the water then suspends it between the two surfaces of paper towel.  In my own experience this week, I noticed that the half-folded towel is more effective than a single layer of paper towel.

Or wipe your hands on your pants.

Either way, you reduce paper towel use.

Shake.  Fold.

(or wipe)

Try it!

The Almost-Last Supper in Squamish BC

c 2012 Kim Ykema. We thought this was our last supper in Squamish.

Friday was my last full day in Squamish visiting my daughter.  After dropping her at the bus station, I worked through my To-Do list but didn’t count on the sun pulling me outside.

Doing the laundry was my undoing.

Instead of throwing things in the dryer, I scouted for a drying rack in the back of a closet.  There was a cool breeze in the early morning, so I set the rack on the concrete patio to boost the sun’s warmth.  I scurried back into the house to prepare snacks for my return flight and read Chapter 2 of Drugs, Society & Human Behavior to prepare me for Summer Session 1.  Of course, I found things in the reading that led me to internet searches and watching a National Geographic video about heroin.  Another load of laundry led to another trip outside.

This time the breeze was warm.  The sun was bright.  Kids were riding bikes and playing in their yards.  It was time for me to get off the list and get outside.  Time to give Andrea a call.

“Hey!  I need a destination for a beautiful afternoon…. no, the hilly walk isn’t quite right… I want to sit by the water and watch the reflections and the ripples… yes, the Estuary sounds perfect.”

Andrea sent me a link to a map along with her personalized tour guide instructions complete with landmarks.  After careful studying, I grabbed my water bottle, a towel, a magazine, my glasses, and my camera.  Not too far from the local WalMart, Betsy and I bounced along the gravel roads while locals zipped past us in clouds of dust.  The river sparkled on my right where the forest thinned out.  Driftwood and swamp grasses fell off on my left.  Then the road narrowed to a wide lane stretching into the water of Howe Sound.

c 2012 Kim Ykema. Kite surfers at the Estuary near Shannon Falls in Squamish, BC.

I left Betsy with the local vehicles lining the road, then I walked to the end of the estuary, holding firmly to my footing as the wind tried to push me off the road into the water.  Kite surfers reminded me of a hot air balloon competition on water.  The colorful canopies floated on the wind, attached to strong athletes in wetsuits who cut through the waves and flew into the air. I gave up my dream of reading a magazine beside the gently flowing river as a surfer told me the wind is reliable May through September, but especially good on sunny afternoons like this one.  I diverted my attention to a nature walk and some photos.

Betsy and I maneuvered a very awkward three-point turn (or was it five or six?) without falling into the water, then we returned to the forested area to find a foot trail through the wetlands.  From this vantage point, I saw Mt. Garibaldi and Atwell Peak, twelve miles away but looming large over the community of Squamish.  Back in the driver’s seat, I let Betsy find her away among the potholes, past the WalMart, and home.

c 2012 Kim Ykema. Chicken, Quinoa, and Veggies with some Pinot Noir to toast our memories.

Before Andrea called from the bus station, I prepped dinner:  sautéed chicken thighs and a quinoa salad with sautéed onions, garlic, and zucchini plus fresh tomato, mozzarella, and walnuts.  I thought a quick meal would make it easier to get outside to catch some fresh air before the sun set behind the mountains but Andrea biggie-sized my idea.  We packed everything in a picnic basket, headed to a nearby field along a creek, enjoyed the warm sun, and shared some love with three dogs who were walking their owners.  As the light faded, we toasted each other while we remembered the special moments of the past week:

• gorgeous weather for my spa day after a week of rain
• hanging out together at Andrea’s office
• buying coffee next to the Olympic Rings at Whistler Village
• eating really good food at home
• watching girl shows on Netflix

Andrea worked a half-day on Saturday so we’d have time to drive to Vancouver during daylight.  We drove Betsy to Whistler for added flexibility instead of relying on the bus schedule, plus it gave me a few more hours to hang out with Andrea at her office (what’s not to love about that?).  Another sunny day gave us spectacular views on the drive home, then it tempted us to lay in the grass and change our plans about getting to Vancouver in daylight.

c 2012 Kim Ykema. Truly the last meal in Squamish at Zephyr Cafe… love the antioxidants in those Green Smoothies!

We dined at the Zephyr Cafe in Squamish while soaking up the warm sun at an outdoor table.  Andrea had a veggie burger and salad, I had a chicken and avocado sandwich, and we both enjoyed Green Smoothies (spinach, parsley, pineapple, orange juice, and ginger).  Then we joined the throngs heading into Vancouver.  They weren’t going to a baseball game (“Mom, Canada has only one professional baseball team… in Montreal… I should know… my husband is a sports fanatic.”) and we didn’t know of any big-deal concerts but there must have been something special happening in the city Saturday night.  We were able to read every billboard and storefront advertisement along the way while we savored the sunshine.  And yes, even with an afternoon of sunbathing, we were able to get to our destination before dark and soak up a few last minutes of daylight sitting next to petunias and marigolds on the terrace overlooking rooftop gardens of the BMW dealership where Andrea intends to buy her next luxury sports car.

Before daybreak, I was in line at YVR for the return flight to Pennsylvania.  This trip started out as a mission of mercy to a wounded athlete but turned out to be a relaxing vacation that included time with Andrea’s husband.  Maybe “Mother-Daughter Week” can become a tradition.  I doubt these were my last suppers in Squamish.

c 2012 Kim Ykema. Betsy waits for me to take a picture of Mount Garibaldi. She’s so patient and photogenic (and mechanical).

Re-establishing an exercise routine

c 2012 Kim Ykema. Fresh beginnings are part of growth.

Last week I woke up to the sound of Andrea working out in the room next to mine.  Because of her knee surgery, she couldn’t walk, hike, run, or climb.  Instead, she focused on lifting weights and isometric stretches… while I slept in and took a leisurely shower.

It’s not that I’m in bad shape, but I decided to take a vacation from my exercise routine.

To be honest, I’ve been on vacation for quite a few weeks.

Today I slapped that choice in the face.

It started with a visit to the doctor about some menopausal complaints.  She told me there is hope and ordered some tests to check hormone levels.  When I pulled into the driveway at home, I was inspired by the warm sunshine and the doctor’s encouragement.  Squatting down next to the front steps, I started cleaning up the edges of a scraggly garden.  Then I grabbed a bucket and the dandelion tool to chase down stray spring blooms that invaded my spaces.

After lunch, I changed into shorts and t-shirt for some Vitamin D therapy.  Ten minutes on each side.

I added sneakers and a straw hat to my ensemble for a walk on the shady gravel road near our house.  Breathing deeply, I set my pace into the heart of an outdoor concert.

c 2012 Kim Ykema. Spring-green velvet curtains part for the proud pine soloist.

Soprano songbirds punctuated the steady bass beat of my feet on the gravel.  A thousand-voice chorus breezed through the leaves and grass.  Then a passing car challenged the natural peace with a crescendo of horsepower and dust, progressing into a decrescendo that cleared the air once again.  Looking ahead, I watched the spring-green velvet canopy open to the clear blue backdrop with a proud pine soloist stealing the show.  The gentle conclusion of a babbling stream led me to the dappled green welcome of an apprentice sentry pine at the edge of our yard.

c 2012 Kim Ykema. A row of young pines guard the edge of our property.

Yes.

More deep breaths.

Then body sculpting time with five-pounds weights in each hand.

It’s good to be back in the routine.  For sooooo many reasons.  I’ll sleep better tonight.  I’ll be able to open jar lids more easily.  My mood will be elevated and my endurance will grow.  And those menopause problems?  I’ve heard exercise cures what ails you in bed, too.

So… will you join me in re-establishing an exercise routine?  You don’t have a gravel road next to your house?  Take a walk in the outdoor concert at a park near your home.  Breathe deeply and set the pace.  Get back into your healthy routine.  For so many reasons. 

Related articles

• Exercise Associated with Reductions in Menopausal Symptoms (expsychlab.com)

Melting at the spa in Whistler, BC

squamish_pan (Photo credit: brand0con)

What does the phrase “Mother’s Day” conjure up in your mind?

Here’s a list of my thoughts:

• Only three days left and I’m in Canada where mail is pokey slow and I didn’t buy my mom a card.  sigh.
• I’m flying home on Mother’s Day after two glorious weeks with my daughter.
• This trip wasn’t a Mother’s Day present, per se, but I feel like a box of chocolates wrapped with a bow, especially after a day at the Scandinave Spa in Whistler.
• Sometimes Mother’s Day has nothing to do with a Sunday in May, and it can take you, and everyone around you, by surprise.

Andrea and Alle Jan planned to visit us in the Poconos until a skiing accident changed things.  Andrea ripped up the ACL in her right knee, requiring surgery.  Life piled up on her all the sudden:  a co-worker decided to quit and her husband had the opportunity to work in Alberta during the “shoulder season” at Whistler (that awkward time between winter skiing season and summer hiking season when mountain guides are out of work).  Instead of relying on friends and neighbors to chauffeur Andrea for the month of May, they invited us to come to Squamish for a couple of weeks.  Without hesitation, we said, “Yes, yes, yes!”

I re-arranged my appointments and my work schedule, then I realized I needed a massage.

A bliss-full idea floated into my mind.  When Andrea had first lived in Squamish, she received a Thai massage so she could write about the experience in a tourist magazine called Whistler Traveller.  I asked her to set up an appointment for me.  This time it was her turn to say, “Yes, yes, yes!”

That’s how I found myself at Scandinave Spa in Whistler, BC, on a sunny Monday.  The spa is a short distance from the Whistler Village where Andrea works, but its secluded setting feels like a walk in the woods.  I arrived at 10:30 AM to explore the amenities while wrapped in a plush bathrobe and carrying a towel.  This was my first time to experience the hot-cold therapy of Scandinavian baths so I followed the instructions carefully: fifteen minutes in a hot environment (pool, sauna, or steam), at least thirty seconds in a cold environment (shower, pool, or waterfall), then fifteen minutes of relaxation (solarium, poolside chair, hammock), repeat three more times.  Silence, please.  No cameras.  Enjoy the privacy and the solitude that silence brings.  **I am your obedient servant**

After two rounds of hot-cold-rest therapy, I felt my muscles relax as I wandered to the Bistro for a plate of cheese, almonds, grapes, and dried apricots and several glasses of water.  I sipped green tea while I watched other bathers move from pool to pool or stretch out on a terrace chair.   For my next therapy round, I visited the sauna.

Remember, now, that I am a novice at this Scandinavian bath routine.  I walked into the sauna space to find a small entry area with lots of hooks for robes and towels, a water fountain, a box of tissues, but no instructions what to do next.  Gratefully a couple entered immediately after me so I followed their lead.  Inside the sauna room, one of them dipped a ladle full of water onto hot stones, creating a burst of steam, then they spread their towels on the wood benches before laying down.  I found my spot and allowed the dry heat to do its thing.  I expected to sweat in there, but the arid environment sucked at my skin.  As I walked out of the sauna, the skin on my legs was prickly hot and I thoroughly appreciated plunging into the cold salt-water pool.  I found a magazine and planted myself on a lounge chair in a secluded area next to a waterfall.  Soon it was my turn to enjoy 90 minutes with Nikolai for a Thai-yoga massage.

I have had massages in the past, but always on a massage table.  This time, the massage was on the floor to allow body manipulation that could be awkward or even dangerous on a table.  Nikolai encouraged me to breathe deeply throughout the experience, as in a yoga session.  I recognized foot reflexology methods and myofascial release techniques but I couldn’t identify the yoga stretches.  It didn’t matter, though, so long as I kept breathing.  **I am your obedient servant**

After the massage, Nikolai offered me a drink of water and quietly disappeared through a door, leaving me alone to enjoy the silence and solitude.  The warmth of the sunny afternoon wooed me to a walkway overlooking the baths.  Gaze.  Breathe.  Sip.  Smile.  Sigh.  Yes.

Time for one more hot-cold-rest cycle before Andrea was finished with her work day.  This time I headed to the eucolyptus steam bath.  Again I found hooks, a water fountain, and a box of tissues but no instructions.  I popped my head into the steam room to observe what others were doing but I couldn’t see anyone in the fog.   Carefully, I entered the space and found a spot to sit near the door.  Slowly my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room and I felt drips from above.  Soon I noticed my body was dripping with moisture.  I breathed deeply to benefit from the eucolyptus essence, clearing my sinuses after laying face down at the end of the massage.  In this space I wasn’t nervous and I wasn’t aware of time.

If there was a clock in the steam room, I wasn’t able to find it so I trusted my instinct to determine when fifteen minutes passed before I plunged into the nearest cold pool.  This time I relaxed in a swinging chair that had canvas loops for my arms and feet, suspending me in air like a rag doll… and I was a rag doll, limp and relaxed and satisfied.  Might it be possible to make this place my home?  I’d happily be a spa mascot, like those little lizards in tropical places that appear and disappear magically after lounging in the sun for a while.

But it was time for me to collect Andrea and drive her south along the Sea-to-Sky Highway so we could enjoy a meal together in her home.  Serenely, I found my gear in the locker room, showered and groomed myself for the journey, and sipped one last cup of green tea before walking through the woods to the car.  Was it my bath-soaked imagination, or were the mountains along Howe Sound truly more beautiful that day than any other?  It doesn’t matter, really.  It just was.

Dining with my daughter in Squamish, BC

Memorable meals are social occasions.  In a recent issue of Bon Appétit magazine, Andrew Knowlton said that one of the most important parts of planning a dinner party is to invite interesting guests to the table.  While Knowlton isn’t fond of a table full of people who are exactly like, I can’t imagine the drudgery of eating a meal with people who won’t talk with you, much like playing tennis with a dead ball.  Thud.  Not high on my list of favorite things.

My Life in France (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Having dinner with my daughter in Squamish ranks pretty high, though.  Not only is she good company, but she’s a good cook who embraces her passion for culinary experiments.  Just as I arrived at her house last week, she finished Julia Child’s memoir, My Life in France (co-authored with Alex Prud’Homme).  I picked it up every time there was a quiet moment while she was at work and our husbands installed light switches or repaired the car.  Last week, I prepared a couple of dinners of standard fare (chicken with roasted root vegetables then cheeseburgers with sautéed onions and cabbage on buns or wrapped in romaine lettuce leaves) and her husband impressed us with a trio of thin-crust pizzas.  Now that my husband is back in Pennsylvania (after an insanely tedious return trip) and her beloved is in Alberta (it’s time to help the family plant canola), it’s her turn to shine in the kitchen.

Andrea prefers vegetarian menus so when we shop for ingredients, I pick up some meat.  On Sunday, Andrea indulged her passion for brussels sprouts and mushrooms (sautéed with onion and garlic) and I prepared cod en papillote with orange and fresh thyme.  While I was busy at the oven, she created a slaw of raw grated beets, grated carrots, chunks of cucumber, sauerkraut, and black sesame seeds held together with an apple cider vinaigrette.  Flavors frolicked all over our tongues while colors exploded on our plates.  My only regret is not grabbing my camera before my appetite took over.

The next culinary adventure was a recipe Andrea found online, a tasty blend of spaghetti squash, olive oil, avocado, and parmesan that she tweaked by adding wedges of tomato.  Served alongside roasted chicken thighs, we were in taste bud heaven.  Again, I let my appetite distract me from taking a photo.  Check out the recipe online; there’s a photo that doesn’t do Andrea’s version justice because those bright red tomatoes truly popped on the bed of yellow squash, varying shades of green and yellow avocado, green basil, and white parmesan.  When you try this recipe, be sure to roast the spaghetti squash so you can enjoy the natural sweetness of carmelization.  Savor every bite.

Tonight we dine at Parkside, a restaurant in Squamish that might have a hard time competing with Andrea’s kitchen.  She’s pretty sure Parkside will come out on top.  I’ll let you know.

Parkside Restaurant in Squamish did not disappoint.  We shared a scallop bruchetta appetizer then each of us had a “burger.”  Andrea’s meal was a black bean burger with a side salad of mixed greens.  I was intrigued by the salmon burger but I didn’t want a bun; the chef accommodated my request to serve the grilled salmon on a bed of lettuce.  My side of roasted tomato soup with black beans revealed a smoky essence that said, “I am not your everyday tomato soup!”  The sunny weather enticed people out of their homes, so the lone server was very busy mixing drinks and waiting tables, but it’s not a problem to linger over a good meal at a table with a view of the surrounding mountains.  Overall, a very good meal.

A social worker’s toolbox comes from life

c 2012 Kim Ykema. Doodle, pound, throw... it's all part of therapy.

I applied to grad school at age 50 to officially turn my life around.  I have a degree in Business Administration and lots of experience as a volunteer teacher, administrator, and caregiver so I thought it would be good to become a professional social worker.  It’s exciting to see where my wealth of life experience is taking me.

Grad school is filling my life experience tool box with specific knowledge and skills that I lacked: theory, research, and evidence-based therapy methods.  I’m also hearing stories from the front lines of social work as my classmates describe what happens in the workplace and in sessions with clients.  I appreciate these things.  I truly do.  But grad school only fills a portion of my toolbox.

Life experience fills the rest.  And that life experience includes my artsy creative side.  Don’t be fooled into thinking I’m a professional artist… or even an amateur artist… you’ll never see my work in a show.  However, I am someone who finds comfort in surprising color combinations, multiplicity of textures, and the mystical sounds of wind, running water, and crackling fire.  I have discovered myself while drawing a maṇḍala, shredding paper and tossing it in the air, pounding on clay, and letting watercolors morph into unpredictable shapes on a moist piece of paper.

As a grad student, I participated in two Art Therapy research projects this year.  Not only have I learned about myself, but I am eager to learn more about Art Therapy so I can use some of these methods in social work therapy.  I think I’ll add games and building blocks, too.  Anything that would engage a client in a creative activity that helps them express an inner feeling.

I don’t have research data to substantiate today’s thoughts, although I am confident there is much out there.  This is what I am learning after my first year of grad school…a life-giving challenge.

Related Post from yesterday:  If I was a teacher I’d… doodle (written by me)

Related Post:  Do You Doodle? (written by someone else)

If I was a teacher, I’d… doodle

Wax crayons. Español: Lápices de cera (Crayones) de diferentes colores. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Raise your glass for a toast to the end of grad school Semester #2.

Huzzah!

Well, almost the end.

The final draft of the final paper is complete.  There are a few articles to read before class on Saturday, then I will defend my paper to the prof.  THEN it’s the end.

But getting that paper out of the way is the biggest hurdle.  And I’m going to celebrate by dreaming a bit.

If I was a grad school professor teaching six-hour classes on Saturdays, I would inject some fun into the curriculum.  I don’t care if everyone is grown up.  Crayons and bouncy balls are NOT inappropriate for grown ups.

In fact, I think crayons and bouncy balls might be necessary for survival.

My professors have been asking how they could present the material more effectively.  As everyone around me shakes their head while telling the prof that everything was great and you don’t need to change a thing, my mind is bursting with creative ideas, but I keep my mouth shut because I’m afraid they’d think I’m silly.  (Guess I still have a lot to learn about a reflected sense of self.)

But I don’t think it’s silly to do something a little bit crazy at 1:00 PM when everyone is starting to snooze after lunch.  I think a game of basketball with beanbags and a waste can is in order.  Go ahead!  With every toss, name a theory of human behavior.  Whoever gets the most points wins an extra point on the next graded assignment.  (Believe me, extra points wake up grad school adults!)

Neither do I think it’s silly to have desktops covered in butcher paper so students can draw diagrams of organizational theory or family systems or social policy dynamics (complete with appropriate emoticons).  And don’t draw with pen.  Colors must be used, and many colors.  In fact, 64 colors are in a pack of crayons so the options are almost infinite!

Those are just two of my ideas and there are more where they came from.

Social work classes do not have to be dry lectures with group discussion about client interventions and workplace dynamics.  Doodle those interventions!  Storyboard those dynamics!  Throw things around the room or make a spider web with yarn or build a structure with toothpicks and marshmallows.

And I’m not the only one who has these crazy ideas.

Apparently corporate America is using doodling in brainstorming sessions to create new ideas.  You can even hire a professional doodler to create meeting notes on a wall covered in paper (or whiteboard paint).  Not only is it more interesting than an agenda on a piece of paper, but it draws people’s eyes up and away from their laptops and smartphones.  And getting those people to bring markers to the wall wakes them up and gets them moving.  Sooooo much better than fidgeting in your seat or pretending to be engrossed in the presentation.

A while back, I found a 12-minute lecture about education paradigms presented in a sketching format.  Click on the link to watch it for yourself.  You will be amazed at the sketching technique AND you may learn something about how to learn more effectively.

Now if you’d like to learn more about how to brainstorm with doodling, contact McNair Wilson.  He gives seminars on such things.  He writes books (Hatch! is being release in May).  And he makes you laugh while you think.  Great combo.

So that’s my dream for the day.  Teaching creatively at the grad school level.  Imagine it!

Well-being is the best health insurance

Logo for the Center for Managing Chronic Disease (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Wall Street Journal recently ran a special section about innovations in health care (April 16, 2012) that pointed out the value of feeling good about your health instead of focusing on test results.

It’s true that you might feel badly about having high blood pressure, but when the doctor tells you to change your eating habits and exercise more to get the numbers down, do you think you’ll rush home to throw away the salt shaker and walk around the block?  Hardly.

On the other hand, if your doctor tells you about your high blood pressure, then asks you some questions about your quality of life and how satisfied you are with your sexuality, do you think you’d feel differently about that salt shaker and the walk?  I think you might care just a bit more.

I applaud research efforts that encourage people to talk about quality of life along with test results.  For example, the Center for Managing Chronic Disease at the University of Michigan ran a program to improve the well-being of African-American women with asthma.  In addition to normal brief doctor appointments, the participants had phone conversations with counselors to help them understand the doctor’s instructions, how to take medications, how to handle fear and depression related to asthma, and how to interact with family members to share household chores.  These are basic life skills that fifteen-minute doctor appointments often miss.  And they make people healthier.

According to the WSJ article, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been tracking quality-of-life data for a while.  Through surveys, they track “healthy days” in a given time period, then compare that data to historical records for the same population or compare it to other communities for a picture of overall health and the changes that are taking place.  This data is helping organizations decide how to focus their funding so health dollars are spent effectively.

Are you curious how your county stacks up against nearby counties or a county 3,000 miles away?  Find out how healthy your county is by visiting County Health Rankings and Roadmaps.  Choose your state, then your county, then find out how many people in your county are obese, uninsured, getting diabetes screenings, and able to get to a grocery store easily (plus other criteria).  All of these things contribute to good quality of life.

Get even more personal by taking a survey that measures your level of well-being, then compares you to the rest of the country.  I was pleased to learn I’m kind of normal.  After ten years of feeling like an 83-year-old woman, I am thrilled to be normal!  I wonder where you stand?

Read the Wall Street Journal article for yourself to learn more about this encouraging research about well-being. 

I Can’t Help Myself, Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch…

The Four Tops in concert, New Rochelle High School, New Rochelle, New York. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Back in 1965, the Four Tops sang about romance, but they could’ve been singing about sugar.  Here are the opening lines:

 

Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch

You know that I love you

I can’t help myself

I love you and nobody else

 

Is my comparison an exaggeration?  Not really.  Brain scans prove that sugar consumption triggers pleasure mechanisms just like addictive drugs.  That’s why we can’t stop with just one dip of ice cream.

 

Today I read a blog post by Christina Pirello.  She pointed out the irony of a 60 Minutes report followed by the Academy of Country Music awards and an announcment that ACM was joining forces with ConAgra to fight hunger.

The first report focused on Robert Lustig’s declaration that sugar is toxic, supported by Kimber Stanhope’s research on the effect of sugary drinks and her conclusion that calories from sugar affect the body differently than calories from other carbs.

 

After that report, the ACM announcement in support of ConAgra’s “Child Hunger Ends Here” campaign seemed ludicrous since most ConAgra products are highly processed and dependent on sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.  I agree with Pirello that it is absurd to fill children’s stomachs with “food-like substances” only to increase their risks for diabetes and heart disease down the line.  Like Pirello, I support a diet of whole foods, cooked at home from fresh ingredients that the body can use effectively.

In the 60 Minutes clip, Robert Lustig says that doctors don’t know about sugar’s toxicity, giving the impression that his message is groundbreaking news.  Maybe some doctors aren’t aware of brain scan studies in recent years, but it’s not new science to point out the negative effects of sugar in the diet.

 

Another interesting point in the clip is that Lustig seems to demonize fructose but that’s not exactly what he says.  He points out that fructose in its natural form has been a healthy source of energy for thousands of years.  Humans have consumed fruit without health damage because its fructose is balanced by the fiber of apple peels and orange membranes.  Because fresh fruit is more satisfying than a sugary drink, people eat fruit in small quantities, compared to the modern consumption of sodas and sugary desserts.

 

Fructose isn’t the enemy.  It’s refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup that are the enemies.

 

And I don’t support the “moderation in all things” theory, either.  Refined sugar isn’t something our bodies need.  If we stick to whole food diets, we will have more energy and have stronger immune systems.  There’s a lot of research out there, so now it’s your turn to learn about sugar and change your food choices.

 

Is Sugar Toxic? by Gary Taubes

 

Sugar Isn’t Evil:  A Rebuttal by David Katz, MD

 

Studies by the Stress, Environment, and Weight Center of University of California