Fat Digest

This is dialogue I recount from visits with my doctor (MD), nurse practitioner (NP), and dietitian (RD) colleague
Docotors visit:
MD - "Come right in and have a seat. Your labs are in, and here's a copy for you."

My eye lands on the total fat or triglyceride number(15). "Whoa, no change!" I hear my inner voice bemoaning.

Me - "doc., my total fat level is so low! How is that? I've heard that sometimes low fat levels could be an indication that their is a malfunction with the Liver!"

MD - "No, your Liver results are very good. It's healthy to have low fat results. I wouldn't worry about it"

NP Visit:

NP - "Hello, how are you, take a seat."

Me - "I have a copy of my labs for you."

NP - "Good, let's have a look. Everything looks good, but I am concerned that your triglyceride number is so low. Are you eating enough good fats like avocados, salmon, nuts, and olive oil?"

Me - "Yes, of course, and I also take flax oil supplements three times a day!"

NP - "Well, we need to either change your brand of supplement or increase the amount."

Me - "I'd rather not increase it-what brand do you recommend."

She gives her recommendation and I am off to school.

Two years later I confide in a dietitian and colleague I trust:

Me - "I had labs done to check my LDLs, HDLs, Total Cholesterol and Triglycerides levels. All are fine except my total fat is still low. I had it checked two years ago and it was 15 and now it has only increased to 35."

RD - "Well, a 35 triglyceride level is pretty low. And yet low can be good, but if you are trying to gain weight you should try to raise it at least to 60 or 65."

Me - "So, I should increase my good fats even more, right?"

RD - "Wrong. Triglyceride levels increase with more saturated fats and sweets in the diet. So I can understand why you may have trouble getting that number up! You might try coconut milk which has saturated fat, but won't spike up your cholesterol like other saturated fats. Do you like Pina Coladas?"

To be continued!

Unwrapped Taste

What's the Rave about this product? Simply delicious with more fiber than any wrap I have seen on the market. Even if you are not into gluten free you won't want to miss out on the nutritious value. They taste great too! That may be a bias statement coming from someone like me. Why not judge for yourself. The store I visited had a sale on the wraps. I say, go for value, go for taste, and last (certainly not least), go for nutrition ;-0

Recovery 5K Run Lunch

Today's Lunch:

G-Free Teff Tuna Salad Wrap

Marinated Cucumber Salad

Slice Fresh Plum

This was light recovery food that went down easy and was tasty too!

Travel Day

Today I traveled to Torrence. The Oven warm conditions did not help my efforts to gain a half pound of weight lost over the last few days. I saturated the face towel wiping off sweat on the 2 hour drive. Boarders was a welcomed reprieve from the heat, though I had to wait some time outside due to the long line for the book signing with Tennis star Venus Williams. The extent that fans will go for a fraction of time with their hero. My anticipation, however, was met in a single moment when I laid eyes on the icon image. She was truly gracious, smiling and laughing as I told her I was following her on twitter and facebook. I read the stories of some of the other icon figures in her book, "Come To Win". It stunned me to learn how much sports and physical fitness played a role in the making of these famous people from various professional fields. I can only hope to emulate their philosophy of winning on the home front with a continued message about nutrition and exercise adherence for the best prospect to "Come To Win" in the battle to stay healthy.

Cashing in on our Nation's Food Reserves

Sometime ago last year on Twitter I submitted the following tweet: "How to catch a food thief, as ridiculous as it may sound there appears to be a master mind at work cashing in on our nations food reserve." At the time I was heavily engaged in writing a research paper on the GMO food debate. After researching both sides of the debate, I concluded that the benefits of GMO foods outweighed the risk. Since then I have encounter people including dear friends who strongly disagree with me. But I consoled myself, I have to be true to my study and finding on the subject. It's true, I buy organic as much as I am able. I attribute this to my own taste preference and I don't make an issue of it when I am in social settings so as not to offend or starve. I found this article today which moved me to revisit the issue, however disturbing it may be for me since it involves a possibe link to gluten sensitivity. Here is the link http://www.celiacdiseasecenter.columbia.edu/A_Patients/A07-Support.htm

New website for gluten-free consumers

This site New website for gluten-free consumers promises to be an exceptional site in the search for "partners in crime" ("pc") My reference to "pc" isn't meant in any way to disrespect those who are working in our favor to promote the gluten-free life. I would just put a perspective on the situation as I see it. So the way I see it "pc" can be construed as organizers in conspiracy to break out of confinement to our prolonged way of eating. It's hard to change a long time affair with certain foods that cause us such distress. We need as it were a policing force to arraign the villains of our choosing. However, we have something to our credit in that G-Free food information wasn't always available to us to make better choices. Now we have an army on our side. What yet remains is a vigilance to take advantage of these resource that will help liberate us once again to take control of our health . I say this more for myself than anyone else reading this.

Day two in the life of a commited gluten free diet consumer.

Breakfast:
Gluten Free Chex Cereal with Soy Milk
Calcium and Vitamin D Fortified OJ
1 T. of Peanut Butter
6 0z Mungsteen Peach Green Tea

Lunch:
1 String Cheese
Large Size Pink Lady Apple
Serving of Flax Chia and Hemp Seed Corn Chips
Serving of TJ's Green Mint Tea Candies

Dinner {planned for later today}
Brown Rice
Black Beans
1/4 c. Chicken Breast
Steamed Carrots
Fresh Plum

I can already feel the energy!

Hungry2

I can not close my eyes to sleep tonight except I enter a follow up post to the previous one. In the prior post, I spoke about hunger and what drives it. I offered a light discussion on food chemistry. Although, I believe our taste buds can signal to us what's missing and drive us to keep eating until the need is met; yet something more pervasive can be the cause of our hunger. People with known or unknown gluten intolerance have complained of this unyielding hunger. I acknowledge this as I too have an intolerance to gluten. For the past two and a half years I have followed a gluten free diet that set me free from my hungry demon. But recently I was ready to abandon the strict diet in order to be more social among friends eating as they ate (pizza, breads, desserts). As I compromised my diet in another way filling up on canned baked beans, and adding non gluten free mayo and mustard to make egg, tuna, or chicken salad. My hungry demon returned with a vengeance. Yesterday I ate two pints of white rice, one serving of black beans, two servings of cookies (gluten free), an orange and six pieces of green mint candy all in one setting. To burn the excess calories I did an intensive bike ride later that day. I felt exonerated. Reading the G Free Diet A Gluten Free Survival Guide by Elisabeth Hasseleck, strengthened my resolve to continue to fight the good fight. Link to www.gfreeDIET.com

Hunger

What drives hunger? Why can't we be content with a single meal? Is it because the meal is tasteless and bland? Is it lacking sugar and spice and everything nice? Maybe the food is tough and dry? Is it plain without tang, or too smokey, peppery hot? Having been trained in food science, I know something about the attributes of foods. There is such a large variety, but our diet is fueled by foods consisting of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. What has food attributes to do with it? Well, you may have, also, heared that carbs, fats, and proteins break down in the human body and trigger chemical reactions. Sodium and potassium are two major substance needed by the body to function. These two chemicals as well as many more can be found in the foods we consume. It is therefore important to have a sense for taste. Try a balanced meal to appease your palate. How is this for a rousing start:

Sweet and Sour Tofu (use chicken or fish if preferred)
Ginger Spicy Brown Rice
Sauteed Red Onions, Celery, and Corn
Lemony Blueberry Aide Drink
Carrot Cake Delight (opitional)

Leave a comment and get receipes for the items above.