tablets of human hearts

Day 9

Chapter 9:  Seed Oils
Interesting chapter. It Starts with Food goes against current thought of vegetable oil being healthy.   They consist of a high proportion of polyunsaturated fat and a large amount of omega-6 fatty acids. In the proper amounts they are critical for healthy brain function, metabolism, growth and development, but in high amounts, promote systemic inflammation.  Unfortunately, they are found in everything, from processed foods to most restaurants.  And my kitchen pantry.  Thankfully, we tend to cook primarily with olive oil.  Other recommended additions are avocado oil and coconut oil. Their benefits will be addressed in later chapters.

Overall
Growing accustomed to the lack of sugars and sweeteners in my diet. Find my physical cravings for something sweet has diminished, although my psychological desire for a treat or a comfort food still remains, especially in stress.

9 down, 21 to go.

Day 8
Nothing like dental surgery, a leaky water heater that needs to be replaced, and water damage in the master closet to test our stress levels.  The dental surgery was planned, the results of a poor diet and too many sweetened carbonated beverages as a child.  The water heater overflowed and the water made its way into the master closet, soaking the carpet and pad. However, removing the water heater revealed a leaky pipe. From the damage to the wood, we believe the leak has been dripping for a while. We’re thankful we found it before the damage extended beyond a small area.
A similar scenario plays out in our bodies. From what I’m understanding in It Starts with Food, the foods choices we make can play a role in creating internal damage not necessarily apparent on the outside. Until something goes wrong causing us to investigate, it could continue unchecked for years, wreaking havoc on our systems.

Chapter 8: Sugar, Sweetener, and Alcohol
Well. Here it is. The chapter a sugaraholic dreads. We all know too much sugar is not good for us. And we really want to control our urges. And we tell ourselves we’re eating it in moderation. But, confession time, I have found, at least for me, one homemade chocolate chip cookie leads to another, and another, and maybe another (not to mention the dough I sampled while making them). A weekend trip to DQ for a treat becomes a weekly family outing. And Pinterest. Sigh. It’s like someone with a gambling problem browsing vacation packages to Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Or an alcoholic perusing a winery or distillery catalog. Not a good combination. Then, when you consider all the insidious ways sugar shows up in our processed food (see my soap box rants from previous days’ blogs), it’s no wonder we’re addicted.
Back to the chapter. The authors lay out 4 standards to which they believe food should adhere.
The food we eat should:
1. Promote a healthy psychological response.
2. Promote a healthy hormonal response.
3. Support a healthy gut.
4. Support immune function and minimize inflammation.
Sugar, Sweeteners, and alcohol fail all 4 of their tests and provide zero nutritional value.
Obviously, we want to enjoy life, and sweet delicacies bring enjoyment. But we need to make educated (read the labels) decisions about food and we can no longer justify our choices with marketing labels trying to convince us something is “good” for us.

Overall
Tired. But I blame the dental surgery and the crazy, water-stressed day.

8 down, 22 to go.

Day 7
Whooo Hooo.  One week down.
Soap box time again. As I made dinner, I double checked some of the ingredients for sugars. I thought the only thing I needed to eliminate in my coconut curry chicken would be the two tablespoons of brown sugar in the recipe. I was wrong. I will need to be on the look out for sugarless brands of certain items. The brand of chicken broth we had in the cabinet had cane sugar listed. So, I decided I would use bouillon cubes and make my own broth. However, sugar is listed as the second ingredient and corn starch (a substance to avoid during the Whole30) as the third ingredient. Finally, the fish sauce had sugar listed as its third and final ingredient.
Seriously.  I’m not a conspiracy kind of person, but I’m beginning to think our food industry wants us addicted to sugar.   The invasion of sugar in places I would not expect makes it somewhat difficult to keep it out of my diet.

Chapter 7:  Inflammation: No one is immune
The last chapter of It Starts with Food discussed how certain foods can promote chronic disease, hypersensitivities and autoimmune conditions in the body.  This chapter expounds on their impacts on our immune system.  Basically, our immune system is designed to attack foreign invaders and protect our body.  But if our immune system has been conditioned to constantly attack something showing up in our body, like the ingestion of certain foods, then it is consistently on alert, creating chronic inflammation, and becomes ineffective in doing its intended job.   The authors believe this inflammation is linked to a variety of different conditions and diseases, many which are surprising.
Genetics are also addressed, which is of interest to me because, as I mentioned in yesterday’s post, my family has a history of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke (along with several other conditions I’d like to avoid).  I have always believed these problems to be linked with food, but am beginning to understand more of the why it’s linked and what’s behind the concept of eating healthy (and I am also changing my understanding of what eating healthy means).   Although we might have a genetic predisposition for a certain disease (or diseases), doesn’t mean those genes will be triggered.  Our environment and our lifestyle choices make a difference in whether or not the genes are triggered and the diseases are given an opportunity to develop.  As always, it goes back to the foods we eat and, as I mentioned, I am surprised at how the things we have been conditioned to believe are healthy, are instead, the major culprits.

Overall
Nothing major. Another morning run. A busy and somewhat stressful day. I’m glad the fatigue has lifted somewhat.

7 down, 23 to go.

Day 6
A beautiful weekend to worship the Lord.  We joined our local body of believers during the evening for the launch of our first Saturday night service.  Afterwards, everyone gathered in the front for food and fellowship.  We enjoyed the fellowship, but bypassed the food.  We appreciated the gesture but were quite satisfied with our dinner of grilled pork, sweet potato and a pile of mixed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots).
We spent the afternoon strolling some property we have in the hill country.  We loved the breeze and look forward to cooler temperatures so we do some more clearing of the undergrowth.  I am thankful for the health and energy to do so.  Since things like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke run in my family, I want to do everything I can to keep from developing these problems.

Chapter 6:  The Guts of the Matter
A bit more review for me in this chapter, as I learned much of it in my nutrition class.  Discusses the organs making up our guts: stomach, small intestine, liver, pancreas, and gallbladder, all important for proper digestion.  And all also a prominent part of our immune system.  Like the hormones, when our digestive tract is functioning properly, our body is in balance.  But when it is not, our immune system can be compromised.  Since digesting food is the purpose of the digestive tract, the right foods keep it healthy, but certain foods can create an unbalance and promote chronic disease, hypersensitivities, and autoimmune conditions.

Overall
Still felt the afternoon wearies.  But perked up after dinner.  I am getting used to the drinks without sweetener.  (I usually stick to water, but it’s nice to have some variety).  We purchased some Le Croix water (coconut and lemon) to give us that carbonation zip without the sweetener (or added chemicals).   I also make celestial seasonings cold brew tropical fruit iced tea and it’s a nice addition to lunch.

6 down, 24 to go.

Day 5

My main man and I went to the Home and Garden show.  We started our trek through the booths on the side opposite the food.  The toughest part were the roasted nuts for sale in a booth in the center of the exhibition.   Their sweet smell permeated the middle of every isle.   The last two isles were filled with all kinds of food vendors, with samples galore.  Normally, we would have made our way down the isles, grazing as we went along.  But since everything was served with crackers or bread (so much for tasting the olive oil and balsamic vinegars) or was loaded with sugar, we avoided it all.  We planned ahead, however, and packed a Whole30 healthy lunch (I say Whole30 healthy because chapter 5 in the book, It Starts with Food, really debunks my understanding of healthy food).  Instead of sugar filled treats, we ate tuna salad, made with homemade mayonnaise (yes, sugar is even found in most mayonnaise), raisins, apple chunks and chopped pecans.  We ate it on romaine lettuce.  We also had veggies and some fruit.    Although I missed all the yummy delicacies, I did not miss that guilty and stuffed feeling I would normally have felt afterwards.

Chapter 5:  Healthy Hormones, Healthy You

Wow, this was a long chapter.  And not as easy a read as the preceding chapters.   The authors do an excellent job providing examples and images to help the reader understand  some of the harder concepts.   They discussed four important interacting hormones: insulin, leptin, glucagon, and cortisol.  When these hormones are functioning properly, our body is in balance, but when certain factors drive them to over or under produce, bad things can happen, like obesity, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and even alzheimer’s disease.   Interestingly enough, many of the so-called “healthy foods” we have been taught to eat are major contributors to knocking these hormones out of balance.

Overall
Ok.  So I caved a little.  Not a big cave and kind of within the Whole30 list.  I really wanted some coffee in the morning.  However, black coffee is just too bitter.  I found a website (http://www.livebetterforever.com) featuring a recipe for almond milk.  The Whole30 book warns against making a sweet concoction out of coconut milk to have with coffee and I wonder if this would fit into the same category…  But I decided to try it anyway.   It consists of water, almond flour, 2 dates and vanilla.
Soap box time!  After I added the teaspoon of vanilla, a thought occurred to me: surely “they” wouldn’t put sugar in vanilla.  Seriously.  I checked.  And was stunned.  The store brand “pure” vanilla we bought had sugar listed as the second ingredient.  Sigh.  Since I’m only on day 5, and its a minuscule amount (vanilla doesn’t “taste” sweet), I decided to let it slide.  But I will be on the look out for vanilla-only vanilla extract (or make my own from vanilla beans).
Back to the almond milk and the coffee.  I tasted the almond milk and it’s pretty good, definitely cheaper than the store-bought kind.  And a splash in my coffee made it not bad.   (I can’t really say good yet because my taste buds are still rebelling from sweets being eliminated).  After I drank a cup, I realized I was satiated and didn’t need a second cup, like I often crave.  There just might be something to this.

5 down, 25 to go.