Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Human nutrition and health’ Category

The verdicts are in

The verdicts are in. I have tasted all the interesting things I purchased Friday night in the produce section. (I haven’t yet tasted the frozen breaded okra – but I have tried all the produce, so I’m going to call it.)

Okay, this has nothing to do with the produce I bought. I bought this jar of chili paste a while back. I didn’t know what I’d do with it. In fact, the cashier at Trader Joe’s said she would have no idea what to do with it. I was kind of hoping it’d be some sort of substitute for the curry paste I’d been buying – that had shellfish in it.

IMG_0825

(more…)

Read Full Post »

Pom poms

Last time I went to Trader Joe’s, I decided to try a few new things from the produce aisle, including a pomegranate. I’ve had pomegranate before – pomegranate-flavored Greek yogurt, pomegranante and blueberry breakfast cereal, even pomegranate in a salad. However, I’ve never actually purchased and prepared a pomegranate. A friend had posted this YouTube video on Facebook recently, which made it seem possible for even someone as clumsy as me to prepare one.

So, I gave it a go:

IMG_0781

(more…)

Read Full Post »

Adventures in produce

A friend recently chastised me for publishing photos of my food on Facebook.  Coincidentally (?) another friend posted a list of “losers” on Facebook – one category of which was the loser that photographs their dinner.

I guess not everyone is interested in food.  I am.  I’m interested in food ALL THE TIME.  I’m especially excited about food when I’m going to the effort of eating “real” food – food that actually has an expiration date and/or is created by nature.

However, given the limited interest my pictures of food seem to generate on Facebook, I’ve decided to put them on my blog!  Because, let’s face it, my blog is all about me and what I am interested in!

In that vein, I’ll start with my trip to Tony’s Finer Foods last night.  I went late, after work, because I knew snow was in the forecast and I’d be too lazy to shovel the alley so I could get my car out of the garage for a trip this weekend.  Plus, I have two new FAVORITE things, one of which seems only available in “fresh” form at Tony’s.

I grew up in small town Nebraska, where my exposure to “produce” seemed limited. On occasion I get adventurous and try various items available in the “big city”. Tony’s has a particularly diverse produce section, due in part to the large Hispanic and Korean population in this area.

To make my post EXTRA fun, we’ll make it a game.  How many of these items I bought, rather randomly, can you identify?  (Many of these items I have never purchased or eaten before, so this weekend will involve research on “what do I do with this thing?”)

IMG_0817

Guess the produce #1 – I’ve never had this before, but could not resist his little grumpy face

(more…)

Read Full Post »

I’ve totally been slacking on the blog!  I know!  No excuse, but I’ve been busy lifting, pressing, pulling, and squatting heavy things.  I haven’t even been playing with yarn much!

I’ve started stage 6 of New Rules of Lifting for Women.  For the most part, I’m still listing my accomplishments each stage.

(more…)

Read Full Post »

Do I even lift?  Why yes, yes I do – and I have proof!

Weight-lifting calluses

Weight-lifting calluses

(more…)

Read Full Post »

I’ve been exercising.  For real.  Actually consistently “making exercise”, as my former roommates call it.

(more…)

Read Full Post »

I was diagnosed with edema in 2008. I’d noticed my huge legs and “cankles”, but honestly just thought it was fat. I was definitely overweight, and thought the disappearance of my ankle bones was yet another sign I was TOO FAT. I started seeing my physician pretty regularly that spring as he’d insisted we could no longer put off dealing with my high blood pressure, we could no longer “wait and see”, we had to deal with it. In April of 2008, he put me on Norvasc (Amlodipine, a calcium channel blocker), with little improvement. A few weeks later he tried changing me over to Dyazide (triamterene and hydrochlorothiazide). When I went back to follow up, I asked him about my puffy legs. I’d finally realized maybe something else was going on – as at this point, one leg was MUCH larger than the other. I’ve never been “fatter” on one side.
(more…)

Read Full Post »

I’ve renewed my commitment to eating healthy and improving my overall fitness. I’d lost a lot of weight in 2009, and sadly I’ve gained almost all of it back. It’s taken me a while to get started. I have a lot of trouble getting motivated – as soon as I’m faced with something particularly delicious, I tend to think “there’s always tomorrow” and put off my plans. However, I found a group of great people on Ravelry (my online community of knitters, crocheters, etc.) that were committed to overall eating healthy and fitness.  I’ve joined their group and gotten a lot of great tips and inspiration from them.

(more…)

Read Full Post »

In my attempts to lose weight last year, I discovered it was FAT that aggravated my digestive disorders.  So, I need to stick to a low-fat diet or I suffer the consequences.  It was my birthday recently – and as cheesecake is one of the things I miss a LOT – I decided to try to come up with a low-fat version I could eat without getting ill.

Inspired partly by my friend Mary’s “chocolate eclair cake” and partly by Keebler’s “double chocolate pudding pie”, here’s what I did.

(more…)

Read Full Post »

Protein is the building block for muscle. It raises blood glucose levels slowly and keeps them elevated for longer, increasing energy. It increases metabolism, and contributes toward are feelings of satiety (feeling “full”).  While humans, as omnivores, don’t have the high protein requirements of cats – we STILL need protein!

(more…)

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »