Drill Down: Ice Ice Baby, Too Cold Too Cold

He was once the Donald Trump of Hip Hop. Now he is a gag in a blog post about ice.

It's nice to think we make our own decisions, eat the food we choose to eat, and regardless of our education or experience, are smart enough to be the owner/resident of a healthy, human body. But truth: we our choices are created & influenced by our eras.

My parents were smart, relatively sophisticated and earned solid stable livings their whole lives. And yet, the diet they raised me was primarily Kraft dinner, McDonald's, Hamburger Helper, Shake & Bake and Sara Lee, with dueling momma or poppa salads pushed in from their own parent's earlier era. The 70s was the Industrial (Convenience Foods) Revolution. I recent read a blurb on the inter webs that got me thinking about bigger revolutions that probably changed the food culture of my grandparents and their parents dramatically, from the actual Industrial Revolution.

Hotels have also had a longstanding interest in ice. When industrial-size ice machines were introduced in the 1890s, in the days before modern refrigeration, hotels—along with dairies and breweries—were among the first businesses to embrace them. Not wanting to be at the mercy of the natural ice industry (in which ice was harvested out of lakes and ponds and transported all over the country—like in the movie Frozen), hotels installed ice machines that would be able to provide the stuff on demand for all their varied icy needs: keeping food fresh, making ice cream, serving cocktails, helping guests cool down via the tried and true ice-to-forehead method, and more. Back then, you’d have to ring up room service for the stuff; thanks to Wilson, you can now go get it yourself.

I have an antique ice box I inherited from my parents. It has a top-loading area, framed out in thin metal, and a front loading space below with a drip tray. A big block of ice would go below, and whatever needed to be cool above. Both chambers are now full of various liquors, at room temperature. The reference above to who embraced mechanical refrigeration first -- dairies and breweries -- got me thinking. A cow is a bit of a temperature controlled environment. Up until the milk is squirted out, it's factory is pretty much a sealed unit. A brewery is not. I know enough about brewing and yeast to know if you don't have some control over the temperature, yeast can under/over perform, die or become explosive under contained vessels, like, say, a beer bottle...

Sealed Cow Unit

There’s no question that the brewing industry was one of the first to realize the significant benefits that refrigeration offered. German lager beer came to America with the German immigrants in the 1840s, tasting a lot better than American ale. Refrigeration enabled the breweries to make a uniform product all year round. Brewing was the first activity in the northern states to use mechanical refrigeration extensively, beginning with an absorption machine used by S. Liebmann’s Sons Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York in 1870. Commercial refrigeration was primarily directed at breweries in the 1870s and by 1891, nearly every brewery was equipped with refrigerating machines.

Just as porn drives communications technology, alcohol drove food and preservation technology. Because everything great invented by man comes back to porn and booze. Anyway, yes, beer and ice cream, two staples in many of our diets that would not be so prevalent if it wasn't for the ice revolution. Thinking of it that way, was the invention of modern refrigeration good or bad for us?

Because refrigeration facilitated the hygienic handling and storage of perishables, it promoted output growth, consumption, and nutrition through the spatial and temporal integration of markets for perishables. We estimate the impact of mechanical refrigeration on output and consumption, and hence on human nutrition, concentrating on the contribution from refrigerated dairy products, an important source of nutrients, particularly proteins and calcium. We conclude that the adoption of refrigeration in the late-nineteenth-century United States increased dairy consumption by 1.7% and overall protein intake by 1.25% annually after the 1890s. The increase in protein consumption was particularly important to the growth of the human organism. 

Moments after two human organisms shared hopefully more than one human orgasm to create one or more human organisms.

Yes, more protein is wonderful, but if I allowed my six year old daughter to eat multiple ice creams and multiple ice pops daily as she requests on the regular, perhaps this scientist wouldn't be so gung ho. Still, point is, before refrigeration, nutrition was a lot more scarce. Now it ain't. Too bad if we're wired to over-eat.

The idea of refrigerating ourselves via air conditioning is making us fat is not a new one. Just as a cow is a perfect mechanism for regulating it's own temperature for creating milk, the human body also regulates it's own temperature. But that regulation ain't free -- it takes energy a.k.a. calories to turn up the internal furnace when you're in the cold and it takes energy to sweat off the excess temp and push blood closer to the surface of your skin to help cool it. Air conditioning short-wires the need for this calorie-expending internal thermostat.

Ice, ice cream, a cool room and/or a chilled beverage in the summer, it's a pretty awesome thing that makes being alive fun. As my 1900's ice box attests too, people haven't always had it so comfortable. Gratitude.
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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2948

Frustratingly high. I need to look back at when I was regularly keeping it closer to 2700 and see what I was doing differently...

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MONDAY COUNT: 2930

SLEPT: 11pm-6am, 7 hrs

AM SNACK: 6:15 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST 1: 8:15am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, steel cut oatmeal, 450 cal

LUNCH: 1:30pm, falafel, onion soup, health salad, pickles, 560 cal

PM SNACK:  3:30pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310 cal

DINNER: 6:45pm, mahi mahi,  asparagus, poppa salad with dressing, 650 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:15pm, popcorn, +/- 400 cal

EVENING SNACKS: 8pm, 2 kid granola bars, peanut butter crackers, 400 cal
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TUESDAY COUNT: 2690 cal

SLEPT: 9pm-6am, 9hrs

AM SNACK: 6:15 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 7:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, Fage with honey, vanilla and almontsl 450 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, chicken meatballs, steamed string beans, lentil curry, pickles, 620 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad, 100 cal

DINNER: 7pm, French Bread pizzas, poppa salad with dressing, 1080 cal

EVENING SNACKS: 8pm, 2 kid granola bars, pirate booty, 280 cal


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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 3650 cal

SLEPT: 10pm - 6am, 8 hrs

AM SNACK: 6:155am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 7:15am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, steel cut oatmeal, 450 cal

LUNCH: 1:45pm, grilled pork tenderloin, poppa salad with dressing, pickles, 420 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310 cal

PM SNACK: 4:30pm, cashews, 250 cal

DINNER: 8pm, chipotle burrito, ice cream, 1180 cal

EVENING SNACKS: 9pm, nutella, pirate booty, +/- 800 cal
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BIKE CREDIT: 680cal
THURSDAY COUNT: 2850

SLEPT: 10:30pm-2:30am, 4 hours

AM SNACK: 3am, iced green tea, 150mg caffeine

BIKE SNACK: 5am, homemade granola bar, 510 cal

BREAKFAST 1: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:15am, Fage with almonds, honey, almonds, vanilla, 450 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, grilled pork tenderloin, poppa salad with dressing, sautéed mushrooms pickles, 590 cal

PM SNACK: 3:15pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310 cal

PM SNACK: 4:30pm, cashews, 250 cal

PM SNACK: 5pm, peanut m&ms, 260 cal

DINNER: 6:45pm, fancy gyro, eggplant, halava & baklava, +/- 1000 cal
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FRIDAY COUNT: 2620

SLEPT: 9pm-6am, 9 hours

BREAKFAST: 6:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST 1: 8am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:30am, steel cut oatmeal, 450 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, sardines & avovado on whole wheat toast, pickles, poppa salad and dressing, 700 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310 cal

DINNER: 6:30pm, lomein, beef patty, +/- 1000 cal

Kind Bars Vs Reality

A few years ago,  I looked closely at the idea of the granola bar. I bake my own granola then bar-ify it with a heady mix of nut butters, molasses, egg and other ingredients. There has been a big market for pre-made granola bars since the 70s; however as time went on they kinda devolved into candy bars with just a whiff of "health" on them. A block of sugar and fat with a few oats stuck in them is still candy.

A more modern phenomenon is a new class of good-for you bar that is kinda like a granola bar, but dispenses with the rolled oats -- the nut bar is exemplified by Kind bars. With a vaguely hippy-dippy stoner name, modern packaging whose block colors look like an abstract rainbow, and an ingredient list that features nuts front and center, it has replaced the granola bar among the health conscious set as the go-to grab-and-go convenience snack. However, all may not seem like it is.

At least four of Kind LLC’s self-proclaimed healthy bars are in violation of “healthy” labeling requirements, according to the Food and Drug Administration, which sent a warning letter to the company.
“Your products do not meet the requirements for use of the nutrient content claim ‘healthy’ on a food label,” William Correll, director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said in the letter, dated March 17 and released publicly on Tuesday. “You should take prompt action to correct the violations.”

The FDA's definition of healthy is simply a limit on the amounts of things like trans fats, salt and sugar. While Kind correctly argues that whatever the fat-content of nuts may be, they are nutritionally sound, but it's not the whole story.

Kind has rapidly expanded and has introduced a wide variety of both flavors of nut bars and other products, like granola (excuse me, "Oat Clusters") and granola bars (nope, "Healthy Grains Bars"). You don't have to go far in this expanded product line to find something like the "Almond & Coconut" kind bar whose trans fat are a multiple of what the FDA recommends and triple the sugar load, and further variations that involve chocolate and other trappings of candy. The system demands expanding profits at all times, so in the food world, that always means devolving into finding the broadest possible appeal...which means increasing salt, sugar and fat.

Serving for serving, not hella different nutritionally than a Reeses.  OK, a little bit more fiber.

I get my kind bars in bulk from Costco, and they come in 2 plain-jane flavors, basically fancy names for vanilla and chocolate. Looking at the list of ingredients, all the nuts are in front, but as one "mixed nut" ingredient, and each one has several sweeteners, including sugar, honey, glucose, and "chicory root fiber", which is another fancy term for a low glycemic sweetener. Straight up according to the listing, each bar contains about a teaspoon of sugar. This isn't just a bunch of nuts pressed together, this is a bunch of nuts bound with sugar. The truly "kind" thing would to simply eat nuts and not a processed bar.

I'll continue to eat kind bars for the same reason I'll continue to juice vegetables every morning. My juicing is not a replacement for my twice daily raw vegetable salads -- it is a supplement to get more nutrition in that otherwise would be overwhelmed by too much fiber. I sparingly eat nuts -- almonds with my 2x weekly yogurt, a serving of cashews once a week to keep away the hunger, and the kind bar is a convenient way to keep some variety and decadence without feeling like I'm hurting myself. 

But make no mistake -- it is a highly processed, packaged and marketed product that is not as good as just eating nuts. 

Chuck D was talking about food marketing, right?

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 3091
Weird week, cycling kept me hungry, though I wonder if following my hunger to these higher calorie counts is the way to go. Will know in  a week or so. Just so much going on, don't have the mental space to focus too much on the food thing...

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MONDAY COUNT: 2940

SLEPT: 11pm - 5am, 6hrs

AM SNACK: 5:15 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 8am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11am, Fage yogurt with honey, almonds, vanilla, 450 cal  

LUNCH: 2pm, falafel, split pea soup, health salad, pickle, 620 cal

PM SNACK: 4:45pm, momma salad, cheezits 310 cal

PM SNACK: 5:15pm, poppa salad, 200 cal

DINNER: 7pm, chicken sausage, asparagus,  poppa salad with dressing, 600 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:45pm, popcorn, +/-400 cal

EVENING SNACK: 8pm, flourless chocolate cake,+/- 400 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 3040

SLEPT: 11pm- 6am, 7hrs

AM SNACK: 5:30 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 8am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11am, Steel cut oatmeal, 450 cal

LUNCH: 2:30pm, grilled chicken, steamed string beans, Mushroom curry, pickles, 600 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310 cal

PM SNACK: 5pm, poppa salad, 200 cal

DINNER: 6:15pm, Chipotle burrito, 880 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, kind bar, peanut butter cracker, 420 cal
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BIKE CREDIT: 1260 cal
WEDNESDAY COUNT: 3090 cal

SLEPT: 9pm-2am, 4am-6am, 7hrs

AM SNACK: 6:15 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST 1: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

AM SNACK: 8:15am, half a horrible ham and cheese biscuit thing, +/- 150 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:30am, Fage yogurt, honey vanilla, almonds, 150 mg caffeine, 450 cal

BIKE SNACKS: 12-2:30pm, 1 homemade granola bars, digestive cookies, 730 cal

LUNCH: 3:45pm, tiapia, health salad, pickle veggie straws, 650 cal

PM SNACK: 4:30pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310 cal

DINNER: 8:15pm, bibimbop, seafood pancake, kimchi, various little plates, +/- 1000 cal

EVENING SNACK: 10pm, waffle & ice cream, digestive cookies, +/- 800 cal
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BIKE CREDIT 640 cal
THURSDAY COUNT: 3295

SLEPT: 11pm -4am,  5 hrs

AM SNACK: 4:15am, iced green tea, 150 mg caffeine

BIKE SNACK: 6am, homemade granola bar, 235 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:30am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11am, steel cut oatmeal, 450 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, sauteed shrimp,  poppa salad and dressing, 400 cal

PM SNACK: 2:15pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, peanut butter crackers, 480 cal

DINNER: 5:30pm, pizza, salad, +/- 900 cal cal

EVENING SNACK: 7pm, pecan pie, tea, ice cream, +/- 500 cal

EVENING SNACK: 10pm, kind bar, peanut butter & chocolate syrup, +/- 500 cal

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FRIDAY COUNT: x

SLEPT: 11pm-7am, 8 hours

AM SNACK: 7:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 11am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 12:30pm, fruit smoothie, 450 cal

Things got busy....

Drill Down: Popcorn

"Thank goodness it's not more salad!"

Every Monday night, after my youngest goes to bed, my 5.25 year old installs herself on the couch while watching something on Netflix and I go to work in the kitchen. I take my best heavy copper-core sauce pan, blast the heat, put in one tablespoon of butter than another tablespoon or so of extra virgin olive oil to just cover the bottom. I give the fats a heavy sprinkle of salt, then pour yellow corn kernels straight from the bag in the fridge into the bottom of the pan, again just to cover the bottom, before it gets too hot. The pan gets tightly covered. In a minute or so, the popping starts, I start casually moving the pan. Soon, the popping reaches a crescendo, then slows down to a pop every 2 to 4 seconds. Another few moments and the white steam coming out of the corner of the lid will turn dark and acrid. Two metal prep bowls catch the bounty, the first whiter, softer top portion to my child, the crisper, sometimes darker bottom portion to me. I install myself on the couch next to my daughter, we munch the popcorn before bed, drink water to clear the salt from our mouths. This is our Popcorn Party. 

It's not a potato chip party, Frito or Cheeto party, because if it just lazily plopped out of a bag, where would the love be in that? I've made Fritos at home before, and other being meh, it was not casual. Unlike a bagged food scientist-tuned, hyper-palative addictive snack attack, popcorn is American in the best sense possible. You do it yourself, you choose your quality and balance of whole grain, fat and salt. You can get a specialized piece of equipment, but really, just a good heavy pot with a solid tight fitting cover will do you. A farmer 200 years ago could not go into his field and whip up a bowl of Cheetos for his kids, but popcorn was there.

Popcorn was first domesticated in Mexico 9,000 years ago from a wild grass. A few thousands of years later it then made its way across Central and South America. Popcorn is one of the oldest forms of corn; evidence of popcorn from 3600 B.C. was found in New Mexico. Corncobs found at two ancient sites in Peru may date from as early as 4700 B.C. This suggests that people living along the coast of northern Peru were already eating popcorn by that time.
The legend that English settlers, who came to America in the 16th and 17th centuries, learned about popcorn from Native Americans is considered to be a myth. No evidence exists from colonial times to support the claim that natives of North America's east coast even knew of, or, for that matter, grew popcorn.

 "When she saw the happy throng approaching camp, she patted an even layer of coals over the clay.  One of the maidens shook the coal-covered tray back  and forth like an old fashioned popcorn popper while another maiden took large handfuls of worms from the bag and sprinkled them over the live coals causing a sudden flash of fire as the hair burned off of them.  Then the worms went into a frenzy of squirming that brought shrieks of delight from the excited children.  The maiden continued shaking the worms back and forth over the coals until they puffed up about three times their original size.  When they were completely toasted, they were dumped into a basket, and the process was repeated until all the worms were cooked." Uhhh, popworms, the Native American predecessor to popcorn? 

While the earliest evidence  suggested that throwing a whole popcorn cob on a fire would result in a fun, dirty but edible mess, the earliest methods of cooking popcorn was indeed in a covered pot on top of fire, not unlike what I do with my daughter. Steam powered poppers emerged in the late 1800s, which made popping large quantities for sale in movie theaters a thing. 

During the Great Depression, popcorn was fairly inexpensive at 5–10 cents a bag and became popular. Thus, while other businesses failed, the popcorn business thrived and became a source of income for many struggling farmers. During World War II, sugar rations diminished candy production, and Americans compensated by eating three times as much popcorn as they had before.

I can't lie, this makes me nolstagic for my mom.

In the 60's, as food went from "woman's work" to no-one's work, popcorn was conveniently all-in-one "jiffied" into a disposable covered pan and not-so-healthy shelf-stable hydrogenated fats. Ultra-convenient popcorn was update in the 1980s with microwave popcorn, and in the 1990s it let go of the fresh homemade angle, with brands like "Smartfood" embracing a healthy sheen but adding flavors, preservatives and other food science angles to help popcorn join the other hyperpalative savory snacks. 

Of course, popcorn is not necessarily a salty & savory snack. When I went to the movies in England a few years back, I was confronted with a popcorn choice: salty or sweet? I got the sweet, which was basically unsalted popcorn with sugar sprinkled on it, about as bad as you think it was. However, "Kettle corn", in which the popped corn is lightly glazed, is a popular thing and carmel-coated popcorn tossed with peanuts was trailblazer by Cracker Jack since the the beginning of the modern American popcorn popularity at the end of the 19th century.

Back when food was scarce and being underweight was a thing, marketing the addictive qualities of your product was a positive.

Is popcorn healthy? Well, of course anything can be "healthy" in the context of proper moderation. Better question: is it recommended to eat popcorn every week, like my daughter and I do?

Air-popped popcorn is naturally high in dietary fiber and antioxidants, low in calories and fat, and free of sugar and sodium. This can make it an attractive snack to people with dietary restrictions on the intake of calories, fat, and/or sodium.

Unfortunately, popping popcorn in what is a gerry-rigged hair dryer is strictly for people who hate themselves and hate life -- fat free popcorn tastes pretty much like packing material, tends to be chewy/gummy and delivers no satisfaction.

For the sake of flavor, however, large amounts of fat, sugar, and sodium are often added to prepared popcorn, which can quickly convert it to a very poor choice for those on restricted diets.
One particularly notorious example of this first came to public attention in the mid-1990s, when the Center for Science in the Public Interest produced a report about "Movie Popcorn", which became the subject of a widespread publicity campaign. The movie theaters surveyed used coconut oil to pop the corn, and then topped it with butter or margarine. "A medium-size buttered popcorn", the report said, "contains more fat than a breakfast of bacon and eggs, a Big Mac and fries, and a steak dinner combined." The practice continues today.

So as long as you don't go cheap with bad fats like the movie theaters and you cook with appropriate amounts of fat and salt, the presence of large amounts of dietary fiber and antioxidants still count. Welcome to the world of shades of grey.

Tubby tub, tubs.

Today, the post-modern reaction to the codification and de-healthy-fying of this time-worn food can be seen in the emergence of "heirloom popcorn", just the same way our expanding local-driven farmer's markets highlight heirloom tomatoes and other variety of vegetables that have fallen by the wayside to carefully genetically selected (if not modified) mono-crops that cover millions of acres of our country between the coasts.

Over home-canned tomato juice and sweet rolls at the farmhouse breakfast table, Mr. Mealhow acknowledged that his was a battle that would not be easily won. America is perhaps too deeply in love with size over flavor. 

He blames Orville Redenbacher, a 1928 graduate of Purdue University and a master marketer who used genetic material developed at the university’s Agriculture Alumni Seed Improvement Association to breed a high-volume corn that shifted America’s expectations.

“Orville produced a giant popcorn to be a delivery vehicle for butter and salt,” he said. “He convinced the entire world that was the way to go. But it doesn’t taste like anything.”

Smaller, tastes more like toasted corn, leaves more "widows" a the bottom of the pot, just like it might of used to be -- I'd be a liar if I denied I'm going to pick up a bag of pricier heirloom popcorn the next time I stumble on some. If my kids can become emotionally attached to some special popcorn made at home that takes that extra care, maybe I won't be such a bad father after all.

Edie asked me the other night, "Can we make M&Ms?" I mentioned when she was older, we could totally make chocolate truffles together and sit in front of the TV and have a diabetes party together, I assume she just took away the "cooking together" and "chocolate" parts. But for now, our Popcorn Parties are what bonds us, it gives her a little whole grain and nutrition in her chicken nugget and strawberry diet regime, and I hope we never outgrow it.

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: x

x

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MONDAY COUNT: 2755

SLEPT: 9:45pm-6:45am, 9hr
Realized that despite not riding formally this weekend, I got about 30 miles in on the big bike, loaded with either two kids or a large load of Costco stuff. Might be coming down with a bug going around, too. Oy.

AM SNACK: 7am, iced green tea, 500mg Vitamin C

BREAKFAST: 7:30am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, fage whole yogurt with honey, vanilla and almonds, 450 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, falafel, carrot ginger soup, health salad, pickles, 745 cal 

PM SNACK: 3:30 pm, momma salad, Grazebox nut mix , 300 cal

DINNER: 6:30pm, mahi mahi, asparagus, poppa salad with caesar dressing, 600 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7pm, kind bar, 200 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, popcorn, 500mg Vitamin C, +/- 300 cal

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TUEDAY COUNT: 3100

SLEPT: 9pm-12:30am, 1pm-6am, 1:45pm-2:45pm, 9.5hr
Fighting a bug, body sucking up a lot of sleep. Not even going to try to wake up early enough to lift. Ride on Thursday, however, hmmmm….

AM SNACK: 6:15am, iced green tea, 500mg Vitamin C

BREAKFAST: 7:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am,  steel cut oatmeal,  450 cal

AM SNACK: 11am, 1 French macaroni from France, +/- 50 cal
Work friend just got back from Paris and walked into a big promotion, would been rude not to help celebrate, and this was a hardcore macaron, not some stupid local cupcake or something.

LUNCH: 12:45pm, chicken meatballs, lentil curry, steamed string beans, pickles, 680 cal 

PM SNACK: 3:30 pm, momma salad, Grazebox seed mix , 270 cal

DINNER: 6:30pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted brussel sprouts, poppa salad with caesar dressing, 690 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, kind bar, 200 cal

EVENING SNACK: 8pm, kind bar, 200 cal

EVENING SNACK: 8:30pm, almond butter & chocolate syrup, +/-400 cal
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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 3130

SLEPT: 9:30pm-2am, 3am-6am, 1:45pm-2:45pm,  8.5 hr
Still feel off, getting sleep. Out to dinner with a friend, surprisingly hungry when I got home.

AM SNACK: 6:15am, iced green tea, 500mg Vitamin C

BREAKFAST: 7:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, Fage full fat yogurt with honey, vanilla and almonds, 450 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted brussel sprouts, quinoa, pickles, 770 cal 

PM SNACK: 3 pm, momma salad, Grazebox crackers , 210 cal

PM SNACK: 6:30pm, poppa salad with Cesar dressing, 170 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, Ethiopian food, 1 glass of wine, +/- 800 cal

EVENING SNACK: 10pm, 2 kind bars, almond butter & chocolate syrup, +/- 600 cal
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THURSDAY COUNT: 3060

SLEPT: 11pm-6am, 7 hr
Skipped the morning bike ride, still not feeling over this bug that is slowing me down but not stopping me.

AM SNACK: 6:15am, iced green tea, 500mg Vitamin C

BREAKFAST: 7:30am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am,  steel cut oatmeal,  450 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, left over vegetarian Ethiopian food, pickles, +/- 600 cal 

PM SNACK: 3 pm, momma salad, Grazebox crackers , 180 cal

PM SNACK: 6:30pm, poppa salad with Cesar dressing, 170 cal

DINNER: 8pm, pasta and meatballs, squid, half a tiramisu, bread, water, +/- 1000 cal

EVENING SNACK: 10pm, ice cream, pie, +/- 500 cal
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BIKE CREDIT: 800cal
FRIDAY COUNT: 2760

SLEPT: 11pm-4am, 2-3pm,  6 hr
Forty mile ride to Rockaways in the evening, good to get out but made me aware that I'm still not completely over this bug.

AM SNACK: 4:15am, iced green tea, 500mg Vitamin C

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9am,  fruit smoothie, 500 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, almond butter & grape jelly on whole wheat, roasted broccoli, pickles,  +/- 700 cal 

PM SNACK: 3 pm, momma salad, cheesits , 310 cal

DINNER: 5:15pm, hot dog ,fries, ice cream, +/- 1000 cal

EVENING SNACK: 11pm, Stouffer's French Bread pizza, ice cream, +/- 1200 cal

Drill Down: Watermelon

All kinds of wrong.

In honor of Independence Day, I've been thinking about the food I've eaten around this time. I've never been a big burger n' grilling guy, though my dad would bust out the hibachi and grill a damn good flank steak. What gives me the sweetest memories is not the steak, or boiled corn, or dessert, but something much rarer in my nutritionally lacking childhood: I loved me some watermelon.

Unlike apples, oranges or bananas, watermelon pretty much remains a seasonal fruit despite the industrialization of the world food supply. Even today, after all this food-thinkin', I'm still not a big fan of fruit. On one hand, sugar is sugar and even when matched with nutrients, fiber and water, it still is sugar. On the other hand, fruit doesn't deliver the man-made manipulated uber-thrill of a chocolate bar or perfect cookie. Unlike the season-free cupcake or ice cream, watermelon is a crap-shoot. In the weeks before July, watermelon appears kind of expensive and not very good, and by mid-September the prices creep up and the quality turns down. In-between though, hold on to you hat -- nothing beats a cold wedge of well-ripened watermelon on a summer day.

Actual photo of blogger, back in the day.

Watermelon originated in southern Africa, was cultivated by Egyptians and used to the fullest by the Chinese. The Chinese were the first to go hard on using the whole watermelon. The rind is actually edible and relatively nutritious, but not sweet and tastes a bit astringent. The Chinese learned to pickle it, stew it and stir fry it with aromatics. Watermelon came over with the first European explorers, and was soon cultivated by Native Americans. It stands to reason that the stereotype of black slaves affection for watermelon might have become entrenched because watermelon was one of the few familiar African foods available in the New World.

Or not, as the watermelons of Africa might have looked mighty different than those here. We recognize the deep red flesh, white rind and green speckled skin as "watermelon", but as with bananas, there are 100s of difference varieties that are not common because mono-culture has elevated a very narrow band of varieties to prominence. Outside of the great variety of sizes (less than a pound to over 250, go 'Murica!) they are come in yellow, orange, white and pink. Not surprisingly, the fruit is high Vitamin C and carotinoids, and over 90% water and about 6% sugar. Compared to breakfast cereals that regular hit 50% sugar or "energy drink" that hit 35% sugar, this is looking like a pretty good breakfast.

For when you can't decide between watermelon or candy, the worst of both worlds.

Oklahoma's official state vegetable is the watermelon. Technically, watermelon plants are flowering vines and what we call fruit is actually a berry. Fruit, berry, why not a vegetable?

This (past) Friday, I'm going to serve wedges of watermelon to my kids, who dig it as deeply as I do. For the adults, I'm gonna also rock a Mediterranean style salad. I think I did something similar in c-school but just make it free-style every year. Toss these together:

• Small cubed deseeded watermelon
• Small cubed fresh full-fat feta
• Splash of olive oil
• Freshly chopped mint & basil
• Salt to taste
• Fresh ground back pepper to taste

I don't like feta, but in combination with the melon and the oil and the salt and the herbs, it's just right.

And finally, when you chose your watermelon, it's all about the bottom spot. From the guys who want to sell you ever more watermelon:

1. Look the watermelon over. You are looking for a firm, symmetrical watermelon that is free from bruises, cuts or dents.
2. Lift it up. The watermelon should be heavy for it's size. Watermelon is 92% water, most of the weight is water.
3. Turn it over. The underside of the watermelon should have a creamy yellow spot from where it sat on the ground and ripened in the sun.

My mom would always try to temp me with delicious, ripe plums and peaches, though I'd only let an occasional apple or banana in my mouth. I don't blame ya, momma! Watermelon is a happy exception to my childhood/lifelong aversion to fruit. Happy 4th! Hopefully I'll be filling up less on burgers n' ice cream and more on water n' melon!

'Murica! I mean, Japanana!

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2567

Not the greatest eating week, but got two solid rides on the back end. Regardless, I think the worm is turning, to prevent another gain this month.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2550

SLEPT: 8pm-5:30am, 9.5 hrs

AM SNACK: 5:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 8:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, steel cut oatmeal, 450 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, falafel and hummus, tomato soup, health salad, pickles, 720 cal

PM SNACK: 4 pm, momma salad, Grazebox nut mix , 320 cal

DINNER: 6:30pm, broiled flounder, roasted asparagus, poppa salad with ranch dressing, 600 cal


EVENING SNACK: 7:45pm, homemade popcorn, +/- 300 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2240

SLEPT: 9:30 - 4:30, 7 hrs
Best eating day calorie-wise in quite a while. Did have some cravings that felt a bit like hunger pangs after dinner, but drank a quart of water and felt quite comfortable after. It's hot and humid now, I should not discount hydration, like sugar cravings, for false readings of hunger.

AM SNACK: 4:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 8am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, Fage whole yogurt with honey, vanilla and almonds, 500 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, chicken meatballs, mushroom masala, steamed string beans, pickles, 680 cal

PM SNACK: 3:45 pm, momma salad, Grazebox seed mix , 270 cal

DINNER: 6:45pm, grilled chicken breast, roasted brussel sprouts, poppa salad with ranch dressing, 630 cal

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2450

SLEPT: 9pm - 2:15am, 5.25 hrs
Good eating day, though easy to keep it under control because aiming to get a good ride in in the morning.

AM SNACK: 2:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, steel cut oatmeal, 450 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, grilled chicken breast, roasted brussel sprouts, quinoa, pickles, 715 cal

PM SNACK: 3pm, momma salad, Grazebox cheesy crackers, 240 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, poppa salad with ranch dressing, 130 cal

PM SNACK: 6pm, cashews, 390 cal

DINNER: 8:30pm, shiritaki stir fry with shrimp, shitaki mushrooms, oyster sauce, 365 cal

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BIKE CREDIT: 680 cal
THURSDAY COUNT: 2905

SLEPT: 10pm - 3am, 5 hrs
Nice AM ride, though rain slowed me down a little. Weekend started a little early on the eating end.

AM SNACK: 3:15am, iced green tea, granola bar, 150mg caffeine, 320 cal

BIKE SNACK: 4:45am, granola bar, 320 cal

BREAKFAST: 8am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, Fage whole yogurt with honey, vanilla and almonds, 500 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, almond butter and grape jelly on whole wheat, roasted broccoli, pickles, 645 cal

PM SNACK: 2pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310 cal

PM SNACK: 4:30pm, Grazebox popcorn, 130 cal

DINNER: 6:30pm, shrimp burrito, chips and guac, digestive cookies, homemade brownie, +/- 1200 cal

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BIKE CREDIT: 1360 cal
FRIDAY COUNT:2690

SLEPT: 8:30pm - 1:15am, 4.75 hrs
Holiday, and ate like it. Cooked a nice linner for family.

AM SNACK: 2am, iced green tea, 150mg caffeine

BIKE SNACK: 4:45am, granola bar, 300 cal

BIKE SNACK: 6:45am, granola bar, 150mg caffeine, 300 cal

BREAKFAST: 8am, bagel with cream cheese, diet coke (75mg caffeine), +/- 500 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11:15am, fruit smoothie,450 cal

LINNER: 4pm, water melon feta salad, turkey burgers, mac n' cheese, corn ice cream and brownies, +/- 1.300 cal

DINNER: 7pm, perogies, ice crea, +/- 1200 cal

Drill Down: Poppa Salad (I blame Hitler for being fat)

Hitler made me fat. There is a direct line from Hitler decimating the Jews to me overeating. I guess all the food corporations pushing hyper processed comfort food, the government subsidising commodity grains to make fresh fruit and vegetables seem expensive by comparison, and a culture of excessive consumption are off the hook. Thanks, Obama Hitler!

There is history behind why I call my chopped, dressed salad "poppa salad" and baby carrots and hunks of pepper and cucumber "momma salad", which I touched on before. I've been in a searching, reflective mood the past month or so, so I'm gonna delve a little bit deeper and drill down in to what I call the "poppa salad".

My father was born in Vienna, Austria in 1934 -- history has shown that this was not the ideal time to be born a Jew in those parts. His earliest memories were quite pleasant -- he had a nanny who took care of him during the day, his mom kept house for his father and two other brothers, and his father ran a music business. At this time, music retail was changing: sheet music and big radios were becoming old-fashioned and Victrolas and 78s were the new hotness for the burgeoning middle class. Despite the world-wide depression, my dad's family did fine for itself.

One memory he came back to were the bakeries, the sweets of Vienna -- its not for nothing that "Viennese table" is term for a formal buffet overflowing with pastries and sweets. At every corner was another shop selling tarts and cakes and cookies and truffles and all sorts of things we'd probably find a little odd today. Being a sugar-crazed little kid wasn't just his quirk -- it was a major civic pass-time.

When the late 30s saw the National Socialist movement emerge, Hitler rose to power.  The Jews (and gays and gypsies and the mentally ill and more) first experienced the sting of what to come, and my father was there. My dad remember walking by the Danube river with his nanny, and asking her, "Why do the benches say 'No Jews'?" He was 4 at the time, the same age as my daughter.

The picture above is my my father lower left, my grandfather upper right and my grandmother and younger uncle lower right. My grandfather sold everything for paperwork and passage on a ship from Vienna to Cuba in 1939, and they left with the clothing on their back and a few pieces of silver, which remain heirlooms amongst my extended family today. (I'm lucky to have their family passport, which hangs in my living room today.)

Ellis Island stole the last extra n from my last name, those nnerds.

My grandfather died before I was born and by the time my grandmother passed when I was in my late teens. She never spoke to any of us of her experience, though the numbers of the tattoo on her forearms suggested a story too horrible to utter out loud. My father did not remember much, as he was very young. When asked about his time in Cuba, the story he would tell would be coming through Ellis Island. Everyone had to take a shower, which were segregated by gender. His older brother was old enough to go with his dad, his youngest brother was young enough to go with his mom. He, however, was on the fence, and ended up going with his mom. He was young enough for this to be appropriate, but old enough to think, "Holy sh@t, what kinda country is this?!"

Missing from this story is the year he and his family spent in Cuba. Because the US were not accepting refugees from fascism and the world was not fully up to speed on the terror of the Holocaust, Cuba was one of the few places to go. Because Hitler was putting pressure on countries around the world to not accept refugees, my dad and his family resided in a Cuban prison for about 6 months. After that time, when the geopolitics shifted a bit, they were released to a refugee camp in Cuba for another 6 months or so before being given passage to the United States.

I bring this up on my food blog of all places because I can't help but wonder how this experience shaped my father's relationship to food, and therefore mine. I imagine Cuban prison food and refugee camp cuisine must have been quite the change from the tarts and cakes from the local bakeries of Vienna. That kid in the picture above was young enough to just go with the flow and follow his parents lead, protected by their love from the horrible tides of history that was literally out to murder them.

So it's not hard to explain the large cupboard in the basement of the house I grew up in that was always full of canned goods and jars and boxes of food, and when some would go bad Dad would just toss it and buy new stuff. It's not hard to understand the chocolates and sweets he'd keep hidden in a drawer in his home office, which I would raid with impunity and feel like I was sharing this great unspoken treat with him.

And then there was the salad. There is a word in Yiddish that my mom used to describe it: ungapatchka.

I guess it's ok to talk smack if everyone I'm talking about is dead, right? My mom hated her mother-in-law. My mom was a career woman coming out of the woman's lib movement, and my dad's mom was a traditionally kept housewife who never expressed a desire to be more, either because of history or lack of desire. Mom felt this woman kept too short a leash on my dad, knuckling him under to be too much of a "momma's boy" (my mom's description, not mine). Worst of all, her house, her fixtures, her curtains were all so big and heavy and old-world and ungapatchka.

My grandmother would have hated it.

When it came to home decorating, my parents were on the same page, snapping up a lot of anti-ungapatchka pieces of the 50s and 60s modern Danish variety, some of which I have in my own home to this day. Where they did not see eye-to-eye, however, was vegetable salad.

According to my mother, my father's salad was ungapatchka. Just too much work, too much chopping, too many ingredients, made all fancy with a noisy dressing. My dad's salads were standard ice berg lettuce, riled up by shredding purple cabbage, red onion, scallion, radish, green pepper, carrot, cucumber, cornichons or Italian gherkins, boxed croutons, grated cheese and a few other things I'm probably forgetting. My dad was never a food professional, but his knife work was determined, his measures balanced, and his seasoning thoughtful. Unlike my mom, he actually cooked.

My mom's salad was a tonal poem of minimalism in comparison. My mom's mom was of Israeli heritage, and her salad (d)evolved from a Mediterranean ideal. Some sticks of carrot, a few hunks of cucumber, some bites of pepper, throw some salt on it and a little olive oil if you're feeling extra motivated, and there you go. Vienna vs. Jerusalem in a nutshell.

My grandfather passed before I could meet him, but I recently felt a strong kinship with him a few months ago, while on a gig for my little knish business:

Family lore has it that my grandfather had a shop/worked in a shop/was about to open a shop in "Radio Row" when the whole area was condemned to make way for the original World Trade Center site. How he'd feel about his grandson giving away (giving away? oy gevault!) artisan knishes (knishes? what, nothing has changed in 65 years?!) on these grounds, I can only imagine (I am the ghost of your grandfather! I only speak in ellipses in blog posts....)
Regardless, like all New Yorkers who lived through 9/11, I'm happy to see that hole in our city filled in, and I'm especially proud to be part of this event, representing real NYC food and, by blood, Radio Row.

We are more than the sum of our parent's genetic material. We are also the receptors and broadcasters of the culture they inherited from their parents so we can pass it along to our broods. And whether it be knishes, candy drawers, or poppa salads, food is shaped by the history it passes through to feed us, generation to generation.
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191.8-->191.8-->190

Stood on the scale Friday morning, 188.6, which only last week was over 196. Measured again at the doctors office about an hour later after a couple of pints of fluid, 190. So in a rare case of FBIWC revisionist history, I'm stepping back last week's weigh in and using my doctor's weight. I'm going to credit all the reasons in the "anti" side last week, as well as water weight.

Hopefully not in the spirit of, "I'm not a racist, but...": Not to go into a long self-congratulatory rant, but I'm glad despite the discouraging numbers last week, I knew in my gut that it wasn't right. That is a sense I didn't really have a year ago. I could have freaked out or despaired or hit the food twice as hard, but I knew I was ok and I've stayed the course. Maybe this whole 'permanent weight loss' thing might work out after all.
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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2732

Urrrg, not a good weekly average at all. Fell off on Tuesday, then the expected up-ramp Friday night with one stupid box of cookies. Looking at my notes, Tuesday was fine, I accept it, but I can do better than what I did on Friday eve. Not perfection, just improvement.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2265

SLEPT: 9:15pm-5am, 7.75 hrs
Snow got me late to work, then had to leave early to pick up Edie, as public schools cancelled after school programming. Damn, this winter. Regardless, was able to keep on track diet-wise most of the way. I do see that eating a super-light dinner tends to end up with cheesy poofs filling in the gap to 2000 cal, but it doesn't satisfy -- it makes me want to eat more. I cap THAT off with some nuts, which is very effective. I think I need to reintroduce a grain like quinoa or whole wheat cous cows to the light dinner, cut out the cheetos, and depend on nuts as an eating-cap.

AM SNACK: 5:15 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11:30am, steel cut oatmeal, 300 cal
Did a remeasure on the calorie count of the pot, found it surprisingly less dense due to overnight soak instead of simmering. Rather than 2/3 of a pint, closer to a full pint with 1/4 less calories over all.

LUNCH: 1pm, falafel, leek artichoke & potato soup, health salad, pickles, 870 cal

PM SNACK: 4:15 pm, momma salad, Nori crackers from graze box, 160 cal
Vaguely sweet, salty rice rounds with bits of green. Yet again, I'm a fan.

DINNER: 6:45pm, sautéed chicken breast, asparagus, poppa salad with light Italian, 465 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:15pm, cheesy poofs, 300 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, cashews, 170 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 3335

SLEPT: 8:30pm-4:45am, 8.25 hrs
Large quantity of sleep, but the quality interrupted by a toddler who is very active in her sleep. Regardless, loved every second of it and resulted in lots of hugs and squeezes through the night.

Had a bit of a problem when I got home from work -- didn't feel like cooking, felt a bit overwhelmed and a bit down, but felt compelled to be 100% present for my kids, who were there. There was some ravioli that was made for them but not being eaten, so as I started my food prep I popped one in my mouth….and it was all over. It revved up the engine beyond toleration and after I got my Brussels in the oven, I finished the small pot of ravioli and then zapped some homemade knishes. Still hungry after that, I ate some cashews in hopes of shutting down the drive, but after 10 minutes, the peanut M&Ms started flying while the kids watched TV. Oy. Not going to totally beat myself up, but this can not happen too often. Yes, I'm feelin' mah feelins and all that and need to be kind, but this many excess calories is not kind to myself, it's indulgent.

Can't help but wonder if it's related to the work it took to write the 1st draft of this entry today, I've been missing my parents like crazy this past month or two...

AM SNACK: 5am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, Fage whole yogurt with honey, almonds and vanilla, 300 cal
Forgot how sweet honey is. Added 1/2 a serving - 10g for 30 cal. Next time will do 5g.

LUNCH: 1pm, chicken meatballs, steamed stringbeans, spinach lentils, pickles, 580 cal

PM SNACK: 3:45 pm, momma salad, Picante rustica crackers from graze box, 220 cal

PM SNACK: 5pm, poppa salad with light Italian dressing, 75 cal

DINNER: 6:45pm, undressed cheese ravioli, 2 potato knishes with mustard, cashews, peanut M&Ms, +/- 2000 cal

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2095

SLEPT: 8:30pm-5am, 7.25 hrs
Up for an hour in the middle of the night, probably partially related to the chocolate. Weather too horrible to go to work, worked from home

AM SNACK: 6:15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:30am, thick-ass fruit smoothie, 400 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, chicken sausage, brussel sprouts, sofrito black beans, pickles, 700 cal

PM SNACK: 3 pm, momma salad, olive and rosemary brushetta crackers from graze box, 240 cal

PM SNACK: 5pm, poppa salad with light Italian dressing, 75 cal

PM SNACK: 6pm, cashews, 160 cal

DINNER: 8:15pm, shirataki stir fry with shrimp, shitaki mushrooms and oyster sauce, 360 cal 

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THURSDAY COUNT: 1960

SLEPT: 9:30pm-5am, 7.5 hrs
Got a strong weight lift knocked out in the morning.

AM SNACK: 6:15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10am,steel cut oatmeal, 300 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, grilled chicken breast, brussel sprouts, sofrito black beans, kimchi, 680 cal

PM SNACK: 3 pm, momma salad, salsa fresca and rice crackers from graze box, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5pm, poppa salad with light Italian dressing, 75 cal

PM SNACK: 6pm, cashews, 160 cal

DINNER: 7pm, Subway 6" veggie burger sub, diet coke, 435

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FRIDAY COUNT: 4,005

SLEPT:11pm-5am, 6 hrs
Late night, not quite enough sleep, but the week of proper sleep carries me through. Happy morning with the weigh-ins, stressful at work during the day.

AM SNACK: 5:15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST:9:30am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10:15am, Fage whole yogurt with 5g honey, vanilla and almonds, 285 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, almond butter & grape jelly on whole wheat, roasted brussel sprouts, kimchi, 710 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 4:30pm, honeynut cheerios, +/- 100 cal

DINNER: 6pm, meatballs in marinara with cheese, pasta, 2 slices pizza, water, chocolate cake & ice cream +/- 1000 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7pm, digestive cookies, 1,600 cal

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WEEKEND REPORT
Not the worst weekend, not the best. Started eating too much Friday night, went through Saturday. Sunday my stomach was OK, but a little "full" in a weird general sense, and I had to tell myself that I didn't want to eat because I wasn't hungry, I just wanted the experience of eating. It allowed me to consciously keep myself busy in other ways, interesting.

SATURDAY: 3365 cal
SLEPT: 8pm-12:30am, 4:30am-7am, 7 hrs

AM SNACK: 7:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 7:45am, BLT on bagel, homefries, diet coke, +/- 800 cal

PM SNACK: noon, pirate bootie, 65 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, Special K protein version with 2% milk, peanut M&Ms, +/- 800 cal

PM SNACK: 5:15pm, chocolate kind bar, 200 cal

DINNER: 6:30pm, falafel sandwich, stuffed grape leaves, +/- 500 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7pm, vanilla kind bar, 200 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, peanut M&Ms, +/- 500 cal

EVENING SNACK: 8pm, popcorn, +/- 300 cal

SUNDAY
SLEPT: 10pm-6am, 8 hours

AM SNACK: 6:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 8am, homemade granola with 2% milk

LUNCH: 1pm, quarter pounder, fries, diet coke

PM SNACK: 2pm, apple tart, green tea

PM SNACK: 6pm, one good whisky on the rocks

DINNER: 7:45pm, shrimp burrito

EVENING SNACK: 8:15pm, chocolate kind bar
Surprised how satisfying a snack these things are. Mostly nuts, mildly sweet, amped up with inulin, oh excuse me, "Chicory root extract", a mildly sweet fiber. Got a box of these for the kids, but I find myself eying them, he he.

Drill Down: Juicing Part 2

A little over a month ago I drilled down into juicing, but an article entitled, "Kale? Juicing? Trouble Ahead" popped up recently that caught my attention and thought deserved a full think-through. It was a piece supposedly about the dark side of juicing...

Imagine my shock, then, at my last physical, when my doctor told me I had hypothyroidism, common in women over 40. When I got home I looked up the condition on the Internet and found a list of foods to avoid. Kale, which I juiced every morning, tops the list, followed by broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and collard greens — the cruciferous vegetables I consumed in large quantities because they are thought to prevent cancer, which runs in my family. And flax — as in the seeds — high in omega 3’s, that I sprinkled on cereal and blended in strawberry almond milk smoothies. Also forbidden: almonds and strawberries, not to mention soy, peaches, peanuts, corn, radishes, rutabaga and spinach.

First of all, this is an opinion piece, not backed up by any research or citations. This lady is consulting Jenny McCarthy's University of Stupid: the internet. I did my own internet thinkin' and didn't find any reference to dietary recommendations in the treatment of a serious condition that will literally make you fat and stupid regardless of what you eat because of a lack of certain hormones. There is a an effective treatment for this condition: synthetic hormones, not cutting out friggin' broccoli and cabbage.

I do believe (and act upon) a diet that is more vegetables then not and as little grain and sugar as I can tolerate will lead to optimal health in general - the past year and a half has demonstrated that to me in real terms. That's in general: specifically, I do not believe diet will cure cancer or, say, reverse a friggin' thyroid condition. Though I juice kale every day and despise both it's taste and it's aura of saintliness (kale chips, FTW!), I don't think my hypothalamus is in any danger because this nutty lady says so.

Cure cancer? Fix my endocrine system? Fneh! I just want beeeutiful hair!

And then, as if my world was not sufficiently rocked, I went to the dentist, who said I had five cavities and asked if I snacked on candy and sodas all day long. I was insulted. Indignant. What did he take me for? No, I answered. I don’t eat sugar and drink only fresh vegetable juices — no longer kale, of course, but carrot and celery, which I’m still allowed. And filtered water with lemon.
“You’d be better off with chocolate and cola,” he said. Apparently the natural sugars in fruit and vegetable juices can cause decay, and lemon, though high in vitamin C and bioflavonoids which may prevent cancer, had eroded the enamel that protected my teeth.
I argued that I always brushed afterward. “Worst thing you can do,” he said. “That’s when the teeth are most vulnerable. Always wait half an hour after eating or drinking anything before brushing your teeth. And don’t brush more than twice daily. You’re destroying what little enamel you have left.”

If you scrub and beat up any material, then grind it in corrosive liquids and acids on a regular basis, of course it's gonna wear out. Though I haven't posted about it yet, my dental routine has become as disciplined as my diet -- and I knew instinctively to brush either way before meals or an hour or so after, it just feels right....and doesn't interfere with taste.

I just joyously ate a salad, now I will joyously brush my teeth.

Her fear of fluoride, however, urrrg, sorry, she's an idiot Jenny McCarthyite. My dad taught college chemistry most of his career, but he started as a researcher, and was involved in a lot of fluoride trials as a young chemist. Whenever he'd hear about people protesting fluoridation, he'd just shake his head and get sad. When asked what he was thinking, he'd usually mutter some variation of, "you can't cure stupid" or "just because you believe something, doesn't make it factual."

I considered my dilemma as I opened the fridge and took out the milk my husband puts in his coffee. Not soy, rice or almond milk — but dairy, from a cow. 

Soy is just "unnatural" as dairy, but she rightly surmises that soy is known to mess with hormones when taken in large quantities. I believe the author doesn't really understand moderation and balance, and assumes anything that is harmful in huge amounts must be harmful in minuscule amounts, too. I'm sure her dairy is reduced fat-free awful tasting chalk-water. Compared to full-fat dairy in moderation, fat-free dairy in large quantities is said to be poison by comparison, which would both make this author's head explode and perhaps will make for a future blog post.

It's your right to filter your own water, home school your kids, isolate yourself in a shack in the wilderness, but it is NOT your right to dictate public health issues based on pseudo-science, religion or "feelings".

When I was preparing for my first and only (so far) cross country bike ride in 2006, there was part of me that questioned, "Is this too much? Am I in over my head? Is this really necessary? Is this weird?" I don't remember how I came upon it, but I encountered the concept of "lagom". It's a Swedish word that cuts to the heart of perhaps why those of the Nordic peninsula seem happier than us, even when they're chronically depressed. There is no single equivalent English word, but it means "just the right amount", "in moderation", "in balance", "perfect-simple", "optimal" and "suitable."

The one translation that really rang my bell was: "Enough is as good as a feast." With that, my questions about my bike ride was settled. I'd take it day by day, and when I had enough, I'd come home." In yellow reflective tape, I put the word "LAGOM" in big capitals on my rear trailer. It took a month and I only made it from San Francisco to Carbondale, Illinois, but it was enough, and I was happy ending it then, and I have no regrets now. This lady, with her unyielding quest for health through diet, is seriously lacking in lagom, in balance, in knowing the limitations of what can and can not be done through diet.

My Intercontinental Hooptie, how I miss thee...

As I was juicing my fruit & veg this morning, Betsy asked me if I read the piece about how unhealthy juicing kale is. Ugg, in the media cloud, if you don't drill down, everything is both wonderfully healthy and horrible for you, too. How did this nitwit get published in the opinion pages of the NY Times? Or perhaps the proper question is, when am I gonna get MY New York Times opinion piece? There needs to be balance!

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If you read through my food diaries addended to these posts, you know I partake in the Evil Clown, aka McDonalds, or as my daughter calls it, "Egg McDonalds" as it is of no interest to her unless its an Egg McMuffin. Though I stopped eating a Quarter Pounder as a weekly treat a while ago, I'm still quite fond of the food....in very limited quantities.

While the Supersize Me doc showed what McDonalds would do to you if you ate it for every meal for a month (hint: you get fat), recently a high school science teacher ate nothing but McDonalds for THREE months.....but the twist was he and his students did the numbers on the food, and balanced his diet in terms of calories and macro nutrients. So he actually lost weight and reduced his cholesterol.

In reality, Morgan Spurlock did as many Americans do when they eat fast food: he gorged on whatever struck his fancy, free of thought or mindfulness. It is this teacher who is the out-lier, not Spurlock. Moral of the story: if your going to eat nothing but McDonalds and survive, you need the education of a professional scientist, the free labor of students under your wing, start exercising on a regular basis from nil, and the serious willpower of a hardcore dieter. Still, free McD's for three months...

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WEEKLY AVERAGE (4 day): 2011

On one hand, this is the first stretch of 4 days I kept to a strict budget without bending the edges anywhere. On the other hand, Friday afternoon through Sunday morning was a food-gorgefest of the likes I have not committed since the first days of trying to limit my bottomless eating. I know why and what's happening, this is a transitionary period and don't fear for the numbers on the scale in a few weeks.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2110

SLEPT: 9:30pm-3:45am, 6.25 hr
Didn't feel like it, but got a lift in this morning -- due to weather complications, couldn't do a 2nd lift last week, so I was due.

AM SNACK: 4 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 7:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, steel cut oatmeal, 410

LUNCH: 1pm, falafel, tomato soup sauce, health salad, +/-540 cal
Ugg. I think I may be out of tomato soup. Which begs the question -- what soup next? I did butternut squash and tomato. Think I want another smoooove one....

PM SNACK: 3:15 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 4 pm, poppa salad with bottled organic ranch dressing, 150 cal

DINNER: 6:45pm, chicken breast, asparagus, israel cous cous, 700 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2050

SLEPT: 8pm-3am, 7 hrs
It doesn't happen too often, but at the end of the day when doing the math, found myself 250 cal below my minimum -- even with inaccuracies of the "science" of calorie counting, I probably ate too little. Plus riding to and from work in significantly sub-freezing weather didn't help, either. Cheetos to the rescue!

And unsurprisingly, after munching through those cheetos, I had the urge and desire to eat another bowl, or something sweet. I found myself looking through the cupboards while finishing up the dishes and had to consciously put myself to bed, giving myself permission to come back to the kitchen if I'm still hungry in 10 minutes. Of course, once I got into bed, I didn't even think about food again...

AM SNACK: 3:30 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am,  fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

LUNCH: 12:30pm, chicken meatballs, steamed string beans, sofrito black beans, 460 cal


PM SNACK: 1pm, mumbai masala crackers, 120 cal
From graze box. Interesting curry flavored mix of crispy chickpeas, cashews, peanuts and rice crackers.

PM SNACK: 3:15 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 4:15 pm, poppa salad with bottled organic ranch dressing, 150 cal

DINNER: 6:45pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted brussel sprouts, kimchi,  400 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:45pm, cheetos, 300 cal

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 1905

SLEPT: 8:45pm-3:45am, 7 hrs
Huh, third day in a row of keeping it high n' tight. Guess that rather than letting the stress of my life drive me to eat, I'm leveraging it to be more mindful of what I'm eating.

AM SNACK: 4 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am,  steel cut oatmeal, 410

NOON SNACK: 12pm, oat crackers with onion marmalade, 115 cal
From graze box. Holy crap, this was delicious. Short-bread (in texture, without sweetness in a good way) like crackers and a properly sweet onion spread, kinda like the caramelized onions I make for my knishes but more jammy.

LUNCH: 12:30pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted brussel sprouts, kimchi,  400 cal

PM SNACK: 3pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 4:30 pm, poppa salad with bottled organic ranch dressing, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 6:30pm, roasted salted cashews, 160 cal

DINNER: 8:15pm, shirataki stir fry with shrimp, shitaki mushrooms and oyster sauce, 360 cal 

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THURSDAY COUNT: 1980

SLEPT: 9pm-4am, 7 hrs

Woke up with pleasantly sore arms and midsection, so I didn't feel bad about just doing food prep and chores around the house at a relaxed pace while everyone slept. 

AM SNACK: 4:15 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am,  fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

AM SNACK: 11:30am, poppyseed pretzels & cinnamon honey almonds, 135 cal

From graze box. Impressively good, really well matched flavors of poppy and cinnamon, well balanced between sweet and savory and salty. That's 3 for 4 this week. I may have to switch from every other week to every week...

LUNCH: 12:45pm, 2 slices streetza

PM SNACK: 3:15pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 4:30 pm, poppa salad with bottled organic ranch dressing, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:15pm, Subway 6" veggie burger sub, chips, diet coke, 675

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BIKE CREDIT: 530
FRIDAY COUNT: x

SLEPT: 11pm-2:45am, 3.75 hrs

Though I did not get enough sleep, I had both pushes and pulls that got me to ride. Push, in that tomorrow at 3am it'll be raining, and pull, I really needed to ride after not riding properly in more than a week and my stress levels at home not decreasing. Under control and productive, but a release is needed.

AM SNACK: 3 am, iced green tea, homemade granola bar, 100mg caffeine, 425 cal

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am,   steel cut oatmeal, 410

AM SNACK: 11:15am, herby bread basket mix, 90 cal

From graze box. 4 out 4, really good. Little crackers, savory, flavors of garlic, basil and oregano intermingling, pizza-like enough to be enjoyable, but not too much to be cloying. Impressive.

PM SNACK: 12pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 12:45pm, bowl of dry frosted flakes and honey nut cheerios, +/- 400 cal

LUNCH: 1:30 pm, individual wood fired buffalo mozz pizza, water, +/- 800 cal

DINNER: 6pm, off the reservation....

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WEEKEND REPORT

I ate hard and heavy Friday afternoon through Saturday night, and my digestive system issued warnings Sunday morning which made the last day of the weekend much more reasonable. Major life events happened, the kind that usually don't happen more than once in a lifetime (twice if your unlucky), so for comfort I let my mouth do the leading. I'm writing this Monday morning, and am very happy to be eating to schedule again, so I'm not worried that this is the new regular or anything. You may notice the elements of reflection in the last few weeks, and that's about to be more pronounced for a bit.

As for what the hell I'm talking about, if I know you in meatspace, feel free to reach out to me. If our only contact is virtual, well, it's none of yo bidnezz.