A Nettlesome Question

Weed. No, not that weed. I guess some hippies could smoke this?

The more I understand about nutrition, the less I know. Michael Pollan, in Food Rules, proposes this kind of feeling  may be credited to fact that nutrition is a young science:

Nutrition science, which after all only got started less than two hundred years ago, is today where surgery was in the year 1650 -- very promising, and very interesting to watch, but are you ready to let them operate on you?

We're in the dark ages, people are trying to lose weigh by leach-bleeding, evil spirits and vapors.  I've gotten some random advice from friends and colleagues. Someone I respect for reasons other than food or diet suggested I look into a "blood type" diet, which on the face of it, looks like the nutritional equivalent of 1650's medical thinking. The most recent advice is a recommendation for nettle tea.

I drink a pint of home-brewed chilled green tea every morning. The main reason is the caffeine kicks me awake, but in the back of my mind there is all the jibber-jabber about "anti-oxidants" and "flavinoids" and "invisible shiznits" that somehow make green tea da bomb-diggity. It makes me feel good. A small amount of sugar makes it taste much better than coffee too me. So it peaked my interest when I got an email from my good friend T.G. this morning:

I know you got your plate full with lots of info, unintentional food reference, but I have been studying herbs for a few years now and I think perhaps a tonic herbal beverage could really help boost you through. Nettles are an incredible plant, extremely nutritious, full of vitamins A,D, E and K. They build your adrenals, increase energy and help regulate blood sugar. And the infusion tastes lovely. Think about it, and tell the Internet to think about it for you. Haha, google it I mean.

I did some Internet-thinkin' about it, and couldn't really find any medical papers on nettle tea's efficacy, though that won't stop me from trying it -- T.G. lives in France, drinks horse milk, and supplies me with the most wonderful locally grown porcini mushrooms. I've only eaten nettles once, prepared by Bill Telepan, and they were distinctly interesting, but unpleasant.

Should I get some nettle tea? Anyone have an opinion? Is it just hoo-ha? It Does it taste lovely, or has T.G. gotten drunk on the horse milk?

THE COUNT: 2375
Today was a bit difficult, as Baby Mil had the poops and wouldn't nap much, and Toddler Edie was sent home early from day camp due to not feeling well.  It meant B coming home from work and me out and about for lunch with Edie.

So I took Edie out for lunch at a local pizza joint -- it's not a chain, so I had to guess the calorie count. I try to be honest and over estimate the calories. I kept it vegan, no cheese, and kept the dressing minimal, the two biggest sources of calories in meal like this. Sure, the eggplant is breaded and fried, but it still has less calories compared to sausage or meat.

The harder part was getting Edie an ice cream sandwich after the meal -- after her bucking up, we promised her a very rare, special treat. Nothing great was available near by, so I got her an ice cream sandwich on 2 big chocolate chip cookies -- damn thing had 380 calories. As she started in on it, I felt like a junky watching someone shooting up next to me. I wanted it. Would she finish it? What will the calorie count be by the time she gives it to me? She ended up eating about 4/5s of it, and what she did give to me (followed immediately by wiping her hands on my shirt) was a melty, fingered mess which I quickly put in the garbage -- if I stuck that in my mouth, I thought, I'd have to contort into a confession/absolution thing here, and I'm Jewish, so that ain't happenin'.

AM SNACK: 6:45am, iced green tea, 25 cal


BREAKFAST: 8:30am, buttered bagel, 8oz diet coke, 500 cal


LUNCH: 1pm, eggplant hero with no cheese, large green salad with half the dressing, water, +/-800 cal


DINNER: 6:30pm, breaded shrimp, 1 1/2 ears of boiled corn with butter, 8oz diet sprite, 850 cal


EVENING SNACK: 7:45pm, watermelon, 200 cal