Arthritis and Diet

Toasted Sesame Seeds

Short Grain Brown Rice and Electric Steamer

These two picture represent a radical switch in the change in my lifestyle.

Brown rice is the staple food in the Macrobiotic Diet and most on the diet like myself put toasted sesame seeds on their rice.

I talked a bit in the last few posts about going back into macrobiotics and vegan, but besides for weight loss, there is another major reason.

I have arthritis.

It is not official. I still need to see a Rheumatologist and get x-rayed or an MRI, but everything I have read suggests that I have a pretty classic cast for someone my age who also has psoriasis.

I have some on a joint on both hands, which is not too bad. But the real issue is that I now have it on the right side of the bottom of my lower back.

What does this means?

Almost over night I went from being normal functioning person (just out of shape) too not.

It is now hard to walk up stairs, walk fast, I need to be careful getting out of bed, getting up from sitting, getting out of the car and a subtle twist in motion can set it off.

And forget lifting heavy things, jogging or other activities.

It basically sucks. (Maybe I will look back and be grateful, but not today)

I feel like I became a old person over night. This all basically started a week or so ago at least on my back.

As for what to do about it, I am taking glucosamine/chondroitin, which is the standard go to supplement for arthritis and I am also taking fish oil.

The big change is a switch in diet, which is anti-inflammatory like macro/vegan.

This is all in the try and see phase because no one really knows what to do. I a still waiting for a treatment for psoriasis that won’t destroy my immune system in the process (and not even work).

As for medical science, besides for a handful of meds with major side effects (I cannot even take advil because of a reaction and hydrocortisone, which cause sblotting…also bad because it can create edema) I am basically on my own.

This is about the time Dr. House is suppose to come in with his miracle cure after misdiagnosing me at least three other times. He will give me some meds, a shot or IV drip to make me all better.

But that is TV and this is real life.

With that said, there are a bunch of books on arthritis with diet, supplements and exercise with some folks (on amazon book review) stating positive results.

At least that is something.

In the mean time a macro/vegan diet (with some fish) is the course of action.

No matter what, losing the 80-90 pounds I need to will help out my back (I hope) and I need to do this no matter what.

 

 

Juicers: A Farmer and Farmers Market’s Best Friend

Organic Juice

My little brother has been on a health kick for a few years now. He has lost weight and he has started juicing. Above is a picture he sent of his latest juice concoction.

I have a juicer that I bought for my sugar beet project, but I have as of yet, taken it out for a test drive.

The problem with juicing is the clean up and you really need to put the scraps in the compost right away or you will get flies. With that said the fresh juice is worth it.

My brother makes juice from the standards like carrot, and apple, but he also ventures into the green zone. The juice above probably has some kale, broccoli, or where ever green leaves he found out the farmers market. You name it and he will put it in his juicer.

What hit me when he talked about his juicing is how much vegetables he goes through. Without all of that pesky chewing and fiber, a juice drinker like my brother can drink through pounds of vegetables a day.

My brother joked about when he goes to the farmers market and he asks how much kale the farmer has.

“I’ll take it all,” he’ll  says to a shocked farmer.

Usually he buys them out and actually would buy more to satisfy his juice fix.

When I grew micro greens, I would have juicers ask me about them. I actually discouraged them because they are usually eaten as a garnish and they work best eaten fresh and raw. A bag of my greens or a tray for that matter would not make a lot of juice.

But who was I to say. I walked home with bags of greens at the end the farmers market that a juicer would have loved.

I say bring on the juicers to farmers markets. Let them buy up local veggies by the create full and juice to their health.

It is a win-win for the farmer and juicer.

Calling all Farmer’s Market Managers: “Start offering Juicing Demos at your Markets.”

Weigh-in (Plus .4)

Weigh-in (Plus .4)

I feel I need to do more and that I am staying about the same.

This week is about getting to the gym and moving my body.

Paula Dean: The Rise and Fall

For people in the foodie world, the news is out about Paula Dean, the queen of fried and southern comfort food.

The News: Dean has type 2 Diabetes…and she had been hiding it for three years, while selling her brand of high calorie, fried, EVERYDAY FOOD.

She announce a big money drug endorsement deal to boot and has her son playing a little cover with his new show “Not My Mama Meals,” which is supposed to feature healthier food.

From:

Of Mouselike Bites and Marathons, by Frank Bruni, NYT

What’s more, she [Dean] had waited three long, greasy years since her diagnosis to come out. During that period, she promoted the deep-fried life without acknowledging her firsthand experience of how a person can be burned by it.

That’s a profound, unsettling act of withholding. But it’s mirrored by many smaller, less calculated, more innocent ones in the world of food celebrities and food celebrators, including those of us who have written orgiastic accounts of sumptuous dinners. Deen’s revelation jolted me in part because people in the business of peddling gastronomic bliss rarely draw such a bold connection between indulgence and its possible wages.

So are the food celebrities the food gluttons that we tend to believe they are or are they good at hiding it like a skilled under cover cop on a drug beat?

The issue I have with Dean, having never made any of her food and found her recipes and show more of an outrageous food laugh line than cuisine, is her lack of damage control.

She should have fessed up after her diagnosis.

But the larger issue is that the whole industry of food TV/publishing/Media.

People are cooking less and these food writers are running marathons and going on juice fast to have made-for-TV bodies that do not come from the food and indulgent lifestyle they promote.

We can point to Dean, but it did not start with her.

But what gets me about Dean is that she promoted her food as everyday, not special occasion fare.

Maybe more food celebrities should out themselves about how they eat and then maybe we can have a food media that reflects a lifestyle that will not promote obesity and Diabetes.

First Week Weigh in

Weight: 236.4 (1.1Lb weight lost)

Chipotle Steak Burrito (rice, beans, steak salsa without cheese 18-20 points

OK, I lost some weight this week. I was really good and I follow the program and stayed within the “Points.”

Of course, Instantly I go into Fuzzy Weight Loss Math.

Basically, the math works like this. You take the weight you lost in say your first week on a program and you factor that result by lets say a year.

So the equation for me would be 1.1 (Lb) X 52 (weeks) = 57.2

I then figure/think…If I loose a bit more like say 1.4 pounds a week times 52 weeks, I will be at my goal in a year.

While not impossible…the key word here is FUZZY because this math does not factor the reality of real weight loss with ups and downs and all the rest.

My weight loss posts are about What Happens not Fuzzy Math

New Year New Resolution: Weight Loss

It is the new year and that means for many resolutions and that means for many weight loss.

Many will make and break resolutions and others will not make them at all thinking they do not work, but last Sunday’s New York Times reported that over 50% of people who make them actually keep them. I like those numbers.

So here goes.

OK. I admit it. I am overweight. Below is a picture taken last year around this time. The plan was to loose weight and be fitter, but I did not.

Today I weight about the same as the picture below, 237.5 Lbs (from my weight-in at Weight Watchers

Before 235 Pounds

I know a few people who went to Weight Watchers and had success, so this year I thought I would give it a try.

So what is the plan and were does my weight loss and this blog fit in?

The plan is pretty simple. I will attend Weight watchers once a week, follow the program and then report on this blog my results. (Thursday or Friday)

I will also still be talking a big food game on the blog and share recipes, but with a cooking light theme and for those on weight watchers folks, I will provide the “Points.”

Seared Pork Loin with mashed sweet potatoes w/butter and maple and saute apples and onions w/rosemary

My Resolution:

I resolve to live a healthy lifestyle (based in part in weight watchers) and to lose weight with the reasonable goal of loosing 1/2 to 2 pounds a week average toward  my goal weight of 165 pounds. (72.5 Pounds)