Breakfast Roulade

In an attempt to find something new to eat, I had seen a photo of some sort of egg roulade on the internet recently and tried my best to create a low-carb version. Some improvisation was required as I did not know what ingredients I might have laying around. So this is what I came up with...

6 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Sugar Free Almond Milk
1/2 Cup Almond Flour
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese
1/2 Small Onion (diced)
4 slices bacon sliced into small pieces
3 cups of baby spinach

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Wisk the Eggs, Milk, Flour, Salt and Pepper in a bowl. Line a 1/2 sheet pan, 9X13 I think, with parchment paper. Spray lightly with cooking spray and pour the mixture in. I had to press the edges down to force the egg mix into the corners. Put in the oven for about 10 minutes...I honestly have no idea but until it cooked but still a little runny on top.

While this is cooking start on the bacon cooking it about 3/4 of the way and then add the spinach and onion and sweat them.

Remove the egg from the oven and spread the bacon, onion and some of the spinach over the eggs and put it back in the oven until it's firm. Seems like it took another 5-10 minutes. I went outside and shot a few baskets with my Son so I am not positive how long it was.

When it was done I removed it from the pan by the parchment paper and set it on a cooling rack for a couple of minutes. Don't let it sit too long because cold eggs are gross. Once it's cool enough to handle pull it from the rack and set on a flat surface and using the parchment paper roll it up.

I put some of the remaining spinach on a plate and put the slices on top. The drizzled with a little Chulula. Only thing left to do is eat it and enjoy.

2010 Race #2

OK, so am I regreting my past excitement for the 2010 race season starting. Perhaps, dunno. Been having lots of pain in my knees and legs in general recently. The only thing that is new or different is I switched from Asics to a New Balance neutral shoe.

Since that switch any runs over about 3 miles become very uncomfortable. It's not a stabbing or intense pain but my joints seem loose and flimsy as if my knee could just as easily bend in either direction. So I am going back to the Asics and see how they hold up. Perhaps these NB will make a good pair of cross trainers.

Because of this I have not been pushing my training very hard as it's just not really been that much fun. I don't want to feel like I need to force myself to get out there and run. However, I am also not naive enought to think there will never be days where I just don't feel like it because their certainly are.

So here we go, race #2. In January my training runs that were at a 6 mile distance were around 54 minutes. I was hoping to be closer to sub 50 for this race but I guess I am just going to have to be happy with something closer to sub 60.

On On

124 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health

Contributed by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., www.nancyappleton.com
Author of the book "Lick The Sugar Habit"

In addition to throwing off the body's homeostasis, excess sugar may result in a number of other significant consequences. The following is a listing of some of sugar's metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications.

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection infectious diseases)
6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the
more elasticity and function you loose
7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency
9. Sugar leads to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostrate, and rectum
10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium
13. Sugar can weaken eyesight
14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and
norepinephrine
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia
16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract
17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children
18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease
19. Sugar can cause premature aging
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism
21. Sugar can cause tooth decay
22. Sugar contributes to obesity
23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis
24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal
ulcers
25. Sugar can cause arthritis
26. Sugar can cause asthma
27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast
infections)
28. Sugar can cause gallstones
29. Sugar can cause heart disease
30. Sugar can cause appendicitis
31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis
32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids
33. Sugar can cause varicose veins
34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users
35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease
36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis
37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity
38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity
39. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E in the blood
40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone
41. Sugar can increase cholesterol
42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure
43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children
44. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar
bound non- enzymatically to protein)
45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein
46. Sugar causes food allergies
47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes
48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy
49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children
50. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease
51. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
52. Sugar can change the structure of protein
53. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen
54. Sugar can cause cataracts
55. Sugar can cause emphysema
56. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis
57. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL)
58. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in
the body
59. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function
60. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease
61. Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body
62. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide
63. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat
64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney
65. Sugar can damage the pancreas
66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention
67. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement
68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness)
69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries
70. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle
71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine
72. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women
73. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders
74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves
75. Sugar can cause depression
76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer
77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion)
78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout
79. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates
80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets
compared to low sugar diets
81. High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity
82. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and
lipoproteins, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol
83. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease
84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness
85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become underactive and
others become overactive
86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones
87. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety
of stimuli
88. Sugar can lead to dizziness
89. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress
90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly
increases platelet adhesion
91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer
92. Sugar feeds cancer
93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold
increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant
94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration
among adolescents
95. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract
96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon
97. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men
98. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process
of digestion more dificult
99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer
100. Sugar is an addictive substance
101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol
102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS
103. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they
produce
104. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability
105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it
does starch
106. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects
107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD)
108. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition
109. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function
110. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal
healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases
111. I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain
112. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer
113. Sugar increases the risk of polio
114. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures
115. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people
116. In Intensive Care Units: Limiting sugar saves lives
117. Sugar may induce cell death
118. Sugar may impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in living
organisms
119. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet,
there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior
120. Sugar can cause gastric cancer
121. Sugar dehydrates newborns
122. Sugar can cause gum disease
123. Sugar increases the estradiol in young men
124. Sugar can cause low birth weight babies

Great List.

2 Year Health-O-Versary!

So here it is 2 years since I began this journey to better health and I am happy to report that I am still at goal and working hard to maintain this lifestyle. Since hitting my goal in November of 2009 it has not always been easy trying to transistion from weight loss to maintainance. The learning curve is steeper than I would have anticipated and not without pitfalls.

Your first instinct when you hit goal is to celebrate. Historically I would do that with a feast! Woo Hoo!!! So what do I get to eat for my big party...hmmm. Not sure how to deal with that one so instead I just made little of the event and moved on.

As the weeks passed I was finding myself lost in how to handle this success and began to understand how many people fall right back into the same traps that made them overweight to begin with. You spend so much time obsessing about every little detail of what you eat, what now? I can allow myself the occassional treat now, right? Perhaps a piece of cake after dinner, some ice cream or maybe just a cookie? What to do, what to do.

I had also been posting my weekly weigh-in's for the last 20 months. Not sure that it still makes sense since I have nothing left to lose it would only serve to show that this week I have lost nothing. Don't know if that's a good thing or not, perhaps I might feel like a failure if I don't continue to lose even though my body has clearly stopped responding to my efforts.

I am finding out from those I have met online and the message boards I frequent that the key to success may be to continue to be completely obsessive about every detail of my diet. This is no different that before only now I am not concerned about losing only maintaining.

So that is my plan for now, continue to obsess about my weight, diet and exercise routine with the new goal of staying the same.

BTW...my race went well. While I did not hit my goal time of a sub 25 minute race. I did finish in 25:55 and was very happy with it considering it was my first 5K and slightly different strategy than running a Half Marathon or other long events. No need to hold back on this short distance, just run to you think you might vomit. Then go a little harder because it would be over before you know it.

Planning to sign up for at least 2 more 5K's that I know of for now this year. Hopefully in one of these I can reach that 2010 goal of a sub 25 minute 5K. For now I have a 10K up next in 2 weeks would like to see if I can PR that as well.

On On

First Race Week of 2010 is finally here.

So after a lazy January and sickly February it’s time to get serious again. My weight has hovered around the 175 mark +/- 3 lbs since last November and I was really hoping to have dropped another 10 by now to make me faster. I am excited about the season starting up again. However, disappointed in how crappy my training has gone to date. I will take the blame for Jan but whine a bit about Feb.

To get started I had my longest run of the year last night at 10 miles and it was brutal. It was misting sleet the wind was kicking up strong gust and it was cold at about 27 degrees when I left. Not really what I had in mind when I set out for this run. This was also my first longer run off a treadmill in a while and I had forgotten how much harder it is to run on the road. Anyway, that run is behind me now and while I am little sore I am managing.

I was so proud of myself this AM for getting up early to get my swim in prior to work. That was cut short when the fire alarm sounded about 500 meters in to a planned 3000 Meter swim. Everyone was told to exit the building immediately but there was no way I was going out there in my wet jammers. So I decided I would take my time and go ahead and dress for work calling it a day. My daughter has been wanting to swim for the last couple of days so we will go together tonight.

First race of the season is coming up this weekend and I am completely un-prepared. While it’s only a 5K I was really hoping to start out the year finishing around 7.5 – 8 minute miles on this run but I don’t see how this is very likely. Since I have never run this distance in a race I am not really sure what strategy to take. My Brother suggests the distance is short enough that you should just run until you feel like you need to puke then push a little harder. If you crap out late in the race you can still probably slow down and push through it. If you save some for the end you likely did not finish as fast as you could have. Seems like logical advice so that is my plan for now to puke right on the finish, not a moment sooner or later.

On On!

Toxins in our food may play a role in neurobehavioral problems

Recent research shows 45 percent of high-fructose corn syrup in commercial food products contains mercury, a known toxin, Dr. Anne Kelly told a group of medical professionals in Peoria.

"We have an estimated 10,000 new chemicals in the environment and no idea what the effect is on children," she said. "With this multitude of chemicals, the reality is we don't know what we're dealing with."

Kelly, president of Nutrition Ignition Inc. and former faculty member in general pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, was in Peoria recently as part of the Methodist Center for Integrative Medicine grand rounds presentations.

"There is no longer any doubt environmental toxins are accumulating in the soil, water, fish and humans," she said. "There is a strong link between high-fructose corn syrup and obesity."

Mercury exposure also has been linked with neurological learning disorders including autism, she said.

Kelly and other physicians are looking beyond genetic factors to account for the rapid increase in children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders and examining the role of diet and environmental toxins.

Their findings are alarming.

Last year, two U.S. studies found that nearly half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup contained mercury. On average, American adults consume about 12 teaspoons daily of high-fructose corn syrup, but teens and other high consumers take in up to 80 percent more than that.

"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be an additional source of mercury never before considered," Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both studies with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, said in a prepared statement after the studies were released.

In her own practice, Kelly has helped children by eliminating chemicals from their environments and their diets.

She has found that some of the triggers for children with ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, are cow's milk, wheat, MSG, artificial food coloring, preservatives, fried foods and packaged foods.

"I grew up in Illinois on a farm near Pontiac. The cow's milk I grew up on is different from what's in grocery stores today," she said, referring to the growth hormones, antibiotics and husbandry practices used on the majority of commercial dairy farms today.

"Parents of kids with autism report their children are hyper-sensitive to toxins," Kelly said.

"A small group of kids with chronic medical problems are developing multiple allergies. The gut plays a big role in how kids grow and develop."

Another finding has shown children with ADHD are low in certain essential nutrients including zinc, Vitamin D, iron, magnesium and serotonin, she said, noting they also commonly have deficiencies of B12, omega 3 and iodine.

Children with better diets are better equipped to deal with toxins.

"With lead poisoning, children with better diets have better outcomes neurologically," she said, noting that children's ability to detoxify chemicals from their bodies may be a factor in who develops autism and who does not. "These detoxification enzymes need vital nutrients."

While DDT, a powerful insecticide, has been outlawed, it has been replaced with more water soluble chemicals that contaminate ground water, she said, citing a study that found 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in the umbilical cords of newborn children.

"Children are born polluted," she said. "We see an explosion of inflammatory issues with the esophagus and stomachs. Are these food allergies or allergies to the chemicals in food?"

Besides working with children and their parents, Kelly is working with teachers to alter nutritional strategies in schools.

She is an advocate for health care reform that would allow physicians to be more innovative and track long-term outcomes. She compared the current health care system in this country with auto insurance, which only pays for repairs, not maintenance.

Public health departments in this country are structured to track infectious diseases and outbreaks of food poisoning, she said, but we need public health departments to look at toxins in the environment and neurodevelopmental problems in children.

Kelly concluded: What is the simplest first step we can take? Eliminate artificial food coloring and sweetened sodas and juices and drink more water.

"Kids have forgotten how to drink plain water," she said.

Kelly also advises parents to eliminate plastic in the kitchen and get back to glass.

"The overarching message is diet makes a difference in neurobehavioral problems and there are simple steps we can take immediately," she said. "The potential is huge to improve outcomes."

http://www.pjstar.com/features/x2112775064/Toxins-in-our-food-may-play-a-role-in-neurobehavioral-problems

Clare Howard can be reached at 686-3250 or choward@pjstar.com.

Fear Factor

While most people are eager—even desperate—to lose weight, some overweight dieters are actually uncomfortable with morphing into a thinner version of themselves, either because they fear the process of losing weight or the result itself. "There are a number of conscious and subconscious reasons why a person who is overweight finds security in extra pounds or unhealthy lifestyle habits," says Lisa Sasson, M.S., an associate professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University in New York, New York. If you think you might be a little too comfortable at an unhealthy weight, or are actually fearful of succeeding on a diet, read through these common reasons that can keep you from beginning the journey. Figuring out what could be holding you back will benefit not only your physical health, but your emotional life as well.


You don't want to change your lifestyle

It's true: Losing weight and keeping it off involves permanent change, and you may not want to change a thing about your eating and lifestyle habits right now, thank you very much. Maybe you'd rather watch The Office than be at the gym. Perhaps you're bored of bland-tasting veggies. In fact, the unfamiliar makes you anxious, and losing weight is all about the unknown, right? Wrong. You don't have to make drastic changes in order to succeed at losing weight. In fact, extreme diets that have you eating only seaweed, exotic tree nuts, and unpronounceable fruits aren't sustainable. Taking your existing diet and lifestyle habits and tweaking them is a much friendlier—and more successful—strategy.


You don't want to give up the emotional comfort you find in food

There's nothing else that can quell a case of the blues like your beloved cheesecake or everything-on-it-nachos. The thought of not having something sweet, gooey, and/or cheese-y to turn to when the going gets rough keeps you tethered to your list of go-to comfort foods. Unfortunately, you're suffering from the misconception that losing weight means giving up all the foods you love. The truth is that when you learn moderation and portion control, you can have your cake and eat it, too. You can also learn to add healthy stress-reducers to your arsenal (like a quick walk or a chat with a friend; check out Non-Food Fixes for Emotional Eaters for more ideas) so that you won't need to turn to the chips every time you feel sad or stressed. Not to mention, once you remove food as crutch, it will be much easier to see what's really eating you. Think of it as lifting the veil on your real problem so you can ID and tackle issues that could be holding you back from living a fuller life.


You think of losing weight as stressful—and you have enough in your life

Who needs to spend precious hours in the kitchen cooking healthy meals when you barely have the time to order and inhale pizza? Your full-throttle life can't accommodate any exacting calorie-counting or sweat-inducing activities that don't involve picking up the kids from school or getting to the office on-time. You believe losing weight is just one additional stressor and you're doing yourself a favor by ignoring the scale. The problem is, you may be doing yourself more harm than good. Consider these facts: Exercise relieves stress and keeps you feeling your best; eating healthfully provides sustained energy; if you have the right recipes, healthy meals can be thrown together in the same time it takes you to dial in dinner. Take a second to look through the recipes on the site; you'll find that many of the healthy, tasty meals can be thrown together in just minutes. In the long-run, a healthier you is a less-stressed, more active you, which translates into a more productive life. It's also less stressful if you set moderate, realistic goals. You shouldn’t be losing more than a pound or two a week—anything more is unhealthy.


You're afraid of disappointing

A fear of failure has stalled many a dieter in her tracks. Perhaps you're concerned that you won't meet your own standards or maybe you worry about reaching the expectations of others, so you quit before you can see any real results or, in some cases, before you even get started. Be realistic with yourself, and know that even small changes (like switching from whole milk to skim milk or giving up soda) can have a major effect on not just your weight, but your health, too. The key to staying motivated is to set small and reachable goals for yourself, and then, to reward yourself when you hit them. When it comes to other people, try not to worry so much. If they love you, they'll only want what's best for you. You may be surprised just how supportive and encouraging they can be. Talk to them about your goals and tell them how they can support you along the way.

Thanks to Meeha for passing on this tidbit.