Tips from gaining health

Hi,

Its official! I lost an average of 2.5 pounds in week two for a current total of 9.5 pounds lost so far.  My blood sugar on Saturday morning was 99, too. Of course I expect an increase in weight after the cheat meal but if it happens to go like last week that should right itself by Monday or Tuesday.

I had my spaghetti cheat meal yesterday with my friend Julie. I had been thinking about and planning on cooking the spaghetti myself and on Saturday (my day seven) I was surprised that I enjoyed waiting. I chose to follow the rules and not have it for breakfast so I had salad and eggs for my morning meal. I actually kind of put it off till later in the day and savored the expectation that "today is the day." Part of me wanted to even put it off till the next day just so I could savor the expectation a little longer. How funny!

The day itself, was rainy. In fact I have not seen the meadow across from my home so full of puddles and run off before. The deep drainage ditch was about half full of water and I was kind of amazed by that. It started raining some time in the night and when I woke in the night it was coming down heavily and steadily. When I got up in the morning, it was so rainy that I wanted to stay in bed. I turned up the heat to my normal daytime temperature and crawled back under the covers until the place warmed up. Of course I then fell asleep and did not actually get up until noon!! It was still raining and I decided to do indoor exercise rather than go for a swim. I just did not want to go out in all that rain.

I got out my exercise plan and did all the "land" exercises plus traction for my neck. That felt pretty good. Then I got the idea to call Julie and see if she wanted to join me for dinner. I knew I could never eat all the spaghetti by myself. I had decided to cook it all to avoid having "remaining" ingredients in the house. I was glad when Julie decided to come over and join me. I had forgotten about the Parmesan cheese and garlic bread so called and asked if she had any. She stopped at the store and got some of both. We had a real good time and the spaghetti was some of the best I ever made -- even though I burned the onions. Julie kept telling me they were carmelized -- but I did not think black edges was exactly carmelized. I thought it might ruin the flavor, but, it really did not seem to even affect it. Then afterwards I gave all the leftovers to Julie and she happily took them home with her!

Been wondering where Tricia is. I thought maybe she would post last night but I did not hear from her. Hope I did not scare her off. That would be a shame. I was really enjoying the back and forth between us.

Today I seemed to have a bit of a hard time getting back on the program. At one point when I was napping between church sessions I fell asleep and was dreaming about eating bread from a loaf that never seemed to dry out no matter how long the bag was left open. In the dream I kept going back to get more and more of it to eat. When I woke up, it took some decision power to make the right food choices. If I had had some left over spaghetti in the house, I think the temptation would have been more than I could resist, but since it was not there, I simply ate right and moved on.

I did not have such strong feelings after the last cheat meal but every day is a new day and you have to deal with what is current. I did take a tiny side step for my evening meal (by the way I did not go to evening service). I did seem to want some "carby" food pretty strongly, so I steamed some broccoli and ate a quarter-pound hamburger with spicy brown mustard. The steamed veggies just seemed to lay on my tummy for quite a while and I did not feel "right" after eating them. Later I had some raw salad and then began to feel better.

I think I am back on track again and am looking forward to making a new salad tomorrow morning.

Not much more on my mind about all this so Im signing off.

Hope you are doing well!

Be back soon,

Marcia

Mediterranean meals do not have the same effect

A single junk food meal – composed mainly of saturated fat – is detrimental to the health of the arteries, while no damage occurs after consuming a Mediterranean meal rich in good fats such as mono-and polyunsaturated fatty acids, according to researchers at the University of Montreal-affiliated ÉPIC Center of the Montreal Heart Institute. The Mediterranean meal may even have a positive effect on the arteries. The findings are being presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, which runs in Toronto until Wednesday, by the head of the study, Dr. Anil Nigam, Director of Research at the Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Centre (ÉPIC) and associate professor at the universitys Faculty of Medicine.

Bad fat vs. good fat

Dr. Nigam undertook the study to compare the effects of junk food and typical Mediterranean meal on the vascular endothelium: the inner lining of the blood vessels. By measuring endothelial function, it is possible to determine how easily the arteries will dilate after a temporary, five-minute occlusion, following the consumption of the two types of meals. This is a very interesting analysis for researchers to perform as endothelial function is closely linked to the long-term risk of developing coronary artery disease.

The study also revealed that participants with higher blood triglyceride levels seemed to benefit more from the healthy meals. Their arteries responded better to the Mediterranean meal compared to people with low triglyceride levels. "We believe that a Mediterranean-type diet may be particularly beneficial for individuals with high triglyceride levels, such as patients with metabolic syndrome, precisely because it could help keep arteries healthy," Dr. Nigam said.

Mediterranean meal vs. junk food meal

The results were established in 28 non-smoking men, who ate the Mediterranean-type meal first and then the junk food-type meal one week later. Before beginning, the men underwent an ultrasound of the antecubital artery at the elbow crease after fasting for 12-hours to assess their baseline endothelial function. The researchers then tested the effects of each meal. The first was composed of salmon, almonds, and vegetables cooked in olive oil, of which 51% of total calories came from fat (mostly monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fats.) The second meal consisted of a sandwich made of a sausage, an egg, and a slice of cheese, and three hash browns, for a total of 58% of total calories from fat: extremely rich in saturated fatty acids and containing no omega-3s. At two hours and four hours after each meal, participants underwent further ultrasounds to assess how the food had impacted their endothelial function.

Dr. Nigam and his team found that after eating the junk food meal, the arteries of the study participants dilated 24% less than they did when in the fasting state. In contrast, the arteries were found to dilate normally and maintain good blood flow after the Mediterranean-type meal.

"These results will positively alter how we eat on a daily basis. Poor endothelial function is one of the most significant precursors of atherosclerosis. It is now something to think about at every meal," Dr. Nigam said.