Chia seeds: the “new” superfood

Hey guys. So, let’s rap. I tuned into Dr. Oz today and he had an interesting bit about the new “fad” super seed and superfood. Apparently, flax is old news and ch-ch-ch-CHIA! is the new jock on the block. The folks over at The Doctors had a similar segment on it the just the other day, and so I figured this second time around, I should pay attention.

Turns out, chia is way more than just fuzzy green hair on potted animals.

It’s a seed native to Mexico & Guatemala, once a staple of Mayan diets. They may be wrong about the whole 2012 apocalypse business, but it seems like they got this one right.

Chia seeds reportedly have 500 times the calcium as milk, and the same omega-3 content as salmon. (At ~$6 per bag of ground seeds, this is great news for your wallet– no more looking at the wild alaskan at Whole Foods with sad eyes!) Chia’s packed with more protein than flax seeds and even some meats. And of course, let’s not forget about the fiber. Fiber is not just for our parents, people. Eat up.

All in all, it seems to pack more punch per pinch.

A pinch. Is a pinch all it really takes? Actually, yes. The recommended daily amount is ~1 ounce, or a couple spoonfuls. I read that it has a nutty flavor. I’d guess it would make a nice addition sprinkled over some veggies, or easily mixed in a smoothie. It being the season of oatmeal, I think this is where I will start my experiments. Or yogurt. I mean come on, how amazing does this look:

So how ’bout it. Anyone want to try this out with me?

Aunt Jemima vs. The Majestic Maple: Why it matters

Recently, Jana brought home a surprise treat from the store: Eggos! I was beside myself with glee… until she pulled out….

AUNT JEMIMA

Now, some people grow up in “pop” households instead of soda. Some people learned to put ketchup on their eggs. I was taught that the Mrs. Butterjemima family was sacrilege. Sweet sweet maple is where it’s at, from the great Canadian North down through the state of Vermont.

“But the syrup was, like, 10 bucks. And this was only 2,” was the argument.

“And do you know why it’s 2 dollars?” was mine.

Now accused of being a snob, I must turn to the facts. The facts are these.

INGREDIENTS:
Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Cellulose Gum, Caramel Color, Salt, Benzoate and Sorbic Acid, Artificial and Natural flavors, Sodium Hexametaphosphate (say whaaaat?)

And what’s in my Trader Joe’s organic maple syrup that I picked up for $7?
Syrup. FROM A TREE.

I wouldn’t classify myself as “gung-ho” on the organic movement, but I try to make better choices where I can. So I ask myself. How much does $5 matter here? How much damage does a HFCS concoction REALLY do, versus natural sugar? Sugar is sugar right? Well, not really.

Sugar Crash… Course

There are many different molecules which fall under the “sugar” umbrella but the most common one that people think of is the white stuff known as cocaine table sugar. aka Sucrose:

It’s our standard disaccharide sugar. It’s got a 50/50 ratio of glucose and fructose.  Glucose, our primary source of energy, is pretty awesome. Like, it feeds our brain. And every cell in our body loves to break that stuff down. Fructose is kiiiiind of okay too. When not presented in an excess ratio, like in, say… HFCS. (Sidenote: there are people who have a fructose intolerance and the stuff is torture to their digestive systems. Not fun.)

Why is that bad?

Fructose only has one place to go: YOUR LIVER. Your liver is the only place that fructose can be metabolized. When it’s working on the fructose, your liver has no fucks to give about anything else. So while this is not a behavior unique to our humble sugar, let me ask you a question. Be honest now: Isn’t your liver getting enough abuse as it is?

Personally, I’d rather save the bodily abuse for a more worthy substance, like a fresh pint.

Extra Credit: Handedness & Stroke Recovery

Waking up yesterday morning knowing I could sleep in and not schlep down to Tribeca was a lovely feeling. My prereq is done! I got my nice little “A”, and now I have a month off before registration for round 2 at a more conveniently-located institution.

So last week was the last week of class. During which, we got to talk about the nervous system. We were discussing brain function when the standard questions started popping up: what’s the deal with strokes, capacities for language, concussions, etc etc. I wanted to know more about the link between strokes, handedness and recovery rate. It’s a factoid I only vaguely remembered hearing about: lefties have better success. My uncle is making gains in his own recovery, but they’re ever so small. And he’s a lefty. So am I. This is perhaps relevant to my interests.

Teach didn’t know. She gave it to the class as extra credit.

GOOGLE CAT, WHAT DO YOU SAY???

Based on amateur internet reading, it seems there is no definitive statistic relating handedness to recovery rate. However, the important thing to note about lefthandedness is this: there is a higher chance for cross-lateralization of language function than that of a right-dominant person. While righties’ language centers are predominantly found in the left hemisphere, lefties can share language activity across both hemispheres.

So, when a person suffers a stroke, leaving one hemisphere of the brain traumatized, a person who has some of that hemisphere’s functioning programmed into the other side… well it stands to reason that that particular function would be less impaired. Whether or not it affects true recovery speed is unknown, but effects of the stroke are less severe.

Nutshell. In it. That.

Q&A Starter Edition: Back Strengthening Basics

A couple things have happened in the month since I posted with regards to my professional progression. I started my first (of many) prereq classes, and I got that pesky GRE out of the way. Hooray! Somehow this translates into a few more ticks on my street-cred-o-meter amongst my peers, who continue to think I have some kind of advice to empart with regards to physical health…

Today’s question is brought to you by a friend in training for the Army Ten Miler in DC:

Q: I’m looking for good back strengthening exercises… any recommendations?

A: Hip/glute bridge

You’ve probably seen this one in a gym or yoga/pilates class. It’s not exactly top secret, but it’s very effective, versatile, and safe. In fact during my observation hours, it was probably the most common exercise that I saw recommended to the 60+ back pain population.

Feel the burn

Here’s the movement: from the starting position (on your back, knees bent, feet drawn in), contract your abs, lift up, come down. That’s basically it. 10-15 reps per set.

Modifications include but are not limited to: holding for 0-5 seconds in the contracted position, lifting with one leg in the air, having your legs up on a physio-ball as the start position, flexing your feet such that you are lifting on your heels (isolates the glutes), only lowering halfway down and pulsing, etc etc.

Key points: squeeze glutes at the top, and don’t over-extend. You only need to go high enough so that your chest, hips, and knees are in a straight line.

Why it can feel awesome: This move causes a gentle stretch of your hip flexors which, if you’re sitting down all day, can get a bit tight. Yes, even at our age.

Why it can be OMG WHY IS THIS HARD: No matter the exact “version” of this exercise you do, it recruits from multiple muscle groups. We’re talking glutes, paraspinals, lower back, and the larger stabilizing abdominals.

So how’d I do? Okay? Want me to answer more questions in a way that in no way substitutes for actual health advice because you should always consult a professional? If so, you know where to find me.

Ergonomics for Dummies

Alright my little desk warriors, I have a refresher course for you. Too many of you, after politely asking how PT is going, exclaim with hopeful glee, “Awesome! so can you give me a massage?? My back is killing me.” You know who you are.

Ignoring the part where that’s not the primary job description, let’s review something: proper workspace ergonomics. You may think it’s super square, but there’s a reason why there are “specialists” who get hired to come in and fix your workspace. And they make wads of green doing it. Must be something to it, yeah?

[Obligatory disclaimer: a report's been circulating around the web & news cycle the past few weeks about how it's super bad for your general health to sit for long periods of time. The story seems to resurface every few years as new research comes out. Latest round pertains to risk for heart disease. So keep that in mind while you work, kiddies. Take standing breaks, stretch, go for a stroll, etc etc.]

The Magic Number

The only number you need to know here is 90. As in degrees. Knees, hips, and elbows. 90 90 90. Feet too. It’s kind of self explanatory. See helpful photo below.

Nice posture, nerd

Whether you’re at a corporate job, or perhaps a self-employed “artiste” toiling away in a chair all day, I bet you have adjustable armrests. Adjust them! Give that pneumatic pump a lil’ squeeze and fix your seat height. Your wrists should be straight, lest you wish for carpal tunnel

Screen Height

The top of your screen should be right at your eye-line. Which sucks if you’re using a laptop, but if you’ve got the luxury of a monitor, that’s where it should be. Otherwise you get into positions that, over time, put a lot of strain on your neck. This may not seem like a big deal, but your lover friend/work friend/random stranger may not take too kindly to repeated requests for a neck rub. Avoid the awkward. Adjust the screen.

Lumbar!

The back of your chair is meant for just that: your back. Don’t do that thing I do, where I’m always leaning forward hunched over. Because then you’ll try and get out of bed one morning, and your whole back’ll go into breath-limiting spasm, and you’ll lie there staring at the ceiling, wondering how 26 could feel so old.

True story.

So,  If you’re sitting in a chair for 40+ hours a week like this:

then you shouldn’t be surprised if you end up like this:

Happy sitting!

Change

I can’t seem to decide on a consistent tone for this blog. I realize this. Time for a little random personal thingamabob. Since most of my readers are in fact personal friends, I figure you won’t mind.

Carnival was last weekend, aka the real homecoming at the ol’ alma mater. It’s a joyous occasion for alumni. You get to see friends you haven’t seen or talked to in at least a year, and yet you still get along as if not a single day has passed since dorm-room shenanigans. You pick up right where you left off.

The dynamic is the same, but the details are different.

We’re growing up.

Some already have their masters degrees. Others have passed the bar. Turns out I know more future doctors than I thought, busting their humps through med school. Friends are getting engaged, married, and yes, pregnant. Holy crap can we please press pause for a second. Weren’t we just playing icebreakers at orientation?

Lots of people, lots of changes. This is today’s buzz word: change. How much of it is possible, and how much of it matters?

Offensive Odors: a top 5 list

Our noses get assaulted every day by unwanted odors. Even at home. Like: I’m sitting here checking my email, avoiding productivity, and I’m noticing that something smells kinda bad. It’s not the guy down the hall cooking something gnarly. It’s not even my neighbor lighting up a bowl again. No no, it’s even worse. It’s…. me. I picked up a side of Starbucks stench with my afternoon latte. And I got to thinking, you know, there’s a lotta crap in this city that smells pretty bad.

Hooked on Phonics

HELLOOOOO blog! Long time no see.

Some of y’all know I’m not exactly a voracious reader. I used to be, in my wee nerdling days of yore, before the advent of the internet, friends, and a suspected case of adult-onsed ADD (if such a thing exists).  Last year, I may have read 3 or so books. Two of them being part of the Dragon tattoo franchise, so I don’t even think that counts.

So this January, when a friend instigated a mass email calling for a bookclub, I said sure why not. I’m always looking for ways to appear like a productive and intelligent human. It was decided then that we would read “The Corrections” by Jonathan Franzen. Sweet! A real book.

I’m not used to reading real books. I haven’t read a real good book in a long time. And I don’t mean good in the sense of “I like it.” I mean… this book infuriates me. It makes me laugh. It makes me roll my eyes. It makes me want to throw it across the room. I’m invested.

Weird.

I’m not used to being able to talk to people about books. At the clinic where I intern, there’s one therapist that I’ve been having a harder time getting to know. We just don’t naturally jive on that personal level. But just the other day, I saw this very same book on his desk and I said “Hey want to see something funny?” and I pulled my copy out of my bag. Lo’ and behold, we had an engaging conversation.

Awesome.

I’m also not used to books that seem to tap into my brain. My illiterate brain that doesn’t know how to put words to ineffable shapeless blobs of confusing feelings. But that’s why good writers are paid to do what they do. They are able write the common experience. Even in cases where it’s not common, the mere act of making it available to readers inherently makes it feel that way. Like you’re not the only one, because at least this one other dude thought of it:

“And when the event, the big change in your life, is simply an insight—isn’t that a strange thing? That absolutely nothing changes except that you see things differently and you’re less fearful and less anxious and generally stronger as a result: isn’t it amazing that a completely invisible thing in your head can feel realer than anything you’ve experience before?… And it comes to you that this is what it means to love life, this is all anybody who talks seriously about god is every talking about.”

Truth.

I mean, come on. For anyone who’s gone through a traumatic ordeal and come out the other side, is this not what happens? I thought it was just part of being un-sane, but no. Apparently it’s a thing. 2010′s trendiest author says so.

So yeah. Books are cool. Who knew.

Better yet, DON’T be an assbag

It’s November! For the literary inclined, that means it’s NaNoWriMo time (short for National Novel Writing Month).

A co-founder and senior writer over at Salon.com decided to give NaNoWriMo a boost in publicity by slamming the November tradition.  Her main thesis seems to be that just because there are some overly enthusiastic (slightly delusional) authors out there who sent their novels to query on December 1st, aka the second they finish their 50,000th word, the entire effort is worthless.

That’s like saying we may as well scrap American Idol because of all the bad karaoke acts that get past the screening process. But a) that show sucks for other reasons, b) it’s still entertaining, and c) without American Idol we’d be short one Kelly Clarkson. Don’t take away my Kelly. I’ll cut you.

But seriously. Laura Miller asks her readers:

Why does giving yourself permission to write a lot of crap so often seem to segue into the insistence that other people read it?

IT DOESN’T!

Here’s my question: what ever happened to “enlightenment is in the journey and not the destination”??

The Life (and Death) of an Epiphany

Ever wake up and be struck with instant doldrums?

They’re probably related to the positive/negative status of one or more of the following:

• Employment
• Relationships
• Bank account
• Health

Maybe you have an amazingly great squeeze and superior booty physique, but if you hate your boss, your soul might just die a little bit every hour you spend at work. Or maybe you’re one of those mutant aliens who enjoys a corporate life. In this scenario, you’re growing weary of spending every night cuddling with your body pillow, which you’ve started having actual conversations with and now affectionately call Steve.

It’s a tough gig, making sure you’ve got all four major life happy-making squared away.

Personally, my biggest woe these days is Item #1: employment. I’m not currently employed. I used to be! I didn’t like my job, and when they showed me the door (to save a few $$$), I was thankful. BUT. Now I’m faced with questions. Questions like, “What else is there in life?” and “What do I want to accomplish?”