THE RUINS

I was in my late teens, hanging out with a friend who liked animals. He took me to his pal's home but nobody was there. Taking the key from its "secret" spot, he let me inside so we could look at some young kittens. Suddenly, a nine foot tall lizard appeared at the kitchen door!

Then I woke up. That nightmare was thanks partly to watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (again) plus reading The Ruins by Scott Smith. Harry Potter books and movies don't normally cause nightmares so I put the blame mainly on The Ruins in which a pleasant beach vacation turns into a horror story. Some friends head to the interior of the country and ignore the the taxi driver's warning: "No good you go this place." ... "I take you new place. Fifteen dollars. Everyone happy." It all goes downhill from there. Not a book to read if you are prone to being frightened, getting depressed or having nightmares. You've been warned.

HEART-HEALTH BOOK

Reverse Heart Disease Now by Stephen Sinatra M.D., James Roberts M.D.

The cardiologists write about heart-related diagnostic tests, risk factors, medication, supplements, anti-inflammatory diet, exercise, stress reduction, and the "new cardiology unclog program". I'm seeing a pattern in heart-health books here ;-)

There is so much fascinating info in this book that if I created a summary here, I'd probably be accused of some kind of copyright infringement. I love to learn "why" certain nutrients are important and how they work. Such details are more convincing to me than reading a list of nutritious foods I should eat. If you enjoy details like that, read Reverse Heart Disease Now.

The doctors explain details about how the cardiovascular system works and why it needs particular proteins, lipids, etc. They mention food sources for nutrients. In particular, they recommend that people use a combination of antioxident supplements -- vitamins C, D, E, bioflavonoids, alpha-lipoic acid, beta-carotene, lycopene, CoQ10, selenium -- to improve their cardiovascular systems. Miscellaneous topics from the many they write about: triglycerides, sticky blood, cell membrane permeability, arterial inflammation, fish oil, magnesium, niacin, L-arginine, glycemic index.

I found lots of ideas here for my own "self health improvement" plan that I can discuss with my doctor. That's an essential review since some of the supplements are powerful and might not be advisable for everyone.

CARBOHYDRATES

The Carbohydrate Addict's Healthy Heart Program by Dr. Richard F. Heller & Dr. Rachael F. Heller

There is no doubt that I'm a carbohydrate addict. I'm on the DASH diet now and I'm very gradually losing weight -- will I keep it off? -- only if I stay on this diet. The DASH diet is not strict with regard to carbohydrates like the CAHHP is.

The purpose of CAHHP is to lower insulin resistance by eating carbohydrates at only one meal per day. Snacks and other meals come from low carbo foods such as lean meat/fowl/fish, dairy and a very limited list of vegetables. No breads, grains, cereals, fruit and juices, legumes, seeds, nut butters, pasta, rice, carrots, peas, or tomatoes except at one meal per day. This diet may suit some people but I believe that if I didn't get some fructose from apples, oranges and bananas throughout the day, I wouldn't be able to maintain the low cholesterol DASH diet.

The doctors share some informative details about foods and how they affect the human body. Most of it is about insulin but since my main concern at the moment is cholesterol, I'll share some cholesterol-related things I learned.

LDL, low-density lipoprotein, is not cholesterol at all. It is a carrier that transports cholesterol between blood and the liver. LDL picks up cholesterol from the liver and carries it in the blood. It is a sign that the liver is in a fat-making mode, producing cholesterol.

The "good" HDL, high-density lipoprotein, transports cholesterol in the blood to the liver. High levels of HDL mean that the liver is in a fat-burning mode.

Consumable fats

Trans fatty acids appear to be the most health-damaging of all fats. They may be listed as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats. I am avoiding them as much as possible. Sources: vegetable shortening, hydrogenated fats, margarine.

Sources high in saturated fats: butterfat, beef fat, lard, milk fat, coconut oil, chicken fat, palm oil, cocoa butter (uh oh!)

Sources high in polyunsaturated fats (a better kind of fat): safflower oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sesame oil, cottonseed oil, omega-3 oils.

Sources of monounsaturated fats (best for heart health): olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil. I have purchased virgin olive oil for making oil & vinegar dressings for my salads.

I should mention that the program is not just about diet. It includes exercise, nutrition supplements, and stress-reducing changes.

HEALTH TIPS #2

High Blood Pressure - What You Need to Know, 1999 (from Johns Hopkins Health) provides some very useful information about blood pressure and cholesterol.
FACTS
Cholesterol comes from (1) our liver (2) foods. The more saturated fats you eat, the more cholesterol the liver produces.
Fruits and vegetables have no cholesterol
In this table, F = fibre, lowers cholesterol ... P = potassium rich

apple	F		banana		P
blueberry			date		P
fig	F		grape
nectarine			orange		P
peach	F	P	pear	F
pineapple			prune	F	P
raisin		P	raspberry	F
asparagus		P	brocolli		P
bean, green		P	bean, kidney		P
bean, lima	F		carrot		P
corn			lettuce
pepper			potato		P
spinach			squash
sweet potato		P	tomato		P
mackerel			salmon
oatmeal	F		spaghetti	F

Cholesterol -- compare amounts in various foods (milligrams per serving):
[ -- not mentioned in book]

bagel	0		butter 2 tsp	21
bran muffin	40		egg	211
cheddar cheese 1 oz	30		milk skim 8 oz	4
cream 1 oz	30		milk whole 8 oz	35
chicken dark 3 oz	--		turkey dark 3 oz	72
chicken light 3 oz	73		turkey light 3 oz	39
round steak (lower in fat than other beef) 3 oz	68		pork loin (lower in fat than other pork) 3 oz	--

Look for calcium in low fat cheese, sardines and yogurt.
Caffeine raises blood pressure temporarily.
Caffeine, milligrams per serving:
Coffee 6 oz ... 100
Cocoa 6 oz ... 5
Dark chocolate 1 oz ... 25
Cola 12 oz ... 50
Tea 6 oz ... 40

HEALTH TIPS #1

The local library, like the Internet, is a treasure trove of information as well as repository of delightful fiction. While browsing the other day, I came across shelves of health books. I picked up one about blood pressure and one about Alzheimer's. It turns out that many tips were the same for reducing blood pressure and avoiding/delaying Alzheimer's. The following are just 10 of the ideas suggested by Jean Carper in 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer's.

• Do aerobic exercise for 30 minutes for 5 times /week or an hour a day for 3 days /week [1] [2]
• Reduce saturated animal fats and trans fats in your diet [3]
• Replace bad fats with good types: omega-3 fish oil, virgin olive oil, canola oil, low-fat or fat-free dairy products [4]
• Use DASH diet - Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension [5] [6]
• Eat berries: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or cranberries (1 cup/day) [7]
• Eat apples, drink apple juice every day [8]
• Take a multivitamin/day but try to avoid copper and iron [9]
• Cocoa or dark chocolate is okay! [10]
• Do new types of things [11]
• Reduce the brain toxin proteins called beta-amyloid and tau [12]

[1] Exercise raises levels of protein BDNF (brain-derived neurotropic factor) in the hippocampus. BDNF prevents or reverses cell degeneration.
[2] Exercise also reduces cortisol levels (depression and stress increase cortisol levels) and fights diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, clogged blood vessels, insulin resistance.
[3] The more saturated fats you consume, the more likely you are to have a stroke and the more likely you are to develop brain and memory dysfunction.
[4] Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats, most notably oleic acid. Virgin and extra virgin olive oil refers to the amount of processing the oil goes through; the less processing, the better since these oils have more monounsaturated fatty acids than the more processd oils.
[5] Clinical trials showed that this diet lowers blood pressure AND reduces cognitive decline.
[6] DASH: 7-8 servings of grains, 4-5 of fruits, 4-5 of vegetables, 2-3 of low fat dairy, 2 or fewer of meat {plus 5 servings of nuts, legumes or seeds/week).
[7] Eat other antioxident foods too: golden raisins, artichokes, prunes, currants, plums, dates, cherries, raw figs, red cabbages, tomatoes, etc.
[8] Apples stimulate production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine which is essential for learning and forming memories.
[9] Look for vitamins that provide antioxidants such as C, E and alpha lipoic acid. Also get B12, folic acid, and B6 every day. Beware -- increased copper is related to lowered cognitive ability. People with excess iron are prone to atherosclerosis and neurodegeneration.
[10] This is my favourite finding - cocoa has antioxidents called flavanols which can reduce blood pressure. Check the percentage of cocoa solids to get an idea of the flavanol content of chocolate milk powder and dark chocolate.
[11] Do things that are a bit difficult. If you are already great at scrabble, try a different game or acivity that requires abilities you haven't used often. Novelty stimulates dendritic growth in nerve cells.
[12] Brains produce beta-amyloid and tau and they can accumulate too much. They directly affect the brain's structure and cause neurons to die. Get enough sleep, control blood sugar, lose weight. DHA fish oil, cinnamon, berries, currants, plums, and grapes can reduce beta-amyloid in animal brains.

For me, the hard part comes next: putting this knowledge into action! Exercise, stop eating fast foods, and eat good things.

Sources:
Jean Carper, 100 Simple Things You can Do to Prevent Alzheimer's, 2010
Johns Hopkins Health, High Blood Pressure - What You Need to Know, 1999

LIBRARY BOOKS #1

A miscellaneous selection of the books that I've read so far this year. The local library is great for me -- I have neither the money nor the room for all the books I like to read.

Why Do We Say It? The stories behind the words, expressions and cliches we use.
I would like to see more words and phrases explained than this book provides, but it's a good start. Why do I get the feeling that some of the explanations are questionable? Guess I'm just too much of a skeptic :-) These two samples are believable:

Salad days Why do we call a man's youth his "salad days"?
It's because when a man is young, he is "green" and greens go into making a salad.

Proletariat Word comes from the Latin proletarius -- the name given by ancient Romans to the lowest class in the community.

Twitter by Paul McFedries is a helpful introduction to using Twitter and associated websites. Terri_pal on Twitter

Darkly Dreaming Dexter
The famous TV series Dexter started as a book series by Jeff Lindsay. The character's alliterative self-deprecating sense of humor springs from the pages to give a delightful diversion from the dark deeds of destruction. (Dexter is Delicious, Dexter in the Dark, Dexter by Design, Dearly Devoted Dexter)

Mindscan by Robert Sawyer.
Due to a threatening health condition, Jake decides to take a chance on uploading/copying his mind into a durable, android-like body. What happens after that is the result of quantum entanglement, legal disputes, unexpected friendships, and one discovery leading to another. The underlying theme is the brain and consciousness; coincidentally, Nova Science Now last week was also about the human brain.
See http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/how-does-the-brain-work.html