Let's Get HEALTHY!

[RopeFiend]

'Tis the season... for FLU and COLDS.

I've seen this same list a few times before, but it's always fun to disturb people with the actual bacterial counts.

Average bacteria counts per square inch:

Toilet bowl: 3.2 million bacteria/square inch
Kitchen drain: 567,845 bacteria/square inch
Sponge or counter-wiping cloth: 134,630 bacteria/square inch (I've seen this listed much higher)
Bathtub, near drain: 119,468 bacteria/square inch
Kitchen sink, near drain: 17,964 bacteria/square inch
Kitchen faucet handle: 13,227 bacteria/square inch
Bathroom faucet handle: 6,267 bacteria/square inch
Bathroom sink, near drain: 2,733 bacteria/square inch
Pet food dish, inside rim: 2,110 bacteria/square inch
Kitchen floor, in front of sink: 830 bacteria/square inch
Toilet floor, in front of toilet: 764 bacteria/square inch
Kitchen counter-top: 488 bacteria/square inch
Bathroom counter-top: 452 bacteria/square inch
Garbage bin: 411 bacteria/square inch
Dish towel: 408 bacteria/square inch
Toy: 345 bacteria/square inch
Kitchen tabletop: 344 bacteria/square inch
Home office phone or refrigerator door: 319 bacteria/square inch
Toilet seat: 295 bacteria/square inch
Bathroom light switch: 217 bacteria/square inch
Microwave buttons: 214 bacteria/square inch
Kitchen chopping board: 194 bacteria/square inch
Child-training potty: 191 bacteria/square inch
Infant changing mat and infant high chair: 190 bacteria/square inch
(shopping cart was somewhere right around here, but I can't find comparable counts)
Kitchen phone: 133 bacteria/square inch
Bathroom door's inside handle: 121 bacteria/square inch
Toilet's flush handle: 83 bacteria/square inch
TV remote control: 70 bacteria/square inch
Home office computer keyboard: 64 bacteria/square inch
Home office computer mouse: 50 bacteria/square inch
(bacterial counts from The Hygiene Council, funded by Reckitt Benckiser, parent of Lysol)

Lest you go OCD about cleaning, I've seen a couple of different reports that studied cleanliness versus ultra-cleanliness.  Apparently you can over-do it by sterilizing every day, which harms your internal biome and compromises your immune system a couple of different ways, making you MORE susceptible to infection.  One of the most recent studies I've seen said that using bleach once a week increased your risk for COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) by 20 to 30%.  Oops.  Make sure you run your ventilating fans (kitchen and bathrooms) for a couple of hours after using bleach to exhaust that toxic stuff out of your home.

Here, I have separate cutting boards, one for meats and one for everything else, and the one that raw meat touches gets a dilute bleach wash after every use (every 1 or 2 weeks).  Everything else in the kitchen and bathrooms gets an antiseptic wipe-down every 2 weeks with paper towels and Seventh Generation Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner, and I don't use a sponge... EVER.  In the bathroom, my toothbrush sits in the medicine cabinet, and it gets a 70% isopropyl alcohol rinse every week. 

Did you know that you aerosolize some of the bacteria in your toilet every time you flush?  Yeah, that shit can actually travel up to 20 feet.  Please don't leave your toothbrush or cosmetics out in the turd fog.

The strongest antiseptic is a dilute bleach solution, anywhere from 1 teaspoon bleach per quart/liter (replace every few weeks) to a 1:10 mixture for heavily soiled areas (public bathrooms).  Bleach is what Doctors Without Borders uses against Ebola.  Second-best is 70% isopropyl alcohol (IPA), or IPA plus BZK, and that's what the CDC recommends for a general antiseptic/antibacterial as it kills 99.999% of germs; Lysol only kills 99.9%  Everything else ranks WAY down below (IPA or IPA + BZK) in virus/bacteria killing efficiency.  If you used Lysol on your toilet bowl then it's STILL more infected than your (untreated) bathroom sink drain.

At work, we use Clorox Disinfecting Wipes (70% IPA plus BZK), Clorox Professional Disinfecting Spray (70% Ethyl Alcohol + BZK) and dilute bleach, as well as 70% IPA hand sanitizer.  That combination cut our influenza to about 1/8th of what was reported elsewhere in Dallas last year, and we're doing it again this year.

[Army of One]

I don't know where you live, but Sprouts Farmers Market carries carob powder in the stores here, same as THIS BRAND.  I prefer the flavor of the Dagoba cacao powder, so don't have any driving need for carob powder.  I used to buy carob pseudo-chocolate bars when I was backpacking regularly, since carob won't turn to soup in the Arizona heat.

Yeah, here in Dubbo, we have a place that sells carob powder. I actually bought some to make rock cakes with when I was living in a place with a better oven (I'm not going to continue that discussion here; one thread is already too many). Didn't turn out how I thought, though, but still worth a try nonetheless.
And thanks for mentioning its unlikeliness to melt in hot weather. I hadn't even thought about that, most likely because my chocoholism extends to carob. It's just  shame I can't edit that post now...

[RopeFiend]

Hey, I've been looking in all of the 'healthy' food stores for MONTHS and MONTHS and finally this evening found some organic strawberries.  Honestly, Farmer's Markets, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Natural Grocers, Green Grocer, NONE of them have had strawberries with that little USDA ORGANIC logo on 'em.  No matter who sold 'em, if I didn't see that logo, I didn't touch them.  I haven't had strawberries, or anything with strawberries IN it since about March.

Here's why:  https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/strawberries.php   

(EWG is doing some obnoxious advertising, click the link top-right to get to the story)

Yeah, strawberries top the EWG's 'Dirty Dozen' list of contaminated foods, and you absolutely want to only buy them with the organic logo,
      

Here's the Dirty Dozen list again (stuff you need to buy organic): https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty_dozen_list.php

and the expanded list of tested foods:  https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php
(the farther down the list, the 'cleaner' the food is, so the bottom half from about raspberries is pretty safe to buy at a normal grocer)

[_priapism]

The heartbreak of psoriasis.  Autoimmune disorder.  I need to turn my activated T-cells back off.  Any suggestions Rope?  It is typically treated with topical and injected anti-inflammatory steroids, but who wants that?  Almost all treatments focus solely on symptoms, not the cause.

[RopeFiend]

The latest research I've seen suggests that a bacterial infection was the initial trigger that set off the immune system and caused the psoriasis, and anything that resembles that original infection can re-trigger the immune system. (sorry, I'm having a stupid moment right now, and can't remember the correct term for when parts of one thing mimic the parts of another).  The protein fragments or components of some foods could mimic the protein coat of that original bacteria, enough to cause the immune system to fire up.

It looks like the biggest contributing factor is STRESS, and you have that in spades recently.  Even if you 'fix' everything else, continued stress can keep the outbreaks going.  Stress fucks with the whole endocrine system.

If it's a food allergy that's firing off the bouts of psoriasis, then start with a minimalist diet for a month to establish that the symptoms are truly gone.  That's kinda what I did with the Autoimmune Protocol, although the primary reason for me was to cure my gut.  Once you're past the initial month, start adding in 2 or 3 foods that you'd removed every week, and note when the psoriasis returns.  One or more of those 2 or 3 are involved.  Keep a log or diary so you know what's OK and what's yet to be tested.  Looks like there are as many food triggers as there are foodstuffs.

If you're lucky, you'll have fairly quick signs if you add a food back in that's causing you problems.  In my case, there aren't any symptoms that I can key on, other than the thyroid system going wonky.  In the last 6-8 weeks I've added SOMETHING back in that's utterly fucked my immune response, and the thyroid levels are as bad as they were in December, even WITH taking about 1/4 of a full replacement dose of thyroid hormone.  I have to go all the way back to my diet in early September to get it under control again.  My best guess is the 'overnight oats' I've been having for breakfast the last couple of months, a combination of gluten-free oats, chia, fruit, coconut yogurt and almond milk.  With 6-8 weeks between tests, it could be 6 months or more before I lock down what's caused the recent upset.

I'll send you some links in a PM later.  I have a large-ish archive of books on autoimmune (and other) issues, and current diets that help some people.  I hesitate to start listing foods that COULD be involved, as you might have some other primary trigger entirely, or (likely) combinations of things that all add up to a resurgence of symptoms.  Heck, from a quick look at the literature, even bacterial infections that are unrelated to the one that initially caused the problem could cause a flare-up.

[RopeFiend]

I 'rebooted' the pizza here:
http://www.kristensboard.com/forums/index.php?topic=52337.msg482046#msg482046

I'm sensitive to tapioca flour, so I swapped the half cup of tapioca starch/flour for another half cup of arrowroot starch/flour, and swapped the 1 cup almond flour out for a cup of cassava flour.  When I hit it with the mixer, I could see quickly that it wouldn't get to the same smooth consistency as the other flour (it was all crumbly), so I added another egg, then another half cup of water, and then another half cup of water (2 cups total).  I finally got the dough to the consistency that I wanted.

In addition to brushing 2 tablespoons of olive oil before adding the toppings, I added a light coat of basil pesto (several heaping tablespoons full) since I can't have tomatoes.  I reduced the artichoke hearts down to just 3 hearts, shredded, and the meat this time is a mix of uncured German summer sausage & uncured pepperoni.  I couldn't find any Crimini or Porcini mushrooms this week so I used sauteed Shiitakes instead.  I used the last of the vegan sharp cheddar and mozzarella 'cheese', and added a little real feta on top (it was pretty powdery).  Next time I'll have real cheese on the pizza since my brother and sister aren't allergic to cheeses, only milk and milk products.

The change in the dough ingredients needed ALL of the 20 minutes of pre-cook time, and I should probably have covered it at that point with aluminum foil and baked it for 10-15 minutes more.  After adding the toppings, I gave it the full 25 minutes on the second 425F bake.  The crust has a good top and bottom brown, but the center is still soft.  The cassava substitution would probably work out fine for a thin crust pizza, but I'll go back to almond flour for my deep dish in the future.  The taste as about the same; neither cassava nor almond flour has a strong enough taste to be noticeable.
  As far as my tongue could tell, both were 'pizza crust'.

 

(clicking the pix takes you to the high-res version)

It's do-able as a mostly-pure Paleo crust, with the caveat that it needs some work so that the dough cooks all the way through on a deep dish.  Eggs are an iffy subject, some say they're Paleo, some disagree.  I figure Paleo people would have eaten bird or fowl eggs if they could get them.

[Lois]

In another thread folks were going off about cauliflower and they did not understand the craze about it.

It's simple: cauliflower is low in carbs and can be substituted for some of them.  It is also far lower in calories!

I'm not crazy about mashing the cauliflower up as a substitute for potatoes.  All you get is watery runny mush.  However, I often use cauliflower in place of pasta in casseroles.  It works wonderfully!

Amount Per 1 head medium (5-6" dia.) (588 g)
Calories 146
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1.6 g   2%
Saturated fat 0.4 g   2%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g   
Monounsaturated fat 0.1 g   
Trans fat 0 g   
Cholesterol 0 mg   0%
Sodium 176 mg   7%
Potassium 1,758 mg   50%
Total Carbohydrate 29 g   9%
Dietary fiber 12 g   48%
Sugar 11 g   
Protein 11 g   22%

Vitamin A   0%   Vitamin C   472%
Calcium   12%   Iron   13%
Vitamin D   0%   Vitamin B-6   55%
Vitamin B-12   0%   Magnesium   22%

[Jed_]

LOL Lois, my bitching about the craze was partly about how it was making cauliflower expensive.  The other part had to do with my inclination towards nonconformity, and stop making things I like the next food craze.

[RopeFiend]

'Riced' cauliflower is pretty good, too.  It's easy to make, but you DO have to watch it when you start cooking it or it turns to mush.  I did it pretty much like this:
http://nomnompaleo.com/post/1626071845/another-simpler-version-of-cauliflower-rice
except with different spices and no onion, and I ran it medium-low heat.  

I have 'issues' with onions, from LONG before I started this diet.  I can have scallions, just not bulb onions.

Riced cauliflower is OK, but it's fairly deficient in basic nutrients.  It's fun once in a while for a side dish, but you don't get much from it so I don't usually bother.  When I made it the last time, I bought it frozen and already 'riced' so I didn't have to mess up the food processor.  I thawed it in the fridge overnight and cooked it right up.

[_priapism]

Thanks for all the info you threw my way Rope.  I’m going to download it and start studying soon.  I’m in a trial at the moment.  But soon.

[KitKat]

I've been fasting every morning for the last few months, and I feel amazing.

[RopeFiend]

Yeah, 'intermittent fasting' is quite popular right now.  There's a couple of variations on it: 16 hour daily breaks of no eating (what you're doing), and skipping meals twice a week (5:2).  I've kinda-sorta been doing the first forever, or for the last 40 years, anywise.  A doctor told me to cut out lunch back in the '70s, and I've been doing that ever since.  I'd been crashing late in the afternoon due to the lunch, and cutting it out helped me lose some ass and stomach fat that just WOULD NOT go away, as well as eliminated the afternoon crash.  Controlling my intake kept my weight stable for > 30 years until this thyroid issue cropped up 8 to 10 years ago.

The doc's line was "Three meals a day is great if you're a farmer or construction worker, but it's too much food for the normal person.  A small breakfast of whatever works for you, then a handful of nuts or trail mix at noon if you can't go completely without, then the main meal in the evening at least 3 hours before you go to bed, preferably 5 to 6 hours before bedtime."

I've tried pushing the small breakfast off until noon, and it doesn't work for me.  There's NO way that putting the main meal of the day at noon works, as most of us have jobs that preclude it unless you eat out every day, and that shit gets EXPENSIVE.

[MissBarbara]

Yeah, 'intermittent fasting' is quite popular right now.  There's a couple of variations on it: 16 hour daily breaks of no eating (what you're doing), and skipping meals twice a week (5:2).  I've kinda-sorta been doing the first forever, or for the last 40 years, anywise.  A doctor told me to cut out lunch back in the '70s, and I've been doing that ever since.  I'd been crashing late in the afternoon due to the lunch, and cutting it out helped me lose some ass and stomach fat that just WOULD NOT go away, as well as eliminated the afternoon crash.  Controlling my intake kept my weight stable for > 30 years until this thyroid issue cropped up 8 to 10 years ago.

The doc's line was "Three meals a day is great if you're a farmer or construction worker, but it's too much food for the normal person.  A small breakfast of whatever works for you, then a handful of nuts or trail mix at noon if you can't go completely without, then the main meal in the evening at least 3 hours before you go to bed, preferably 5 to 6 hours before bedtime."

I've tried pushing the small breakfast off until noon, and it doesn't work for me.  There's NO way that putting the main meal of the day at noon works, as most of us have jobs that preclude it unless you eat out every day, and that shit gets EXPENSIVE.

Isn't "intermittent fasting" simply another phrase for eating less, and eating more sensibly?

For about a decade I've followed a rule of breakfast and lunch combined must be less than dinner, and it works for me. The plan I've been following is almost exactly what you describe: A light breakfast, a healthy snack for lunch (a couple of pieces of fruit or vegetables, nuts, pretzels, etc.), and then a regular (and sensible) meal for dinner. I also follow a regular exercise regimen, and my weight's been the same for about 20 years.

Do you know the science behind these programs?

[Jed_]

During the work week I eat roughly 2 hours after I get to work or around 10:30.  Dinner is late close to 8PM.  I do not eat breakfast and never have really.  As a child they figured out all I could keep down that early was possibly some toast.

I’m simply not hungry in the morning and the thought of eating right after I get up nauseates me.  When I entered 1st grade, I would throw up on my desk each morning until they finally stopped forcing breakfast on me.  So naturally by lunch I was starving.  Noon is really not a good time to eat for me.

On weekends it’s not unusual for me to have one large meal in the afternoon as the only meal.

I also snack between meals very rarely.  It’s 1-2 meals a day.

[Jed_]

The annoying thing about eating around 10-10:30AM is all the people that walk by and say, ‘Oh, having an early lunch today?’  Whereupon I reply, ‘No, I eat at this time every day.  So, this is not early.’  It’s gotten better since I began eating at my desk instead of the ‘lunch’ room.

[RopeFiend]

Do you know the science behind these programs? (intermittent fasting)

What I recall reading is mostly animal-based, since they frown on testing humans to destruction.  It said that when you under-feed animals like that (intermittent fasting), they get sick less often and they live 10-20% longer than animals fed their normal, steady diet whenever they want it.  The last large-scale human trials were all in the early 20th century 'cos some of the subjects died.  Oops, sorry!  The last human trials I remember were in the '80s on a few people, and I haven't looked up the studies below.

I'll bolt in a snippet from one of the books I have:

Here are some of the changes that occur in the body when you fast:

- When you intermittently fast, a gene known as “the skinny gene” or SIRT1 is triggered in the body. This gene inhibits fat storage and encourages cell repair and maintenance (Allard 2009).

- Fasting lowers the production of a protein called insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which is linked to the development of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease, as well as aging in higher levels (Fontana 2008).

- Studies have shown that fasting lowers cholesterol levels and blood pressure (Nematy 2012).

- Other studies have documented improved blood sugar levels, increased longevity, and a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, and neurological diseases (Brown 2013).

- When the body does not have to process food constantly, the pancreas can rest, which leads to increased insulin sensitivity and a reduced risk of obesity and diabetes (Hughes 1984).

- Fasting changes the environment in the body, which can limit the adaptation potential of cancer cells. The growth of five to eight types of cancer was slowed after a forty-eight-hour fast in animal studies conducted at the University of Southern California in 2009 (Raffaghello 2010).

- Fasting for forty-eight hours after chemotherapy doubled survival rates in lab animals, and preliminary human studies showed that patients experienced fewer side effects if they fasted after chemotherapy (Raffaghello 2010).

- Fasting can decrease the oxidative damage done by free radicals because it increases the stress resistance in cells, which can reduce the risk of cancer (Sohal 1996).

- Studies conducted over many years on people who eat 30 percent fewer calories than normal show less cancer, obesity, inflammation, heart disease, and diabetes (Fontana 2004).

- Fasting for as little as sixteen hours increases the level of a protein called brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) by between 50 and 400 percent. BDNF is essential for memory and learning, and it protects the brain from changes in the cells linked to dementia, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s disease (Mattson 2005).

- The progression of the metabolic and neuropathological abnormalities linked with Huntington’s disease is slowed with fasting in animal studies (Wenzhen 2003).

The chunk above is from a book on the 5:2 diet, although the studies mentioned were primarily underfeeding and long breaks between meals, less so the 5:2 method.

Fasting helps keep you on the edge of ketosis, making it quicker/easier for the body to slip into fat-burning mode when needed.  For me, I screwed up and slipped into starvation-induced ketosis the first couple of weeks of the AIP diet 'cos I'd cut out the sugar and carbs, but hadn't boosted the fats yet to accommodate my energy needs.  I dropped 8 pounds the first week, and around 4 pounds the second week, putting me at a dangerously-skinny BMI of around 16.0 (pretty much no body fat).  I was dangerously close to slipping into (forgot the term... once you run out of fat to burn, the body starts burning muscle tissue).  That would be a Bad Thing, especially for me.

[KitKat]

Starbucks, others must carry cancer warning in California, judge rules


Starbucks (SBUX) and other coffee companies in California should have to post warnings because the brew may contain an ingredient that's been linked to cancer, a judge has ruled. The culprit is acrylamide, a chemical produced in the bean roasting process that is a known carcinogen and has been at the heart of an eight-year legal struggle between a tiny nonprofit group and Big Coffee.

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/starbucks-cancer-warning-judge-rules-on-coffee-carcinogen-acrylamide/

[MintJulie]

I am reviewing the archived KITKAT BLOG and came across this topic.  Figured I'd move it back to the public board.

[purpleshoes]

Good idea. Both posts above yours (KitKat and RopeFiend) were interesting, and maybe this will start a lively discussion about health.

In my lifetime I've seen milk, peanut butter, eggs and pizza encouraged as healthy foods but also (at different times) foods you should avoid.

Let the debate begin.

Woo for reviving the topic.