Maitake Mushroom

One of the few diet books that I kept was a volume called "The Perricone Promise" in which Dr. Perricone ties together nutrition, supplements, and topical creams which promise transformation in health...particularly noticeable in the skin. This is of particular interest to me because I have battled several chronic skin ailments and nothing has brought me long-term relief.
The nutrition promoted in the book is solid--thus my decision to keep the book along with its recipes. Lots of turkey, chicken, seafood, healthy fats, low-glycemic & antioxidant-rich fruits, yogurt or kefir, and multi-coloured vegetables. Yup, it's a keeper.
The topical creams remain a mystery. They are likely high-priced exclusive items that are available online or at high end department stores. I haven't tried them and I'm always leery about shelling out money for miracle creams that could be a disappointment or worse, exasperate my current condition to a worse state. I'm very cautious.
The supplements are a little intimidating too. Lots of Omega Fish Oil, some Peptide Functional Food Powder that remains a mystery to me, Acai juice and Maitake Mushroom extract.
When I first bought this book I could barely afford to follow the diet as it was written never mind the work involved in preparing the recipes.
I was able to take the fish oil for a short time but even though I bought the "non-repeating" fish oil capsules, they repeated. I didn't like burping up fish taste. The upside was that even though my chronic skin issues didn't disappear, my skin did look healthier than ever. I thought it would be cool to use the supplements and creams one day if I ever had the opportunity and wondered if it would make a difference.
It's now a few years later and I now have a supplement budget, albeit, a modest one. I started with following Dr. Don Colbert's basic recommendations which include the following:

• 1 Multivitamin
• 1 serving Fish Oil (liquid...not capsules...no fish repeat!)
• 1 serving Phytonutrient Powder

Now that I have become proficient in taking these supplements on a daily basis, I have begun exploring Dr. Perricone's recommendations. I increased the dose of fish oil to 3 servings a day (one with each meal), taking a daily dose of Acai (will talk about this in another blog) and began researching the Maitake Mushroom supplement that he recommends. He suggested choosing one of two different formulas:

• Maitake Fraction-D (for immune system)
• Maitake Fraction-SX (for blood sugar regulation)

In researching the maitake mushroom I found that it has been known to shrink cancerous tumours! Wow! Now, I don't have any cancer in my body but if I had free radical cells that were even thinking about growing into cancer, what a way to fight them from the start!

In the end, I didn't buy the Maitake Mushroom supplement online from the book's source. I went to Nutrition House and asked what they had. They carry a product called "Seven Medicinal Mushroom" which features the extracts from many health-promoting mushrooms including the Maitake. I figured I could graduate to a Maitake mushroom only online version later if I did well with this first product.

All I can say is "Yukky!" Certain extracts can only be preserved most potently in alcohol and this is one of them. I only take 1/2 tsp every morning and believe me, it is memorable. Before I administer this "shot" I have my water, fish oil, and phytonutrient shake ready. It tastes horrible but it's the worst thing I have to take all day and the taste is quickly washed away by my other supplements. Some people recommend diluting it with warm water and honey but I have no interest in making the dose last longer.

What I can say is that recently my family all came down with nasty colds and weeks later they are still coughing badly. I came down with the beginning symptoms of a sore throat, headache and achiness one day this week and figured my immune system was going to lose the battle. I stayed home that evening and went to bed early. The next day, I was symptom-free. I literally felt the battle my immune system was waging and was thrilled to see it had won in the end. No runny nose, congestion, cough, fever, missed work...wow!

I can't say the mushroom extract was the reason. As you know, I have done a lot of healthy things this year and have been supplementing regularly since the summer. It's reassuring though, to see that my body is doing it's job and that my immune system is not caving instantly to all the nasty germs going around. I say that makes taking some power foods a worthwhile investment!

Crotchet Creations by Leila Pare

One of our pastor's wives at WCF has begun actively marketing her crocheted hats, scarves & kid's purses in time for the Christmas season. I like her work and have purchased in the past, but this year I had a special order to put in.

I had purchased a water bottle carrier in Mexico a few years back. It sat in a drawer unused as many a souvenir does until I discovered my preference for drinking water out of a stainless steel thermos this past summer. Not only did my water stay ice cold all day but the thermos fit the crocheted holder perfectly making toting my thermos around less conspicuous and cumbersome.

My Mexican carrier was fine through the summer but as the weather has gotten colder and my wardrobe switched to darker colours, I decided a new one was needed. I brought my original to Leila and within a few short days my new black one arrived and it was reasonable priced too. I was thrilled!

I drink out of stainless steel because the perils of drinking from plastic are becoming more and more known. What good is it to drink healthy, purified water from plastic that is leeching chemicals that could eventually cause cancer?

I prefer to drink from glass bottles but anyone who has tried this will discover as I have, that they break easily at the least convenient moments. To find a glass bottle that holds a substantial amount of water, fits in cup holder and keeps the water cold all day, is near impossible.

Stainless steel water bottles abound but if you've used them, you'll find that the metal allows the water temperature to rise quickly to the environment temps and the bottle sweats too. Once I realized that my wide-mouthed stainless steel thermos would keep my water chilled all day/night, I was hooked.

To be truthful, the thermos belonged to Shawn but was rarely used. I adopted it and recently the whole family has acquired new thermos' when they realized how nice my water was to drink in comparison to the water in the average household container.

You can pick up stainless steel thermos' at Canadian Tire in or Meijers in the US. I'm sure Leila would welcome any orders for water bottle holders. You can select your own size & colour.

Gymboss

I've mentioned this before but it's worth mentioning again. I was introduced to a handy little gadget by a former client of mine that has proved to be invaluable many times.

It's call the Gymboss. It's a small timer that clips onto your waistband and can be set to beep loudly, softly with or without vibrate. The vibrate option is really helpful too for those times when you want your timer to be discreet.

You have the option of timing indefinitely not only one time span but two. If you are outside running for a certain amount of minutes and walking for another amount, you can set this gadget and it will beep and/or vibrate at the set intervals and continue to do so until you stop it.

The benefit of this is that you don't have to look at your watch constantly, fuss with resetting buttons or have two separate timers going at the same time.

When I first purchased this tool, it was for my walk/jog intervals. Very helpful.

When I signed up for the running clinic, I pulled it out again to help time my turnaround point for my weekly runs. Wonderful. I just ran until I heard the beeping, turned around and ran home until it beeped again.

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I was setting a timer on my computer to help signal water breaks in an attempt to drink more water consistently throughout the day. The computer timer was helpful but not for the periods during the day where I am not at my desk.

I discovered the my Gymboss timer is an excellent all-day timer that I can wear from the moment I wake until I go to bed at night. Consistent cues all day long to reach for my thermos and drink that water.

At first I had the beep on loud because I find it easy to ignore more subtle cues, but as this new discipline has become more natural, I've been able to put the timer on vibrate. This is way less disruptive to my day and to the people around me who look somewhat disturbed when a timer begins beeping loudly out of nowhere.

I started with 60 minute intervals between sips but once I developed the expectation of regular water breaks I found myself reaching for my thermos more often without any cues. That was when I set my timer for regular 30 minute vibrates and this has worked beautifully.

Considering that remembering to drink my water was one of my biggest challenges this year, I am very pleased to have found a reasonably simple way to stay on track and look forward the benefits of staying consistently hydrated.

I highly recommend the Gymboss. It's inexpensive, small, lightweight, practical and relatively easy to use. It uses AAA batteries and is very durable.

One side benefit from my new timer/water drinking habit is that Paris, my daughter, has followed my example. She tends to get headaches and has discovered that if she drinks water frequently during the day she can avoid many of these debilitating episodes. She uses her watch but when we are together, she watches me to time her sips. She has asked for her own Gymboss...shhh...don't tell her, but I ordered one for her in hot pink. This way she can wear it to school and never disrupt the class.

If you are interested in purchasing your own Gymboss, go to: www.gymboss.com

Somethin' Pumpkin

It's been a little while since I've blogged but it's not because I've ditched my healthy choices and gone the way of cream-laden coffees and glazed donuts. No, I'm still at it. I have been shifting gears internally and my fragmented thoughts could not be expressed coherently so I've waited. Some may call it writers block but I see it more as the receding of the ocean water just before a huge wave is about to hit. So get ready!

One delight I was introduced to by my mom on Thanksgiving Day is the Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcake. Anyone who has been reading my blogs regularly will know that my two biggest downfalls this year have been cake-inspired. With my year of healthy choices commitment coming to an end, this recipe for pseudo chocolate cake-like treats is a great way to allow some fun back into my diet without reverting back to bad habits.

Pumpkin in chocolate cake? Yuck!! That is exactly what I thought until I tasted it. I don't eat anything pumpkin so I was skeptical. You can't taste the pumpkin and yet, it's in the recipe giving you points for vegetable consumption with every bite.

Here's the recipe:

1 Duncan Hine's Dark Chocolate Cake Mix
1 14-15oz can of pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling-that's different)
1/2 cup water

Mix the pumpkin & water together in a bowl. Add cake mix. Stir and pour into muffin pan. Bake according to package directions.

Yield: 24 cupcakes. Each cupcake contains: 90 calories, 2.3g fat, 0.8g saturated fat, 17g carbohydrates, 0 protein

Now, in my sugar deprived state, this cupcake is wonderful just as it is but some people prefer to put just a little icing on top just to give it that extra touch. Another person actually baked this recipe as a one-layer cake complete with walnuts & frosting. You can do whatever you want so long as you know that anything added will also add calories, sugar and fat too.

What you don't get is the eggs and oil that cake recipes usually call for and you get the benefit of vegetable nutrition. In fact, it has been discovered that these tasty little desserts will assist you greatly if you tend to be a little constipated. Warning--do not eat four servings and then go for a run!

I will admit that my family has not embraced this recipe as I have. They knew what was in it before trying it and they swear it doesn't taste good at all. I think that if you make this recipe for your family they will enjoy it and never know that it has nutritious ingredients at all.

60 Minutes

My goal this year wasn't to lose 15lbs or fit a certain clothing size. It was to make healthy choices and hopefully automate them to the point where they become life-long habits...stress on the "long life" part. Using Dr. Don Colbert's "Seven Pillars of Health" as a guideline, I have definitely paid tribute to many healthful practises over the past 9 months.

Some of these practises were definite like the decision to abstain from coffee and processed sugars, but others are more touch and go. Some days I got it and some days I don't.

My running clinic had a registered dietitian come in and give a talk. Near the end she talked about hydration and how important it is to sip water consistently throughout the day and how that helps not only with running performance but health as well. I needed to hear this because although we spent the money to install a reverse osmosis unit, I have been lax in this department and really want to develop more automated positive behaviour.

My challenge is that every day I decide that this is going to be the day I consume 8 cups of water. I religiously fill my stainless steel thermos and it is my only source of hydration throughout the day so I'm scoring big points and have high hopes. Unfortunately, my desk job doesn't stimulate the desire to drink and I'm rather focused on my tasks so hours go by and I finish my workday realizing that I only reached for my water a couple times.

Today I tried something different and it worked beautifully so I'm going to share it with you. This method is conducive to me since I rarely leave my desk. If you are mobile during the day, you may need to vary this a bit.

I found a website that acts as a timer. http://timer.onlineclock.net/ You specify how many minutes from 1-60 that you want to time and then forget about it. I decided that an hourly cue would be a huge improvement so I set it for 60 minutes.

Sure enough, I was thoroughly engrossed in my work when I heard a strange noise coming from my computer. At first, I was concerned that my computer was failing but then I remembered, it was time to drink my water.

Very effective. I took a deep drink and reset the timer to 60 minutes. This went on all day and every time it was like having someone shake me by the shoulders and remind me that I need to take a quick break and pay attention to my body for a couple seconds.

Maybe now I need a timer. I will definitely use this method until the habit of hydrating regularly through the day is second nature.

Cheers!

Shoe-In

This week marks the passage into the second half of my Running Factory Learn to Run clinic. I want to say that running has become easy and that I'm actually enjoying the measured minutes I spend outside pounding the pavement but I'd be lying. Not that I really despise it. It's one of those love/hate scenarios that keeps me guessing.

I relish the idea of being a runner, but if it wasn't for this structured program that includes weekly jogs with group leaders and other participants, I wouldn't be pushing myself this hard. I missed one homework sessionn due to a crazy weekend and paid dearly for it. The group sets an unrelenting pace, every week adding minutes to our run time. I think I'm improving because I stay in motion and haven't collapsed, but it's hard to tell when the bar is constantly raised!

Sometimes I enjoy it. Once I warm up and become oblivious, if not grateful, for the chill outside, when the discomfort in my legs numbs to a faint ache and my ragged breathing takes on a rhythmic pace resembling life -sustaining oxygen intake. Somewhere in the midst of it all there is a moment or two where my body is in perfect harmony and I can take a look around me and think, "This isn't so bad, I can do this". It's a brief feeling that is soon overridden by muscle and joint complaints as I begin to fatigue.

I like the feeling when the run is over. Knowing I got an intense workout in and it is done for a couple days. The tired, spent feeling that says it's okay to relax a little now.

That's the poetic side.

Last week, our clinic began with a talk about the importance of footwear and Joe, the owner of the Running Factory, did a great job. Good timing too. I have blogged about my knee hurting but on this particular night I could barely finish because the bottoms of my feet started to burn and cramp. Ouch! I started to panic when the pain began. Maybe I had bitten off more than I could handle with Level 4 and was going to sustain an injury that would force me to stop running entirely.

Fortunately, I decided to retire my favorite running shoes, which I have worn for almost every workout over a 2-3 year period. Joe said that running shoes should only be for running because even standing or walking in them lowers the compression life of the sole. My fav sneakers still look great but the sole was dead and buried in terms of compression.

I had another pair of runners that I bought at the same time as my preferred pair but had worn them very little due to the style. Next time I went for a run, I laced those ones up instead. What do you know? Joe is smart. My knee pain eased up a little and that nasty cramping and burning on the bottoms of my feet has completely disappeared. Imagine if I bought a really good pair of new sneakers...I might actually experience some pleasure in this activity!

One Year Mark

Today is a significant day for me. October 17th marks one full year of coffee & pop sobriety.

Wow! This is an accomplishment for me. Never in my 13 years of addiction has this been done. I think my previous record was somewhere around 3 months where I would be lost in the futility of my decision and go eagerly back to the comfort of my favorite beverages.

I'd love to say that I'm completely cured after 365 days of saying "no" and that I am in no danger of slipping back to old habits but this is not a truthful statement. Most days I don't even think about Tim Hortons, Starbucks or Diet Coke and I'm okay, but as recently as yesterday, I struggled with the temptation to indulge.

The desire is not constant or I don't think I could be strong enough to avoid it. No, it comes occasionally but as intense as the first couple days of deprivation.

See, my husband is still a coffee drinker and most of my friends are too. When I quit brewing our choice coffee at home, Shawn lost his enabler. He now gets his daily dose at work and goes through the Timmies drive-thru on the weekend. Inevitably, I am with him as he pulls into the drive-thru line en route to our destination and my longing for coffee or an ice caps is wakened. I have avoided trying to convert Shawn to my way of thinking and he has lowered his consumption on his own, but these weekend tributes to Tim Hortons continue. I remind myself that this is my choice and I am choosing not to drink these beverages for my own reasons. The internal reasoning is loud and so far, my best intentions have won out.

The diet soda cravings are very much the same. I'm okay most of the time unless we visit a fast-food restaurant and everyone is sipping their pop. I carry my stainless steel thermos with ice-cold purified water and that is what I drink. It's not the same but it works. I am constantly amazed at the response of my mind and body when I hear the crack and zip of someone opening a can of soda. I could be across the room, engaged in a conversation and the sound would get my full attention.

This weekend was a powerful reminder. We attended a conference and a wedding in a 2 day procession that involved early mornings, late nights and suspended downtime. I watched conference goers cradling their paper cups of java and my own hands felt strangely empty. A stainless steel thermos doesn't have the same warmth. Between the wedding & reception, I wished for the sustainment of a Starbucks but no such bliss for me. I watched Shawn enjoy.

So why? That's what I ask myself over and over during these moments. We gave away our coffee maker last month and just yesterday, our stash of Tim Horton's grinds. A year seems like it should be long enough but after yesterday, I'm still asking these questions. This was my answer:

1) Less frequent bathroom visits. I could drink more water and create the need to eliminate more often but with coffee or diet soda, I was in the washroom incessantly. During this busy weekend, I watched women almost running out of the conference sessions in an attempt to get to the ladies room on time and I felt no such discomfort. This is a small thing but for the girl who had to sit on the isle most of her life, it's a great benefit!

2) The ability to sleep in. While coffee may make waking up during the week a little easier, it never failed that on the one day I could sleep longer, my caffeine need would wake me at my regular time. If I tried to stay in bed, I would wake with a headache that spoiled the beginning of what is supposed to be a relieving day of rest. Not anymore. Now, I can sleep in occasionally with unspoiled indulgence and when I wake, I feel great!

3) More money. Those comforting visits to Timmies or Starbucks cost a lot. Even keeping our home stocked with grinds, filters, and cream was an added expense. Now, our grocery budget is trimmed and my personal spending money is saved for tangible purchases. This is a great benefit!

4) Less upset stomach. During the height of my caffeine consumption, my stomach would tighten up like a rock. Nothing I did could relax the ball of tension I felt in the pit of my belly. Over the past couple years I have come to realize that I am constantly working to manage anxiety. Caffeine-laden beverages tend to contribute negatively to this effort.

5) Irritability. I haven't suddenly turned into a relaxed, sweet individual. In fact, this year I have seen all sorts of negativity come out of me as I faced interpersonal conflict without the benefit of some basic comforts in my diet. What I have noticed however, is that I no longer experience the agitation that comes with being deprived of my addictive substance. Power outages, lack of access to coffee shops, or other delays in receiving my caffinated beverages would inevitably make me edgy and demanding due to the unwavering, protest of my body. It's hard to put a value on not experiencing this and behaving so primitively.

There are probably more benefits, but I think you get the point. Although, it may seem like a small thing to some, it does make a difference. Whatever I feel that I have lost in this process, I have gained a lot too.

Here's to another year!