Veggie Kate

Take Steps To Healthy, Vibrant Living

NCD Meeting – What You Put In Your Mouth Affects Your Body May 25, 2012

Filed under: Health — Veggie Kate @ 5:00 am

There are common quotes about food at your body:

“Let thy food be thy medicine” –Hippocrates, the father of medicine

“The rest of the world lives to eat, while I eat to live.” –Socrates

“You are what you eat.” –unknown

But it is easy to forget or ignore the fact that FOOD MATTERS.  We know that what we put in to our mouths affects our bodies and health – yet we sometimes think that food is the exception to this rule.  Let’s review how substances in the body play a role.  Some things we notice, some we do not:

Some we know happen quickly: caffeine in coffee; alcohol in beer, wine, liquor; tobacco. These go very quickly in to your system. You put it in your body, and it has an effect that you feel – whether it’s waking you up, or relaxing you, calming you, or making you feel more alert. You feel some of the effects. And some effects you don’t feel – the caffeine affects your bones; alcohol affects your liver; tobacco, your lungs.

Some things you put in your mouth take longer: medicine. You may have to wait a few hours before cold medicine or pain medicine can be felt; some medicines you have to take for several days before you feel the effect; antibiotics are to be finished completely even when you do feel better.

Everything that goes in to your mouth can have an effect on your body and your health. So, what good things you put in your body can be as important as what bad things you keep out.

Food is the same! The problem with food is that it usually does NOT have a fast, noticeable effect. You don’t have an immediate reaction that causes you to go, “aahhhh yeah…. THAT was healthy! My liver is saying ‘thank you’.”

It’d be nice if your liver could speak up and tell you when you’re giving it the good stuff!

You can’t always tell when something is bad for your health, or when it’s healing you. It has a quiet effect on your body. But you are what you eat! Aspects and parts of food you eat today will show up later in your blood, in your bowel movements, even months later, it can be seen in your hair or nails. What you put in your body, becomes part of your body.

This is good, because it means if you put the right, good things in to your body, healthy things become part of your healthy body.

The odd thing is, we don’t even realize that we’re not healthy sometimes. We have gotten so used to feeling tired every day, feeling like our minds aren’t as fast, feeling like our joints aren’t as strong… and we say it’s because we’re getting older. Or it’s just “normal” now. It’s NORMAL to be tired; it’s NORMAL to have gray hair so young (I found my first one almost 10 years ago), it’s NORMAL to be so forgetful…

I have back troubles. It is hard for me to bend and touch my toes. For a long time, I began to say this was just normal. I am just not flexible, I am just getting older, I sit at a desk all day. Then I went and had a medical massage done. It hurt. It was tough, I was tempted to ask her to stop half way through because she was digging and pushing, pulling and poking – I had bruises the next day!

…but in the end, once I got up, I bent down to get my purse from the floor… and I could do it with no problem. No stiffness. No pain. I realized THAT was how a healthy back should feel. THAT was what “normal” and “healthy” should be. But we forget what healthy feels like after so many days or years of it.

One quick session did not correct my lifetime of bad posture. And one healthy day will not correct a lifetime of bad food. You have to stick with it. For my back, I have to do healthy things every day: stretch, walk or jog, build up strong back muscles. Every day, I try to do something to keep my back healthy. It was hard at first, but after I made several small changes over a long period of time, they have become regular habits for me.  They are my new NORMAL part of daily life.

Sometimes changing your foods can be like that. You think what you’re eating and feeling is normal, and to try to change it is HARD. It can be TOUGH, and yes, sometimes it can even seem painful… but when you get through it, and your body begins to heal… then you feel healthy, you feel GOOD. You can start to do things you didn’t realize you could do any more! Every day, like my back exercise, every day you have to do as many healthy things as you can fit in.

But make changes, take steps – big or small – to start moving forward.  There are some eye-opening, mind boggling statistics we’ll go over next time.

Know that you have the power to change your habits, and those will change your life and maybe even the lives of your loved ones around you.

Let’s work together to find it!

 

Wednesday Words: Non-Communicable Disease May 22, 2012

Filed under: Cancer,Diabetes,Health,Wednesday Words — Veggie Kate @ 10:02 pm

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

I am restarting my old tradition of Wednesday Word posts – for today at least.

Last night, I went to what’s called a “pocket meeting” about Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), and was one of the speakers there.  This is part of the NCD-Board that I joined when I got here: they have the goal of helping to educate, motivate, and empower the community to fight back against these NCDs.  And I realized that we talk a lot about Non-Communicable Disease, and wondered if other people were aware of this term, and their ability to prevent them.

A basic breakdown: you can have diseases that are Communicable, and those that are Non-Communicable.

Communicable Disease are those that are infections, can be shared and spread to others by a germ, virus, or bacteria.  Like COMMUNICATION is passing information from one person to another, COMMUNICABLE disease passes from one to the next.  These are diseases such as the common cold or flu, HIV, chicken pox, or even parasites that can be passed along.

Noncommunicable diseases are individualized to a person, and do not spread or infect another.  These are diseases such as cancer, heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), or diabetes.

The cool part?  You can protect yourself against BOTH of these types of diseases!  Nothing is ever fool-proof or guaranteed, but you can definitely stack the deck in your favor and reduce your risk with healthy lifestyle habits.

Sick with the communicable flu. No fun!

Communicable Disease Prevention:

Healthy Hygeine: wash your hands often.  This is one of the best ways to prevent the cold or flu

Food Safety: there are many rules about food safety, and perhaps I can go in to detail more another time.  But basics are to make sure raw meat is cooked thoroughly and kept hot if not eaten within 2 hours; don’t touch raw meats then other foods without washing your hands in between; rinse off produce to clean it of dirt and bugs, etc.  This can prevent bacteria-caused food poisonings and even kill some parasites in meat.

Safe sex: Sexually Transmitted Diseases (such as herpes, HIV, ghonorrhea, etc) are devestating.  The hospital I work at has the slogan of GYT: ABC.  Get Yourself Tested; and Abstain, Be Loyal (don’t have multiple partners), and Commit.  The more people you are intimate with, the more you risk getting a surprise disease – even if they swear they’ve been tested.

Some of the root causes, and some of the diseases

Non-Communicable Disease Prevention:

These are my favorite topics!  All about lifestyle wellness. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that 80% of cancer, stroke, and diabetes cases could be prevented with changes in lifestyle.

Eight percent!

Let that number sink in.

That means for every 5 people with cancer, stroke, or diabetes, 4 out of those 5 may have been able to prevent it.

Lifestyle changes cover a vast array of topics:

Healthy movement (exercise, stretching, proper rest from movement)

Healthy environment (noise stress, visual clutter stress, toxins in the air)

Healthy mood (stress relief, dealing with anger, having a support network)

Healthy input (food, drink, drugs, chemicals)

So over the next few days in the next few posts, I’ll share some of the information here from the meeting.  Some statistics, some motivation (hopefully!), and some tips.

Stay healthy, stay strong, stay well.  You do have control of your health.

Make healthy changes for you, for your family, for your community.

 

Gout May 21, 2012

Filed under: Health,Inflammation — Veggie Kate @ 6:21 am
Tags: , ,

Today I want to focus on a disease state that I am seeing more often.  But because I am talking about a condition and making general comments and suggestions, I do need to remind you about the small print!  See the disclaimer at the bottom of the Welcome page!

Gout is a condition where your joints begin to inflame, swell, and hurt.  It is a type of arthritis.  Often it is seen in the foot and hands, but can also be in the knees, elbows, or other joints.

It can start as just a slight redness to the skin over a joint area.  But it can become bigger, hotter, and more of a problem if it isn’t taken care of.

Picture from http://www.arthritis.co.za/gout.html

Pretty, isn’t it?  And it can get even worse, with the skin

So let’s talk about how one can prevent gout, or maybe relieve some of the problems if one already has gout.  Because you may be able to fix this problem!

There is a lot of conflicting research on gout and treatment.  But one of the biggest links between Gout and diet seems to be purines in foods. Purines aren’t normally bad – in fact, we need SOME purines.  They break down in our body and create Uric Acid, which is something our body uses for normal, every day processes.  No big deal – we want to have this functioning in our bodies.

In the right amounts.  That’s the key.

Sometimes we get too much for different reasons, and then this can cause problems. So Gout may be like a warning sign saying, “Hey!  Notice me!  I’m trying to tell you that something else is going on!”  One possible reason can be kidney issues – since your kidneys would normally help filter out uric acid in your urine.  But if your kidneys aren’t working as well, they can’t help get the extra stuff out of your body!  And you get build up.

Where does that build up go?  Those little uric acid crystals will make their way to your joints!  (And other areas.)  So, imagine all these “forming sharp, needle-like urate crystals” [1] getting stuck in your body and heading to the joints.  Ouch!  It’s no wonder your joints gets all swollen and sore!

So if diabetes or kidney disease is common in your family, you may want to have your blood sugars checked, as well as your kidney functioning if you are experiencing gout symptoms.  You don’t always feel bad when problems start, and it’s be better to know early on if something is amiss, rather than wait till you feel worse.  Once a disease has progressed to the point you are aware and it is becoming an issues for daily life, it can be harder to bring your body back to a normal, healthy point.

Photo from NimbleFitness

Every body is different and reacts differently.  But a good place to start may be to try to reduce intake of foods that contain high amounts of Purines to do a trial that way.  One of the higher sources of purines is meat and fish – and I know that’s a staple for many, and hard to give up.  The highest purine foods that you may want to cut down include anchovies, herring, kidney, liver, mackerel, meat extracts, mincemeat, mussels, sardines, and yeast – and other animal products.  Dairy and vegetables can also contain purines, but research is showing that these sources don’t have the same impact on gout as the meat does, and don’t always need to be limited as much.

If the gout is really severe or advanced, there are other foods that also contain lesser amount of purines, and may be worth a look.  Maybe smaller portions, or just try to have only 1 or 2 food from this list per day to start: Asparagus, Bacon, Beef, Bluefish, Bouillon, Calf tongue, Carp, Cauliflower, Chicken, Chicken soup, Codfish, Crab, Duck, Goose, Halibut, Ham, Kidney beans, Lamb, Lentils, Lima beans, Lobster, Mushrooms, Mutton, Navy beans, Oatmeal, Oysters, Peas, Perch, Pork, Rabbit, Salmon, Sheep, Shellfish, Snapper, Spinach, Tripe, Trout, Tuna, Turkey, Veal, Venison.

With all of these limitations, it may be good to work with a dietitian or nutritionist to help you find a healthy menu that will still provide all the good, healthy foods you need!

Lemon, lime, calamansi, or any other citrus fruit is a tasty way to add a little extra Vitamin C kick to your water!

And don’t forget plenty of water to help keep your joints more lubricated, and try to flush out some of those painful little crystals.  Time to Kiss the Crystals goodbye!  Go ahead an squeeze that good ol’ lemon juice into the water, too, because some studies suggest that some natural Vitamin C sources can also help reduce uric acid in the body [2]

And of course, as has been expressed over and over throughout this blog: getting a healthy lifestyle in general will help with both prevention AND treatment!  Try to cut out (or lessen) processed foods, sugars, and alcohols!  That stuff will get you!

So Kick the Crystals and Get the Gout Out!    :)

A few other site that may be of use:

World’s Healthiest Foods – Gout

Low Purine Recipes

Gout Diet by Mayo Clinic

References

[1] Mayo Clinic – Causes

[2] Mayo Clinic – Alternative Treatments

 

Mt. Tapocahu May 19, 2012

Filed under: Travel — Veggie Kate @ 1:55 pm

All at once, this place will fill you with an expanding sense of the infinite, and yet , make you feel isolated and humbled.

When you can stand at the top of the highest point on Saipan, you can look out and see ocean all around you, 360 degrees.  And while it is breathtaking, it also makes you realize that you are isolated from much of the world, and you are trapped from any quick escapes!

But I loved our little trip up Mt. Tapochau.  No cars, no people, no radios, no cigarette smoke… just the sounds of the birds and the wind and your own thoughts.

This point on the island was a vital one in WWII, as those who hold the top have a great view of the island below.  The Japanese were able to coordinate attacks on the US troops, as they hid in the thick foliage and camped in the hidden caves.  From Taopchau, they could direct their attacks easily.

Today it has a more uplifting legacy: every year on Easter, people of the island march together to the very top (1554 ft), and lift a wooden cross to honor Jesus’ death and resurrection.

You can see pictures under the Saipan Splendor page, or click here.

Dave and I made sure we stepped up on to the highest rock we could find, and had a smooch at the top! :)

 

Shirley’s Coffee Shop May 16, 2012

Filed under: Restaurant — Veggie Kate @ 11:40 pm

Here is a home-cookin’ style restaurant!  Much like the IHop and Bob Evan’s places in the states, Shirley’s offers a variety of breakfast foods all day long.  So on a day where you just want some of that mainland feeling comfort food, Shirley’s Coffee Shop is a great place to go.

For those looking for more traditional Saipan style eating, you can find that here, too!  And one day, I’m sure Dave and I will try those, but this weekend, I was just needing a taste of home and craving totally unhealthy pancakes.

Plus, they have cute little silverware baskets ;-)

Another nice feature they have are little alert buttons on each table.  If you need a refill or have a reason to need to flag down the wait staff, just press the button, and they are quick to respond.

But back to the pancakes – boy, did they hit the spot!  Rich, fluffy, and buttery – I couldn’t have been more pleased.  And yet I was!  Because, with the pancakes, I was able to get the most amazing veggie omelet – it had onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and a unique flair with the added sprouts!

Unlike most omelet meals in the states, this plate did NOT come loaded down with heavy Hollandaise sauces, sour cream, or a pound of melted cheese.  And I was good with that!  It’s nice to know that there is a relatively healthy vegetarian choice for me in the future, that’s also rich in protein from the eggs.

And check out how big the omelet is!  No going hungry with this meal!

Oh… ok… and, ya caught me… we got the silly french fries shaped like suns, moons, and stars!  And deep fried in unhealthy oil, but so so good.

There are probably healthier options on the menu, and I will hunt them down!  But this was a trip to indulge in pancakes, and so I did not even take the time to look for healthy choices.  I will next time!

Instead, I will end with this bad-for-you but so yummy dessert that we had: crepes with ice cream and all the toppings.  At least we split it!

Two locations:

Garapan: Ground floor of the Century Hotel – open 24 hours!

Susupe: the HSJ Building on the corner of Hagoi and Talava – open 6am to 10pm daily.
 

Cafe at the Park, Java Beach May 8, 2012

Filed under: Restaurant,Travel — Veggie Kate @ 2:15 am

Our very first restaurant choice came about as a desire to return to one we’d loved before. On our vacation out to Saipan in 2010, we had stopped at this gem of a cafe, and fell in love with it then.

Good food, smiling service, great coffee, free wi-fi, and the cutest salt and pepper shakers ever!

Cafe at the Park and Java Beach – two delightful sections of the same restaurant, one focusing on the delicious food, the second on the refreshing iced coffees and other drinks. As a coffee addict, who has even enjoyed a “Coffee Crawl” in Seattle – over 13 different coffees in three days – it has been a joy to find a place that has a lot of flavor and milk options. My tried and true favorite is always the soy-milk chai latte. Yum!

And they have the BEST pumpkin soup! But only on Wednesdays. When we first moved here, we went to Java Beach every Wednesday to enjoy this treat! But we realized we needed to try other places, as well.

 

I am also a huge fan of their vegetarian pizza – they put carrots and broccoli on it! How different than anything from the states! (Though, it is rivaled by the vegetarian pizza at Coffee Care… also a great veggie pizza!) A sizzling mound of vegetables also comes with the veggie fajitas, and the bruchetta (without shrimp, for me) is a wonderful blend of crispy bread, seasoned tomatoes, and savory mushrooms. Yum!

They also have an amazing Chicken Kelaguen. Light and refreshing, it’s got a hint of radish, coconut, and lemon in the chicken, and is served with warm pita bread

So I did indeed break from my vegetarian ways to try the Kelaguen. Very tasty! And it did not seem to be loaded down with heavy creams or oils, as I was expecting. We took some of the leftovers home, and Dave said they made a wonderful addition to a small leafy green salad he made. Double delicious!

And, as an occasional treat, they have a fantastic selection of desserts – with my favorite being the coconut cookie. Crisp, buttery, and rich… and only $1. When I want to indulge, that’s the way to go!

Veggie Rich Healthy Favorites:

Chicken Keleguan with side salad (dressing on the side)
Vegetarian Pizza with Light or Little Cheese

 

 
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