Got Milk?

Source: Google Image Search with license for reuse. Click on pic for page.

I decided that for this particular opinion post, I would make a plea for everyone to think strongly about switching to:

1)  Almond Milk (sweetened or unsweetened)

2) Almond Vanilla Milk (sweetened or unsweetened)

Why the switch?  Well, it’s a simple matter of healthier, I think.

A cup of 2% White Milk has 120 calories, 5 grams of fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 11 grams carbohydrates, 0 grams fiber, 11 grams sugar, 9 grams of protein, 25% vitamin D, and 30% of your calcium.

A cup of Silk Sweetened Almond Milk has 80 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 150 mg sodium, 14 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 13 grams sugar, 1 gram protein, 25% vitamin D, and 45% of your calcium.

If you go the unsweetened route (this is easy to get used to over cereal), the calories drop to 20, sodium is 180 mg, carbohydrates drop to 1 gram, and your sugar is 0.

I think that an important aspect to all of this is that there is no cholesterol in Almond Milk.  There are no animal products in it at all.  The unsweetened version does not taste bad (as with everything, you have to give it a couple of weeks to get used to it, maybe less), and since the carbs is 1 and the fiber is 1, you have a net of ZERO carbs in a glass.

I am fairly certain there are recipes for smoothies and other items that can use this wonderful product.

The reason I didn’t discuss Soy Milk is simply that very often is contains progesterone which is bad for anyone in fair quantities and really bad for men, especially older men.

Cutting out sugar, fat, calories, carbs, and cholesterol seems to me to be a win/win situation.  If you just can’t get used to the unsweetened taste, you can add Agave Syrup (about 1 tsp to a cup).  It has about 5-6 carbs in a teaspoon, but they are very low GI so sugar doesn’t spike.

Try it for 2 weeks and see.  It does cost more, but I have been sick 1 time in the last 4 years.  I feel better and, while I know it has a lot to do with all the things I am doing, this is a great start to a good change.

Latest report:  Weight down 10.4 pounds, Cholesterol meds stopped, Blood sugar running 70-85 in the mornings, and blood pressure runs low (May have to reduce or stop a med for that).  It was 104/34 and 104/52 last week on two morning readings.   Other thing is that, with the help of my reflexologist, I am taking much larger strides, pain is down, and I am doing a lot more around the house.  I am walking better.  I still use my cane, but a lot of that is because my balance is still off (and probably will be for a long time).

Enjoy your life; I am enjoying mine.

Namaste,

Scott

A Baker’s Dozen

I enjoy cooking.  I have gotten back to doing it a bit more as of late.  Recently, my idea has been to make low carb cookies.  “Chips Ahoy” brand are only 7 per cookie.  That’s reasonably low.  But, I have been trying out my own recipe based on the Nestle’s Semi Sweet Morsels one on the back of the package.  I have been shooting for 4 carbs per cookie.  I took the basic recipe, which is quite simple and easy, and swapped some things out.

I switched “Splenda” cooking sweetener for the sugar and left out the chocolate chips.  I added cinnamon and cocoa and peanut butter.  I also added one egg for more moistness.  I then used soy flour instead of white flour (much less carbs).  The result were cookies that had a little less than 4 carbs per cookie – and no taste.  They also had a rough and more solid texture, so they remained in the ball-like shape and did not flatten out.

I don’t know what did all this as I didn’t add much solid and did add a bit of liquid (the egg).  It should have, at least, kept the texture.  I will now go to the Internet for help.

But, I would also ask all of you for your thoughts and ideas.  Just remember very low carbs and taste.  I have managed it with pumpkin pie and, so far, everyone has loved it.  Now, for the cookies.

Namaste,

Scott

I have been Told…

I have been told a lot of things over the years, especially by the “experts”.This has concerned a wide variety of subjects and, even the experts haven’t agreed most of the time.
One of the biggies, recently, for me has been Dreamfield’s Pasta. Since working very hard on my Diabetic Diet concerning carbs, I have looked to labels more and more. When a good friend recommended DF to me, I went to the local Kroger’s and looked for it. The label gave an astounding promise of 5 net carbs per serving! This was simply beyond belief. So, I bought it, took it home, and began eating. Now, I am much more careful since my stroke, so I did continue my research and test on my own. I subscribed to the comments on DF and was devastated to hear that all the “experts” and scientific testing showed that DF was no better than any other pasta and referred to it as the “Dreamfield Fraud”.

I decided to test harder. After conducting some fairly intensive personal tests and redoing them off and on for the last few months, I have concluded that, for me, DF works. I have revised it just a bit (under cook the pasta just a shade – Al Dente) and use a low-carb sauce now. However, it does not raise my sugar and allows me to eat a good portion of spaghetti now when I feel the urge.

What amazed me more was that, after I commented on the website about my findings and conclusions (I always said “for me” and “test for yourself”), I was told that 1) I was wrong; 2) I was a liar 3) I was telling a story to promote DR (I was a rep). I retested and put the findings out again, and, again, was told that I was not a scientist and was, therefore, doing it wrong and so on. People would almost hatefully argue this with me, as if I was calling them liars with their own discoveries.

It did not seem to matter that I kept stating that it was true “for me” and that everyone “should test” for themselves. I pointed out that not everyone was alike and that, only by checking things out for themselves, would they really know.

It’s been kinda funny, but, in the last few weeks, I have had several people comment on the site that, “I tested this and it works for me” and “not everyone is the same”.

The reason I put this here is two-fold:

First, many people take it as a personal attack if you say anything different from their views. I notice this in all areas, but, especially, in religion.

Second, I have also seen that, once someone speaks up, it doesn’t take long before there are others.

My Dad is in the hospital; “experts” (well, one) have said what he needs and dismissed my sister when she asked questions about it all. I find that terrifying that an “expert” no longer considers it necessary to study the situation more and that he/she is not willing to explain the situation to those extremely concerned about the matter.

As I told my students many times, “Science, in my opinion, is a ‘best guess’ thing, in spite of ‘facts’. After all, we were a flat world once. Also, there was no such thing as germs or radiation.”

We change our “facts” all the time. It is now believed that an object (sub-atomic, but an object) can, indeed, be in two places at once. Supposedly, it can be proved. What this all tells me is that an expert should be someone who is continually looking to improve and find new facts, and everyone can learn from others.

I hope and plan to never stop learning. And, a good way for me to learn has been to teach.

All of you have something to teach and much to learn.

Do both.
Namaste,
Scott