Chub 'n' Tuck is nothing to laugh at

I've had the pleasure of talking to some readers of this blog, and talking to them has reinforced my impression that for some people, maybe most people who have experienced LPR, there is no definite end. For many of us, being "healed" really means feeling normal most of the time mixed in with some not so great days. Old, bad memories are revived when we take chances on a beer or soda. For me, discomfort appeared during a bad spate of allergies. So it is an ongoing struggle for most of us.

I've tried a variety of diets in an attempt of avoid exposing my throat to acids, minimize too much acid production, and slim down to cut down on esophageal pressure. Readers probably already know about Jamie Kaufman's Dropping Acid: The Reflux Diet Cookbook & Cure. I followed that diet for several months, and I am sure it contributed to healing, as during that time the acute symptoms (every swallow hurting, pieces of food getting stuck in my throat) disappeared.  I found it restrictive as an ongoing diet, however.

 Lately I have been having good experiences with a low-fat, high-fiber diet. Fat is harder to digest, so there is a danger of excessive acid production. Conversely, fiber speeds food to digestion, and signals the brain to stop the digestive process. Furthermore it helps keep digestion active and, as the term goes, "regular." By moving food through digestion, fewer calories are consumed, which of course helps out with the old waistline. The book that clued me into this idea is

The Choose to Lose Weight-Loss Plan for Men: A Take-Control Program for Men with the Guts to Lose by Ronald S. Goor. Goor explains the biology related to fat and fiber in a way that totally clears up the fuzzy thinking I've had about it all this time. It's quite simple: when you eat fat, it goes right to storage. It makes more fat. When you eat carbs, they are burned since carbs are the preferred fuel. When you eat refined carbs, they are burned completely. When you eat unrefined carbs, they are burned inefficiently- a lot of it passes through undigested. So the body has to turn to fat stores to make energy. It's quite easy to wrap your brain around it when presented that way. 

  Granted, it is a man-centric book, but men do have their own special needs regarding weight loss. For one thing, excess calories go to a guy's spare tire, and when yours is overgrown, it can cause all kinds of problems. The one that is most pertinent to LPR sufferers is the extra pressure it puts on your esophagus, which creates more opportunities for reflux, especially at night- when most cases of LPR occur. Other problems include more danger of developing metabolic syndrome, heart problems and cancer. So trimming down the gut is of utmost importance.

  

So, guys, it's incumbent upon us to get real about controlling our cravings, getting out there and being more active, and making better choices at mealtime. It will help our reflux and lead to a longer, healthier life. We can do it!

New Health Challenge: Prostate health

So, I was diagnosed with BPH- benign prostatic hyperplasia. Just for a convenient guideline, 50% of 50-year-old men have it, and 80% of 80-year-old-men have it. It doesn't necessarily lead to cancer; in fact, there are some lifestyle changes that can slow down or even prevent its development. Apparently there isn't hard evidence that the symptoms of BPH can be reversed, so basically once you develop it, it's more or less a matter of managing the symptoms.

What causes it? Once again, Science is inconclusive, but evidence suggests the Standard American Diet, lack of exercise and being overweight- the western office worker trifecta- is the main culprit. In a nutshell, the SAD diet produces inflammation, and acidifies the urine. Both situations irritate the prostate and cause the cells to grow. Eventually the urethra, which is right next to it, is  crowded to the point that it becomes harder to completely evacuate when you pee. This can result in nasty, painful infections. It can also eventually lead to impotence. Yay.

There are official treatments for the symptoms. The pills involve relaxing muscles and spawning a dieuretic effect. Both can have adverse reactions which can lead, paradoxically, to the same symptoms caused by BPH. So I am going to try to manage this with diet and exercise. Foodwise, the basic strategy is eating in the Mediterranean and Asian foodways. Stay tuned!

Snack makeover: ploughman's lunch

Have I raved about ploughman's lunches yet? Allow me to do so. I first encountered the concept at what once was one of my favorite eateries, Llywelyn's Welsh Pub in St. Louis. (I say "once was" because I haven't been there in years and years.) The ploughman's lunch is a peasant lunch that relies almost exclusively on quality of ingredients and hardly not at all on preparation or presentation, making it not only authentic but also reliably simple to provide. To stick to the Welsh traditions, a ploughman's lunch consists of coarse bread ("black" bread, akin to pumpernickel, is used at Llywelyn's, but a rustic whole wheat will certainly do), "pickle" (in fact a pickled salad of any kind, but most often in the form of a chutney or, at it's most basic, fruit or vegetable preserves), butter or cheese, preferrably an old country cheese like Cotswold or Gloustershire, though any cheese with some flavor would be perfect; and/or slices of raw onion, a green salad or an apple. Abbey balks at the idea of cheese being a part of my snacks, and I have to agree, cheese means saturated fat, not good for the old ticker, and calories. But some recent studies show cheese has health benefits- some of them unexpected- and is perfect for in between meal snacking. Woo hoo! Vindication, of a sort. Now,  I will be observing the two-dice standard for a serving of cheese to keep the calories down- all the more reason for the cheese to bring a lot of flavor. As for the pickle, I love all things pickled (Some of you realize I have not tried pickled eggs- so for you, I will add the conditional MOST)- so i will be trying different things here. The health benefits of fermented foods are well-documented- so, double health whammy! Frequently I make my own fresh chutney- essentially peaches or apricots (sometimes preserves, I admit) mixed with diced raw onion and a splash of vinegar.

The essential key here- and one of the reasons "ploughman's lunch" came to mind in the first place- is to have the ingredients ready. It's pretty easy to put a slice of this and a dab of that in a to-go container- nowadays I'm thinking a bento-style container would provide ingredient separation as well as natural portion control- which means I don't have to fiddle with something when time is critical. As soon as I've started packing this for my snack, the pics will roll- especially if my Holga shows up sometime soon!