Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 8, 2020 19:49:06 GMT -8
The cure for a coronavirus, or most pathogens, is a healthy immune system. Vaccines give the immune system more information but that immune system still needs to be in good order for them to work effectively. And just as I suppose that there are foods that are good for a strong immune system there are other foods that work against it. We have no hope of avoiding pseudo-science, old wives tales, and such. But let’s see what we can come up with for some good ideas. This article lists these foods that are supposedly good for a good immune system: 1) Citrus fruits 2) Red bell peppers 3) Broccoli (we might assume others in the Brassica family — cauliflower, cabbage, rutabaga, turnip, choy sum, mustard — are also good) 4) Garlic 5) Ginger 6) Spinach 7) Yogurt 8) Almonds 9) Sunflower Seeds 10) Turmeric 11) Green Tea 12) Papaya 13) Kiwi 14) Poultry 15) Shellfish Another article adds theses: + Blueberries + Dark chocolate (woo hoo!) + Oily fish + Sweet potatoes Still another article adds: + Jalapeño peppers + Sage + Chamomile tea + Fennel + Cranberries + Miso + Pomegranate Juice A Web MD article adds: + Elderberries + Button mushrooms + Acai Berries + Oysters + Watermelon + Wheat germ Many also list chicken soup. You can see you don’t have to starve or eat plain. And much of the above could be the ingredients for a good stir-fry.
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Post by timothylane on May 8, 2020 20:55:46 GMT -8
One can never be sure given that food recommendations are always subject to change without notice, but there seems to be a belief that abundant anti-oxidants -- B-complex vitamins and vitamin C (all of which are water-soluble and thus cannot be stored in the body as the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K can be) -- are useful for all sorts of general health purposes. I suspect many of the recommendations involve foods rich in anti-oxidants.
The nursing home isn't good on supplying nuts or seasonings, but they frequently serve chicken and occasionally turkey, and fish about once a week (though I have no idea if they're oily fish). They're very good on citrus (orange juice every morning, lemonade frequently, and occasionally oranges or tangerines). Broccoli is common, and brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage (either straight or as cole slaw or sauerkraut) show up a good bit. They sometimes have blueberry muffins or fruit-based deserts. Spinach is pretty regular, although occasionally that might have other greens.
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Post by kungfuzu on May 9, 2020 7:28:39 GMT -8
I might have mentioned this before, but over thirty-five years ago I came across the idea of what is now called "Pro-biotics." Since then, I have been eating yogurt which contains numerous strains of good bacteria needed for proper digestive functioning. My health improved, especially my immune system.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 9, 2020 8:04:10 GMT -8
Excellent, Mr. Flu. I enjoy my yogurt as well.
Another general guide is to not only put in the good but take out the bad. From what I’ve read (and I try to strain out the pseudo-science or obsessive-compulsiveness, but it’s always possible that some sneaks through), weed out the antigens in your life. That could including heavily-perfumed soaps or laundry detergents.
The theory is (and I think it’s a self-evident one) is that we have a certain capacity in regards to antigens. But if you swamp the immune system chronically, then the next pollen storm (or something else) could take you down. An allergy to pollen my not be to pollen, per se. It could just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
There can be secret sources of things that evoke an immune system response, including whatever insulation may be inside your walls. Often times people have discovered that such things as old newspaper were used between the walls. And that old ink will outgas constantly.
Food allergies can be common if only because some tend to eat a lot of one thing instead of a good variety. Corn, wheat, and even eggs can become things that the body develops an allergy to. If you find yourself generally on the low-end of unwell (chronic fatigue, etc.) it would be well worth it to find a reputable doctor who can test for food allergies.
Although I take a multivitamin and a very few other things, I think those who eat a bag a Cheetos and then fool themselves that they are “health nuts” by gorging on hordes of vitamin supplements and such are merely fooling themselves. Since garlic and ginger are good for you, I think if you took tablets that contained these things, that would be a good thing. But there is a whole lot of pseudo-science surrounding vitamin supplements.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 9, 2020 8:06:58 GMT -8
That all sounds very good, Timothy. They may have a food director who knows a thing or two about what is good to eat.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 9, 2020 8:16:24 GMT -8
I don’t know what reliable studies have been done on anti-oxidants, but I would put that in the category of “It can do no harm.” Here are some foods listed as being high in anti-oxidants. + Dark chocolate (woo hoo!) + Pecans + Blueberries + Strawberries + Artichokes + Goji berries (goji berries?) + Raspberries + Kale (remind Gibbnonymous to get me some of her kale seeds) + Red cabbage + Beans + Beets + Spinach That all sounds pretty good. The one caveat would be that even natural sugars in excess probably aren’t good for you. Which brings up perhaps the most critical point of all: Eating less is yugely beneficial. I think the theory of antioxidants is good. Oxygen, although needed, can be destructive to cells. Along those same lines, if one is eating an excess of food, one is pretty much using the body as a garbage dump and is exacerbating all kinds of problems. I suppose the caveat would be that if you ate only low-sugar, low-carb meats and vegetables, it would be difficult to overwhelm the body, but certainly not impossible.
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Post by timothylane on May 9, 2020 9:01:34 GMT -8
Well, I would hope that the diet director here knows about nutrition.
Yogurt is something Elizabeth regularly got and served, though I don't recall the exact circumstances. She usually got Greek yogurt, knowing that my past experiences left me rather philhellenic with regard to food. It's no accident that we used olive oil, and also often had (especially for salads) olives and feta cheese. But I don't recall ever seeing it here in the nursing home.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 9, 2020 10:38:19 GMT -8
I know what you mean. But because today’s “experts” are so often dreadfully and dangerously wrong, we all have to take responsibility for: our health, our wealth, our security, and our education, to name a few things.
We can no longer sit back and assume there is some kind of “group intelligence” inherent in a system that includes a lot of moving parts. If your meals were, for instance, devoid of broccoli, spinach, and other good stuff like that, it would be up to you to speak up and not sit back like a sheep.
America has done very well at raising a few generations of sheep. That is one of the unhealthiest things of all.
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Post by timothylane on May 9, 2020 11:38:21 GMT -8
Well, residents do have the ability to change what their menu is. They hand out a weekly menu, generally on Wednesday, which in theory must be turned in by Friday afternoon. They also have a list of alternatives which one can select instead. For example, given my aversion to most legumes, I replace them (or mixed vegetables likely to include them), usually with garden salads. I also add cheese to most sandwiches that don't specify including it. (I don't drink milk, so calcium is a bit of a concern.)
There are also soups they serve that I don't care for, in which case I opt for chicken noodle (the only soup I can choose that I like). And, due primarily to their messiness, I now opt for something else when they have an egg salad sandwich. (The most recent time, I got a grilled cheese sandwich. Other sandwich alternatives are pimento cheese and peanut butter and jelly. If I order the latter I don't mention the jelly, but they include it anyway.) I usually include chicken nuggets at least once a week when I have a meal that seems a bit short on animal protein.
From meals I've accidentally received before it was corrected, some people make major changes. But you never know for sure what will be available, although I suppose most sandwiches (including hamburgers and cheeseburgers) are probably generally available. They also sometimes just screw up.
It's also possible to exclude things, of course. I never select milk or replace it with anything else (though I always include hot tea with every meal). Breakfast always includes cereal, but they have enough else that I never include it. (Every once in a while I get it anyway, and then I go ahead and eat it.) I make sure each breakfast includes meat (bacon if they didn't specify something else, usually sausage) and scrambled eggs (sometimes including cheese). If they have pancakes or French toast I don't bother with eggs, partly because that includes at least some egg and partly because of available space on the plates.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 9, 2020 13:03:40 GMT -8
I’m not a carb nut. But, truthfully, the breakfast above is going to be so much better for you than cereal. Cereal can be a huge carb rush in the morning and screw with anyone’s blood sugar levels. If you could finagle some special dishes out of them, an omelet with sausage, bell peppers, mushroom, cheese, onions, and spinach would get you off to a very healthy start to the day….or anyone, for that matter. You could put in a dusting of paprika and powdered garlic as well. A glass of O.J. and you’d be ready to bend metal pipes by hand after sufficient digestion time.
I would love to send you one of my chicken vegetable soups. The only way I can think of doing it would be a dry ice container of some kind. These soups have so many super-foods in them, they are Korona Killers. The mainstream media and the Democrat Party would simply hate it for that fact alone.
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Post by timothylane on May 9, 2020 13:27:08 GMT -8
The cereal is only part of their breakfast, though of course someone could choose to have nothing else. As for omelets, they do occasionally have a cheese omelet, and at other times they include egg dishes with a little something else (such as cheese, potato, sausage, or ham). The potato-egg dish and cheesy eggs are each served once a week. Even if they have a little meat with the eggs I still order bacon. Sometimes they don't include eggs; for example, today they had a croissant with sausage and cheese, to which I added scrambled eggs. Two days ago they had a biscuit with plenty of sausage gravy (though I certainly can't swear that they actually had any sausage), to which I added bacon and scrambled eggs. Both good meals. The biscuit and gravy is served every week, the croissant sandwich (as best I can compute) every 3 weeks.
They also sometimes have bagels with cream cheese, maybe every other week or something like that (it's scheduled for next Thursday). Of course there's bacon and scrambled eggs as well. I generally like breakfast here.
Their chicken noodle soup varies. Sometimes it's just chicken broth with noodles and bits of chicken. Sometimes they add a few vegetables. (Sometimes they add peas. Groan.)
As for things I'd like to have . . . well, shellfish would be nice. They never have clam chowder (New England style, of course) and almost never shrimp. It would be nice, though probably unfeasible, to have cheese crisps (tortillas topped with melted cheese) such as Elizabeth and I used to have a couple of times a week for lunch. (We got the idea from Chico's, a now-defunct Mexican restaurant. Whenever we ate there I always got a cheese crisp as an appetizer.)
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 9, 2020 13:37:23 GMT -8
Groan here as well. The only thing cooked peas are good for are flinging off of a fork. But fresh off the vine they are terrific. And they can be good other places to. But I wouldn't dream of putting them in a chicken soup.
Oh, yes. I love clam chowder. I get the Campbell's "heart healthy" variety. I think basically that means they stepped the salt back down from DEFCON 1. But it's so good it's not worth trying to make for myself. Nachos of some kind would be great as well.
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Post by kungfuzu on May 9, 2020 15:00:17 GMT -8
I agree, those squishy-army-drab-canned-grey-green peas are not worth much. But fresh and even fresh frozen green peas are one of my favorite vegetables.
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