It’s Chinese New Year and we are welcoming the Year of the Rabbit. Every aspect of this holiday is filled with tradition and meaning. And, as my friend Joanne pointed out to me, most of it involves food and eating.
Continue readingExercise is King, nutrition is Queen, put them together and you’ve got a kingdom. —Jack LaLanne Fitness King Jack LaLanne passed away this week. His New York Times obit called him “the founder of the modern fitness movement.” At 96 he was in better shape than most people half that age. As he got older Mr. LaLanne used publicity stunts to let the world know he was still in very good shape. At 60 he swam from Alcatraz to Fisherman’s Wharf. Not a big deal? He did it handcuffed and towing a boat that weighed 1,000 lbs. At 70 he swam through Long Beach Harbor towing 70 people in 70 boats. A lot of people in their 70s are happy if they have the flexibility to tie their own shoes. His fitness regime was about as simple as it comes: eat healthfully and exercise every day. Nutrition is the Queen.
Continue readingStarbucks announced their biggest drink yet: the “Trenta.” The reaction was swift, negative, and probably not what the folks at Starbucks expected. I was surprised that such a big deal was made about it. At 31 oz. it’s not the biggest drink out there. Heck the Super Big Gulp at 7-Eleven is 44 oz. And conventional wisdom advises drinking 64 oz. of water each day for good health—admittedly conventional wisdom doesn’t say to drink all 64 oz. in one sitting. Why was there such a strong reaction? Possibly because of how it was reported by Canada’s National Post. What they did was very clever. They answered the question “What does this mean?” with a graphic. And that graphic went viral. It showed that the “Trenta” is bigger than the average person’s stomach.
Continue readingWhen I looked up bulgur recipes online I found so many possibilities I wanted to try more than just a simple pilaf. Many of the bulgur recipes I found are from Mediterranean or Middle Eastern cuisines. I made a Spicy Two-Bean Vegetarian Chili. It promised and delivered yumminess. The recipe is a pretty standard vegetarian chili with black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, bell pepper and jalepeño. The surprise was 1/2 cup of bulgur added for texture mostly. Bulgur seems to play one of two roles in main dishes. It either adds texture and a little bulk, or it is a base like risotto. Either way it’s makes for an easy, healthful dish filled with yumminess.
Continue readingTotal Rating for Bulgur = 4-1/2 plates* Yumminess = 1-1/2 Goodness = 1 Easy to find & prepare = 1 Yummy to family = 1 *Read about my 5-plate Taste Test scale here. Getting to Know Great Grains: Bulgur This taste test is inspired by the article Get to Know 6 Great Grains in Diabetes Forecast. Whole grains like bulgur (also spelled bulghur) are a really good for you. But is it good and yummy? I decided to test it out. Bulgur is whole wheat that’s been cleaned, cracked and cooked, then dried. This processing makes it quick to cook (soak in hot liquid for 20-25 minutes) and easy to store (in a sealed container on the pantry shelf or in the refrigerator). And most of the bran is left in place, so bulgur is still a whole grain. You’ve probably eaten bulgur prepared as tabbouleh salad. The most common version of tabbouleh in the U.S. has cooked bulgur
Continue readingAre single-size packages a good thing? As I wandered through the grocery store today I was struck by how many foods are available in single servings. There’s yogurt (of course) and string cheese, cream cheese, milk (dairy and soy), and tuna, and ice cream, and so much more. And it got me to wondering “Is this a good thing?” On the up-side, a single serving provides portion control. There’s no eye-balling 1/3 of a can or 1/6 of a jar to get the right serving size. I know that the carb count of the label is what I am eating. Single servings are easy to take along with me. I can have a snack pack in my purse or glove box. It’s really handy to have a pack of tuna and crackers in my desk drawer — especially on those days I’m “too busy” to take a lunch break. BUT…
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Type 2 Musings is a collection of thought-provoking original and curated content about all things related to health, healthcare, and diabetes. My aim is to help readers make sense of health and healthcare, whether or not they’re living with a chronic illness.
