Nutrition and Health

I was thinking about nutrition, and health, while I was eating breakfast this morning. It led to some thoughts.

Who do you go to for health? Your doctor? Which one? The one that pushes a special diet? The one that prescribes all the new medications? The one told you to get the Covid vaccine? You have to choose, but which one is best?

What about nutrition? Which diet is best? The Mediterranean diet? The Atkins diet? The diet that is included with the nutrition drink? The fasting diet? The vegan diet? You have to choose, and you have friends that swear by one, or the other, but regardless of either, your realize some are too expensive, or you can't stand the foods on the diet, or the supplemental powder you're supposed to drink has a texture that reminds you of powdered sheetrock. 

What about scientists? They tell you some foods are good for you, until they're not, and then they're good again, but you can't have coffee, or tea, unless they're now considered beneficial for your mental acuity, or digestion, or blood sugar, or decreases the effects of aging. Vitamins are shown to be beneficial, or not, since too much of one can lead to problems, and some interfere with the medications that scientists demand are necessary to prevent high cholesterol, or hypertension, or mental health, or whatever the initials mean on commercials that tell you to ask you doctor about, but you have no idea what they're supposed to treat. 

It's said that some of the fresh fruits, and vegetables, you buy in the grocery store lack the benefits of ripened foods because they're harvested too soon to guarantee they'll be able to be shipped, and have a pleasing look in the store. That, and to enhance color, chemical, or gases are used for a pleasing result. Some might have pesticide residue, or is covered with a thin polymer to decrease exposure to gases that cause browning. So, buy the frozen stuff is recommended, because it has more of the nutrients, but keep in mind freezing can degrade the nutritional value. 

Remember, the oils you eat may have been initially designed as industrial lubricants, but even the best of oils, like avocado, or olive, can be ruined by cooking at too high of a heat. Butter is bad, or not, but may be. Seed oils are deadly, or are they?

Beef isn't good for you, or not. The same for pork. Chicken is good, but may be tainted with steroids, or antibiotics. Fish is good, but not if cooked at too high of a temperature. You can eat it raw, or not, and laws require it to be frozen to kill parasites, or treated for the same reason, and in some circumstances, it can kill you. 

Alcohol is bad, unless it's a certain wine in small quantities, unless a new study reveals this is false. Hard liquor is deadly, or not, if in moderation.

One report I once read (No, I don't have a link, and I'm too lazy to look it up) stated obesity is as bad, or may be worse, than an unhealthy diet, or smoking. Is this true? Ask a scientist, or a doctor, or a friend, or even better: look it up on the internet. There will you will find it's bad for you, unless you're older, and carrying a little extra weight can help with long term illnesses that can deplete necessary fat for survival. GLP1's are solving the problem of obesity, but the long term effects may include damage to the liver or the pancreas. That, and may cause permanent changes to digestion.

So, what can one do? I don't know, but do know my grandfather ate some type of meat at every meal, fried, or not. He ate much of what came from his garden, smoked cigarettes, cigars, and smoked a pipe. It depended on the moment. He'd take a nip of bourbon in the morning, and walked many miles on a golf course while selling real estate and insurance. He lived until he was 98 years old. He was never overweight, and he never worried about anything he couldn't do anything about. Was his lifestyle the secret of longevity and good health? I don't know, but I do know I miss him, and would listen to any advice he had to offer, while we shared an afternoon while drinking a beer. Oh. I forgot to mention he drank beer too. We'd bring some when we went fishing.

Today's Thoughts

I'm not happy about the prices of fuel. Foreign governments meddled in the world market with politics that are destructive, corrupted the supply chain, and future oil prices reacted accordingly. Regardless of our supply, there's more money to make for producers somewhere else, and if we don't buy it at their price, they really don't care about the financial burden it causes.  

The other night, right after sunset, I saw a brilliant object to the west. My first thought was it was a weather balloon, since it was north of west; seemingly too far north of the ecliptic, but when the light on a weather balloon would have faded, this object stayed bright. A little research showed it was Venus, and it's quite a sight in the evening sky. 

Local cities, and school districts, regardless of performance, are pandering for more money. To add insult to injury, the largest local city's school district has been placed in conservatorship. The grades are terrible, and the students can be violent. Both cities, and schools, have managed to pad the salaries, pensions, and bureaucracy, but failed in maintaining the goals of providing a public service. Such things make me glad I moved to a rural county, where the city of the county seat didn't elect any incumbents in the last election. That tells more than is apparent, and a dissatisfaction that demanded changes. Property tax pushbacks are common here, and keeping the rates lower attracts those wanting to flee the cities. Hopefully, they don't bring ignorance, and stupidity to the county. We have enough of that without any help.

The Iran thing is becoming something that demands decisive actions. This walking on egg shell approach only emboldens those that have fomented (and outright financed) terror against the United States for decades. The old "I'll kill you since you tried to kill me" approach usually works well, but has more results when you eliminate the financers and their banks. That, and removing their income source, which in this situation, means destroying Iran's ability to produce oil. They have an island that fuels supertankers and I'm willing to bet bombing it into another century will end the problems. Maybe not, but it's worth a try.

Weather has been dry, wet, dry, and now looks like it's going to be more wet. The grass, and the pekin ducks, will thrive. The grass I can eventually cut. As far as the ducks, my thoughts on that problem don't set well in the neighborhood. Maybe I should find a way to pen them up and give them to anyone that wants them. They are a bane to my wife's peace of mind, since they tear up plantings, and leave big divots in the yard. I find them to be nasty, horny, and loud creatures that have no real purpose other than food. 

I have a colonoscopy scheduled for next week. This will be my third one over the last fifteen years. The last one revealed two benign polyps that put me in the high risk category, which means a colonoscopy every three years. That, and since my brother died from colon cancer, even if no polyps are found, I'm still in the high risk category. Prepping is never an enjoyable task, and my wife isn't happy she has to drive me to the procedure. She says my back-seat driving is irritating. I guess it is. I have no real defense against her assertion, so my best bet is sleep, and keep my mouth shut on the way home...but we'll have to stop for something to eat. I'll be quiet as I munch on my first meal to break the long fast required for the procedure.

Two weeks in the future brings my bi-annual trip to my dermatologist. Liquid nitrogen will probably be used in copious amounts, and I'll pray I don't need any biopsies. I've learned to not say anything to family members about their exposure to the sun. They can learn like I did, and I wonder if they'll be thinking about my warnings in the future. Hopefully not. I'd rather them go through life without dealing with skin cancer.

I won't complain about the cost of just about everything. I can't do anything about it, except adjust my budget, and maybe: buy a few lottery tickets. The odds of winning that are much better than positive actions after voicing my complaints in a well written letter to my representatives. 

I supposed to have two carburetors arriving today for a weed whacker and a leaf blower. Both were neglected over time, and fiddling with both has yielded only the realization they will never run without new carburetors. Both have fire, and good compression, so they should be in top shape after the replacements. I'll cross my fingers. 

Dumb, and Staying That Way

 A brewery owner offered free beer when Trump dies. That's dumb, but after a visit by the Secret Service, he posted the agent's name, and phone number, with a message to tell him to stand down. That's more than stupid, and now he faces charges for doxing. He may be a shrewd brewery owner, but I doubt it. Somebody that doesn't realize their brand is dependent on all customers may find they lost too many by stupid actions. With the possible additional costs for attorney fees, or a criminal prosecution, he may find bankruptcy is in his near future, and his family may abandon him for being so dumb.

Rain Won't Stop Until Tonight

Yesterday, my wife, and I, made a push to complete some yard work. The grass was cut, and weed-whacking was completed. Forecasters called for rain, and man they were right. The first light showers started right after dark, and some thunder around midnight kept our dog nervous for about any hour. 

I woke during the night to some thunder, and awoke this morning to find it raining, with about 2 inches in the gauge. It's now at 3 inches, the rain has been steady for hours, and thunder tells me it will continue until tonight, when a late season front pushes it offshore. Radar confirms showers tracking from the West to the East, and the bands stretch hundreds of miles to the West. 

The grass will thrive over the next few days, and the opportunity for cutting is up in the air. With the amount we're receiving, it will take days for the yard to dry enough to mow.  

We needed the rain. Late Winter, and early Spring, were mostly dry, and between burning bands, and fire danger alerts, drought conditions prevailed. This will probably end our drought, and there is the possibility the next month will be wet. We'll see. One sure thing is the hotter conditions will accentuate the humidity, and many afternoons will be unpleasant. The cool of evening will bring the mosquitoes, and sitting on the porch after dark out of the question. 

Another One Gone

I read a news report that stated David Allan Coe had passed on. I'm sure some might not remember him, but for those that embraced the music scene of Austin, and the outlaw brand of music, remember his take on the Steve Goodman song "You Never Even Called Me By My Name". 

Coe didn't fit the mold of Nashville at the time, but succeeded in a time when Disco didn't quite fit those that were raised in the country, and sought music that told the stories they were more familiar with. Truly an outlaw by any description, he never gave up on his music, and entertained in spite of how some might have viewed his life. He'll be missed for his added flavor to the long, varied menu called Country and Western.