For Dinner: Avocado Tacos



Avocado, bell pepper, corn, garlic, cilantro, red onion, and lime juice in whole wheat tortillas with organic mozzarella cheese.

Garlic Squashes "Death Signal"



This information seems like a good thing to know:

"Much has been made of the benefits of eating garlic, but often left out of the discussion is what kind of garlic to eat. Is fresh-crushed better than paste or pre-peeled cloves? What about garlic powder? How about just popping a garlic pill?

A study by researchers at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine suggests that for certain elements of cardiac health, fresh-crushed is better than processed.


[snip]

The researchers found that while both slurries provided some cardioprotective benefits, the hearts of rats that had eaten the fresh-crushed garlic had less damage and better recovery after blood flow was restricted for 30 minutes. Among other things, the fresh-crushed garlic was better at suppressing chemicals that act as a “death signal” for heart muscle cells."
-Henry Fountain, New York Times

Tea with Links



I'm drinking some green tea and trying to catch up on some on the blogs, so I thought I'd post the links to some of the good stuff.

It may be good advice, but the thought of it makes me sick to my stomach.

Someone who's doing an awesome job.

Nothing sounds more fantastic than a Bollywood Flashmob.

A total bummer: Wal-Foods

I really should get into coupons more. Hot damn.

Healthy You Challenge Check In #12

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This week was about kicking butt and feeling good. I got my first weight-loss compliment from a coworker, so that felt good. And now for the weigh-in results:

Starting Weight (5/13/09): 320 lbs.
Current Weight: 306.6 lbs

Weight lost this week: 0.9 lbs.
Total Weight Lost: 13.4 lbs.


1.6 lbs to go until I post progress pics!

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Pescetarian Noncommittal


I put the tiniest tippy toe in, by giving myself a two week Pescetarian challenge. Today is the last day, and I have to say it's been great.

For those unfamiliar with pescetarianism, it's basically a the halfway house between full fledge omnivores and vegetarians. You can still eat seafood, but no land mammals. So far I've had seafood about twice a week, mostly at restaurants. I'm not commenting on morality or politics, just mentioning this because I've discovered a few things:

1. It was much, much easier than I thought it would be.
2. It made eating within my calorie goals a lot easier because it cut out some of the most calorie dense foods.
3. Between cutting out meat and getting better sleep, I've felt truly energetic all day.


So in light of how easy this adjustment has been, I'm going to continue the challenge for two more weeks. But I'm not going to make any plans for after that. So I'm considering myself briefly pescetarian noncommittal. Which, when combined with being a secular progressive, seems like a lot of syllables to describe a fairly simple lifestyle: veggies, fish, and universal health care.