Eastside Hippie

I’m going in for a second round of immunizations today.  After receiving 3 last week (Hep A/B, Polio), I’ve been under the weather.  Each day was a bit worse than the last, and yesterday was the worst day of them all.  I spent most of the day wishing it was time to go back to bed.  I haven’t done much homework…just what absolutely could not be put off any longer.  I’m hoping that today’s shots do not cause a repeat of last week as I cannot afford to fall further behind in math.

Carl and I have gone back to a mostly vegetarian diet. I stumbled onto an article that lays out ways to ensure proper nutrition with various forms of vegetarian diets and realized that we follow a Flexitarian (semivegetarian) diet. Flexitarians primarily follow a plant-based diet but occasionally eat small amounts of meat, poultry or fish.

We treat meat more as a flavor addition or as a side dish, trying to ensure that the bulk of our meals are vegetable or carbohydrate based. Anyway, here is the article for those who are interested.

According to the World Health Organization, no more than 10 percent of calories should come from added sweeteners. This advice is in line with the long-standing recommendations of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) food pyramid, which called for a maximum of 12 teaspoons of sugar (48 grams) in a 2,200-calorie diet — or roughly 9 percent of daily calories. Current USDA guidelines, revised in 2005, simply say to limit these calories. (Via How Much Sugar Is Too Much?)

For comparison:

• 12oz can of regular Coke: 39grams of sugar
• Brown Cow Raspberry Cream Top yogurt: 25grams of sugar
• Starbucks Grande Mocha: 33grams of sugar
• Starbucks Grande Mocha Frappuccino: 47grams of sugar
• Redbull sleek can: 39grams of sugar

12 teaspoons of sugar is equal to 1/4 cup of sugar. If a person consumes one soda each day for a year, that is equal to 65lbs of sugar.

= 12 teaspoons of sugar = total recommended sugar per day

We did our personal Christmas a few days early. Carl gave me Marion Nestle’s Food Politics and What To Eat. I cannot wait to devour these books. Be on the lookout for “soapbox” posts. Marion Nestle is the writer who prompted me to give up on artificially flavored coffee creamers (Coffee Mate) by comparing it to liquid margarine. I haven’t touched the stuff since.

I gave Carl a clock for Christmas.

Advice and tips for first time home buyers.

6 reasons to slow down while eating.

Why Self Actualization Requires Exercise.

Identify and Kill Your Food Cravings.

I thought I was better when I woke up. Lungs felt great, throat was clear. Then I started talking. An attempt to read part of a description from the voter’s pamphlet out loud gave me a coughing fit that I am still reacting to. I’m going to reschedule tomorrow’s dental and eye appointments.

This is today’s sunrise.

Some Starbucks venti frappucinnos have more than 700 calories.

Venti Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino® Blended Crème - with whip: 750 calories.
Venti White Chocolate Frappuccino® blended crème - with whip: 760 calories.
How can anyone drink this? 750 calories is almost half the daily caloric intake of an average person. These statistics are just estimates too. I would imagine that if you added extra syrups (aka: raspberry syrup to a mocha frappuccino) or with baristas not accurately measuring syrups/powders/milk, the calorie could could be up to 100 calories higher. (Source)

• you drink a coke right now?
  1. In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
  2. 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
  3. 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
  4. 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
  5. Click here to read the rest.

Also: What happens to your body if you quit smoking right now.

We need more police patrols, not more laws, Mr. Mayor.

Secondhand smoke is as bad as they say.

Clutter’s Last Stand.

50 ways to be romantic on the cheap.

I survived the dentist again. One more appointment and I’m caught up with the priority items.

It was no surprise that I was sleepy when I got home. When the bus is stuck in traffic on a warm day, everyone is sleepy. I made a snack for Carl and myself, then decided to take a nap. Carl prodded me to go to the gym. No gym. Nap. Carl prods again. No, naptime. I want a nap. He leaves for Kung Fu. I lay down. I lay there and feel guilty. Fine. I’ll go to the gym.

I get to the gym and realize that I forgot my iPod. No surprise. I had left it at home all day anyway and spent the entire day having to listen to other people on their cell phones; why should the gym be any different? Bah. So I attempt to work out on 3 different ellipticals. One makes obnoxious knocking sounds. Strike one. The next one won’t show anything on the display screen. Strike two. The third one has a loose leg. Strike three.

Disgusted, I grabbed my Psych book and flashcards (multitasking is key) and tried out a stationary bicycle. The first one won’t show anything on the display screen. Strike one. The second one won’t show anything on the display screen. Strike two. The third one works. I jump on and start working out, aiming for only 500 calories today because I’m tired and I had a long day. At 23 minutes, the display shuts off. I had only reached about 280 calories. Strike three.

I packed up my stuff, worked my legs on a few weight machines, then came home.

I’m seriously considering lodging a complaint with Gold’s over their apparent disregard of the equipment problems. I know for a fact that the elliptical that makes the knocking sound has been like that for three weeks. At least one of those stationary bicycles has been problematic for two weeks. I saw a huge rip in one of the treadmill conveyor belt things. Yet, when I walk into the gym, the staff are all lounging around one of the trainer desks laughing and socializing. I had to scan my key card myself, as did the couple in front of me. It’s not hard to do, but it is one of their jobs.

A genetic mutation that raises the risk of breast cancer is found in up to 60 percent of U.S. women, making it the first truly common breast cancer susceptibility gene, researchers reported on Sunday. Full article.