First of all, the authors recommend we “Eat lightly to allow [our bodies] to focus on healing, rather than on digestion.” During the worst phase of the illness, “lightly” means water, broth, green drinks, herbal teas and juices. Later, salads and steamed or lightly cooked vegetables can be added. Most important is to stay hydrated.

Drs. Balch and Stengler also suggest adding ginger, onions and garlic to soups. Drink hot water with lemon, honey and cinnamon to “soothe your throat and chest, prevent mucus buildup, and encourage a cleansing sweat.”

Avoid dairy and refined sugar products. “These foods will only contribute to the formation of mucus and make the virus harder to expel. Sugar also has the extremely undesirable effect of depressing your immune system.” Don’t drink caffeine, which “depletes the body’s stores of zinc, a mineral necessary for healing. Avoid coffee, black teas, and chocolate until the flu passes.”

Some natural remedies: elderberry, echinacea, goldenseal, oregano, lots of Vitamin C and ginger. Plus, several homeopathic remedies fight flu symptoms. Acupressure, massage, reflexology and aromatherapy are also helpful.

Wishing you a healthy, flu-free winter – Becky

Stevia

Benefits of stevia, according to “Cooking with Stevia” (see above link):

* No calories
* Does not affect blood sugar levels
* 100% natural
* 250 to 300 times sweeter than sugar
* Heat stable to 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit)
* Non-fermentable
* Flavor enhancer
* Plaque retardant, prevents cavities
* Recommended for diabetics
* Non-toxic

“Splenda is not natural; it is a chlorinated artificial sweetener. There have been no long-term human studies on the safety of Splenda; however, issues have been raised about [it] in a new study from Duke University.” http://www.truthaboutsplenda.com/factvsfiction/index.html

I looked up the study abstract, titled Splenda Alters Gut Microflora and Increases Intestinal P-Glycoprotein and Cytochrome P-450 in Male Rats. I don’t know anything about intestinal glycoprotein and cytochrome, but I’m pretty sure altered gut microflora is not a good thing. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15287390802328630

Dr. Mercola’s translation of the study:

• Reduces the amount of good bacteria in your intestines by 50 percent
• Increases the pH level in your intestines, and
• Affects a glycoprotein in your body that can have crucial health effects, particularly if you’re on certain medications like chemotherapy, or treatments for AIDS and certain heart conditions

Researchers, he says, also found evidence that Splenda is absorbed by fat, contrary to previous claims. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/26/major-media-finally-exposes-splendas-lies.aspx

Other possible Splenda (sucralose) side effects: Chlorine poisoning (chlorine atoms added), diarrhea, intestinal cramps, stomach pains, flatulence, headaches, migraines, chest pain, constricted airways, heartburn, indigestion and weight gain (the sweetener does not satisfy cravings, which may lead to more food consumption). http://www.ehow.com/about_5518521_side-effects-splenda-sweetener.html#ixzz1jHaabhzb

If you’re like me, you’d rather use stevia than sucralose with its added chlorine and side effects. But how does one cook with stevia, which is so extremely sweet but has a bitter aftertaste when too much is used? Stevia Info has lots of suggestions, including an equivalency chart, which you can view at http://www.steviainfo.com.  The site’s basic instruction is to “replace 1 cup sugar for 1 tsp. liquid stevia, or 1/3 to 1/2 tsp. stevia extract powder, or 18-24 packets.”

The authors add: “Please remember when cooking and baking with stevia that for every 1 cup of sugar that is replaced by stevia there should be 1/3 cup of a liquid or other “bulk” added to the recipe. The liquid is needed to create the bulk effect that the sugar normally would [create].”

SteviaCafe.net offers this: “The best tip we can give is that less stevia is more. It’s a little like vanilla and other extracts – it’s all too easy to use too much stevia. At first, we recommend using a little less than the recipe calls for and adding more as necessary to taste. Stevia is perfect in produce and milk/dairy recipes, but the downside for baking is that it does not offer the same properties of sugar, such as helping to soften batter, caramelize, etc. Stevia’s sweetness is, however, unaffected by the baking/cooking process.

“By now, you’re asking, ‘How do I know how much stevia to use? How much is too much?’ It’s difficult to provide a definitive answer. Sour or tart fruits, such as cherries or lemons, require more stevia than a comparable dessert baked using apples, for example. Your own personal taste plays a role as well, as it does with other non-stevia recipes.” http://www.steviacafe.net/cooking-with-stevia

At our house, we use stevia to sweeten tea, yogurt, cereal, etc. I’ve never cooked with it. If you cook with stevia, please share your experiences and tips with me and Grandma Gone Granola readers. Happy experimenting! Becky

Fresh out of a Pennsylvania penitentiary armed with a marketing degree, Kate Neilson heads to Wyoming anticipating an anonymous new beginning as a guest-ranch employee. A typical twenty-five-year-old woman might be looking to lasso a cowboy, but her only desire is to get on with life on the outside—despite her growing interest in the ranch owner. When she discovers a violent ex-lover followed her west, she fears the past she hoped to hide will imprison her once again.

http://www.amazon.com/Winds-Wyoming-Neilson-Novel-ebook/dp/B006SPP7G8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325893519&sr=8-1

The moment they saw me, the dogs raced down into the canal bed and charged up the other side, aiming directly for me. I yelled and kicked at them, but they kept coming. And they wouldn’t back off. So I did the backing and suddenly found myself rolling down the other side of the canal, which was a ways down. The good news is that because I was dressed in layers to withstand 40 degree temps and had plenty of padding, I was unscathed by the tumble. However, when I stopped rolling, I was face to face with two still-barking, growling dogs. I remember thinking that was not the best position to be in before scrambled I to my feet.

That’s when they apparently lost interest. Neither dog made an attempt to follow or chase me as I walked away. The last I saw of them, they were busy sniffing the place where I’d rolled off the canal road and out of their territory. Dogs are strange, strange creatures!

I must have twisted my foot when I backed off the road, because the half-mile limp home was not fun. But that’s my only injury, thank God! If those dogs had been intent on harming me, not just protecting their property, they could have done major damage. All the way home, I thanked God for an almost non-event (I know – I promised you excitement … sorry) and that I was able to mail our cards and packages earlier, while I was able to stand in a post-office line.

Just so you know, there is a health connection to this story (other than the fact I was exercising). I talked with my doctor by phone, who told me to “ice it like crazy” for the next couple of days and, of course, visit him or the emergency room if the pain gets worse. The ice is helping, a lot, so I doubt I’ll be making a trip to the emergency room tonight. We’ll see how it goes.

In the meantime, my foot prefers that I not walk on it. Instead, I’m using an office chair to wheel around the house. Though it’s not the most coordinated way to move and a bit hazardous to the floor moulding, it works.

Tell me, those of you who walk and run outdoors, what tactics do you use to discourage dog attacks? Does Mace work? I know someone who carries a spray bottle filled with ammonia. Seems like a good deterrent. Any other suggestions? I’d love to hear them!

Wishing you safe ambulation, Becky

p.s. If you’d like to see the complete “Hero” blog, go to http://www.grandmagonegranola.wordpress.com

My friend Shirley recently told me about her 93-year-old aunt who golfs three times a week and plays in a ukulele group. Sometimes when they’re talking on the phone, the aunt will say to Shirley, “Sorry, sweetie, I’ve got to go. Need to get to the rest home to sing and play for the old people.”

Wow, what a woman! What an attitude!

Another friend told of a senior-citizen skier he’d met on the slopes. (I don’t remember the skier’s age, but he was over 80.) The guy was out-skiing everyone around him. Said yoga kept him in shape.

We’ve all seen the pictures and heard the stories of older marathoners, gardeners, hikers and bikers. I am encouraged by their attitudes as well as their active lifestyles.

I plan to emulate them the best I can. How about you? Make plans now to stay active in 2012.

Wishing you happy, healthy holidays and Jesus as the Reason for your Christmas celebration, Becky

“Men dig their graves with their own teeth and die more by those fated instruments than by the weapons of their enemies.”

I know – it’s not a cheery thought but one worth contemplation. Give yourself and your family the gift of healthy eating this Christmas season and resolve to maintain a healthy lifestyle in 2012. Let someone else dig your grave for you!

Happy, healthy holidays! Becky

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report stated that half of Americans drink a sugary beverage every day and one in 20 swigs more than four cans of soda per day. According to an AP article, the study did not include diet sodas, sweetened teas, flavored milks and 100-percent fruit juice. Add ingestion of those substances to the CDC’s figures, plus candies, pastries, and other carb-laden products, and it’s obvious we have a serious problem in our country.

Sharon Hersh writes about the prevalence of addiction in her book The Last Addiction: Why Self-Help Is Not Enough (Waterbrook Press). “The reality of addiction in our culture is evidenced by the number of books that come off the press every year on this subject. The difficulty of finding ‘the answer’ to this agonizing problem is further shown by the statistics and stories of addicts that do not seem to be diminished by all of these books.” Her short list of examples includes three books related to diet.

Several years ago, our local newspaper ran an article under the heading High-Glycemic Foods Can Create a Cycle of Eating. “We’re talking about the paradoxical nature of sugar—and of that whole delicious family of simple and readily digested carbohydrates that make up a hefty proportion of American diets.

“You eat them; they make you hungry. Hungrier, some scientists contend, than you were before you wolfed down those cookies. Or that candy bar. Or those crackers made of refined white flour. Or that 16-ounce bottle of soda. Or those slices of white bread. Or potatoes. Yes, we’re even talking baked russet potatoes here.”

The article quoted Robert Murray, director of the Center for Nutrition and Wellness at the Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio: “Obesity has to do with a sense of satiety. I think simple sugars are a big driver for a sense of hunger within two hours.”

Keep that in mind when you sit down for your Thanksgiving meal. Thank God for all the wonderful choices we have in America, land of options! Then choose to nourish and satiate your body with protein (yay for turkey!) and vegetables. If you still have room for more, or as you nibble throughout the day, pick health-enhancing foods, and go easy on the baked goods.

Praising God from whom all blessings flow and wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration, Becky

p.s. Sharon Hersh’s answer to the addiction dilemma? Let God take over. “In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.” Romans 2:4 (The Message)

I recommend her book. She writes from the perspective of an alcoholic and a licensed professional counselor.