Signs of Life

I just ran across this study that shows that young Swedish men eat an alarming amount of salt, and it made me think of the Swedish author Stieg Larsson, who died of a massive heart attack in 2004 after writing the brilliant Millennium trilogy (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest).           

           

I'm not sure if Larsson ate a lot of salt -- and I know that only certain people are sodium sensitive -- but he did seem to be one of the least healthy people on earth. According to friends and colleagues, he skipped most meals, rarely slept, drank copious amounts of coffee, and smoked up to 60 cigarettes a day.

 

I guess my point here is that I'm sad he took such bad care of himself because I would've loved to read more of his work. Also, I'm sad for him. His books have become international best sellers and he is missing all the fame and glory (and money!).

 

(And to anyone who hasn't read the books, you should. They're great!)

I just saw this news release, and thought it was intriguing. What do you think??!

"New research from the Forsyth Institute, an independent oral-medicine research organization affiliated with the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Harvard Medical School, has shown a relationship between certain oral bacteria and obesity.

The researchers are careful to say that they do not yet know the nature of the relationship -- whether the oral bacteria plays a causative role in obesity or whether its presence is an opportunistic response to metabolic changes related to obesity. But researchers are excited about the possibilities and are planning more studies. Said lead researcher, Max Goodson, PhD, "The inflammatory nature of the disease is also recognized. This led me to question potential unknown contributing causes of obesity. Could it be an epidemic involving an infectious agent?...It is exciting to imagine the possibilities if oral bacteria are contributing to some types of obesity.

Here is a summary/abstract of this intriguing study:

In order to measure the salivary bacterial populations of overweight women, samples were collected from 313 women with a body mass index between 27 and 32 (classifying them as overweight). Using DNA analysis, the researchers measured the bacterial populations of this group and compared it with historical data from 232 individuals that were not overweight. Significant differences in seven of the 40 species studied occurred in the salivary bacteria of subjects in the overweight group. In addition, more than 98 percent of the overweight women could be identified by the presence of a single bacterial species, called Selenomanas noxia, at levels greater than 1.05 percent of the total salivary bacteria. These data suggest that the composition of salivary bacteria changes in overweight women. It seems likely that these bacterial species could serve as indicators of a developing overweight condition and possibly be related to the underlying causation."

You probably already know this from experience, but new research has shown that the more you fight with your better half, the worse you sleep -- and the worse you sleep, the more you fight with your spouse.

 

Here are some more details from the study conducted by Brant Hasler, a clinical psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Arizona and presented at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, June 2009:

 

"Results indicate that on a day to day basis, couples' relationship quality affects their sleep, and their sleep also affects their subsequent relationship functioning. For men, better sleep (as indicated by diary-based sleep efficiency) was associated with more positive ratings of relationship quality the next day. For women, negative partner interactions during the day were associated with poorer sleep efficiency for both themselves and their partner that night.

 

'When we look at the data on a day-by-day basis, there seems to be a vicious cycle in which sleep affects next day relationship functioning, and relationship functioning affects the subsequent night's sleep,' said principal investigator Brant Hasler, clinical psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Arizona. "In this cycle, conflict with one's partner during the day leads to worse sleep that night, which leads to more conflict the following day. Although these results are preliminary due to the relatively small sample size and a subjective measure of sleep quality, the woman's perception of the relationship seems particularly important, as it impacts both her own and her partner's subjective sleep quality that night."

 

The study involved data from 29 heterosexual, co-sleeping couples who did not have children. Each completed sleep diaries for seven days. Each partner was asked to record the quality of interactions with their partner six times a day.

 

Hasler said that interventions directed at improving either quality of sleep or relationships may provide overall benefits, as the two directly impact each other. Hasler recommends that couples should resolve disputes before going to bed and avoid confrontational discussions on a day when one or both of them had a bad night's sleep."

 

So the next time your better half is grumpy because you slept late on Saturday when you were "supposed" to be cleaning out the basement, you can honestly say that you were sleeping in because you love him or her so much --  you weren't being selfish, you were actively improving your relationship! And who can argue with that?

The absolute best place to buy fancy -- or any -- kitchen gadgetry is the second hand store. Consignment stores always have truckloads of never used or barely used kitchen items -- my theory is that people buy fancy kitchen gadgets believing that simply having them will magically make them want/like/have time to cook, but when that doesn't happen, and the gadget has been in the box unopened for a year, they drop them off at the thrift store -- which means you can have a gourmet kitchen on a college student's budget. Here are some of the standout items I have found at thrift stores:

1. Atlas Stainless Steel Pasta Machine, $7.00 (Retails new for around $90.00)
2. Le Crueset Enameled Cast Iron French Oven 9qt., $30.00 (Retail: $299.00)
3. Le Crueset Halo Enamel-on-Steel 1.5qt Tea Kettle , $3.00 (Retail: $55.00)
4. Cuisinart Stainless Steel Automatic Burr Mill Coffee Grinder, $4.99 (Retail: 50.00)
5. Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, $12.00 (Retail: $50.00)
6. Williams-Sonoma Glass Cake Platter, $6.99 ($65.00)
7. Marble rolling pin, $2.99 (Retail: $80.00)

I could go on and on because pretty much my whole kitchen has come from the consignment store -- all my pots and pans; all my cake, bread and muffin pans; all my baking tools -- at a fraction of retail price.

Having said that, I'm a person who believes you don't need any fancy kitchen gadgets to be a good cook or to enjoy cooking. New York Times food columnist and cookbook author Mark Bittman makes all his meals and tests all the recipes for his cookbooks in his tiny Manhattan apartment. For all the great kitchen stuff I have picked up at the thrift store, I make almost every meal with a pot or skillet, a wooden spoon, and a sharp knife. That's it.

If you need some kitchen staples or gadgets, head to the consignment store, but don't let lack of equipment stop you from cooking! Pretty much all it takes to make dinner is the desire to do so!

This morning I was walking to the bus stop and I was halfway there when I realized I was wearing two different shoes: one with a heel and one without.

Yep, that's right, I walked a block didn't notice that each half of my body was at a different height. It was like when you drive somewhere and when you arrive at your destination you can't remember any part of the drive.

Numerous and varied studies have shown that we often don't pay quality attention to the things around us. Whenever I read one of those studies, my first thought is, "Sure, maybe that happens to other people, but not me! I always know what's going on around me!" I guess I have to revise my self-assessment.

I know this much: I better start paying attention when I'm getting dressed or tomorrow I might show up at work with my pants on backwards.

Okay, so it didn't exactly get stolen. I am selling my old house and I used the TV to stage it. Since we're a one TV family, that means we're going without in our new house.

I panicked at first. "How will I fill my nights?" I gasped. "What will I do?" The answer, it turns out, is a lot! It turns out I LOVE not having a TV. Here are some of the things I've rediscovered:

1. I'm learning to play the piano.

2. I'm cooking more. Without a show or a Netflix to plop down in front of, I think, "Gosh, maybe I'll make dinner." And then I do.

3. I'm reading again. Sure, I read regularly; I'm an editor. But back when we had our TV and I would get home from work, I'd tell myself, "Ugh, I've been editing all day. I'm sick of reading! I'll just watch TV." But it turns out that was just an easy excuse to watch TV. I have plenty of mental space left for books -- and now I have the time to read them!

4. My better half and I are spending more time doing actual interactive things. Several nights in a row last week we sat at the dining room table and played board games. We played chess. We got out the video camera and filmed our dogs doing tricks.

We've been having so much fun without the TV, we don't know if we want it back. We're thinking we might keep it in the basement when we get it back and drag it up only for the occasional movie. 

I can't remember where I read this quote (if someone knows, let me know so I can give credit!), but I thought it was a great little piece of writing and a good reminder to head out into the wild -- even if that is just a few minutes of silence in the backyard -- this Labor Day:

"If the purpose -- and the beauty -- of large cities is the "absence of physical space between people," as Harvard economist Ed Glaeser says, the point and joy of wilderness is proximity to nothing much at all."

Last Saturday, I tumbled out of bed and headed straight to the library. I had to return a book before the doors opened or I'd get a fine.

I'm not a morning person. At the library, I staggered around the parking lot, hand to brow, groaning, "Caaaaaw-feeeeeee...Caaaaaw-feeeeee," while drivers swerved to avoid hitting me.

Finally, my exasperated better half said, "Listen, you're not going to make it to the coffee shop [still a few blocks away from the library]. As a matter of public safety, you need caffeine right now, and there is a tea shop across the street. Let's go."

Too weak to resist, I stumbled to the tea shop. I love tea, but I knew that this morning required something stronger. I resigned myself and started chugging an Assam. It was surprisingly invigorating, and it tasted great.

I wound up having coffee later (force of habit), but the rightness of that morning tea got me wondering about tea, how it differs from coffee, and its health benefits.

Here's what I know so far:

1. All true tea comes from the same plant -- camellia sinensis -- which means all tea contains caffeine. BUT, tea has much less caffeine than coffee, often as much as 50% less.
2. Unlike coffee, tea contains the amino acid L-theanine, which can cross the blood-brain barrier and have calming effects on the brain.
3. The combination of caffeine and L-theanine in tea makes it the perfect non-jittery pick-me-up. The caffeine makes you more alert and awake, and the L-theanine helps you concentrate and stay focused. 
4.  If you want less caffeine in your tea, you can steep tea leaves for 30-45 seconds, then discard the water and re-steep the same leaves in new hot water. This will reduce the amount of caffeine in your cup of tea between 20 and 50%

In the current issue of EL, we have a story on umami, the fifth flavor (following sweet, salt, sour and bitter). Here's a new, interesting tidbit I just read about our ability to detect this rich and rewarding flavor:

A new study from the Monell Chemical Senses Center, an independent nonprofit research institute based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has shown that how much -- or how little -- you taste umami is a matter of genetics, specifically in how the T1R3 taste receptors on your tongue are coded.

The research team asked 242 individuals to discriminate between the taste of weak L-glutamate and salt. Approximately 5% were unable to tell the two tastes apart, indicating that certain people are highly insensitive to umami and thus have difficulty detecting low levels of this taste quality.

In other words, the intensity of your umami experience is individual. It's all about the code on your T1R3 taste receptor.

Interestingly, the researchers speculate that "because these same receptors are also found in the gastrointestinal tract, liver and pancreas, coding variation in the T1R3 gene may also influence how proteins and amino acids are processed metabolically." I'll be curious to know what research eventually uncovers about the role genetics play in protein metabolism.... Fascinating!

I love eating alone in restaurants. It's just me, a good book, and no pressure to make idle chit-chat. But on my recent excursion to Iowa City for a workshop, I made a point of putting down my book at least during the main course.

I've been trying to pay more attention to what I eat while I'm eating it, aware that if I'm nose deep in a good book while I chomp away, I'm missing out on the pleasure of what I'm eating. Plus, it's been shown that people who don't pay attention while they eat snarf down waaay more than people who are paying attention. (For more on the fascinating psychology behind how much we eat and why, read Mindless Eating by Cornell University food researcher Brian Wansink. Great book. For more on why taking pleasure in what you eat matters, see "Eating With Pleasure," an new EL interview with nutritional psychologist Marc David).

The second reason I'm trying to give up reading during the main course is because restaurant plates are usually so big I can't see over them to my book while I eat -- and its not okay to sit on my knees in a restaurant just to get the height I need to see the printed page!

Turned out for the best, though: being fully present for the funnel cake I ate after the salmon was worth the literary absence.

(And if you find yourself in Iowa City, stop by the Motley Cow for brunch, lunch and dinner; they use fresh, local, organic ingredients and the atmosphere is charming and homey. Plus, their funnel cake is the only fried food I've ever eaten and not immediately felt like I would get type-2 diabetes.)