The LILI Letter — September 2024

September,

I always breathe a sigh of relief when September rolls around. Summer is on its way out, and fall is just around the corner. The natural world settles and relaxes it seems, and I find the light and temperature changes very appealing. The human world ramps up with typically busier schedules and commitments. We observe Labor Day and the fall equinox this month. Wishing you a vibrant month.

In good health,
Jennifer James

Success story

This is not a “Success Story”, so I hope you will indulge me here.

“A Lesson from the Hollyhocks”

Hollyhocks are such a charming, old-fashioned, English cottage-type flower. The flower originated in Eastern Asia, spread across the continent to the Middle East and on to Europe and the New World. It is believed the name came from the Middle Ages when crusaders used it as a salve to heal their horses legs on their journey, hence ”holy” and “hock”, (part of a horse’s leg).

They grow as a single stem, as high as eight feet tall, in a variety of colors. They are very forgiving plants, and thrive in almost any soil. The interesting thing about them, is they flower from the bottom first, working their way up the stem and lastly flower at the top. Why do I care about hollyhocks? It is because I think this beautiful flower is a wonderful metaphor for a human life. Our experiences and significant life events can be represented by the blooms, and as we age we work our way through the other “blossoms” in our lives. Regardless of our age, good things (as well as trying things) can happen to us. It is like we are working our way up the stem of our lives, experiencing different things along the way, as our lives “blossom”. We can’t “have it all” necessarily, but things come along when they come along, not all at once. I also think it is important to enjoy the current “blossom” in our lives, because that blossom will eventually fade and fall, just like all experiences in a human life.

History Of The Hollyhock Plant | Gardening Know How

Do you really know…peaches?

September is peach season in this area. What a treat they are. The history of peaches starts in China where they originated ~6000 years ago. They were transported via the Silk Road to other parts of the world, and to Iran, where the botanical name, prunus persica, actually means “Persian Plum”. They belong to the rose family botanically and are considered a “drupe”, a fruit with a hard seed surrounded by a fleshy fruit. They come in white, orange and red varieties. Turkey, surprisingly, is the largest grower and exporter of peaches. High in vitamins C and A, they also contain some iron and B vitamins. Try the suggestions below for delicious ways to eat a peach.

Time for health

I have met with a lot of people over the years. One challenging situation for me and the patient, is when they want to lose weight, but they are working 80 hours a week. Or working 40 hours, caring for elderly parents, farm animals and yardwork as their second job. Or they have a horrendous commute, are raising kids and going to school. It makes my head spin. The stress level these folks are experiencing is through the roof. They generally don’t sleep well either, and because they want to lose weight, they don’t eat very much.

All of this is a perfect storm for NOT losing weight. There is no time to cook food at home from scratch, there is little time for exercise, and the ongoing stress and lack of sleep pushes up stress hormones which favor weight gain. If we have no wiggle room with their schedule, such as taking a job closer to home or working remotely, delegating some of their tasks at work and home, or enlisting more help from their spouse, we work with what we have. I ask them if they HAVE to do all the things they are currently doing, or is it a CHOICE? If we take on all this work to make the big bucks, is it really worth it in the long run? Or we have a dysfunctional way of thinking that we have to “do it all for everyone”? Really? Generally, on a follow-up visit with these stressed out dearies, unless there was something simple to change, such as completely eliminating sodas, or ditching the weekend job for more self-care, these folks often do not lose weight, and often gain some. Very discouraging for all involved.

To lose weight and be healthy, I use a holistic approach. If we are so busy we don’t have time for some exercise, adequate sleep, doing something fun and fixing a healthy meal once in a while, we are too busy. I have seen patients where lowering their stress level was the most important thing to change, which often included delegating, setting better boundaries, saying no, and putting their health first. If the schedule is a temporary situation, we work on things to do while they get through it.

If we choose to not deviate from a punishing schedule, our bodies will decide for us, with illness. Our dear bodies can only take so much of chronically elevated stress hormones before the physical damage is done, such as a heart attack, stroke, diabetes or cancer. It really is about the choices we make.

Trust me on this one.

Waste not

With the cost of groceries these days, throwing away food is throwing away money. When food decomposes in the landfill, it produces carbon dioxide, which is not desirable either, given our climate conscious times. Composting is great, if we have a garden and can use the food scraps.

How do we buy enough to eat, without throwing a good chunk of it away? First, go through the freezer, refrigerator and pantry for any food that could be used with meals. Plan meals for the week incorporating these foods, then plan the rest of the meals for the week, and make a grocery list. There are some websites and apps that help with finding recipes and then generating a grocery list from the ingredients. Diabetes Food Hub is one of these. Be careful about not overbuying fresh produce. Canned and frozen options are a good choice as they will keep longer. If oranges, bananas and apples are hitting their prime, I may juice the oranges, peel and freeze the bananas for smoothies, and slice up and cook the apples for use on hot cereal or yogurt. Vegetables can always be used in soup.

Pay attention to the “Use By”, “Best By”, and “Freeze By” dates on packages. “Use By” is the suggested date by when we should eat the food. If we eat the food a few days after this date, evaluate it for safety by its smell, appearance, and texture. The “Best By” date is a quality indicator. Eating the food beyond this date is not necessarily dangerous, but it may not taste as good. “Freeze By” is a quality indicator as well for optimal flavor and nutrient content.

Canned foods can last a long time, as the food has been sterilized. For acidic canned foods such as tomatoes and citrus fruits, they are edible for 1.5 years. All other canned foods, including fish, vegetables, beans, etc. will last up to five years, making them very useful for emergency preparedness. Frozen foods will last indefinitely, although they may dry out and not taste as good. They will not give us food poisoning. Uncooked rice, pasta and dried beans can last for several years before they start losing some nutrients.

For food we prepare, try to eat the leftovers no later than 5-7 days, or freeze a portion of it. Restaurant meals need to be eaten sooner, as do seafood dishes. For guidance on how long to keep food before tossing it, visit the Food Keepers website with the USDA. We can also download the Food Keeper app to our phone.

We have not failed when we throw food away, just wasted some mullah. It is a learning opportunity to do better the next time. If we eat all the food we buy, that is a huge win. Better to err on the side of modesty than overbuy. We can do this. It will save us money in the long run, so what’s not to like?

An interesting footnote….South Korea has managed to recycle 98% of its food waste, diverting it into energy production, composting and animal feed. Read the story at How South Korea recycles 98% of its food waste - The Washington Post.

FoodKeeper App | FoodSafety.gov

Food Expiration Date Guidelines Plus an Easy-to-Read Chart (realsimple.com)

UDSA | Eat Right When Money's Tight

Soluble, Fiber That Is

Dietary fiber is a very necessary component of a healthy diet, which is often lacking if our diets consist mostly of ultra-processed foods. One of the types of dietary fiber in our diet is soluble fiber. It has some amazing effects on the body, and even influences our gut microbiome (healthy bacteria and viruses that inhabit our large intestine).

Soluble fiber slows stomach emptying. It makes the food in our stomach, mixed with stomach acid and churned around a bit, into a thicker mass that takes longer to move into the small intestine. It tends to form a gel. Starches and sugars break down more slowly, leading to blunted effects on our blood sugar, and consequently the release of insulin. Our pancreas does not have to work so hard.

Due to the slower stomach emptying and digestion, we feel full longer, as it stimulates the release of a hormone, GLP-1. (This is the hormone that the injectable weight loss medications, such as Ozempic, prolong in the circulation for days, as opposed to minutes.) This gel-like fiber binds to our bile acids, and carries them out in the stool. One of the ingredients of bile is cholesterol, so it takes cholesterol out of our system, lowering our overall body pool of cholesterol. This can help improve our cholesterol levels, since the liver will have to make more bile, and taps into the cholesterol pool to do it.

Once the soluble fiber makes it to the large intestine, the healthy bacteria ferment it, and create short-chain fatty acids, SCFA. These are instrumental in maintaining the health of the colon, by keeping the mucus layer healthy and preventing harmful bacteria from entering the bloodstream. They also have anti-cancer effects and work with the immune system.

When we eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes (dried, cooked beans like black beans), we eat dietary fiber, including soluble fiber. We should be eating at least 14 grams of total dietary fiber per 1000 calories. Soluble fiber will be roughly 15-35% of the total fiber in a plant food. Avocados have a particularly high amount, with ~40% of their fiber as soluble. For a 2000-calorie diet, and 28 grams of total dietary fiber, soluble fiber should be around 25% of this, or 7 grams. Here are some foods higher in soluble fiber:

Food, SOLUBLE FIBER (grams), TOTAL FIBER (grams)

Apple, medium, with skin, 4.2, 5.7

Avocado, one medium, 5.4, 13.5

Blackberries, half cup, 3.1, 3.8

Banana, 1 medium, 2.1, 2.8

Orange, 1 medium, 2.1, 3.4

Black beans, cooked, half cup, 3.8, 6.9

Pinto beans, cooked, half cup, 5.5, 7.4

Flaxseeds, 2 Tbsp., 2.7, 4.8

Artichoke, 1 medium cooked, 4.7, 6.5

Green peas, cooked, half cup, 3.2, 4.4

Potato with skin, 1 medium, 2.4, 4.8

Barley, cooked, half cup, 3.3, 4.2

Oatmeal, cooked, 1 cup, 2.4, 4.0

Popcorn, air popped, 3 cups, 3.2, 3.6

Wholegrain pasta, cooked, 1 cup, 4.1, 6.3

If we eat one apple and banana per day, we have met the soluble fiber “recommendation”. Or a half cup of pinto beans and a cup of oatmeal meets it. Simple to do. Consume at least 20 grams of dietary fiber per day, and make 5 of those soluble. Our bodies will thank us for it.

Bauer, E. and A. Izquierdo, L. (2024). The fiber effect: exploring the link between fiber intake, gut health and chronic disease risk reduction. [Webinar] presented at Today’s Dietitian Spring Symposium. Sponsored by Avocados, Love One Today.

North Ottawa Wellness Foundation, Soluble & Insoluble Fiber Foods List.

Just peachy!

There are many ways to enjoy a fresh peach! Consider the following:

• Eat it fresh 😊
• Cut it in half, brush with olive oil, and grill over low-medium heat until soft with char marks
• Make kebabs with peach slices, shrimp, red onion and bell pepper chunks. Use a spicy vinaigrette as the marinade.
• Cut into slices and eat with cottage cheese or yogurt
• Peel and dice the peaches. Freeze. Use in smoothies.
• Make a fresh peach salsa with diced peaches, diced fresh tomatoes, minced red onion and jalapeno, lime juice and cilantro.
• Make a peach upside-down cake. Substitute the same amount of peaches for pineapple.
• Drizzle fresh peach slices with balsamic glaze and add a little vanilla ice cream for a quick dessert.
• Make a peach crisp. I like the Better Homes and Garden’s cookbook recipe.

Calories in one small peach: ~60

New class starting this Fall!

“Breaking Barriers for Well-Being and Weight Management”

• Tuesdays, 6-7:30 for 8 weeks
• October 1 – November 19
• Heart Center Conference Room
• ORMC Medical Plaza, 425 East 5350 South, Suite #200
• $150

To register, go to ogdenregional.com, Classes and Events

Or call(866) 887-3999

Questions? Email Jennifer James, or call (801) 479-2133

September Support Groups

Mondays, 2:00pm-3:00pm, Heart Center Conference Room

ORMC Medical Plaza, Suite #200

Free to graduates of LILI and Breaking Barriers classes

(801) 479-2133 for more information

The trouble is, you think you have time.

Jack Kornfield