Fish, in soup. An imitation of a wondrous San Francisco Treat

Yeah, it ain't Rice a Roni, which in my estimation, is one of the more disgusting products on the shelves at the supermarket. I made this because I wanted to try to come up with something that would excite my eclectic tastes and remind me of my wondrous trip to San Francisco a couple weeks ago. Well, actually San Jose. We went to a Chinese place there and I ordered this dish, "Fish Fillets in Chili Oil"

And it was wondrously flavorful. Very nice. This picture shows how much of the chili oil they use. I had eaten a lot of it, and this is what's left. It was a huge bowl. The place was called Hunan Impressions. We were the only Occidentals there, with one very very Irish redheaded exception. But that guy used his chopsticks with aplomb so I think he fit in well. Me, fork. Anyway, the stuff was fabulous, everything we had. Everyone else had meat, but it was vacation so I tasted it. WOW! 

So anyway, I acquired some flounder fillets. I also had more shrimp shells in the freezer. See my previous post about using garbage for food. I made some shrimp stock and then strained well. Then I took some mushrooms and cut small, cooked in olive oil until well browned. Added some cut up red pepper, an onion, some shallots, three celery ribs and ten garlic cloves. Cooked a bit before adding a cup of Reisling. Reduced that, added the stock and simmered for ten minutes. I cut up ten Japones peppers and threw them in. Then added about ten leaves of Napa cabbage chopped fine and two zuchinni diced. Cooked anothe ten minutes. Then in a skillet, I cooked a slice of whole fermented wheat bread in olive oil, turned it over and as the other side browned, added some slices of Asiago cheese. (Remember aged cheeses are much healthier) Then when that was

done, I added some coconut oil and dredged the fish in some seasoned whole wheat flour and fried lightly on each side. Serve the soup in a bowl and put the fish on top with the cheese bread on the side. It was not the same, but it was mighty tasty.

Yep

Yes, I used garbage to make this meal

Indeed, garbage. I have advocated that everyone use garbage in their cooking now for some time. There is nothing easier, healthier, safe than to use garbage to add flavor to any dish you cook. It's not garbage you pull from the dumpsters somewhere, it's the garbage that you and every other person that ACTUALLY cooks food produces every day in the kitchen. It's the carrot peelings, celery tops and root ends, onion skins, and membranes from peppers. Stuff you

would ordinarily toss, garbage. I say it has a use, and that use is to add a wondrous mix of incredible flavors, nutrients and even quite a few vitamins. Yep, it's that old standby in every real kitchen, stock.

Now let me just say that this entire dish is not made from garbage, just the gravy that I poured over the savory waffle. And that, was what tied the entire thing all together. Let me tell you what this thing is. First, the waffle, it's garbanzo rye with scallions and green chilis. Second, the two patties in the front are BeHoon. A sort of Dutch Malaysian dish a friend taught me many years ago. Then to the rear, still sitting atop the waffle is a salmon cake.

Sliced scallions, cilantro and that wondrous gravy made from garbage.


I always buy shell on wild caught Texas Coast shrimp. NEVER BUY IMPORTED FARM RAISED SHRIMP!!! Yeah, that's just so disgusting, if you saw the videos on how it's farmed harvested and processed, you would literally vomit. Anyway, I buy shell on because I get to save the shells. Toss in a bag and throw in the freezer. I took a bag of them out, added some other garbage that I always keep in my freezer, covered with water and simmered for a half hour. Strained, and set aside. Next up was the garbanzo waffles. I always soak my beans and grains to make them healthier. (First in my series of how to do that)  Soak a cup of chick peas for a

day, rinsed and boiled for twenty minutes. Drained most of the water from them, put them in a blender, added a quarter cup EVOO and juice of a lemon. Whizzed until smooth and added a bit of sea salt and fresh ground pepper (sheesh, sounds like humus) I then sliced three scallions fine, diced an couple canned green chilis and mixed with a beaten egg. Then mixed in a half cup of Rye flour until stiff. Mixed in a half tablespoon baking powder and a fair amount of Cajun Spice mix (I like the flavor) Dumped in the humus and added just enough of the bean cooking liquid to make a thick batter. I got out the Belgian Waffle iron and made a few. 

Next is the BeHoon, it's more like the Chinese Egg Foo Yung than anything else. Just no soy sauce (Yuck) In the mini processor, I put in a couple cups cabbage, a half an onion and a few scallions. Whizzed until chopped uniformly fine. Added some ginger and two eggs along with seas salt and pepper. On a hot griddle, spoon out and make little patties, fry on both sides and stack on a plate to

keep warm. Yeah, these are fabulous. 

Salmon. Okay, when canned salmon is on sale, buy some. These are spectacular and you can't ever get enough real high quality wild caught seafood in your diet. Beat an egg with some sliced scallions, salt. pepper, and any spices you want. I hate dill, so I don't use it. Some say it's great in a dish like this . Not for me though. I like red chili flakes. So, I added a bunch. Drained the salmon, added to the bowl and broke it up and took out the spine.(that part is always kinda gross) mixed it up, made little burgers and fried in EVOO until browned on each side. 

Assembly, one waffle, two BeHoon, one salmon cake and pour over some of the shrimp sauce that you thickened with a bit of Arrowroot.   Oh baby,

Yep

Vegan Chili - What the world needs more of, stuff with no MEAT

Yeah, I'm out of my get drunk all the time to get over that woman funk of the last four months. Life goes on, and like my favorite musicians from the early seventies state, "Where you are, is the Best place you can be!"

So, been reading a bit on the destruction of Mother Earth and how the drive to raise animals for food has pretty much been the main force for the destruction of the rain forests in both South America and Africa. This video is a great one detailing not just that destruction, but also how horrific things are getting here in America as well. (Beef, it's what's for our deaths)  And yes, I know, scientists all over the place are telling us global warming is fantasy, so this is one perspective. However, the reality is that meat in America is raised by large corporate agribusinesses that are raping the system and receiving HUGE amounts of subsidies from the government in order to raise cheap (and I daresay, toxic) meats. To the tune of a couple hundred billions of dollars annually. That's billion with a 'B'. The true costs of meat, beef pork and poultry would be many times what they are now if it weren't for the corruption within our government. 

So, I think it wise to begin to instruct the populace as to how to get along better without their favorite flesh of lesser beings. Who knows, the tide of public opinion is such that ever greater numbers of people are demanding transparency, culpability and HONESTY from our elected officials. Should we begin to remove the corrupt and vote in the sane and honest ones, then the prices of meats will skyrocket as the subsidy system for corporate businesses breaks down and we begin to bear the true costs.

Chili. Man I love chili.

So, I took a cup and half of garbanzo beans and soaked in water a day. Rinsed, put in a strainer and rinse three times a day for three days, The little buggers started to sprout. (Remember my series on making healthy foods healthier?) I put in sauce pan, covered in water and brought to boil, simmered 20 minutes then drained and rinsed. Then coarse chopped in my small food processor. Coarsely cut up and onion, cooked in olive oil a few minutes, added three

ounce of my Chipotle Taco Seasoning (you know, any good chili powder based spice blend will do. Whatever you like, just get the stuff with no CRAP) Added a cup of red wine (it was leftover from my drunk phase last week) Stirred in well, brought to a boil then added a jar of tomato based salsa. Simmer for ten minutes,taste it. Yeah, mighty delicious. MAN oh MAN, just like chili, same texture, some heat, smokiness from the chipotles, WOW WOW WOW.

Me, I like eggs. Since I have begun to go back to the gym and have started lifting weights again, I am going to eat eggs more. Real pasture raised eggs from the farmers markets. Gillespie Farms so far has the best eggs, Roadrunner and Ahwatukee markets. (Just my opinion) And so I fry them in real grass fed pastured cow butter, then top the eggs with chili, add some 18 month aged imported Italian Asiago cheese and serve with real ripe melon. Oh man, that'll help me forget that woman. I know, it isn't vegan the way I eat it, but so what. I'm not contributing to the industrial farming agribusiness culture rife with corruption toxic additives and horrific consequences. So I can indulge a bit. It ain't gonna be the real thing, but it's better than the crap most Americans consume. I mean come on, McDonalds burgers are pretty disgusting. As most meat is anymore.


Yep

It's that aged cheese thing. Ahhh, ever so tasty, and good for you

Aged cheese. So many varieties, so many flavors. Why more people don't eat this bit of heaven I'll never understand. The fact is, eating aged cheeses are good for you. 

They don't just make you feel good.

So many scientific studies have been done that show us exactly how beneficial aged cheeses are for our health. I think most people know and understand how bad drinking milk truly is (see footnote 5 below) and that the fallacy of the availability of calcium in the stuff is an advertising LIE. But aged cheese, is a totally different animal. Everything in there is good for us. The calcium having been released by the fermentation process, is readily absorbable. The high Vitamin B and K content as well. And studies have proven that eating high fat cheeses actually LOWERS LDL cholesterol. (6) There are just numerous reasons to include AGED cheese in your diet. (4)  Even that internet godlike person, Mark Sisson, the creator of the Paleo site that has millions of worshipers, oops, sorry, followers, tells us that aged cheeses fit into a primal diet. Whereas all other dairy doesn't, aged cheeses compliment his quackery. (3) Yeah, I don't like the guy. Nevertheless, there are two huge scientific studies, both found in the NCBI PubMed library that show that when humans don't eat crappy food, they are healthier, and have better mental health than those that eat crappy foods. And that aged cheeses are part of a healthy food diet and were noted as parts of the overall dietary practices of the healthy and/or mentally stable test subjects. (1 & 2)

Yeah, but some of that aged cheese stinks. 

I've heard that before. Me, I say, SO! Some of the stinkiest is also the tastiest. I don't know why, but that's the way it works.

Yep

 1.Mental health and food habits - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15010179
 2.Crappy food is bad for your health, - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10918461
 3.Yeah, that guy. Mark Sisson - http://www.marksdailyapple.com/cheese-unhealthy/
 4.A bit better info on aging of cheese - http://www.thrive-style.com/2012/02/why-aged-cheese-is-good-for-you/
  5.Me on why milk is bad for you - http://choose-eat-live-well.blogspot.com/2014/11/milk-it-does-body-well-not-so-good.html 
 6.The great study, LDL lowered from aged cheese - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22030228
 

How to CURE your Leaky Gut!

Well, first off, to cure your leaky gut, stop reading crap on the internet and stop listening to pseudo-scientific proponents of unproven wildly preposterous concepts. There is no proof, no evidence, no medical diagnosis anywhere, of any problem called leaky gut. It's pretty simple, everything that you have heard, have read, heard the TV doctors tell you, is, well, sort of kinda maybe true. It's just that they have blown it all out of proportion and have made mountains out of the tiny moleholes in our guts. 

Realistically, most of the sane internet tells us that of the huge list of symptoms that modern humans are experiencing are the result of this leaky gut syndrome. Everything. From gas, bloating, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Autism and all the way up to and including, Cancer. Yeah, a lot to blame on something that barely even exists. A resource that so many use, WebMd states that it's a gray area as even though there is no actual problem associated with this conclusion, that a whole host of other actual diseases can be the real cause of any or all of the symptoms credited with leaky gut. Which, again, there is no evidence it exists. 1  The NHS in the UK is a bit more direct about disclaiming rumors that this is a real thing. 2 Even Dr. Alessio Fasano, the guy whose team discovered the Zonulin protein, states that when the intestinal lining opens with increased permeability, that larger molecules CAN BE allowed through the gut lining. 3 And the works of Keata et al in their paper regarding the in vitro response of rat ilium cells increasing their permeability for flow of liquid through the lining when exposed to gliadinin is probably the starting point for the mass hysteria surrounding this phenomena. 4 
 
 But that's a long way from bits of undigested food, bacteria and even viruses working their way through the huge holes within the gut walls that so many of these proponents of leaky gut claim exist. I've said it before, every scientist out there says it, if digestive fluids, food particles and anything in your intestines leak into your blood stream, you will die. Period. Leaky Gut Syndrome does not exist in the form 'As Seen on TV!!!!' Of course, it does open other possibilities. Namely the work of one Dr. Carl Hulston. His claim is that the increased permeability CAN occur when the gut bacteria get out of whack and that the use of probiotics can shore up the gaps in the lining. 

And I think that is the basis for the huge push to make the world believe that leaky gut is a real thing. Cuz all the stuff I've looked at, tell us to alter our diets (a good thing) stop eating gluten (not necessarily a bad thing) and to buy their specific brands that they either make, or promote and make a profit on when you buy through their website.

Oh. Money. 

Try to remember that at no time, has ANY medical (Real Medical people, not TV Docs nor Internet Gurus) diagnosis for Leaky Gut Syndrome been approved, agreed upon or recognized as valid. It is possible for humans to alter their blood chemistry by the introduction of excess FLUID portions of intestinal contents into their blood plasma. And yes, this can lead to a number of significant problems. Tired feelings, depressed immunity and a few others. If you have other symptoms, you have other things wrong with you.

How do you cure something that doesn't exist yet mimics a myriad of real actual symptoms? That one is simple. Stop eating shitty food. At least HALF of what goes into your mouth should be RAW. Fruits, vegetables, raw. Lightly cooked is okay for part of the other half. Eat fermented foods. A variety of them. NEVER eat sugar, white flour or anything that has listed on the ingredients, a chemical name that is not natural. No soda, no artificial anything.

Is it hard to do? If you are having any sort of problems with your health, it might possibly be because of your diet. And if you are eating any of the crap listed above, then yeah. you betcha, it's going to be hard to stop eating that shit.

There are no Magic Beans. No all encompassing life giving Snake Oil to cure what ails you. You are what you eat. No one makes your choices for you, you do...

Yep.

1 WebMd 
2 National Health Service
3 Fasano

The Secret to Perfect Health - - Eat More Dirt

Sounds weird, and it sort of is. And sort of not as weird as it sounds. If you think about it logically, then we can determine just how doing this, eating dirt, is how we as human beings, evolved. From there, we can look at this process from a scientific perspective and verify just exactly why we as humans need to, not actually eat dirt, but incorporate the activities and foods needed to bring about optimum health.

Dirt. If we examine the makeup of actual dirt, we can see that there are a large number of components. Primary, broken up and very fine particles of rock. This varies by region of course, but the first stage of soil production in any landscape is the weathering and breakdown of the parent structure of rock. Dirt. When we add in organic material, microbes, air and water, we get soil. Soil is a complex living mixture of these things, each and every one of them are required for plants to grow and thrive. 

That should be a reminder to us humans. 

As humans evolved, they ate a variety of things from the landscape around them. Rotting flesh of animals found out there on the savanna, leftover from some larger bigger carnivore kill. Nuts, fruits, sweet leaves from plants growing around. Sprouting seeds and grains, that process of which turns the residing carbohydrates, lectins and phytates within the seeds into sugars (Yes, that's probably why we developed a sense of taste for sweet) makes them taste sweeter. And of course, roots and tubers. Perfectly healthy, good sources for carbohydrate energy needed to run away from those carnivores, as well as fuel for the scavenging needs of the group. Here, let's look at what these early hominids did. They would find the growing plants, recognition of their use from the growing parts. Probably a result of higher brain or evolving brain functionality. Dig or pull up the root. Wipe off some of the dirt, then eat it. 

That process would invariably include lots of the soil the root or tuber was growing in. Dirt.

Yeah, they ate dirt. With many of the meals our ancestors ate, they got big old helpings of rock dust and microbes along with the nutrition from the plant itself. Dirt. The startling thing is, these are things we evolved eating and in reality, are things we NEED to survive, to live a healthy existence. Microbes and minerals. I am hoping that if you are reading this, you know the importance of the human intestinal microbiota within each of us. Our gut bacteria are an integral part of our living systems. That biodiversity of bacteria need to be replenished. Frequently. Ancient evolving humans ate dirt. Later, civilized humans began traditions of fermenting their foods. For preservation, for inactivating some of the toxic portions of the foods (such as lectins in grains) and for flavor as well. Fermenting adds a huge amount of beneficial bacteria to our diets. Something lacking in our modern sterile lifestyles. The additions of chemical substances into our foods and food-like substances manufactured for the majority of the population are for the most part, devoid of any microbial activity. With a few exceptions, notably the FDA recalls of produce, processed meats and a whole host of food-like substances manufactured and then discovered to contain a literal plethora of dangerous bacterial contaminants. Of course the scary part is that when beneficial bacteria flourish, the nasty ones don't. Says a lot about food and food-like substance production. 

So, reason number one to eat dirt. Microbes. Or at least eat some fermented foods.

Minerals. It isn't a secret. It's common knowledge. It's taught to each and everyone of us from way back in the fifth grade. Living cells are made up of a large number of mineral compounds. We need those minerals to live. If we don't get them, cell production will virtually cease. Humans will get sick and die without a steady supply of fresh minerals fueling our bodies. Few minerals (and vitamins as well) and we do not in any way, thrive. That's the way it is. This concept cannot be disputed.

Now comes the hard part. A diet rich in plant material, and some healthy animal proteins, will support optimal health by providing a rich source of minerals. (And of course the needed other stuff, carbs, fats and proteins) That however, is dependent on whether or not the plants, and animals, are themselves rich in the minerals that they need to thrive. Plants grown on rich soils, ones that have a rich diversity of the needed rock dust, organic material and microbes; will themselves be rich sources of vitamins and minerals. Modern farming methods in use today, and being promoted by the manufacturing corporations that control the majority of food production in the industrialized world; use chemical fertilizers to give the three most prevalent chemicals within plants. Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. That however, is but a tiny fraction of the number of minerals needed by the plants to grow. And to thrive. This is exemplified dramatically with the current situation in Northern US and Canadian wheat farms. Non organic wheat farms are plagued with Fusarium Wilt making much of the crops unusable, even for animal feed. Whereas organic wheat farmers in the same areas are not seeing any such problem. Healthy soil, means healthy crops, and ultimately the same for humans when we eat those plants. We need a diversity of minerals and in healthy readily absorbable forms. There is a complex system within healthy soils where the microbial life there work to breakdown the rock dust into less complex and more usable minerals. When early humans ate the dirt stuck on their roots, they got a bit of minerals in there boosting their existence. Well, they also got healthy roots as well, grown in pristine soils.

In modern times, we wash everything. And the fact that modern farming techniques use chemicals to kill everything in the soil, (or attempt to anyway) as season after season goes by, the mineral constituents of the soil lessen to the point of that soil not being able to grow healthy plants. That's when the problems like those described above become commonplace. Non organic farms all across the world are suffering from that degradation of soil, loss of minerals and death of the microbial constituent. Dead Soil. The end result is plants, and ultimately the meats raised on those sick mineral starved plants, don't have the necessary mineral (and vitamin) reserves to nourish the humans that consume them. 

Solution two, eat more dirt. Or at the very least, eat good healthy organic plants from farmers markets. Meats raised in sustainable methods and always always, eat healthy food choices. And take mineral supplements as well. 

Our ancestors evolved eating dirt. We can replicate that, and we need to.

Yup

What's in your food part, 7. Oreos

Yes, I used to eat Oreos. I used to do a lot of things, and I weighed 320 pounds. I don't eat things like these anymore, not because I didn't like them, but because I now understand that the addictive nature, the drive to manufacture a food-like product entails the use of questionable ingredients as well as the methods of every single facet of the manufacture of these things are done with absolutely no regard for the health of the consumers that buy them. So, no, I don't eat them anymore. 

I might try to make my own some day. But in reality, why? I don't need them. I've gotten used to not eating junk foods, no sweets, no meat, no processed anything. Yeah, and I weigh 235 now. That's something.

Oreos. Good memories or just plain bad horrific food?
 Probably a little of both. Most wouldn't say they are horrific, and they are a long long way from being in anyway nutritious. Definitely not as bad as some of the other food-like substances that I reviewed here a year ago or so, these are just naturally, well, nasty. Two, Double Stuf Oreos, are 120 calories. 7 grams of fat and 21 grams of carbohydrate. Mostly in the form of High Fructose Corn Syrup. Well, sugar is actually the first ingredient on the list. More sugar than flour in the cookies. No wonder they taste so addictive. I mean good. 
I suppose that here I could put in a link to that documentary about how Fructose is actually destroying our lives, 65 minutes of lengthy diagrams and charts of how the human body uses sugars, fructose and dextrose to run our systems. But realistically, most people that want that info already know it, the rest, probably lost by now and looking at photos of cats dressed in tuxes or some other such nonsense. 

So, sugar, bad. HFCS, extremely bad. (HFCS and Hg) There's the Mercury contamination thing plus we know the stuff is GMO and although we have no idea if genetically altering plants actually will cause damage to humans down the road; we do know that they drench the plants with glyphosate. Roundup. Now, a known carcinogen. Flour, kinda bad. The fact is, 95% of all wheat in America and many other countries as well, is drenched in glyposate as well. This use of the stuff is worse as it is done 8 to 10 days before harvest in order to kill the plants and make harvesting the grain easier on equipment and to give a slightly larger yield. Slightly. Glyphosate is bad when sprayed on GMO crops while in the early stages of growth. The stuff slowly breaks down. When sprayed just before harvest, it's all there baby. You get the full dose. 

So is that bad?

No one can tell you what to eat and what not to. It's up to you. You only get one body, in the long run, what you feed it, drives how it works down the road.

Ingredients

SUGAR, UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), PALM AND/OR CANOLA OIL, COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORNSTARCH, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA AND/OR CALCIUM PHOSPHATE), SALT, SOY LECITHIN, VANILLIN - AN ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CHOCOLATE.CONTAINS WHEAT, SOY.

Yep

Cabbage Rolls, Southwestern Style

It's been said that I do things a little bit differently. I suppose that's true. Smoked Salmon Tamales. Sushi Ravioli. Stuff that comes out delicious, just different from anything anyone else does. So, not surprising that I make that old European favorite, Cabbage Rolls, into something completely different.

Why not though? Southwestern food is so unique, so flavorful, it lends itself to making EVERYTHING a bit better.

 They might look a might odd, but that's because the sauce I used was my best selling 'Passion of the Garlic' salsa. I make it with tomatillos and lots of oven roasted garlic. A bit of spice and this stuff is the absolute bomb, as my old dear friend Key always told me about the foods I used to make for her. 

This time, I had some organic pork from my friend Kenny the 
Fishhugger. (Kenny) Nice stuff, I browned some and used half for some tacos for someone. The other half I put in a glass container in the freezer for a couple weeks. I bought a big head of Savoy Cabbage at the farmers market and said to myself, "Self, this is going to be spectacular" Saying stuff like that to yourself is okay, I never answer myself back so all's good. My shrink said it's okay. So, I took a half a red onion and a yellow bell and diced them up. a cup of cooked brown rice (I always have extra, I eat it nearly every day) And I diced up about 3 ounces each of Mozzarella  and Asiago cheeses. Cooked the onion and pepper in a bit of olive oil about 4 minutes, then took off the heat and added a big bunch of fresh basil, oregano and thyme leaves from my patio garden in pots. Chopped of course. Threw in the frozen already cooked pork and let sit until the pork was thawed. Added the rice and cheeses, tossed well and then set aside. I love Savoy as the leaves come off easily. I removed eight of them, very few tears, so cool. I brought an inch of water to a boil in a stock pot and put the leaves in a metal colander and put inside the pot. Steamed them about ten minutes. Savoy are pretty hardy.

Then proceeded to let cool and roll them up into these babies. Oops, I poured about a quarter of the jar into the rice mix and tossed that as well. Then the rest of the jar of salsa, I mixed with a half jar of water. Poured a bit on the bottoms of the pans and after put the stuffed rolls into the pans, I poured the rest of the sauce over the tops.I covered with parchment paper, then sealed with aluminum foil. NEVER LET ALUMINUM FOIL TOUCH ANY FOOD!!!! That's why the paper first. Protection. And salsa is acidic, it would eat holes in the foil and if you ate that residue, then it does horrible things to your brain. Anyway, bake at 350 for an hour and holy cow, these are incredible

 

Yup

Shake shake shake... Yeah, music, dancing, weight loss miracles. Magic and Money

It wasn't that long ago that I was in the hospital for a kidney stone. September 22 of 2015. My weight at that time, 320 pounds. I am six foot two or so, might of shrunk some, as happens as we age. Monday at the gym, I weighed myself on both of their scales, and the readings were within a half pound. I am now 234 pounds. It was hard to do, and yet, incredibly easy. And at no time during the nearly 17 months did I ever once, NOT ONCE, add any money to the already frightening amount of money spent on weight loss in these United States. 

Sixty Billion Dollars is spent annually on weight loss.

And it's all a waste of money.

Harsh, I know. But the reality is there for us to view. One out of three Americans are Obese. And still, 70% of adults are overweight. These numbers continue to climb, steadily. They have not once gone down since scientists started to look at this phenomena back in the fifties. 

Yeah, weight loss spending for individuals might, and here it's a stretch, MIGHT show improvement. For specific individuals over a specific time frame. It does happen. Generally though, the majority of Americans spend their money, adding to that sixty billion dollar total, yet it's for short term losses that return once the money is no longer spent. The weight loss industry is based entirely on lies. Everything about their advertising, their slick marketing driven packaging for convenience and their very basic concept, is all about driving home that basic falsehood. That spending money, utilizing products designed for convenience, will allow you to be slim, trim and healthy. 

It's all a lie. Yet humans are gullible. Always have been, pretty sure they always will be. Politicians that show themselves to be corrupt, get reelected. (Except Hillary, some out there saw through her rhetoric) Diet soda that has had independent studies showing it to cause weight gain as well as a large number of rather detrimental side effects, sell by the billions. And just as our ancestors spent their hard earned money on magic beans and snake oil, the weight loss industries of America keep raking in our money and giving dreams of Paradise, perhaps from a dashboard light. Which isn't far from the truth, advertising for all the crap out there comes from the hottest and best looking models available. 

A friend's wife has begun posting online about her newest mlm group that she is now affiliated with. Shakes that satisfy, provide nutrition and her pounds are melting away. Magic Beans. I have no idea what she pays for each one, but I'm sure they aren't cheap. And as so many of the ones available at the stores, when I look at the ingredients, there's stuff there I can't pronounce, as well as the things that are right from the start, detrimental to any sort of plan to lose weight; either some form of sugar, or high fructose corn syrup. Remember Metrecal? People my age do. The Metrecal for lunch bunch. A food replacement product with all the nutrition of real food, in a handy shake. Made with sugar. 

It's a popular ingredient, it makes humans addicted to that sweet sweet flavor. It isn't exactly nutritious. No matter how many artificial additives and processed vitamins and minerals are added to it. It's still just flavored sugar.

My weight loss has been based on an actual change in my attitude toward food itself. I used to eat meat, processed foods, breads, ice cream, packaged this and that. I stopped all that. I have been a vegetarian for about eight years now, just not a very strict one. That's all changed. I am very strict now. No meat, no processed foods, no sugar, no chemicals and lots and lots of fruit and vegetables. Organic when possible. Which is primarily most of the time as I get my food at the farmers markets and only buy organic at the stores. And never Chinese or Mexican organic. 

It's pretty hard to do. 

My weight has gone up and down during this time. Personal reasons, my inability to deal with relationship issues (always been a problem ** Three Divorces)((Insight into me)) thus giving me an excuse to sit and drink beer to excess. (Yes it's true what she told me, I do so very much enjoy playing the role of victim) (( Although it's not true, I do not feel superior to everyone, only those that I am superior too)) And of course the long term effects from before (black mold) and exacerbation of asthma, causing steroid use which makes you put on weight. However, for the most part, it has been a total commitment to be a smaller man and altering the lifestyle that I have led most of my life. 

One thing that is consistent with me in my food routine, is most mornings I make a shake. Ta Da? No, not one in a can. Mine is simple. And has other health benefits designed right into it. Start with juice of a lemon and a quarter cup of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. Add a half teaspoon of cinnamon, black cohosh root, gingko biloba, mullein and turmeric. Then a heaping teaspoon each of hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds and nutritional yeast. Also called spent brewers yeast. Add a bit of water and mix a bit. then add an organic banana, a tablespoon of local raw honey from a local bee keeper, NEVER stuff from a grocery store. Add some fruit in season or a couple dates. Then top blender jar with organic plain yogurt. Blend, and it has more protein and all the right balance of everything you need to exist in about a couple hundred or so calories that will fill you up and keep you going for five or more hours. For about forty cents. Cheaper if you don't use organic stuff. But why? Be safe, organic is the only real option in today's weird world of toxin usage in agriculture.

Yep

This is what you NEED to understand before allowing ANY doctor to prescribe Testosterone Creams

I think that anyone that has watched a television show in past twenty years has seen the ads for the miracle cure that science has found for a condition that the medical profession has hyped into another one of the popular health conditions that they have appropriately named as 'Low T'. This condition has been touted as the reason for everything wrong in a man's life. Everything. Below is a list of a few of the symptoms from the Google search for Low T.

Physical Signs and Symptoms

• Erectile dysfunction (impotence: inability to develop or maintain an erection)
• Fatigue (lack of energy)
• Muscle mass and strength (reduced)
• Body fat (increased)
• Back pain.
• Osteoporosis development (reduced bone mass/density and increased risk of fracture)

The diagnosis for Low T is simple, the doctor takes some blood, and they measure your Testosterone level. If it's below standardized norms by even a small amount, then you get a prescription for Testosterone Cream. One manufactured by any number of pharmaceutical companies and generally from the one that has offered the greatest incentives to your doctor for writing that prescription.

Except, wait a second. Isn't every one of those symptoms also related to the simple basics of good health, poor diet, no exercise and excess consumption of alcohol?

Well, yeah, they are. The difference being in that doctors can't get those wonderful incentives from the drug manufacturers if they have you do a little self discipline and lose weight, exercise and stop drinking alcohol. 

And the pharmaceutical companies can't make billions in profits if we as consumers don't want to take the easy way out and instead of practicing that self discipline, opt for the easy cream, patch, pill, or liquid instead of attempting to better ourselves with lifestyle changes. 

So here's the thing, doctors prescribe testosterone creams based on what the lab result is for your individual level of free testosterone in your blood work. And that's the problem. Free testosterone and bioavailable testosterone both vary dramatically in EVERY individual on a daily basis. T levels follow the same basic circadian rhythms that control so many of our bodily functions. Our natural levels rise and fall dramatically, by up to 43%, DAILY. Lowest in the early afternoon, highest at night and early morning after and during sleep. Getting a single blood test to acquire a definitive level of testosterone for any individual is not best medical practises.

Then there are the simple effects that the body has in response to other stimuli. Our testosterone levels vary depending on whether or not we've had vigorous exercise within a 24 hour period. Whether or not we've been sexually active, or whether or not there was a lot of alcohol ingested. Yeah, it's true, alcohol suppresses the production of testosterone. Especially distilled alcohols. 

All of these factors need to be considered and multiple blood tests done to get an accurate picture of what's happening with your individual body's ability to manufacture the testosterone you need to exist. A diagnosis from one single blood test taken in the afternoon on a day in which you haven't done any physical activity for several days is going to be misleading and may result in a prescription that may do more harm, than any good possible.

Again, if you ever watch any television at all, you've seen the commercials from lawyers that are trying to drum up business by letting you know that if you ever took any testosterone cream and had any of a large number of deleterious events happen to you, then you can sue everybody and get compensated. This is of course a product of our litigious society. But with a good reason. The fact is that excess testosterone does cause horrific problems with our bodies. Chief amongst them,blood clots in the lungs. This is a very serious and often fatal consequence of taking a medication to increase the available free testosterone in your body when in fact your natural ability to produce testosterone is working fine and it was environmental factors that led your doctor to diagnose you as having low T. 

Be careful. Doctors are not the end all be all pearls of wisdom and they don't know every single thing about you as a patient unless you tell them and question every thing that they tell you. All doctors want to get through as many patients in a day as possible and to prescribe as many medications as possible. Those are their goals. If you want the best care possible, question them, make them think about what it is they are doing, let them know that you are not patient XYZ, you are YOU and you think!

 Yep

Google search for low t
Peak and low values for testosterone