nutrition

AHS, Day 2

Another information-packed, nutrient-rich day at the Ancestral Health Symposium.

The first session of the day was titled: Parasites are Paleo: The Hidden Cost of Modern Hygiene. This one was a test of our skepticism and critical thinking I’m always talking about. The universe of micro-organisms that populate our bodies inside and out are a delicate balance, and when we cropdust internally or externally we kill indiscriminately, and that’s not good. Some of these guys aid our health through digestion or skin health. Our children are growing up in the Purell environment and we don’t yet know what the results of that are going to be. Statistics are showing that when our children are exposed to dirt and mud they have a lesser incident of allergies and asthma. (Please know that this is way oversimplified, and I’m linking to the lecturer’s website/book because much of this is new enough to me I can’t speak authoritatively.)

Don't bust me on this - I have no idea what this bacteria is...isn't it a cool graphic? — Don’t bust me on this – I have no idea what this bacteria is…isn’t it a cool graphic?

I attended another session called Survival Panel, mostly out of interest for son Sam, and his interest in survival skills. This was a panel looking at the hunting/gathering activities that our ancestors would have engaged in compared to the movement/stressors/nutrition we have modernly. Guess what? We are pretty far removed from those skills. One of the questions after the session asked the inevitable question about eating insects, which of course is a big topic in this group. As broadminded as I pride myself in being, I’ve got a huge ick-factor about this I’m struggling with.

Next was a really interesting lecture about the Rise of Monotheistic Religions as a Cultural Adaptation to Infectious Disease. Many religious edicts relate to cleanliness with regard to burial, ritual for food preparation, sexual rules, etc that may have helped religions keep a stronghold through this hygiene code through religious authority. The lecturer for this, John Durant has appeared on the Colbert Report talking about the health of hunter/gatherers.

Lunch break at a Paleo conference was: water buffalo meatloaf, potatoes, squash and zucchini in olive oil, salad, and kombucha to drink (yeah, the potatoes were a surprise to me too – more on that later). The meatloaf was wonderful, and provided by one of the vendors. I’m still amazed at how beautiful everyone here is, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching people interact during the meal. I have no idea why I have no picture of this – too hungry, I guess.

Then we had that poster session I mentioned. Folks were invited to present their research (on a poster, duh) informally in a mix-and-mingle area where they could chat and explain their research. There were several N=1 posters – folks who have applied paleolithic nutritional science to themselves for a period of time (mostly about one year), and did extensive data gathering. Weight loss, lowered blood pressure, more energy – all of the typical health markers improved for these experimenters.

After lunch we went into a panel discussion about the Ketogenic Diet and Athletic Competition. The rock stars on this panel were Robb Wolf and Mark Sisson. Mark came in 4th in the Hawaii Ironman on a ketogenic diet (a fat-burning rather than glucose (sugar)-burning diet). We hung on every word of this one. It appears that one may lose the top, highest performance (top speed) but endurance increases dramatically. This makes sense in light of the evidence that our muscles can only retain so much glucose (enough for about 30-45 minutes), but our fat stores, even on a lean person, are massive. Son Sam and I are doing an Ironman together next year (looking at Chattanooga in September 2014), and it’s my intention to train on a cyclical ketogenic plan.

Dr. Georgia Ede presented a session about Nutrition and Mental Health that blew me away. Because carbohydrates create inflammation in the body, her research is centered on studying whether or not this inflammation, that eventually may lead to diabetes or some kind of autoimmune disorder, may also have an effect on mental health. She was very cautious about even inferring connections, but her research is so promising in connecting diet to some of these diseases (ADHD in particular), and fits with the statistics of what our children are eating.

Then we attended a very sobering session about Malnutrition and Starvation in the World, and about how we, the global human community, can help to feed the world. The conventional wisdom is to produce more grains. Dr Alyssa Rhoden spoke about how to reclaim some parts of the world from the desertification that comes from growing corn and return it to grazeland, and to grow more diverse organic vegetation. This topic is political and ethical as well as economic, and I’m including this link and this link if you are interested in more information.

No monocrops, no grain subsidies, no big agra

The last session of the day for us was an introduction to Pasture and Grassland Ecology. I am particularly interested in this, since my little slice of paradise in Tennessee includes 8 acres and all the animals whose pictures I’m always posting on Facebook. I already have my little garden, and the chickens provide beautiful eggs, but even if I never eat another animal off the land there, I would like to restore the topsoil and care for the groundwater as much as I can. Our lecturer for this has a blog: grassbasedhealth. His topic included the question: Is An Ancestral Diet Sustainable?

So that has been day 2. Just a side note: we’re not just attenders of this conference, we are also working here as the Investigators for Code of Conduct Violations. While all of that is super top secret, I can say that we have not been very busy. Correlation does not imply causation, as we know, and it has been nice being able to attend the lectures.

Today is Eliott’s birthday, so our dinner tonight will not be Paleo. Don’t be hatin.

Thanks for reading!

August 16, 2013 1

Ancestral Health Symposium

So here’s where I am this weekend:

The Ancestral Health Symposium

This is the third year of the symposium, but it’s my first time to go.

The premise is that when we can use an evolutionary prospective, we can develop solutions to our contemporary health challenges. The title Paleo as it applies to nutrition is too vague and is really kind of an inaccurate word, but it’s still a word that gets thrown around and is accepted shorthand within the movement.

Couldn't play it straight. — Couldn’t play it straight.

So first: the demographic of attendees. There are about 600 people here. At any time in a store, or on a street, or at a conference, or on a campus, the folks you see reflect the statistics of America’s population: 35% obese, 69% overweight (including obesity). Not in this room. These are fit people. Fit does not mean slender – these people look strong and healthy. It is a younger group – Eliott and I are in the older 20%, easily – but even the older folks look this way. It’s a refreshing view; I didn’t realize how “normal” it is to see those statistics every day in real life until I was in this conference room.

Most of the speakers are MD’s and PhDs. Check out this detailed schedule. I don’t have a science background, and a few of the presenters today were a smidge over my head. The topics today were:

The Paleolithic Prescription

This was presented by the two MD’s who are considered the “grandfathers” of the modern Paleo movement, who have been researching the hunter-gatherer diet for their entire professional careers. This one was a little sciency, but I hung on the best I could, and took notes on their suggestions for more papers and books to read.

The Consuming Instinct: What Juicy Burgers, Ferraris, Pornography and Gift Giving Reveal About Human Nature

I loved this one. Dr. Gad Saad examined our modern consumer instinct that has gone awry, and what it reveals about our primal nature. It gives context at least to how we’ve gotten where we are, even if it’s unsettling.

Your ovaries know what I'm talking about. — Your ovaries know what I’m talking about.

Sexual Fitness and Women’s Fertility Cycles

Another great session. This examined sexual selection from an evolutionary standpoint, and how we’re massively altering this with our reliance on synthetic hormones, both for men and women. I’m particularly interested in this because of my 4 young-adult children and their long-term health.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Litigation Status

Fascinating session by the plaintiff’s attorney in the lawsuit filed in New York against the HFCS manufacturers on behalf of a teenage girl w/type 2 diabetes, claiming that HFCS is the cause of her developing the disease. I had an instant flashback to my first year of law school and Torts and Strict Liability/Failure To Warn.

Find Your Why

Highlight of the day. This young man, Kyle Maynard, was born with a congenital amputation who has become a motivational speaker, and is a proponent of the Paleo lifestyle. He recently became the first person to “bear crawl” up Mt. Kilimanjaro. It took 13 days and his presentation today was about that challenge. Please click through to his page and read about this spectacular young person.

Awesome. What's your Why? — Awesome. What’s your Why?

The hall of vendors has been wonderful – sources of grass-fed beef, home-gardening aids, and the newest buzz-product Kombucha (kind of a fermented tea that adds beneficial gut flora). Tomorrow also includes a posters’ session, which are like mini-breakout sessions, I think. In between speakers, we have these little 3-minute movement sessions by Adonis- and Venus-like trainers.

About 3 months ago, Eliott and I did this Whole30 experiment. It’s 30 days of absolute clean eating: local and organic grass-fed and pasture-raised meats, local and organic vegetables and some fruits, and healthy fats. No sugar, no grains, no alcohol. It also include other paleo-lifestlyle pieces regarding sleep, timing of meals, and movement. It was both a lot of fun and a real challenge. It was pricey, of course, to buy all that fresh, local food (and lots of time to prepare and cook it), and it was a new skill, but we LOVED it. We felt fabulous, had huge energy, no physical symptoms of our ages (!). It’s extremely difficult to do while traveling, but we’ve continued to do a modified version at home (like I’m not going to have cocktails at sunset). The authors of the Whole 30 book are here for a presentation and panel tomorrow.

So anyway, that’s what I’m doing til Sunday. My brain’s on overload but I’m lovin it. To my Murfreesboro crowd – I’ll be home in time for Glenda’s moving-to-Vegas-and-selling-her-art party on Sunday afternoon.

Thanks for reading!

August 15, 2013 2

Kid swag.

I know, I know, I know. I know I just posted a whole series of posts about hanging out with my kids. But sometimes you have a day like today, and you just have to get it down on paper. Or gigabytes. Or whatever.

I talked to all 4 children today. That’s not completely unusual, since I chat with each of them several days a week, and sometimes it all falls on the same day. What I want to post about is the content of those 4 little chats.

#1.

Ben is in Loveland, Colorado, where he lives with his girlfriend, Kirsten, and their 2 lovely dogs River and Suzie.

Ben is a senior at CU Boulder, a political science major. He’s a 4.0 student (which eats away at his 3.5 gpa mother), and is beginning his search for law school. He is an adventure junkie: skiing, kayaking, mountain biking, bouldering, ice-climbing.

Here’s his Facebook status for today:

Switching to an entirely local and organic diet this month as a project for school. I’m so excited to be not eating corporately produced food. The current food system we have in this country is not safe or secure. It is contributing to anthropogenic climate change and the unnecessary suffering of millions of animals. We support this terrible system with every dollar that we spend for every single meal, three times a day. I challenge everyone to have at least ONE MEAL in which everything you eat is local, sustainable, and raised without pesticides, antibiotics, or petroleum based fertilizers. If you are serious about being thankful for your food, you should really think about the global implications of what it is you are eating. Cheers to a healthy diet and a healthier planet!

So our phone conversation today was all about this 30-day experiment. It’s for his environmental law class, and the students have to lessen their carbon impact. Ben and Kirsten have a little garden, they recycle, ride their bikes around town and school, and are very conscious of their activity. The professor wanted them to develop a new action, not one they are currently engaged in, so this is what Ben came up with. He first suggested a blog to publicize and explain what he does on a daily basis, but then came up with this idea, and I just love it.

#2.

Sam is in Salida, Colorado, where he is a River Ranger on the Arkansas River.

When we chatted today, it was about his schedule and the possibility of his getting the time off to go to Ragbrai, the family bike trip to Iowa. When I asked how he was liking his job, he uses the answer he’s used every time I’ve asked him that this summer: “Livin the dream, mom. Livin the dream.” He works on the river most every day, and on his day off…he goes to the river.

Sam told me about the river clean-up he worked on, the quirkiness of his little town, the upcoming river festival on the Arkansas, and how much fun we all had when the fam gathered in Salida last week.

#3.

Glenda is in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she is finishing the last studio hours to graduate with her BFA from the University of Tennessee. She’s loved the work she’s done there, but she’s definitely ready to move on.

She has plans to move to Vegas in August and hit the nightclub circuit with her hula-hooping performances. Visit her Youtube channel for a video performance – she performs under the stage name Calliope. We’re making our annual trip to TAM in Las Vegas in July to go apartment hunting. She’s scared and excited and nervous and happy. (Her words).

#4.

Amy, tonight, is at Mt. Rainier National Park, on her trip cross-country to Orcas Island, Washington for her summer job as a sea kayak instructor.

Amy graduated from ETSU with a degree in Outdoor Recreation in December, and starts her new job this week. I got to travel with her from Murfreesboro to Salt Lake City last week. We had a great time, and did a lot of sightseeing, but she was content and excited to do the second half of her trip alone. She enjoys her solitude and is comfortable in her own skin. She’s not sure of what lies ahead, and that’s ok with her.

Today’s chat was about everything she had seen in the Tetons and Yellowstone National Park. She was remembering trips with the grandparents as a child, and enjoying every view and campground and buffalo and elk baby she had seen. She is car-camping, and hosteling, and just wanted to tell me what a good time she was having.

That’s my family. I am so proud of those children, I can’t find the words to express it. And the fact that they are so happy and so healthy, and are living the lives they love in the manner they choose…a mother cannot ask for more.

As for me, I live in my little cottage on my little farm, with my dogs, and my cows, and my chickens, and my donkeys. I have wonderful friends, I love my law school, and I have a very special person in my life, who lights me up. More about him in the posts to come.

In a little bit of a morbid twist, I’ve been working on my will, and my letters to my loved ones in the event of my death. This blog in general, and this post in particular, will be part of the package that I’ll leave for my kids, to remind them all of this day, this time, and what their happiness means to me.

Thanks for reading.

June 4, 2013 2

The Fitness Post

How Finding my Fitness led to my Atheism

How Finding my Atheism led to my Fitness

(This was a guest blog for my friend JT Eberhard, who resides at Scienceblogs. The “everyone” in the first line was directed at his atheist readers, as that was the context in which this was discussed and then written. I’ve written about this before, but never all in one post…so….here it is!)

Everyone of us has one of these stories. Everyone’s is interesting, and everyone’s is different.

It gives me joy beyond measure to recount mine. It may seem like I’m taking license to have the two branches of my story to run so parallel, but it only seems unusual now, after the fact. At the time, it just happened.

In 2000, I turned 40, mother of 4 teenagers, active in church and community. I was also active in my Southern Baptist Church, a Sunday School teacher, Missions Director, and committed to the faith. And 60 pounds overweight.

The evening of my 40th birthday party, surrounded by friends, I came to the conclusion, which later I began to describe as an epiphany:

That the first 40 years of our life, we can treat our body pretty brutally, and it will respond, for the most part, to the demand; the second 40, however, are quite a different story: we have to treat our body with deep respect and reverence in order for it to respond to the demands of life.

I had attempted diets before, lost a few pounds, then, ad nauseam, reverted to old, comfortable, established habits. Walking into the bookstore left me more frustrated than helped, facing the wall of books in the Health/Fitness section, some of which were in direct opposition to the one right next to it. Fuck that.

This was in the year 2000, when the internet was a toddler, and I spent hours at the public library looking up nutrition information, going directly to the study when I could. I don’t have a medical background, or even a degree that was heavy in science (education), so I had a lot of remedial work to do. Maybe that even worked in my favor since I had to start from scratch understanding human anatomy, physiology, metabolism, nutrients.

For two years I applied what I learned to my routine, tweaked, applied, and tweaked some more. I lost 60 pounds, and became so interested in and excited about my new lifestyle I became a trainer to try to help others struggling with health issues.

images-2 — Clipboard: yes. Whistle: not so much.

Parallel to this information-gathering, exercise-implementing, nutrition-experimenting journey was a gradual, slow, dawning of realization relating to religion. While I had never been an actual creationist, I was a believer of the Bible, an advocate of a personal savior, even a teacher in my church. My view of the beginning of human history was that whether it was Eden or evolution, Goddidit, and resolving the particulars was irrelevant to me.

As I began my study of nutritive science, however, I found that I needed to study our human anatomy and physiology to make sense of the process. That in turn led me to study our evolutionary heritage: what were we to eat to make us truly thrive? What had we eaten for the thousands of years that we did thrive? While the answer was simple: whole, unprocessed, fairly accessible natural foods, the implication was greater. Evolution was an absolute, undisputed by any scientist, and the evidence was abundant. Hmmmm. Not a show-stopper for the faith, but certainly a proverbial chink in the wall.

I visited Christian apologetics sites and read several books trying to reconcile my new acceptance of evolution with the broader picture of my faith. I knew there were Christians who accepted, even embraced evolution, and I was eager to understand how I was to do this. It was completely contradictory to the version of humanity’s beginnings in the Bible. The general explanation was that the events that occurred in Genesis were “poetic”, not literal, that they were representative of God’s relationship to us. Hmmmm. Again. My next question was: When did the poetry end and the reality begin? Noah? Abraham? David? The apologists diverted at this point: some said that during the course of evolution when we became modern humans, the history then became literal. Some said that the poetry continued through most of the Old Testament. But most certainly they all agreed that when Jesus entered the picture, why then it was all literal.

Or.

Not.

The brevity and simplicity of the paragraphs above belie the drama and torment of the process. In sharing stories with other atheists, I have heard from former believers who left the faith kicking and screaming, who begged God for a word, who didn’t want to be atheists, who fought for years against acceptance of the truth. While mine was not quite so vehement, it was painful, it was sorrowful, it was traumatic, and it was humbling. I had to grieve anew those folks I had only said goodbye to “temporarily” – my grandparents, some friends. I had to recollect every Sunday School lesson I had ever taught with confidence and arrogance. I had to grasp the separation this was going to create with my already fractured extended family. I had to reevaluate my morality. I had to redirect my compassion and drive and creativity and time that for years and years I had devoted to my church.

But do not misunderstand me. Although the journey was unnerving and unknown, it was thrilling and exciting and liberating. My 4 teenage children had been making journeys of their own in the same direction, and we spent countless hours discussing and debating and researching toward the same conclusion. This brought me absolute, sheer delight. Watching their beautiful brains develop their critical thinking skills and refuse to accept dogma made me as proud as their mother as I had ever been.
I love reading former believers’ coming out stories. I love commiserating with the struggles and rejoicing in the victories. I feel the pain of lost relationships and the joy of new discoveries. This is mine. I am honored to share it.

Thanks for reading.

October 18, 2011 2

Quintuple bypass

And now, because I blog about everything…

Dad’s surgery.

Day 11. Dad comes home tomorrow. That’s day 6 post-op. From having his skin cut open, his sternum cracked and his ribs spread, his lungs deactivated temporarily, a vein removed from his leg and quinsected for parts, that vein attached to heart vessels and attached again to heart muscle. I am more than astounded. And this procedure is common enough for him to have received an invitation to be a part of the “zipper club” in this area.

No doubt Dad still has a long recovery. Fortunately for him, he was active before his heart attack, and he was neither a smoker nor overweight. He’ll have to begin with a tiny little walking program and progress on to longer and longer distances. For the last 18 months he had done 30 minutes on the treadmill every night, so he has a goal of returning to his former level. He also has travel plans on his schedule; he had to cancel June’s and most of July’s activities (mom and dad are RVers – serious-9-months-and-thousands-of-miles-a-year-RVers).

I am so proud of how hard he’s trying (keep in mind it IS only day 11 since the heart attack), and I’m so proud of mom for holding up and managing and handling the drama and the effort. Eric and I have been here and have taken our turns with whatever needs done, but the two of them have been troopers.

Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta has been wonderful, their church has been lovely to respect dad’s request for no company in the hospital, and their friends and neighbors have been delightful in providing me with southern comfort foods. My online school program has allowed me the mobility I’ve needed to be here (oh, yes, studied in the hospital and waiting rooms, even took my midterm today at the local library). Brother has shuffled his trial schedule and has been available every day for support.

What’s troubling me?

In a word: nutrition.

Yesterday, mom, dad, and I attended the cardiac rehab class at the hospital. We got information on what it would be like for dad once he got home, the accommodations we need to make for his recovery, what his physical activity regimen would be, and the program of food choices he would need to make at home. The class teacher showed up little vials of the fat content of various food, with dramatic oohs and aahs from the attendees. Ribeye steak – full of fat – BAD. Baked potato – almost none – good. Bagels – almost none – good. Pretzels – none – good. Cheese – lots of fat – bad. Nuts – lots of fat – bad. Olives – lots of fat – bad.

I didn’t go to medical school. I’m not a nutritionist. I have only my own research and understanding of metabolic science to go on. And I will not try to override anything dad’s medical team is telling him about his rehab plan. I went grocery shopping today in anticipation of his coming home, and I tried to buy those things which bisect my choices for his health with his team’s choices. Lean meats. Vegetables. Fruits. All those grains? Can’t do it. I know mom (a diabetic) will buy those when I’m gone, and I won’t comment on it.

Here’s the deal. If you’ve read the blog at all, you know the banner I wave is one of evidence-based living, scientific research, and reason and ration. When I underwent my own health-recovery journey 10 years ago, I fervently tried to get an understanding of the metabolic process, nutrients in foods we eat, the factors influencing weight and health. I tried to bypass interpretations of the science as much as I could, even reading the abstracts myself. I don’t have a science degree, so I would do the best I could, then I’d refer to professional interpretation (read: medical experts, not diet-book writers).

Along with virtually every scientist in the world, I understand and accept the theory of evolution. I understand the micro-changes that have allowed us to get to this point in evolutionary history. When you study that process, over the course of millions of years, and you see where agriculture came onto the scene, so to speak, and the results of introducing grain into our diet. For millions of years, we thrived on meat-eating, almost primarily. It is what gave us our big, beautiful brains, we know what protein does in our system, we know that fat, even saturated fat, is metabolically inert and doesn’t create an insulin response, we know what grains and sugar do to that insulin response, and we know the cascade effect of that chronic insulin response.

I know how I’m going to eat for the rest of my life, unless evidence and science show me differently. I know how I would eat if I were recovering from a heart attack and heart surgery. However, for my precious diabetic mother, and my precious fragile father, I can only relate my understanding of the process, what that eating style has done to my body and my lifestyle, and what I would do. I won’t advise them to do the same. I’m in law school, not medical school.

Don’t mean to be a Debbie-downer. I’m elated that Dad has had the great fortune he has had with his recovery so far. I will support and cheer and encourage as much as I possibly can.

Thank you for all the well-wishes and kind words and deeds, and as always, thanks for reading!

June 24, 2011 4

Book review Sunday (and other things)

What a difference between two mornings!

Yesterday morning was as dark, rainy, windy, omninous, and tornado-threatening as this morning is bright, clear, sunny, and peaceful! Woo hoo to all the runners who braved the weather to compete in the Country Music Full and Half – this one will be memorable!

Today’s post is to be a book review post, but I must first update the 50 New Things project. I have loved hearing all of your responses, and of course, I left a couple out on the last post.

Daughter Amy in Humboldt County suggested climbing a redwood, which is an absolute.

BF Becky in Clarksville (from upstate NY) suggested hiking the Adirondacks in the fall, which I’m going to do with her, whether it’s this fall and an official part of this undertaking, or some other fall when she can make a trip home!

Buddy Ted from my Nashville Secular group had three spectacular ideas: learn to fight with a sword (on the list), drive a race car (ON THE LIST), and hike the AT (not on the list – 6 months is too long for this project!).

Precious Shannon, the mother of my precious grandchild Aden had two suggestions: Take a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class with her (done). Her other suggestion goes under the Streaking Through Publix line: Visit a jail for a few hours. That suggestion may accidently go under several of the other lines.

I guess I’ll begin issuing this disclaimer now: To any of my young readers contemplating a version of this for your 18th or 21st birthdays: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. There is a difference in spending a little time in the back of a patrol car when you are 18 or 21 and when you are 50! (Which can’t go on the list, because it has to be for the FIRST TIME…whatever, I was 20, stupid, a little drunk, and a lot over-confident. Story for another time.)

Now on to the next topic: Boobquake.

In my blog-reading recently, I came across Jen McCreight’s blog (www.blaghag.com). I have never read her before; she’s a self-described feminist-atheist-activist, and this particular post has taken on the proverbial Life Of Its Own, receiving comments from Richard Dawkins AND Christopher Hitchens (supposedly), becoming a Facebook Fan Page, and being linked to Pharyngula, one of the most popular blogs of all time. In response to a radical cleric’s declaration that provocatively-dressed women and the resultant promiscuity lead to earthquakes, Jen has offered up her ample cleavage in a mass experiment to occur Monday, April 26. Thousand have joined in with her to harness the power of the boob, in a light-hearted effort to make the point that perhaps earthquakes are caused by more natural forces than a malevolent supernatural avenging god. I will lend my own effort to the cause, albeit it limited in size and scope; we small-breasted women unite in saying: “It’s not the size!! It’s not the size!!” (And yes, we have discussed the impact of an actual earthquake occurring the day of our little experiment, and we have a response for that: Behold the Power of the Boob – think of the implications…what ELSE could our body parts do??)

Now, finally, to the book review…

I have just simultaneously finished reading two books. They are The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith, and Godless by Dan Barker. I was reading the first when I discovered I had the opportunity to hear Dan Barker speak and quickly had his book beamed into the Kindle to read before his lecture.

Dan Barker was an evangelical preacher in California as a young man. He made multiple mission trips to Mexico throughout high school, college at Azusa Pacific, and his young adulthood. He described himself as a fundamentalist, and was also a gifted musician. He wrote several children’s holiday musicals that are still being performed today (Mary Had A Little Lamb, for Christmas, and His Fleece Was White As Snow, for Easter). His story is of his conversion (de-conversion) from fundamentalist evangelist to atheist. He is now co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (www.FFRF.org – well worth a visit), and is an international speaker and debater. In person he was charming, funny, and articulate (he spoke at the Belcourt in Nashville last Monday night). Because of his personal history, he speaks and writes gently and with compassion about believers who hold the same aggressive conviction he once did. His book and website address the impact of fundamental religion on our country, our children, and our position in the international community. His book is a terribly interesting read, and not only does his share his journey, but he throws in the basic philosophical and theological reasons most former theists leave their faith.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book, for believers and former believers alike. Former believers will appreciate his insight and humor in his discovery process, and believers will appreciate understanding why he and others leave the faith they once held so very dear. This book is well-written, personal, funny, and important. It is available in Kindle version, and I’ve seen it in B & N, Borders, Books-A-Million, and of course Amazon.

The second book is The Vegetarian Myth, by Lierre Keith. Don’t let the title throw you. You do not have to have any connection whatsoever to vegetarianism to read this book. If I had the leverage, I would make everyone on the planet read this book; as it is, I’m going to bribe/threaten/cajole my family and posse to read this book. One review I read said that everyone should read it, and everyone who eats should memorize it; I agree. I consider it one of the most important books related to personal and planet health that has EVER been written.

My disclaimer is completely up front: Ms. Keith is a radical, lesbian feminist. Get over it. If our criteria for reading any book was that we should agree with every belief the author holds, we wouldn’t have read much of anything, would we? Read this book ESPECIALLY if you are troubled by her views! I have joked that if I could have any superpower, it would be to force people to read books (I know, right?).

Another review of this book says this: “In any course about writing, you are instructed to figuratively cut open a vein and bleed on the paper – this book comes as close to doing that as any I have ever read.” Ms. Keith was a vegetarian/vegan for 20 years, for moral, nutritional, and political reasons. Her compassion for animals is palpable on every page, and her intentions were as pure and altruistic as any vegan I’ve ever known. There is a vegetarian I love who is one of the 4 most important people in my life, and I am willing to admit that I read this book with my arms wrapped around that precious soul.

Ms. Keith addresses the science, history, intent, implications, and results of vegetarianism. The book is brimming over with new information about our food supply and its process. She brings to light the ugliness that is our commercial meat industry, the despicable way we are treating our food animals, and the reflection that shines on our society. She writes a chapter on soil (soil!) that is so loving and descriptive I read it three times. I have ordered and sent this book to my Forestry-and-Conservation-soon-to-be-graduate-of-UT son in New Zealand. I’ve ordered and had it sent to my hippie son in Colorado, my California Redwoods daughter, and will soon send it to my precious vegetarian, free-spirit, compassionate, smart, beautiful daughter in France.

I’m so torn about wanting to tell you everything in the book, and allowing Ms. Keith to do it in her much more passionate and articulate way. Let me just say that I dare you to read it. I beg you to read it. I’ll bribe you to read it. I’d force you to read it if I had any dirt on you. And when you do read it, I’ll be waiting for your phone call or text about meeting at Starbucks to discuss it.

The daughter I have referred to several times in this post has as one of her life mottos:

Comfort the disturbed. Disturb the comfortable.

I love that expression, and it is never more applicable than to this book. Read it. Please.

One tiny reference to training – going well, going strong, feeling great, loving the running/biking, hating the swimming (wetsuit in a pool – yuk).

Thanks for reading! (THE superpower!)

April 25, 2010 0

First of the big 5 bricks

It is 10:40pm.

I got up at 6:45am to begin the day.

Since I have been home, I have taken a shower, started a load of smelly laundry, and had a delicious diet Coke.

Otherwise, I have been training all day. (Disclaimer – 3+ hours of driving to and from Natchez Trace, dinner at Applebees)

The Natchez Trace is an historic Indian trail that reaches from Nashville to Tupelo (about 460 miles). It takes a bit to get there, but it’s a fabulous road for training. I’m sure the high season is the fall when the leaves are colorful, but this time of year it is seldom used. It’s a well-maintained 2-lane road; the terrain varies from gentle undulations to rollers to serious granny-gear ups and downs. We chose to ride the section south of Nashville to the turnaround just south of the Meriwether Lewis monument (site of his death and burial).

P1180094 — very important piece of equipment in the seat bag....

P1180095 — ...and using that equipment before getting on the bike...

P1180097 — ...and my pleasure of Jesse being in charge of the camera.

Over the course of our 120k round trip, we saw all three types of terrain I mentioned. However, we had a head wind, and the particular section we chose included an elevation gain on the outbound leg. So the trip that took us 3.5 hours out took us only 2.5 hours coming back in. We spent a half-hour at the monument and got back to the truck just before dark.

P1190104 — Meriwether's monument: Was he killed? Did he commit suicide? Just ask Grandpa Jay...

At about this point, Jesse took a little detour off the Trace toward a town for a treat run:

P1190105 — I'm not telling if he ate all of them...you'll have to ask him

So, back at the truck, off came the bike shoes, on went the running shoes, and off I went, with Jesse behind me in the truck for my 14k’s of running.

P1190111 — bad pic - he said he wasn't as tired as this looks

P1190110 — my quick break before running

P1190114 — me hatin the Gu flavor - blueberry pomegranate I think

P1190118 — practicing for running in the dark at the Ironman!

The bike ride was tough with the hills and the headwind, but the run was pretty strong, considering. I had a strong rhythm though about 11k, then hit the proverbial wall. I walked a bit and attempted to recover, but I was so lightheaded and dizzy and it was so late, I chose to bail. It makes me feel guilty to do that, but I know better than to push myself too far.

So here I am, vegging on the couch, attempting to recover, before tomorrow’s strength training and DELICIOUS massage from my girl Janet at the MAC (THE premier reason for owning a massage therapy practice!).

Favorite shuffle: All This Joy, John Denver, which I heard in the dark while watching deer off the road by truck headlights.

I ate ONE of the Snickers.

Thanks for reading!

January 20, 2010 2

Happy. Healthy. Heathen.

Traveling, training, thinking, talking, typing

Category

AHS, Day 2

Ancestral Health Symposium

Kid swag.

The Fitness Post

Quintuple bypass

Book review Sunday (and other things)

First of the big 5 bricks

Archives

Blogroll

Recent Posts

Categories

Twitter Updates

Gayle Jordan