The other day I was craving freshly-squeezed lemon juice, again! Every once in a while I have to have it, not unlike my chocolate cravings that attack me like a pittbull every few weeks. In any case, I had always thought the lemonade thing was brought on by a specific type of thirst from salty food or something. But this time, I noticed I had been feeling sleepy all day along with the rainy weather and low atmospheric pressure. Which got me to thinking…how much our bodies and their functioning are affected by weather. It seems that doctors can find nothing completely conclusive about how rain causes people with arthritis to suffer more or how excessive heat causes criminals to act up. But Belfast Telegraph in the U.K. came up with an interesting list of 12 different natural weather conditions and their possible human symptoms, from humidity-induced migraines to insomnia brought on by wind.

by the Department of Health & Mental Hygiene! EEKS!!
I went by there(midtown West) yesterday to pick up a couple ‘baozi’ - you know, bun-like chinese snacks - and the door was locked with the bright yellow notice posted in plain view.
It must have just happened - the workers were still standing there, but with no food in sight. It looked like they were in the process of closing shop.
But what? I was still in shock, bewildered that I had frequented a spot that was found to be completely filthy. Who knows what I was eating! Blechhh!!!
Well, their snacks were good, and at 40 cents a pop, the cheapest around. Almost as cheap as in China, and really, only Chinese people (besides me, but then again, I speak Chinese) got food there. But I never ate from their lunch buffet, and I suspect that that was likely where the hygiene problem was found. Or maybe it was the rats in the back. Who knows.
I’m still wondering, though, where does the “Mental” part of the hygiene come from?

     The answer is yes. Studies show that there are chemicals, such as high levels of chlorine (!!!) in our regular bath & sink water that is ruining our skin. I first heard about this a while back through an interesting article in the fashion magazine W.
Since I don’t want to be aging my skin every time I wash my face or jump in the shower, I decided to research the whole thing, finding this:

• Clean Water Geeks - website with info as well as products (Aquasana) to filter your water
• Advanced Water Filters - a website selling water filters as well…
• Shower Filter Store - a neat looking place with their own set of shower filters for sale
• Aquasana - the more well-known of the water filtering bunch

     I myself chose Aquasana, since it was the easiest and cheapest of the bunch. I ordered it, and it arrived quickly & securely within a week. It was a cinch to set up, and I love it! I soon as I started showering in my filtered water, I noticed my skin less dry and my hair softer than normal. I’m due for a refill soon (about every 6 months), but I’m guessing that’s even easier to set up - you just take off the old filter and attach the new one.
     It’s bad enough we have to worry about the cosmetics we use or the food we put in our bodies, but if we don’t filter our water, we may be doing even more harm than we ever imagined. These filters help bring the water back to a ‘natural’ state.

And I thought it was easier to use the pancake mix where you just add water.

Mark Bittman has a video posted right now on NY Times that shows you exactly how to make these 10 minute pancakes - and they’re so easy!

Ingredients: (they call it the rule of 1’s”)

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 dash of salt (my personal addition)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk

Mix (try to beat egg with milk a bit before adding to flour mixture), etc, and do as you normally do with your pancakes.

I wish I knew the recipe was this simple before!!!

A couple months ago I came down with a cold. I guess my last-minute resort, Echinacea, couldn’t help prevent this one. In any case, a nice contact of mine at the time recommended “Emergen-C” to me, saying that during the winter he drinks it all the time to avoid colds.

I traveled to the nearest vitamin store to get it. It costs about $10 for a box of 36 packets. You can choose from different flavors, none of which sounded very appealing to me, so I chose “Super Orange.” It still tasted bad. Instead of mixing it in water, I would put it in juice or ice tea mix or something…I never liked it. BUT, it REALLY WORKS. As soon as you drink it, you feel a bit better.

So I decided I’d do some research on Vitamin C, to see what’s really going on. I found tons of stuff online. This article describes Vitamin C is high detail, in particular about Vitamin C reacting with other chemicals/supplements in the body. The one main side-effect from taking too much Vitamin C is diarrhea. Many people suggest taking as much as your body can handle (i.e. if you get diarrhea, then take it down a notch). Others recommend to stay closer to the daily recommended intake of under 100mg and not to go farther than 1000mg.

In the meantime, I also found pure Vitamin C powder at the local health food store. Vitamin C is really just abscorbic acid (though it can come in different forms), which is what makes those bright-colored sugary “worms” I used to eat as a teenager taste tangy. So about 3-4 times a day, I added about 1/2 teaspoon of Vitamin C to whatever I was drinking. I barely noticed the taste, and I was getting about 5-10 grams of Vitamin C a day.

Vitamin C allowed me to function with my cold. Most symptoms (stuffy nose, etc) were alleviated (by A LOT), and if I took a couple aspirin as well, any temperature I had was not noticeable. It was like taking an antihistamine or Advil Cold & Sinus but without the drugs (Advil C&S, non -drowsy version, is great but it has pseudoepinephrine in it, which is basically like taking caffeine to keep you up & going). Also, Vitamin C has other medical properties that benefit the body.

Since Vitamin C also has great anti-oxidant abilities, I try to take it as much as possible. My favorite method of ingesting it is the powder, but I also have big 1000mg (+1g) pills that are much more portable. Of course, if I feel tired & sluggish (like before coming down with a cold), I try to take more.

Maybe you’re trying to lose weight but don’t know how. Or perhaps you are at your ideal weight and want some ideas on how to maintain your figure. This list may (or may not) help.
This is coming from somebody who has been thin (and athletic) ALL her life. Don’t get me wrong, I must have been blessed with some skinny genes - I take after my lanky father. However, I STILL believe that what & how I do & eat is key.

Instead of telling you what YOU should do, I will make a list of my own habits and explain how I think it helps. Keep in mind, most of these I do naturally (i.e. I don’t try at all, it’s just the way my body works).

1. I always eat breakfast. This stimulates metabolism for the day, it regulates your eating cycle (I do believe that breakfast, lunch, and dinner is there for a reason), etc.
2. I never starve myself. If I’m hungry, then I EAT! Your body is obviously telling you something, & we all know that the body will horde more calories from your meal the hungrier you are, so you should eat.
3. I don’t overeat. What’s the point? So I can get heartburn or gas or not be able to do anything after I leave the table? Just stop when you are full.
4. Watch your portions. (related to #3) Keep in mind portions have grown drastically over the last 20-30 years, so that a “regular”-sized meal in a restaurant is basically 3 meals in 1. Seriously. I have to share or just get an appetizer with a dessert or something. It’s ridiculous. If you are eating a whole ‘restaurant’ appetizer, entree, and dessert, you are most likely overeating by a lot. (this doesn’t apply to super-huge male athletes, though, I guess; nor does this apply to those nice expensive restaurants with mini-courses)
5. I always eat AT THE TABLE. Not standing up. Not walking. Not while riding the bus or the train. I sit down and eat, and I concentrate on my food only. Be conscious of what you put in your mouth!!!
6. I never eat before going to bed. Or lay down after eating. The best thing to do is something active for a while right after eating (which is known to decrease the number of calories absorbed by the meal). Do you know how SUMO WRESTLERS gain weight??? By eating and then sleeping, which stretches out their stomachs, so that when they wake up they’re even hungrier so they do the process all over again!!!! So try not to follow that regimen.;)
7. I never drink soda, diet or regular, and I can’t stand fake juices. If the juice is not 100% from FRUIT, why drink it? I drink water all day.
8. I only have 1 caffeine drink per day, in the MORNING, and that is ALL. What’s the use of more caffeine? One cup of coffee or tea in the morning is all you need to get on with your day.
9. I never eat fast food. Unless it’s Chinese (and something healthy from their menu…watch out!)
10. I bring my own meal to work. Not only does it save you money, but you actually know what you’re putting into your body! For example, I’ll have a simple sandwich with chips & water. And trailmix as a snack.
11. When I get hungry and need to snack, I try to eat natural (i.e. NOT processed), like trailmix, crackers with dip, fruit, yoghurt, a mini-bagel with something, etc.
12. I avoid processed foods in general, especially fakes (like corn syrup or ‘enriched’ or hydrogenated) & perservatives.
13. I only buy and cook with olive oil. It is a healthy oil that helps lower cholesterol and high blood pressure. I really never use any other oil. I know it’s more expensive, but it’s worth it, and you can use it for dressings.
14. When I shop for food, I ALWAYS check the back!!!! Please, please, please, check the ingredients before you buy. Be an educated shopper, especially when it comes to what you put IN your body!
15. If you don’t buy junk food, you can’t eat junk food. We all know that as soon as you buy it, you know it’s there, and you eat it, almost immediately, so just don’t buy it! Instead, buy chocolate chips so you can make fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies when you are really in need of some sweets, or have pure cocoa to make a hot chocolate or homemade brownies instead. If you bake instead of buy, you’ll be eating REAL food, and not a bunch of fake sugars with preservatives. And you can bake little bits at a time, for instance a couple cookies in the toaster oven (works great), or a few cupcakes instead of a whole pie or pan of brownies.
16. I eat CHOCOLATE whenever I need it. And that seems to be a lot. (I prefer the not-so-sweet, more real cocoa ones). I eat meat. I eat a lot of peanut butter. I guess my body wants the protein (but it’s also a good source of Vitamin E). I have always loved rich foods (vs. my mother who prefers salty like chips & pistachios). In any case, I believe that these rich foods HELP keep a person thin. My hypothesis is this: rich foods fill you up without taking up a lot of space in your stomach. Therefore, the next time you eat, your stomach will have shrunk, and you will not need to eat as much. I prefer rich foods that are not overly sweet like your nearest restaurant chain’s chocoloate mud pie, so please don’t go and pig out on that stuff - I’m sure that can’t do your body good.
17. I avoid greasy foods. I just don’t like it. Oil running down your chin, dripping on your fingers…what is great about that??? If you can’t take a sip of water without smearing your glass, then you know something’s wrong.
18. I try to exercise 15-30 min at least 3 times a week. (this is just UPKEEP for me, though I’d like to get back into aerobic shape again). I mix it up with Yoga (I used to do martial arts, so the stretching thing is great), dancing, targeted exercises I have learned (& some I’ve developed) along the way, and jumping rope (if I get around to it). The key is to do something YOU LIKE, and there’s billions of choices out there nowadays.
19. I take the stairs. (unless it’s more than 3-5 flights) — the idea is, just to stay ACTIVE as much as possible. Walk or bike instead of driving. Use your legs. Use your arms (carry stuff instead of pushing a cart or getting help you don’t need). And so on….
20. If I eat too much, I shit (excuse my french) it out. (okay, this is not something I choose to do, it just happens!) Besides gaining weight, this is a sure-fire way to know if you are eating too much. In any case, if you can live on 1500 calories a day and stay at 120lbs (for instance), you should NOT eat 3000 calories, EVEN IF you don’t gain weight!!!! First of all, you may think that if you eat more you should gain weight (if you are exercising the same) - but this is not always the case. Your body often levels out at some ‘ideal’ or ‘natural’ weight for you, so that all those extra calories are wasted. Not only are you wasting money on food, but you’re putting your body to extra work in trying to sort it all through your system. This is why people who live on less calories probably actually LIVE LONGER.
21. I don’t watch too much TV. I grew up with one television in the household, kept in a separate “tv room”, so I had to make a special effort to “go & watch tv”. I can’t stand to leave the tv on in the background, either. No matter what, even the commercials make you stare at it. Then you slowly become a zombie, mesmerized by a screen…it’s all BAD. Just make a date & time to watch your favorite shows, and then TURN IT OFF! I much prefer to leave the radio on all day instead. Music keeps me going…

So that’s the list for now. I may add more when I notice something else. Remember, these are basically natural to me. For you it may be different, you may have to retrain your body. After a couple weeks, though, you’ll see that your body will be telling you what it really needs…and it better not be cheeseburger + fries + soda!