Kousins Krispy - Brain Snacks

During my recovery from hip-joint replacement surgery, my cousin Carmen has been doing some cooking experiments in an effort to provide me with not only nutritious meals but also with food that meets my need for “crunch” and “variety.” One of her creations we dubbed Kousins Krispy. It's brain friendly! I have added the recipe to my website but thought I might try including it in a blog. A first for me!

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oatmeal (uncooked)
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• ¼ cup almond milk or rice milk
• ¼ cup grated coconut
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup chopped nuts
• ½ cup dried cranberries or finely diced dried figs or dates
• 1 Tbsp real maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preparation

Place oatmeal, raisins, nuts, coconut, and dried fruit in a mixing bowl and stir well.
Add mashed bananas, milk, applesauce, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well.
Spoon onto greased cookie sheet and flatten each slightly into about a 2-inch diameter size.
Place in oven preheated to 350 F. Bake for 20-25 minutes until brown and crispy.

Serving

Remove from oven. Let cool and serve. You can use for dessert, in place of muffins at breakfast, or as a snack on a hike or at the beach.

"Sick" Brain Messages

I kept thinking about the word “sick. My brain’s opinion is that the word “sick” gives a definite message to your brain. We’re not talking about pretending you’re well when you’re not. If I’m really “sick” with the flu or food poisoning or a nauseous reaction to opiate pain meds (that was not pretty!), I’m more than willing to acknowledge that. When you say, “I feel sick,” a representation of what sick means to your brain goes into working memory. Working memory is the center stage part of consciousness, if you will. The brain figures that whatever is in working memory must be important to you because you put it there; and it will do its best to help you make that happen. And then the principle of congruence kicks in. The brain wants everything to match. At the words, “I feel sick,” your brain begins to search your memory banks for all the other times in your life when you felt sick and pretty soon you feel much more sick than when you started this whole process. In my case, step one involves identifying what is happening (my body is giving me some symptoms of nausea—it isn’t happy about something). Step two involves figuring out strategies to make the situation more livable (suck on chipped ice, sip a cold 7-Up, chew some crackers, change pain medications!). That can help to keep your brain’s working memory brainstorming possible solutions instead of collecting and rehearsing all the other “nausea episodes” that may have crossed your path . . .

"Sick" and "Sick"

“I’m so sorry you’re sick,” said the voice over the phone. Sick? Hmmm. I know I just had a hip-joint replacement but sick? Don’t think so. That sent me on a word search for “sick.” I found several definitions, a plethora of synonyms, multiple metaphors, and some usage differences between British English and American English. To take the last one first, in Canada I often heard, “She’s off sick.” In the USA I’m more likely to hear, “She’s out sick.”


A couple of the more common definitions for feeling sick are “nausea and vomiting” and “suffering from an illness or disease.” And then there are metaphors and expressions such as:

 

• I’m so sick (identifying with your symptoms)
• Call in sick (unable to go to work or school)
• Sick and tired of your excuses (frustrated about something)
• Sick at heart (sad, disappointed)
• You make me sick (disgusted)
• Sick with fear (terrified)
• The cat’s been sick on the carpet (another mess to clean up)
• I’m sick to death of waiting for you (worried, impatient)
• Sick as a dog (desperately ill)
• That is really sick (awful, inappropriate, unusual, impressive)
• He fell sick (hope he didn't break anything in the process)
• She took sick (stole another's illness)
• You’ll make yourself sick if you eat any more (overeating pain)
• That sick pervert is on the line again (inappropriate comments)
• No more of your sick jokes! (unpleasant, cruel, strange)

 As I said, I’m recovering well from hip-joint replacement surgery. I am not sick!

Bucket and Un-Bucket Lists

The concept of a bucket list became popular with the 2007 comedy/drama movie directed by Rob Reiner and starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. The idea was to make a list of all the things you want to do before you kick the bucket. I’ve done a lot of things from my bucket list. Getting to visit the 7th continent, Antarctica, was one of them. While reclining in my hospital bed recently, I read a wonderful piece by Jim Mullen who wrote: “For every item you put on your Bucket List, you should put one on your Un-Bucket List -- the list of all the things you don’t want to do before you die.” I started laughing about that and am still chuckling. When my cousin Carmen came to stay with me for a couple of weeks post-op, we brainstormed some Un-Bucket List ideas we plan to avoid.  

• Eat raw escargot on the beach
• Bungee jump from the top of the Eiffel Tower
• Become a snake-handler
• Take a two-week vacation to Afghanistan
• Ride Brahman bulls bareback
• Parachute over Haleakala
• Learn to wrestle an alligator
• Become a Cardinal
• Swimming with great white sharks
• BASE jumping from El Capitan

 So what’s on your Un-Bucket List?

Cholesterol Caveats

You likely already know that your body is designed to make all the cholesterol you need. Your blood levels of cholesterol can rise, however, based on your lifestyle. This includes your type, level, and frequency of exercise as well as what you eat. Dietary cholesterol is found in egg yolks, whole-milk dairy foods, poultry, fish, and animal meats. Your physician can evaluate your total cholesterol as well as your blood levels of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and help you design a personal program, if you need to achieve a healthier ratio of HDL to LDL. For some, this may include medication to help lower LDL or increase HDL. Other strategies may include maintaining an optimum weight, exercising for 30-60 minutes a day, leaning toward Mediterranean cuisine, using low-fat dairy products, and selecting a wide variety of foods that are naturally low in saturated fat and cholesterol such as vegetables, fruits, and whole-grains. Think of a high-level-wellness lifestyle as “getting more bang for your buck.” This is because generally what’s good for your brain is also good for your heart and immune system.

Oil, Water, and Your Brain

No doubt you've heard a natural law stated as, "Oil and water do not mix." In the body, blood is watery while cholesterol is oily. And the two don't mix, either. Cholesterol travels through the blood in little packages known as lipoproteins. Two types of lipoproteins are Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and High Density Lipoprotein (HDL). LDL tends to lead toward the buildup of cholesterol in your arteries, which increases your risk of heart disease. No surprise, it can increase your risk for brain problems such as strokes, too. For that reason LDL is sometimes called the bad type of cholesterol. HDL, on the other hand is often referred to as the good type. It helps carry cholesterol to your liver, which removes it from your body. The higher your blood level of HDL, the lower your risk of developing heart disease. Interestingly enough, what is good for your heart is good for your brain and immune system, as well. There are strategies to help you achieve a healthier ratio of HDL to LDL. That’s for tomorrow.

Cholesterol and Your Brain

When you throw out the word cholesterol in a social setting, most people have heard of it but aren’t sure what it really is or may think it’s all “bad.” Cholesterol is the label for a fat-like, waxy substance found in cells of the body and you need some of it. Your body uses cholesterol to make substances that help you digest your food. It is involved in making a variety of hormones. It even impacts Vitamin D in your body. Having cholesterol levels that are too high, however, are associated with an increased risk for heart disease. But think brain health, too. Heart disease can impact brain function because it’s the heart that keeps blood flowing through the arteries of the brain, bringing glucose for fuel, oxygen, and micronutrients so you can “think.” The blood also carries waste products away from the brain. Your total cholesterol is a combination of two types. More on that tomorrow.