Healthy, Delicious Food At Flower Child

I went to lunch today with several of my Newcomer friends.  We tried the new restaurant in Flower Hill mall, called Flower Child.  I had looked at the menu online prior to our visit, so I knew what to expect.  Fantastic, healthy food in an upbeat environment.  First, there are flower boxes and vases filled with flowers everywhere.  There is outdoor seating in the front of the restaurant, and lots of outdoor seating in the rear.  Inside, there is seating on two levels, so there  should never be a wait for a table.  The restaurant is noisy.  Nothing on the floors or windows to absorb sound, but it was manageable.

Flower Child is casual dining.  Go to the register and order your food, take your number to your table, and in less than 10 minutes they will bring you your food.  There were five of us, and all of us ordered something different.  Salads, soups, bowls, wraps and entrees.  Viv ordered the salmon, perfectly cooked, with a side of glazed butternut squash topped with spinach and pomegranat..  I had a spicy quinoa bowl, with lots of veggies, topped with cashews.  Marilyn ordered a curry tofu bowl with lots of veggies. Merrill ordered a vegetable salad, filled with all kinds of veggies and a nice dressing. Of course they had  avocado toast topped with a soft egg on the menu.  That seems to be on every trendy restaurant menu these days.  Various kinds of hummus were on the menu, and chicken or beef could be added to many of the vegetarian items.  Bottled juices and water and several flavored ice tea and lemonades were also available.  They also had a nice coffee bar.

One thing I particularly liked about Flower Child was each menu item listed calories, and whether it was vegan, vegetarian or gluten free.  They have several other locations, including Santa Monica.  I called my mom right away and told her about the restaurant.  She will love it.

If you like places like True Food and Tender Greens, you will like Flower Child.  It's moderately priced, and if you don't have too much hassle with parking, you will have a great experience.  Oh, they also serve breakfast.  As if Flower Hill Mall wasn't popular already, this will really add cars to the parking lot.

A Day At The Park, The Dog Park That Is

Every day around 4pm, a group of Ocean Hills residents congregate at our on site dog park.  The dogs love it, and so do the people.  Over the almost two years that I've lived here, I have learned a lot about all the people who visit the park regularly.  We watch out for each other, call to make sure everything's ok if someone doesn't show up for a few days, and take care of each others dogs when necessary. 

We have an interesting group of park regulars.  There's a commercial pilot who used to fly for LBJ.  He's got so many interesting stories.  There is a nurse, a lawyer, a teacher,  an engineer, a psychologist, several retired military men, an insurance salesman, and a variety of other talented people.  We have Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and Independents.  We have had some lively political discussions over the past year, and I'm sure there will be lots more conversation once the new president takes office.

Time at the park is as much for the people as it is for the dogs.  Some dogs don't play at all.  They just sit on their owners' laps.  Others, like Pepper, have their favorite dogs to play with.  Pepper loves Carli, and waits patiently for her to arrive each day.  He also enjoys playing with Mr. Snuggles.  Dillon, a double doodle, grew up at the park.  Don and MaryAnn started bringing him to the park when he was three months old.  He is a year old now, and he loves to play ball.  He was so rambunctious when he first came to the park.  Now he is full of energy but well behaved.  Then there's Bruce, all six pounds of him, barking at the gate as each dog arrives.  Charlie is the playground supervisor.  He will bark and bark as other dogs play, and we think he is telling them to behave.

It's a great group.  Our ages range from 55 to 97.  Paul, the oldest member of the dog park regulars, is quite amazing.  He never forgets a name, never forgets anything you tell him.  Socialization is one of the things that keeps people young.  We'll keep on visiting the dog park.  It keeps us young, and keeps our dogs young, too.

Holiday Traditions

Christmas is over, but Hanukkah is just getting started.  It seems like the holiday season just goes on and on and on.  Traditions are a big part of both Christmas and Hanukkah, and everyone has their favorites.  For Hanukkah, my favorite tradition is making and eating latkes.  Better still is a latke party!  No one can resist a party where the main event is eating latkes with applesauce and sour cream.  When the kids are around, playing dreidel is another fun tradition.  This year we were without children and grandchildren, so our Christmas dinner was at our favorite Chinese restaurant.  A movie and Chinese food is one of our Christmas traditions.

Christmas baking is another holiday traditions that many families take part in.  Grandmas, moms and kids spend the day baking holiday cookies to enjoy themselves and give away.  Another popular Christmas tradition is to watch Christmas movies, like It's a Wonderful Life.  Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, this tradition is one that I love.

Buying each child an ornament each year is another Christmas tradition.  It's one that usually is passed from generation to generation.  My personal favorite tradition, is to play nothing but Christmas music from Thanksgiving until the new year.  I love Christmas music.  I have two stations set in my car so that I can enjoy it as I drive around.

Finally, a holiday tradition told to me by my friend Renee, that I just love.  She and her family (adults and older children only) spend a day together watching movies and having lunch and dinner together.  It's sort of a movie marathon, that they plan in advance.  They vote on which movies they're going to see together.  They see one in the morning, then have lunch, then two more movies, then dinner, and I think one more movie after dinner.  I'm exhausted just thinking about it.  Renee is the one to ask if you want to know which new movies are worth seeing.

Spending time with family and friends is really what the holidays are all about.  Any tradition you develop just adds to this special time.  We all create our own traditions.  That's what makes us each unique and special.

Cooking Classes For A Healthy Lifestyle

Several months ago, Fran and I went to a breast cancer fund raiser put on by her sister, Maryanne.  It was great fun, and Fran won lots of prizes.  One of the prizes she won was a cooking class for 4, at the home of Freddie Pakier.  Freddie is a well known cooking teacher in San Diego, and a nutritional coach.  She is very knowledgeable and entertaining.  Fran invited Janie, Maryanne and myself to join her for an evening cooking class, titled Silent Inflammation.  I was excited to go.  I am stuck in a rut, making the same dishes over and over, and frankly, Ron and I are sick of it.  This class gave me inspiration to try something new.  Here's what we ate and learned.

Freddie talked about knowing your CRP.  That stands for C-Reactive protein, something a blood panel can test for, but you have to ask your doctor to include that test in your blood panel.  You want yur number to be less than 1.  She talked about low glycemic foods, especially good for diabetics.  She talked about eating real food, eating organic fruits and veggies and grass fed beef, eating lots of greens and eating whole grains in moderation.

The best veggies to help maintain a low glycemic load dozens of veggies, mostly green.  This list does not include carrots, corn or beets, all high sugar vegetables.  Other foods to avoid to keep your CRP low include sugar, flour, processed food, gluten and dairy and starchy foods.  Obviously it is impossible to avoid all of these foods, but recognizing that they lead to a higher CRP and also lead to weight gain, may help you eat them in moderation.

Our menu at the class included split pea soup first, followed by a delicious arugula, cabbage and lettuce salad, steamed veggies with glaze, marinated and baked cod, and sweet potatoes with curry and olive oil.  It was a delicious meal, low in calories with a low glycemic index.  Dessert was a frozen strawberry and banana sorbet.  What a satisfying meal!

Thanks, Fran, for taking me to Freddie's cooking class. It was informative, fun, and delicious, and got me out of my cooking funk.  I especially loved the sweet potatoes, and will make them soon.

Should You Always Listen To Your Doctor?

My immediate response to this question, is YES.  Most doctors and dentists have the patients best interest at heart when they prescribe medications and  recommend procedures and tests.  However, patients should always listen to the doctor and their own common sense.  Doctors have been known to prescribe tests that are not really necessary, and dentists have done the same.  The jails are filled with doctors involved in medicare fraud and over prescribing medication.

One 90+ year old woman that I spoke to had changed doctors several years ago and the new physician had recommended that she have the wax cleaned from her ears, a charge of $400.  The next year the woman went in for a physical, and the same procedure was recommended again.  She had her ears cleaned again.  In the third year, when the same procedure was recommended for a third time, the woman caught on.  She had not had this procedure done in the first 90 years of her life, and now, all of a sudden, she needed it every year?  That doesn't make sense.  She determined that the doctor was adding additional treatments to increase her bill.

Many years ago I went to a dentist who told me that I needed deep cleaning.  I had never had any problem with my teeth or gums, so I was a little skeptical.  I decided to change dentists (for another reason), and I went to two more dentists before selecting a new dentist.  Neither of the dentists recommended deep cleaning.  I was also told by the old dentist to remove all my old fillings (the silver ones) and have new ones put in.  I thought this sounded fishy, and decided not to do it.  In researching this subject, I found out it is not necessary to have old fillings replaced unless they are cracked.

Medicine is a business.  Doctors and dentists are  there to help others, but in the end, they're in business.  With insurance and medicare reducing income for doctors, some medical professionals are looking for ways to increase their bottom line.  One thing doctors do today that they never used to do, is require an office visit for absolutely everything.  This way they will get their co-pay.  Gone are the days of doctors calling in a prescription without seeing you.

Use your good common sense and you will usually be right.

This whole story came about when my grandson, age 2, was sent to the dentist for a checkup.  I told my son I was surprised that dental visits were required at such a young age.  I told my son that in my day, children  didn't have a dental visit until around age 5. My son told me all the pediatricians send their 2 year old patients to the dentist, and at six month intervals forever.  Is this necessary, or just a way to improve the dentists' bottom line?  I don't know, but I think we all need to listen to the doctor, and use our own common sense, when deciding on treatment for ourselves or our children.     

Why Do We Snore More As We Get Older?

Snoring is not a breathing problem.  It has to do with your throat, and narrowing in your throat can cause snoring.  This happens more as we age for several reasons.  One, we usually put on weight, and if we gain weight in the neck area, breathing at night becomes more difficult. (the space that the air goes through narrows.)   The reflexes that keep the throat open relax when we sleep. Also, women tend to snore more as they age because of the hormonal changes in their body.

Over the past six months, Ron has been complaining of my "snoring."  He says it's really not snoring, but a little puff of air that escapes from my mouth.  This wakes him up, so for all intents and purposes, it's snoring.  I went to the doctor and he gave me an oxometer to wear overnight.  The oxometer measures the amount of air you are taking in, and lets you know  if you stop breathing.  You want your oxygen level to be 90 or more.  Apparently my level was not what it should be, as the doctor has now referred me to a specialist.  I will await the results of further tests.

The bottom line is that additional weight, especially around the neck, leads to snoring.  If you are waking frequently during the night and are not rested in the morning, there is need for concern, and you should probably check it out.  I'll keep you posted on the final outcome of my snoring.  It won't be for a while, as I have to wait until mid January to see the doctor.

Fiction Writing Reflects The Times

One of my favorite college courses was one I took one summer at UCLA.  It was a political science course, that integrated art, science, music and literature into the political and social climate of the times.  I have thought about that course many times over the past 50 years.  I wish I could remember who the professor was.  His course had a profound impact on me.

Now, 50 years later, I am taking a literature course through Brandeis University.  The course is titled, American Bestsellers.  It attempts to do what my UCLA professor did 50 years ago.  He will help us discover how the social and political thinking of the times influences what is written, and how some of that writing can influence politics.

The first book we will discuss is The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair.  The book is about the deplorable conditions of the meat packing industry in Chicago at the turn of the century.  No doubt this book did much to change law in this industry.  I read the book in college, probably for a sociology class, but I will reread it before our Brandeis discussion.  It will be interesting to see how I view it 50 years later. 

Other books that we will be discussing include Uncle Tom's Cabin, To Kill a Mockingbird,Gone With the Wind and Huckleberry Finn.  All of these books delve into racial inequality in some form another.  It's not surprising that here we are, 100 years + after some of these books were written, and society is still grappling with the same issues.  It's hard to look at a best seller list today without finding books about racial inequity.  One recent book that comes to mind is The Help, a bestseller just a few years ago.

I love this Brandeis study group.  It really gets me thinking.  There are so many smart women in the group, with interesting opinions to share.I find it fascinating to read and reflect on how current social and political attitudes influence our literature.  Happy reading, all.

A Visit To Redlands and Riverside? Absolutely

For years I've been talking about going to the Mission Inn in Riverside in December to see the holiday lights.  Well, I finally organized a trip to the Inn, and to make it a full day, a stop in Redlands at the Historical Glass Museum on Orange Ave.  Seriously, this is not to be missed.  Both the glass museum and the Mission Inn were better than I could have ever expected.

The Historical Glass Museum is housed in an old Victorian house.  Every inch of the house is filled with American glass, from the late 1800's to the present.  Depression glass, hand blown glass, big vases and bowls, and tiny bowls for salt, all sorts of the most remarkable colors and designs imaginable.  Glass makers like Flint and Fenton and Old Morgantown Glass are well represented.  I was looking at a one glass statue of a dancer and noticed it had been donated by a familiar name.  It turned out it was donated by friends of my mom's.  They had also donated a large collection of perfume bottles.  It was exciting to walk into a museum and find pieces donated by someone you know.

So sorry we didn't have more time in Redlands to explore the historic downtown area, which I hear is spectacular.  Also, there is a library of Lincoln memorabilia that I hope to get to another time.

The Mission Inn in Riverside was the real reason we took this day trip.  They have been decorating the inn for decades, and it is a sight to behold.  I have included a few pictures that don't do it justice.  Someone said it was like fantasy land.  It truly was.  Hundreds of visitors were in an around the inn, to view this spectacular light show.  They start putting the decorations up in August, and don't get everything put away until February.  The 19 foot Christmas tree in the lobby, with gingerbread decorations and bows and bulbs, was a real eye catcher.  The historic area of Riverside, with a pedestrian mall, is filled with food stalls and interesting stores.  Get there if you can.  It is so worth the trip.

Teaching Children The Value Of Giving

For children, the holiday season is all about gifts.  Most of our children and grandchildren have more toys and clothes than they could ever possible enjoy or wear.  So many children, even in our immediate neighbor, have little or nothing.  The Salvation Army, Toys for Tots, fire stations and churches and synagogues, have for years addressed the needs of the needy.  Here at Ocean Hills Country Club where I live, our residents concentrate on helping children of military families.

The Wood Chucks club has made dozens of the most beautiful wooden toys, to be given to children in need.  Boats, cars, trucks, airplanes and motorcycles, are just some of the toys they have made.  They've made cradles for dolls and puzzles too.  Additionally, our community has donated hundreds of toys, to be given to Camp Pendleton military families.  I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the residents of Ocean Hills.

I think it's important for our children and grandchildren, who come from families of greater means, to learn to give.  By the time a child is six, and for many even earlier, I  would like to see children giving at least one of their gifts to a needy child.  It's important for them to learn to help those that don't have as much, and to feel good about doing it.  It would be best if they could give personally to a child, but this is not always possible.  There are so many organizations that collect toys and clothes for needy children, it is not hard to make this part of your holiday ritual.  With all we have in this country, no child should go without something this holiday season.

The Jungle Is Relevant Today

In 1906, The Jungle was published, and became an instant classic.  Upton Sinclair was an American author, mainly remembered for this one book.  However, he wrote 90 books in all.  He was an socialist, and was commissioned by the leading socialist organization of the time, to write a book about social change.  Sinclair picked the Chicago meatpacking industry as the vehicle to expose the plight of the poor, difficulties for immigrants, greed, and corruption at every level of police and government.  Sinclair's philosophy was one of social Darwinism:  like evolution, the best, brightest and strongest people rise to the top.  We know today that this is not so, as there are many social factors that go into success.

The Jungle was responsible for the creation of the FDA.  After reading the book, Theodore Roosevelt called Upton Sinclair to discuss issues in the book, particularly those relating to food safety.  From that discussion and the book itself, Roosevelt created the FDA.  That was over  100 years ago, and the FDA has definitely protected consumers, but still has a long way to go.  At the time there were actually arguments against even having the FDA.  Opponents say there is nothing in the Constitution and thus it wasn't anything the government should be involved in.  Roosevelt argued that the food industry was involved in interstate commerce, and thus could be regulated.

The book was so popular at the time, that the sale of meat dropped by 50% shortly after its publication.  Armour was the biggest meat packing company at that time, and they used their influence to try to get libraries not to carry the book.

One might argue that the FDA has too much power today, but we must have some regulation of our food and how it is grown and packaged.  Without FDA oversight, we'd have the fox guarding the hen house.  Hardly a month goes by that we don't hear about tainted meat or vegetables, so for protection of consumers, we must have regulation.  With world wide imports and exports today it is more important than ever.  The Jungle, which showed  the dark side of the meat packing industry  through several immigrant families, touched on just about every social issue that we face today.  I reread the book for a class I am taking.  I read it first over 50 years ago, and it's message was more powerful now than it was then.

Solar Energy Is Here To Stay

Some may think that solar energy is just a passing fancy, but statistics show otherwise.  The industry tracks trends and trajectories.  Their findings demonstrate diverse and sustained growth across the country.

The Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is partially responsible for growth.  Passed in 2006, solar power has experienced a compound annual growoth rate of nearly 60% since its passage.

The solar industry employs more then 200,000 workers, more than double the number in 2010, and created 8,000 companies representing all 50 states.  By 2020, the number of workers in solar will more than double, to 420,000.

Another factor in the growth of solar is that the cost  of installation has dropped by more than 70% over the past 10 years.  California dominates the U.S. solar market with 44% market share in 2015.  Massachusetts, New York and Texas continue to expand.

Data from solar companies show that major U.S. corporations, including Walmart, Ikea and Macys are going solar at an incredible rate.  Look up at the roof tops as you drive around and you will see schools, churches and large commercial buildings going solar.  In addition, residential installation of solar continues to explode.

We've had our solar for about 15 months now.  I love getting a $10 gas bill from SDGE every month.  That's it.  We just settled up with SDGE for the year and ended with $59.  At the end of the year, after paying for no electricity, we had a $59 credit.  I love it.  As time goes on and more and more people get solar, prices will continue to drop.  So happy to be "off the grid" when it comes to electricity.  For more info, with charts on the growth of this industry, go to seia.org/research-resources/solar-industry-data.

Equal Pay For Equal Work Exists Nowhere

Americans are not alone in the fight to pay women equally for same work that men do.  I saw a video the other day that really brought this concept home.  The women of Iceland, who are paid about 20% less than men for the same work, decided to go on strike.  The women in the entire country (granted, it's a pretty small country)  left work in the afternoon, when they had worked 80% of their day.  They figured that since they were getting paid 20% less than men, they would work 20% less.  What a great way to show their value.

There is no country on earth where women are paid the same wages as men.  The best women have done so far is in New Zealand, where women earn 5.6% less than men.  Other countries that rank close to New Zealand include Belgium, Luxembourg and Denmark.  On the other end of the spectrum, is South Korea, where women are paid 36.6% less than men.  Estonia, at 26.6%, Japan, at 26.6%, Israel, at 21.8%, and Netherlands, at 20.5% also do not fully value the work of women.  The U.S., at 17.9% is the 10th worst country in the world for women's wages.

How have we allowed this to go on for so long?  We are more than half the population, so can't we use the power of the ballot to change this?  For the life of me I cannot figure out how anyone would support a candidate at any level who did not believe women should be paid the same salary as men.  Are we less valued?  Yes, we are.  Women have the power to change that, just as we did with the right to vote.  Let's get to work.  Obama worked hard to get equal pay for equal work, but was fought every step of the way.  We need to keep working to achieve equality for all.

What's Wrong With Sugar?

Everything's wrong with sugar, except for the fact that it tastes good.  The USDA recommends 40-50 mg of sugar per day, which is several tablespoons.  The fact is, most Americans consume far more sugar than is recommend, which can lead to a multitude of problems.  Here are some of the problems that may develop from an excess of sugar.

First, not all calories are created equal.  Calories from sugar are not as fulfilling as calories from protein, which translates into an increased calorie intake.  Glucose calories and fructose calories are also different.  Fructose, which is added to many food products, is very bad for us.  Fructose is added to soda and juice, for example.  That adds no nutritional value, just a lot of calories.

Sugar causes dopamine to be released in the brain, making it highly addictive.  Sugar is the leading contributor to obesity.

Sugar has no essential nutrients.  It is high in fructose, which can overload the liver.  This can lead to non alcoholic liver disease.  Sugar can also cause insulin resistance, which is a stepping stone to diabetes.  If you eat too much sugar, the body has a difficult time processing it, and it can create a fatty liver.

Finally, new studies show that sugar, not saturated fat, may be the culprit that creates high cholesterol.  This was news to me.  Does that mean that I can go back to eating bacon and other meat products containing saturated fat?  I hope so.  I do know that it means I should continue to try to reduce my sugar intake.  There is nothing good about sugar, except when you have a diabetic with low sugar and you want to increase their sugar level fast.  Other than that, I'm trying my best to reduce sugar, at least fructose.

I realized after I wrote this that I did not mention that natural sugar, the naturally occurring sugar found in fruits and vegetables, if fine.  It is easy to metabolize does not lead to huge spikes in blood sugar, as fructose does.  It's processed sugar that we need to stay away from

Drought Areas You May Not Have Heard About

When you hear about drought, you think first of California.  For years we have been fighting drought conditions.  No matter what we do solve the water problem, it doesn't seem to work.  Governor Brown put limits on water usage and they worked.  Why, then, did they lift restrictions, just when things were getting better.  Now we're back to a drought situation again in California.  The reality is, there are many more areas of the country facing serious drought and we don't even realize it.

Dry conditions in the Northeast have created drought conditions.  Almost 10% of the state of New York is now in extreme drought, according to the latest data from the U.S. Drought Monitor.  Extreme drought conditions also expanded in New Hampshire, up double digits.  Temperatures have been one to five degrees above normal in the Northeast.  The benefit to farmers is that peaches and other produce love heat, and the hot weather over the summer has produced better crops for farmers.

Other areas of the U.S. that are facing drought like conditions that didn't in the past, are portions of the Southeast and the northern High Plains.  I hear about rain in the south, southeast and north, and tremendous flooding, and don't think the U.S. could possibly have drought conditions there, but they do.  We on the west coast are not alone.  It's either feast or famine.  We should all embrace the fact that climate change is real, and work to prevent more severe weather from occurring in the future, if that's possible.  Florida is one area that must be dealt with.  If not, much of Miami will be under water in the not too distant future.

The Many Uses And Benefits Of Kelp Noodles

I was at a cooking class in October, where Freddie Pakier, our instructor, pulled out a package of kelp noodles to use in one of the dishes.  I had heard about kelp noodles, but had never seen them.  They look like spaghetti, and in fact can be used as a substitute for spaghetti.  The most striking difference between kelp noodles and spaghetti, is that kelp noodles have virtually no calories.

Do they taste like spaghetti?  No, they don't, but they have the same texture, and if you add marinara or any other sauce, you kind of feel like you're eating spaghetti.  Other uses in include cutting them into smaller pieces and using them as a crunch in salads.  That's what Freddie did in our cooking class, and they added nice texture to the salad.

The health benefits of kelp are numerous, and that alone might get you to try them.  Kelp is a type of seaweed, packed with more than 70 minerals and 21 amino acids.  Kelp aids in digestion, increases metabolism, and works to strengthen bones and teeth.  Kelp noodles contain a high quantity of iodine, something some of has to minimize, so check with your doctor about eating them before you do.  Their high iodine content makes them useful for thyroid functioning.  Because of their high levels of calcium and magnesium, kelp noodles are useful in preventing osteoporosis, although I think you'd have to eat an awful lot of them to prevent osteoporosis.  Finally, kelp noodles are abundant in folic acid, which plays a protective role in circulatory health.

Next time you're shopping for a new, healthy food to try, try kelp noodles.  They are relatively tasteless alone, but add a great sauce or put them in a salad, and you'll add kelp noodles to your diet.