Atwaterpub

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Why Almonds are the almost perfect food

We all know that we need to eat a variety of foods for optimal health and nutrition. There is no single food that we could eat to the exclusion of all others and still maintain optimal health.

However, if there was a food that was close to perfect, it would be the Almond.

1. Almonds are nuts from Almond trees. Trees and food from trees have always been held to be special in human society.

2. Almonds have a long shelf life and do not require special refrigeration or storage. This is economical because the food won’t spoil easily and is easy to store.

3. Almonds are a naturally high fiber food with more than two grams of fiber for every one hundred calories. Fiber intake is vitally important for health and well being; especially in today’s dietary landscape of overly processed foods.

4. Almonds are harvested naturally. The nuts are produced by trees and intended to be harvested. Nothing was killed, maimed, or destroyed for the production of the Almond nuts.

5. Trees are good for the environment. Even though Almond trees require a lot of water, the water required overall is still less than that required for the entire growth and manufacture of most other food products. Orchards provide environment for other wildlife.

6. Almonds contain fat, carbohydrates, AND protein in almost equal amounts. Each individual nut contains a small balanced diet of macro nutrients. A handful of nuts are already a healthy balanced meal all by themselves.

7. Although the fat content might be considered a little high, these are all unsaturated fats and omega-3 and omega-6 which are actually good for you. Almonds have zero cholesterol.

8. Almonds contain vitamins and minerals; especially vitamin E and the B vitamins. They also contain calcium, iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, potassium and other minerals.

9. Food preparation, and consumption, is simple. It requires no special machinery. You just put the Almonds in your mouth and chew.

10. Almonds are fun to eat and taste good.

William Schaeffer

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Only drink water

Why you should only drink water.

Your body is not designed to consume any liquid besides water. We evolved to drink water and our ancestors drank little besides water. Water is the most healthful liquid to drink.

For the last one billion years, the Earth has had fresh water lakes and streams. If you could take a time machine back to the time before the advent of mankind, you would find the entire Earth was filled with fresh clean water. You could drink water out of ANY lake, stream, or river on the entire planet. The water was fresh and clean.

Current science understanding accepts that humans evolved about 200,000 years ago in Africa. They evolved from earlier humanoid species which themselves evolved from other mammals. Around 60,000 years ago these people left Africa and started populating the Earth. As they migrated, and where they camped, they only drank water. They did not drink fruit juice, milk, tea, coffee, cola, beer, wine, or any other beverage except water. And -- all the water they encountered in lakes, rivers, and streams was fresh and clean and pure and good to drink.

The custom of making beer and fermenting wine is no more than ten thousand years old. Before that time, people only drank water. Now, to be fair, some traditional diets included liquids besides water. Some nomadic peoples also drank animal milk. Rarely did any early human ever drink fruit juice – they just ate the fruit. Coconut milk might be an exception. For the most part, however, traditional peoples only drank water.

Your body is not designed to consume calories in liquid form. Your body is only designed to consume calories in solid food form and mostly as plant food. It is the fiber in plant food that your body measures to calculate caloric intake. If you consume calories in liquid form such as cola, fruit juice, ice cream, alcohol, or cheese, your body is unaware that it has consumed any calories at all. If you consume these items on a regular basis, you will be overweight.

Therefore, for optimal health, only drink water.

You can also drink black coffee, tea without sugar, or herb tea as a substitute for plain water.

It is best to avoid carbonated diet beverages. Some research studies show that these diet beverages actually cause the body to gain weight. Also, drinking carbonated liquid on a regular basis over a long period of time can be related to other health and digestive issues. Be careful.

Remember to only drink water.

William Schaeffer

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Humming Bird Luck

"I feel lucky when I hear the Humming Birds chirping." - Mr. Atwater

William Schaeffer

Friday, February 5, 2016

Why you need fiber in your diet

Your ancestors evolved from little monkeys that lived their entire lives in the trees. The foods that these monkeys ate were “fruit and nuts from tree and vine.” Occasionally they would eat insects or bird eggs, but mostly they ate fruit and nuts. All these foods have fiber. The fiber is the plant cell wall. These fruit and nut foods today are still the most healthful foods for humans to consume.

Our digestive system is designed to process food that has a certain amount of fiber occurring naturally. In plant food this is about 2 – 3 grams of fiber per one hundred calories, and more for beans.

Our bodies do not measure the caloric content of food. Our bodies measure fiber content of food to calculate caloric content. When we drink cola, or eat ice cream, or eat candy, our bodies are unaware that we have consumed additional calories. It is as if our bodies thought we were consuming water [which has no calories] instead of high calorie liquids.

We do not get satiated from fulfilling caloric requirements. We get satiated from a feeling of “being full” due to the fiber content in the food. If you eat food with fiber content, it is almost impossible to eat too much food. You will naturally stop eating when you have consumed enough calories, because the fiber in the food will “fill you up.”

Use the measurement of at least “one gram of fiber for every one hundred calories.” This is based on the idea of 30 grams of fiber a day and 2500 calories a day. The ratio is actually 1.2 grams of fiber, but 1.0 grams is easier to calculate.

It is best to eat foods that have natural fiber content. Eating processed “health food” with more than 5 - 6 grams of fiber [for every one hundred calories], might cause digestive distress. Some supplement bars have 9 - 10 grams of fiber for every one hundred calories. This is artificial fiber and should be treated with caution.

So remember, for optimum health only eat foods that have at least “one gram of fiber for every one hundred calories.” Only drink water.

William Schaeffer

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Rules for Healthy Eating

Fifteen years ago I was inspired to change my diet for health. I ended up losing almost fifty pounds. Over the years I developed little sayings that help me stay “on track.” These are my own sayings and you may find them interesting, inspiring, or helpful. These rules are not exhaustive or universal, but present a good set of guidelines to start with.

Rules for healthy eating:

1. Only eat food that contains; “One gram of fiber for every one hundred calories.”

2. Only drink water.

3. Green tea, Herb tea. English tea, or Black coffee; are also “ok” to drink.

4. Fruit and Nut from tree and vine.

5. The less meat I eat, the healthier I am.

6. Eating is not entertainment.

7. I’d rather eat a sandwich under a tree, than anything at any Restaurant on Earth.

8. Why throw a bunch of dirt on the walls and then try to clean it off later? DON’T throw the dirt on the walls in the first place! (Don’t overeat and plan to exercise later to compensate).

9. Exercise doesn’t lose weight. Diet control loses weight.

10. Don’t make food consumption the main focus of socializing events.

11. Use condiments like: honey, pickled garlic, green olives, pepperoncini, sliced jalapenos, basil, parsley, black pepper, sage, yellow mustard, tomato catsup, tomato salsa, curry, Chile.

12. No desert. No candy. No chocolate.

13. No alcohol. No sugar.

14. No dairy products. No ice cream. No cheese. No mayonnaise.

15. No cigarettes. No pain killers.

16. Use diet supplements: Vitamin B multi-vitamin, Vitamin C, Ginseng, Zinc, Resveratrol.

17. Drink more water. Read a book. Write a poem. Go to sleep early.

William Schaeffer

Engineers and Philosophers

"Engineers want answers,
but Philosophers are happy to just think
about the questions for a while." - Mr. Atwater

Engineers want solutions;
Reliable and economic fixes to problems.

Philosophers agree, but it needs more discussion.
"Maybe we can review the concepts over lunch.
And, a cup of coffee?"

Engineers have a Goal.
Philosophers have worn out clothes and dishes in the sink.

William Schaeffer

Monday, February 1, 2016

Be a Doer

"I'd rather be a doer than a viewer." - Mr. Atwater

William Schaeffer