Despite GP’s being quick to write a prescription for statins to reduce cholesterol, every single one would admit that a change in the diet would normally suffice if adhered to. But popping a pill is easier so doctors write scripts because our culture demands it and patients expect it.

I’m excited to report that cholesterol can be lowered not only by ingesting drugs but also by ingesting Walnuts! A meta-analysis of thirteen studies published in May 2009 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that when compared to control diets, diets supplemented with walnuts resulted in a significantly greater decrease in Total Cholesterol and LDL Cholesterol levels in the blood.

Interesting when you reasearch around the topic, outside of the consumption of Walnuts as above, while there appears to be much literature supporting the role of Omega-3 in the reduction of triglycerides, and in the prevention of CHD most studies do not suggest it has a direct beneficial effect on Total Cholesterol, LDL or HDL. In fact a substantial meta-analysis of 23 studies, researchers found heterogeneous results. Definitely not enough in it to excite a person to cook themselves up a plate of salmon that evening. Now don’t get me wrong, Omega-3 is just fab for the prevention of many other conditions including depression, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and high blood pressure to name just a few, but its direct effect on Total Cholesterol, HDL and LDL remains to be scientifically established.

Probably because a whole food is so much more than the sum of its individual parts. Our culture, as we go through an era of nutritionism, gets horribly tied up in breaking our food down to its nutrients, forgetting how responsible the interactions between nutrients are for our overall health.

Walnuts have a unique nutritional profile and are the only nut that is high in ALA, a form of Omega-3 but they also contain manganese, copper and tryptophan in good quantities, all necessary nutrients for human physiology. I’d like to suggest that there is more to food and it’s contribution to human health than scientist are capable of exploring, at least in 2010 anyway.

So in the meantime, go nuts. Just a handful a day should suffice.
Try to avoid roasting and storing as they may go rancid and produce free radicals.

I have no idea why I wrote that title… maybe I was channeling Bob Hope and his “Thanks for the Memories” song… but bear with me… it worked in my mind…

Flax… have you heard of it?  It’s my new favorite food. It’s a tiny, tiny little seed, with a POWERFUL punch.  The best thing about it?  IT TASTES GREAT!

I do wish we would name our foods with pretty names.  Flax seems like its good for you, therefore, it MUST taste awful!  Why couldn’t it be named… oh….Moonbeam seed… or Livewell kernel… but… alas… Flax is short and sweet… less to type.

I have been adding Flax seed MEAL to almost every food I prepare for my family and myself.  Yes, if you’ve taken bread home from my oven, or eaten my cookies, or have come over for dinner in the past 2 years… you, too, have eaten Flax seed meal.  Bet you didn’t know you did!

Every bread loaf, bagel, baguette, breadstick, pizza crust, cookie, cake, bowl of cereal, and casserole I make, has added Flax seed meal in it… when I cook for friends and family.

It contains essential amino acids that are hard to find elsewhere, in such abundance.  It has FIBER galore, and it’s GREAT for lowering cholesterol… and has been studied and shown to slow the growth of breast tumors in women and prostate cancer growth in men.

  It’s important to eat it ground up.  You can buy whole Flax seeds like I do, and grind them up nicely in a coffee grinder, batch for batch.  Or you can buy it already ground up.  Make sure to store any unused portion in the refrigerator because it’s chock full of wonderful good-for-you fatty acids that can go rancid quickly.

I love the Bob’s Red Mill variety, and I can find it at my local supermarket… and Trader Joes.  All health food, or Whole Foods stores carry it.

Sneak it into foods… sprinkle it on cereal, add a tablespoon or two to your smoothie, add it to cookie dough, stir it into soups and stews… You’ll barely notice it’s there.

It’s a very small, economical way to add powerful nutrition to our day.  Aren’t you worth the very best?

Monster Hospital

He cannot understand how a place as sterile as a hospital can feel so dirty. The odour of rubbing alcohol permeates the entire building, burning his nostrils as the elevator doors open.  He steps onto the fourth floor and immediately hears an anguished cry from a room to his left.

“IT HURTS! OWWWW!! OHGOD!OHGOD!OHGOD!OHGOD! AUGH! MERCY! IT HURTS! PLEASE!”

“Mrs. Murphy, please… just try and lie on your side…”

Pleading with her won’t help you, he thinks. In 12 hours, Mrs. Murphy will be dead. She’ll die in her sleep from an infection and severe pneumonia, both of which she contracted despite an otherwise successful operation to remove a tumor from her right lung. The nurses and doctors have no chance to save her.

Fuck it, the nurses and doctors here are idiots anyway, he thinks to himself. Her immune system couldn’t handle the invasive surgery and was deteriorating at an alarming rate. Mrs. Murphy will die tonight at 1:13AM, while her nurse smokes a joint in a car outside the ER. Her boyfriend will come by to play her his latest mixtape – trying to become a DJ, he goes by the name of Smokestax.

Backing away from Mrs. Murphy’s room – wife of Charles, and mother to Johnny and Sean Murphy – his gaze stops on a small placard with an arrow pointing to the left. The engraving on the copper sign, affixed to a faded and crumbling baby-blue wall, reads ROOMS 401-429. He turns to his left and walks down the hallway.

401… 403… 405, on his right. 402… 404… 406, on his left. He slowly plods toward 423, muttering under his breath as he passes each room: “401… pancreatic cancer; water in the lungs, dead before New Year’s. 403… punctured lung; full recovery. 405… brain embolism; he’ll develop an allergic reaction to his medication and fall into a coma, dead by February…”

He never understood why he was so aware of these intangibles, and frankly he never cared. It was more a burden to him than anything else. The strengths and weaknesses of those around him, their deepest secrets and their darkest thoughts, all their repressed memories and blocked emotions; he knew them all.

“415… heart attack; he’ll have another one before week’s end but live another 23 years. 417… Fractured skull; brain damage, she’s a veggie for life. 419… liver disease; her son donated his liver but died during the operation, she’ll survive, but no one has told her yet.”

He doesn’t care. He never cared. When his own mother died, he didn’t so much as shed a tear. Why care? He never asked to know about everyone’s problems, nor does he want to keep it up, but that’s life. And if that’s life, he may as well not care. It doesn’t seem to make a difference anyway.

Steps away from room 423 now… his heart is not racing, sweat is not dripping from his brow. He is as calm and collected as ever.

He reaches for the doorknob and, upon making contact, shudders violently; ungodly, terrifying, disgusting images enter his mind, swirling about as if being blended into a black ball of pure and repulsive evil. Worse than anything he has ever seen or imagined, this hatred and atrociousness engulfs his brain and spreads its monstrous grip until he blacks out from agony.

He opens his eyes. He doesn’t know where he is… On the floor, he thinks. He scans left and right… People, he thinks. His head pounds. Is that music? Or horrible screaming?

“Where… where am I…?” he mutters groggily. A swift kick to his ribs knocks the wind out of him. Gasping for air and clutching his chest, he hears someone whisper in his ear: “It’s Daniel’s birthday, muhfucka.”

There is a lot you can do to fake a great picture. If you have the eye of a photographer it is easier than if you don’t, but here are a few pointers for the passionately inclined.

1. A good Camera – If you have the money, a good camera is one that can make all the difference. Some of my favorite are the Canon D series and Nikon D series. You are a better photographer with a tool like this in your belt. If you don’t have a camera like this, then you have to rely more on your eye to get the picture that you want. It is possible, but you have to love the cameras that have a mind of their own.

2. Be Creative – The stand alone tripod shots are ok, but don’t really cut it when you are trying to get amazing shots. Take the camera in hand, take weird angle shots of the people, or scenery in question and you’ll be happier with your final product. The best shots I have taken, are when the people are candid and unaware, and when I did something or took something I didnt even mean to.

3. Lighting – The most important part of taking a picture is the lighting. If you dont have good lighting, the picture won’t look good. If you have too much lighting the image will get saturated and washed out. Where is the median? In your eye. Find a place with subtle tones of light. The more natural the better. Find areas with dimmed, muted light for cool shadows and creative shots. speaking of shadows… they can ruin a picture. Look for shadows everywhere. If there is a shadow of you in the picture, congratulations. You just committed a photographer felony.

4. Placement – Taking a shot off to the side or with a lot of white space, can be cool. But the best shots (especially if you are being hired to take them) are the ones that strategically place the elements well. Think of a sunset without the sun. It can be good, in the right setting, but one that is taken with the beaming rays of the sun flying away from the lens can be epic.

5. People – I like to take pictures of pretty boxes, and nicely decorated room. However, shots of wedding pictures and candid pictures with people in it, make the photo ten times better. Homework: Aim your lens at a beautiful scenery or room, or sanctuary, then watch as nature interacts with it. People, animals, etc… You will be amazed at the depth and perception it ads to your photo.

I hope a few of these tips help you on your quest to become a great photographer. I am not an architect with the lens, but like you, love taking photos and being in them. Practice on family and friends and you will become more confident in your picture taking. Good Luck and keep on clicking.

Brooke is an amateur Seattle wedding photographer and loves wedding photography and giving people information about it.

It is the fast paced work life and high levels of stress to blame for inability of the working male and female for not being able to manage their Home and Work place as efficiently. Read the rest of this entry »