Amy G: Sorry We Missed You In The Bass Pro Marathon

 

One of my best students, one of Ms. Anthony’s favorite students, ran by our house today in the Bass Pro Shops Marathon. We missed seeing her, probably because she was a front runner, and by the time we made it out to the sidewalk to cheer everyone on, they had been passing by for a while.

 

Neighbors clapped and cheered with each passing runner, which was fun. Many of the runners seemed to appreciate the applause, with a quick nod or wave, but just as many could only breathe heavily. We are just short of the 16-mile marker, so we felt sorry for them, knowing they still had 10 miles to go.

 

"Getting up early to make this sign was hard, too."
That made me laugh, but I'm not sure what the runners thought.

 

A surprising number of the runners were not, um, fit, shall we say. But there they were, running, so you have to admire and respect that. It made me think that I could do it, too, you know, start slowly, running a bit today, a bit farther tomorrow, a bit more the day after that. Then, by next November, there I’d be, flying by the house, waving at everyone, my first marathon.

So, I went in right away, and ate chocolate pie until the feeling passed.

Except For The Taste And Texture, I Like Bananas

 

 

No, I’m lying. I don’t like bananas. They are gross and disgusting and offensive to my tastes and senses. But I eat them. I don’t eat them from April through October because banana eaters attract mosquitoes, but I eat them. In fact, I ate one just now, because I believe bananas are good for me. At least I believed that until about 20 minutes ago.

Here’s why I thought bananas were healthy:

• Four times the protein of an apple, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron.
• Energy: Two bananas provide enough for a strenuous 90-minute workout.
• Depression and SAD: Contain tryptophan, a protein that converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier, and limits Seasonal Affective Disorder.
• PMS: Vitamin B6 regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
• Anemia: High in iron to stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood.
• Blood Pressure: High in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure.
• Brain Power: Potassium-packed fruit makes students more alert.
• Constipation: High in fiber to help restore normal bowel action.
• Heartburn: Natural antacid effect for soothing relief.
• Nerves: High in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
• Strokes: Bananas can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40 percent.

 

It turns out this information, this eRumor, available widely online, is unsubstantiated, which means it is mostly wishful thinking, probably written by an enterprising greengrocer somewhere. At least that’s what TruthorFiction says:

TruthOrfiction.com checked with one of the biggest distributors of bananas, the Chiquita Banana Company. A spokesperson told us that bananas are a wholesome, nutritious food and a good source of important vitamins, minerals, and macro nutrients including vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6, and dietary fiber. He said that although he would like to say that everything in the eRumor is true, he is not able to and added that much of the email is based on assumption.

So you know what that means. No more bananas for me. Yipee!

 

10 Minutes Of Sunshine A Day Keeps The Doctor Away (I Have Graphs, So It Must Be True)

Okay. About 45 percent of Americans die from heart disease.

 

 

Nearly 42 percent of us are vitamin D deficient.

 

Of Americans who have heart failure, 96 percent are vitamin D deficient.

 

So you do the math. About half die of heart disease, close to half are vitamin D deficient, and almost all of those who have heart failure are vitamin D deficient.

Do you see a trend here? It may be worth looking at your vitamin D levels to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, among other things.

“Researchers found that patients with very low levels of Vitamin D were 77 percent more likely to die,” says Science Daily, “45 percent more likely to develop coronary artery disease, and 78 percent were more likely to have a stroke than patients with normal levels.”

 

So, more than 40 percent of us are nearly 80 more likely to die, probably from a stroke, because we are not getting enough vitamin D.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information agrees (NCBI): “Given that vitamin D deficiency is linked to some of the important risk factors of leading causes of death in the United States, it is important that health professionals are aware of this connection and offer dietary and other intervention strategies to correct vitamin D deficiency.”

 

The good news is that this is something you can fix immediately. Just go outside in the sun for 10 minutes every day to get your vitamin D, says WebMD: “Known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is produced by the body in response to sunlight. It is also occurs naturally in a few foods -- including fish, fish liver oils, and egg yolks.”

 

Walk in the sun and stoke up on omega-3s. Could it be any easier than that. Just don’t tell the FDA what you’re up to….