Lyrics: Yes, we have no bananas/ We have no bananas today/ We have string beans and onions/ cabbages and scallions/ And all kinds of fruit . . .
Five of us signed up for a nutrition course early this month. It’s designed to quiet inflammation. Inflammation is one of the health scourges of our day underlying many illnesses: atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, asthma, to name a few, and is a precursor or contributor to poor health in general. Inflammation in itself is not bad; it is a natural part of an immune response. Chronic inflammation is the problem.
In the last posting, I wrote about retirement home living and issues of dependency, specifically dependence on others for transportation. Retirement home living also means you are dependent on the their restaurant, their food plan. And their food plan, like most things, comes down to budget. My mother always complained that the beef was too tough for her to eat and said others felt the same way, often returning their meal to the kitchen. She certainly wasn’t the only elder with dentures. Because of budget constraints, the choice of cut usually meant cheaper and tougher meat selections Still, there are ways to cook meats and render then tender (rhyming accidental). Having served as the Community Health & Wellness nurse for nine months in an upscale retirement home, I know the problem first-hand. Residents would complain to me about the food. I would advise them to take it up at their resident’s meeting. They would and then report that nothing had changed and I knew, for a fact, that nothing had. I’m also aware that life wasn’t always easy for the residents and food was often used to vent their frustrations about life in general.
Our food choices are usually based on foods we were fed in our childhood. In my age bracket that meant healthier foods from a nutrient rich soil, devoid of genetically modified seed crops, most pesticides, herbicides, synthetics, and antibiotics, i.e., organic. Those same foods today are not that healthy and contribute to chronic inflammation. I am learning a lot, a lot I’d rather wish not to know, but now that I do it forces me to be more selective about how I shop and how I eat. If I should move into a retirement home, do I turn all that I’ve learned about healthy eating over to a chef and food budget that doesn’t observe or even know the value of foods as medicine, foods that promote health without negative side effects?
Lyrics: We have an old fashioned tomato/ A Long Island potato/ But yes we have no bananas/ We have no bananas today. (From the 1923 show, Make It Snappy, and performed by Eddie Cantor. Lyricists: Frank Silver and Irving Cohn.)
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So true, Barb!!!!
Love,
Maxine
Paleo address just that. When i did it for a month my blood dropped to a fasting blood test of 113. Haven’t gotten back on it since I moved but am moving that way again. However, Its not a cheap way to eat and it takes planning especially if you work a lot of hrs like I do. Wish me luck.
Barb, My mother was at an upscale assisted living which was beautiful but served horrible food. I stayed there several times and ended up eating snack bars and lettuce. My mother basically just ate desserts for lunch and dinner and all that sugar led to other problems. These places are not very health conscious. Sure they provide social and arty activities but no exercise, little fresh air and cheap ,tasteless food. I think the poor nutrition adds to the poor health and impaired immune system of the residents. By the time my mother was transferred to the skilled nursing section, her food was a pureed beige or grey mess.
Anti-Inflammatory eating not a fad diet, here to stay. Check out the new book by local nutritionist Michelle Babb, “Anti-inflammatory Eating Made Easy”. Very accessible introduction with lots of recipes. I too have fast-forwarded to imagining life in a facility after dining at Kline Galland with a resident/friend. EEK! Hopefully that will change by the time I make my way there…..