Bob's Concoctions

My husband is a good cook, but I’ve noticed recently that, sometimes when he’s eating, he likes to make strange concoctions. Ok, I’m also known for making strange concoctions and inventing my own kind of food, but some of the stuff that Bob invents is very strange, and sometimes it doesn’t even look good to me. In fact, when he had one of his wisdom teeth removed, I made some mashed potatoes so that he could have something to eat that he wouldn’t have to chew. He suggested mixing in avocado because they sometimes mash it with sweet potatoes. I decided to try it. I thought it tasted good, though it made the potatoes a little watery. Then Bob sat down with a bowl full and took a few bites. He must have thought it tasted too plain because he got up and, ignoring my protests, added some sugar. Then he added coconut oil and mixed in a glob Wasabi (Japanese horseradish), and seemed to be satisfied with his creation. Humm…. Then, after he was able to chew regular food again, we decided to eat oatmeal with bananas along with some very nice chewy rye bread with blue cheese one morning for breakfast. But because he likes soft food, he tore up a big slice of rye bread and mixed it into his hot oatmeal with bananas. Then he took a huge glob of blue cheese, and mixed it into the oatmeal, added some cinnamon, and ate it. He said it tasted good. I’m not sure I believe him:-).

Health Education Alliance for Life and Longevity

The title above links to an article about coconut oil, which talks about how coconut oil increases the metabolism etc., and how soy and corn oil lower the metabolism. In fact, it remarks that soy and corn are used as a cheap way to fatten cattle. When they tried to do the same with coconut oil, the animals became lean and hungry. (I wonder if coconut oil has something to do with my increased metabolism after I came to the Philippines. It used to be slow, but now it's very fast, and coconut oil seems to be the most common oil used here.)

The articles on this website, written by educated researchers in the area as far as I can tell, also overview the politics used by manufactures to promote margarine and hydrogenated unsaturated oils even though people did not have heart problems when butter and animal fat were mainly used (and "no trans fat" margarine also has an unhealthy type of fat in it). It notes that unsaturated fats cause the skin to age faster and are given to organ transplant patients to suppress their immune systems. The author of at least one of the articles thinks that unsaturated fats also cause cancer, with the exception of olive oil, which has more anti oxidants in it to prevent it from causing problems.

One more interesting thing is that an article on this website shows that no conclusive evidence has been found to show that cholesterol causes heart disease. In fact, it explains that extra cholesterol is present in people with heart problems because it functions to help protect the heart. One or two studies did find a link between too low of cholesterol and accidents, strokes, and cancer. So...if it is too high, it indicates a heart problem...the article says that beef tallow and coconut oil lower cholesterol, and eating sweet fruits raises it....

Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”?
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:27-41

boats that we rode on

the small boat

This one wasn't too small. It took us from Boracay to the place we got on the Virgin Mary to go back to Manila.

the Virgin Mary (it carries 2000 to 3000 passengers)

Maria Matilde