Weight Loss With Water?

It really might be just that easy!

For many years now doctors in Japan have been prescribing this water routine for their patients for all sorts of health conditions. But people who need to lose weight are often told that water retention is part of their problem, so INCREASING their water intake seems counter-intuitive. Let me explain. The body tends to automatically store things it needs when it senses that it might not be getting a resupply on a regular basis. This applies to fat and water too! For this article, lets just stick to water. We'll talk about fat retention another time.

In many cases people who have a water retention problem are those who do not drink enough water. Many of us are dehydrated and don't even know it. If you are fatigued all the time, if you have high blood pressure, poor circulation, frequent headaches, if you tend to overeat, if you can't seem to lose weight --- you may be dehydrated. Think about this. If you are not getting enough water, you may be compelled to overeat because your body is trying to get more fluids by any means. And since you are not giving it the fluids it needs to function properly, it hoards what little water you give it. Sure, you give it a bit of water when you drink coffee or soft drinks, but not enough. And those things may contain caffeine, chemical sweeteners, preservatives, and flavorings that are not of much benefit.

In addition to hoarding water, dehydration makes it difficult for the kidneys to function properly, so you are not able to properly metabolize fats. The result? Your liver can't support the kidneys and soon your body is storing not only water but fat as well. So what have we been told to do? Low fat diets, right? With what you've read so far, can you figure out the inevitable result of a low fat diet? Since fat is essential for proper body function, if you are not getting enough dietary fat, your body will begin to store fat as a protection. So now we have dehydrated people with storage locations of extra interstitial fat. One common location for this fat storage is around the liver. Not good. Again, we'll talk about fat later. Back to the water.

Next weekend, why not begin to give your body the water it needs to stay healthy? Wait for the weekend because for the first few days you will be making frequent trips to the restroom. But within a few days of this increased water intake, your body will begin to regulate it and those trips will become less frequent. Oh, you might also want to taper off the water drinking toward evening so you don't have to get up in the middle of the night. With that said, here is what is now recommended by a growing number of healthcare professionals. First thing in the morning drink a large (10 oz) glass of cold water. Do not drink or eat anything after that for 45 minutes or so. This will "kick-start" your metabolism and rehydrate your body after a night of rest. Water allows your body to flush out waste and toxins, and is essential for proper function down to the cell level. The next step is to increase the total daily intake of water to about two quarts (2-3 liters) every day. This is best done by spreading it out over the entire day. And please do not use bottled water! The bottles are a terrible burden on our ecology and the recent reports indicate that they are leaching harmful substances into the water we drink from them as well.
I use a stainless coffee travel mug, a large one. I will admit that I do sometimes substitute plain water with green tea. But no other fluid counts. Not juice, soft drinks, or coffee.

Once your body becomes accustomed to getting all the water it needs, it will stop hoarding it. Your skin tone will improve. Many people report that they get a "lift" from their morning glass of water. It wakes up the whole system. Given enough water to work with, the kidneys begin to function more efficiently, and the liver can do its job of secreting bile to assist in metabolizing the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E & K and helps the body assimilate calcium. With enough water, the liver can also more efficiently work as the body's detoxifier, and it can produce the GTF necessary (along with insulin from the pancreas) to properly regulate blood sugar levels. Water is essential for the circulation of blood. If you are dehydrated, your blood becomes thicker leading to reduced circulation and a whole cascade of related problems, including high blood pressure.

The body is a very complex organism, wonderfully made with the ability to keep itself healthy if we give it the basics, like water. You don't have to like drinking water, but you must admit it is a lot less distasteful than a lot of medicines, and a lot less expensive!! So, drink up!

If Not Today, Why Bother?

The art of procrastination - or, the type C personality.

We all know the "type A" folks who are always overbooked and under pressure. Most of the pressure is of their own making, but don't try to tell them that. They have to get to the airport way early so they can be the first to know that their flight will be delayed. They get angry because the car wash has no passing lane. Then we have the "type B" person who might be heard to say, "Well, I meant to get that done today, but I just didn't get to it. Maybe I can do it tomorrow." They don't put too much stress upon themselves or anyone else. Life is to be enjoyed, experienced, savored, and it just doesn't make sense to get all flustered over every little thing.

But we seem to have a third group that no one is talking about. Maybe we should call them "type C' personalities. These are the folks who never appear to busy doing anything, but never seem to have time to get anything much done. They don't seem too bothered about it either. Some of them have developed procrastination into an art form. Carl Hurley tells about the two fellows sitting in the shade of a tree near the road. One is facing the road, one facing away from the road. A girl walks by and says "hey". The fellow facing the road says "hey" right back. About 30 minutes later, the other fellow says, "Clem, was she pretty?" Clem says "Yes she was". The other fellow replies, "Too bad I wasn't facing that way".

Regardless of our personality type, we all need to come to an understanding about just what we can safely put off, and what we better take care of today. In fact, if we put certain things off, there may be no reason to do them at all. For example, if you are way over due for a checkup, today would be an excellent day to make the appointment, and then KEEP IT! If you have been putting off telling someone you love just how you feel about them, today would be a great time to do that, because tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us. If someone has done something nice for you and you owe them a thank you, it will mean a lot more today than it might if you put it off. And if you owe someone an apology, today is the right time to take care of it. If you wait, there is a good chance they will become less and less receptive as the days go by. In fact, TODAY is just about the best day there is to do almost anything you have a mind to do!

Aztec Super Grain

What the Spanish referred to as Salvia Hispanica L, refers to the Chia seed, black and white, used by the Aztecs of South America. But more recently, cultivated white seeds have begun to be marketed as Salba. You may not find it in your grocery store, but you might be able to get it in a health food store or natural food supermarket. Just two tablespoons a day added to your cereal, fruit smoothie, or even in the goodies you bake, can significantly contribute to your cardiovascular health, and reduce such risks of Type II diabetes. This whole grain is a rich source of protein, calcium, magnesium, omega 3 fatty acids, iron and antioxidants. In fact, it contains 15 times more magnesium than broccoli, three times more iron than spinach, and it is gluten free. It is also an excellent source of dietary fiber, and it won’t change the taste of the foods you add it to, the way flax or soy products do. It has been described as the richest source of omega 3’s and fiber found in nature. So, if you have been using flax seed for the health benefits, consider trying salba.

Increasing your daily intake of magnesium and fiber has been shown to reduce diabetes risk, so salba might be a good way to increase those in your diet. Many companies promote products based upon Salba, or simply sell the whole grain. Such products are still fairly new on the market, with some few items appearing in stores in the US market only in 2006, though there is a long history of human consumption with no adverse health effects.

Painful Muscle Cramps

Preventing Muscle Cramps and Spasms - One of the most important things you can do to help prevent muscle cramps and spasms is to work on improving your overall general health and fitness. Improving your cardiovascular fitness will improve the delivery of blood to your muscles, ensuring that they have adequate oxygen and nutrients to function properly.
A second key activity that will help to prevent cramps and spasms is stretching. Keeping your muscles loose and flexible will help to stop them from tightening up and cramping. Be sure to stretch the muscle groups that are most prone to cramping, but be very careful about stretching muscles, ligaments and tendons before they are adequately warmed up. After strenuous activity, stretching is a great way to cool down. Stretches must be done slowly, and hold each position for several seconds before slowly releasing. Don’t “bounce”. That’s a sure way to pull something. Just because it looks simple, don't make the mistake of thinking that stretching won't be effective.

Along with improving your overall fitness, making sure that you are getting sufficient fluids and nutrients is also important. Many adults are dehydrated and don’t know it. How much water or similar fluid (like green tea) you need to drink depends upon a number of factors including your size and your level of activity. On a day when you plan to go for a long walk or hike, for example, begin a little extra fluid intake up to two hours before you start. If the weather is hot and humid, you might want to increase fluids even more. Don’t wait until you are thirsty. Taking a drink then will not help you prevent cramps. You need to take the fluid in a few hours before you put a strain on your systems, so that you are properly hydrated down to the cell level. You have no doubt heard about the importance of drinking 8 glasses of water every day, or even ten. I don’t support that rule. What is adequate for me might be too much for you or vice versa. Too much water can be dangerous as well, because it dilutes the blood and other fluids and can overwork the kidneys. Ask your doctor or health care provider what might be a good practice for you. Get to know your body and what it needs.

Once last thing…If you seem to be plagued by cramps or muscle spasms, you may need to increase your uptake of certain minerals. Some can do this by simply adding sea salt to their diet, using a little in cooking for example. Your doctor might recommend a supplement of calcium and magnesium, along with some extra potassium. While that is not a bad idea, it is usually best to get these and other nutrients in your diet, so ask the doctor about ways you might be able to do that over the long term. I like to eat a banana after a long hard hike to help replace potassium. Oh, I must warn you that if you buy sea salt as a total replacement for table salt, you probably won’t be getting the important iodine, because most sea salt labels I’ve read warn that they are not iodized.

Before I go, since you really should consult your physician if you are having frequent leg cramps, while you are there, you might also want to check whether any of your medications have cramps listed as possible side-effects. I’ve had a problem with certain cholesterol lowering drugs.

Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease

Ignore The Advice About Nuts

You’ve been told that nuts are high in calories and contain a lot of fat? Well, it’s a fact.
But does that mean you shouldn’t eat them? Of course not. Over the last decade a number of studies have confirmed that eating certain types of unsalted nuts on a regular basis can reduce your risk of heart disease and sudden cardiac deaths. While they are calorically very dense, they are also an excellent source of protein, fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants as well as omega-3 fats. But as with all things, moderation is important.
Eating too many nuts can be a problem because you will be increasing your daily caloric intake. As you know, if you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight.
So what’s the solution?

First, eat nuts that can actually do you some good and avoid the rest. In 2003 the FDA approved health claims for 7 different nuts, including peanuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, some pine nuts, hazelnuts, and almonds. These nuts provide less than 4g of saturated fats per 50g. You don’t have to limit yourself only to these nuts, but be aware that others may be much higher in fat content. Also, nut allergies are a concern for some, especially children and young adults. But if you decide to make nuts a regular part of your diet, you might also consider pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, because they may provide the same heart healthy benefits.
Second, limit your daily intake of nuts to 1 or 2 ounces. One guideline is to eat only the amount of nuts it takes to fill the palm of your hand. This does not mean a handful of nuts. If you like almonds, for example, just put 8 or 10 almonds in your hand. That’s about the right amount of nuts to consume daily. If you are substituting nuts for some other source of calories you need not worry about gaining weight. In fact, starting your day with a little protein can actually help you lose weight.

I won’t bore you with all the details here, but below I’ve pasted just the conclusions of a number of reports on the subject of nuts in the diet. This is not a magic bullet that will eliminate all heart disease risk, but it is certainly an easy thing to include in your arsenal of weapons against CHD (Coronary Heart Disease).

CONCLUSIONS: Frequent nut consumption may offer postmenopausal women modest protection against the risk of death from all causes and CHD. (University of Minnesota)

CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates a significant inverse relationship between legume intake and risk of CHD and suggests that increasing legume intake may be an important part of a dietary approach to the primary prevention of CHD in the general population. (Tulane University)

CONCLUSIONS: Frequent nut consumption was associated with a reduced risk of both fatal coronary heart disease and non-fatal myocardial infarction. These data, and those from other epidemiological and clinical studies, support a role for nuts in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. (Harvard School of Public Health)

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest potential benefits of higher nut and peanut butter consumption in lowering risk of type 2 diabetes in women. To avoid increasing caloric intake, regular nut consumption can be recommended as a replacement for consumption of refined grain products or red or processed meats. (Harvard School of Public Health)

EXERCISES FOR SENIORS

Let’s face it. Very few people of any age get enough exercise. That’s why we have such an obesity epidemic in this country and many other parts of the world. As we get into our 50’s and 60’s we are pretty much set in our ways and our bodies are a reflection of that. Some stay fairly fit and trim their entire lives, and others just let it go. I believe that there is very little empirical evidence that those who stay fit and trim live a lot longer. But I’m convinced that they stay more active and enjoy more of their later years than those who haven’t made any effort to stay in shape. Well, round IS a shape. Anyway, if you have not done much in the way of exercise for many years and you have a sedentary job, you might be afraid to start now. It would be wise to first talk to your doctor about it, and if there are no medical reasons why you should not get started, then start slowly. The idea is not to cause health problems but to prevent them. Being sedentary can lead to all sorts of problems that regular motion might help you avoid. High blood pressure, lack of appetite, poor sleep habits, low energy, and a whole cascade of other things you would do well to avoid. Since this blog is focused on STAYING well rather than getting well, I want to encourage you to take some action. We’re not training for the Olympics, but we are in training to stay fit and active for as long as we can.

Lets start by just walking. Not far, not too fast, and not for too long at first. You want to get your muscles and ligaments and tendons and lungs used to idea first, so just take a little stroll for five or ten minutes, longer if you are up to it. If you live in an area where it is safe to walk outdoors, that’s best. Distracted by things going on around you, the time goes by more quickly. Walking in a shopping mall serves the same purpose. Just don’t stop to look in every store window. Gradually, you want to increase your pace and total duration of your walks to thirty minutes or more at least three times a week. Vary your route from time to time so you don’t get bored, and if possible, walk with someone else.
In our neighborhood the streets are not all flat so I can get a little more strenuous walk from time to time by going up and down some gentle hills. I have a treadmill, and I always start out at a 3% incline.

After you have made walking a regular part of your week, it’s time to add a little weight training or some sort of resistance. Muscle tone is important if you want to be able to fend for yourself in the years ahead. You don’t have to become a body builder, but you have to counteract the natural aging process. After about the age of 25, you will begin to lose muscle mass at the rate of 3% to 5% every decade. That could mean a loss of 20% by the time you hit 65. Weight training can offset that to some extent. You can’t stop it entirely because your body is changing whether you like it or not. You’re giving up nitrogen, an essential factor in muscle protein, faster than you can take it in. You’re also losing bone calcium. Your body is becoming more acidic. Decrease the acidity in your system by increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat. And counteract the muscle loss with some regular resistance training. You can get some 2 to 5 pound hand weights and do mostly upper body exercise while seated or standing. These include biceps curls, French curls for the triceps, and butterflies. E-mail me if you want more complete descriptions of any of these. For resistance training of the legs and hips, I suggest moves adapted from T’ai Chi Chuan. We call it T’ai Chi, but that’s like saying “foot” instead of “football”. Without getting into the Taoist philosophy, we can benefit from the exercises. These moves will not only strengthen your legs and hips, they will help to improve your balance and ability to recover from an imbalanced move that might lead to a fall. Falls resulting in broken bones are harder to recover from as we get older, so let’s try to prevent them by making ourselves stronger and more stable. But we not only lose muscle mass, we lose flexibility, balance and endurance as well. So here’s a very simple series of moves to help improve all four, along with the upper body resistance training. You don’t need to buy any equipment, but I do suggest that you use the back of a sturdy chair for balance until you feel strong enough to do them without it.

· First, stand behind a chair holding lightly to the back, feet a comfortable width apart (shoulder width). Now, slowly shift your weight to the left until 95% of your body weight is on your left foot. Now bend your knees slightly. Inhale deeply. Slowly lift your right foot and move it beside your left foot. With both feet on the floor and close together, stand erect as you exhale completely. Now reverse the move, inhale and exhale slowly and completely as you go, until the right foot is back in the starting position. Now, very slowly shift your weight to the right foot and repeat to the right side. Once you have returned to the starting position, count as one repetition. Build up to ten complete reps over a period of a few weeks. Take your time. What is important here is not how fast you can do this, but how s l o w l y. And always in total control. If this is too easy, you are going too fast!
· The next series of moves is only slightly more complicated. By now, after several weeks perhaps, you have strengthened your legs with the first series, so adding this should not be too hard. As you shift your weight to the left foot and slowly bend your knees to a half-squat, lift the toes of your right foot from the floor, keeping your right heel firmly planted. Now slowly pivot your whole body to the right, keeping your left foot firmly in place pointing forward. If you are doing this correctly, you will turn 90 degrees to the right, your left leg will be bent at the knee and your upper body will be erect, facing to the right, your right heel will be on the floor, right leg fairly straight, toes pointing up. Now pivot back to the front, both feet back on the floor and slowly exhale as you stand very tall. Repeat to the opposite side.

These simple moves look and sound easy and perhaps pointless until you actually do them through ten complete repetitions very slowly. Then you will see just how powerful they can be. Don’t forget to observe your breathing. Holding your breath is never good.

I know people who have practiced t’ai chi for decades who remain strong, flexible and agile into their 70’s and 80’s. Using these simple t’ai chi moves can help you in the same way. At the age of 60 I can stand on one foot at a time and put my socks on.

I will write soon about this whole problem of acidity vs. alkalinity and aging and how you can combat it with your diet. Here’s a sample: One of my favorite things to add to spaghetti and certain casseroles is parmesan cheese. It is one of the most acidic common foods you can put in your body. Not so good. Spinach is one of the most alkaline vegetables. Look for this article in the next few weeks.

A SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE EXERCISE

Want to tighten up your stomach without doing crunches? Good! Crunches aren't the best way. In fact, they can cause other problems. Everything I've read consistently says that spot reduction is not possible, and all the fitness gurus seem to agree that unless you remove the layer of fat covering your abdomen, even if you have a six-pack you won't be able to see it. So let's talk about a long term approach that will get results. If you are interested in being a baby boomer body builder (too many B's for me!), then this will not interest you. But if you are willing to do incremental things on a regular basis that will give long-term, lasting results, follow me.Whether male or female, this exercise can be beneficial. It is not a replacement for any other regular exercise you may get, but the nice thing is that you can do this WHILE you are doing something else that is part of your daily routine. Like applying makeup or shaving, or brushing your teeth. It's called the Stomach Vaccuum. Here's how it goes.

First, stand erect, straight back, in a comfortable stance. Now inhale deeply, as you slowly begin to exhale, pull your stomach in tight, as though trying to touch your belly button to your backbone. Now completely exhale, slowly. When your lungs are empty, continue to hold the vaccuum for another few seconds, then relax. In time, you should work up to at least ten repetitions of this exercise, and hold your final vaccuum position for at least ten seconds before releasing each time. You may find that doing this makes you a little light headed at first, and you should probably only do a few reps to begin with. But in time, you can do several sets each day. Remain erect as you squeeze the abdominal muscles. Don't curve your back or hunch your shoulders. Oh, and keep in mind that it is probably a good idea to do this before a meal, not after.

Do this every day for at least six weeks before you decide if this is worthwhile. It is not strenuous, but you will soon see that exercise doesn't always need to be a sweaty struggle.

Trans Fats & Your Health

Here's a link to an excellent Wikizine on trans fatty acids. http://www.zimbio.com/Trans+fats
Several very good articles there to help you understand just what they are, how they are formed, why they are used in food production, and why they are so terrible for you.

Arm yourself with knowledge and then have the wisdom to apply that knowledge.

Who Likes To Read? Not many!

􀂃 58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
􀂃 42% of college graduates never read another book.
􀂃 80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
􀂃 70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
􀂃 57% of new books are not read to completion.
􀂃 Most readers do not get past page 18 in a book they have purchased.

DIABETES - TYPE II EPIDEMIC

What’s behind this epidemic? How can you prevent it?

Type II diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and around the globe. What has led to this? There’s really no mystery. There have been a number of trends in our society, especially in the US, that have led inevitably toward this situation.
Consider that news headlines almost weekly have something to report concerning obesity, especially among children. When the number of super-sized fast food meals exceeds the number of minimally processed home-cooked meals week after week, the result is to be expected. Add to this the trend toward more and more time spent on the phone, in front of the television or playing video games, and less time spent outdoors playing, riding bikes, shooting hoops or exploring, what else could we expect? Now we see a nation of middle age adults and baby boomers who get even less exercise than their children, sitting in front of the television every night with a remote glued to their hand, and we wonder what has gone wrong. We eat over processed food that provides less than adequate nutrition, we walk the equivalent of about 100 yards a day, we park as close to the store as possible, ride elevators and avoid stairs, and use every possible excuse to avoid physical activity of any sort. There seems to be general agreement that obesity and inactivity may both contribute to the onset of type II diabetes for many. But even with all these factors at work against us, there is something else we might have missed…another factor that is far less obvious, but perhaps far more deadly.

Go right now to your food pantry or your refrigerator and look at a few food labels. Look for the words, “partially hydrogenated…….”. If you don’t see that, then look for “shortening”. After you’ve done this tiny bit of personal research, come back and read the rest of this. I’ll wait. . . . . . . . . .

What did you find? If you have cookies or crackers or just about any other baked goods on your shelf, you’ve got this stuff in your house. These are TRANS FATTY ACIDS. We’ll refer to them as TFA’s here. The reason we find them in so many processed foods is because they help keep the food product “fresh”. Instead of going bad in a week to ten days, it might still appear to be edible in ten MONTHS! Great, right? Well, if you are a food manufacturer, yes. You can now make your product in Maine in January and ship it to California and know that when it finally gets on the shelf at the local convenience store it will still look great in April.

Do you have a can of shortening (no brand names here) on your shelf. THAT is a can of trans fatty acids. Partially hydrogenated oil. You can keep this stuff for five years and it won’t go “bad”. But YOU will go bad. Here’s the scoop on TFA’s. Your body has no good use for TFA’s. It cannot digest TFA’s. In fact the safe adult daily intake of trans fatty acids is ZERO milligrams. The TFA’s actually harden the cell walls, making it harder for your cells to absorb nutrients or excrete waste. They also make it harder for your cells to communicate with each other. That’s right! So if you get a little infection over here, and you need a little help from over there, the message doesn’t get through. Like the cavalry in the fort under attack by a band of Indians, you send out a rider to get help from another fort. But he can’t get out the gate, so you’re on your own.
Infection gets worse, spreads, and soon you have a serious medical problem. TFA’s seem to be directly linked to heart disease too. Back in the 50’s we were told to stop eating butter. Switch to margarine!!! Hmm. What is margarine? Partially hydrogenated oil, with a little sodium and coloring and a few other tidbits, so it looks and tastes a little like butter. As the use of margarine and shortening in the home and in food manufacturing increased, along with the spread of our interstate highway system, the incidence of heart disease went…UP, not down. We took the advice of the medical community and made ourselves more vulnerable to illness.

What’s the solution? YOU are. If you buy food, read the label. If it says “partially hydrogenated”….anything, don’t buy it. Is it really that simple? No. You will find
it quite difficult to find ANY label in the cookie and cracker aisle that doesn’t have those words on it. But you can get some really great cookie recipes that use applesauce that you can make at home, with no TFA’s. (here are just a couple of URL’s to get you started)
www.baking911.com/healthy/baking_101.htm
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/low-fat-baking3.htm

Oh, I know, we just don’t have time to bake cookies any more. But we are killing ourselves, so baking seems like a good alternative, doesn’t it? The more we avoid consuming highly processed foods, the healthier we can be. And it’s not just cookies and crackers that we need to watch out for. It is prepared foods of all sorts. Buy a prepared meatloaf, or some of that delicious lasagna in the frozen food case. Or maybe read the label and then go home and make your own.

Will this alone help you avoid type II diabetes? Perhaps not. But if you are willing to do this much, perhaps you will also be willing to take a little walk, 30 or 40 minutes, a few times a week. Maybe you will also learn something about portion control. And maybe by exercising some self-control we can turn this epidemic around. Good health to you.

AIRLINE FOOD - The fine art of dining at 35,000 feet

Perhaps we should begin by establishing one fact, or near-fact: the stuff served on most airlines barely qualifies as food. Now if you happen to be directly involved in the planning, preparing, delivering, or serving of airline food in any form, I apologize. Maybe you provide the 2% that is actually quite tasty and nutritious. If not, then shame on you!

There was a time before outrageous fuel prices and stiff competition when airlines took great pains to make sure that every part of your air travel experience was enjoyable, including the meal that would tide you over on that coast-to-coast or across the water flight. But time marches on. Today, if anything remotely similar to a meal is served, it is often high calorie, high fat, high sodium, and highly processed junk food. More often what you might get is a pack of pretzels or a tiny pack of cookies and a soft drink. Sometimes the soft drink consists of a plastic cup of ice with about three tablespoons of soda poured over it. You might recall very nice meals served on china with cloth napkins in first class, and in some few instances that might still be the case, but not likely. What seems to be most available in first class is alcohol. Maybe it helps one to overlook the poor fare on the tray. In business class or in the back end of the big aluminum cigar tube, you might be given the opportunity to purchase an adult beverage and some sort of sandwich or wrap. Don’t ponder too long over your choice. Just pick one. They are all a bit like cardboard with lettuce on it, though sometimes you can’t recognize the lettuce by the time it gets to your tray.

Let me digress here for a moment to defend the airlines. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. One must keep in mind that the prime directive for your air carrier is to get you and sometimes your luggage from point A to point B safely and somewhat on time. Food is…well, it’s not what you pay for when you book your flight. The airline doesn’t make money on their food service. It’s an added CODB (Cost Of Doing Business) and a pain to manage. If they sell you a sandwich, they might make fifty cents profit, but it takes a lot of sandwiches to keep an airline afloat. As for the on-time thing, they can’t always control that. No one can control the weather, and the pilot sitting on the runway in Cleveland can’t move a storm system out of the way so that he can get you to Atlanta at 8:27 am so that you can make your 9 am sales call. Don’t count on it. Poor planning on your part is not the pilot’s or the airline’s problem. Either schedule your sales call for later in the morning, or take an earlier flight. Also, keep in mind that planes are mechanical things. Mechanical things are subject to the second law of thermodynamics. Put simply, things break or deteriorate. When that happens to something on the plane I was about to board, I’m ecstatic that they found it before we took off. I’m not angry with anyone for breaking it, or making me late for my very important event. I’m happy to be late because someone was careful enough to make me late…but alive. While I’m ranting a bit here, let me remind some of you that the person in an airline uniform standing behind the counter is NOT the person who caused any of your problems. They MIGHT be able to help resolve some of your problems if you give them a chance to do so. Things like getting you on a different flight, for example. Taking out your frustration on that person is not likely to put them on your team.

Back to the food issue. I have come to the conclusion that what I will eat on a long flight is not a responsibility I want to entrust to the airline. Instead, I either make it a point to arrive at the airport early enough to pay the outrageous concession prices there and purchase something to take with me, or take time to eat a sit down meal in one of the restaurants while I wait for my flight. If I plan really well, I could even bring something from home. There was a time when, like a movie theater, airlines frowned on brown bagging. Now I think they encourage it. Don’t make it anything too elaborate. Just nutritious and easy to handle while strapped into your tiny seat. (Maybe we can talk about the tiny seat another time.) If you like pickles and tomatoes on your sandwich, put those in a separate seal-able bag so the bread will not get mushy. You can put a few good cookies or mixed nuts, or anything else you would like to snack on in bags as well. You will know exactly what to look forward to meal-wise, and you will have no one to complain to but yourself if you don’t like it.

For some wonderful pictures of actual airline meals - http://www.airlinemeals.net/indexMeals.html

I’m not saying the meals are wonderful. The pictures are wonderful. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. As you click on each link on the left side of the site, you can scroll down thru many photos of airline meals. To be fair, some actually do look very appetizing. Apparently I keep choosing the wrong carrier. But since my objective is the same as the airlines, to get from A to B safely and somewhat on time, as well as cheaply, I will gladly take care of my own meals, thank you.