Monday's health links

Welcome to another week of your life...and take a look outside - it's finally Spring!

1. An interview with Michael Pollan on the backlash against the food movement. The Globe and Mail.
2. An Ontario breast cancer patient, denied Herceptin due to the size of her tumour, receives an important phone call from someone who may have the power to change this policy. The Globe and Mail. Now, this morning, the Ontario government announces it will provide coverage to some of these cancer medications on a case by case basis. CBC
3. Using a genetic test to determine which breast cancer patients will best benefit from chemo. Bloomberg.
4. Frequent painkiller users have lower rates of bladder cancer. Reuters.
5. A good round up of gluten-free resources. Uh, ok - I guess resources are typically gluten-free. Edmonton Journal.
6. Finally, an article on getting the most nutrients out of the foods you are eating. Chicago Tribune.

Chicken and chickpea soup

Really lovely on a cold day. Just a touch of cumin and cinnamon. Lemon and freshly minced cilantro. Garlic. Yum. Check it out at my recipe blog.

It smelt so good a vegetarian I love dearly may or may not have been tempted to imbibe. :-)

Honk if you love Japan

In this sad time, it sure is nice to smile and be impressed by some resourceful souls. Please consider doing something to help out yourself.

Soups on over at my recipe blog

Today, cauliflower.  Make it today. It is good AND good for you. :-)

No links today - it's my Bunny's birthday!

We are busy getting ready for a family party tonight so I won't have time to post anything today.

Out of respect for my kids' privacy, I try not to publish too much personal stuff about them. So no posed pictures or lengthy discourses...just a wee salute to my very special, loving boy. Daddy jokes all the time that one day the Buddhist monks will arrive at our door and whisk you away.  You would probably go with them, too! Laughing the whole time. Your laughter has given us a whole new filter on this crazy, sometimes scary world.

Happy 6th Birthday, Bunny! We love you.
Momma
 

What the heck?

I have been getting regular exercise like a good little cancer girl, and I am feeling my body starting to change. My muscles are more pronounced in my arms and legs and my clothes fit more loosely. I have more energy and no longer feel like a 90-year-old when I get up out of a chair. And you know what? Yesterday when I passed by a mirror I caught a glimpse of my face and, no joke, I may have actually seen the suggestion of a cheekbone. :-0 I know!

But when I stop and look square into that mirror, do I congratulate myself on a job well done? Hell no. Instead, I focus on the parts that are jiggly. What the heck?

Continuing to focus on the negative is a luxury I can no longer afford. Women have spent far too long dissecting their flaws and listing their faults - red dressed, Special K ladies, I'm talking to you. If there is one thing cancer has taught me it is life is short. It is beyond stupid to waste precious time beating yourself up. If you are making net gains in terms of accomplishment, why would you continue to focus on the work still to do? It's even stupider when you consider we have to keep this up for the long haul. I mean, would you work for an employer if she only ever told you what you were doing wrong? No? Then why the heck would my butt?

These days I am working hard, eating well and moving said butt. And if I want to fight a recurrence, I have to keep doing this every day for a very, very long time. Decades. So the last thing I should be doing is sending myself discouraging messages. Right?

So let's try this, "Good girl! Good me!" And if you're eating well and moving your butt, too, this is for you: "Good girl (or boy)! Good you!"

We are doing one heck of a job!

Checkin out chickpeas

I have loaded lots of recipe links for the wonderfully humble chickpea over on my recipe blog. Check 'em out.

Pumpkin soup at my recipe blog

A nice, satisfying recipe for a cold March day.

Have a great weekend!

Cooking with coconut oil

...has been a hit with vegans for a while. Should you consider adding this fat to your diet? I have posted a bit of an introduction on my recipe blog. There is a recipe for roasting sweet potatoes in it - that's the first recipe I'm trying.