Resistant starch

[Randal]

On the prebiotics, you do get CRAZY vivid dreams, and you can lapse into the dream state quickly (within minutes; I know this from looking at the clock, falling asleep, and then waking to my alarm). Until you do the stuff, you have no idea how dynamic and off the wall your dreams can be. And oddly, you can remember them. I hate people who tell others their dreams, but here's one example from a couple nights ago: Winona Ryder and I had gone to high school together (in my dream, not real life), and now she was my girlfriend. I could not tell you where the heck any of that came from.

[bill]

Barbara:


Wasn't your esteemed Guv the one who just had bariatric surgery?


If he doesn't change his diet it'll be of little use after a few years.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Bill,

Yes, he had that surgery 2 years ago.  He is rather private about his health and weight issues.  Won't comment on those issues besides "wanting to be around to see his children grow up".   He is just starting to look merely obese from morbidly overweight. He adamantly refuses to comment on the food he eats.


The really sad part is that he is still an "old school" politician.  He is traveling around the country trying to get national recognition and raise campaign $ rather than spend much time seeking solutions to NJ needs.  Under his leadership, there hasn't been much progress in any area even thought this is his second term. 

[Jan in Key West]

Good topic Boundless....would be worthy of its' own thread. Checked our clock, (which is the only electrical appliance in our bedroom) and it has an amber/red display so that should be ok? Sleep masks ?

[Bob Niland (Boundless)]

> would be worthy of its' own thread.

I might write one at some point.

> Checked our clock, (which is the only electrical appliance in our bedroom) and it has an amber/red display so that should be ok?

Yep. If the appearance of the display doesn't change with blue blockers on, it's not emitting much blue.

> Sleep masks ?

That works, but you'd need to take it off if you get up in the night.
Provocative factoid: blind women have half the breast cancer rate of sighted women.
That's a significant difference.
Now what would that be about?

[HungryinTN]

re: ... since my sleep state is often interrupted and short...

Look into the blue light at night problem (which is not the same as the blue light hazard problem). Google "intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells" (ipRGCs).

Quick fix: get a pair of Honeywell UVEX brand blue-blocking eyeware, which can be had cheaply from Amazon and similar resellers. If you don't wear glasses, check out the S9133X. If you do wear glasses, get the S0360X. Put 'em on at dusk or 2 hours before bedtime. Put them back on for any night-time trips (and for checking actually urgent mobile device traffic). Get all sources of continuous blue light, or continuous white light with blue content out of the bedroom. This is not a fad.

I found a red night light at Home Depot that I keep in my bathroom, and put a red bulb in the lamp in my hallway, which stays on at night in case of bathroom trips. I typically put my blue-blockers on at 7pm. My sleep schedule is still pretty screwy, but that has more to do with inconsistency due to travel (and travel-related alcohol consumption). Every time I go out of town it takes 3-4 days to get my sleep back in order, even with my routine (no liquid or blue light after 7, meditation 1 hour before bedtime, reading fiction at bedtime, plus melatonin/GABA/5-HTP/Taurine/Magnesium/Potassium supplements).  Then by the time I get my sleep back in order, I have to go out of town again.  It's like I was born without the sleep gene.  I've been a bad sleeper since the age of six, and my father is, too.  Maybe our ancestors were the night watchmen of the tribe...

[Jan in Key West]

Looks like it's about melatonin production/suppression. Even if I sleep in a completely darkened room, if I get up to use the bathroom, I always turn on the light (which is blue/white light), therefore suppressing my melatonin production. While I know it's wise to sleep in complete darkness, I never thought of the consequences of turning on a light short term.....so a soft amber night light would be one solution.


http://www.siskiyous.edu/class/bio12b/images/bright%20lights,%20big%20cancer.doc


Yes, this is an important adjunct to obtaining good health.

[Randal]

The bathroom in my new apartment in Seattle has the most amazing lighting device. It's connected to a motion detector, and when it senses movement, it provides just enough light (and the light is green) to make out the outline / layout of the bathroom. It's an extremely low level of light, just enough to reflect off the counters, procelain, and mirror. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it, and wondered where it had been my entire life. I tell other people about it, but they don't seem to appreciate how wonderful it is. You can use the facilities in the middle of the night without bumping into anything or waking from a half-slumber. This should be standard in every bathroom.

[Jan in Key West]

Last night I moved one of our Himalayan salt lamps in the bathroom and while it was bigger than I'd like, it did the trick. I also found red and green motion lights that fit on the toilet seat http://www.cgets.com/Motion-Activated-Toilet-Night-Light-Lav-Nav.html?utm_source=google-shopping&utm_medium=organic&gclid=CN3t8OyKvMMCFQGDaQodLykA-w


You can also find them on Amazon.

[Randal]

After a couple weeks, things have stabilized and gotten back to normal (actually, a little better before). I could be wrong, but here's what I attribute it to:

• I'm taking a probiotic a couple times a day. I want to get a different brand so I can mix things up (variety apparently is key).
• I'm only doing a couple tablespoons a day. This is more because of my schedule than anything else; it's kind of difficult to manage four tablespoons a day.
• I mix between potato starch and the green banana flour.
• I take the RS with kefir (that way I'm taking in pre- and pro- at the same time).
• I try to get a couple servings of probiotics a day, between kimchi and sauerkraut. I also usually eat some Greek yogurt every day (with cinnamon, which has amazing health benefits).

I figure things should be really good in a couple weeks, after I've significantly boosted the good bacteria population in my gut.

[Jan in Key West]

When using raw potatoes as your source of RS, make sure you're using organic potatoes.....'non-organic' potatoes have the highest levels of pesticide residues of any food crop. Last year's pesticide testing done by the Environmental Working Group, the average non-organic potato had more pesticide by weight than any other fruit or veggie.

[Rita]

Yeah… definitely organic on the potatoes.

[Rita]

Just wrote an article about probiotics and prebiotics:


https://ntischool.com/2015/02/understanding-probiotics-prebiotics/

[Suzy in Colorado]

I have been eating organic sweet potato raw in smoothies and recently cooked and cooled in salad for my bug food. Then I read on Mark's Daily Apple that sweet potato is not a good source of RS and that russet potatoes as opposed to waxy potatoes are also poor choices for RS. All of this is so confusing!
Any more thoughts on the subject?

[Rita]

Even though sweet potatoes are not good source of RS, they are still have some great nutrients in them.