Protein Restriction to Extend Life

[beccaB]

I think I will make a concerted effort to eat more fresh and cooked vegetables from now on. My mood seems to veer toward the dark side a lot, and I don't like being that way. I live in the dark dreary great lake effect lower Michigan(which is bright and sunny today, a fluke).
I would like to have better legs for climbing, and I don't know if I can accomplish that by eating less protein. I am also trying to reduce or eliminate as best I can, refined starches and sugar. The experts recommend giving up or reducing caffeine and alchohol to eliminate inflammatory issues, but then I would go to the dark side even more!

[OakLeaf]

The experts recommend giving up or reducing caffeine and alchohol to eliminate inflammatory issues, but then I would go to the dark side even more!

If you just switch from coffee to green tea, the combination of much less caffeine plus lots and lots of anti-inflammatories will let you get the health benefits without the caffeine withdrawal. I made this switch a few years ago on my doctor's advice, when I had a hand injury. I honestly didn't notice faster healing, but I did feel so much healthier and cleaner in about every other way. My oral flora were visibly healthier - suggesting my intestinal flora probably were as well.

Alcohol is a tough one for me, too - and I have to make a special effort because I'm at high risk for both breast cancer and high blood pressure - but as far as the psychological effects, alcohol has an ENORMOUS rebound effect. Even though I crave alcohol to relax me, it makes my anxiety much, much, much worse. Give it a try ...

[PamNY]

Alcohol is a tough one for me, too - and I have to make a special effort because I'm at high risk for both breast cancer and high blood pressure - but as far as the psychological effects, alcohol has an ENORMOUS rebound effect. Even though I crave alcohol to relax me, it makes my anxiety much, much, much worse. Give it a try ...

Yes! I find the alcohol rebound effect so great that I gave up alcohol altogether. Luckily, this is fairly easy for me.

I recommend that everyone at least consider whether alcohol is affecting them this way. That extra glass of wine when you are feeling low might be making things so much worse.

[GLC1968]

If you just switch from coffee to green tea, the combination of much less caffeine plus lots and lots of anti-inflammatories will let you get the health benefits without the caffeine withdrawal. I made this switch a few years ago on my doctor's advice, when I had a hand injury. I honestly didn't notice faster healing, but I did feel so much healthier and cleaner in about every other way. My oral flora were visibly healthier - suggesting my intestinal flora probably were as well.

Oak - what kind of green tea are you drinking? I LOVE the tea at one of our sushi places, but everything I've tried from the grocery store is really blah. I love coffee, but I also love good green tea and would be happy to make the switch most days of the week if I could find a good one.

[badger]

Oak - what kind of green tea are you drinking? I LOVE the tea at one of our sushi places, but everything I've tried from the grocery store is really blah. I love coffee, but I also love good green tea and would be happy to make the switch most days of the week if I could find a good one.

does the tea contain a bit of rice in it? Most sushi places serve "genmai-cha", which is literally brown rice tea. Really good, high-quality green tea makes me pee like nothing else - an excellent diuretic. But I also get indigestion if I drink too much (say 3 cups spread out over the course of the day). I think this is something that's unique to me, though. My relatives in Japan are just fine drinking 2-3times more than I do on a daily basis.

[Blueberry]

GLC - How are you brewing your green tea? It responds much better to cooler (175 degree f or so) water, and shorter (like 2-3 minute) steep times. Grocery store teas to tend to be iffy (unless you're going to an Asian market of some sort). Can you describe the green teas you have liked?

[OakLeaf]

My everyday tea is Rishi sencha. I get it in 250-gram envelopes from their website. +1 the better the tea, the lower the temperature you steep at. Thirty seconds is usually plenty, especially for a second or third infusion.

[GLC1968]

does the tea contain a bit of rice in it? Most sushi places serve "genmai-cha", which is literally brown rice tea. Really good, high-quality green tea makes me pee like nothing else - an excellent diuretic. But I also get indigestion if I drink too much (say 3 cups spread out over the course of the day). I think this is something that's unique to me, though. My relatives in Japan are just fine drinking 2-3times more than I do on a daily basis.

One place does serve it with rice in it, but that's not my favorite one. It's definitely good though and certaininly better than anything I've made at home.

GLC - How are you brewing your green tea? It responds much better to cooler (175 degree f or so) water, and shorter (like 2-3 minute) steep times. Grocery store teas to tend to be iffy (unless you're going to an Asian market of some sort). Can you describe the green teas you have liked?

Probably with water that is WAY too hot! I can't really describe the ones I like except that they are both mild and flavorful. And they don't leave an aftertaste which I often find with the grocery store ones...

My everyday tea is Rishi sencha. I get it in 250-gram envelopes from their website. +1 the better the tea, the lower the temperature you steep at. Thirty seconds is usually plenty, especially for a second or third infusion.

I think I need to learn more about tea. I like it when I have it at restaurants but I really dislike it made at home or work. It must be how I make it (and what I buy). Time for an education for me!

Thanks for all the info, everyone.

[OakLeaf]

There are a ***lot*** of different types of green tea, too. Chinese and Japanese varieties in general taste very different (Indian teas tend to be more like Chinese tea), but even so, there's a huge range of flavors and mouth feel - and caffeine content, too.

I'm not an enormous fan of Teavana, but they will let you sample the aromas of any tea on the shelf, plus they usually have several for tasting. You could also sample aromas if you have an Asian grocery with bulk bins.