Hey Sweetie?

By Jason Brockman

Three o’clock rolls around and your eyelids have started to involuntarily droop.  Is this ptosis?  A general lack of sleep?  Spreadsheet syndrome?  What is your go to snack at times like these?

My first thought or craving invariably involves something sweet.  Jelly beans, leftover birthday cake, or some Mountain Dew always sounds like the right thing to do, but we well know that the temporary sugar high will undoubtedly lead to the crash and burn later on.  According to PepsiCo, one shiny little green 12 ounce can has 46 grams of sugar.  Any trained “sucrologist”, or sugar packet collector could tell you that one standard US sugar packet contains about 2-4 grams of sugar.  That means that one little green can contains a whopping 11 to 23 packets of sugar!  There has to be a better way to maintain alertness and good energy levels throughout the day without increasing your risk of diabetes.

Here are some tips that can help you stay alert, energetic, and engaged throughout your work day.

Tip 1 – Manage Those Amino Acids

As most people know, that post Thanksgiving dinner nap is mostly caused by tryptophan, the sleepy little amino that causes drowsiness.  Tryptophan is also found in high concentrations in bananas, dairy products, sunflower seeds, and beans.  A good strategy would be to limit your snacking on these types of foods when you are not feeling full of energy.  Instead, look for foods that are higher in Tyrosine, the amino that has been linked to alertness!  Shrimp, chicken, soy products, fish,  egg whites, and seaweed are just some examples of foods that have high concentrations.

Tip 2 – Change the order

The order in which you eat different types of foods can have an effect on your energy levels.  You should try to eat proteins before carbohydrates.  Carbohydrates stimulate the release of insulin, and this competes with all of the amino acids except for tryptophan!  A good strategy is to have a good high protein breakfast with only a small serving of a complex carbohydrate (such as a whole grain bagel or oatmeal).  This should keep you going for a few hours.  For lunch have a small high protein, low carb meal to keep your brain active.  Once you get home, a meal that begins with some good complex carbohydrates can help you to relax after a long day. 

Tip 3 – What about coffee?

Coffee is a great drink, and it can help to keep you alert.  There are many studies that promote the health benefits of a good cup of coffee, from the NIH-AARP study that claims to have found a link between coffee drinking and longevity to studies that have found a link between coffee and decreased risk of skin cancer.  So go ahead and have a cup, but be careful.  Drinking too much coffee at one time can cause “caffeine intoxication” that can have some severe withdrawal symptoms.  You are better off drinking about a half a cup of coffee every 2 hours to stay alert than having that big cup of “double level four”  first thing in the morning.

Stay alert, and stay classy! 

Selected Sources

http://nutritiondata.self.com/

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/diabetes-risk-test/

http://www.pepsicobeveragefacts.com/infobyproduct.php

http://journals.lww.com/nursing/Abstract/2005/06001/_Road_trip__and__healthy_diet___Can_they_coexist_.10.aspx

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/16/152835058/can-coffee-help-you-live-longer-we-really-want-to-know

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/CancerPreventionAndTreatment/caffeine-linked-lower-skin-cancer-risk/story?id=16679958#.UD5qU8HN_X8

Oregano's first Christmas.

Oregano looks rather surprised

What kind of tranny is this?

Oregano, the orphaned kitten

This is a kitty that we found under the porch.  The next day, we found the mother and the rest of the litter.  We re-introduced this kitty to the mother, who took care of it for 2 days.  Then, she left and took the rest of the litter with her.  Oregano was left behind.  Now, she is two weeks old.

Guess what? 1988 Jeep Cherokee XJ

The Five Dollar a Day Challenge - Day 5

Bonnie provided the fixings for a couple of tasty sandwiches, and after a quick lunch we headed off in search of adventure in the Cuyamaca wilderness.  You never really know what you are going to find when you head out on the trail, but this little hike ended in something completely unexpected.  Somewhere near the top of Japacha Peak, on the eastern side, was one of the strangest monuments that I have ever encountered.  We set off on the West Side Trail, and after about a mile came to a marker for something called the Monument Trail.  After following this uphill for about a mile and a half, we entered a little clearing where somebody had dropped a 12 cylinder airplane engine! It was mounted on a stone and concrete pedestal, with a plaque that read, "In Memory of Col. F.C. Marshall and 1st Lt. C.L. Weber who fell at this spot Dec 7th, 1922."  A hive of bees had made their home inside of it, and they were buzzing in and out of an exhaust port.  The monument itself is a little piece of early aviation and military history - and it was a pleasure to find this by accident.  I would like to give credit to Mr. Alexander D. Bevil for writing a wonderful piece about this mysterious chunk of metal that is enshrined on a lonely and forgotten trail in the backcountry of San Diego.  You can click the quote below to see the full story.   


"Neither monumental nor imposing, the Airplane Crash Memorial on Japacha Ridge is a simple expression of three generations’ honor and respect. First in 1923, then again in 1934 and 1968, they built and improved the monument so that 'the present and coming generation' would honor the memory of the two pioneer military aviators who died on this spot while flying outdated machines through treacherous skies over forbidding terrain."


One thing that a nice long uphill hike will do, is make you hungry.  Feeling a bit nostalgic-like, I decided on making some Sloppy Joes.  This ended up putting over my budget for the day, as one pound of ground beef costs about $5 now, and that is just way too much.  Add the buns, Manwich sauce, and tater tots - and I was well into the next day's cash allowance.  I decided to try to conserve a little bit of money and use ground pork instead, since it was leaner and cheaper than beef.  Sloppy Wilburs, I called it.  While everybody involved agreed that it is better when you use beef, Bonnie still ate two sandwiches while I had three.