Maureen Bisanti
I am a retired wedding photographer. Where I live, there are so many people with irritable bowel syndrome and Crohns and Colitis and I thought this course could help me learn why.
Location Alberta, Canada
Activity
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
The air quality where I live is good, so I am lucky.
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A lot of products, even those from China now say BPA free, so that is encouraging.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I think she is brilliant but I had a hard time understanding her. I didn’t know that some countries have naturally occurring arsenic in their water supplies and it gets into the crops and causes cancer and other diseases. I don’t know the solution to that problem, other than everyone moving away.
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I think human activity contaminates the water more than nature does, and how could aluminum sulphate be accidentally added to drinking water? I want to know more about this so I will Google it.
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Round Up week killer is carcinogenic. I think Hormone Replacement Therapy for menopausal women might cause cancer. New carpets give off gases for the first week or so.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I am lucky that there is not a lot of air pollution where I live and no wood fires in backyards.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Thank you for the glossary.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I won’t keep my potatoes in the fridge anymore, but I will still eat french fries. In moderation. Bbq is not healthy because of the high heat. Dark toast should be avoided.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Can anyone tell me how acrylamides get into canned black olives and prune juice?
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
The Mediterranean diet is clean eating. No processed foods, no additives. The emphasis is on olive oil, salmon, fruits, nuts, vegetables and whole grains. These foods lower LDL, the bad cholesterol and help to prevent cancer. Actually I am not sure if they prevent cancer or if processed foods cause cancer.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I don’t know which one is the biggest threat. I have been leery of eating farmed fish, especially Basa because I read that there are a lot of toxins in these fish farms. I had food poisoning once, Campylobacter, possibly from chicken wings in a restaurant, but my friends had them too, and I was the only one who got sick.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Just eating less fat won’t help a person lose weight. There has to be a balanced diet and not too many calories.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Too bad all the most delicious foods are bad for us. I love burgers and fries, donuts, cake and pie, hot dogs, anything salty. Of course I don’t eat them very often but I would love to.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
When people from North Korea manage to escape to South Korea, it is very evident that they suffer from malnutrition. They are shorter than average in height and very thin. In the States a lot of poor people are overweight because they eat inexpensive but highly fattening fast food.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I wouldn’t cook the eggs in oil. I would poach them in water.
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Maureen Bisanti replied to [Learner left FutureLearn]
It sounds healthy to me.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Hi - I am a retired photographer in Canada and I am interested in nutrition and health. One of my friends was recently operated on for colon cancer and she had a healthy diet, so I am interested in this topic.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Sunk cost bias - reminds me of The Gambler song. You’ve got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them. Unfortunately there have been too many times in my life when I didn’t know that. I also have a hard time in predicting my husband’s reactions to things that I say. If I tell him that he left every cupboard door and drawer open in the kitchen, I expect...
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No matter what I say, the mentor never comments.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I don’t understand why people kill in the name of religion. 9/11 is an example. What kind of brainwashing did those people go through to make them think they were doing the right thing. Were they mindful, but in a bad way?
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Maureen Bisanti replied to Avril Stanford
What is the STOP acronym?
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I just couldn’t get into this long meditation. I even fast forwarded parts of it. It was like I had twelve puppies all out of control. Will have to try again later.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Some deaths are easier to accept than others. My nephew died suddenly of a heart attack when he was only 34. He was a brilliant guy with a great sense of humour. He was an aerospace engineer for NASA in California, working on projects for the International Space Station. He had so much more to offer. That was in 2017 and I still cry about it.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I really liked Craig’s talk about Covid. A pep talk that we all need. I also think I have figured out something. Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone for their misfortune. Empathy is feeling sorry but also feeling their pain. If we feel too much pain for them, it has a negative affect on the amygdala part of our brain. Compassion is when we feel sorry for a...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I have always been a mindful eater because I am worried about gaining weight so I try not to overeat and I savour every bite.
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I didn’t really get the point of this one but I did hear a train whistle in the distance, and cars driving past, and I thought about my son and I thought about how much time I spend on social media, and wondered what I would make for supper tomorrow night.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
This has been a confusing few days for me. A friend who didn’t want to get the Covid vaccine, gave in and got it, but it is a secret. Another friend told me today that she has been sick in bed with Covid for ten days but it is a secret. What’s with all the secrets? I got my husband to listen to the ten minute pain meditation today and he found it very relaxing.
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Maureen Bisanti replied to Isabelle A
I agree.
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Maureen Bisanti replied to Nigel Armstrong
F a i l - just means first attempt in learning.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I think we need to love ourselves and to tell ourselves that we deserve to be happy! I wish that I had a mentor growing up, but I never did. On a positive note I was never bullied or picked on in school and don’t remember being criticized much in my life.
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When my husband and I downsized from a house to a condo, we had to do the big purge. That is when we found out our kids had no interest in our good crystal, china or silver. I kept it and gave away the everyday stuff. My sister in law helped me purge and part with stuff that I didn’t really need.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I don’t know what to say. I feel compassion for other people but also for myself. I once dreamt that the Queen curtsied to me, and because she had never done it before, she fell down. That must mean I have a big ego, but I don’t really because I know most people are way smarter than me. I try to show compassion by giving money, maybe not always the right...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
It was interesting to hear that difficult people are usually unhappy people. That explains a lot. Some of my neighbours are cranky but they are widows and probably unhappy. I will send good wishes their way instead of grumbling about them.
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Maureen Bisanti replied to Ashmead A
Yes I do but I don’t wear the watch at night.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Someone close to me holds grudges, and I wish I could change that person. But how can I persuade a grudgeholder to stop?
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Maureen Bisanti replied to Kirsty Eccleston
If you put the oxygen on your kid first, you might lose the strength to look after yourself afterwards. Then your kid would have oxygen but no mom.
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Maureen Bisanti replied to Ashmead A
I like keeping track of my steps. I like to set a goal and try to achieve it.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
My kids are grown up but I was not very good at letting go, cutting the apron strings. We always ate at the supper table as a family and I never got angry when they spilled their glass of milk, a regular occurrence. Time goes by so fast. If you have little kids, enjoy every single moment!
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I like that about not donating articles we would not give to a friend. It makes sense.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I agree with Craig about having a house that is not cluttered but for some reason if someone is in the house with me, I can’t have silence. I have to have the tv or radio on for background music. I get agitated if there is no background noise. I definitely want to be a better listener, and to be more accepting of people who have different opinions from me, but...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Is it okay to just banter with your friends? Does everything we say have to be profound? Can we just chit chat about the weather sometimes?
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Here in Canada the pandemic is not yet under control. Our restaurants and gyms are closed, the high schools have closed and we have not been allowed to have visitors in our homes for over a year, not even family. We are stressed and I am enjoying the mindfulness course. I want to be a better listener.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
It is okay to watch the train go by, but don’t get on it!
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I enjoyed the course. It has helped me to keep my mind from racing and to focus on whatever I am doing.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I don’t know, is it just me or are there erotic overtones to this Tim Tam munching? They seem to be having fun. I want a Tim Tam but I am in Canada, they don’t sell them here.
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Hello? No comments about amusing video?
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I found this video to be like a flirtation, with undertones of, well I better stop here. Is she his wife maybe?
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Not bragging, but I have been mindful my whole life of everything I eat. But that brings on guilt when I am eating something delicious like a burger and fries, because I know it is not a healthy choice.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I find it very difficult to focus. My mind wanders way too much, but I am trying.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I didn’t know there was such a thing, but I have FAD. Facebook Addiction Disorder.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
If someone does us wrong or lies to us, do we have to accept it? Is it wrong to be confrontational?
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Every time I go to a restaurant with my son in law, he finds fault with the food. I should not take it personally but I do find it upsetting. I actually
find it embarrassing but I should just be mindful of my own meal and try to avoid going out to eat with him. It is his problem. -
Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I worry about my grown up kids but not about myself. I had cancer and was never worried during surgery, chemo or radiation. I survived and I am fine. But if my husband leaves a cupboard door or drawer open in the kitchen, I freak out. He says he is absent minded and I should just shut them myself. Maybe he needs to learn mindfulness.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I like to notice things and take photos of them from different angles. I get very stressed when I am a passenger in a car, no matter who is driving. I definitely catastrophize. I might have to concentrate on my breathing instead of being a nervous wreck.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I think I am not mindful most of the time. Even when watching tv, my mind wanders. I am always distracted by worrying about things or thinking of things I want to do later. I must learn to train my mind like that puppy.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Wow! So according to these two professors, mindfulness is a cure all. It can help slow the aging process, improve our immune system, reduce anxiety, cure depression, improve memory, make us want to exercise, quit smoking, eat properly, and so much more!
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I did the five minute meditation and just kept thinking that it is late at night and I haven’t had two fruit and three vegetables today. I think I only had one fruit and two vegetables. Should I go eat some strawberries. So I failed miserably at being mindful.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I feel like they are talking gibberish, that this is a course about nothing. Am I missing something?
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I disagreed when they say that we can’t really multitask, we just think we do. Well years ago, when my kids were small, I think I could talk on the land line phone on the kitchen wall, while stirring a cake batter, and keeping my eyes on my toddler.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I don’t really want to keep a record.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I read the list of terms used. I catastrophize, and I also go into default mode.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Well I looked at the list of terms and I am definitely guilty of catastrophising and my mind goes into default mode sometimes.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I found the comma technique very relaxing.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Je suis canadienne et mon marie est aussi Canadien. Me belle soeur est italienne.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Bonjour. Je m’appelle Maureen et je suis Canadienne.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Allons y!
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I never knew that a typical Western diet, high in processed foods, too much sugar, fat and salt, could cause mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, but the Smiles experiment proved that a nutritious diet like the modified Mediterranean diet, can improve a person’s mood and make them happier. If the gut is happy, the brain responds in a positive way.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I have to stop buying foods with empty calories like Pringles, but I really like salty snacks. I need to plan my meals in advance, which shouldn’t be a problem because I am retired, no work required. I gave up my morning glass of orange juice because my doctor said it has too much sugar. I drink lots of spring water but not from thin plastic bottles because...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I was wasting too much fresh produce so now my husband and I get three meals a week delivered to our condo. The company delivers the food and the recipes. We dice and chop everything they give us. Nothing wasted. Sometimes a salad is included. The other nights we heat up frozen meals. I have ordered one of those new Instapots, so when that arrives I will try...
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Maureen Bisanti replied to Katrina S
Sometimes it helps to do something that is incompatible with what you want to do. So if you have the urge to go shopping, start baking bread. It takes a lot of time and you can’t go out for awhile.
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Maureen Bisanti replied to Flora Cruft
Pardon my ignorance but are you one of the teachers in this course? I am asking this of Joan Rittberg.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I was diagnosed with breast cancer eight years ago. I had surgery, chemo and radiation. I was very sick after my first chemo because I lost all my white blood cells and was hospitalized and put in isolation. All my friends and my family admired my positive attitude through it all. I had one acquaintance that I would speak to on the phone. She had survived...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I am in the ready stage. Nothing can be as hard as giving up smoking, which I did over ten years ago. I loved smoking. But now I need to eat healthier, so I am ready to eat more fruits and vegetables and less red meat.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I really want to try and eat more fruit. When I think about it, most days I only eat one fruit a day. I find bananas too sweet but will try to eat maybe half of one. I will buy frozen blueberries and put them in my plain yogurt. I will start eating grapes too, and oranges and apples. I will write myself a note and put it on the fridge.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Food is quite expensive in Canada. Our growing season is quite short so most produce has to be imported. I can afford to buy whatever groceries I want but sometimes just run out of ideas of what to make. I have good intentions of making home made soups and stews but end up eating a frozen dinner. Poor planning on my part. Lately my husband and I have been...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I like to take a boiled egg, add some turmeric and chopped celery and olives, mix it with a bit of mayonnaise and put it on a piece of toast. Yummy! Also for breakfast I like toast with peanut butter and sliced tomato, with salt and pepper. When I am in Arizona I eat lots of grapefruits and oranges because they grow on trees in the neighborhood and are...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I am grossed out by the thought of eating kangaroo meat. I didn’t even know that people ate kangaroo meat. I like the modified med diet but I am surprised that eggs are right at the top. I eat one a day, but I never eat butter because my whole life, I have never liked it. I am Canadian and some people here eat deer meat and elk and moose, so that might gross...
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Maureen Bisanti replied to Gavin Lindsay
That seems a bit strange.
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Maureen Bisanti replied to Jan Strom
My husband started taking Lyrica, prescribed by his doctor for muscle pain, and it really helps.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I have not experienced or observed a dietary intervention, but the Smiles trial was very enlightening. I would have thought the people with social support would improve more. I wish they had a third group that received both, just to see if there was an even bigger improvement.
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I hear you! I can’t go to Arizona this year because of Covid but I really believe that taking 3000 units a day of Vitamin D keeps me in a good mood.
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I like canned salmon with the skin and bones in it. I add some mayonnaise to it and eat it in a sandwich.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
My parents did not know much about nutrition and they didn’t have much money, so our family of two parents and three kids ate way too much hamburger meat because it was so cheap. My father smoked and drank and had a heart attack at 59. Even after that, he did not follow a healthy diet. When I got married I tried to make healthy meals but I often grabbed a...
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We have the same kind of labelling here in Canada, but it has to be in English and French because Canada is considered a bilingual country even though most of the population is English speaking. Interesting note, in French, carbohydrates are called glucides. I am embarrassed to say that tonight, after spending time on this course, I went and had a bowl of...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I am a strong believer in Vitamin D supplements to build strong bones and ward off depression. This doctor says he thinks fish oil supplements can help people with depression but said because there are still studies going on to see the link between neutraceuticals and mental health, it is better to focus on having a healthy diet. Good advice.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I am a senior citizen who finally figured out that I have a wheat or maybe a gluten allergy. I decided on my own two months ago, to go on a gluten free diet. My stomach thanks me for that. Gone is the constant gas, bloating and diarrhea. My stomach feels peaceful, and by stomach I guess I really mean my intestines. I have learned a lot in this course and have...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I am interested in the birth mode because I heard that babies who do not pass through the birth canal miss out on some healthy bacteria. In other words Caesarean births should not be done unless necessary. Some people think they are too posh to push. I have also heard that most Autistic kids were born by Caesarian. I know two autistic boys, snd both were born...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
A diverse and healthy diet, learning new things, having a social life are all important factors that can help prevent Alzheimers. My friend’s mother is 80, and has been in a nursing home because of her Alzheimers for a few years now. So I asked my friend - did your mom eat a healthy diet? She said no. She ate butter and sugar sandwiches on white bread, and...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I chose the 2005 study about the effects of a high fibre or low fibre diet on our guts. A healthy gut has a lining of little hairlike threads covered with a nice thick lining of mucous. Food with fibre keeps the gut healthy and happy. But changing to a low fibre or no fibre diet has disastrous effects. The mucous becomes thinner, the lining becomes flatter,...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Inflammation is not good for the body. It is an over reaction of the immune system caused by many different factors such as worry, stress, unhealthy diet, chemicals in the environment, a Vitamin D deficiency, obesity. I have a friend who does bariatric surgery and he said it is too simplistic and unfair to say obese people are overweight because they eat too...
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The hippocampus controls memory, learning and mood. Studies were done that showed the hippocampus shrinks in people who eat a Western diet, a diet high in fats and sugars. People who eat a Mediterranean diet with fresh fruits and vegetables,fish, nuts and seeds have a better functioning hippocampus.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I remember when I was in high school in the 1960’s, our biology teacher was explaining the parts of the brain, and then she said no one knows what the hippocampus is for. I wanted to be the one who discovered it, but life got in the way. It is interesting to learn that mental health problems can cause physical problems like heart disease,diabetes and obesity....
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I guess it would be nice for everyone to have a personalized nutrition regime, but would we follow it? Our dietary needs change as we get older so it would be a guideline for us. A pregnant woman needs to drink more milk than a middle aged man. But no matter what, I am still going to eat bacon. Even vegetarians like bacon. But, everything in moderation. The...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I live in Canada and used to take in foreign exchange students. It was very important for the Korean and Taiwanese students to eat a lot of rice. Their mothers would ask - did you eat your rice today? I try to eat healthy but I can’t acquire a taste for some things like brown rice or brown pasta. I never ate lamb growing up, so won’t even try it now as a...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I can control my exercise and diet but I have had insomnia for many years. Most nights I have to take an over the counter sleeping pill, and I concentrate on my breathing as I try to fall asleep. I am a senior citizen but a very youthful one, in great shape. I wear a watch that keeps track of my steps. I was playing pickleball three times a week but Covid has...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I volunteered in a women’s shelter. It is for Native Indian women and their children. It was quite shocking to hear their stories. It was a cycle of abuse. The kids were brought up by alcoholic abusive parents. The kids were traumatized, malnourished, not taught any social graces. The girls were mocked if they hadn’t had a baby by the age of 17. They hook up...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I don’t know what the difference is between genetic factors and biological factors. I do know from personal experience that my son and daughter, brought up in the same house, with the same parents are very different from each other. One gets depressed, one doesn’t. One works hard, the other doesn’t. One likes material things, one doesn’t. They both liked...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I don’t think every person can reach their full potential due to extenuating circumstances but they can still be happy and cope with the normal stresses of life. I think that if a person is not properly nourished with healthy foods it can cause a chemical reaction in the brain and that can make a person feel depressed. Ever since my doctor told me I had a...
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
I looked at the Answer Garden and added a few words.
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Maureen Bisanti made a comment
Interesting to hear her say the gut and brain are connected. They are not two separate entities.
