Happy Independence Day
Happy Independence Day to you! The opening picture was the fireworks on the Chesapeake Bay last night behind our house enjoyed from our deck overlooking the water. I hope you have today off to spend time with your friends and family. It has been raining on and off for several days now, and my office…
Jackson Hole Summer Journey
We left Maryland last Saturday for Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It has been a year and a half since I went on a family vacation with my father and my older brothers. The last vacation we had together was a Christmas cruise to the Caribbean with both my parents and our children. My mother died two…
Add some more SPICE – cardamom and ginger – to your recipes
Add some more SPICE – cardamom and ginger – to your recipesfeaturing Teriyaki Flank Steak and Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Pears In the first spice article, we were roaming through the spice market in Istanbul. When we were there, we learned how to choose ‘true’ cardamom pods, which are actually from India. They should be…
The Emperor of all Maladies – A Biography of Cancer
The Emperor of All Maladies by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee The year was 1994. The scene was the Johns Hopkins Hospital Oncology ward. I was on call for the 2nd week as an intern accepting admissions to the Solid Tumor Service. The fellow in Oncology asked me to journey to the dark basement where the Emergency…
Sugar Can Be Your Friend
It seems we’re always being told not to eat sugar, but actually, sugar is essential for us — it is the primary fuel source for our cells. However, there is certainly a point when too much sugar can overwhelm the body. What if we could determine the perfect amount we need to help us perform…
How to ‘fuel’ the fire
I’ve always found it intriguing that the ellipticals and treadmills at the gym give options for working out in the ‘fat burn zone’. Isn’t all exercise meant to burn fat? And why would you try to stay at a lower intensity of exercise, where the ‘fat burn zone’ is, if you were trying to burn…
Salute to the Graduates
I know I am getting old when many of my bootcamp friends are having children graduating from high school or college. Dr Bawa’s son Simran just graduated from dental school. Josh, Dr Sheri Hamersley’s son, and Liam, Dr Mary Marovich’s son, graduated from high schools. My Linh, Dr Mimi Nguyen’s daughter, graduated from college and…
Food for Vision
According to a report published in February, 2012, Americans spend more than $25 billion a year on dietary supplements. However, as Linda pointed out in her previous blog, what to take and how much to take is unclear, and the evidence often contradictory. Millions of Americans take dietary supplements for eye health, weight loss, joint…
A calorie is not just a calorie, and a pound is not just a pound
For years, the mantra has been “a calorie is a calorie” Eat 3500 fewer calories or burn 3500 more calories or some combination of these two, and you will lose a pound. There is now a growing movement afoot that takes issue with that. Here’s my take on it. To some extent, the mantra is…
Greetings from Istanbul!
I’m on a long flight returning from a week in Istanbul, Turkey, trying to get my thoughts together. So much history, so much culture, wonderful food, great views, and widespread political protests. It’s a fascinating city, located on two continents. We were mostly on the European side, where the Old City and Modern areas are…