Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Waist-to-hip ratio predicts faster telomere shortening than depression

Chili

I've been trying various brands of canned chili.  The brands without beans are a bit more expensive, but the prices vary a great deal by brand.  The cost ranges from 12 to 30 cents per ounce.  The Amour brand with beans is the cheapest, but I haven't tried it yet.  I am going to try more brands.

I initially tried Wolf Brand Chili with no beans.   It is good, but it is so spicy I could barely eat it.

The Great Value (Walmart Brand) Chili with beans is just slightly cheaper, but it has a taste that I think is really good.

The hot dog chili is the cheapest.  I only mention it because my mother used to love to make coney dogs, and I enjoyed them too.  She would put onions on them.  I once bought sauce that had onion in it.

Monday, January 26, 2026

The Mysterious Plaque Reversing Effect of Lycopene


@john2001plus
0 seconds ago
Tomatoes are food.  Healthy food.  Roma tomatoes have enough lycopene for the whole day so I eat 1 or 2 per day.

Thursday, January 22, 2026

Los Pollos Hermanos fried Chicken

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONEShChb8qE

Los Pollos Hermanos is a fictional restaurant in Breaking Bad.   I translate the name as "The Chicken Brothers".

Thursday, January 15, 2026

This Food Component Cuts Visceral Fat in Half (Science-backed)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jII_IDTCw-o

I'm not sure how to eat this food, and 40G seems excessive.


Likewise, he recommends 40G fiber.  Again, this seems way excessive.  A 12 oz package of mixed vegetables, which claims to be 4 servings, has 12G of fiber per package.  I like eating vegetables with something that tastes good, like chicken nuggets, chicken strips, or ravioli.  

I also get fiber from fruit.  I try to eat an apple every day, because doing so reportedly can lower cholesterol.

Too much of either substance will have intestinal effects, like gas, because they are broken down by gut bacteria.  I've been trying to eat fiber to deal with constipation.








Monday, January 12, 2026

Large-scale Vitamin D study on Telomeres, an important Marker of Aging


john2001plus
0 seconds ago
I'm concerned that the study doesn't control for the Omega-3 intake, although taking both sounds like a good idea.  I'm already taking Vitamin D.   However, I'm not a doctor nor a medical expert.  

I'm also concerned that he doesn't provide a link to the study.  I found the article on the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition website:  https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(25)00255-2/abstract

I believe in, "Trust, but verify".  I would like to see more studies.  

According to Google AI...

"Yes, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) is a highly reputable, peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing primary research, considered a top source in nutrition and dietetics, though it's published by the American Society for Nutrition (ASN), which receives funding from food/beverage industry partners, a point some critics raise regarding potential influence. Its high impact factor and publication of rigorous studies on topics like obesity, metabolism, and vitamins underscore its scientific standing. "

Monday, January 5, 2026

Air fryers are simpler than you think, but still pretty neat


Having an air fryer changed my life.   I got one on a Target sale that was reportedly discontinued 50%.

I like the electronic display on mine.  It has multiple modes, the most useful of which might be "reheat".





Saturday, January 3, 2026

All The World's A Soup


I once took a bunch of old canned goods, mostly tomato products like diced tomatoes and whole canned tomatoes, along with some tomato soup, put them in a crockpot and made a delicious soup.  Later I added pasta, which was also good.

I think almost anything will work.  Reportedly, primitive societies would throw whatever they had on hand into a boiling pot of water and make a meal out of it.

Friday, December 26, 2025

Burger King vs Walmart Onion Rings 🧅🍟


@john2001plus
0 seconds ago
Something about the taste of Burger King Onion Rings doesn't appeal to me.  I haven't tried Walmart.  

Arby's onion rings are really good.

Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Heavy Metals in your Chocolate: The Best & Worst Brands


The California Proposition 65 standard is not a safety standard, but a labelling standard.  The FDA allows higher levels of heavy metal contamination.

I can no longer find the Sam's Choice brand of dark chocolate.  The 72%, which according to the video has too much cadmium, shows up on the Walmart site, but it is out of stock.

Walmart has replaced the Sam's Choice brand with their "Better Goods" brand.  I was buying this, because it is about a dollar cheaper, but I can't find any information about its heavy metal content.

According to the video, if I wanted to play it safe, I would buy the Giradelli 86%.

Saturday, November 15, 2025

Easy Steak Pan Method

How Much Caffeine Is in Coffee?

https://www.consumerreports.org/health/caffeine/caffeine-in-coffee-a2519854957/

These figures are higher than I expected.  Roughly 15 years ago I read that a large McDonalds coffee had 180 mg of caffeine, and the small had half of that.  I have been using these figures for large and small coffees ever since.  However, the article lists a large McDonalds coffee at 295 mg and the Dunkin Donuts large coffee is the same.

The values for instant coffee are more than I expected.  I had read figures under 100 mg.  I don't like the taste of instant coffee.

The trouble with calculating the content of home brewed coffee is that it depends upon how much coffee you use.  The labels recommend using more than I actually use.

I twice quit caffeine by phasing it out very slowly.  However, I enjoy drinking my 50% decaf in the morning.  I like how it gives me a boost.  I study chess in the morning, and the coffee gets my brain going.

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Canola Oil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik7IfpsnnIE

It is rare that I use any oil because I don't do that much cooking.  I used to make popcorn usually with Canola oil, but sometimes with Olive Oil, both of which make delicious popcorn.  The Olive Oil has a little more flavor.

Monday, October 20, 2025

Is your Protein Powder safe from Lead?


There are similar issues with dark chocolate, where the California standards are too strict.

Wednesday, October 15, 2025