Mirlisa's Bits and Pieces

I had put a hamburger in my relatively new Breville oven and walked away…about 10 minutes later I hear an odd loud sound. What the hell? I went towards the sound and saw this:

What the fuck!

We’d been looking to buy this oven for a few years – the Cranberry Red to be specific. The only place we could find it was Williams-Sonoma – and it was kind of expensive. So, on this past black Friday it was discounted 40%! SALE!! We swooped it up!

After I saw the shattered glass, I immediately called Breville and explained what had happened and they were very nice and indicated they would send me a replacement and to send back this one. I verified that they were going to send the Cranberry Red. She looked up inventory and said, yes, they’ve got it in stock. I should receive and email within 24 hours indicating that it has been shipped.

You know where this is going, right? No shipment email. I ended having to call back several times. Breville’s customer service hours are horrible. After two weeks I finally talked to someone who was able to tell me that they didn’t have any Cranberry Red ovens in stock and wouldn’t until March. WTF! I told her that the original rep had checked inventory and assured me they had them in stock. This rep said that she shouldn’t have promised it in case there were orders in front of mine. Keep in mind that Breville charged me $140 until they received my broken unit.

So, I checked the Williams-Sonoma web site and they had the Cranberry Red in stock! I filled out a contact form on their site. I got a very quick reply that they would immediately send me a new unit and to send the old one back in the same box. They emailed me a return label at no charge to me. I called Breville to cancel everything – and yes, they refunded the $140 they had charged. From then on everything went exactly as Williams-Sonoma said it would. I will be a loyal customer. And I will avoid Breville customer service like the plague.

By the way, I love the oven and have used it many, many times. Hopefully, the shattering of the glass was an anomaly and I will have many years of satisfied service.

Ciao.

John Pavlovitz sums up perfectly the relationship effect of the current Presidency:

The separation you feel and the distance you are experiencing is for good reason. You know why you’re here right now. This isn’t a capricious response to some minor moment of misunderstanding, not some flippant mood swing triggered by a singular blowup. This is the slow, steady, and devastating realization that you and some people you have lived life alongside—aren’t morally compatible.

This bears repeating…we aren’t morally compatible.

I’m reminded of an article in the New York Times that I read yesterday about a conservative county in Florida who have been adversely affected by the government shutdown.

Here’s the punchline:

“I voted for him, and he’s the one who’s doing this,” she said of Mr. Trump. “I thought he was going to do good things. He’s not hurting the people he needs to be hurting.”

He’s not hurting the people he needs to be hurting.

He’s not hurting the people he needs to be hurting.

He’s not hurting the people he needs to be hurting.

Ciao.

“…Another condition that fits this description—misattribution to a wrongly demonized dietary factor—is gout. Animal protein in general, and red meat, in particular, typically take the blame for gout, with alcohol—beer, especially—a close second. Gout occurs when a compound called uric acid builds up in the body and precipitates into crystals that lodge in the joints. The big toe is most commonly affected, but gout attacks can affect other joints. Uric acid comes from the breakdown of purines, which are concentrated in animal proteins but are also found in plant foods. Uric acid isn’t a problem in a healthy body that excretes it properly. It’s only problematic when it accumulates and solidifies, and the primary driver of this is high insulin. Just as with sodium, hyperinsulinemia inhibits excretion of uric acid. The answer isn’t to reduce dietary purines (which would mean cutting back on some of the most nutrient-dense foods available); the answer is to reduce insulin levels.”

See “The Hidden Problem of Chronic Hyperinsulinemia“.

So, to prevent gout you need to lower your insulin levels. Eat a reduced carbohydrate diet – yes, exclude potatoes, grains, beans and fruit. If you have gout you’ve likely got an insulin problem…but…

…You know what else can contribute to gout? Blood pressure meds. And there’s evidence that it might not be a good idea for seniors to be on blood pressure meds at all. But that’s another story.

So, high insulin and blood pressure meds – a recipe for gout.

If you’ve got drawerful of meds – find a new doctor, please.

Ciao.

I highly recommend DietDoctor.com! An excellent resource – I was reading Andreas Eenfeldt MD long before he created his website and program.

Here’s what low carb looks like:

Stop the bread, cakes, cookies, muffins, cereals, crackers, sweetened drinks, seed oils (canola, corn, soy, etc.), potatoes, rice, quinoa, etc. These foods convert to sugar quickly and/or promote inflammation. Forget counting calories, weight watchers, eating less and exercising more. You’ve tried this for a lifetime and it doesn’t work.

Obesity and diabetes are the results of hyperinsulinemia caused by eating too many carbs. When you eat refined carbs your body cannot access your fat stores for fuel. But when you restrict carb consumption your insulin levels drop and your body can now access your body fat for fuel.

There’s a ton of books I can recommend to help you understand how we got it so wrong and how to right the ship. I’m going to put a list together. If you read only one or two of these you will find yourself getting angry that you’ve been lied to about obesity, about how to lose weight and improve your health. I know I am. But I also know that I am now in control and have learned just how easy it is to control my weight and my health.

Don’t get me started on cholesterol. The only number that matters is your triglyceride/HDL ratio. It should be less than 2 – the lower the better. Statins – just say NO! Statins are one of the biggest con jobs in health history.

Here’s the best part of low carb or keto. Your metabolic markers improve almost immediately – long before you’ve lost the weight.

Take control now. Go to DietDoctor.com to get started.

These iconic words come from one of our favorite shows “The Great British Baking Show”.

If you’ve got a Netflix account you should start watching. There are several versions – start with the plain “The Great British Baking Show” – there are others like Masterclass, The Beginning, etc. Watch a single episode at a time – you get to know the bakers and find yourself rooting for them. There is such a diverse group of bakers. Well done!

Every weekend the bakers have to complete three challenges that are evaluated by Paul and Mary (see below). One baker is designated “Star Baker” and one has to go home. At the end, three bakers will vie to win it all. Great fun!

Above are the original hosts of the show Mel, Sue, Mary and Paul. After a number of seasons the show moved to a new network – Paul came with it but Mary, Sue and Mel decided to stay with the old. In the newer version Paul is joined by Prue, Noel and Sandy. They’re good but, honestly, we loved Sue, Mel and Mary – especially, Sue and Mel. We still miss them.

It’s been a joy to watch. A reality show done the right way.

Ciao.