Rebuild from Depression Blog

This is the first Rebuild news digest, covering topics related to food, health, and depression.

The Mouths of Babes
The New York Times reports that meaningful parents buying organic cereal for their children are providing a less nutritious product because organic cereals are not fortified and enriched with dietary nutrients. Read more.
Note to parents: there is a reason cereal is fortified in the first place. Instead of buying the box, save some money and make your own porridge, experiment with egg dishes, or go the European sandwich route for breakfast.

As evidence that lawyers should not make our nutritional decisions, Attorney Anne Noyes questions legislating school lunches in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Children and adolescents who have low-fat diets often suffer from depression, fatigue, anxiety, mood swings, hormonal imbalances and (for young women) loss of menstrual cycle," she writes. Yes, we need fats to keep our brains healthy. The problem for her argument is that the particular fats we need are not present in cakes, donuts, and cookies. I also know of no study suggesting that any of us are suffering from sugar-deficiency health consequences. More.

For more on the school lunch debate, Senator Tom Harkin introduced a bill that would affect what schools can sell in vending machines. The devil's in the details as they say. More.

The Rich Get Richer
Supplement users have better diets than non-supplement users. Read more. The rich get richer, though we are all still poor in magnesium, supplements or no. Be careful about getting too rich, by the way. Note most male supplement users consume too much zinc and iron, both depression-fighting minerals if you are deficient. Both are toxic at high levels.

Some people are apparently getting nutrient supplements in enhanced water. Generally supplementation is healthful, but products like enhanced water could end up with questions similar to the current folic acid fortification program, discussed at our website and in the news.

Fight Depression, Build Health
Science Daily reports on a recent JAMA study on the link between Omega 3 fatty acids and diabetes. There is strong evidence that Omega 3 fatty acids help depression as well.

Food Watch
It's not a depression buster if it has E.coli 0157:H57. Beef, high in vitamins and minerals, is a bad idea if it's laced with pathogenic bacteria. Order the steak, pass on the burger, or acquire your own meat the old-fashioned way. Read more on the recent beef recall.

Organic Mega-Dairy Aurora threatens to sue industry watch-dogs. Read part of the battle at Chews Wise. For this writer's commentary, visit the Ethicurean for "Aurora Confession."

Moms and Babies
One in seven of us will face depression in pregnancy or postpartum, a new study says. Yale expert suggests the reasons are either hormonal or due to psychological adjustment. He forgot the fact that in no time in life is our nutrient requirement so great as it is in pregnancy or breastfeeding.

We hear often that the diet of the mom affects the offspring. The diet of the pregnant cow can affect her calf too. If there were assessments of cow mental states, their pregnancy diet would probably affect their postpartum mood as well. Ranchers in Virginia are talking about how to get their herds through the winter on a low feed supply and the implications for the in utero calves. More.

The biggest threat to our home here in the Sequoia National Forest is a forest fire. I post about my property clearing "exercise" on occasion. My work continues on these five acres. We have been lucky this season. We got through one more season it would appear. We are not threatened here by the October Santa Anas like southern California is. July and August heat are our biggest enemies.

Not to be overly grim, just to be realistic about our circumstances, the fire season ending for us about now puts us a season closer. Forestry people here continue to say "It's not a matter of if but when." I do not let this fact cause me fear and dread. I use the information to take some control over our lives by doing things such as brush clearing. I have used it to face another of my big fears - chainsaws. I had not touched on until this past February when I received it for my birthday. This is a big step for a person who grew up in the era of the movies "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Some of you know what I am talking about. ;)

This topic is obviously on my mind because a good friend lost her house on Lake Arrowhead yesterday. Her family is safe and had about ninety minutes to evacuate. She has been spear-heading our high school reunion planning and that reunion happens in about ten days. She actually put the table decorations for the reunion in her car but lamented that she forgot her reunion dress. She was obviously the right person to take charge of the reunion for both her planning abilities and her attitude.

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Thanks for reading.

Thanks for putting up with my madness. ;)

I think this is deserving of a party.