First Chapter: Keep Sharp by Sanjay Gupta, MD

 

First Chapter/First paragraph/Tuesday Intros is hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. Post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book you are reading or plan to read soon.

Keep Sharp by Sanjay Gupta, MD

Published January 5, 2021, Simon & Schuster

Genre: health, self-help

First paragraph, first chapter:

Are You At Risk for Brain Decline?

Over the past few years, I have spent a great deal of time distilling the best evidence-based brain research into guidance for you. It is based on formal and informal conversations with colleagues and other experts in the world of neuroscience and human performance. In order to make it more useful, I have created a list of questions that are highly relevant to your brain health and potential.... 

Would read on?  

Book Review: Conscious Calm by Laura Maciuika

Conscious Calm

Title: Conscious Calm: Keys to Freedom from Stress and Worry by Laura Maciuika, Ed. D.
Tap Into Freedom Publishing (October 26, 2011)
Genre: inspirational, health

Conscious Calm advocates self awareness as a means to combat stress and worry. The book explores Emotions - what they mean, how to recognize them, practicing having a comfort level with your emotions. It calls for deep breaths to control stress from the inside out, and focusing on the present, both Eastern methods of relaxation. Conscious Calm has its own methods - hitting the Pause Button on Motor Mind; taking Being Breaks from daily activity and from Autopilot, using Personal Power 180.  The book offers tips and exercises in each chapter.

Finding calm and greater centeredness requires awareness, especially when starting out in a more stressed or worried state.(ch. 1)

What I took away from the book: Conscious Calm emphasized to me that chest breathing may not decrease stress, may increase stress, and that only a series of very deep breaths that seem to fill your stomach and expand it, will work for calming and reducing anxiety.

What I also found interesting was a "Stress-Busting Power Tool" called EFT, developed in the 1990s by Gary Craig. The process involves tapping on specific parts of the head and upper body with your fingers, an Energy Psychology technique that is nevertheless controversial among practitioners. Another component of EFT is the Brain Balancing Section, where you use tapping, eye exercises, counting and humming to activate several different sections of the brain all at once. The controversial part of EFT for me is the calling up of your self defeating or negative emotions in the exercise, emotions which may intensify during the exercise and which must be confronted and  lessened with more tapping.  Personally, I would use the finger tapping to distract myself from whatever thoughts might be stressful. at the moment. The fact that you are also using several parts of your brain at once in the exercises I think of as a plus.

I can recommend this book for those looking for alternative ways to handle stress and worry. The book is well worth looking at.

About the author: Laura Maciuika, Ed.D. is a clinical psychologist by training and integrative healer in practice. Laura writes about and teaches practical ways to develop inner freedom for greater happiness and success. She lives in northern California. See Author interview with Laura Maciuika.

For other tour stops, author interviews, and reviews, visit Conscious Calm Book Tour

Thanks to Pump Up Your Book promotions and the author for a complimentary review copy of this book.

Review: The Sexy Vegan Cookbook by Brian L. Patton

The Sexy Vegan Cookbook: Extraordinary Food from an Ordinary Dude by Brian L. Patton
Published March 15, 2012; New World Library
Paperback, 256 pages
Objective rating: 4/5

Patton shares over 100 vegan recipes in The Sexy Vegan Cookbook, which covers the basics of cooking, from slicing vegetables to finding the right type of tofu to recreating favorites without meat or dairy.  Brian gives recipes from cocktails to breakfast sandwiches to desserts. There are appetizers and nachos, pizza and tuna-like sandwiches as well as salads, pasta, and main dishes. (publisher)

Here is a stand alone recipe that you can make without prior preparation of vegan foods. Sounds pretty delicious to me!

Curried Fried Tofu Salad
One 14-ounce block of extra firm tofu, drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons curry powder
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour (or another flour, like garbanzo, rice, etc.)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1/2 head red leaf lettuce, roughly chopped or torn
1/2 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 medium beet, grated
1 medium carrot, grated

Dressing:
1 small Thai chili, minced (you can use less depending on how hot the peppers ae=re)
1/2 teaspoon tamarind paste
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
3 tablespoons extra-virgin oil
1/4 teaspoon agave nectar

Slice the tofu crosswise into six 1/2-inch-thick rectangles. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Spread the curry powder, flour, and salt and pepper on a shallow plate, stir to combine, and dredge both sides of the tofu slices in the seasoning. When the olive oil is just barely starting to smoke, carefully place the slices in the frying pan. Let them fry on one side for 3 to 4 minutes, until browned. Then flip and brown on the other side, 3 to 4 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the lettuce, cucumber, scallion, beet, and carrot, and toss with the dressingl Pile the salad on a plate and place the fried tofu on top in an artful fashion.

Makes 2 entrees or 4 appetizers

Comments:Some vegan recipes in the book require special ingredients, so the book gives you recipes for making seasonings and sauces and foods to save for use in more complex recipes. For instance, the book gives recipes for My Balls (pretend meatballs) and Pretend Italian Sausage, Pretend Breakfast Sausage Patties, Pretend Canadian Bacon and Pretend Chipotle Sausages, Mexican Chorizo (all vegan and no meat) so you can use them in more complex dishes such as vegan Jambalaya, Spaghetti and Balls, and Lasagna Fauxlognese.

Though the start up of cooking vegan may be time consuming at the beginning, I would recommend the cookbook to anyone who is serious about going vegan or using some vegan dishes in  their diet.

Thanks to the publisher for a complimentary review copy of the cookbook.

Book Review/Teaser: Everyday Meditation by Tobin Blake

Teaser Tuesdays asks you to choose sentences at random from your current read.

"Think of meditation as rest, not work. It is sacred time you set aside each day to step back from the world and all the busyness and stress of daily life, and to sink into quietness for a little while....

I rest in gentleness, I rest in gentleness, I rest in gentleness.' Let this message fill your consciousness as you meditate today." (Day 58)

Title: Everyday Meditation: 100 Daily Meditations for Health, Stress Relief, and Everyday Joy by Tobin Blake
New World Library, Feb. 10, 2012

Comments: Everyday Meditation offers 100 days of meditation exercises, beginning on day 1 with simple deep breathing, then advancing to counting your breaths for concentration, then chanting a simple mantra or saying, then moving on to imagining scenarios for concentration and relaxation. One such mental image, in the Day 11 exercise, asks you to imagine "meditating before a great ocean, waves gently lapping on the shore, the sun warm but not hot, and the day quiet ."

I liked that these exercises don't require you to sit in the lotus position, which I would find uncomfortable after a while. You can sit on a chair or anywhere that is comfortable and quiet, says the author, as long as you are sitting, your back straight, your head up, and you are in a relaxed position. The book suggests closing your eyes while you meditate, although I have read in a book by a Tibetan lama that opening your eyes is better, to keep in touch with the real world.

The author gives health reasons for meditation - decreasing blood pressure and heart rate and relieving stress. He also discusses meditation as "turning inward" to find your inner core or spiritual self.

The 100 daily exercises seem a good way to ease into the habit of meditating, with simple exercises that build on each other, leading to your becoming more adept if you followed the exercises faithfully. Easier said than done, I thought.

I would recommend the book as an insight into the practice of meditation, whether or not you use it as a reference book and/or as a book of practice. I think it is a book I'm glad to have on my shelves.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book.

Book Review: Breakthrough by Shea Vaughn

"The mind-body connection is the idea that our thoughts can positively affect our bodies and our physical reactions, particularly  to stress. The mind leads and the body follows." (ch. 3, Thought and Motion)

Title: Breakthrough: the 5 Living Principles to Defeat Stress, Look Great, & Find Total Well-Being by Shea Vaughn
Paperback, Health Communications, Inc., October 3, 2011
Objective rating: 5/5

I was interested in how Shea combines eastern thought on well-being with modern ideas on exercise and health. She focuses a lot on the mind-body connection, showing that focus on the body and leaving out the mind doesn't work, or vice versa.

"When we are overburdened by chronic stress the mind is doing so much work that the body is sometimes left behind." (ch. 4, Modern Meditation).

Her tips on managing stress, such as: breathe, exercise, laugh, music, think positive sound like common sense but her motivational advice and insights I found very helpful. Her Sheanetics - 5 Living Principles of Well-Being - include commitment, perseverance, self-control, integrity, and love. Again, so much common sense but with added insights, exercises, and advice that make the book enjoyable and easy to read as well as informational and inspiring. Shea also teaches by using examples of different people with specific problems and the solutions for each of them.

I especially like what I call the yoga stretching exercises, instructions and photos that are included as just that - exercises to stretch and balance and "boost the mind and body."  This is one of the books that goes on my easy to reach shelf of reference books I'll refer to frequently.

About the Author: Shea Vaughn is a fitness expert, professional trainer, and wellness coach who lives in Chicago. Shea has gained national recognition as an inspirational speaker, certified personal trainer, and media personality. She was featured on the Ellen DeGeneris show in December 2011. Visit http://www.sheanetics.com/
A complimentary review copy of this book was sent to me.
© Harvee Lau of Book Dilettante. Please do not reprint without permission

New Year's Resolutions: 52 Small Changes by Brett Blumenthal, review

Title: 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You by Brett Blumenthal
AmazonEncore; January 3, 2012
My objective rating: 4/5

There are 52 tips in this self-help health manual for making small but significant changes in your way of life, one change per week for the next year. There is not a whole lot of extreme suggestions; most of them we already know as good for health and well being. But there is something about having these food, exercise, green living, mental well being and attitude changes laid out for you in chapters, with details, some scientific information,  and a lot of encouragement.

The manual even has a weekly change checklist and activity logs to track your progress, plus nine pages of references for more information. The tips start out with simple changes and then graduate to more challenging ones.

Week 1 urges you to Drink Up, which means increasing your water intake.
Week 2 wants you to Get Your Zzzs, and sleep 7-8 hours each night.
Week 3 tells you to Stay Off the Couch, or keep moving and getting routine activity daily.
Week 20 suggests that you Live with Purpose, committing and being open to change.
Week 39 urges you to Control Your Clutter, declutter and organize.

Towards the middle of the manual, you have photos and instructions for stretching exercises. There are also tips on how to clean with natural products and avoid overuse of chemicals in the house. By the end of the manual, you will have detailed information on health benefits or drawbacks to certain foods, including types of fish, some of which contain high levels of mercury.

I'll keep this book for certain tips, especially on which safe products are good for cleaning,  and checking on food values and any foods that are risks for contaminants. I also like the stretching exercise tips.

A complimentary copy of this book was sent to me for possible review.
© Harvee Lau of Book Dilettante. Please do not reprint without permission.

Review: Denise's Daily Dozen, exercise and diet tips

Things come in simple 12's in Denise's Daily Dozen: The Easy, Every Day Program to Lose Up to 12 Pounds in 2 Weeks.

"Eating right isn't about will power. It's about changing those bad habits." (p. 174)

I liked the simplicity of this exercise and diet book by Denise Austin. I found it easy to follow and the exercises basic enough for me to remember and try!

1. 12 easy exercises in 12 minutes a day

2. A daily eating plan which I found useful and uncomplicated! And a checking list to keep you on track.

3 servings of vegetables
3 servings fruit
3 servings protein
2 servings healthy grain
1 serving healty fat

Total: 12

3. A daily exercise regimen, meal plan, recipes, and shopping list for each weekday, Monday through Sunday. I liked some of the food and fruit combinations: chopped oranges combined with blueberries; a wheat pita sandwich of turkey, sliced apples, baby spinach and a dollop of honey mustard!

Avoid eating right out of a box or bag - something research shows can cause us to eat up to 20 percent more. Make sure anything you eat is put on a plate or in a bowl and enjoyed while (you're) seated. ( p. 246)

     - 12 Ways to Add Physical Activity to Your Daily Routine
     - 12 Tips for Filling Your Life with Fiber
     - 12 Ways to Trim Your Body and Your Food Costs
     - 12 Ways to Prevent Bloat
     - 12 tips on "How to Get a Better Night's Sleep "  and
     - 12 Healthy Rewards for Your Hard Work.

If I can't follow the day to day regimen set out by the book, for whatever reason, I'd definitely still use this as a reference book for quick exercises and healthy recipes.

About the author: Denise Austin has been a health and fitness advocate for over 25 years and has sold over twenty million exercise videos and DVDs. She is a two-term member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and sports. Her show, Denise Austin's Daily Workout, has aired for over 24 years and is the top-rated fitness show in the history of televevision. Denise lives with her husband and daughters outside Washington D.C. You can visit her at www.deniseaustin.com

Thanks to the Hachette Book Group for providing a review copy.