Rolf Devinci

I know the blog has been more of a nutritional/wellbeing one as opposed to "adventures in sport" as advertised.Between the chiro treatments and my subsequent lack of running I have been taking it easy the last couple months doing the occasional club ride, commuting to work and playing ball hockey. That said Sunday ballhockey is ending today and Thursday hockey has one week remaining so I`ll then switch over to more cycling activities. Sunday`s will be free for longer efforts on the bike and I`m planning on riding the Wednesday night MTB rides at Spider Lake. With the weather improving I`ll also be carrying the camera in the jersey pocket for more "on the fly" pictures. Paleo nutrition has worked well for me but the litmus test will be how well I recover from back to back training rides and more time spent on the bike. I did put my fitness to the test this Saturday by jumping into the 50 km club ride with the faster group of riders. Over a rolling hill route the le...

As I continue to explore new dietary options as part of the Paleo lifestyle I discovered(thanks to AA for the info)the reported health benefits of cherries. The fruit and juice concentrate has long been used to treat arthritis, gout and joint pain. "The secret to the benefits of cherry juice is a compound called anthocyanins, which are the pigments that give cherries their bright red color and are also believed to be the key to helping the body relieve inflammation." Since I do suffer from a variety of joint pain usually the result of inflamations brought on by sports or my ongoing spinal(chiro)subluxations I picked up a bottle of Bernard Jensen`s Black Cherry Concentrate at the health food store. One tablespoon mixed into water or other juices as a daily tonic. We`ll give it a try and see what kind of results I experience.

In the mail today came an update from Foster Parents Plan about my foster child. Seems Djouwera(lives in Togo)has graduated from the sponsorship program having reached the age of 18. Wow! Where did the years go? I knew it was only a matter of time and I wish her, her family and village all the best. I hope I made some positive difference in their lives.The last picture I have of her(below) shows a smile that speaks volumes. With any end comes a new beginning and I now have a new foster child. Her name is Mitu, she is 5 years old and lives in the urban sprawl that is(greater)Dhaka, Bangladesh.She has both parents and a younger brother. She is currently in good health and is attending preschool. Such a pretty girl albeit with deep expressive eyes of sorrow. We`ll,hopefully, change that look to one of hope and happiness.

Discovered this interesting thing about the nightshade family of vegetables.... "Nightshades, Inflammation and Pain How and why do nightshades contribute to inflammation and pain? Nightshade plants are known for producing a range of alkaloid chemicals, which may be toxic – from irritating to lethal. These chemicals can also contribute to allergic reactions. Alkaloids produced by the nightshade family: •nicotine in tobacco •hallucinogenic and deadly tropane alkaloids in belladonna •mildly irritating alkaloids in tomatoes, potatoes, and other food nightshades As a group, nightshades have a bad reputation in alternative health circles and many practitioners recommend avoiding tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant, or eliminating them from the diet entirely – especially if you are seeking to eliminate chronic pain symptoms or headaches." Very interesting considering I do experience mild to severe joint inflamation and pain. I`ve always considered it sports related ...

I know what you are all thinking. Coconuts! No way. They are full of saturated fats!They can`t be good for you. Like eggs coconuts have be given an unfair rap and they are finally getting their due if you put aside the unfounded fears of saturated fatty acids drilled into our pysches. Coconuts; meat,milk and oils are a bounty of nature.....check out this website for details.Amazing! www.coconutresearchcenter.org Here is an excerpt..... "Once mistakenly believed to be unhealthy because of its high saturated fat content, it is now known that the fat in coconut oil is a unique and different from most all other fats and possesses many health giving properties. It is now gaining long overdue recognition as a nutritious health food.....Coconut oil is composed predominately of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), also known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT)......MCFA are very different from LCFA.(other dietary fats) They do not have a negative effect on cholesterol and help to...