Eat Well, Feel Great

We all want to feel healthy, yet be able to eat great food at the same time, right?  I’m sure there are people who think that these two concepts are mutually exclusive, but I’m here to tell you they’re not. In my own quest for healthier eating I came across a book about the glycemic index specifically for menopausal women, called The G.I. Diet Menopause Clinic by Rick Gallop, and it’s Canadian, no less!  According to this book, menopause is the major hormonal trigger causing women to gain weight. (Well, that explains a lot right there.) Many of the changes that menopause and post-menopause bring are tied in with health, energy level and increased weight gain. Applying the concepts from the glycemic index diet to the special needs of hormonally challenged women, author Gallop teaches women how to eat properly and lose weight, plus he offers lots of recipes to keep the weight off.

The G.I. Diet: The Green-Light Way to Permanent Weight loss, also by Rick Gallop, uses the red, yellow and green light system, which gives examples of foods to be avoided, foods to be considered with caution, and low glycemic index foods, or ones that are good for you, based on a number of factors. He takes the reader through the whole gamut, from how to cook food properly, to how to change your eating habits, to how to accommodate going to a restaurant, to exercise and general health. There’s a lot more to this diet than what I’ve described so anyone who’s serious about weight loss and improving their health should check it out.

And finally, a book called The Glycemic Load Diet Cookbook by Rob Thompson and Dana Carpender is full of easy recipes to keep you healthy. The concept of “glycemic load” differs slightly from “glycemic index” in that it takes into account not only how quickly a certain food is converted into sugar in the body but also how much sugar a particular food contains.  So if you really want to get the skinny on blood sugar, check out these and other library books on the topic.  For other popular reading suggestions check out Richmond Public Library's Web site at www.yourlibrary.ca/goodbooks/. 

The Best of Everything After 50

For many women, turning 50 means the end of youth as we know it. Our hair dries out, our skin changes and well…lots of other unpleasant jokes of nature are heaped upon us. And then there’s clothing, sex, our health and money to think about. Everything changes after 50. Luckily there’s Barbara Hannah Grufferman’s new book The Best of Everything After 50: The Expert’s Guide to Style, Sex, Health, Money and More for us to refer to.

When Grufferman herself turned 50 she went about finding out from New York’s experts how women could achieve and sustain their best selves after 50. Consulting doctors, financial planners, fashionistas and trainers, she discovered that there’s life (and a pretty darn rewarding one) after 50. The best part is, this is the kind of book you don’t need to read from cover to cover – you can dip into it and find out as little or as much as you need.

I was personally interested in the chapter on skin care, since mine has been like the Sahara Desert for the past five years. What jumps to mind immediately is cosmetic surgery, but Grufferman eschews that route in favour of solutions that are more natural, low maintenance, inexpensive and offer lots of protection. What I learned is to look for products with peptides and antioxidants and to exfoliate like there’s no tomorrow. She even recommends specific products, some of which are reasonably priced and some of which are high-end, but she gives you lots of choices. She does venture into the areas of Botox, injectable fillers, chemical peels and other things too, giving women the option to go beyond natural solutions.

I was also interested in fashion, since the 50+ women is basically ignored until she reaches the age where elastic-waist pants and sensible lace-up shoes become wardrobe staples. Grufferman outlines the must-have pieces every 50+ woman should own and even tells you which designers flatter older women’s figures. When recommending designers she includes those that fall into a wide price range, so that those of us with Nine West shoe budgets won’t be put off by her Prada-priced suggestions.

On the financial front, Grufferman goes beyond the usual investment advice to talk about things like disability insurance, long term care insurance and life insurance. And of course she stresses the importance of finding a reliable and reputable financial advisor.

There’s lots to learn from this book if you’re a woman of a certain age, and I recommend it to all of you fabulous fifty-and-over women who might think it’s all downhill from here. It’s certainly not. And as our society ages, there are more and more of us around, so we’d better get with the program if we want to stay healthy, gorgeous and financially stable into our 80s and 90s. Let’s all NOT wear purple, okay? For other popular reading suggestions check out Richmond Public Library's Web site at www.yourlibrary.ca/goodbooks/. 

Maybe This Time

Before Harvey and I went on our annual summer getaway to Victoria and Salt Spring I had to decide which book to take. Never an easy task for a librarian. So I figured I’d try someone that’s new to me – Jennifer Crusie. She’s a staple in the romance genre, but Maybe This Time goes way beyond mere romance. It’s populated with ghosts, troubled children, a housekeeper from hell, a sexy ex husband, a prickly medium and a pushy journalist. And those are just the main characters!

This lighthearted romp opens with Andie (Andromeda) Miller going to her ex-husband North Archer’s office so she can give him back 10 years worth of uncashed alimony cheques, in an effort to gain some closure. North, silver tongued devil that he is, convinces Andie to do him one last favour. Knowing she’s capable and level-headed, he asks her to take care of two orphaned kids (for whom he is the newly appointed guardian) just until she can stabilize them enough to bring them back to his home in Columbus. A distant cousin died and left North these kids and a big old house in rural Ohio. The catch is that he’s offering Andie $10,000 a month to keep them safe, healthy and educated. How could she refuse?

Never mind that she’s on the brink of becoming engaged and has her own life to lead. North smooth talks her into going, and Andie soon realizes that she may have bitten off more than she chew. The kids – Carter, 12, and Alice, 9 – are emotionally scarred from losing both parents and several nannies, and are the polar opposite of well-adjusted. The house is haunted with several homicidal ghosts that converse with and possess the residents. And the whack-job housekeeper, Mrs. Crumb, is a lazy lush.

And as if that isn’t enough to handle, enter Kelly O’Keefe, an opportunistic journalist (isn’t that redundant?), and her main squeeze Sullivan (North’s brother); Professor Dennis Graff, a parapsychologist; Isolde Hammersmith, a reluctant medium; North Archer’s mom; Andie’s mom; and Will Spencer, Andie’s almost fiancé. When they decide to hold a séance to try and talk sense into the harassing ghosts, all hell breaks loose.

For a woman who doesn’t want to have kids of her own, Andie grows very attached to Alice and Carter. And wouldn’t you know it, one of the ghosts haunts Andie nightly and makes her keep having sexy dreams about North. You just know from page one that this is going to turn into a “one-big-happy-family” story, but who cares.

While it’s not exactly high literature, it sure as heck was a fun way to pass the time on the beach. I’m all for light, escapist novels – when I’m not busy reading Dostoyevsky or Plato, that is.  So go for it. For other popular reading suggestions check out Richmond Public Library's Web site at www.yourlibrary.ca/goodbooks/. 

You Don’t Want to Go White Shotgun

If you haven’t already discovered mystery writer April Smith, what are you waiting for? You MUST read White Shotgun, a taut crime novel featuring FBI Special Agent Ana Grey, who’s working undercover in Italy to crack the mafia’s nefarious dealings, or at least some of them.

The setting is Siena, home of the famous Palio horse race that pits the local contradas (Sienese neighborhoods) against each other in every sense. Amidst the enormous crowds and deafening noise of the days-long celebrations, people are beaten and killed, and some very influential ones go missing.  All this is the backdrop for the mafia’s heroin and cocaine trade whose ripple effect devastates lives around the world, including in the United States. The FBI is determined to track down the source of the drugs and their investigation leads them straight to Siena.

But I should back up. When Agent Ana Grey learns that a woman named Cecilia Nicosa, who claims to be her half-sister, wants to connect with her, she’s sent by the FBI to Siena. Why? Because Cecilia’s husband Nicoli is under suspicion of being part of the mafia that’s distributing drugs worldwide. So while Ana is ostensibly there to connect with her long-lost sister, really the FBI is using her proximity to Cecilia to get information on Nicoli, the coffee mogul.  As Ana and Cecilia become closer, Ana’s professional impartiality is compromised. So when Cecilia is kidnapped (a common occurrence in Italy apparently), Ana has to work with Nicoli to get her back. Soon, Sterling, Ana’s boyfriend and private security op (read: gun for hire) joins the search, along with a slew of paid mercenaries.

Throughout all this, we witness retribution killings, drug addicts overdosing, dirty police, vats of lye filled with dead bodies, and daring rescues. Like the Sienese say, “Everybody is owned by somebody around here.”  Paying money to shady characters in order to do business is just a way of life and no one questions it. But there’s also no way out.

In a nutshell, the FBI believes Nicosi is tied up in the mafia because his lover (who went missing, or “white shotgun”) was part of that world. Cecilia Nicosi who is a doctor, is paying bribes to the mafia in order to keep her clinics running. And their son Giovanni is beaten to a pulp for his role in the drug world. True to the saying, everyone in the family is owned by someone.

If the suspense and intricate plotting don’t grab you, the setting will. You can almost smell the espresso brewing and feel the heat of the Tuscan sun. Smith does a superb job of capturing the essence of Italy and the Italians, while also weaving a brilliant story with threads of gold. I loved this novel and can’t wait for her next one. The question is: How can you improve on perfection? For other popular reading suggestions check out Richmond Public Library's Web site at www.yourlibrary.ca/goodbooks/.  Follow Shelley’s blog at shelleysblog.yourlibrary.ca.