Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Devilish Indulgence or Health Food?

My son often says he wishes ice cream were healthy food. I agree. But I found something that's almost as good as ice cream and completely qualifies as health food!

What is this amazing and delicious discovery?

Fat-free Greek yogurt.

It's got a ton of protein, no fat, no sugar, and eating it is a lot like eating sour cream straight from the carton. This is very different from the yogurt you're used to, which makes for a nice, healthy dessert, but doesn't have nearly as much protein. This stuff has, if I remember correctly, 20 grams in one cup!

My son won't get much joy out of this, but I've gotten plenty. My biggest problem is that others seem to be catching on. I used to go to Trader Joe's and get three 16-ounce cartons at a time, then four because I was eating them so fast.

Lately when I got to Trader Joe's, they're all out. I'm told it comes in on Tuesday (hey, that's today, I should stop writing this and get over there!).

Anyway, this stuff can get pretty expensive, but I only like the cheap stuff, thank goodness. And it is the Trader Joe's brand, although TJ's does have the more established brands. Trader Joe's 0% fat Greek yogurt costs $3 a carton, while the other brands can cost up to twice as much.

Okay, do yourself a favor and enjoy this amazing treat; meanwhile, I've got to get over to TJ's and grab me five or six cartons. ;-)

Janet

P.S. Thanks to my naturopath, Dr. Janet Beaty, for recommending Greek yogurt to me, and for the tip about getting it at Trader Joe's. I never even knew Greek yogurt existed until she told me!

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Best Root Canal Ever

A couple of weeks ago I had my second root canal. The way people talk about them, you'd think they were sheer torture!

Lucky for me, when I had the consultation for my first root canal, almost two years ago, the endodontist, Dr. Richard Bush, assured me that it was a tedious procedure, taking about an hour and a half, but not very painful or scary.

He was right. So when my regular dentist, Dr. Valentina Pasquantonio, told me I needed yet another, I asked her if it would make sense to find someone cheaper, even though I really liked Dr. Bush.

Dr. P assured me that Dr. Bush just makes it look easy, and I'd do best to stick with him. I listened.

This second tooth was really sensitive, which scared me. Dr. Bush, who is as kindly and reassuring as Dr. Marcus Welby (if you're old enough to remember who he was), told me that the novacaine used for root canals was better than the one usually used.

Sure enough, the novacaine shots were the worst part. After that, I didn't feel a thing.

My wallet, on the other hand, was wincing with pain.

If you live in eastern Massachusetts and you need a root canal, I highly recommend Dr. Richard Bush of Middlesex Endodontics, which has offices in Burlington and Winchester, MA. I also recommend my regular dentist, Dr. Valentina Pasquantonio of West Concord.

If you're nowhere near Massachusetts and you need a root canal, please take comfort in the fact that a coward like me finds them more tedious than scary or painful.

To your health,

Janet