Overselling the Microbiome Award: Peanut Allergies Cured with Microbiome

Inspired by Jonathan Eisen's blog posts "Overselling the Microbiome Award: The Microbiome Diet Book", "Overselling the microbiome award - many - for stories about placental vs. oral microbiomes" and more.

I'm always interested in potential therapies about nut allergies, due to my previously documented allergies that are now causing anaphylactic reactions.  It's an annoying allergy, and one I hope I did not pass down to my daughter. Diagnoses of food allergies are on the rise, and it is estimated that 3.9% of US children have some kind of food allergy.

It makes sense that scientists are looking to the microbiome to help treat food allergies. There is extensive research on the human microbiome and its implication in human disease. A portion of the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) is funding gut microbiome research.  In the current phase, Ramnik Xavier (Massachusetts General Hospital, Broad Institue) and Curtis Huttenhower (Harvard School of Public Health, Broad Institute) are focused on the gut microbiome and IBD.

However, science reporting is not doing scientists or their research any favors with headlines and reporting like this.  (Both are reporting on an article in PNAS "Commensal bacteria protect against food allergen sensitization".)

A gut microbe that stops food allergies (in Science Magazine) by Jennifer Couzin-Frankel

In this case, it's really the headline that bothers me.  The article itself makes it very clear that it is in mice.  But, really, how many people are going to read the full article?  And what is CNN going to say when it writes a story based on this headline?

Scientists may have discovered how to stop your peanut allergies for good (news.mic.com) - Eileen Shim

The news: If you or someone you know is one of the 15 million Americans with food allergies, we have some great news for you. Researchers at New York University Medical Center have not only figured out why people are allergic to certain foods, they have also come up with a way to potentially treat or even extinguish food allergies.
The team found that young children overexposed to antibiotics were at greater risk of developing food allergies. Thankfully, though, they also discovered a way to combat the impact of antibiotics, which, theoretically, could potentially cure people of their food allergies.

Nowhere in the first two paragraphs of this article does it say that this work was all done in mice.  The researchers also do not make the claim that all peanut allergies are caused by altered gut microbiota.

The lack of scientific literacy in the US has been driving me crazy for a long time.  I also find reporting like this irresponsible.

I'm awarding my own Overselling the Microbiome award to Eileen Shim and the headline writer for Science Magazine (it may have been Jennifer Couzin-Frankel, but I am not making that assumption).

Citrus Lane March 2014 Box for 2-Year Old Gender Neutral

Our Citrus Lane box arrived today, and it is a bit hit!

This month's box:

1. Green Toys Tool Set ($27.99 for full set, $8.99 for this one?) - as usual, we love the Green Tools toys.  I've been considering picking up this set.  She is already loving playing with the tools!

2. Green Eats Tumblers ($5.99/2) - made by the sample company as the tools.  These are a good size for her to hold and seem very sturdy.  I think these will be a hit.

3. Barefoot Books The Prince's Bedtime Book and CD ($9.99) - very cute book.  The pictures in the Barefoot Books are fantastic, and I always like stories about bedtime routines.

4. Free Greeting Card from Treat ($3.49) - Treat is a subsidiary of Shutterfly. I shop from Shutterfly pretty regularly, so I'm looking forward to trying out the personalized greeting cards.

5. Sample of Mrs. Meyer's Lemon Verbena Dish Soap ($1.00?) - Mrs. Meyer's is a brand I've wanted to try, but for some reason never have.  Nice sample this month.

I'm estimating that this month's box would retail for around $29.46, but that's just an estimate for the soap and the Green Toys.

This is the last month of our Citrus Lane subscription.  I think we will be renewing.  E has really loved the boxes, and I like the green products and toys.  Citrus Lane is having a sale!  If you sign up before April 22nd, the boxes are really discounted (36% - 44% off normal subscription prices).  Sign up here!!

Tasterie Nut-Free Snack Box

I've heard great things about services like Graze and Crave, but have been very jealous that I can't sign up due to my nut allergy.  I did some searching and came across Tasterie, which caters to customers with food allergies.  I've received two boxes, and I'm still rather indifferent on the service as a whole.  Here's my April box:

• Namaste Foods gluten free cookie mix ($7.49)
• Don't Go Nuts gorilla power bar ($1.79)
• Super Seedz tomato italiano pumpkin seeds ($4.99)
• Mother's Pure Preserves seedless raspberry jam ($6.50)
• Enjoy Life plentils dill and sour cream lentil chips ($1.50)
• ThinkFruit pineapple tidbits ($1.69)
• Indie Candy bunni gummi watermelon candy ($1.99)

The total retail price is $25.95.  The box costs $25.00 plus $4.00 for shipping.  I've enjoyed the snacks, but I'm not sure it's worth the cost to continue this.

This month, I also had a problem with the shipment. The jam arrived and had opened in the shipment.  It was wrapped up in bubble wrap, but the jar lid was loose and unsealed by the time it reached me.  I'm interested to see how they handle customer service who I just contacted today.

Making Progress to Improve Myself

In December, I joined a moms' fitness class called Body Back.  It's a program designed by Fit4Mom designed to improve moms' fitness and strength.  I've definitely gotten stronger and am making improvements in fitness and my nutrition.  More than that, I've found an amazing group of women.  I was so nervous the day when I went to my first class, but they were so supportive and encouraging.  Now, in my third session, I'm happy to call them friends.

My second session, and first 8-week session, wrapped up at the beginning of March.  Over the course of 8 weeks, I:

• lost 6.2% of my total body weight
• lost 2.5% of my chest measurement
• lost 6.5% of my waist measurement
• lost 3.4% of my hip measurement
• lost 3.6% of my thigh measurement
• lost 5.4% of my arm measurement

Those are the exciting body changes - and believe me, I'm excited about them - but it also comes with an increase in fitness:

• 43.9% increase in plank time
• 42.9% increase in situps
• 30.0% increase in pushups
• 19.4% increase in side plank

It's pretty amazing!!!  Our instructor definitely pushes us often past the point where I think I should stop.   Some workouts are just as much mental as physical. With results like this, you can see why that's important.

Citrus Lane March 2014 for 2-year old (gender neutral)

We received our second Citrus Lane box this month!  It was a huge hit with E.  I'm happy that I went with gender neutral as this selection tends to be the colors and animal types she likes the most.  We'll see if this trend continues.

This month's box:

1. eco-kids eco-dough ($19.99/5, ~$8/2) - natural play dough made with plant, fruit, and vegetable extracts. It's supposed to stay soft much longer than PlayDoh and says that you can add a few drops of vegetable oil if it gets too dried out.

2. Petit Collage Safari Babies Beginner Puzzle ($14.00) - this set makes 4 different puzzles with a mommy and baby animal.  Each puzzle has between 3 and 6 pieces.  It's definitely more challenging than the wooden puzzles we've been doing so far, but E really enjoys it.

3. Me4Kidz Medi Buddy ($5.25) - cute portable first aid kid.  I've been meaning to pick one up for our diaper bag anyway, so it was a good addition.  I only wish that the animal wasn't printed on the plastic. It's just going to be a purple case as soon as we open it.

4. Clean Well Natural Hand Sanitizing Wipes ($10.99/2, ~$5.50/1) - I'm not typically a fan of anti-bacterial wipes or hand sanitizer because of the increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria, so I'm kind of indifferent to these.  They are supposed to be orange vanilla scented, but I find the scent rather strong at first and almost like pine.  I'm using them mostly because they are convenient to wipe up after dinner. 

Total value of this box is about $32.75.  I really like the two toys in this box and appreciate the utility of the medical kit, but would prefer something not anti-bacterial.  The dough and puzzle were a big hit! 

Nut-Free Pad Thai

One of the dishes I miss most since I developed a peanut allergy is Pad Thai.  These days, I generally can't eat at Thai restaurants at all due to the cross contamination.  I was really excited to discover that WildTree makes a nut-free Pad Thai sauce.  I tried my hand at making my own.  It's probably closer to a stir fry with Pad Thai sauce than an authentic recipe, but it was still really tasty.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pound broccoli
2 eggs
8 oz. rice noodles
1/2 cup WildTree Pad Thai sauce

Directions

1. In a large skillet, sauté chicken in a small amount of olive oil.  Once it is mostly cooked, add in broccoli.  I used frozen, but you could use fresh if you want.

2. Prepare rice noodles and drain.  Set aside.

3. Once chicken and broccoli are cooked through, remove from pan.  Scramble 2 eggs in skillet.

4. Add noodles to skillet.  Mix in sauce and then toss in chicken and broccoli.

Serves 4

Citrus Lane February 2014 for 2-year old neutral

This month is our first time getting a shipment from Citrus Lane.  I got a discount on a 3-month subscription, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  I wasn't sure whether to get a girl box or a gender neutral box, but opted to go with gender neutral since my daughter (E) doesn't always like very girly toys and loves green and blue.

Today we received our first box.  We got:

1. Oogaa divided silicone plate ($10.99) - this is a really sturdy plate and the wells are fairly deep.  The packaging says they hold 4 oz. each.  E wanted it out of the package right away and made daddy put blueberries on it.  It is microwave and dishwasher safe!

2. Green Toys Stock Pot and Utensils (about $12, full set is $20) - E has the full chef set, but she adores the pot and utensils so it's great to have another one.  Green Toys is a great company, and we are big fans of their toys.

3. Barefoot Books Starlight Sailor ($14.99) - this is our first Barefoot Book, but it is very cute.  The pictures are really colorful, and the book seems to be of high quality.

4. Juice Beauty Green Apple Age Defy Hand Cream ($12) - this is a treat for mom.  As someone who has very dry hands from frequent washing at work, I am excited to try this!  It smells  nice - a light fresh scent without being overpowering - and isn't too greasy.

This box was a hit!  E couldn't wait to use the Oogaa plate and the Green Toys pot.

The overall value of this box is about $45 - $50 (depending on the cost of the pot, which is not available individually).  A single box is $29 although it is cheaper if you pay for several months in advance.

If you are interested, you can use this link to get 50% off your first box!

Even more of a yarn problem

I last totaled up my yarn stash at the end of 2012. I had 47,932 yards at that time and was going to try to reduce it...

Comic from Wool and Chocolate

Yeah, it went about that well. I now have 50,876 yards (28.91 miles). Insanity. I *really* need to make this total go down, so I am trying very hard to reduce the amount of yarn I have.

I'm working on knitting from my stash, including *only* knitting from stash for the first term (January - March) of the HPKCHC.

Hopefully this time goes better...

Increased sugar consumption linked to increase in diabetes rates

Interesting article in PLOS One (full article available free).  From the abstract:

Using econometric models of repeated cross-sectional data on diabetes and nutritional components of food from 175 countries, we found that every 150 kcal/person/day increase in sugar availability (about one can of soda/day) was associated with increased diabetes prevalence by 1.1% (p <0 .001) after testing for potential selection biases and controlling for other food types (including fibers, meats, fruits, oils, cereals), total calories, overweight and obesity, period-effects, and several socioeconomic variables such as aging, urbanization and income. No other food types yielded significant individual associations with diabetes prevalence after controlling for obesity and other confounders.

Editorial in the NY Times likens it to tobacco studies.

Will this make you think twice about your sugar consumption?  I know I am.  I know that I consume too much sugar and try to cut back. Sometimes having a kick in the pants like this can really help.

So, You're a Scientist?

People ask me about what it is I really do.  I don't think it's an insult as much as it is a misunderstanding of exactly how scientists work and what getting a Ph.D. is really all about.  It can be quite a challenge to explain, especially to grandma at Christmas.  To that end, I'd like to present some resources to hopefully help you in your quest for simple explanations.

1. The Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D. by Matt Might
(reproduced here under Creative Commons License)

Imagine a circle that contains all of human knowledge:

By the time you finish elementary school, you know a little:

By the time you finish high school, you know a bit more:

With a bachelor's degree, you gain a specialty:

A master's degree deepens that specialty:

Reading research papers takes you to the edge of human knowledge:

Once you're at the boundary, you focus:

You push at the boundary for a few years:

Until one day, the boundary gives way:

And, that dent you've made is called a Ph.D.:

Of course, the world looks different to you now:

So, don't forget the bigger picture:

Keep pushing.

2. What you know vs. How much you know about it
Created by Jorge Cham of "Piled Higher and Deeper" Ph.D. Comics

3. Scientists drink a lot of coffee!!

But that's ok! There are lots of papers (102 at time of publication) listing the benefits of drinking coffee.

Race Report: Love Rox 10k

Date: February 16, 2013
Distance: 10k (6.21 miles)
Time: 1:24:20
Pace: 13:35 min/mile
Overall Place: 251/331

Before starting with the race report, I should say that this was a first-time race.  Not so well organized or well run.

Let me start off by saying that this course is MISERABLE! I know the race director has no control over the weather, which really made it worse, but even in the best of conditions it would not have been fun. The canal area is pretty narrow and there were way too many people coming through. Some bottle necks around the stairs.

I did pretty well for the first two miles. It started raining as I was heading back in and out to the Mayo Bridge. I kind of lost motivation there. My stomach started cramping, I was getting cold, and it's just not a nice place to run. Really struggled through the whole Manchester area. The porta potty at mile 4 was such a HUGE relief!! Of course, after that, I went up the hill to the Lee Bridge. Turned on to that bridge and got a face full of wind and icy snow. Absolutely miserable. My muscles felt like they were seizing and it was so hard to run. But, running was better than walking because of how cold I got while running. There was a little over a mile left after the bridge, but my hips and legs were so sore that it was tough to keep going. Walked up the hill on Byrd and tried to run down. Running down was tough because of how slippery the bricks were. Was so glad to get to the end!

After the race, I walked around, hung out with J's husband while waiting for her to finish. Once she did, we headed into the tent. Got Irish Coffee and stew to try to stay warm. Stood in front of the one heater to warm up. Once K finished, we walked to Cap Ale.

To sum up, everything about this race was the perfect storm of suck.

Hello. My name is Jen, and I have a yarn problem.

It started off innocently enough.  I'd buy yarn for a specific pattern, but wouldn't be able to get to it as quickly as I expected.  Then, it progressed to buying a skein just because it was pretty.  Next thing I knew, I was signing up for yarn clubs and setting up reminders on my phone for independent dyers' online updates.

All of this has resulted in a yarn stash that is out of control.  I currently have 47,932 yards of yarn or about 27.3 miles worth of yarn.  That's a bit insane.  My goal for 2013 is to knit from my stash and stop buying yarn.  We'll see how I do!

Race Report: HCA Virginia 8k

Date: November 10, 2012
Distance: 8k (4.97 miles)
Time: 1:10:57
Pace: 14:17 min/mile
Overall Place: 2957/3587
Age Group (F 30-34) Place: 316/384


Woke up, got dressed, and made an espresso before leaving the house. Drove to the race site, parked in my normal downtown lot, and walked to starting line.

Walked 5 blocks from parking lot to the bag drop off. Dropped bag off, walked to starting corral two blocks away. Bounced around to keep warm.

Really wasn't feeling this run - I'd been really sick for the week leading up to it and wasn't sleeping well. In fact, I seriously considered sleeping in and skipping it. But, since I had post-race plans with Kristen and Judi, I sucked it up and went. My strategy was to have planned walk/run intervals. But, my Garmin was dead when I went to grab it in the morning. So, at the start of the race i decided to do intervals based on blocks.

I ran the first 7 blocks, then walked 7. Kept alternating that the whole way. I tried to ignore all the people passing me - even when I was running - and stick with my own pace. It's not really the easiest thing to do. Despite that, I was pretty surprised at how quickly the blocks were going. I ended up shortening some of my walk intervals because I felt so good and wasn't having huge problems breathing because of the cold like I expected. When I got to the 4 mile marker, I decided to walk up a few last blocks uphill and then run the rest of the way. The last 0.4 miles or so are all downhill, so I really passed lots of people by kicking it out on the last big hill section. That felt great!

Given my physical condition, I'm not sure there's a lot I would have changed about how I handled this. I was sick and was never going to run the whole thing.

Walked around the island, got food. Stood in line at the McDonald's truck for free coffee and smoothie samples - they were totally not worth it! The coffee was terrible. Walked ALLLL the way up the hill to bag check (who's genius idea was that?) and then back down to wait for Judi to finish. Knit a few rows of my shawl while waiting and got some crazy weird looks.

Once Judi finished, we walked to her car and then to Starbuck's to get some real coffee! Changed clothes in the Omni, then went back down to find Kristen who was stuck in the med tent. We sprung Kristen and walked to Cap Ale House to get some food and a beer. Great post-race food plan!!

Race Report: Wicked 10k

Date: October 27, 2012
Distance: 10k (6.2 miles)
Time: 1:19:46
Pace: 12:50 min/mile
Overall Place: 3538/7264
Age Group (F 30-34) Place: 313/791

Woke up at 6:30, showered, got into costume. Woke E up, got her changed, fed, and into costume. Packed up the stroller, walked out the front door of the hotel, and we were in our corral! Only had about 10 minutes before the race started, so we took a few pictures, and hung out in the back. Lots of fun costumes especially all the strollers with kids.

 First part of run was pretty calm. Once we turned on to the boardwalk it was a lot tougher - wind was in our face and we were getting sand in our eyes. Not so fun. Ran into the wind for about 2.5 miles. That was the hardest part, especially with the stroller. Had to walk a little with E during this part because she got fussy. We had a lot of people - especially kids - be excited about us dressed up as the Incredibles. Very fun. When we turned back onto the Boardwalk at 40th, it was better because the wind was at our back.

Skipped the beer and the candy stops during the race. Didn't seem like such a good plan, and I am not a fan of candycorn any way.

My wrist got pretty swollen during the run and really started to hurt around mile 3. It was wrapped, and I don't think I wrapped it loose enough, but didn't want to mess with it during the race.

Cobblestone Mug Cozy

This is the first pattern I've created myself as a challenge for 2012.  I love to make coffee mug cozies as a gift: place them on a paper coffee cup, tuck a gift card inside, and you are all set.  They are great, quick knits perfect for teachers, hair dressers, or anyone.  Everyone seems to love them.  I live in Richmond, VA where there are many brick and cobblestone streets; those sidewalk patterns inspired the design for this cozy.

Materials: about 50 yards of worsted weight yarn (I used both Berroco Comfort and Vanna's Choice)

Needles: size 7.0 DPNs. The gauge is not that important as it is fairly stretchy.  I am a rather tight knitter, so I used size 7.0 (4.5 mm) needles.  If you are an average gauge knitter, I would suggest size 6.0 (4.0 mm) needles; size 5.0 (3.5 mm) needles if you knit loosely. 

Pattern:

I knit this in the round on DPNs, but you could also use magic loop or knit flat and then seam.

Cast on 40 stitches.  Distribute stitches on DPNs and join without twisting. Place marker for the beginning of the row

Rows 1 & 2: k2, p2 all the way around
Row 3: knit all
Row 4: purl all

Rows 5 & 6: p2, k2 all the way around
Row 7: knit all
Row 8: purl all

Repeat rows 1 - 8 twice (3 pattern repeats total)

Bind off loosely

Enjoy!!

Race Report: Children's Hospital Foundation 4 Mile Walk/Run

Date:  September 22, 2012
Distance: 4 mile run
Time: 56:30
Pace: 14:07 min/mile
Overall Rank: 192/377
Age Group (F30-39) Rank: 32/70


Good run. I wasn't planning on running the whole thing because I have a cold. It was good to have that expectation going in. My lungs were burning after the first mile. Tried to run as much as I could and keep my lungs going.

I did relace my shoes this morning. They ended up a bit too tight. My left foot was kind of numb by the end.

Goal was to just finish. Really more of a training run than a race

Make-Ahead Meal: Chicken Pot Pie

I am trying to cook meals ahead on Sunday for the rest of the week.  Today, I made a recipe for chicken pot-pie that turned out quite well!



8 Trader Joe's chicken tenderloins thawed and diced
1 lb. mixed frozen vegetables
1 can cream of celery healthy request soup
1 can cream of chicken and mushroom soup
3/4 cup 2% milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Penzey's Mural of Flavor seasoning
1 tsp. Penzey's Fines Herbes seasoning
2 1/4 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup 2% milk

Preheat oven to 450.

In a large frying pan over medium heat, cook chicken with salt, pepper and seasoning.  Once chicken is cooked, add in frozen vegetables, soup, and 3/4 cup milk.  Stir together and leave on heat until bubbling.

Transfer to large casserole dish.  Mix together Bisquick and 2% milk, then place on top of chicken mixture.  Cook for 15 minutes or until Bisquick is cooked through and brown on top.

Serves 6

Calories per serving: 377
Fat: 10
Carbs: 46
Protein: 21

Race Report: Cul de Sac 5k #2

Date:  July 16, 2012
Distance: 5k run
Time: 43:03
Pace: 13:50 min/mile
Overall Rank: 429/440
Age Group (F30-34) Rank: 38/39


My goals from last week worked out great, so I decided to use them again this week. Added on two new ones:

1) have fun
2) finish
3) not die
4) not walk at all during first mile
5) be faster than last week

I managed to complete all of the goals this week! It was really hot, but I made it through. I decided to use my handheld water bottle so that I would have enough liquid. I'm really glad that I did because it was so hot and humid. Also had a tiny cup of beer right around mile 1 from one of the people in the neighborhood. They were joking about it last week. I love that they followed through!

I also used different shoes this week, and that was a huge help. My Achilles tendon didn't get sore during the run.

BTW, one of my favorite parts of this race? The PIGLETS! The advantage of the Cul de Sac is that I can see them running out of the Cul de Sac as I go in. And, since it's warm, they are all shirtless! Yay

Race Report: Cul de Sac 5k #1

Date: July 9, 2012

Distance: 5k run

Time: 43:46

Pace: 14:04 min/mile

Overall Rank: 398/411

Age Group (F30-34) Rank: 31/32

My goals for the race were to:

a) have fun b) finish c) not die

Goal c was largely for my husband; it seemed like bad form to die on our anniversary. ;)

Started off running all the way to the first cul de sac and to the end of it. My calves were tight by that point, so I walked back to the street. Ran to the end of the next two cul de sacs and then walked back to street. At the end of the third, I stopped to stretch and chat with a coworker who was volunteering.

I walked through the water stop that happened at 1.5 miles. After that, ran to the first turn. Walked up the hill to mile 2, then ran down to the next corner and water stop. The volunteer there told me I was last but not least. He was quite surprised when I told him there were several after me.

I walked through the last water stop and got passed by some older guys who had already finished and were running more. I commented that they were putting me to shame. One, Dave, told me to pick it up and run with him to the end. He is a cross country coach for a nearby high school. He kept me running the last half mile to the finish. Without him, I would not have had as good of a final run. Seriously great guy. He told me he is looking for me next week too. :)

Adventures with Beef: Eye of Round Roast

Today I used an eye of round roast to make the asian shredded beef.  I didn't follow the recipe exactly.  I ended up only using 5 tablespoons of honey, and I added 1/2 teaspoon of ginger and 1 teaspoon of onion powder.  I also added a little sesame oil to the slaw from the Korean beef tacos.

The Verdict: the beef was pretty good.  It turns out that Chinese five spice powder has a lot of anise in it, which is not a flavor we are huge fans of.  Still, the beef was tender and very good for tacos.  The slaw was a little too sour and acidic.

Changes for next time:

• reduce Chinese 5 spice powder to 1 teaspoon
• increase ginger to 1 teaspoon
• add 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha or other chili paste (needed a bit of heat)
• add a little bit of sugar to the slaw sauce to make it more like an American coleslaw

It's definitely a recipe I'd like to try again, especially as I'd like to get the spices just right for our palate.  I think we are going to make burrito bowls with the leftover meat tomorrow.  I'll heat up some black beans and make some rice, then we'll use the beef and slaw to top the rice and beans.