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For the Do-It-Yourself project – privacy and warmth panels

Before moving on from the home away from home, car sleep platform project, I also made insulated privacy panels for the windows. Rolls of thin thermal tinfoil with bubblewrap like interior is available in home improvement stores. I used nine feet of a four foot wide roll (25 ft by 4 ft) to make four panels to cover my car windows when needed. The tinfoil is very reflective so I duct-taped a layer of blue tarp to one side for the exterior side and left the other side the reflective material. It amplifies any light source that is being used inside of the car at night and might have been an overly reflective danger for oncoming traffic that wouldn’t expect a large reflective flash of light.

The insulation is flexible but thick enough at 1/4 inch that combined with the tarp it stays in place when wedged in to place wherever there is something to give a little support. In the front the visors help hold it in place and the door panels stand on the doorknobs and are held in place by the visors. The front panel has an area sliced to fit the mirror and the GPS device and those also help hold it in place.

I measured the windows and drew a picture as  a guide to cut the insulation. The back window is the smallest and it is held in place by the hatchback groove and two little knobs that hold a cover for the trunk area.

Extra pieces of tarp were left which I duct-taped into a carrier for storing all the pieces in when not in use when they are folded in half.

See this post for more information about the sleep platform and link to the first post on the topic: Thinking Outside the (Tote) Box.

*If this project seems like a lot of work – reminder, my family traveled with a traditional style tipi that my parents made by hand. My father even cut and trimmed the pine trees that were used for the poles.

Projects can be accomplished and this prototype project is still somewhat of a work in progress. I haven’t tested the warmth/privacy panels on a road trip yet but the sleep platform is fairly comfortable compared to trying to sleep sitting in the front seat or laying down on a back seat. Specially designed air mattresses are available for larger vehicles that have seats that fold down however you couldn’t also store anything in the air mattress or use it as individual seats or as a mini-couch/exercise bench when not traveling.

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.

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Thinking Outside the (Tote) Box

This post is a discussion of creativity and a return to an earlier post about a do-it-yourself project for travelers – a sleep platform for the backseat of a car in case of emergency stops or for the person willing to sleep in a car occasionally instead of getting a hotel room. the sleep platform is better than sleeping on the seat but not as comfortable as a hotel room. It can save time however for the person traveling fast to be able to have a nap when needed to make a long car trip less a risk of drowsy driving. See this post for more tips about signs of drowsy driving and tips for staying awake or signs that it is time to pull over and nap in the front seat or on your handy sleep platform built on storage totes if you are me. (Traveling Shows the Beauty of Our Land and People)

Regarding creativity and “Thinking outside the box” – that doesn’t mean start from a blank page it means start with the box – start with the present known knowledge base. A box is a great invention and if you add a hinge then the lid is easier to use, add wheels and you have a wagon or a cart or a car. Even the blank page is a great start. That phrase dates back in time to school children who started with a blank slate each day. Paper was rare and so were books. The teacher would copy out sections from a book on the large chalkboard/slate on the wall and all the school children would copy it to their individual personal slates to memorize the text or practice the math or grammar exercise. The chalk would rub off when they carried the slate home in their lunch pail so the memorization of long passages of speeches or poetry was common. See works by Laura Ingalls Wilder for more information about slates and teaching in the 1800s. (biography/Laura Ingalls Wilder)

This website is not named for the phrase Think outside the box. It was named for a passage from the Tao Te Ching – start with the universe – start from traditional knowledge – start from square and transcend that, think beyond our limits and explore the great unknown. (Tao Te Ching, Verse 41)

For more information on thinking creatively and effectively working towards a better solution to difficult decisions rather than feeling forced to choose one of two less preferred choices I recommend the book Creating Great Choices: A Leader’s Guide to Integrative Thinking, by Jennifer Riel and Roger L. Martin (2017, HBR) (hbr.org/Creating Great Choices)

Do It Yourself, storage totes to sit on or use as an exercise bench or mini-couch, or to sleep on in the back seat of your car:

To make a padded top to a tote, make a paper pattern of the inner section of the lid and the full size of the total surface. Newspaper sheets taped together can make a sheet as large as you need for creating patterns – also handy for upholstery replacement or copying a favorite pair of pants.
Check how much material will be needed for all the pieces. this project required two additional camp mats. Enough of the second was left to make an additional layer to cover all three totes. The smallest tote was slightly shorter so it needed three layers to reach the height of the two larger totes.
Draw an outline of the pattern for easier cutting. I used a utility knife and cut through the two layers of the mat with two cuts. I used a scissors to trim any loose pieces. The camp mats have antimicrobial and quick drying features so I decided not to add an Duct Tape to the edges as anything that can hold water out can also hold water in. Allowing the edges to remain open allows them to be able to air dry more effectively.
Adhesive backed Velcro (TM) is available for garage tools that can hold up to ten pounds of pressure and is good to temperatures as low as zero degrees Fahrenheit. Using a measuring tape and marker to help position the sections I applied 3 or 4 inch sections of Velcro (TM) to the totes and sections of mat. The smallest tote was not flat so the pieces are lined up with the areas that were flat. The larger tote’s Velcro (TM) is at the corner because that is where the most pressure would be likely to occurring when sitting or laying on the pad.
The completed padded Totes, sitting on the mats I used for the car sleep platform. They are still full length and I use them as exercise mats when not traveling.
The project left one section of camp mat that nicely fits over the three totes with less excess. The surface is firm and doesn’t skid with the other mats underneath the totes. It is a good size to use as an exercise bench or as individual seats or as a mini couch surface. Standing on a Tote would be possibly too much weight for the lid. Sitting or laying down across the extended surface spreads out the weight more evenly.
When not in use the totes can all be stacked and are useful for storing things. The three exercise/camp mats can all be coiled into one column and secured with a belt or some other fastener. The mats have elastic bands that may be too small for the diameter but they could be combined into a longer elastic band for the purpose.

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.

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Foods that are good sources of phospholipids or other phospho-nutrients

This is not a list of all foods but a list of some good sources mentioned recently and a few additions.

  • Artemisia turanica (wormwood) an herb I take as a supplement I had forgotten that my new bottle uses the botanical name.
  • Amaranth Seed – a grain that can be cooked as a breakfast porridge like dish or is available as a flour. It is gluten free.
  • Asparagus stems
  • Avocado, the fruit, or the inner kernel which can be dried and ground into a powder to use in baking perhaps, I haven’t seen the recipe and having tried to cut one it doesn’t seem like an easy task for the average home kitchen equipment.
  • Beans, common green beans, Adzuki beans, Lentils, Lima Beans, Mung Beans, Green Peas, Split Peas – probably all the bean family.
  • Cardamom – a seed pod available whole or powdered and is generally used as a powdered spice in baked goods or in savory dishes in India style curries.
  • Carrots
  • Cashew nuts, Peanuts, Walnuts, – probably all the nuts, seeds, beans, peas and legumes.
  • Celery stems and leaves
  • Coconut
  • Cumin seed – generally available as a powdered spice and used in bean dishes in Mexican or Indian cooking.
  • Gingko Leaf, available as an herbal supplement called Gingko biloba
  • Grapefruit juice and orange juice.
  • Hemp Seed, Fennel Seed, Flax seed, Squash Seed, Pine Seeds, Pumpkin Seed kernel.
  • Butternut squash and pumpkin.
  • Jerusalem Artichoke (this is a root, not an artichoke, but artichokes are probably a source to as a green leafy type vegetable)
  • Lettuce Leaf, Spinach leaves, Mustard leaves, – many leafy green vegetables.
  • Oats, – most grains like the bean, nut, seed group contain some as phospho-nutrients are part of membranes.
  • Okra seeds (eaten as a green vegetable with the seeds left in the vegetable)
  • Onion root, Garlic, Leek leaves
  • Parsnip root,
  • Pomegranate seeds
  • Rice, white or brown, the bran contains more though.
  • Sesame Seeds (also available as tahini, a sesame paste that is oilier than peanut butter but can be used similarly if used in less quantity)..
  • Sorghum, a grain available whole or as a flour
  • Sweet Potato or Yams
  • Buckwheat, a grain that is not wheat and is gluten free, available as a grain or flour
  • Wheat – a grain typically used a flour but also available in whole wheatberries or cracked wheat or more refined breakfast cereal versions.

Source: Table 4.15 and Table 8.2 Chemistry of Plant Phosphorus Compounds, by Arlen Frank, (1)

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.

  1. Arlen Frank, Chemistry of Plant Phosphorus Compounds, Elsevier, Jun 3, 2013, https://books.google.com/books/about/Chemistry_of_Plant_Phosphorus_Compounds.html?id=6btpFSV1T2YC (1)

 

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Calcium and vitamin D supplements are not recommended to help prevent hip fractures

A recent meta-analysis  published in JAMA (2) of research on the efficacy of calcium and vitamin D supplements to help prevent hip fractures and other types of bone fractures in Senior Citizens or post-menopausal women found no benefit compared to placebo or no treatment.  The meta-analysis included 33 clinical trials involving 51,145 participants.

The brief overview article does not mention if harm was found but concludes with the simple statement that the findings do not support a routine recommendation or use of calcium and vitamin D supplements in community dwelling older people. Read more: Thumbs Down on Calcium and Vitamin D to Prevent Hip Fracture (1)

Adequate magnesium in a form the body is able to absorb well, which may require a topical form such as soaking with magnesium sulfate salt (Epsom salt) or magnesium chloride products, is required for maintaining bone health. The minerals silicon and boron are also important and the mineral strontium in microgram amounts may help. Vitamin K from leafy green vegetables and green herbs and spices (or in the form of vitamin K2 supplementally may be helpful) is also important for maintaining bone density. (3)

  1. Jack Cush, MD, Thumbs Down on Calcium and Vitamin D to Prevent Hip Fracture, Medpage Today, Jan 13, 2018, https://www.medpagetoday.com/primarycare/dietnutrition/70497?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2018-01-16 (Medpage Today)

  2. Jia-Guo Zhao, MD; Xian-Tie Zeng, MD; Jia Wang, MD; et al, Association Between Calcium or Vitamin D Supplementation and Fracture Incidence in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, JAMA. 2017;318(24):2466-2482,     https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2667071?redirect=true (2)

  3. Charles T Price, Joshua R Langford, and Frank A Liporace,

    Essential Nutrients for Bone Health and a Review of their Availability in the Average North American Diet, Open Orthop J. 2012; 6: 143–149.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3330619/ (3)