Brownsdale Study Club

On July 19, 2017, the Brownsdale Study Club met at the home of Jane Hartson. Joyce Juhnke called the meeting to order with members reading the “Collect.” The secretary-treasurer reports were read and approved. Nine members answered the roll call by sharing a fun summer vacation. There was no old or new business.

Fern announced that the Blood Bank will be in Brownsdale from 1 to 7 p.m. on Aug. 15, at Our Savior Lutheran Church. Then, we sang, “Happy Birthday” to Shelley. Hostess for the August meeting will be LaVonne Skov. Leone made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Fern seconded it.

The outside reading was “America’s Historic Highway,” U.S. Route 66. It was commissioned in 1926 as the first national highway from Chicago to Los Angeles. It spans 2,400 miles, three time zones and eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. The road served as a migratory path for people traveling west, especially during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Jim Conkle remembers his first trip on that road in his family’s 1939 Plymouth with his parents and three siblings. They rode for days driving by endless service stations, diners, motels and roadside attractions. They had a canvas water bag on the front of the car and drove mostly at night because they had no air conditioning. It as a fairly flat road and the quickest way to drive across America. In 1938, it became the first completed paved U.S. highway. John Steinbeck called it the “Mother Road.” In the 1950s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Congress passed legislation to build a high-speed highway system that sent travelers bypassing Route 66. That crippled the economies of the towns on Route 66 and the road was decommissioned in 1985. But the people who lived and worked there would not let it die. By 1987, a campaign had begun to preserve and restore the route. Then, in 1999, Congress approved funding to recapture the glory. The travelers returned and it is still there to enjoy. Over 13 million people drive the route each year and once again the Spirit of Route 66 reflects the Spirit of America. Jim Conkle logged over 200 trips on Route 66 sand became an adviser to the National Park Service.

The main topic given by Shelley Vogel was on “Rethinking Cholesterol, Grains and Sugars,” by Dr. David Perimutter. He is a fellow of the American College of Nutrition and a neurologist and best-selling author. Dr. Josh Turknett is a clinical researcher and also a neurologist. Both men do research on brain and gut health and what constitutes a good diet. They study heart disease, migraines, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Cholesterol is a component of every cell membrane in the body and is essential in producing vitamin D. Twenty-five percent of the entire cholesterol content of your body is in your brain where it strengthens, nourishes and protects brain cells. It clears away harmful free radicals. We need cholesterol in order to be healthy. Research has proven that people with the lowest levels of cholesterol have a higher risk for depression, suicide and dementia.

The best lab report that determines your health status should be the one the indicates your average blood sugar level. At one time, we were told to avoid eggs because they are high in cholesterol and saturated fat. A recent report stated that those who ate real eggs actually had improvements in blood tests. Science is now showing that saturated fat is not the enemy in terms of heart disease. The culprit is sugar and carbohydrates. Then, Dr. Perlmutter began testing patients for gluten sensitivity and encouraged patients to go gluten-free and to eat a low-carb diet. People who had been plagued by disorders such as migraines, epilepsy or anxiety were freed from their conditions. Gluten is the sticky stuff that holds dough together. However, today’s wheat is subject to hybridization, which causes strange proteins and immune responses in our bodies. Grains consist mostly of carbs, which are the main source of calories in our diets. The starch in grains breaks down into glucose and causes a rise in our blood sugar. That triggers the release of insulin which removes the excess glucose and stores it as fat.

Sugar itself is pure carbohydrate. It contains no vitamins, minerals, protein or fat. she we ingest sugar and high fructose corn syrup, they are broken down into glucose. Then, what is not used is stored in tissue as fat. The fructose can only be metabolized in the liver and leads to liver dysfunction. Sugar also leads to the arterial plaques that can result in heart attacks and strokes. Our ancestors consumed around two to four pounds of sugar per year. Now, the average American consumes 150 pounds of sugar per years, which includes fructose. Changing our diet will change our health.

Jane served a delicious key lime pie for dessert.

Duplicate Bridge

Tuesday, Aug. 1, seven tables played at the Mower County Senior Center. First place, Gail and Ray Schmidt; second place (tie), Loren Cleland and Dave Ring and Gene Muchow and Ron Peters; fourth place, Vandy Newman and Bud Higgins; fifth place, Quentin Fiala and Dave Solomonson; sixth placeRomelle Enderson and Bonnie Fritz.

Wednesday, Aug. 2, six tables played at the Mower County Senior Center. First place, Joyce Crowe and Millie Seiver; second place, Vandy Newman and Ron Peters; third place, Dave Ring and Orrin Roisen; fourth place, Carolyne Higgins and Connie Johnson; fifth place, Quentin Fiala and John Karnes.

Players were from Austin, Albert Lea, Adams and Rose Creek. All bridge players are encouraged to join us at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and noon on Wednesdays.