Healthy Nation

I hate goodbyes I’d rather make a quiet exit from a room than go through what to me is a somewhat awkward and difficult process But I realize that slinking out is considered poor form; so I steel myself for the moment, convincing my better half that it’s the right thing to do, and go through the motions And invariably, after I do, I feel a mixture of relief and vague satisfaction

Last week was the tipping point for my dog Chloe She was rapidly deteriorating; a series of seizures, followed by confusion and endless sleepless nights when she’d pace the floor, confused and troubled, knocking her nose into things as if searching for the answer to alleviate her discomfort

Oh, if only dogs could talk

In the past few years it had been easy to ignore Chloe’s advancing age; unlike older people who often times will shrink, lose muscle mass, turn gray, get wrinkles, lose their balance and the spring in their step, my dog did none of these: people would often ask me how old my ‘puppy’ was The spark, that lightness of being, her combination of naiveté and awareness that she had as a pup was still very much evident Although she sometimes hesitated when faced with a steep flight of stairs, she mastered the ups and downs, just a tad slower than before Rather than greet me at the door, I came to know where to search for her – in that same corner spot she’d been napping in for years I’d bend down and gently coax her out of her deep sleep – but not before closely observing her to make sure she was still breathing – to let her know I was home so she wouldn’t startle

Last week when I brought her to the vet after an especially tough and sleepless night, I was finally ready to hear what he had told me many times before

“There’s really not much we can do,” he said, a little too matter-of-factly for me But then again, I understood It was time to say goodbye

I had one day to prepare for Chloe’s euthanasia I made the decision to leave her at the vet; I feared that once home, she’d rally, tearing the rug up as she rocketed to the kitchen cabinet where we stored her treats; perching atop the couch cushions to watch for the mail truck or the occasional squirrel dashing by I knew she’d bark when she wanted a treat, that she’d scour the kitchen floor for fallen crumbs I was certain that she’d linger outside for her last walk, especially if the night air was warm and alluring, to listen for the crickets in the distance

And I knew if she were home I’d never bring her back to the vet the next day

So, I spent part of that day before busy-ing myself with errands and work; another part saying goodbye and rerunning Chloe’s long and wonderful life in my head, remembering and being grateful for all she has added to mine And when it got too painful to think, I did something else I rarely do – I reached out and asked for help I called and emailed everyone I knew who had a dog I asked them for tips – anything that they could tell me that would make it easier to let go And to my amazement, people responded in droves Some checked on me throughout the night and into the next day, others shared their own stories; many even cried in solidarity

I had time to process my grief, though a short week later, I’m learning that the grief shadows me in quite a similar fashion as Chloe did; it’s always by my side, touching me at unexpected moments, chasing me until it catches me and forces me to look it squarely in the eye

And many friends have recently lost their pets, too I think it’s a midlife rite of passage; we added pets to our growing families and watched them grow up alongside our children Or for those of us who remained childless, they were our children, cared for with the same love and devotion Now the too-short life of our pets is ending when our new life as empty nesters – true empty nesters – begins

I have a very wise friend and fellow blogger, Roxanne Hawn, who has helped me tremendously through this process Roxanne writes the award-winning blog, Champion of My Heart Roxanne graciously answered all my questions, although by the end of the process she admits to being in tears, too

Q How do you deal with the grief and pain of losing a pet?

A To

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Im not sure at what point it becomes ridiculous to refer to my excess weight as baby weight, but as I near my babys seventh birthday Im pretty sure that I am no longer allowed to use the weight I gained during my two pregnancies as my excuse anymore.

You May Know This Story Already

My story is probably pretty similar to many of your stories. I never seriously struggled with my weight until after I went through a couple of pregnancies. With my first baby, the weight started coming off somewhat quickly after giving birth, but then when I turned around less than a year later and got pregnant again, I quickly found that my hunger skyrocketed as I continued to breastfeed until my fifth month of pregnancy.

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Theres an old adage that says to avoid foods that contain ingredients you cant easily pronounce The purest interpretation might lead one to steer clear of processed foods altogether Im fully supportive of this philosophy provided that it works for you However, in my experience, most people eat at least some pre-packaged or refined foods And, much to the chagrin of purists, sometimes hard to pronounce ingredients are actually quite good for you

In the near future youll probably see an ingredient by the name of xylooligosaccharides XOS in a number of functional foods available in both health food stores and markets Currently, there are plans to add XOS to everything from baby food to yogurt If youre wondering whether this is a welcome development or not, consider the following First of all, XOS is just the latest in a long line of prebiotic fibers much like fructooligosaccharides FOS and inulin Despite what some might say, it really isnt anything spectacularly new or novel Secondly, almost everyone has already been exposed to XOS to some extent because its present in small amounts in a variety of foods including bamboo shoots, milk and rice bran The only thing thats changed lately is that biotechnology companies have discovered an economically viable way to extract and purify XOS from corncobs

To date, several human studies involving XOS have been published in peer-reviewed medical journals The bulk have focused on the utility of XOS in relation to digestive wellness and liver health The latest, appearing in the January 2012 issue of the British Journal of Nutrition, examined the effects of XOS or XOS plus inulin in 60 healthy volunteers The findings revealed that supplementing with XOS promoted the growth of beneficial bacteria and that XOS combined with inulin attenuated inflammation caused by an unhealthy diet This conclusion is supported by previous research that found that: a XOS preferentially stimulated the growth of two important probiotics Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus plantarum which protect against pathogenic microorganisms such as E coli and Salmonella; b a daily dose of 42 grams/day of XOS dramatically and safely improved bowel function in a group of pregnant women with severe constipation

My initial impression of XOS is generally optimistic For starters, Im reassured by the fact that it naturally occurs in traditionally consumed foods Also of interest for me was an 8 week study published in October 2008 In it, a group of type 2 diabetics were given either a placebo or 4 grams of XOS daily Those receiving XOS exhibited uniformly positive results The authors of the trial noted a decline in blood sugar, fructosamine, LDL bad and oxidized cholesterol in the experimental group Since XOS is technically a carbohydrate source, I think its vital to establish its safety in at risk populations such as diabetics This preliminary study suggests that this prebiotic is suitable for those concerned about blood sugar control If these results can be replicated in larger studies involving non-diabetics, then its quite possible that XOS could prove to be a valuable addition to many processed foods