> > Quite distressing - typically with this kind of cramp
> > my toes start curling in one direction or the other
> > until they're at maximum, and they tend to stay there;
> > the arch and the calves get knots in them. Chocolate
> Yeah, same here at times.. isn't it insane how those toes can just go into
some
> alien configurtion or shape Lol.. I'm laughing now, but when it happens I
could
> just about scream from the pain.

Many years ago I was told by a friend's wife, who had no
medical background whatever, and this was before Internet
truth pollution, that magnesium was at the root of it 
all, and I sort of said, yeah, right, but she said, no
really, try it, and I did, and in fact after a single dose
the improvement was immediate and striking; but as I've
mentioned, that element and my body are not the greatest
of friends, so taking the supplements isn't first on my
list, chocolate is. Once in a while the onset is so
sudden and precipitous that I have a hard time getting
from my desk to the drawer that has the chocolate (and
also the pills), 10 feet away. Yeah, and once in a while
screaming from the pain seems to be the thing to do. It's
amazing how fragile we actually are. I suppose that in
the olden days I would have fallen over in the forest
from this and been eaten by the rats and ants on the spot.

> > is a good and quick remedy. but one can OD on it too.
> > I wonder if one could make de-alkaloided chocolate
> > that has had the caffeine and theobromine taken out.
> > That would be ideal for me.
> I've read on some sites that chocolate has about the caffeine content of a cup
> of de-caf coffee but I don't know if that's true.  If I eat dark chocolate at
> night, it's kept me awake so I doubt it's true for dark chocolate (but I love
> it :) ).

If you compare decaf and hot chocolate -

USDA says hot chocolate has 5 mg per 8 oz
Mayo Clinic says decaf has 12-13.4 mg per 16 oz

the numbers are pretty much the same, but remember
that solid chocolate has a bunch more goodness than
hot chocolate.

According to foodreference.com -

Baking chocolate, unsweetened 1 ounce 
Caffeine 57.120 mg
Theobromine 346.360 mg 

Assuming for ease of math that baking chocolate is 99% 
and dark chocolate is 66%, (what I eat varies between 60 
and 85), an ounce of eating chocolate will give me 38 mg
caffeine and 230 mg theobromine.

Relative strength - study results vary from one I found
from the 1970s funded by General Foods that claims that 
theobromine has no effect at all to others more recent 
that say that in some measurable aspects theobromine has 
3/4 the potency of caffeine, but unfortunately the aspects
studied don't include the alertness/attention effect.

I did find Baggott, Childs, et al., Psychopharmacology of 
theobromine in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology, 
1/31/2013, which suggests that theobromine's effect on 
mental function is approximately 10% that of caffeine,
which strikes me as plausible. 

All these in combination would mean that 1 oz of dark 
chocolate would bestimate (best estimate) out at 
38 + 23 or just about 60 mg caffeine equivalent, or
half a cup's worth of average coffee, not enough to 
buzz the average Joe or Josephine, but enough to fix 
my wagon for at least several hours, plus though my
total body fat is not high, it is concentrated in
a few spots, so the stuff could easily be stored
away to cause future havoc.

The point is made elsewhere that theobromine and 
caffeine have opposite effects in some ways, for 
example caffeine jitters you and chocolate calms you, 
up to a certain point, and it then starts to have a 
similar effect to caffeine when you overdose on it.

For me, truth be told, it all hops me up, even tea 
(apparently largely due to theine and theophylline).

> > I have a number of partial shakers of salt
> > substitute, which I can use by dissolving a bunch,
> > about the size of a pill, in a cup of water and then
> > chugging that as fast as possible. Doesn't solve the
> > magnesium issue, which gets fixed by chocolate if I
> > don't need sleep or the pills if I'm right close to
> > a toilet for the next several hours.
> IIRC, the prescription for the Potassium tablets was pretty cheap.. Why not
> mention this to your doc and see if he'll give you a script?

For a cheapskate like me the salt substitute route is the
most cost effective - 1/7 of a teaspoon of No-Salt has as
much as a prescription supplement, so even at supermarket
retail, I pay 20-30% as much for the shaker stuff as I
would for the supplement. When of course the white powder
isn't leaking all over my luggage.

It's all a complicated formula that takes into account
my finances (via the raw cost of the supplement), my needs
(the proper dosage), my lifestyle (practicality of lugging
stuff around without it going all over my suitcase), and 
most of all my stubbornness.
 
> >>I'm not on diuretics now ... Baclofen keeps things moving in my legs and
that
> >> seems to help with the need for diuretics all together.. hate the drug for
> >> what it sometimes does to my brain, but it works dammit :)
> > Works is worth a bit of sacrifice sometimes, and not
> > needing the diuretics is a boon as well. I'm not
> > giving shorter shrift to the brain, but that organ
> > adapts better than other bits do.
> Yes, it does.. Now and again I stop taking the baclofen just to clear my
> brain.. that works as well :)

So you can coast on the plateau for a while while your
mind sorts itself out, or are there immediate consequences?

> > Chocolate ganache tart
> > To make the base whizz the nuts up in a food processor
> Btw, after the death of my old blender at the usual impractical "moment", I

Doesn't it always seem to happen that way.

> bought the blender that is made for the Bosch Universal mixer. It is really
> really a great blender.. at touch pricey at something like $69.00 IIRC, but it
> works well, and fast!  The entire unit sits on my counter ready for action.

If it's sturdy enough and can outlive two cheap machines,
that's a good deal. Anyhow, last time I bought a blender
it cost $29 at Sears, Roebuck - probably equivalent to 
close to 80 now. It lasted a long time (I don't know 
where it is any more), and other than the screw-on base 
of the blending chamber breaking a couple months in (I 
fixed it with epoxy, which repair lasted over a decade), 
it worked great.

A good reliable blender with a good sharp blade and at
least three speeds is a truly wonderful thing.

Sundried tomato, veggie lasagne with rosemary cashew cream cheese
categories: healthy, vegan, pasta, main, g/f, low-carb
yield: 1

h - Cashew cheese
1 c cashews (soaked for 2 to 4 hr)
1 Tb lemon juice
1 Tb + 1/2 ts nutritional yeast
1 ts chopped shallot
1/4  c water
sea salt tt 
pepper
dried rosemary or any other herbs you fancy
h - Tomato sauce
1 shallot finely sliced
2 lg garlic cloves sliced
1 sprig rosemary, leaves only
3 Tb olive oil
4 md tomatoes roughly chopped
1/2 c sundried tomatoes
1 Tb apple cider vinegar
handful of basil leaves
h - Vegetables
4 sm courgettes, sliced thinly lengthways
1 red pepper cut into 3 big pieces
- around the core
2 lg handfuls spinach
 
First soak the cashews for 2 to 4 hr in cold water.

If using actual dried sundried tomatoes soak them too 
in boiling water for 1 hr.

Slice courgettes lengthways into thin strips and grill 
them, I used the bbq but a griddle pan on a high heat 
or the oven will do fine too. Drizzle them in a little 
olive oil and grill until they are soft and have some 
charred lines. Do the same with the red pepper.

Wilt the spinach in a big frying pan with a little 
olive oil and some seasoning and set aside.

For the tomato sauce, on a medium heat fry the shallot 
and rosemary until soft, then add the sliced garlic 
followed by the chopped tomatoes. Cook until the 
tomatoes have softened and some start to fall apart. 
Blend with the sundried tomatoes, basil, apple cider 
vinegar until smooth and add some seasoning.

Assembling the lasagne. Spoon a bit of the tomato 
sauce on the bottom of your dish and spread it evenly. 
Then layer over the courgette, a teeny bit more tomato 
sauce, the wilted spinach and grilled sliced peppers. 
Finish with the remaining tomato sauce, a sprinkle of 
extra sundried tomatoes and some dried rosemary.

Heat in the oven at 180C/350F for 30 min until hot.

While it’s in the oven you can make the cashew cheese. 
Drain the cashews and give them a rinse with cold 
water then put all the ingredients in a food 
processor, they normally have a smaller bowl bit 
for when you are doing small quantities. Pulse away 
until it goes really smooth, mine took ages so I just 
left it going for a few min so don’t panic it will 
get smooth eventually. Check it for seasoning, it 
does need quite a lot of salt and you can keep 
adding more dried herbs and yeast to make it taste 
cheesier. If you want it runnier just add a splash 
more water.

When the lasagne is hot, spoon over the cashew 
cheese layer and serve away for totally fake 
cheesy goodness!

http://foodfromflossie.com/