Jay's personal blogs - retired life in Hawaii

May be next essay after a big vacation? A major Sydney/Auckland vacation is planned for 2026. We are ageing and only two types of vacations work for us these days.  1. Land in one city/place and anchor and stick to a hotel there.  Places with poor air quality do not work for us. On good days from health perspective we go out and do something that day. On other days, we just hang around the hotel/pool/bar/restaurant. We take it day by day.  2. Go on a cruise. We book activities like shore excursions but if we don't feel up to it that day we just skip that activity. If unwell, we stay in cabin. Most big cruise ships have a well-equipped medical center.  Group tours do not work for us, and visiting many places does not work for us. We travel only by ourselves, and we do not go anywhere abroad without trip insurance that includes health (including preexisting conditions). We will try to make all booking 100% refundable if cancelled. We will not know until we actuall...

  Here are a set of essays on Health, Medical, Nutrition and Cooking topics.  My Diabetes : https://jaykasi.blogspot.com/2022/03/my-struggle-with-diabetes.html My Hearing Loss :  https://jaykasi.blogspot.com/2022/03/my-cognitive-test.html My Personal Health Philosophy lately :  https://jaykasipersonal.blogspot.com/2025/10/my-health-philosophy.html Useful Medical and Nutrition questions :  https://jaykasi.blogspot.com/2023/11/some-key-medical-questions-that-are.html Reading a US Food Label :  https://jaykasipersonal.blogspot.com/2025/11/reading-food-label-intelligently.html Proteins and Fibers in my Food :  https://jaykasipersonal.blogspot.com/2025/11/protein-and-fiber-in-legumes-i-use_9.html Veggie side dishes I may cook :  https://jaykasipersonal.blogspot.com/2025/11/my-cooking-approach-veggie-side-dishes.html My Diet/Exercise Plan :  https://jaykasipersonal.blogspot.com/2025/02/a-daily-regimen-diet-and-exercise.html The cost of healthcare f...

Most packaged or canned foods in US grocery stores have labels. But how does a layman like me read and understand the label?  What I find especially problematic to use in labels are calories, and carbohydrate/fiber counts.  Let us start with  serving size . This is important because the rest of the numbers listed are based on a single serving. I note this carefully and estimate how many servings I typically consume per meal. I multiply all numbers on the label by this factor. Calories  are a measure of energy expenditure and energy stored in food - not of food nutrition quality. The energy powers body functions (muscular activity is a large proportion of total energy output when vigorously exercising). People who want to lose weight obsess about it. I however don't have a weight problem. Calories include energy from proteins, carbohydrates and fats. These three food groups are metabolized in different ways and use different processes to release energy at different ti...

In a previous essay, I outlined the main dish I cook which is centered around a meat or legume as a protein source. Some of those dishes can also be loaded up with selected vegetables which simplifies matters. Examples are Chili, Sambhar, Molagootal and Kootu. Others lose their signature character if you load them up with vegetables. On those latter cases a side vegetable dish is needed to meet my diet goals.  I have little experience with vegetable side dishes. But India is famous for tasty vegetable dishes. I selected a collection of these to slowly try out in the future. So far have not tried any except those flagged.  Here is the list.  Steamed/Boiled Asparagus or Broccoli or Brussel Sprouts - Tried already Aloo Baingan (Potato Eggplant Dish) Aloo Gobi (Potato Cauliflower Dish) - Tried already Gobi Manchurian (a Sino-Indian Cauliflower Dish) Navratan Korma (Peas, Carrot, Cauliflower, Beans, Potato Dish) Baingan Bartha (Eggplant Dish) Brussel Sprouts Curry (Self Explan...

  When cooking, I particularly focus on four things:  What is the spice/sauce base? What is the protein source (typically a legume or meat)? Is there adequate fiber? What are the vegetables added (same dish or separate dish) to complete it? Many legumes are a rich source of plant based protein and fiber. Besides fiber, the carbs they have are mainly complex carbs which are better for you than simple carbs or starch.  The veggies we generally use are  Spinach, Kale, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower, Asparagus,  Carrots, Green Beans,  Daikon and other Radishes, Zucchini, Tomatoes, Onions, and Bell Peppers - also starting to eat Okra and Eggplant.  Of these, the vegetables with good protein content are Spinach, Kale, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower, and Asparagus. The vegetables with good fiber content are Spinach, Kale, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower, Asparagus, Carrots, Green Beans and Okra . A few like Zucchini, Tomatoes and B...

One more essay.  I don't give financial advice to anyone, but I will briefly introduce Zelle and how I use it.  Zelle is a fast and easy way to send or receive small sums of money. It is a peer-to-peer network that bypasses conventional ways for money transfer and does not require a bank account number. It only requires an email or cell phone number. The email or cell phone identifies the unique financial institution that sends or receives the money and the financial institution involved itself is hidden.  Generally, Zelle is intended for sending money to family, friends and others whom you trust. There is no reversing a transfer or really disputing it. Transfers generally are very fast.  Zelle is offered by over 2,000 financial institutions in the United States. Major Banks and Credit Unions Many large banks, such as Bank of America, Chase, and Wells Fargo, provide Zelle services. All my banks offer it too.  Numerous credit unions also participate in the Zelle ...