Max Izenberg – Who Took My Chocolate Cake? 2BB 055

Coming to you this time from Chez Sharone’s chocolatieria.

The Broads bring back Max Izenberg from www.suddenly65.com She has written a book called “Who Took My Chocolate Cake?”

Suddenly 65 is an email newsletter that posts things to do and places to go for Boomers and Seniors in the San Fernando Valley. (Los Angeles) She also offers healthy tips. Her book is a compilation of those tips.

The title came about at a meeting of wealthy women that took place at the Bel Air Country Club. Max was there to speak about health and wellness. The women had instructed management to tell the waiters not to serve the club’s signature chocolate cake because of Max’s topic. They didn’t get the message and went ahead and served the cake anyway. In deference to Max, none of the 150 women at the meeting ate the cake.

Max says, “If you want to put the life back into your life, read my book.”

Max has a degree in nutrition. She made up a phrase she talks about in her speeches. “What FEWLS (sic) your body?” It means Food, Exercise, Water, Less Stress. In her newsletter, she adds the word Loneliness because it plays into the whole health and wellness area.

Max Izenberg Notes From Her Book:

White bread is dead bread. Max doesn’t eat white bread, potatoes rice or anything else that’s white.

If only green vegetables smelled like bacon. We all know bacon isn’t good for us, but who doesn’t like bacon?

Suicide in a spoon – Sugar is more addictive than cocaine or heroin. Read “Sugar Blues.”

Do the foods you eat like you and love you? In a perfect world, Max would have a rare steak, baked potato, butter sauerkraut and a hot fudge sundae for dessert every night. Unfortunately, it’s not a perfect world. None of those foods like her.

Max talks about beauty and believes in using products without additives. Whatever you put on your skin goes directly into your bloodstream. She likes using coconut oil.

She brushes her teeth with coconut oil and baking soda.  Her dentist thinks it’s wonderful.

If you get a headache, don’t take aspirin. Eat fresh ginger. She cuts fresh ginger into cubes and chews them. It’s also good for arthritis. Every afternoon she makes green tea with ginger cubes, honey and cinnamon.

Max loves Indian food because much of it is made with turmeric.

She makes her own hummus and is big on beans. Using a small Cuisinart mixer, she takes organic spinach or kale and puts it in the bottom. Then she throws in garbanzo beans, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, water, and canned anchovies, (no need to add salt) and the contents of a turmeric capsule.  You can also add raw garlic. (if you’re able to tolerate it)

You can get away with not buying organic fruits and vegetables if they have hard skins like cantaloupe. However, apples and potatoes must be organic because of the pesticides that are used to grow them.

The dirty dozen of fruits and vegetables that must be organic.

Peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes.

Other Random Tips

Wine – If you can’t sleep, don’t take sleeping pills, drink a glass of red wine instead. Rebecca says there’s more resveratrol in wines that come from the Finger Lakes District in upstate New York State or the Willamette Valley in Oregon.

Chocolate – Eat dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao. Sharone says milk chocolate is barbaric. Max recommends, “One little piece please,