I have known for years that food coloring was not a good thing. This article will make you think twice before you or your children eat something with food coloring. We know that every bite counts and small changes at a time are much easier than radical changes in your diet.
http://www.fooducate.com/blog/2010/06/30/articial-colors-in-food-a-poison-rainbow/
This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago as part of their “Spotlight on the Home” series that highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common problems.
1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog & provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent Undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the Collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential Nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
10. Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
12. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won’t leave streaks and won’t harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.
13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!
As I have read more about diabetes, obesity and food related diseases it is important that we identify the food that make a difference in everyday health along with the superfoods.
Making those foods a staple in our pantry will make a difference in not only a change in what we reach for but the quality of our life now and 25 years from now. So what are you going to tweak in your diet this week?
Tweak of the Week: Foods to Eat Every Day
An apple a day keeps the doctor away! This is a saying that has stayed with us for many years. It is believed to have come from an ancient Roman proverb. The Romans truly believed the apple had magical powers to cure illnesses. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why this might be true.
http://www.naturalnews.com/028061_apple_doctor.html
I ran across this information and have not confirmed that it came from Johns Hopkins. However it is information that is widely known and now compiled in one article.
To remain healthier and/or if I was diagnosed with cancer, I would want to understand everything possible. I believe we are only as healthy as the food we choose to eat. I liken our bodies to a Ferrari. If I owned one I would never put substandard oil, gas, fluids in that vehicle. Why? It would not run at its full potential and would make the parts wear out quicker. Our bodies are our God given Ferrari that will eventually wear out, of that we are certain. But does it have to work overtime combating the chemicals and substandard food that we choose to eat? It only makes our parts break down faster and sometime they cannot be repaired.
It is imperative that we become conscious eaters. Pay attention to the quality and the quantity of the food you eat. You will be healthier for it!
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AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO COMBAT CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINSIS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.
Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins
1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person’s lifetime.
3. When the person’s immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.
6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc., and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
WHAT CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.
a) Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is Bragg’s aminos or sea salt.
b) Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soymilk, cancer cells are being starved.
c) Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
d) A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells.
e) To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
f) Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water–best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.
12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.
13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body’s killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body’s own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body’s normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.
15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.
Now you didn’t think that I would write about drinking water without a follow up on the MANY reasons I have HUGE aversion to Soda.
Now also realize that my husband HAS to have a Diet Coke Fountain Drink every day! And not 8 oz. either. And not in a can or bottle. FOUNTAIN DRINK ONLY! Tori brings him one in the morning when she arrives for work. On the weekend, he will trot off to the store to get his ‘devil drink’. And he will drive extra mlles if the fountain machine is better somewhere else. Now that is an addiction!
I do not keep soda in our home except when we have a party and then there is VERY little of it. I used to supply 1 liter each of Coke and Diet Coke. When I started having leftovers, I switched to the 6 pack pony size. I am still having leftovers. Why? I make sure to provide several other healthier options. It also may be that most of our guest realize they won’t find sodas so enjoy the other options that they may not have at home.
So when I read this article by Kathleen Aicardi, M.Ed. at eDiets, I really enjoyed what she had to share. Some I knew and some was new information. I have posted part of it here with a link to the article at the bottom of this post.
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SODA: 7 Things You Didn’t Know
Soda consumption has more than quadrupled in the last 40 years. The average American consumes five cans of soda each day. A typical serving of a soft drink once was 8 ounces, today a small is 12 ounces and a large soft drink is 32 ounces.
Soda is not a replacement for water. Water makes up about 70 percent of our body composition. Pure water is what we need to replenish our body’s requirements. Water transports substances throughout the body. It helps to regulate body temperature and remove wastes from the body. Water is also needed for the digestive process.
Approximately 73 percent of all Americans are chronically dehydrated. Signs of dehydration of just 2 percent can result in fatigue and fuzzy thinking. A loss of 4 percent results in a decrease of muscle strength and endurance. A loss of 10 percent results in weakness and decreased tolerance for heat. Finally, a loss of 20 percent can result in coma or death.
Here are some interesting facts about soda you may want to keep in mind:
1. The sugar in soda can increase insulin levels in the blood, which over time can lead to type 2 diabetes, as well as high blood pressure, heart disease and weight gain. Consuming just one can of soda a day can increase your weight by 18 pounds per year.
2. Phosphoric acid found in many types of soda inhibits the proper absorption of calcium causing bones to become week and teeth to become soft. Is it any wonder the incidence of osteoporosis continues to increase in America? Additionally, Americans have the highest incidence of osteoporosis in the world.
3. Many sodas contain caffeine, which acts as a stimulant and energy enhancer. However, caffeine increases urine output further contributing to water losses.
4. Diet sodas contain aspartame, an artificial sweetener. Aspartame has been challenged by many people who claim they have had serious side affects, such as headaches, dizziness, seizures and nausea, from its use. For those who drink diet soda as an alternative to sugary soda, aspartame can interfere with the body’s ability to reach weight loss goals.
5. Soda also contains sodium, a nutrient that promotes water retention. When sodium levels are excessive in the body, the resulting water retention can cause other health risks, such as increased blood pressure.
6. Drinking soda can lead to other health problems because large amounts of soda can decrease your appetite for fruits, vegetable and essential nutrients.
7. It has been widely accepted that Coke can also be used to; loosen rusted bolts, clean up blood stains, clean corrosion off battery terminals and remove stubborn toilet bowls stains.
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So I say,why even waste your tastebuds or your more importantly your health on Soda.
Link to the rest of the eDiets article
Most of you know I have a H U G E aversion, might I even say disgust for sodas. I am on the other hand a H U G E advocate of drinking more water. And for good reason.
This summer I bought a new water bottle for Tommy (grandson) and me because he was not drinking enough water. To make it fun and so that he would realize how much water he was drinking we each got a Camelbak BPA-free water bottle. I got the liter size and he got the 1/2 liter. That way when he would race me to drink more water … he always won with finishing his bottle first! We carried it everywhere we went. He knew that there was nothing else to drink until one bottle was gone. Then he might get lemonaide or juice. Then we would start on the next bottle. You would be surprised at how many days all he drank was water. With no ice mind you.
Here is the back story on me. I grew up in a household where the only soda in the house was Root Beer and that was for Daddy’s Root Beer Floats! P E R I O D. And yes he did share with his girls!
When I left home I did drink sodas for a while but realized early on that if you are thirsty and you reach for a soda you are NOT quenching your thirst at all. Water quenches your thirst. By the time a person feels thirsty, your body is telling you it needs water and you are becoming dehydrated.
Think about this. Why is breakfast the most important meal of the day? You just slept for 6-8 hours with nothing to fuel your body. Well you also haven’t had a drink of water either. When you wake up each morning you should drink a glass … yes 8 ounces of water.
I will say that was the hardest thing for me to do when I was training for my first triathlon. So I kept water by my bed and I would sit on the edge of the bed and make myself drink the water before I went to the bathroom. I was shocked at what a difference it made in my day. It set the pace for staying hydrated during the day and an unexpected benefit came along with it. My dry skin became nonexistent.
Well that makes perfect sense since up to 70 percent of the human body weight is composed of water. Muscle is made up of nearly 75 percent water. Fat is made up of about 50 percent water. Bones are also composed of about 50 percent water.
However, fat tissue does not have as much water as lean tissue. So, if you are overweight it does not mean that you are carrying more water weight. Sorry! If you are overweight it means you are carrying more fat. Plain and simple.
Every system in your body needs water. Water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues. Your body requires water to function properly.
I try to drink two liters each day. I have found that if I have a water bottle I KNOW what I have drank each day as opposed to trying to count the glasses of water during the day.
Here are some additional reasons to drink your water:
- One glass of water can alleviate late night hunger
- Drinking at least 5 glasses of water each day can reduce the incidence of colon cancer, bladder cancer and breast cancer.
- Drinking the recommended 8 to 10 glasses of water a can can ease joint pain AND help you maintain your weight levels.
- Soft drinks, coffee, and tea, while made up almost entirely of water, also contain caffeine. Caffeine can act as a mild diuretic, preventing water from traveling to necessary locations in the body.
Water Trivia: 20 Interesting and Useful Water Facts
You’re rushing down the aisle at the grocery store, checking things off your shopping list, when you spot an attractive bag of frozen strawberries that would be perfect for the next morning’s breakfast smoothie. The label says “Canada A.” You toss the bag into the cart, thinking that you’ve just scored yourself some yummy local berries frozen at the peak of freshness.
Take a closer look, and it turns out the strawberries are far from being close to home ….
Click here to read the rest of the story.
Blueberries are considered a superfood and featured on Healthcastle this month. Good for EVERYONE in their diet. Including Diabetics and those looking for low glycemic foods. Read on…. Highlighting this month’s food of the month was pretty easy work. Blueberries, our choice for August, are truly nutritional superstars. They are also tasty and easily found in markets and stores across North America, with multiple varieties to choose from. The fruit can range in size from tiny pea-sized balls to those as big as marbles and can be any color from blue to maroon to dark purple. Blueberries can be tart and a little crunchy when unripe; as the berries ripen the flesh softens and the fruit sweetens. |
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We know that high fructose corn syrup is bad for you. Are you scanning your labels to make sure it is not in the food you are buying? Now, if you aren’t buying processed foods you won’t have a label to read! Ok, not even I am that dedicate but every little step we take towards conscious choice with more wholesome and natural ingredients helps us feed our body so it is not fighting and protecting us from potential toxins in processed foods.
So what’s the deal with this sweetener? The following article by Toby Amidor gives us some insight.
What is it? High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) started making its name in the 1980s as a cheap alternative to sugar. Sugar is made from two sub-units: glucose and fructose. HFCS is made from those same two subunits — just with some extra help from the lab. Basically put, HFCS starts out as cornstarch, which is made of glucose, and then some of that glucose is converted via chemical processes to fructose. So, you see, there’s some manipulation that goes into making it.
Where is it found? Everywhere. Yes, everywhere! Bread, cookies, soda, cold cereals, candy, ketchup, lunch meats, yogurts, soups, jams, chocolate syrup — you name it and it probably contains HFCS. On a recent supermarket trip, I spent 15 minutes in the bread aisle trying to find a loaf without this sweetener. It’s become so mainstream in our food supply that it’s sometimes difficult to completely eliminate it from your diet.
What has sparked the controversy? As the use of HFCS increased, so did American’s waistlines. Once that news surfaced, the public went crazy and the HFCS backlash began. According to The American Medical Association, HFCS does not contribute more to obesity than sugar or other caloric sweeteners.
According to nutritionist, author, professor Marion Nestle, “Biochemically, high fructose corn syrup is about the same as table sugar (both have about the same amount of fructose and calories), but it is in everything and Americans eat a lot of it — nearly 60 pounds per capita in 2006, just a bit less than pounds of table sugar.”
The Latest Issues A study released in January revealed that almost half of the commercial food products tested that contained HFCS also contained mercury. Understandably, the media went wild because mercury is toxic and has been linked to neurological damage in humans. Not surprisingly, the Corn Refiners Association released a statement claiming that the study was flawed and failed to properly conduct their study.
The Bottom Line HFCS is found in many packaged foods and hard to avoid. If possible, opt for products without the sweetener or ones that list HFCS lower down on the ingredients (the closer it is to the end of the list, the less it contains). Sticking to a whole diet with fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, grains and legumes can help minimize your consumption. And, as we always say, moderation is key.
