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/
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
Now here is some insight we all need in coping with stress. Did you know that researchers found that twenty seconds of belly laughter is equivalent to three minutes of working out on a rowing machine? Now who is heading to the comedy club tonight! Stress vs. laughter? Who knew that laughter is the ultimate stress buster.
Carter, my son by marriage, was diagnosed with Diabetes recently. It has been a whirlwind of emotions to say the least. When he called me to share the news, I immediately knew what I had to do. I had to help him learn how to eat. In order to do that I had to teach him to plan a menu, shop for groceries, cook those goodies and not feel like he was the weird college kid.
Just imagine… no more soft drinks and limited if any fast food. Now that is just the start… but it seems like the end of the world for a college kid. At 20, Carter has a lifetime ahead of him and with diabetes there is NO SHORTCUT! If you THINK you can beat the system, you run the risk of damaging your organs, losing your limbs, or losing your eyesight. This is a very serious life sentence.
Ah ha!… a life sentence? Could be. Depends on ones attitude. If we really think about it we created diabetes with the choices generations have made since the creation of processed food. The reality is … this diagnosis creates and demands the best choices for ones body. Healthy Clean Food. Imagine that!
Here is food for thought: How do YOU shop for groceries? Think about it. Does most of your food come from the premises or the interior of your grocery store? If you shop the premises you will find dairy, fresh meat and fresh vegetables. If you shop the interior of your store you will generally be purchasing and eating frozen foods and processed foods. The healthier choice is obvious. However there are unclean foods on the perimeter too. We are navigating a jungle and need to choose to feed our bodies at the cell level.
So my journey continues for a healthier cuisine, with an emphasis on a diabetic lifestyle that a college student can live with and grow with as the journey of a lifetime begins for him.
Have you ever wondered exactly what the difference is the eggs are at the supermarket? I ran across this article on Delish.com that should demystify that incredible edible egg!
Know Your Type
This quick guide breaks down the jargon on your carton so you can choose wisely next time you visit the supermarket.
• Brown: Eggshell color is determined by breed — brown hens lay brown eggs; white hens, white eggs — and has no effect on an egg’s flavor or nutrition. Brown may be slightly pricier because the dark hens tend to be larger and eat more, and so cost more to feed.
• Certified organic eggs are produced according to national USDA standards by hens fed an organic diet (free of conventional pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, or commercial fertilizers). They have no proven additional nutritional benefit. And, no matter what a label says, all eggs are hormone free, as the USDA does not permit the use of hormones in poultry.
• Free-range eggs are produced by hens that have daily access to the outdoors or are raised outdoors (commercial hens are housed in cages within large laying facilities). The eggs cost more due to their low volume and high production costs.
• Cage-free eggs are laid by hens that roam in barns, not outside. The term is not regulated by the USDA.
• Fertile eggs come from hens that have mated with a rooster. You’re most likely to see them sold at rural farm stands, because country growers may not separate females from males.
• Nutrient-enhanced eggs have extra omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, or minerals, or fewer saturated fats, thanks to hens’ enriched diets. At more than $4 a dozen, they’re a pricey way to get a minuscule nutritional boost.
• Pasteurized eggs are flash-heated to destroy salmonella bacteria. The process does not cook the eggs or affect the nutritional value. They are a good choice for those with com promised immune systems. Cook regular eggs until set (not runny) or until yolks are opaque to kill salmonella.
Get Good Grades
When eggs are packed, the USDA grades them AA, A, or B based on exterior and interior quality. (Grade B eggs are rarely sold at retail.)
Externally, eggs must be clean, free of cracks, smooth shelled, and oval shaped, with one end larger than the other. Interior qualities that determine the grade include the clarity and firmness of the albumen (a.k.a. egg white), the size and shape of the yolk, and the size of the air cell in the egg.Grade AA eggs will have a thicker, firmer white surrounding a round yolk, and a smaller air cell thanGrade A eggs.
Store Smart
• The best place for eggs is in a refrigerator in their original carton — not in the egg holders on the fridge door. The carton keeps them from picking up odors and flavors from other foods and also helps prevent moisture loss. Fresh, refrigerated eggs can last up to five weeks (sometimes longer) and rarely spoil, though they can dry up. If you’re worried that your eggs might be past their prime, crack one in a bowl to give it a sniff test before adding to your recipe — you’ll be able to smell a rotten egg immediately.
• Cover and refrigerate raw yolks and use within two days. Raw whites can be refrigerated, covered, up to four days. Whites freeze well in a tightly sealed container for up to three months, but yolks become gelatinous (and almost impossible to use) unless mixed with something else, such as salt or sugar (1/8 teaspoon salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar per 1/4 cup yolks).
See Red? Don’t Worry
When the yolk forms, occasionally a blood vessel ruptures, causing a blood spot. These eggs are perfectly safe to eat. You can leave the red dot on the yolk or carefully remove it with the tip of a knife.
Size It Up
Eggs are divided into six categories: jumbo, extra-large, large, medium, small, and peewee. Their size is determined by the weight per dozen. Any egg can be used for everyday cooking such as frying, scrambling, and hard cooking, but most baking recipes are based on large eggs.
Click Delish to see the article and other nutritional tips.
Some of you may be keeping up with the news about HRT. You may have seen Suzanne Somers on Oprah and their discussion of bioidentical HRT. Here is an article that I ran across on Women to Women about new findings on HRT. If this is a path that you chose then I agree with them that the individual approach is best.
Some of the topics covered in this article include:
