Hmm, didn't know this .... (from mercola.com)
"Baby" carrots are not actually young carrots, or even carrots that are grown specifically to be small. In fact, the concept of the baby carrot was born 21 years ago by a California farmer wanting to sell more of his carrots that he was throwing away due to imperfections -- they were too knobby, twisted or broken. After cutting the less-than-perfect carrots down to a uniformly smaller size, they were fed through an industrial potato peeler to smooth the edges and remove the skin. This marked the birth of the "baby" carrot market.
The success of baby carrots may be a reflection of the desire for food that is uniform in appearance and taste, and for food that is sterile, prewashed, and prepackaged.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Processed Foods Are Even Sweeter Than You Think
(from mercola.com)
Food companies have doubled the amount of sugar they add to many of their products. Soups, cereals, and other foods have been heavily sweetened to attract more customers. Breakfast cereals have seen some of the biggest increases, but even whole grain bread now routinely contains almost a teaspoon of sugar in every three slices.
In 1978, Kellogg's Special K contained about 10 grams of sugar for every 100 grams of cereal, but that amount has now increased to 17 grams, very close to the sugar level of vanilla ice cream. Over the same period, the sugar per 100 grams in tomato soup has increased from less than 3 grams to more than 6 grams.
Processed foods contain some of the highest sugar content, often with levels close to or higher than 20 grams of sugar per 100 grams of food. Sugar consumption has been implicated in rising levels of tooth decay, diabetes, and obesity.
Food companies have doubled the amount of sugar they add to many of their products. Soups, cereals, and other foods have been heavily sweetened to attract more customers. Breakfast cereals have seen some of the biggest increases, but even whole grain bread now routinely contains almost a teaspoon of sugar in every three slices.
In 1978, Kellogg's Special K contained about 10 grams of sugar for every 100 grams of cereal, but that amount has now increased to 17 grams, very close to the sugar level of vanilla ice cream. Over the same period, the sugar per 100 grams in tomato soup has increased from less than 3 grams to more than 6 grams.
Processed foods contain some of the highest sugar content, often with levels close to or higher than 20 grams of sugar per 100 grams of food. Sugar consumption has been implicated in rising levels of tooth decay, diabetes, and obesity.
Probiotics
There's a lot of buzz about probiotics these days, from Dannon's new "Activia" yogurt, to an article in a recent issue of Prevention magazine, and this article from Dr. Mercola's newsletter/website:
http://vitalvotes.com/blogs/public_blog/How-You-Can-Use-Your-Body-s-Bacteria-for-Better-Health-13144.aspx
Many scientists have begun to argue that the trend of using antibacterial soap and other antibacterial products may actually cause diseases like eczema, irritable bowel syndrome and even diabetes. What's more, the solution may be to feed patients bacteria.
Probiotics, which are pills containing bacteria, have resulted in complete elimination of eczema in 80 percent of the patients treated with it. Probiotics have also been used to treat irritable bowel disease, acne and premenstrual syndrome. In one recent study, infants given a probiotic were, after two years, 25 percent less likely to develop eczema.
From 50 trillion to 100 trillion bacteria live in your digestive system, where they have a complex relationship with digestion and health. Antibacterial products can disrupt the balance that protects you from allergies and malfunctioning immune responses.
Wired April 26, 2007
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
Most people don't realize the trillions of bacteria in your gut outnumber the cells of your body by a factor of 10 to 1. This is one of the reasons they are such a major influence on your health. And one reason you should be staying far away from antibacterial soaps and cleaners is that they kill the good bacteria our bodies so desperately need to fight diseases. That's why an increasing number of health professionals are recommending a high-quality probiotic to rebalance your intestinal bacteria.
Because the nutritional origin of many diseases we face is connected to a lack of balance in our intestinal bacteria, one of the first suggestions I make to a new patient is for him or her to start taking a good probiotic.
Optimizing your diet is certainly beneficial, but frequently that alone won't be enough to replenish the good bacteria that are eradicated after you take an antibiotic or eat sugar -- which is another good reason to reduce, with the plan of eliminating, grains and sugars from your daily diet, too.
Total health begins in the gut, folks. If your GI tract isn't functioning very well, it's guaranteed your overall health will be compromised. Although I am not a big fan of nutritional supplementation, probiotics are the exception. I don't believe you need to take them constantly throughout your entire life, but one to three months is usually beneficial for just about everyone.
http://vitalvotes.com/blogs/public_blog/How-You-Can-Use-Your-Body-s-Bacteria-for-Better-Health-13144.aspx
Many scientists have begun to argue that the trend of using antibacterial soap and other antibacterial products may actually cause diseases like eczema, irritable bowel syndrome and even diabetes. What's more, the solution may be to feed patients bacteria.
Probiotics, which are pills containing bacteria, have resulted in complete elimination of eczema in 80 percent of the patients treated with it. Probiotics have also been used to treat irritable bowel disease, acne and premenstrual syndrome. In one recent study, infants given a probiotic were, after two years, 25 percent less likely to develop eczema.
From 50 trillion to 100 trillion bacteria live in your digestive system, where they have a complex relationship with digestion and health. Antibacterial products can disrupt the balance that protects you from allergies and malfunctioning immune responses.
Wired April 26, 2007
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
Most people don't realize the trillions of bacteria in your gut outnumber the cells of your body by a factor of 10 to 1. This is one of the reasons they are such a major influence on your health. And one reason you should be staying far away from antibacterial soaps and cleaners is that they kill the good bacteria our bodies so desperately need to fight diseases. That's why an increasing number of health professionals are recommending a high-quality probiotic to rebalance your intestinal bacteria.
Because the nutritional origin of many diseases we face is connected to a lack of balance in our intestinal bacteria, one of the first suggestions I make to a new patient is for him or her to start taking a good probiotic.
Optimizing your diet is certainly beneficial, but frequently that alone won't be enough to replenish the good bacteria that are eradicated after you take an antibiotic or eat sugar -- which is another good reason to reduce, with the plan of eliminating, grains and sugars from your daily diet, too.
Total health begins in the gut, folks. If your GI tract isn't functioning very well, it's guaranteed your overall health will be compromised. Although I am not a big fan of nutritional supplementation, probiotics are the exception. I don't believe you need to take them constantly throughout your entire life, but one to three months is usually beneficial for just about everyone.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Make Your Own Chicken Stock
It really is very easy! I do this all the time. Basic ingredients: chicken and water. (Of course, there are many optional ingredients and many variations.) Anytime you have leftover chicken bones, there's no reason to throw them away just yet -- boil them up and make you a pot of stock. You can always freeze it for later. Chicken stock is so handy to have on hand for soups and recipes. (I do the same with my turkey leftovers, too.) I haven't bought chicken broth in over a year; it's practically free and so simple to do it yourself. And you can be in complete control of the ingredients.
Check out this video how-to and added information at mercola.com:
http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Making-Your-Own-Chicken-Stock-15468.aspx
Check out this video how-to and added information at mercola.com:
http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Making-Your-Own-Chicken-Stock-15468.aspx
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Ginger Cinnamon Popcorn
Popcorn is one of our favorite snacks. It's great for the munchies! We have an air popper, and sometimes just enjoy the popcorn plain, sometimes with salt and butter, and sometimes we get even more flavorful. Tonight I decided to try a new combination which worked well and so I thought I would share. In a small saucepan, I melted a tbsp of butter and a little honey (I didn't measure, but it couldn't have been more than a tbsp; I'm pretty stingy with the honey since it's so expensive and we don't need to eat much anyway), and then added some grated ginger. I didn't measure it either, but I stopped when I was tired of grating; it was probably about 1/4 tsp, but maybe more. I sprinkled cinnamon directly on the popcorn, then drizzled the melted butter mixture on top, then mixed it all up -- and voila! It was really good. I think it's definitely a do-over. I'm a cinnamon fan, so this is yet another way to enjoy cinnamon (together with butter, even better!). Let me know if you try it and what you think.
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