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Archive for October, 2006

Rudi's Organic Bakery

October 16, 2006 by Patricia in Nutrition with No Comments

Finding bread without high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (trans-fats) can be compared to searching for a needle in a hay stack; after a long search I found a bread without either ingredient.

Honey Sweet Whole Wheat Bread

produced by Rudi’s Organic Bakery

Rudi’s uses all organic ingredients, has no trans-fats, and is sweeten with cane juice, honey, and molasses; a much better choice than high fructose corn syrup. Another plus is that each slice of bread contains three grams of fiber, that is a great source of fiber.

Why not use High Fructose Corn Syrup?

A little sugar for most of you is not a bad thing, HFCS may be another story. This sweetener is used in most commercially produced foods because it is cheap and extends the shelf life of most foods.

High fructose corn syrup is made through a complicated chemical process using cornstarch. Your body, not clear on just how it should metabolize this substance, sends HFCS straight to your liver. After it enters your liver HFCS behaves more like a fat than glucose.

Researchers from Harvard Medical School and around the world have discovered links between heart disease, diabetes, and even possibly liver problems and the high consumption of high fructose corn syrup.

A study done with 50,000 U.S. nurses found those drinking one soda or fruit punch a day gained weight. The nurses drinking more than one a day increased their risk of developing diabetes by 80%.

In men, not women, HFCS increases triglycerides, blood fats that increase the risk of heart disease.

Artificially flavored fruit pieces

October 15, 2006 by Patricia in Label Language with No Comments

A friend brought this product to my attention-

               Quaker Oatmeal to go; natural and artificial flavored fruit pieces

Two questions immediately popped into his mind-

  1. Since when does fruit need to be artificially flavored?
  2. Doesn’t fruit come with it’s own flavoring? 

 

October 14, 2006 by Patricia in Weekly Tip with No Comments

2ozs. of dark chocolate a day containing a minimum of 70% chocolate solids may be good for your heart. Just remember more than that a day is not good for your waist line.  

Water; keep out of the reach of children

October 10, 2006 by Patricia in Uncategorized with No Comments

Water, you constantly hear drink at least eight glasses a day. This clear liquid is essential for life: you can not survive more than 5 or 6 days without it. Most doctors and nutritionist will tell you not only is it essential for life but proving to be a dieters best friend. The next time you are craving a candy bar try a glass of water, you may be surprised to find you no longer desire the candy bar.

This wonderful beverage has no calories, no fat, no sugar, and contains no alcohol; what beverage could possibly be more diet friendly? Imagine my surprise when at my local supermarket I spotted bottled water designed to help you lose weight. Since there is nothing to take out I checked to see what ingredient may have been added.

The first brand I checked contained garcinia cambogia; studies have shown this herb to help mice lose weight but no evidence of weight loss in humans. ABC news did an experiment with Jennifer and Lauren ( sisiters ); Jennifer drink regular bottled water at $6 a case and Lauren drank bottled water containing garcinia cambogia at $40 a case. At the time of the experiment neither sister knew which bottled water they were drinking. Their instructions was to drank a bottle 30 minutes before each meal and another 2 to 4 bottles at some other time during the day. During a four week period Jennifer lost 6 1/2 lbs. dranking bottled water at $6 a case, Lauren lost 5 lbs. dranking bottled water at $40 a case.

The one plus here is that even though garcinia cambogia may not aid in weight loss at least there are no harmful side effects. The same can not be said for yohimbe alkaloids contained in the second brand of diet water. I will add here that this brand of water has a warning label stating “Keep out of the reach of children” and “Sale to minors not recommended“.

Yohimbe alkaloids come from the bark of a tree in Africa; sold in health food stores as a natural aphrodisiac, to treat erectile dysfunction, weight loss, and depression. Some have even smoked yohimbe as a hallucinogen.  

In Germany the Commission E, the country’s herbal regulatory agency, has yohimbe on its list of unapproved herbs.

The commission warns

People with kidney or liver disease, stomach ulcers, heart disease, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, post traumatic disorder, and panic disorder should not take yohimbe.

There is more but it would take close to another paragraph to list all the warnings.

Maybe it is wise to stick with just regular tap water, it is not only going to save you money, it may save your life. 

Would you like some melted Tupperware on your toast?

October 6, 2006 by Patricia in Nutrition with No Comments

This is the question most often asked when comparing margarine to butter. Margarine was originally created to fatten up turkeys, just one major problem, it killed the turkeys. As you might imagine those who had money invested in this adventure were a little upset over the money they lost. The color yellow was added, a few different flavors and now margarine is the butter of choice in many homes.

It is true that margarine has 5 grams of saturated fat compared to 8 grams for the same amount of butter. The problem is that margarine is high in trans-fats; one of the leading causes of coronary heart disease.

If you are buying margarine check the list of ingredients, if you see partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, consider the following:

Compared to eating the same amount of butter

  • Margarine and butter have the same amount of calories
  • Margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53%
  • Any nutritional value in margarine has to be added, butter has many
  • Lowers the quality of breast milk
  • Decreases your body’s immune response
  • Decreases your body’s insulin response

The fact that I find not only surprising but frighten, there is only one molecule difference between the margarine you spread on your toast and the container it comes in. There are some new and improved margarines appearing in your grocery stores now, but please, before you take one home check the list of ingredients. 

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