He had come by for a detox session using our Aqua-Chi detox foot bath.  He believes like we do that it’s healthier  [...]]]> A friend of ours in the grocery business brought by a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables the other day.  Apples, lemons, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, pears, lemons, grapefruits, bananas, potatoes, strawberries, oranges, and pineapple.

He had come by for a detox session using our Aqua-Chi detox foot bath.  He believes like we do that it’s healthier  to put the good stuff in and get the bad stuff out.

Good nutrition is the key to good mental and physical health. Eating a balanced diet is an important part of good health for everyone. The kind and amount of food you eat affects the way you feel and how your body works.

What are Nutrients?

Nutrients are ingredients in food that help you:

* Grow

* Repair body tissue

* Build new muscle tissue.

No single food will provide you with the right amount of nutrients. By combining foods from all the different food groups, you can meet your body’s daily needs.

The most nutrient-rich foods are fresh fruit and vegetables.  Most of us don’t eat anywhere near enough of these!

Sadly, even our ‘fresh’ produce loses many nutrients due to soil depletion, genetic modification, time taken in transport and storage, and preparation and cooking losses.  Furthermore, farming and processing methods fill our food with ‘foreign’ chemicals which are toxic to our bodies.

Even if you could eat the recommended 10-13 servings a day, nutrients are depleted due to corporate farming techniques, genetic modification, soil depletion, and green harvesting and more nutrients are lost in processing and food preparation.

It’s little wonder we’re suffering from an epidemic of lifestyle malnutrition.  Fast food, junk food, and processed food have placed edible “food-like” substances at the top of most peoples’ menus.

We have a real problem with our food today.  Even those people who are trying to eat right by including raw fruits and vegetables in their diet can find their goal sabotaged by the lack of nutrition in the food available at the market.   How bad is the problem with our food?  In the 1950′s a woman could get the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin A from two peaches.  Today it takes 58 peaches to satisfy the requirement.

When I ask people whether they have a plan to deal with this situation many respond by mentioning trying to eat right and taking nutritional supplements of some sort.  The problem with supplements is that many brands aren’t assimilated by the human body because they’re composed of rocks & dirt and synthetic vitamins sourced from coal tar and petroleum derivatives.  That’s true of 95% of the vitamin mineral supplements on the market today, some of them the most popular brands.  Bouyed by advertising, consumer desire to buy the cheapest supplements, and lack of consumer knowledge on how to read a supplement label, these supplements do very well for the manufacturer…  but little for the consumer.

So what is your plan to deal with the problem with our food today?  My plan includes eating right, exercise, living a healthy life style and nutritional supplements with ingredients sourced from real food and including the whole food matrix.  You might consider joining the Real Food Revolution!

Now there is more disturbing news about BPA and it’s chemical “cousin” bisphenol S (BPS).  According to two recent studies both toxins are present in a [...]]]> The FDA refused in July of this year to ban bisphenol A (BPA), the toxic chemical that leaches out of plastic containers and cans and into our foods.

Now there is more disturbing news about BPA and it’s chemical “cousin” bisphenol S (BPS).  According to two recent studies both toxins are present in a variety of paper products including toilet paper.

BPA has estrogen-like effects and acts as an endocrine disruptor and interupts our hormone signals.  It has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, liver disease, thyroid dysfunction, obesity, and birth defects.

In addition to its use in food containers, BPA is in thermal paper such as cash register receipts.  The chemical can be absorbed through our skin or via hand-to-mouth contact.  As the evidence against BPA grows, some paper manufacturers have been replacing it with BPS – which also has estrogen-like effects.

Hundreds of paper products contain BPA and or BPS – thermal paper (cash register receipts), paper towels, napkins, newspapers, flyers, envelopes, currency, facial tissue and, yes, toilet paper.

What can we do to protect ourselves?  If you must touch thermal paper frequently, wear gloves.  Wash your hands right after handling newspapers, magazines, flyers, or paper money.  Use alternatives like cloth dish towels as an alternative to paper towels and napkins to dry your hands.  Instead of using recycled toilet paper (which may have BPA and BPS from other paper products mixed in during the recycling process) use virgin pulp toilet paper.

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Some foods we eat seem to be directly tied to an increase in the size of our belly, hips, and derriere.  We know what those are; fatty foods like fast foods, sweets, and junk food.

The latest technology in credit and debit cards may be putting you at risk for fraud.  Called RFID (for Radio Frequency Identification Chip), it’s a tiny chip hidden in millions of credit cards.   About a third of all credit cards have RFID’s embedded [...]]]> Your credit card may not be as safe as you think it is!

The latest technology in credit and debit cards may be putting you at risk for fraud.  Called RFID (for Radio Frequency Identification Chip), it’s a tiny chip hidden in millions of credit cards.   About a third of all credit cards have RFID’s embedded in them and the number is growing.

Designed as a way to make it easier for you to use your credit card and to be a faster way to pay, the technology allows you to simply wave your card at the scanner.  The device sends out a signal with your credit card information.  Unfortunately, this technology can leave you exposed to electronic pickpocketing.  Thieves with scanners designed to read the information broadcast by the chip can capture your credit card information and use it to make purchases or sometimes sell the information to others.

RFID’s are also being placed in passports and in some school identification cards.

Symbol indicates RFID

How can you tell if your credit card has an RFID and what can you do to protect yourself?  Many cards with the technology have a symbol on them like that shown here.  Others are imprinted with wording that indicates they are RFID equipped.  Play the movie for examples.

To protect your credit card information, you can purchase protective sleeves for your credit and debit cards, as well as shielded wallets.  But something as simple as wrapping the card in foil will work.  You can also tell your bank that you don’t want a card that has RFID.

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Aloe vera has been given many beautiful names:  The Silent Healer, Plant of Immortality, Fountain of Youth, Plant of Life, Celestial [...]]]>

You may not realize that Aloe Vera is  one of the oldest medicinal plants.  Ancient Egyptians and Greeks have used the plant throughout the millenia and wars have been fought over it.

Aloe vera has been given many beautiful names:  The Silent Healer, Plant of Immortality, Fountain of Youth, Plant of Life, Celestial Blessing, Harmonious Medicine, and Desert Lily.

Did you know that aloe vera plants can be found in over half the homes in theUnited   States?  Most people are familiar with the power of aloe vera in treating burns and scrapes.  You simply break off a leaf and rub the inner leaf gel on the injury.

But in addition to external use, powerful health benefits come from ingesting the inner leaf gel which is rich in vitamins, minerals and polysaccharides?  Polysaccharides are long chain sugars that help in cellular rejuvenation.

So how can you ingest aloe vera? 

One way is to grow and harvest your own aloe vera and make aloe vera juice using some of the recipes that can be found on the internet.  There are books available with aloe vera juice recipes.* (Important – See footnote at article end.)

Or you can buy various consumable products available which contain aloe vera.

Whichever route you take, it is critically important to realize that how aloe products are manufactured is extremely important.

If the gel of the aloe plant is exposed to oxygen for a prolonged time (about 4 hours) it oxidizes – rendering it useless.

Aloe must be “stabilized”.  That’s a process that assures the Aloe (such as the final juice, jelly, lotion, or other ingestable product) is essentially the same as if you freshly filleted the leaf yourself.  If it is not stabilized, the gel loses it’s nutritional value.

Also, there are a number of products available in the market that may be labeled as ‘Aloe Vera Juice’ but contain only a small amount of actual inner leaf gel.  Beware if water is listed as the main ingredient.  According to the US Food and Drug Administration you can call a gallon water “Aloe Vera Juice” if it contains two tablespoons of aloe vera in it.

One of the best ways to take advantage of the benefits of aloe vera is in Mannatech’s Ambrotose dietary supplement.  The process by which prime aloe vera is harvested and stabilized for Ambrotose is shown here.

You can purchase Ambrotose here and it comes with a 6 month satisfaction guarantee.  The same is true of Mannatech’s skin care products that provide the benefits of aloe, Firm and Emprizone.

*Footnote:  One of the recipe books available online claims that Aloe Vera can cure over 80 disorders.  That is patently false.  Aloe Vera has an exceptionally large number of nutritional properties, but it does not “cure” anything.  Aloe contributes important nutrients needed by the body and immune system in the healing process.  In the very literal sense, only the body can cure itself.  Aloe Vera provides raw materials needed by the body to effect its own cure.

USA Today, in it’s June 6 edition reports “School districts are rejecting “pink slime”, the beef product that caused a public uproar in recent months, the Agriculture Department reported.

USDA said [...]]]> In our previous article about pink slime we noted that consumers are increasingly unhappy with the addition of pink slime to beef products.

USA Today, in it’s June 6 edition reports “School districts are rejecting “pink slime”, the beef product that caused a public uproar in recent months, the Agriculture Department reported.

USDA said the vast majority of states participating in its National School Lunch Program are ordering ground beef that doesn’t contain the product known in the industry as lean finely textured beef.”

ABC News [...]]]> Created in the laboratory by beef suppliers as an inexpensive filler for ground beef and beef-based processed meats, pink slime consists of finely ground beef scraps, sinew, fat, and connective tissue.  Pink slime is also known as Lean Finely Textured Beef, and that’s the moniker that beef product manufacturers would prefer to use.

ABC News reported in March 2012 that 70% of ground beef sold in U.S. supermarkets contained the product.  It’s legal for pink slime to constitute up to 15% of ground beef without additional labeling.  A 2008 Washington Post article suggested the content of most beef patties containing the additive approaches 25%.

Pink slime is not permitted in Canada, and beef products containing pink slime may not be imported.  Pink slime does not met the legal requirements for sale in the United Kingdom, and the European Union has banned it.

In the U.S. consumers and consumer groups disgusted by the very idea of eating pink slime in their ground beef and worried about the safety of eating beef containing an ingredient disinfected by a process using ammonia voiced their concerns.  A Harris Interactive survey released on April 4, 2012 found that 88% of U.S. adults were aware of the “pink slime” issue and of that group, 76% were “at least somewhat concerned”, with 30% “extremely concerned”.

Manufacturer Beef Products Inc (BPI) and meat industry organizations have tried to counter the public concern by stating that the additive is in fact beef and have a publicity campaign going with the slogan “beef is beef”.  Most pink slime is produced and sold by Beef Products, Inc., Cargill Meat Solutions, and Tyson Foods.  They sell it to food companies which use it in ground beef production.

Because of the controversy many stores, including the three largest chains, no longer sell products containing pink slime.  Restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Taco Bell announced that they would discontinue the use of BPI products in their food.  A Wendy’s spokesperson stated “We have never used lean finely textured beef (pink slime) because it doesn’t meet our high quality standards.”  Many school districts have stopped serving or are phasing out ground beef with the “low grade slurry”. 

So how did the Pink Slime eat it’s creators?  As a result of the controversy, the market for beef containing pink slime and for pink slime itself declined sharply.

In March 2012 BPI suspended production at three of its four plants.  The company announced that it was in “crisis planning” and halved it’s production of LFTB (pink slime).  At the end of May 2012, BPI closed its plants in Amarillo, Texas, Garden City, Kansas, and Waterloo, Iowa.  The company’s South Sioux City, Nebraska plant will remain open but run at reduced capacity.

In April 2012, another producer, AFA Foods, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In the meantime, pink slime is still out there in some stores and school lunchrooms.  The USDA has declined to require labeling of meat containing the filler.  Currently, pink slime is even allowed in meat labeled “100% Ground Beef”.  Only if a USDA Organic label is present can consumers know that the beef contains no pink slime.

Although a simple iced coffee with skimmed milk in a sixteen ounce cup [...]]]> Fast food thirst quenchers hit the spot during the warm-weather season.  But some of the creamiest, tastiest drinks such as milkshakes, smoothies, and blended frappes can be a big threat to your swimsuit figure.  Yes, even iced coffee can be a threat.

Although a simple iced coffee with skimmed milk in a sixteen ounce cup typically delivers less than 100 calories, when iced coffee is souped up with other ingredients it can become a real ”calorie bomb”.   Here are some examples:

Starbucks’ Iced Caramel Macchiato with espresso, vanilla-flavored syrup, milk and caramel sauce over ice, venti size with whole milk:  370 calories

Dunkin’ Donuts’ Caramel Turtle Iced Latte (large size):  440 calories

Cold Stone Creamery’s  Raspberry Truffle Iced Latte:  520 calories

Seattle’s Best Coffee’s Cold-Brewed Marble Mocha with whipped cream, white chocolate shavings, and chocolate drizzle, large size:  540 calories

McDonald’s McCafe Iced Caramel Mocha, large size with all the trimmings (whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and drizzle):  390 calories and 14 grams of fat

Baskin Robbins’ Iced Cappy Mocha Blast, large size:  610 calories and 10 grams of fat

With these diet-busting high calorie coffee drinks, if the caffeine doesn’t keep you awake, worrying about the added pounds probably will.

The FDA’s intention to regulate synthetics in dietary supplements has upset some dietary supplement manufacturers.  One industry group goes so [...]]]> The FDA is enforcing a provisional rule on synthetics in dietary supplements which says, among other things, that synthetic botanicals will no longer be considered New Dietary Ingredients and must never be sold as supplements, only as drugs.

The FDA’s intention to regulate synthetics in dietary supplements has upset some dietary supplement manufacturers.  One industry group goes so far as to say….  ”If FDA fully enforces this guidance as drafted, we will likely lose between 22,240 and 41,700 nutritional supplements from the market… ..”  [ FDA Breaks Promise on Proposed New Supplement Rules ]

Why you may wonder would we lose so many supplements from the market?  Because it’s cost prohibitive to produce dietary supplements with synthetic ingredients that must be tested and approved like drugs, and secondly it’s more expensive to produce dietary supplements that use real food based natural vitamins as opposed to synthetic vitamins.  Many supplement companies are likely to close up shop rather than use better quality natural ingredients.

It’s no secret..if you want to make a lower-priced dietary supplement grind up a few rocks and oyster shells and claim that you get your iron and calcium from “natural” sources.

Then, instead of including plant-sourced vitamins, use synthetic vitamins created from coal tar and other petroleum derivatives.  Never mind that only a very low percentage of synthetic vitamins and minerals are absorbed by the human body.

Natural Vitamins appear to be absorbed better and retained longer.  Yet 95% of dietary supplements on the market contain synthetic vitamins.

There is growing evidence that synthetic vitamins may be unsafe, especially when you take large doses.

A study using synthetic Beta Carotene and Vitamin E was halted.  In the study 29,000 male smokers were given synthetic beta carotene and synthetic Vitamin E.  The study was stopped when rates of lung cancer, heart attacks and death increased. – New England Journal of Medicine, 1994.

Birth defects increased for women on synthetic supplements.  22,000 pregnant women were given synthetic Vitamin A.  The study was halted because birth defects increased 400%. - New England Journal of Medicine, 1995.

As far as I’m concerned, makers of those “cheap” dietary supplements that contain synthetics can continue to squeel wee wee wee all the way home.  After they’re gone maybe consumers can have more confidence that the dietary supplements they buy actually work and more importantly will not harm them.

Luckily there are some dietary supplements out there that have no synthetics in them and include plant-sourced, food-based vitamins and minerals.  I switched to real a long time ago.