Do I really wanna eat that?

Vitamin D And Cancer

March 1st, 2010 Posted in Government Studies, Video, Vitamins | No Comments »

vitamin-D-cancerI just watched a video from ABC on vitamin D and cancer that I found interesting. They were talking to professor Joellen Welsh from the State University of New York and apparently, preliminary studies indicate that a potent form of  vitamin D kills cancer cells in test tubes and in mice. I guess some of the mice had their tumor size reduced by half while others had them shrink down where they could not be seen.

I wouldn't say you should start downing vitamin D like candy if you have cancer but checking with your doctor on what a reasonable amount to take a day probably would not be a bad idea.

Up to 50% of Americans are believed to not be getting enough vitamin D.  Dr. Oz recommends that people under 60 take 800 IU per day and those over 60 should take 1000 IU per day. 

I take 800 IU per day of vitamin D3. 400 IU in the morning and at night.

If you want to watch the video to hear everything they talked about, you can view it in the link below:

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=18272968&lang=en

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Genetically Modified Corn

February 12th, 2010 Posted in FDA, Food, Government Studies | 3 Comments »

I recently received an email from a website that I subscribed to. Here is the headline that caught my eye:

GM Corn Shown to Cause Organ Failure

If you are into healthy eating or health foods like I am you should be concerned by this. Even if you're not into eating right you should be concerned by this.

Here's the deal. A study by the International Journal of Biological Sciences was done on three genetically modified corn crops produced by Monsanto: Mon 863, Mon 810 and NK 603.

The results do not look promising for consumers. The study is a bit hard to read but here are a few quotes from it so that you get the idea:

"Effects were mostly concentrated in kidney and liver function, the two major diet detoxification organs, but in detail FDA-Petition-GM-Corndiffered with each GM [corn] type."

"…some effects on heart, adrenal, spleen and blood cells were also frequently noted."

"…our data strongly suggests that these GM maize varieties induce a state of hepatorenal toxicity."

So what the heck is hepatorenal toxicity?!? Thanks to wikipedia I now know:

"Hepatorenal syndrome (often abbreviated HRS) is a life-threatening medical condition that consists of rapid deterioration in kidney function in individuals with cirrhosis or fulminant liver failure. HRS is usually fatal unless a liver transplant is performed, although various treatments, such as dialysis, can prevent advancement of the condition."

You can also get hepatorenal toxicity from sniffing spot remover. Good to know isn't it?

Another study was done by the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. Here is a short quote from this study:

"…MON810 maize induced alterations in the percentage of T and B cells…"

The Austrian ministry also had this to say about GM corn:

"Consumption of genetically modified corn may lead to infertility…"

But the FDA protects us from this kind of stuff…Right?!? Well it's supposed to but in this case…no, it's not. The FDA has decided to just take the word of the producer, Monsanto, that the GM corn is safe for human consumption. This preliminary study seems to suggest otherwise.

So what can YOU do about it? The easiest and most convenient thing for you to do is to sign this petition that will be sent to the FDA commissioner, Margaret A. Hamburg. That and pass this information around so that everyone is informed.

If you have any comments or thoughts on this please post them below!

** To be fair, Monsanto refutes the findings of the IJBS and has posted a response to it here. My view is still to error on the side of caution though.

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Whoa! Jennifer Love Hewitt

September 25th, 2009 Posted in Diet, People | 1 Comment »

Shape MagazineWhoa! It looks like JLH has followed my diet in order to get in shape again! She talks about how she got in shape in an article in Shape magazine. Part of what she did includes a diet that I have been pushing for almost a year now. Here is a direct quote from her:

"He’s inspired me to improve my diet," she says. "He has a salad with every meal, plus lots of fruit, fish, and vegetables."

That is pretty much what I’ve been eating. I wonder if I can get her to plug my blog…lol!

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Canadian Health Care

September 17th, 2009 Posted in Health Care, Medical, Video | No Comments »

So everyone has been talking about health care and how government run health care similar to Canada’s is either eternal heavenly bliss or Satan’s personal torture chamber. But how would the average US citizen know for sure which is true? I mean really, how many of us have used the Canadian health care system to get a blood test done or treat a possibly broken wrist?

Well the guy in this video apparently had the same question because he decided to visit some friends from Canada and get some answers. Here are his thoughts and the raw footage of his experiences:

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Olive Garden – Random Acts Of Kindness

September 9th, 2009 Posted in Food, Off Topic, People | No Comments »

I was out at the Olive Garden in Dundee, IL over labor day weekend with my mom, her boyfriend Jim and a friend of mine named Paula and I just had to share a nice story about what happened there.

We were just being seated when Jim noticed an older gentleman and a woman going past our table to leave the restaurant. The man was older and was using a cane or walker, I didn’t see which, and the woman was trying to help him walk. Well Jim, being the nice guy that he is, told us he’d be right back and went over and helped the couple out to their car.

Jim came back to the table and we thought that was the end of it. However, after we finished with our dinner the manager of Olive Garden came over to our table and said she noticed the act of kindness Jim had done. Not only that but she insisted on giving us some free dessert to say thank you!

So I just have to say kudos to Jim for helping the older couple and to the Dundee Olive Garden for noticing and giving us the free desserts!

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Follow Me On Twitter!

August 28th, 2009 Posted in Off Topic | No Comments »

twitter

So I finally decided to get a twitter account this month. It’s kind of interesting. There are just so many users on there posting good information. Sure you get a lot of useless information too but it’s still fun. One of my favorite non-health tweeters is ICHCheezburger which has pictures of cats in unusual poses with funny captions on them. There are also tons of people who have weight loss goals that post tweets regularlly.

Follow Me On Twitter

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More Reasons Fast Food Is Bad

August 23rd, 2009 Posted in Food | 1 Comment »

Now this is amazing. I had an earlier short story about why fast food is bad for you but this takes the cake. If you still believe that eating fast food is fine after watching this video, then I don’t think that there is anything that will change your mind…

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What Diet Has Worked For You?

August 21st, 2009 Posted in Diet | No Comments »

Bars2I’ve added a new poll today! From the last poll it seems as though most people have a weakness for sugary foods and fried foods. I personally have a weakness for the sugary foods.

This time around I’m interested to know what diets have actually worked for you. The one that worked for me was to make permenant healthy changes to my diet…You know, eating more fruits and vegetables along with plenty of fish.

So what diet has worked for you? Vote in the right sidebar!

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Week 27, 28 – Nutritional Goal

August 19th, 2009 Posted in Daily Intake, Weight Goal 1 | No Comments »

I combines the last two weeks numbers:

Goal2

Weight: 136.4 lbs
Body Fat: 13.8
BMI: 20.7 
Calories 1701
Fat Calories 400
% Fat Calories 23%
Total Fat 44g
Saturated Fat 11g
Cholesterol 102mg
Sodium 1626mg
Carbohydrates 239g
Sugar 139g

Not too much special this time around. I ended up combining the last two weeks information because I had to skip recording for a couple of days the week before last. I was away from home and had no idea what was in the food I was having. I know it wasn’t as good for me but I moderated what I was having so all is ok. I’ve stayed between 136 and 137 so I must have done well.

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Gemori Sauces, Marinades and Rubs

August 18th, 2009 Posted in Food, Products | 1 Comment »

GEMORI-1

Have you ever been on a diet that worked very well but was very strict and forced you to eat the same foods every week or even every day? Well I think I might have a simple, convenient solution to your bland diet problems!

A friend of mine was telling me about a couple of her friends who have just recently started a business here in the Chicago area called Gemori Sauces & Rubs.  They make some absolutely fantastic sounding, all natural marinades, salsas, pasta sauces and hot sauces. And you know what?  They’re HEALTHY!

Gemori’s products are made with health consciousness in mind. So what’s so healthy about Gemori’s sauces? Well for starters there are no additives or preservatives in them. To me that is a huge plus. Too many of todays food products that start off healthy end up unhealthy because of what’s added to them. Gemori avoids that trap!

On a gluten free diet? All of Gemori’s products, except the marinades, are gluten free. The marinades contain soy sauce so they can’t be used in a gluten free diet. The Gemori sugar-free teriyaki marinade contains zero fat and is made with low sodium soy sauce. And if you are watching your sugar intake, all of Gemori’s products contain no added sugar.

Here is a list of current Gemori products:

  • Marinades:  Greek, Sugar-Free Teriyaki and Jamaican Jerk
  • Pasta Sauces:  Marinara and Vodka
  • Hot Wing Sauces:  Hot Wing, Hot Orange and Hot Pineapple
  • Rubs:  Caribbean and Jamaican Jerk
  • Salsas:  Mild and Hot

If you are interested in trying out these new marinades, sauces and rubs, there are a few places that you can purchase them right now. You can buy the Gemori Greek Marinade and Gemori Teriyaki Marinade online at the BBQ Pro Shop. If you are in the Chicago area you can also find them at the Deerfield Farmers Market every Saturday until October 17th from 7:00 am until 12:30 pm (map). If you are not in the Chicago area and don’t feel like placing online orders, you can still give Gemori a try  by placing an order over the phone (847-502-5065) or through email.

Party Anyone?!? If you are in the Chicago suburbs and would like to try out some of the Gemori sauces, why not have an in-home tasting party? The Gemori girls have graciously agreed to do in-home tasting parties for people in the Chicago suburbs that contacts them through my blog!

The Gemori girls will be at the Chicago Botanic Gardens on August 22nd and 23rd as a part of their ‘All about peppers’ weekend. Entrance if free all weekend so join them if you have the chance!

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