Tag: Fitness

Food Labeling Lies

In one of the most rigorous studies ever conducted to determine how well people comprehend the information provided on food nutrition labels, researchers have found that the reading and math skills of a significant number of people may not be sufficient to extract the needed information, according to an article published in the November issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

So after seeing that report and of course precious little on what the problems really were that people had trouble with I thought I would pull out a box of Honey Nut Cheerios (They are for the kids, really I am not just right now popping them in my mouth as an evening snack) and a box of Kelloggs All Bran and am going to try to decipher what the lies are on the labeling.

A List of Food Labeling Lies

1. First of all we all need to know that labels lie. The best example of lying on labels is that PAM cooking spray is low in fat….It is all fat folks but the “serving size” is so low in actual grams of fat that the company can call it fat free or some ridiculous thing.

2. Serving Size – This is dumb but on the Honey Nut Cheerios it says that a serving is 3/4 of a cup or 30 grams I think because they want to use the fact that it is only 110 calories a serving (without milk, I tried to eat my cereal this morning with water instead and it was terrible), my Kelloggs All Bran says that a serving is 1/2 cup which is actually 36 grams. The difference in this case is that the All Bran wants to use the number of 12 grams of Fiber per serving so they decided that I should eat a half cup as a serving (I really eat about a cup instead in real life).

3. % Daily Value – Here is the worst part of the food labeling. There is a percentage Daily Value for Fat, Carbs, Cholesterol, Sodium and even Saturated and Trans fats but the numbers are not broken down on the box. Am I to assume that it is for and average sized man? Average sized Woman? It is a kids cereal so is it for a kid? What if you are following Atkins? Or the Zone Diet? How does this compare to Weight Watchers point values? I am really serious about this, as I look around the box no where does it say who and what kind of diet this is based on.

4. Percentages of Micronutrients – Here in Canada there is more stuff on the food label.There are also on this food label fifteen essential nutrients. These nutrients include such Vitamins and Minerals as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Vitamin D, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamins B6 and B12 (the un named B vitamins), Folate, Pantothenate, Phosphorus, Magnesium and Zinc and also display percentages of value using the secret code but I am under the impression that there is no real way to measure how much folate I need, how much is borderline deficient and how much is dangerously high. I think the jury is really still out on how much of each of these nutrients that we really need for sure.

5. Finally the food label on the bottom tells us what the product is actually made of. I am not sure why, but most of the parts of a lot of foods are unknown chemicals to most people. We have often heard that if you can not pronounce the ingredient then it is probably bad for you but I am not sure if that is really true and would love to know more about this.

6. Missing stuff – The one thing that I do see on one label and not the other is that there may be traces of nuts. As the father of a school aged child I know that many people have issues with nut allergies and there are other allergies such as Gluten and lactose that we only hear a little bit about but I can imagine those parents must pull their hair out trying to figure out whether a food is OK or not. I would love to se the food labels be a lot better at mentioning these things in the future.

I am sure that the FDA and the big food companies will never see this blog post but really I am sure I am not alone in wondering why food labeling is so bad in a society where people have to be careful of what we eat but hopefully as more people pay attention we will se changes to product labeling that will allow us to make more healthy and better decisions of what we should and can be eating.

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Health benefits of Beer

I would like to start this post just by saying that I know that there are many horrors of alcohol abuse and not just benefits of beer and that there are many reasons why drinking alcohol may lead to an early exit but at the same time I just bottled my fourth batch of home made beer, Barons Beer actually, and thought that it would be fun to come up with a great big list of why beer is good for you.

Benefits of beer for all of us

Cancer preventer – A compound found only in hops, which are used to make beer, have been discovered as benefits of beer to prevent cancer. Of course we all know that hops are an ingredient in beer and therefore Xanthohumol has high hopes of making beer a new anti cancer drug. Xanthohumol flavinoids have been tested and its use is hoped to be a preventative treatment against prostate and colon cancer and even may be a form of hormone therapy for women.

Getting your vitamins – A friend of mine used to say there is a pork chop in every glass of beer but recent studies show that there is vitamin B6 in beer increases the level of vitamin B6 in a beer drinkers blood which has been shown to decrease the level of homocysteine which increase the chances of heart disease.

Reducing chance of heart disease – another of the benefits of beer is that alcohol drinkers had higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, often called the “good” cholesterol, which is a protective form of blood fat. The alcohol drinkers also had lower levels of fibrinogen, a protein that promotes blood clots, as well as elevated levels of other molecules (platelets) that prevent the clotting and stickiness of blood cells.

Reduction in Kidney stones – A Finnish-U.S. study of beer-drinking, middle-aged men was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 1999. The report stated that an increase in beer consumption may reduce the risk of developing kidney stones. Results showed that there was a 40 percent lower risk of kidney stones in beer drinkers, but the researchers were stumped as to whether the benefits of beer results were due to water, alcohol or hops.

Defying the bad of X-Rays – Beer helps reduce chromosomal damage from radiation exposure thanks to beta-pseudouridine. According to a study by the Japanese researchers from the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, and the Tokyo University of Science Blood samples were taken from test subjects before and after they had drunk about 630ml of beer. Apparently, when the samples were exposed to X-rays and other types of radiation, after the subjects had drank the beer their samples showed at least 30% fewer aberrations in the blood cells.

Memory Booster – A Swedish team has shown that mice fed with moderate amounts of alcohol grew new nerve cells in the brain. The full implications of the Karolinska Institute research – which appears in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology – are unclear on the benefits of beer, but Stefan Brene told the BBC: “We believe that the increased production of new nerve cells during moderate alcohol consumption can be important for the development of alcohol addiction and other long-term effects of alcohol on the brain.”

Slow the Aging Process – In a study published in the March issue of International Immunopharmacology, scientists at Austria’s Innsbruck Medical University found that hops, a key ingredient in beer, affect the production of neopterin, a telltale sign of inflammation, and levels of the amino acid tryptophan (low levels are associated with more inflammation.)

Keeps you Awake – Although there is no caffeine in Beer, beer was found to reduce neopterin production and suppress degradation of tryptophan, according to a study. (Tryptophan is also commonly cited as the reason people feel tired after gorging on Thanksgiving turkey.) This suppression might be connected with the calming effect of beer,” the researchers note, “since its normalizing effect on the tryptophan balance improves the availability of the ‘happiness hormone’ serotonin.” And who wouldn’t want happiness to be more available?

OK and now a few more benefits of beer from me

Relaxation – This is a good one for almost anyone that has sat on a patio on a spring or summer afternoon. The relaxation and relief of stress is famous for those having a beer even if the conversation always seems to turn to those office politics that get everyone riled up.

Reduces inhibitions – As we all know there are times we wish that we had gotten up and said something, either to those at work or a pretty girl at a bar and for this the alcohol in beer is a very good lubricant to the mind and mouth and will help in those situations where shyness gets the better of us.

Excuse for bad behavior – although there is no link to bad behavior and beer, many people have been known to say or do bad and ridiculous things and in the case where someone had consumed to much beer before this well there is a good excuse just waiting to be used.

So the next time someone looks down their nose at you for the stories that you tell about the night before and the beer that you drank. Come back here and point out that you were just doing the healthy thing there are benefits of beer and having a couple of beers is great.

Health benefits of Beer, 4.2 out of 5 based on 5 ratings

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10 Day Cleanse

I ran across this 10 day cleanse that not only gives you a bit of a plan but also gives you some ideas on why you may want to take these things to help you cleanse your body.

I am kind of lukewarm on the value of cleaning . I know that many people think that the best thing you can do for your body is to do a detox occasionally but I have also seen a lot of literature saying that cleanses are not at all useful. One thing is for sure and that is that a cleanse is not going to really help you lose but at best will help your body work more efficiently to burn fat.

10 Day Cleanse

The Master Cleanse is a 10-day liquid diet that helps to cleanse a person’s system by loosening blockages and removing toxins.

Master Cleanse Ingredients

The liquid consists of a mixture of fresh-squeezed lemon juice (or sometimes lime is substituted), cayenne pepper and maple syrup.

Each ingredient in the 10 day cleanse, Master Cleanse recipe brings its own unique benefits to the overall process.

Fresh-squeezed lemon juice helps to loosen and break up blockages. Blockages happen when food materials and toxins stick to the walls of the digestive system. Slowly those things build up until other substances cannot pass by them, much like a clogged drain. Lemons also contain cationic and anionic minerals, which aren’t found in other fruits or vegetables.

Lemon skin can be beneficial too, as it contains many vitamins that can help to keep the body healthy while a person is on the Master Cleanse. It’s important for people to be aware, though, that many lemons, which are found commercially in stores, have been treated with unhealthy dyes and pesticides.

If a person has access to organic lemons it’s best to use those and include the skin in the juicing process. However, if organic lemons aren’t available, it’s best to peel the lemons before squeezing them.

Basis of 10 Day Cleanse

Another essential part of the Master Cleanse Diet Recipe is the use of cayenne pepper. It breaks up mucus, while cleaning out the body’s major systems. The warmth of cayenne pepper also helps to open up blood vessels and the Master Cleanse liquid to flow quickly and easily to all areas of the body.

The final major ingredient, maple syrup, is an excellent source of sugars (energy) and minerals, if the right form is obtained.

There are three grades (types) of maple syrup. Grade B is the best choice for this diet because it contains more minerals than Grade A and it also has a better flavor. Grade C can be used in the Master Cleanse drink also. It does contain the most minerals of the three, but most people find it hard to deal with the unpleasantly strong taste. It’s much stronger than Grade A or Grade B.

Substitutions on Master Cleanse

Many peopleon the 10 Day Cleanse want to substitute honey for maple syrup. The problem with that is that honey is processed by the bees, preservatives are added and it then becomes deficient in vitamins and minerals which maple syrup has in abundance. Also, honey can cause very quick changes in blood pressure that can be quite serious.

Although those are the only ingredients to the Master Cleanse drink itself, many people choose to use other techniques with the Master Cleanse.

Fiber is necessary to stimulate the movement of the colon. While the 10 Day Cleanse drink does serve to loosen mucus and toxins from the colon walls, the drink contains no fiber. That is why many people also use the herbal tea as a laxative while on the Master Cleanse. In that way, the mucus and toxins can be both loosened, and flushed out quickly.

Some people do not use a laxative tea, but instead they use a saltwater flush. Saltwater is naturally found in the body, for example, human tears are nothing more than saltwater. A saltwater flush doesn’t hurt the body in any way. The only problem with it is that many people find the taste of saltwater hard to swallow.

Other people like to use both the saltwater flush and the herbal laxative tea.

All of these components together make the Master Cleanse an extremely effective way to flush the system and improve a person’s overall health and energy levels.

What is Master Cleanse good for?

Did you know that the Master Cleanse has helped thousands of people with almost every type of health problem imaginable, including:

Weight loss
Acne
Chronic fatigue

… and even more serious health problems. If you’re sick and tiered of being sick and tired I invite you to join me and the thousands of other people who’ve seen the benefits the master cleanse can bring into your life by signing up for my free master cleanse newsletter by going to Master Cleanse Secrets. When you sign up you’ll also get a free copy of my master cleanse guide which will walk you through the entire master cleanse.
About the Author

Want to see how the Master Cleanse has helped 100′s of people. Go to the Master Cleanse blog http://mastercleansesecrets.com/blog

The toughest part about a cleanse is doing it right and fighting to get though not eating for a while. Of course the most popular cleanse is the master cleanse. The master cleanse secrets will help you to get the most out of the master cleanse.