Recently I got life insurance and had to have my blood drawn. I was shocked to find out that I had high cholesterol. I am a clean eater so it baffles me as to why my levels are so high. Thus spawning the following research. What Causes High Cholesterol? According to the Mayo Clinic
There are secondary causes for high cholesterol such as:
Why Should I Care?In researching this a little more I found this great interactive article 11 Effects of High Cholesterol effects on the Body, by Healthline. Bad cholesterol or LDL can cause problems in your Circulatory and Digestive System, resulting in possible heart attacks and/or gallstones. Healthline shows high cholesterol levels can manifest in your body in many different ways. How to Reduce High CholesterolGet more active Eat better Stop smoking Get tested yearly.
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Hello Everyone, I have taken a much need break from blogging but today I am re-emerging as a recent incident reignited my passion. last week my husband was batch cooking to help me out and I forgot to mention to him to make cornbread from scratch. ( I am still working on him being aware of ingredients) Since I live by the 80/20 rule meaning 20 % of the time there are things I will buy that have ingredients that are not "clean". I looked at what my hubby bought - Jiffy corn bread mix. I am sure most of us grew up on this, however this is the most horrible thing I think I have EVER read for ingredients. See below what is in this stuff - As you can see there is animal hydrogenated oil, which is a Trans fat. Sodium Acid is next, and is a man-made compound used as a leavening agent. At first you might think Sodium Acid is okay, but look at other uses for it. In leather treatment, it can be used to remove iron stains on hides during processing. It can stabilize hydrogen peroxide solutions against reduction. It can be used with sulfamic acid in some dairy applications for cleaning, especially to remove soapstone. When added to scalding water, it facilitates removal of hair and scurf in hog slaughter and feathers and scurf in poultry slaughter. In petroleum production, it can be used as a dispersant in oil well drilling muds. Next you can see there are different types of Phosphates. Unnatural phosphates can lead to heart disease, kidney disease and high blood pressure. Lastly the ingredients to follow is what shocked me the most. The Chelsey Milling Company who makes Jiffy products don't even try to hide the 7 different types of preservatives, five of the seven actually state "preservative". We all know that we should stay away from foods with preservatives, so how in good conscience can we eat this stuff - let alone give it to our children. I hear the argument all the time that "clean-eating" cost more money. This may be true but in this case you wouldn't even notice, as all the ingredients for homemade cornbread you probably already have. See quick recipe below. Jiffy costs $1 and you use it once. Real corn meal costs around $3 and you can get two batches of corn bread so really is the extra 50cents worth your life, health and well being?
Food for Thought, Cheers! Jenniffer We all know that we should drink water. If you ask most people why we should drink water, they will say because it's good for you. "Because it's good for you," isn't enough for me to drink 127oz a day of it. This subject inspired me to find out more about why water is good for you. According to the Mayo Clinic these are just a few reasons why water is important for your body. One of my favorite website is Bodybuilding.com, I believe the writers understand what they are talking about as you can see they practice what they preach. Clark Bartram is a fitness model who writes The Top 10 Reasons We Need to Drink Water! 1. Water is the substance of life Life can not exist without water. We must constantly be adding fresh water to our body in order to keep it properly hydrated. Water can be a miracle cure for many common ailments such as headaches, fatigue, joint pain, and much more. We can go for weeks without food, but only 3 days without water! Okay Clark you got my attention, especially with #4, how water can combat those afternoon sleepy sessions. I want to know more about WHY water is good for me, don't you?
Just in case you needed more proof that water is GREAT, read on to see what former Navy Seal Stewart Smith says. Does Water Effect Weight? How to Get Enough Water
Lets Recap
Do's & Don'ts
The moral of this story is to drink more water. I started writing this post 4 days ago and have lost 5lbs. I haven't made it to 127oz but considering I rarely drink water and today I am drinking 80oz, I consider that "Baby Steps to Change"
I challenge you to give it a try and as always be good to YOU! Cheers! Jenniffer I was introduced to this cause by a co-worker, I was blown away at this companies mission and I had to share it. Three Avocado's is a non-profit organization that sells coffee to help provide clean drinking water in Uganda. Founder Joe Koenig statement touch my heart. In January of 2010, I had the amazing opportunity to visit Uganda. It was a trip that forever changed my life. It opened my eyes to a world that I never knew existed. It opened my eyes to things that I thought only existed in a National Geographic special. A world where people actually live in mud huts. A world where children are literally starving. Where the nearest water source is a mile away. And you'll get sick if you drink it. A world where orphans are raised by the village. A world rampaged by AIDS, malaria, and thousands of other things I couldn't even imagine. If you want to help this great cause and get great coffee, I urge you to at least try it. I will be buying my first bag today.
Remember that we are very fortunate to have the opportunity to chose how we eat because of the plentiful choices we have in the United States. We chose to eat clean, others do not have that choice. Let's start by giving the choice of clean water! Cheers Jenniffer I found this article one day after feeling super frustrated. I was looking at cheat foods as no big deal because I eat clean and healthy all week. What I realized is how easy it is to self sabotage your hard efforts. Click here for article
I hope it helps give some of you a different perspective as it did for me. Please feel free to follow me on Twitter #IWONTBEBLIND Cheers! Jenniffer Let me start by saying that everything I post is for informational purposes. What may work for one person, may not work for another. I do however like to share the information I find with anyone who is interested in living a better lifestyle. I started researching the Glycemic Index or GI after seeing a Natural Path to aid in weight management. I currently eat clean which means I eat almost everything without preservatives. I buy Organic when possible but until recently found I can eat even better, and by doing so, hopefully losing weight in the process. What is the Glycemic Index? "The Glycemic Index (GI) is one the best tools for understanding foods and how they can effect you. It measures how quickly foods breakdown into sugar in your bloodstream. High Glycemic foods turn into blood sugar [or glucose] very quickly. Starchy foods like potatoes are a good example. Potatoes have such a high GI rating; its almost the same as eating table sugar". Many Diabetics are familiar with the Glycemic Index, but if you do not have Diabetes, the GI can still be of great help. The following information is written through the lens of Clean Eating. There are three categories all food fall under in the Glycemic Index. According to AMSA.org "The higher the rise in glucose in the blood stream, the more insulin is produced to store it . Over time this can lead to higher insulin levels that can result in inflammation, weight gain and insulin resistance. The end result can be the progression to type II diabetes".
Okay Now What? Now we know that we need to eat low GI foods to help reduce spikes in blood glucose. The spiking of glucose can slow down the metabolism, and hinder weight loss progression. So how do we know what foods fall into Low, Medium or High categories on the GI scale? There are many websites out there that will tell you what the food ratings are on the GI scale but the most comprehensive is glycemicindex.com here you can search for foods, with a database containing thousands of foods. (If this site seems too intimidating I found a more simplistic list of GI foods. Click here) You may be surprised to find out that some foods rank lower on the GI scale than you would think. Dr. Hu states in the Harvard Health Letter, "The glycemic index is a useful guide for choosing healthy foods. But it shouldn't be the only one. The amount of carbohydrate you take in matters too. Spaghetti, for example, has a low glycemic index (42). But eat a huge plate of it and your blood sugar will head into the stratosphere. And "not all foods with a low glycemic index are health foods," cautions Dr. Hu. A Snickers bar has a GI of 43; Coca Cola one of 63. Both deliver little more than sugar". Good Advice, don't you think? Remember when eating clean and trying to maintain or loose weight, the Glycemic Index can be a powerful tool in the fight against fat. One big example of this is, clean eaters like me may say, it is important to eat whole grains as in bread with little to no preservatives. This is true, however for someone like me trying to loose weight and using the GI scale, whole grain breads fall under the High category and is ranked between 59-70. If I want to keep a steady digestion of glucose then I need to eat foods that are 50 or below. Therefore I will stay away from breads.
This blog post has opened my eyes even more, I have been juicing, eating clean, working out but no weight loss. That is why my Natural Path suggested learning about the Glycemic Index. I was eating too many "clean foods" with high GI rankings like oranges, dried fruit, melons, carrots, corn, rice ect. It's not like I will never eat these foods again, but I do believe knowledge is power, and I now know what foods I should avoid. I hope this post was informative and will give you another tool in your Staying Fit Journey. Cheers! Jenn Like me, you have probably heard Olive Oil is better than other oils. Once you get to the section in the store there is a million brands and types of Olive Oil, so which one do you choose? This post hopefully will help as I learned a ton in doing my research. If you don't know why Olive Oil is better please scroll down and I talk about Canola Oil, and Vegetable Oil. How to Choose an Olive Oil and Why
Chefdepot.net tells us the differences between Extra Virgin Olive Oil or EVOO for short, Olive Oil, Light Olive Oil and even Olive Oil blends. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. "Extra" is the highest grade for olive oil--the best you can buy. The virgin oil produced from the mechanical pressing described above may be called "extra" if it has less than 1% free oleic acid, and if it exhibits superior taste, color and aroma. Thus, the "extra" in extra virgin olive oil means "premium," or simply, "the best." Olive Oil. Ordinary "olive oil" is actually a blended oil product. Olive oil producers start with low quality virgin olive oils. For these oils to be fit for consumption, they must be refined using mechanical, thermal and/or chemical processes. The resulting "refined olive oil" is largely colorless and tasteless. Before the resulting product is sold as "olive oil," the producer blends into the refined olive oil a percentage of quality virgin olive oil to provide color and taste. "Light" or "Mild" Olive Oil. Light olive oil is a variation on ordinary olive oil. Producers of this product use a highly refined olive oil, and add less quality virgin oil than that typically used to blend olive oil. The only thing "light" about light olive oil is the taste and color; it has the same caloric and fat content as other oils. Olive-Pomace Oil. Olive-pomace oil is the residue oil that is extracted by chemical solvents from previously pressed olive mash. This oil must be highly-refined to remove chemical impurities. Like ordinary olive oil, refined olive-pomace oil is enriched with virgin olive oil prior to sale. Olive Oil Blends. Olive oil blends (e.g., canola oil enriched with some virgin olive oil) are sometimes used as a more economical substitute for olive oil (but not as a substitute for extra virgin olive oil). Because the production of good olive oil is labor intensive--the olives must essentially be picked by hand--the resulting product is more expensive than other vegetable oils. To offer a more economical product with some of the goodness of olive oil, some companies make olive oil blends. In an olive oil blend, the producer uses a base of a less expensive vegetable oil (e.g. canola oil) to which it adds a percentage (e.g. 25%) of virgin olive oil. These products have proven particularly attractive to restaurant and institutional purchasers where the small savings per tablespoon results in big savings due to the large volume they purchase. This same information is backed up by curezone.org and oliveiltimes.com both websites get into more detail on how to store it and even how to buy the fancy oils. My blogs are meant to be easy reads and I will always include other sources for additional information. Now I know to buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I will now save time shopping and actually buy something that is better for me. Multi-tasking I Love It!! Why Choose Olive Oil over Other Oils? Canola Oil What is Canola Oil? It is called Canola because in the 1960's Canadians figured out a way to breed the Rape plant differently. Before the 1960's the Rape plant would produce seeds that when crushed is toxic to humans. Due to the Canadians figuring this out, a new oil was created - Canola Oil. I also find it funny that Rapeseed was used in animal feed and then Mad Cow disease came about. Once Rapeseed Oil was removed from the feed, Mad Cow dissipated. Interesting huh? Find out more in this article. This Oil has been genetically modified in order to consume, even though there is less toxicity if you had the choice to choose a better option why wouldn't you? Read more about Canola Oil Here Vegetable Oil Vegetable Oil must be good because it comes from vegetables right? Well no, it is a modge podge of oils from different seeds, Rapeseed (or Canola), soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower, and peanut to name a few. Then to make vegetable oil it goes through many processes as outlined in The Ugly Truth About Vegetable Oil Step 1: Find some “canola seeds.” Oh wait, they don’t exist. Canola oil is actually made from a hybrid version of the rapeseed… most likely genetically modified and heavily treated with pesticides. Step 2: Heat the rapeseeds at unnaturally high temperatures so that they oxidize and are rancid before you ever buy them. Step 3: Process with a petroleum solvent to extract the oils. Step 4: Heat some more and add some acid to remove any nasty wax solids that formed during the first processing. Step 5: Treat the oil with more chemicals to improve the color. Step 6: Deodorize the oil to mask the horrific smell from the chemical processing. Of course, if you want to take your vegetable oils one step further, just hydrogenated it until it becomes a solid. Now you have margarine and all its trans-fatty wonder. This alone is enough for me to not consume it, but for others the promotion of healthy fat in vegetable oil is why people buy it. In article mentioned above it also talks about the truth behind the supposed "good" in Vegetable Oil. Polyunsaturated Fat Vegetable oils contain very high levels of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs). But did you know that the fat content of the human body is about 97% saturated and monounsaturated fat? Our body needs fat for rebuilding cells and hormone production. And it can only use what we give it. Polyunsaturated fats are highly unstable. They oxidize easily. These oxidized fats cause inflammation and mutation in cells. That oxidation is linked to all sorts of issues from cancer, heart disease, endrometriosis, PCOS, etc. PUFAs are bad news. Read more about PUFAS here. Omega 6 There’s a lot of hype about Omega-3’s and how healthy they are. But what often gets neglected is the fact that it’s more about the ratio of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats that are critical to good health. Vegetable oils contain a very high concentration of Omega 6 fatty acids. These fatty acids oxidize easily. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce inflammation and protect against cancer. Unbalanced levels of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats have been linked to many types of cancers and a host of other problems. Most Americans have high levels of Omega-6 fatty acids and low levels of Omega-3’s. Consuming vegetable oil to increase Omega 3 levels is not the way. Doing so just creates a more unbalance in your body. Read more about Omega-3/Omega-6 unbalances here and here. I hope you found this post insightful, as knowledge is power. Please share this with friends and family, spread the truth about food and health. Cheers! Jenn I, like so many when trying to loose weight went to the low fat options of butter or margarine. There is not a good substitute for the real thing. I recently got into this debate as a man at my work had high cholesterol and his doctor told him to watch the saturated fats in butter. Health.com writes what most doctors will tell you "The American Heart Association suggests buying soft, trans-fat-free spreads instead of regular butter or stick margarine. Choose a blend with the least amount of saturated fat and zero trans fats. Check the ingredients: If it says partially hydrogenated oils, it still has some trans fat (less than 0.5 gram per serving), even if the label says trans fat free". I understand that doctors know a ton about health, but they do not understand nutrition. The only person that can help you is YOU! and it is you that can find the truth about foods. I am writing this post from a "clean eating" perspective and leaving all other aspects aside. Lets compare labels shall we? While doing my research on this very subject, I stumbled upon what The American Heart Association advises the in order to have a healthy heart.
• Limit total fat intake to less than 25–35 percent of your total calories each day; • Limit saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of total daily calories; • Limit trans fat intake to less than 1 percent of total daily calories; • The remaining fat should come from sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as unsalted nuts and seeds, fish (especially oily fish, such as salmon, trout and herring, at least twice per week) and vegetable oils; and • Limit cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day, for most people. If you have coronary heart disease or your LDL cholesterol level is 100 mg/dL or greater, limit your cholesterol intake to less than 200 milligrams a day. While this may be true, why not advise people to eat REAL butter in moderation or cut out butter all together. My message today is to try and educate how we view food. Read labels, look at what you are putting into your body if you believe it will be healthier to lower your cholesterol but ingesting Modified Corn Starch, Momo and Diglycerides, Potassium Sorbate and other ingredients you can't pronounce then that is your choice. I encourage you to think about food and be proactive in your health. Take guidance from doctors but ultimately it is YOUR body and YOUR health and YOUR life. If you are interested in a great article that gives many different options and even more of a breakdown of butter vs margarine click here. FoodBabe.com rocks! Cheers! Jenn I have been following "The Gracious Pantry" on Pinterest and as I still consider myself new to Clean Eating. I found these great articles that really make it easy to start the clean eating journey. I hope you find them helpful.
Cheers Jenn Understanding Clean Eating Reading Labels for Clean Eating Vani aka Food Babe, has provided more eye opening information about food. Majority of juices are made with concentrate and citric acids. If you were like me, I thought concentrate was a strong base of fruit or vegetables then water was added. Citric acid sounds like it come from citrus oranges lines or lemons. This is completely untrue. Food Babe revels that concentrate is nothing but a fancy word for syrup. Boiling fruit and vegetables down to a syrup, adding preservatives, sugar, citric acid aka MSG and other flavor enhancers to make the nutrient depleted juice consumable. Talking with my mom about this, we are preparing to make our own juice that we can freeze. I am lucky to live fairly close to Yakima, where I can get bulk organic fruits and veggies. I will not buy juice anymore, my family especially my son deserves better.
Help take a stand in your home. Don't let this simple life change such as store bought juice poison your body. Fight for your health, because the FDA won't. Please read Vani's full article click here. Food Babe does give suggestions on alternative brands of juices. You can order them from the manufacturer or see if they are sold in a store near you. Here are all the websites for you to check out. Organic Avenue http://www.organicavenue.com/ Suja Juice http://www.sujajuice.com/ Luna's Living Kitchen http://www.lunaslivingkitchen.com/ Juice Press http://www.juicepress.com/ Viva-Raw http://viva-raw.com/ Cheers! Jenn We all know that fast food is bad for us, but until today I didn't realize how bad. Thanks to foodbabe.com, my eyes have been opened to an ingredient called Dimethylpolysiloxane. This particular ingredient defined by Merriam Websters Dictionary is a polymer of silicone. When you look at the ingredients in silly putty it too has polymer of silicone. So what does this have to do with fast food? Well according to Vani aka Food Babe "Dimethylsiloxane is commonly used in vinegary-smelling silicone caulks, adhesives, and aquarium sealants, a component in silicone grease and other silicone based lubricants, as well as in defoaming agents, mold release agents, damping fluids, heat transfer fluids, polishes, cosmetics, hair conditioners AND IN OUR FOOD!" Not only is this horrible substance in McDonald's french fries but also in most fountain drinks. You may be wondering why the FDA allows this. I would hope by now if you have read my previous blog postings that you cannot trust the FDA to protect us from harmful preservatives or chemicals. Apparently the FDA hasn't tested how this chemical effects humans. Therefore if there is no evidence it is harmful, then every fast food joint can put it in their food. Here in the U.S. we have not demanded the Government or FDA protect us. In the U.K. they regulate what is put in their foods. Please look below at some of the food comparisons provided by Foodbabe.com. For even more ingredients (if you can call them that) that the U.S. allows,
click here As I have said before, it is up to us to educate ourselves in order to live healthier lives. Educate yourself on Initiative 522, the required labeling of Genetic Modified Organisms or GMO's. Please consider signing the petition to General Mills asking them to willfully remove GMO's from all their products. I hope this information is as eye opening for you as it was for me. Even though I am currently following the 80/20 rule. I will now choose not to indulge my 20% on foods containing Dimethylpolysiloxane. Baby Steps towards Change Cheers! Jenn I was talking to a friend yesterday from New Zealand. While filling her in on my new found love for clean eating, she asked if I had read a blog post about Starbucks. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Starbucks, I won't go into why as it is a mute point, but I asked her to send me the link. Despite my love for a product does not mean it's good for me, and I refuse to be blind anymore. Clean eating is not a fad, or diet, it's a way of life. I was fully prepared for my dreams of frothy sweet coffee to be crushed, but for the better of my health. This is what I learned in a nutshell. There are massive pesticides used for their coffee beans; almost everything they sell from coffee drinks to baked goods have GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms), MSG, and preservatives such as Carrageenan. I didn't know what Carrageenan was and will explain it further below. Before I do, please go to Foodbabe's article to read about all the ingredients in Starbucks products. If you are like me, starting a new journey of clean eating then not knowing this information is a simple way to sabotage your efforts. http://foodbabe.com/2012/07/18/sabotaged-at-starbucks/ Carrageenan (kar-uh-gee-nuhn) is defined by Cornicoopia.org as "derived from red seaweed, and is used as an ingredient in foods such as dairy, dairy alternatives (such as soy-based beverages and desserts), and deli meats as a thickening agent, stabilizer and/or emulsifier" (p. 11). The Cornucopia Institute wrote an article explaining the studies conducted over the years with this ingredient and it's effects in animals studies. They found "Degraded carrageenan... causes inflammation in the colon in rodents, which resembles ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease [in humans]. This inflammatory property of degraded carrageenan is not in dispute, especially since the medical research community has used degraded carrageenan for decades to induce acute inflammation in experimental trials conducted with lab animals, to test anti-inflammation drugs" (p. 11). In plain English according to Dr. Tobacman carrageenan can cause inflammatory bowl disease, heart disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's diseases, and cancer. (http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA401181/Is-Carrageenan-Safe.html) Okay, so I now know to stay away from Starbucks (even though I may fail once in awhile following the 80/20 rule). I have already switched from preservitive LOADED Coffee Mate creamer to Silk vanilla coffee creamer that is also bad for me. After reading how many dairy alternatives contain carrageenan I had to look at my label. Sure enough there it is. Great, now that I know my soy creamer has MSG & Carrageenan what am I going to do now? I found some YouTube videos on how to make your own coconut and almond milk. I posted the videos on my Movies, Books & Videos page. I will be trying to make my own vanilla almond creamer tonight. Stay tuned for the results.
Cornicopia.org has compiled a list of products that do & don't contain carrageenan. I have provided the link here. I hope you found this post informative as I did. Clean eating one day at a time. As always please feel free to add, comment or share information with me. Cheers! Jenniffer Today I thought I will have little to no sugar. The reason is my trainer told me to cut my sugar intake and to not eat anything with more than 2 grams of sugar. This morning I walked into the kitchen at work and a box of doughnuts were awaiting. I haven't had much willpower this week, and before I knew it, I ate the entire apple fritter. Which by the way has around 12 grams of sugar. I wanted to know exactly what sugar does in prohibiting weight loss. According to slcfitcollective.com In order to maintain a healthy body and weight blood sugars in the body need to be regulated throughout the day. One of the biggest indicators of fat loss is learning to understand how to naturally regulate your blood sugar. The article above if you read it in it's entirety also states that eating more frequently and consuming low Glycemic foods will help keep a steady level of blood sugars. This article suggest eating foods with values under 55. This got me thinking about the foods I eat and how they compare on the Glycemic index. While trying to find the most comprehensive list online, I found this http://www.glycemicindex.com/, I was blown away with this website, and all the information that was available to me. The trick I discovered when using the search function is not to get too specific. For example if searching for a Fuji apple, it's better to type in "apple" to get a comprehensive list for you to review. One great feature on this website I personally like is the "less than or equals" option. I chose this feature and entered 55. I got a list of all the foods that have a Glycemic index of 55 or less. This will help when I go grocery shopping. Okay, now that I know I need to reduce my sugar intake and eat different foods, I then wondered how much sugar should I have in a day? I found that there is a difference between added sugar vs naturals sugars in fruits and veggies. It is the added sugar in processed or packaged foods that is important to pay attention to. Authoritynutrition.com states in women we should only eat a maximum of 100 calories per day in added sugars. What is a Safe Amount of Sugar to Eat Per Day? Now that I know how much sugar I should have in a day. I needed to do some math, since labels on food are measured in grams, I needed to find the conversion to from grams to teaspoon. Wow this is a lot of work. But don't fret, I am helping all you readers. Below is the conversion table I found on http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/convert/measurements.html
Let's put all this into perspective. Now knowing that I should only consume about 25 grams or 6 teaspoons a day of added sugar for women and according to the measurement chart there are 4.76 grams in 1 teaspoon. Let me break it down more simply. Remember sugar cubes? One sugar cube is 1 tsp. should only have 6 sugar cubes a day. Look at the picture below to see how many teaspoons are in everyday products we consume. Makes me think of what I eat, how I eat and knowing this information, how I can reduce my sugar intake, be mindful of the types of sugars I consume and now I feel as though I understand better how sugar can impact my weight loss.
I hope you too have learned something, please feel free to comment or ask questions. Cheers! Jenniffer What is MSG? If you are like me I have heard of it and know it's not good, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I mainly heard it was in Asian foods, so I tend to steer clear of those foods. Boy was I wrong! In this post you will hopefully understand what MSG is, how to recognize it in foods, and why it is bad.
MSG or Mono-sodium Glutamate, is a man made chemical that appeals to the 5th taste sensation called Umami. According to Dr. Joseph Mercola "MSG is more than just a seasoning like salt and pepper, it actually enhances the flavor of foods, making processed meats and frozen dinners taste fresher and smell better, salad dressings more tasty, and canned foods less tinny". (The Huffington Post) MSG was found to aid in making food for soldiers in WWII more filling and appetizing. The FDA deems MSG "Generally Recognized as Safe", despite side effects that many people have. Side effects of MSG can include: Obesity Eye damage Headaches Fatigue and disorientation Depression Further, even the FDA admits that "short-term reactions" known as MSG Symptom Complex can occur in certain groups of people, namely those who have eaten "large doses" of MSG or those who have asthma. According to the FDA, MSG Symptom Complex can involve symptoms such as: Numbness Burning sensation Tingling Facial pressure or tightness Chest pain or difficulty breathing Headache Nausea Rapid heartbeat Drowsiness Weakness (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/msg-is-this-silent-killer_b_491502.html) I saw these side effects and thought they were pretty mild, then as my research continued I found a great video from neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock that explains there are more serious side effects from MSG. I would encourage you to watch this video. http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=8C501468CA914ABEE2D9395667D5F200 Now that I understood what MSG was, how can I find it in my foods in order to reduce or eliminate the consumption. I was so angry to find there are over 40 different names of ingredients that contain MSG. I don't know how this can be legal. Since the FDA will not protect me, I have to do it myself. I put all the names of MSG into a list on my phone so when I go grocery shopping I can know how many ingredients contain MSG. If you do not want to consume ANY MSG then stay away from everything prepackaged. I personally and steering that way but as I have said before baby steps. Currently I am trying to reduce the consumtion for me and my family. Here is the list of MSG containing ingredients. Glutamic acid Glutamate Monosodium glutamate Monopotassium glutamate Calcium glutamate Monoammonium glutamate Magnesium glutamate Natrium glutamate Anything “hydrolyzed” Any “hydrolyzed protein” Calcium caseinate Sodium caseinate Yeast extract, Torula yeast Yeast food, Yeast nutrient Autolyzed yeast Gelatin Textured protein Whey protein Whey protein concentrate Whey protein isolate Soy protein Soy protein concentrate Soy protein isolate Anything “protein” Anything “protein fortified” Soy sauce Soy sauce extract Protease Anything “enzyme modified” Anything containing “enzymes” Anything “fermented” Vetsin Carrageenan Bouillon and broth Stock Any “flavors” or “flavoring” Maltodextrin Citric acid, Citrate Anything “ultra-pasteurized” Barley malt Pectin Corn starch Corn syrup Modified food starch Lipolyzed butter fat Dextrose Rice syrup Brown rice syrup Milk powder Reduced fat milk (skim; 1%; 2%) most things “low fat” or “no fat” anything “enriched” anything “vitamin enriched” anything “pasteurized” Annatto Vinegar Balsamic vinegar certain amino acid chelates (Citrate, aspartate, and glutamate are used as chelating agents with mineral supplements.) Malt extract (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html) WOW right? Overwhelming? I know, I felt that way as well, but if you can remember the goal is to eat and live healthier than before then you just need to determine what you are comfortable with in regards to ingredients in food. I hope this has been informative and please feel free to comment anytime. Cheers Jenniffer SODIUM Looking at sodium levels after my trainer told my sodium intake was way too much I wanted to know how much I should have in a day. According to The Dietary Guidelines for Americans they suggest 2,300mg per day, yet The American Heart Association says we should be consuming less than 1,500mg per day. Below is a conversion table that tells you how many milligrams of sodium are in a teaspoon. Sodium chloride or table salt is approximately 40% sodium. Understand just how much sodium is in salt so you can take measures to control your intake. 1/4 teaspoon salt = 600 mg sodium 1/2 teaspoon salt = 1,200 mg sodium 3/4 teaspoon salt = 1,800 mg sodium 1 teaspoon salt = 2,400 mg sodium (http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/PreventionTreatmentofHighBloodPressure/Shaking-the-Salt-Habit_UCM_303241_Article.jsp) Why should we care? According to the Mayo Clinic “Your kidneys naturally balance the amount of sodium stored in your body for optimal health. When your body sodium is low, your kidneys essentially hold on to the sodium. When body sodium is high, your kidneys excrete the excess in urine. But if for some reason your kidneys can't eliminate enough sodium, the sodium starts to build up in your blood. Because sodium attracts and holds water, your blood volume increases, which makes your heart work harder and increases pressure in your arteries. Such diseases as congestive heart failure, cirrhosis and chronic kidney disease can make it hard for your kidneys to keep sodium levels balanced. Some people's bodies are more sensitive to the effects of sodium than are others. If you're sodium sensitive, you retain sodium more easily, leading to fluid retention and increased blood pressure. If this becomes chronic, it can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and congestive heart failure”. (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284) Besides retaining fluid especially for women, feeling bloated and fat isn’t a good feeling so if there is something we can do to reduce that – wouldn’t you do it? |