Nutrition Frenzy

Welcome to the September 10, 2007 edition of the Health and Fitness Forum.

The purpose of this forum is to feature well-written articles that provide easy-to-implement tips and information on health, fitness, nutrition, weight loss, beauty and overall well being. We have several great articles this week.

Please read, share and enjoy.

Diet Tips

Weight Master presents Reason why calorie-restrictive diets are unhealthy… posted at Weight Master.

Rob presents The Koda Kumi Diet; eating your way to weight-loss posted at Dusk and Dawn, saying, “This is a short article about a small change I’ve made in my life that has been having a continuous, positive effect on my health.”

Exercise Tips

EnduranceNinja presents Go for a walk. posted at The Adventures of the Enduranceninja, saying, “Beginners guide to becoming an Endurance Ninja”

Kimberly Linton presents Take Charge of Your Lunch Hour! posted at Living the Fit Life.

John Hill presents Get Bigger Biceps and Triceps for Hardgainers posted at Big-Arms.com.

John presents How to Get a Big Wide Muscular Back posted at Muscular-Fitness.

Alvaro Fernandez presents 11 Neuroscientists Debunk a Common Myth about Brain Training posted at SharpBrains, saying, “Exciting quotes on exercising our brains…”

Fitness Tips

Zoe Anderson presents Pilates as Smart Exercise - Principles and Efficiency posted at thinkpilates.com, saying, “Pilates terms to help you integrate a pilates based form of exercise into your schedule. Also included are three different ways to get started with pilates.”

General Health and Wellbeing Tips

Tiffany Washko presents Battle of the BPA Free Sippy Cups - A Review posted at Natural Family Living Blog.

Becky Gillaspy presents Common Thought Traps posted at Weight Loss without Worry

Amanda Harris presents Pajama Mommy Community posted at Pajama Mommy.

Andrew Edgington presents What is the Future for Bodybuilders? (Part 2) posted at Mick.

Healthy Eating Tips

FitBuff presents posted at FitBuff.com’s Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog, saying, “There’s nothing more deflating than ruining your diet by succumbing to the speed and convenience of fast food. It may seem trivial in the grand scheme of things, but this minor failure can lead to a downward spiral in all areas of your life.

So, do you have to avoid ALL fast food ALL the time? Not if you are informed and make the healthiest choice possible when you indulge.

That’s where this great tool comes in. It not only shows you the best option for each type of fast food, but there is also a list of nearly 30 popular fast food chains, with their complete menus and nutrition guides available for you to see.”

Wenchypoo presents How’s Your Health Been Lately? posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.

Sohail presents Sugar Beverages: Drinks of Mass Destruction? posted at The HealthBlogger, saying, “Sugar Beverages: Drinks of Mass Destruction?”

Jeremiah Reid presents Should We Eat Grains? posted at I’m an Omnivore.

Nneka presents How to Stop Eating Compulsively posted at Balanced Life Center.

Dean presents Top Ten Fast Food Meals That Make You Fat posted at Mr. Cheap Stuff, saying, “What is on your list of worst fast food meals?”

Nutrition Tips

John Hill presents Calcium Deficiency posted at Universe Of Success.

Weight Loss Tips

Shaheen Lakhan presents Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: The Eating Disorder Expose posted at GNIF Brain Blogger.

Paul Heingarten presents Weight Loss Secrets Revealed ? posted at workout ebooks, saying, “It seems there is a mystery which surrounds all people on a diet: how to find the “weightloss fat burner secrets” that will end their misery, obesity, or simple desire to be thinner, ultimately without too much extra work or additional suffering.”

Alternative Health Tips

TheNourisher presents Nourishing the Liver posted at Nourished Magazine.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the health & fitness forum
using our submission form.

health and fitness tips, health and fitness forum, health and fitness, diet, exercise, healthy eating, celebrity diets

Raw almond lovers are grieving.

As of September 2007, The California Almond Board will require that ALL almonds sold commercially will be heat treated, aka pasteurized. This requirement is effectually the death knell of the truly raw almond.

While you may still see almonds labeled “organic and raw”, this packaging will be deceptive as ALL almonds sold commercially will be treated with high-temperature heat.

How To Beat The Ban

In October 2007, “Organic Pastures”, a family owned and operated dairy, farm and creamery will begin home delivery of organic, TRULY RAW, Butte and Padre variety almonds.

Organic Pastures is the superior company from which I buy raw milk, raw kefir, and raw cheese (they deliver an array of raw products or check stores like Whole Foods or Wild Oats in California ).

To reserve your raw almonds call Organic Pastures at 1-877-729-6455.

Prices begin at $20 for a 2lb bag and large orders are also accepted. What could be better than having one of the most nutritious, delicious and versatile nuts delivered tight to your door?!

Also, be sure to check www.organicpastures.com for informative articles about why organic, raw almonds are not only safe to eat, but extremely nutritious. You’ll also find enlightening information regarding the deceptive labeling practices that will be instituted by The California Almond Board.

If you hadn’t noticed, I’m totally bugged by the whole raw almond ban. Therefore, my pledge is to find EVERY high-quality, organic, raw almond source that I can and then relate them to you.

More power to you if you choose to buy heat treated or pasteurized almonds, but I want you to at least have a CHOICE where your nutrition is concerned.

Next on my agenda: a quality source for organic truly raw, almond butter. Life just won’t be the same without it!

Hear this California Almond Board - where there’s a will, there’s a truly raw almond!

In general, I don’t recommend supplements as a way to expedite weight loss.

Instead, I have always had great success following a natural, healthy approach based on moderate exercise, unprocessed, organic, whole foods, and stress-reduction techniques (one of which is NOT binge eating).

But, there are a few natural, safe and effective dietary supplements that are key to any weight loss and overall health plan.

Whether you are looking to reshape your body or working to maintain an already lean physique for a lifetime, one supplement worth investigating and investing in is Conjugated Linoleic Acid.

What Is Conjugated Linoleic Acid?

CLA is a fatty acid that is found in meat and dairy products. Evidence compiled over the last decade shows that besides being a powerful anti-oxidant CLA offers numerous health and weight loss benefits.

Benefits of CLA Include

- Increases metabolic rate

- Decreases abdominal fat

- Enhances muscle growth

- Lowers Cholesterol and triglycerides

- Lowers insulin resistance

- Reduces food-induced allergies

- Enhances immune function

- Effective in helping people with thyroid conditions lose weight without interfering with thyroid medications

Sorry, A Cheeseburger in Paradise Doesn’t Offer CLA Benefits

Unfortunately, milk shakes and burgers duo won’t supply sufficient CLA to be of any benefit- there simply is not enough CLA present in these sources. Supplements, however, are concentrated sources of CLA which allow you an affordable way to get an effective dose of CLA.

Where Do I Find Quality CLA?

Health food stores, GNC and online outlets like Drugstore.com carry CLA. I suggest using a patented brand to ensure that your supplement contains sufficient CLA to be effective.

I suggest “Tonalin” brand, it is the most researched, highest quality CLA. Look for “Tonalin” in 1,000mg capsule form.

How Much CLA Do I Need To Receive Benefits?

Studies show that to be effective 3.4g or 3400mg per day of CLA must be taken. So, if for example, you were to use the “Tonalin” capsules you’d need to take 4 capsules a day with meals.

Is CLA Safe?

Yes!
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supplements, weight loss

Welcome to the August 27, 2007 edition of Health & Fitness Forum.

The purpose of this forum is to feature well-written articles that provide easy-to-implement tips and information on health, fitness, nutrition, weight loss, beauty and overall well being.

Too few people take the time to learn what it takes to be fit and healthy, and even fewer have the self discipline to stick with healthy eating and living practices. To make matters worse, traditional media outlets report far too much misinformation on what it takes to be healthy and fit. This forum is designed to make it easier for everyone to learn about and implement tips that will have a real impact on the quality of their lives.

We have over 20 submissions this week. Please read, share, and enjoy!

Diet Tips

Warren Wong presents How To Recover From Caffeine Addiction posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, “Are you always tired in the moring because of coffee? Here’s how to break your caffeine addiction.”

FitBuff presents Foods High in Protein: Top 10 Healthy Choices posted at FitBuff.com’s Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog, saying, “Protein is absolutely essential to nearly every function of the human body, but most people aren’t getting nearly enough, or they’re getting it from unhealthy sources. This article outlines exactly why you need to get enough protein, plus the 10 healthiest foods high in protein.”

Exercise Tips

Anmol Mehta presents Core Abdominal Power Yoga Exercises posted at Mastery of Meditation, Enlightenment & Kundalini Yoga, saying, “Yoga exercises to build and develop your core abdominal strength and power.”

John Hill presents Mind in the Muscle posted at Big-Arms.com.

Kevin Bedell presents Choices: Drive? or Bike? posted at 21st Century Citizen.

hakadoru presents The Outdoor Journey » Five Resistance Training Myths in the Running World posted at The Outdoor Journey.

Fitness Tips

John presents How to Get Big Muscles by Resting posted at Muscular-Fitness.

Peter25 presents Stay Fit at Home posted at Small Business.

Nick Irons presents Top 10 Reasons to exercise posted at Get Results! Fitness Blog, saying, “Everywhere you turn, people are telling you to exercise. You doctor tells you to exercise, George Bush tells you to exercise, now even McDonalds is telling you to exercise. Why should you do it? What should you exercise? Here are the top 10 reasons to exercise.”

Weight Master presents A few interesting tips… posted at Weight Master.

General Health and Wellbeing Tips

Aparna presents Beware of dust mites on your pillows posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming.

Wenchypoo presents Book Review: Healthy At 100 posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket, saying, “If you care at all about health and longevity, you MUST read this book!”

John Hill presents Do You Bruise Easily? posted at Universe Of Success.

Dr Martin W. Russell presents Routinely Sleeping Well posted at Dr Martin W. Russell.

MDB presents How I gave up Smoking - a little story posted at million dollar blog.com.

Jude presents Buy yoga mat and other yoga props at buyyogamat.com posted at buyyogamat, saying, “If you wanna buy a suitable yoga mat, take a look at this article.”

Alvaro Fernandez presents The Ten Habits of Highly Effective Brains posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, “Some tips to keep our brains sharp.”

The Career Counselor presents A Weighty Question posted at ask the CareerCounselor.

Healthy Eating Tips

Petra Ioni presents Anthocyanins in Purple, Blue and Red Foods Fight Colon Cancer | Medopedia posted at Medopdedia.

Frugal Panda presents How to: Eat Healthy for Cheap posted at Frugal Panda.

Weight Loss Tips

Craig Harper presents The Parable of the Fat Kid. posted at Renovate your life with Craig, saying, “Once upon a time… there was a kid.
A kid who loved to eat.
Not unlike many kids, really.
But this kid was different.
He didn’t just enjoy the occasional cookie or bowl of ice-cream.
Or burger and fries.
No, he lived for food.
And when he wasn’t eating… he was thinking about eating.”

Paul Heingarten presents Turbulence Training for Fat Loss posted at workout ebooks, saying, “Introduction to the Turbulence Training system”

Amanda Harris presents My Fitness Pal posted at Pajama Mommy.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
health & fitness forum using our carnival submission form.

health and fitness forum, health and fitness tips, nutrition tips, healthy eating tips

Envious of that skinny chic who struts her bony behind past your cubicle every day as she wolfs down a gigantic Bear Claw?

Well, here’s some news that might comes as a surprise: just because she’s thin doesn’t mean she’s fit. Fact is, a size zero doesn’t mean she’s got any muscle, and fat-burning muscle is where it’s at.

Am I Healthy???

BMI (Body Mass Index):

BMI is a measurement of body fat based on a computation of your height and weigh. An effective way to estimate your overall health risks, go here for a quick BMI assessment.

BMI Doesn’t Tell The Whole Story:

More important than BMI is how much fat you have relative to your overall weight and WHERE that fat is on your body. The higher your fat percentage and the more fat found around your midsection, the more inflammatory chemicals called cytokines that circulate in your blood. Inflammation from cytokines are a cause of premature aging and make you more susceptible to cardiovascular disease, obesity and metabolic syndrome.

But Miss Skinny Looks So Good, How Can She Be Unhealthy?

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Not many people can resist the lure of a box of Thin Mints. You can blame your illicit cookie purchase on those endearing, imploring Scout faces all you want. Truth is, it don’t make a lick of difference who’s selling them - little girl, little monkey - whatever, a box of Tag A Longs is just plain tempting.

Happy news: In celebration of their 90th year of selling drool-inducing cookies, Girl Scouts are approached something like health consciousness by removing most of the trans fats from their products. Key here is the word “most”.

In fact, “most” Girl Scout Cookies are still high in sugar, saturated fat and lots of artificial gunk. Plus, they are still not entirely free of trans fats. Definitely NOT items to be confused with health food. BUT - still a step in the right direction.

According to Girl Scouts of the USA Vice President Denise Pessich, changes were made to the cookies after the two bakeries that produce the goods found trans-fat alternatives that didn’t compromise the flavor, texture or shelf life. Shelf life? Anyone with the willpower to leave an unopened box of Thin Mints on the shelf probably wouldn’t buy them in the first place. I know I am not alone when I say that those little guys literally sing to me. Sing! My name!!!

Here’s the lowdown on the slim-down:

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Generally, I really go for things that are refined: a pedigreed show horse, a man who knows how to pronounce foie gras, but today I’m going to tell you about refined sugar-one refinement I stay as far away from as I possibly can.

WHY IS SUGAR BAD? DOESN’T FRUIT HAVE SUGAR TOO?

Refined sugar (sugar cane that is processed) is an extremely high-glycemic (high in glucose), food; meaning it hits your bloodstream and causes a blood sugar spike while also having a negative effect on insulin levels, digestive enzymes, weight and the pancreas.

Fruit does have natural sugar – fructose. The reason that fruit can, and should be part of a healthy diet is that even a fruit considered “high” on the Glycemic Index (GI), like an apple (6 on the GI), have markedly less impact on blood sugar because it is absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream than say a donut (47 GI) , angel food cake (67 GI) or Skittles (32 GI). In addition, fruit has fiber that helps “cancel out” the effects the fructose has on your blood sugar and all is packed with anti-oxidants and vitamins. Remember, we are talking natural fructose here… (see tomorrow’s article re High-Fructose Corn Syrup which is anything but natural…)

WHY SUGAR MAKES YOU FAT:
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WHY SHOULD I CARE?

Americans consume more High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) than table sugar. Not hard to believe, considering a single, 12 oz can of soda has as much as 13 teaspoons of sugar in the form of high-fructose corn syrup.

“But, I don’t drink soda,” you say. Well, read on, because even if you make healthy eating a priority in your life, chances are you or your children are still eating some heinous High-Fructose.

IS HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP LIKE FRUIT?

It’s definitely got a ring to it - it is the “fructose” part, right? Makes it sound like fruit-syrup? You must remember HFCS is NOT fruit or derived from fruit, it is not even natural!

Instead, HFCS is a thick liquid manufactured from corn starch and contains two sugar building blocks: fructose (about 55%) and glucose (about 45%). HFCS is treated with enzymes (often genetically modified enzymes, which is scary in itself), that convert glucose to fructose, which make the final product even sweeter than sugar.

WHY IS HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP WORSE THAN REGULAR SUGAR?

The impact on your body from HFCS is even worse than from regular sugar. Experts argue about exactly why this is the case. Some point to the difference in fructose content between the two: HFCS is 55% fructose, 45% glucose, while table sugar is 50% glucose and 50% sucrose.

Although it seems like a measly 5% more fructose in HFCS couldn’t make that much difference, at this point it’s the most concrete reason the science guys have given. In any case, what is most important for you to know is that HFCS messes with you.

Here’s how:

HFCS actually causes an alteration in the body’s metabolic /body weight-regulating hormones Leptin and Ghrelin. Say you eat a food that has no HFCS, your body turns ON the production of Leptin which gives a shout out to the brain –“OKAY! STOP EATING – WE ARE GETTING FAT ENOUGH!” A meal with no HFCS also suppresses Ghrelin, a hormone that says, “STILL HUNGRY! LET’S PIG OUT!”

Okay, now to the bowl of Kellogg’s All-Bran you just ate that contains HFCS (yup, your bowl of “healthy” bran branches has got it) and your tall glass of Ocean Spray Cranberry Cocktail (HFCS!) With this type of meal, your brain doesn’t turn on Leptin that tells you “Stop! The tank is full !” And, Ghrelin isn’t suppressed, it keeps saying “Chow ON baby!”

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Besides warping our hormones and causing us to gain weight, HFCS also makes us store more weight as fat which leads to problems beyond our waistlines. Studies show the liver reacts to HFCS by kicking out more fat into the bloodstream- the result being higher blood triglycerides.

WHY IS THIS JUNK IN MY FOOD?

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Pumpkin pie! With whipped cream! Or a la mode… No!

That is not what we’re talking about today people. But, there are plenty of healthy, delicious ways to incorporate this anti-oxidant treasure into your diet.

Pumpkin’s Nutritional Benefits:

-Superior source of Vitamin A & C
-High in potassium
-High in Manganese
-High in Copper
-High in Riboflavin, one of the B vitamins
-Considerable amounts of magnesium, phosphorous, iron, folate, vitamins E, and B6 niacin, thiamin and pantothenic acid
-Low in calories, cholesterol and fat
-High in fiber

Eat Your Way to Beautiful Skin:
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Welcome to the August 12, 2007 edition of health & fitness forum.

The purpose of this forum is to feature well-written articles that provide easy-to-implement tips and information on health, fitness, nutrition, weight loss, beauty and overall well being.

Too few people take the time to learn what it takes to be fit and healthy, and even fewer have the self discipline to stick with healthy eating and living practices. To make matters worse, traditional media outlets report far too much misinformation on what it takes to be healthy and fit. This forum is designed to make it easier for everyone to learn about and implement tips that will have a real impact on the quality of their lives.

Diet Tips

Paul Piotrowski presents 14 Day Diet Results and Why You Should Follow Your Trend Weight, Not Your Actual Weight posted at Self Help Wisdom . com.

Anne-Marie presents 5 Things to Keep in Your Bag or Briefcase When Trying to Lose Weight posted at Anne-Marie.

Aparna presents Beauty and Personality Grooming: Yogic diet posted at Beauty & Personality Grooming, saying “Ancient Yogic texts as well as modern research have time and again confirmed the fact that food governs mind and thoughts. A healthy food habit keeps one physically fit and mentally alert.”

TheNourisher presents Young Nourisher’s Curiosity: will she get what she came for? posted at The Nourisher, saying, “A youngling struggles with her nutrition project. Should she report the same old politically correct USDA schlup or risk losing marks and write about science proving that traditional food ways are more appropriate for human health?”

Cherry presents 100 Mile Diet - Save the Environment posted at My Diet Methods Reviews and Recipes, saying, “100 Mile Diet, healthy life healthy air!”

FitBuff presents 10 Mistakes That Derail Your Diet posted at FitBuff.com’s Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog, saying, “This article lists 10 Mistakes That Derail Your Diet, and of course tips and suggestions on how to avoid them!”

Exercise Tips

Anna Farmery presents Tips on Weight Loss posted at MiddleAgeShed, saying “Little and often is the name of this diet game!”

Weight Master presents Flexibility Exercises posted at Weight Master, helping us remember that “Warming up before exercising is extremely important for everyone.”

Fitness Tips

John Hill presents Build Muscle Fast posted at Universe Of Success, emphasizing that “Muscle building is a slow process, learn how to stop wasting time and begin making progress immediately.”

John Hill presents Symptoms of Overtraining posted at Big-Arms.com, saying “When you are eager to gain muscle mass there seems to be almost nothing more important than getting into the gym and hitting the weights as hard as you can as often as you can and therefore you tend to instantly dismiss any symptoms of overtraining.”

Healthy Eating Tips

Matthew Paulson presents Drinking Bottled Water without Getting “Hosed” posted at Getting Green.

Jimson Lee presents Organic This, Organic That - What Exactly is “Organic” Food? posted at Speedendurance.com, saying, “A good article to help us define the terms “free range”, “organically grown”, “no hormone”, and “non-GMO”.”

Weight Loss Tips

Jessica Christensen presents Why Diets Don’t Work posted at Strength for Her.

Arun presents From Chubby to Studdly Part 1 posted at Arun is bringing you…Your Daily Remedy, saying, “This is EXACTLY how I lost a ton of weight, got healthy, and stayed healthy, and how you can too!”

James Carr presents Weight Loss Advice posted at Casual Science.

General Health and Wellbeing Tips

April Kerr presents Neti Pot: A Simple Way to Clear Your Sinuses posted at Natural Health Remedies.

Sepehr Moghadam presents Stay Fit While On Vacation posted at Minus The Fat, saying, “Here are some great ways to stay healthy and fit while you are on vacation this summer!”

Matt presents How to Fall Asleep Quickly posted at Realigned Living, saying, “Getting a good night’s rest is essential for being healthy and performing at your peak, but a problem plaguing most people is falling asleep quickly. This article goes into a method for falling asleep fast that has worked for me many, many times. Enjoy!”

David Kam presents Why You Should be Healthy!? How? posted at MarketingDeviant.com, saying “Being consistent is a guarantee success so stand by it and never lose hope!”

Alternative Health Tips

Derek Brown presents The Research Proven Alternative To Ritalin. Let’s Cure Our Children Naturally! posted at Digital Storme | Life On The Web, saying, “ADHD is a serious condition. It is robbing our children of their education and self esteem. As parents we want to do what’s best for our children, to help them succeed in this fast paced world of ours. We depend on our doctors for guidance, but what if that guidance is just flat out wrong?”

Chris presents Four Paradoxes of Standing Meditation posted at Martial Development, saying, “Learn how standing meditation produced one of the greatest fighters of the 20th century, and how it can improve your health and fitness today.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
health & fitness forum hosted at Health Sundae using our
submission form.

health and fitness forum

Living Tree Community Foods Raw Alive Organic Olive Oil is an outstanding product from a company that I simply adore.

I’ve written before extolling the virtues of Living Tree’s nut and coconut butters, and today I am telling you you’ve never tasted an olive oil live this!

Benefits Of Olive Oil:

Types of Olive Oil

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We are instinctively repelled by things that are overcooked. Just look at the pictures of a too-tan Jessica Simpson.

Why would such a beautiful girl want to spray-tan herself to the extent that she resembles a giant Cheeto?! All I can say, is at least Jess got that color from a spray canister, not from getting cooked by the sun. Just think of all the damage those hot rays would do to the perfect skin she’s in!

With that unappealing image in mind, let’s talk about the molecular damage high temperatures wreak on the food you’re cooking. While the standard cooking temperature dictated by most recipes is 350 degrees, a temperature that high actually damages the molecular integrity of food. Eating this type of scrambled DNA sequence can have negative repercussions for your health.

Instead, when cooking consider lowering those digits to the optimal temperature of 225 degrees. This lower temp allows food to retain its molecular structure as well as more nutrients (although most raw foodists tell us anything over 180 degrees destroys a food’s energy-giving enzymes).

How Do Lower Temps Effect Cooking Time?

Add approximately 50% more cooking time to what your recipe calls for or use a slow-cooker.

Example: If the original recipe calls for cooking one hour at 350 degrees at 225 it will need 1 ½ hours in the oven.

I love tips like this – they help me prepare healthier meals for my family while requiring absolutely no effort. Sheesh, I bet even Jessica could do this one.

healthy eating, healthy cooking, nutrition tips

Rich? Who’s rich? I love rich!!!

And bleach? Well, honey my hair could tell you a thing or two about that . . . .

Too bad neither enriched nor bleached flour have any redeeming value - kind of like the jerk you went out with last Saturday.

You know, the one who looked really great, and dare I say may even have tasted kinda nice, but who was really only out to use and abuse you – nothing of value there.

ENRICHED MEANS ITS GOT MORE VITAMINS AND STUFF, RIGHT?

No!

The nightmare called Enriched Flour happens when manufacturers strip wheat flour of its bran and germ and then “enrich” it by adding back in some stuff like thiamin, riboflavin and niacin so that they can call it something like “enriched,” which makes us feel good about buying it.

Bleached flour is also a manufactured creation, devoid of the fiber that is vital to keeping our weight in check and our system running properly.

WHY’D THEY DO THAT?

Manufacturers decided that the softer texture enriched and bleached flour lend to products would be more appealing to consumers. Now we are used to it.

Well, get un-used to it – quick.

It’s not a hard switch - hearty, rich breads, chewy muffins, whole wheat pizza crusts, whole wheat spaghetti are all readily available, healthy alternatives.

In fact, for the next 6 hours I will be on a plane to Hawaii. Plenty of time to compile a list of my favorite whole grain products – stayed tuned . . .

A REAL PISSER

I just have to put this sad tale in here to remind you to please read the ENTIRE label, even on 100% Whole Grain products. It seems that some manufacturers just love playing games.

Here’s an example: I was so psyched when I heard Nabisco came out with 100%Whole Grain Fig Newtons. I high-tailed it to the store, all set to dive into some Figgy’s. I took one look at the label and was SO PISSED!

Seems now companies know we are getting smarter, catching on that enriched and white flour suck. So, they are marketing things like Fig Newtons and Chips Ahoy as, “100% Whole Grain”.

But don’t put on your healthy-halo and start cramming these goodies in your mouth just quite yet, one look at the label will tell you that Figgers and Chippies are alsomade with High-Fructose Corn Syrup. Damn.

Check out www.accidentalhedonist.com for a great compilation (it’s a huge list, but sadly far from complete) of products, including many 100% whole wheat/whole grain products that also contain High-Fructose Corn Syrup. You’ll probably be surprised by some of the duds on this list, like 100% Whole Grain Pepperidge Farm bread!
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I am obsessed with breasts.

No, you dirty girl, not obsessed with looking at them (although I admit to checking out my own for updates on southward sliding).

No, I am obsessed with how nutrition can help keep our breasts HEALTHY.

Taking Boobs Personally

Several years ago my tough-as-nails mom had a bilateral mastectomy. Mom has always been a pretty health-conscious person. Maybe she did hit the brownies a little hard once in a while, but all in all she leads a healthful lifestyle - never smoked, doesn’t drink (one glass of chardonnay and she tips over), plenty of fruit, veggies and she plays tennis like a 65-year old Maria Sharapova.

Mom also takes pride in the fresh-squeezed glass of grapefruit juice she enjoys every morning.

Anyhow, ever since mom’s battle with breast cancer I’ve been vigilant about keeping up on the latest news on breast cancer prevention and treatment.

The Newest News

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“You: On A Diet,” by Dr. Michael Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz offers cutting-edge information about the biological reasons we gain weight, and the secret to losing it and keeping it off for good. In “You: On A Diet”, Roizen and Oz-ster list five commonly found ingredients that we should ALWAYS avoid:

These food pitfalls bear repeating, and repeating and repeating. So, over the next few days I’ll tell you ways to avoid these bad guys and how to make substitutions so that you don’t mourn their passing out of your diet.

Let’s start with this one:

DO NOT EAT FOODS CONTAINING HYDROGENTATED OR PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OILS (TRANS FATS)

I KEEP FORGETTING, WHAT ARE HYDROGENATED & PARTIALLY HYDROGENTED OILS?

Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils (aka Trans Fats) are unnatural forms of oil, created by manufacturers.

When oils are heated and hydrogen bubbles are passed through it, the fatty acids become denser. If you fully hydrogenate an oil it becomes solid at room temperature. If you stop part-way, you create a partially hydrogenated oil, which has a consistency like margarine.

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You: On A Diet, Dr. Michael Roizen