Thursday, March 3, 2011
My Stance on Vaccinations
My personal stance on vaccines are, they are not effective enough for me to trust my life or my future children's life with them. Although vaccinations have saved us from countless diseases, they have also been linked to various neurological disorders including Autism. The flu, HPV, and other viruses are so abundant that you cannot properly vaccinate against them. I also believe that if you're healthy enough, your body will do it's job and fight these viruses. The human body is designed to regenerate itself. It's been doing it for thouMy sister is vaccinated against chicken pox for 20 years and my mom agreed that it was the dumbest thing ever. I think kids are supposed to get it, I got it and my other sisters got it but now my sister will be in her 20's when she gets it what makes it ten times worse. Note: in Maryland you have the right to refuse vaccinations for your children but it's very hard. I don't think terrorists get grilled that hard.
Enough of my opinon let's look at some facts. A vaccine is a killed virus that gives your body protection over the virus. It's called artificial induction of immunity. Vaccines contain mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, aspartame (nutra sweet), MSG, antifreeze and a host of other proven neuro-toxins and poisons, and that these vaccines have definitely been linked to autism, Gillian Barre syndrome (mild to severe paralysis), brain damage and even death, and the vaccines are untested and unproven, the government in many states have threatened parents with jail if they do not vaccinate their kids. There is no safe vaccination.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Do you take in too many vitamins?
It seems as if everything is vitamin enriched and I mean everything. Our water, eggs, and even milk contain extra vitamins. Although we need these vitamins and minerals to thrive, our intake of vitamins is beginning to scare me. You can have too many vitamins. If you're eating vitamin fortified food and taking a supplement, then you may have too much of the good stuff. Here is a lift of common vitamins and what the side effects are.
Vitamin C- if you take 2-5,000 mg of vitamin C, you may experience diarrhea, nausea, burning urine, stomach cramps, headache, insomnia, vomiting, and kidney stones.
Vitamin A-who knew this had a name? Hypervitaminosis A can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, dizziness, and loss of coordination. Long term effects include Birth defects, Liver problems, Reduced bone mineral density that may result in osteoporosis
Coarse bone growths, Skin discoloration, Hair loss, Excessive skin dryness/peeling, Angular cheilitis Intracranial hypertension. Stick to 10,000 IU's.
Calcium- more than 4,000 IU's of calcium can cause constipation, dry mouth, a continuing headache, increased thirst, irritability, loss of appetite, depression, a metallic taste in the mouth, and fatigue
Vitamin E- this is the new super vitamin but beware. You only need 100-300 mg a day and any more than that can cause blood clots, fatigue, tumors in the breast, and reproductive problems.
Vitamin B's (yes all the B's)- more than 1-2 mg of vitamin B can cause nerve damage and stomach ulcers. It takes as little as 500 mg to cause serious nerve damage.
Iron- Who knew too much iron had a name also? Hemochromatosis, or more than 100 mg, or 140 mg for nursing and pregnant women, can weaken the immune system, arthritis liver disease, including an enlarged liver, cirrhosis, cancer, and liver failure, damage to the pancreas, possibly causing diabetes, heart abnormalities, such as irregular heart rhythms or congestive heart failure, impotence, early menopause, abnormal pigmentation of the skin, making it look gray or bronze, thyroid deficiency, and damage to the adrenal glands.
vitamin d- In addition to vitamin e, this is a new super vitamin. It seems as if everything is vitamin d enriched but the sun gives you 80-90% of your daily vitamin D. If you get your vitamin D from the sun, it's hard to experience toxicity but more of a hypersensitivity. Too much vitamin D may cause lung and skin cancer. It is advised to take vitamin D with a doctor's recommendation.
Vitamin K- at this time it's hard to know how much vitamin k is too much because it is obtained from food sources. If you're on blood thinners, avoid too much vitamin K because they help thicken the blood.
Zinc- the recommended zinc dosage is 9-11 mg a day and poisining starts at 35-40 mg. Symptons of zinc poisoning includes a weakening of the immune system, which may result in cancer, decrease in white blood cells, decreased urination, nausea, and upset stomach.
Any way you cut it, too many vitamins and minerals is deadly. Your body is a machine and will filter out the extras but taking too much messes with the body's functions. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and grains will help you with your diet.
Is My Agave Nectar Really Healthier?
Let's talk about the science of sugar and agave nectar.
The term sugar usually refers to sucrose, which is also called "table sugar" or "saccharose." Sucrose is a white crystalline disaccharide. It is often obtained from sugar cane or sugar beet.[25] Sucrose is the most popular of the various sugars for flavoring, as well as properties (such as mouthfeel, preservation, and texture) of beverages and food.
"Sugar" can also be used to refer to water-soluble crystalline carbohydrates with varying sweetness. Sugars include monosaccharides (e.g., glucose, fructose, galactose), disaccharides (e.g., sucrose, lactose, maltose), trisaccharides, and oligosaccharides,[26] in contrast to complex carbohydrates such as polysaccharides. Corn syrup, dextrose, crystalline fructose, and maltose, for example, are used in manufacturing and preparing food.
We know that Sugar can cause diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay. We also know that sugar, often in the form of High Fructose Corn Syrup, or corn sugar, is in nearly everything we eat.
To produce agave nectar from the Agave tequiliana plant, juice is expressed
from the core of the agave, called the piƱa. The juice is filtered, then heated
to hydrolyze polysaccharides into simple sugars. The main polysaccharide is called inulin or fructosan and comprises mostly fructose units. The filtered, hydrolyzed juice is concentrated to a syrupy liquid, slightly thinner than honey, from light- to dark-amber depending on the degree of processing.Agave salimiana is processed differently than Agave tequiliana. As the
plant gestates, it starts to grow a stalk called a quiote.[ The stalk is cut off
before it fully grows, creating a hole in the center of the plant that fills
with a liquid called aguamiel. The liquid is collected daily and the
fructans hydrolysed by enzymes into fructose and dextrose.Agave nectar consists primarily of fructose and glucose. One source gives 92%
fructose and 8% glucose; another gives 56% fructose and 20% glucose. These
differences presumably reflect variation from one vendor of agave nectar to
another. Agave nectar's glycemic index and glycemic load are comparable to fructose which in turn has a much lower glycemic index and glycemic load than table sugar (sucrose).
Too much Agave Nectar may trigger an inability to digest sugar, obesity, diabetes, excess insulin, and gout. Fermented Agave Nectar is sold as tequila. Many manufacturers of Agave Nectar have been selling HFCS as Agave Nectar. Let's look at some more stats.
One tbsp sugar One tbsp. agave nectar
Calories
40 60
Total Fat
0 0
Carbs
12 16
Fiber
0 1
Sugar
12 15
Protein
0 0
This bottle of Agave Nectar may be my last. Maybe. Neither is healthy, so what do you choose? You can choose both in moderation or try Honey, fruit juice to sweeten, or stevia, which is a herb that contains no sugar.
Friday, February 25, 2011
My big chop story
My mind immediately began to race. Will I get another job? Will I get a husband? Will people think I'm crazy? Will people wanna be my friend? How will I explain this to my family? What's next? I committed the ultimate blasphemy. I cut off my crowning glory and was left with the mess that women have been trying to correct for centuries. I looked around and saw the years of hair. I saw my length, it was no more than three inches but still I wanted to cry. I didn't. I couldn't. It's my hair and I shouldn't have to apologize for wearing my hair as I choose to wear it.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Raw Milk Debate
Needless to say, getting this raw milk will not be easy. I can get it in Maryland but finding someone who will trust me enough to sell it, or exchange it, to me will not be easy and getting it from PA means at least an hour drive to get this milk. That's another story for another day.
The reason I'm writing is I find it weird that we can't have natural milk but the FDA has approved milk from genetically cloned cows. It's weird that we can have milk treated with hormones but we can't have milk in it's raw state.
The FDA claims that raw milk is full of bacterial and has caused at least 85 outbreaks and two deaths in the last 20 years. The FDA website also claims raw milk causes side effects such as vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, headache and body ache. Raw milk advocates claim that drinking raw milk is healthier than it's alternative and many lactose intolerant people claim that they're able to consume raw milk. They also say it tastes better.
Something in the milk isn't clean literally and figuratively. I find it weird that I can take a nanproxen that may cause side effects ten times worse than that of raw milk or I can take a pill that has killed millions but I can't have raw milk. Why is the government going out of it's way to prosecute these farmers but drugs dealers and murderers go free every day? There's something deeper going on and I'm going to get to the bottom of it. Stay tuned.
My Aleve Story
We perceive over the counter drugs as being safer than their prescription counter parts. If the FDA allows them to be sold without a prescription, then it must be safe. Let's not forget this is the same FDA that approved Fen-phen. My Aleve contains Naproxen sodium, which according to the label, may cause fatal stomach bleeding. So yes, my Aleve may kill me. But that's not the question. The question is why did my heart react to the medication like that? Here are the list of side effects not listed on the very smal label:
Noticed I highlighted the fast or irregular heartbeat. I also noticed that my vision was a bit weird, not anything widely noticeable, but I was unable to focus my eyes.So according to drugs.com, I experienced a severe allergic reaction. This is my first time experiencing such a reaction and this is my last time taking Aleve. Although it did what it is intended to do, the fact that it affected my heart scares me. The fact that I only took one scares me more.Constipation; diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness; gas; headache; heartburn; nausea;
stomach upset; stuffy
Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching;
trouble breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or
tongue; wheezing); bloody or black, tarry stools; change in the amount of urine
produced; chest pain; confusion; dark urine; depression; fainting; fast or
irregular heartbeat; fever, chills, or persistent sore throat; loss of appetite;
mental or mood changes; numbness of an arm or leg; one-sided weakness; pale
stools; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin; ringing in the ears; seizures;
severe headache or dizziness; severe or persistent stomach pain or nausea;
severe vomiting; shortness of breath; sudden or unexplained weight gain;
swelling of the hands, legs, or feet; unusual bruising or bleeding; unusual
joint or muscle pain; unusual tiredness or weakness; vision or speech changes;
vomit that looks like coffee grounds; yellowing of the skin or eyes.http://www.drugs.com/sfx/naproxen-side-effects.html
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The HCG Diet
The first half of the show was about a new diet crazed called the HCG diet. I immediately gave him the side eye because as a doctor, he should not be promoting such things. But let's talk about this "diet." The HCG diet isn't really a diet, I don't know what it is. This plan includes patients, male and female, giving themselves small doses of the pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotrophin, which they claim causes a decrease in appetite and thus they ate less. Aren't you supposed to have an appetite? Aren't we supposed to eat? Anyway, the supporters of the plan claims that it causes them to lose a pound a day and they eat about 500 calories. That's crazy in itself because safe weight loss is 2-3 pounds a week for a normal sized person. We're not going to get into the 500 calories a day. The opposers of the plan claim their period stopped, they lost their hair, they were cranky, and some even claimed to faint.
The HCG needs to be prescribed by a doctor but it is available online. I'm convinced, we're all gonna be dead in twenty years. Who in their right mind would inject themselves with the pregnancy hormone willingly? Any doctor who prescribes this hormone should lose their license. Yes, I said it. If you give someone this to lose weight you obviously don't have their best interest at heart and you should lose your license.
Before I forget, Dr. Oz doesn't agree with the diet but I'm still disappointed in him. Why is he promoting this diet knowing that millions of people watch his show?
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
The Ideal Body
I've never liked my body. There I said it. I never liked my body and I still don't. I've always felt I was too fat. I had back rolls and my father would always make a squeaking noise when referring to them. I've also been reminded by my family on numerous occassions how flat my butt is. I have that shape that no one is my family has: no butt, big boobs, and a nice sized stomach. It's very hard to love my body as it is. To add insult to injury, all the clothes I want to wear aren't made for my body Needless to say, my body and I don't see eye to eye.
I write this post because I know I am not the only woman who has looked at her body and thought it looked like a before picture and yearned for the after picture. With 1/3 of Americans weighing as much as the other 2/3, we are bombarded with reminders that we are not good enough. Weekly tabloids feature celebs who have lost weight, late night infomercials feature weight loss products, Dr. Oz talks about weight loss, Oprah talks about her struggle with weight constantly. We're being fed an image of we're not good enough as we are.
As a black woman, my body is held to the standards of Beyonce or Serena Williams, toned with a big butt. White women are expected to fit the mold of a supermodel, tall and thin. The truth is that everyone's body is different and there is no ideal body. Skinny doesn't always mean healthy and fat doesn't mean unhealthy. The only solution is to pick an ideal weight for your body and exercise 4 times a week.
Monday, February 21, 2011
The rGBH difference
Bovine Somatotrophin, or BST, is a hormone that naturally occurs in cattle. This hormone aids in the cattles growth. It's all natural so there's nothing wrong with BST, as it is commonly known. In 1994, scientists perfected the bovine growth hormone or BGH and began adding it to cows diet. The United States is the only country that permits milk treated with BGH to be sold and marketed. BGH is used to decrease cell death in cows and increase milk production in these same cows. More milk equals more $$$$$. Very simple equation.
Before we talk about the side effects of these extra hormones in humans, we're gonna talk about the side effects in cows. Although the cows make more milk, their milk is proven to be hormone laden thus causing the milk to spoil quicker and contains less nutrients. Basically, the milk is of poorer quality. Another side effect is a decrease in fertility in cows and an increase in lameness, meaning the cow can't walk normally.
Now that we've established that the claims made by Smart Balance are not entirely true. Let's talk about the effects in humans. One side effect I can attest to is the over development of young girls at a young age. My little sister began her period at 8 and had a woman's body before middle school. I'm sure that's not entirely due to BGH but I'm sure it played a part in it. There is also an increase in IGF, or insulin, which causes rapid aging, diabetes, and cancer.
How do you avoid milk, or meat, treated with rGBH? Try to buy local or direct from a farmer. If possible, shop at wholefoods or other natural markets. It's impossible to know if your milk has been treated with rBGH or rBGT because there is no law requiring milk to be labeled as hormone free. In addition, Afact, a pro-hormone, company has been lobbying for a ban on distinguishing milk by their hormone content. I wish I could tell you to make your own milk, but it's impossible, unless you have a cow.
Non-Dairy Creamer is Flammable?
Let's break down non-dairy creamer:
First, the cow's milk is dehydrated which causes a chemically rendered mass with potassium benzoate. What is potassium benzoate? It is a preservative used to inhibit mold but it is known to irritate eyes, skin, and other mucous membranes such as lips and it is a carcinogen. Next the mass is mixed with sodium hydroxide, which is the scientific name for lye.
Let's talk about lye for a minute. A year and a half ago, I stopped perming my hair because Lye is the main chemical in relaxers. Lye is a deadly chemical. Let's look at some of the side effects. Lye is very corrosive to organic tissues, hence why hair dresses often apply relaxers with gloves and a comb and your scalp begins to burn after 15 mins, causes heat burns and is highly flammable (voila, shall we go on? I think we shall), lye also causes narrowing of the esiphogus, which means you may not be able to swallow, low blood pressure, blood in stool, bloody vomiting, vision loss and lung inflammation. Why do people knowingly use and consume this stuff. None of those symptoms sound fun.
Next, your lye and potassium benzoate mixture is blasted with ionic radiation. From what I hear, radiation isn't the best thing in the world. It results in cancer due to the breaking down of cells. After this radiation, the mixture forms sodium caseinate, which is used to supply the calcium in this stuff. Caseim is also used in paint, glue, cheesemaking, plastics, fiber, and protein supplements. The side effects may include, I use may because science doesn't really wanna take a stand on these, autism due to the extra histamine.
Let's review. Non-dairy creamer is milk that is dehydrated and full of chemicals that cause cancer and autism. The lye or sodium hydroxide is what causes the flammability and we've established that lye is a deadly chemical.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Food Cures
Have you ever taken time to really think about your body? You have this mass of cells that is designed to repair and renew for over 100 years. When we eat processed foods or nutrient devoid foods, we strip our bodies of the nutrients required to fix itself. Most of our diseases our food related. Hypertension-too much salt. Diabetes-too much sugar. High Cholesterol-too much fat. Cancer- too many chemicals in the body.
I think may be one of the only people who listens to the side effects of medication. Birth control- blood clot, stroke, heart attack. All things that cause death. Asthma medication may increase the chance of asthma related death. If I take anti-depressants, I won't be depressed but I may want to kill myself. Isn't that still depressed? What is this medicine doing to the brain that causes you to want to kill yourself? We're not even going to get into how addictive these medicines are.
So the question: how do we fix our bodies without medication? Simple, the right food and sleep. When the body gets 8 hours of sleep, it allows for cell renewal.
Food cures:
1. smoother skin- vitamin c such as red peppers, eggs, fruit, veggies etc
2.cuts and bruises- wheat germ, which contains zinc
3. eyesight- vitamin A which is found in spinach
4. brain and heart health- omega 3's which are in salmon, olives, avocados, nuts, and flax seed
5. coughs and mucus- add honey to a warm cup of tea with lemon to thin out mucus and clear your lungs. This morning I woke up with a sore chest, so I drank my usual cup of green tea but added honey and lemon and my chest cleared right up.
6. colds- the antioxidants in cherries keep your immune system strong, which help fight off colds and viruses.
7. flu- add five mushrooms to your diet to ward off the flu and at virtually fat free and less than twenty calories, losing a few pounds isn't a bad trade off.
8. stomach bugs- instead of reaching for the pink stuff, reach for a cup of ginger tea with honey or greek yogurt to settle your stomach.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Is it really healthier?
Let's talk about the most common culprits for the healthy bait and switch: fat, salt, and sugar. Let's start with sugar. For the last decade, sugar has been getting a bad reputation, which isn't completely undeserved. Americans are consuming more sugar than ever and it shows in our health and waistlines. As Americans try to limit sugar consumption, they usually trade it for salt or processed substitutes. Instead of trying artificial sweeteners, which are chemical laden and proven to increase strokes in people regularly using them, try honey or agave nectar. The latter is my drug of choice. I've moved on to the amber nectar, which is very sweet but I need about 1/4 cup less in recipes and it doesn't raise my glucose level. Guess what? No diabetes or sugar crash. If you're not that adventurous, try honey. It's one of the only foods that doesn't expire and it adds sweetness without overpowering.
Salt. The cause of hypertension, kidney problems, water retention, high blood pressure and probably more effects that are hidden from us. The only true way to avoid excess salt is to cook your own meals. Have you ever read a label? More than half of the ingredients may be sodium related. Sodium is used as a preservative and as a way to add extra flavor to food that is over processed. Don't fall for the sea salt thing. Salt is still salt. Note: how are they extracting this salt from the sea? hmmm. I have homework to do. Anyway, limit your salt intake by cooking at home and limiting processed foods. Avoid adding extra salt to your food.
Let's talk about the "f-word" not that f-word. The other one, fat. Let's talk about fat. The studies of fat are confusing. We hear that Omega-3's are the best fats and to avoid omega 6, that we shouldn't have saturated fat but some of it isn't bad for us. How do we avoid fat? We don't. I have a problem with fat free and low fat foods because of the process used to avoid the fats that occur naturally in these foods. I don't buy low fat or fat free anything, mainly because I eat a lot of healthier foods and because I don't trust them. Avoid long chain saturated fats which are mammal fats and maybe dairy fats but the website I checked, puts dairy fats under medium chain also with a question mark, so that's in the air. Don't avoid them but have them in moderation. Sources of fat to avoid include margarine, contrary to popular belief margarine is not healthier it's just cheaper to make and buy, it's actually worse than better and is proven to cause cancer, and baked goods which use margarine. Good fats include coconut oil, avocadoes, salmon, olives, vegetables, eggs, and grass fed beef.
The truth is that if a food makes a health claim, it's probably lying. That's not to say all foods are lying but if a food has a reputation for being unhealthy and now it offers a source of veggies, it's a lie. The only way to get the nutrients you need is to cook at home.
A random thought
My Mediterranean food excursion
My first stop was Trinacria, a small Italian market in west Baltimore. The store is in the Lexington Market district on a forgotten blog. So forgotten that I missed the store because all of the other buildings are abandoned, good thing my friend saw it. After settling in awkwardly place parking on a right turn lane that was totally legal, we entered a piece of Italy. The Trinancria market is over 100 years old and has the off the boat feel. When we opened the door, we were greeted by the smell of fresh herbs and baked goods. I don't think that is a accurate description of the smells. The smells were amazing. After browsing the market for a few minutes I bought some Biscotti, a black bottom cupcake, breaded eggplant for my moussaka, a loaf of fresh garlic bread that is still bringing the smell of fresh garlic and herbs to the cabinet a day later, and some Trofi Liguri' imported from Italy. All of it came to about $12. Not bad. I wish the market was bigger though.
Next, we headed to little Italy for some pasta. I wanted pasta, he wanted harbor but I got my way-sort of. After riding for ten minutes of Eastern Avenue, we found Greektown and settled on some Greek. At the recommendation of some locals(?) we settled on a spot called Samos. Upon entering we were told to seat ourselves. I didn't think much of it but we waited ten minutes before anyone acknowledged we existed and that was only after I began talking about how we weren't seated when others were. After my complaining, things sped up a bit and we finally got menus and a cold waitress. I don't think she introduced herself at all; scratch that, I know she didn't. We ordered appetitizers, or mezedes, because they're cheaper and I'm trying to eat more while eating less. I ordered the shrimp halloumi, which was seasoned grilled shrimp, warm pita bread, rice, and fried Halloumi cheese. It was amazing, although I didn't really touch the rice. My friend had Shrimp pie, which was philo crust with feta and shrimp. That was great also. The food was amazing but I don't think I'll go back because of the service. Only one person greeted us and we felt unwelcomed. I enjoyed the food but I couldn't wait to get out of there.
Tonight I'm making a variation of shrimp pie:
I have left over shrimp and egg roll wrappers, so I'm combining them with herbs and feta cheese to make my own version of shrimp pie.
Leftover Ingredients
salmon
brown rice
quin
pizza sauce
mint
rosemary
basil
oregano
shrimp
4 chicken thighs
coconut milk
pomello
flour
pot sticker
bean and rice mix
harvati, munester, and cheddar cheese
macaroni
evaporated milk tomato paste
Let's see what I come up with! If you have an idea for what to do with these ingredients, please email me at donnatbroadway@gmail.com
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Truth About Your Food pt 2
80% of Americans are on a diet at some point and yet one in three Americans weigh as much as the other two. (I read that on discussion blog) Americans have a high level of obesity yet we're always on weight loss plans but our European counterparts eat everything we're told not to eat yet stay thin. In France, they're always eating pastries with butter and cream, they drink coffee, in Italy they're always eating pasta yet they're thinner then us. What's the issue? Portion size and the fact that Europe has strict food standards. In America our food standards are set by the food industry. There are too many food company executives serving on FDA and USDA boards for their opinions to be trusted. And note to the wise, the FDA doesn't have to mark a food as safe they just have to mark it as not going to kill you, immediately.
Every five years, the USDA comes out with food recommendations and their recommendations for this year was to avoid processed food and eat more fresh food, avoid sodas, and salts. The recommendations are very vague. " yes, it’s 2011, but they’re published every five years — are the best to date. We’re told to eat “less food” and more fresh foods; wise advice. But aside from salt, the agency buries mostly vague recommendations about what we should be eating less of: we’re admonished to drink “few or no” sodas — hooray for that — and “refined grains,” Solid Fats and Added Sugars. And there’s our fabulous acronym: SOFAS."~NY times blog http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/is-eat-real-food-unthinkable/ Notice that it's very vague. Not a lot of details because details would piss off the high level food execs who fund a lot of government projects.
Let's take at look a few ingredients in your food. There is a study out that stating that food coloring is behind the spike in ADD. Which makes sense, brightly colored foods are marketed to kids but these colors don't exist in nature. Did you know that yellow 5 is derived from coal tar? If you didn't, now you know. Here are some food colorings to avoid:
- Sunset yellow (E110) (FD&C Yellow #6) - Coloring found in squashes
- Carmoisine (E122) - Red coloring in jellies
- Tartrazine (E102) (FD&C Yellow #5) - Yellow coloring
- Ponceau 4R (E124) - Red coloring
- Sodium benzoate (E211) - Preservative
- Quinoline yellow (E104) - Food coloring
- Allura red AC (E129) (FD&C Red #40) - Orange / red food dye
- Allura Red AC (aka Red 40)
- Erythrosine (aka Red 3)
- Indigotine (aka Blue 2)
- Tartrazine (aka Yellow 5)
- Beet juice
- Annatto (plant derived)
- Turmeric (rich in antioxidants!)
The Truth about Your Food
This isn't the first or last time that the quality of fast food or food in general has been questioned in a court of law. For over 60 years, the food manufacturers fought to have the "imitation" label removed from their food. After all, they put alot of time and effort into their "food" and they won't make money if no one will eat it. In America, the USDA only requires 35% beef for something to be labeled as beef or made with beef. I don't know what you believe but 35% beef isn't good enough.
Have you ever read a food label? It's very vague. "Natural flavors" "Artificial flavors" Let's look at a recipe for a strawberry milkshake: it should be milk, ice cream, ice, and whatever else you need. Let's look at one of the best milkshakes from a fast food restaurant:
Icecream (whole milk, sugar, nonfat dry milk, cream, corn syrup, natural and artificial flavors, dried whole eggs, cornstarch, mono and diglycerides, disodium phosphate, cellulose gum, carrageenan, sodium phosphate, guar gum, sodium citrate, annatto and caramel colors, artificial color [Yellow 5 & 6]), milkshake base (whole milk, sugar, cream, whey powder milk, nonfat dry milk, artificial flavor, disodium phosphate, mono and diglycerides, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, guar gum, cellulose gum, carrageenan), strawberries (water, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sugar syrup, modified food starch, salt, erythorbic acid, potassium sorbate as preservative, citric acid, artificial color, [contains FD&C Red #40]), whipped cream (cream, milk, sugar, sorbitol, nonfat milk solids, artificial flavor, mono and diglycerides, carrageenan, polysorbate 80, mixed tocopherols [vitamin E] to protect flavor, propellant: nitrous oxide), cherries, (high fructose corn syrup, water, potassium sorbate [a preservative], sodium benzoate [a preservative], citric acid, artificial flavor, FD&C Red #40, sulfur dioxide [a preservative]).
That looks like science experiment to me. As good as this milkshake is, I think i'm going to invest in a blender and start making my own. Anything you make at home is better than anything you buy.
My fridge staples
1. cream
2. fresh herbs- mint, rosemary, basil, and oregano at the moment
3. wheat flour
4. red romaine lettuce
5. cherry tomatoes
6. fresh fruit- right now it's oranges but my favorite are mangoes and figs.
7. cheese- my budget allows cheese under $5 so that excludes many fine cheeses but I love Havarti, Cheddar, and mozzarella. I love Italian cheeses.
8. agave nectar- I don't use sugar so my sweetener of choice is agave nectar. It's actually sweeter than sugar but you need less to achieve the same flavor. Also, if you're a diabetic you can use agave nectar instead of sugar because it doesn't raise the glucose level in the body.
Let's Eat!
My goal for this blog is to teach people how to enjoy food without the guilt and the weight gain. Happy eating.