CLAIMS ON EGG CARTONS

When you shop for eggs you may wonder about some of the claims on the cartons.  Eggs like every other product on the market are victims of advertising.  To help you cut through some of the claims, remember this:

• Omega-3 eggs.  This means the hens that laid the eggs ate a diet that contains flaxseeds.  Therefore the eggs may be higher in these heart-healthy fatty acids.
• Vegetarian-fed.  This does not change the nutritional value of the eggs.  This may, however, be important to true vegetarians.
• Hormone-free.  There are no hormone products approved for egg production so all eggs should be hormone-free.  This is just an advertising trick.
• Cage-Free or Range.  This indicates the hens may have more humane treatment than those crowded in cages or commercial "coops".  The industry is so poorly regulated that this claim may not mean much.

If you prefer eggs with one of these titles, more power to you.  This is not to play down these titles but to simply let one know what they really mean.

REFRIGERATING EGGS

You should refrigerate eggs as soon as you get them home.  Eggs will lose more of their nutritional qualities in 1 day at room temperature than they will in 7 days in the refrigerator.

file photo

SUPPLEMENTS

As you can see below, this is an old article I am reposting. The importance of this article has recently had a bright light shined on it in my world. My 72-year-old husband kept falling because his legs would just fold up under him. About a week and a half ago he fell three times in one day. My son and grandson had to carry him to his bed because his legs were too weak to hold him up even with their help. He ended up getting an ambulance ride to the hospital where he stayed for 5 days and was then released to rehab for therapy. Tests showed him to be very low in sodium, potassium, and his adrenal gland function was low. He is a COPD patient and didn't like to eat because it was hard to eat and breathe at the same time. He had been relying on Ensure Plus, a good supplement but not a complete diet for the average person. His leg muscles had almost atrophied from lack of use. He was walking very little because of the falls. Long story short, with three good meals a day and extensive therapy he is now walking with a walker and/or a cane. We are made to take care of our bodies with food. It is important to eat a balanced diet (avoid fad diets, they always leave out something your body needs) and get some exercise if you want your body to function as God intended.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Some supplements, vitamins, etc may be needed to keep your body operating efficiently.  However, I do not recommend taking such products without discussing it with your doctor.  While the proper supplements, vitamins, minerals, etc can be very helpful, sometimes they can be harmful or simply a waste of money.  It is best to get what your body needs from food whenever possible.

I qualify that statement by saying I was on supplements for years and my doctors were aware of it and told me to take them.  Thus back to my point; I am not saying don't take them, I am saying discuss it with your doctor first.  If your doctor is one who won't even discuss such matters, perhaps you need a new doctor!

An example of harmful effects is zinc.  While zinc may be very helpful in some situations, it may actually hasten the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms.  I am not talking about taking a zinc tablet occasionally but researchers think that a buildup of zinc may cause those prone to Alzheimer's or in the early stages of the disease, to have their symptoms brought on more quickly.  Laboratory experiments have shown that zinc can transform the protein in brain cells into abnormal tangles indistinguishable from those of Alzheimer's.  Other studies have also shown that large-dose zinc supplements may bring on the progression of memory loss and other signs of the disease.

Again, based on my own experience, I no longer take supplements.  Because of having so much of my colon removed, I don't absorb them.  When I am low on a vitamin, mineral, etc, I have to have a shot.  So no matter how many high-powered supplement tablets I would take, I wouldn't absorb them enough to benefit.  So it would be a waste of money.

The supplement business in America today is big business.  Don't be fooled, discuss the situation with your doctor and go by what he/she recommends. And remember this, those who are trying to sell you supplements are usually making money off what you purchase.

file photo

STRAWBERRIES - DID YOU KNOW?

A girl from my old school posted this on her facebook page.

Not sure if baking changes the nutritional value but a medium strawberry has less than 1 carb.

PAD AND SMOKING

A report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, June 7, 2011 found that when researchers tracked more than 39,000 women for over 12 years they found that smoking led to a 10-fold increase in the risk for PAD - Peripheral arterial disease.  PAD is a serious disorder that occurs when narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the lower extremities, namely feet and legs.  Stopping smoking lowered the risk but the risk is still greater than those who have never smoked.  Whether you are a man or a woman, if you are a smoker you need to do yourself a big favor and quit!  As the wife/caregiver of a man who smoked for many years and now struggles daily to breathe because of COPD, I highly recommend you stop smoking now if you enjoy life.  I can promise you, your life will be diminished from cigarette smoking.  Of course eating a healthy diet is always good for you, but it cannot cure the ills smoking does to the body!

GROCERY STORE PHARMACY!

This is a quote from Dr. Mehmet Oz, Professor of surgery at Columbia University Medical Center, NYC and Medical Director of the Integrative Medicine Program at NY-Presbyterian Hospital but better known as TV's Doctor Oz:  "When you walk into a grocery store, you are walking into a pharmacy, and the power of those foods is as powerful as medications."

Based on my own experiences with multiple health situations, I believe that statement is 100% true!  The old saying, "You are what you eat," is so true!  Think about the doctors statement every time you go grocery shopping.

HOW MUCH SUGAR ARE YOU EATING DAILY?

Eating the typical American diet, means consuming approximately 35 teaspoons of added sugar per day!  How much is that?  Find out for yourself, you will no doubt be surprised.  Get a bowl and a measuring teaspoon (a teaspoon from your measuring spoons, not one from the silverware tray!) and count out 35 teaspoons of sugar into said bowl.  Then remember that is added sugar, not the natural sugar you are also consuming from the fruits, vegetables, milk, etc in your diet.  How to avoid this extra 132 pounds of sugar for every man, woman, and child?  Read labels!  And remember added sugars can be disguised with words like corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, glucose, honey, fructose, malt syrup, molasses, etc.  Cut back on the amount of processed foods you eat and read the labels before you buy any food products.