Official: organic really is better - Times Online

The biggest study into organic food has found that it is more nutritious than ordinary produce and may help to lengthen people's lives. The evidence from the £12m ($24 million) four-year project will end years of debate and is likely to overturn government advice that eating organic food is no more than a lifestyle choice. The study found that organic fruit and vegetables contained as much as 40% more antioxidants, which scientists believe can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease, Britain’s biggest killers. They also had higher levels of beneficial minerals such as iron and zinc.

read more | digg story

What if bad fat isn’t so bad?

No one's ever proved that saturated fat clogs arteries, causes heart disease. This article, linked off the home page of MSNBC, proves that the cholesterol theory of heart disease is wrong, and only promotes statin drugs, the most profitable drugs on the market today.

read more digg story

My Comment:

I am excited to see that the mainstream media is starting to report the truth about saturated fats. Saturated fats are key to health.

Some highlights of the MSNBC story:

Ronald Krauss, M.D., won't say saturated fats are good for you. "But," he concedes, "we don't have convincing evidence that they're bad, either."

Turns out, your body makes fat from carbohydrates. It works like this: The carbs you eat (particularly starches and sugar) are absorbed into your bloodstream as sugar. As your carb intake rises, so does your blood sugar. This causes your body to release the hormone insulin. Insulin's job is to return your blood sugar to normal, but it also signals your body to store fat. As a result, your liver starts converting excess blood sugar to triglycerides, or fat.

"...there's no scientific reason that natural foods containing saturated fat can't, or shouldn't, be part of a healthy diet." -Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D.

A Sweet Deal

There might just be a sweet revolution following the news that corporate giants Coca Cola and Cargill filed for 24 U.S. patents related to stevia, a South American herb used for centuries to sweeten food and drinks. Stevia is the world’s only zero-calorie, zero-glycemic, all-natural sweetener. Media reports say Coke and Cargill are working to petition the FDA for the product's approval.

"The tide is changing for this little leaf. It’s almost a perfect storm," May says.

For quick-service restaurants, that could mean that one day, green packets of stevia sweeteners will be as omnipresent as white, pink, and blue packets at coffee counters. And since all-natural extracts are part of everything from sodas to marinades, the change could even cross over into the kitchen.

Cargill plans to experiment with various food products, adding its stevia extracts to "anything it makes sense to add it to—ice creams, desserts," says Anne Tucker, spokeswoman for the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company. "People are more concerned about where things come from, what’s in their food. There’s nothing added to this. It’s an all-natural, zero-calorie sweetener."

read more digg story

My Comment:

Stevia is a great way to reduce your sugar intake. I use it in tea and to make hot cocoa.
Click here for more information on Stevia.

The only downside is that you cannot use Stevia to make baked goods like cookies, cakes, etc.

Now there is a great new natural sweetner that you can use for baked goods. It's called Lakanto.
Click here for more information on Lakanto.

In general, I recommend staying away from baked goods and staying away from sweets. But, Lakanto and Stevia are good alternatives to use if you absolutely need to have a "treat".

They are good for people who are weaning themselves off of sugar for a variety of health reasons, like candida (yeast infections), diabetes, cancer, hypoglycemia and obesity.

Canadian retail chain pulls plastic water bottles

Canada's largest outdoor-goods chain has pulled water bottles and food containers made of polycarbonate plastic from its shelves over worries about the chemical bisphenol A, which has been linked to cancer and reproductive problems in animals.

read more digg story

My Comment:

Here's the interesting part of the story:

Besides hard-plastic water bottles, bisphenol A is also used in some baby bottles and the linings of some food cans, including most major brands of infant formula, according to a study co-released this week by Environmental Defence Canada and the Washington-based Environmental Working Group.

"We have study after study showing that this chemical is toxic,... and there are safe and available alternatives that are affordable," said Aaron Freeman, policy director of Environmental Defence Canada.

Straight A’s, With a Burger as a Prize

The McDonald’s restaurants in Seminole County, Fla., and the county school board have agreed to reward good grades and attendance with Happy Meals.

read more digg story

My Comment:

How completely ridiculous!!! My 3 year old is warning his classmates about Cheerios because they contain genetically modified ingredients, and here's a kindergarden that is rewarding kids with the lowest form of "food" available.

From: Campaign For Commercial Free Childhood
"My daughter worked so hard to get good grades this term and now she believes she is entitled to a prize from McDonald’s," said Susan Pagan, an Orlando parent. "And now I’m the "bad guy" because I had to explain that our family does not eat at fast food chains. I’m outraged that McDonald’s is trying to exploit my daughter’s achievement – and that the Seminole County School Board would help facilitate this exploitation."

You can help out...
Tell McDonald's to Stop Advertising on Report Cards

Why the Flu Likes Winter

Researchers believe the flu virus is more stable and stays in the air longer when air is cold and dry.

read more digg story

My Comment:

I wouldn't be too concerned about whether the air is cold and dry, I would be more concerned about my vitamin D levels.

Here's a quick influenza quiz:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/newsletter/2007-feb.shtml

Article about Vitamin D and the flu:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/newsletter/2006-oct.shtml

Chicken Rights in Ann Arbor?

Chickens are no clucking matter to one city council member in this college town. Stephen Kunselman says people who want fresh eggs should be able to keep their own hens around the house, or yard. The Democratic lawmaker brought up the proposal at a weekend council retreat.
read more digg story

My Comments:

This is GREAT news! Hopefully they will pass the law.

Egg yolks are definitely one of the top health foods - especially if you can get them fresh (and naturally raised). Here's a great article on egg yolks:

http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Egg_Yolk.html

The highlights of the above link:

The yolk contains 100% of the carotenes, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, E, D, and K (6 items). The white does not contain 100% of any nutrient.

The yolk contains more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and 89% of the panthothenic acid (9 items). The white does not contain more than 90% of any nutrient, but contains over 80% of the magnesium, sodium, and niacin (3 items).

The yolk contains between 50% and 80% of the copper, manganese, and selenium, while the white contains between 50% and 80% of the potassium, riboflavin, and essential amino acids.

Eggs from free-range hens contain up to 30 percent more vitamin E, 50 percent more folic acid and 30 percent more vitamin B-12 than factory eggs. And the bright orange color of their yolks show higher levels of antioxidant carotenes. (Many factory-farm eggs are so pale that producers feed the hens expensive marigold flowers to make the yolks brighter in color.)