Total Pageviews

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Sorry, Folks

Yes, I have been quite behind on my blogging lately. I've been a little caught up in some stuff. I apologize. I'm not going to vow to start writing every day again. I'm still in the middle of a lot of things. I'll update you as soon as everything comes together.

Thanks for your patience with me.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Coffee: Good or Bad?



[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image via Wikipedia"]A 500 gram bag of coffee beans purchased from ...[/caption]


Per request, today's blog topic will be the health benefits/concerns of coffee as they are known to me. As you all know, I do drink coffee, though I try to stick to one or two cups per day. I believe that drinking this amount balances out what may be good or bad about it.


First off I will begin by saying that research is a bit inconclusive about how bad or good coffee is for your health. One study suggests that regular coffee consumption can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, and gout. Also, people who regularly drink coffee during their midlife are less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's disease in their late life. However, coffee can also increase the risk of acid reflux and related diseases.


The main health benefit of coffee that I'm familiar with is the antioxidants it contains. Antioxidants aid in protecting cells from damage by free radicals in the environment. Coffee also contains polyphenals which interfere with iron absorption. So, if you are prone to anemia, this could be an adverse affect for you. However, since iron is considered a carcinogen to the liver, coffee can be associated with decreasing risk for liver cancer.


The most negative thing about coffee is caffeine. For a more in-depth look at caffeine, see my blog post on it. Caffeine draws moisture out of your body, so to avoid risk of dehydration make sure to drink at least one glass of water per cup of coffee. Caffeine is linked to decreasing headaches, yet those who consume it regularly can then develop headaches from lack of it (during withdrawal). Caffeine is also considered an antidepressant. It can block inhibitory affects of adenosine on dopamine nerves in the brain.


This is about all I know about coffee right now. I drink it every day in moderation. You can take this information and make your own decision about how much coffee you want to drink.



Friday, March 11, 2011

Fast Food is Plague upon America

Fast food is a plague upon our nation. Here is an excerpt of an article by Leanne Ely, the "dinner diva":


"One of the biggest issues is eating fast food. You know I'm down of fast food for anyone, but it's especially harmful for children's growing bodies. Think about it; you're giving the lowest quality food to a growing body. This isn't exactly quality material for the body to develop and build from! We wouldn't put a known, poor quality gasoline in our cars, nor would we build our houses with sub-par building supplies, yet we rationalize throwing absolute garbage food down our children's throats in the name of fast and easy."


With all of the information on the evils of fast food now available, you'd think that people would start to realize that it's literally killing them and their children. Research says that this is the first generation of children not expected to outlive their parents. Does that not bother anyone else? We need to get back to eating real food. This problem has to be fixed from the roots up. We're not going to make food companies stop selling crap. We just have to stop buying it.



Monday, March 7, 2011

Creating a Newsletter is Harder than it Looks

Well, I started creating my nutrition newsletter. There are so many ideas rolling around in my head, it's hard to figure out where to start. I know I want to talk about fast food and meat. Those are the main issues that have been on my mind lately. I know I also want to include a good, healthy recipe. Possibly two. One of them will be kid-friendly. At least one article in each newsletter will be catered toward child nutrition. Also, I'll probably include one exercise in each newsletter. I have a few people I'm thinking of hitting up to see if they want to put a piece in it. Well...enough brain-storming. I need to get back to it.
Enhanced by Zemanta

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Don't Worry; Be Happy

I've noticed a recurring theme in things I've been reading lately. Namely: (1) Stress less and (2) Be happy.

I subscribe to a magazine called Natural Health. In this month's issue I read an article about the 10 secrets of people who never get sick. One of these secrets was to stress less. It's been said that laughter is the best medicine and, in many respects, that's true. People who are happy have less health problems. Stress can cause all number of health issues (sore muscles, tension, heart problems, etc). It's been proven that happy people live more healthy and fulfilling lives than those who are constantly stressed and/or unhappy.

To be honest, this is one of my weakest areas. I wouldn't say that I'm a pessimist, but sometimes I have to remind myself to smile. I don't laugh nearly as often as I should. I've really been trying lately, though. I have to keep telling myself not to take life too seriously. I often have little patience with those I'm closest with. It's a bad habit, and it's one I'm trying desperately to break. You only get one life, so you might as well be happy with it.

Some measures you can take to stress less are doing things that give you a sense of peace. Read, write, chat with a friend, pray, stretch, or do some relaxing Yoga poses. Today I started playing my guitar again. It was a real stress reliever. I think I'll need to start doing that more often.

What do you do to smile? What makes you the happiest? Do you consider yourself a generally happy person?
Enhanced by Zemanta

Friday, March 4, 2011

Another Raving Rant

I have a few things to say. I need to get them off my chest before I explode.

First of all, I'm getting fed up with the way that people do not care about what they're putting into their bodies. These are the most important, personal decisions you make throughout the day and no one takes it seriously. The food you eat and drink directly affects the way you feel physically, emotionally, and mentally. Why would you not take that seriously? "Oh, I can't live without my Mt. Dew." Yes, you can. In fact, once you get over some minor withdrawls, you'll feel much better!

Second, I'm also fed up with what people allow their children to eat and drink. People seem to think that children just have a high metabolism and are naturally active, so it doesn't really matter what they eat because they'll just burn it off. What children eat is so important! They need to learn healthy eating habits from a young age, or it'll be that much harder for them to learn later on in life. Children can develop health disorders just like adults can. They develop diabetes and become obese. Is that how children are supposed to live? They should be given every opportunity possible to have a wonderful childhood and food is a huge part of that!

Lastly, I'm fed up with whatever state organization it is that provides daycares with food policies and reimbursement money for food. Last year, they announced that they were changing the policies on food to be more healthy. They gave everyone a year to comply. Well, I took that as an opportunity to create a completely new and healthy menu for the children in our care. It was a big hit. Everyone was impressed and some of our parents were inspired to start eating healthier at home. Fast forward several months down the road and here I am, not being able to afford my new awesome menu. The state asks us to feed the children healthier but does not offer any raise in the amount of money they give us for food. How am I supposed to cope with this? What do they expect us to do?

Alright, I'm done ranting for the time being. If anyone has any information on grants that we could apply for, or anything that would give us more food money, don't hesitate to tell me.

Are you Eating Your Antibiotics?

I would like to share with you something that I learned today. Now, you've all heard me rant about mass-produced meat and how terrible it is. Well, did you realize that 80% of all antibiotics in the US are used for animal agriculture? Yes, that's correct. 80%! And do you know where all those antibiotics are going to end up? That's right. In your body. And, yes, I know your doctor gives you antibiotics when you're sick but I'm sure you also know that you can't take antibiotics for very long without your body becoming resistant to them. So, what happens when you eat lots of meat with lots of antibiotics in it? You can become resistant to many types of antibiotics.

Having too much antibiotics in your body can make you sick, and also keep you sick. Every year, more than 90,000 Americans die from bacterial infections that have developed a resistance to antibiotics. That's more than the death toll of AIDS, car accidents, and prostate cancer combined.  It kind of makes you sick just thinking about it, doesn't it?

Check out these links for more information and advice on how to avoid the meat that's making America sick:

Today's Food System: All Drugged Up

Find, Cook, and Eat Sustainable Meat