HFCS = High Fructose Corn Syrup
This probably is a familiar ingredient to you since its in so many of our foods. I think it flew under my radar for so long because it doesnt sound that bad. You can pronounce each word and it has "corn" which is a vegetable and "fructose" which we associate with fruit.
Unfortunately HFCS is another hidden ingredient that is VERY unhealthy. You can read how it is made HERE if you want the scientific explanation - but here is a recap: they process corn starch to yeild glucose. It is processed by using 3 enzymes - 2 of which are genetically engineered. It is a complicated process involving fungus and chemicals - yuck!
HFCS has the same sweetness as sucrose from cane or beet sugar but even though it is much more complicated to make, it is cheaper than sugar. The article says that only 4 companies control 85% of this 2 billion dolllar industry. They are making a fortunte because HFCS is in tons of our food - ketchup, marinades, salad dressing, fruit juice, bacon, beer, ice cream, BREAD, and even a lot of "health food".
In the article linked above they mention an experiment with rats - the livers of those fed HFCS "looked like the livers of alcoholics" and the female rats could not produce live young. Eek!
We should avoid fruit juices anyways because water is the healthiest choice but especially avoid those loaded with HFCS. Next time you need to restock on ketchup or BBQ sauce or whatever, check the labels to find one without HFCS. I was unable to find any BBQ sauce without it at Target (grrrr!) but the organic ketchup we buy doesnt have it. Also if you buy powdered marinades in a packet and mix then yourself you can avoid HFCS. Same with salad dressing.
Whether its worse than white sugar or not, we can preserve the health of our families but avoiding both in our regular diets. :)
more about the effects of HFCS on our health
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Storm Picts
If you've seen the news lately you've probably heard about the flooding rains that we've been having here in Texas. Here are some pictures I took today. One thing I love about TX is how beautiful it is to see a storm roll in.
Note how dark and black the clouds are on the horizon. Black on the bottom with fluffy white on the top means its a thunderstorm.
I drove home today with black on one side and blue sunny sky on the other and only got a few drops of rain - very cool!
(this picture is my favorite. that little hole just opened up and its such a contrast to the black at the bottom of the cloud!)
Note how dark and black the clouds are on the horizon. Black on the bottom with fluffy white on the top means its a thunderstorm.
I drove home today with black on one side and blue sunny sky on the other and only got a few drops of rain - very cool!
(this picture is my favorite. that little hole just opened up and its such a contrast to the black at the bottom of the cloud!)
Our hearts and prayers are with those who have lost loved ones and/or their homes to these storms. Its so tragic. At the same time we are so thankful for the rain that we needed so badly. God's majesty has truly been shown here. What a magnificient God we serve!
Monday, July 2, 2007
Kefir
Ok this is for those of you that are super crunchy and like weird stuff. This is pretty out there for some people - I was thought it was weird and gross-sounding too but I love kefir now!
Kefir is a fermented drink cultivated using kefir grains. The grains are a combination of "bacteria and yeasts in a matrix of proteins, lipids, and sugars " (wikipedia) The end result is a probiotic drink full of healthy enzymes and "friendly" bacteria. Its more nutritious and beneficial than yogurt or even acidopholus.
There are water kefir grains and milk kefir grains. If you shop at a natural food market like Whole Foods or Central Market than you've probably seen milk kefir for sale there in the dairy section. Its still beneficial but they usually do have a lot of added sweeteners. The kind you can make at home can be sugar/sweetener-free and still taste great!
Because we have milk allergies, milk is expensive (and I think its gross) I use water kefir grains. You simply put the grains in water, add sugar (which they eat up - its like feeding a pet LOL) and let it ferment for a few days on the counter. The result is a very unique tasting beverage that is a super-powerful probiotic!
Here is a picture of mine brewing with some organic strawberries (ONLY organic fruit can be used or you'll get really sick from all the pesticides - ask me how I know) :
You can buy a dry starter but getting some live grains to start with is even better. I got mine from a mom in Colorado who I found on the Mothering.com forums. Look HERE in the "Traditional Foods" forums to find a list of people who will send you some. Most only charge about $5 including priority shipping!
Great Article on Water Kefir - has pictures, health benefits and recipes (pdf)
Kefir info on Mothering.com, recipes, etc.
Dom - the Kefir Guy website
Kefir.net: Kefir and The Body Ecology Diet (they sell a dry starter)
Kefir is a fermented drink cultivated using kefir grains. The grains are a combination of "bacteria and yeasts in a matrix of proteins, lipids, and sugars " (wikipedia) The end result is a probiotic drink full of healthy enzymes and "friendly" bacteria. Its more nutritious and beneficial than yogurt or even acidopholus.
There are water kefir grains and milk kefir grains. If you shop at a natural food market like Whole Foods or Central Market than you've probably seen milk kefir for sale there in the dairy section. Its still beneficial but they usually do have a lot of added sweeteners. The kind you can make at home can be sugar/sweetener-free and still taste great!
Because we have milk allergies, milk is expensive (and I think its gross) I use water kefir grains. You simply put the grains in water, add sugar (which they eat up - its like feeding a pet LOL) and let it ferment for a few days on the counter. The result is a very unique tasting beverage that is a super-powerful probiotic!
Here is a picture of mine brewing with some organic strawberries (ONLY organic fruit can be used or you'll get really sick from all the pesticides - ask me how I know) :
You can buy a dry starter but getting some live grains to start with is even better. I got mine from a mom in Colorado who I found on the Mothering.com forums. Look HERE in the "Traditional Foods" forums to find a list of people who will send you some. Most only charge about $5 including priority shipping!
Great Article on Water Kefir - has pictures, health benefits and recipes (pdf)
Kefir info on Mothering.com, recipes, etc.
Dom - the Kefir Guy website
Kefir.net: Kefir and The Body Ecology Diet (they sell a dry starter)
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Boys will be boys
Much to my chagrin, my dear hubby has been letting the boys watch the show "Man Vs. Wild" with him when Im putting J to bed at night. Basically they drop this crazy guy off in the middle of places like the Everglades or Iceland and he has to find his way to civilization, a road, etc. His survival skills are really amazing (and gross sometimes) but I keep trying to convince dh its a little much for a 3 and 4.5yr old. Here is some proof from the last two days:
N told hubby yesterday that he was hungry at quiet time so he ATE AN ANT .... he quickly added, in a resassuring tone, " but I didnt eat his head!" ....... Gross!!!! He told me this whole story at bedtime so I said "ummm, so you ate his butt?" which he thought was really funny but he corrected me to say he ate his tummy AND his bum. Great.
Today he came in from outside for dinner, HUGE grin, and proudly said "I ate two worms!" (I said "What?!?!?!") He proudly goes on, reassuring us once again, "I washed them in the pool, so I didnt get sick from the dirt". Good thinking son LOL.
Times like this remind me that I am outnumbered by this odd species called "male" and it also makes me so, so thankful for my sweet little princess. Please tell me she will never eat a worm. Grrrroooossss!
N told hubby yesterday that he was hungry at quiet time so he ATE AN ANT .... he quickly added, in a resassuring tone, " but I didnt eat his head!" ....... Gross!!!! He told me this whole story at bedtime so I said "ummm, so you ate his butt?" which he thought was really funny but he corrected me to say he ate his tummy AND his bum. Great.
Today he came in from outside for dinner, HUGE grin, and proudly said "I ate two worms!" (I said "What?!?!?!") He proudly goes on, reassuring us once again, "I washed them in the pool, so I didnt get sick from the dirt". Good thinking son LOL.
Times like this remind me that I am outnumbered by this odd species called "male" and it also makes me so, so thankful for my sweet little princess. Please tell me she will never eat a worm. Grrrroooossss!
Hanna Anderson Sale!
It would be impossible to be raised by my mother and not appreciate a good sale. So Im posting to share the love! Hanna Anderson is having a huge sale online and the prices are amazing! My mom got Jayna 3 new dresses for her birthday and they are SO cute. They arrived today and Im in love! The normal prices were $38-42 and each one was $14-18!
anyways, here is the link to the dresses section if anyone with a little girl is interested (there arent many sizes left!)
Hanna Anderson
:)
anyways, here is the link to the dresses section if anyone with a little girl is interested (there arent many sizes left!)
Hanna Anderson
:)
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
ChikFilA
This is in response to Kelli In the Mirror's question in response to my Fast Food post.
ChickFilA advertises that they use 100% peanut oil. That is true - thats what they FRY in and its non-hydrogenanted, so not trans fat.
Their Waffle Fries do have trans fat though. The most likely buy frozen potatoes that have already been cut and fried once in trans fat. See ingredidents here
Here they say that and that they hand-bread their chicken nuggests and chicken strips in the store. Great. Sounds good right? Well here is the nutritional info for their nuggets and they actually do have soybean oil in them (and milk). Not good for those with allergies. They dont have trans fat though so that is good. Most dipping sauces besides ketchup are made with a base of soybean oil too.
Here are the ingredients for the Grilled Chicken Club (my favorite thing there). It says "100% natural chicken breast" but this: butter flavored vegetable oil (soybean oil, palm kernel oil, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavor, TBHQ and citric acid added as preservatives, and artificial color) is listed underneath that. How is butter-flavored soybean oil, perservatives and artificial color "100% natural"?!?!?!?! There is also artificial color in the cheese (why?!), nitrates in the bacon (more on that coming soon) and TRANS FAT from shortening in the "golden wheat bun from a local bakery".
Also note that the Peanut Oil they use has TBHQ - just for reference, ingredients with numbers or capital letters usually arent good for you. Think "MSG". You'd have to eat a lot of chicken nuggest to get 1 gram of TBHQ but just a little of a bad thing doesnt make it safe.
Look at the ingredients list for the Southwest Chargrilled Chicken Salad. Its longer than the list for the one with fried/breaded chicken! The longer the ingredients list of anything, the less healthy it usually is - especially when you have no idea what they are and/or cant pronounce them! The coating on the chicken has trans fat. Not very healthy at all!
Other items from ChikFilA with TRANS FAT:
Biscuits, Brownies, Tortillas, Gravy, Hashbrowns, Cinnamon Cluster, Croutons that come with the salads, Chicken Soup, Lemon pie, Cheesecake, etc.
And check out the ingredients in the milkshakes (which I admit, I L-O-V-E but Im currently off of soy and sugar) - they are like a mile long. They are full of corn syrup, artificial colors and flavors, preservatives, and also have soy and Splenda in them.
Like I said, I love their food but I hate that I do. I dont even care if someone wants to eat there but people should KNOW that all this junk is in their food. We are so naive about what goes into all food, including the food we buy at the store and make ourselves.
Hope this helps someone :)
(my 50th post - woohoo!!!!)
ChickFilA advertises that they use 100% peanut oil. That is true - thats what they FRY in and its non-hydrogenanted, so not trans fat.
Their Waffle Fries do have trans fat though. The most likely buy frozen potatoes that have already been cut and fried once in trans fat. See ingredidents here
Here they say that and that they hand-bread their chicken nuggests and chicken strips in the store. Great. Sounds good right? Well here is the nutritional info for their nuggets and they actually do have soybean oil in them (and milk). Not good for those with allergies. They dont have trans fat though so that is good. Most dipping sauces besides ketchup are made with a base of soybean oil too.
Here are the ingredients for the Grilled Chicken Club (my favorite thing there). It says "100% natural chicken breast" but this: butter flavored vegetable oil (soybean oil, palm kernel oil, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavor, TBHQ and citric acid added as preservatives, and artificial color) is listed underneath that. How is butter-flavored soybean oil, perservatives and artificial color "100% natural"?!?!?!?! There is also artificial color in the cheese (why?!), nitrates in the bacon (more on that coming soon) and TRANS FAT from shortening in the "golden wheat bun from a local bakery".
Also note that the Peanut Oil they use has TBHQ - just for reference, ingredients with numbers or capital letters usually arent good for you. Think "MSG". You'd have to eat a lot of chicken nuggest to get 1 gram of TBHQ but just a little of a bad thing doesnt make it safe.
Look at the ingredients list for the Southwest Chargrilled Chicken Salad. Its longer than the list for the one with fried/breaded chicken! The longer the ingredients list of anything, the less healthy it usually is - especially when you have no idea what they are and/or cant pronounce them! The coating on the chicken has trans fat. Not very healthy at all!
Other items from ChikFilA with TRANS FAT:
Biscuits, Brownies, Tortillas, Gravy, Hashbrowns, Cinnamon Cluster, Croutons that come with the salads, Chicken Soup, Lemon pie, Cheesecake, etc.
And check out the ingredients in the milkshakes (which I admit, I L-O-V-E but Im currently off of soy and sugar) - they are like a mile long. They are full of corn syrup, artificial colors and flavors, preservatives, and also have soy and Splenda in them.
Like I said, I love their food but I hate that I do. I dont even care if someone wants to eat there but people should KNOW that all this junk is in their food. We are so naive about what goes into all food, including the food we buy at the store and make ourselves.
Hope this helps someone :)
(my 50th post - woohoo!!!!)
Monday, June 25, 2007
Healthy Fats
Americans have been brainwashed on two levels concerning fats and nutrition. They have taught us that its best to eat low-fat diets and they have tried to convince us that natural products like butter should be replaced by "healthier" products like yellow plastic, um, uh, I mean, margarine ;).
Canola oil is another fat that we've been told his healthy. I always thought it was. Here is an intersting article from the Weston A. Price foundation website (a favorite place of mine to read): The Great Con-ola I am trying to phase canola out of our diet. I do still use Canola mayonaise because regular mayonaise is made with soybean oil but now I cook with coconut or olive oil.
You can read more on that site about why the healthiest choices are butter, olive oil, coconut oil and even lard (I know, I know, its hard for us to imagine!). I just bought some coconut oil from http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/ which is a good source for the right type of coconut oil - you dont want the refined stuff you can buy at the store, it doesnt have the lauric acid in it that brings so many health benefits . I did buy their expeller-pressed type because I dont like the taste of coconut but next time I plan to get the real stuff! Its really great on bread and I even cook JJ's egg yolk in it every night.
Im not a huge Dr. Mercola fan because he is so extreme (although secretly I agree with everything he says!) but here an another article about coconut oil that he wrote: Coconut Oil: The Smarter Fat that Promotes Weight Loss
These are easy steps to take to improve our family's overall health. Check out that site, there is a lot to learn there!
Canola oil is another fat that we've been told his healthy. I always thought it was. Here is an intersting article from the Weston A. Price foundation website (a favorite place of mine to read): The Great Con-ola I am trying to phase canola out of our diet. I do still use Canola mayonaise because regular mayonaise is made with soybean oil but now I cook with coconut or olive oil.
You can read more on that site about why the healthiest choices are butter, olive oil, coconut oil and even lard (I know, I know, its hard for us to imagine!). I just bought some coconut oil from http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/ which is a good source for the right type of coconut oil - you dont want the refined stuff you can buy at the store, it doesnt have the lauric acid in it that brings so many health benefits . I did buy their expeller-pressed type because I dont like the taste of coconut but next time I plan to get the real stuff! Its really great on bread and I even cook JJ's egg yolk in it every night.
Im not a huge Dr. Mercola fan because he is so extreme (although secretly I agree with everything he says!) but here an another article about coconut oil that he wrote: Coconut Oil: The Smarter Fat that Promotes Weight Loss
These are easy steps to take to improve our family's overall health. Check out that site, there is a lot to learn there!
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