Aha!!! Finally Going Public!!! :)

This just in:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-rainbow-of-food-dyes-in-our-grocery-aisles-has-a-dark-side/2011/03/21/AFyIwaYB_story.html?hpid=z3

I really hope the FDA does the right thing and pays some heed to real scientific data instead of $$$$$$$....

T-

Productive Sleep - Oxymoron? Perhaps not...

The effects of sleep (or the lack of) on my health  came to a head shortly before thanksgiving last year.  Working one full-time job, then going to a friends home to paint and install hardwood floors left little time for eating, family, or sleep.  In total I would sleep 30 minutes to one hour in the car after shift, then three or four hours at home. In total 30 hours of sleep per week for 3 weeks until the job was complete compared to 50-60 hours at 7-8 per night as recommended by people "in the know".


The result was some funky bronchitis, a few days of missed work and a cough that lingered for at least two months...


Talk about good inspiration for a new blog post, not necessarily on food this time, but what good is healthy food when your immune system is seriously degraded by a lack of proper rest.


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According to research, sleep not only has the power to re-energize your body, it also regulates your metabolism (lack of sleep can slow down your daily calorie burn), and keeps your appetite in check too! (Self Magazine)


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The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

1. Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
2. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
3. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
4. Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
5. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

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There are studies that have shown that proper sleep has a profound effect on regenerating the liver.

Just like it is written in Gods word:

Psalm 139:13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
  and knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
  as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

We were created to eat naturally, and rest naturally...  It seems when we take either for granted there is a price to pay.  Everything in moderation, right? :)

I know I am preaching to the choir on this subject as in a regular week I am currently only getting 40-45 hours.  Working night shift during the week then flipping my sleep schedule for the weekend, then flopping back to nights again for the next week I have not found a way to do it right.
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These are the NEGATIVES:

• aching muscles
• immune deficiency
• hallucinations
• hand tremors
• headaches
• increased blood pressure
• increased risk of diabetes
• increased risk of fibromyalgia
• irritability
• memory lapses or loss
• nystagmus(rapid involuntary rhythmic eye movement)
• obesity
• temper tantrums in children
• yawning
• symptoms similar to:
  • Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • Psychosis

Benefits of proper sleep habits: 

• Sleep Keeps Your Heart Healthy

• Sleep May Prevent Cancer

• Sleep Reduces Stress

• Sleep Reduces Inflammation

• Sleep Makes You More Alert

• Sleep Bolsters Your Memory

• Sleep May Help You Lose Weight

• Naps Make You Smarter

• Sleep May Reduce Your Risk for Depression

• Sleep Helps the Body Make Repairs

(Additional reading and excerpts taken from:)

http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongenergy/tp/healthy_sleep.htm

http://www.monumentalmassage.com/articles/restorative_benefits_of_sleep.html

Here's to a long peaceful sleep!

Terry-

If I needed proof, I got it!

If I needed proof I sure got it, times three and all in one week! You know how sometimes you know you are doing the right thing but you can't always see the fruit of your labor, or you just don't realize your seeing the outward effects of it? We got our confirmation this week.
 I will start with last Friday - Proof Number One - My middle daughter (the one that we originally put on the Feingold diet) had a dentist appointment, so my hubby took her. When filling out the paper work he wrote under allergies, "allergic to artificial dyes and flavors" but I do not think anyone looked at it before the appointment. She was taken for her check up and my hubby stayed in the waiting room. She finished up and he took her back to school. When she got home I could immediately tell she was not herself. She had been home for around 30 minutes and had about 4 or 5 meltdowns, plus she had gotten a note home from the teacher for acting up in school. I didn't know what in the world was wrong with her until she started telling me all about her dentist appointment and then she said, "and then they put cherry flavored stuff in my mouth." Suddenly everything made sense. If I needed proof that her diet was working I certainly got it Friday! It just amazes me how hyper sensitive kids with ADD are to certain foods and additives!

Proof number two. Now this one is a little difficult for me to admit to, being a writer of a blog all about healthy eating but it just goes to show we're all human and have our weaknesses. I'm just thankful to know that God can help us with them. So proof number two starts this Tuesday when our family went to our church Fall festival. The girls played carnival games and won heaps of candy, loaded with artificial color and flavor. They came home ready to trade their candy in for money or natural candies without all the artificials in them(this is what we do during all the holidays when candies are given). The next day the girls were in school and their bags of candy were just sitting on the counter staring at me all day. The next thing I know I'm chowing down on one of their mini chocolate bars, then another.... Pretty soon I had probably eaten 6 or 7 of their chocolates.  Within 30 minutes I started feeling quite nauseous and then a headache set in, which is very odd for me because I rarely get headaches. I was very surprised by the reaction but it had been months since I had deliberately eaten anything with an artificial flavor or color in it, so I guess my body just really was not used to it. If I needed proof that this stuff was not good for me I got it!
Now comes proof number three which just happened last night. While my hubby was at work last night they threw the employees a harvest party and provided all the fixings for fajitas for their lunch. He says he ate quite alot of them because they were the last shift to eat and there was lots of meat left over. Fifteen minutes later he says he started sneezing non-stop and then came down with one of those ice-pick in the forehead headaches. He felt terrible! He thought there must have been MSG in the fajita seasoning. One of his coworkers asked him what was wrong because he could tell he didn't look good..  When he told him how he was feeling, his coworker said he hadn't been feeling very well either and that he was alergic to MSG. Hmmm........
 All this to say -  If I needed proof that what we put in our bodies is important and really does make a difference, I had plenty of  proof this week!
Proverbs 2: 1-6 My child, listen to what I say and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Search for them as you would for silver, seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.


~April~

Helpful Books!

Just a little note to share two books that I have found very helpful. The Makers Diet and The Makers Diet For Weight Loss by Jordan Rubin. These books made so much sense to me. Learning how God made our bodies to eat through the bible. I did not find them to be quick reading books because he is very medical and gives you lots of details on how your body works. For me I find it very helpful to not just be told you should eat this, or you should not eat this, but be given detailed reasons why in relation to your body and how it works. Which makes it much easier for me to do, or not to do something not just because I said so. I do have to say that in my opinion some of the things Jordan Rubin suggests are pretty hard core although I'm sure they are very good for your health but unless you are very wealthy or live on a farm and grow all your own produce and animals it may not be possible for everyone to follow everything he says in the books but I loved understanding better how our bodies work and any of the things from the book you can incorporate into your lives should help improve your health.

I have just barely started a new book titled What The Bible Says About Healthy Living by Rex Russell. I have no opinion to share about it yet since I just barely started reading it. Funny thing about the book is I had no idea it had any relation to Jordan Rubin at all. I had heard Gary Smalley make reference to it and thought I'd like to check it out. When it came in the mail I opened it and right there in the front of the book is a forward by Jordan Rubin recommending the book. I thought it was pretty bizarre that out of all the books I could choose it would still some how be connected to Jordan Rubin, anyways I will keep you posted.

Green Tea The Super Food!

So I've been reading up on green tea and all I can say is WOW! What an amazing food God has given us! The list of health benefits from those little tea leaves is crazy long! Now I've never really been a big tea drinker. I mostly just like to drink water and if I do drink tea I prefer iced tea. So what I've started do and hopefully will be diligent enough to continue is making a big pitcher of hot tea with a couple packs of Stevia in it and then refrigerating it. I have one of those big water bottles with the straws that you can buy pretty much anywhere and I'm just trying to make sure I drink one of those a day so I can reap all the benefits green tea has to offer. I'm also going to get my 2 older girls to start drinking a glass a day. As far as giving it to your kids what I've read so far is not to give it to babies or toddlers because of the high caffeine but giving it in moderation to older kids can actually be quite beneficial. Many people are calling this drink a super food!

Here is a list of things that you may benefit from by making green tea a part of your life :

Strengthened immune system

Inhibits cancer growths

Lower cholesterol

Strengthened circulation

Better digestion

Less cavities

Help with diabetes

Weight loss

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. All for just enjoying a cup of yummy tea!

To see more info on any of these things follow the link to read the whole article. http://www.benefit-green-tea.com/  There are many articles all over the internet singing the praises of green tea.

And of course it's always better if you can get organic!

~April~

To MSG or not MSG... Beyond the Buffet-

The mention of MSG (monosodium glutamate) conjurs memories of endless buffet tables slathered in unpronouncable asian cuisines topped with non-stop ice cream.  Well, that was until recently anyways...

We found MSG to be in most savory food you can buy at your local market.  Even in the same market there are safe alternatives available, but your attention to labels and knowing how this chemical is hidden will be the key to health-

These are excerpts from 3 quick reading articles that are very informative:

The Hidden Danger in Your Food (link)
"And babies in the womb and young children up to age three are the most threatened. That means expectant mothers may need to be mindful of their diets. And when the babies are born, moms may want to watch out for what's in their formula.

Nearly all formulas contain high levels of highly processed milk and soy protein. The processing breaks down those two proteins, releasing high levels of glutamate and aspartate. Both are excitotoxins.

An unprotected part of the brain can then be damaged. That damage can permanently damage the body's ability to control obesity. (Quoted from above article)

Your Brains Biggest Enemy (link)
"Buchholz said, "That's exactly right. It's an excitotoxin, and it turns on this headache mechanism and makes you hurt like heck."

An excitotoxin is any substance that overexcites cells to the point of damage -- it acts as a toxin.

And there may be more to this public poison.

MSG can directly worsen autism, attention deficit disorder, and hyperactivity.

And MSG can cause the brain to be miswired, especially in the womb and the first few years of life.

That damage to brain connections can mess up nearly any aspect of brain function, from the control of hormones to behavior and intelligence. " (Quoted from above article)

"Consider this: Could the organic yogurt granny eats send her prematurely into Alzheimer's? Could your baby's diet be putting the child on a path toward attention deficit disorder? " (Quoted from above article)

MSG Cancer and Your Heart (link)
"He said, "The total picture is -- if you're consuming a diet with glutamate in it, particularly high levels, you're making your cancer grow very rapidly. I refer to it as cancer fertilizer."

The cancers of this type include several brain cancers, colon cancer, breast cancer, and others as well." (Quoted from above article)

In our research we found MSG to be hidden in all kinds of foods. It is mainly used as a flavor enhancer. As the articles above mention, MSG is not regulated by the FDA as a dangerous substance so companies, knowing flavor = $$$, have no problem listing the chemical on packaging as:

MSG	Gelatin	Calcium Caseinate
Monosodium glutamate	Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)	Textured Protein
Monopotassium glutamate	Hydrolyzed Plant Protein (HPP)	Yeast Extract
Glutamate	Autolyzed Plant Protein	Yeast food or nutrient
Glutamic Acid	Sodium Caseinate	Autolyzed Yeast
Vegetable Protein Extract	Senomyx (wheat extract labeled as artificial flavor)

(Extract taken from http://www.msgmyth.com/hidename.htm . More names for MSG available at this site.)

There is also plenty of research linking MSG intake to ADD, ADHD, and Autism-

MSGTruth.org - (Interesting article about MSG-ADD, ADHD and Autism)
"Children given Tylenol with their vaccines were SIX TIMES more likely to develop autism than children given ibuprofen (which is a glutamate BLOCKER).  This is key - because Tylenol, like excess MSG, lowers glutathione levels.  One of the genes for autism is for making glutathione.  Our theory is that Tylenol, by depleting an already low supply of glutathione, makes it more difficult for an autistic child to get rid of mercury FROM ANY SOURCE.  We have suspected this link for a while now, but the latest study just confirmed our fears."  (Quoted from MSGTruth.org)

Side Note - If you were not already aware, most imunizations available to the general public contain alarming levels of mercury, they will also contain  MSG (glutamic acid) as a preservative for the virus. (Immunizations containing mercury have been linked to mercury poisoning and Autism.  FDA and CDC have recommended a gradual withdrawl of vaccines containing mercury - No actual timeline...  Between now and the year 3000...  More info here - Thimerosal and Mercury Poisoning )

This is where it gets fun, trying to avoid the obvious, and more cleverly hidden souces of this chemical-
These are some not so obvious sources that suprised us as we dug deeper into msg and our own pantry:

• Canned soups - Many times disguised as yeast extract.
• Salad Dressings
• Doritos and other crunchy snack foods
• Ramen noodles
• Boullion (Beef,Chicken, Pork, and Vegetable)

http://www.msgtruth.org/avoid.htm - Extensive list of foods containing MSG.

One of the most disturbing things about MSG that I learned today while writing this blog was about infant formula containing it.  I have done no personal research on this end of it but considering children are 4 times more sensitive to the effects of MSG I think it may be worthy of an article of its own. 

Although I miss my asian buffet, and Ramen noodles... I value my health more :)

A measure of maturity - Patiently doing what you know is right, instead of what feels good-


~Terry~

How long will Mcdonalds food take to decompose???

So I do not want to traumatize any of you Mcdonalds lovers too much but you really must check out this video link. The amount of preservatives that would have to be in Mcdonalds food to get it to last this long! That's really all I have to say about it, the video speaks for itself. So gross!!!


The 4 Year Old McDonald's Cheeseburger Part 1

www.5min.com

Watch A Four Old Mcdonalds Cheeseburger - Author and Obesity Activist Julia Havey has been aging a McDonalds cheeseburger for 4 years. Find out what happens to this old burger? Fast food cheeseburgers age better than most humans. http://diet.com/video

I think I may have to buy a hamburger and fries to experiment with myself and see how long it will keep.

~April~