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Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
3 Day Diet
The 3 Day Diet is a popular fad diet. It focuses on a specific meal plan that is designed to make the dieter drop significant weight within a 3 day period. It works by following a restrictive calorie deficit plan and is not recommended for more than a 3 day span.
The 3 Day Diet consists of 3 meals a day. Anyone who is used to starvation type diets might be surprised at the amount that you are actually allowed to eat on this diet. Breakfast is typically small and well balanced, consisting of a fruit, a grain, a protein, and coffee, tea, or water with an artificial sweetener.
Lunchtime on the 3 Day diet consists of a protein and a grain as well as coffee, tea, or water with an artificial sweetener. The lunchtime protein can be either one hardboiled egg, a cup of cottage cheese, or half a cup of tuna. The grain is a slice of toast or 5 saltine crackers.
Mealtime adds a bigger variety of foods. There is typically a protein, a fruit, 2 vegetables, and your beverage. To make this diet more achievable, ice cream is added to the dinner portion of the meal. This is an unexpected twist, since ice cream is perceived to be a no no to most diets, and adding it to a restrictive calorie type of diet doesn't make much sense.
Despite the treat of adding ice cream to the last meal of the day, the 3 day diet does deliver on what it promises. On average, people who successfully maintain the diet for the 3 day period will lose 10 pounds. Unfortunately, most of this weight is perceived to be water weight. Either way, for a short period of time, it gets the job done.
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Thursday, November 10, 2011
Food Allergies and Sensitivities - Some Alternative Recipes
Food allergies and sensitivities seem to be on the rise. Either that, or there are just more and more people who are aware of what is causing their ill health.
Back in the 80's, I was one of those people who scoffed at the claims of some people regarding environmental sensitivities. At that time the focus was on dyes, inks, fragrances and environmental pollutants. Many of the people featured in news articles and documentaries were reduced to living in tents or "bubbles". I thought they were all a little bit "nuts". Then I became one. It sure taught me a thing or two.
The list of things that I must avoid is daunting: milk in all its forms; wheat in all its forms; corn, which includes corn oil, corn starch and corn sugars; bananas, all citrus fruit; strawberries; chocolate; caffeine; nuts; peanuts; yeast; mushrooms and environmental fungi; artificial sweeteners; artificial colors; artificial flavors; preservatives; alcohol, whether taken internally or inhaled as in a hairspray; and all artificial fragrances and quite a few natural ones. All of the above items give me migraine headaches. I had the migraines every day for about four years before I figured it all out. I have to severely limit my salt intake due to having Meniere's Syndrome, which is too much fluid pressure in the inner ear. It causes extreme dizziness, ringing in the ears and gradual loss of hearing.
Because of all of these limitations, I have had to find alternatives to the things that most people take for granted. I have spent a lot of years researching food allergies and sensitivities and the alternatives. I would like to present you with some of the recipes I have developed for some of my favorite foods.
When I was young, my mother made the most wonderful ginger cookies. She used white wheat flour, butter, Crisco, salt and baking soda as well as a few other ingredients that I can still use. So, if gluten is not a problem for you, here is my ginger cookie recipe:
1 ¾ cups whole grain spelt flour or oat flour
½ cup brown cane sugar
½ cup refined cane sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup light olive oil
4 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon potassium bicarbonate (rising agent)
¼ teaspoon clove
Water
Unwashed, raw sugar with large crystals
Pre-heat oven to 370°
In a large bowl, mix olive oil, sugar, brown sugar and molasses. Add the ginger, cinnamon and clove. Then add the flour and the rising agent. If it looks too loose or oily, add a little more flour until it doesn't. If you add too much flour and it becomes to dry to hold together, add a little water. It should not stick to your hands.
Take about a tablespoon and a half of dough in your hands and form it into a ball. Roll the ball around in the raw sugar and place on an ungreased, non-stick cookie sheet. They will spread out, so only place about 12 balls per average sized cookie sheet. About ¾ of the way through baking, the tops start to crack.
Bake for about 15 minutes.
Be a little careful as you remove them from the sheet to a cooling rack. They do not hold together really well until they have cooled. It will make at least 2 dozen, maybe more.
I have been told by countless people that these are the best ginger cookies they have ever eaten.
Another treat I dearly love are pancakes. I would eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could. Actually, I have, but not all on the same day.
The trick with pancakes is to get them to hold together well. Also, to make them "gluey" enough to hold the gas produced by the rising agent so that they are nice and fluffy. Spelt and oat flours do not have nearly as much gluten as does wheat flour. The potato starch mentioned in the following recipe acts as a conditioner for the batter and the flax seed meal acts as the "glue".
1 cup whole grain spelt flour
½ cup whole grain oat flour (or use all oat flour)
¼ cup light olive oil
1 egg
2 tablespoons refined cane sugar (or raw sugar)
1 tablespoon potato starch
1 tablespoon flax seed meal
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons potassium bicarbonate (rising agent, if sodium is not a problem, use baking soda)
Water
Mix the egg, olive oil, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Add the flours, potato starch, flax seed meal and rising agent. Stir. It will be very thick. Add water by 1/3 cups until you have the consistency you desire. Cook on a non-stick griddle over medium heat until they are golden brown.
Because oat flour and potato starch soak up a lot of water, the batter tends to thicken as it sits between batches. It may be necessary to add a little water as you go.
I make smallish pancakes by pouring the batter by ¼ cupfuls onto the hot griddle. I get about a dozen from this recipe.
I like my pancakes best served with 100% maple syrup or a little locally produced honey. Do not toss out the leftovers (if you have any). Just store them in the refrigerator. When you are in the mood for a quick snack, pop a couple in the toaster. Yum! I am always hoping there will be some pancakes left over.
I hope you enjoy my first foray into presenting some alternative recipes. Be creative with your food and do not be afraid of failure. Cooking might be chemistry, but it is not rocket science.
Friday, November 4, 2011
What You Need To Know About Water
Importance Of Water In The Body
Water makes up about 55-60% of the body weight of an average human being. The lungs are nearly 90% water, blood is 83% water, brain and lean muscles are 75% water, bone is 22% water, and body fat is 10% water.
Therefore, a person can survive for up to 4 weeks without food but no longer than 3 days without water. Water performs many vital functions in the body, it:
moistens tissues such as those in the eyes, nose, and mouth,
regulates body temperature,
protects body organs and tissues,
lubricates joints,
helps prevent constipation,
lessens the burden on liver and kidneys by flushing out waste products and toxins,
transports nutrients and hormones around the body, and
maintains the delicate balance of mineral concentrations within the cells.
Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine, and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish your water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.
How Much Water Do You Need Every Day?
A general rule of thumb is to take your body weight in pounds divided by 2 and you get the number of ounces required per day. For instance, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink 75 ounces of fluid or slightly over nine 8-oz glasses.
Clean, filtered water is your best choice of fluid and it has 0 calories!
Other beverages that count as your daily fluid intake include regular and decaffeinated tea and coffee, broth, fruit and vegetable juices, milk, energy drinks, sweetened beverages and artificially-sweetened diet drinks. However, watch out for the amount of caffeine, sugar, artificial chemicals, and sodium that may be present in these beverages as over consumption of these ingredients may lead to long-term health problems.
Harmful Effects Of Dehydration
Common causes of dehydration include intense diarrhea, vomiting, fever, or excessive sweating. Exercise and not drinking enough water during hot weather may also cause dehydration.
Dehydration may lead to fatigue, migraines, constipation, muscle cramps, irregular blood pressure, kidney problems, and dry skin. There is even a risk of death if you become severely dehydrated.
Make sure you catch the early symptoms of dehydration:
Thirst. If you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Don't forget to hydrate throughout the day, especially during hot weather or when you exercise or drink alcohol. For every alcoholic drink, it is prudent to replenish with a glass of water.
Hunger. Most people mistake hunger as the indication to eat, whereas actually, you may be dehydrated. When you feel hungry, drink a glass of water and wait 15 minutes to see if the hunger pangs disappear.
Dark yellow/orange urine. Urine is usually pale yellow to clear when you have sufficient water intake. Dark color or strong smell indicates you need to drink more water.
Dysfunctional "Enhanced" Waters
Pure, clean water is tasteless. However, many children and adults, spoiled by years of drinking sweetened beverages, are reluctant to drink the perfectly healthy water.
As a result, the food and beverage industry has created many "enhanced" waters sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners and fortified with everything from vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, to electrolytes, oxygen, and even fiber in every imaginable color and flavor to entice you to drink them!
But if you take a closer look at the ingredients of these "enhanced" waters, you will discover that most contain many unsavory ingredients that may wreck havoc on your metabolism, hormones, and other body functions.
The following are examples of some dysfunctional waters and their unsavory ingredients. They are all sweetened with sugar or some other artificial sweeteners.
Aquafina (Berry Burst) - contains potassium benzoate (preservative), aspartame (artificial sweetener), acesulfame potassium (artificial sweetener), calcium disodium EDTA (additive)
Bot (Berry) - contains pure cane sugar (9g/container)
Dasani Plus (Pomegranate Blackberry) - contains maltodextrin (presence of gluten), potassium sorbate (preservative), potassium benzoate and EDTA, acesulfame potassium, sucralose (artificial sweetener)
Fruit20 essentials (Cranberry Raspberry) - contains maltodextrin, sucralose, sodium hexametaphosphate (additive), sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate
MiO (Berry Pomegranate) - contains propylene glycol (solvent), sucralose, acesulfame potassium, polysorbate 60 (emulsifier), red 40 (dye), blue 1 (dye), potassium sorbate
Propel Fitness Water (Kiwi-Strawberry) - contains sucrose syrup (4g/container), sucralose, calcium disodium EDTA, acesulfame potassium
Snapple Antioxidant Water (Strawberry Acai) - contains sugar (33g/container) and caffeine (60mg)
SoBe LifeWater - various flavors sweetened with sugar (24g/container)
VitaminWater (Tropical Citrus) - contains crystalline fructose (sugar 33g/container)
Voosh (Acai Blueberry Pomegranate) - contains crystalline fructose (sugar 33g/container)
On the other hand, there are two relatively healthier flavored waters with minimal junk ingredients:
Glaceau Smart Water - vapor distilled water and electrolytes
MetroMint - purified water and mint
Why Carbonated Waters Are Not Good For You
The normal pH (acid-alkaline) range in the stomach is between 1.5 to 3.5, meaning it is highly acidic. This acidity creates an ideal environment for digestive enzymes to break down food.
When you drink water with added carbonation, it neutralizes the stomach acid momentarily. Carbon dioxide combines with water to form carbonic acid, which rapidly dissociates to form hydrogen ion and bicarbonate. The bicarbonate, being alkaline, increases the pH in the stomach, making it less acidic.
Therefore, regular use of carbonated water will not only disrupt your buffering system which regulates the pH in the stomach, but also exhaust your stomach's parietal cells in producing stomach acid. This can eventually lead to digestive problems and the growth of harmful bacteria (which prefers a more alkaline environment) in the stomach.
This also applies to other carbonated drinks such as sodas. What's worse is that sodas contain phosphoric acid, which causes your body to leach calcium and contributes to osteoporosis.
Do Not Drink Alkaline Water
For the same reason mentioned above, alkaline or ionized water is not recommended for regular use. Contrary to some claims, alkaline water is not a healthy drink, in particular if the pH of the water is strongly alkaline. Long-term use of this type of water will interfere with the stomach's buffering system.
Tap, Filtered, Reverse Osmosis, Distilled, Or Bottled Water?
Tap water is not ideal for drinking. Depending on where you live, tap water may contain parasites, chlorine, fluoride, dioxins and other contaminants. If you have old pipes in the house, it may even have have traces of lead.
The reality: there is no perfect source of water, but the best is tap water that has been treated with a compressed carbon filter found in counter-top or under-counter systems. This type of filter removes heavy metals, chlorine, bacteria, viruses, and other impurities but leaves valuable mineral ions, such as calcium, magnesium, iodine, silicon, and selenium in the water. (Please note that pitcher-type filters generally is the least effective and are certified to remove only copper, mercury, cadmium, chlorine, and zinc.)
Unfortunately, carbon filters are less effective in removing fluoride. Why is fluoride added to our water supply? There is now overwhelming evidence that fluoride does not prevent tooth decay but instead, may lead to dental fluorisis (staining and pitting of teeth), weakened bones, low thyroid, and a host of other illnesses. That's why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently recommended mothers not to use fluoridated water when using formula to feed their baby.
Reverse osmosis removes about 80% of the fluoride and distillation 55-60%, but they also create acidic and demineralized water. One way to remedy this is to reintroduce minerals into the water by stirring in some Himalayan or sea salt. Bear in mind that reverse osmosis is expensive and it wastes a lot of water. Depending on the brand, it takes anywhere from 2-10 gallons of water to produce one gallon of drinking water.
Bottled water is no guarantee of purity either and it is less regulated than tap water. Of course, the best comes from a natural spring. If you choose to drink bottled water, you should know:
where the water comes from,
whether it is purified, and if so, how? and
whether the water is tested for any contaminants.
Please be aware that about 40% of bottled water in the market is just regular tap water, which may or may not have been treated. Aquafina and Dasani are two examples of such water.
What's more, you should never leave plastic-bottled water in a hot car as the higher temperature can result in chemicals leaching into the water.
Plastic bottles have become an enormous environmental problem for humanity. As good as it feels to haul your plastic bottles to a recycler, do you realize that 86% of plastic bottles never get recycled, leaving a massive number of them sitting in landfills and floating like massive plastic islands in our oceans? According to the Sierra Club, the U.S. alone uses 1.5 million barrels of oil to make the water bottles we toss into landfills every year, releasing many toxic by-products into the environment.
Best Temperature For Drinking Water
If you drink iced water, your stomach will have to hold it until it reaches body temperature before releasing it into the small intestine for use. Drinking iced water alone is not that bad unless you are already dehydrated as the iced water cannot be put to use immediately.
However, drinking iced water with food may compromise your digestion as the extra time the water stays in the stomach results in the dilution of your stomach acid and digestive enzymes. If you find that this is your problem, don't drink so much water, particularly iced water with your meals. For those who are deficient in stomach acid, drink 15-30 minutes before eating. Nevertheless, remember to chew your food properly before swallowing instead of swallowing half-chewed food with a gulp of water.
The best is to drink warm (second best is room temperature), clean, filtered water. It is the most natural and economical way to replenish your body's fluid requirements.
If you have a need to flavor your water, add a few fresh mint leaves, fresh ginger, sliced cucumber, strawberries, apple, or lemon/orange peel into your water. There is no reason to spend your money on all the fancy waters that may not even be good for your health.
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