Archive for December, 2007

Ground Beef: Why All This Cooking Concern

Bacteria is everywhere. Any food of animal origin can harbor bacteria, and ground beef fits this bill.

Pathogenic bacteria cause illness and can not be seen or smelled. Other bacteria cause spoilage and are generally not harmful. But it does cause food to develop a bad odor or feel sticky.

When meat is ground, such as ground beef, more of the meat is exposed to the harmful bacteria. This bacteria grows rapidly in temperatures between 40 and 140 °F.

E. coli can colonize in the intestines of animals, which could contaminate muscle meat at slaughter. Once it gets in food, it can multiply very slowly at temperatures as low as 44 °F. It has the potential to produce large quantities of a potent toxin.

E. coli causing illness has been linked to the consumption of undercooked ground beef. It is killed by thorough cooking.

Bacteria can spread from one surface to another. Bacteria in raw meat juices can contaminate foods that have been cooked safely or raw foods that won’t be cooked, such as salad ingredients. Bacteria can also be present on equipment, hands, and even in the air.

To avoid cross-contamination:

  • don’t reuse any packaging materials
  • don’t put cooked hamburgers on the same platter that held the raw patties
  • wash your hands with soap and hot water before and after handling ground beef
  • use soap and hot water to wash utensils and surfaces which have come into contact with the raw meat

To be sure all bacteria are destroyed, cook ground beef to 160 °F. Use a food thermometer to check that they have reached a safe internal temperature.

How to Reduce Trans Fat in Your Diet

Eliminating all trans fat from your diet is not recommended. The reason being you would have to include the elimination of dairy products and meats that naturally contain trans fatty acids. In turn, this may cause some nutrient deficiencies, thus creating additional health risks.

Essentially, lowering your intake of trans fat is one key to a healthy heart. French fries are one of the highest sources of trans fat, so trade in that fast food choice. Start reading the Nutrition Facts panel to help you choose foods lower in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. Do a comparison of similar foods and choose the food with the lower combined saturated and trans fats and the lower amount of cholesterol.

Here are some actions you can take every day to keep your consumption of both saturated and trans fats and cholesterol low while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet.

  • Check the Nutrition Facts panel to compare foods because the serving sizes are generally consistent in similar types of foods. Choose foods lower in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol.
  • Replace saturated and trans fats in your diet with mono- and polyunsaturated fats. These fats do not raise LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol levels and have health benefits when eaten in moderation. Sources of monounsaturated fats include olive and canola oils. Sources of polyunsaturated fats include soybean, corn, sunflower oils, and foods like nuts.
  • Choose vegetable oils (except coconut and palm kernel oils) and soft margarine (liquid, tub, or spray) more often because the combined amount of saturated and trans fats is lower than the amount in solid shortenings, hard margarine, and animal fats, including butter.
  • Consider Fish. Most fish are lower in saturated fat than meat. Some fish, such as mackerel, sardines, and salmon, contain omega-3 fatty acids that are being studied to determine if they offer protection against heart disease.
  • Limit foods high in cholesterol such as liver and other organ meats, egg yolks, and full-fat dairy products, like whole milk.
  • Choose foods low in saturated fat such as fat free or 1% dairy products, lean meats, fish, skinless poultry, whole grain foods, and fruit and vegetables.

Also, some dietary supplements contain ingredients that also include partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or trans fat as well as saturated fat and cholesterol.

What is a Trans Fat and What are Its Sources

The highest consumed source of trans fat in our diet is man made. Man makes it by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil, process called hydrogenation.

Hydrogenation is a consumer’s benefit in that it increases the shelf life and stabilizes the flavor. This convenience has now turned highly detrimental because it increases your risk for heart disease.

You may find trans fat in:

  • crackers
  • cookies
  • snack foods
  • some margarines
  • vegetable shortenings
  • foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils

A small amount of trans fat is found naturally, primarily in:

  • some meat
  • dairy products
  • other animal-based foods

Trans fat, like saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, raises the LDL cholesterol that increases your risk for heart disease.

Saturated fat is the main dietary source that raises LDL. However, trans fat and dietary cholesterol significantly contribute also.

Diet and Weight Loss Resolution All Year

Have you made that resolution to clean up your diet act and shed some extra weight? Well, making a resolution is just the first step toward getting your diet in order.

Before you commence on another failed attempt to eat right and keep your weight down, you may want to consider the nature of your resolution. Resolution is a steadfast or unwavering commitment to something. A commitment to lose weight has an ending. Adjusting your diet in the direction of healthier doesn’t.

Diet adjustment is an ongoing process that has opportunities to set short term goals, time to experience, achieve and then move on. Our brain abhors boredom and embraces challenge.

Challenge is in the form of goal, live and achieve. Followed by the same, the goal changes the pattern doesn’t.

Using salt reduction as a short term goal example to start. Your taste buds need time to adjust and you need time for habit development. This first goal gets you focused on added salt creating a short term achievable goal. Mission accomplished. Now move on to the next leg of the resolution. Perhaps eating a salad 3 nights a week.

On and on it goes adjusting your dietary manner of living via small challenges.

Somewhere in your future your diet transitions to relatively healthy in comparison. Your pattern of behavior becomes goal, live and achieve. Your diet remains in a constant state of flux in an overall healthy way.

Make your resolution to adjust your diet in a healthier manner an all year, all the time and dynamic series of achievements and you may look back without realizing you have had long term success. No boredom and the pleasure principle arises from the challenge and achievement rather than the food itself.

What are Signs of Reaction to Monosodium Glutamate or MSG

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer used in a variety of foods. Over the past 30 years adverse reactions have been reported by people who’ve eaten foods containing MSG.

Studies have shown that the body uses glutamate as a nerve impulse transmitter in the brain and that there are glutamate-responsive tissues in other parts of the body, as well.

In otherwise healthy MSG-intolerant people, the MSG symptom complex tends to occur within one hour after eating 3 grams or more of MSG on an empty stomach or without other food.

A reaction is most likely if the MSG is eaten in a large quantity or in a liquid, such as a clear soup. You may react to MSG and develop MSG symptom complex, a condition characterized by one or more of the following symptoms:

  • nausea
  • weakness
  • headache
  • chest pain
  • drowsiness
  • rapid heartbeat
  • facial pressure/tightness
  • difficulty breathing in MSG-intolerant people with asthma
  • burning sensation in the back of the neck, forearms and chest
  • numbness in the back of the neck, radiating to the arms, back
  • tingling, warmth, weakness in the face, temples, upper back, neck, arms

No scientific evidence exists to suggest that dietary MSG or glutamate contributes to a whole host of diseases nor causes any adverse effects.

Injections of glutamate in laboratory animals has resulted in damage to nerve cells in the brain. However, according to the FDA the consumption of glutamate in food does not cause this effect .

Sounds risky, so why take this chance. Get back to nature in your food choices and avoid this whole “darn” controversy.

What is Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of the amino acid glutamic acid and a form of glutamate. It is a fine white crystal, similar to the way salt or sugar looks. It does not have its own taste, however it adds flavor to other foods.

MSG is made by a fermenting process using starch, sugar beets, sugar cane, or molasses. Glutamate is found naturally in our bodies and in protein foods, like cheese, milk, meat, peas and mushrooms.

Some glutamate is in foods in a “free” form. And it is this free form glutamate that enhances a food’s flavor. Part of the flavor-enhancing effect of tomatoes, certain cheeses, and fermented or hydrolyzed protein products (soy sauce) is the presence of free glutamate.

Side Note: Hydrolyzed proteins are used in the same manner as MSG in many foods, such as canned vegetables, soups and processed meats. They contain salts of free amino acids, such as glutamate.

Some have reported sensitivity to MSG and find out if you happen to be one.

Gradual Reduction to Avoid Caffeine Withdrawal

Abrupt withdrawal of caffeine may cause headaches, drowsiness, irritability, nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms.

Caffeine withdrawals can happen with as little as one cup of coffee per day habit. Symptoms of withdrawal usually start occurring within12 – 24 hours after your last intake. These symptoms can last for up to a week.

Reduce caffeine intake gradually to avoid caffeine’s unpleasant symptoms of withdrawal.

Why Dopamine High from Caffeine and Stimulating Effects

Caffeine blocks the action of adenosine receptors which in turn increases dopamine levels. Dopamine is a brain chemical associated with reward, pleasure, movement and motivation. High on dopamine brought to you by caffeine.

The amount of caffeine in 2-4 cups of coffee/day is usually not harmful for most. Be aware that too much caffeine may make you restless, anxious and irritable. It could be what’s keeping you from a good night’s sleep and may cause headaches, abnormal heart rhythms or other physical problems.

Some people are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine, so no caffeine high for them. If you stop using caffeine to get your dopamine high, you may experience withdrawal symptoms. A headache is one.

What are Food Additives and Why Added to Food

Food additives refer to any substance added to your food. This includes any substance used in the production, processing, treatment, packaging, transportation or storage.

Direct additives are added for a specific purpose and indirect additives become part of the food due to its packaging, storage or other handling. Many direct additives are identified on the ingredient label of foods.

Without some food additives, the loss and costs associated with spoilage and pests would make that food cost more. Also, additives are used to improve the nutritional value and can make food more appealing by improving their taste, texture, consistency or color.

Most people today have come to rely on the many technological, aesthetic and convenience benefits that additives provide in food.

Many substances listed on the ingredient label sound foreign, yet you might know them by a different name. For example:

Some additives have been used for centuries, i.e. salt, to preserve meats and fish. Herbs and spices are used to improve the flavor.

Some additives are manufactured from natural sources such as soybeans and corn, which provide lecithin to maintain product consistency. Or beet powder is used for food coloring.

Other useful additives are not found in nature and must be man-made. Artificial additives can be produced more economically, with greater purity and more consistent quality than some of their natural counterparts.

Vitamins Strategy for Your Healthy Diet

It is important for you to develop an overall strategy for how you will achieve adequate vitamin intakes. Many consume more calories than needed without enough nutrients to boot. Essentially we are a country chuck full of sickly overfed citizens.

Adopting a balanced eating pattern to meet recommended nutrient intakes within energy needs is not easy, but neither is dealing with the resulting illness when you don’t.

The nutrients giving cause for concern in our adult population are:

Stop and think before you eat. Ask yourself if what you are about to put in your mouth is offering up anything other than calories. If not, put it out. Out of mind and out of body.

Go load up on some veggies first and come back to those empty ones if you must.

Natural Nectar of a Nectarine is Low in Calories and No Sodium or Cholesterol

Ah, the fruit of nectarine. This sweet fruit is low in calories with no sodium or cholesterol.

Nectarines are similar to peaches, yet different. The obvious way to see how they differ is no “fuzz” on a nectarine. Nectarines are more delicate than peaches and they do bruise very easily.

You may notice that nectarines are smaller and smooth skinned. Coloring is a golden yellow with large blushes of red. Did you know that there are over 100 varieties?

The best way to tell if the fruit is ripe is take a whiff for its fruity fragrance and the slight give to your touch. The harder ones will ripen if left at room temperature for 2–3 days. Also, nectarines will keep up to 5 days when stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Always look for nectarines that have smooth unblemished skin. Stay away from the extremely hard ones, dull colored ones or the too soft ones with wrinkles or punctured skin.

Nectarines can be used and prepared in the same ways as peaches, with no need to peel, as they are without the fuzz. Go ahead and leave the skins for that added skin benefit when making pies, cobblers and fresh fruit salads, etc.

Why Food Doesn’t Taste Right

Food may not taste right because there’s something wrong with the food. Or food may not taste right because there’s something wrong with you.

Once you’ve determined that your “don’t taste right” issue is not with the quality of the food, then you want to discover what’s going on with your sense of taste and/or smell. Because having a taste disorder can be serious.

Taste helps you know when food, or a beverage, is spoiled or spoiling. It also helps you determine whether food you might be allergic to is present. The loss of taste can lead to depression or a loss of appetite. Inability to taste could even be a sign you’re suffer from some health related condition.

Taste belongs to your chemical sensing system and starts when tiny molecules released by a food stimulates special cells in your nose, mouth or throat. Then they’ll transmit messages to your brain for identification.

The taste sensations of sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami are the most common. When present in your mouth, these tastes, texture and temperature combine with odors for flavor perception.

It is actually flavor that lets you know what you are eating. Flavors are recognized mainly through your sense of smell, and not taste. Plug your nose, eat something and you will have trouble identifying its flavor. That is because the distinguishing characteristic is sensed largely by its odor.

The most common taste complaint is phantom taste perceptions. Loss of taste can also be caused by:

  • some surgeries
  • some medicines
  • oral health problems
  • exposure to certain chemicals ~ insecticides

If your sense of taste runs afoul, then get it checked out by your health care professional because you need food to live. And loss of desire for it or the ability to detect its potential harm is dangerous to your well-being.

Arsenic in Drinking Water Causes Cancer, Kidney Failure, Other Arsenic Drinking Water Health Effects

Arsenic is odorless and tasteless. It occurs naturally in the environment, or as a by-product of some agricultural and industrial activities. Arsenic can enter into the drinking water through the ground or as runoff into surface water sources.

Arsenic occurs naturally in rocks and soil, water, air, and plants and animals. It can be further released into the environment through natural activities such as volcanic action, erosion of rocks and forest fires, or through human actions.

Human action that contributes arsenic into the drinking water cycle are certain fertilizer and/or animal feeding operations, copper smelting, mining and coal burning. All may contribute to high arsenic levels in our environment.

Exposure to arsenic can cause both short and long term health effects. Short or acute effects can occur within hours or days of exposure. Long term or chronic effects occur over many years.

Since your kidney’s act as your body’s filtration system, they receive the greatest impact. Long term exposure to arsenic has been linked to cancer of:

  • skin
  • liver
  • lungs
  • bladder
  • kidneys
  • prostate
  • nasal passages

Short term exposure to high doses of arsenic can cause other adverse health effects, such as:

  • shock
  • kidney failure
  • liver cell death
  • internal bleeding
  • heart inflammation
  • spontaneous abortion
  • nervous system disorders

Like many contaminants that enter drinking water supplies, arsenic is potentially hazardous at high levels. Because you cannot see or taste arsenic in water, it is up to the municipal, privately-owned water company or well owner to test for arsenic. Contact your local or state health department for a list of labs certified to test water for arsenic.

Arsenic tends to occur more frequently in ground water supplies, especially when demand causes significant drops in water levels in certain areas. It is best to consult your local health department about your area.

Compared to the rest of the United States, western states have more systems with arsenic levels greater than EPA’s standard of 10 parts per billion (ppb).

Arsenic entry into the earth’s drinking water cycle is natural or man introduced. And the health effects has the potential to be cancerous.

Be careful of where from your drinking water is pumped to protect your kidney’s from cancer or failure.

Food Sources of Saturated Fat to Avoid, About Dietary Fats and Fatty Acids

Generally, some dietary fat is needed for good health. Fats supply energy and essential fatty acids. They also promote absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

However, high levels of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol in the diet are linked to increased blood cholesterol levels and a greater risk for heart disease.

Some typical American diet saturated fat food sources include:

  • butter
  • coconut
  • chocolate
  • cream sauces
  • poultry with skin
  • lard & shortening
  • fatback & salt pork
  • many bakery items
  • bacon, bacon grease
  • tropical oils ~ coconut, palm kernel, palm oils
  • fatty cuts of meat ~ ground beef, bologna, hot dogs, sausage, spareribs
  • whole-milk dairy products ~ cheese, cream, ice cream, whole milk, 2% milk, sour cream

Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, such as those used in many margarines and shortenings, contain a particular form of unsaturated fat known as trans-fatty acids. These dietary fats may raise blood cholesterol levels, although not as much as saturated fat.

Fats contain both saturated and unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) fatty acids. Both kinds of unsaturated fats reduce blood cholesterol when they replace saturated fats in the diet.

Olive and canola oils are particularly high in monounsaturated fats. The fats in most fish are low in saturated fats and contain a certain type of polyunsaturated fatty acid (omega-3) that is proven to decreased risk for heart disease in certain people.

Total dietary fat should be consumed at a moderate level, to the tune of no more than 30% of your daily calories. And mono and polyunsaturated fats sources should replace saturated fats whenever possible.

As a general rule, foods high in fat should be used sparingly, and some foods are higher in fat than others. Essentially, fats, oils, some types of desserts and snack foods contain plenty of fat and little in else by way of nutrients.

Olive Oil in Mediterranean Diet Makes a Difference

Following a Mediterranean type diet and physical activity are returning positive research results for reducing the risk of death. A major health benefit with this diet may be the type of fat consumed.

Scientific evidence shows that consumption of saturated fat, trans fat, and dietary cholesterol raises low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad cholesterol,” levels, which increases the risk of heart disease.

Although saturated fat is the main dietary culprit that raises LDL, trans fat and dietary cholesterol also contribute significantly.

Saturated fat is found mostly in food from:

  • Animals, like beef, veal, lamb, pork, lard, poultry fat, butter, cream, whole milk dairy products, cheeses, and from some plants, such as tropical oils.
  • Tropical oils include coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils that are found in commercial cakes, cookies, and salty snack foods ~ unlike other plant oils, these oils have a lot of saturated fatty acids.
  • Some processed foods (such as frozen dinners and canned foods) can be quite high in saturated fat.

Trans fatty acids are formed during the process of making cooking oils, margarine, and shortening and are in commercially fried foods, baked goods, cookies, and crackers. Some are naturally found in small amounts in some animal products, such as beef, pork, lamb, and the butterfat in butter and milk.

Don’t get this wrong, fat is a major source of energy for the body and aids in the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K and carotenoids. When eaten in moderation, fat is important for proper growth, development, and maintenance of good health. As a food ingredient, fat provides taste, consistency, and stability and helps you feel full.

While unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) are beneficial when consumed in moderation, saturated and trans fats are not.

Taking a look at the Mediterranean diet you will find:

  • High consumption of fruits and vegetables
  • Healthy fat consumption such as olive oil
  • Small portions of nuts
  • Drinking red wine, in moderation, for some
  • Very little red meat consumption
  • Eating fish regularly

What is noticeably absent from this diet is saturated and trans fats. More than half of all fat-sourced calories in the Mediterranean diet come from monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil.

The next time you reach for oil, you may want to grab the olive. Extra virgin for an even better choice for making that difference.

Food Additives: Why Add Color

Most of us expect certain colors in certain foods, and our future acceptance of foods is highly dependent on meeting these expectations. Because food color may vary, it is then added to meet consumer expectations.

What about hyperactivity or learning disability in children? According to the FDA there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that colorings or other food additives cause hyperactivity.

The primary reasons of adding colors to foods include:

  • To offset color loss due to exposure to light, air, extremes of temperature, moisture and storage conditions.
  • To correct natural variations in color. Off-colored foods are often incorrectly associated with inferior quality.
  • To enhance colors that occur naturally but at levels weaker than those usually associated with a given food.
  • To provide a colorful identity to foods that would otherwise be virtually colorless. Red colors provide a pleasant identity to strawberry ice while lime sherbet is known by its bright green color.
  • To provide a colorful appearance to certain “fun foods.” Many candies and holiday treats are colored to create a festive appearance.
  • To protect flavors and vitamins that may be affected by sunlight during storage.
  • To provide an appealing variety of wholesome and nutritious foods that meet consumers’ demands.

Did you know that some tree-ripened oranges are often sprayed with Citrus Red No.2 to correct the natural orange-brown or mottled green color of their peels? Why add color? Because we’ve come to expect it!

A Banana of Potassium and Energy Source

Bananas are the most popular fresh fruit in the U.S. They peel easily, continue to ripen after picking, available year round, and inexpensive.

A banana is the daily fruit of choice for many athletes because they are a high energy and potassium source.

Choose bananas that are firm, with a nice color and free of bruises. Avoid those with brown spots that seem very soft.

Best eating quality has been reached when the solid yellow skin color is speckled with brown. Those with green tips or little yellow color are not full flavored. You can tell when your banana is overripe by its strong smell, perfect ripeness for making banana bread.

A banana will ripen if left at room temperature for a couple of days. Once ripe you can store in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. The peel may turn brown, but the fruit is still good.

Cavendish is the very popular variety typically seen in your grocery store. However, Plantains, Finger Bananas and Red Bananas are also popular. Most have a soft texture when ripe.

For a refreshing summer fruit salad mix a 1/2 cup of sliced banana, chopped apple, chopped papaya, grapes and orange juice. A healthy addition to any barbecue.

The convenience of having a banana on the run adds to their potassium and energy source popularity. Have you had your banana today?

Factors Affecting Calcium Absorption and Excretion

Calcium absorption is the amount your body absorbs from your digestive tract into your body’s circulation. Calcium absorption can be affected by your body’s status of calcium and vitamin D, age, pregnancy and plant substances in your diet.

The amount of calcium consumed at one time can also affect absorption. In other words, calcium absorption decreases as the amount of calcium consumption increases in a meal. Thus, spreading consumption of calcium throughout your day is best.

Other factors playing important roles in calcium absorption are:

  • Age: Net calcium absorption can be as high as 60% in infants and young children, when the body needs calcium to build strong bones. Absorption slowly decreases to 15-20% in adulthood and even more as one ages. Because calcium absorption declines with age, recommendations for dietary intake of calcium are higher for adults ages 51 and over.
  • Vitamin D helps improve calcium absorption. Your body can obtain vitamin D from food and it can also make vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight. Thus, adequate vitamin D intake from food and sun exposure is essential.
  • Plant substances containing phytic acid and oxalic acid, which are found naturally in some plants, may bind to calcium and prevent it from being absorbed optimally. These substances affect the absorption of calcium from the plant itself not the calcium contained in foods eaten at the same time. Examples of foods high in oxalic acid are spinach, collard greens, sweet potatoes, rhubarb, and beans. Foods high in phytic acid include whole grain bread, beans, seeds, nuts, grains, and soy isolates.
  • Fiber, particularly from wheat bran, could also prevent calcium absorption because of its content of phytate. However, the effect of fiber on calcium absorption is more of a concern for individuals with low calcium intakes. The average American tends to consume much less fiber per day than the level that would be needed to affect calcium absorption.

Calcium excretion refers to the amount of calcium eliminated from the body in urine, feces and sweat. Calcium excretion can be affected by many factors including:

  • Typically, dietary sodium and protein increase calcium excretion as the amount of their intake is increased. However, if a high protein, high sodium food also contains calcium, this may help counteract the loss of calcium.
  • Increasing dietary potassium intake in the presence of a high sodium diet may help decrease calcium excretion, particularly in postmenopausal women. Or decrease your intake of sodium.
  • Caffeine has a small effect on calcium absorption. It can temporarily increase calcium excretion and may modestly decrease calcium absorption, an effect easily offset by increasing calcium consumption in the diet.
  • Alcohol can affect calcium status by reducing intestinal absorption. It can also inhibit enzymes in the liver that help convert vitamin D to its active form which in turn reduces calcium absorption. The amount of alcohol required to affect calcium absorption is unknown at this time. Moderate consumption of alcohol is healthy best regardless.

As you can see, a variety of factors may cause a decrease in calcium absorption and/or increase in calcium excretion that may negatively impact your bone health. Choosing foods rich in calcium will help contribute to a lifetime of healthy bone structure.

Why Calcium is Important for Maintaining Good Health and Preventing Osteoporosis

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your body and it plays several important roles for maintaining your health. 99% of it supports your structure in your bones and teeth. The remainder is found throughout the body in blood, muscle, and the fluid between cells.

Your bones are continuously changing, being breakdown and formed. This balance between breakdown and formation changes as you age. In aging adults, particularly among postmenopausal women, bone breakdown exceeds its formation, resulting in bone loss, which increases the risk for osteoporosis.

Calcium is also needed for muscle contraction, blood vessel contraction and expansion, the secretion of hormones and enzymes, and sending messages through the nervous system. A constant level of calcium is maintained in body fluid and tissues so that these vital body processes function efficiently.

If your calcium intake is low or calcium is poorly absorbed, bone breakdown occurs because the body must use the calcium stored in bones to maintain normal biological functions such as nerve and muscle function. Bone loss occurs and puts you at risk for developing osteoporosis.

The recommended daily intake for an average adult is 1000 mg, over age 50 this amount increases to 1200 mg.

Dairy products are a good source of calcium. However, other foods can contribute to your overall calcium intake.

Sodium (Salt) Affects Blood Pressure and Calcium Excretion

Sodium is important for your body. However, most Americans consume way more salt than their body’s ever need. Around 2,400 mg per day or a level teaspoon is enough to maintain a healthy body. Most consume more than this.

In your body, sodium plays an essential role in regulation of fluids and blood pressure. Many studies show that a high sodium intake is associated with higher blood pressure.

Most evidence suggests people at risk for high blood pressure can reduce their chances of developing this condition by reducing salt or sodium consumption.

An additional reason to reduce your salt intake is that it may increase calcium excretion, therefore, increasing your need for more calcium in your diet. Inadequate calcium consumption is already a health concern, especially for middle aged women.

Bottom line is that consuming less salt or sodium is not harmful regardless of any other associated risk factors. Here are some ideas for going about a reduction:

  • Read the Nutrition Facts Label to determine the amount of sodium in the foods you purchase. Be aware that the sodium content of processed foods often varies widely, so especially take the time to read their labels.
  • Request less salt in your meals when eating out or traveling.
  • If you salt foods in cooking or at the table, add small amounts. Learn to use spices and herbs, rather than salt, to enhance the flavor of food.
  • When planning meals, consider that fresh and most plain frozen vegetables are low in sodium.
  • When selecting canned foods, select those prepared with reduced or no sodium.
  • Remember that fresh fish, poultry, and meat are lower in sodium than most canned and processed ones.
  • Choose foods lower in sodium content.
  • Many frozen dinners, packaged mixes, canned soups, and salad dressings contain a considerable amount of sodium.
  • Remember that condiments such as soy and many other sauces, pickles, and olives are high in sodium.
  • Ketchup and mustard, when eaten in large amounts, can also contribute significant amounts of sodium to the diet. Choose lower sodium varieties.
  • Choose fresh fruits and vegetables as a lower sodium alternative to salted snack foods.

Try to choose foods for regular consumption that are lower in sodium and salt. Your heart will love the lower blood pressure and your bones will enjoy the additional calcium that was otherwise lost in excretion.

Your taste buds will eventually adjust, perhaps to the point of no added salt ever. Salt shakers be gone!

Fish Oil: When Plenty of Fish is Too Much

Are you eating plenty of fish or getting plenty of fish oil via supplementation or enriched foods? As with most things in life, moderation is key. And fish oil is no different. What is scientifically known about fish oil in relation to human health does present a bit of a dilemma. Here are the essentials of this fishy debate.

Modest consumption of fish or fish oil reduces the risk of death by heart attack to the tune of 36%. This health benefit is greatest from oily fish such as salmon, herring, or sardines. Eating just one 3-oz portion of farmed salmon or one 6-oz portion of wild salmon per week is sufficient for optimum protection against heart attacks. There seems to be a threshold effect to fish oil’s benefit, so eating more is not necessarily better.

There is clear health risks when exposed to extremely high levels of mercury. Researchers report that eating wild or farmed salmon regularly over a lifetime could lead to 8 to 24 extra cancer deaths per 100,000 people, but more than 7,000 fewer cardiac deaths. Overall health advisory on this point is that the benefits of modest oily fish consumption outweigh the risks.

So what about supplementation or enriched foods? Well, it remains to be seen whether they provide the same benefits as whole fish. Someday you may know for sure if all that extra supplementation expense was worth it. Just not today.

Another fish related issue to remember is that cooking with used frying oil, as many restaurants do, can increase free radical damage in cells. As such, fast-food fish-burgers may not be the best way to protect your heart. Take your fish home and steam, steam, steam.

Too much fish is risky business, supplementation is an unknown, so that leaves moderation. Steamed salmon, once a week, as part of your healthy diet ~ is plenty.

Cholesterol’s Highs and Lows

We hear a lot of talk about lowering out cholesterol. The importance of lowering this waxy, fat-like substance is to reduce your risk for heart disease, only the number one killer of Americans. And, yeah, cholesterol can potentially affect anyone.

Understanding how this waxy substance negatively impacts your body might motivate you to reconsider your lifestyle.

Your body has the ability to make all the cholesterol it needs. It is found in the walls of cells in all parts of the body, as well as being used to make hormones, bile acids, vitamin D, and other necessary substances. Cholesterol plays an essential role in your fitness.

However, cholesterol and blood do not mix so it cannot circulate around your body by itself. So your body packages it for traveling in what is called lipoproteins. This substance is composed of fat (lipid) inside and protein outside and there are two main kinds of cholesterol carrying lipoproteins in your blood. One kind carries cholesterol to the tissue and the other carries it away to your liver for excretion.

One type of lipoprotein is low density, or LDL. It is called “bad” cholesterol because it carries cholesterol to tissues, including the arteries. Most of the cholesterol in the blood is the LDL form and less is better.

The other type of lipoprotein is high density lipoprotein, or (HDL). It is the good” cholesterol because it takes cholesterol from tissues to the liver, for removal from your body. More is better.

When there is too much cholesterol in your blood, some of the excess can become trapped in artery walls. Over time, this builds up and is called plaque. The plaque can narrow vessels and make them less flexible, a condition called atherosclerosis or “hardening of the arteries.”

This process can happen to blood vessels anywhere in your body, including the heart. Should you heart’s coronary arteries become partly blocked by cholesterol created plaque, then your heart muscle may not receive enough oxygen and nutrients to function properly. This can cause chest pain, or angina.

Plaque is also a concern because they have a thin covering and can burst, releasing cholesterol and fat into the bloodstream. This release can cause a blood clot to form over the plaque, blocking blood flow through the artery and causing a heart attack.

As you can see the concern over cholesterol has various components to which each, alone or in concert, has potential devastating health consequences. Have your cholesterol levels checked if you haven’t already.

Lactose Intolerance: Milk Cause Your Stomach to Ache

Do you feel sick after drinking milk or eating foods made with milk? You may have lactose intolerance.

Lactose intolerance means you cannot digest foods with lactose in them, the sugar found in milk. It is not serious, albeit you may feel very uncomfortable after lactose consumption.

Some signs that you may be lactose intolerant are:

  • gas
  • cramps
  • bloating
  • diarrhea
  • upset stomach

Other illnesses can cause these problems, so you will need to be tested specifically for lactose intolerance.

If your body is intolerant of lactose, you’ll want to avoid or consume less lactose containing foods. Learn to read food labels to discover if a product contains lactose.

Not only are you looking for milk and lactose in the list of ingredients, but also words like:

  • whey
  • curds
  • dried milk
  • milk solids
  • powdered milk
  • milk by-products

If any of these words are listed, the product contains lactose.

Everyone differs, so you may not have to avoid eating all your favorite foods containing lactose. Experiment by trying small amounts of the lactose laced foods and then see how you feel.

You might want to give lactose-reduced milk a try in your diet andrecipes. Also available is lactose free milk and lactase enzyme caplets or drops that help you digest lactose.

Stomach ache avoidance might mean kicking lactose out of your diet altogether.

Prolong and Preserve Life of Food with Drying

The oldest method of prolonging and preserving food is drying. Sun drying was an easy way to prolong the life of food.

In different climates, the food dried differently because complete sun drying is dependent on weather conditions. Drying eliminates moisture from the food resulting in a longer food life.

Organisms that make food spoil require moisture to survive, so foods that have been completely dried have the longest life.

The most common methods used today are:

  • dehydrator
  • oven ~ kitchen oven will do
  • solar ~ requires 3 to 5 consecutive days of 95 degrees or above & low humidity; this climate is in limited areas in US

Dried fruits and vegetables are high in fiber and carbohydrates and low in fat. However, dried foods are calorie dense, about half equals that of fresh.

Prolong and preserve to avoid waste. FYI: Heat destroys Vitamin C.

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