Dead Sea Herbs

 The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers found that calories stated on fast food menu items tended to be inaccurate, averaging 18% MORE CALORIES per item than listed in the menu. Example: Wendy’s grilled chicken wrap listed 260 calories, but was found to have 344 (a 32% overage).

” Some individual restaurant items contained up to 200% of stated values and, in addition, free side dishes increased provided energy to an average of 245% of stated values for the entrees they accompanied. These findings suggest that stated energy contents of reduced-energy meals obtained from restaurants and supermarkets are not consistently accurate, and in this study averaged more than measured values, especially when free side dishes were taken into account. If widespread, this phenomenon could hamper efforts to self-monitor energy intake to control weight, and could also reduce the potential benefit of recent policy initiatives to disseminate information on food energy content at the point of purchase.”

If a supposedly 2000 calories-a-day diet is actually 18% higher in calories, that means 2360 calories or an extra 360 calories a day consumed. Since every 3500 calories are equivalent a pound to our body weight, approximately every ten days we’d gain one pound of body weight. In one month, we’d be up 3 lbs. In one year, a whopping 36 pounds!

So enjoy your meals but don’t overdo it! But here is help if you do.

Stabilizers

Include Propylene Glycol.  Propylene Glycol is used in antifreeze, hydraulic fluids and as a solvent. The material safety data sheet on this ingredient warns to avoid skin contact. Propylene Glycol is implicated in contact dermatitis, kidney damage and liver abnormalities; it can inhibit skin cell growth in human tests and can damage cell membranes causing rashes, dry skin and surface damage. Is this in your moisturizer? You can find it in cosmetics, toothpaste, shampoos and conditioner, lotions, deodorants, baby wipes, processed foods and many more personal care items. Studies have shown that it is retained in your system.  Find more about it and other risks of cosmetic ingredients in: www.ewg.org.

Preserving Ingredients

These appear in almost all cosmetic creams, and include triclosan, and methyl paraben (other forms are: propyl, ethyl, and butyl). Following is an excerpt from an article in the September 2002 issue of Happi (Household and Personal Products Industry) — a chemical industry trade journal “Cosmetic Product Preservation” by Jabbar Mufti:

“Typical preservatives used in the cosmetic industry include methyl paraben, ethyl paraben and propyl paraben and their derivatives. They disable activity in the bacterial wall to prevent fungal contamination. This action continues when the product is on the skin and may be absorbed into the skin tissue, taken up by the blood stream and ultimately reside in the major organs. The preservative action is so stable, it continues to work while inside the body, limiting the normal enzyme activity of the body. How do we know this? Autopsies performed on cancerous tumours have shown residues of methyl-, ethyl- and propyl parabens.”

What Alternative Do We Suggest?

What is so important about using whole leaf aloe vera?Modern chemical analysis of aloe leaves shows that the active agents that are responsible for the plant’s widely celebrated health properties are concentrated in the green skin (rind) and yellow sap (latex) which is found just under the skin. The same and many other studies show that the gel (thick center of the leaf) should be included in all aloe products because it acts as a buffering agent to soothe and cool body tissue.* 

The juice of aloe contains at least 99.1 percent water, which means that the polysaccharides (acemannan and other polypeptides), glycoproteins, and other components constitute less than one percent of the juice. To date, over 200 active components have been identified including fatty acids and immune-stimulating compounds. Therefore, we know that the amazing benefits of aloe are produced by relatively small amounts of many components, acting together synergistically to produce benefits that no single agent can produce alone.

By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter

“There appears to be no such thing as metabolically healthy obesity,” said a statement by Dr. Johan Arnlov, an associate professor of cardiovascular epidemiology at Uppsala University, and lead author of a report published online Dec. 28 in the journal Circulation.

That assessment is based on a study that has followed almost 1,800 Swedish men, starting at age 50, for an unusually long time, 30 years, recording those who died or had a cardiovascular problem such as a heart attack or stroke.

Problems only become more evident after 15 years or so, the researchers found.

Using the body-mass index, which matches height and weight and lists a score of 30 as obese and 25 to 30 as overweight, the study found that over the 30-year period, the risk of cardiovascular disease was 63% higher in men of normal weight who had metabolic syndrome, compared to normal-weight men who did not have metabolic syndrome. It was 52% higher in overweight men without metabolic syndrome, 74% higher in overweight men with metabolic syndrome, 95% higher in obese men without metabolic syndrome and 155% higher in obese men with metabolic syndrome.

So here is one of the options. Very good results.

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I found it on the paper bag from Whole Foods. Simple and to the point. 

Value simple pleasures

Savor what is naturally good

Reuse and renew

Cook with humor, eat with meaning

Give thanks for farmers and support bountiful oceans

Give and give back

Share home-cooked favorites

Do good and be well

As a person with diabetes, you know how important it is to control your blood glucose and insulin levels to avoid complications. So, it would seem that a lack of glucose and insulin secretion from fructose consumption would be a good thing.However, insulin also controls another hormone, leptin, so its release is necessary. Leptin tells your body to stop eating when it’s full by signaling the brain to stop sending hunger signals. Since fructose doesn’t stimulate glucose levels and insulin release, there’s no increase in leptin levels or feeling of satiety. This can leave you ripe for unhealthy weight gain.

Secondary cardiovascular disease prevention (fish oil / EPA plus DHA) Several well-conducted randomized controlled trials report that in people with a history of heart attack, regular consumption of oily fish or fish oil/omega-3 supplements reduces the risk of non-fatal heart attack, fatal heart attack, sudden death, and all-cause mortality (death due to any cause). Most patients in these studies were also using conventional heart drugs, suggesting that the benefits of fish oils may add to the effects of other therapies.Primary cardiovascular disease prevention (fish intake)

Several large studies of populations (”epidemiologic” studies) report a significantly lower rate of death from heart disease in men and women who regularly eat fish. Other epidemiologic research reports no such benefits. It is not clear if reported benefits only occur in certain groups of people, such as those at risk of developing heart disease. Overall, the evidence suggests benefits of regular consumption of fish oil. However, well-designed randomized controlled trials which classify people by their risk of developing heart disease are necessary before a firm conclusion can be drawn

Even during tough times, especially during those times we need to relax. Meditation is great. But not everybody can do it. This product helps to relax and actually makes it easier to meditate. A fantastic bath lotion that causes relaxation without inducing sleep.

Properties: Balances the neurovegetative systems: sympathetic- parasympathetic. Enhances memory and learning ability Anti-stress Has a particularly pleasant odor.

When you really want to take a relaxing and calming bath, let go of all your worldly cares, slide in and let yourself be immersed by peace and warmth.
Sounds good to me!