Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Signs & Symptoms of Dangerous Headaches

What makes a headache dangerous

DALLAS, June 30 (UPI) -- Intensity is not necessarily a sign of how serious headache pain is but there are red flags to watch out for, a U.S. neurologist says.
Dr. Ahmed Jafri of the University of Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas says anyone who frequently uses pain medication to self-treat chronic headaches should seek medical help.
"A headache may stem from a harmless problem, or it might be a sign of a life-threatening disorder," Jafri says in a statement. "There are certain red flags that should send a person to the doctor, or even an emergency room."
Jafri says any of the following symptoms warrants immediate emergency attention:
  • -- A change in the character or pattern of existing headaches.
  • -- Explosive headaches.
  • -- Headache pain that increases in intensity.
  • -- New headaches in children or seniors.
  • -- "The worst headache of my life."
  • -- Headache with exertion, coughing or sex.
In addition, Jafri says a headache accompanied by fever and stiff neck, visual impairment, fainting, paralysis anywhere on the body, or bloodshot eyes with tearing and a runny nose requires medical care.

Headache

"Blood Pressure Care Naturally"

Donate to keep Natural Health News bringing you the cutting edge on health and get your copy of our newsletter on beets for health from 2008

Why beetroot juice lowers blood pressure


LONDON, June 30 (UPI) -- Nitrate content appears to be the reason why beetroot juice lowers blood pressure, researchers in Britain said.

Study author Amrita Ahluwalia, a professor of vascular biology at Queen Mary's William Harvey Research Institute, at Queen Mary University of London, said the study demonstrated that the nitrate found in beetroot juice was the cause of its beneficial effects on cardiovascular health by increasing the levels of the gas nitric oxide in the circulation.

The study, published online in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, found blood pressure lowered within 24 hours in people who took nitrate tablets and in people who drank beetroot juice.

"We gave inorganic nitrate capsules or beetroot juice to healthy volunteers and compared their blood pressure responses and the biochemical changes occurring in the circulation," Ahluwalia said in a statement. "We showed that beetroot and nitrate capsules are equally effective in lowering blood pressure indicating that it is the nitrate content of beetroot juice that underlies its potential to reduce blood pressure."
 
© 2010 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Cheap Healthy Good Turns 3: The Top 10 Recipes of Our Previous Year of Existence

Sweet readers! Don’t forget: tomorrow begins CHG’s No-Cook July. It’s all the food you’ve come to know and tolerate, minus any bacteria-killing heat. See you then!

You guys! We’ve been around for three years! Who knew that financial idiocy and an inability to cook would someday lead to a blog with over 120,000 George Clooney references?

But seriously, folks. It’s been a sweet year here at the CHG compound. Our readership remained aweradbodaciousicalsome. We even grew a little, with over a million visits since last July. We got a tad burned out. We came roaring back. We introduced Ask the Internet, which thanks to y’all, has been a thriving success/fab way to brainstorm. Our photos have become marginally better. (See here, then here.) We watched the Food Networks for 19 hours straight, and did not die. You guys totes chose my wedding beer!

Still, there’s always room for improvement, so we have to ask: How are we doing? What do you like about CHG? What do you hate about it? What would you change? Do you like my hair? The comment section awaits your wordage.

We also have to thank everybody who makes the blog possible, including MSN Smart Spending, Lifehacker, BoingBoing, Karen Datko, Donna Freedman, CNN, CBS Early Show, Time’s Money Blog, Money Saving Mom, Casual Kitchen, Kalyn’s Kitchen, Serious Eats, Get Rich Slowly, Wise Bread, Healthy Eats, Tip Hero, Thirty a Week, Brokeass Gourmet, Faithful Provisions, It’s Frugal Being Green, Paid Twice, The Simple Dollar, Owlhaven, Like Merchant Ships, and many more.

Of course, the most important part of CHG remains constant references to arcane sitcoms the frugal, healthy-like food. With that in mind, here, in the great tradition of our anniversary posts, are the Top Ten Recipes of our last year, in no particular order. (And then I promise we'll stop talking about ourselves.)

Butternut Squash Risotto
Adapted from Chez Panisse via The Wednesday Chef.
I love this thing more than I’ve ever loved a thing.


Whole Wheat Pasta with Asparagus and Turkey Sausage
Adapted from My Kitchen Snippets.
Easy, healthy, delicious. It’s a troika!


Esquites
Adapted from David Schuttenberg’s Esquites in New York Magazine.
There’s corn, and then there’s corn. This is the latter.


White Bean Dip
Adapted from Ellie Krieger.
One of the simplest recipes on the site, and also one of the best. For a while there, I was making it weekly.


Salsa Couscous Chicken and/or Moroccan Chicken
Adapted from Ellie Matthews via Pillsbury.
This recipe won Pillsbury’s 1998 Bake-Off, with excellent reason.


Hot and Sour Soup with Baby Bok Choy
Adapted from Serious Eats and All Recipes.
Comfort food at it’s warm tastiest.


Maple Morning Polenta
Adapted from Mary Ostyn.
This immediately went into breakfast rotation, and has remained there ever since. We ate it yesterday.


Sardine Avocado Open-Faced Sandwiches
Adapted from Alton Brown.
Sounds bizarre, tastes heavenly. A sublime tuna fish substitute for mayo haters.


Gingersnap Oatmeal / Oatmeal with Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, and Scallions
Adapted from Kitchen Bitsch / Mark Bittman.
Can’t decide between savory or sweet oatmeal? Now you don’t have to.


Veggie Burgs
Adapted from Mark Bittman.
Stellar version of a vegetarian standard.


Honorable Mentions: Baked Loaded Potato Skins, Basic Tomato Soup, Breakfast Burritos, Chickpea Cutlets, Carolina Barbecue Seitan Bites, Grilled Bananas and Chocolate, Italian Turkey Sliders, Pasta with Zucchini and Chickpeas, Sourdough Sausage Stuffing, Summer Panzanella, Sweet Potato Kugel, Tofu Banh Mi, Tomato and Avocado Salsa, Veggie Lo Mein.

And that's it. Thanks again, to all you guys, and we'd love to hear about ways we can improve the experience. Have a lovely Wednesday!

~~~

If you enjoy this post, you might also dig:

Watch My Weight Wednesday! Meet Tim!

Welcome to Watch My Weight Wednesdays!  I am very pleased to introduce today's guest blogger Tim from Everyday Living.  I was so happy to hear he wanted to share his story with us!  Thanks Tim!


I would like to thank Angie for asking me to be a contributor to your site. I consider it a great honor to be allowed to come here and share my story as to how and why I began my weight loss journey. Thinking back to almost three years ago (music starts to play and swirling clouds begin to form)...

I have to admit that for the past several years, I have not given my weight a great deal of thought. I felt that if my clothes fit, than I was doing okay. The only problem was my wardrobe consisted of sweatpants and sweatshirts; not very conducive to gauging how much weight you are carrying. So, I continued fostering my aversion to exercise, all the while eating a pint or more of ice cream each night and devouring whole pizzas in a single sitting (imagine Garfield shoveling down the lasagna and you can get a good idea of what it looked like). This continued for several years until one day, as I walked in front of a glass door, I noticed my reflection and was horrified with what I saw.

I could not believe what I was seeing reflected back at me. It was a stranger; it couldn't be me. I actually remember looking around to see who else was there, but no one was...I was appalled by what I saw. So, right then and there, I decided I HAD to lose weight. When I got home, I went on the Internet and started looking for exercise equipment. I wanted to get something that was not too expensive, but would also last more than 6 weeks before breaking down. After several days of searching, I discovered the Total Gym and ordered it.

A few weeks went by and on the day my Total Gym was to arrive, I had my yearly checkup. Along with the usual tests and because of my enormous size, the doctor also wanted to test for diabetes. The next day he called and told me that, "you are on the cusp of type II diabetes" (yes, those were his exact words). Although I had already decided to lose the weight and my gym had already arrived, this just sealed the deal. So, on 6 August 2007, I began my journey...

  • Beginning weight on 6 August 2007: 296 pounds (as confirmed by my doctor)
  • Beginning hip measurement:48 inches
  • Beginning waist measurement: 56 inches
    • Weight on 27 July 2008: 232 lbs.
    • Hip measurement: 39 inches
    • Waist measurement: 44 inches
      • Weight on 20 June 2010: 204 lbs.
      • Hip Measurement: 38 inches
      • Waist measurement: 41 ½ inches
      • Total weight loss: 92 lbs. of fat
Now, I bet your wondering why I said…”of fat.” Well, the reason being is that I have gained, using a conservative number, roughly 25 pounds of muscle. This is something that you might want to take into consideration when you mount the Dreaded Scale of Doom, because as you exercise, you will not only be burning fat, but gaining muscle. Just try and remember that as you begin your journey, you are NOT alone. There are thousands of us out there fighting the same battle and together, we can win.



A little about me: I'm Tim, more commonly known as Tahtimbo, and I'm the author of Everyday Living, which you can visit by clicking the handsome cat seen below. In addition to chronicling my weight loss journey, I also write on a number of different topics, a few of which are: building a retaining wall, frugal living tips, recipes, blogging tips, and my weekly Friday Fotos. As you can see, I find it difficult to concentrate on just one topic...look, a squirrel! Please feel free to drop by sometime and visit.


Posted by...

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Tim

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This is a blog hop!  Post your recipes, tips, and your weight loss stories!  It can be a new post or an older one that you would like to share.

What are your goals this week? Let me know in the comment section!

Add your old or new post below with Linky! Can't wait to see all the helpful tips/recipes/stories you have!
Please link directly to your post and not your blog URL. Please link back here so that everyone can join in the fun.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

CHG Best of June 2010

Holy moly, there was a lot of cooking happening this month. Special thanks to all the turkey sausage, corn, and tofu that made the sacrifice. And special thanks to all yis readers, who make writing this thing so very worthwhile. Ups!

JUNE RECIPES
Baked Radish Chips
Basil Tofu Salad
DIY Microwave Popcorn
Fruit Gazpacho
Greek Tofu Salad
Green Garlic and Garlic Scapes Pesto
Grilled Tofu Steaks
Italian Turkey Sliders
Lemony Couscous with Chickpeas
Spanish Black Beans and Rice (Moors and Christians)
Summer Panzanella

JUNE ARTICLES

We took 46 fabulous answers from a kid-concerned Ask the Internet question, and turned them into Cooking For Small Children: 15 Hows, Whys, and … Honey, Please Put That Cleaver Down.

We took a Zen approach to cooking, blogging, and uh, moneying with Food, Finance, and Judging Others.

And we asked the hard stuff, like Should You Read Cheap Healthy Good? Take This Quiz and Find Out.

As for Ask the Internet, we inquired merrily about the following:

FOR MORE CHEAP HEALTHY GOODNESS...

1) Have your say!
We love reading creative comments and participating in thought-provoking discussions. There’s even our fabulous Ask the Internet column, where readers can write in with various inquiries and/or offer helpful suggestions. Sweet.

2) Spread the word!
Like us? Link to us! Refer us to a bookmarking site! (We have StumbleUpon and Digg buttons now!) Or just talk us up to your Girl Scout Troop. That’s nice, too.

3) Behold our social networking!
Subscribe to our feed, join our Facebook page, or check out our Twitter … thing. They’re super fun ways to kill time, minus the soul-crushing frustration of Bejeweled.

4) Buy from our Amazon Store!
If you click on the Amazon widget (lower left hand corner) and buy anything from Amazon (not just what we’re advertising on CHG), we get a small commission. And that’s always nice.

5) Remember: There is no greater gift than a pedicure.
Just in case you’re wondering.

Carrots!

Your little ones hungry for a snack?  Offer them a peeled carrot.  These two had fun pretending to be rabbits and snowmen.  I remember when my son was small like these two.  He would sneak carrots from the fridge to snack on.  I always pretended not to see him do it. 

Ask the Internet: Eating More Leafy Greens?

Sweet readers! Don’t forget: Thursday kicks off CHG’s No-Cook July, our month-long journey into Joseph Conrad’s heart of darkness meals made without heat.

But first, today’s question! It comes from the lovely Rebecca. She asks:

Q: My boyfriend loves him some leafy greens and I'm trying to, really really trying to, but a few years ago I lived in a co-op where they fed me nothing but leafy greens and it's kind of ruined it for me. We even make a bunch of recipes that use greens on your site, but still no go. I think I have a mental block towards them or something, who knows.

Do you have any suggestions for tricking myself into eating more of these great-for-you vegetables? (No, I'm not six-years-old, but the strategy is probably similar!)

A: Rebecca! My buds with co-op memberships are having very similar issues right now. Apparently, it’s purslane season.

My favorite trick is saut̩ing anything down Рkale, spinach, chard - and shoving it into egg dishes. Omelets and quiche take very well to leafy greens, and are fairly easy to throw together. You can use half a bunch in one sitting, especially if you're feeding two. For more recipes beyond that, Cheap, Healthy Leafy Greens: 246 Recipes for Cabbage, Kale, Spinach, Swiss Chard, and Beyond might be of some use.

But enough from my piehole. Readers, what think you? How do you sneak leafy greens into your own diets?

Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.

Monday, June 28, 2010

The Marvellous Health of Unvaccinated Children

Françoise Berthoud, MD [medical doctor, paediatrician]

June 25, 2010
Once upon a time, in April 2009 to be exact, I was invited to give a speech at a conference on vaccination.I was to talk after two of the best speakers France has to offer on the subject had their turn, journalist Sylvie Simon and biologist Michel Georget. At hearing them speak in the past, it was absolutely clear to me that the best option is to stay as far away from vaccines as possible. I just did not know what to do instead to best assure staying alive and well. As a paediatrician and homeopath qualified to speak on the subject, I decided to setup a conference called The Marvellous Health of Unvaccinated Children along with my friends, Sylvie and Michel. This work would later evolve into a book that analyses various life choices often made by families that do not vaccinate, including home birth, breastfeeding, simple therapies, good food (often vegetarian), a tranquil living environment and trust in the capacity of the body to heal itself.

In my life as a paediatrician, I had spent lots of time in dialogue with the parents who often needed to voice their fears about both disease and vaccines. We worked out together the best route for their children. Some chose not to vaccinate at all. Others held onto fear of disease, especially tetanus. In those cases, we postponed vaccination as much as possible and used a homeopathic protection and "cleansing" called nosode.

I worked in Switzerland where there is no real legal obligation to vaccinate, only great social pressure. In France, just a few kilometres from my office, there were four compulsory vaccinations at the time (BCG was fortunately removed in 2007, and three remain: Di Te Pol).

Some of the basis of my ability to speak on the marvellous health of unvaccinated children comes from my personal experience as a medical doctor, having collected years of feedback.
  • “My child began coughing immediately after the vaccination.”
  • “He has had constant ear aches since he was vaccinated.”
  • “My 16 years old daughter is completely unvaccinated. She is almost never sick. If she does get sick, it’s two days at the most.”
  • “The neighbour's kids followed normal vaccination guidelines. They are constantly sick and on antibiotics.”
That was not enough upon which to write a book; however. As it would turn out, I found these observations were paralleled over and over again all over the world. Follow me around the planet.

EUROPE

In England, Michel Odent, MD showed in two studies that children having received no Pertussis vaccine had 5-6 times less asthma than those who were vaccinated for it. The first study was on 450 babies from La Leche League; the second one on 125 children in a Steiner school. (1)

Throughout Europe, a group of mostly paediatricians studied 14,893 children in Steiner schools in Austria, Germany, Holland, Sweden and Switzerland and found that children living in "anthroposophist culture" (where vaccination is largely shunned) were in better health than the controls. (2)

In Germany, one of the European Steiner schools study researchers wrote, “In the eastern part of Berlin before the fall of the wall, we saw less allergies than in the west. This population was poorer, nearer nature and less vaccinated.” Too much hygiene is not always good. As UK researcher and originator of the “hygiene hypothesis” David Strachan might say, "give us this day our daily germs".


In Spain, Xavier Uriarte, MD and J. Manuel Marín, MD published a study in 1999 on 314 children they followed between 1975 to 2000. (3) This group of children is characterized by a majority of homebirth or natural births, prolonged breastfeeding, no vaccinations, holistic health education and no allopathic medicine. There were no serious diseases, few hospitalisations (mostly for traumas), and 3.3% asthma compared to the 20% in the general population. And of course, a lot of money was spared!

USA

The rate of autism in the U.S. is now an unthinkable 1 in 100. Those who are unvaccinated boast numbers that run in shocking contrast to the nation’s statistics. As this article is directed to the American people, I will not go on at length here. Most of you know the work of your very own journalist Dan Olmsted showing the incredible absence of autism in the unvaccinated Amish communities of Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Further impressive is Chicago-based Homefirst Medical Clinic run by a group of doctors including medical director Mayer Eisenstein, MD, JD, MPH. They have no known autism and super-scarce allergies in their children, many of whom were home deliveries, and most of whom have had no vaccinations. In 1985, I translated to French U.S. paediatrician Robert Mendelssohn, MD's How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor. Now I find concrete result in the marvellous health of kids whose doctors are his pupils! I like these synchronicities in my life.

AUSTRALIA

In 1942, Leslie Owen Bailey, founder of the Natural Health Society of Australia, accepted guardianship of 85 children whose mothers were unable to care for them. Among these 85 children, no vaccinations were ever given, no drugs were ever taken or used, and no operations were ever performed. The only malady that occurred was when 34 of the children developed chicken pox. They were immediately put to bed and given only pure water or fresh fruit juice. They all recovered quickly without after-effects. Investigations revealed that these children whilst at school had been swapping their healthy lunches for unhealthy conventional foods, so this outbreak was not altogether surprising.

Many of these children inherited poor health due to a history of illness and malnourishment in their mothers. Despite this, and the fact that they were never breastfed nor could enjoy the normal bonding of mother to child, they were able to grow into sturdy, self-reliant children.

NEW ZEALAND

Two studies done in New Zealand in 1992 and 1995 show that the unvaccinated children clearly have less allergies, less otitis (ear aches), less tonsillitis, less running noses, less epilepsies and less ADHD. (4)

JAPAN

An interesting period in Japan was 1975-1980, when a decision was made to begin the first vaccinations at two years of age instead of at two months. The reason was that more and more was discovered linking vaccines and cot-death (SIDS). A study was published in Pediatrics showing that from 1970 to January 1975, there were 57 cases of serious vaccine reactions, including 37 deaths. From February 1975 to August 1981 there were eight cases of serious vaccine reactions, including three deaths. Unfortunately for kids and their parents, the Japanese vaccination plan is now "normalized" again. The study shows well that the immune system is stronger at two years than at two months. How well would these kids have done had they not been vaccinated at all?

We find the same observation in a Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology study. Of 11,531 children studied at age seven, here are the results: vaccinated at two months, 13.8% are asthmatic, vaccinated between two and four months, 10.3%, vaccinated after four months, 5.9 %. Again, how well would these kids have done had they not been vaccinated at all?

THE LESSON LEARNED ON VACCINATION

As a concerned, compassionate and considerate paediatrician, I can only arrive at one conclusion.Unvaccinated children have by far the best chance of enjoying marvellous health. Any vaccination at all works to cripple the chances of this end.

2) Allergic diseases and atopic sensitization in children related to farming and anthroposophic lifestyle - Persifal study. Allergy 2006, 61 (4) : 414-421.

 

Health-Insurance Caps to Fail

Once again collusion in Big Insurance raises an ugly head -
Trying to rein in health spending by limiting on insurance rates is like trying to hold down the lid on a pot of boiling water. Aside from the fact that insurance costs partly reflect ever-increasing medical costs over which insurers have little control, the legal justification for saying “no more” has never been clear. This has become apparent in Massachusetts, where an administrative court has ruled against a state-imposed insurance cap, and in California, where insurers have retreated temporarily from big rate hikes but are expected to return with new demands. Complete story
While cost control is often helpful, restraining trade and reducing income for health professionals is against sound economics.

Americans are treated, and overtreated, and overtreated...

I have reached the place where I almost can't read the news, and more specifically health news, because little seems to have changed over decades or reading, and working.

Take the problem of medical professionals not knowing when to stop, and not knowing when too much is too much.

Perhaps the real issue is controlling health care to the Nth degree via Big Insurance and Big PhRMA.

And then there is the mental-emotional-spiritual concern that seems far more left out of care that in the 1970s.

Overtreating

Investors Hungry for Hospitals, Doctors Difficult to Manage


Electronic Medical Records: Hundreds of files lost daily

NHS LOSES 800 PATIENTS' PRIVATE FILES EVERY DAY"

D. Mail 25.6.10  Over 800 patient records are lost by the NHS every day. The missing info includes personal health records, diagnoses & details of treatments. Often electronic data is carelessly left unencryted & without proper password protection. Documents have been left in skips or stolen from unlocked cars & offices.

Critics say this raises questions over the new NHS online database of medical records. When complete next year, any doctor, nurse or health worker in UK will be able to look at our files.  

Alex Deane, director of Big Brother Watch said "The level of incompetence revealed by these data breaches is staggering. The NHS is clearly incapable of treating our private data with the necessary respect."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-504355/Now-theyve-managed-lose-health-records-hundreds-thousands-NHS-patients.html

Seed Store Set for Destruction

"VITAL SEED STORE SET FOR DESTRUCTION"

New Scientist 26.6.10  The world's largest scientific repository of fruits & berries near St. Petersbury in Russia could be bulldozed later this year to make way for housing.
 
Cary Fowler director of Global Crop Diversity Trust in Rome called for scientific intervention to prevent "The largest intentional preventable loss of crop diversity in my lifetime."

The Pavlovsk storage has 4,000 varieties of fruit & berry seeds.

Summer Panzanella: An Open Letter

NOTE #1: Today on Serious Eats: Greek Salad Skewers from Giada DeLaurentiis. This no-cook, veggie heavy, completely delicious appetizer can only mean one thing: the big-bosomed Italian scores again.

NOTE #2: Sweet readers! July is NO-COOK MONTH here at Cheap Healthy Good. Starting with Leigh’s Veggie Might column on Thursday and continuing through August 1st, all our recipes will be heating implement-free. (Because frankly, we Noo Yawkuhs are freakin’ dyin' ovah heah.) See you then!

Dear Panzanella,

I admit it. You had me fooled.

I knew you were essentially bread and tomato salad. I knew you included other foods – olives, onions, herbs – for kicks. I knew people liked you, and you were a staple of Italian cuisine.

But I never considered you to be healthy.

You seemed to be excessively rich. You had too much olive oil. You contained obscene amounts of cheese.

How much cheese constitutes an “obscene” amount of cheese? It’s a lot, lemme tell you.

So, I never made you, Panzanella.

Oh, I dreamt of you, to be sure. Your squishy, tomato-soaked baguette. Your red onion crescents, just enough to provide a little punch. Your fresh basil, sprinkled like verdant ribbons across the plate.

But then, one day, Moosewood’s Simple Suppers came along. Finding the cookbook was a fluke. Serendipity. A trip to the library gone wonderfully right. Five recipes tried, five winners consumed.

And you were the last.

And you were the best.

You had so much flavor, and so little extraneous oil. Heck, to be totally honest, the first night, I even found you a tiny bit dry. But when Husband-Elect slaughtered two filled-to-the-brim bowls without coming up for air, I knew we were on to something.

It’s pretty common knowledge that if you let certain foods sit for a day or two (chili, soup, etc.) their flavors will meld and improve. Boy, Panzanella, was that ever the case with you.

Forty-eight hours later, you were PERFECT. I could have cried.

I almost did, when I finally finished you.

Summer Panzanella, we can be friends now, right? I’ll make you. You’ll feed me. We’ll all be healthy and happy.

If not, just promise you’ll write.

I love you, as much as any woman can love bread salad.

Wish you were here,
Kris

~~~

If you think this looks like something you might want to eat, you might also want to indulge in:
~~~

Summer Panzanella
Serves 4.
Adapted from Moosewood’s Simple Suppers.


1 loaf crusty whole wheat French or Italian Bread (about 8 cups)
4 tomatoes, diced (seeding is optional)
4 ounces part-skim mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded (cut into ribbons)
2/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Balsamic vinaigrette (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 350°F.

2) Fill a small bowl with ice water. Soak red onions ten minutes. Drain.

3) Slice bread in half lengthwise. Place on a baking sheet and bake 5 to 10 minutes, until crisp. Remove and let cool a little. When cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch cubes. Set aside.

4) To a large serving bowl, add tomatoes, mozzarella, red onion, basil leaves, and olives. Pour red wine vinegar and olive oil over mixture. Stir to combine.

5) Add bread to bowl. Stir thoroughly to combine. Let sit 30 minutes to marinate, stirring once about halfway through. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir again. Serve immediately with vinaigrette if you like OR store it in the fridge for a day or two, then serve. It will be phenomenal.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price Per Serving
320 calories, 13.1 g fat, 5.2 g fiber, 14 g protein, $1.86

NOTE: Numbers for the whole wheat baguette are averaged from Fresh Direct and Calorie King, but your overall calculations may be slightly different depending on your choice of bread. (Oh, and the size of your olives. Mine were pretty huge.) Consequently, take the math this time around to be a bit more of an approximation than usual.

Calculations
1 loaf crusty whole wheat French or Italian Bread (about 8 cups): 580 calories, 5.1 g fat, 13.3 g fiber, 23.1 g protein, $1.99
4 tomatoes: 89 calories, 1 g fat, 5.9 g fiber, 4.3 g protein, $1.96
4 ounces part-skim mozzarella: 288 calories, 18 g fat, 0 g fiber, 27.5 g protein, $0.99
1/2 medium red onion: 23 calories, 0.1 g fat, 0.8 g fiber, 0.5 g protein, $0.21
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves: 6 calories, 0.1 g fat, 0.8 g fiber, 0.5 g protein, $0.99
2/3 cup pitted kalamata olives: 175 calories, 15 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein, $1.11
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar: negligible calories, fat, fiber, and protein, $0.03
1 tablespoon olive oil: 118 calories, 13.4 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein, $0.12
Kosher salt: negligible calories, fat, fiber, and protein, $0.01
Freshly ground black pepper: negligible calories, fat, fiber, and protein, $0.01
TOTAL: 1279 calories, 52.3 g fat, 20.8 g fiber, 55.9 g protein, $7.42
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): 320 calories, 13.1 g fat, 5.2 g fiber, 14 g protein, $1.86

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Beautiful Blogger Award!

The beautiful Blogger Award for me?!  Thank you so much to Summer at Summer, Boys and as much scrapbooking as possible...  for giving this award to me!!  Summer truly has a beautiful blog Go on over and say hello to her and tell her Angie sent you! 

Now the rules.
I need to pass this award on to 7 other Blogs to be able to fully except this award!!

Michelle at Green Earth Bazaar
Now I have to tell you 7 things you may not know about me!  But you already know all this....so
Instead I am going to tell you 7 things off the top of my head that I find beautiful!

  1. A babies smile.
  2. A sunset across a lake.
  3. A colorful kite, soaring in the sky.
  4. These 4 kids!
  5. Rainbows.
  6. Flower gardens.
  7. Rain showers on hot summer day.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Your Eyes and Cell Phone Damage

Many years ago, perhaps in the mid 90s, an attorney I know, and a HAM radio operator, was talking with me about EMF. He pointed out that for a very long time the FCC has had on its licensing exam a question regarding the fact that EMF (radio waves) are a known cause of cataract.

This article looks at the issue again and also points out the importance of keeping the cell phone as far away from you as possible.

This is the same concern in regard to cell phone effect on your thyroid gland and function.

Cell phones can damage eyes: Study
Prashant Rupera, TNN, Jun 23, 2010

VADODARA/ANAND: While scientists across the globe are still debating whether usage of cell phones results in heart diseases, a new study carried out by scientists at Charotar University of Science and Technology (CHARUSAT) has revealed that mobile phones also affect eyes.

The scientists, who have studied the impact of electromagnetic waves on human eye, say that usage of mobile can also lead to early cataract in lens apart from affecting retina, cornea and other ocular systems of the eye.

"We are in ocean of electromagnetic signals and hundreds of signals are hitting human body every moment. It is affecting all our body parts, but we are not realising it," says professor Ved Vyas Dwivedi, head of department of ECE at CHARUSAT, who along with dean of the faculty of engineering and technology Y P Kosta and lecturer Dhara Patel carried out the study based on a mathematical model.

"The wavelength of wireless signals (which is about 2 to 2.5 cm) used for mobile phones and other wireless terminals matches with that received by the human eye. The dielectric constant (absorption capacity) of eye tissues is around 70 which is greater than unity (above 50). This means that the eye can absorb electromagnetic energy very quickly," explains Dwivedi.

During the study, scientists computed the specific absorption rate (SAR) and maximum temperature increase in the eye because of electromagnetic radio frequency fields generated by wireless terminals such as a mobile phones. SAR and temperature rise depend on the distance between eye and radio frequency transceiver (the mobile phone) and the angle between the line of sight and shortest normal path.

"The problem is not that the eye absorbs the energy, but that the heat absorbed by the eye does not get transmitted or radiated out of the body," says Dwivedi, adding that prolonged usage of mobile phones can affect retina, sclera, lens, cornea as well as vitreous humour which are parts of the human eye.

These scientists have also recommended that a mobile handset should be kept as far as possible from the eye. "It should not be used more than is necessary. A user should avoid use of mobile in rural areas or a car where the cell phone uses more power and the SAR value can be ten or hundred times higher than the normal," they suggest. This group of scientists is also planning to approach the government in collaboration with a hospital to get license to conduct tests on human to further study mobiles affect on human eye.

prashant.rupera@timesgroup.com
THE TIMES OF INDIA

Saturday Throwback: Cheap Healthy Good’s Ultimate Guide to Kitchen Equipment

Every Saturday, we post a piece from the CHG archives, which are coincidentally located in the same warehouse where Indiana Jones stashed the Ark of the Covenant. This articles comes from November 2007.

One of the most popular, frequently-posted-on topics in all of cooking blogdom is Kitchen Equipment. Everybody (including me) wants to know: what should we buy? In what sizes? Why would anyone need a freezer thermometer, unless he’s trying to preserve a body? (Note to self: maybe cut back on Dexter a bit.)

The problem is, there are oodles of clashing opinions, because everybody comes from different culinary perspectives. In other words, equipment suggestions from a pro chef will be way out of step with a mom of 27, and her advice might be totally useless for a prison lunch lady (who, I assume, is big on gruel).

With that in mind, I took an all-encompassing approach to creating this CHG guide. First, I gathered nine different lists from wildly diverse sources. Then, I counted how many times a particular piece of gear was mentioned across the samplings, and finally, compiled the findings into one great big master list. My references consisted of:
The results are a bit surprising. I expected more folks (even the pros) to mention the slow cooker, and didn’t think quite so many would suggest keeping a rolling pin on hand. (I use mine in Halloween costumes, only.) All in all, though, this seems like a good, comprehensive lineup. When paired with the suggestions from CHG’s Pantry of the Gods post, it should create a solid beginner’s kitchen.

(Coming next week: Where can I get this stuff on the cheap, without sacrificing quality?)

THE ABSOLUTE BASICS
(MENTIONED SEVEN TIMES OR MORE)
Cake pans (8” or 9” round or square)
Can opener
Casserole dish (9x13 or 8x8)
Chef’s knife (8” or 10”)
Colander
Cookie sheet
Cutting board
Dutch oven, stock, or large pot (8+ quarts)
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Mixing bowl(s)
Pairing knife
Roasting pan (9x13 or larger)
Saucepan (medium – 2-4 quarts)
Saucepan (small 1-cup to 1.5 quarts)
Serrated knife
Skillet (10” and 12” mentioned most often)
Spatulas (Metal, Rubber, and Flipper-style)
Vegetable peeler
Whisk
Wooden spoon

HIGHLY USEFUL STUFF
(MENTIONED FIVE OR SIX TIMES)
Blender (Blender/food processor combo)
Box grater
Glass liquid measures (2+ cups)
Hand mixer
Kitchen shears
Microplane grater
Pie pan
Rolling pin
Tongs

NICE TO HAVE
(MENTIONED THREE OR FOUR TIMES)
Bottle opener
Cast iron skillet
Cooling rack
Knife sharpener
Ladle
Loaf pan
Mandoline
Meat thermometer
Muffin tin
Pastry brush
Pepper grinder
Salad spinner
Slotted spoon
Steamer
Timer

OCCASIONALLY CONVENIENT
(MENTIONED TWICE)
Bulb baster
Carving/slicing knife
Coffee/spice grinder
Coffeepot
Corkscrew
Juicer
Kettle
Masher
Melon baller
Microwave
Nutcracker
Pressure cooker
Rotary eggbeater
Sifter
Skimmer
Slow cooker
Spoons
Toaster or toaster oven

DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY
(MENTIONED ONCE OR NOT AT ALL)
Apple corer
Boning knife
Bread machine
Butcher knife (I took this to mean cleaver.)
Candy/frying thermometer
Citrus press
Cooking fork
Cotton flour-sack towels
Countertop convection oven
Custard cups
Double boiler
Fondue set (pretty, but useless)
Food scale
Freezer thermometer
Funnel
Garlic press
Griddle
Jar opener
Mortar and pestle
Oven thermometer
Pastry blender
Removable-bottom tart pan
Rice cooker
Ridged grill pan
Ruler
Skewers
Springform pan
Wok
Vegetable brush

(All photos courtesy of Flickr.)

Friday, June 25, 2010

FTC - Hands Off on Your Supplements

The FTC will not get the authorization to control supplements. Thanks to everyone who contacted their member of Congress to oppose the Draconian addition to the finance bill.


from Natural Health News

House and Senate Ramming Through Secret Bill Add-Ons to Block ...

Apr 27, 2010
This language would give unelected FTC bureaucrats arbitrary authority to impose crippling requirements that will drive up the costs of supplements or remove them from the market entirely. More from LEF, 3 April - Here is a link to the ...

Contact Congress Now to Save Supplements

May 21, 2010
3217) passed the Senate without a controversial provision expanding the powers of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The bill now moves to a conference committee, where the House and Senate negotiate over the differences in their bills ...

TB for Allergies?

Just the other day Andy Weil mentioned that people with asthma usually are low in magnesium resources.  Many of us in natural health care have known this too and for a very long time.

People with asthma also have a number of other nutritional deficiencies and this can be combined with food allergy as well.

Another factor is low adrenal function and suppressed immunity associated with the 30 some vaccines children are pushed to accept from birth to teen years.  Allergy often pops up after vaccination and it also seems to increase with environmental exposure to pollutants of many kinds.

In my case I think the childhood asthma I suffered with came from the fact that both my parents were constant smokers.

If you read Natural Health News often you are aware that we do not favor vaccination.

Keeping that in mind, I have to wonder just how the idea came about to utilize TB bacteria as the base for an allergy/asthma vaccine.

I also wonder, since no longterm studies have been completed just how these developers know that if you were to take this jab, how high is your risk of contracting TB.

If you look at flu vaccine or others such as measles, meningitis, pertussis, etc., you do too frequently find outbreaks of the disease in those who have taken the jab.

Just some things to think about...

'One size fits all' allergy jab for hay fever, asthma and eczema on the way

A jab that could provide a "one size fits all" approach to tackling hay fever, asthma and eczema could be available within a few years, a conference heard. 

Swiss researchers claimed allergies that blight the lives of 10 million British sufferers could be largely eradicated with a single vaccine. 
An allergy conference in London heard the “one size fits all” injection that wards off asthma, eczema, hay fever and even peanut allergies could be on the shelves within four to five years. 
Experts say if the jab, known only as CYT003-Qbg10 which has been tested on humans, is properly developed it become the “hail grail” of vaccines due to it helping ward off multiple allergies.

It would be welcome news to the estimated one in five Britons, or 10 million people, who suffer from hay fever.
 
A trial, conducted by scientists from Cytos Biotechnology, a firm based in Zurich, concluded that a course of the vaccine was almost as good as steroids at keeping asthma under control.

At the jab’s heart are pieces of synthetic DNA similar to those found in the bug that causes tuberculosis or TB.

The DNA fools the body into thinking it is under attack from a dangerous bug, kick-starting a multi-pronged immune response.

A total of 63 asthmatic patients were given the course of the jab or a series of injections of a dummy drug over two or three months.

Researchers found it cut asthma attacks or symptoms by a third.

In another trial, an injection every week over a month and half, cut the amount of runny noses and weepy eyes by almost 39 per cent.

Quality of life was boosted by 42 per cent, they added.

Dr Wolfgang Renner, the chief executive of Cytos, told the Daily Mail the results were exciting.

“We think it is a one-size-fits all mechanism,” he said.

“We are very excited about it.”

Dr Renner suggested the first large-scale human trial could start next year and a vaccine within a few years.

A spokesman for Allergy UK said: “It does sound a very promising treatment, giving hope for those with severe asthma/allergy symptoms for whom the usual treatments aren’t enough, but there is still a long way to go before it will be available.”

Leanne Metcalf, director of Research at Asthma UK, added: “Over three quarters of people with asthma also have an allergy, which can often trigger their asthma symptoms.
“We are, therefore, excited about the potential of this vaccine to make a real difference to people with asthma and allergies, especially as it has been shown in clinical trials to have relatively few side effects.”

Tuesday is thought to be the worst day of the year for hay fever.

The NHS currently estimates around ten million people suffer symptoms of hay fever – such as sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes – in the spring and summer as grasses and trees release their pollen into the air.

But that number could reach 30 million within 20 years as city living, pollution and climate change exacerbate symptoms, experts warned earlier this year.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7845325/One-size-fits-all-allergy-jab-for-hay-fever-asthma-and-eczema-on-the-way.html

 
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