The supplements you’ve been taking might not be as safe as you think. Dr. Oz uncovers the truth about the potential dangers lurking in certain supplements. Learn how to spot the warning signs.
Be sure to watch Dr. Oz today. If you aren’t home to watch the afternoon show, remember it repeats again in the evening on Channel 3 here in Phoenix.
As any fast food connoisseur worth his weight knows, the McDonald’s McRib is back for a limited time (through November 14th!), but some people are set on taking the fun out of the 500-calorie marketing gimmick. While we all know the McRib doesn’t actually contain rib, do we really want to know what it does contain? Whether you like it or not, we’re about to find out.
Reportedly the sandwich’s ingredients include “a flour-bleaching agent used to make the soles of shoes… and foamed plastics like gym mats.” Hungry for more? Mixed in with all of those slivered onions, dill pickles and tangy barbecue sauce, there are roughly 70 other ingredients, with the bun alone containing 34, jam packed with chemicals that we can’t pronounce. And then there’s the “meat”…
The McRib, at its heart, is, well… heart. The slab of “restructured meat product” consists of salt (980 mg, more than half your recommended daily intake) and pig innards, like tripe, heart, and scalded stomach.
Time Magazine’s Healthland blog reports that among the McRib’s 70 ingredients are azodicarbonamide, ammonium sulfate and polysorbate 80.
While the amounts are very small, the blog notes that azodicarbonamide, “a flour-bleaching agent that is most commonly used in the manufacture of foamed plastics like in gym mats and the soles of shoes, is found in the McRib bun.”
The blog says azodicarbonamide is banned in Europe and Australia as a food additive.
Should you eat white or brown rice?
A. Brown, because it has more fiber and vitamins.
B. White, because it has fewer calories.
C. Doesn’t matter — they are pretty much the same.
The answer is C. Brown rice isn’t a cure-all. After all, the Japanese, famed for their healthful diet, regularly chow down on white rice. And while a cup of cooked brown rice has 3 grams more fiber than the same amount of white rice, a Brazilian study found that brown rice contains “antinutrients” that may actually block the absorption of some of its own nutrients.
So, eat white rice if you really to—just keep the portions reasonable. What’s on top matters more, so go easy on the sauce!
DON’T start your workout with crunches
You can do lots of crunches and situps and still have a weak core. We see that all the time. The reason: Classic ab moves like crunches and situps work the muscles that allow you to flex (that is, round) your lower spine.
This is on the Irongloves web site, but I’d thought I’d post a short “refresher” because I’ve gotten a few questions lately on the subject. Most moderate exercisers will lose about one quart (4 cups) of fluid per hour of exercise, so try to drink about 16-20 ounces of water shortly after your workout to aid the recovery process. If you sweat a lot or the weather is hot and/or humid, consider weighing yourself before and after exercise, and drinking an ounce of water for every ounce of weight you’ve lost. Because heavy sweating also causes loss of minerals and electrolytes, consider using a sports drink with electrolytes if you need to replace more than 2-3 cups of fluid. If you are a post Gatorade drinker, then dilute it with 1/2 water.
The best time to eat after a workout is within 30 minutes to two hours. After you exercise, your body needs to replace the lost glycogen stores (i.e. muscle fuel) for building and repairing muscle. Combining protein and carbohydrates will promote post-workout recovery. But don’t gorge yourself and think you deserve a “treat.” Ideally, try to eat enough calories to equal 50% of the calories you burned during your workout. So if you burn about 600 calories during your workout, try to eat 300 calories afterward.
When you pack your gym bag, make sure to pack your post food as well. Don’t skip eating after your workout because studies have shown that the two hours after exercise are the most critical for post-workout nutrition for muscle growth, repair, and recovery. Generally speaking, you can trust your own appetite, experience and energy levels if you are already eating a healthy diet that supports your activity level. The basic rule here is: Find out what works best for you, and do that.
For more in-depth information and a list of suggested post-workout foods, make sure to visit our Health and Wellness page.
The Agriculture Department has finally announced a formal recall of Cargill brand ground turkey that could be linked to one death and at least 76 illnesses. The tainted meat was sold nationwide, with illnesses reported in Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
Cargill sells under various names including Shady Brook Farms, Spartan, Kroger and Safeway store brands. Make sure to check the recall list against any ground turkey you might have in your freezer. Experts say that if your food is one of the ones on the recall list, It is not illegal for your meat to contain salmonella because it is so common in poultry. They say such meat is still safe to use as long as it is cooked to 165 degrees. They also say that everyone should ALWAYS wash their hands with soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling the meat.
A writer at Huffington Post has an interesting opinion about the recall. I don’t know if I agree with everything he said in his editorial, but it is thought-provoking. Andrew Gunther starts by saying, “How many more lives must be lost or irreversibly damaged before we finally accept the fact that industrialized farming is killing us?” It’s a bit lengthy, but I think it asks questions that our country needs to face right now. Click here to read the article.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that there has been a salmonella outbreak caused by ground turkey. So far, they have attributed one death and 76 illnesses to this latest strain of antibiotic-resistant strain. However, they are not doing a recall yet because this type of salmonella is difficult to trace.
For now, they are advising everyone to be careful with food. They say to make sure to wash all utensils that come in contact with raw meat. Personally, I would even suggest washing all utensils and cutting boards after each use. After all, even the outside of a cantalope can be full of germs. Some people also rinse all of their raw meat as soon as they take it out of the package, before they cut or cook it. I think its also a good idea to wash your hands and your counters after each time you cook. A few minutes of cleanup time can save you from illness and even hospitalization.
I don’t think anyone should give up ground turkey, or any other meat. I think they all can be enjoyed as long as we remember that the super-germs are waging a war against us, so we need to fight them where ever we can, including our kitchens.
Just in case you’re planning to do a little cooking…
To keep potatoes from budding (sprouting), place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
Buy Smash mashed potato mix, it will keep in the cupboard for up to a year.
When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking tin, use a bit of dry cake mix instead and there won’t be any white mess on the outside of the cake.
Wrap celery in aluminium foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
Don’t throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
Did you know that if you rinse your canned beans that it will reduce the sodium count by 70%. If you eat canned vegetable, the same goes for them. Be sure to rinse thoroughly — put into a colander/strainer & rinse them very well.
I have always rinsed off my beans, but never did know that it reduced the sodium that much.
This is very exciting news!!! 