Potatoes

Potatoes are packed with heart-healthy vitamin C, potassium, and phenols like quercetin. What's more, potatoes are a significant source of chlorogenic acid, shown in some studies to thwart liver cancer.

Eat baked potatoes with the skin on to get fiber along with the nutrients.

Doctors Are The Third Leading Cause of Death in the US, Causing 225,000 Deaths Every Year

ALL THESE ARE DEATHS PER YEAR:

* 12,000 -- unnecessary surgery
* 7,000 -- medication errors in hospitals
* 20,000 -- other errors in hospitals
* 80,000 -- infections in hospitals
* 106,000 -- non-error, negative effects of drugs

These total to 225,000 deaths per year from
iatrogenic causes!!

What does the word iatrogenic mean? This term is
defined as induced in a patient by a physician's
activity, manner, or therapy. Used especially of
a complication of treatment.

Another analysis concluded that between 4% and 18%
of consecutive patients experience negative effects
in outpatient settings,with:

* 116 million extra physician visits
* 77 million extra prescriptions
* 17 million emergency department visits
* 8 million hospitalizations
* 3 million long-term admissions
* 199,000 additional deaths
* $77 billion in extra costs

The Food We Eat Means...

Our health greatly suffers, we age prematurely
and we have a tendency to overeat
because we feed on nutritionally inferior foods!

Question:
If we are what we eat,
are we denatured, devitalized, deficient
and potentially toxic?
(Just like refined and processed foods!)

Find YOUR answer here... and learn more about YOUR health choices...

The cola-corrosion connection

"Honey, could you hand me that cold bottle of cola? I need to clean the car battery."

Not something you would ever expect to hear, is it? Maybe a cold cola to go with a sandwich at lunch, but not as a cleaning agent for your car!

That's right: if you want to clean corrosion from your car battery, just pour some cola over the battery terminals and it will fizz away that corrosion build-up. The active ingredient in cola is phosphoric acid. If it's able to fizz away corrosion, you have to wonder what strange effect it may be having in your body.

If you are working hard to maintain strong bones, than cola should not be part of your dietary plan. It leaches the calcium right out of your bones, due to that phosphoric acid content. Cola has been found to raise the risk of osteoporosis.

So you still crave that fizz. If you want that carbonated effect, try tonic water with some cranberry juice or orange juice. That way, you'll still have the fizz, plus flavor, and a healthy dose of vitamins that you certainly wouldn't get from a cola!

So consider carefully what you are reaching for the next time you go for a cold bottle. The materials used for car maintenance and body maintenance should never mix.

Oh, but it tastes good!

One of the main reasons that chefs and restaurants give when it comes to their resistance to removing trans fats from their foods: texture and taste are affected, and it is hard to duplicate those tastes any other way.

Maybe a culinary challenge is good?

For those who suffer the poor health effects of years of ingesting trans fats, it's probably a pretty good guess that if they had it to do over, they'd forego a little of that "good taste".

The New York City Board of Health voted to adopt our nation's first municipal ban on the use of all but the tiniest amounts of trans fats in foods. Restaurants aren't too happy about this ban, because they are in the business of selling food, and their clients come to them expecting something tasty to eat that never seems quite duplicatable at home. Trans fats are used because of their long shelf life, and have become the norm in all kinds of foodstuffs.

This has been to the detriment of our overall population.

Trans fats are derived through hydrogenation, which is a harmful process that creates this immune damaging synthetic fat. It has been found to elevate blood cholesterol and lead to heart disease.

Research has found that elimination of trans fats from items such as margarine and baked goods would prevent about 138,000 heart attacks per year, including 34,000 deaths.

So trans fats may give a certain "good taste" to foods, but with killer statistics like that, most people would elect to acquire new tastes that lead to vibrant good health.

Cheers, New York!

Thanks-groaning

It's upon us: the day when we are force-fed huge quantities of food that we don't want and hope to never have to eat again. Especially the next day. All of those leftovers.

Yes, it is time for Thanksgiving, and what becomes for some, a slippery slope through New Year's. And no, there's no chance anyone will believe you were force-fed.

How do you plan to get through the holidays without over-indulging and making yourself feel sick? Exactly that: plan. When you look at the typical foods that are served on Thanksgiving, it's not any one of those items that will undo all of your healthful eating. Sure, there may be a lot more fats, salts, and sugar than is typical in your daily plan, which is why you want to plan ahead and be conscious of that. Also, if you find balance - smaller helpings of candied sweet potatoes and larger helpings of the green beans - you will realize that a little goes a long way.

Think of what our plates look like when we sit down to eat: typically, there isn't room for all of the stuff. It's hanging off of the sides! One plate is surely enough, but the pressure always seems to be on to do a round-robin "just one more time". That's the one that usually gets us, having us sitting in our chairs afterwards, leaning back and loosening our suddenly shrunken clothing. If you feel compelled to go that extra plate, maybe plan for that round to go even heavier on the lean turkey and green beans.

Don't beat yourself up too bad if you do go a little overboard. It is only one day, filled with friends and family. Make a plan to have a day of whole foods on Friday, or if you're traveling, commit to order salads at restaurants or share a plate of pasta with someone. One day does not need to lead to 30 more.

By entering the season's festivities with a plan for moderation, and if necessary, a back-up plan to go easy the day after, you will be giving thanks to yourself!

Virus Season

It's that time of year again, when it seems everywhere you go, people are coughing and sneezing. How do you protect yourself from getting sick?

We can all recite the basics, but it is important to actively practice them every single day. When we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, visiting with friends and family, and still trying to keep up with work, the steps we would normally take to maintain good health tend to slip. This is when viruses have opportunity to take hold in our system, and the result is the flu or a cold.

Wash your hands, frequently! This keeps you from placing viruses into your body with your own hands - hands that have touched surfaces where others who are sick have gone before them.

Plenty of rest, regardless of the hustle and bustle of the season. Take care of YOU first, and you will be able to sustain high energy levels.

Drink plenty of fluids. This doesn't mean high fat egg nog, either! Keep up a regimen of water. Too cold out to enjoy water? Keep a pot of hot tea on your desk. It's another form of water, and you can experiment with flavors of tea. There are a lot to choose from, if a visit to the local grocery store doesn't convince you!

Eat well. Same rules apply for good health, always: fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish and lean meats. Celebrate the changing season by trying new recipes. For fresh ideas, go to my website www.healthyrecipeoftheweek.com and try something new.

Maintain your exercise regimen. No, running through the malls and stores doesn't really count as exercise. Are you really mindful of your body, or are you caught up in lists and not forgetting anyone? Make the time to move your body, giving your physical self a chance to stretch and breathe.

Take the time to take care of your body, and you are a long way towards avoiding those nasty viruses that are only too happy to undermine your good health.