Embroidery of Thoughts

Summer and Stuff

I was trying to find out anything about hydrogenated oils and I came across this.
Amazing how much we don't know about the foods we intake into our bodies. I have heard somewhere that hydrogenated oils or partially hydrogenated oils are bad for the body. I just swept it at the back of my mind until yesterday I bought this instant cofee mix from International foods, it has different flavors, I got the Suise Mocha flavor. I read the ingredients and it contains partially hydrogenated coconut oil. Coconut oil, by itself is supposed to be healthy, but when they pass it thrrough the process of hydrogenation that makes it bad for the body. So always read labels and contents in the foods you buy.

Of course being informed with all these makes us more aware of what we are eating. It's only lately that I have been reading labels on canned goods, wrappers, boxes of foods.
It's always recommended to get organic products which are becoming more and more. I start to see organic pasta sauce, organic sugar even all natural chicken. I hope that more and more the production companies would start making or producing organic products. I think that one of the reasons two thirds of Americans according to CDC are obese, because of mass production without really caring for the health value of foods. There's the big portion sizes, super size meals in fast food places, deep fried foods, busy people who doesn't have time to cook. All that plays a role in the obesity plague that's spreading. And so, as part of the masses, we ought to educate ourselves about what we are really feeding our body.

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I know a lot of people are grilling this summer. It has always been part of the American culture. Grill out, cook out especially during holidays, July 4th, baseball game, tailgating, sometimes on festivals. But overcooking your food can be deadly. I am a person who loves things crispy, but, overcooked foods especially charred meats can cause cancer. If you love grilling especially this summer, it's great to be informed of the hidden harmful effects of overcooking food. It is also advisable to marinate meats to reduce the amount of carcinogens. Some of the seasonings are believed to shield the meat from direct contact or charring.

The American Institute for Cancer Research doesn’t mince its words. ‘Cancer researchers have found that grilling … causes ‘muscle meats’ (red meat, poultry and fish) to produce cancer compounds.

So, have fun, grill away but don't forget these safety babecuing tips.

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The heat wave can be gruellling. Some stuff I do to cool off.

1. Wear loose fitting and light colors especially white, it reflects heat off.
2. Do outdoor activities during the cooler parts of the day, like gardenning, mowing the yard.
3. Drink plenty of water, fruit juices, non-alcoholic and non-caffiene drinks.
4. Bring water whenever going out. What I do is freeze a bottle of water and leave it in the car, if you can bring a cooler even better. It would still be cold depending how long you would be out, if it's frozen it will not heat up that quick compared to just unfrozen water.
5. Wear hats, exercise indoors, run in the shade or exercise during the cooler part of the day.
6. Smoothies are always great, make it with fresh fruits.

posted by Unknown @ 7:40 AM