What’s Really in Your Frozen Dinner?

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  So. You’re hungry with a capital H, just came home from work, and want to eat in a hurry. Instead of making something from scratch, you opt for the diet frozen entrée in your freezer. At least, you reason, you can eat something lower in calories. With fancy labels and bright marketing claims, they sure seem tempting to those with a busy life. You can just pop it in the microwave and be done with the whole dinner thing in a few minutes. Plus no clean up! But are these frozen dishes really a good substitution?

  
  A few weeks ago, Nestle recalled one of Lean Cuisine’s frozen entrees because some people found fragments of glass in them. Hmmm, yum! 
  

  And what about other frozen “diet” entrees? What’s in them, and are they healthy?

  Examining Ingredients

  If you have a frozen meal in your freezer right now, take a moment and look at the ingredients list. How many words are there on it you aren’t even sure how to pronounce? How many ingredients are things your great-grandparents probably wouldn’t have recognized as foods? 
  

  Here’s a short rundown of some of the ingredients you may find in the typical frozen dinner.

  High-fructose Corn Syrup

  Studies show that HFCS isn’t as harmless as corn refiners would have you believe. Aside from being refined like a petroleum product, HFCS has been indicated in a whole host of health problems including insulin resistance (metabolic syndrome), weight gain, and fatty liver disease.       

  Polysorbate 80

  This ingredient emulsifies oils in frozen foods so they don’t separate into a gloppy mess when you nuke them. It’s also found in cosmetics. Polysorbate 80 has been implicated in a number of health complications including tumor growth, headaches, heart problems, and gastrointestinal issues.

  Table Salt (and lots of it!)

  Frozen meals are notoriously high in salt. While salt contains sodium, which your body needs in small amounts, it isn’t a healthy way to get it. In fact, salt is made by superheating either natural salt or crude oil flake leftovers to extract sodium chloride. It often contains other chemicals such as preservatives or anti-caking ingredients. 
  

  Small amounts of naturally occurring and unprocessed salts, such as Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt are much better sources for your health, but they are seldom used in frozen meals.

  
  
  

  
  

  

  Propylene Glycol

  This is also a common ingredient in lots of skincare products. It is an ingredient that is closely related to antifreeze, and it pops up frequently in our processed food supply. That’s because it’s used as an emulsifier in a manner similar to polysorbate 80. It is a form of mineral oil, refined oil made from petroleum products. If you look at the Material Safety Data Sheet, you’ll see exposure is dangerous if ingested, inhaled, or in contact with skin. Food manufacturers will tell you it’s safe because it’s used in such tiny amounts, but that’s not a risk I’m willing to take- or definitely want exposure to on a regular basis.

  Yeast Extract

  By any other name, this is known as MSG, which is a highly neurotoxic substance. MSG has been cited in some research as an excitotoxin. Ingesting it can stimulate brain cells to the point of cell death. Dinner…or brain cells?

  How to Eat Healthy

  Because there are so many varieties of frozen entrees and they all have extensive ingredients lists, above are just a few ingredients to demonstrate how toxic they can be. There are thousands of other ingredients in frozen dinners and other processed foods that are synthetic/foreign to the body. Of course, the entrees also often contain wheat (gluten) and soy in numerous varied forms, and dairy, which are notoriously difficult for your body to process and digest.
  
  
  We don’t want to eat foods that our bodies can’t easily process. Doing so creates toxic buildup in our systems that robs us of good health. The more gunked up our systems get, the worst our health becomes, and the process can occur silently. You may not experience symptoms for months; however, over years of poor eating habits, we slowly build up toxicity until something finally breaks.
  
  The best way to combat this is to make sure what we put in our bodies is clean, pure, and as chemical free as possible. Humans have evolved over millennia eating natural foods from the earth that are free of chemicals. It has only been in the past century we’ve begun to ingest manufactured foods that contain chemicals, flavorings, preservatives, and items that our ancestors wouldn’t even recognize.
  The best way to eat, then, is to return to our roots by eating foods that aren’t manufactured. Instead, humans thrive on a diet of unaltered plant foods that come from the earth – natural whole foods such as organic fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and ancient unprocessed grains.

  Convenience Foods from Nature

  Fortunately, nature supplies a number of quick and easy convenience foods that require little preparation. When you’re hungry in a hurry, consider some of the following foods:
  • Avocado and sprouts thrown in a collard green, or even a gluten-free wrap
  • Quinoa and salad (quinoa only takes about 12 minutes to cook, while you change out of your work clothes)
  • Steamed veggies and salad/quinoa- throw some nutritional yeast and on the veggies
  • Hummus, sliced tomatoes and sprouts in a wrap
  • Throw yummy stuff in the blender- make a green smoothie with kale, clean water, lemon and protein powder
  • Kale salad in a few nori wraps  
  • Raw nuts and seeds
  • Chia seeds dissolved in almond milk
  • Raw fruits or vegetables
  • An avocado
  • A large salad of leafy greens

It doesn’t have to be hard to eat healthy. When you’re in a hurry, consider foods requiring minimal preparation. You can also make a big pot of vegetable soup and freeze it. Simply reheat it for a few minutes in a saucepan when you’re in a hurry. Make enough quinoa on Sunday to last a few days into your work week. Go shopping on Sunday for easy snacks (gluten free crackers, hummus – if you don’t want to make your own, spices, nutritional yeast, etc.). No frozen meals required!

See the Research on the Mediterranean Diet's Effectiveness in Preventing Cardiovascular Disease

http://www.modernhcp.com/primary-prevention-of-cardiovascular-disease-with-a-mediterranean-diet/

Two-minute Tricks to Boost Your Health

1. Spice up your water. Take a tip from a spa and add a little something to help relax and alkalize your water. Make a pitcher of filtered water with fresh raspberries and lime slices or add cucumber and spearmint leaves into your water bottle for a healthy Zen-on-the-go.



2. Do planks. Before getting into the shower every morning, spend two minutes doing planks. Hold a straight plank for one minute followed by 30-second planks on each side. A strong core is the foundation of a fit, health body, and this is the number one move for it.


3. Dry brush. Two minutes of dry brushing before a shower increases circulation, stimulates the lymphatic system (which moves toxins out of the body), makes your skin glow, and even helps tone and firm your legs and tush. Start with your feet -- brush your skin in a light, circular motion, upwards along the body -- and then hop in the shower.

4. Look at your plate before diving in. Visually take in your food before and while you're enjoying it. This mindfulness practice helps you savor your meal and slows down your eating, and helps you recognize when you are full before overeating, and therefore slim your waistline without having to change a thing!

5. Meditation. Acid reflux, headaches, and even a shorter life expectancy have been linked to stress. And just two minutes of watching your breath or trying one of these easy meditation practices can make a big impact. Meditation helps to reduce stress at the most basic level, and at a deeper level, it leads to a happier, healthier, and more successful life.

6. Add turmeric to your cooking. The benefits of this inflammation-fighting spice are too good not to mention. Turmeric has powerful antioxidants that help fight certain types of cancers, as well as arthritis, psoriasis, and Alzheimer’s. And, studies show it helps reduce the damage done by enjoying high-fat meals.

7. Neck and shoulder release. A tennis ball massage for work- and workout-aholics prevents adhesions and pain in the neck and shoulders where most people have it. Want to try it? Lie on your back, knees up, and place two tennis balls side-by-side at the top of your shoulder blades. Lift your arms to the ceiling, then move arms slowly toward the knees, then toward the wall behind you: instant release!

8. Eat avocados for great skin. Everyones can benefit from the nourishing beauty boost that comes from avocado's rich source of good fats. Eating avocado makes you hydrated from the inside out.

9. Hang from a stall bar. A popular technique associated with barre workouts is to hang from a stall bar. Just two minutes of the stall bar can help reduce lower back pain and yield better posture.

10. Floss. Take two minutes to floss and you will help a lot more than your teeth. There are many studies that link gum disease to heart disease, and of course, it helps with the basics of fresh breath.

What Your Poop Tells You

What is Normal Stool?

Your stool is about 75 percent water. The rest is a fetid combination of fiber, live and dead bacteria, miscellaneous cells and mucus. The characteristics of your stool will tell you a good deal about how happy and healthy your digestive tract is – the color, odor, shape, size, and even the sound it makes when it hits the water and whether it’s a “sinker” or a “floater” are all relevant information.

If you’re one to poop and scoot quickly out of the bathroom without looking in the toilet, you might want to slow down and look down. The Bristol Stool Chart is a handy tool that may help you learn what you’re going for. Ideally, your stool should approximate Types 3, 4 and 5, “like a sausage or a snake, smooth and soft” to “soft blobs that pass easily.” Type 4 is the Holy Grail.

Fiber tends to bulk up your stool and acts like glue to keep the stool stuck together, instead of in pieces. If your stool is on the softer side, short of diarrhea (“soft serve,” as some call it), it could be related to lactose intolerance, artificial sweeteners (sorbitol and Splenda), or a reaction to fructose or gluten.

Look, Listen and Smell Before You Flush

What’s normal and what’s not when you look into the toilet? The following table will help you narrow down what to look for, so that you aren’t needlessly alarmed. Of course, there are a few signs that ARE cause for concern. If you have a change in stools accompanied by abdominal pain, please report this to your physician.

Healthy Stool	Unhealthy Stool
Medium to light brown	Stool that is hard to pass, painful, or requires straining
Smooth and soft, formed into one long shape and not a bunch of pieces	Hard lumps and pieces, or mushy and watery, or even pasty and difficult to clean off
About one to two inches in diameter and up to 18 inches long	Narrow, pencil-like or ribbon-like stools: can indicate a bowel obstruction or tumor – or worst case, colon cancer; narrow stools on an infrequent basis are not so concerning, but if they persist, definitely warrant a call to your physician5
S-shaped, which comes from the shape of your lower intestine6	Black, tarry stools or bright red stoolsmay indicate bleeding in the GI tract; black stools can also come from certain medications, supplements or consuming black licorice; if you have black, tarry stools, it’s best to be evaluated by your healthcare provider
Quiet and gentle dive into the water...it should fall into the bowl with the slightest little “whoosh” sound – not a loud, wet cannonball splash that leaves your toosh in need of a shower	White, pale or gray stools may indicate a lack of bile, which may suggest a serious problem (hepatitis, cirrhosis, pancreatic disorders, or possibly a blocked bile duct), so this warrants a call to your physician; antacids may also produce white stool
Natural smell, not repulsive (I’m not saying it will smell good)	Yellow stools may indicate giardia infection, a gallbladder problem, or a condition known as Gilbert’s syndrome – if you see this, call your doctor
Uniform texture	Presence of undigested food (more of a concern if accompanied by diarrhea, weight loss, or other changes in bowel habits)
Sinks slowly	Floaters or splashers
	Increased mucus in stool: This can be associated with inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis, or even colon cancer, especially if accompanied by blood or abdominal pain

Does Your Stool Have a Really Bad Odor?

If your stool has an extraordinarily bad odor, it should not be ignored. This mean an odor above and beyond the normally objectionable stool odor. Stinky stool can be associated with a number of health problems, such as:

• A malabsorptive disorder
• Celiac disease
• Crohn’s disease
• Chronic pancreatitis
• Cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a disease caused by a defective gene that causes your body to produce abnormally thick, sticky mucus, which builds up and causes life-threatening lung infections and serious digestive problems. Most cases of CF are diagnosed before the age of 2, so this is more of a concern with infants and toddlers.

Speaking of malodorous things, what about gas? Passing gas is normal. Not only is it normal, it’s a good sign that trillions of hard working gut bacteria are doing their jobs. People pass gas an average 14 times per day – anywhere from one to four pints of it!⁸ Ninety nine percent of gas is odorless, so you may even be unaware you’re passing it. Think about it – were it not for an exit, we’d all blow up like balloons!

~excerpted from Dr. Mercola

5 Mini Mindfulness Methods To Do Anywhere

1. A Five-Minute Meditation
For beginning meditators, try a basic five-minute practice.

Sit down, close your eyes, and focus on something like your breath, an image, or a word—“one” is a popular choice—and simply allow your mind to drift, returning to your focus when you need to.

Knoles compares this exercise to brushing your teeth, an essential habit that should be done at least once a day to clean (and clear) your brain. But unlike brushing your teeth, you can try this anywhere, anytime. Try it on the el!



2. B-r-e-a-t-h-e
It’s easier said than done, but there’s a reason that slowing your breath calms you down. When people are stressed, they tend to take sharp, short breaths. Our nervous systems are wired so that inhalation is linked to the stress response and exhalation to the relaxation response. Taking a short inhale and emphasizing a long exhale helps prevent classic stress responses (like the "fight or flight" response, adrenalin rushes, insomnia) from kicking into gear.

3. Harness the Hand-Mind Connection
Stress exists for a reason: it notifies your body that you're in a dangerous situation.  It brings physical symptoms—your heart races, and it also pulls the blood out of your toes and fingers and sends it to your internal organs.

So as a calming practice, try immersing your hands in warm water (rubbing them briskly together also works in a pinch) to open up the blood vessels and trick your brain out of its stressful state.

4. Un-tunnel Your Vision
Usually when you’ve done something stupid, it’s because you’ve been in a heightened state of stress; the physiological response to stress gives you a single point of focus and you can’t see any other option. Playing with your peripheral vision helps your mind expand, so it can think of other possibilities. Here's how: Extend your arms to your side in a T-formation and wiggle your fingers. Then slowly bring your arms forward until the fingers are in sight, and then extend them out again.  Repeat. 

Another approach is, when stressed: "take 5" - stop what you are doing - for 5 seconds or 5 minutes. Find a private space (even a toilet stall will do!). Visualize yourself as the stressed person. Then inhale the stress from your body and exhale comfort, ease and loving kindness. Breathe this way for as long as you need to feel the healing transition.


5. Tune In and Tune Out
Studies that show that listening to music can change repetitive thought patterns. It doesn’t have to be classical music, just something you like. Loud sounds, however, can trigger stress responses, so aim to decrease your exposure to noisy environments. If that’s not possible as you roam the city, wear earbuds—nobody will know they aren’t plugged into your iPod!