Rumors

There are all sorts of weird rumors about Ted Murphy, founder of PayPerPost. But I know what the real truth is. How I know is not important. It's what I know you should be interested in.

It's all for scientology. See, he talks to Tom Cruise all the time, hashing out ideas on how to glorify the cause and make more money in order to reach out to their outer space friends. The whole putting ads on blogs is just the first step. Eventually there will be requests trickling in to post about scientology and aliens. Just you wait.

Sweet potato for type 2

There was this interesting article I found in Prevention magazine that was talking about a sweet potato, of all things, that could help diabetes type 2. I was surprised because potatoes are, well, starchy, right? This obviously isn't an ordinary potato. Here's the text of that article:

In the mountainous Kagawa region of Japan, home to olive trees and cuckoo birds, a white sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) eaten raw has long been a traditional treatment for anemia, hypertension, and diabetes.

Now marketed in Japan as a food additive for diabetes prevention and treatment, the tuber extract, called Caiapo, has attracted the attention of European researchers.

So far, this sweet-potato extract shows promise. In a joint Austrian and Italian study of 61 people with type 2 diabetes, those who took 4g of Caiapo daily for 3 months saw blood sugar drop 15 points -- a modest fall that could allow diabetics to reduce or even quit their blood sugar-lowering meds. Cholesterol and triglycerides also fell slightly.

It will be awhile before we're able to see it in the U.S., but it's nice to know there are natural remedies out there.

Lap-Band surgery, have you heard of it?

I actually hadn't until now. It's supposed to be a surgical solution to obesity, similar to gastric bypass. The way Lap-Band Surgery is described, a prosthesis known as a "lap-band" is placed around the upper stomach to create a smaller stomach pouch that in turn limits the amount of food an individual can fit into their stomach.

Sounds a lot like stomach stapling to me. Although I think having some kind of band is preferable to staples. I mean, it just sounds better, if you think about it. It's less invasive and you aren't puncturing or physically altering your stomach. Just sort of restricting it a little.

As always, these types of surgery should be a last resort. If diet and exercise has failed you for one reason or another, then this is definitely one option to consider.

Expeller Pressed vs. Cold Pressed

Vegetable oils are likely called vegetable oil because of the thought that "vegetables are good for you". It's all about packaging the product in the most marketable way possible. More accurately, these oils should be called seed oils. Canola, sunflower, corn and safflower oils are all made from seeds. You don't see broccoli oil or spinach oil because vegetables contain barely any oil content at all. But "vegetable oil" sounds more healthy and appealing than "seed oil", doesn't it?

The method by which these oils are extracted from the seeds determines how much nutrition (or harmful elements) is in the oil. As discussed in an earlier post, chemical extraction is the most common and the most harmful way. You want to look for "cold pressed" or "expeller pressed".

There actually is a difference between cold- and expeller-pressed oils. According to this article I found by Spectrum Organics, "All cold pressed oils are expeller pressed. But all expeller pressed oils are not necessarily cold pressed. It all has to do with temperature." You should read the article yourself for more details.

The interesting thing is that the term "cold pressed", while strictly regulated in Europe, is very loosely used in the U.S., often erroneously and in a misleading manner. It's hard to go by what the label tells us sometimes. The phrase that we want to look for then is "unrefined". Refining is the process where they treat the oil in all sorts of horrendous ways (mentioned in the previous post about oils), so a bottle marked "unrefined" would be the way to go.

Manufacturers are always trying to trick us for a profit by finding labeling loopholes. It's up to us to be smart and know what to look for.

Put your creative blogging skills to the test

Are you a creative blogger AND know real estate? You'd have an edge over me then, because myhomething is looking for people with excellent writing skills. I think I write reasonably well, but real estate just isn't my thing. It's hard to be creative an interesting when you're writing about something that doesn't interest you. But if you think you'd do a decent job writing about this site's lead generation program, then maybe you should check it out.

Why you want cold- or expeller-pressed oils

You might have seen in some grocery stores that some cooking oils say "cold pressed", others say "expeller pressed", but most say nothing at all. The vast majority of cooking oils sold commercially, like Wesson, Mazola and practically all store brands, are extracted in a way that makes you think twice about buying them.

According to MissVickie.com,

The oil is separated from its food source with hexane or other petroleum solvents and then boiled to drive off the toxic solvents. The oil is next refined, bleached, and deodorized, which involves heating it to over 400°F. The oil extracted this way still contains some undesirable solvent residues, while the amounts of many key nutrients (especially vitamin E) are significantly reduced. Antioxidants or preservatives such as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) or BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) are then frequently added. The resulting product lacks flavor, aroma, pigments, and nutrients.

Typically oils that looks very light and clear in color have been processed in this way, called chemical or solvent extraction. The process strips out anything good in the oils and replaces it with chemicals. It's no wonder cancer is so widespread with "unknown" causes.

It's really hard to avoid these types of oils because they are so cheap and they are also used in practically all pre-packaged foods that contain oil. I've only seen snack foods from health food companies that specify they use expeller-pressed oils. I don't remember which they are now, but next time I see them, I'll post about it.

I'll go more in depth about cold-pressed and expeller-pressed oils in the future, but for now I'll summarize by saying these are more natural methods for extracting oils from the seeds. You retain the nutrients without introducing any foreign chemicals. Doesn't that sound so much better for you?

Evil? I don't think so.

Once in a while you'll see posts in here that are not health-related at all. Am I just going bonkers? Maybe so, but it's just a little effort on my part to squeeze a little extra change where I can in order to make ends meet. There are companies who will pay for bloggers to post about certain things, so on occasion I will participate. Some people despise this practice and think it's devious and evil.

Evil? That seems a little extreme to me. Annoying? Possibly. But if people are reading my stuff, it's because they find me interesting at some level. So does it really matter what I write about? I choose what I want to write about, and whatever I choose, I always try to make it an interesting read. So what if it happens to be about gift baskets or online degrees? I still put myself into my writing, so there's always some value in it. It's not like I'm ever promoting harmful things like cigarettes or pedophilia, that would be evil. But to talk about random products as blog advertising to get a little bit of pocket change out of it, that's not evil at all. That's just a small help to my frazzled bank account, and it harms no one.

A second look at Snapea Crisps

My initial reaction to these were, "Wow these are yummy, and they're vegetables!" Yes they are, but they're processed. "But they're baked!" Yes they are, but they're likely processed first.

I was sharing these with my sweety and remarking how odd and un-vegetable-like the consistency of these things were. She said they likely ground up the green peas and then shaped them. For some reason I never thought of that. It makes perfect sense. You grind up the vegetable, mix it with rice and oil, then mold them to look like green beans. That would explain why they're all the same size. Duh, I didn't notice that either.

The oil is likely mixed into the product, not brushed on top. This makes for a lighter, crispier product. They use corn oil, which is definitely better than trans fats, but since it isn't expeller pressed, it's been processed too. Vegetable oils that are not expeller pressed (also known as cold pressed) are treated with high heat. The molecules of vegetable oils are not as stable as animal fats, and therefore do not stand up to heat so well. The molecules get altered. (I'll write up a separate post on this later.)

Bottom line is, treat Snapea Crisps as another form of junk food. It's still better than chips and other fried foods, but it's best to eat these in moderation.

Give me a little credit

So there's this company that does blog advertising by paying bloggers to post about stuff. Apparently this is some big controversial thing, but not so controversial that they couldn't manage to get $3 million in venture capital. I guess somebody thought it was a good idea.

The main thing people are complaining about is that bloggers are not required to disclose that their post is a paid advertisement. I don' t think they give readers enough credit. I mean, can't you tell the different between someone writing about a product they use and someone writing some fluff? I would think the difference is pretty clear, wouldn't you?

Snapea Crisps - What yum!

I frequent Trader Joe's quite a lot and love the variety of foods they have that are reasonably priced while being, for the most part, healthier than your average snack aisle. I love trying new things, so when I see something different that sounds good, I'll usually buy a bag to try it.


Last week I bought a bag of "Snapea Crisps". It was an interesting concept I'd never heard of before. They're supposed to be snap peas that have been salted and baked. Hey I'm all for alternative ways to get veggies into my diet. I know I don't eat enough as it is.

I finally opened the bag today. Wow these things are GOOD! It was completely unexpected. I was thinking it would be stiffly crunchy like some baked vegetable chips. But the consistency was unlike any vegetable I have ever seen. It was more like a Funyun than a pea pod. I tell you, it was bizarre. I only see this type of thing when things are deep fried, yet on the bag they claim that it's baked. Baked? Well that's good, but there was still a lot of oil on it. I peeked inside the bag and the sides were coated with oil. My fingers were oily after eating a few pieces. My guess is they soaked the pods in oil for a long time before actually baking them.

Still, these are quite yummy, and a much better alternative to conventional potato, corn and tortilla chips. They have 5g of protein per serving and only 14g of carbs. It's a great balanced snack you can eat without worrying about your blood sugar spiking, and the ingredients are minimal with no chemicals. Bear in mind however that the fat content is something to consider. It's 8g of fat and 150 calories per serving.

Ingredients: Green peas, Corn oil, Rice, Salt, Calcium carbonate, Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C).

Hmm... rice is in it, my guess is that's what helps to give the product its light and airy texture. The crispness and the flavor are quite addictive. I think I'll continue buying these.

Seattle

Seattle is one of those places I've always wanted to visit. It's rainy, touristy and close to a lot of state park greenery. I want to see it at least once. I don't know if I'd want to live there though. I hear their traffic problems might be worse than LA. I could be wrong though. We've entertained the thought of moving there once or twice.

Considering all the problems I've had with house ownership, I wonder how much better it would be with a condo? It would be cheaper, for one. They're more plentiful as well. There's even a site dedicated to selling Seattle condos. It allows realtors, owners and developers to post their listings. According to them, buyers can "bypass the middlemen". Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't realtors the middlemen?

They also have some program called "Building Specialists" where real estate agents specialize in luxury condos. Right, like I'll be needing that service anytime soon. Right now my idea of luxury is faux-fur rug on the floor.

Choose your candy wisely

As we get closer to flipping the calendar to October, we start seeing a whole lot of orange popping up around stores. Candy is everywhere. They entice you with sales and huge bins full of sweet, sugary goodness. I know I eat a lot more candy around this time of year, it's hard not to. But that doesn't stop me from checking the ingredient labels first.

A coworker brought some candy to the office today and everyone gleefully dove into them like vultures. I waited until after the rush of bodies, then wandered over to read the labels before grabbing my share. As I suspected, some of them were evil. Whoppers has partially hydrogenated vegetable oils in it. Crap, trans fats. I used to loooove Whoppers. But here on the package it was listed as the second ingredient, right after sugar. Dammit. I can love Whoppers no more.

Enjoy the candy folks, the season calls for it. But choose wisely.

Thinking about advanced degrees

When I graduated from college, I was so happy. Not because of any sense of accomplishment -- there was never any doubt in my mind that I would finish -- but more from relief. It was more of a "thank god that's over with" kind of feeling. I was just so sick of school. I'd been studying since I was 5!

At my last job, as things were starting to go stale and I was starting to sniff around for another job, I started thinking about getting a more advanced degree. I didn't really want to, but I wondered if it would make me more valuable. Or maybe there was a different career path I could take. It was a period of questioning, but I knew I didn't want to go back to school. Just having to go to the campus all the time would be a pain in the ass. This got me thinking about "distance learning". Maybe I could get an MBA online. There are some places that specialize in that, like Capella University, which offers 76 graduate and undergraduate specializations. Maybe if I got a master's degree in something I could get a better job, and I wouldn't have to go anywhere near a campus!

Lucky for me, after 6 months of interviewing, I finally landed my current job. I really wasn't looking forward to going back to studying. It was bad enough when I only worked part time! I can't imagine having to give up all my free time. No way. I treasure it too much.

Chocolate was meant to be enjoyed

Chocolate makes the world go 'round, wouldn't you say? Well at least it feels that way sometimes. You might have heard about some studies that claim chocolate has health benefits. Well it's true. Cocoa contains certain compounds, such as flavanoids, that help reduce blood clots and improve your cardiovascular health. Chocolate has also been demonstrated to act as an anti-depressant by stimulating endorphin production and providing seratonin.

But wait, before you run off to Costco to buy a barrel of Hershey's, read on. The health benefits you receive depend greatly upon the kind of chocolate you buy. The antioxidants and other helpful compounds are found in cocoa, the key ingredient in chocolate studies. Most of the cheap chocolate you find in stores contain very little actual cocoa. For example, look at the ingredient list for a Hershey bar. Sugar is first, followed by cocoa butter and other stuff. Make no mistake, cocoa butter is fat. It's what gives chocolate that smooth creamy texture.

The ingredient you want to see listed higher in the list is either "chocolate liquor" or "cocoa mass" (the imported chocolates tend to use the phrase "cocoa mass"). This is where the good stuff is. Dark chocolate has higher cocoa content than milk chocolate. Milk chocolate contains more sugar than its dark counterpart. This is why dark chocolate is more bitter. Healthy stuff comes in bitter packages I guess.

My recommendation is to buy dark chocolate with nuts in it. That way you'll be getting more good stuff, plus you'll get some protein to help balance out the sugar you'll be consuming with the chocolate. And put the guilt away. Chocolate was meant to be enjoyed.

The latest Google development

I love Google, but not because I'm a bandwagon joiner. On the contrary, I actually resisted using it when I first heard of it. I was comfortable with what I was using and didn't jump onto the Google wagon when a fellow sysadmin at the time introduced it to me.

Silly me. When I finally gave it a try, I was amazed at how much more relavant the search results were. After a few uses, I was hooked. Imagine that, a search engine that actually gives you the results you are looking for! Not only that, they are constantly working to improve themselves. They don't follow trends, they set them.

Take their latest development. It's still in beta, but they now have something called "Accessible Search". At first I was like "yeah whatever, I can see just fine." I was imagining the search results being in huge letters. Not so. It turns out the search results are different here. Sites with cleaner code get ranked higher. No more sloppy websites. A lot of garbage will get cleaned out of the results. I can well imagine a lot of sites scrambling for search engine optimization in order to fix their rankings. The field of search engines is ever changing and morphing into different creatures. I just hope it's for the better.

Weddings are annoying

Weddings annoy me. I hate 'em. I don't care who's wedding it is, they are all annoying. If it's anything more than a civil ceremony in front of a judge, it's too much. Any event that has you blow thousands of dollars on one day is a waste. Yes it's a happy occasion, but with so much going on, there's just so much that can go wrong. Kids going nuts, bad weather, flowers wilting, caterers charging you different from the agreed-upon amount, guests getting lost, the list goes on and on. It's ridiculous. How can you be happy on your happy occasion when you're too busy stressing out?

Then there's all the crap with the gifts. Guests have to give the bride and groom gifts, then there's the bridesmaid gifts, and probably several others I don't even know about. Obligatory gifts suck. Gifts should be from the heart, not because you have to. But in the end, if the food is good and the ceremony short, I'm usually able to sit through the whole thing.

Saying No to Donuts

This morning a coworker brought in piles of fresh, warm donuts of all kinds. OMG the smell of bakery freshness wafting from these boxes was almost intoxicating. I used to love donuts. I peered in the boxes and inadvertantly inhaled more of the heady scent. Oh yes, I remember the taste and the mouth-feel of fresh, warm donuts well. I was tempted. I really was.

This was a true test of my willpower. One thought was enough to keep my hands off these evil bakery treats: Donuts are nothing but refined white flour, soaked in trans-fats and covered in sugar. There is absolutely nothing beneficial to your body in there. Not only is it empty calories, it will spike your blood sugar like crazy (unless you scarf some proteins to balance it) and the trans-fats are worse than lard. I might as well snack on rat poison. My desire to live a long and healthy life is much too strong to be willing to subject my body to that kind of internal abuse. So I said no to donuts. I have been successfully donut-free for two years now.

Eating right is nothing but a string of little battles. Each time you come upon a choice, you know in your heart what the right choice is. You have the strength to make the right choice. Winning each of these little battles is how you start winning the war.

Battling gluttony with willpower

I watched an episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and they were helping out this couple who gained 40 pounds since their wedding... which wasn't too long ago from what I understand. The husband said he could easily eat an entire tub of ice cream in a day. Not a pint, a tub. Okay that's just sick. And the wife said she eats her cereal with half and half. WTF? Isn't whole milk rich enough, she has to eat it with half and half?? And they're baffled why they've gained so much weight in such a short period of time? What's wrong with them??

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I adore ice cream, perhaps more than others (but obviously not more than that guy). However I know of this thing called moderation. Some people don't. It surprises me sometimes how little common sense some people have when it comes to food choices. They make weird little rationalizations in their minds to justify these unwise choices. "I walked around the block today, so I can eat a giant bowl of ice cream as a reward."

The thing is, they most likely know that it's an unwise choice, but they do it anyway and figure they'll make up for it later. Operating on such a mindset usually means that "later" never comes. Willpower isn't just the strength to say no to these unwise choices. It's the strength to make the day to day commitment to health. It's knowledge that every day's choices has consequences. It's believing the fact that today's choices affect your health later. If you don't make the right choices now, your health won't improve later.

I'm just too cheap

Because I'm a big ol' cheapskate, I mostly likely won't be spending $13 on a stainless steel water bottle. Instead I went to Trader Joe's and wandered through their beverage aisle until I found one whose container was made of glass, had a recloseable top, and was narrow enough to fit in my cupholder. I think that's the biggest trick to finding a glass bottle that will work for you. Most of them are too wide. But if you're just going to use it around the house, then any old bottle will do. The Snapple ones are good.

Plastic water bottles - yet another source of carcinogens (sigh)

Over the weekend, a friend was telling me how regular water bottles can leach chemicals into your water, especially when in a hot environment like your car. Being the stingy tightwad I am, all the bottles I use are of the cheaply available kind that I get for free whenever water is given away at events, like Aquafina or Costco branded water. Naturally I was alarmed to hear this news. He recommended polycarbonate bottles instead, which is a stiffer plastic than that of standard water bottles.

Being the skeptic I often am, I rarely take someone's word for fact until I research it myself, so I did some reading. Apparently your standard plastic water bottle does indeed leach stuff called PBA (which is short for something, but I don't remember what. You probably don't care anyway.) which is a carcinogen and linked to breast cancer, among other things. Yikes!

I then found out that polycarbonate bottles aren't immune to this either, but they are at least resistant to it. They leach these chemicals into your water when they're new, then the levels decrease. Cleaning it with strong detergents releases even more of these chemicals from the plastic. So I guess polycarbonate bottles aren't the answer either.

The sites I read recommended either glass or stainless steel bottles instead, as these materials won't leak anything into your water. One that was mentioned was called Klean Kanteen. I hate it when they decide to replace C's with K's just to be cute, but that's beside the point. I'm going to have to shell out about $13 to get one, but I think that's much better considering the alternative. Hmm, $13 or cancer, gee I wonder which is worse?