Now I'm not sponsored by Yogi at all but I've been a long time fan of their teas. They recently launched a line of cereals and I've tried three of them and my favorite hands-down is the "Digestive Health" one since it has plenty of cinnamon, clove, and cardamom, which are my favorite spices. You can really taste the cloves. So stay clear of this if you don't like the aforementioned spices.
The problem is that the local grocery store is always out of stock of the "Digestive Health" and they always have plenty of the "Essential Antioxidants" blend, which supposedly has goji berries. If you are of Chinese or Taiwanese descent you probably grew up on goji berries and are very familiar with the sweet, tangy taste. However, now that goji berries from China are the new "it" health item, they are winding up in all sorts of processed food items. The problem with this "Essential Antioxidants" cereal is that you cannot taste the goji berries at all. If you read the ingredients label, you'll see that they have pulverized a tiny amount of goji berries and added that to the cereal so that they can still write "GOJI BERRIES" on the front but it really has little to no goji berries contained in it.
This was my random rant on Yogi Cereals. Hopefully, Sprouts will restock Yogi "Digestive Health" cereal.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
"Spartacus: Blood and Sand" Workout
For those who have seen the frenetic, testosterone-charged TV show, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," I'm sure you have wondered how the actors got in shape for their roles. While there are many YouTube videos describing the "Gladiator Boot Camp" and their diet, I found this video by Scott Herman to be very accessible to the layman in the practical sense in that you can follow step-by-step the fitness routine provided. Most of the other videos are more for trivia, while this gives the guts and bones of the actual routine for you to work on personally. All you need to do this workout are some dumbbells and free time.
The exercises done are deceptively simple and facile; they are much more difficult when executed in the circuit training. However, as with all exercise routines, consistency is key and with frequency of practice I'm sure this workout will pay off dividends. I may try out this routine myself next week when I get over this persistent sinus infection.
This is another (shorter) video of the 'Spartacus workout':
(It has annoying music playing in the background though; I'm posting it because it shows all the exercises quickly in succession so you can get a feel for the whole routine without watching the longer Herman video.)
The exercises done are deceptively simple and facile; they are much more difficult when executed in the circuit training. However, as with all exercise routines, consistency is key and with frequency of practice I'm sure this workout will pay off dividends. I may try out this routine myself next week when I get over this persistent sinus infection.
This is another (shorter) video of the 'Spartacus workout':
(It has annoying music playing in the background though; I'm posting it because it shows all the exercises quickly in succession so you can get a feel for the whole routine without watching the longer Herman video.)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Short but Sweet Slideshows About Health and Happiness
Here are some brief slideshows that remind you of healthy habits most people already know about, and who knows — you might learn something new!
15 Habits of Happy Men
15 Habits of Happy Women
12 Ways to Boost Brainpower
15 Habits of Happy Men
15 Habits of Happy Women
12 Ways to Boost Brainpower
Monday, January 17, 2011
"If you eliminate the scourge of bottled water, you'll be eliminating one of the biggest problems facing our environment."
A marine biologist said that in the documentary titled, "Tapped" (2009). He has for many years been studying the dramatic decline of water quality in our oceans.
In 1999, they did a survey and found that there was 6x more plastic particles in the seawater than plankton. In 2008, they found there was 46x as much plastic as plankton. And fish are consuming these smaller plastic fragments. The researcher found 26 plastic pieces in a single fish.
Some may say that they always recycle their plastic bottles but they don't realize that in the U.S., less than 20% of water bottles get recycled (versus the 50% worldwide rate). Part of this is due to low public funding. Each city is responsible for recycling but with low funding and staff they cannot handle the demand, so then it just fills up a landfill or it goes to an incinerator.
Disregarding the environmental impact of bottled water though, you can take a look at the economics of it. Most bottled waters have been shown to be nothing more than filtered municipal tap water and yet the major companies like Nestle, Coca Cola, and Pepsi charge 1900x the price of tap water. Also, due to the plastic packaging additional chemicals are introduced to the drinking water. Independent testing of various brands found there to be petrochemical compounds present like toulene, styrene, and pthalates, which are all carcinogenic and/or endocrine-disrupting. This is due to the PET plastic bottles, many of which are made in Corpus Christi, Texas at an oil refinery plant called Flint Hills. In Corpus Christi, the birth defects rate is 85% higher than the national average. The cancer rates are also significantly higher. Many of the residents were ignorant of the effects of living close to a plastics plant and now they cannot move elsewhere since they can't sell their houses; plus they already have health ailments. A previous EPA employee quit due to his moral qualms over working at a regulatory agency that is being manipulated by special interests and corporations. He stated that many of these chemical plants have ground level leaks, where the waste seeps into the groundwater -- in addition to the benzene and other volatile compounds spewing into the air from the smokestacks.
The bottled water industry has been remarkably adept at convincing the public that their product is superior to the municipal tap water through extensive marketing campaigns (i.e. Aquafina -- "Drink more water;" using models and celebrities in their magazine ads, promoting water's health-promoting attributes, etc.) The municipal water plant on the other hand doesn't have the funds to compete with marketing ploys. The municipal water processing plant is required by law to check the water quality several times a day and posts the results online for the public to see. On the other hand, private bottled water companies are not required to provide any water quality tests to the public. They send their own studies to the FDA and the FDA doesn't require or conduct any independent studies on their water quality. There is only one person in the FDA that oversees the entire bottled water industry and that person also has to attend to other duties. The FDA is severely understaffed and underfunded. The big scandal with the FDA over this issue was when the bottled water industry and the petrochemical industry told the FDA that BPA was perfectly safe despite independent scientific organizations that said otherwise.
Then there is the social injustice aspect. Due to these companies' cache of high-powered lawyers they found a loophole in the law, where Nestle can go into Maine and pump as much water as they want without paying a dime for it and then charging $19 per gallon for it. The small rural community that was affected by this pumping requested Nestle pay 1 cent per gallon that they pumped so that it would return to the community but Nestle (operating under the name of Poland Springs or Ozark) refused. Then in Atlanta when there was a water crisis and residents and local businesses had to follow stringent water restriction policies, Coca Cola was completely exempt and continued to pump millions of gallons from a lake that was already far below normal levels.
http://www.tappedthemovie.com/
(The video, "How pharmaceuticals end up in our water?" is very interesting.)
I've always just carried a resuable water bottle to fill with filtered or tap water for environmental, health, and economic reasons, but after watching this documentary I feel compelled to do more and to spread the message.
("Blue Gold: World Water Wars" (2009) was a similar movie and probably even better than this one but I didn't write a review on it. "Blue Gold" was more comprehensive on the subject of commoditizing water, while "Tapped" focused in on the bottled water industry. Both movies are highly recommended.)
In 1999, they did a survey and found that there was 6x more plastic particles in the seawater than plankton. In 2008, they found there was 46x as much plastic as plankton. And fish are consuming these smaller plastic fragments. The researcher found 26 plastic pieces in a single fish.
Some may say that they always recycle their plastic bottles but they don't realize that in the U.S., less than 20% of water bottles get recycled (versus the 50% worldwide rate). Part of this is due to low public funding. Each city is responsible for recycling but with low funding and staff they cannot handle the demand, so then it just fills up a landfill or it goes to an incinerator.
Disregarding the environmental impact of bottled water though, you can take a look at the economics of it. Most bottled waters have been shown to be nothing more than filtered municipal tap water and yet the major companies like Nestle, Coca Cola, and Pepsi charge 1900x the price of tap water. Also, due to the plastic packaging additional chemicals are introduced to the drinking water. Independent testing of various brands found there to be petrochemical compounds present like toulene, styrene, and pthalates, which are all carcinogenic and/or endocrine-disrupting. This is due to the PET plastic bottles, many of which are made in Corpus Christi, Texas at an oil refinery plant called Flint Hills. In Corpus Christi, the birth defects rate is 85% higher than the national average. The cancer rates are also significantly higher. Many of the residents were ignorant of the effects of living close to a plastics plant and now they cannot move elsewhere since they can't sell their houses; plus they already have health ailments. A previous EPA employee quit due to his moral qualms over working at a regulatory agency that is being manipulated by special interests and corporations. He stated that many of these chemical plants have ground level leaks, where the waste seeps into the groundwater -- in addition to the benzene and other volatile compounds spewing into the air from the smokestacks.
The bottled water industry has been remarkably adept at convincing the public that their product is superior to the municipal tap water through extensive marketing campaigns (i.e. Aquafina -- "Drink more water;" using models and celebrities in their magazine ads, promoting water's health-promoting attributes, etc.) The municipal water plant on the other hand doesn't have the funds to compete with marketing ploys. The municipal water processing plant is required by law to check the water quality several times a day and posts the results online for the public to see. On the other hand, private bottled water companies are not required to provide any water quality tests to the public. They send their own studies to the FDA and the FDA doesn't require or conduct any independent studies on their water quality. There is only one person in the FDA that oversees the entire bottled water industry and that person also has to attend to other duties. The FDA is severely understaffed and underfunded. The big scandal with the FDA over this issue was when the bottled water industry and the petrochemical industry told the FDA that BPA was perfectly safe despite independent scientific organizations that said otherwise.
Then there is the social injustice aspect. Due to these companies' cache of high-powered lawyers they found a loophole in the law, where Nestle can go into Maine and pump as much water as they want without paying a dime for it and then charging $19 per gallon for it. The small rural community that was affected by this pumping requested Nestle pay 1 cent per gallon that they pumped so that it would return to the community but Nestle (operating under the name of Poland Springs or Ozark) refused. Then in Atlanta when there was a water crisis and residents and local businesses had to follow stringent water restriction policies, Coca Cola was completely exempt and continued to pump millions of gallons from a lake that was already far below normal levels.
http://www.tappedthemovie.com/
(The video, "How pharmaceuticals end up in our water?" is very interesting.)
I've always just carried a resuable water bottle to fill with filtered or tap water for environmental, health, and economic reasons, but after watching this documentary I feel compelled to do more and to spread the message.
("Blue Gold: World Water Wars" (2009) was a similar movie and probably even better than this one but I didn't write a review on it. "Blue Gold" was more comprehensive on the subject of commoditizing water, while "Tapped" focused in on the bottled water industry. Both movies are highly recommended.)
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Simple, Easy Lifestyle Choices to Minimize Your Cancer Risk
This article from Prevention magazine gives 13 easy tips to follow, such as filtering your tap water (which usually results in higher quality than bottled water), reducing mobile phone usage, and eating organic foods to reduce exposure to harmful chemicals, antibiotics, and hormone-altering substances.
Some of the tips should be taken with a grain of salt, such as the urge to drink more coffee, which contradicts other studies that suggest caffeine's adverse effects. Moderation is key and to always observe your own body's individual responses to diet and lifestyle changes.
Some of the tips should be taken with a grain of salt, such as the urge to drink more coffee, which contradicts other studies that suggest caffeine's adverse effects. Moderation is key and to always observe your own body's individual responses to diet and lifestyle changes.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Food for Thought
This is chicken product. I know it looks like strawberry soft serve ice cream but it's actually jumbled up chicken bits and parts, which will wind up in your chicken nuggets and other processed chicken products. Just think twice before you indiscriminately eat your processed meat items.
(The photo was taken without permission from this Tumblr site. Please patronize that website.)
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Dirty Dozen (EWG)
Most people are aware of the benefits of organic meat and produce (i.e., free of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, growth hormones, higher nutrient content, etc.), but few are willing to pay the premiums for it since these effects are cumulative rather than acute.
However, the wonderful folks at Environmental Working Group (EWG) have come out once again with a "dirty dozen" list to help out the frugal shopper in determining what one can buy conventional and save a few bucks and what one would do best to avoid due to the high levels of toxic chemical residues (even after feeling and/or washing).
The New Dirty Dozen: 12 Foods to Eat Organic
This list is updated yearly for the amounts and types of pesticides and herbicides varies seasonally depending on what the farmers are applying to the crops. For instance, tomatoes used to be on the avoid list for years but surprisingly this year is considered "clean" due to relatively reduced levels of pesticide residues.
It would be prudent to avoid conventionally-grown: celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, kale, cherries, potatoes, and imported grapes.
[Of course, it should go without saying that one should always avoid non-organic meat and dairy products due to the even higher incidence of pesticides, fecal matter, E. coli, Salmonella, growth hormones, antibiotics, inhuman practices, unsustainable and environmentally-unsound practices (lack of sewage treatment facilities of factory swine farms), and even forced cannibalism (feeding the other chickens ground up diseased corpses of sick chickens; the same goes for cows).]
These foods are considered relatively safe to eat non-organic: onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, mangoes, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwis, cabbage (bok choy, etc.), eggplants, papayas, watermelons, broccoli, tomato, and sweet potatoes.
Many of the "clean" foods are there because they have a thick rind that prevents pesticides from seeping into its flesh or they have a natural resistance to pests, such as sulfur-containing onions.
However, the wonderful folks at Environmental Working Group (EWG) have come out once again with a "dirty dozen" list to help out the frugal shopper in determining what one can buy conventional and save a few bucks and what one would do best to avoid due to the high levels of toxic chemical residues (even after feeling and/or washing).
The New Dirty Dozen: 12 Foods to Eat Organic
This list is updated yearly for the amounts and types of pesticides and herbicides varies seasonally depending on what the farmers are applying to the crops. For instance, tomatoes used to be on the avoid list for years but surprisingly this year is considered "clean" due to relatively reduced levels of pesticide residues.
It would be prudent to avoid conventionally-grown: celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, kale, cherries, potatoes, and imported grapes.
[Of course, it should go without saying that one should always avoid non-organic meat and dairy products due to the even higher incidence of pesticides, fecal matter, E. coli, Salmonella, growth hormones, antibiotics, inhuman practices, unsustainable and environmentally-unsound practices (lack of sewage treatment facilities of factory swine farms), and even forced cannibalism (feeding the other chickens ground up diseased corpses of sick chickens; the same goes for cows).]
These foods are considered relatively safe to eat non-organic: onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, mangoes, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwis, cabbage (bok choy, etc.), eggplants, papayas, watermelons, broccoli, tomato, and sweet potatoes.
Many of the "clean" foods are there because they have a thick rind that prevents pesticides from seeping into its flesh or they have a natural resistance to pests, such as sulfur-containing onions.
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