Health Information

The Latest on Healthy Eating

Most of us are aware by now that our mainstream supermarkets are goldmines for evil eating. But there DO exist loopholes and shortcuts.

This page is dedicated to informing you on the latest health news.

By the way, I'm not good at diets. (That would be obvious if you saw me. I'm not terribly overweight, but I have a medical condition...) Anyway, I don't like diets. But I eat healthy. And that's what YOU should be doing!

CLEAN and DIRTY Fruits

Check out this website's page about choosing the "cleanest" fruits when it comes to pesticides. http://www.foodnews.org/reduce.php Then click the link at the top of the page for the FULL LIST of clean and dirty fruits.

Throw Out Your Microwave!!!

   Okay, well, I guess you don't have to throw it out...
   But look, there are better ways to heat your food. Say, I dunno, the stovetop???
I cannot get out of my head the science fair experiment that a kid did in 2006 (Seen here: http://www.execonn.com/sf/). The experiment involved watering plants with water boiled in a microwave as opposed to water boiled on the stove (both were cooled to room temp before watering) The result, for me, was disturbing. The pictures indicate a thriving plant living on stove water and a dead plant on microwaved water. To be fair, I did find another experiment on Snopes.com (a super site for researching spam or mass emails and urban myths). This page addresses the experiment: http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave/plants.asp
   Okay, so now you can make up your own mind, but I know what the microwave does to my biscuits when I stick 'em in there. They turn into BRICKS! And my chili ends up all burned on the sides of the bowl. And my Hot Pockets??? Don't even get me started! (I don't really eat Hot Pockets, but I'm trying to make a point here)
   When I want to reheat something like soup, I get out my Corning Ware. I only have two pieces, but I love them! One is deep, one is shallow, and they both have handles. You put them on the stove, and your refrigerated food tastes like the first time you made it. Plus, you can eat it right there out of the pot because they're not terribly big.
   I prefer to heat everything on the stove. In fact, before I got married six months ago, I hadn't had a microwave for over five years! My husband had one when we got married, and I can't bring him to throw it out. "Well, what if we want popcorn?" he cries. "Do we ever eat popcorn?" was my bored reply.
   Hey, speaking of popcorn, why not make it the old-fashioned way, on the stove?? My dad still does it like that, and I've always hated the way microwaved popcorn leaves that buttery plastic feeling on the roof of my mouth.

ON THE STOVE POPCORN
   Turn the stove on medium high heat. Put 1/4 to 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a big stock pot. (I like to put my salt in the oil and let it dissolve as the oil heats.)
   Add 2-3 cups of plain regular popping corn and place the lid on top. (I love to use my clear lids, that way I can watch it pop and I can better guess when it's all done popping.) As it heats up, shake the pot round and round or back and forth to circulate the oil around the kernels. It will start little by little, then go crazy!!! It's so fun! As soon as it's done, have a big bowl handy to dump it in there. Salt to taste, add whatever you want.

Just Add Water...

   I NEVER cook stuff like this ------------->
Check the ingredients. If you can't pronounce them, it's bad for you. Make your own stinking brownies!!!!!
I do understand that sometimes you're short on time, but choose carefully where you want to cheat when it comes to bad eating. When you make your own brownies (or whatever else), you know exactly what goes into them. Plus, you're making them in the OVEN. Think of how your house will SMELL! Warm chocolate wafting through the bedrooms, that's the best scent for a house! Forget your air fresheners!
   Same goes for pancake or biscuit mix, dressings, et cetera. If you have to add water, it is likely full of MSG, or other chemicals you can't pronounce which God never meant for your consumption.
   Another thing that disgusts me: cans of biscuits that have butter flavoring. FAKE butter, looking like a case of yellow chicken pox, plagues the biscuits. Then you bake it.
   I'm sorry, there's just nothing like the real thing. By the way, you can make biscuits the old-fashioned way and freeze them while they're still uncooked. Then, on Sunday morning, just take a few out, pop 'em in the oven for 15 minutes or so, and they taste fresh as the day you made 'em!

ANOTHER REHEATING METHOD:
   The toaster oven. I have nothing against these, save for two practical complaints. If I have a pizza, or whatever else, I PUT IT IN THE OVEN. That's what it's for. I also don't feel the need to spend the money or sacrifice counter space for a toaster oven.
   I tend to make a mess in the kitchen, so I want plenty of room to do it!
   Other than that, they work just like a regular, conventional oven. Some people tell me they work even faster than an oven. I take issue with that, except for initial heat-up time. THAT is faster, but cook time, I believe remains the same.
   Regardless, it is still a viable way to heat stuff up...