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Butter vs Margarine: The Great Debate?

GSimms
http://Fyi-HealthandWellness.blogspot.com
Reprinted with permission from GSimms-HealthandWellness.com

Dating back to 1869 when a French food chemist succeeded in making a cheap substitute for the real thing which had become scarce and expensive because of a European cattle plague, margarine was born. In its original form, it was a hard, white and glossy substance made from beef fat, milk and chopped sheep's stomachs and cow's breasts and was used primarily by the poor. (1)

In the years that followed, the product was allegedly improved by the introduction of utilizing cheap oils as a base. These oils were hardened into the final product's form by reacting them with hydrogen in the presence of metal catalysts and heat.

In the 1920s for the 30 years that followed, food chemists have worked to enhance its look, taste, and spreadability while its marketing has continued to the successful perception that not only is the product a cheaper substitution, but it is alledgedly a healthier alternative to butter.

But is the perception true? Is margarine healthier for you?

Many consumers the world over will defend their choices by pointing to evidence or should I say marketing. But when the facts add up, we should be reminded that we shouldn't accept, as fact, the information that is presented in a 30-second commercial.

Many of us consume too much fat and could benefit significantly by reducing our fat intake. That said, butter is a natural product and is chemically better suited for ingestion though it is rich in both saturated fat and cholesterol. Whereas the process that transforms oils into margarine changes the fatty acids into unnatural forms that may be most unhealthy to eat. (2)

The production process for margarine creates trans-fatty acids (a humanly non-essential substance that is suspected to heighten the risks for cancer, promotes inflamation and accelerates aging and degenerative changes in tissues). Research indicates that eating margarine versus butter can increase the incidence of heart disease because of the trans fats.

In head to head comparative analysis, margarine increases total cholesterol and LDL (the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). (3)

Margarine lowers the quality of breast milk (4) and decreases immune and insulin response. (5)

As this debate will assuredly continue, it makes sense to protect yourself against the ills of bad information. If you race through the carton of butter that sits in your refrigerator, you might want to slow your roll, while understanding that margarine is not a suitable replacement. The information that is available indicates that you would be better to not ingest this product at all. A better choice is the use of canola or olive oil.

References:

1. www.naturodoc.com/library/nutrition/margbutt.htm

2. www.naturodoc.com/library/nutrition/margbutt.htm

3. www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/b/butter-margarine.

4. www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/b/butter-margarine.

Additional sources of information

www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/margarin.html

www.drlwilson.com/Articles/butter.htm

Well Wishes for the Holidays and New Year's

GSimms
http://fyi-healthandwellness.blogspot.com
Reprinted with permission from
GSimms-HealthandWellness.com

Over the last two months, I've written quite a few articles about gratitude. And while thinking about them today, it dawned on me to ask, "what are you grateful about?" Feel free to send a comment and share.

It's that time of the year and I know that many people find themselves bummed out because the economy doesn't allow them to spend lots of money. Many people are out of work and are doing everything they can to survive.

I guess the mindset of not feeling whole because of your inability to participate in the maddening shopping mall parades highlight the doldrums that make an otherwise festive season the prescription of depression.

Come on folks. Lighten up.

I am truly happy and grateful about a number of things.

I'm grateful for being alive and look forward to the continuance of being productive and relevant. I'm grateful for my health and sanity. I'm grateful for my mom--she's 84 and still spry. I'm grateful for my daughter--she's a special youngster and has grown to be a very interesting young adult. I'm grateful for those people that I call friend--I can only shake my head about this group of twisted individuals. And of course I'm grateful for the special person in my life--I can write a book about her...hmmm, that's an idea. Perhaps I will.

Anyway, I look forward to next year and all of those opportunities to share and inform...to write and educate...to teach and entertain...to learn and grow.

In the spirit of the holiday season, here is a link to a site that's featured in my book, "The Top 25 Things You Can Do to Change Your Life for the Better...Forever". At the link, you'll find my rendition of the Christmas Song. Let me know what you think. I was told that I have a future as a vocalist. Hmmmm, imagine that. Anyway, please enjoy. http://www.singsnap.com/snap/r/ba1268bcb.

Happy Holidays to you all.

Stress: Have You Looked At Yourself Lately

GSimms
http://fyi-healthandwellness.blogspot.com
Reprinted with permission from
GSimms-HealthandWellness.com

How many times have we dealt with someone and walked away mumbling, "he ought to take a chill pill...whew!!!"

My point is--it's easy to identify stress in other people. But the million dollar question that you should ask and then answer is--have you looked at yourself lately?

It is unfortunate that we normally allow our personal stress to linger for far too long. We typically will make an effort to do something about our personal stress when it has just about gotten out of control. By this time, you are often at that point where perpetual rage has set in. Not good.

There are huge benefits to be enjoyed if you learn to manage or eliminate stress from your life. This is one of the topics that I wrote about in my book, "The Top 25 Things You Can Do to Change Your Life For the Better...Forever".

In that chapter, I highlighted how it is important to control your stress if you seek the maximum levels of health and wellness. When you allow your stress to control you, the inevitable downward spiral takes place. Before long, you will feel and look as if you've been depleted of your life source.

I'm sure you've seen people that you are acquainted with somehow and noted, after not having seen them in a while, how much they seemed to have aged.

Stress is a mighty foe...a major combatant...principle ravager of quality of life and health and wellness. Left unchecked, it causes unnecessary spikes to your blood sugar levels, raises blood pressure, causes you to sleep fewer hours, causes you to eat more, causes headaches, stomach aches, back pain and makes you a candidate for long term disease.

So after looking at yourself and acknowledging your stress and stressors, you should think about healthy ways to manage or eliminate your stress.

If you engage in activities or decisions that produce unnecessary stress, your first move is to stop the madness or learn to just say no to those things that you know are going to stress you out. This is that special time when it's good to be selfish about resisting those things (people included) that produce the stress in your life.

Next, it's a good thing to develop and participate in activities that inherently provide relaxation for you.

Maybe music is an outlet for your. Maybe art. Or maybe you have a hobby that you have not enjoyed lately. Perhaps the active participation in those areas or activities might provide some solace from the stress and become the bridge to a better state of mind.

One surefire antidote is exercise. Just 30 minutes of some good 'ol fashioned sweat producing exercise can release a battalion of nature's stress fighting chemicals in your body.

Laughter is always good. Studies have shown that laughter is like a wonder drug when fighting stress. When combined with exercise, it is like having a magical one-two punch that you can count on when fighting stress.

There are several more approaches that will help you back away from your stress. Choose those that work for you and make them a part of your life today.

Resource: "The Top 25 Things You Can Do to Change Your Life for the Better...Forever"
Learn how to manage or eliminate stress while enjoying strategies that will give you a great quality of life. Available in a new ebook at GSimms-TheTop25.com

All I Could Say is "WOW'

GSimms
http://fyi-healthandwellness.blogspot.com

Recently, I had the good fortune of speaking at length with someone who provided a startling moment of enlightenment and hopefully, limited disappointment.

He told me a story that involved his finding out that he had been diagnosed with diabetes (which is being controlled currently with non-injection medicine). He went on to say that his initial reaction was to change his diet. He ate smaller portions, drank more water, ate more fruit and vegetables, stopped eating fried foods, and consumed more baked chicken and fish.

Along with the increased physical activity of his job (that called for him to walk constantly), he lost almost 40 pounds and said he felt better than he had in years. He even spoke of himself as having returned to a svelte and sexier self of old—a look that he was quite proud of.

Okay, here’s where the story gets interesting.

Everything said up to this point is good medicine and a great living plan regardless of your health status. What I mean is that if you are healthy, this plan might keep you healthy. If not, the plan noted above can help someone restore their health to the extent that they might recover.

So where’s the slant?

He went on to tell me that he abandoned what was working because he felt that he was too young to not enjoy everything that he wanted when he wanted it.

WOW!

I find it hard to believe how foolish people can be.

A recent U.S News and World Report (February, 2009) discusses the state of America’s Health. It makes for good reading with educational information that if heeded, could extend your life and increase your life’s quality. After all, what could you possibly want to do that might prohibit your decision to have or add quality to the life that you have.

Bottom line is this, the American Diabetes Association reports that nearly half of all Americans suffer from at least one chronic health condition such as heart disease or diabetes.

While we currently face many challenges from all directions, the one challenge that we can personally do something about places the responsibility in each of our hands.

The answer was offered earlier in this piece. The advice however, is not to stop once you see it working. Health, wellness, and fitness are choices for a sustainable lifestyle.

Killing Ourselves with the Knife, Fork and Spoon

GSimms,

http://fyi-healthandwellness.blogspot.com

Suicide is considered a heinous act. It is intentional and self inflicted, but what about those acts committed against oneself that while not intentional are equally as egregious as pulling the trigger.

In this case, I’m talking about the knife, fork and spoon that we’re using to kill ourselves.

On Friday night, I attended a stage play in Dallas, TX. The play, “The Cleanup Woman” written by JD Lawrence lived up to its billing—hysterically funny. Now what does this have to do with using a knife, fork and spoon to kill ourselves? You will get the point shortly.

Prior to the opening act, I sat in my seat awaiting the start of the play. As people finished off their drinks in the lobby they proceeded toward their seats and the auditorium filled and became abuzz with movement, music and bodies.

What’s critical here are the bodies. Considering the marketing of this play, the old school demographic (35-54 year olds according to FaceBook) was in attendance.

And as for the bodies, it would be unreasonable to expect that everyone is in shape and appear to be the picture of health, but I have said and will continue to say (until I see it differently) that we are killing ourselves.

Many of those in attendance were decidedly overweight, huffin’ and puffin’ going up the short stack of stairs to the next level, or from the walk from the parking garage.

Please don’t get this twisted. I am in no way trying to stand in judgment of those in attendance. I’m making a point that we should seek help and then follow the advice that will reflect a healthier result.

Many of us have poor eating habits and make even poorer eating decisions. When coupled with genetics and age (here’s where the old school demographic comes into play), many of us are walking time-bombs.

At one point in the show, a change of scenes was rather long. It wasn’t until after the performance that writer/actor JD Lawrence informed the audience by apology that the slow transition from one scene to another (at that point of the play) was due to the necessity to medicate himself and reduce his heart rate from 105 beats a minute down to a normal and acceptable rate.

Again…the knife, fork and spoon in tandem with genetics and age can spell disaster.

JD Lawrence is a tremendously talented playwright and actor. The depictions and stories told through his insightful writing and comedic senses were all on point throughout the play. It would be a shame for him to disappear in what would seem to be “at a moment’s notice” when at least one portion of the equation can be controlled—his nutritional intake.

Now, let’s be fair. I don’t know the specifics of his situation, but I understand what happens when and if you allow your situation to spiral out of control.

What he reacted to were the symptoms of arterial fibrillation—a condition where at least one or both of the two smaller (upper) quadrants of the heart beats excessively fast or out of control. Now how would I know that? In October of 2007, I spent one month in the hospital from that condition.

This can be a debilitating condition that robs you of everything near and dear to you—your health.

Thankfully, I have come a long way since then. I’ve lost 60 pounds, have a consistent training regimen, and out of necessity, modified my nutritional intake (the result of research and good decisions).

Let me say that my effort to live is about owning the moment and taking the responsibility to live without the boundaries of those choices that would make my life a minute by minute account of devalued existence.

My hope is that through the network of information that we call the internet, JD Lawrence and the countless others who are suffering and not getting the useful help needed will make visits to this site and my other site (www.gsimms-healthandwellness.com) and try the useful nuggets of information written with love and based on my research to reveal strategies that I’m finding useful.

That said, I’ve recently done a number of things that I’m finding useful to my health. I’ll discuss them in detail in subsequent articles, but for starters here are two suggestions.

Your body and your body’s chemistry changes more often than you might know. Have you noticed that some foods that you once enjoyed no longer agree with you? Well let me introduce you to a simple procedure that will put you on track and in line with your individual metabolic needs.

Log on to www.metabolictypingonline.com and find out why you are out of kilter. Here’s the deal. The majority of our physical ailments are the result of what we eat. The good news is that you can correct many of your problems by making better choices. To do that, you need accurate information and this is a good place to start your education. If you bring your nutritional intake in line you will lose weight naturally if you are overweight and gain weight if you are underweight.

The next thing that you can do is throw away your aluminum based cookware. While you’re at it, unplug your microwave and make sure it hits the trash or recycle bin as well. You can replace your old cookware with ceramic or glass based cookware (best choice) and a glass-based convection oven.

Bon Appetite and welcome to the recovery room for your life.

Flu Fighting Foods

GSimms
FYI-Health and Wellness

Considering that this blog is here to give you as much info as possible to promote good health and outstanding wellness, we are in the midst of flu season and I'm sure everyone is interested in shoring up their arsenal of flu fighting strategies.

According to research done at the University of South Carolina, eating foods that were rich in a substance called quercetin gives you a fighting chance to avoid colds and the flu.

In addition to the standard strategies that include being vigilant about washing your hands and covering your mouth when coughing and sneezing, quercetin is a powerful antioxidant found in apples, blueberries, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, and onions. As for the onions, the red variety should be your first choice as they have four times the quercetin found in other produce.

Another benefit of these foods is that they all promote weight management and good general health. So, stock up and enjoy in volume.

Bon Appetit