I subscribe to Dr. Mercola’s newsletters and found this recent article to be quite interesting. Of course, I thought farm raised salmon and corn fed beef was not good…but canned tomatoes, microwave popcorn and conventional apples????

Read below!
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Avoid These 7 Foods and You’re Off To A Healthier New Year
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
December 29 2009 | 200,946 views

1. Canned Tomatoes

The expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A

The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Acidity — a prominent characteristic of tomatoes — causes BPA to leach into your food.

2. Corn-Fed Beef

The expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of books on sustainable farming

Cattle were designed to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. A recent comprehensive study found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

3. Microwave Popcorn

The expert: Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group

Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize — and migrate into your popcorn.

4. Nonorganic Potatoes

The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board

Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes they’re treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they’re dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting.

5. Farmed Salmon

The expert: David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany

Nature didn’t intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT.

6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones

The expert: Rick North, project director of the Campaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers.

7. Conventional Apples

The expert: Mark Kastel, codirector of the Cornucopia Institute

If fall fruits held a “most doused in pesticides contest,” apples would win. And increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides with Parkinson’s disease.

I love popcorn!!!

Interesting article!

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What Chain-Food Favorites Cost in Exercise

Posted Mon, Jun 01, 2009, 12:42 pm PDT

My “two scoops won’t hurt and neither will these french fries” approach to eating doesn’t lend itself well to swimsuit season. Although the beach treks may have begun, there is time to make change. So, let me have it. What’s that ice cream going to cost me in workout minutes? To tell us is Charles Stuart Platkin, also known as the Diet Detective. He is the author of five books and and host of WE TV’s I Want To Save Your Life. Here is his report on what some of our chain-food favorites should cost us in time spent doing common exercises…

Note: Calorie content of foods are based on official website information at the time of publication. Minutes of exercise are averages based on a 155-pound person. The greater the weight of the person the more calories burned per minute.

DONUT
Dunkin Donuts Chocolate Frosted Donut (230 calories)
59 minutes of walking (3 mph).

BREAKFAST SANDWICH
McDonald’s Egg McMuffin (300 calories)
32 minutes of running (5 mph).

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
Panera Chocolate Chipper (440 calories)
62 minutes of biking (10-11.9 mph).

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST>

Interesting! I personally like the South Beach Diet amongst the ones cited.

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We researched just about every online weight loss program available, picked them apart, and delivered you the insider, no-nonsense, flat belly truths about the best ones.

PHOENIX, April 13 /PRNewswire/ — Member Authority set out to find the best online diet programs to achieve three goals: lose weight fast, keep the pounds off, and keep your body healthy in the process. We ranked each program based on those same three factors, plus filled you in on a few other unexpected results.

Here’s what we found:

The diet started out fairly effective for the first two to three weeks for most participants. However, it is suspected that most of the initial weight lost was due to water weight, which is temporary. The long-term effectiveness for participants was drastically reduced, often resulting in stopping early. Participants did feel the food was healthy enough, however the monotony and expense of having to buy their food was often a complaint. Visit: http://www.jennycraig.com

The Deceptive Diet – Overall: 9.1 / 10

Short-term: 8.9, Long-term: 9.6, Healthiness: 8.8

The Deceptive Diet started burning fat on the first day and didn’t let up. There was extremely consistent feedback from participants – the diet works. This unexpected winner focuses on boosting your metabolism to lose the weight for you, so the pounds keep coming off over time. During this weight loss program participants reported feeling healthier, livelier, and more energetic than ever. Visit: http://www.deceptivediet.com

South Beach Diet – Overall: 7.3 / 10

Short-term: 6.9, Long-term: 8.6, Healthiness: 5.7

This well-known diet worked out fairly well with participants while they stayed on the plan; however there were reported weight-gain problems for those that stopped dieting. The plan’s apparent low-carb approach reportedly decreased participants’ metabolic rates. When someone inevitably stopped the diet there was a very poor transition plan to keep the weight off. That problem surfaced in the results to explain the low rating on the ‘healthiness’ factor. Visit: http://www.southbeachdiet.com

Nutrisystem – Overall: 5.4 / 10

Short-term: 6.1, Long-term: 2.8, Healthiness: 7.2

The program’s overall effectiveness was above average versus many other online diet programs, but it still lacked substance for short-term and long-term weight loss. Participants felt fairly satisfied upfront in the program, but had a cliff-like drop off after only a few weeks. Keeping the fat from creeping back on the body seemed to be a recurring problem that greatly hindered overall performance. Visit: http://www.nutrisystem.com

The most notable surprise in our participant results was the Deceptive Diet.

We were skeptical at first, but the results spoke louder than any skepticism. And the tallied results show the Deceptive Diet achieved the highest participant rating.

Focusing solely on stabilizing and increasing each person’s metabolism paid off. They call it ‘deceiving’ your metabolism while keeping your body healthy. In the end, the participants obviously agreed, it keeps your body burning fat day and night.

For more information visit: http://www.deceptivediet.com/

I HATE diets!

I eat ALL of these foods on a weekly basis!

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10 best foods for your heart

By Mara Betsch

Simple food choices go a long way when it comes to your heart’s health. Focusing on fresh foods full of heart-healthy fats and antioxidants can decrease your risk of developing heart disease and cut your chances of a heart attack. These 10 foods will help keep your ticker in top shape.

Oatmeal
Start your day with a steaming bowl of oats, which are full of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. This fiber-rich superfood can lower levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear.

Opt for coarse or steel-cut oats over instant varieties — the coarse and steel-cut contain more fiber — and top your bowl off with a banana for another four grams of fiber.

Salmon
Super-rich in omega-3 fatty acids, salmon can effectively reduce blood pressure and keep clotting at bay. Aim for two servings per week, which may reduce your risk of dying of a heart attack by up to one-third.

“Salmon contains the carotenoid astaxanthin, which is a very powerful antioxidant,” says cardiologist Stephen T. Sinatra, MD, the author of “Lower Your Blood Pressure In Eight Weeks.” But be sure to choose wild salmon over farm-raised fish, which can be packed with insecticides, pesticides, and heavy metals.

Not a fan of salmon? Other oily fish like mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines will give your heart the same boost.

Avocado
Add a bit of avocado to a sandwich or spinach salad to increase the amount of heart-healthy fats in your diet. Packed with monounsaturated fat, avocados can help lower LDL levels while raising the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body.

“Avocados are awesome,” says Dr. Sinatra. “They allow for the absorption of other carotenoids — especially beta-carotene and lycopene — which are essential for heart health.”

Olive oil
Full of monounsaturated fats, olive oil lowers bad LDL cholesterol and reduces your risk of developing heart disease.

Results from the Seven Countries Study, which looked at cardiovascular disease incidences across the globe, showed that while men in Crete had a predisposition for high cholesterol levels, relatively few died of heart disease because their diet focused on heart-healthy fats found in olive oil. Look for extra-virgin or virgin varieties — they’re the least processed — and use them instead of butter when cooking. 

Nuts
Almonds, walnuts, and macadamia nuts are all full of omega-3 fatty acids and mono- and polyunsaturated fats.

Almonds are rich in omega-3s, plus nuts increase fiber in the diet, says Dr. Sinatra. “And like olive oil, they are a great source of healthy fat.”

Berries
Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries — whatever berry you like best — are full of anti-inflammatories, which reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer.

“Blackberries and blueberries are especially great,” says Sinatra. “But all berries are great for your vascular health.”

Legumes
Fill up on fiber with lentils, chickpeas, and black and kidney beans. They’re packed with omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and soluble fiber.

Spinach
Spinach can help keep your ticker in top shape thanks to its stores of lutein, folate, potassium, and fiber.

But upping your servings of any veggies is sure to give your heart a boost. The Physicians’ Health Study examined more than 15,000 men without heart disease for a period of 12 years. Those who ate at least 2½ servings of vegetables each day cut their risk of heart disease by about 25 percent, compared with those who didn’t eat the veggies. Each additional serving reduced risk by another 17 percent.

Flaxseed
Full of fiber and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, a little sprinkling of flaxseed can go a long way for your heart. Top a bowl of oatmeal or whole-grain cereal with a smidgen of ground flaxseed for the ultimate heart-healthy breakfast.

Soy
Soy may lower cholesterol, and since it is low in saturated fat, it’s still a great source of lean protein in a heart-healthy diet.

Look for natural sources of soy, like edamame, tempeh, or organic silken tofu. And soy milk is a great addition to a bowl of oatmeal or whole-grain cereal. But watch the amount of salt in your soy: Some processed varieties like soy dogs can contain added sodium, which boosts blood pressure.

I eat this every morning!

Sounds good to me!

Click HERE for the free coupon!