Category Archives: Health Issues

Summer Skin Care

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Your largest organ is your skin. It is exposed. To everything. It dries out. It gets cuts and scrapes. It bruises. It wrinkles. Do you take care of yours?

Here are some tips from dermalogica.com for summer skin care.

1. Exfoliate. This removes dead skin cells and debris. It also helps it absorb moisturizers better. Do this before putting on moisturizer in the morning. Use a moisturizer with SPF. After exfoliating, the moisturizer helps seal the skin.

2. Hydrate. Use more intensive moisturizers a couple times a week. A skin hydrating booster can be applied after the toner and before the moisturizer to help keep your skin moist.

3. Drink water. If your body isn’t hydrated as well, it won’t make it to the skin level. If you drink coffee, triple the water intake.

4. Sunscreen. If you are outdoors a lot, make sure your skin is covered with the proper amount of SPF. Usually 30 is what you need. If you are in the sun, reapply every two hours.

5. Soothe. If you skin is over-exposed, you forgot sunscreen, or didn’t put on enough, you’ve already damaged your skin. You can use some cooling gels to help prevent it from peeling. It takes just one blistering sunburn to increase your chance of getting melanoma.

6. Repair. The UV light you expose your skin to causes damage, whether it’s wrinkles, spots or if you burned your skin. Use anti-aging products to fight back.

Clean House for Weight Loss

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So you know those dust bunnies you might have hanging around? Did you know they can actually increase your fat gain? A study was done and found that there are Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) that can act like estrogen. In some studies, they call this “obesogens” as they contribute to obesity.

The EDCs are ingested, absorbed, or inhaled. The EPA estimates children may consume 50mg of house dust per day. They found as little as 3 micrograms can cause measurable effects.

Time for Spring cleaning!

Read the full study here.

Gluten

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So we’ve talked about gluten previously but how does it actually work? Found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats and related hybrids such as spelt and einkorn, gives elasticity to dough. It also helps your bread keep its shape and contributes to its chewiness. It is high in protein.

Bread flour is higher in gluten. Pastry flours are lower in gluten. When you knead dough it contributes to the formation of gluten dispersing through the bread and moisture helps this process. Wheat gluten is also known as seitan.

Vital wheat gluten is the powdered form that you usually add to your bread when making bread with whole wheat or rye. It is mostly just the proteins and not the starch you find in flour. Usually you add about a tablespoon to every 2-3 cups of flour. A little goes a long way and if you keep it in your freezer it should last a very long time. You certainly can make whole wheat flour without gluten but your results will be a denser loaf.

Now we certainly know there are those who cannot handle gluten but that doesn’t mean it should have a stigma on it.

Why You May Not Want to Eat Out

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Sometimes you want a break from cooking. Sometimes you want to be waited on for a change. Sometimes you just feel like going out for a meal. But there’s something you need to watch for that is causing problems. It is called pthalates. They are derived from pthalic acid – a crystalline acid that comes from benzene, a hydrocarbon found in coal tar and petroleum. These are found in many things such as toys, cosmetics, even our food. They are used to make plastics more flexible and durable. They are also found in shower curtains, vinyl flooring, air fresheners, plastic wraps and containers, medical tubing, nail polish, hair spray, fragrances.

It was found that people who eat out more had almost 35% higher levels of pthalates. These pthalates are anti-androgenic, meaning they disrupt male hormones. They are also linked to breast cancer.

Exposure to these harmful chemicals can be achieved by dining out less. Eat more fresh foods rather than processed or prepackaged foods. Look for labels that say DBP-free or Toxic Trio Free. Avoid plastics made from PVC or number 3 plastics. Use glass, metal or ceramic for food storage. Avoid vinyl home furnishings. Avoid fragrances and air fresheners.

The team that discovered this will next find out how these contaminates are getting into our food.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412017314666
https://gizmodo.com/many-restaurant-meals-come-with-a-side-of-hormone-disru-1824159127
https://www.bcpp.org/resource/phthalates/

Grilling Meat Can Raise Blood Pressure

Health Issues, Healthy Eating, , ,

Cooking meat at high temps already gives a risk for cancer. Well, now you need to be aware it can raise blood pressure. It is cooking meats, red or white, at high temperatures that causes problems. Also, meats that are well done or charred increase risk. It was found that those with the higher blood pressure had grilled fifteen times per month or about every other day.

To avoid more carcinogens, here are some tips that may help.
Use leaner cuts of meat. Keep chicken refrigerated until ready to grill and cook thoroughly. Marinate in the refrigerator. User lower temperatures instead of a high flame. Keep your grill clean. Precook in the oven. Grill vegetables instead.

Tips to keep blood pressure from getting too high are to limit grilling to two or three times per week. Don’t char your meat. Limit red meat.

Sources:
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/cooked-meats-fact-sheet
https://www.today.com/health/grilled-meats-7-things-you-need-know-when-you-barbecue-t112371
https://www.today.com/health/grilling-meat-may-raise-risk-high-blood-pressure-study-t125532