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Patrick Webster spent 37 years of his life sneezing hundreds of times per day, to the befuddlement of his doctors. His distracting ailment eventually caused him to give up his job. At long last, a physician who urged him to change his eating habits cracked the case. It seems that the egg yolk he put on top of his cereal each morning was triggering the reaction. He now plans to sue the dozens of docs who failed to discover the cause earlier. Get Back to Black Beans…Fast! The rising income level in developing nations such as Brazil has led to an increase in obesity. About 10 percent of Brazil's 165 million people are now too heavy for health's sake, reports the president of the Brazilian Association for the Study of Obesity. As we have seen in the U.S., money spent on daily servings of meat, cheese, and eggs in place of fresh produce, grains, and beans can easily turn to overweight, and its many related illnesses are never far behind. Animal Parts in Your Herbal Supplement?
Meat's No Treat for Moms-to-Be Eating undercooked meat is a major risk factor for an infection that can lead to brain damage in unborn babies. A study of 1,000 pregnant women across Europe found that in up to 63 percent of cases, eating raw or undercooked meat contributed to the parasitic infection toxoplasmosis. Instead of worrying about temperatures and timing, expectant moms would gain substantial health benefits by skipping the meat counter and eating a wide variety of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans. Tofu Dogs and Veggie Burgers for All
Why Vegan Bones Last Longer Have you heard that milk doesn't stop osteoporosis, but cutting out sodium and animal protein can? Here are the numbers: Eliminating 40 grams of animal protein—two eggs and one chicken breast—each day cuts your calcium requirement by a full 200 milligrams. Reducing your sodium intake by one-third to one-half saves another 200 milligrams of calcium each day. Meaty, salty diets let all that calcium pass from the bloodstream, through the kidneys, and into the urine. Nutrition Check-Up
TOP PHOTO: © 2001, PHOTODISC |
Chronic Sneezing—It's No Yolk
Have you read the label on your herbal supplement lately?
Despite their natural image, certain brands of supplements contain "raw animal
parts." In a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Scott A.
Norton reported that one product explicitly listed 17 cow organs, including lungs and
brain matter. Other manufacturers, however, used terms that may slip by the average
label-reader. For instance, Dr. Norton noted the consumer may not realize that
"hypothalamus" refers to brain tissue or that "orchis" refers to
bulls' testicles. Currently, there are no federal safety regulations to protect consumers
who use herbal supplements.
It's not just the vegetarian who replaces meat with tempeh in
the chili anymore. A national survey revealed that nearly 40 percent of American adults
have given meat substitutes a try. Faux meats are especially popular in the suburbs of the
West coast, but the rest of the country is displaying a similar trend.
Twenty-five
percent of all vegetables consumed in the U.S. are—you guessed it—french fries,
which are low in the two nutrients most lacking in the average American diet: folic acid
and vitamin C. Good sources of folic acid are asparagus, avocados, beets, broccoli,
Brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, spinach, and other leafy greens. You'll find plenty of
vitamin C in arugula, broccoli, cauliflower, citrus fruits, kiwi, papayas, red peppers,
and strawberries.