Sunday Tip > Take Care of Your Mind & Body…
Here’s your Sunday tip: Take care of your mind & body because, simply put… nobody else cares!
PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY! Thanks!
Here’s your Sunday tip: Take care of your mind & body because, simply put… nobody else cares!
Here’s your Tuesday tip: Control your cravings, because, simply put… nobody else cares!
Just Add Good Stuff presents “TIPS for a HEALTHY, HAPPY & PROSPEROUS LIFE” series. This is Set #3 following the hugely successful 1st set (click here) AND recently launched 2nd set (click here)! The infographs serve as a reminder and guide to a healthy, more prosperous and happier life through nutrition, diet, and fitness.
Just right-click to ‘save’ the images to your computer -OR- click on these images for the ‘full-size’ version.
Just Add Good Stuff presents some tips for a happy, successful and healthier life:
subtract the bad stuff in your life | definitely add more of the really good stuff
but everything in MODERATION | smile all the time | RELAX | re-connect with a friend
call a family member | buy from local grocers | recycle + compost | DON’T smoke
adopt an organic whole foods plant based DIET | drink lots of water | meditate
say NO to fast food | eat LOTS of veggies | get some SUN | prioritize
be SPECIFIC about your goals | continue dreaming + thinking BIG
forget about your EPIC MELTDOWN… there’s always next season
Here’s your Sunday tip: Eat your veggies, because, simply put… nobody else cares!
Aches and pains, cracks or rashes, sleeping disorders and stress may be a result of many things. When you are not feeling 100%, your body is likely telling you that something is wrong. Sometimes, the signs are quite apparent right away and at other times, they just build up over time.
Your body will go to any length to let you know when there is something wrong. With unhealthy diets, little nutrition knowledge and lack of fitness, many of us have become vitamin deficient or mineral deficient in multiple ways. The latest studies say that over 80% of all North Americans are either vitamin deficient and/or mineral deficient in at least 2 ways. You may not get a life threatening disease from vitamin deficiency, but you can end up with impaired body and mind function. This can cause many human disorders including stress, weight loss, weight gain, immune impairment, sleeping problems, cardiovascular and digestive problems.
Some of the disorders caused by mineral deficiency and vitamin deficiency are evident externally, while other deficiencies are undetectable as they affect the inside of our mind and body like a cancer. If left untreated, the deficiencies may lead to longer term problems. Both a healthy set of vitamins and minerals are essential in property function of our body and mind.
Vitamin/Mineral Deficiency: If you are suffering from painful cramping of the muscles in your toes, legs, feet or lower back, you are likely deficient in CALCIUM, POTASSIUM and/or MAGNESIUM. This can be caused by irregular or low intake of these minerals and vitamins through your diet and/or heaving sweating from fitness or hot weather.
How to Fix the Vitamin Deficiency: While exercising, make sure that you are eating more fruits and vegetables that are high in calcium, potassium and magnesium as your body tends to sweat these minerals and vitamins away, leaving you malnourished. The quick and easy fix is to eat more dark leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale and even dandelion. Other vegetables high in these minerals include bok choy (a Chinese vegetable) and broccoli. Fruits that are high in magnesium, potassium and calcium are bananas, squash, cherries, grapefruit (in moderation) and apples of all types. Whole foods that can also fix this vitamin deficiency include hazelnuts and almonds.
Mineral/Vitamin Deficiency: In many ways, this is one of the most worrying of the body clues because it involves blood. When you have more bleeding than usual and/or failure of your blood to clot (from injuries, nose bleeds or cuts), you may be deficient in CALCIUM, PHOSPHOLIPID, VITAMIN C and VITAMIN K. This is usually caused by a lower than recommended intake of these vitamins in your diet. If this is a regular occurrence, you may have one of many coagulation problems or diseases and you should consult your health physician as soon as possible.
How to Fix the Vitamin Deficiency: When you have problems with bleeding and clotting, you need to pay attention to this ASAP. Here are some foods that are rich in calcium and vitamins that will help your condition: pinto beans, red beans, white beans, tofu, bok choy, kale, spinach and broccoli. If you are not vegan, you can also try salmon and sardines which are high in calcium. Other foods that are rich in Vitamin C and K include oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, tomatoes, sweet red peppers, potatoes and broccoli.
Mineral/Vitamin Deficiency: From the higher level, cold sores are actually caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1 and it’s noted that most adults in North America have this virus. Usually, it is transferred via kissing or coming into close contact with someone who has an active outbreak. Certain things in our life and diet trigger the onset of cold and mouth sores, which can be prevented and treated in many ways including: flu/chest infections, exposure to sun, wind exposure, hormonal changes (like pregnancy) and emotional/physical stress. Therefore, cold sores are not directly linked to a vitamin deficiency or mineral deficiency.
How to Fix and Treat Cold Sores: although not directly caused by deficiencies in minerals or vitamins, cold sores can be treated and prevented by diet choices. Lysine is an essential amino acid that inhibits the spread of the herpes simplex virus. Foods that are rich in lysine include legumes (and for those we are not vegan, milk, fish, cheese and certain types of meat). In addition, lemon ointments, green tea, reishi, honey and zinc are all known to fight cold sores. Zinc is of particular note, because research studies have shown that zinc will make a cold sore go away faster.
Mineral/Vitamin Deficiency: This clue is different from the cold and mouth sores as this is just the cracking of the skin around your mouth. The vitamin and mineral deficiency when you have this condition is likely caused by a lack of IRON, INC, VITAMIN Bs like NIACIN (B3), RIBOFLAVIN (B2) and B12.
How to Fix Cracks Around Your Mouth: This is also an easy and quick fix. For vegans, look for legumes/lentils, peanuts, tahini, Swiss chard and sun dried tomatoes. In addition, for non-vegans, look to add poultry, certain seafoods (like oysters and clams), eggs and tuna into your diet. Vitamin C also enhances the absorption of iron, so pair the above iron rich foods with cauliflower, broccoli, kale and red bell peppers.
Vitamin/Mineral Deficiency: both tingling and numbness of the feet and/or hands is usually caused by a lack or deficiency in B VITAMINS. This lack of vitamins often causes anemia (destruction or slow development of red blood cells). This in turn results in hormonal imbalances, fatigue, depression and even anxiety. The deficiency in B Vitamins such as folate (B9), B12 and B6 can lead to more serious mental and body issues.
How to Fix this Vitamin Deficiency: Eat more organic vegetables that contain folate and other B Vitamins. These include beets, asparagus and spinach. Whole foods containing essential B Vitamins include black beans, lima beans, kidney beans and black beans. For non-vegans, add eggs, poultry, bi-valve seafood and octopus into your diet.
Mineral/Vitamin Deficiency: Most likely, you are deficient in multiple vitamins and minerals including: VITAMIN A, VITAMIN D and essential fatty acids. Sometimes it runs even deeper, as the red or white acne like bumps all over your body and face can be a result of a deficiency of beta carotene which the body uses to make Vitamin A. Untreated deficiencies of this type can lead to dry mucous membranes around the eyes, slow wound healing, cracked skin, dry and rough skin as well as reduced senses, so it can be serious!
How to Fix the White/Red Acne Like Bumps: Increase your daily intake of healthy fats (and reduce your intake of trans fats and saturated fats). This can be accomplished by eating more chia, hemp and flax seeds, walnuts and almonds and for non-vegans, sardines and salmon. For Vitamin A deficiencies, you can also add more dark leafy greens into your diet (including spinach and kale) in addition to vegetables like red bell peppers, sweet potatoes and of course, carrots.
The Vitamin Deficiency: If you are experiencing problems with your digestion, stomach aches and upset stomach after eating, you are likely deficient in VITAMIN B1 also called THIAMIN. The vitamin deficiency causes poor appetite, unintended weight loss, gastric upset, bloating, vomiting, and nausea. More serious forms of the Thiamin deficiency can even cause mental depression and an inability to concentrate.
The Fix for An Unhealthy Digestive System: There are many thiamin rich foods that you can add to your diet to fix the problems associated with stomach aches. These foods include: marmite (yeast extract), sesame butter/tahini, sunflower seeds, dried herbs (like coriander, poppy seeds and sage), pine nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, and pecans. Other non-vegan sources of thiamin include fish and pork chops. You can also try incorporating pro-biotics into your diet for better digestive system function.
Vitamin Deficiencies: Many people attribute both hair loss and a scaly red rash on the face to stress and lack of sleep. However, it can be a sign of a more serious vitamin deficiency that includes the lack of proper amounts of Biotin (Vitamin B7). This can cause not only pale, dry and scaly skin, both also emotional depression, upset stomach, loss of appetite, and hair loss. Unfortunately, our bodies are not designed to store most B vitamins, so we need to replenish them through diet and nutrition daily. In addition, weight lifters who eat raw eggs are particular vulnerable to a lack of Biotin (B7) because raw eggs are rich in avidin which decreases the absorption of Biotin in our system.
How to Fix the Face Rash and Hair Loss: For vegans, getting Biotin B7 vitamins into our system is as easy as eating more avocados, mushrooms, cauliflower, soy beans, nuts, bananas and raspberries. For non-vegans, you can eat for COOKED eggs (rather than raw eggs).
Do you have other weird body signs that you would like us at Just Add Good Stuff to research? Let us know and let’s continue this discussion!
I love McDonald’s French Fries. Their crispy, salty and so easy to eat. Like many of you, I grew up eating McDonald’s fries as a kid. I have so many childhood memories that are directly linked to having McDonald’s fries with friends and family. From ‘super-sizing’ to ‘value meals’ McDonald’s has always done a great job marketing their fries as a great snack, appetizer, main meal and dessert.
So our question to you is: Do you know what’s really inside McDonald’s French Fries? Do you know the ingredients and the nutritional value (or lack of) of these tasty treats? Well, we’ll try to break down what’s really inside McDonald’s fries in this article and we’ll leave you with some frightening and some less scary thoughts and conclusions about our findings.
Plus, McDonald’s French Fries are actually NOT VEGETARIAN food. You’ll see why…
Here’s a quick rundown of the actual listed ingredients on McDonald’s Fries so that everyone is aware of what’s really inside them:
Potatoes
Vegetable Oil (natural beef flavor*, hydrogenated soybean oil, canola oil)
Citric Acid**
Dextrose
Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate***
Salt
Dimethylpolysiloxane
In addition, the oil used in the frying technique contains tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ).
* The ‘natural beef flavor’ in the vegetable oil ingredient contains both hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as its starting ingredients.
** Citric acid is the preservative for McDonald’s fries
*** Sodium acid pyrophosphate maintains the beautiful color of the French fries
Here’s a breakdown of the nutritional value of McDonald’s French Fries:
Calories: 500
Fat: 25 grams
Carbohydrates: 63 grams
Sodium: 350 mg
Fiber: 6 grams
Protein: 6 grams
In order to get that yummy, crispy, greasy, and addictive taste, McDonald’s fries are double fried before they get onto your plate. These otherwise healthy and starchy potatoes are cut, boiled and fried once before they are even shipped to the restaurants. And then, they are fried once again before they make it into your Happy Meal. By then, they don’t really even resemble potatoes any more.
So what’s really inside McDonald’s fries? Well, the deep frying process gives us a taste of what’s actually in them in order to make them so delicious and addictive.
Dr. Ochner, a respected New York Obesity Nutrition Research Centre research associate, has studied health and nutrition for many years. In the case of the questions: what’s really inside McDonald’s fries, he summarizes the ‘Canola Oil’ ingredient has low grade corn oil or soybean oil. Although ‘healthier’ then some other oils, Dr. Ochner mentions that the canola oil is used in deep frying the McDonald’s fries, which in any circumstance is NOT good for your health. In addition, canola oil (both corn and soybean oils) are very high in calories and if you consume too many McDonald’s fries, you will end up GAINING WEIGHT just from the oil intake itself.
Secondly, the Hydrogenated Soybean Oil comes about through the ‘saturation’ of regular soybean oil. Through a complex and clearly unnatural process called HYDROGENATION, soybean oil changes from unsaturated to saturated fats. Now why is HYDROGENATED Soybean Oil used in McDonald’s French Fries preparation? Well, saturated fats like hydrogenated soybean oil is easier to cook/fry with and in addition, boosts the PRESERVATION time of the fries. What most consumers don’t realize is that saturated fats become TRANS FATS. These unhealthy fats also lead to all sorts of health problems, most notably, heart diseases, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Although the FDA requires ‘zero trans fat per serving’, it really isn’t ZERO. It’s LESS THAN 1 GRAM PER TABLESPOON and through this glaring loophole, McDonald’s is able to serve these unhealthy French Fries without changing the preparation or ingredients.
Thirdly, Citric Acid is used as the preservative for these fries. So when you look at what’s inside McDonald’s fries, it’s actually quite scary. Although citric acid is deemed ‘safe’ for consumption, you can clearly see its effects on preserving McDonald’s French Fries for longer than 2 months as seen in Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock’s amazing 2004 documentary about the Fast Food industry.
Fourthly, Natural Beef Flavor is an ingredient used in the preparation of those yummy McDonald’s French Fries. The name itself is actually quite disturbing to us … what do you think? The history surrounding the ‘natural beef flavour’ is that McDonald’s French Fries used to be cooked in beef fat. That was until beef fat became too expensive and hard to come by. That’s when McDonald’s decided to change to canola oil and hydrogenated soybean oil. In order to keep the delicious ‘beef flavor’, McDonald’s had to concoct a natural beef flavor to RESEMBLE the real thing. The flavoring contains both hydrolyzed milk and hydrolyzed wheat products.
So what are the big ramifications for this switch to ‘natural beef flavor’? Well, McDonald’s fries are actually NOT CONSIDERED VEGETARIAN FOOD anymore! Because of the hydrolyzed wheat and milk products in the natural beef flavoring, McDonald’s was sued in 2002 when members of a Hindu community filed claims that McDonald’s did not disclose how the French Fries were prepared. And guess what? They won a $10 million payout.
Lastly, Tertiary Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) is a scary and very effective preservative used in the preparation of McDonald’s French Fries. Remember what Kris Carr always says …. If the food lasts longer than we do, just don’t eat it! Not only that, but recent studies have linked TBHQ to DNA damage through generations as well as stomach ulcers.
Now that we’ve covered the preparation/frying ingredients used in our most beloved fries, here are some details about the other ingredients used in them.
Firstly, Dimethylpolysiloxane is a SILICON product used as an ANTI-FOAMING AGENT before the cut potatoes are shipped. This is used possibly for fewer ‘spill’s and therefore, less clean up. We need to do more research to see if dimethylpolysiloxane is harmful if consumed.
Secondly, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate is another preservative used in McDonald’s fries. This time, it’s used to keep the beautiful golden color. It’s also used in many muffin/pancake mixes, waffles, puddings and cakes and also canned fish, cured meats and flavored milk. Yuk! And remember, if sodium acid pyrophosphate is not used on McDonald’s French Fries, they would turn BLACK within days.
Thirdly, Dextrose is the 3rd ingredient listed, which means that in terms of quantity of ingredients, dextrose comes just after potatoes and oil. As we all know, dextrose is sugar which obviously is used to make us addicted to the fries.
None of the ingredients in McDonald’s French Fries would fit in the Just Add Good Stuff recommendation list. As you know, we are all about raw organic foods that are gluten and dairy free. Having said that, we can also conclude that most of these ingredients in McDonald’s Fries and what’s actually inside them is very UNHEALTHY for ANYONE to consume. These hidden ingredients are actually what makes them so delicious and addictive at the same time.
The processed, non-organic potatoes used in McDonald’s French Fries should already cause alarm bells ringing. Add to it the many preservatives and saturated fats (through highly refined oils) and you have a visit to the hospital. Then, add a dash of sugar and it will keep you coming back for more. Remember that McDonald’s Fries are full of empty calories which means that they won’t fill you up with much nutrients. On the contrary, they will make you crave even more unhealthy saturated, salty and sweet foods.
Having done a study on what’s inside McDonald’s French Fries, we can also conclude that McDonald’s nor it’s fries are the only or worst culprit. There are many other fast food products served that are much worse. These include:
KFC’s Chicken Pot Pie = 790 calories and 45 grams of fat
McDonald’s Angus Bacon & Cheese Burger = 820 calories and 41 grams of fat
Burger King’s Double Whopper = 830 calories and 50 grams of fat
Other ‘healthy alternatives’ are also not very healthy. Take for instance the Hardee’s Gluten Sensitive Low Car Breakfast Bowl which contains 740 calories and 61 grams of fat.
Our recommendation is to gradually take out the bad stuff in your diet and replace them with true whole foods, plant based nutritional foods.
The New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center
Hardee’s: Gluten Sensitive – Low Carb Breakfast Bowl
Burger King: Nutrition Facts
KFC: KFC’s Nutrition Guide
60 Minutes: Is Sugar Toxic?
Morgan Spurlock: Super Size Me
SciVerse: Toxicology of Tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ)
McDonald’s: McDonald’s History
McDonald’s: McDonald’s Nutrition Facts
Luz Plaza: What’s Really Inside Those McDonald’s French Fries
For your Monday visual pleasure:
What do you think?
Just Add Good Stuff presents “TIPS for a HEALTHY, PROSPEROUS & HAPPY LIFE” series. This is Set #2 following the hugely successful first set (click here)! The infographs serve as a reminder and guide to a healthy, more prosperous and happier life through nutrition, diet, and fitness.
Just right-click to ‘save’ the images to your computer -OR- click on these images for the ‘full-size’ version.
Just Add Good Stuff presents some tips for a happy, successful and healthier life:
subtract the bad stuff in your life | definitely add more of the really good stuff
but everything in MODERATION | smile all the time | RELAX | re-connect with a friend
call a family member | buy from local grocers | recycle + compost | DON’T smoke
adopt an organic whole foods plant based DIET | drink lots of water | meditate
say NO to fast food | eat LOTS of veggies | get some SUN | prioritize
be SPECIFIC about your goals | continue dreaming + thinking BIG
forget about your EPIC MELTDOWN… there’s always next season
For your Sunday visual pleasure:
What do you think?
For your Friday visual pleasure:
What do you think?