Friday, November 8, 2013

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Homemade Cough Syrup

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 02:42 PM PST

Herbal cough syrup is a natural homemade alternative to conventional cough syrup. It contains herbs that help soothe the throat and promote restful sleep.

Herbal Cough Syrup Recipe

Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 8+

Ingredients:

  • 1 quart of filtered water
  • ¼ cup Ginger Root (fresh grated or dried)
  • ¼ cup Chamomile Flowers
  • ¼ cup Marshmallow Root
  • 1 tablespoon Cinnamon
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 1 cup honey

Instructions:

  1. Pour the water into a medium saucepan and add the dried herbs.
  2. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
  3. Simmer until the volume is reduced by about half. (You will need 1 cup of liquid after herbs are strained off)
  4. Pour through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove herbs (compost the herbs!).
  5. While liquid is still warm (not boiling) mix with lemon juice and honey and stir well.
  6. Store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 months.

Notes:

Recommended dosage is 1 teaspoon to children and 1 tablespoon to adults as needed for symptoms.

Put Down That Doughnut: FDA Takes on Trans Fats

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 02:41 PM PST

(CNN) -- So long, margarine: Artificial trans fat in foods may eventually become a thing of the past.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday took a first step toward potentially eliminating most trans fat from the food supply, saying it has made a preliminary determination that a major source of trans fats -- partially hydrogenated oils -- is no longer "generally recognized as safe."

If the preliminary determination is finalized, according to the FDA, then partially hydrogenated oils will become food additives that could not be used in food without approval. Foods with unapproved additives cannot legally be sold.

Trans fat can be found in processed foods including desserts, microwave popcorn products, frozen pizza, margarine and coffee creamer, and has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

Partially hydrogenated oil is formed when hydrogen is added to liquid oils to make solid fats, like shortening and margarine. It increases the shelf life and the flavor of foods. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, or shortening, was used in American kitchens as early as 1911.

However, in recent years many food manufacturers have taken steps to limit or eliminate trans fat from their products.

McDonald's, for instance, stopped cooking its french fries in trans fat more than a decade ago. The company's website says all its fried menu items are free of trans fat.

New York City in 2007 adopted a regulation banning partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and spreads in restaurants.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday that he was encouraged by the FDA's move.

"The groundbreaking public health policies we have adopted here in New York City have become a model for the nation for one reason: They've worked. Today, New Yorkers' life expectancy is far higher than the national average, and we've achieved dramatic reductions in disease, including heart disease. The FDA deserves great credit for taking this step, which will help Americans live longer, healthier lives," Bloomberg said.

Trans fat intake among American consumers decreased from 4.6 grams per day in 2003 to about a gram a day in 2012, according to the FDA.

However, "current intake remains a significant public health concern," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a written statement.

There is no safe level of consumption of trans fat, Hamburg said. It has been shown to raise the "bad," or LDL, cholesterol.

"Through our efforts at product reformulation and the development of suitable alternatives, trans fats that are not naturally occurring have been drastically reduced in the food supply," the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents more than 300 food, beverage and consumer product companies, said in a prepared statement.

"Since 2005, food manufacturers have voluntarily lowered the amounts of trans fats in their food products by over 73%."

Other countries are also working to reduce trans fat in the food supply. Policies in Brazil, Costa Rica, Denmark, the Netherlands, South Korea and the United States have proved effective over the past two decades, the World Health Organization said in April. The WHO has called for eliminating trans fat from the global food supply.

The FDA has opened a 60-day comment period on the determination "to collect additional data and to gain input on the time potentially needed for food manufacturers to reformulate products that currently contain artificial trans fat should this determination be finalized," the agency said.

There are two phases to the process, FDA officials said Thursday. The agency will evaluate the comments and evidence received during the comment period.

"If we finalize our conclusion, then we are inviting comments from industry on what would be an appropriate phaseout," said Michael Taylor, the agency's deputy commissioner for foods.

"The timeline would be based on the comments we get. Given the public health impact, we want to move as quickly as we can."

The National Restaurant Association noted in a statement the industry's "tremendous strides" in reducing or eliminating trans fats.

"We plan to discuss the impact of this proposal on the industry and submit comments, and we will continue to work with our members and the manufacturing supply chain to address any new federal standards that may arise out of this process," said Joan McGlockton, the association's vice president of industry affairs and food policy.

Hamburg called Thursday's move "an important step toward protecting more Americans from the potential dangers of trans fat."

The American Heart Association, the American Medical Association and the Center for Science in the Public Interest were among those praising the move.

"The scientific evidence is clear -- eating food with trans fat increases production of 'bad' cholesterol, which is a risk factor for heart disease," the AHA said.

So what should consumers do in the meantime? Choose products that have the lowest combined amount of saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fat, the FDA said.

Under current regulations, companies can claim their food has 0 grams of trans fat if the food contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, according to Mical Honigfort, a consumer safety officer at the FDA. But if partially hydrogenated oil is listed in the ingredients, there may still be a small amount of trans fat present.

Nancy Brown, the Heart Association's CEO, said she hopes the FDA goes a step further and revises labels for foods that are trans fat free.
 The preliminary determination was based on "available scientific evidence and the findings of expert scientific panels," the FDA said.

The determination covers only partially hydrogenated oils, not trans fat that naturally occurs in some meat and dairy products. Trans fat is also present at very low levels in other edible oils, such as fully hydrogenated oils, where it is "unavoidably produced during the manufacturing process," according to the FDA.

Avoiding foods containing artificially produced trans fat could prevent 10,000 to 20,000 heart attacks and 3,000 to 7,000 coronary heart disease deaths each year, according to one study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


"Artificial trans fat is a uniquely powerful promoter of heart disease, and today's announcement will hasten its eventual disappearance from the food supply," said Michael Jacobson, the Center for Science in the Public Interest's executive director. "Not only is artificial trans fat not safe, it's not remotely necessary. Many companies, large and small, have switched to healthier oils over the past decade. I hope that those restaurants and food manufacturers that still use this harmful ingredient see the writing on the wall and promptly replace it."
[via CNN Health]

7 Ways to Stop Eating Pesticides

Posted: 08 Nov 2013 09:38 AM PST

Pesticides On Foods Aren't Going Away Anytime Soon, But Here's What You Can Do About It 


Last month, the Hawaiian island of Kauai passed a bill strictly limiting how and where large farms and biotech companies can spray pesticides. Bill 2491 will force agricultural companies to disclose when and where they spray pesticides, restrict spraying to a certain distance away from public areas, and disclose what genetically engineered crops they grow.

Perhaps Bill 2491 will be the beginning of a movement across the United States to further limit pesticide use, which, according to a report published in Environmental Sciences Europe last year, increased by 404 million pounds from 1996 to 2011.

Until then, the sad truth is pesticides are everywhere: the air, the water, and your food, and they've been linked to birth defects, poisoning deaths and a wide range of illnesses.

So here are some reminders on how to mitigate the pesticides covering your fruit and vegetables, and which produce are the most (and least!) pesticide-residue prone.

1. Wash Your Food, All of It, and Wash It Right



Thoroughly wash all your produce. No, rubbing the apple on your shirt before biting in is not enough. According to the National Pesticide Information Center, even organic foods and foods that you peel should first be washed. The NPIC recommends that you wash your produce under running water rather than dunking or soaking it. Scrub produce with tough skin, like melons or potatoes. In addition, dry your fruits and vegetables with a towel.

2. Stick With The Insides


Whenever possible, peel your fruits and vegetables. Residue can get stuck in the crevices of peels and be difficult to remove. Toss the outside layer of leafy vegetables. Even with meat, it is best to cut off the excess fat and skin, which could have absorbed pesticide residue.

3. Mix It Up


The NPIC suggests eating a variety of fruits and vegetables so as to prevent overexposure to a single pesticide. You should be doing this anyway to make sure you're getting all your needed nutrients, remember?

4. Grow Your Own


The best way to control what's on your vegetables is to grow your own. This may sound daunting, especially with colder temperatures on the way. But there are several vegetables that can be grown indoors, such as tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers and eggplants. Got a windowsill? Cool, now you've got a vegetable garden.

5. Eat Organic -- It's Easier Than You Think


People often bristle at being told to eat organic. Organic produce can be expensive, difficult to find, and who has the time to chase down which farmer's market is open on which day. If this sounds like you, consider a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) club. CSAs ensure you know from whom exactly you are buying your produce. Often CSAs end up being more economical because they give you a limited amount each time, which prevents overbuying and letting food go to waste. Many organic CSAs exist, and many of them deliver your goods to your door. To find one in your area, try Local Harvest's CSA finder. And remember -- even organic produce can have pesticide residue on it from nearby farms or contaminated transportation methods, so still wash everything thoroughly!

6. Be Wary When Buying These


Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases its "Dirty Dozen" list of the 12 foods found to be most contaminated with pesticide residues. The organization ranks 48 fruits and vegetables based on thousands of samples tested by the USDA and FDA. These tests are done after produce is washed and peeled, giving the consumer an idea of which produce maintain higher levels of toxicity even after proper precautions. Topping the Dirty Dozen list are apples (99% of apples test positive for some pesticide residue), celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes (a single grape tested positive for 15 pesticide residues), hot peppers, imported nectarines (every single nectarine sampled in the test came up positive for pesticide residue), peaches, potatoes, spinach, strawberries and sweet bell peppers.

7. And Buy More Of These


The EWG concurrently releases a "Clean Fifteen" list of the fruits and vegetables with the least pesticide residue. Their favorite low-pesticide fruits and vegetables include asparagus, avocados, cabbage, cantaloupe, sweet corn, eggplant, grapefruit, kiwi, mangos and mushrooms. Remember -- that doesn't mean these items had no pesticide residue, just less.
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