Vitamin overload

I have been taking inventory of my bottles of vitamins, and wondering, do I really need all of them?  I logged on to the Office of Dietary Supplements (yes there is one) and started some research.  Here is some information I found:

First of all, the definition of a dietary supplement, (what I call vitamins) is that they are any products that people add to their diets in the form of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and amino acids.  By law, companies that make these products cannot claim they prevent, treat, or cure disease.  For example, a product cannot claim that it can “cure cancer” or “help you lose weight”.

You shouldn’t take dietary supplements instead of eating healthy foods.  If you are having surgery, taking other supplements or medicines, or have health problems, dietary supplements may be harmful.  You should check with your doctor before using a supplement  especially if you are pregnant or nursing a baby, taking other medicines or supplements, have diabetes, high blood pressure, or any other health problems.  Dietary supplements are regulated  similarly to food regulations.  This means the FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are sold.  The FDA can only take action against products that are not safe or products that make false claims after they are for sale.

Tips for searching the web for information on supplements –  Ask yourself these questions:

Who runs the website?  What is the website trying to do?  Is it telling you about the product or just trying to sell it?  Where does the website get its information? Are there studies that back it up?  Is the information up to date?  Check the dates to see when it was posted or updated.

For me, I am whittling down my vitamin intake to vitamin C, vitamin D3, and a multi-vitamin/mineral a day.

The following table lists the DVs (daily value) based on a caloric intake of 2,000 calories, for adults and children four or more years of age, according to the FDA.

Food Component	DV
Total Fat	65 grams (g)
Saturated Fat	20 g
Cholesterol	300 milligrams (mg)
Sodium	2,400 mg
Potassium	3,500 mg
Total Carbohydrate	300 g
Dietary Fiber	25 g
Protein	50 g
Vitamin A	5,000 International Units (IU)
Vitamin C	60 mg
Calcium	1,000 mg
Iron	18 mg
Vitamin D	400 IU
Vitamin E	30 IU
Vitamin K	80 micrograms µg
Thiamin	1.5 mg
Riboflavin	1.7 mg
Niacin	20 mg
Vitamin B6	2 mg
Folate	400 µg
Vitamin B12	6 µg
Biotin	300 µg
Pantothenic acid	10 mg
Phosphorus	1,000 mg
Iodine	150 µg
Magnesium	400 mg
Zinc	15 mg
Selenium	70 µg
Copper	2 mg
Manganese	2 mg
Chromium	120 µg
Molybdenum	75 µg
Chloride	3,400 mg

M

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Traveling this weekend?

If you are one of the many who plan on traveling by car this holiday weekend, there are some tips you need to heed before heading out.  I know you see the roadways becoming more crowded day by day.  Where did they all come from, and where are they going?

Personally, I am not a fan of driving long distances.  I would also like to be the passenger, and not the driver dealing with the stress of crowded roads and interstates.  But if we must drive, there are some guidelines the State Police want us to know.

Auto Preventative Maintenance:

On a regular basis, have your car checked out by a qualified mechanic.  Regularly check car fluids such as oil, transmission, brakes, etc. Inspect wipers often and check wiper fluid. Keep fuel tank at least half full at all times. Check air pressure and condition of all tires often. On occasion, check all lights, and tell a friend or family member which route you will be taking and when you expect to arrive at your destination.

Keeping You and Your vehicle safe:

Have your keys ready as you approach your vehicle.  Check the interior before entering the car, even if you’ve left it locked.  Lock all doors and windows immediately after getting in the car.  Never pick up hitchhiker.  Always park in a well lit area.  If someone is loitering near your vehicle, do not go near it.  Seek help or wait until the person leaves.  To avoid a carjacking, be alert to everything going on around your car.  Check your mirrors and scan ahead for potentially dangerous situations.

Conceal all valuables under the seat or in the trunk.  Plan a route to avoid dangerous areas.  Use interstates and main roads when traveling through cities.  If you are followed into your driveway by an unknown person, use your cell phone to call for assistance or sound the horn in short, steady blasts for attention.  If you stop for gas, use a well lit busy facility.  If someone bumps into your car at an intersection, or when traveling at low speeds and you fear for your safety, do not get out.  Use your cell phone to call for assistance.  Your foremost concern should be for your safety.  If you are confronted by a carjacker, do not resist.  Give up your car.  Your life is more valuable than your car.

In the Event of a Vehicle Breakdown:

Stay calm and stay out of travel lanes.  Park far off the travel portion of highway (right side), if possible.  Use emergency flashing lights to make vehicle visible.  Use your cell phone to call 911.  If you must exit the car, use the side facing away from traffic.  Open the vehicle’s hood and leave it open.  Tie a light colored cloth to the antenna or door handle (during winter months use a bright color).

Stay with the vehicle until a uniformed law enforcement  officer arrives, especially at night or in bad weather.  Ask for I.D.  If someone stops to help, keep your doors locked.  Crack a window, asking the person to call for help, if necessary.  If you leave your car and start walking, write down your name, the date and time you left, where you are going and when you plan to return and leave the note on the dashboard visible through the windshield.

If you accept a ride with another motorist, write down the directions you are going, the vehicle plate number and description, a name and description of the person driving, location and circumstance in which you left the vehicle.

M

Double duty

I like things that can give me double for the trouble.  Why let an item slack off on one use, when it can serve double duty?  In searching my kitchen and bathroom for double duty items, I came across these:

• laundry dryer sheet — rids hair static.  Just swipe one over your hair. No more static cling for your clothes and hair!
• self-tanner  — mix a drop into your night cream.  Wake up with a natural looking glow!
• lemon wedge — stain remover for your yellowed fingernails.  Rub wedge over nails.
• hair conditioner — leg shave gel.  Rub on legs, and shave off hair!
• pepto bismol — skin brightener (2 tsp leave on for 20 minutes, rinse off)
• hairspray — spray on fingertips and pat along eyebrows to keep them in place.
• lip balm — the clear, waxy kind, calms cuticles.  Rub along cuticle to soften.
• penny– drop one into a vase water and add a pinch of sugar to keep cut flowers perkier longer.
• clear nail polish — coat button center to prevent thread fraying, a drop keeps eyeglass screws in place, stop runs in pantyhose.

I got into the habit of picking up an item and asking it “what else ya got?”  They usually give up the goods after a few trial and errors.

M

Password problem?

I came across this information on simplifying the password problem.  Nobody likes to keep thinking of new passwords for all their online accounts.  There are some password managers that will let you remember just one password, and will input all the others for you on the sites you register.

They’re worth taking a look at if you are one of the individuals who dislikes coming up with new passwords.  For Free!

Dashlane    https://www.dashlane.com/en/features

LastPass      https://lastpass.com/features_free.php

KeePass       http://keepass.com/

Passwordsafe     http://www.passwordsafe.com/

I see Dashlane gives you a warning of  a security breach, and LastPass offers free credit monitoring.

M

Believe in yourself

What do you think would have happened if these extraordinary people would have listened to or accepted other people’s expectations of them?

Albert Einstein performed so poorly in high school that a teacher asked him to drop out, saying “You will never amount to anything, Einstein”.

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade and finished last in his class at Harrow, England.

John. F. Kennedy received constant reports of “poor achievement” in school and was a lousy speller.

Lucille Ball was an aspiring actress when the head of a drama school advised her to “try another profession.  Any other.”

Thomas Edison was told by his teachers that he was too stupid to learn anything.

Michael Jordan got beat out for the North Carolina High School Player of the Year.   His teachers told him to go into math, “where the money is.”

Orville Wright was expelled from sixth grade.

Beethoven had a music teacher who described him as “hopeless”.

Can you imagine that?  This is just a very small percentage of people who have overcome other’s expectations of them.  What have you overcome to get to where you are now?

M

Good to know!

 

 

Zero effort tips to make your food healthier.  From Readers Digest.

Refrigerate cooked potatoes.

Health Benefits: Cook potatoes or other root vegetables, then chill them for about 24 hours before you eat them. The cooling process turns high-glycemic vegetables into low- or moderate-glycemic vegetables, and that transformation helps keep your blood sugar levels more stable. Even if you reheat the veggies, this trick works. As a bonus, cooking with extra-virgin olive oil helps keep the veggies from slowing down your metabolism.

Thaw frozen berries in the microwave.

Health benefits: You’ll preserve twice as many antioxidants and more vitamin C if you do compared to defrosting on the counter or in the fridge. Frozen fruit and veggies have been shown to be better for you than fresh out-of-season produce, since they are picked and frozen when their nutrition is at their peak. Also: Berries are your fiber friends: Ounce per ounce, there is more fiber in raspberries than bran cereals!

Make your salad the day before you eat it.

Health benefits: Jo Robinson, author of the upcoming book Eating on The Wild Side, which reviewed thousands of health studies, explains that tearing romaine and iceberg lettuce the day before will quadruple its’ antioxidant content. Shred clean greens with your fingers, put in a plastic bag with a paper towel to absorb extra moisture, and keep in the fridge till the next day. Then toss with toppings.

Cook carrots whole.

Health benefits: Carrots are more nutritious cooked than raw! And when cooked whole, they have 25 percent more falcarinol, a cancer-fighting compound, than carrots that have been chopped beforehand.

Dice garlic, then let it rest.

Health benefits: Maximize this aromatic plant’s powerful medicinal qualities (cancer-fighting compounds, antioxidants, vitamin C) by chopping, mashing, or pressing it and allowing it to sit on the cutting board for 10 minutes before cooking.

Poke holes in your broccoli’s bag.

Health benefits: Storing broccoli wrapped in a plastic bag with tiny pricks in it will give you up to 125 percent more antioxidants than if you had stored the broccoli loosely wrapped or in a tightly sealed bag. Use a salad fork to get holes all over.

Throw a chili into a corn dish.

Health benefits: This simple remedy for indigestion has been widely used for generations in Mexican culture, explains Chef Luis Aguilar Puente, since chiles help you digest corn. As an added bonus, one raw green chile has double the amount of vitamin C found in an orange.

Buy canned tomatoes over fresh.

Health Benefits: The most nutritious tomatoes in the supermarket aren’t in the produce aisle! Processed tomatoes are the richest known source of lycopene, because of their concentrated state. When buying fresh, look for smaller size and deeper color; you’ll get more nutrients. If you have a choice, deep red tomatoes have more antioxidants than yellow, gold, or green tomatoes.

Bake with avocados instead of butter.

Health benefits: Over 75 percent of the fat in the versatile “alligator pear” is unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, the good kinds) and they’ll bring nearly 20 vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients to your baked goods.

Make leafy greens more potent with a squeeze of lemon.

Health benefits: Frances Diaz, RD of FITzee Foods shares,”Vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and kale contain lots of iron, but it’s in an indigestible form. So adding Vitamin C to these foods will help your body break it down in to a form that is more easily absorbed by our bodies.” Try lemon, lime, or orange.

Store asparagus like roses.

Health benefits: Store asparagus upright in a small vase or bowl in your fridge to keep its metabolic activity going, and you’ll prevent spoilage while keep the veggies fresher and more antioxidant-rich.

Rub the skin of kumquats before you pop them in your mouth.

Health benefits: It’s worth finding kumquats to try this out; limonene has been shown in studies to have anti-cancer effects. Aim for about five to get a good dose of vitamin C, carotenes, and lutein; and eat them whole (peel and all) to reap their full nutritional benefits.

Make beets bite size before cooking.

Health benefits: Cutting beets into chunks or cooking the smallest ones you can find will aid in keeping their nutrient levels high, since you can reduce cook time (the rich betalin color is highly susceptible to nutrient losses with extended exposure to heat). Try for 15 minutes when steaming, and 45 max when roasting.

M

Did I mention free?

I just received my free guide, the Consumer Action Handbook, in the mail.  It is a wealth of information, updated every year, and is published by The Federal Citizen Information Center.  It contains information about making consumer purchases, and getting help with problems and complaints.

The topics range widely – from cars to credit report, from federal assistance programs to floors.  It lists contacts at Trade Associations, government agencies, and consumer organizations.  I have so many pages already dog-eared  for contacts.  The latest version is 156 pages and dated 2013.  Believe me this is a great resource. Most likely any company you do business with top dog’s info is in here.  Order it for free online and delivered to your mailbox.  www.pueblo.gsa.gov

M

Clinical trial

I am a fan of clinical trials.  It has proven to be a good way to earn extra income, while getting top rated doctors on the cutting edge of new clinical breakthroughs.  I first came upon this through the NIH, (National Institute of Health), while I lived in Maryland.  They were recruiting for a new study on diet.  It was a long commitment, several months total, broken up by Christmas break in between.

They fed me 3 meals a day during the first phase, and I could not eat anything but their food during this time.  They figured I needed 2000 calories to maintain my weight.  They did not want me to gain weight.  However, I did!  I watched the scale go up almost daily as I was weighed in.  I freaked out!  I threatened leaving the study because it wasn’t worth me gaining 8 lbs.  So they adjusted my calorie intake, and I lost what I gained on the program. Phew!

The second phase of the study, they served all my day’s calories at one sitting.  You could come to their dining room anytime from 4pm – 7 pm.  I was so hungry that I arrived there before 4pm, and they wouldn’t let me eat yet.  It had to be exactly at 4.  This was the hard phase.  Although I was starving when I got there, having to eat all my calories in one sitting was tough.  Some participants had to take a break and walk around the building.  We weren’t allowed to leave the building once we got there to eat.  Everything was monitored – urine, blood, weight.  We couldn’t have any alcohol during the whole trial either.  Not a problem for me, but I understand a few people cheated, and it showed up in their blood, and they were released from the program.  Others gave up the program willingly.

I did make some nice friends there.  And I was compensated well.  It was a total of $2800.00, plus not having to buy any groceries for a couple of months, and total medical care – every medical test under the sun!  I got medical tests my insurance wouldn’t even spring for.  The center was on a farm, and I watched cows grazing every day while I ate in the dining room.  All in all, it was a good experience.  I have since moved from there, and have been doing small trials, mostly non- medical, testing creams and cosmetics, some food.  The compensation is smaller – from $25 – $300.00 at a time.  Still, it is a nice way to earn extra money.

So, what does the NIH say a clinical trial is?  From their site, www.clinicaltrials.gov  they say it is a study carried out in human volunteers to help doctors learn more about the human body and the many diseases that attack it.  It may be used to answer health questions about new medicines and treatments. The information gained from a clinical study is added to the results from lab and animal testing.  This helps researchers find out if these products are safe for humans to use and if they work the way they are supposed to work.  The benefit for you is that you can take a more active role in your own health care, you can try new treatments that are not offered to the public.  They may even work better than the treatments that are offered now.  You can also help to expand science and research.   There are risks, however, and these will be spelled out for you before you sign on.  Being in the study is your choice and you can quit at any time.

If you google clinical trials, you can find several in your area. www.clinicalconnections.com is one I get email updates from.

M

Lentil chili

I saw this recipe at the Whole Foods Market.  I am not crazy about lentil soup.  I will eat it if someone I know made it for me, but it’s not my favorite.  I know how healthy lentils are though, and I do want to eat healthier, and meatless a few times a week.  I will make this because it is a chili, and I like the heartiness of a chili.

serves 8 —

8 cups vegetable broth, divided

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 teaspoons salt-free chili powder

1 (16 oz) package brown lentils (about 2 1/4 cups lentils)

2 (15 oz) cans no salt added diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Bring 3/4 cup broth to a simmer in a large pot over medium high heat.  Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook about 8 minutes or until onion is translucent , and pepper is tender.  Stir in chili powder and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add lentils, tomatoes, and remaining 7- 1/4 cups broth.   Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer, partially covered 30 minutes or until lentils are almost tender.  Uncover and cook 10 minutes longer.  Stir in cilantro and serve.

It says brown lentils work best in this vegetarian chili because they hold their shape even when tender after cooking.  It suggests to serve it over brown rice or with whole grain bread.

M

Make me up

In searching for more natural, pure ingredients in my cosmetics, I decided to see if I could decipher what’s not so good in the current ingredients.  We all know by now that whatever you put on your skin can readily be absorbed in, so you don’t want any harmful ingredients absorbed into your body, right?  So I checked out the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) web site on cosmetics.  This is what I found out.

In 1938, Congress passed the U.S> Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.  In the 70 years since the law was passed, the Federal government has worked with industry to keep cosmetics safe.  How does the law protect you?  Cosmetics must be made and packaged in clean factories.  It cannot contain poison, rotten, or harmful ingredients.  They may only use color additives that are FDA approved.  They must have a clear, truthful label.

The law says a label must include what the product is, a list of what is in the product, and how to use it safely.  Also, how much of the product the package contains by weight, and the name of the company that makes or sells the product.  What the FDA does not do is test cosmetics before they are sold in stores.  Companies must make sure their products and ingredients are safe before they sell them.  FDA can take action against companies who break the law.

Safety tips for beauty:

• Follow all directions on the label, including “cautions” and “warnings”.
• Keep make-up containers clean and closed tight when not in use.
• Wash your hands before you put on make-up.  Do not share make-up.
• Do not add saliva or water to make-up.
• Throw away make-up if the color or smell changes.
• Don’t store your make-up above 85 degrees F.
• Stop using a product if you get a rash or have a problem.
• Do not use spray cans while you are smoking or near an open flame.  It could start a fire.

These are common safety tips in application, but you should use your own discretion whether you deem an ingredient in your cosmetic is not what you want on your skin.  There is a lot of information out there in the natural cosmetic industry, and please note that the shelf life is not as long as regular cosmetics.  It is good to read all about it, and make your own decision.  There is no law that cosmetics must have an expiration date.  Expiration dates are just guidelines.  A product may go bad sooner if you store it the wrong way.

I wonder if the “testers” at make-up counters are safe.  They can have a lot of germs because so many people use them.  To be safe, when you test a product at the counter, use a new sponge or cotton swab.  If this is not available, I would go to another counter.  It’s not worth the risk of picking up someone else’s germs.

How do you know if you are allergic to something in a cosmetic?  You may react to something in a product that causes itching, redness, rash, sneezing, or wheezing.  I have on several occasions had an itchy, red, swollen reaction to my eyes when I bought a cosmetic from a Dollar store.  I knew I should not have bought them, but I said it’s only a dollar, so I’ll throw it away if I don’t like it.

But it caused the itching and swelling to last several days after I stopped (immediately) using it.  So it had  a prolonged effect.  Not worth it!  I won’t do that again.  If that happens, stop using the product immediately, if you feel the need call your doctor to find out how to take care it, and you can call the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) at (301)436-2405.  You can always call the company that made the product.

At least I know there are no poisonous, rotten, or harmful ingredients (yikes!) in drugstore cosmetics.  I will keep exploring ways to make my own.

M