InGREEDients the Movie: Another for your Watch List

David Burton, a registered nurse, discovered that he was feeding himself - and his family - with foods that were slowly killing them. Being a nurse, his job is essentially, supposedly, focused on being healthy and maintaining that good health. Yet as we can all see, even doctors and nurses can be as unknowing as the rest of us. David's experience with hydrogenated oils starts out in a typical fashion. He had heard these oils were bad for your body, but didn't really know why they were bad or how much damage they really did.

This film is the result of finding that information out.

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Vegetable oils are NOT healthy, especially hydrogenated ones!

Image via Wikipedia

Vegetable oils are typically soy, canola, or corn and are almost completely polyunsaturated fats. Oils from soy, canola, or corn are most likely genetically modified, definitely rancid by the time they are "finished," and are BAD for your health. Thus, hydrogenation starts with a bad product, and ends with an even worse one.

in reference to: Hydrogenated Oils And Your Health – What Is Hydrogenation (view on Google Sidewiki)

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A Skin Care Product You Can Eat

Tomogram of skin - Image via Wikipedia

"Being a guy" I never really cared too much about keeping my skin healthy when I was growing up. I look back and realize that I should have, of course. It just goes to show how disconnected I was from my body at that time. Your body talks back to you in more ways than just feeling pain when you're sick. Whether it's acid indigestion telling you that you just ate a whole bunch of stuff your body really hates, or just dry skin as a result of the wrong kind or not enough oils throughout the day, you should try to listen to what it's saying.

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Oregano oil afterthought: keeping kids from getting sick

I'm more impressed with oregano oil every time I learn about it, and each time I use it. It gives a kick that feels as strong as chewing raw garlic does. I found a site which I'd bookmarked while researching oregano oil, Herbal Remedies Info, and the comment at the top of the page about treating children with it - and this gives me pause for thought.

How do you keep your children healthy when some of the best natural remedies can be a little strong for even an adult who is ready for it? The author's solution for treating them with oregano oil is to place a few drops in a gel capsule first, so they can swallow it whole. This would work of course, providing the children don't object to swallowing pills. I can see other downsides to it; you'll have to always have some gelcaps on hand, and there are some who object to using gelcaps.

It has been said before that you should never put something on your skin that you wouldn't put in your mouth, because your body absorbs nutrients and chemicals through your skin almost as easily as eating it.  Using this bit of knowledge you can boost your kids' immune system while they sleep by applying the proper oil mixture to their feet and other sensitive skin areas. Naturally, the same goes for any other healthy oil you might want to slip into their system unnoticed.

Try to keep them away from situations in which they'll have a higher chance of getting sick. Indoor playgrounds are a prime example, especially during the colder months. These things are not always cleaned as often as they should be - how can they be? The pipes and platforms can't be sterilized as the children play on them, and that's the time when germs are getting exchanged. Fast food restaurants that still have playgrounds are especially noted for their toys' uncleanliness.

Speaking of fast food restaurants, that's another thing to keep your children away from - and of course, yourself as well. They're cheap in every sense of the word; plenty of low-cost, unhealthy food and plenty of customers to pass on more germs. While you might think yourself frugal for saving a buck and some time by eating out, you'll wind up paying for it in the end.  You'll get sick now from germs, or sick later from a lifetime of non-nutritious food.

Be smart, and pro-active. Running to clean their hands after they've already wiped their noses with hands that just touched an aquarium glass is probably not the way of keeping them safe. Encourage them to eat the right foods, and guide them by example.

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Keep Colds and Flu away with Oregano Oil

Overall, oregano oil was particularly powerful -- it consistently inhibited the growth of all three foodborne-illness causing germs (E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria) tested. - Natural News

Oil of oregano? The spice that makes spaghetti tasty also makes you healthy? Bring on the pasta!

Okay, it's not really like that. It is the same family of plants, but the healthy oil extracted from oregano comes from a different kind than that which is used for cooking. The kind extracted from the origanum vulgare contains carvacrol, and has all kinds of good-health-supporting properties which is why it can keep you healthy by strengthening your immune system during cold and flu season.

This is one of those things that you should start or increase when or if you feel a cold coming on. This oil is good at killing the bugs that cause colds, sore throats, and so on. You don't need to be in the habit of taking it daily; it may make iron more difficult for your body to absorb. Alternatively, if you feel the need to be covered at all times, a drop or two each day under the tongue coupled with some good iron supplements will keep your defenses up.

There are other reasons to have oregano oil as part of your diet besides fighting off colds.  It's good for digestion, flexibility, skin, and more. Just remember to use very small doses - no more than three drops at a time, probably no more than three drops per day. To take it internally either place the drops underneath your tongue or mix it with a glass of juice.  The latter method is probably easier for most people because the pure oil - even a couple of drops - can be spicy enough to make you cough.  If you apply it to your skin, be sure to  thoroughly dilute it with olive or coconut oil.

The keys to your health are all around you. You just have to clear away the man-made junk to find it. Oil of oregano is very easy to use. What's stopping you from being healthy?

Here is my Amazon Affiliate link for the oregano oil I actually use: N.American Herb Spice - Oreganol (Oil Of Oregano).


resources:

• Lew Rockwell
  
• Wikipedia
  
• Oil of Oregano.com
  
• Home Remedies Web
  

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Staying Healthy: Fight the Flu with Thieves Oil

Thieves oil. Historically, this mixture of essential oils was used by a group of thieves during the plague. They were said to have robbed the bodies of the dead and not contracted the disease due to this concoction. Whether that's actually true or not doesn't matter so much as the ingredients of this mixture and whether it really helps. It typically has cinnamon, lemon, and eucalyptus oils, but may also have clove and rosemary oils as well.

All together, this combination of oils is a strong antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and is a good antioxidant as well.  Wow!  Not only that but can improve circulation in the body while stimulating your white blood cells.  Among other things.  But best of all, it smells delicious so you can really enjoy using it.  You can apply it topically or take it interally - or both, of course.

I use Young Living's Thieves Essential Oil (http://www.youngliving.com/thieves-essential-oil/Thieves-Oil).  It's expensive for such a tiny bottle, but it lasts a good long while, too, since you only use a couple of drops per day. I melt a tiny bit of coconut oil in my palm, add 2-3 drops of thieves oil, and then rub it on my face and neck.  I've also been told that applying it to the soles of your feet before donning socks is a good way to absorb its properties as well. This might also be helpful when applying it to children who might otherwise fuss.

As an aside, I've also tried testing this coconut oil-thieves oil mixture as a deodorant, and it works, although it's not as strong as a mineral-based or otherwise commercially prepared deodorant. If you're sitting at a desk all day, it would probably be just fine, but it wouldn't cut it for outdoor or heavy work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon#Uses
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/health-benefits-of-eucalyptus-essential-oil.html
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/health-benefits-of-lemon-oil.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon

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Why people BELIEVE coconut oil is bad for you

...the domestic oil industry viewed with alarm the competing interest of the imported oils. In 1986, ... the American Soybean Association (ASA) launched a series of attacks that became known as the "tropical grease campaign." ... The face-off was not between tropical and temperate-climate oils, but rather between domestic and imported ones. ...

This effort was abetted by a self-styled consumer crusader, Phil Sokolof, who waged his own campaign against these oils. He established and funded the National Heart Savers Association, and paid for full-page advertisements in nationally distributed newspapers, with the dramatic headline "The Poisoning of America!" He charged that tropical oils destroy life or impair health. The combined campaigns of Sokolof and ASA convinced many consumers that tropical oils were unhealthy, and consumers should be warned on product labels.
...The ASA viewed potential legislation on labeling as its "biggest weapon" against foreign-oil producers. ... [It is interesting to note that] U.S. Trade Representative Clayton Yeuter admitted that "the main objective of the proposed tropical labeling legislation was to protect the domestic oil industry." [Also,] The Institute of Shortening and Edible Oils charged: "The health angle is a smoke screen for a trade issue. …Specific labeling of foods in regard to their content of the so-called tropical oils is clearly discriminatory and without scientific basis."

...The campaign succeeded in having major food processors reformulate their products with domestically produced oils. According to food writer Jane Heimlich, the anti-tropical-oil campaign resulted in a switch to "true artery-clogging horrors - partially hydrogenated oils." The reformulation created problems. Palm and coconut oils resist oxidation and are highly stable. They do not require hydrogenation, and are trans-free. However, many of the domestic oils are predominantly polyunsaturated, which makes them quite unstable, and subject to oxidation. To make them more stable, they need to be hydrogenated. ...

Food processors switched reluctantly [because] Palm and coconut oils [are advantageous in] food processing. Palm oil can be separated readily.... Manufacturers can make bakery shortening from [palm], [resulting in a] food product [that] has no trans fats. ...Palm and coconut oils are highly suitable for frying because of their high oxidative stability.

... [These oils] do not require hydrogenation. Unlike many other vegetable oils, extraction can be done without the use of harsh chemical solvents. These oils have low foaming tendencies when heated, so they do not require the use of anti-foaming agents. Because these oils have high smoke points, they resist polymerization and oxidation. These features benefit food processors, but do they harm consumers? The aggressive campaign against these oils was intended to make consumers fearful of unhealthy qualities in the oils, and to pressure food processors to eliminate them.

However, the scientific evidence demonstrates that palm and coconut oils are healthful.

Summarized from http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/article10027.htm

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Coconut Oil and Traineo

I saw an article on Traineo, "Best Foods to Eat", that says "For cooking use exclusively cold pressed olive oil"

This is a NO-NO! While cold-pressed olive oil is one of the best choices of oil, it should NOT be used in cooking because of its low burn point. Anyone who studies oils even a little bit will learn this.

Coconut oil isn't even listed on the chart anywhere, which surprised me. While it is a saturated fat, most people assume it is unhealthy. However, because it is a "medium chain triglyceride" (which as I understand means its easily digested), it's actually THE BEST oil you could use, period. It also has a HIGH burn point, so it's not going to turn carcinogenic on you.

In daily use, I've swapped out BUTTER for coconut oil, and it's great - although I'm not sure what I'll do once summer comes around, as you can't leave coconut oil out on the counter in the warm temperatures. I also use it topically as it seems really great for dry skin. However, I'll have to play around for a bit to find something that will stop it from being SO liquid. As it is now, I just use the tiniest bit that way.

And finally, although it's not OIL per se, I find that young coconuts are simply DIVINE foods. The coconut milk (looks more like water) is especially good for use in smoothies; on the days that I don't use almond milk, that's what I use.

Coconut has a lot of calories, but you're not going to want to eat a LOT all at once, because it's like honey: Sweet, delicious even, but too much is really TOO MUCH.

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