Butter is Better

     I read this today and had to share.  I avoid margarine as much as possible, mostly because I detest the flavor and texture.  I love using butter in all baking and it is perfect slathered on a warm piece of homemade bread.  Remember that balance is the key to healthy living. Yes, butter is fat, but it is good, God-made fat. Wouldn't you rather eat something that was present in the Garden of Eden and specifically made for consumption by mankind than to fill your body with oils and chemicals that taste terrible and have drastic effects on your health?  Read on:

     "Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back.
It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings....

DO YOU KNOW.. The difference between margarine and butter?
Read on to the end...gets very interesting!

Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams; compared to5 grams for margarine.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.
Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few and only because they are added!
Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

And now, for Margarine..
Very High in Trans fatty acids.
Triples risk of coronary heart disease ...
Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)

Increases the risk of cancers up to five times..

Lowers quality of breast milk

Decreases immune response.

Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact... HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC... and shares 27 ingredients with PAINT

These facts alone were enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

Open a tub of margarine and leave it open in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will notice a couple of things:

* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)

* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no value ; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny micro-organisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Share This With Your Friends.....(If you want to butter them up')!"

     Yes, there are supposed "good" versions of margarine, but they are still fake versions of the real thing.  Remember, those of you that think that no-fat or low-fat is good, your brain is made of fat.  If your body does not consume enough fat, your brain will suffer.  Have you ever seen a fat alzheimers patient?  Brain scans of those who suffer from alzheimers show that the brain has literally disappeared or disintegrated.  Beware of what you eat.  Balance your life with a little bit of butter, your body and your brain (and your tastebuds) will thank you!

Foods that Heal: Apples

     In continuing our "Foods that Heal" series, I have been studying up on the benefits of apples.  My mom always said "Apples are the most portable nutrition", and they are.  They are wrapped up in the perfect convenient packaging, easily carried with you to eat and toss the core.  Let's look at some of the benefits of this super food.

     Of course, the old adage is "An apple a day keeps the doctor away", and it is so true, but what else does an apple a day keep away?

AN APPLE A DAY:
  
*keeps the orthodontist away-- I had the worst crooked teeth as a young girl.  I remember a huge gap between my two front teeth, due to the fact that one of them came in completely sideways.  I carried a lunch to school every day, faithfully packed by my mom every morning, and every single day there was an apple in there.  Mom always checked up on us each evening to make sure we ate all of our lunch.  I honestly believe that eating raw, hard to chew vegetables and fruits help align your teeth.  Sinking your teeth into that apple and pulling a bite off pulls those teeth and lines them up!

*keeps the Prilosec away-- We have an epidemic of giant proportions in our country. People are suffering from acid reflux, and are told by the doctor that their body is producing too much acid.  Actually, the opposite is true.  Your stomach has a "door" on the top of it.  It opens to let in food when you eat and is supposed to close.  Your stomach produces acid so that the food can be digested.  Fresh, raw fruits and vegetables aid in the digestion process, and your stomach knows this!  If it does not have enough raw enzymes to assist in digesting your food, the "door" stays open until you send some down.  If the "door" doesn't close, then the acid comes up in your throat and gives you that burning sensation.  Many who suffer with this problem would benefit greatly just by simply eating a whole apple about half an hour before eating a meal. (By the way, if you were to go to the drug companies websites and read about these types of medications, you would discover that, besides having harmful side effects, the companies state that this type of drug is not to be taken for more than 14 days.....hmmm, seems like everyone is on it permanently.)



Ad from a magazine.  Of course, a doctor will tell you otherwise!

  (This type of drug turns off some of the acid producers in the stomach, causing a worse problem where the food is not digested and therefore you receive no nutrients.)

*keeps the inhaler away-- Apples have been known to promote healthy lung function. It has been found that good lung function was associated with high intakes of vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene, citrus fruits, apples, and fruit juices. However, those who studied these facts, after they took into consideration factors such as body mass, smoking history and exercise the only food that seemed to make a significant difference was apples. It was found that eating five or more apples a week was linked to a slightly better lung function. So, keep those lungs functioning correctly by including apples in your diet!

*keeps the fat away-- Okay, now I have your undivided attention!  The skin of raw apples contains pectin, which when eaten, forms a gel in your stomach.  This gel inhibits the absorption of fats and  also helps to suppress your appetite and make you feel full! Plus, when your stomach has the proper amount of digestive enzymes, the digestion process will be more efficient, eliminating bloating and belly aches.  My kids know that the cure for a tummy ache is some raw apple! Another benefit of having good digestive processes is that the problem of bad breath is also reduced!

*keeps the yellow teeth away-- Another area that we are constantly reminded of the advertising industry is that of having beautiful, white teeth.  Apples help keep your teeth white by helping your body begin the digestive process in your mouth.  Eating an apple helps your strengthen your saliva with the enzymes in the apple.  Strong saliva washes over your teeth and helps to dissolve the plaque that can turn your teeth yellow.

*keeps away the cataracts, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer, etc.-- There are so many other benefits to eating apples.  Try one today, or better yet, one with each meal.  They are sweet, and delicious, so why not incorporate them in your everyday eating routine? Apples are also antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory, and they contain lots of fiber to keep things running smoothly.  We could all benefit from at least one apple a day!
    *By the way, it was not an apple on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that Eve ate in the garden, causing her to sin!!  But perhaps, apples were what grew on the tree of life!!

Storing up for the future

     If you knew that there was a crisis on the horizon, what would you do?   Think back to 1999.  Did any of you stockpile food and water just in case there was a computer glitch in 2000?   If there were some way to know if there was going to be an economic meltdown in a year, would you do anything about it?   Most of us would start some kind of action plan to start storing up supplies and necessities just in case.  If our favorite snack or cosmetic item or shoe brand were going out of business, we would try our best to find all we could locate to have a stash for future use.  It makes me think of Joseph in Genesis.  He knew about the famine coming and gave a plan to store up so that there would be plenty in the hard times.
     I believe that our bodies do the same thing.  If we are not getting enough of something in our diet, then our body starts "storing" it in different ways and in different areas.  Here are some examples:

*Water: Do you retain water?  Ever had water on the knee?  Most obesity is a majority of water retention.  If overweight people started drinking their 2 liters of water a day, they would see a huge change in  just a short time because they would lose the water that their bodies had been storing up for so long.  I once knew a girl who had been told by her doctor that she was allergic to water.  She was very young, and rather obese as a result. I cannot imagine what that doctor had been thinking.  The human body is made up of over 70% water, how could one be allergic to it???

*Calcium: Have you ever had kidney stones or heel spurs?  The body stores up calcium in these ways.  A doctor will tell you that you have them because you are getting too much calcium.  I doubt that any person living today gets too much calcium.  And, on a side note, if you are taking calcium, TUMS is not a reliable source of calcium.  There are only certain types of calcium that your body will use, and it needs other nutrients in order to use it.  Eating rocks and bones is not a good way to get calcium!

*Fat: Okay, those of you who struggle with weight issues, don't take this to mean that if your body is storing fat, then you should go buy some Krispy Kremes or something.  However, it may mean that you are not getting the right kinds of fat.  Your body needs fat.  Your brain is made of fat.  (Another theory of mine: have you ever seen a fat Alzheimer's patient?  Me neither. Pictures of brain scans of Alzheimer's patients reveal a brain that looks like it had dissolved.) The right kinds of fats (olive oil, coconut oil, animal fats) will help you lose weight!  A great book to read on this subject is Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Mary Enig.

     Most doctors believe that if your body is storing something up, then that means that you are getting too much of that thing.  However, I believe the opposite is true.  You are just storing up for the future, because there is a limited supply of what you need.  Think it over!