Making Kosher Foods

Here's a link to a video about Kosher foods and how they are certified. The video also explains kosher foods and the kosher food labels.

Dietary Values on Vitamin Bottles

Diet supplement warning. Every wonder how old the science is on those DV values (Daily Values) that are on your bottle of vitamins and minerals label? Most are from 1968.  43 years ago! 

Dietary Reference Intakes: Guiding Principles for Nutrition Labeling and Fortification - Institute of Medicine:
Now to put this date in a more visual way, Elvis was still alive during this time and Senator Kennedy was shot that year.  Yep, that long ago.

The RDA of Vitamins K and selenium are based on the 1989 NAS (National Academy of  Sciences) RDAs (Recommended Daily Allowance), and manganese, chromium, molybdenum, and chloride are based on the 1989 ESADDIs (Estimated Safe and Adequate Daily Dietary Intakes) also by NAS.

Three ways to lose weight

How many times have you tried to lose weight or know someone who did, only to put the weight back on and in some cases even more than they lost?  There is an old saying about repeating the same procedure and expecting different results.  Repeating what you did that got you overweight will only put you back or worse than you started.

You have to make a decision about not only what you eat, but also how you eat.  There are three paths to eating from which you must chose.

1. Continue eating in the manner that created the overweight and/or poor health in the first place.
2. Eat foods and amounts of foods that maintain a weight target and your health.
3. Eat foods and amounts of foods that reduce your weight and/or provide a path to better health.

Types of water and fat soluble vitamins

Vitamins are essential nutrients your body needs in various amounts (mcg, mg, g) for various roles or functions in the human body. Vitamins are divided into two groups: water-soluble (B-complex and C) and fat-soluble (A, D, E and K). All vitamins need regular replacement in the body, water soluble vitamins are not stored as well as fat-soluble vitamins which are stored in the liver and fatty tissues, and are eliminated much more slowly than water-soluble vitamins.

What is the difference between fat soluble and water soluble vitamins?

Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water and are not well stored; absorbed though the intestines and excess amounts are eliminated mainly in urine. We need a continuous supply of them in our diets. The major water-soluble vitamins are the B-complex group and vitamin C.

Master Cleanse Diet and weight loss

You may have heard about the Master Cleanse. It can be part of a weight management plan. The Master Cleanse program is a modified juice fast that permits no food. This is also called  "The Maple Syrup Diet", "The Lemonade Diet" and "The Cayenne Pepper Diet" by some.  The typical length is 10 days.


There are three phases in the Master Cleanse.  They are: the Lemonade Diet, the Salt Water Flush and Coming Off.
 There are three steps in the Lemonade Diet phase regimen: each morning one drinks a 8 oz of a lemon flavored solution or a cup of herbal laxative tea; this is followed by six to twelve lemonade drinks during the day; and finally a cup of herbal laxative tea in the evening. Diabetics should consult their doctor before trying.

Here is the basic lemonade recipe. Makes 1 liter:

• 3 oz. Freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
• 3 oz. Grade B Maple Syrup (the darker the better)
• Pinch of Cayenne Pepper (1/10 tsp)
• Filtered or spring water to bring batch to one litre

Drink 3 of these 1 Liter mixtures per day, as recommended. You can drink more, but should not drink less.  Take a sip every 15 minutes, or more often as desired throughout the day. This ensures your blood sugar stays stable and you don’t experience hunger pains.

I'm thin inside!

There's a thin person in all of us, you just can't see it sometimes.

Banana sandwich

Just a great photo I saw.  Peanut butter banana sandwich/hotdog with mango "Fries".

Joe Cross and Phil Staples Mean Green Juice Recipe Fast

Mean Green Juice

This is the "Mean Green" Juice drink recipe used in their Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead movie, sometimes called the Joe Cross diet or the Joe Cross recipe.  During the filming of the documentary movie Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, overweight Joe Cross and Phil Staples ate a diet mix of vegetables and fruits made into juice by his Breville juicer, commonly called juicing.  The nutritional value benefits of this green juice drink recipes is below.

Remember the veggie purchase by Joe Cross at the pickup truck on the side of the road at the beginning of the Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead movie?  Joe bought onions, tomatoes and celery for his raw juice recipes and his 60 day juice fast.  We assume these vegetables to be organic, but this is not required. You can also see carrots though out the movie as he juices his way across the USA to lose weight. Joe Cross also consumed various fruit and juice drinks.

If your looking to juicing for cleansing or just to reduce weight, this juice recipe works very well and gives your body most of what it needs to get healthier while enjoying the benefits of juicing.

TIPS: Don't rush out and buy multiple pounds of every vegetable. Peeling the lemon takes away some of the bitterness in the juice. Kale has a strong taste, try 60g to start with. If the taste to you is awful, use romaine lettuce instead of the kale. More tips on juicing and start up can be found HERE.

Phil and Joe 2013

There are many raw green juice or "Joe Cross juice cleanse recipes" available on the web.  Is this the best green juice recipe? That is up to you to decide. A bit of this and a bit of that, and you can make a green juice that you can enjoy in any juice cleanse or diet. You can also go to a juice bar and try many different juicing recipes.  "Jamba Juice" is a well known place with many healthy drinks to try, although many are heavy with fruit. Wheat grass is another popular juice with juicers. Let me know what recipes you come up with by posting in the comments section. 


Mean Green Juice nutrition facts and nutritional information
Joe's organic mean green juice recipe has no Vitamin D or B12 (see info below), this is the reason why you should not consume this raw food vegetable juice drink as your only meal. If you make this vegetable juice as your only meal, you should be taking a vitamin supplement.  Australian Joe Cross, has since added spinach to this juicing recipe as seen in the video below.  Time marches on.  

6 Kale leaves (113g)

4 celery stalks (136g)

1 cucumber (301g)

2 apples, green (granny smith) (364g)

1/2 of a lemon (29g)

lump of Ginger (11g)

Here's the approximate nutrient values for the above recipe (not per "juice") as listed, based on the USDA charts. This Joe Cross juice he called mean green, supplied a steady stream of nutrients for his body.  To compute your daily vitamin/mineral intake, multiply the values given times the number of recipes you consume per day, compare this against your juicing goals.

Nutritional value information of Mean Green

Rations during WWII

Rations were used as a way to ensure that all persons had food and a reasonable diet.

The US War Department required that the dietary to be fed to the soldier be nutritionally balanced. In the final adoption and revision of War Department circulars relating to the menu plan of field rations, the following was included as the result of suggestion of The Surgeon General: 8   ". . . that consideration be given to evaluation of vitamins and minerals. . . . In its preparation, consideration should be given to the quantities of food necessary to meet nutritional requirements consistent with the prescribed training program."

Civil populations were also studied and a ration plan established.

MILITARY RATIONS TYPES
The B ration was essentially the same as the A ration except that nearly all of its components were canned. It was used in communications zones and, as far as practical, in combat zones.

The C ration, K ration, and ten-in-one ration (also used as emergency combat rations) were designed for the various phases of an assault and were intended to be used only for short periods before adequate cooking facilities could be brought forward. It was thought that the K ration should be used in the early days of an assault where no facilities or time for preparation were available. In the next few days, the C ration, which required only heating, and could even be used cold, was indicated. In the next phase, where small groups could eat together, the ten-in-one ration was to be used and finally, when kitchens could be set up, the B ration was indicated. 

The emergency combat rations, C, K, and ten-in-one, proved to be inadequate for sick and wounded soldiers at clearing stations and evacuation hospitals.  There were several other types of Army food, sometimes erroneously called "rations," which were to be used for special purposes and in the event of severe emergencies. They were not rations in the true sense because they did not contain adequate nutrients for a soldier for 1 day. Examples of these are the D bar which was a type of chocolate bar, the Air Corps flight lunch which was a box of mixed candies, the parachute ration which was a small packaged ration equal to approximately one-third of the K ration, the life raft ration which appeared in at least five forms, made up mostly of candies and raisins, and a number of others. None of these emergency type, lifesaving rations was satisfactory but their use for the purposes for which they were designed turned out to be infinitesimally small, so the deficiencies in them were of little importance.

The average soldier caloric consumption, 3,468 calories, was less than the soldier had been consuming in previous surveys (4,100 calories supplied and 3,888 calories consumed in 1941-42, and 3,900 calories supplied and 3,633 calories consumed with approximately 365 calories in the post exchange in 1917-18).

PRISONERS
The first prisoners of war were received in the United States in May 1942. Their presence in the Zone of Interior posed many questions of feeding. The most important was how much and what items of food should be used in the dietary of the German prisoners of war. Answering this question required the interpretation of that part of the Geneva Convention article pertaining to the feeding of prisoners of war. The Geneva Convention reads, "The food ration of Prisoners of War shall be equal in quantity and quality to that of troops at base camps."  The obvious way to conform to this was to feed prisoners the same items and amounts of food as American troops received. In 1945 four circulars on prisoner of war feeding were published, namely, Army Service Forces Circulars 39, 72, 150, and 191.

All agencies involved in feeding the prisoners of war were ultimately instructed to cut the use of civilian-scarce food to a minimum and to substitute civilian-plentiful food. The Geneva Convention was reinterpreted by joint agreement of the Office of The Surgeon General, Office of The Quartermaster General, and Office of The Provost Marshal General, with concurrence of the Commanding General, Army Service Forces, as follows: The word "equal" does not mean "identical," therefore, if American troops were fed 100 gm. of protein in the form of grade A beef, while German prisoners had to be fed the same amount of protein, it did not have to come from the same part of the carcass.

It was, therefore, agreed to feed prisoners of war in terms of their energy requirements and to feed them low-cost nonrationed foods which were nutritionally adequate, as determined by accepted American standards. (See Army Service Forces Circular 235, 1945.)

In haste, as a stop-gap measure, Army Service Forces Circular 150, 27 April 1945, was written, principally by the Office of The Quartermaster General, and dispatched to the field accompanied by a menu guide for prisoners of war. This circular and menu required that use be made of the following or similar items: pig's snouts, pig's feet, pig's tails, green bones, hearts, and similar items of meat in amounts not to exceed 4 ounces per man per day (this did not mean inedible meat), bread in amounts up to 130 pounds per 100 men per day and flour in addition. They would not eat this much bread. No substitutions were permitted.

DIETS AND DISEASE
Infectious hepatitis, presented a special problem in nutrition because of the anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and loss of weight which are characteristic of the disease. As a result of various diet studies, a special diet which contained 200 or more grams of protein, 25 to 50 gm. of fat and 400 or more grams of carbohydrate was devised for patients with hepatitis. By special arrangements made with the Quartermaster Corps, amounts of lean frozen beef and of dried skim milk were obtained which were adequate to provide the protein component of the diet, and patients with hepatitis had the first call upon all fresh fruits and vegetables procured by the quartermaster. This diet was very successful (if its success can be judged by its consumption) and was relished, with the result that most patients suffering from this disease showed a gain in weight at the time they left the hospital.

Troops were on a diet practically devoid of ascorbic acid whenever they subsisted on unsupplemented C, K, or ten-in-one rations in the cold weather which was general in Europe. This resulted from the refusal to prepare and drink the lemonade which may be made from the fortified lemon or other fruit powders. The deficiency in thiamine and the questionable deficiency in riboflavin in the type B ration was corrected as quickly as fresh items became available.

Beriberi and pellagra were regarded as principal causes of morbidity and mortality due to disease among our citizens who were prisoners of the Japanese.

Weighing yourself

When and how often should you weigh yourself and under what conditions? In order to track, manage and gauge our success in weight loss we must weigh ourselves.

First we to decide on a few things to maximize and be consistent in our results.

1. How often will we weigh?
2. What will you be wearing when you weigh?
3. What time and day will you weigh?
4. Will you keep a log or journal?
5. Under what circumstances will you weigh?

Since body weights can vary during the week, once a week keeps things fair and easy to do.  Some people like to be naked when they weigh.  Regardless, wear or not wear the same type of clothing each time you weigh.  Morning is usually the best time to weigh. Always weigh in on the same day of the week.  This makes a routine that is easier to follow and makes charting better also. Our bodies are great store houses.  Try to weigh yourself after having a kidney and bowel movement.  The result will be your normal body weight and will prevent you from making excuses about the weight shown.

Any good scale will be fine.  The newer digitals makes read the weight easy. Always make sure the scale is on firm flooring, no carpet.  Try to stand in the same spot on the scale with both feet on the scale.  If it's electronic, allow time for the scale to set or zero out before stepping on.  Weigh your self three times.  This prevents a false weight reading.

Keep a log.  I use a wall chart in my bathroom.  I list the weight and how much I have gained or lost from the last reading.  I also list the date and every two weeks my BMI. The chart gives motivation to say on track.

Old School Salad Dressing

Old School Salad Dressing

You can use low sodium Worcestershire and low sodium ketchup to drop the sodium levels lower.

2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons ketchup
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon mustard , ground
cayenne pepper (to taste)
3 drops hot pepper sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar

Salad dressing normally weighs about 28-32 grams per two (2) tablespoons. The most common serving you see on a salad bottle is two tablespoons. The average single serving packet from a fast food restaurant or store is about 4 tablespoons (2.0 Ounces or +/- 57g.)

Creamy Herb Dressing

This low sodium and low calorie dressing has a kick from the horseradish.  Adjust the dill and horseradish for your sweet spot.

Creamy Herb Dressing

3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped scallions
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp prepared horseradish
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste


Salad dressing normally weighs about 28-32 grams per two (2) tablespoons. The most common serving you see on a salad bottle is two tablespoons. The average single serving packet from a fast food restaurant or store is about 4 tablespoons (2.0 Ounces or +/- 57g.)

Diabetes food managment

Have you seen or read the Diabetes guidelines most often published?  If so, you have read that most are recommending a high carbohydrate and low fat diet for Diabetics.  This is not in your best interest.

Breads contain starches.  There are also starchy vegetables such as potatoes. Starch is sugars held together by a chemical bond and as soon as it touches your tongue they start to separate and flood your blood stream with sugars.  The better approach is just the opposite.  High fat and no carbohydrates, or as low as you can go.  This was the traditional way diabetes was treated before about 1935 and the advent of injectable Insulin.  By the 1940's insulin use was on the raise and low carbohydrate diets were falling out of favor. Starchy carbohydrates should not exceed 30% of your diet, 10% or less would be ideal. Results could be dramatic with full or partial reversals in a few months or weeks.

There are several points in the dramatic rise of Diabetes in America, they are as follows:

1. 1940 - The American Diabetes Association is formed.
2. 1966 - The first mass produced french fries are sold.
3. 1984 - Soda manufacturers start using High Fructose Corn Syrup.
4. 1992 - The USDA places bread and grains at the base of the food pyramid.
5. 1995 - Metformin is approved for use in the USA.

Causes of diabetes

Use your head and check out the research.  If you are eating table sugar or eating a compound that is primarily sugars, guess what?  Your blood sugar levels will spike.

You might be curious about what is causing or what happened to create the upward trend represented by the charts.  The charts show the same progression of two events in the American diet.  The steady rise in the number of calories Americans consume and the increasing number of overweight or obese Americans. Studies in 2008 indicate that 72% of men and 67% of women are overweight or obese in America.  This resulted in the USDA issuing out new guidelines RDA's and diet in 2010 (released in June 2011, bet you missed it). What you might miss reading is the footnotes. The recommended amounts are from various studies done as far back as 1997.  Only a small portion of nutrients are reviewed and adjusted each 5 years or as the government puts it "if necessary."

There has also been an explosion of sugar in our diets in all types of foods and beverages. In fact, between 1987 and 1997, consumption of "added sugar" in the United States grew 20%. This trend is also being seen in the developing world, according to WHO (World Health Organization).


That's one reason both the United Nations and the World Health Organization released guidelines in 2003 that say sugar should account for no more than 10% of daily calories. In a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, that's just 200 calories -- or eight heaping teaspoons of table sugar at 25 calories each. A single can of regular soda, with the equivalent of 10 teaspoons, would put you over their recommendation. 


What are chances of getting sick?  Let's see . . . for 2008-2010 . . ..

1. 37 percent of the population—have cardiovascular disease
2. 74.5 million Americans—34 percent of U.S. adults—have hypertension
3. Nearly 24 million people—almost 11 percent of the population—20 years and older have diabetes
4. Almost one in two men and women—approximately 41 percent of the population—will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime
5. One out of every two women and one in four men ages 50 years and older will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime

Do yourself a favor and do some old school research, eat less, change your diet and if needed lose some weight.

Poppy Seed Dressing Reduced Fat

1/2 cup fat-free creamy salad dressing (ie: Fat Free Miracle Whip)

• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/8 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together salad dressing, milk, white sugar, vinegar, and poppy seeds. Chill until ready to use.

Salad dressing normally weighs about 28-32 grams per two (2) tablespoons. The most common serving you see on a salad bottle is two tablespoons. The average single serving packet from a fast food restaurant or store is about 4 tablespoons (2.0 Ounces or +/- 57g.)

Garlic Buttermilk Dressing

Garlic Buttermilk Salad Dressing

2/3 C. Sour Cream
1 C. Mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. Crushed Garlic
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Freshly Ground Pepper
1 tsp. Mustard Powder
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1/2 C. Buttermilk

Blend all in blender until smooth, flavor is better when it sets for a couple hours and its great used for a dip.
Servings 16.

Salad dressing normally weighs about 28-32 grams per two (2) tablespoons. The most common serving you see on a salad bottle is two tablespoons. The average single serving packet from a fast food restaurant or store is about 4 tablespoons (2.0 Ounces or +/- 57g.)

Stone House Dressing

Stone House Salad Dressing

Yield: 64 Tbsp
1 small Onion
1 clove fresh Garlic
1 1/2 pts. Sour Cream
2 1/2 pts. Mayonnaise (do not use Salad Dressing)
3 dashes Tabasco Sauce
2 tsp. Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
1/2 tsp. White Pepper
3 Tbsp. Dill Weed
3 Tbsp. chopped Parsley
juice of 2 Lemons

Put into a food processor, onion and garlic and grind it thoroughly. Mix sour cream and mayonnaise in a large mixing bowl. Add spices, onion, and garlic and Tabasco Sauce. Pour this into the food processor, and mix until all is light and fluffy. Refrigerator overnight before serving.

Salad dressing normally weighs about 28-32 grams per two (2) tablespoons. The most common serving you see on a salad bottle is two tablespoons. The average single serving packet from a fast food restaurant or store is about 4 tablespoons (2.0 Ounces or +/- 57g.)

Barbecue Salad Dressing

Barbeque Salad Dressing

• With so many different barbecue sauces to pick from, you can tailor this dressing to your liking and still have a low calorie and low sodium dressing for your salad.
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup prepared barbecue sauce (your favorite)
• 1 Tbsp instant minced onion
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Make dressing so it can chill. Mix together all dressing ingredients, cover and put in refrigerator.
Servings 6.


Salad dressing normally weighs about 28-32 grams per two (2) tablespoons. The most common serving you see on a salad bottle is two tablespoons. The average single serving packet from a fast food restaurant or store is about 4 tablespoons (2.0 Ounces or +/- 57g.)

Southwestern Salad Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
• 1 cup honey barbecue sauce

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the ranch dressing and barbecue sauce. Refrigerate until serving.
2. Works as a dressing or as a dip.

Salad dressing normally weighs about 28-32 grams per two (2) tablespoons. The most common serving you see on a salad bottle is two tablespoons. The average single serving packet from a fast food restaurant or store is about 4 tablespoons (2.0 Ounces or +/- 57g.)

Pineapple Salad Dressing

This has a nice and different taste.  Homemade low sodium and low fat dressing.  To much cumin will spoil the taste.

Ingredients

• 1 8oz pineapple yogurt
• 1/8 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 mayonnaise optional
• 1 pack splenda or sugar optional

Directions

• In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the yogurt, vinegar, cumin and garlic; shake well. Add mayo and sweetener if desired. Mix.  Serve with salad greens. Refrigerate leftovers; shake or stir before serving. Yield: 3/4 cup.

Salad dressing normally weighs about 28-32 grams per two (2) tablespoons. The most common serving you see on a salad bottle is two tablespoons. The average single serving packet from a fast food restaurant or store is about 4 tablespoons (2.0 Ounces or +/- 57g.)

Paprika Salad Dressing

Paprika Salad Dressing

Give your salad a little zip with this low sodium and low calorie dressing.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons A1 steak sauce or 57
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients with a wire whisk. Serve over salad greens. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 1 cup/7 servings.

Salad dressing normally weighs about 28-32 grams per two (2) tablespoons. The most common serving you see on a salad bottle is two tablespoons. The average single serving packet from a fast food restaurant or store is about 4 tablespoons (2.0 Ounces or +/- 57g.)

Mustard-Sour Cream Salad Dressing

A very low cholesterol and low sugar dressing.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1-1/2 cups canola oil

Directions

• Place the first eight ingredients in a blender; cover and process until smooth. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream. Transfer to a bowl or pitcher. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Yield: 2-1/2 cups/ 19 servings.

Salad dressing normally weighs about 28-32 grams per two (2) tablespoons. The most common serving you see on a salad bottle is two tablespoons. The average single serving packet from a fast food restaurant or store is about 4 tablespoons (2.0 Ounces or +/- 57g.)