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Can't make up your mind about which food is healthier?

4/7/2015

16 Comments

 
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This morning in Hertfordshire, England, bright sun greeted me when I woke. Birds twittered and that marvelous feeling of Spring invaded my senses. When I sat with a view of the garden ready to meditate, three crows swooped down from the giant trees opposite.

Originally, the lyrics of a popular nursery rhyme associated with magpies was about bringing good or bad luck. It is said that depending on how many magpies one sees a day, a blessed or an unhappy event will happen to him or her. The lyrics of “One for Sorrow” have been changed over the times. The oldest known version of the song dates back to the late 18th century, and was found in a note by John Brand in Observations on Popular Antiquities, Lincolnshire, 1780. Later on, in the early 19th century it appears in a “Proverbs and Popular saying” book, collected from oral tradition and published by M. A. Denham, in 1846, London.

Original lyrics
~
One for sorrow,
Two for mirth,
Three for a wedding,
And four for death

~

Well—a wedding? That would be nice, but unlikely. Hold on. My grandson in Australia will be married shortly. Perhaps they'll elope. What fun!

I dressed and turned on my computer for the day, ready to find a news item to talk about. After selecting the subject, I ate four canned prunes and sat down again to compose my blog.

Here are a couple of answers to healthy food questions from experts in their field.

Eating to give ourselves the best chance at achieving good health isn't always as straight-forward as it seems. Conflicting evidence pulls us one way and then another.

I remember back in the 70s, nutritionists said avocado should be avoided because of its high fat content. Yet now, we know those fats are essential for health. Living in Australia where they grow, I took no notice and ate them anyway. I'd read books about Edgar Cayce who gave many predictions, spiritual insights, and health advice from a sleeping state. His family took down everything he said and published his words. One of them was about avocados being very healthy.

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Have you ever wondered if canned food is just as good as frozen?

A nutritionist at Nature’s Plus (naturesplus.co.uk) says heavy metals like aluminum, cadmium, lead and mercury can leak into canned food. Whereas frozen food can be as good as when it’s fresh.

Of course, it doesn't taste as good as food taken straight from the grower. As an example, frozen Brussel sprouts can be rank at times, whereas fresh sprouts are full flavor and delicious. I like my canned prunes which can't be purchased fresh at this time of the year in the UK.

For years, experts said too much animal fat and dairy was bad for us. Yet new research has found it doesn’t increase heart disease risk after all. According to a nutritionist, (thenutritioncoach.co.uk), butter is natural whereas spreads and margarines are highly processed and often contain hydrogenated fats. These are more harmful to our health than the saturated fat found in butter.

Of course, you should avoid eating too much of any one thing. “Everything in moderation,” my father used to say.

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What about milk?

A nutritionist at NutriCentre explains that full fat milk may seem unhealthy because it contains more fat, but the fat actually helps us to absorb vitamins A and D that are found in milk. Because the vitamins are fat-soluble, they won’t be absorbed without higher-fat foods. Full-fat milk also helps to make us feel fuller and more satisfied, therefore we eat less overall.

I must admit, I eat margarine for convenience. If kept in the fridge, butter is hard to spread. But once taken to room temperature, it's so delicious. And, I use half-fat milk in my three cups of tea a day, as well as using half milk, half water, when making my porridge. I don't think I'll change any of my eating habits for the foreseeable future. As a rather inactive woman in her seventies, I don't need more fat. But you younger ones should go for it. Eat butter and enjoy full-fat milk.

'Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.'



16 Comments
bellybytes link
4/6/2015 08:02:15 pm

Alas all food traditions have been turned on their head with overzealous food evangelists propogating their faith of good health. Milk, the mainstay of baby food is now cast as the evil fat producing non-essential. As for me, I agree with you, it's better to be fat and happy than to be thin, sad and hungry.......

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Futspa Natural Skin Care link
5/14/2015 10:49:35 am

Disclaimer: Podcasts do not replace advice from your own qualified medical practitioner who will be familiar with your own individual health concerns.

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Vidya Subramanian link
4/6/2015 08:02:16 pm

My granny says "Too much of anything can be poison" Moderation is the key. I am very suspicious of margarine and canned food and don't use them. I try to eat fresh seasonal produce as much as possible.

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Lata Subramanian link
4/6/2015 08:14:06 pm

Heed old wives tales and grandmother's. Much, much healthier than advice paid for by big pharma

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Nick #thisyearinmusic link
4/6/2015 09:48:07 pm

I remember that rhyme, well only the first few lines really.

I've always been of the belief that moderation is spice of life.

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Amrit Rukhaiyaar link
4/6/2015 09:53:16 pm

this is a really important post.. my mom should see this ;)

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Ajay Pai link
4/7/2015 02:29:05 am

Francene and inactive? Naah! You are ever so active. If you can so actively blog, am sure, you are very active with your day-to-day activities too.

I really appreciate your blog content and your spirit in researching and writing.

You did not mention on the wedding part -more keen on that aspect., remember you have seen 3 magpies. Did they elope?

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Anmol Rawat link
4/7/2015 04:05:36 am

nice post :)

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Kathy link
4/7/2015 04:42:49 am

I did always wonder if canned food is just as good as frozen! Thanks!

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Kimberly Montgomery link
4/7/2015 04:57:12 am

I always live by the motto that the closer to the earth is the better it is for you. Thanks for your post!
Kimberly
FiftyJewels.com

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Mike Gardner - The Time Doctor link
4/7/2015 05:13:29 am

Live life the way you want to and if that is eating prunes, fresh or otherwise, just enjoy

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emilia link
4/7/2015 09:22:38 am

frankly, at this point I do not believe either way :) plus one person`s poison can be other one`s cure, who knows? The dietitians tend to change their mind so often, that I just follow my own head :)

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Anamika Agnihotri link
4/7/2015 12:49:23 pm

Just yesterday I was weighing upon shifting from semi skimmed milk to skimmed milk to take care of my ever increasing weight but at the same time I thought about my tea which would not taste as good as it tastes now. And here is the advice for having full fat milk. Oh God! I am so undecided.

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K.Lee Banks link
4/8/2015 12:26:46 am

It is amazing how many times "they" (the so-called "experts") have changed their minds about what is good or bad for us to consume!

I have switched to butter after reading some very disturbing things about margarine. I use stick butter when I'm cooking or to add to veggies or taters; then I use tub butter with olive oil to spread on bread, because the olive oil makes it softer and easier to spread.

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Ina Tales
4/9/2015 02:27:39 am

sometimes I wonder if it is corporate lobbying that has given rise to many of these myths.

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Alana link
4/9/2015 12:05:57 pm

The "experts" have changed their minds so many times that I don't pay attention any more. Butter good then bad then good. Eggs bad, now good. Whole grains good and now they are worried about arsenic levels in brown rice. The next thing I expect to see is an article on the health benefits of white bread and saturated fat.

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    Author

    Francene Stanley
    From England, I use news items in my novels which you can see below, all linked to an Amazon near you.

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