Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle on Tuesday remanded a labourer to prison after he was accused of attempting to purchase over $1M in electrical items from a city store using a fake cheque.
Thirty-year-old Zaheer Abdool, called Sheik Ally, of Middle Road, La Penitence, pleaded not guilty to the charges of endeavouring to obtain upon a forged instrument and uttering a forged document.
It is alleged that on December 14, with intent to defraud, Abdool tried to obtain two air conditioning units and other articles together valued $1,139,380, upon or by virtue of a forged cheque purportedly issued by ScotiaBank, knowing same to be forged. On the same day he allegedly uttered the forged cheque to Monalisa Joyeux of Supreme Electronics Store.
Abdool, who was unrepresented in court, in his defence said his employer, a contractor, sent him with three cheques to uplift some beverages. He said he only handed over the cheques to the person at the store and collected the items which he then took to his boss's Friendship home, in the vehicle that was given to him to conduct the errands. Abdool said that after unloading the items, he left and went back to work.
However, Police Prosecutor Sherwin Matthews told the court that on the said day Abdool went to the store and ordered the items mentioned in the charge. He paid for them using a ScotiaBank cheque but he was asked to return the following day to uplift the items. Matthews said that when he returned, an employee noticed some irregularities on the cheque and the sale was stopped. The man was later arrested, Matthews said.
"This is not the first time that he is being charged with this type of offence," Matthews said adding that Abdool was accused of obtaining $500,000 for a visa transaction but the charge was dismissed. The prosecutor added that on that occasion the man was charged under the name Sheik Ally. Matthews objected to bail being granted on the grounds that Abdool may use the opportunity to commit more serious offences.
Meanwhile, Abdool, again in his defence, said that the police don't want to go to his employer's residence to investigate his claims.
He was ordered to appear in Court Three on January 14.
http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article_courts?id=56535527
Saturday, December 22, 2007
At last, an end in sight for the brawl over S&N
ime, gentlemen, please. The Takeover Panel has set a justifiably tight timetable for Carlsberg and Heineken to make a formal bid for Scottish & Newcastle, the drinks group, or walk away. Both sides welcomed the January 21 deadline on Monday, though it is bound to disrupt a few people’s holiday plans over Christmas and new year. Shareholders should welcome it, too. Not only is the status of a key asset – Baltic Beverages Holding, the Carlsberg-S&N joint venture in Russia – in dispute, the two sides have been at loggerheads since the consortium made its first approach in October. Without Panel intervention, the war of words could drag on for months.
The case for S&N to show a little seasonal goodwill towards its suitors rests on the fact that its share price is trading below the 750p value of the consortium’s indicative offer. It would surely fall if Carlsberg and Heineken withdrew, unless SABMiller is genuinely interested. But S&N would then redouble its legal effort to get control of BBH, or realise the value of its stake by auctioning it.
The real worth of that venture is a matter of conjecture as long as Carlsberg refuses to allow S&N to release information about the venture’s growth, market share and margin and price trends. But at the same time, investors have only S&N’s word that its arbitration claim over BBH is as strong as the British company says. More details, due next month, could help shareholders judge the likelihood of success in the Swedish courts. For now, they are not putting pressure on the S&N board.
For outsiders, then, this is a bit like watching two drunks locked in a brawl: plenty of insults are being exchanged – and a few flailing punches – but each party is really waiting for the other to keel over.
Wacky race for the Tote
The government’s attempt to run the sale of the Tote as a one-horse race on a hobbled mount is limping to an all-too-predictable finish. It now looks as though the state-owned betting agency will have to be sold on the open market – which is how this should have been handled all along.
Action replay: the government, handicapped by a 2001 election promise that a “Racing Trust” would be the best owner, tries to sell the Tote at “fair value” to a management-led consortium. The European Commission says No. Government returns with a proposal to sell to the consortium at “market value”, only to balk at the involvement of “private equity” in the form of Lloyds TSB. The consortium’s first offer is then cut, as turbulent markets erode the debt financing. Now – having come, racecourse-style, full circle – the government has decided that Brussels would still frown on a cut-price sale because at least one rival private-sector bidder, Gala Coral, remains ready to enter the running.
This odd privatisation again reflects badly on the government’s attitude to markets – either rushing headlong into the private sector’s embrace (Qinetiq), or shunning a market solution until too late. It would be embarrassing if, having finally got potential buyers under starter’s orders for a proper race for the Tote, the government found that conditions had deteriorated to the point that it was forced to sell the agency at a knockdown price anyway.
None of this bodes well for the correct handling of the mess that is Northern Rock, which presents a far more complex mix of private-sector and public-interest considerations than the sale of the Tote ever did. Steward’s inquiry, please.
Fine outcome for HMRC
Imagine the Financial Services Authority could fine HM Revenue & Customs for “not taking reasonable steps to keep [customers’] personal and financial information safe”. Norwich Union was hit with a £1.26m penalty on Monday for exposing some 6.8m customers to risk. HMRC lost the details of 25m – so how does a fine of £4.6m sound?
Let’s be fair, though, whereas fraudsters creamed £3.3m from Norwich Union policyholders, we don’t yet know if anybody suffered fraud as a result of the Revenue’s blunder. A better parallel was the theft of one of Nationwide’s data-filled laptops last year. The FSA said that had exposed the building society’s “failure to manage or monitor downloads of very large amounts of data onto portable storage devices”. Sounds familiar. Nationwide, with 11m customers, was fined £980,000. Rounded up, a penalty of £2.5m for our friends at the Revenue seems just. Their cheque, we hear, is in the post.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/123287fe-acdc-11dc-b51b-0000779fd2ac.html
The case for S&N to show a little seasonal goodwill towards its suitors rests on the fact that its share price is trading below the 750p value of the consortium’s indicative offer. It would surely fall if Carlsberg and Heineken withdrew, unless SABMiller is genuinely interested. But S&N would then redouble its legal effort to get control of BBH, or realise the value of its stake by auctioning it.
The real worth of that venture is a matter of conjecture as long as Carlsberg refuses to allow S&N to release information about the venture’s growth, market share and margin and price trends. But at the same time, investors have only S&N’s word that its arbitration claim over BBH is as strong as the British company says. More details, due next month, could help shareholders judge the likelihood of success in the Swedish courts. For now, they are not putting pressure on the S&N board.
For outsiders, then, this is a bit like watching two drunks locked in a brawl: plenty of insults are being exchanged – and a few flailing punches – but each party is really waiting for the other to keel over.
Wacky race for the Tote
The government’s attempt to run the sale of the Tote as a one-horse race on a hobbled mount is limping to an all-too-predictable finish. It now looks as though the state-owned betting agency will have to be sold on the open market – which is how this should have been handled all along.
Action replay: the government, handicapped by a 2001 election promise that a “Racing Trust” would be the best owner, tries to sell the Tote at “fair value” to a management-led consortium. The European Commission says No. Government returns with a proposal to sell to the consortium at “market value”, only to balk at the involvement of “private equity” in the form of Lloyds TSB. The consortium’s first offer is then cut, as turbulent markets erode the debt financing. Now – having come, racecourse-style, full circle – the government has decided that Brussels would still frown on a cut-price sale because at least one rival private-sector bidder, Gala Coral, remains ready to enter the running.
This odd privatisation again reflects badly on the government’s attitude to markets – either rushing headlong into the private sector’s embrace (Qinetiq), or shunning a market solution until too late. It would be embarrassing if, having finally got potential buyers under starter’s orders for a proper race for the Tote, the government found that conditions had deteriorated to the point that it was forced to sell the agency at a knockdown price anyway.
None of this bodes well for the correct handling of the mess that is Northern Rock, which presents a far more complex mix of private-sector and public-interest considerations than the sale of the Tote ever did. Steward’s inquiry, please.
Fine outcome for HMRC
Imagine the Financial Services Authority could fine HM Revenue & Customs for “not taking reasonable steps to keep [customers’] personal and financial information safe”. Norwich Union was hit with a £1.26m penalty on Monday for exposing some 6.8m customers to risk. HMRC lost the details of 25m – so how does a fine of £4.6m sound?
Let’s be fair, though, whereas fraudsters creamed £3.3m from Norwich Union policyholders, we don’t yet know if anybody suffered fraud as a result of the Revenue’s blunder. A better parallel was the theft of one of Nationwide’s data-filled laptops last year. The FSA said that had exposed the building society’s “failure to manage or monitor downloads of very large amounts of data onto portable storage devices”. Sounds familiar. Nationwide, with 11m customers, was fined £980,000. Rounded up, a penalty of £2.5m for our friends at the Revenue seems just. Their cheque, we hear, is in the post.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/123287fe-acdc-11dc-b51b-0000779fd2ac.html
Gardener revels in winter
Warm beverages, crisp mountain apples, homemade treats and a cozy place to relax after a hearty meal. It makes one think about curling up with loved ones on a frosty winter night.
That's a beautiful image. But how about a place where wild creatures can find those same comforts? Most gardeners tend to think of winter as a time when nothing much happens in their gardens, but Raleigh garden designer Helen Yoest says her winter garden has as much interest and excitement as in any other season. Maybe more.
Yoest's wildlife garden -- an eclectic mix of formal areas, cottage chic and practicality -- is a popular gathering place for her family and friends all year. It has also caught the attention of national gardening magazines. Horticulture and Fine Gardening have scheduled articles about the garden Yoest shares with her husband, David Philbrook, and their three children, 11-year-old Lara Rose, 7-year-old Lily Ana and 6-year-old Michael Aster Philbrook.
Yoest, who also leads the volunteer team that maintains the winter garden at the JC Raulston Arboretum, said, "There are many colors and textures that become highlighted in the winter. A tiny flower, competing with so many other colors and textures might go unnoticed other times, but in winter it can take your breath away."
Blooms of fragrant 'Winter Gold' Edgeworthia, early snowdrops (Galanthus woronowii), lemon-scented winter daphne, Prunus mume (flowering apricot), hardy cyclamen, camellias, contorted crabapple (Malus 'Red Jade'), and hellebores (Lenten rose) are just a few examples.
As deciduous plants go bare, a holiday color scheme in shades of green and red evolves in Yoest's garden. Red-stemmed weeping willow (Scarlet Curls Salix matsudana), sky pencil hollies, gardenia, Hinoki cypress, 'Regal Mist' muhly grass, creeping raspberry, yellow white pine, red twig dogwood, crimson nandinas, coral bark maple, flowering quince, variegated juniper 'Parsonii Variegata', ajuga 'Burgundy Glow', and winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata, 'Winter Red') all shine brightly in the winter scape.
The interesting textures of the 'Brown Turkey' fig, Harry Lauder walking stick, mahonia, Clematis armandii, Pieris japonica, climbing hydrangea, magnolias, smilax, Japanese maples and weeping cypress (Taxodium distichum 'Cascade Falls') are showcased, and also provide perching places and cover for the birds that fill her garden in winter.
When her expansive herbaceous perennial border goes to sleep, Yoest brings home cedar trees from the farmers market to fill the large empty space. She later recycles the cedar trunks, turning them into trellises and garden structures. But during the winter, the cedars are filled with ornaments for the birds. "Our kids are very active in helping make the bird food for the ornaments," she said.
"We also bring out all the bird feeders, buy suet cakes, and coat pine cones with peanut butter and roll them in seed and dried cranberries for color and good eats. My favorite part of the garden is hearing and seeing the birds take flight as I walk down the path."
After elaborately decorating the front garden and the house, Yoest tops off her winter landscape by turning a massive three-tiered fountain into a fruit buffet for the birds.
http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/844360.html
That's a beautiful image. But how about a place where wild creatures can find those same comforts? Most gardeners tend to think of winter as a time when nothing much happens in their gardens, but Raleigh garden designer Helen Yoest says her winter garden has as much interest and excitement as in any other season. Maybe more.
Yoest's wildlife garden -- an eclectic mix of formal areas, cottage chic and practicality -- is a popular gathering place for her family and friends all year. It has also caught the attention of national gardening magazines. Horticulture and Fine Gardening have scheduled articles about the garden Yoest shares with her husband, David Philbrook, and their three children, 11-year-old Lara Rose, 7-year-old Lily Ana and 6-year-old Michael Aster Philbrook.
Yoest, who also leads the volunteer team that maintains the winter garden at the JC Raulston Arboretum, said, "There are many colors and textures that become highlighted in the winter. A tiny flower, competing with so many other colors and textures might go unnoticed other times, but in winter it can take your breath away."
Blooms of fragrant 'Winter Gold' Edgeworthia, early snowdrops (Galanthus woronowii), lemon-scented winter daphne, Prunus mume (flowering apricot), hardy cyclamen, camellias, contorted crabapple (Malus 'Red Jade'), and hellebores (Lenten rose) are just a few examples.
As deciduous plants go bare, a holiday color scheme in shades of green and red evolves in Yoest's garden. Red-stemmed weeping willow (Scarlet Curls Salix matsudana), sky pencil hollies, gardenia, Hinoki cypress, 'Regal Mist' muhly grass, creeping raspberry, yellow white pine, red twig dogwood, crimson nandinas, coral bark maple, flowering quince, variegated juniper 'Parsonii Variegata', ajuga 'Burgundy Glow', and winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata, 'Winter Red') all shine brightly in the winter scape.
The interesting textures of the 'Brown Turkey' fig, Harry Lauder walking stick, mahonia, Clematis armandii, Pieris japonica, climbing hydrangea, magnolias, smilax, Japanese maples and weeping cypress (Taxodium distichum 'Cascade Falls') are showcased, and also provide perching places and cover for the birds that fill her garden in winter.
When her expansive herbaceous perennial border goes to sleep, Yoest brings home cedar trees from the farmers market to fill the large empty space. She later recycles the cedar trunks, turning them into trellises and garden structures. But during the winter, the cedars are filled with ornaments for the birds. "Our kids are very active in helping make the bird food for the ornaments," she said.
"We also bring out all the bird feeders, buy suet cakes, and coat pine cones with peanut butter and roll them in seed and dried cranberries for color and good eats. My favorite part of the garden is hearing and seeing the birds take flight as I walk down the path."
After elaborately decorating the front garden and the house, Yoest tops off her winter landscape by turning a massive three-tiered fountain into a fruit buffet for the birds.
http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/844360.html
Arabic coffee divide.
Coffee drinkers in the United Arab Emirates say the nation’s traditional beverage is losing out to coffee from overseas markets. While consumers said the Arabic coffee, flavoured with cardamom and served with dates, is important to their heritage, it does not offer the variety of flavours and beverage styles of its Western counterparts.
Marketing and atmosphere also seem to be key considerations, with customers appreciating the privacy and appealing designs in modern coffee outlets. Traditional Arabic coffee shops are noisy, and often a venue for shisha tobacco to be smoked.
Consumers point to a need for establishments that serve modern and traditional styles of coffee. Local coffee shops have indicated this may be a possibility, with one international chain offering date flavoured coffees in their Middle Eastern stores in response to demand during Ramadan.
http://www.gilkatho.com.au/news/default.asp?cmd=view&articleid=640
Marketing and atmosphere also seem to be key considerations, with customers appreciating the privacy and appealing designs in modern coffee outlets. Traditional Arabic coffee shops are noisy, and often a venue for shisha tobacco to be smoked.
Consumers point to a need for establishments that serve modern and traditional styles of coffee. Local coffee shops have indicated this may be a possibility, with one international chain offering date flavoured coffees in their Middle Eastern stores in response to demand during Ramadan.
http://www.gilkatho.com.au/news/default.asp?cmd=view&articleid=640
Friday, November 16, 2007
Tooth Stains - Top 3 Beverage Causes of Yellow, Brown and Purple Teeth
A dazzling bright smile radiates warmth and vitality. Someone with clean white teeth exudes an aura of success, vigour, happiness and intelligence. Conversely, discoloured or stained teeth give its wearer a bad impression. Did you know that your daily beverage choices may be the cause of ugly tooth stains? We look at the top 3 enemies of white teeth that are residing in your kitchen pantry.
Coffee is a daily aromatic addiction for many people. Apart from its intense flavour and aroma, the distinctive dark color is a key attribute of coffee. In fact, a 16th century German physician, Leonhard Rauwolf, famously dubbed it "a beverage as black as ink". It should therefore come as no surprise that this dark beverage is a top enemy of white teeth. Usually drunk piping hot, aficionados sip on coffee slowly. During such leisurely interludes, your teeth are bathed in the dark beverage. Repeated over weeks and months, coffee devotees soon develop a brownish-hued coffee smile, especially on their upper front teeth.
Tea is favourite beverage for many people around the world. Steeped in hot water, tea leaves impart a slightly bitter and astringent taste to the brew. Not all teas are created equally. Where tooth staining prowess is concerned, the fermented black tea trumps the steamed green tea by a mile! The difference lies in the fermentation process , whereby enzymes oxidize the tea leaves and turn them brown. Green tea becomes as black tea after going through this process, the black tea brew is typically amber in color. It is the preferred choice in North America and most western nations. Regular sipping of the flavourful black tea allows the dark pigments to transfer onto your teeth.
Red wine -- ah... that intoxicating sweetness in a bottle. Yes, this fermented grape juice has its legions of fans, who shell out top dollars for the heady pleasure it affords. Think of red wine, and it conjures images of classy dinners, glamorous functions and fun wine-tasting sessions with friends and family. But, wine-lovers know a darker side to their indulgence - purple teeth, more befitting of Count Dracula. The red dye from the grape skin color your teeth, lips, and tongue purple. The wine sugars work in concert to make the sticky mess adhere to all nooks and crannies within its contact. Obviously, this purple sight can be embarrassing in social gatherings, and models have found a device way to get around the problem. A light coat of vaseline on their teeth and lips before drinking red wine, and viola... the problem is solved! (I'm not sure how safe or practical that is for your daily tipple, though...)
Well, we've clued you in on the top 3 offenders, in terms of tooth-staining beverages. Are you guilty of frequent indulgences in these liquids? Well, studies have quoted some amazing health-boosting benefits of coffee, tea and red wine. And we know it's hard to kick a dietary habit. You probably love the taste of these beverages too much to give them up, regardless of your brown, yellow, purple, multi-colored smile. Fret not, most of these tooth discolorations can be minimized and reversed through good oral hygiene practices and tooth whitening
Brush and gargle your teeth often, and reduce your consumption of these staining beverages, if you can. When the tooth stains become too obvious, and start to bother you, there are a whole host of tooth whitening options in the market. Just be careful of the hype and false promises out there, and learn to discern the lies from the facts. Your teeth are a precious asset. Take care of them well!
Jaslene Thomas is a mother of two, and teaches science and arithmetic at a local junior school. She has a keen interest on health, fitness and beauty-related issues, and is dismayed by the unethical hype and disinformation in the market. Jaslene loves to research and uncover facts that many purely business-minded folks are hiding from average consumers like you and me. She shares these insights with the kids at her school, and through her website at http://www.TheToothWhitening.com/
You can subscribe to Jaslene's well-researched newsletters. She get her new topic ideas from the joyful kids in her class and neighbourhood. They wanted to know more about tooth whitening and fruity-flavoured toothpastes. Thanks to them and Teacher Jaslene, everyone can now learn the shocking secrets of tooth whitening
Jaslene Thomas advocates "vanity... minus the insanity". Unscrupulous manufacturers in the health, fitness and beauty markets had better watch out as Jaslene tackles new health, fitness and beauty issues in her upcoming newsletters.
Throwing Light On Espresso Coffee Machines - Appliances That Brew Fine Espresso Beverages
A wonderful traditional Italian concentrated coffee beverage is espresso. This is brewed by forcing hot water (195 degree Fahrenheit) at high pressure (90 bars) through special coffee ground to a consistency between extremely fine and powder. The appliances that are used to prepare the beverages are the espresso machines. The knowledge and efficiency in making the finest espressos is considered as a craft and the baristas who are adept in using the espresso machines professionally are regarded as skilled craftsmen in this light.
Specially designed espresso coffee machine types offered The range of espresso coffee machines on offer now include the automatic, super automatic and home espresso makers catering to various needs and budgets. It needs to be remembered that the making of espresso depends to a great extent on the barista or person making the espresso. The espresso coffee machine, is but a machine that lies at the behest and disposal of the barista.
Espresso coffee makers can be purchased as models designed for use in the home or for serving at commercial settings. There are a whole lot of models on offer to choose from.
The following are the types of espresso coffee machines coming up over a period of time that can be conveniently chosen from:
- The manual espresso machines: These are regarded as the hardest espresso machine type to use and require a certain amount of skill in handling. However, upon mastering the skill great cupfuls of espresso drinks can be provided using these.
- The semi automatic espresso machines: These make use of a pump that does away with using hands and manually operating. Quick making of the espresso drink is what it provides.
- The fully automatic espresso machines: This is a recent introduction and is a hands free device. Professional delivery is what it promises because of which esteemed coffee houses and cafes make of it. The fully automatic machines get cut off with no help required upon the right amount of espresso passing through.
- The super automatic espresso machines: Unlike all the other espresso machines aforementioned that require taking charge of the espresso extraction the super automatic versions of espresso machines seeks to take control over the entire process all by itself. The user need only press a button and every necessary thing is programmed and set. The perfect cup is what is got requiring little attention and work on the part of the user. These have become popular in recent times and the trend of rise in popularity is expected to continue.
Premier beverages secured using premium espresso machines Perfectly brewed espresso as prepared by special espresso machines of the day consists of three major parts, namely, the heart, the body and the crema. The crema of espresso is its most distinguishing feature. This is the reddish-brown foam floating on the surface of the espresso drink. It is the high pressure brewing procedure that leads to all the flavors and chemicals in a cup of espresso coffee becoming concentrated. It is these intense and highly concentrated ingredients that render coffee espresso to be easily mixed into other coffee based beverages. The coffee espresso lends itself to be easily mixed with latte, cappuccino, mocha, while not becoming too diluted in the coffee drink that is produced as a result on mixing.
There are different types of espresso machines that are available today. While venturing towards purchasing an espresso machine of choice the important thing is to decide upon is the extent of control that one wishes to exert over the coffee brewing process. Often the extent of control over the brewing process that is offered involving superior functionalities becomes directly proportional to the difficulty in operating i.e. increase in operational complexity. The differences in the various espresso machines of the day ought to be understood in order to make a worthy purchasing choice.
The special espresso coffee machines of the day are also capable of producing the special cappuccino, latte and ordinary coffee drinks. These special coffee makers deliver rich and nearly syrupy espresso beverage as there is extraction and emulsifying of oils found in ground coffee. With usage of the superior espresso machines the ideal double shot of espresso should be taking only between 25 to 30 seconds to make ready the espresso drink from the time the pump of the coffee maker is turned on.
Dene Lingard is the owner of Target Net Publishing.
Tania Ray of Content Genie writes most of the content for the many information rich websites that he publishes. This latest article was written with an interest in coffee and coffee makers in general. http://www.finest-coffee-makers.com
You are very welcome to take this article and place it on your site as long as you leave the resource box and all links intact. Thank you!
Mangosteen, Acia Berry, Noni, Pomegranate - The Ascendancy Of Functional Health Beverages
Worldwide, the beverage industry is huge overall, yet highly segmented. In the soft drink segment alone, 84.5 litres (or 22.3 gallons) average per person are consumed globally each year. The world’s population is about 6.0 billion.
Major beverage market segments include alcohol, beer, bottled water, coffee and tea, juices, milk and dairy, nutraceuticals, soft drinks, spirits, nutritional, wine, as well as health and wellness.
Underneath health and wellness, there is a sub-segment-- functional health beverages. These include products made from mangosteen, acia berry, noni, and pomegranate—regional fruits used for thousands of years by local people under the guidance of their native doctors.
These fruits have been used internally and topically. Local experience and folklore have generated claims of various, almost magical, healing powers for these fruits.
Since these are fruits and cannot be patented, no business is willing to do double blind studies to learn if the efficacy of these fruits is statistically significant and exceeds the potency of synthetic drugs for the same healing purpose.
Acia Berries, well regarded by Oprah Winfrey and Julian Whitaker, M.D., are found in the Amazon Rain Forests. Claims are made Acai berries are a great energizer and kill cancer cells (at least in laboratory testing).
Pomegranate is claimed to be a free radical scavenger, having high Vitamin C content. This fruit has origins in Iran and Afghanistan, spreading to the whole Mediterranean Region.
Noni comes from the Pacific Islands. One proponent explained noni this way. “Noni doesn’t cure, it causes miracles.” Apparently, that means that noni has a multiplicity of positive, astonishing uses.
Mangosteen originated in South East Asian countries. This fruit’s pericarp has more than 40 powerful anti-oxidants named xanthones. This finding comes from Asian university studies.
Since everyone’s body is unqiue, biochemical individuality makes the results of these super fruits varied and unpredictable--yet sometimes helpful when all else fails.
I may take acai berry for something. It may not work for me at all, but it may provide a 100% improvement for someone else.
These four fruits are the basis for branded functional health beverage products.
Xango, a mangosteen based beverage with other fruits, is a strong, growing internationally brand. Xango, like other top quality brands of functional health brands, are sold through network marketing distributors.
Increasingly, consumers can find these products in natural foods stores, too, although the quality of these may be somewhat less than excellent without providing lower prices.
Xango, LLC has created a 21st Century distributor business e-commerce system. The company serves 18 nations—and continues to expand. Distributors have a low risk business model which allows them to market the product to customers in all 18 nations.
Distributors can also add new distributors to their groups, using the Internet. No inventory, product deliveries, hype meetings, or multiple distributorships are ever required. Xango, LLC pays distributors in their own currency, eliminating currency risk.
American network marketers can thank Matol KM, the first functional health beverage marketed in the United States, starting in the 1980’s. The company’s still around, as is Matol KM, though no longer market dominant.
A foul tasting formula developed by Karl Jurak in the 1920’s, Matol KM claimed to provide higher energy levels by balancing PH balance and eliminating toxins, thanks to its high potassium content. Jurak was a strong, powerful looking man, deeply tanned and usually shown doing vigorous athletics.
Functional health beverages are here to stay. If you have health issues not helped by conventional medicine, you may wish to explore these products. They may or may not benefit you, but certainly it’s worth a try, since these ingredients are natural.
If you’re looking for a self-employment opportunity with low start up and operating expenses, functional health beverage network marketing opportunities should be considered.
My view is that all fruits used as functional health beverages are good, since they were created by God and placed around the world for our use. In the Bible, God says in the creation, he gave us what we need for life and health. So, I'm not surprised by positive results these super fruits provide.
Add these to your arsenal of natural health enhancers and remedies. Eliminate junk food and prescription drugs, with your doctor's guidance, finding the right mix of health building foods and natural nutrients.
John J. Alquist is a professional speaker, author and business consultant. He is an advocate of universal self-employment, including Internet business proficiency. Visit his website at: http://www.tell-it-well.com or email him at john@tell-it-well.com He and his wife, Shirley, are Xango distributors also, doing that business internationally.
Healthy Beverages for Kids Equal Healthy Kids
It's a cultural phenomenon - in school and homes around the country in the past few years, kids have started drinking soda instead of milk and natural juices on a routine basis. Sodas - basically colored, sugared water - have replaced far more nutritional alternatives almost exclusively with some children and teens, contributing not only to an increase in childhood obesity but to a much greater incidence of childhood caries (cavities in teeth). Perhaps even more alarming, teenage girls who opt for sodas instead of milk on a regular basis have been discovered to have sometimes irreversible osteoporosis, a condition in which calcium in the bones has disappeared, leaving bones porous, brittle, and easily broken. Another problem with sodas, from Coke to Mountain Dew, is that many of them contain large amounts of caffeine - way too much, in fact, for the physiology of a small child to handle. (Your kid can't settle down and get to sleep at night? Before you suspect ADHD, think about how much caffeine he or she might be ingesting in the course of a day!)
Luckily, there are plenty of healthy alternatives to the sugar-laden sodas being consumed. Milk, both whole and skim, is a better choice for children who can tolerate the food, and provide plenty of the calcium and Vitamin D necessary for strong bones and teeth. For children who have allergic reactions to dairy products, calcium-enriched soy milk provides plenty of protein and minerals. A caveat - some of the "good tasting" soy milks recently added to the store shelves actually have sugars like high-fructose corn syrup added to enhance the flavor - definitely not a healthy alternative.
Fruit juices have been considered a healthy alternative for even young children for years, and if a child is craving a sweet drink fruit juice is way better than most alternatives; but not all fruit juices are created equal - some have the same high-fructose corn syrup added that makes some of the designer soy milks such a bad deal. A better choice would be a natural fruit juice with no added sugars, in moderate amounts; even the healthy fruit juices naturally contain simple sugars and a good supply of calories, so limit the amount per day, and have children drink it with other foods to slow down the absorption of the juices, thus avoiding fluctuations in energy levels.
Of course, bottled spring water or filtered water is a great alternative, and should be encouraged. Especially with active kids, dehydration can sneak up on someone, particularly in hot weather. It's important for children to have easy access to plenty of fresh, drinkable water and other fluids to keep them sufficiently hydrated.
Information about proper nutrition for kids concentrates much more on healthy food choices, and not so much on beverages. But healthy beverages are a big part of healthy nutrition, and need to be focused on daily - healthy beverages really do equal healthy kids!
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire, who has written numerous articles for local and regional publications. She may be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com.
Sugar Beverages - Drinks of Mass Destruction?
I sit there sometimes, watching how people guzzle down sugar-laden drinks with their food, and can’t help but remember how I used to be one of them. Many of these people are my friends (you know who you are!), they don’t seem to listen to me, maybe this article shall be an eye-opener.Just about everyone has a tap for drinking water at home, right? Well we had a coke tap. We had an inventory of coke in our basement and later in our garage, so much so that when my friends would visit I would show them the amount of bottles we had. They would always be gob smacked and in awe (the awe part was usually when we were younger), “…you’re so lucky…” they would utter.
I saw the light, or maybe a light, that clearly showed me the truth of what I used to imbibe carelessly.
The effects of such drinks is somehow overshadowed (conveniently). How? I really don’t know? Though I think it would be fair to surmise it has something to do with the Benjamins - if you know what i mean ;)
What if I told you that people can actually become addicted to sugar, similar to the addiction experienced by smokers, maybe that may offer some insight into the popularity of a billion dollar industry.
So how can you become addicted?
Simply put, sugar triggers the production of the brain’s natural opioids (a substance that has a morphine-like effect on the body, though not as strong as morphine or heroin), as a result of this, the body (or more specifically the brain) starts to get addicted to its own opioids.
Well we all know that there is a lot of sugar in these drinks. How much you ask? Well typically, a 330ml can contains approximately 36 grams of sugar – which is 7 ¼ tsp. Want to get high?
Drinking these types of drinks from a long-term perspective can have detrimental effects on one’s health. When sugary drinks are consumed, the pancreas has to churn out insulin to utilise the surge in sugar in the bloodstream and thereby bring the body back into homeostasis (i.e. the maintenance of internal stability). Over time, if the pancreas is put under constant pressure to meet the demands of a high-sugar diet, the person shall inevitably face insulin resistance and eventually diabetes. What’s that? Insulin resistance means that the body has to produce more insulin than usual to assimilate the sugar in the blood stream, hence the effects of insulin are not as optimal as they used to be and therefore a greater demand is placed on this organ.
There is also a good correlation between consuming large amounts of sugary drinks and obesity. There are numerous studies done on this relationship. Too much sugar that is not utilized by the muscles and livers gets deposited into adipose tissue (i.e. as fat). The body’s ability to produce fat cells is limitless.
Lets talk about the well-known addictive substance called caffeine. Don’t pretend you haven’t heard of it! Caffeine is classed as a drug because it stimulates the central nervous system (CNS). Most can readily identify the short-term benefits they experience with caffeine intake – being more mentally alert, losing the “fatigue feeling”, mood elevation and helping with a mild asthma attack (caffeine is part of the same family of drugs used for asthma medication).
However, few know the negative effects, some of which are: headaches, disrupting the sleep pattern, dizziness, jitters and many more. These effects are not experience by everyone, but more so by those who consume it on a regular basis (e.g. daily).
Now if you withdraw abruptly from consuming caffeine, you are almost likely to experience some withdrawal symptoms, such as severe headaches, temporary depression, irritability and aching muscles.
Caffeine can also cause you to urinate more (aka as a diuretic), hence it can have a mild dehydrating effect. Calcium and potassium loss can result due to a high caffeine intake, this is so the body can combat the acidic nature of caffeine by neutralising it with alkalising minerals (and therefore attempting to bring the body back into homeostasis), this similar acidic reaction can also occur with phosphoric acid – usually found in fizzy drinks.
I can hear someone saying that they drink caffeine-free and sugar-free beverages. Well done in regards to the caffeine-free part, though the latter is not a great substitute and solution to sugar. Okay, so they don’t put sugar in the drink, however they put something just as bad, if not worse. Yep, you guessed it, artificial sweeteners.
This really is opening a Pandora’s box! These sweeteners (e.g. aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose – yes, even sucralose etc.) cause very serious problems in the short and long term. It is too in-depth and beyond the scope of this article to mention and discuss all of the negative effects and consequences, though some are mentioned for your benefit: headaches, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, memory loss and joint pain. Though some of these seem extreme, they have occurred and reoccurrence is a possibility.
Did you know that even with artificial sweeteners you stimulate an insulin surge. This is because the brain cannot differentiate between artificial and natural, therefore if you consume artificial sweeteners your body will release insulin and expect there to be a load of carbohydrates to deal with, that’s why the caffeine is there to give you a temporary boost. The brain feels cheated and as a result you feel a craving for carbohydrates. In one study, a group was given drinks containing artificial sweeteners (AS) and another group given artificial sweetener-free drinks (SF). The AS group consumer 3 times as many calories as the SF group!
So you’re wondering how you can rid yourself of this habit?
Well you could….
Substitute refined grains (e.g. white rice, white bread etc.) with whole grain varieties, this will keep you satiated for longer and regulate blood sugar.
After this transition, it is much easier to slowly wean yourself off the sugar drinks! If you were to just instantaneously stop yourself from consuming sugar, you would surely feel negative effects of withdrawal. Also, sugar cravings are commonly associated with the following deficiencies: chromium (broccoli, cheese, chicken), phosphorous (chicken, fish, eggs, nuts, legumes), sulphur (onions, broccoli – and all cruciferous vegetables), carbon (fruit), tryptophan (lamb, spinach, liver).
Simply put…avoid these drinks!
I specialise in nutrition and am a qualified level 3 (REPS) Personal Trainer (5 years)
I also hold a BSc. (HONS.) in Information Systems with Business Management.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
High Blood Pressure - Anti-Caffeine Beverages
It is probably OK for people with high blood pressure to drink less than moderate amounts of coffee as long as it is the decaffeinated type.
I say "probably OK", because coffee labelled "decaffeinated" does not necessarily mean all caffeine is removed, it only means it contains much less than regular coffee; but the remaining amount may still be enough to elevate blood pressure. This factor is important because it is well known that regular intakes of caffeine, whether it be in coffee, tea, or fizzy drinks, does tend to contribute towards high blood pressure.
Regular coffee is particularly high in potassium and extremely low in sodium, so from the mineral perspective, in theory it has a tendency to reduce blood pressure; but whether this is enough to overcome the blood pressure elevation effect of the caffeine is open to debate. For someone suffering with hypertension it would be advised to leave coffee off the menu or drink it seldom if you are sure it is truly decaffeinated. This may not be such a big forfeit as there are many alternatives to drinking caffeine-containing beverages that without a shadow of a doubt are conducive to lowering blood pressure.
For example coffee and tea drinking habits could be replaced by mixing a little honey, the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon and warm water instead; or for cold drinks one could also return to nature, and resort to freshly made fruit juices that can be flavoured to taste.
It is perhaps prudent for sufferers of high blood pressure to invest in a juicing machine and try to develop a habit of juicing enough fruit and vegetables to make drinks that not only taste good but also leaves one confident of their nutritional content and the blood pressure lowering tendency. Juices made fresh each morning is far better than those purchased from the supermarket shelves in cartons labled "Fresh Juice"; for one the pre-packed counterparts are not really fresh and secondly their active mineral and enzyme contents are very much not diminished making them less effective in the fight agains hypertension.
One can juice apples, cantaloupes, melons, pineapples, grapes, oranges, ginger, carrots etc. and mix them in any combination and proportions in order to arrive at personal favourites. I personally juice large amounts of carrots to make carrot juice (about 5lb of carrots will make 50 fl oz. of juice) and flavour it using relatively small amounts of sweetened condensed milk, a sprinkling of ground nutmeg and fresh ginger juice to my taste. Another favourite of mine is juicing fresh crisp apples, with a few sour cooking apples and then flavouring the whole lot with ginger juice to taste. Beverages made this way are best kept chilled and consumed the same day as there are no preservatives in them.
You could do similar to your taste.
Taking this theme another stage you could use a food blender to liquidise soft fruits like apricots, strawberries, ripe plums, ripe bananas etc. and use them as the basis for making sorbets or low fat yougurt / milk shakes, or nutritious homemade ice cream.
The possibilities are endless.
by Bilal Rose, Medicationless Hypertension Control
Why Goji Juice Is Such A Popular Beverages
Goji juice is a new beverage that is making waves around the world. Goji juice has started to replace orange juice at the breakfast table, and it has become one of the most popular health drinks ever.
There is no other fruit on this earth that has so many nutrients packed into such a tiny berry. This is why goji juice is such a great health supplement, it benefits men, women, and children equally. The nutrients that are found in goji berries help fight number of ailments that plague human beings. In children, goji berries increase the production of the growth hormones.
It appears that consuming goji juice on a daily basis will improve you and your families health. However, before you run out and purchase a whole months supply of goji juice for you and your family, you need to make sure that the goji juice you are going to purchase is made from organically grown goji berries. Before you purchase any goji berry products you need to make that you read the products online reviews. . the reviews will provide you with information about the best goji berry products that are bThese will give you an idea of how popular or unpopular a particular brand of goji juice is at any given timeeing sold on the market.
Federal regulations require that manufactures list the ingredients of their products on the packaging. This is great; when people take the time to go over the ingredients that are listed on the labels. This allows consumers to make an informed decision about the products that they are purchasing.
You need to keep in mind that the best goji juice on the market might have preservatives, additives, or be non-organic. Or it might just be a blend that only contains a small amount of real goji juice. Make sure that the goji juice you are drinking is organic. The most benefits come from goji berries that are natural, and organically grown. This is why you should make sure that you are purchasing the best brand of goji juice that is available.
Learn how you can improve your health by drinking Himalayan Goji Juice. The goji berries are a wonderful and amazing fruit, to learn more about the secrets of this fruit visit: http://www.GojiJuiceGuide.com
The Dangers of Carbonated Beverages
The purpose of this article is not to scare you but to enlighten you, although it may do both. These days the consumption of carbonated beverages (such as soft drinks), especially among our youth, is quite disconcerting when you consider that these beverages are toxic to the human body. The following is a list of some of these toxic compounds: sugar, carbonation, aspartame, food dyes and phosphoric acid.
SUGAR
In 1900, the average consumption of sugar was approximately ½ lb/person/year. Currently, we roughly consume an appalling 180 lbs/person/year! The results on the body speak for themselves. Furthermore, the average soft drink has 10 tsp of sugar per can. No wonder pop is so addictive for so many people.
CARBONATION
Carbonation is created by pumping carbon dioxide into water or other liquid. You may recall that carbon dioxide is a waste product of cellular and food metabolism, as such the body wants to expel it. So why would anyone want to further add a waste product to their body? Carbonated beverages also burden the body by weakening stomach acid, thereby interfering with proper digestion.
ASPARTAME
“Aha! But I only drink diet sodas!” you say. Unfortunately, eventhough diet sodas have less sugar than regular soda they contain another concern - aspartame. Aspartame is a low calorie artificial sweetener that has the effect of lowering your body’s metabolism. As a result, a 400 calorie meal now becomes an 800 calorie meal! Aspartame has also been linked to convulsions, depression, insomnia, irritability, weakness, dizziness, migraines, and mood changes.
FOOD DYES
Many carbonated beverages contain food dyes that are unfit for human consumption. Many of these artificial colourings have been connected to ailments such Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and, according to Dr. Walker’s book Water Can Undermine Your Health, more than a million children today are afflicted with cerebral lesions caused by soft drinks!
PHOSPHORIC ACID
This is the substance that causes the soft drink to bubble and fizz. Being an acid, phosphoric acid burns your insides but more importantly upsets your body’s delicate phosphorus-calcium balance. You may recall that calcium can be released from the bones to restore proper pH balance in the blood. As a result, the presence of phosphoric acid can lead to the weakening of the skeletal structure and hence osteoporosis. In 1994, The Journal of Adolescent Health, reported a “strong association between cola beverage consumption and bone fractures in girls.” Numerous studies have confirmed this result.
So the next time you reach for the soft drink or sparkling water, I urge you to think twice. Think about what this fizzy acidic liquid will be doing to your internal environment. If you have the choice go with purified water that will replenish and revitalize your body!
Yuri Elkaim is the owner and founder of Total Wellness Consulting, a leading health, fitness, and wellness company offering health-conscious individuals innovative programs and technologies to help reach their goals of physical and mental well being. He is a highly acclaimed personal trainer, certified kinesiologist, and former professional soccer player.
Through properly prescribed functional exercise and nutrition programs, as well as attention to the inner person, Yuri has helped thousands of individuals reach their health and fitness goals.
He can be reached at yuri@totalwellnessconsulting.ca http://www.totalwellnessconsulting.ca
Can the Beverages You Drink Interact With Your Blood Thinner?
Warfarin and its counterparts are commonly prescribed prescription medications today. Warfarin is a blood thinner, and is used primarily to prevent blood clots in patients with cardiovascular disease, or who are otherwise at a higher than average risk of stroke or heart attack.
Warfarin prevents clots from forming or from growing larger by stopping the formation of substances that cause clots. Because warfarin thins your blood, it’s important to stop taking it before any surgical procedures. Check with your doctor regarding his recommendations before your surgery.
Warfarin’s side effects include
• headache
• upset stomach
• diarrhea
• fever
• skin rash
Recently, there has been discussion that some beverages may inhibit the blood thinning properties of warfarin. The beverages in question include cranberry juice, grape juice and tea. The theory was that the beverages inhibited the human enzyme upon which warfarin works to prevent the formation of clots. This led patients to wonder if it was safe to consume these beverages while taking warfarin and similar drugs. Similar concerns were raised for patients who might be taking an anti-fungal such as fluconazole; the drug commonly prescribed to treat yeast infections.
A study was conducted to measure the effects of these three beverages on the effectiveness of warfarin. To conduct the study, researchers performed experiments both in vitro and on human participants, using flurbiprofen, a common anti-inflammatory drug. The flurbiprofen mimics warfarin’s action in the body, so it was thought to be a safer alternative for the participants.
The human participants were given grape juice, cranberry juice, brewed tea, or a placebo cranberry juice for control. The patients were also given either flurbiprofen to determine any interactions. In addition, the patients were given fluconazole along with flubiprofen to study its possible interaction, too.
The study used 14 healthy volunteers and studied them weekly over a 5 week period. At each visit, the volunteer would receive a different combination, so that each combination could be compared on each participant.
In addition to using human participants, researchers also studied the reactions created by these various combinations in the lab. Under these conditions, scientists can more closely monitor exactly how the substances might affect each other.
The studies concluded that the beverages in question did not inhibit the effectiveness of warfarin in terms of its ability to thin the blood in the human studies. However, the in vitro trials showed a slight inhibition when the flurbiprofen was combined with tea or grape juice –but this finding was not replicated in the human studies.
What the studies did find, however, was that fluconazole did appear to inhibit the effectiveness of warfarin in both human trials and in vitro tests.
So, this study concluded that those who drink juices and tea need not worry that their beverages will interfere with the drug’s ability to do its job. You should speak to your doctor, however, if you are prescribed fluconazole while taking warfarin, as the interaction may cause warfarin to be less effective. But, you can feel safe drinking your usual beverages without fear that you’ll have an interaction. And, in fact, if your beverage of choice is green tea, you may actually be working your way out of taking that warfarin in the future.
Green tea’s potent anti-oxidants have been shown to help improve blood pressure and lower cholesterol. An improvement in blood pressure and cholesterol can mean a significant improvement in any cardiovascular disease that you might have.
Abnormally high blood pressure puts pressure on the arterial walls, which often causes them to have little nicks. Blood clots are formed as your body attempts to repair these little nicks. But, if the blood clots grow too large or break off, they can block an artery to the heart, causing a heart attack. Or, if they block an artery that supplies the brain, they can cause a stroke.
Warfarin is prescribed to help prevent these clots from forming, but if blood pressure and cholesterol are lowered naturally, the need for a blood thinner can sometimes be eliminated. Of course, you should never discontinue any medication without consulting your doctor, but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to manage your blood pressure naturally?
In general, adding green tea to your diet is a healthy idea. It has been shown in study after study to help prevent premature aging and a whole host of diseases, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and some cancers. It may also help you keep your weight under control, which also helps keep you healthy and strong.
Try adding two to three cups of green tea per day to your diet to start seeing the healthy benefits. You’ll find green tea available in a wide variety of flavors, in both loose form and tea bag form. You can drink it hot or iced – and add milk if you wish. Any way you drink it, you can be sure you’re doing something healthy – and that won’t interfere with medications you’re already taking.
Jon M. Stout is the Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. Golden Moon Tea carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox teas, which are processed slowly and handcrafted with extreme care. At their website, you can learn more about their current tea offerings, including their exceptional green tea, white tea, black tea, oolong tea (also known as wu-long and wu long tea) and chai. Visit goldenmoontea.com for all details concerning the Golden Moon Tea Company's fine line of teas.
Caffeinated Beverages
Think caffeine and what’s the first beverage to come to mind? Sure, coffee. Any history of coffee is also going to be a history of caffeine and vice versa. And tea will probably show up somewhere in there as well. Next on the list has got to be the soft drink. And then probably those energy drinks. And that should be it, right. After all, why would there possibly be any need for any other beverage to contain caffeine?
Coffee is the caffeinated beverage of choice for most people in the morning. It’s also the favorite go-to drink at business offices. Apparently, nothing gets the mojo moving better than coffee. Nothing provides better proof of coffee’s standing in the western world than the rise of Starbucks. Pretty soon they will officially be on every street corner in America. Watch out world: you’re next!
Although the history of a caffeinated beverage being used primarily for its stimulating effect goes all the way back to tea consumption in China almost three-thousand years before the birth of Christ, most Americans don’t generally think about tea in conjunction with caffeine. That has changed in recent years with the tea industry’s onslaught of information geared to those concerned about the health hazards of caffeine who don’t want to switch to carbonated soda. Even at this late stage, there are many who are confused as to how the caffeine level in tea compares to that of coffee. To set the record straight, tea does contain caffeine and generally speaking it contains less than coffee. However, the actual caffeine content of both coffee and tea varies according to, among other things, the types used and how they are prepared.
Caffeinated soft drinks first began appearing in the late 1800s, but didn’t really explode as a consumer product until the last half of the 20th century. The sheer number of caffeinated soft drinks is astounding and most people have become so used to caffeine content in their favorite soda that they have no problem tasting the difference when provided with a non-caffeinated version. Obviously, the popularity of the soft drinks that contain higher levels of caffeine was the inspiration for the energy drinks that have become so prevalent.
Of course, there may have been another inspiration behind the creation of these beverages as well. Because they aren’t technically considered a carbonated soda, energy drinks aren’t subject to the same FDA limit on caffeine content as soft drinks. Energy drinks are not even required to label their caffeine content, which in most cases far exceeds the FDA limit for soft drinks.
Energy drinks may be the most popular new method for consuming caffeine in a liquid form, but they are far from the only new kids on the block. Perhaps the most unexpected new combination of fluid and caffeine is the idea of jazzing up beer. Although the very idea of mixing the stimulant caffeine with the depressant alcohol has been enough to give rise to any number of easy jokes, is it really any more bewildering than adding the energy jolt of caffeine to the already existing sugar rush of soft drinks?
Probably the strangest caffeinated beverages on the market are the caffeine-infused spring waters. Think about it. There is really no other reason on earth to buy water other than that you are health-conscious. Let’s face it, nobody drinks water for the taste, right? And since caffeine has the potential to adversely affect one’s health if consumed in large amounts, who is drinking this product? Must be somebody because several are still are the market.
Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for caffeinezone.com, mylowcarbpages.com, and homemadewine.com
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Russians And Drinking Alcoholic Beverages
One of the most prominent Russian traditions is heavy drinking. Peter the Great was famous for his drinking exhibitions. If you have read ‘Khrushchev Remembers’, you cannot forget his descriptions of Stalin’s long nightly drinking bouts.
Russian winters are long and cold. The Soviet government always kept vodka relatively cheap.
Lynn Visson's "Wedded Strangers" discusses the reason for Russian cultural attachment to alcohol:
“For years, alcohol was the only form of entertainment. Russians are very reverent toward drinking and drunks. There is a tenderness and even affection that sober Russians have toward their intoxicated brethren.”
Refusing to drink as much as the rest of the company is considered disrespectful.
The more you can drink and hold your liquor, the more the Russians will hold you in high regard. Drinking alone is considered alcoholic. Drinking in company, even to excess, is considered normal behavior.
Russians always have a reason to drink. They drink on holidays, with company, on special occasions, with guests; they drink to births, deaths, and marriages.
They drink to new purchases -- they call this ‘washing’ the new acquisition. A Russian never runs out of reasons to drink.
A toast is made by one member of the group after the glasses are filled. After the toast, the shot glass sized glasses of hard liquor (usually vodka) are drained by each member of the party.
Everyone takes a turn making a toast. A simple toast for you to remember is ‘Nas darovia’, which means ‘To Your Health’
John has been married to a Russian women for over five years. He has travelled the path from finding her, to traveling to Russia, to bring his wife to America, and adjusting to married life. He will show you step by step how to do this yourself. http://www.russian-luv.com/drinking.html
Caffeinated Beverages
Think caffeine and what’s the first beverage to come to mind? Sure, coffee. Any history of coffee is also going to be a history of caffeine and vice versa. And tea will probably show up somewhere in there as well. Next on the list has got to be the soft drink. And then probably those energy drinks. And that should be it, right. After all, why would there possibly be any need for any other beverage to contain caffeine?
Coffee is the caffeinated beverage of choice for most people in the morning. It’s also the favorite go-to drink at business offices. Apparently, nothing gets the mojo moving better than coffee. Nothing provides better proof of coffee’s standing in the western world than the rise of Starbucks. Pretty soon they will officially be on every street corner in America. Watch out world: you’re next!
Although the history of a caffeinated beverage being used primarily for its stimulating effect goes all the way back to tea consumption in China almost three-thousand years before the birth of Christ, most Americans don’t generally think about tea in conjunction with caffeine. That has changed in recent years with the tea industry’s onslaught of information geared to those concerned about the health hazards of caffeine who don’t want to switch to carbonated soda. Even at this late stage, there are many who are confused as to how the caffeine level in tea compares to that of coffee. To set the record straight, tea does contain caffeine and generally speaking it contains less than coffee. However, the actual caffeine content of both coffee and tea varies according to, among other things, the types used and how they are prepared.
Caffeinated soft drinks first began appearing in the late 1800s, but didn’t really explode as a consumer product until the last half of the 20th century. The sheer number of caffeinated soft drinks is astounding and most people have become so used to caffeine content in their favorite soda that they have no problem tasting the difference when provided with a non-caffeinated version. Obviously, the popularity of the soft drinks that contain higher levels of caffeine was the inspiration for the energy drinks that have become so prevalent.
Of course, there may have been another inspiration behind the creation of these beverages as well. Because they aren’t technically considered a carbonated soda, energy drinks aren’t subject to the same FDA limit on caffeine content as soft drinks. Energy drinks are not even required to label their caffeine content, which in most cases far exceeds the FDA limit for soft drinks.
Energy drinks may be the most popular new method for consuming caffeine in a liquid form, but they are far from the only new kids on the block. Perhaps the most unexpected new combination of fluid and caffeine is the idea of jazzing up beer. Although the very idea of mixing the stimulant caffeine with the depressant alcohol has been enough to give rise to any number of easy jokes, is it really any more bewildering than adding the energy jolt of caffeine to the already existing sugar rush of soft drinks?
Probably the strangest caffeinated beverages on the market are the caffeine-infused spring waters. Think about it. There is really no other reason on earth to buy water other than that you are health-conscious. Let’s face it, nobody drinks water for the taste, right? And since caffeine has the potential to adversely affect one’s health if consumed in large amounts, who is drinking this product? Must be somebody because several are still are the market.
Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for caffeinezone.com, mylowcarbpages.com, and homemadewine.com
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Denmark - Copenhagen, Helsingor and Beverages
Denmark is one of the hippest countries in Europe. Copenhagen is the center of activity with a lively evening scene, palaces and castles.
If you’ve traveled to Denmark, you’ll understand when I immediately bring up the subject of bars. The Danish like to toss back a few when time permits. Time seems to permit a lot and a few beers often become many. To this end, going out for a night on the town with friendly Danes can be dangerous in the summer. Due to its location on old mother earth, it doesn’t get dark in Denmark until elevenish during the summer. This can be difficult to adjust to, particularly when you look down at your watch and realize it is four in the morning. And the sun is coming up! Ah, but Denmark is not all socializing.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is one of those cities that is large, but feels small. I think this vibe arises from the fact there are a lot of walking only areas. Even in the center of the city, the streets are arranged like those in a neighborhood. This gives even the biggest restaurant or bar on the biggest street a local tavern feel.
If palaces and castles are your thing, Denmark has much to offer. The palace of Amalienborg and surrounding neighborhood area are definite examples of that over the top palace building period of Europe. A quick minivan trip out of town will deliver you to the castles of Kronborg and Frederiksborg. As castles go, I use the one through five cake rating and give each of these three cakes. The cake rating, of course, comes from the French Queen who suggested the poor be given cake to stop the complaints of starving.
Helsingor
Helsingor is a provincial city that represents the true Denmark or so I was told. Surprisingly, many a Dane seemed to consider Copenhagen a great city, but not really representative of true Denmark. With a righteous desire to seek the truth, I visited and stayed in Helsingor for three days. Indeed, the town was much sleepier than Copenhagen and had more of an authentic feel to it. But there was one problem.
Helsingor is full of Swedes. When I say “full”, I mean it in the most complete interpretation of the word. I like Sweden and the people, so it wasn’t a big deal. Still, did this mean the Danes felt true Denmark was a Swedish colony? When I posed this question one evening, I was educated in a tone of near outrage. Turns out the Swedes were everywhere because Denmark has liberal alcohol laws while Sweden is extremely repressive. Since the countries are remarkably close to each other, the Swedes pop over for a few days of fun in the sun. Ah, my mistake!
All and all, I enjoyed my time in Copenhagen and give it a my highest “employment rating.” By employment rating, I mean that I liked it so much I tried to find a job so I could stay.
Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com - makers of travel journals. Visit NomadJournalTrips.com to read more articles about Denmark Travel and Adventure Travel.
Drink Lots of Fluids for Your Health
Staying hydrated is important when you exercise. More than 75 percent of your body is made up of water. When you do not drink enough water, your blood does not flow properly and your digestive track do not run smoothly.
Many dieticians have been recommending that we should be drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day and 9 to 13 if you exercise. Here is where that number comes from:
- You typically lose about 10 cups of water per day
- 2 cups to sweating and evaporation,
- 2 cups to breathing, and
- 6 cups to waste removal.
Your fluid intake can come from many sources, as outlined in the following list:
1. Water:
Water is the best source to get your fluids. It is critical for the proper functioning of your organs. Keep a water bottle with you at all times: in your car, at your workstation and in any convenient place within your reach.
2. Juice:
Pure orange juice is rich in potassium, vitamin C and other important vitamins. However, it is also high in calories. It is recommended that eating the whole fruit is better than drinking one small glass of orange juice. Eating the whole fruit also gives you the additional nutrition which maybe loose during the process of extracting the juice from the fruits.
3. Sports beverages:
Sports beverages could include Gatorade, Powerade, Accelerade and others.
The disadvantage is that sports beverages are pretty high in calories and would cause you to gain weigh when you get in the habit of drinking too much. When you feel that you need to include a sports beverage after your workout then try to limit your intake of sports beverages to 12 ounces just after you finish exercising. One way to reduce the amount of calories and sugar content in the beverage is to dilute it with water.
When shopping for the sport beverages buy in bulk to save some money.
4. Coffee and tea:
Coffee and tea are hot, tasty beverages. You could count coffee and tea in your daily total of 8 glasses of water. Caffeine in the coffee and tea can have a dehydrating effect on your body and it is good to limit the number of cups you drink.
5. Low-fat or nonfat milk:
Two or three glasses of low-fat or fat-free milk are an excellent source of calcium, but you may not be able to stomach a glass of milk right after working out. The other alternative is to drink a glass of warm skim milk just before bed.
It is not a good idea to rely on thirst to tell you when your need to drink. By the time your mouth feels parched, you are already mildly dehydrated. Prevent dehydration by drinking all day long. Keep a water bottle at your desk and always carry a bottle when you work out. You know that you are not drinking enough of water if your urine is dark and scanty rather than clear and plentiful. Keep in mind that vitamin supplements can make your urine dark or fluorescent yellow.
Kylie Hong is a fitness enthusiast.
If you want to formulate a health and fitness plan, please visit: http://www.healthfitnesssecret.com
You can also download a free report on Atkins Diet at http://www.healthfitnesssecret.com/atkinsdiet.html
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Beware of Rice Milk and Soy Milk for Infants and Toddlers
Rice milk and soy milk sound healthy and good for you but are you aware that these beverages are not really good for the health of babies and toddlers? Rice milk and soy milk should never be confused with or used as a replacement for weaning to whole cow milk nor should they be used as a replacement for breast milk or fortified infant formulas. This article will explore why parents should not use these alternative beverages for weaning.
Whole cow milk contains a variety of nutrients that are among those crucial to building good health in babies and toddlers. Many of these nutrients are not naturally occurring in "alternative beverages" and while those beverages may be fortified, naturally occurring nutrients are best. It is most important to distinguish the difference between a soy formula and soy milk; soy formula is formulated with the nutrients an infant requires whereas soy milk is not. You should never switch your infant from a soy based formula to plain soy milk!
Whole cow milk contains natural calcium that is more easily absorbed and bio-available than calcium from other sources. It contains the "good" fats that are crucial to both infant and toddler development; a reason why pediatricians recommend whole milk for a minimum of the first 2-3 years of age. Whole cow milk is also a great source of protein, another nutrient that is crucial in healthy development. Vitamin A and B12, along with some other B Vitamins, are also found in whole milk and these Vitamins are essential in proper growth.
Rice Milk in particular is low in fat which is not recommended for those under 2 years of age and it is also low in (if not completely devoid of) protein. Soy milk also contains a lower level of fats.
"Low-fat soy milk and rice milk contain low levels of fat and protein. If these products are used parents must be sure children are getting adequate fat and protein from other dietary sources. Infants get adequate fat and protein from breastmilk or infant formula. Full-fat soy milk is generally recommended for young children. Breastfeeding a child during the second year of life helps assure adequate fat and protein intake as well."¹
Soy milk does not contain a good level natural calcium nor does it contain the level of fat and protein that whole cow milk does. Soy milk may also hinder the absorption of calcium even though it may be calcium fortified due to the phylates that it contains! If you find that your older infant or toddler may have an allergy to dairy - either a milk protein allergy or a sensitivity to lactose, or that you simply wish to exclude dairy products from your diet, using these "alternative" beverages as substitutes are good options. While these beverages may be good options, you should discuss a nutritional plan with your baby or toddler's pediatrician. You must ensure that your growing child receives calcium, fats, proteins and vitamins and minerals from other natural sources!
Offering your toddler these "milks" as an occasional drink should not pose any adverse health risks as long as you realise that these drinks are not enough to provide optimal nutrition. You should consult your pediatrician and/or a pediatric dietician to discuss ways to ensure that your infant or toddler receives the nutrients crucial to his or her healthy development.
Resources and Learning More:
* Milk and Milk Alternatives for Toddlers
* Severe Nutritional Deficiencies in Toddlers Resulting From Health Food Milk Alternatives
* Vegan Children¹
* Vegetarian Nutrition
* Soy Milk (not soy formula!) & Infant Death
Margaret Meade is the Editor of Wholesome Baby Food.com and is the mother of 3 boys. The boys were raised on all Homemade Baby Food; and since Mommy had been studying nutrition for many years, she knew homemade was best! She sincerely hopes that babies and parents everywhere might benefit from the great experience of making Fresh, Wholesome, Homemade baby food! Visit http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com and find out how easy it is to make your own baby food. Once you begin, good healthy eating habits will automatically flow!
Whole cow milk contains a variety of nutrients that are among those crucial to building good health in babies and toddlers. Many of these nutrients are not naturally occurring in "alternative beverages" and while those beverages may be fortified, naturally occurring nutrients are best. It is most important to distinguish the difference between a soy formula and soy milk; soy formula is formulated with the nutrients an infant requires whereas soy milk is not. You should never switch your infant from a soy based formula to plain soy milk!
Whole cow milk contains natural calcium that is more easily absorbed and bio-available than calcium from other sources. It contains the "good" fats that are crucial to both infant and toddler development; a reason why pediatricians recommend whole milk for a minimum of the first 2-3 years of age. Whole cow milk is also a great source of protein, another nutrient that is crucial in healthy development. Vitamin A and B12, along with some other B Vitamins, are also found in whole milk and these Vitamins are essential in proper growth.
Rice Milk in particular is low in fat which is not recommended for those under 2 years of age and it is also low in (if not completely devoid of) protein. Soy milk also contains a lower level of fats.
"Low-fat soy milk and rice milk contain low levels of fat and protein. If these products are used parents must be sure children are getting adequate fat and protein from other dietary sources. Infants get adequate fat and protein from breastmilk or infant formula. Full-fat soy milk is generally recommended for young children. Breastfeeding a child during the second year of life helps assure adequate fat and protein intake as well."¹
Soy milk does not contain a good level natural calcium nor does it contain the level of fat and protein that whole cow milk does. Soy milk may also hinder the absorption of calcium even though it may be calcium fortified due to the phylates that it contains! If you find that your older infant or toddler may have an allergy to dairy - either a milk protein allergy or a sensitivity to lactose, or that you simply wish to exclude dairy products from your diet, using these "alternative" beverages as substitutes are good options. While these beverages may be good options, you should discuss a nutritional plan with your baby or toddler's pediatrician. You must ensure that your growing child receives calcium, fats, proteins and vitamins and minerals from other natural sources!
Offering your toddler these "milks" as an occasional drink should not pose any adverse health risks as long as you realise that these drinks are not enough to provide optimal nutrition. You should consult your pediatrician and/or a pediatric dietician to discuss ways to ensure that your infant or toddler receives the nutrients crucial to his or her healthy development.
Resources and Learning More:
* Milk and Milk Alternatives for Toddlers
* Severe Nutritional Deficiencies in Toddlers Resulting From Health Food Milk Alternatives
* Vegan Children¹
* Vegetarian Nutrition
* Soy Milk (not soy formula!) & Infant Death
Margaret Meade is the Editor of Wholesome Baby Food.com and is the mother of 3 boys. The boys were raised on all Homemade Baby Food; and since Mommy had been studying nutrition for many years, she knew homemade was best! She sincerely hopes that babies and parents everywhere might benefit from the great experience of making Fresh, Wholesome, Homemade baby food! Visit http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com and find out how easy it is to make your own baby food. Once you begin, good healthy eating habits will automatically flow!
Rush Limbaugh Humor: 2 Adult Beverage Recipes Any Dittohead Will Love
Years ago, Rush Limbaugh coined the term "adult beverages" to refer to alcoholic drinks. Yet millions of dittoheads across the Fruited Plain lacked a guide for making the best adult beverages. So one fan created The Dittohead’s Guide to Adult Beverages, a collection of humorous dittohead recipes such as the Rio Linda Rouser, EIB Ecstasy Elixir, Club G’itmo Guzzler, and many more!
Just try out these great recipes:
ENVIRONMENTALIST WACKO WHISKEY
Glass: Your Own Cupped Hands
Ingredients:
1 Part Triple Sec (as long as it wasn’t made in a wicked corporate factory)
2 Parts Whiskey (homemade by Sierra Club members in an earth-friendly distillery)
1 Part Grain Alcohol (flammable liquid used by the Earth Liberation Front to burn SUVs)
1 Frozen Pond (the result of any number of man-made environmental catastrophes)
1 Dolphin (the pinnacle of creation, according to environmentalist wackos)
Instructions: First, cut several ice cubes from the surface of a frozen pond (these should be abundant due to the smog effect blocking the sun's rays in preparation for the coming ice age). Avoid using a freezer to produce your ice cubes, because freezers are a capitalist-concocted first cousin of man's worst enemy – the air conditioner. Next, combine ingredients (along with your pond cubes) in your own cupped hands. Don't you dare use a glass instead of your hands, because the process of making glass destroys Mother Earth.
Origin: This adult beverage is named in honor of environmentalist wackos, a fringe movement (not to be confused with serious and responsible ecology-minded people) that believes mankind is the greatest threat to nature, seeks to destroy private property, and longs to establish a socialist regime to impose their nuttiness on the rest of us.
Special Note: For years environmentalist wackos have told us that dolphins are superior to humans – despite the absence of dolphin highways, libraries, or institutions of higher learning. But for all their supposed brilliance, I challenge any environmentalist wacko to find a dolphin that can make an adult beverage as good as this one!
EL RUSHBO
Glass: A Highball Glass Emblazoned with the EIB Network Logo
Ingredients:
1 Part Rum (shares the first two letters of its name with Rush!)
2 Parts Blue Gatorade (consumed while playing a round of golf in honor of Rush)
2 Parts Sprite (in recognition of capitalist lemon-lime soda companies)
1 Prestigious Attila the Hun Chair (symbolic of complete radio industry dominance)
Talent on Loan From God (why liberals don’t stand a chance against El Rushbo)
Instructions: Utilizing talent on loan from God (assuming that, unlike most liberals, you acknowledge the existence of God), combine ingredients in a highball glass emblazoned with the EIB logo and top off with whipped cream (but please use the whipped cream in this adult beverage recipe the way Rush would use it and not in the manner in which Bill Clinton would use it). Enjoy from the comfortable confines of your own Attila the Hun chair, the undisputed seat of talk-radio industry power.
Origin: This dittohead adult beverage is affectionately named in honor of Rush Limbaugh – lover of mankind, protector of motherhood, supporter of fatherhood (in most instances), general all-around good guy, and a man designated by the US Department of Education as a bona fide “weapon of mass instruction.”
Special Note: This adult beverage is documented to almost always taste great, 96.712 percent of the time, just as El Rushbo is documented to be almost always right, 97.963 percent of the time!
About the Author
Britt Gillette is author of The Dittohead’s Guide to Adult Beverages (Regnery 2005). You can find more Rush Limbaugh humor on his blog, Britt’s Rush Limbaugh Blog.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Find How to Brake into the Hyper Profitable Energy Drink Industry
If you haven't already seen the latest beverages on your local store shelves, you've been missing out on a profitable opportunity. Once limited to health food stores and fitness supplement retailers, energy drinks are becoming the latest way to quickly and easily make a profit as an Energy Drink Brand, distributor or wholesaler.
The industry has grown 700% in the last 5 years and still growing at up to 72% every single year.
The energy drink industry is booming because of the current attention to new brands, non-coffee drinkers, health and fitness and the help of Red Bull, Monster Energy Drink and Rock star Energy Drink. As people have become more interested in making their bodies feel healthier, more aware and happier, the beverage industry has looked for a way to bottle these intentions and create a portable way for people to be more energetic and profits have been bigger than ever.
It used to be that energy drinks were limited to those with caffeine – coffee, tea, and caffeinated carbonated beverages. However, this was a limited scope to the beverage industry and often created sagging profits for retailers. People just wanted more choices to their beverages and were becoming bored with what they already knew. But some manufacturers realized that supplement use was growing and wondered how they might be able to use that interest to their advantage.
By adding certain vitamins and minerals to traditional beverages, manufacturers saw exponential growth in their drink sales. Not only were people drawn to the enhanced products, but they were also willing to pay top dollar for the added benefits. Drinks that would normally cost a customer a dollar were now able to be sold for three and four dollars. Coffee houses have been doing this for years, but the bottled drink industry now realized how profitable it could be.
Adding more caffeine wasn't the only option either. Manufacturers found that adding things like guarnine and taurine gave drinks the appeal of helping with endurance and energy, while things like artificial sweeteners could help to be advertised as diet enhancing drinks. With fruity flavors, they could also be marketed to younger age groups as well.
What's more interesting is the fact that the energy drink industry continues to expand without slowing down in sales. Even with the many choices that are available, people are still buying energy drinks in large quantities. You can also find these drinks in a number of places, which adds to their overall profit capability. Gas stations, grocery stores, and even schools are now carrying the energy drinks as they seem to be ‘healthier' than sodas and much more appealing.
The energy drink trend is also becoming stylish among the younger age groups. Instead of carrying around a typical soda bottle, people feel much more hip carrying around a nicely labeled energy drink. The sleek look creates interest in the drink and even helps to advertise it as the drinker carries it around. Bars are even stocking energy drinks and creating new mixed cocktails with the drink as a main ingredient.
Jorge Olson is a Beverage Industry Consultant and Investor. Energy Drink Sales is one of his specialties! If you would like step by step FREE information on how to start your own Energy Drink visit Jorge’s latest site http://www.EnergyDrinkSales.com
Calcium and Food Fortification
Many segments of the U.S. population fall short of meeting their calcium requirements and there is an increasing concern that this will lead to a rise in the number of major chronic diseases, such as osteoporosis, hypertension, and some cancers, among others. The role of calcium in preventing these diseases has been well established. To help solve the calcium crisis, a wide variety of calcium-fortified foods and beverages are becoming available. Both the level of calcium added and the specific foods and beverages fortified with calcium are arbitrary. Orange juice, juice drinks, cereals, waffles, snack foods, candy, water, and dairy foods are among some of the foods fortified with calcium. In many cases, relatively high levels of calcium are added. This has led to the question of whether calcium fortification has gone too far.
What are the functions of calcium?
Calcium is essential to:
- maintaining total body health,
- normal growth and development,
- keeping your bones and teeth strong over your lifetime (they contain 99% of the body's calcium, the remaining 1% is in blood),
- ensuring the proper functioning of muscles and nerves,
- keeping the heart beating,
- helping blood clotting and regulating blood pressure,
- metabolising iron,
- the action of a number of hormones (particularly those associated with the thyroid and parathyroid glands),
- cell structure, and
- absorbing vitamin B12.
Calcium deficiency is usually due to an inadequate intake of calcium. When blood calcium levels drop too low, the vital mineral is 'borrowed' from the bones. It is returned to the bones from calcium supplied through the diet. If an individual's diet is low in calcium, there may not be sufficient amounts of calcium available in the blood to be returned to the bones to maintain strong bones and total body health.
What are the problems with calcium-fortified foods?
Although there is a need to have an adequate amount of calcium in the diet concerns have been expressed about the large number of calcium-fortified foods and beverages available. These concerns include the following:
- The use of calcium-fortified foods does not correct the poor dietary patterns of food selection, which are largely responsible for Americans' low calcium intake. Many calcium-fortified foods and beverages such as juices, spreads/margarines, snack foods, and water are not nutritionally equivalent to foods, which are naturally rich in calcium. Also, some people may mistakenly believe that intake of calcium-fortified foods ensures a nutritionally adequate diet.
- The increased availability of calcium-fortified foods, many of which contain high levels of calcium, makes it relatively easy to exceed the safety limit or the 'Tolerable Upper Intake Level' of 2,500 mg calcium/day. This is particularly true for groups not actually at risk for calcium deficiency, such as adolescent and young adult males. These groups already meet or are close to meeting their calcium requirements.
- Other concerns associated with some calcium-fortified foods and beverages relate to:
- The unknown level of calcium bioavailability (that is, the amount of calcium, from the fortified food, that the body is able to use). Factors that facilitate the absorption of calcium include:
- sufficient hydrochloric acid in the stomach,
- small amounts of fat (high fat reduces the availability of calcium),
- exercise,
- magnesium, and
- hormones, including the parathyroid and estrogen hormones.
- If these factors are themselves deficient then the calcium will not be absorbed and will not be available for use by the body.
- Increasing calcium but not magnesium intakes, has caused a nationwide imbalance in optimal calcium to magnesium ratios. Research studies have shown that animals fed diets deficient in magnesium develop skeletal abnormalities, including osteoporosis. When calcium in the body is too high compared to magnesium, excess calcium may be deposited in the soft tissues. This may result in calcium deposits in places such as the kidneys, the arteries and the heart.
- Excessively high intakes of calcium can interfere with the absorption of zinc, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and other nutrients. An increased intake of calcium in the diet increases requirements for magnesium, another mineral important for bone health.
Food, especially food naturally containing calcium, is the first priority in meeting calcium needs. Foods naturally containing calcium provide many other essential nutrients, as well as possibly other health-promoting components, in addition to calcium. Food sources of calcium are leafy green vegetables, root vegetable, salmon, nuts, tofu and broccoli.
For individuals who, for one reason or another, are unable to eat calcium rich food, calcium-fortified foods and/or calcium supplements in a balanced formula can be consumed to achieve adequate calcium intake. However, these are considered a supplement to and not a substitute for, foods naturally containing calcium. When calcium supplements are taken it is also important to ensure that the calcium is in balance with the other nutrients that are required by the body for the calcium to do its work.
What are adequate intakes of calcium?
Adequate Intakes (AIs) for calcium are:
500 mg for children aged 1 to 3 years,
800 mg for children aged 4 to 8 years,
1,300 mg for adolescents aged 9 to 18 years,
1,000 mg for adults aged 19 to 50 years, and
1,200 mg for adults aged 51 years and older.
The Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) are lower than the AIs but many health professionals do not see the RDAs as being sufficient for maintaining health and wellbeing.
Signs of calcium toxicity can include: confusion, slow or irregular heartbeat, bone or muscle pain, nausea and vomiting.
Conclusion
Calcium is an important mineral for health. It is involved in many functions in the body and there is no doubt that many Americans are not getting enough calcium in their diets. The fortification of foods and beverages with calcium is an attempt to increase calcium intake, however this is a simplistic response to a complex problem and may actually lead to more harm than good. In order for a calcium supplement to work the calcium needs to be in balance with the other nutrients need by the body. This balance is not provided by the simple addition of calcium to food.
References
Institute of Medicine, Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes. 1997, Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride. National Academy Press.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2000, Healthy People 2010. (Conference Edition in Two Volumes).Washington, D.C..
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Food Surveys Research Group. 1996, Pyramid Servings Data. Results from USDA's 1994-96 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals.
Weaver, C.M. 2001, In Bowman, B.A., and R.M. Russell, (Eds). Present Knowledge in Nutrition. 8th edition. ILSI Press.
Dr Jenny Tylee is an experienced health professional who is passionate about health and wellbeing. She believes that health is not just absence of disease and seeks to actively promote vitality and wellness through empowering others. She encourages people to improve their health by quit smoking, cleansing their body, taking essential, non contaminated vitamin and mineral supplements (from healthproductssite.com) and many other methods, including herbal remedies. She also owns Healthy Living blog.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Beverages and Alcohol: Don't Let Liquids Sabotage Your Fat Loss
More people are concerned about their weight and body fat than ever and unfortunately the number of overweight people is still continuing to rise. There are many reasons for this increase in obesity, such as lack of exercise, poor nutritional habits, lack of sleep, and increased stress levels. Changing these or other lifestyle habits can significantly impact your health and physique. This article will focus on the nutritional component; specifically the negative effect that beverages can have on fat and weight gain.
In can be easy to forget that many beverages contain a significant amount of calories. For example a 12oz can of soda contains about 150 calories, so if you have just 3 cans per day or possibly even a singe large soda from a convenience store or fast food restaurant, you are adding almost 500 calories to your daily total. Over the course of a week, this can add an extra pound of fat to your body.
Adding a large number of calories to your daily total is bad enough, but when these beverages are consumed at mealtimes, the negative effects on fat storage and weight gain become even greater. After you have consumed enough calories to satisfy your body’s energy requirements, any extra calories, including calories from beverages, will end up being stored as fat, regardless if they are calories from fat, carbs, or protein.
Plus, if you are drinking beverages contains alcohol, the effects on fat storage are even worse. Alcohol is essentially a toxin and when you drink alcohol, your body reprioritizes how it handles the calories you consume. Normally, your body will break down some of the proteins, fats, and carbs to use as energy for various physiological functions. Then whatever is left over will generally be converted into fat or stored as glycogen.
When alcohol is consumed with the other calories, your body’s first priority becomes to process the alcohol (toxin) and get it out of your body as fast as possible. The problem is the normal process of breaking down the other carbs, fats, and proteins becomes less important and more of these calories end up being stored as fat while the body is processing the alcohol.
This is not to say that having a small glass of wine with your meal will make everything you eat turn to fat. Instead, higher amounts of alcohol consumed with food will cause your body to store a higher percentage of the calories as fat. Plus, since alcohol has a dehydrating effect, if you don’t drink enough water, it will be more difficult to detoxify your body. This is also important, because when it takes longer to process the alcohol, more of the other calories will be stored as fat.
The physiology can become confusing, but simply stated, large meals combined with alcoholic beverages will cause your body to store a lot of unnecessary fat. Of course, you will have to get rid of this newly added fat before making positive progress towards your original fat loss goals, so you have to ask yourself what’s more important, losing fat or consuming excess amounts of alcohol or other high calorie beverages?
If you are truly serious about you health, fitness, and fat loss, the choice is obvious. Plus, if you are putting forth the effort to exercise and develop healthy eating habits, you should be experiencing some positive results. Just be sure to choose drinks that are low in calories and alcohol (water is ideal), because losing fat is difficult enough without beverages sabotaging your success.
Ross Harrison, CSCS, NSCA-CPT is a certified personal trainer, strength and conditioning specialist, and nutritional consultant who teaches people how to lose weight, get in shape, and improve their quality of life with exercise and nutrition. For more information or to sign up for his free health and fitness newsletter, visit http://precisionhealth-fitness.com/.
Critical Review of Sports Beverages and Their Use in Soccer
"Ergogenic method" is defined as any means of enhancing energy utilization, including energy production, control, and efficiency (Silver, 2001).
Sport Beverages
Sport beverages for recovery from prolonged aerobic exercise are generally designed to replace water and electrolyte losses due to sweat secretion (Shirrefs et al., 2000).
Fallowfield et al (1995) were the first to demonstrate that supplementing with a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink after prolonged exercise enhances the recovery process. Williams et al (2003) extended these findings and suggested the recovery process can be accelerated beyond a traditional carbohydrate-electrolyte drink if protein is included. This may be due to the stimulation of protein accretion (Levenhagen et al, 2001).
Bangsbo et al (1992) indicated that short duration maximal effort decreases after a 60-minute recovery when nutritional compounds are not ingested during recovery. By contrast, when glycogen stores are elevated, performance during the second bout is maintained.
A potential argument against the use of sports beverages is the notion the drinks fall between foods and pharmaceutical products. They are not classified as drugs, so they don't come under stringent medicine controls, even though they do have a pharmacological effect. Some athletes avoid drinking glycogen-replenishing beverages during exercise because the sugar in sodas is high fructose corn syrup, which damages the liver (Valentine, 2006). Furthermore, soda is very acidic, which is very rough on the stomach. These elements are found in numerous sports beverages (Valentine, 2006). The latter two findings by Valentine suggest that sports beverage consumption at the very least should be limited to essential intake after strenuous exercise when fast refueling is required and time constraints restrict the available methods.
Matt Chappell is a British Sports Conditioning Coach and Personal Trainer with an excellent background in exercise science research. Matt currently works as a freelance research specialist and personal trainer, and also works for the prestigious South west England coaching company Professional Sports and Fitness Ltd.
Matt's particular areas of specialisation include corrective exercise and sports supplementation for the elite athlete and organic nutrition for optimal health in the general population. Matt is a current BSc Hons student and possesses an HND in Sports, Coaching and Exercise Science from the University of Bath. He is registered as an Advanced Fitness Instructor in the UK.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Chappell
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Healthy Beverages for Kids Equal Healthy Kids
It's a cultural phenomenon - in school and homes around the country in the past few years, kids have started drinking soda instead of milk and natural juices on a routine basis. Sodas - basically colored, sugared water - have replaced far more nutritional alternatives almost exclusively with some children and teens, contributing not only to an increase in childhood obesity but to a much greater incidence of childhood caries (cavities in teeth). Perhaps even more alarming, teenage girls who opt for sodas instead of milk on a regular basis have been discovered to have sometimes irreversible osteoporosis, a condition in which calcium in the bones has disappeared, leaving bones porous, brittle, and easily broken. Another problem with sodas, from Coke to Mountain Dew, is that many of them contain large amounts of caffeine - way too much, in fact, for the physiology of a small child to handle. (Your kid can't settle down and get to sleep at night? Before you suspect ADHD, think about how much caffeine he or she might be ingesting in the course of a day!)
Luckily, there are plenty of healthy alternatives to the sugar-laden sodas being consumed. Milk, both whole and skim, is a better choice for children who can tolerate the food, and provide plenty of the calcium and Vitamin D necessary for strong bones and teeth. For children who have allergic reactions to dairy products, calcium-enriched soy milk provides plenty of protein and minerals. A caveat - some of the "good tasting" soy milks recently added to the store shelves actually have sugars like high-fructose corn syrup added to enhance the flavor - definitely not a healthy alternative.
Fruit juices have been considered a healthy alternative for even young children for years, and if a child is craving a sweet drink fruit juice is way better than most alternatives; but not all fruit juices are created equal - some have the same high-fructose corn syrup added that makes some of the designer soy milks such a bad deal. A better choice would be a natural fruit juice with no added sugars, in moderate amounts; even the healthy fruit juices naturally contain simple sugars and a good supply of calories, so limit the amount per day, and have children drink it with other foods to slow down the absorption of the juices, thus avoiding fluctuations in energy levels.
Of course, bottled spring water or filtered water is a great alternative, and should be encouraged. Especially with active kids, dehydration can sneak up on someone, particularly in hot weather. It's important for children to have easy access to plenty of fresh, drinkable water and other fluids to keep them sufficiently hydrated.
Information about proper nutrition for kids concentrates much more on healthy food choices, and not so much on beverages. But healthy beverages are a big part of healthy nutrition, and need to be focused on daily - healthy beverages really do equal healthy kids!
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire, who has written numerous articles for local and regional publications. She may be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com.
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