It's August in an hour, did you know that? AUGUST! I'm going to try to pretend that it's still July, just for today, so happy last day of July!! I hope everyone had a great week. Mine was very productive, and I look forward to a great weekend of thesis writing, and practicing for my presentation (which is in August, next month ;) ).
New Products Popcorn
About 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels made this much popcorn! I haven't yet made the curry popcorn, but I'm excited to try it! Instead I just added a dash of salt, some cumin, and some garlic powder. Bottom line: No more packaged popcorn, I'm making my own from now on!Think Thin
The bars I posted about last time (ThinkFruit) were very tasty, so I purchased this bar from the same company. Obviously I was not purchasing these as a meal replacement bar, but as a snack.
The "Think Thin" bars were labeled as "All Natural", but these were not. As I looked closer at the label, something stood out to me. The front of the wrapper said "0 grams of sugar". No sugar?!?! Ut oh, you know what that means......I flipped over the wrapper and low and behold SUGAR ALCOHOLS.From Wikepedia: Sugar alcohols are a form of carbohydrates that are used to replace sucrose in products. Sugar alcohols are usually incompletely absorbed into the blood stream from the small intestines which generally results in a smaller change in blood glucose than "regular" sugar (sucrose). This property makes them popular sweeteners among diabetics and people on low-carbohydrate diets. However, like many other incompletely digestible substances, overconsumption of sugar alcohols can lead to bloating, diarrhea and flatulence because they are not absorbed in the small intestine.
So they aren't "artificial sweeteners" but I still do not like eating sugar alcohols because they tend to give me gas! Too bad I finished the bar before I noticed. Thankfully, no problem followed ;)
Alzheimer's Research Update
According to the latest publication of Today's Dietitian, there are several additions to the diet that can be beneficial for preventing Alzheimer's Disease (AD). AD is marked by changes in the brain that include tangles in the amyloid plaques of the brain, and the loss of neuron connections in the brain. Here are some beneficial products that may be helpful:
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid): May have antiamyloid mechanisms. Also DHA is known for it's anti-inflammatory properties (brain inflammation can have a negative effect on AD)
Calorie Restriction: Now this doesn't mean going on a very low calorie diet, but a study showed that mice who were fed an "Ad Libium" diet (where they could eat whenever and whatever they wanted) had higher levels of beta amyloid peptides compared to rats fed 80% of the same amount of calories. Beta amyloid peptides are causative agents for AD.
Polyphenols: Studies have shown neuroprotective effects form polyphenols, which are antioxidants found in berries, tea, wine, nuts, chocolate, beer, and some fruits and veggies.
Curcumin: Has been found to lower some of the pro-inflammatory agents that can lead to AD. It is found in tumeric. Oh, and tumeric is found in mustard (I just found this out from looking at my mustard label).
Vitamins C and E: Both vitamins seem to protect individuals form developing AD, probably having to do with their antioxidant activity. The studies were based off of results from people who were taking supplements that contained both vitamin C and E, not just one. Vitamin C is found in just about any fruit and vegetable, whereas vitamin E can be found in nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils.
Mediterranean Diet: This diet has been linked to lowered risks of AD, probably due to its ability to reduce body inflammation. This diet includes plenty of exercise, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, using herbs and spices instead of salt, consuming very little red meat, eating fish twice a week, and drinking wine on occasion. What a concept!
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid): May have antiamyloid mechanisms. Also DHA is known for it's anti-inflammatory properties (brain inflammation can have a negative effect on AD)
Calorie Restriction: Now this doesn't mean going on a very low calorie diet, but a study showed that mice who were fed an "Ad Libium" diet (where they could eat whenever and whatever they wanted) had higher levels of beta amyloid peptides compared to rats fed 80% of the same amount of calories. Beta amyloid peptides are causative agents for AD.
Polyphenols: Studies have shown neuroprotective effects form polyphenols, which are antioxidants found in berries, tea, wine, nuts, chocolate, beer, and some fruits and veggies.
Curcumin: Has been found to lower some of the pro-inflammatory agents that can lead to AD. It is found in tumeric. Oh, and tumeric is found in mustard (I just found this out from looking at my mustard label).
Vitamins C and E: Both vitamins seem to protect individuals form developing AD, probably having to do with their antioxidant activity. The studies were based off of results from people who were taking supplements that contained both vitamin C and E, not just one. Vitamin C is found in just about any fruit and vegetable, whereas vitamin E can be found in nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils.
Mediterranean Diet: This diet has been linked to lowered risks of AD, probably due to its ability to reduce body inflammation. This diet includes plenty of exercise, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, using herbs and spices instead of salt, consuming very little red meat, eating fish twice a week, and drinking wine on occasion. What a concept!
I hope you learned some things about Alzheimer's disease, and you feel a bit more confident about protecting your brain from the disease. What is everyone doing this weekend? I get to play my first round of golf with Nick tomorrow afternoon! I've never played a real "round of golf", I've only gone to the range to hit balls. Nick has been playing for years, he better be patient with me!
Questions: What are your thoughts on sugar alcohols?
Do you like the picture I added to my title (be honest please!)? Can you read the writing?
13 comments:
Oh, I love air-popped popcorn! It's so good plain because I don't like seasoning. And sugar alcohols... Hmm. I have no negative symptoms from them that I can tell, but they're probably not too good for me.
I do like the pic in the title but, it does make the title a little hard to read. I am really just beginning to learn about sugar alcohols. I had done some research on the Mediterranean Diet. So, I was aware of many of the benefits associated with it. However, the lower risk of AD is news to me! I worked in the AD unit in a "rehabilitation center" aka nursing home back in Illinois. I wish I would have been aware of this info back then! I love reading your blog for the awesome information!
Just wanted to stop by and let you know that I love your blog! I'm in school to become an RD and so it's really inspiring to read your blog! As for the picture - I like it, but it makes the words on it a little difficult to read. Perhaps it would help if you bolded them?
Is it okay with you if I add you to my blogroll?
Hey Gina!
I don't particularly try to avoid sugar alcohols- but I usually prefer foods made with real sugar and just limit the portion size.
I agree - the picture at the top is great- but it does make the words a little harder to read.
Have a great weekend!
curry popcorn! I do like the header picture, very appropriate esp with the 365 brand :D
The words are readable, but doesn't pop.
And I never really thought of sugar alcohols until I read your blog, but they are in a lot of "low-carb" items, aren't they? But how can they be low-carb when they have the word "sugar"? If they are not absorbed well, isn't that even kinda dangerous?
popcorn!!!! How do you make it? I mean the popcorn part, you microwave it?
Sugar alcohol, that's bad that they use that as sugar substitute, it makes it not as healthy as it seems to be.
I like the picture on the header, but the letters are too small to read it easily! :)
I agree with the other posters re: pic/header. Great photo of healthy foods, though! I try to avoid sugar alcohols too...I haven't noticed any GI issues with them really, but you know, better safe than sorry there!
As for the rest of my weekend...I'm about to head out to Trader Joe's, which sadly is the highlight of my Sunday :-)
mmm . . popcorn! When we lived at chris' parent's house they had a little counter top popcorn machine and we were addicted! We just added some oil and a sprinkling of sugar and salt as it popped and it was like kettle corn which is my fav sweet/salty snack.
I, like you can't have sugar alcohols or there's definitely problems lol.
I think the logo is good, but it is a little hard to read the letters and it is a bit too busy with all the pictures in a small space. Maybe try to make it bigger with the letters on a solid background? Hope this helps! I wish I knew how to put a logo on my site. I have one, but I'm not sure how to code it. Is it pretty easy? thanks so much!
-kristen
I love popcorn too... so much that my college roommates bought me a hand spinning popcorn machine. It's a little labor spinning the wheel, but so much fun hearing those little guys crack and pop :)
Before I even saw where you asked about your new header I thought, "Ooooh, I like that! And I love the quote!" .... so, yes, I DO like it and, yes, you can definitely read it!! : )
I'm so excited about this post! We actually take a Curcumin supplement (basically tumeric in a capsule!) daily in addition to trying to cook with tumeric most every day because of its possible benefits in preventing AD, so I was quite excited to hear that your research concurs!
Hooray for homemade popcorn!! I'm totally addicted... ;-) I've never made a fancy version like your garlic powder cumin popcorn, though - it sounds incredible! I'm definitely making "Gina's spiced popcorn" next time I fix popcorn! :-)
Wow, Gina, thank you so much for the info on sugar alcohols... I actually didn't know anything about sugar alcohols - thank you SO much for informing me! I always learn soooo much whenever I read your blog! You rock!
I didn't know anything about sugar alcohols before. So glad I stopped by :) Can't wait to see more popcorn creations! How did you make it??? Did you pop it with oil?? Is it "better for you" than the packaged kid? Sounds like it's certaily Better for your wallet! :)
-A
Well i’m from Ireland, and throughout Ireland bono and the lads are unquestionably liked and also could certainly not do really much incorrect, we all love them.
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