Results matching “health,” from Jeanette Hada's Wellness and Happiness Blog
I wish all of you a very healthy, happy, and prosperous 2008!
On New Year's Day we celebrated 2008 by visiting our good friend who has prepared the traditional Japanese New Years dishes for us for the past couple years. It was a little challenging as Naoki is vegetarian and I basically eat fish (ok, sometimes I'll have chicken, but it's rare these days).
She made my favorite dessert made from fresh Fuji apples and agar. It makes for a lovely, gelatin-free, refreshing jello. Everything was lovely and neatly sorted in a lacquered box. My favorite is the soup she makes flavored with kelp and filled with savory bits of dark leafy greens, daikon, and mochi (which she first toasted in the oven). The black beans that she prepared were soft and chewy in texture and slightly sweet. The chestnut/sweet potato was hearty and a beautiful golden color. Her anago rolled omelet was absolutely delicious and small rounds of seasoned taro were just a few of the items there. What a wonderful and special treat to experience every year! Pictures to follow at http://jeanette.hada.us
Ok, obviously I'm a little obsessed with food and would love to share a few of my favorite foodie sites. Some of these most people already know, but here they are just in case...
http://www.yelp.com
- This is an excellent site, where people can critique (rant or rave) about their experiences with different places they've visited.
http://www.opensourcefood.com
- By far my favorite recipe site with pictures that will have those late night hunger pangs kick in.
http://www.annamariavolpi.com/foodmovies.html
- Another food lovers list of food-related movies
The following information has been circulating for a few years. It's copied from an email I received awhile ago. If you have any interest in learning more about genetically-modified food, please watch the documentary "The Future of Food" and visit EWG.org.
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Unfortunately this is only for North America!
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VERY INTERESTING INFORMATION
I didn't know until I read it that the little stickers on loose fruits and vegetables have valuable information on them! According to a letter from 'a scientist knowledgeable in the field of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)' in the October 2003 issue of Gourmet magazine:
"A useful tip to the consumer [would be] a primer on how to read the little stickers on loose fruits and vegetables. Besides providing the store's cash registers and computers with product identification and price information, these stickers can tell you a lot about the food you are buying. A label with four digits indicates conventionally grown food. Labels with five digits starting with an 8 indicate that the food is genetically modified. Labels with 5 digits starting with a 9 indicate that the food is organically grown."
Well as soon as I read this I looked at all my little stickers and it's true! All my organic food had stickers with 5 digits beginning with 9 and all the conventional food had stickers with four digits. There were no five digits beginning with 8, nor do I plan for there to be, but what a great thing to know! Am I the last one to know this?
I've watched "The Secret" DVD three times now (actually 2.5 times - the first time was on our Alaskan cruise in their theatre. I'd fallen asleep after staying up late one too many nights in a row.) Every time I've watched it, I've come away with something new. All of it good in my opinion.
This documentary-style movie stirred up a lot of buzz within our group of friends, colleagues and also online with many of the Yahoo Groups I'm a part of. If you haven't seen it yet, it's something I would highly recommend be watched to my family and friends.
If you live nearby me (in San Jose, California) and are interested in watching it, please let me know. You can also go online and view it yourself for $4.95 at http://www.theSecret.tv or purchase it via that site or at Amazon.
This is news to celebrate! Send me an email from now until the end of the year and I'll send you great health information and a free piece of my favorite dark chocolate :) jeanette337 at gmail dot com or visit my site and complete a contact form for two pieces of dark chocolate!
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By Maggie Fox, Health and Science EditorTue Nov 14, 6:38 PM ET
They were so addicted, they just could not give up their favorite daily snack -- not even in the interest of science.
But chocolate lovers who flunked out of a Johns Hopkins University study on aspirin and heart disease helped researchers stumble on an explanation of why a little chocolate a day can cut the risk of heart attack.
There's something about the sound of laughter that's contagious, especially when it comes from a baby. Have you ever laughed so hard it hurt? The worst/best is when you can't stop laughing. I don't know how that affects health, but some of my favorite memories are of times like those. A few of my good friends have the best laughs, which are sometimes peppered with snorts as they try to catch their breath.
I love it when people laugh with abandon!
Do parabens (preservatives) in skincare and cosmetics cause cancer? I'm not sure, but there have been a number of studies to show they do. Of course, there are still skeptics and a handful of people that say they don't and that the small amounts in their products aren't significant enough to cause any longterm damage. Others, including myself, wonder about the accumulative effects over time with multiple products. Parabens are in almost everything, even products that are touted as safe and natural. For those with a history of cancer in their family, I think extra care and consideration should be given to what we put in and on our bodies.
When our company recently launched a new paraben-free skincare line that uses a new technology utilizing bacteriostatic water to prevent bacteria growth, I thought it might be a good idea to do a little research. Aside from finding information online, what better way to learn about a new product than to use it?
There are seven (7) products total in this interesting assortment of skincare.
1. Cleansing oil
The idea of rubbing oil of any kind on my face to remove makeup seems foreign (and it is!). Many Japanese and Korean cosmetics have a cleansing oil in their line to gentle take off makeup. The texture is very light and not at all like olive oil or even baby oil. It does a fine job of lifting embedded dirt, foundation and eyeliner.
2. Cleansing cream
Included in our pack was a "foaming net" made from corn husk. It's a light and airy little net that does an amazing job of creating well, foam. It made the most luxurious lather which I couldn't seem to do with water and my hands alone. The cream contained fine particles of a special stone that does an excellent job of exfoliating and evening the skintone.
3. Skin lotion
When I think of "lotion", I think of a cream-based liquid, but this is a clear and very light moisturizing toner without any alcohol. It's cooling and moisturizes well without any heavy feeling.
4. Skin serum
Oh this contains vitamin C and a few other key ingredients meant to help with dark spots and improve dull looking, saggy skin. It's supposed to restore elasticity from within. (We'll see...)
5. Skin cream
This is the other product I really liked! It goes on light, but gives that extra moisture without feeling oily or heavy. It comes with a handy little spatula to pull out the perfect amount. I'll use this day and night.
6. Eye cream
I LOVE this stuff!! It's far better than anything else I've tried and really does live up to the hype. It's only been a few days and I've noticed significant different in a reduction of puffiness and definitely lightening of the dark circles.
7. Aftershave milk (for men or women to use as body lotion)
Haven't done this just yet, so stay tuned...
These products were developed and are currently only available in Japan. We are importing these products into the states until they're launched in the U.S., which is around a year or so from now. If you are interested in ordering them, please let me know. We can usually have them delivered directly to you via air shipping.
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