The Reason Pork Rinds / Skins are Not a Significant Source of Protein

I'm sure most of you that has ever consumed store-bought pork rinds have seen the following under the nutritional label: "Not a Significant Source of Protein." Even though they may list 6 or 8 grams of protein or whatever, they will say that it is not a significant source. A long while back, possibly before the Internet, I remember reading about the source of protein in these pig skins. If I recall correctly, the protein actually comes from the structure of each hair follicle within the skin, hence its insignificance. It is not a protein that the body uses very effectively nor is it a balanced full chain of amino acids nor does it have enough value to even be called a partial source of amino acids.

It is somewhat trivial, though. I mean, who in the hell is going to try to live off of freakin' pork rinds? It is like, "Hey, my new diet consists of pork skins and water. Here's another pig skin to good health; cheers!" LOL! But anyway, the Internet is full of preposterous ideas when concerning this subject. In fact, some idiots, oops, I mean folks, actually think that the label is wrong and that pork rinds are actually a fair source of protein.

Out of all the pages I looked at online, I only found two statements on two separate forums that was halfway accurate. One of them said that pork rinds are not used by the human body, albeit even that isn't correct! They have a lot of selenium, trace elements, etc., and they are a source of energy/calories. One of the best comments was on a bodybuilding forum, in which this was stated: "The type of protein in pork skins is called collagen, the same substance found in hair, fingernails, and hooves. Its bio-availability is almost non-existent, hence the statement on the package." You can read more from that forum, here: forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=848935&page=1

But just calling it collagen doesn't really answer the question for most people. Collagen is very important to the human body and the protein structures therein. Collagen is also essential to the function of connective tissues. However, your body suppose to make this. In fact, Vitamin C plays an important role in the production of collagen, but that's another subject entirely. On the other hand, if you can understand that eating hair and fingernails would not be a significant source of protein, you will start getting a better idea of what's going on here.

After skimming through the World Wide Web, I like the more succinct answer that I've known for many years (the one stated in the first paragraph) much better than all the senseless chatter I had to endure while perusing random websites. At any swine-filled rate, I like store-bought pork skins on occasions, but I've never had the chance to eat the rinds that were fresh from the farm; cheers!

---End of Post "The Reason Pork Rinds / Skins are Not a Significant Source of Protein"

Random Blog Post: Creatine is a waste of money - for most people!

For the ones worried about Popcorn Lung...

I have ran across this subject a few times lately and, for some reason, there seems to be a great deal of misinformation on the Internet about "popcorn lung." Some folks seem to think that you get it by simply eating butter-flavored popcorn a few times a week or that you are always at risk when consuming microwave popcorn.

Popcorn Lung is a lung disease that is cause by repeatedly breathing in lots of hot vapor and steam that has diacetyl in it, which is the chemical used to flavor butter popcorn. This started as a major issue with the factory workers at the popcorn plants, several years ago, as they breathed this crap in all the time. There is only one known consumer that was ever diagnosed with Popcorn Lung by merely eating microwave popcorn, and he said he ate 2 bags every night for 10 years and would always stick his head in the bag when he got it out of the microwave, and deeply inhaled the fumes. Yes, that is rather extreme, but it happened nonetheless. However, there were several factory workers that developed this lung disease.

About 8 years ago, the major brand-name microwave popcorn companies removed the chemical that was responsible for this. You can read more about that, here: www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/12/18/popcorn_firms_removing_flavoring_chemical/

Even if they replaced the chemical with an equally harmful one, consuming a few bags of microwave popcorn here and there shouldn't even come close to the one reported case from that popcorn-crazy consumer, nor would it closely resemble the factory workers that once worked around diacetyl on a regular basis. Stuff like this and so much more, is what the Internet often turns into a widespread Urban Myth. It wasn't too long ago, a few bloggers got some bad rumors started about baby carrots. It was so ridiculous, they had to air it on the News and the carrot companies showed that it was all a bunch of lies and propaganda that propagated on the Internet.

Anyway, there is a chemical involved with microwave popcorn that could possibly be harmful to our health, and it is used to coat the inside of the popcorn bags. I still eat microwave popcorn, but like most things, moderation is the key. Cheers!

Related Link: www.boston.com/dailydose/2012/09/20/you-need-worry-about-popcorn-lung-from-microwave-snacks/dDkwyN1sf2YoVsyszIIz3O/story.html

Image Credit: It is in the Public Domain and is not under copyright protection.

---End of Post "For the ones worried about Popcorn Lung..."

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Brazil Nuts are Radioactive

Yeah, yeah, I know... It seems that everything is radioactive nowadays. Personally, I like Brazil Nuts and I won't let the fact that they are extra radioactive, stop me from enjoying them on occasions. Now, I wouldn't recommend living off of them or else your toes may start glowing in the dark; ha-ha!

Anyway, many of you may already know this since it has been known for a long time, but I thought I'd share this tidbit anyway. By what data I have read, Brazil nuts contain 1,000 times more radium than other foods do. This happens because of the extremely deep and elaborate root structure of the Brazil Nut tree. The roots absorb bits of radium over time, and it eventually ends up in the nuts. These trees are huge and can live to be a thousand years old, by what I've heard.

On the other hand, like all nuts and seeds, they are packed with nutrients and protein. They are a good source of magnesium, selenium, etc. In fact, selenium is believed by many folks to have anti-cancer properties. Anyway, if you like tree nuts but you're scared of getting too much radioactive stuff during the process, just avoid the Brazil Nuts. Since I don't eat them very often and only get a few in those "deluxe mixed nuts" containers, I'm not worried about it.

Image Credit: Bing Image Search using the 'free to use & share' function.

---End of Post "Brazil Nuts are Radioactive "

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* Weight Gainers & Protein Shakes
* Quit blaming the meat!
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Chicken Noodle Soup for Common Colds

It is old advice and a seemingly ancient remedy for common colds, but is there any merit to the claim that chicken noodle soup helps with the symptoms and/or shortens the duration of the common cold? Evidently so... Apparently those moms and grannies out there were right, as not only is the soup itself fairly nutritional, scientific evidence supports some of these claims, as well.

The anti-inflammatory properties of the soup, the extra nutrients that leak out of the chicken bones during the cooking process, the spices and seasonings, and the drug-like agents similar to modern cold medicines (like acetylcysteine) that are release from certain amino acids in chicken soup while being cooked, all factor in. Plus, the steam and warmth of any soup has to be somewhat comforting when you are feeling bad, cold, and sick.

Anyway, I've never made homemade chicken noodle soup, but I have made vegetable soup, beef stew, and spicy chili several times. At any culinary rate, I've read a few tidbits in the past about how there is some truth to chicken noodle soup being good for a common cold, flu or whatever, but I thought I'd spend a few minutes this morning searching online about it. If you'd like to watch this stuff getting cooked the old fashioned way in a big stock pot with wholesome ingredients, go here: www.unmc.edu/publicrelations/chickensoup.htm

I found another good blog post about this subject, here: daytodaywoman.com/2011/02/23/will-chicken-noodle-soup-really-cure-the-common-cold/

Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm actually going to go into the kitchen in a few and pop open a canned version of chicken noodle soup. All this writing and reading about it, made me hungry for it; ha! Yeah, y'all can make the homemade version if you desire, but I'm taking the easy way out this morning. I'll just be sure to add some hot sauce and extra black pepper to my store-bought version, for an added boost. Cheers!

Image Credit: Bing Image Search using the 'free to use & share' function.

---End of Post "Chicken Noodle Soup for Common Colds"

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Instant Coffee still has Health Benefits

I still remember several years ago when there was this big "health benefits of coffee" craze going around. While it is true, back then they were mainly promoting some effect it has on the liver and how it can help prevent alcoholic cirrhosis. Coffee also has cognitive benefits within reason and its antioxidant properties are generally what it is mostly touted for, nowadays. Speaking of that, a fairly recent study (maybe 3 or 4 years ago) found that this beloved beverage contains a compound with anti-cancer properties, called methylpyridinium. Yeah, don't you just love all of those cool names that are hard to spell? Anyway, it isn't found in any other food or drink and it isn't even found in raw coffee beans. Methylpyridinium is formed from trigonelline - during the roasting process. That particular study was from the Medical University of Vienna albeit I don't know what year it was exactly.

Anyway, with that being said, I've always wondered if Instant Coffee has the same benefits. Over the last couple of years I have searched for some studies that says otherwise, but time after time, it really seems that coffee is still, uh, coffee. I mean, instant or perked from fresh coffee beans, they all seem to have health benefits; cheers!

Side Note: It was funny a few years ago, when I seen some college kid in a Supermarket while I was out shopping late at night. He was trying to find something to keep him awake. He said, "dang, nobody sells coffee around here this time of night." I told him, "hey, just buy some instant coffee; it is basically the same thing." The guy said, "instant coffee? What? I have never heard of instant coffee before. Show me where I can find some." I couldn't believe that he never heard of it, but he was serious nonetheless... LOL!

--->'Click Here' to find some Instant Coffee Online<---

---End of Post "Instant Coffee still has Health Benefits"

Pesticides in Coffee and Tea

This really sucks, but it was brought to my attention yesterday about the growing concern for pesticides in our tea products. I really like tea, and I definitely prefer it over coffee. However, it seems that certain brands of tea have just got out of hand. What makes this suck even more, is that some of the most popular brands are the worst, such as Lipton and Celestial Seasonings. Now, of course we live in a world full of poisons, chemicals and food additives, and a lot of our produce (fruits & vegetables) are already loaded, but we can at least wash some of it off. I can't really wash my tea leaves off before brewing them nor am I going to even try.

Instead of me giving out facts and figures, if you are interested, check out the following link:
www.riseearth.com/2013/08/do-you-know-whats-really-in-your-tea.html

After reading all of that crap, I quickly got online and ordered me some Organic Green Tea from Legends of China (or whatever it was called) and Organic Chamomile Tea and, while I was at it, even though I normally would buy this as non-organic, I even ordered organic honey. Ha-ha! A little pesticides here and there, I can live with. But they acted like certain brands of tea have far exceeded the limit that the FDA allows. Yikes!

As for the coffee, it appears to be much safer even though it also has pesticides. A quote from Coffee Review states: "The flesh of this fruit is discarded. Along the way the seed is soaked, fermented, and subject to a thorough drying process. Later it is roasted at temperatures exceeding 400°F, and finally broken apart and soaked in near boiling water. Given this history of relentless attrition, it hardly seems possible that much if any of the small amounts of pesticide/fungicide residue permitted by law in green coffee ever make it into the cup." If you are a big coffee fanatic, feel free to read more about that, here: www.coffeereview.com/reference.cfm?ID=121

Anyway, I just thought I'd bring that to the surface, in case anybody isn't aware of this. Thank God there isn't pesticide in my beer yet!

--->'Click Here to Shop for Organic Green Tea<---

---End of Post "Pesticides in Coffee and Tea"

Iodine vs. Bromine, Chlorine, and Fluoride

Some of you may be aware of the growing iodine deficiency that is starting to unknowingly plague many people, once again. Iodine plays a major role in the human body, especially the thyroid gland. In fact, many studies now link an iodine deficiency to breast and thyroid cancer (including other types) along with other disruptions in the body, since iodine acts as an adaptogen, which basically means it helps regulate and normalize various functions throughout the body. Iodine also has a nutritional relationship with selenium. Its importance to the thyroid gland was one of the major reasons why iodine was being added to certain foods and to some of our salt supply, many years ago. However, going by what I've read, the food industry decided to remove iodine from baked goods and replaced it with bromine, over 4 decades ago!

The problem with this, is that not only does bromine replace the much-needed iodine in certain foods, it also blocks and/or makes it even more difficult for the body to absorb iodine. For example, bromine binds to the thyroid gland's receptors for iodine, which hinders the activity of iodine in the thyroid gland itself - and it does this quite effectively, to say the least.

Bromine is not the only enemy for iodine, either, as chlorine and fluoride also have negative effects when concerning this valuable nutrient we call iodine. Some may say that it's an ongoing conspiracy to damage the health of the people at large, but let's not get into that crazy stuff right now. I'm simply posting about iodine because many folks are not aware how, for one, they may not be getting enough and, two, how bromine, chlorine and fluoride blocks and/or affects how your body uses iodine. With that being said, one can actually consume what would normally be enough iodine, but if you eat a lot of baked goods with bromine, for example, or ingest too much fluorine and chlorine, you may actually still be deficient - depending on the degree of these other outside factors.

Instead of me preaching about the health-related factoids at hand, and how or why this may have a big impact on overall health, I'll just provide a few resource links below. What I will do, though, is list a few natural sources of iodine, in case you are trying to avoid taking supplements. Seafood is an excellent source, by the way, but not everybody likes seafood for some reason. When listing plant sources that spawn from the ground, it is a bit harder to accurately determine the iodine content because it really depends on the quality of the soils being used to grow such things.

At any rate, the most common (natural) sources of iodine come from seafood of all types - especially cold-water fish like Cod/Pollock/Tuna and shrimp, etc. Seaweed is an excellent source of iodine, too. Depending on the animal feed, iodine can often be found at respectable amounts in milk and other dairy products like cheese. Chicken eggs can also contain a decent amount of iodine. Potatoes (skin included) are also a good source and even corn has a fair amount. Many of the green leafy vegetables and various types of fruit can all have trace amounts, but there again, we get back into the "how much bromine, chlorine and fluoride do you ingest?" type of query if you are only getting small amounts of iodine.

To further your reading:
* beforeitsnews.com/health/2011/12/iodine-vs-bromine-what-they-are-not-telling-you-1467639.html
* www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?noframes%3Aread=146203

--->'Click Here' to Search for Iodine Supplements Online<---

---End of Post "Iodine vs. Bromine, Chlorine, and Fluoride"