Posts in General Information
What’s In a Name?
The United States is the land of opportunity. The opportunity to: 1. Call any sparkling wine champagne. 2. Call a red wine Bordeaux or Chianti even if it was grown, fermented and bottled thousands of miles from Bordeaux or Chianti. 3. Call mozzarella fresh when it has neither the taste ... more
Read moreB Vitamin Shots and Weight Loss
A recent promotion by a weight loss center offered twelve vitamin B-12 and B-6 injections for $29. A $300 value equal to $25 per injection. The ad does not specify the dosage so you can’t tell what percentage of the daily recommendation for B-12 and B-6 are in each injection. ... more
Read moreReducing Chemicals and Starch in Cooked Rice
Testing by a major consumer organization in the United States found high levels of arsenic especially inorganic arsenic that is a known to cause bladder, lung and skin cancer in humans in all samples of rice tested. Brown rice, which is higher in fiber than white rice, had higher levels ... more
Read moreContains 18 Grams of Whole Grain
“There’s a sucker born every minute.” P.T. Barnum This is the mantra of many manufactured and fast food marketing departments. How do you make a product or food with little or no nutritional value appear to be healthy for you or at least healthier? Food manufactures and restaurants know many ... more
Read moreHomemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Tomatoes are an abundant crop in southern Italy. Ripe Roma (plum) tomatoes are pureed and made into tomato sauce or halved and placed out in the sun to dry. Flavor packed sun dried tomatoes is a common ingredient in Italian recipes ranging from antipasto to entrees. It you have abundant, ... more
Read moreDebate Over Fructose
In recent years the sugar fructose in high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been linked to obesity, diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Media coverage might lead some people to think all fructose is bad which is far from the truth. Fructose is found in fruits, vegetables, honey and sugar ... more
Read moreRolled Oats vs. Steel Cut Oats
For decades, oatmeal in the United States was dominated by rolled oats. The original variety was made from steamed and rolled whole oat grouts. Regular, also known as old-fashion, oats is a whole grain that can reduce blood cholesterol. A bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, lunch or dinner is a ... more
Read moreAbout Wheat Flours
Most Americans think of refined wheat flour when they hear the word flour. Until very recently, refined white wheat flour was the only flour sold in most stores. That is changing. Today, Americans can buy a variety of wheat and other flours. Flour is also milled from corn, rice, rye, ... more
Read moreDieting and Portion Size
One of the biggest myths about dieting to lose weight is that portion sizes must be no larger than a deck of playing cards. Several diet plans and manufacturers of lean frozen entrees limit portion sizes to 350 calories or less. But there is no rule stating thou shalt eat ... more
Read moreWorthless Warranties
The goal of many American manufacturers and retailers is too sell products at the lowest possible cost no matter how low the quality or how much it will cost consumers in the long run. If you love to cook and bake, it usually isn’t worth the few dollars you save ... more
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