Experiment: Changing Supplements

According to several sources I've read about, adequate vitamin D ingestion can help support your immune system.  I tested as being pretty low on vitamin D so I started taking supplements of 1000 IU of D3 per day, which I increased (based on feedback from my naturopath) to 2000 IU per day.

In addition to this, I have stopped using hand sanitizer.  In fact, the last bug I caught was after using hand sanitizer so it occurred to me that it might be removing good bacteria as well as the bad stuff.

So here is my experiment:

1.  2000 IU of vitamin D3, in supplement form, per day.  (In case you're curious, I'm taking this SISU brand product)

2.  Hand washing.  I wash my hands almost as soon as I get home and before I start to work with food or do anything, really.  Back and front, using a natural soap if I can (it usually ends up being the fruit and vegetable wash liquid).

3.  Switched brands of vitamin C to the SISU brand as well -- I suspected that the Genestra product (C-1000 with bioflavinoids) I've been using for years was no longer quite doing the trick. One a day (1000 mg) of vitamin C.  This one has Ester C.

4.  Ran out of my normal calcium, so I started using the SISU brand of that as well.  It's a coincidence -- honest!  I'm taking 4 pills (2 with lunch and 2 in the evening) per day.

5.  My usual B-12 folic acid supplement in the morning when I remember to take it.  That one isn't SISU -- at least not right now!

OH!  I just remembered one other change I've made ... I'm drinking boiled water from the kettle at work rather than using (and re-using) either my stainless steel water bottle or plastic bottles.

Let's see how it goes ... fingers crossed ...

so ... do vitamins help or not? studies show ...

An old friend, who also happens to be a doctor down in the States, sent me a really interesting article from the New York Times yesterday on the results of studies done on vitamin consumption and their impact on health (News Keeps Getting Worse for Vitamins by Tara Parker-Pope, November 20, 2008).

Factoid #1: Long-term ingestion of vitamins C and/or E don't seem to help prevent cancer.

Factoid #2: Vitamins C and E do not seem to prevent heart disease.

Factoid #3: Vitamin C seems to not only protect healthy cells but cancerous cells as well.

Factoid #4: Vitamin E, especially when taken in combination with other vitamins and/or minerals, seems to actually account for a HIGHER mortality rate (4% if only taking vitamin E -- 6% if taking vitamin E in combination with other vitamins/minerals -- according to one study) than taking nothing at all.

Factoid #5: In one study, people being treated with radiation for neck and head cancer were given doses of vitamin E. It seemed to reduce the side-effects of the radiation, but the cancer recurrence rates seemed to be higher in the group taking vitamin E.

On a positive note ... well, it's not all bad. B12/folic acid is still a good thing if you're a woman of child-bearing age. And taking calcium does seem to help with osteoperosis if you're a woman over the age of 65.

It's a fascinating article - suggest you check it out.

drinking coffee protects your liver? who knew?!?

I am a coffee drinker.

But apparently, in some respects, that has now been found to be a good thing.  According to an article I just read online in RealAge, the benefits of consuming coffee include:

• improved liver function
• decreased mortality from certain diseases
• ingestion of some great anti-oxidants

Sounds (reads) too good to be true.  But if it is ... woo hoo!

Wander on over to Real Age to read this article or just the highlights if you want to find out more about this.

to vaccinate or not to vaccinate ... interesting article

Read an interesting article in the September/October 2008 edition of Mother Jones Magazine on the safety of vaccinations and your kids.

Given that I have a kid myself - and was torn when it came to vaccinating him - I was curious as to what this particular magazine writer's take would be on the subject. The author of the article, Arthur Allen, has written a book on the subject called Vaccine ... and seems to be saying that the problems associated with vaccinations are unproven, and that the risks of NOT vaccinating are so much higher.

One of the most interesting points he makes are that there is a corollary between educational level received and outbreaks of illnesses which would be otherwise covered by preventative vaccinations. PhD? Chances are better that you chose to not get your child those shots.

Worth a read -- check out the article and let me know what you think.

And if you want to pick up Arthur Allen's book, feel free to get it from Amazon.ca -- it will help support my book habit! :)

Gluten-Free Baked Yumminess in the GTA

Avoiding gluten is different from avoiding wheat, although wheat is one of the "don't consume" items on the gluten-free diet list. It's a big issue in our family, especially for me.

Something to be aware of when reading labels on gluten-free products is that other allergens, such as corn or dairy products or eggs or even beans (including soy), are frequently used as substitutes for wheat gluten. If you or anyone you know has issues with any of those other ingredients, make sure to be careful with gluten-free labeling.

Glutino is a widely-distributed (both online and offline) maker of gluten-free foods based out of the province of Quebec in Canada-- I've found it in most supermarkets and health food stores. However, they do tend to use dairy products and corn in most of their products, so it's not a great option for me personally.

One of my personal favourites is Kinnikinnick based out of Alberta, Canada. Always read the labels though -- some (but not all) of their baked goods can contain dairy. I'm particularly fond of their brown rice and tapioca bread. Like Glutino, they seem to have a pretty extensive distribution network and can be found in most supermarket chains as well as health food stores.

In terms of consistent safety, I have to say that Whole Foods -- while the most expensive of the various product options -- is also one of the cleanest from a gluten-free perspective. The down-side is that Whole Foods baked products are only available at their stores, and unless you live close to one -- in no way a given in Canada -- these are just not an option for you.

El Peto is widely available in Loblaws, Great Canadian Superstore and many health food stores. Accessibility is a good thing. On the down side, they frequently use corn starch (which can be an allergy issue, at least for me) as well as some multi-syllabic ingredients which I can't pronounce and have to actually work hard to figure out what they are.

For a treat in and around the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), falling under the OMG-it-tastes-sooooo-good variety of foods, check out:

1. I Can't Believe It's Gluten-Free! (available at health food stores across the GTA, but they don't seem to have a web site) -- great baked goods, but be careful to watch for dairy and sometimes bean flours. Their frozen baked goods are defrosted squares of heaven. I've found them at Evergreen Natural Foods (St. Clair Avenue at Bathurst) and Planet Organic Market (Bathurst south of Center Street) and Ambrosia Natural Foods (on Doncaster, east off of Yonge and north of Steeles).
   
2. Mollie B . Their pecan tarts are unbelievable. Up side is that they are gluten free. Down side is that they are definitively NOT dairy free. I've seen them for sale at Whole Foods (Avenue Road/Hazelton Lanes location) and The Big Carrot (Danforth Avenue a few blocks east of Broadview).
   

I'll post more options here soon.

In the meantime, if you're looking for ingredients which are not safe for a gluten-free diet, please take a look here at my sister site Feed My Kid!

Enjoy!

Product Review: Germ-Force by Prairie Naturals

Today's product review (after a relatively lengthy hiatus, natch) is for something I picked up over the weekend to replace the Purell bottle on my desk prior to the start of the hard-core flu season.

Product: Germ-Force, produced by Prairie Naturals.

Sub-Heading: "moisturizing hand sanitizer | antibacterial | paraben free

Ingredient List:

1.  denatured grain alcohol

This ingredient is not specifically tagged in the Skin Deep database.  The closest matches I could find were for either "alcohol denatured" (weighing in at a hefty 4/10) or "alcohol, denatured 38F" (weighing in at a much more comfortable 0/10) or "alcohol, denatured 3A" (also at a nice 0/10 on the hazard scale).  

If we're talking about the 4/10 rating, the specific risks were:

• Cancer
• Developmental/Reproductive Toxicity
• Strong Concern:Multiple, Additive Exposure Sources
• Strong Concern:Enhanced Skin Absorption
• Moderate Concern:Organ System Toxicity (non-reproductive)
• Moderate Concern: Irritation (skin, eyes or lungs)

2. aloe vera gel

This ingredient was ranked at 1/10 on the hazard risk scale, which classifies as a "low hazard" risk.   Specific risks based on the SkinDeep ranking system include:

• Developmental/Reproductive Toxicity
• Violations, Restrictions & Warnings
• Lesser or Emerging Concerns:  Organ System Toxicity (non-reproductive)
• Lesser or Emerging Concerns:  Data Gaps

3. vegetable glycerin

This ingredient was ranked at 1/10 on the hazard risk scale, which classifies as a "low hazard" risk.  The specific risks are listed as follows:

• Moderate Concern: Organ System Toxicity (non-reproductive)
• Lesser or Emerging Concern: Data Gaps

4. natural fragrance of green apple

No match was found for this ingredient.

For more information on Prairie Naturals in the Skin Deep Database, here is where to go.

Summary: 

Out of four ingredients, two rated a 1/10, one rated either a 0/10 or a 4/10 (so I'm going to split the difference at 2/10), and one contained no information for the substance so I'm not going to include it in the ranking.

Based on the above, it looks like this product nets out at approximately 1.333 on the hazard rankings on a scale from 0-10.  Low hazard.

What do you think?  Are you comfortable with this?

Blog Clean-Up

I've decided to clean up this blog and remove the CFIA recall notices.

To subscribe to the CFIA email blasts, go here (http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/tools/listserv/listsube.shtml)

Hope this helps!