Proper Storage For Basil

Keep Basil In The Sun

Basil needs sunlight

You shouldn’t store basil cuttings in the refrigerator because your basil needs sunshine. Basil wilts in the refrigerator.

Place your basil in a half cup of fresh cool water, and then place the cup on the sill of a sunny window. Your basil will last a lot longer. If it sprouts roots, it means that you can replant it and keep growing basil from that sampling.

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Proper Storage For Cucumbers

Cucumbers don't fare well when they are stored in the fridge. They quickly become waterlogged and lose a lot of their flavor. 

Store on your counter or in the pantry, not in the refrigerator

If you store your cucumbers on your counter or in a pantry, keep an eye on them to check or spoilage. The smell of a rotten cucumber will alert you days after it spoiled which is not pleasant.  

If you want cool cucumbers to put on your eyes or as another beauty treatment, just before you are ready to use them, dunk the slices of cucumber in ice water for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove and use.


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Did You Know? Storing Jam

Store Your Jam In The Pantry

Jam has a lot of natural and artificial preservatives and it has a very long shelf life without refrigeration. If you think by keeping it in the fridge that it will last longer, it won't.  The only difference is in the composition of the sugar; it loses sweetness in the cold.

Jam is best stored in the pantry.

What will make your jam last longer is not contaminating the jar with what is on the knife or spoon that you dip into it - like butter, apple butter, peanut butter, cheese, breadsticks, french toast cubes, etc.  Use a clean knife each time you are changing your dipping so you don't have butter residue mixed in the jam. All these things will make your jam spoil much faster.

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Did You Know? Weight Loss

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People weigh less on Friday than any other day of the week.

If you are an ardent weight watcher, track your numbers after you weigh yourself every day. 

Within a few weeks you will notice that you are heavier in the beginning of your work week than you are at the end of your work week.

Researchers from Cornell University tracked 80 adults for a year.  When they weighed themselves every day, they were lightest on Fridays and heaviest on Mondays.  Their weekends were full of fun activities like going out to restaurants for dinner, drinking alcohol, and eating late night snacks. These pleasures were likely the reason for their high numbers they saw on Mondays.


 By working all week at a busier schedule, andby  eating a little more responsibly during the week, their weight hit a low point on Fridays, just in time to go out on the weekend for guilt-free dining and fun with friends.  


The study results may also indicate that the subjects were more careful to eat more responsibly during the week knowing they were going to overindulge on the weekend.


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Did You Know? Hot Sauce

Hot Sauce Is Supposed To Be Hot

When it comes to any kind of hot sauce, you have to remember that these products have a pretty long shelf life. They’re full of natural preservatives like vinegar and they often don’t contain very many actual fruits or vegetables.

Hot Sauce would be called Cold Sauce if it was supposed to be stored in the fridge.

You should store hot sauce away from direct sunlight and keep it in a cool, dry place like a pantry or a cupboard. If you’re a hot sauce fanatic, you might just want to leave it on the table because you know you’re going to use it again with your next meal.

Did You Know? Proper Storage of Garlic

Keep Garlic Out Of The Fridge

Garlic is a food item that doesn’t need to be stored in the fridge. If you do like to keep it cold, know that it can get rubbery and even start to sprout. It can look totally normal, but then when you cut it open, you’ll notice little green sprouts inside.

Garlic is best stored in a Garlic Jar. 
Do you have one?

Leave your garlic in a specialized garlic jar with a lid. Or you can store it in a pair of breathable nylon pantyhose. 

However, you can also peel the garlic and store the peeled cloves in a proper container in your freezer. The cold of the freezer is different than the cold from the refrigerator. A freezer maintains a constant in the freezer's sub-freezing temperatures while a refrigerator is always playing catch up as it cycles so the temperature keeps cycling within the pre-set range.

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Did You Know? Proper Storage For Honey

Oh Honey, Don’t Put Honey In The Fridge

You shouldn’t store honey in the refrigerator. The cold air will cause the honey to crystallize, which isn’t good. 

If your honey does crystallize, just put the whole jar in a warm water bath to dissolve the crystals.

 

According to Martha Stewart, Honey doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge or freezer for it to last a long time.

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Did You Know? Refrigerating Eggs

Eggs Don’t Need To Be In The Fridge

In many countries, eggs aren’t kept in the refrigerator in grocery stores or in people’s homes. That’s how it’s done across the pond in the UK. 

A recent study discovered that it actually makes no difference whether or not you store your eggs in the fridge, so you need extra fridge space, you can be comfortable taking out the eggs for a few days.

Eggs won't go bad if they aren't stored in the refrigerator

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Did You Know? Proper Storage of Citrus Fruits

Citrus Fruits Belong In The Pantry

Typically, ripe fruit is sweet fruit, which means that fruit that’s kept at room temperature will ripen more quickly and develop more sweetness. Citrus fruit can be rather sour if it’s not given enough time or space to ripen.

Citrus fruit kept at room temperature will ripen faster

Keep fruits like oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes out of the fridge. 

If you absolutely love cold oranges, store them outside of the fridge, but pop them into the fridge an hour or two before you want to eat them.

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Did You Know? Storing Chocolate

Chocolate Doesn’t Belong In The Fridge (Sorry)

I know a lot of people absolutely love cold chocolate, but the ideal temperature for chocolate is actually between 65 and 68°F, which is much warmer than the average refrigerator.

If you live in a warm climate, it is OK
to store your chocolate in the fridge.

Only store your chocolate in the fridge if you live in a very warm part of the world and your chocolate is at risk of melting completely. 

If you really love super cold chocolate though,  feel free to keep eating it that way.

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Probiotics vs. Prebiotics

There is a difference between Probiotics and Prebiotics.

The Difference Between Prebiotics and Probiotics

Probiotics are live organisms in the form of bacteria that is similar to those naturally found in the intestines. Probiotics maintain the balance of good bacteria and bad bacteria in the human gut. 

The discovery of Probiotics came about in the early 20th century when a researcher, Elie Metchnikoff, observed the diets of rural dwellers in Bulgaria who lived to very old ages despite their harsh living conditions. 

He found that by manipulating intestinal microbes with host-friendly bacteria as found in sour milk, that senility could be delayed and the body would enjoy better health.  

Our bodies normally have good bacteria and bad bacteria. When bad bacteria outnumber the good, disease sets in.   

Prebiotics comes before Probiotics. 

A Prebiotic is a nondigestible carbohydrate that acts like a food and stimulates the growth of microbes to get the gut ready for Probiotics.  

Prebiotics have health benefits of acting as a remedy for gastrointestinal complaints such as constipation, IBS, decreasing allergic inflammation,  treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and fighting autoimmune diseases. The word ‘prebiotic’ is seldom used on product labels. Instead, look in the ingredients list for Inulin, Chicory fiber, or Fructo-oligosaccharides just to name a few.

Our lifestyles of poor diet choices, use of illegal drugs, overdoing it in general, abuse of antibiotics and supplements, and environmental stressors can change the balance of bacteria in our gut so that we are no longer as protected from disease. 

When a healthy diet isn't possible, take a supplement.

Probiotics balance the good and bad bacteria keeping digestive tract healthy.  Most Probiotic products require efrigeration which is best, but some formulas don't require refrigeration, so always read labels.

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The Dietary Supplement Mystery

The older generation knows this already, but the younger generation might not. 

In the United States, none of the herbal and dietary supplements that are for sale for humans or pets are FDA Approved. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also doesn't perform any product testing or evaluations before products are offered for sale.  


That doesn't mean these products were never tested. It just means a government or federal health agency never tested them.  

There is no FDA oversight about health claims
 BEFORE a supplement is offered for sale

The dietary supplement industry is a conundrum in the United States and to some people, it really defies logic.  Consider this:

- The FDA regulates drugs, but not dietary supplements.  

- Since dietary supplements primarily do not cure, treat or prevent disease, they are considered food, not drugs. 

- As food, the manufacturers are still required to follow the same standards that all food manufacturers and distributors must follow regarding manufacturing, labeling and sanitary conditions.

 - Manufacturers do not have to submit the results of any of their testing or research to the FDA before their product hits the store shelves.  But they must have it on hand if it is requested.

- No matter what amazing medical miracles that a manufacturer's research turned up when they self-tested their product, they are still not permitted to make those medical claims about their products because then their products would be considered drugs. 

- When a dietary supplement makes medical claims, it is only then that the FDA takes notice, followed by their own testing and research. If the claims are proven to be true, the supplement is now a drug and must conform to much more strict drug regulations.

It is a fact that the FDA has given this industry free rein to market their products with very little oversight before their products hit the shelves. 

Supplement manufacturers are on the honor system that they won't make bogus or unsupported medical claims about their product to say it can cure, prevent, or treat a certain ailment or disease.  

 

Manufacturers will try to market cures until they get caught

But it is worth the time, money and risk investment for supplement manufacturers to take a chance by listing medical claims in their advertising and on labels, to risk getting caught by the short hairs for doing it because, by the time they get caught, they will have most likely made some money on their product.  If their product just happens to be true to its medical claims, this will only go to support their cause when the FDA calls them to task for violations.

But, that won't happen by chance.  

The FDA does perform some spot checks on the internet and the advertisements in popular print publications looking for bogus or unsubstantiated claims, but they really don't have the staff to keep up. They rely on consumers to submit a complaint or report.  

What consumer is going to report a product if it worked for them?  None.  

The majority of products that get reported are the ones that don't live up to the expected advertised claims OR if a product poses a safety or public health threat.

There is one other way that a product gets the FDA's attention and that is when it poses a threat to the pharmaceutical industry where it may cut into their expected profits.  

It is a well-known fact that cancer drugs are the pharmaceutical industry's golden calf, their primary money maker.  Any dietary or herbal supplement that says it can do any part of what a cancer drug does for the patient is going to get attention. From everybody.

We don't like the system that is in place and if you have read up to this point, we don't think you will like it either.


The FDA can bring action by sending a warning, advisory or cease and desist letters to manufacturers but not until after that line has been crossed.   By then, a fair percentage of the public probably already purchased the product. Even then, the FDA doesn't do its own testing. It relies on what the manufacturer has submitted to them from their own testing and research.

They could put 'anything' in that file - and I'll bet some do - but the FDA will take them at their word after reading the paperwork.

Essentially the public is a guinea pig.

We need more watchdogs in this industry because there are so many products for sale that make amazing claims and are still on the store shelves.  

Just one look at the health infographics on Pinterest will show you that the wording is out of hand.  Nearly every infographic or health picture uses wording that makes a claim that the product will "prevent, treat or help to cure."

We are concerned that consumers believe what they have read about products.  We shouldn't live in a world where the consumer is the guinea pig, where the consumer has to get hurt first before the FDA or other health agencies step in to rectify or protect them.

We shouldn't allow manufacturers to police themselves because then we are allowing the fox to watch the henhouse.

They are in business to make a profit. If they are allowed to market first and deal with consequences later, then it won't be long before other businesses follow the same model.  Then we can kiss goodbye to life as we know it because the consumer is not respected enough to be given consideration before the fact, only after.

We will be opening our two dedicated medical blogs where we cover dietary supplements on one and the other blog covers all manners of diseases and treatments.  By far, we expect the dietary supplement website to be busier because of the public's interest.  We expect to be open by Labor Day 2019.  We hope you will check us out and stop by every day to see what is new.

Thank you for reading.  Your comments are welcome.

The Proper Storage For Cereal

I Really Hope Nobody Keeps Cereal In The Fridge

I don’t know anybody who stores cereal in the fridge. I shouldn’t need to say this, but the fridge is not a place where cereal belongs. The moisture inside will cause the cereal to wilt and become much less crunchy.

There are some people who store cereal in the fridge,
but it isn't proper storage.  Food companies go to great lengths with
additives to keep their cereal from becoming moist in the box.
So why put it in the fridge?

Cereal should always be stored in a cool dry place, such as a pantry or a cupboard. 

Nobody likes soggy cereal. 

Hmm. . . Unless you’re one of those people who like soggy cereal. . .

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DID YOU KNOW? STORING BREAD

Don’t Dry Out Your Bread

Nothing dries out bread faster than leaving it in the refrigerator. At cold temperatures, the bread will turn stale, dry, and tasteless. Also, the bread acts as a kind of sponge and it will soak up whatever odors are lingering around your fridge.

Store bread in a breadbox, or in your microwave, but
never in the refrigerator

To be safe, store leftover bread in a breadbox. It is a closed-off box that will keep moisture from escaping from your delicious bread. If you don’t have a breadbox, you can always store your bread in a microwave. Just make sure you don’t accidentally turn it on.

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How To Grow Your Own Basil

Grow Your Own Basil

You shouldn’t store basil cuttings in the fridge. Refrigerators are dark and your basil can’t get any sunlight in there. Basil has been known to wilt in the fridge.

Basil

Place any leftover basil in a cup half full of fresh water, and then place that cup by a sunny window. 

Your basil will last a lot longer, and it may even sprout roots, which means that you can replant it and grow infinite basil.

Ice Cold Melons

Melons Don’t 'Need' To Be Refrigerated

But they sure taste good ice cold. However, when melons are kept at room temperature, their natural antioxidant levels stay in balance so that their health benefits stay intact.

Melons lose some health benefits when placed
 in the fridge. Store at room temperature

If you want delicious ice-cold melons, store them at room temperature. About two hours before you are ready to eat them, slice the melons to your preference, then layer them on plates. Cover with plastic wrap, then place in the fridge.  Enjoy ice-cold melon one to two hours later.

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Did You Know? Avocados

Avocados should not be stored in the fridge.

Avocados 

Avocados Do Better On The Counter

If you have some unripe avocados that you want to ripen up, the fridge is definitely not the place for them. 

The cold air causes avocados to ripen more slowly. 

Leave your avocados in a cool, dry place, like on your counter left  open (uncovered).

LIES ABOUT FOLIC ACID - VITAMIN B-9

Don't believe everything you read on Infographics. 
Some, like this one, have false information

Are you a reader of infographics?  

If so, I will bet that you believe that they were written by experts, or at the very least by someone who had some medical background.

 They didn't. 

If you believe the information on them, please don't.

Infographics are created with a computer program by people just like you and me. They make them for lots of reasons. 

Primarily they are informing others that: 

1) they know how to make cool infographics 
2) that they can copy and paste like a pro
3) that they didn't research the information

Instead, they copied the information from one or more sources and they never bothered to research to see if the information was true.

In other words, they didn't do any homework.

I would like to point out some information on this infographic. It is only one infographic from among a dozen or more on Pinterest with false or misleading information.

This one states that Folic Acid is Vitamin B-12.  It is not.

Folic Acid is and always has been Vitamin B-9.  


It also states that Folate deficiency can be diagnosed with a blood test.  The fact is that it must be diagnosed with a blood test since that is the only way to measure it.  

_________________________________

It is true that Folic Acid is not helpful for people who have normal blood levels.  

It is true that Folic Acid is primarily helpful to pregnant and nursing women.

It is true that Folic Acid works best when taken with Vitamin B-12 and Vitamin C.

But there are a few other things that are not true.

_________________________________

There is another incorrect value on this infographic that could lead to detrimental side effects.

This is especially concerning if the reader is an uninformed consumer who believed what she read, and ran right out to Walgreens to buy Vitamin B-12 to start their daily RDA of 400 mg. (milligrams).

If that same consumer learned after she arrived at the store that Folic Acid was indeed Vitamin B-9 and not Vitamin B-12 and had she bought Vitamin B-9 instead, that consumer could become very ill with devastating side effects from overdosing on 400 mg of Vitamin B-9.

The infographic SHOULD SAY 400 mcg.

One milligram equals 1000 mcg.
 
So 400 mg is 400,000 mcg.

Oh My!

_________________________________

It may not seem like a big deal, but it really is a big deal when so many people rely on the information they read on infographics, especially on Pinterest.  

Please read the demonstration at the end of this post.

Be smart. 

Research before you put your beliefs into what you have read on infographics.

_________________________________

Other errors are on the description at the top where it says the vitamin "prevents obesity, prevents heart disease and various cancers, including colon cancer."

This is not true either.  It is actually illegal to say any supplement "prevents" a certain disease or ailment.

People who have obesity or colon cancer in their family history will expect to be protected and may find they became obese or got colon cancer anyway. 



Listed in the BENEFICIAL box on the right, the author claims that Folic Acid is beneficial for "thwarting heart disease" and "helps keep the brain young."  


This is also a falsehood, probably copied from somewhere, but more likely the creator is fudging the benefits of Folic Acid. 

People expecting their brain to keep young are going to be very disappointed.


There's no conclusive scientific evidence that Folic Acid keeps your brain young and it has no effect in thwarting, putting off, preventing or treating heart disease, colon cancer, or obesity. 

These are buzzwords (or keywords) meant to capture Search Engine robots to place the infographic better in search results.

Your body gets the amount of Folic Acid that it needs from your normal daily diet.  It is a water-soluble vitamin which means it is not stored for later use.  Taken in normal doses, whatever the body doesn't need washes out of the body with urine. 


See for yourself. Search for Folic Acid benefits on Google. Then visit at least five different websites to make sure the information is the same.  

_________________________________


So what are some of those devastating side effects I talked about?   Ok, here goes.  These were results on all ages of patients who were given 15 mg of Folic Acid for 30 days.

FIFTEEN milligrams, not 400 mcg, not 400 mg.

If the uninformed consumer who went to Walgreen's to buy Folic Acid also has kidney disease (or on dialysis), has an infection, is an alcoholic, or has any type of anemia that has not been confirmed with laboratory testing, Folic Acid is not advised. 

But if that uninformed consumer didn't know that, she would be taking a lethal dose.

_________________________________

In one test study of 100 epilepsy patients, the National Institute of Health (NIH) reported that after taking 15 mg a day for 30 days, increased seizure activity was seen in some epileptic patients whose daily medications included phenobarbital, primidone, or diphenylhydantoin.  

_________________________________

In an NIH study of patients ages 50 -75 years old who received 15 mg daily dose of Folic Acid for one month, the following overdose symptoms were observed:  

numbness or tingling, mouth or tongue pain, weakness, tired feeling confusion, or trouble concentrating, nausea, abdominal distension, flatulence, bitter or bad taste, altered sleep patterns, difficulty concentrating, overactivity, and impaired judgment, allergic responses including skin rash, itching, general malaise, respiratory difficulty due to bronchospasm, anaphylaxis including shock, irritability, excitement, mental depression, and confusion.

If the uninformed consumer who arrived at Walgreens to purchase Folic Acid also takes any of these medications, the side effects are stronger: 

raltitrexed (brand name Tomudex for chemotherapy), phenytoin (Dilantin), methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall), nitrofurantoin, an antibiotic (Macrodantin, Macrobid), tetracycline, an antibiotic (Ala-Tet, Brodspec, Sumycin), a barbiturate such as butabarbital (Butisol), secobarbital (Seconal), pentobarbital (Nembutal), or phenobarbital (Solfoton), or pyrimethamine (Daraprim) which is an antimalarial drug that is like Quinine.

Many people, young and old, are routinely prescribed a form of Quinine for leg cramps.

_________________________________

Now, suppose the uninformed consumer who went to Walgreens to buy Folic Acid was a 79-year-old female senior citizen who after believing the incredible claims that she read on an infographic on Pinterest proceeded to take 400 milligrams of Vitamin B-9 (Folic Acid).

After 30 days at 400 milligrams a day, she was suffering from mental depression, confusion, impaired judgment, periods of dementia, and fluctuated back and forth between irritability and outbursts. 

Her family doctor gave her a cursory exam without benefit of extensive testing and concluded she was a victim of dementia that comes with old age.  He was unaware that she was taking mega-doses of Vitamin B-9.

The family followed the doctor's advice to admit her into a long term nursing facility where the intake coordinator decided to place her in the psych wing.  Families usually don't bother to investigate. They'll assume that their loved one finally got Alzheimer's Disease and they will follow a doctor's advice.

She wasn't crazy. She took a dietary supplement in overdose amounts for 30 days that caused the symptoms.  

Even though Folic Acid is a water-soluble vitamin, senior citizens can't drink the amount of water needed every single day to wash out even half out of the mega-dose she took every day.  After 30 days at such high doses, it can cause permanent damage.

She will only get worse. She will likely be ignored just like other patients in facilities like that because no one listens to or talks to senior citizens who aren't "with it."  Because of little or no interaction with others, symptoms have two levels  - they either stay the same or they get worse.

She will remain there in that condition because it was logically assumed that her mental symptoms are a normal progression for a senior citizen.  

All because no one did any research.

That is what it all comes down to - Research. 

Do yours. I did mine.

Please tell your friends about this post that they should research first before they believe what they read on health-related infographics.  Thank you.

Did You Know? Apple Storage

Don't Put Apples In the Fridge

Apples can last one to two weeks when kept at room temperature, but they start to get mealy very quickly in the fridge. 






Also, apples can cause other fruits to ripen more quickly because of the natural gas that they emit. You don’t want to trap all of that gas in your fridge with your other perishables.


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Did You Know? Bananas Trick

Keep bananas from spoiling by ....

You probably already heard about wrapping banana steps in plastic wrap so it makes them last a few days longer.  Well, it turns out that tin foil is just as good. Give it a try!