me, in Fjord country, Norway.
Health, Food, and Travel
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Fish - from the Perspective of Health
High in Omega-3 and Low in Mercury
Fish
|
Omega-3
|
Mercury
|
Salmon Atlantic
|
2.147
|
0.015
|
Salmon King (Chinook)
|
1.737
|
|
Salmon Pink
|
1.288
|
|
Salmon Coho
|
1.279
|
|
Salmon Sockeye
|
1.23
|
|
Salmon Chum (Keta)
|
1.175
|
|
Trout
| 1.154 | 0.025 |
Herring
| 2.149 | 0.048 |
Sardine
|
0.982
|
0.010
|
Anchovy
|
2.055
|
0.014
|
Shad (River Herring)
|
2.407
|
0.039
|
Caviar/Fish Roe
|
6.541
|
|
Mussel
|
0.782
|
|
Oyster
|
1.376
|
0.012
|
The fishes actually belong to only two groups.
1) The Salmonidae family includes salmon, trout, char, and whitefish.
2) The Clupeiformes order includes herring, sardine, shads, menhaden, and anchovy.
It is unfortunate that "shad" can refer to Alosa (river herring), a low mercury fish, or Pomatomus, a high mercury fish.
Fish
|
Mercury
|
Shark
|
0.979
|
Swordfish
|
0.870
|
Tuna (except Light)
|
0.560
|
Marlin
|
0.390
|
Mackerel King
|
0.730
|
Mackerel Spanish
|
0.454
|
Orange Roughy
|
0.562
|
Grouper
|
0.448
|
Tilefish (Golden Snapper, White Snapper)
|
1.450
|
Chilean sea bass
|
0.303
|
Bluefish
|
0.305
|
Sablefish (black cod)
|
0.265
|
CROAKER WHITE (Pacific)
|
0.280
|
references
FDA
//www.fda.gov/food/foodborneillnesscontaminants/metals/ucm115644.htm
FDA
//www.fda.gov/food/foodborneillnesscontaminants/metals/ucm115644.htm
//www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/report/html/table_g2_adda2.htm
EWG
//www.ewg.org/research/us-gives-seafood-eaters-flawed-advice-on-mercury-contamination-healthy-omega-3s
//www.pirg.org/toxics/reports/brainfood/brainfoodreport.pdf
Consumer Reports
//www.ewg.org/research/us-gives-seafood-eaters-flawed-advice-on-mercury-contamination-healthy-omega-3s
//www.pirg.org/toxics/reports/brainfood/brainfoodreport.pdf
Consumer Reports
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Tender Beef
Beef Cuts Ranked by Tenderness
1. Tenderloin
2. Flat Iron
3. Rib-eye (the most flavorful fast cooking part of the whole cow)
4. Short ribs
5. Chuck Eye
Some terminologies
Short loin = top loin + tenderloin
Porterhouse or T-bone = tenderloin + top loin
(also called strip steak,, strip steak, New York strip, strip loin, shell steak,
or Kansas City strip steak)
Monday, July 28, 2014
Real Extra Virgin Olive Oils
According to Tom Mueller
- California Olive Ranch
- Cobram Estate – From Australia Available here:Cost Plus World Markets nationally
- Corto Olive – available at Costco (occasionally)
- Costco Kirkland Toscano –Costco store brand. “Toscano” is Italian, meaning “of Toscany”.
- Lucini
- Oleoestepa
- O-Live
- Ottavio and Omaggio –Ottavio is available at HEB and Central Market, and Omaggio is available at Sam’s Club.
- Trader Joe’sPremium 100% Greek KalamataCalifornia Estate Olive OilPremium Extra Virgin
- Whole Foods California 365
According to LA Weekly
- Kirkland Extra Virgin Organic
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Tooth Enamel Remineralization
Tooth enamel is made of calcium hydroxyapatite, which is a
crystalline calcium phosphate.
Our saliva contains calcium and phosphate. Our saliva can
remineralize the tooth enamel. Acidic food can erode the tooth enamel. After a
tooth grows up from the gum, it is eroded and remineralized every day. In an
ideal situation, these two forces battle to a draw, and the tooth enamel stays
more or less the same. If the rate of erosion is faster than the rate of
remineralization, the tooth enamel gets thinner and thinner. When it is all
gone, saliva can no longer build enamel on bare dentin, and cavities develop.
There are several materials that help remineralize tooth
enamel.
Fluoride. It can
bring calcium and phosphate to the tooth.
Toothpastes containing fluoride: many, such as Colgate Total.
ACP
ACP is Amorphous calcium phosphate. It remineralizes tooth structure.
Toothpastes containing ACP:
ARM & HAMMER: Complete Care Plus Enamel
Strengthening.
CCP–ACP
Casein phosphopeptide, CPP, is a milk protein. When added to
ACP, it has stabilizing qualities. This combined product, casein phosphopeptide
and amorphous calcium phosphate (CCP–ACP) is known as Recaldent, invented at the University of Melbourne, Australia. The
combination of CPP and ACP gives the product a longer exposure time
(substantivity) on the teeth compared to ACP alone.
Toothpastes containing CCP–ACP:
GC America: MI Paste
Trident Xtra Care gum
MI Paste Plus includes the addition of fluoride. The addition of
fluoride to Recaldent has shown improved remineralizing properties over CCP–ACP
alone.
NovaMin
It is calcium sodium phosphosilicate.
Toothpastes containing NovaMin:
Sensodyne Repair & Protect toothpaste (in Europe) ($6.10)
A similar product (sans "Novamin") called Biorepair
is sold in the form of both toothpaste ($11.79) and mouthwash ($18.99), with
the latter also having a pronounced antiseptic effect. (Germany)
Another brand is ApaCare Remineralising Toothpaste, ApaCare
& Repair Tooth Repair Gel (mineralisation after brushing) and ApaCare
Liquid Fluid Enamel. Like Biorepair, it is based on hydroxyapatite
microparticles (hydroxyapatite is the primary mineral found in tooth enamel).
(Germany)
Calcium Silicate and Sodium Phosphate
Regenerate Enamel Science Advanced Toothpaste
Regenerate Enamel Science Advanced Toothpaste
It is made by Unilever.
It re-builds a new layer of white enamel on the teeth
(UK) (£10.00)
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Optimal Sun Exposure
When UVB shines on us, our skin produces vitamin D. Vitamin D
is important in preventing heart disease and cancer, and gives us strong bones.
On the other hand, too much UVR may cause skin cancer.
So, how much sun exposure is optimal?
When UVB shines on us for 15 minutes, our skin can produce
enough vitamin D that our health needs. So, 15 minutes sun exposure per day is
optimal. It strikes a good balance between producing enough vitamin D and
avoiding skin cancer.
For those 15 minutes, I think it is better to let the sun
shine on our body (arms, legs, torso), instead of on our face. Sun damage is
cumulative. Our face gets sun exposure all year round. So, over our lifespan, our
face gets more sun exposure cumulatively than any other part of our body.
And for those 15 minutes, sunscreen should not be applied on
the body, because the sunscreen will block UVB and interfere with our vitamin D
production.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Sunscreen
Chemical ingredients absorb ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Physical
ingredients block UVR.
Sunscreens based on chemical ingredients may cause skin reactions. Some chemical ingredients, such as oxybenzone, may get into the bloodstream. Sunscreens based on physical ingredients do not typically cause skin reactions. I prefer physical ingredients over chemical ingredients.
Sunscreens based on chemical ingredients may cause skin reactions. Some chemical ingredients, such as oxybenzone, may get into the bloodstream. Sunscreens based on physical ingredients do not typically cause skin reactions. I prefer physical ingredients over chemical ingredients.
UVR is divided into UVA1, UVA2, and UVB. UVB affects the top
layer of the skin. UVA affects the top layer and deep layer of the skin. It is
better to choose a sunscreen that block both UVA and UVB. The SPF factor only
indicates how well it blocks UVB.
There are two types of physical ingredients: Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide. This table shows if they block different UVR's and if they clog pores.
Physical
Filters
|
blocks
|
clogs pores
|
Titanium
Dioxide
|
UVB, UVA2
|
yes
|
Zinc Oxide
|
UVB,UVA2,
UVA1
|
no
|
I prefer zinc oxide over titanium dioxide.
Physical blockers can be further divided into non-nano
particles and nanoparticles. Nano is < 100 nm. Nanoparticles can go too
deep under the skin and get into the bloodstream. I prefer non-nano particles.
I prefer sunscreens that do not contain retinyl palmitate. It
may cause skin tumors on sun-exposed skin.
Here are some sunscreens recommended by Environmental Working Group:
Butterbean Sunscreen Original, SPF 20. $18.00 / 7 OZ ($2.57 / OZ)
Non-nano Uncoated Zinc Oxide 20%
Bare Belly Organics Sunscreen Cramm, SPF 30. $15.95 / 4 OZ ($3.99 / OZ)
25% Non-Nanoparticle Zinc Oxide
Badger Sport Sunscreen Cream, SPF 35. $15.28 / 2.9 oz ($5.27 / OZ)
Non-Nano Uncoated Zinc Oxide 22.5%
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