Weight Matters

Weight Matters ...
(copyright © 2012 by Towne Square America™)

Features on this page:

Eat Your Sprouts!

Sproutrageous Fresh Crab San OH MY!

Getting rid of extra poundage
Lose 3 to 5 Pounds FAST
The Cudgel of Salt!

(01/01/2011) Reportage and analysis by: Bil. Alvernaz (bil@alvernaz.com)
(NOTE: Visit Diana’s Blue Moon Cafe™ where all of the menu items are “loaded” with sprouts!)

Eat Your Sprouts!

Somewhere near a Sprouting Tray, America - If you’re not eating sprouts, you’re missing out!

Growing sprouts to eat is one of the most amazing, fun, and magical things you’ll ever experience in your life!

And, while you can “pick some up” at the grocery store, there is nothing like growing your own sprouts ... which is very easy to do. There are no special lights required, nor do you have to worry about digging, planting, or weeding. You just rinse sprouts in a tray (or even a special cloth or hemp bag) ... then, in about five days, you’ll be feasting on a fresh crop of sprouts.

If you are already eating sprouts, most likely they are the sprouts that come in those little plastic containers. But how old are the sprouts in those containers? Who handled them? How were the sprouts handled? The most important question is this: Why pay so much for a limited number of sprouts (that usually don’t last that long anyway) when the cost for a single container is about half of what it would cost to buy an entire pound of seeds that you can sprout yourself? And, sprouting the seeds yourself means you’ll get to discover how incredibly wonderful fresh and “baby” sprouts taste!

When you grow your own sprouts, you can watch them grow on a day by day basis - it’s really fascinating to do watch seeds come to life. In about three to four days, depending on which seeds you are sprouting (we’ll come back to how all of that works a little further on), you can “start right in” putting baby sprouts on salads, in sandwiches, in soups, or just grabbing a bunch and eating them. Sprouts even work well for toppings on fish, meat, pasta, and just about anything else! Unlike the long, “stringy” sprouts you get in containers, with sprouts you grow yourself, you can start eating them as soon as they have “tails” (which are the actual white roots of what would become plants). At that point there will also be the first set of leaves “on the other end.” What you have with each sprout is what would eventually become a full sized plant. Only at this early sprouting stage, you get the entire essence (all of the vitamins and nutrients) of what the plant would have become.

Most importantly, sprouts contain a lot of “good stuff” that you need (and probably wouldn’t otherwise get in such an easy fashion). Sprouts are a complete protein. Sprouts have vitamins all “wrapped up” with minerals, enzymes, and many other aspects for “food as fuel” to put in your body. Oh, and one other thing ... sprouts provide you with a rich source of chlorophyll.

Why is chlorophyll so important? Chlorophyll is what gives plants their green color. Chlorophyll is what plants use to absorb and then process energy from the sun - photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is the life blood of plants that they use for metabolic functions. Chlorophyll is chemically similar in composition to that of human blood, except that the central atom in chlorophyll is magnesium, while iron is central in human blood.

So what’s the “big deal” about Chlorophyll? Here is a brief listing of just some of the known benefits of Chlorophyll (based on numerous studies done over the course of several decades around the world):

It is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and even has wound-healing properties.
It helps in neutralizing the pollution that we breathe in and intake everyday - a good supplement for smokers.
It had been seen to have a good potential in stimulating red blood cells to improve oxygen supply.
Along with other vitamins such as A, C and E, chlorophyll has been seen to help neutralize free radicals that do damage to healthy cells.
It has anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic properties that are helpful in protecting your body against toxins and also in reducing drug side effects.
It efficiently delivers magnesium and helps the blood in carrying the much needed oxygen to all cells and tissues.
It has been seen to help in the growth and repair of tissues ... and it has even been used to treat infected wounds.
It is also found to be useful in assimilating and chelating calcium and other heavy minerals.
It has even been shown to reduce the ability of carcinogens to bind with the DNA in different major organs in the body.
It is also an effective deodorizer to reduce bad breath, urine, fecal waste, and body odor.

Okay, so now you know why you want to “eat your sprouts!” Let’s look at where to get what you need to start “sprouting” which isn’t much at all and is very affordable ... especially if you have been “forking out” three or four bucks for those little plastic containers of sprouts at the store.

To grow your own sprouts, you will need a source of light (near a window or on your kitchen counter top will be perfect). You need a sprouting tray, some seeds to sprout, and water to rinse the sprouts at least twice a day. That’s it!

So let’s start with a source for obtaining your sprouting “materials.” It should be noted that while we are only recommending one source in this feature, there are plenty of places to get what you need. We just know that the place we are recommending is first rate as well as extremely helpful a) to get you started; and b) for all your needs and questions once you get going.

The Sprout People (Gil and Lori) have everything you need. Plus, they are online (have been for over 14 years!) and once you order, it is shipped out to you “lickety-split!” You can find them by clicking here: http://sproutpeople.org/ ... but, don’t take my word for it, read what their customers say about them: http://sproutpeople.org/us/testimonials.html.

Okay, so now you know where to “go explore” to find anything you need for “home sprouting.” Now let’s look at what all is involved to grow your own sprouts.

Nothing to it, really. Here are the steps to grow sprouts:

You soak the seeds in a cup over night.
The next morning you put the soaked seeds in a growing tray or bag (HINT: stick with the growing tray to start with).
Then you rinse the seeds in the tray twice a day ... more rinsing doesn’t hurt, but less rinsing can ruin things. Rinsing is something you can’t forget about, so get everyone in the household involved ... if you go a day or two without rinsing, you’ll lose your crop. Remember, there is no soil. The seeds only get water when you rinse them. It is kind of magic how it works, but the seeds will take care of EVERYTHING so long as you rinse them at least twice a day.
Starting at the third day (depending on which seeds you get), you can start “harvesting” and snacking on your sprouts.

If you’re still not sure about “what all is involved,” then check out this link, because it is the Sprout People’s Instructions for “growing everything!” So go have a look/see ... you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to grow your own sprouts ... so much so that you’ll soon be saying, “Hey, I can do that!”

Here is the link: http://sproutpeople.org/sprouts/grow/instructions.html.

We have some suggestions, along with links, as to what you just might want to start with in the way of seeds for sprouting. These are our favorites, but once you explore your way around the Sprout People web site, you’ll come up with your own “favorite blends” ...

Alfalfa Sprouts - http://sproutpeople.org/seeds/alfalfa.html

These are pretty much what “started the revolution” in the 1970s for sprouts on sandwiches and in salads.
French Garden - http://sproutpeople.org/seeds/french.html

This “blend” has Clover, Arugula, Cress, Radish, Fenugreek, and Dill ... which are all heavenly in a variety of ways.
Mother’s Mix - http://sproutpeople.org/seeds/mothersmix.html

With this one you get Red Clover, Alfalfa, Broccoli, Fenegreek, Natural & Black Sesame, and Garlic Chive. You just can’t beat this combination!
Nick’s Hot Sprout Salad - http://sproutpeople.org/seeds/nicks.html

You just can’t beat this for adding some zesty ZING-DINGY to your food creations! It has Clover, Radish, Fenugreek, Mustard, Dill, Cress, and Celery
Long Life - http://sproutpeople.org/seeds/longlife.html

This “batch” costs more than other combinations, but it is well worth it. You get Broccoli, Red & Green Cabbage, Radish, Mustard, Arugula, Cress, Mizuna, and Tatsoi. Many of these are “Brassicas” and they create a symbiotic blend of delicious nutrition.

So, there you have it ... the who, what, where, why, and how of sprouts ... So? What are you waiting for. Go check out the Sprout People’s web site ... place an order and in no time you’ll have your own sprouting operation “blossoming” before your very eyes! Oh, and you’ll find that “doing sprouts” is a process and “farming operation” that will be enjoyed by all age groups ... kids absolutely love taking care of sprouts (without even knowing they’re learning important life lessons of responsibility and dependability ... and all while having a blast!). For anyone who might have a fondness for fresh crab creations ... read on ...

Sproutrageous Fresh Crab San OH MY!

Now, just to give you yet one more idea of the creative concoctions you can create with sprouts (not to mention the amazing taste sensations), here is the anatomy of one of the most amazing, delicious, mouthwatering, and incredible sandwiches you can come up with to incorporate sprouts into each and every meal you prepare.

Take a healthy portion of fresh crab (this will work with roast beef, chicken, turkey, and just about anything else). Sprinkle a good “dose” of Parmesan Cheese, along with seasoning (no salt if you want to be kind to your heart!). For this sandwich, we also included Swiss Cheese.

Next, stick that part of the sandwich into your microwave or broiler to melt the cheese into the crab. The final part of this creation is “loaded” with baby Mustard and Radish sprouts, along with a mixture of other sprouts that are about five to six days old ... the “baby sprouts” have some real zing and “pop” at two or three days (just when the “tails” are forming, along with the “just sprouting,” tiny, yellowish leaves. We add in a little ground pepper and some mayo. Then we put the “other piece” of toasted whole wheat bread on top. Note: You’ll notice in the photo that this is just a half a sandwich and that is usually plenty, especially if you’re having some fruit with it like an apple. You just can’t ask (or create) a more delicious sandwich ... or, well, maybe you can ... once you start your “sprouting operation,” there is no limit to what you can come up with!

Oh, and if you want to really create a masterpiece for breakfast, try fixing a white egg omelet loaded with sprouts (and anything else you might care to add in)!

(04/22/2010 - Earth Day) Reportage and analysis by: Bil. Alvernaz (bil@alvernaz.com)

The Cudgel of Salt!

Valley Springs, CA - How many times have you watched someone (or even done it yourself) reach for the salt and then dust (heavy or otherwise) food with it? It doesn't matter if it is even a smidgen, it is still too much salt ... and it is definitely adding to a total daily intake of salt that is killing America! Everyone obsesses about calories and fat content while the "salt factor" seems to get lost in the shuffle as significant numbers of people continue to douse white sprinkles all over their food.

Recent reports went on and on about salt "hidden" in our food. Well, hey, folks, salt isn't hidden at all ... JUST READ THE FRICKIN' NUTRITION LABELS! That soup you snatch off the grocery store shelves ... you know, the soup you opt for to "cut down on calories" instead of eating “regular food” ... well, just read that Nutrition Label and you will be shocked. It is hard to find canned soup with less than 700 calories per serving. And, be sure to "check the numbers" for "number of servings," because that is where the biggest deception is kinda, sorta, maybe hidden.

If you see that the Sodium content in soup (or any other item, especially all of that frozen food "stuff" you're buying along with all of those sugary cereals kids gnash away on) is a certain number, look next to see how many servings are in the can. Here is how the game works: You see that this rather large can of soup only has 600 or so milligrams of sodium. Well, the odds are against you here, because the number of servings will most often be 2, 2.5, or more. Doing the math, you'll find the sodium content of many cans of soup to be close to 2,000 mgs. So what does that mean?

Well, the American Heart Association says you shouldn't have more than 2,000 to 2,400 mg of sodium per day. That means you will have consumed almost your entire day's worth of sodium in one bowl of soup (not to mention how much sodium will be in the bread, butter, crackers, and anything else you have with the soup!).

Sodium is in EVERYTHING so you don't really ever need to add salt to anything! And, if you just gotta put something on whatever it is you eat, get Mrs. Dash or any of the other salt substitutes. But, read those labels, too, because many salt alternatives do, indeed, have salt.

Before we go any further here, it needs to be stated that if you aren't reading religiously reading nutrition, that explains why you waistline is expanding and your ASSets are increasing exponentially. Also, before we go any further, in addition to reading nutrition labels, you need to start exercising. Just walking will help, but there needs to be the "sweat factor" so you know you're burning calories. Remember, eat less, MUCH less, exercise more, MUCH more.

So here is what you need to know about salt ...

First of all the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) says it is now going to "crack down" on how much salt ends up in our foods. It is quite nobel (and commendable even) that our government is now going to work with food manufacturers so they cut back on the amount of salt in all processed and packaged foods (meat included!).

The studies and documented evidence show high salt intake leads to high blood pressure and heart disease. While salt consumption has risen about 50 percent a year since the 1970s (a number that parallels the rise in blood pressure problems), the American Heart Association’s figures show that for every gram of salt that Americas reduce in their daily diets, a quarter of a million fewer new heart disease cases and over 200,000 fewer deaths would occur over a decade! So what that means is we are killing ourselves and reducing our quality of life just by consuming too much salt ... something we can easily control if we just put a little bit of effort into it. And, we are all doing this to ourselves. No one is forcing or inducing us to eat salt ... we just do! We always have! There was a time when salt was used to preserve food, but, hey, we aren’t killing buffalos any longer to “put meat on the table!”

Here is a quick overview of what you need to know about salt:

Start reading the nutrition labels.
Cut your salt intake significantly.
Most sodium is consumed in the form of sodium Chloride which is table salt. Other forms of sodium are also found in food, so watch out for salt AND sodium.
Make sure you have much less than less than 2,400 mgs of sodium a day — that's the same as 6 grams of salt a day, or about 1 teaspoon (that includes ALL sodium you consume, including what is already in the food you eat).
Processed foods account for most of the sodium and salt consumed
Check and double check those nutrition labels — sodium is in a lot of stuff you might not expect, such as soy sauce and some antacids ... and, oh, yea, cookies, too.
And, while they might be "all the rage," Kosher salt and sea salt are just that — salt. Don't forget to include them in adding up your sodium intake for the day.
Reducing salt intake can lower blood pressure

The numbers show that one in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure. And, that is the leading cause of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. And while being overweight and inactive raises blood pressure, too much salt is a big culprit as well. The American Medical Association has said 150,000 lives a year could be saved by cutting in half sodium levels in processed and restaurant food.

And, then there are the people who down blood pressure medication daily, thinking that gives them a "free ride" to eat as much salt as possible! First of all, you can lower your blood pressure by significantly reducing sodium intake which then will eliminate the need for blood pressure medication. And, even if that reduction in salt doesn't eliminate the need for the medication, you should still do it ... you should consume as little salt as possible. Yes, your body needs salt, but don't worry, you'll get plenty of salt in what you eat anyway. Which brings us back to reading labels so you can cut back on your amount of salt intake.

Even government guidelines set 2,300 mgs of sodium as the maximum daily intake — the amount above which health problems can appear. The prestigious Institute of Medicine says people need just 1,500 mg a day for good health, less if they’re over 50. Yet average consumption is more than three times that!

Sodium is one of the primary electrolytes in your body. You do need salt (but not as much as you are now consuming). All four cationic electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium) are available in unrefined salt, as are other vital minerals needed for optimal bodily function. Too much or too little salt in the diet can lead to muscle cramps, dizziness, or electrolyte disturbance, which can cause neurological problems, or be fatal.

New York City is to be commended for the steps its Health Department has taken to establish guidelines for the sodium levels in foods sold and served within its city limits. New York’s sodium guidelines are just the latest in regulatory efforts to motivate healthy eating in the Big Apple. In 2008 New York became the first U.S. city to require restaurants to display calorie counts of foods in menus, on menu boards, and on display case labels. Prior to that, in 2006 New York became the first U.S. city to ban trans fats from all foods and ingredients served in New York City restaurants.

Okay, so enough about salt. Just remember those breakfast sandwiches and/or burgers you grab at fast food places are loaded with salt (not to mention calories and fat). Add to that the fries and whatever else you get and, well, you are "loading your body up" with salt you just don't need. And, somewhere "down the road" all of that excess salt consumption, day after day, week after week, is going to add up to something ugly that you're definitely not going to like ... something that could easily be killing your without you even knowing it.

(04/05/2010) Reportage and analysis by: Intadonda Alatuweenka

Lose 3 to 5 Pounds FAST

Sedona, Arizona - How would you like to lose three to five pounds in less than 30 days by just doing one simple thing? There is no gimmick here and you don’t even have to exercise, although you definitely should at least be walking your “ASSets” off.

Forget the gimmicks and fads. You don’t need any of that stuff that most often ends up with you putting on even more weight than what you started with. All you have to do to start dropping pounds is stop snacking between meals. That bag of chips, the morning donut, a candy bar, all of it - CALORIES you don’t need. And, you won’t starve to death if you eliminate eating between meals. If that seems too tough to do, then just eliminate one snack per day. With the average snack being in the 300 calorie range (at least), that means in ten days you will have eliminated 3,000 calories that your body would have otherwise stored.

With one pound of fat equaling 3,500 calories. That 3,000 calories is close to one pound of fat that you don’t ever have to worry about. And, by not eating between meals, you then cause your body to burn stored fat, so you come out ever further ahead. So, let’s look at a month of eliminating just one snack per day. That would total 9,000 calories. Three pounds of fat (that you don’t want to “take on”) is 10,500 calories, so you’d be pretty close to the three pound mark.

Now, let’s look at eliminating THREE snacks per day. That would be 900 calories per day. That’s 9,000 calories in ten days and 27,000 calories in 30 days. That would be 7.7 pounds you didn’t “pack on!” So, try this. Make a game out of seeing how many calories you can eliminate on any given day. A spreadsheet works perfectly for this. You’ll see noticeable results on the scale in no time. But, don’t take my word for. Just DO IT and see for yourself! It isn’t that hard to do. And, let’s face, “gazing you way” through the day just puts so many empty calories on your frame that you then carry around for all the world to see ... you can do this!

(04/01/2010) Reportage and analysis by: Intadonda Alatuweenka

Sedona, Arizona - You want to get rid of that "extra poundage" you've been carrying around for who NOSE how long?

STOP EATING LIKE A PIG!

So? Where to start? What to do? What not to do? It's easy, actually ...

Take a closer look at just how much you have been shoving down your gullet on a daily basis and you'll be shocked. Keep a food log for just a couple of days and the revelation that will smack you "between the eyes" is that, you have, indeed, been eating like a pig! And, that doesn't even take into consideration the matter of what you have been drinking either! Sodas have calories (unless you’re drinking diet sodas). Beer and shots ALL have calories, too! And, it is all ADDING UP much faster than you can imagine. And, while you might be oblivious to it all (or ignoring it), your body is keeping track ... as evidenced by that FAT MASS you see when you catch an objective glimpse of yourself in the mirror (or in a photo)!

Eat less (MUCH less), Exercise more (MUCH more). It's that simple. You control that little piece of real estate under your nose where it all goes "in 'der!" So there isn't that much to getting control of your waistline.

Here is the starting point. One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. If you to get rid of one pound of fat, you'll need to burn off 3,500 calories. On average you burn 600 calories for each hour of exercise (walking for an hour only counts for about 400 calories). That means you have to exercise for an hour six days out of seven to burn off one pound of fat. AND, you can't "take on" any excess calories if you want to actually burn off that one pound. Which takes us to part two of the scenario here ... you want to burn off more calories than you consume EVERY DAY. Because if you don't, for every 3,500 calories those extra calories ADD UP to ... you've gained yet another pound.

You should now be "getting the picture" of why a) weight either doesn't come off; and/or 2) why your weight (and ASS) keeps increasing in size.

That brings us back to where we started: STOP EATING LIKE A PIG. Eat Less (MUCH less), exercise more (MUCH more).

Next time, here at Towne Square America™ ... Lose three to five pounds in 72 hours AND find out how to drop an additional three pounds in 30 days (or less) WITHOUT exercising or "killing yourself" on a crazy diet! And, in the mean time, STOP EATING LIKE A PIG! Of course, adding in exercising will lead to you jettisoning even more excess poundage!