Common Sense

Brunch again this morning! I "breakfast-fied" some of my leftovers by scrambling an egg and tossing in some spinach.

Then concluded with dessert plate: Dad's Fen Li Su, cranberries, and pitted dates.

As I was watched MSNBC Health this morning, I just couldn't understand why they would spend time and money producing their "Four Worst Breakfast Foods" segment. Take a look:

I understand how Kashi, a supposed health brand, would shock a lot of people...(well.... I think the public has known for a long time that granola was packed with sugar...) but the rest of the "bad choices" seem to be common sense.

MSNBC... you mean to tell me that the Jimmy Dean breakfast bowl with pancakes and sausages weren't healthy?

And that the Entenmann's an iced honey bun was full of sugar?

And even a bagel slathered with butter and cream cheese wasn't low-carb nor low-fat?

Well... my world has been turned upside down...

Vitamins

The best part about waking up early is getting the chance to have brunch. Today, I concocted a meal with a poached egg, broiled white fillet on whole wheat English Muffin and mustard, and a spring mix salad with walnuts and Asian Sesame dressing.



This folic acid and omega-3 rich meal reminded me of a recent article that I read...

This year, studies have shown that almost 50% of US adults take at least one dietary supplement a day and the numbers continue to increase year by year. The most popular supplement is calcium... which isn't surprising considering the increase in osteoporosis and other bone-density related awareness in the past years.

Interesting enough, those who take dietary supplements are usually those who are educated, have good income, and already obtain enough nutrition from their normal, daily diets. In other words, it seems that those who are taking dietary supplements are those who don't necessarily need them.

As for me, it's hard to know whether I'm getting the recommended amount of vitamins and minerals due to my busy and unpredictable college schedule. Thus, I make sure to take a Centrum multiviatmin/multimineral daily.



With Centrum, I am able to maintain healthy skin, good cholesterol, good blood pressure, a happy composure, and many other benefits by meeting my dietary needs.

Unnaturally Natural

Since my OChem tutoring session was cancelled this week, I got a chance to enjoy a very refreshing lunch outside by the Viterbi Fountain.



As I was eating, I read an interesting article about Wendy's "natural fries" that claim to be so "real" that it's as close to a regular potato as fries can get.



In their television ad, it's implied that this popular chain simply cuts the potatos and sprinkle it with some salt.

However, these "natural fries" may not be so natural after all. Sadly, in addition to salt, Wendy's also adds chemicals such as sodium acid pyrophosphate to prevent discoloration and D-glucose to give it the correct color (paradoxial in my opinion). Subsequently, these fries are fried in oil containing dimethylpolysiloxan-- a chemical that prevents foaming so that the resturant can re-use the same batch day after day.

Let's take a closer look:

Sodium acid pyrophosphate

From Google Images

The average American naturally obtains enough sodium acid pyrophosphates from meat and dairy products. If excessive consumption occurs, it may lead to diseases such as osteoporosis.

D-Glucose aka Dextrose

from Google Images

While dextrose is important to living organisms, this sugar represents loads of empty calories, contributes to tooth decay, and contributes to fat storage. Additionally, dextrose also promotes both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia by spiking the blood sugar (hyperglycemia), then initiating the body to produce uncontrollably excessive insulin (hypoglycemia).

Dimethylpolysiloxane



Although studies have shown that this chemical isn't harmful for the body, I still have a hard time believing dimethylpolysiloxane-- a chemical used to make contact lenses, medical devices, shampoos, lubricant oils, cosmetics, polishes, and adhesives-- is okay to be consumed.

After this article, my appetite for eating out was completely shattered. All I wanted to do was make a dinner with ingredients I can actually pronounce.



Kale with tofu and 100% beef patty with red lettuce for the bun. Served up with some dessert...



Pitted dates, dried apricots, and walnuts... 100% natural. 100% delicious.