Celtic Sea Salt, a quick study

My nutritionalist told me that I should be eating *only* celtic sea salt while following the HCG Protocol. I do a lot of research in nutrition and alternative methods of healing (ie: Quantum Touch, Qi Gong, QXCI, RIFE, sound therapy, star sound therapy) so I already knew about the benefits of celtic sea salt vs regular white table salt. But I thought it might make sense to ensure that you all know why, too.

Let's start with just what the regular iodized table salt is. Table salt is also known as refined salt and contains between 97% and 99% sodium chloride. Iodine in the form of potassium iodide, sodium iodide, or sodium iodate is then sprayed onto the sodium chloride crystals and *poof* you get the white salt that Morton's, the most popular salt in America, sells. Interestingly, the only reason salt isn't as pure sodium chloride as possible is because WWI brought a wide spread problem, goiter, to light in that it disqualified large quantities of men from the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes areas from serving in the war! So, we can thank WWI, goiter, and government's concern that there weren't enough soldiers for the iodine added back into the salt.

Originally, salt contained 82 minerals and trace elements necessary for the body to have good digestion, aid in the detox process, fight infection and disease, replenishing electrolytes, restoring the balance of alkalinity, amongst other things. Health Free's website goes into great detail about the health benefits of sea salt. The form of salt available, that I'm aware of, that provide the 82 trace elements today is celtic sea salt. Celtic Sea Salt, the salt from that brand name, contains 75 of the original minerals and trace elements.

When shopping for salt, ensure that your salt looks "dirty," meaning it has a gray or pink look to it, rather than a WHITE white appearance. That way, you know that you're getting all your trace minerals & elements in your diet, rather than just sodium chloride.

Letter to Walden Farms

Here's a copy of what I sent to Walden Farms just moments ago. I am hopeful that they'll return the email soon so I can let you all know what they've got to say. It'll make a big statement if they decide to consider what my quick study turned up. I hope they're an ethical company!

If you want to write to them, too, you can find their address in the header of the email if you'd like to write to them as well. (By the way, I changed my email address to include the "dot"s and the "at" so the spammers can't find me via my blog, but that's the only change I made to the email.)

Concern about Splenda in your products

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Jayme Hunt	Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 4:00 PM
To: cynthia@waldenfarms.com Bcc: jayme dot hunt at gmail dot com
Hi Cynthia, I'm in phase two of the HCG diet protocol. I purchased several of your products, thought they tasted wonderful, and that I found the answer to my desire for a larger variety of flavor in the foods I'm allowed. On my blog, I periodically conduct a study about products that I'm using in my recipes, as there's a lot of people who come to my site to get flavorful recipes to help them stay on phase two of HCG as well. During my research and study of the ingredients in your products, though, I was lead to research Splenda. Splenda, it turns out, is *BAD* stuff. If you take a look at my post, you'll see why: http://lessofmehcg.blogspot.com/2009/10/walden-farms-quick-study.html I'd like to encourage your company to change your recipe, even though I know this is a difficult thing to do. Please consider changing from Splenda to Stevia. Stevia is a natural product made from parts of a plant in the same family as the sunflower. It has many health benefits... If you go out to Zevia's website, you get a great overview of what stevia will do for you: http://www.zevia.com/products_stevia.html My readers and I are anxiously awaiting your reply regarding this dangerous product found in your products. Thank you, ~Jayme T Hunt "The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled." ~ Plutarch

Walden Farms, a quick study

I've recently discovered Walden Farms products. I wondered how on earth a company could make a 0 calorie, 0 fat, 0 sugar product and still get sweet things like jam out on the shelves. So, I bought a few of them. And. I used a few in some of my recipes.

So.

Before I go any further, let's take a look at some of the Walden Farms products. As I go through this quick study, I'll be referring to their nutrition page, where you click on one of their products and the label pops up on the right hand side of their site.

In a couple of the chicken recipes, I've already used Walden Farms' raspberry jelly. So, let's take a look at some of those ingredients.

They start off with water and move onto raspberry flavor and crumbles. I have no idea how they're managing to not get any caloric value out of those crumbles. Then they've got natural flavors and NOW we get to the first red flag. Sucralose. Splenda. The rest of the ingredients are ok with me, considering their for color and texture only. But that sucralose... That gives cause for concern.

Why?

Mostly, because of what I read about what that stuff does to you. Dr. Mercola, for instance, has written several articles about the stuff. One of them, "Is Splenda Making You Sick? Find Out Some Common Reaction Symptoms," really brings it home... There's a list of 34 different reactions Splenda delivers. Possibly to you. Possibly to me.

It would be better if Walden Farms used Stevia, but it's a hard thing to do for a company to change their recipe when they've got a product that *is* FDA approved and people like the taste of.

But, if you look on the net, you'll find that just because something's "FDA approved," doesn't mean it's safe for you to consume... For example, an article on Intergrated Supplements, we find two articles about Splenda. Part One states:

Some of the more alarming findings from the sucralose toxicity studies include:

• Reduced grow th rate in newbornand adult rats
• Decreased red blood cell count in mice
• Decreased thyroid hormone (T4) levels in male rats
• Abnormal liver cells and enlarged livers in rats
• Genotoxicity (DNA damage) to cells of the mouse gastrointestinal tract (this study was one of the few studies on sucralose performed by independent researchers, not the product’s manufacturers).
• Shrunken thymus glands in rats(indicative of compromised immune function).

The immunological, gastrointestinal, and thyroid-related effects of sucralose are especially disconcerting as they mimic many of the known toxic effects of other chlorocarbons.

Part Two gives a little more insight about what you might be experiencing:

• Skin disorders – rashes, welts, acne, and flaky, dry skin
• Gastrointestinal disorders – stomach upset, acid reflux, cramping, worsening of irritable bowel symptoms
• Respiratory disorders – wheezing, shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Joint pain
• Flu-like symptoms
• Inflammation

The scary thing about Splenda is that it's everywhere and it's in all sorts of sugar-free stuff. And the most scary thing about Splenda is that mimics so many other life-threatening diseases. Chest pain is a mimic of potential heart attacks. Gastrointestinal disorders like these listed are potential signs of colon cancer!

All in all, this is a dangerous addition to Walden Farms' products. In fact, I intend to write to Walden Farms and let them know what Splenda does to people and to let them know that I've got a post on my blog about it...

But you know what?

I had no idea that Splenda was so dangerous - just that it tasted "funny" and didn't set well on my stomach.

I think, in light of what the Splenda in Walden Farms products does, I'm going to pull the recipes I've already got with that stuff in it. Initially, I thought that I'd found a great possibility for some flavor enhancements during Phase Two of the HCG Protocol.

After this study, though, I think it's just bad news.

Butter Buds, a quick study

Ok, so it's time to take a look at Butter Buds. I use it in my recipes to bring out the flavors in some foods that really just can't be done unless you can have butter.

Basically, it's got 10 calories per teaspoon, and 2g carbs. It's the 2g carbs that gets people concerned. But if you look closely at the label, you'll see that it shows there are no sugars and no fats.

So, what's the carbs from? The FAQ at Butter Buds says it's main ingredient is a derivative of corn. Corn, on the nutrition data website, is 82% carbohydrates. So, the carbs in Butter Buds is from the corn it's made of.

Corn, strictly speaking, isn't on the Protocol. In fact, as it's so starchy, it's not allowed on Phase 3 until the last of it, when you're transitioning into Phase 4 and reintroducing starches and sugars back into your diet.

As starches are allowed in the form of the grissini stick or the melba toast and/or some of the veggies (for instance the tomatoes), I made the call that this was a possible allowed product on Phase 2. I checked in with my nutritionalist about it, got the thumbs up, and am now using it in my recipes on occasion.

I think the key to using something like Butter Buds is to use it in moderation. With a single teaspoon being 10 calories, I'm sure that you'll agree that it's a thing to use in similar fashion as the tablespoon of milk.

Sparingly, but still allowed!

Amino Acids, a quick study

I've been getting lots of emails wondering just what good amino acids are and why I use them in my cooking so often. I'll certainly be emailing all those people personally, but I also wanted to address it here on my blog.

Proteins all contain amino acids. Most contain about 9 of the essential amino acids, but there are a full 20 that are essential to the body. Without those 20 aminos, the body starts breaking down lean tissue and muscle. In fact, if you read Nutrition Information's site about aminos, it gets down right scary:

What happens if an essential amino acid is missing from the body? Well, in the beginning the body will break down lean tissue in order to compensate. Eventually, however, the muscles will begin to waste away. While protein deficiencies are rare in the United States, they are more common in countries with poor diets. In addition to muscle wasting, other signs of protein deficiency include mental impairment in children, edema, anemia, decreased immunity, and metabolic abnormalities.

Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids are made from non-GMO soybeans. This is important to me because I figure that our Creator made things just the way we're supposed to be ingesting them. I'm not fond of eating things that have been tampered with because we humans "think" we can out do what's already done in nature. I think that's a terrible folly.

::getting off my soapbox now::

Bragg's FAQ about their amino acids also share with us some further information about aminos and their purpose in our bodies:

Amino Acids are the building blocks of all our organs and tissues. They are also the building blocks from which different food proteins are constructed. When we eat a protein food, such as meat or soybeans, the natural hydrochloric acid in the stomach digests the protein, releasing the Amino Acids. They are the link between the food we eat and assimilation for our body tissue. Lack of adequate Amino Acids may make it impossible for the vitamins and minerals to perform their specific duties.

I took amino acids to alleviate the need for acid reflux medicines before starting this Protocol. If heartburn showed up, I'd pop two amino acid powder pills (it has these two amino acids in it: Arginine and Carnitine) and it would be gone inside of 15 minutes. I also used them to help balance digestive issues when I was detoxing. My Mom uses L-Lysine amino acids to ensure there aren't outbreaks of cold sores.

Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids contains these 16 amino acids in it:

1. Alanine
2. Arginine
3. Aspartic Acid
4. Glutamic Acid
5. Glycine
6. Histidine
7. Isoleucine
8. Leucine
9. Methionine
10. Phenylalanine
11. Proline
12. Serine
13. Threonine
14. Tyrosine
15. Valine
16. Lysine

With the great importance of getting Amino Acids in our bodies, I find that I use it in my cooking quite often. It shouldn't completely take the place of a good quality celtic sea salt, as that's got it's own benefits that I should explore later, but Bragg's should definitely be a part of our every day diet.

I think. :)

You can get a free sample of Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids by visiting their sampling site, too!