FOODIE THREAD

***--06-07-19 A MUST READ: www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/blogs/how-much-plastic-do-you-consume-every-day?utm_source=Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a53f229e37-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_FRI0607_2019_not_in_rarely&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fcbff2e256-a53f229e37-40201173  
Microplastics aren't on the USDA's food pyramid, but maybe they should be. We're certainly consuming enough of them to merit a mention.

Research led by Kieran Cox at the University of Victoria in Canada found that, on average, we're consuming 50,000 particles of microplastic a year and breathing in a similar amount. She and her colleagues looked at the number of particles found in common foods and then looked at the recommended daily intake of those foods.

They also looked at inhalation rates and drinking water sources, with bottled water winning the prize for best possible way to add more plastic to your diet. According to their work, those who get the majority of their water through bottled water consume as much as 90,000 more microplastic particles annually than those who drink tap water.

Their work, called Human Consumption of Microplastics, was an analysis of 26 studies that was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. And though the researchers know that such an analysis leaves room for a lot of variation, they think their numbers are "likely underestimates."

Microplastics everywhere

The sources of this plastic are plentiful. Take dust, for example. Most of us have probably heard that much of the dust in our homes is made up of the dead skin we shed, but that's actually a myth. Dust is made up of dander, insect waste, dirt — and a surprising number of chemicals and fungi.

We can add a new ingredient to the dust recipe, and that's microplastics, small fibers that have broken down from larger plastic objects. While we've been worrying about how much plastic marine life ingests because of pollution, we haven't been paying attention to how much plastic we ingest ourselves.

According to a June 2018 study, each time we sit down to eat a meal, more than 100 pieces of microplastic fall onto our plates with the rest of the dust from the air.

IFL Science says the study, originally published in Environmental Pollution, was intended to compare the number of plastic fibers found in a mussel to the number eaten in the average household. READ MORE…

--06-03-19: edition.cnn.com/2019/06/03/health/pfas-food-supply-fda/index.html  
(CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration confirmed that PFAS chemicals have made their way into the US food supply. On Monday, the FDA publicly acknowledged the initial findings of the agency's investigation into how the "forever chemicals" have been detected in the foods we eat.

PFAS is a family of nearly 5,000 synthetic chemicals that are extremely persistent in the environment and in our bodies. PFAS is short for perfluoroalky and polyfluoroalkyl substances and includes chemicals known as PFOS, PFOA and GenX, sometimes called forever chemicals.

These chemicals all share signature elemental bonds of fluorine and carbon, which are extremely strong and difficult to break down in the environment or in our bodies.

These chemicals can easily migrate into the air, dust, food, soil and water and can accumulate in the body. They've been linked to adverse health impacts including liver damage, thyroid disease, decreased fertility, high cholesterol, obesity, hormone suppression and cancer.

In the body, PFAS chemicals primarily settle into the blood, kidney and liver. A study from 2007 by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that PFAS chemicals could be detected in the blood of 98% of the US population. READ MORE…

--06-06-19: www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/are-aloe-vera-and-cactus-juice-good-for-you/ar-AACuP8o?li=BBnb4R7

 I DRINK THIS DAILY….

--06-07-19: www.msn.com/en-us/health/weightloss/this-smart-french-eating-habit-might-be-just-what-you-need-to-stay-trim/ar-AACv0CG?li=BBnbfcL  
There has been lots of chatter about the so-called “French paradox,” a mysterious ability the people of France have to stay slim and healthy, despite the inordinate amount of rich food they consume.

Some attribute it to their consumption of resveratrol-rich red wine, while others credit their penchant for long, slow meals. But it may also have something to do with the fact that the French simply don’t snack.

That’s right, the healthy snacking tip we can take away from France is that they just don’t.

The average French child begins his or her day with a big bowl of milk accompanied by a few tartines: slices of fresh bread spread with butter or jam.

French adults, meanwhile, swap out some (or all) of the milk for coffee, and many forego the tartines altogether, effectively fasting in lieu of breakfast.

Lunch is traditionally the longest and largest meal of the day: adults working in offices usually get an hour (or two!), and it’s not uncommon to enjoy lunch with one’s colleagues at a restaurant—and even have a glass of wine.

A French dinner is a smaller version of lunch: typically an appetizer (some form of salad, like grated carrots with vinaigrette, grated celery root with remoulade, or beetroot with herbs), a main, cheese, and a dessert—which, despite the fact that the French have access to all variety of delicious pastries, more often than not is a simple cup of yogurt.

And that’s it.

Between meals, France has no real snacking culture: reaching into the cupboards for a bag of chips, having a “just-in-case” granola bar in your purse, or even grabbing a green juice, smoothie, or milky latte during the day just doesn’t occur to the French.

The only thing that does? A small, mid-afternoon morsel for children, dubbed le quatre heures, or “the four o’clock.” Usually eaten sitting at the kitchen table when kids get home from school, this snack helps little bellies stay full between a noon lunch and an 8 p.m. dinner, but otherwise, you won’t ever catch anyone in France snacking. READ MORE…

--06-11-19: www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/10-reasons-to-avoid-all-soda%e2%80%94that-means-diet-too/ss-AABKWbd?li=BBnb7Kz