PreConception test: Is your husband a rodent?

From Dr. Ben Kim's site, where you can find a lot of great health info:

Dr. Ben Kim's Natural Health Newsletter
September 9, 2008

Dear Reader,

Imagine that you were about to get married to someone
you adore, but discovered that the object of your love
carries a gene that makes him or her susceptible to
cheating on you. Would you still get married?

For more on this topic, view this week's featured
article here:

Help, My Husband is a Rodent!

And yes, a recent study shows that some men carry a
gene that may explain why they might be more likely
than others to stray.

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Soy, OY!

When I was a vegeterian, there was nothing like grabbing some Tofu Pups or a Boca Burger, finish it off with some soy ice cream since I was milk intolerant.

As you know from reading previous posts, the only soy foods the FertilityBitch recommends are fermented ones and the occasional tofu, bean sprouts, etc.

This article from Emagazine is mostly about how soy isn't quite the "green" food it's made out to be, either. And a fun fact: "But for most of history, soy protein was a waste product, and mainly used in the U.S. as a sealant on cardboard,"which was how it was determined to be "safe." Blech.

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The Tofu Trap

Our Soy Habit Has Environmental Consequences

By Erin Barnes

...Global soybean production increased ninefold between 1965 and 2005, from 30 million to 270 million tons, according to the Chicago Board of Trade. Soy oil production increased sevenfold over the same time period. And it’s no accident: The American soy industry spends $80 million annually finding new markets for soy consumption. The industry is in the hands of just a few companies, namely Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and Bunge.

read more here and consume with caution...

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Top Foods for Long Term Storage

If you want to get ready for a nuclear holocaust or just enjoy stocking up in bulk, NaturalNews has a nice list of healthy foods that do okay with long term storage. Of course, I add KIMCHI to this list. It just gets more and more fermented until one day it's so delicious and sour you can make kimchi chigae (pictured) out of it.

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(NaturalNews) With the recent surge in food prices it makes sense to buy foods that last and to obtain a bulk discount. However it is pointless to stock up on unhealthy food. During an emergency, having enough snacks won't increase the odds of survival. So what are some of the best foods to stock up on? The keys to consider are: shelf life, bulk price and nutritional content. This article will explore some of the best options.

Top 4 Packaged Foods to Store (Indefinite shelf life)

1) Jarred Raw Nut Butters - Sesamum indicum (Pedaliacea), Arachis hypogaea (Fabaceae)
Having peanut butter, almond butter and sesame tahini (sesame seed butter) will provide for many recipes and a concentrated protein source that is easy to prepare. $5.00 per pound.

2) Canned Tomatoes - Solanum Lycopersicum (Solanaceae)
The amount of Lycopene, the key phytonutrient in tomatoes, actually becomes more bioavailable when they are canned. Canned tomatoes can be used to make homemade pasta and pizza sauce along with chili. $1.25 per pound.

3) Canned Beans - Cicer arietinum (Faboideae), Phaselous vulgaris (Leguminosae)
Having cans of black beans, red beans, chili beans and garbanzo beans handy supports a variety of complementary sources of complete protein (when served with rice). Garbanzo beans are the key component of hummus. They are available in extra large 25 ounce cans and even 108 ounce cans. $1.15 per pound.

4) Canned Sardines - Harengula jaguana (Clupeidae) (Unsalted, in Spring Water)
Sardines are whole organisms with lots of healthy Omega-3 oil. Sardines offer a complete protein source along with trace minerals. The healthiest ones still have the bones. Small fish like sardines contain far less mercury than tuna. $2.00 per pound.
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Top 4 Bulk Grains to Store (2 year shelf life)

1) Brown Rice - Oryza sativa (Poaceae)
A staple grain, brown rice is cheaper than white rice and while it doesn't taste as good it is a health food versus a junk food. A blend of brown and white rice is the ideal for both health and flavor $1.25 per pound.

2) Spelt flour - Triticum spelta (Poaceae)
Having the ingredients to make bread dough will provide for many recipes. It is important to keep flour sealed in water tight containers to keep out moisture and insects.

3) Popcorn - Zea Mays Everta (Poaceae)
Cooked on the stove top, fresh popcorn beats any snack from a bag and is a great source of fiber. Ideally one will buy organic as popcorn is one of the most pesticide-laden foods and might be GMO corn. Store in air tight containers to preserve freshness and keep out bugs. See recipe below. $1.26 per pound.

4) Dried Peas - Pisum sativum (Papilionaceae)
Dried peas are a great source of protein and if mixed with rice provide a balanced meal. Dried peas can be cooked with ham hocks or soup bones to make soup.

NOTE: Bulk rate is for 25 lb bag. Store grains in sealed containers or they will become host to bugs. Observe grains carefully before using.
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Top 4 Protein Sources to Store (6-12 month shelf life)

1) Raw Milk Cheese from Grass Fed Cows - Bos taurus (Bovidae)
Raw milk cheese gets better with time and is a complete food, meaning you could survive and thrive consuming absolutely nothing but raw milk cheese! It should be aged 60 or more days. Buy it in one big piece if possible, and keep it at about 44-48 degrees (F). Keep an eye on mold growth, and if small spots develop just scrape them off. If the cheese has come in contact with plastic it should be scraped off as it will absorb the taste and chemicals in plastic. $8 per pound.

2) Grass Fed Beef and Lamb - Bos taurus (Bovidae), Ovis aries (Bovidae)
If purchased in bulk grass-fed beef costs as little as $3 per pound and lamb for as little as $5.25 per pound. It can be canned, frozen, or divided up. The bones are even cheaper and can be used to make nutrient dense stock. See the product review for Grass fed Beef and Lamb for details on buying meat in bulk. $3-$20 per pound.

3) Free Range Chicken - Gallus domesticus (Thesienidae)
Whole chickens with the organs are essential for providing long term health via chicken soup. They keep for long periods in the freezer. They can provide several different meals. For quality chicken, the lard is useful, and the skin is healthy to consume. Chickens can be stuffed with leftover (dried) bread scraps, the chicken organs fortify the gravy with nutrients, and the bones can be made into soup. Not to mention the meat itself. Leftover bone scraps can be composted or ground up for pet food.

4) Miso soup - Glycine max (Fabaceae)
Miso soup is extremely concentrated and provides a great source of protein. Miso is a fermented food that contains living enzymes. One or two tablespoons of miso paste make a whole pot of soup.

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Coffee and Thyroid a MUST READ

Mary Shomon, my thyroid friend and Goddess, who is the Thyroid Guide for About.com has this important new about coffee and thyroid--a must read because if your thyroid is not functioning optimally it's that much harder to get and stay pregnant, not to mention that hypthyroidism during pregnancy has been shown to lower IQ of babies:
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Attention Thyroid Patients: Coffee Can Interfere With Thyroid Medication Absorption

Wednesday September 3, 2008

Attention thyroid patients: your morning coffee may be interfering with proper absorption of your thyroid medication. I know, say it isn't so! You're already tired from being hypothyroid -- now they want to take away your coffee?

The findings were reported in a recent article in the journal Thyroid. What the researchers found is that in addition to some of the more commonly known issues with absorption of thyroid hormone (i.e., calcium, iron, and food taken at the same time as thyroid medication can interfere with absorption), coffee also interferes with the intestinal absorption of levothyroxine. In the study, patients took their levothyroxine (i.e., Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levothroid, Unithroid), with espresso or coffee, and researchers found that the coffee/espresso reduced the rise of the T4 after taking the medication by at least 25% to as much as 57%.

read more on Mary's site here.

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Some Ayurvedic Medicines Found to Have Lead and other contaminants

Just because something's an alternative remedy doesn't mean you can throw caution out the window. I actually buy my ginseng from American sources because even organic ginseng from China, I fear, could be contaminated with industrial chemicals and heavy metals. So, too, aryuvedic medicines have been found to contain lead, sigh! Similarly, use care when purchasing spices. If they are ground on old equipment...well, you might get a little more metal and things than you bargained for. Don't kill yourself trying to get healthy:
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From the BBC:

A fifth of Indian herbal medicines sold on the internet contain potentially lethal substances, according to a new study in the United States.

The study at Boston university analysed 193 products and found that 20% of them contained lead, mercury or arsenic.

read more here.

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Whole Foods Beef Sickens New Englanders

Ah, blech--another reason for eating local (p.s. the Brown Farmers Market starts today--11-2 on Wriston Quad):
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The recall of Whole Foods Market ground beef sold between June 2 and Aug. 6 has shed a new spotlight on Nebraska Beef of Omaha, one of the country's largest meatpackers. Whole Foods has said it did not know that its vendor, Coleman Natural Foods, had used Nebraska Beef to process the meat.

Seven people in Massachusetts, from ages 3 to 60, sickened by E. coli had bought beef from Whole Foods stores in the Bay State, The Boston Globe has reported. The same strain has sickened 31 people in 12 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, The Washington Post reported today. Whole Foods has asked customers to throw away the beef and bring in packaging or a receipt for a refund.

The Whole Foods ground beef was among 1.2 million pounds of Nebraska Beef recalled on Friday. The processor recalled 5 million pounds produced in May and June after its beef was blamed for another E. coli outbreak in seven states.

Today's Post article (click here for the full report) detailed sanitation violations over the past six years at Nebraska Beef.

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Perfume a Danger to Pregnant Women

Most perfumes, while you think it's a lovely mixture of hibiscus and ginger, etc., is actually a weird concoction of chemicals. Not surprisingly, health experts are figuring you should use perfumes if pregnant (and probably while not pregnant, either).

From Scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com: PREGNANT women have been advised to avoid using perfumes or scented body creams after research suggested the products can cause unborn boys to suffer infertility or cancer in later life. Research on rats carried out by Professor Richard Sharpe has found that the reproductive system of male foetuses can be damaged as early as at eight weeks' gestation by chemicals including those found in many cosmetics. The damage can result in infertility or testicular cancer – both growing medical problems across the world – said Sharpe, principal investigator at the Medical Research Council's Human Sciences Unit.... more

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