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10 Bad (Dental) Habits to Break. 1.

10 Bad (Dental) Habits to Break

Brushing too hardUsing a firm-bristled toothbrush and too much pressure can permanently wear away protective enamel (triggering tooth sensitivity and cavities) and cause receding gums. Instead, use a soft brush and gentle, circular scrubbing motions for two minutes at least twice a day. When buying a toothbrush, consider that compact heads move most easily around small mouths and long, flexible handles are better than short, stiff ones for reaching back molars. Also to consider: Going electric. Because they do the hard part for you (and do it correctly), electric toothbrushes may help you remove more plaque than manual brushes. Is Whitening Toothpaste Bad For Your Teeth? Would you love to have whiter teeth?

Is Whitening Toothpaste Bad For Your Teeth?

Most people would, so whitening toothpaste seems like the easiest way to get them. Are Fruit Juices a Healthy Alternative to Soda? As significant percentages of parents wisely abandon HFCS and sugar-filled sodas as a viable beverage option for their children, corporations are capitalizing on the health-conscious trend by pushing fruit juices as a healthy alternative.

Are Fruit Juices a Healthy Alternative to Soda?

Most parents who buy juices think they are making a wise choice, often because of the outlandish health claims juice makers put on the labels. In reality, however, parents should be not only be paying close attention to the murky ingredient list that lurks behind that bright, colorful, attractive front label, but should also reconsider feeding their children processed fruit juice altogether. Sodium Benzoate - has been shown to destroy the mitochondrial DNA of yeast cells and, according to Professor Peter Piper of Sheffield University, could do the same to human cells in the long-term. Additionally, two recent British government funded studies have found that sodium benzoate adversely affects child behavior. Learn more: Pink Slime Controversy Overlooks Bigger Issues.

Would you want to eat the ammonia treated “pink slime” that you see in the image on the left?

Pink Slime Controversy Overlooks Bigger Issues

The inexpensive ingredient consists of fatty chunks of left-over meat, which are heated and then sorted into blocks that are put in ground beef. It is estimated that this slime makes up 50% to 70% of ground beef that we consume and only recently has social media lead to public outrage over pink slime’s use in our food. Beef Products Inc. has shut down three plants and there will be about a 2% reduction in beef supply because the filler isn’t going to be used. A decade ago, left-over meat was tossed aside by ground beef manufacturers to make dog food. That fact and the viral picture, which shows a far from appetizing ingredient, have lead to stores removing the lean finely textured beef from their shelves. Starbuggs? Strawberry Frappuccino Colored by Insects. Mar 26, 2012 12:28pm.

Starbuggs? Strawberry Frappuccino Colored by Insects

Cochineal. The insect produces carminic acid that deters predation by other insects.

Cochineal

Carminic acid, typically 17–24% of dried insects' weight, can be extracted from the body and eggs then mixed with aluminum or calcium salts to make carmine dye, also known as cochineal.[1] Carmine is today primarily used as a food colouring and for cosmetics, especially as a lipstick colouring. The carmine dye was used in Central America in the 15th century for colouring fabrics and became an important export good during the colonial period.

After synthetic pigments and dyes such as alizarin were invented in the late 19th century, natural-dye production gradually diminished. Health fears over artificial food additives, however, have renewed the popularity of cochineal dyes, and the increased demand has made cultivation of the insect profitable again,[2] with Peru being the largest exporter. So What’s Inside Yoplait Yogurt Anyway? Flickr photo: cloverity We wrote yesterday about Yoplait’s encouraging announcement, promising to use milk for yogurt only from cows not treated with growth hormones.

So What’s Inside Yoplait Yogurt Anyway?

Today we’ll take a look inside Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt, a stalwart, and see what else is going on… Yoplait has a wonderful consumer website listing all its products, recipes, commercials, and community outreach programs. The good folks at Yoplait also conveniently provide nutrition information for each of their products. Highlights are: Serving Size: 1 container/ 6oz / 170g Calories: 170 (about 8% of your daily max) Calories from Fat: 15 (less than 3% of your recommended daily max) No fiber (shouldn’t strawberries have some though?) Go-Gurt Ingredients: More Sugar than Coca-Cola. Go-Gurt: A Healthy Treat?

Go-Gurt Ingredients: More Sugar than Coca-Cola

I was at the grocery store recently, and I started looking at mother nature's perfect food "Go-Gurt". I'm assuming that the name means yogurt for people on the go. Food Myths, Busted. You’ve probably heard the “5-second rule,” the notion that if you pick up dropped food quickly, it remains germ-free.

Food Myths, Busted

Actually, a high school student busted this myth in 2003, with a simple study involving gummy bears and cookies. When Jillian Clarke put these foods on floor tiles infected with E. coli bacteria for five seconds, then analyzed the food for bacteria, she found that in all cases, the food was contaminated, putting anyone who ate it at risk for a nasty case of food poisoning. The teen’s research was honored by the Annals of Improbable Research with the 2004 Ig Nobel Prize in public health, the New York Times reports.

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