The Flu...

[Guest ETS_Inc]

<---currently getting his behind kicked by the flu

Edited February 16, 2008 by ETS_Inc

[Guest jackdog]

Since this a health thread thought you might find this interesting.

This is interesting. . .

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people ! to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings.

DO YOU KNOW.. the difference between margarine and butter?

Read on to the end...gets very interesting!

Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.

Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added!

Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years .

And now, for Margarine..

Very high in trans fatty acids .

Triple risk of coronary heart disease

Increases total chol esterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)

Increases the risk of cancers up to five fold.

Lowers quality of breast milk.

Decreases immune response.

Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact.... HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE awa y from being PLASTIC..

This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

You can try this yourself:

Purchase a tub of ma rgarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things:

* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)

* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value ; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic! Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Share This With Your Friends.....(If you want to "butter them up")!

Chinese Proverb:

"When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others.

[NuTcAsE]

It wouldn't surprise me if this "new/ mutant" flu hasn't been carried in across the border. When I worked at the hospital we were constantly being tested for T.B. because some damned alien had come in with it and hadn't been diagnosed or didn't tell anyone they had it.

[Guest EasilyObsessed]

Since this a health thread thought you might find this interesting.

This is interesting. . .

From xenogere.com/2003/12/06/butter-versus-margarine

What you’re looking at above is not a coherent essay written by a single, knowledgeable author. It is nothing more than a compilation of facts and opinions from many unidentified sources. As with most chain letters, the truth often is not compelling enough. It only gains widespread appeal after someone sensationalizes it with questionable and blatantly inaccurate information.

It is true that a 1994 Harvard University study as well as research from other credible sources have concluded that a diet high in trans fat doubles the chance for heart attack and decreases life expectancy. While trans fats can occur naturally, they are most commonly associated with chemical preservative techniques. Hydrogenation is one of these techniques and health experts recommend that you limit your intake of hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated foodstuffs as much as possible.

Stating that eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods is scientifically accurate yet deceptive. It’s not the butter which provides increased nutritional transport. All nutrients (vitamins and minerals) are either water-soluble or fat-soluble. This means the body cannot process them without the proper transport. Vitamin C, for instance, is water-soluble, meaning the body requires a supply of water in order to process and utilize Vitamin C. If butter contains more fat than margarine, it would by its very content be able to transport more fat-soluble vitamins and minerals than a product with less fat. This does not make it healthier to consume, however, and certainly isn’t a reason to move to a diet with heavier fat content.

While butter and margarine may indeed have similar caloric values, butter generally ranks higher in saturated fat. We should all know by now that saturated fat is detrimental to heart health. Margarines differ from brand to brand, but generally they are lower in saturated fat and contain small amounts of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (which are considered healthier than saturated). Furthermore, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, switching to margarine from butter can greatly reduce blood cholesterol levels.

Margarine was the outcome of a competition that Napoleon III held in France to provide his troops with an alternative to butter that would survive long campaigns without refrigeration. Minimal research on my part shows that this happened immediately prior to the Franco-Prussian war. This would certainly explain why margarine is less likely to suffer from microbial or other contamination while butter is volatile. In fact, one could say the same of unpopped popcorn. When it’s left out with no protection, it neither suffers insect nor microbial infestation and will keep in a usable form for a significant amount of time in this manner. Shouldn’t that be a cause for concern and shouldn’t we equally stop eating popcorn — simply because it can survive with minimal care and protection without becoming spoiled? And think about the other foods you keep in this manner, such as pasta, cooking oil, salt and pepper and other spices, jerky… Well, you get the idea.

The final argument in the letter above is what has made it so popular, but is also the farthest from reality and preys on the layman’s general ignorance of chemistry. It is not true that margarine is “but ONE MOLECULE from being PLASTIC.” Many items in nature are chemically similar to one another, but that doesn’t make them similar in appearance or effect.

For instance hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is “but one molecule from” water (H2O). Does that mean we should drink hydrogen peroxide? They are, after all, but one molecule from each other, so certainly that means they perform the very same function — or at least a similar function. Similarly, ozone (O3) is “but one molecule from” oxygen (O2), but the former can create serious respiratory problems, while the latter can alleviate them. Salt (NaCl) is one molecule from being sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl), both of which are highly toxic, yet we don’t find discomfort in consuming regular table salt. In fact, our bodies require salt in order to function properly. How can that be if the two molecules needed to make it are actually toxins?

The “plastic” outrage has been added as the chain circulates and is total bunk, but is unfortunately what appeals to most readers. This is one reason why I recommend strongly against relying upon or forwarding health advice via email chain letters. In fact, I always recommend not forwarding chain emails altogether as they have never (and let me repeat that — NEVER) been completely truthful or accurate.

The medium is simply too unreliable to trust. That’s why I always say you should never forward chain mails for any reason — whether they are about computer viruses or health and medicine or terrorism or anything else.

[strickj]

whoops wrong thread

[TGO David]

Had a touch of it Friday. Woke up feeling great today. My immune system kicks ass.

[Urse]

I have it now........yes the flu sucks!

[PackinMama]

I don't know for a fact if this works......but I have two sisters and two nieces that are nurses in different hospitals and they all say that they put neosporin in thier noses before they go to work.....and whenever they're around a lot of people anywhere. They say almost all the hospital staff (including doctors) do the same thing. Supposedly most of the germs that will make you sick enter through the nose.....and putting neosporin in there kills the germs that enter before they get into your system. I repeat, I do not know this to be scientifically proven........just food for thought BTW....I've been doing it the last couple months and haven't caught anything so far.

[The Rabbi]

Given that the flu is caused by a virus, which wont be killed by anti-bacterials, that sounds suspect.

Keeping clear of people, washing hands frequently, and eating/sleeping appropriately all seem like better courses of action.

[Guest TargetShooter84]

I just barely dodged the flu...I had a real bad cold which I thought it was the flu but my test came back negative...I do wash my hands often, stay away from people that are sick, and not share food...I still got sick...guess it can happen anywhere.

[BryanP]

I haven't had the flu this year, but I have had the stomach virus and the respiratory infection that are both going around. Joy of joys I got them consecutively. Just as I was able to eat solid food again and get more than 30 feet from the bathroom I came down with that respiratory crap. I'm done for the year. No more sickness.