Positive Spin on Negative Food Side Effects

Easting can make you healthier, happier, and sometimes feel not too good. Dumb Little Man has compiled a list of 10 food side effects that you ought to be aware of. Sure, he points out (for the most part) annoying or negative side effects, but by being aware of them we can improve our diets and eat all healthy.

Kidney stones. People whose diets are high in animal protein and low in fiber and fluids may be at higher risk for stones. Several studies have shown that increasing dietary calcium and restricting salt, animal protein, and foods rich in oxalate, such as rhubarb, spinach, cocoa, nuts, pepper, and tea, can help prevent calcium oxalate stones from returning.

Vaccine to Quell Wanting Nicotine

Smoking is obviously very bad for your health, tobacco cultivators, and even the environment. WIth that in mind, it’s great to see that research into a nicotine vaccine is underway and is seeing some success.

Rennard said patients who produced the most anti-nicotine antibodies were also the ones most likely to stop smoking for longer. And if they did not quit, they smoked less — 10 cigarettes on average a day, compared with 20 before they got the vaccine.

“This development is key for the field of smoking cessation research and could have a significant impact on how we treat patients with nicotine addiction,” said Rennard, who presented his findings to a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida.

Chocolate Good for the Earth

Here’s some good news for all you chocolate lovers out there: a chocolate byproduct can provide fuel!

North western English firm Ecotec has taken waste from the chocolate manufacturing process, turned it into bio-ethanol and mixed it with vegetable oil to produce biodiesel.

Some biofuels have come under fire for either diverting much-needed food crops or leading to massive deforestation as land is cleared to grow crops specially for biofuel production.

Broccoli May Prevent Skin Cancer

I like eating the minature green trees known as Broccoli and so when I saw this headline I thought “great, less chance of skin cancer!” Then I found out that what the researches did was spread broccoli juices on patient’s skin. I don’t think I’ll be doing that, but still it’s good to see that broccoli may prevent skin cancer 🙂

In a demonstration of the plant’s anti-cancer properties, investigators smeared broccoli sprout extract on the skin of six volunteers for three days, and then exposed them to high doses of ultraviolet radiation, which is the leading cause of skin cancer.

They found there was an average 37 percent less redness and sunburn in the patches covered by broccoli extract. Redness and sunburn are an indication of skin damage that could lead to cancer.

Be Fit, Be Smart

Exercise is not only good for you health but also good for your ability to use your brain. Sure, you can stick to sodoku, but to be really smart it seems your best option is to accompany that with some old-school Exercise.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies, which show the brain at work, were performed on a percentage of children in each group and found those who exercised had different patterns of brain activity during an executive function task.

“Look what good it does when they exercise,” says Dr. Davis. “This is an important public health issue we need to look at as a nation to help our children learn and keep them well.”

Via the CBC health blog

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