2011年7月5日星期二

What is DEHP? Why is it bad for human health

What is DEHP? Why is it bad for human health
Recently, the DEHP cases that boom out from Taiwan creates a major concern over food healthy issues around the whole Asia region, while at the same time, the bacteria infection in Europe region creates some concern as well.
Most countries health department has advised supermarket owners to pull out some Taiwanese products from their shelves. It is possible that some Taiwanese food and drinks contaminated with Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a product used in making plastic.
In Taiwan, the selling of products made using an emulsifier made by the Yu Shen Chemical Company has already been stopped. A study made by the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration showed that Yu Shen Chemical Company used DEHP as substitute for palm oil.
Among the products pulled out from store shelves in Taiwan are energy drinks, bottled tea and juices, fruit jam, and fruit jelly with ingredients made by Yu Shen Chemical Company.
The Taiwan FDA website identified the contaminated products as:
  • Nature House Lactic Acid Bacteria (apple vinegar-flavored lactic acid powder) produced by King Car Group;
  • Skinny Dietary Drinks by Chang Gung Biotechnology Corp.;
  • Taiwan Sugar Ginger Clam Tablets by Taiwan Sugar Corporation; and,
  • Dongli Sports Drinks and Dongli Lemon Sports Drinks.
Taiwan FDA reported that “up to 465,638 bottles of DEHP-tainted beverages have been pulled out from store shelves. Also, up to 270,822 boxes and 68,924 packs of powdered probiotics and 28,539 kilos of fruit juices, fruit jam, powder and syrup, and yoghurt powder have been removed from shelves,” according to EcoWaste Coalition, an environment watchdog. The group added that to date, close to 500 product items manufactured by 155 Taiwanese food and drink companies have been found to contain DEHP.
DEHP- Why is it bad for human health
•Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate is a Plasticizers of PVC (polyvinyl chloride).
•Plasticizers give PVC flexibility, strength and bondability.
•DEHP is currently the only phthalate used in PVC medical devices.
•By weight PVC based medical devices contain 20-40% DEHP.
DEHP may leach from plasticized PVC when a medical device comes into contact with fluids, lipids and heat.
–The rate of leaching depends on storage conditions (temperature, contact, time agitation)
What are the health effects of DEHP?
•DEHP is a reproductive and developmental toxicant in lab testing.
–Reduced sperm numbers*
•It interferes with testosterone synthesis
•Questionable effects on liver and lungs
–Risk of bronchopulmonarydysplasia

Which plastic bottle safe to use?

If you recycle you’ve probably turned over a plastic container to read the number on the bottom, the one surrounded by the little recycling symbol. Many recycling programs depend on these numbers to tell you which plastics you can and can’t recycle.
Do you know what these numbers mean? Did you know these numbers tell you which plastics are considered safe and not? You may recall there was a big scare recently over BPA plastic leaching chemicals into water bottles and baby feeding bottles, after studies showed that BPA mimics estrogen and interferes with hormone levels.
Plastic Identification Code Type of plastic polymer Properties Common Packaging Applications
Plastic-recyc-01.svg Polyethylene terephthalate (PET, PETE) Clarity, strength, toughness, barrier to gas and moisture. Soft drink, water and salad dressing bottles; peanut butter and jam jars
Plastic-recyc-02.svg High-density polyethylene (HDPE) Stiffness, strength, toughness, resistance to moisture, permeability to gas. Water pipes, hula hoop rings, five gallon buckets, milk, juice and water bottles; the occasional shampoo / toiletry bottle
Plastic-recyc-03.svg Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) Versatility, ease of blending, strength, toughness. Blister packaging for non-food items; cling films for non-food use. Not used for food packaging as the plasticisers needed to make natively rigid PVC flexible are usually toxic. Non-packaging uses are electrical cable insulation; rigid piping; vinyl records.
Plastic-recyc-04.svg Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) Ease of processing, strength, toughness, flexibility, ease of sealing, barrier to moisture. Frozen food bags; squeezable bottles, e.g. honey, mustard; cling films; flexible container lids.
Plastic-recyc-05.svg Polypropylene (PP) Strength, toughness, resistance to heat, chemicals, grease and oil, versatile, barrier to moisture. Reusable microwaveable ware; kitchenware; yogurt containers; margarine tubs; microwaveable disposable take-away containers; disposable cups; plates.
Plastic-recyc-06.svg Polystyrene (PS) Versatility, clarity, easily formed Egg cartons; packing peanuts; disposable cups, plates, trays and cutlery; disposable take-away containers;
Plastic-recyc-07.svg Other (often polycarbonate or ABS) Dependent on polymers or combination of polymers Beverage bottles; baby milk bottles. Non-packaging uses for polycarbonate: compact discs; “unbreakable” glazing; electronic apparatus housings; lenses including sunglasses, prescription glasses, automotive headlamps, riot shields, instrument panels;

1. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE)
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) is one of the most common types of plastic and is commonly found in bottles of soda, juice, water and cough syrup and jars of peanut butter. The bottoms of these containers are usually stamped with the chasing arrows symbol and the number 1, the code for PET.


2. High-density polyethylene (HDPE)
High-density polyethylene, or No. 2 HDPE, is used in shampoo and detergent bottles, milk jugs, cosmetics, motor oil, toys and sturdy shopping bags, and is considered one of the safer plastics. HDPE is often opaque or cloudy. Some recycling centres can only handle clear No. 2 plastics, such as milk jugs, but not colored bottles. As rule of thumb, bottles, jars, and jugs are most likely to be collected for recycling, particularly those labelled 1 or 2. Tubs, lids, spray pumps, buckets, films, bags and items containing toxic chemicals such as drain cleaner, are less likely to be accepted by recyclers.

3. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Polyvinyl chloride, or No. 3 PVC, is found in shower curtains, meat and cheese wrappers, ring binders, some bottles, plumbing pipes and building materials. Commonly called vinyl, PVC and closely related PVDC differ from other vinyls, which lack the toxic chloride. PVC continues to be used in many toys.

4. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
Low-density polyethylene, or No. 4 LDPE, is used in shopping bags, six-pack rings, hard drive casings, CD and DVD cases and some bottles. Unlike PVC, LDPE isn’t regarded as a ‘bad’ plastic by most eco watchdogs. Potentially toxic industrial chemicals involved in its manufacture, however, include butane, benzene and vinyl acetate.

5. Polypropylene (PP)
Polypropylene, or PP, is used in the products in this photograph as well as in nappies, pails, dishes, candy containers and lab equipment. The purple product pictured here is made from recycled polypropylene from Recycline. Makers of electronics packaging, including Microsoft, are increasingly using the recycled material instead of toxic PVC.

6. Polystyrene, or Styrofoam
Polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam, is used in disposable cups and take-out food containers, packing peanuts, trays and egg cartons. Most fast-food chains, including McDonald’s, phased out polystyrene for sandwich containers more than 20 years ago. Ozone layer-depleting CFCs haven’t been used to make Polystyrene since the late 1980s.

7. ‘Wild card’
The No. 7 SPI code is generally a wild card marking plastics that don’t fall within the other six categories. These include polycarbonate bottles, which are understood by scientists to wreak havoc on human hormones by leaching bisphenol-A into hot beverages. As a result, polycarbonate baby bottles are losing favour with the public, and retailers including Toys ‘R Us are starting to sell more BPA-free bottles.

USDA’s MyPlate, awesome.

USDA’s MyPlate, awesome.

If you have been following my blog, you know I wrote about a new food pyramid. The link is here : http://freepersonaldevelopment.net/new-food-nutrition-pyramid-introduced-by-usda/
USDA now introduce a new food icon: My Plate to takeover the food pyramid which has been used for over 19years.
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
MyPlate

Balancing Calories

Enjoy your food, but eat less.

Avoid oversized portions.


Foods to Increase

Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.

Make at least half your grains whole grains.

Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.


Foods to Reduce

Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals and choose the foods with lower numbers.

Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Look at the youtube here:
The new guide is divided into four slightly different-sized quadrants, with fruits and vegetables taking up half the space and grains and protein making up the other half. The vegetables and grains portions are the largest of the four.
Gone are the old pyramid’s references to sugars, fats or oils. What was once a category called “meat and beans” is now simply “proteins,” making way for seafood and vegetarian options like tofu. Next to the plate is a blue circle for dairy, which could be a glass of milk or a food such as cheese or yogurt.
Some critics, including congressional Republicans, have accused the Obama administration of overreaching on regulation, especially when it comes to new rules that tell schools what children can eat on campus.
But the plate is supposed to be a suggestion, not a direction, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“We are not telling people what to eat, we are giving them a guide,” he said. “We’re not suggesting they should not have a cookie or dessert, that’s not what it’s about.”
Vilsack said the new round chart shows that nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated. After almost 20 years of leaders preaching good eating through a food pyramid the department now says was overly complex, obesity rates have skyrocketed. He showed off the new plate with first lady Michelle Obama, who has made healthful diets for children a priority.
“Parents don’t have the time to measure out exactly three ounces of protein,” Mrs. Obama said as she introduced the new graphic. “We do have time to look at our kids’ plates.”
The department is planning to use social media — posting advice every day on Twitter, for example. The address of the accompanying website, choosemyplate.gov, is written on the chart. That website will eventually feature interactive tools that help people manage their weight and track their exercise.
The new chart is designed to be “more artistic and attractive” and to serve as a visual cue for diners, said Robert Post of the Agriculture Department’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. He has spent two years developing the plate and the website.
Even though the plate is divided into four different-sized sections, the servings don’t have to be proportional, say officials who developed the symbol. Every person has different nutritional needs, based on age, health and other factors.
The graphic is based on new department dietary guidelines released in January. Those guidelines, which are revised every five years, tell people to drastically reduce salt and continue limiting saturated fats. They say diners can enjoy food but should balance calories by eating less. The guidelines also suggest making half of your plate fruits and vegetables — a message easily translated on the dinner plate.
“We know Americans want to be healthy, but making those healthy choices is not easy, it’s hard,” said Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, who joined Mrs. Obama and Vilsack to unveil the plate. “We’re trying to make it easier.”
Many nutritionists and nutrition groups praised the new effort, crossing their fingers that people will listen.
Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, said there are already a lot of symbols out there telling people what to eat.
“This brings it all together,” she said.

Breathing Therapy-Useful Exercise

Breathing Therapy

Fun & Info @ Keralites.net

The nose has a left and a right side; we use both to inhale and exhale.

Actually they are different; you would be able to feel the difference.
The right side represents the sun, left side represents the moon.
During a headache, try to close your right nose and use your left nose to breathe.
In about 5 min, your headache will go?


If you feel tired, just reverse, close your left nose and breathe through your right nose.
After a while, you will feel your mind is refreshed.

Right side belongs to ‘hot’, so it gets heated up easily, left side belongs to ‘cold’.
Most females breathe with their left noses, so they get “cooled off” faster.
Most of the guys breathe with their right noses, they get worked up.

Fun & Info @ Keralites.net

Do you notice the moment we wake up, which side breathes faster? Left or right? ?

If left is faster, you will feel tired.
So, close your left nose and use your right nose for breathing, you will get refreshed quickly.
This can be taught to kids, but it is more effective when practiced by adults.
My friend used to have bad headaches and was always visiting the doctor.
There was this period when he suffered headache literally every night, unable to study.


Fun & Info @ Keralites.net
He took painkillers, did not work.
He decided to try out the breathing therapy here: closed his right nose and breathed through his left nose.
In less than a week, his headaches were gone! He continued the exercise for one month.
This alternative natural therapy without medication is something that he has experienced.
So, why not give it a try?

Recipe from Y3K Recipes Issue no.61 (July/ August 2011)


Recipe from Y3K Recipes Issue no.61 (July/ August 2011)

Ingredients:
300g shoulder loin (sliced)
100g shallots (sliced)
100g garlic (minced)

Marinade:
1 tbsp super soy sauce
2 tbsps chilli sauce (less spicy)
Dash of premium sesame oil
1 tsp shrimp sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp tapioca flour
Dash of pepper

Seasoning:
2 tsps supreme thick soya sauce

For garnishing:
1 stalk spring onion (diced)
1 fresh red chilli (cut into rings)

Method:
1. Mix meat with marinade. Leave it aside for 10-15 minutes.
2. Heat a wok with a little oil to saute shallots and garlic. Add in no. (1), fry till meat changes colour.
3. Add in seasoning, fry well. Cover wok, use low heat to braise for 15 minutes. Dish up, garnish.

Tips: Check meat constantly, if it is too dry, add in some hot water.