Proper Food Storage: 10 Fruits & Veggies to Keep Out of Your Fridge

Written by Kristi Arnold
http://www.organicauthority.com

The home refrigerator was a great technological advancement for food storage. Yet sometimes for our fruits and veggies, it doesn't keep foods fresher longer. Instead, it can make them mealy, mushy or even inedible. Keep these 10 fruits and vegetables on the counter, in a hanging fruit basket or in a dark, dry cupboard rather than your refrigerator to keep them at their best.

1. Bananas: The cold of the refrigerator will blacken the skin of the banana fruit. It also ripens the banana fruit and can make it mushy before its time. Keep bananas on the counter or in a hanging fruit basket.
2. Tomatoes: The refrigerator will make tomatoes mealy and dull. Keep tomatoes on the counter away from sunlight. If your tomatoes are underripe, place them on a windowsill to ripen.
3. Avocados: Avocados need to ripen off the tree, so leave them on the counter until they're completely ripe. Once they've ripened, you can use the fruit crisper drawer to stall the ripening process before you cut open your avocados. If you're storing cut avocado, leave the pit in the half you're storing. Rub lemon or lime juice over the top of the cut flesh to slow browning and store the avocado half in an airtight container. When you're ready to use the avocado, you may need to scrape off a layer of discoloration, but the remaining fruit will be green. If you make guacamole, toss the pit into the airtight container to keep the leftover guacamole green, too!
4. Melons: Whole melons like cantaloupe, watermelon and honeydew should be kept at room temperature before they're cut to keep antioxidants at their most potent. Once cut, keep melons in the refrigerator for up to four days.
5. Citrus: Oranges, limes, lemons and grapefruit can be stored on the countertop for up to a week. For longer food storage, and for more delicate citrus like tangerines, choose a ventilated bag in the refrigerator's fruit crisper instead.
6. Apples: Apples are best kept on the counter or in a hanging basket for the first week after being picked. If you plan to have them longer, you can chill them in the refrigerator for a few days.
7. Stone Fruits: Peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums ripen at room temperature. If you plan on eating them right away, store them on the counter. For longer-term storage, you can place them in the fruit crisper once the fruit is ripe.
8. Potatoes: The cold temperatures break down starches in the potato. That breakdown makes the potatoes gritty and overly sweet. It's best to keep potatoes in a cool, dry and dark place like a cupboard.
9. Onions: Humidity in the refrigerator makes onions moldy and mushy. Keep them in a hanging basket or a cupboard out of direct sunlight. Once the onions are cut, place them in an airtight container in your vegetable crisper.
10. Garlic: Store garlic in a cool, dry and ventilated container. If kept in the refrigerator, garlic will lose its flavor. Be sure to use the cloves of garlic within 10 days of breaking open the head of garlic.

Read our tips on storing fresh fruits and vegetables for more information.
Keep in touch with Kristi on Twitter @VeggieConverter and Pinterest

Your Vitamins May Be Doing More Harm Than Good

Your Vitamins May Be Doing More Harm Than Good,
We’ll Show You How You Can Check
Jun 24 www.realfarmacy.com

Next time you go to purchase those multivitamins do a little digging, you may be surprised to find out that your “vitamin” is not made by who you thought. Did you know that more than 95% of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that you can buy at “health food” stores and close to 100% of those sold in other stores are now made by the same few pharmaceutical and chemical companies who supply them to most all the vitamin and mineral companies?

Many popular brands of vitamins are “fortified” with the synthetic counterpart of the nutrient claimed to be in the pill. There are many reasons for these synthetic ingredients but the main reason they are used is to increase the bottom line; it is much cheaper to source different chemical byproducts to simulate a chemical make-up than it is to extract minerals and vitamins from growing healthy food. After the money is saved by sourcing dangerous chemicals instead of real ingredients, Big Pharma and their “chemical brothers” can now spend billions making you think that these imitation vitamins are good for you; for every dollar pharmaceutical companies spend on “basic research,” $19 goes toward promotion and marketing.

Below is a list of 5 toxic ingredients contained in versions of the most popular vitamin on the market today, Centrum, made by Pfizer. Less than a year ago, Pfizer was being sued for making false claims about their Centrum multivitamins and there alleged ability to promote “breast health” and “colon health.” The reality is that these supposed “vitamins” are merely synthetic chemical counterparts that do not carry the same benefits as the naturally occurring minerals and, in fact, can cause a myriad of damaging health effects.

First toxic ingredient

Ferrous Fumarate

C4H2FeO4

Ferrous fumarate is the anhydrous salt formed by combining ferrous iron with fumaric acid and used as a hematinic (a preparation used to improve the quality of blood). Unfortunately, inorganic iron is pro-oxidative, stimulating the damaging effects in the body of substances known as free radicals. There is evidence linking high inorganic iron intake to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Excessive iron accumulates in the liver, and may feed bacterial and viral infection. Iron is found, in a healthy body, in the form of metalloproteins, because in exposed or in free form it causes production of free radicals that are generally toxic to cells. In its “free” form iron binds avidly to virtually all biomolecules so it will adhere nonspecifically to cell membranes, nucleic acids, proteins etc., causing substantial damage. When, for instance, iron binds with LDL, it oxidizes it, resulting in obstruction.

Second toxic ingredient

Chromic Chloride

CrCl3

Although trivalent chromium like Chromic Chloride is far less poisonous than the hexavalent form, it is definitely a toxic substance, known to exhibit genotoxic, mutagenic, teratrogenic (reproductive hazard) and is on the Hazardous Substance list. Its main use is in the metal industries for chromizing; in the manufacture of chromium metal and compounds; as a catalyst for polymerization of olefins and other organic reactions; as a textile mordant; in tanning; in corrosion inhibitors; as a waterproofing agent.

Third toxic ingredient

Magnesium Stearate

Mg(C18H35O2)2

Used to make large scale production tableting of supplements and drugs possible, this chemical excipient is produced through reacting sodium stearate with magnesium sulfate, in a way similar to the production of other hydrogenated oils. Magnesium Stearate has shown to cause death from inhalation of the powder.

Fourth toxic ingredient

Manganese Sulfate

MnSO4H2O

The Material Safety Data Sheet classifies this chemical as a hazardous substance. Toxicological data indicates it is tumerigenic, mutagenic and teratogenic (adversely effects reproduction).

Fifth toxic ingredient

Sodium Selenite

Na2SeO3

An inorganic form of selenium with known toxicity. Studies have shown it may cause tumors, genetic mutations, interfere with reproduction, and cause birth defects. Although it is an essential antioxidant when found in food as biologically active selenium, inorganic selenium as selenite has a pro-oxidative effect.

 

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What can you do to make sure your vitamins are not just chemical cocktails with ostensible health benefits?

Below is a list of precautions one can use to avoid purchasing synthetic vitamins.

Cheryl Myers, FoodMatters.tv:

Step 1

Look for the words “100 percent natural” on the product’s label. Some product labels may contain the words “natural,” but manufacturers can claim “natural” on their nutritional products if at least 10 percent of the product comes from natural food sources. The Organic Consumers Organization recommends looking for products that contain “100 percent plant-based” or “100 percent animal-based” on the product’s label.

Step 2

Find the “food source” list on the products label. If the product’s label does not contain a list of natural food sources, then the product is synthetic. Look for food sources such as yeast, fish, vegetable and citrus.

Step 3

Identify whole foods in the ingredient list instead of the particular nutrient. Dr. Ben Kim, a chiropractor and acupuncturist with his own radio show, says to look for foods on the list of ingredients that contain a certain vitamin, such as “acerola cherry powder,” which contains vitamin C. If you can identify “vitamin C” in the ingredient list, Kim says you can almost guarantee that the vitamin is synthetic.

Step 4

Look for salt forms on the product label, a synthetic added to supplements for increasing the stability of the vitamin or mineral. Some of the salt forms to look for include acetate, bitartrate, chloride, gluconate, hydrochloride, nitrate and succinate.

Step 5

Learn how to read the product’s label by looking for keywords that indicate the supplement is synthetic. Words that end in “ide” or “ate” indicate that the product contains salt forms, which are synthetics.

For instance, if you see chloride, hydrochloride, acetate or nitrate on the list of ingredients, the manufacturer used synthetics for the product.

Additionally, the letters “dl” that appear before the name of an ingredient indicates the supplement is synthetic. As an example, look for “fish oils” when buying a vitamin A supplement. If the product’s label states “palmitate,” it is a synthetic vitamin A supplement.

Common Synthetic Vitamins to Avoid

Vitamin A: Acetate and Palmitate

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): Thiamine Mononitrate, Thiamine Hydrochloride

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Riboflavin

Pantothenic Acid: Calcium D-Pantothenate

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): Pyridoxine Hydrochloride

Vitamin B12: Cobalamin

PABA (Para-aminobenzoic Acid): Aminobenzoic Acid

Folic Acid: Pteroylglutamic Acid

Choline: Choline Chloride, Choline Bitartrate

Biotin: d-Biotin

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid): Ascorbic Acid

Vitamin D: Irradiated Ergosteral, Calciferol

Vitamin E: dl-alpha tocopherol, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate or succinate

The Dangers of Using Hand Sanitizer

Written by Kirsten Hudson  
http://www.organicauthority.com/health/not-so-handy-the-dangers-of-using-hand-sanitizer.html

Hand sanitizers seem like a good idea when you find yourself in a dirty situation. No soap at a rest stop bathroom. A sneezing seatmate on a bus. A port-o-potty. Just whip out your hand sanitizer and squeeze out a glop. No problem. Right? Not exactly. Hand sanitizers have been proven to kill bacteria, but they also have a dangerous side. Discover what lurks in these supposedly “clean” products.

Triclosan

Triclosan is an ingredient added to products to prevent bacterial growth. It’s found in everything from soaps to toys to clothing. And, also in hand sanitizers. If the label on your hand sanitizer reads “antibacterial”, it likely contains triclosan.
If you really look at it, triclosan is quite the pointless chemical. The FDA has found no health benefits of triclosan. Even though it kills bacteria, it may contribute to making bacteria resistant to antibiotics. In other words, it helps create super bacteria.
The FDA even noted that “at this time, the agency does not have evidence that triclosan in antibacterial soaps and body washes provides any benefit over washing with regular soap and water.” Now, after 40 years, the FDA is finally working to review triclosan, but it will likely be a while longer before triclosan is completey removed from products. Do your hands a favor and choose a hand sanitizer without triclosan on the label.

Parabens

Many conventional hand sanitizers are loaded with parabens, chemicals used to prevent microbe growth in products. They’re often found in personal care products that contain water, like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soaps and, yes, hand sanitizers. Linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity and skin irritation, parabens are pretty nasty. These four common parabens: ethylparaben, butylparaben, methylparaben and propylparaben are ones to watch out for on hand sanitizer labels.

Fragrance

If your hand sanitizer has a scent, it’s also probably loaded with toxic chemicals. Because fragrance is considered proprietary information, companies aren’t required to disclose the ingredients that make up their secret scents. So, theoretically, they could be just about anything—even hundreds of chemicals. According to the Environmental Working Group, “fragrance mixes have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress and potential effects on the reproductive system.” Eesh. Look for unscented hand sanitizers to avoid slathering chemicals on your skin.

Bacterial resistance

By now we’ve all probably heard about super bacteria. Products like hand sanitizers and antibacterial soaps are leading to an increased risk for developing treatment-resistent bacteria. Certain strains of bacteria are becoming resistant to even our most powerful antibiotics. Yet, many people continue to use hand sanitizers labeled “antibacterial”. If you see “antibacterial” on the label, choose a different hand sanitizer.

Better options

Remember that soap and water are your best for really getting your hands clean. But when that just isn’t an option, turn to a natural hand sanitizer. Many of your favorite natural beauty brands are now making hand sanitizers without any yucky chemicals. I love Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lavender Hand Sanitizing Spray. Made with just organic ethanol, water, organic glycerin and organic lavender oil, it gets hands sanitized without any unnecessary ingredients. It smells nice too.

Follow Kirsten on Twitter @kirsten_hudson, Google+ and Pinterest.

6 Ways to Prevent Cancer in Your Home

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