Post-Vasectomy Pain Syndrome

I've recently been reading the content at dont fix it!, a site that addresses the issues of post-vasectomy disorders and related diseases, and I've been fascinated by the level of information presented here. This site is a wealth of information (that you cannot find at fringy and worthless sites like wikipedia and webmd.)

I'll admit that this procedure is something I've been tentatively considering as an option, but not anymore. I've only heard a few things in the past about chronic pain and potential dementia from the surgery, and this site offers a TON more information that's worth checking out and bookmarking. Considering how relatively new the surgery is (much like lasik), and even though a certain group of medical scientists and the quacks at the FDA give this their approval, this is one I opt to choose.

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The Campbell's soup challenge

I used to eat tons of Campbells soup growing up, and now I don't touch the stuff. Why? Because, I've learned, I can't pick up a can of Campbell's soup without finding some sort of junk in it. Every single one of their soups has AT LEAST one of the following elements that I routinely AVOID when buying food:

• Hydrogenated oil
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Monosodium Glutamate

Even with some of their "natural" brand, they are still sneaky enough to add MSG in the form of either autolyzed protein or yeast extract, both being things I avoid.

So my challenge is, does there exist ANY Campbells soup product that doesn't contain one of those three things? Honestly, I don't think so. I've read through all of the labels and each soup has at least one of those.

Even the HEB brand of cream of mushroom soup, that I used to buy, now has an MSG-derrivative in it (for a brief window of time, the soup didn't have it.) which is really too bad.

So, much like my burrito wrap dilemma of a previous post, I'm actually resorting to making my own soup/soup stock for recipes. For dishes that call for cream of mushroom/cream of celery, I use the following:

• 1/2 cup or so of whipping cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• quarter stick of butter
• Some diced onion/garlic (whatever your own preference is)
  
• Some salt/pepper/assundry spices

It's strange, but using that as a base, then combining with chicken/veggies/whatever, I can actually make a half-decent soup component to a meal/casserole.

Anyhow, Campbells people: I'll keep reading the labels, and maybe someday you'll surprise me with a REAL natural soup, and not just a pretend natural soup like you carry now.

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Mission burrito wraps and the quest for non-hydrogenated wraps

It can be a frustrating endeavor to find taco/burrito wraps that don't have hydrogenated oil or lard. Mission brand is one that I see the most of, and every single variety that I check at the store has the word "hydrogenated" in it. The word hydrogenated, be it partially, fully, or just plain, is an instant indicator for me to put said product back on the shelf again.

What I've found is that H.E.B. (a big Texas grocery chain) has a bakery that makes wraps without hydrogenated oils, and this is impressive, considering that its out of the same bakery that sells hydrogenated pastries galore. But what's odd is that, only ONE of the local H.E.B's actually carries these, and the other two ones near me do NOT! I can't figure that one out.

So the wrap quest continues. Of course, I could just make my own, and it's tempting to just do this from now on and just skip the headache. The mini recipe is along the lines of:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• an egg

This makes a very runny batter, that you basically cook in a preheated iron skillet like a crepe. Considering how hard it is to find wraps without junk in them, I'm considering just using this method from now on.

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Some vinegars -- often expensive, aged balsamics -- contain a big dose of lead

Fascinating article about lead content in aged balsamic vinegars.

Not something I really wanted to read, considering how I enjoy balsamic vinegar dressing on my salad. Its just amazing to me sometimes how dangerous even the most innocuous foods are these. Its like now matter how hard you try, you just can't escape something in food killing you. Its a fallen world.

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Movie Theater Popcorn - Still Terrible for You...

The LA Times has an article on movie theater popcorn and how dreadful this stuff continues to be. I'm surprised, though, that there's no mention of hydrogenated oils, which I would have figured to be the biggest health culprit in the stuff (liquid margarine... yuck...) I stopped eating the stuff long ago - actually, I stopped going to the movies years ago too, and only rarely catch a film (I think the last film I saw was the 'Indiana Jones - Crystal Skull' film, which was just ridiculous and silly.)

The best bet for popcorn is to just invest in an air popper, then lightly salt/lightly butter it at home. Cheaper, healthier, and I think tastier than then microwaved versions.

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Stop the Thyroid Madness

Here's an excellent book for those with hypothyroid. Worth checking out if you have any of the symptoms and discussing with your doctor.

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Phthalates - Plastic in the Body

I've just started reading about phthalates, a type of plastic chemical found in a number of products, and some of the detrimental health effects from this stuff. It's one of those things like hydrogenated oils that, once you start reading about it and some of the bad things reported about it, it can just be overwhelming (particularly some of the studies reporting reproductive problems associated with phthalates.)

In terms of plastic, I know that I've had drinks from plastic containers and picked up that "plasticy" taste to the water, so the idea of plastics in material being ingested isn't an alien idea (it;s part of why I try to avoid using plastic bottles and utensils when I can, but it can be hard to avoid sometimes.) This is one of those things that makes me think I'm long overdue for another fast.

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Melamine & Infant Formula

Another interesting article from natural news about the "safe" level of melamine in foods, namely infant formula. I know that sometimes formula is the only option for some babies, which is why there should be better safety standards in terms of what goes into infant formula.

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Soft Drinks Aren't Good For You (Obviously)

Yahoo! had another half-decent article on the negative side of soda, including citing the negatives of aspartame. The article could have gone a little bit further, but I think the article covered a number of important negative aspects of regular soda consumption. I do enjoy non-HFCS soda's from time to time, and these are likely my biggest nutritional vice, and the article points out some good alternatives to soda (such as water, which I really should be drinking more of.)

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