Why are we overweight?
How many Americans are overweight? Answer is: two out of
every three adults.
According to
the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development)
“Recent figures on the prevalence of obesity
vary from 3% and 4% in Korea and Japan,
to a high of 31% in
the United States” (bold face added for emphasis).
That figure
(31%) is almost identical to the one given by the American
Heart
Association, which reports “1/3 of all Americans
are overweight” (bold face added for
emphasis).
These percentages, translated into real numbers, tell us
about 92 million Americans
(one out of every three) are overweight.
But wait, it gets worse. According to the U.S.
Department of Health and Human
Services, if we don’t take into account youngsters in
the 6-19 year-old-group (of whom
only 15% are
overweight)—and just consider Americans over 20 years
of age—we find
that a whopping 64% (190 million) of us
are overweight. This means that two out of
every three Americans over 20 are overweight or obese.
These figures
are verified by NHANES (National Health and Nutrition
Examination
Survey) which states: “Over the last 20 years, the prevalence
of obesity and overweight
among Americans has become a national concern; it is referred
to as an epidemic.
Today, approximately two-thirds of U.S. adult males
and females are overweight”
(bold face added for
emphasis).
We have access
to more food than any people in history. Is it
surprising
that we Americans are the most overweight people on Earth?
Illnesses associated with
being overweight:
The American
Heart Association reports that being overweight can bring on
such health
problems as “heart disease, high blood pressure, breast
and colon cancer, gallbladder
disease, and type 2 diabetes.” Former Surgeon General
C. Everett Koop MD, and the
American Obesity Association, estimate that 300,000
premature deaths a year are
attributable to obesity
The ASBS
(American Society for Bariatric Surgery) tells us “Serious
consequences of
severe obesity are well documented and include cardiac
dysfunction, pulmonary
problems, digestive diseases, and endocrine disorders
as well as obstetric, orthopedic,
and dermatological complications.”
Reasons we are overweight:
The reason
many of us are overweight is not because we don’t exercise
properly, not
because we inherited “bad genes,” not because we have
glandular defects, not because
we have psychological
problems. Many of us are overweight because we eat too
much:
Too much good food, too much “junk” food, in too great
quantities, too frequently. Let’s
not try to fool ourselves
about this.
Remember when
we were in our twenties and never imagined we would ever
become
overweight? Now, many of us are too heavy—and we are
suffering the consequences of
our dietary indiscretions. We don’t look good, we don’t feel
well, we can’t move about as
easily as we once did.
Our bodies can
function beautifully, and for many years, on much less food
than we
shovel in every day. Why do we overeat? The reason, you may
be pleased to learn, is
not entirely our fault—not
entirely:
Historical
Throughout
history many people in many lands did not have enough to eat.
Today, in
some parts of the world, they still do not. Much of the story
of mankind is a saga of
people continually struggling to secure food. Leisure time
was unknown. Our ancestors
spent their days—their lives—foraging, then hunting and
fishing, finally farming and
herding livestock to obtain sustenance. Years ago there were
probably not too many
overweight people because our forebears had to work
continually just to secure enough
food. “Royalty,” of course, lived well—often at the expense
of their subjects. The land-
owning class also lived well—but not so the farmers and
herders who worked the land.
One of the
reasons our ancestors immigrated to America was to find a
better life. An
integral part of that “better life” was having enough
food. How wretched conditions must
have been in the Old World—to entice the first settlers
to leave their homelands, cross
a vast ocean in small, wooden sailboats, and
brave the dangers of a new continent
about which they knew nothing.
Most of the
first English colonists who came to America did not survive
because of their
initial inability to grow crops, a brutal first winter,
quarreling among themselves,
starvation, Indian conflicts and disease. Of the 900
colonists who came to Virginia
between 1607-1609 only 150 were alive at the end of 1609. In
1620 the famous
“Mayflower” arrived in Plymouth harbor. During the
1630's nearly 200 ships, carrying
20,000 colonists, sailed into Massachusetts Bay. We (not yet
the USA) started growing
and crossing the continent. Fast forward to 1848. The USA now
stretched from the
Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast.
A land of
great agricultural abundance
America was
blessed by Divine Providence with great agricultural
resources: Good
growing seasons, the proper amount of rain, fertile soil for
a multitude of grains and fruit
and vegetables, grassland and good temperature for raising
livestock
We had
agricultural geniuses such as Luther Burbank (1849-1926) who
developed 800
new strains of plants, and George Washington Carver
(1864-1943) who developed
hundreds of products from
peanuts, sweet potatoes, pecans and soybeans.
America’s
inventors also helped increase agricultural productivity: In
1797 Charles
Newbold made the first cast-iron plow. Cyrus Hall McCormick,
in 1834, invented the
mechanical reaper for harvesting crops. John Deere and
Leonard Andrus began
manufacturing steel plows in l837. The gasoline-powered
tractor was invented by John
Froehlich in 1892. In 1930
Clarence Birdseye started the frozen-food industry.
The airplane
was invented by Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright in 1903.
Thanks to their
genius we now get out-of-season fruit flown in from Chile,
fresh salmon flown in from
Alaska and Norway, and
other foods flown in from countries around the globe.
And great
foodstuff distribution
We have
refrigerated railroad cars, and refrigerated trailers,
delivering fresh and
processed food from North and South America to all states in
the continental USA.
There are countless food-storage facilities where domestic
and imported canned, dried,
bottled, packaged, fresh and frozen foods are warehoused
until delivered to local
supermarkets,
restaurants, military bases and institutions.
Almost every
American home has a refrigerator/freezer, stove, and small
appliances to
facilitate preparing meals. Almost every American family has
an automobile to facilitate
picking up groceries from supermarkets loaded with fresh,
frozen, canned, bottled and
packaged poultry, fish, beef, pork, veal, lamb, vegetables,
fruit, baked goods, beverages,
dairy and deli products. We are a nation with such an
abundance of food there is even a
separate isle in the supermarket filled with pet
food.
We Americans
take our great food resources for granted, but during the
“Cold War” an
article with photo appeared in US newspapers across the
country—and made us aware
of our enormous agricultural abundance. The photo showed a
Russian diplomat visiting
an American supermarket—and weeping when he saw so much
readily available food in
one place. Because in Russia, at that time, there were
no supermarkets such as we
had— and people frequently stood in line for hours to purchase a few
items of food.
We
are never far from food. We have
food-vending machines in places where
food sales are not even part of their business. We can
make a phone call and have a
pizza delivered within the hour, restaurants serving a wide
variety of cuisine, drive-ins
where we can eat in our car if
we don’t want to walk into a restaurant.
We have TV
dinners so we can eat while watching TV, snack bars so we can
eat while
watching movies or sporting events, and automobiles in which
we can eat when going
someplace. Our parks have
tables and grills so we can eat while communing with
nature.
I used to
have—and still do in my heart—a loving grandmother who always
said to me in
her native tongue “eat, eat” whenever I sat down at her
table. To that wonderful
European- born lady food was love. She never learned—and I
did not know back then—
that eating too much was not wise.
Our great
agricultural abundance and foodstuff distribution system have
resulted in a
food-oriented culture in which it is difficult not to be
overweight.
The problem
It would be
sinful—an insult to Divine Providence—to complain about this
great and
bountiful land when so much, perhaps most, of the world’s
population is continually
hungry. But there is a
“downside” to our agricultural abundance—it is the
temptation to
consume more food than is good for us, to
eat so much that we actually develop acute
illnesses. Perhaps it is a greater insult to Divine
Providence when, by our own hand, we
abuse His creation by overindulgence.
Since about
the beginning of the 20th century America has been
able to supply her
people on a daily basis with more food, and
better food, and more varieties of food, than
kings of old
ever enjoyed. Food production and availability increased to
such an extent
that by the middle of the 20th
century many Americans began endangering their
health
and dying prematurely because they were
overeating.
Obesity is now so serious a problem
that Americans spend about $46
billion (that’s
“billion,” not “million”) every year on weight-loss products.
We probably
spend more for products designed to help us lose
weight than many nations spend for
food:
We are buying
weight-loss medications, joining exercise clubs, enrolling
in weight-loss
programs, and purchasing a variety of exercise
devices to help us lose weight. Now,
there is even an
operation to surgically reduce the size of obese patients’
stomachs so
they eat less. It’s called “gastric bypass
surgery.”
The ASBS
(American Society for Bariatric Surgery) was founded in l983.
Its members
are Board-Certified Surgeons who specialize in
operating on the “morbidly obese”
(medically defined as people
who are 100 lbs. overweight). The ASBS points out
bariatric
“Surgical treatment is not a cosmetic procedure. Surgical
treatment of severe
obesity does not involve the removal of
adipose (fat) by suction or excision. Bariatric
surgery
involves reducing the size of the gastric reservoir...” What
this means is the
patient’s stomach is surgically reduced, and
the small intestine slightly altered, so the
patient eats less
and therefore loses weight. Cost of this operation varies
between
$15,000 - $25,000.
The number of
these operations increased from 12,775 in 1998 to 70,256 in
2003.
Reporter Ann
Geracimos (The Washington Times, Nov. 15, 2005) quotes
Pittsburgh, PA
plastic surgeon Dr. Dennis Hurwitz as saying
“Last year, 140,000 gastric bypass
surgeries were performed in
the United States, double the number in 2003.”
“The OLD YOU
and the NEW YOU”
— A possible solution
to being overweight
“The OLD YOU
and the NEW YOU” is a workable technique that can turn your
life around
as it did mine fifteen years ago. It can be an
effective way to stop a dangerous habit—
such as
overeating—and it costs nothing. (Would you pay more
attention if I told you
this method costs $15,000?) It
involves a behavior-modification technique invented by
W.
Timothy Gallwey and explained in his book on The Inner Game
of Tennis (© 1974 by
W. Timothy Gallwey, Random House).
Of course I’m
not going to tell you Mr. Gallwey’s behavior-modification
technique works
for everyone. Nothing works for everyone. All
I am going to tell you is (1) his behavior-
modification
technique probably saved my life because I used it to quit
smoking—and I
have not smoked in 15 wonderful years, and (2)
since it costs nothing you owe it to
yourself to use it to
stop overeating and begin enjoying the rest of your life.
Here’s how the “OLD YOU and the NEW YOU”
behavior-modification
Technique lets you turn your life around:
A person
admits to himself or herself (the OLD YOU) “I’ve got a
problem that is
destroying my life.” (That problem could be
alcohol, gambling, cigarettes, overeating—
anything.) Then,
that person tells himself or herself (the OLD YOU) “but I
quit.” In that
One
Insightful Moment
the OLD YOU fades away—passes into history—is
gone. And the NEW YOU begins a wonderful new
life—no longer a slave to a
destructive lifestyle.
Fifteen years
ago I told the OLD me “I quit smoking” and in that
One Insightful
Moment
the OLD me passed into history. I
have not smoked a cigarette since—
because the NEW me doesn't
smoke anymore. Am I tempted by the OLD me whenever
I
catch a whiff of cigarette smoke? Sometimes. But I have never
smoked since that day
15 years ago because the NEW me just
doesn’t smoke. OLD me did, NEW me does
not. It’s that
simple—but it works—if you truly want to turn your life
around.
It you want to
turn your life around as much as I did you can—in that
One Insightful
Moment
when you tell yourself “The OLD me
ate too much, but that was the OLD me.
The NEW me just
doesn’t overeat.”
Somewhere in
the past the OLD YOU will always be lurking. From time to time
the OLD
YOU will whisper in your ear “Go ahead and eat that
piece of apple pie, it won’t hurt
you.”—as the serpent
whispered to Eve in the garden of Eden, beguiling her to eat
what
she knew she should not eat.
But the NEW
YOU will not listen because she knows the OLD YOU does not
have her
best interests at heart. All the OLD YOU plans
for you is obesity and illness. But the
NEW YOU is smarter and
stronger than the OLD YOU. The NEW YOU is on the road
to
weight loss, health and happiness—and nothing and no one is
going to stop her.
Since the NEW
YOU is eating less, she will be eating wisely, too. You
already know
about good-eating habits because you’ve done as
much reading on the subject as I
have. But it won’t hurt to
take a few minutes
to review:
Let’s start
with the best foods on Earth and work our way down...
Perfect
Foods
Fresh
vegetables
are among the healthiest foods we can eat.
Great taste. Natural
sugar. No cholesterol. No saturated fats.
No trans fat. No unsaturated fats. No
preservatives. Plenty of
vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and insoluble fiber.
However,
it makes no sense to eat fresh
vegetables---and smother them in
condiments containing
saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, strange-sounding
chemicals,
and many calories per serving.
Just
read
the label on that bottle of salad dressing you want to put in
your shopping
cart. How healthy can these
salad-dressing ingredients be: (1) sugar (you know
that’s
not good), (2) egg yolks (high in cholesterol), (3)
natural flavor (what’s that?), (4) sodium
(unquestionably bad
for you), (5) phosphoric acid (?), (6) monosodium glutamate
(MSG,
and not good for you), (7) xanthan gum (?), (8)
propylene glycol (?), (9) alginate (?), (10)
potassium sorbate
preservative (?), (11) corn starch-modified (?), (12) sodium
benzoate
preservative (?), (13) disodium inosinate (?), (14)
calcium disodium EDTA to protect
flavor (?). Do we really want
that stuff on top of our fresh lettuce and tomatoes?
Instead,
use one or more of these ingredients on your salads: lemon
juice, honey, extra
virgin olive oil, vinegar, fresh chopped
onions or onion powder (not onion salt), fresh
chopped garlic
or garlic powder (not garlic salt), crushed red pepper, black
pepper, and
whatever other spices and herbs you may want to
try. There is no exact "recipe" to
follow in making a tasty,
healthy, chemical-free salad dressing. You might want to start
off with just lemon juice and honey, which make a good salad
dressing, and take it from
there. Experiment and find out what
you like best. Whatever you "come up with" will
certainly be
healthier than "store bought" salad dressings.
Another fact
about salads: The packaged, ready-to-eat salad vegetables we
see in the
produce department may be convenient, but they have preservatives added to maintain
freshness. For example,
if you were to cut up some fresh lettuce, put it in a
food-storage
bag and place it in your refrigerator—you would
notice that within 3-4 days it would start
turning brown. But,
the ready-to-eat packages of salad keep “fresh” much
longer—about
12 days— because of their added preservatives.
Forget the “convenience” of
packaged, ready-to-eat salad
vegetables and stay with the “tried and true” fresh
vegetables that have not been soaked in a preserving
solution.
When you are
cooking vegetables, steamed are better than
boiled because in boiling
more nutrients are lost. Steamed
vegetables are crunchier than boiled but better for us if
our
teeth can handle them. Many vegetables can be roasted. All
cooked vegetables are
nutritious, as well as tasty. The
dark green, leafy vegetables such as collard and turnip
greens, kale, and spinach provide an excellent source of vital omega-3 fatty acids, and
are among the most
beneficial foods in the world. (More about the importance of
omega-
3 fatty acids later.) We can’t eat too many raw or
cooked vegetables.
Vegetable juice
is healthful, although not as beneficial as
fresh, whole vegetables
because the skin (containing some of
the vegetables’ vitamins, minerals and fiber) has
been
removed. Most canned and bottled vegetable juices have been
Pasteurized (boiled,
like milk, to kill bacteria), and, as a
result, may have lost some nutrients. Also, canned
vegetable juices contain as much as 750mg of sodium per
serving as a preservative.
The best
vegetable juice is fresh-squeezed at home. An electric home
juicer is a good
investment. Become a home “chemist” by
experimenting with juicing dozens of different
fresh
vegetables—and fresh fruit—singly and in combinations,
and finding out which
ones you like best. All will be
healthful because your fresh, home-made juice will not
contain sodium or other chemical preservatives, nor will it
have been boiled. Home
juicer cleanup is a bit of a chore, but
what’s a little clean-up compared with our good
health?
When we use
canned vegetables, we can’t just open up the can and dump
the
vegetables into a pot of water to heat. With some
canned vegetables—such as green
beans, peas, whole
kernel corn, and white potatoes—we first have to first rinse
them
off in a strainer or colander. You will see tiny bubbles
in the preserving solution in
which the vegetables were
packed. Rinse off the preserving solution throughly before
putting the vegetables into fresh water to heat.
Frozen fruit juices and frozen vegetables
contain much less
calories, fat,
cholesterol, preservatives, and sugars than
canned. However, frozen vegetables are
more expensive.
Get into the
good habit of checking labels on everything you
place in your shopping
cart— cans, jars, bottles, cartons,
bags, loafs—everything, especially condiments. The
USDA
(United States Department of Agriculture) requires the
contents of all foods to be
listed on their labels.
All we have
to do is check three ingredients on every label:
(1) Check the amount of
sodium (a preservative,
such as: sodium, sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, sodium
benzoate). Sodium content will vary between 10mg per
serving in many food items—to
over 1300mg per serving
in one brand of sliced, dried beef; 960mg sodium per
serving in one brand of chicken broth; 820mg. sodium
per serving in one brand of
pizza. (More about the
dangers of sodium later.) (2) sugars or sugar
substitutes such
as: aspartame, saccharin, sorbitol,
asesulfame potassium (Ace-K), neotame, sucralose
and tagatose,
which are measured in grams [g] per serving, and (3)
saturated fats
and trans fat, which are also measured
in grams [g] per serving. (More about the
dangers of
saturated fat and trans fat later.)
It is vital
to buy food containing the lowest amounts—as indicated
on labels—of (1)
sodium or sodium compounds, (2)
sugar or artificial sweeteners, and (3) saturated
fats and trans fat. Always use the “reduced fat” or
“low calorie” version of whatever it is
you are buying.
However, watch out for some food items labeled “Fat Free”
(which they
are) but containing high amounts of sodium
or sodium compounds.
Beans (legumes)
— Another perfect food
The USDA
tells us beans are “high in protein,” have “virtually no fat
and more fiber than
most whole grain foods.” A new
USDA dietary guidance message says “diets including
beans may
reduce your risk of heart disease and certain cancers.” Also,
says the
USDA, “Beans are one of nature’s healthiest
foods - they contain no saturated fat or
cholesterol, and
provide nutrients such as calcium, iron, folic acid and
potassium.”
These beans
are black-eyed, kidney, red, navy, great northern, black,
pinto, cranberry,
garbanzo, limas and baby limas. They come in
both dry and canned. Dry beans are
healthier because canned
beans are already cooked and, like all canned foods contain
sodium. Just rinse off dry beans in a strainer or colander and
put them in water to boil.
When water starts to boil, reduce
heat and simmer about 2 - 3 hours (depending on
which bean you
are using) until beans are tender.
While beans
are simmering you can add whatever you like—lean beef,
lean pork,
chicken, vegetables (celery, onions, and garlic
powder work well), herbs, spices—singly
or in combinations.
There are many ways of preparing bean dishes including chili,
baked
beans, bean soups, beans and rice, and bean stew.
Experiment and find out which ones
you like best. Bean dishes
are very inexpensive, very tasty, very healthy.
Fresh Fruit —
Another perfect food
No
cholesterol. No saturated fats. No trans fat. No unsaturated
fats. No preservatives.
Plenty of vitamins, minerals,
carbohydrates, enzymes, and fiber. Are there any
tastier
treats on Earth than fresh apricots, plums, peaches,
apples, pears, nectarines,
cherries, berries, figs, melons,
bananas, grapes, citrus fruit, cantaloupes, papayas,
pineapples, dates, kiwi fruit, mangos, avocados (avocados are
the only fruit with a fat
content, but it’s the “good”
monounsaturated fat). And strawberries. As Doctor Boteler
said
of strawberries in the 17th century: “Doubtless God
could have made a better berry,
but doubtless God never did.”
You can’t eat too much fresh fruit.
If you
purchase canned fruit the best is “packed in fruit juice,”
followed by “packed in
light syrup.” Avoid the “packed in
heavy syrup” cans of fruit because they contain too
much
sugar.
Canned and bottled
100% fruit juices are healthful
even though some
vitamins, minerals and enzymes
may have been lost in Pasteurizing (boiling to kill
bacteria)
prior to canning and bottling. Also, canned and bottled fruit
juices contain
preservatives and sugar. You can’t get away
from the preservatives (sodium), but try to
get canned or
bottled fruit juice labeled “no sugar added.” Frozen juices
contains little or
no sodium. They may have added sugar, but
frozen juices (not frozen punch or “ades”)
are good for you.
Some fresh juices, called “raw” juices because they have not
been
Pasteurized, must be used soon after being put into
cartons or bottles. “Raw” juices
should have an expiration
date on their containers.
Don’t be
deceived by canned, bottled, cartoned, or frozen fruit
“drinks” or “punch”
because they contains little fruit juice
and much sugar. You will also want to avoid fruit
“ades” such
as lemonade and orangeade which also contain much sugar. Stay
with
containers labeled “100% pure juice,” “100% juice,” or
“contains 100% juice.”
Dried fruit
has had the water removed and it is highly
concentrated. For that reason, a
pound of dried fruit has more
calories than a pound of fresh fruit. For example, it takes
about 4-6 lbs. of fresh fruit to make 1 lb. of dried fruit.
So, the 1 lb. of dried fruit will
contain as much sugar as
the 4-6 lbs. of fresh fruit from which it was made. That’s the
only disadvantage of dried fruit.
The plus
features are dried fruit it is a carbohydrate, high in dietary
fiber and containing
almost no fat or
cholesterol. Dried fruits have a high vitamin and mineral
content, and a
natural sweetness. They’re great to snack on.
Also,
chopped-up dried fruit of all kinds, added to hot or cold
whole-grain, high-fiber
cereal—provide the
healthiest breakfast you can eat—especially when compared
with a
“bacon, eggs and home fries” breakfast which combines
not just one—but three
unhealthy foods on one plate.
(The bacon [or sausage] is saturated fat
[arteriosclerosis].
The egg yolks contain a high concentration of cholesterol
[arteriosclerosis]. And the home fries, if fried in saturated
fat or trans fat raise your blood
cholesterol level
[arteriosclerosis]. But, if the home fries are fried in the
“good” fat
[monounsaturated or polyunsaturated] they are
merely fattening.)
The Mayo
Clinic advises “try to buy dried fruits that are processed
without added
sugar,” and “It’s important to know that some
dried fruits may be preserved with sulfite,
which can trigger
an allergic reaction in some people.”
Whole Grains
— Another
perfect food
But first,
why is “whole grain” a perfect food and what exactly is
“whole grain?” Here’s
the answer: The tops of cereal grasses
(such as wheat, oats, corn, barley, wild rice [not
“regular”
rice], rye, triticale [wheat-rye hybrid], millet, alfalfa,
sorghum) are comprised of
three parts: (1) An outer
hull [bran] which surrounds the (2) middle section
[endosperm]
which surrounds and provides food for the (3)
center [germ] of the grain.
Many people
sprinkle toasted (already cooked) wheat bran on top of
their hot or cold
cereals, soups, stews, casseroles, and even
in juice because wheat bran is considered
the best
source of insoluble grain fiber (keeps your intestinal
track clean. More about
this later.) Some folks sprinkle
wheat germ over their foods. Also a great nutritional
idea. Oat bran is considered another excellent source of
insoluble grain fiber. Oat bran
is not sprinkled
over foods as is wheat bran, but is eaten as a cooked, hot
cereal (great
with chopped dried fruit and/or chopped nuts in
the bowl).
When
you purchase whole grain bread,
crackers, pasta, flour, hot or cold
cereals you are getting
all the benefits and nutrients of the entire
grain—the outer hull
(bran), middle section (endosperm), and
center (germ)—all of which are nutritionally
important.
Why
buy
“refined” grain products which only contain the middle
section of the grain, the
endosperm?
Along with
fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, freshly-squeezed vegetable and
fruit juices, and
dry beans, whole grains are another
perfect food. However, when purchasing any
grain
product it is important to buy a “whole” grain
product.
For example,
“Wheat Bread” and bread made from “Enriched Wheat Flour” are
not the
same as “100% Whole Wheat Bread,” which
is one of the healthiest breads we can
eat. For good health
it is essential to buy only those grain products—such
as bread,
crackers, cereal, and flour that have the word
“whole” in front of the name of the grain
from
which the product is made. You can even get whole grain pasta,
which tastes
about the same as regular pasta—but is healthier.
It is important to remember that the
first word,
after the word “Ingredients” on the label, must be the
word “whole” or you are
not buying a true “whole grain”
product.
The USDA
advises “Try some of these whole grain foods: whole
wheat bread, whole
grain ready-to-eat cereal, low-fat whole
wheat crackers, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta,
whole barley (in
soup).” The USDA cautions: “Wheat flour” and “enriched flour”
are not
whole grains.
Important
information about your breakfast cereal: (1)
Whether you purchase cold or
hot cereal, make sure the label
says “whole” in front of the type of grain from which
the
cereal is made. (2) Select a whole grain cold or
hot cereal that has a high insoluble
fiber
content per serving. When you check labels you will note that
some hot and cold
whole grain cereals have an insoluble
fiber content as low as 3mg per serving—and
some have
an insoluble fiber content as high as 14 or 15mg
of insoluble fiber per
serving. Here’s why a high
insoluble fiber content is important:
Fiber
(insoluble fiber, as opposed to soluble fiber)
is a vital food (carbohydrate) that is
not
absorbed to any great extent by our bodies. Insoluble fiber
moves through our
intestinal tract (large and small
intestines) practically intact—like a vacuum sweeper
over a
carpet—and cleans them out. In other words, fiber
prevents constipation. Much
of our good health depends
upon having a clean intestinal tract and clean blood
vessels
(more about clean blood vessels later).
The best way
to have a clean intestinal tract is by eating foods
high in insoluble fiber
such as dry
beans, brown rice, fresh vegetables, fresh
fruit, and whole grain
products. Meat, fish and poultry
have no insoluble fiber. Dairy products have no
insoluble fiber. Sweets, oils, candy, pastries, beverages,
“junk” foods have no insoluble
fiber. Just fresh
vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grain foods,
dry beans, and brown
rice.
Good foods
— (but not perfect foods)
Nuts
Unlike fresh
vegetables, dry beans, fresh fruit, brown rice, and whole
grains—nuts
contain some fat. However, most of the
fats in nuts are the “good” kind (mono or
polyunsaturated), as
opposed to the artery-clogging saturated fats and trans fat
found in
fatty meats, dairy products and “sweets” (more about
saturated fats and trans fat later).
Nutritionists tell us not
to eat too many nuts at one time. In small quantities nuts are
considered an excellent food.
Nuts have a
high protein content. One-third cup mixed nuts has about 270
calories and
about the same amount of protein as a 4 oz.
portion of meat. Nuts are a good source of
vitamins, minerals
and fiber. There are one of the few foods rich in
Vitamin E, an
antioxidant. A great way to enjoy the flavor of
nuts is to chop them up and sprinkle on
salads, low-fat
yogurt, high-fiber hot or high-fiber cold cereal, and cooked
vegetables.
Here are two
good, main-course protein dishes
—
(note
two provisos)
Chicken — But
never fried
(first proviso)
Perhaps the
healthiest of the main-course protein foods—provided
you don’t fry it.
Fried chicken is not healthy
because of the oil—any oil—in which it is fried. Here’s why
fried chicken—or french fries, fried doughnuts, fried
anything—are health hazzards:
Foods fried in
saturated fats (poultry fat, beef fat, pork fat [lard], palm
oil, coconut oil) or
trans fat (these are solid fats, such as
shortening or hard margarine, chemically made
by adding
hydrogen to vegetable oils) will absorb these saturated
fats and trans fat. This
will raise the level of
cholesterol in your blood because your body cannot
break down
saturated fats or trans fat and they “take up
residence” in your blood vessels. This
causes cholesterol to
clog up your blood vessels (arteriosclerosis) to
such an extent
blood will not be able to circulate. Clogged
blood vessels are one of the primary causes
of heart problems.
Think of your
blood vessels as the “pipes” in your home. If we throw garbage
down our
drains we clog up the pipes. That’s why we
throw garbage in the back-yard garbage
can,not down our
drains. Same with our blood vessels. We have to keep our blood
vessels clean and free-flowing by not clogging
them up with cholesterol. Cholesterol is
clogged blood
vessels; clogged blood vessels is arteriosclerosis;
arteriosclerosis is
heart problems.
Now, what
happens when foods are fried in “good” fats, which are
monounsaturated fats
(olive, canola and peanut oils) and
polyunsaturated fats (corn, soybean and safflower
oils)? These
fats do not cause arteriosclerosis. On the contrary,
they lower blood
cholesterol.
However,
all vegetable oils, saturated fats, trans fat, and even
the “good”
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are
100% fat. Each tablespoon of vegetable
oil contains 14
grams of fat. Each tablespoon of vegetable oil contains 120
calories.
Foods fried in fat—even the “good” monounsaturated
or polyunsaturated fats—absorb fat
and become
high-caloric dishes. In other words, very fattening. So,
remember that even
though the “good” monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fats will not hurt your heart—
they will not
help your waistline.
Let’s get back
to preparing chicken the healthy way: It can be baked,
roasted, broiled,
grilled, poached, barbequed, sauteed,
micro-waved, or rotisseried—just not fried.
Remove
chicken skin before or after cooking, but before eating.
Baked chicken
breast (no skin) has less calories, less total fat, less
saturated fat and
less cholesterol than most other meats
except some baked fish. It has only slightly less
protein than
beef. Chicken is a good source of daily requirements of
protein, niacin, B-
6, B-12, vitamin D, iron and zinc. For
a “change of pace” try using flavored vinegars, wine
(white,
of course), herbs, spices, citrus fruit (lemon or orange,
squeezed or slices), or
pineapple on your chicken. Remember,
your heart is begging you to never fry chicken,
and
when you’re dining out, never order fried chicken. (No
french fries or donuts, either.)
Fish
— But there is the “mercury” problem
(second proviso)
At one time
fish was considered an excellent, protein-based main
course. That was
before air-borne “mercury” started falling
into the world’s waters and getting into fish.
Primary causes
of this very toxic “mercury” pollution are coal-burning power
plants, and
the burning of industrial, hazardous and household
wastes.
If you go to:
http://epa.gov/waterscience/fish/states.htm
you can learn where, in your
state, it’s safe to eat the fish
you catch. For example, in Ohio, the EPA tells us “The
Ohio
Department of Health advises that all persons limit
consumption of sport fish
caught from all water bodies in Ohio
to one meal per week, unless there is a more
restricted
advisory.” And, “Consumption of Ohio sport fish caught at 69
locations should
be limited to one meal per month.” I don’t
consider this a ringing endorsement for eating
Ohio-caught
fish. When I am advised to eat some fish once a week, and
others once a
month, my interpretation of this spin is “Don’t
eat fish caught in Ohio waters.”
Possibly
the best fish we can eat are those caught in far northern
(Alaskan or Canadian)
waters in which there are, hopefully,
less mercury and other industrial pollutants than in
more
industrialized areas. Hopefully.
Here’s what
good-eating fish (such as salmon, trout, walleye, red snapper
and other
favorites), caught in “clean” waters, have to offer
besides a light, delicate, delicious
flavor: Less
calories than chicken, beef, lamb or pork; about the same
amount of
protein as chicken, beef, lamb or pork;
vitamins and minerals.
In
addition, fish, especially cold-water “fatty” fish such
as mackerel, sardines, salmon,
lake trout, herring, and
bluefish contain high amounts of what scientists
call “omega-3
fatty acids.” The body cannot make these by
itself—but they are essential for good
health. Omega-3
fatty acids are an excellent polyunsaturated (“good”) fat.
Scientists are
continually learning more about the seemingly incredible
benefits we
derive from omega-3 fatty acids (also found
in dark green leafy vegetables, flaxseed oils
and certain
vegetable oils): They help in some types of diabetes, ease
menstrual pain,
stabilize irregular heart beat (arrhythmia),
reduce high blood pressure, reduce
hypertension, improve
rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and Raynaud’s disease. Remember
the old saying “fish is a brain food?” It would appear there
is some truth to that because
studies indicate increased
amounts of omega-3 fatty acids do help the brain function
better. Also, omega-3 fatty acids seem to alleviate certain
mental health problems such
as depression and Alzheimer’s.
However,
here is the “fish paradox” we are confronted with today:
Scientists tell us
some (many? most? all?) waters and fish
have high levels of mercury. Modern science
also tells
us the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are absolutely
essential to our good
health. How are we to know
how much mercury is in the fresh, frozen or canned fish we
just purchased, or how much mercury is in the water where are
just-purchased fish were
caught? Are we supposed to overlook
the mercury “problem” because of the tremendous
health
benefits derived from fish omega-3 fatty acids? Or, are we
supposed to look for
omega-3 fatty acids elsewhere? Are the
omega-3 fatty acids found elsewhere as
beneficial as the
omega-3 fatty acids found in fresh fish?
Almost good foods
— But only if we use the
leanest cuts
Beef
A hamburger
has more nutritional value—and far less sugar—than a 12-oz.
can of Coke
[sic], according to a brochure the Cattlemen’s
Association once distributed to schools.
This tidbit from John
Robbins, http://www.foodrevolution.org/grassfedbeef.htm.
Contrary to
popular belief, beef from corn-fed cattle is not as
healthy as beef from grass-
fed cattle. The reason cattle are
fed corn is to make them fatter, quicker—hence more
profitable. But cattle are grass eaters and corn is not a
“natural” food for them.
Sometimes a steady corn diet makes
cattle sick (called “downers” when they are unable
to stand
up) and they are given antibiotics which may eventually get
into our bodies.
Grass-fed
cattle have only about 1/3 the fat of corn-fed cattle. But, it
is uneconomical to
let cattle graze because it takes about
twice as long for grass-fed steers to reach
marketable weight
as for penned-up, corn-fed steers. Sometimes cattlemen let
their
cattle roam and eat grass for a limited time—then put
their cattle back in close-quarter
pens for corn feeding
(called “finishing”) and quicker weight gain.
The USDA tells
us in raising cattle “Hormones may be used to promote
efficient (?)
growth. Estradiol, progesterone, and
testosterone (three natural hormones), and zeranol
and
trenbolone acetate (two synthetic hormones) may be used as an
implant on the
animal’s ear.” Also, some prepackaged meats are
injected with potassium lactate,
sodium phosphate and sodium diacetate to give the meat a longer “shelf life.” I don’t
know
what these additives give the consumer.
Beef is
classified into eight grades: (1) prime, (2) choice,
(3) select, (4) standard, (5)
commercial, (6) utility, (7)
cutter, and (8) canner. Here is an interesting paradox about
beef: Those steaks and roasts most prized by gourmets
and steak houses (the number
one “prime” grade) are the
least heathy to eat because they have the highest
amount of
saturated fat—the leading cause of high blood
cholesterol levels (which lead to
arteriosclerosis and heart
problems). The high saturated-fat content of these expensive,
tasty, tender—but unhealthy steaks and roasts—comes from fatty
deposits and flecks
of fat (called “marbling”) in each piece
of meat.
The next two
grades of beef, “choice” and “select,” are the grades most
often found in
your supermarket meat case. Of the top three
grades, the number three “select” grade
will have the least
amount of fat (marbling) in each piece of meat. Always try to
buy the
leanest cuts of beef—and all meats—because this
translates into healthier (containing
less saturated
fat) meat.
The
less-expensive steaks and roasts, with little or no fat
(marbling) are, admittedly, not
as tasty—but they are much
healthier. One could, of course, marinade lean steaks to
tenderize them. However, some marinades, such as MSG
(monosodium glutamate),
are even less healthy than
well-marbled beef. But, I am sure there are many great cooks
who know numerous ways of using and preparing the much leaner,
much healthier beef
cuts and turning out the most succulent
dishes imaginable.
Here
are two of these ways:
(1)
Purchase a lean beef roast, or a lean piece of
flank, chuck or round. Cut it into
hamburger-sized pieces
(about the size and thickness of a deck of playing cards).
Remove as much fat as you can. Place them under the broiler
for a short time. Turn and
continue cooking for a
short time. We’re talking a few minutes broiling
time—a very
few minutes. This is the difficult part: If
you broil those lean pieces of meat even 30
seconds too long
they will be well-done and tough and that is not what we want.
The
“trick” is to remove the pieces of meat from under the
broiler when they are still red
(rare) inside.
You may want to “test” by cutting into one piece. When that
piece is
browned on top and bottom—but still red in center—remove
all pieces of beef from
under broiler. Don’t worry about your
beef being too rare because even after you remove
pieces from under broiler they will continue
“cooking.” And, by the time you get them
to the table they
will have turned light red (medium rare) or pink (medium)
inside—and
you will have a meat dish that is tasty
(because you did not overcook), healthy
(because you
removed the artery-clogging saturated fat before broiling),
and
inexpensive (because the lean meat you purchased
is less expensive than the higher-
priced, fatty [marbled]
steaks and roasts in the supermarket meat case).
(2) Here
is another way of turning lean beef into gourmet
cuisine: Purchase the same
lean beef roast, or lean
flank, chuck or round as mentioned in (1) above. Cut into 1 ½
-
2 inch cubes and cut off fat. Place in roasting pan on top of
stove. Chop in one large or
two small onions (if you like
onions), add a little salt, pepper and garlic powder (or fresh
garlic). Next, put 4 heaping tablespoons of flour, and a cup
of water, into a jar. Close jar.
Shake until there are no
lumps in the mixture. Pour over beef cubes. Turn heat to
medium and when bubbles start to form reduce heat to simmer.
Simmer with cover on,
but not closed. Leave a little
opening between pot and cover. In ½ hour add several
carrots
(optional) pealed and chopped into large pieces. Stir about
every 20 minutes
and keep adding additional water as
needed. After 2 or 3 hours add one small can (or
fresh)
mushrooms (optional). About one hour before beef cubes and
carrots are tender,
add one pealed medium or large potato cut
into chunks (optional). You can add
tomatoes or other
vegetables—anything you want—it’s your kitchen. Total
simmering
time is about 5-6 hours, or until meat is tender.
This dish can be served over brown rice,
noodles, or
vegetables. There are many variations. These dishes, made with
simmered
cubes of lean beef are tasty, inexpensive, and
healthy.
Remember, even
the leanest (healthiest) beef cuts should be limited to 4-6
oz. portions.
And, don’t feel you have an obligation to eat
beef—or any other meat—every day. The
experts tell us it’s a
good-health practice to skip meat a couple of days a week.
A word about
“ground” beef: This is a tricky subject. There was the fresh
ground beef
made by the old neighborhood butcher your
grandmother or great-grandmother
patronized. You can still
find a few of them around. You select a piece of top or bottom
round, flank, or chuck from the meat case—or whatever else
you and your butcher
decide upon after serious consultation.
He bones-out the beef if necessary and throws it
into his
grinder, which is sometimes located right behind the meat
case, and you can
see exactly what’s going on. You can even
tell the butcher if you want fine, medium or
course ground
beef.
Another way of getting good, really fresh ground beef
is to purchase a
food processor and
grind up your beef (or pork if you want to make pork sausage)
at
home. Always purchase the leanest cuts of
beef or pork you can find because they
are the
healthiest (contain less saturated fat). Before grinding cut
beef into 2 inch or so
cubes and trim off fat. You will enjoy
the taste of your own grilled, fresh ground beef
patties (sometimes with chopped onion mixed in). And, you’ll
know you’re eating fresh
ground beef because you just ground
it. A word of caution: Keep your home food
processor
scrupulously clean. You don’t want any bacterial growth in it.
Use a brush
and hot, soapy water to clean all parts that came
in contact with the meat you just
ground. Rinse off soap.
Then, immerse washed parts in boiling water to make sure
they’re really clean. Thorough clean-up takes a few minutes
but your good health is
worth it.
Some
supermarket ground beef now comes packaged and labeled: 92%
beef (8% fat),
85% beef (15% fat), 80% beef (20% fat), 72%
beef (28% fat). There are variations of
these percentages, but
you get the idea. The higher the percentage of beef, the more
expensive it is. By USDA regulation, 70% beef (30%) fat is the
lowest beef to fat ratio
permitted.
The “Food
Safety and Inspection Service” of the USDA tells us
“Generally, ground beef is
made from the less tender and less
popular cut of beef. Trimmings from more tender
cuts may also
be used. Grinding tenderizes the meat and the fat reduces its
dryness
and improves flavor.”
When you
purchase already-packaged ground beef you just don’t know what
cuts of
beef have been ground up, or what kinds of fat, if
any, have been added. You don’t know
if that package of ground
beef in your supermarket meat case came from a primal (first)
cut of good-quality, fresh beef—or from a primal cut of
lesser-quality beef—or from
steaks or roasts that didn’t sell
and were then boned-out and ground up into lean
ground beef—or
had some fat thrown in and ground into less-expensive packages
of
ground beef—or had some pork added and sold as “hamburger.”
Buying ground meat
can be a gamble because it is a
semi-processed meat.
Veal —
20-week-old cattle
Some veal,
called “bob veal,” comes from cattle much younger than
20-weeks-old.
Veal is a
controversial subject. Many people advocate boycotting it
because they
consider veal production the cruelest method of
raising animals for food. For more
information on this subject
you can research “veal” online. Learn what veal farmers have
to say. Learn what others have to say about veal.
The USDA’s
“Food Safety and Inspection Service” explains “Veal is meat
from a calf
which weights about 150 pounds. Those that are
mainly milk-fed usually are less than 3
months old.”
New-born
calves are taken from their mothers shortly after birth, and
spend their entire
20-week, or shorter, lives penned-up
in small, above-ground stalls. These give the
animals almost
no room to move about; less movement means faster weight
gain. The
young calves never see sunlight. Their feet never
touch earth. They are fed a special (but
not healthy, for
them) diet designed to produce a light pink, almost white meat
“prized”
by so-called gourmets.
Recently, a
new factor exacerbated the veal problem: According to Farmed
Animal
Watch (www.farmedanimal.net)
“Federal regulators discovered that growth hormones are
being
used in up to 90% of calves raised for veal production, an
illegal practice the
industry says it has been engaging in for
decades.”
These growth
hormones have been “approved for, and widely used in, adult
cattle but
not for calves, since their different metabolism
might result in residue of the drugs in
their (calves) flesh,”
said Farmed Animal Watch.
Pork
Although
sometimes considered a “white meat,” make no mistake about
this: it is not.
The USDA states “When fresh pork is
cooked it becomes lighter in color, but it is still a
red
meat. Pork is classified as ‘livestock’ along with veal, lamb
and beef. All livestock
are considered ‘red meat’.”
Today’s pigs
are not the same kind that were around in your grandfather’s
day. The pig
has been “improved” considerably through genetics
and improved feeding, and is
(estimates vary) between 30%-50%
leaner than it was forty years ago. Much of a hog is
cured
and made into ham, bacon and sausage. Uncured pork is called
“fresh pork.”
However, all
pork, cured or fresh, is still saturated fat, like beef
or any other red meat.
So, when purchasing pork the same rule
applies as when purchasing beef: The leaner
the pork, the less
saturated fat. The less saturated fat, the healthier for you.
Like beef, the
marbling (fatty pieces and flecks of fat in the meat) adds
flavor to pork.
But, again like beef, this same marbling is
also what raises blood cholesterol levels and
leads to clogged
arteries (arteriosclerosis). For good health, it’s vital to
buy the leanest
cuts of pork you can find.
Unlike beef,
which has eight USDA grades, there are only two USDA grades of
pork: (1)
“Acceptable” and (2) “Utility.” The Acceptable grade
pork is the only grade sold in
supermarkets as fresh pork. The
Utility grade pork is used in processed meat products
and is not available in stores for purchase as fresh pork.
(More about processed meat
products later.)
The USDA
advises: “Pork must be adequately cooked to eliminate
disease-causing
parasites and bacteria that may be present.
Humans may contract trichinosis (a
parasite) by eating
undercooked pork.” The USDA also cautions: “Some other
food-
borne micro-organisms can be found in pork, as well as
other meats and poultry. They
are all destroyed by
proper handling and thorough cooking to an internal
temperature of
160 oF.”
Lamb
— Sheep less than one year old
Mutton is meat
from sheep more than one year old. It is less tender
than lamb and has
a stronger flavor. Lamb and mutton are “red”
(saturated fat) meat along with beef, veal
and pork.
There are five
USDA grades of lamb: (1) Prime, (2) Choice, and (3)
Select, which are
sold in retail stores. The lower grades:
(4) Utility and (5) Cull are used in processed
meat products.
As with beef,
the tenderest and most flavorful grades (Prime and Choice) of
lamb have
the most marbling (areas and flecks of fat) in each
piece of meat. And, like beef, these
are the least healthful
to eat because high fat contents translates into more
saturated fat
( high cholesterol and clogged arteries). For
good health, use the leanest cuts of lamb.
The USDA
recommends “cooking lamb patties and ground lamb mixtures such
as meat
loaf to 160 oF on a meat
thermometer. However, whole muscle meats such as steaks
and
roasts may be cooked to 145 oF (medium rare), 160
oF (medium), or 170 oF (well
done).”
Processed
meat products
— Not good
These are the
worst meat products we can eat because the ingredients
used to make
processed meats are—simply put—“processed.”
They are not made from the same
cuts of fresh beef,
pork, lamb, or veal we see in the meat case where we
shop. From the
Columbia University Press we learn “The brains,
snout, ears, jowls, tail and tongue are
ground up and often
used in combination with other meat products.” Processed meat
products also contain chemical additives, including sodium or
sodium compounds.
Lower grades
of fresh meat—such as utility grade pork, cutter grade and
canner grade
beef, and utility grade and cull grade lamb—which
the USDA does not permit to be sold
in retail food
markets as fresh meat—are combined with other ingredients
(including
organ meat such as heart, liver, kidney) for use in
processed meat products.
Here’s what
the USDA tells us about hot dogs (one kind of processed meat):
“They can
be made from beef, pork, turkey or chicken – the
label must state which...The standard
also requires that they
be comminuted (reduced to minute particles), semisolid
products
made from one or more kinds of raw skeletal muscle
from livestock (like beef or pork)
and may contain poultry
meat...The finished products may not contain more than 30%
fat
or no more than 10% water, or a combination of 40% fat and
added water. Up to
3.5% non-meat binders and extenders (such
as nonfat dry milk, cereal or dried whole
milk) or 2% isolated
soy protein may be used... Turkey Franks or Chicken Franks can
contain turkey or chicken and turkey or chicken skin and fat
in proportion to a turkey or
chicken carcass.” Do hot dogs
seem like something you would want to eat?
Here’s what
the USDA does not allow in “Fresh Pork Sausages - no more than
50% fat
by weight, Breakfast Sausages - no more than 50% fat
by weight, Whole Hog Sausage -
no more than 50% fat by
weight.” I don’t think it’s a good idea to eat anything that
can
be one-half fat.
“Heavy
consumption of hot dogs, sausages and luncheon meats, along
with other forms
of processed meat, was associated with the
greatest risk of pancreatic cancer in a large
multiethnic
study” as reported at the 96th Annual Meeting of
the American Association
for Cancer Research, according to
http://www.eurekalert.org. This
same study was also
reported by
http://www.medicinenet.com.
The Organic
Consumers Association (http://www.organicconsumers.org)
reported a
similar study, this one “conducted at the
University of Hawaii that followed nearly
200,000 men and
women for seven years.” This report stated “Consuming
processed
meats increases the risk of pancreatic cancer.” The
report continued: “People who
consumed the most processed
meats (hot dogs and sausages) showed a 67%
increased
risk of pancreatic cancer over those who consumed little or no
meat
products.“
Virtual
Hospital (http://www.vh.org).
reports: “The recent results of the European
Protective Investigation into Nutrition and Cancer (EPIC) confirmed that
eating processed
meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer.
The findings of EPIC involve a half million
people all over
Europe and has looked at their eating/cooking habits...In the
EPIC study,
it was clear that processed or preserved meat was
linked to colon cancer... This large
European study found that
if a person ate an average of 2 ounces of processed meat per
day (equivalent of a jumbo hot dog) they had a 50% greater
chance of developing
colorectal cancer than those who ate no
preserved meat.”
Dr. Joseph
Mercola (http://www.mercola.com
), author of “Total Health Program,” states
“Eating a diet
high in processed meats such as hot dogs, bacon, salami or
sausage
may substantially increase a man’s risk of developing
type 2 diabetes. Those who ate
processed meats two to four
time per week had 35% increased risk and those ate
processed
meats five times or more had almost 50% increased risk of
diabetes.” Dr.
Mercola believes “The nitrates found in
processed meats can be converted into
nitrosamines, which are
clearly associated with an increased risk of certain cancers.”
Another
warning about “nitrosamines” comes from Dr. Janet Starr Hull,
(http://www.sweetpoison.com)
who says, “Sodium nitrite” has been “used for centuries
to
preserve meat. When nitrite combines with compounds called
secondary amines, it
forms nitrosamines, extremely powerful
cancer-causing chemicals. The chemical
reaction occurs most
readily at the high temperatures of frying. (Editorial note:
This is
one of the reasons foods fried at high temperatures,
such as potato chips, french fries,
chicken, and donuts are
considered unhealthy.) Nitrite has long been suspected as
being a cause of stomach cancer. Look for nitrite-free
processed meats – some of which
are frozen, refrigeration
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