Have you seen King Corn?

Even though this post is about corn, I couldn't bring myself to stick a photo of an ear of corn on my blog.

I just watched King Corn, a documentary about 2 fellas who take on the task of planting, growing, harvesting, and following the journey of one acre of Iowa corn into the food chain.

It's scary. We really do eat way to much of the stuff, whether we realize that or not. I mean, we don't even get to choose when we eat it. It's ubiquitous, in everything from animal feed to soda, bread to burgers.

The corn molecules can be traced in our bodies, through hair analysis. Sometimes, the corn in our body relates to 85% of the molecules in that analysis! If you drink soda, eat fries, meat, poultry, or go out for dinner, you're eating corn, mostly in the form of high fructose corn syrup or corn oil.

The link from corn to obesity to diabetes is a direct one. If you don't want diabetes, obesity, and a shorter lifespan than your parents, run from corn. If you want your children to lead a healthier life, keep them off corn too. Read labels.

Spring is on vacation

Are you frustrated because you're simply getting a taste of spring, but not the real thing?

I know I am! We have had wacky weather here in the Pacific Northwest. Last weekend it was almost 80 degrees. This weekend, we can expect hail and snow.

Not only is this putting a real damper on my mood, but it is also causing plants to suffer damage. Hopefully, the weather will straighten up and fly right by May.

I was watching the lilacs putting out new leaves and it occurred to me that soon I'll have the quintessential spring blooms in my garden, all at the same time. The daffodils are fading, but still hanging in there. The hyacinths are still robust, although the hail will take its toll. Tulips are exercising their petals as they go from wide open on a sunny day, to closed up tight as the rains pound and the sun hides.

Daphne is blooming, and smelling divine. Soon there will be lilacs to enjoy, at least that's the rumor. Seems like what we thought would be early this year, bloom-wise, is come up later than expected. Oh, well, that's life in Oregon.

When You Crave Chocolate

A common sign of a magnesium deficiency is a craving for chocolate. This is because chocolate, really dark chocolate, is a good source of magnesium.

Magnesium is a mineral that helps many processes in the body, including relaxing nerves and muscles, building and strengthening bones, and keeping your blood circulation running smoothly. That's just a few of the many roles of the macromineral magnesium.

Other sources of dietary magnesium are swiss chard and spinach. But avoid overcooking these vegetables to prevent mineral loss.

How can you tell if you are deficient in magnesium? Here are six common signs.
1. Frequent headaches
2. Heart arrhythmia
3. Muscle weakness, tremors or spasms
4. Bones that are weakened
5. Elevated blood pressure
6. Blood sugar level imbalances

Magnesium deficiency can affect every body system: cardiovascular, digestive, nervous, muscular, hormonal, liver, kidney, and brain. All these systems rely on magnesium for their metabolic functions.

So remember to eat your dark chocolate, spinach and chard. Almonds, peanuts and navy bean soup are also good sources.

http://www.sandinutrition.com