The Healthy Fat You Should Eat Daily. It fights cancer and diabetes

The deeper one looks into nutrition, the more complex it becomes.  Balancing the numerous priorities we are told we should have, such as eating foods that are high in antioxidant levels, they need to have the right fats in the right amounts, they need to provide us with energy but also help us recover from workouts, etc.  It is very hard to pinpoint the right foods to cover all these bases, however, there are a couple of basic principles you should ask yourself in order to determine if a particular food should be consumed; does it have a TV commercial and/or would my great-great grandmother recognize it? 

 

If the answer to either of these questions is yes, stay away!  If you apply this test to Lard, it passes!  But haven’t we all heard it’s bad?  The name itself sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen.  Why?  It’s a interesting story.  In the early 1900’s the major U.S. company Procter & Gamble was in the business of growing cotton… it was very profitable for them.  However, there was a bothersome by-product, cottonseed.  Procter & Gamble made the smart business decision to investigate if they could do anything with cottonseed to turn this by-product into a revenue stream.  They found that after intense processing they could extract an oil from the seed (it easily turned rancid and was a very unstable fat)… so they hydrogenated it and found that it now had a long shelf life and when it cooled it looked and acted like lard.  They decided to call it Crisco.  Unfortunately, Crisco is not lard but got lumped into it an became synonymous (very undeserved). 

Lard is simply pig fat taken from any area of the pig that has a high concentration of fatty tissue.  Lard (in its natural form) has no trans fats, is high (50%) in mono-saturated fat and contains (40%) saturated fat.  Saturated fat was once the enemy of nutritionists, however, more recent study’s have turned that on its head with modern research pointing out that saturated fat (when combined with a low carb and sugar diet) can raise HDL cholesterol.  If cholesterol is still a concern of yours, the amount of cholesterol in lard should be put into perspective; lard contains about one third the amount of cholesterol as butter.  You would need to consume a whole cup of lard to equal the cholesterol from just one egg.

  

The below chart compares the level of Saturated fat, Mono-saturated fat and poly-saturated fat in Olive oil, Lard, Butter and Coconut oil.  You will notice that two of the most fashionable oils right now in nutrition are polar opposites. Olive oil is almost all saturated fat with almost no mono-saturated fat.  Conversely, Coconut oil is almost all mono-saturated fat with almost no saturated fat.  Lard is the only one to offer both of these healthy fats in moderation.

  

One of the biggest benefits of lard verses other oils is its high smoke point, creating lower levels of aldehydes (which are a concentration of chemicals that are produced when oil is heated up an starts to break down).  This high smoke point results in less free-radicals being consumed into our body.  Lard is also a good source of vitamin D, which about 42% of U.S. adults are deficient in.

One important thing to remember is how to identify real lard from the imitations: Lard that is solid a room temperature and/or does not need to be refrigerated DOES have trans fat and does NOT have vitamin D.

Most farmers who raise pigs can help you get lard, but if you don’t happen to live next to pig farm, lard is easy to make!  Ask your butcher for some back fat, leaf lard or simply use any pork bacon or pork belly, cut off the fat and render it by cooking it slow over the stove (very low temperature) or in a 250 degree oven for about 6-7 hours.  Strain and chill.  You now have lard!

US carrier Carl Vinson stages war drills with South Korean Navy

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier on Saturday started a joint naval drill with the South Korean Navy in the East Sea amid heightened tensions from North Korea`s failed ballistic missile launch earlier in the morning, defence officials here said.

"South Korea and US strike forces began a drill in the East Sea from 6 p.m. today against the backdrop of the current security situation," the South Korean Navy said.

No specific schedule for the rendezvous was released to the media yet, but the exercise is expected to continue until sometime next week, Yonhap news agency reported.

At the core of the naval exercise lies the missile warning informational link exercise (LINKEX) that monitors, traces and intercepts any intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) from North Korea.

"The exercise is the follow-up of the naval exercise in the Yellow Sea between the two navies on Tuesday. It is aimed at deterring North Korea`s provocations and strengthening the military readiness of the Korea-US alliance," the Navy said.

It would mark the Vinson`s second operation in South Korean waters in less than two months, an unusual move that comes amid military tensions in Korea.

The nuclear-powered flattop reportedly carries almost 100 aircraft. Its strike group also includes guided-missile destroyers and cruisers.

Earlier this week, the Vinson had joint drills with Japan`s naval forces.

North Korea is said to be fearing the powerful US strike group but its state media publicly claimed the Communist nation`s troops are ready to sink the aircraft carrier with a single strike.

Antarctica's 'Blood-falls': Scientists finally decode more than century-old mystery!

One of the oldest mysteries that has kept scientists completely baffled is more than a century old – the Antarctica's famous 'blood-falls'.

The blood-red waterfall was first discovered by an Australian geologist who theorized that it was made up of red algae.

In 2003, this theory was overlapped with one that believed that the water was coloured red by oxidized iron and perhaps the last remnants of a five million year old salt water lake.

Now, however, a new study carried out by the University of Alaska and Colorado College has questioned any previous theories made on the blood-falls, arguing that the water flows from a large lake of salty water that has been trapped under ice for one million years.

According to The Sun, scientists were able to track the path of the water under the glacier using echolocation technology.

As per the Fox News, much like the echolocation used by bats, the technique the scientists used to send and receive electrical signals in "grid-like patterns" through the glacier's ice led them to a find previously thought impossible: flowing liquid water existing in a frozen glacier.

‘We moved the antennae around the glacier in grid-like patterns so that we could ‘see’ what was underneath us inside the ice, kind of like a bat uses echolocation to ‘see’ things around it,’ co-author Christina Carr wrote.

While confirming that the glacier has its own water system, the researchers were nonplussed to find that the lake hadn't frozen despite being enveloped in a layer of ice for so long.

As water releases heat when it freezes the surrounding water continued to flow.

The discovery now opens the doors to "understanding the role of liquid water—salty or fresh—in other extremely cold glaciers or permafrost environments," co-author Jessica Badgeley adds, per a Colorado College press release, Fox News reported.

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet captures the rising moon in all its stunning glory from the ISS! - See pic

 French astronaut Thomas Pesquet totally needs to take up photography as a side business. The photographs adorning his Twitter feed are all no less than stunning and we can't wait for more!

Although, the view that presents itself to him everyday is worth capturing, so we can't really blame him for getting tempted. We love the images, anyway.

In his first stint in space as a part of Expedition 51, Pesquet has been enjoying his role as a flight engineer for the International Space Station (ISS).

His excitement is pretty much credible as much as it is palpable to be gliding 250 kilometres above the Earth and that comes forth through the lens of his camera.

Even though, all the images he has shared till now have been absolutely mesmerising, his latest post is truly one of a kind and no, this time it is not the Earth.

Because, according to Pesquet, sometimes you need to 'look away from the Earth' to admire the beauty that is the universe.

Thomas Pesquet has captured the rising moon in all its glory and the end result is incredibly stunning!

He wrote: “The moon rising! Sometimes I look away from earth to admire the beauties space has to offer.”

Donald Trump says he's avoided New York City because it's expensive for US

President Donald Trump says he hasn't returned to his New York City home because "going back is very expensive for the country."

Trump tells Fox News in an interview Friday that he feels "guilty" when he returns to Trump Tower because authorities close surrounding streets and "I hate to see the New Yorkers with streets closed."

He says he goes to his clubs instead because they have "hundreds of acres" and streets stay open.

But Trump says he's always accused of "having fun" or playing golf at his clubs; he says he's always working.

The White House rarely acknowledges when Trump plays golf. 

Photos on social media sites are often the only clue that Trump has hit the links.

Trump is scheduled to visit New York City on Thursday.

SpaceX scheduled to make its first military launch on Sunday!

 In an effort to make rocket parts recyclable, rather than jettisoning the costly components after each launch, California-based space company SpaceX is all set to make its first military launch on Sunday, April 30.

The launch will take place with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, which makes and operates spy satellites for the United States.

No details were made public about the payload, known only as NROL-76, which was first announced last year.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is poised to blast NROL-76 into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida during a two-hour launch window which opens tomorrow at 7:00 am (1100 GMT).

About 10 minutes after launch, the tall portion of the rocket, known as the first stage, will power its engines and fly back toward Earth to make a controlled landing on solid ground at SpaceX's Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral.

SpaceX, headed by Internet entrpreneur Elon Musk, has already made several successful landings on solid ground and on platforms floating in the ocean, thus establishing a pioneering image for itself in the space world.

Until now, the US military has spent billions per year exclusively with United Launch Alliance, a joint operation of aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin, to launch government satellites.

SpaceX in 2014 filed suit against the US Air Force, saying it unfairly awarded billions of dollars to a single company for national security launches.

SpaceX also has a pair of launch contracts coming up for the Air Force to send GPS satellites into orbit.

If tomorrow's launch is postponed for any reason, another launch window opens on May 1.

8 Incredible Health Benefits and Uses for Rosemary

INCREASE BLOOD FLOW TO THE BRAIN

Shakespeare’s Ophelia stated “there’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember.” New research shows that she was right. Rosemary has been found to increase blood flow to the brain, which in turn helps to oxygenate the brain. This could be one of the reasons why it is known to boost memory and concentration.

HELPS MEMORY FORMATION

Research in the journal Fitoterapia found that rosemary’s ability to prevent the natural breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, a critical brain communicator which tends to happen as we age, could hold an important key in the prevention and treatment of dementia. Acetylcholine is involved in the formation of new memories, so ensuring adequate amounts can be helpful for both short-term and long-term memory.

REDUCES PLAQUE BUILDUP IN THE BLOOD VESSELS

Research in the Journal of Medicinal Food found that regular consumption of rosemary can help to reduce the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. 

BOOSTS HAIR GROWTH

Excessive testosterone can cause hair thinning in both men and women. In an article published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, scientists found that applying an extract made of rosemary leaves improved hair regrowth in animals affected by excess amounts of testosterone. Scientists found that the rosemary extract appears to block dihydrotestosterone, an active form of testosterone, from binding to androgen receptor sites. In doing so, rosemary encouraged hair regrowth.

HELPS PREVENT AND TREAT PROSTATE CANCER

According to preliminary research published in the online journal PLoS One, one of rosemary’s many active compounds known as carnosic acid demonstrated selective activity against prostate cancer cells, as opposed to healthy cells. Obviously more research needs to be done, but this study suggests that rosemary extract may hold promise in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer.

REDUCES INFLAMMATION

Rosemary contains numerous anti-inflammatory compounds that make it an excellent choice to help with inflammatory conditions, which most are.

IMPROVES DIGESTION

Rosemary also contains compounds that boost digestion.

PACKS A SERIOUS PUNCH TO SUPERBUGS

Rosemary essential oil, as part of a blend of essential oils including cinnamon and oregano, has been found to have potent antibacterial and antiviral actions, including against the H1N1 virus as well as the antibiotic resistant bacterial infections S. aureus and S. pneumoniae.

Using Rosemary

COOKING

You can use the dried needles in your cooking. Rosemary is great in soups, stews and in roasted potatoes.

Add fresh sprigs or finely minced fresh rosemary needles to tomato sauces, omelettes and vegetable dishes, particularly roasted vegetables.

ROSEMARY HAIR TONIC

In a medium pot, bring one quart (or one liter) of water to a boil. Add two or three sprigs of fresh rosemary or two tablespoons of dried rosemary, turn off the heat and cover. Allow to sit for at least 20 minutes. Allow to cool then remove the rosemary sprigs and pour the liquid into a bottle. Store in the refrigerator up to one week. Pour the liquid over your scalp and leave it in your hair as it dries. Alternatively, spritz on your freshly washed, towel-dried hair daily. For best results continue daily for one to two months.

ROSEMARY TEA

Add two teaspoons of dried rosemary needles or a 4-inch sprig of fresh rosemary to boiled water, and let sit for 10 minutes. Strain and drink three cups daily.

ROSEMARY TINCTURE

Follow package instructions for the alcohol-extract you choose. A typical dose is 30 drops three times daily.

ROSEMARY ESSENTIAL OIL

Choose a high quality, undiluted product and follow package instructions for use.