Boerne man renounces ABC News, shows support for Trump with large billboard

A Boerne man is making his voice heard loud and clear by renouncing ABC News and recent news coverage of President Donald Trump with a large billboard at I-10 and Buckskin Drive.

It reads:

"ABC News:

I grew up with you. We are through. The Russians didn't elect Donald Trump. I did."
The billboard was paid for by Kyle Courtney, according to a spokesman with his company Wellstar Groundwater Technologies.

Courtney released the following statement to SBG San Antonio:

“ABC News was the only channel I watched as a child growing up in Texas but I think they have lost touch with America and forgotten the working man. They don’t represent our voice anymore. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign was funded by the Clinton Foundation in close coordination with the media, and now we’re seeing them try to fix what they couldn’t fix during the election. They are doing everything they can, night after night, to create narratives and sway people’s direction to impeach Donald Trump. Our democracy is at stake when a major political party and the media are in bed together. I’m not asking anyone to boycott the Democratic party. I’m not in the brainwashing business, but the liberal media is.”

The spokesman said the billboard went up today and will remain up for about two months. He also said Courtney is contemplating whether to keep it up longer and may change the message if it does stay up.

According to PR Newswire, Courtney has been in the water well drilling business for more than 30 years and has drilled more than 600 wells in the San Antonio area.

The Truth About Canned Soup

Soup is a must-have for chilly winter days and to battle anything that ails you, be it a nasty cold or a case of the winter blues. Plus, now that it comes in cans, cups, and drinkable bottles, it's easy to grab on the go. But what are you getting when you slurp down that tomato soup, beefy stew, or other canned favorite? Often sold under a healthy halo, processed soups are full of a lot of ingredients that won't be listed on the label—such as industrial chemicals, pesticides, and weird food additives.

BPA
BPA is a chemical used in cash-register receipts and some plastics, but also in the epoxy resin liner of most metal food cans. The bummer? It's most likely leaching into your favorite soup, exposing you to the synthetic, estrogen-like substance that has been linked to obesity, breast and prostate cancers, and aggression and other behavioral problems in young girls. The amounts of BPA used in the cans varies drastically, but an alarming new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests we're ingesting dangerous levels of the hormone-mimicking chemical when we eat soup even once a day. The study's authors asked some participants to eat Progresso soup for lunch five days a week, while others ate homemade soup. All of the canned soup eaters had detectable levels of BPA in their urine at the end of the experiment. What's even more striking is the amount of the chemical detected after downing a can of soup once a day for five days. Compared to those eating fresh soup, the group eating canned soup saw BPA levels jumped more than 1,000 percent.

The huge spike in BPA seen after eating canned soup is "unlike anything we've ever seen," says Laura Vandenberg, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow of biology at the Center for Developmental and Regenerative Biology at Tufts University in Massachusetts. "The levels are shocking."

Sodium
Americans are seriously bingeing in the sodium department, a dangerous practice considering excess sodium doesn't just leave us looking bloated, but also can lead to life-threatening heart attack and stroke. A big reason sodium is such a problem has to do with deceptive labeling practices, explains Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director at Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). "On most canned soup labels, you'll see numbers in the 800- to 900-milligram (mg) range," she explains "That's already about half a day's worth for most Americans, and that assumes you're only consuming an eight-ounce serving."

Seriously, when have you eaten just half a can of soup? Probably never. And a recent survey showed that most people consider a full can of soup to be one serving, when most labels say the can contents serve two or more. Even when you eat a low-sodium soup that contains 400 mg of sodium per serving, you wind up with twice that amount if you actually eat the entire can in one sitting. If you're still going to go for canned soup, be aware of the serving sizes, and don't fall for claims like, "25 percent less sodium!" The sodium content still could be dangerously high

Flavor Enhancers
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) brings out wonderful flavors in canned soup, but if you're one of the many people sensitive to this flavor enhancer, the food additive could lead to a crushing headache. Animal studies have found that MSG is toxic to the brain, and researchers believe it causes migraines in people because it dilates blood vessels and impacts nerve cells in the brain. Along with headaches, people sensitive to MSG often experience pressure in the neck and face, sweating, abdominal cramps, and tingling in the fingers.

If MSG makes you sick, you should also look out for ingredients like "natural flavoring" and "hydrolyzed vegetable protein," two other additives that also contain glutamate, according to CSPI's Food Additives database.

Pesticides and GMOs

As our food system becomes more industrialized, more and more farm chemicals are winding up not just on our food, but also in the food we eat. Within the last 20 years, chemical farmers have overwhelmingly adopted genetically modified seeds, or GMOs, for crops like corn and soy, two common ingredients in canned soup. (There are more than a dozen different ingredients derived from corn and soy.) These seeds have been genetically engineered to withstand heavy sprayings of Roundup, and when that happens, the pesticide is absorbed by the plant and winds up in your food. Roundup is used so heavily, in fact, that scientists recently detected it in rain. Constant low-level exposure to the pesticide can cause obesity, heart problems, circulation problems, and diabetes, says Warren Porter, PhD, professor of environmental toxicity and zoology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. As if that's not bad enough, the process of genetic modification, when a plant's DNA is changed in a lab, not by nature, is known to cause spontaneous abortion and infertility in animals and has been linked to the skyrocketing rates of food allergies in people over the past decade.

Healthy Soup Tips:

Making homemade soup may be a little more time consuming than popping open a can, but it comes without the chemicals, and you can freeze it for those days and nights when cooking a full meal isn't feasible. Try one of these healthy soup recipes or just wing it. "Clean Out the Refrigerator" Soup is a great way to use up about-to-go-bad vegetables or small bits of pasta or dried beans you have lying around.

When you do make homemade soups, start with homemade stock. Like soup, it's a lot easier to make than you realize. "Use a pressure cooker," advises Joy Manning, nutrition editor of Prevention magazine. "Many stores sell chicken backs and necks for pennies a pound and, if not, a few pounds of whole chicken wings makes for a particularly rich stock." Or, save the bones, skin, and leftovers from the last chicken or turkey you carved up and use those. Cook everything at high pressure for 1 hour—"throw in a halved onion, a carrot, and a stalk of celery or two if you have them," Manning suggests—strain with a fine sieve, and you have several quarts of amazing stock ready for your next soup-making session.

Alternatively, you can buy commercial stocks and soups packaged in glass or cartons, which are BPA free, or dry soup mixes that need nothing more than some water and an hour or two on your stove. Always opt for organic brands.

11 Natural Cereals That Aren't

All Natural? Really?

The cereal aisle can stump even the smartest food label sleuth. Dozens of breakfast choices line 50-foot-long grocery store aisles, advertising themselves as "all-natural" or "healthy" based on dubious numbers and no federal regulations.

The Cornucopia Institute, an organic watchdog group, recently analyzed so-called "natural" cereals, and found that they're anything but—contaminated with pesticides and warehouse fumigation chemical residues, genetically modified ingredients (GMOs) and ingredients grown in sewage sludge.

"It's important for consumers to know that these companies are using conventional ingredients to produce their 'natural' cereal, most likely produced with pesticides and fumigants," explains Charlotte Vallaeys, director of farm and food policy at Cornucopia. Despite the fact that over half of the population believes "natural" means no pesticides or GMOs, it's nothing more than a fancy label, she adds. As far as cereals go, here are some of the worst offenders when it comes to masquerading as "natural."

Kashi GoLean

Most corn and soy ingredients come from genetically engineered crops, which have never even been proven safe. In fact, scientists have linked GMOs to serious health problems. In Cornucopia Institute tests, researchers detected GMO material in 100 percent of the soy in Kashi GoLean. "It is clear from the percentages that this was not accidental contamination, but deliberate use of GMOs," says Vallaeys.

Kashi is owned by food industry giant Kellogg Company, which also markets Bear Naked, a non-organic granola. The Cornucopia Institute also points out that the cereal-making giant has no policy against the use of toxic pesticides, hexane, a harmful solvent used in non-organic soybean processing, and GMO ingredients.

Organic Alternative: Nature's Path Organic Optimum Blueberry Cinnamon

Nutritious Living Hi-Lo

Consumer polls show that 93 percent of Americans believe products containing GMOs should be labeled, but under current laws, they aren't, leaving food shoppers in the dark. In fact, many natural products, like this cereal, are laced with genetically engineered ingredients. GMO technology has been linked to skyrocketing food allergy rates, digestive troubles, infertility, and even accelerated aging! The soy content of Nutritious Living Hi-Lo was 85 percent GMO—meaning the soy was manipulated on the molecular level to withstand heavy sprayings of the weed killer Roundup, which often winds up inside the food you eat.

Organic Alternative: Ambrosial Granola Venetian Vineyard (Named Prevention magazine's Healthiest Cereal of 2011.)

Kix

Mothers may stop approving this breakfast cereal in light of GMO testing: 56 percent of the corn content was genetically engineered, according to the Cornucopia Institute analysis. GMO corn and soy crops have actually led to a major problem in the fields that affects your health—weeds are becoming resistant to certain pesticides, causing farmers to apply heavier doses of even more dangerous chemicals. Certain pesticides are believed to be hormone-disruptors that can lead to obesity and diabetes, and other developmental problems.

Organic Alternative: Envirokids Organic Gorilla Munch Cereal

Barbara's Bakery Puffins

Barbara's Bakery got called out because, over the past few years, they've slowly been decreasing their USDA-certified organic cereal options and increasing their selection of uncertified "natural" products. Between 2007 and 2011, the company's organic choices dropped from 55 to just 20 percent—shortly after the company was acquired by a private investment firm. That's misleading to customers who think the company is staying true to its organic roots, and think they're still buying organic cereals. Today, 55 percent of the corn used in Puffins is genetically engineered, not even close to being natural. "Consumers should continue to look for the organic seal as their assurance that the foods were produced without deliberate use of GMOs by farmers," says Vallaeys.

Organic Alternative: Nature's Path Organic Corn Puffs

Peace Cereal

Until 2008, all Peace Cereal products were certified organic or labeled "made with organic ingredients," meaning at least 70 percent of the ingredients were organic. Today, none of the products are, which can be confusing to customers who initially trusted the once-organic brand. Strawberry-containing Peace Cereal options could contain the carcinogenic pesticide Captan, which is detected in 55 percent of conventional strawberries tested.

"We were surprised to see some companies, like Peace Cereal, reducing organic options in the cereal aisle," says Vallaeys. "Peace Cereal has no organic options left, but its prices remained the same."

Organic Alternative: Nature's Path Flax Plus Red Berry Crunch (It's about 2 cents cheaper per ounce, too.)

Mother's Bumpers

"All Natural" claims are splashed all over Mother's Bumpers cereal boxes and even the company's website, but Cornucopia's report that nearly 30 percent of the corn in Mother's Bumpers was genetically modified. A 2011 Canadian report published in the journal Reproductive Toxicology found the pesticides used on genetically modified crops and, in some cases, the genes used to create GM crops are able to survive in our digestive tracts, move into our bloodstreams, and, in the case of pregnant women, show up into their developing infants. The Mother's brand is not organic and is owned by snack food and beverage giant Pepsico, a corporation that routinely uses thousands of pounds of sulfuryl fluoride, a greenhouse gas and fumigant, on certain food ingredients every year. The toxic gas is used post-harvest to kill pests in non-organic wheat, almond, oats, corn, rice, barley, raisins, and peanuts; fumigated food products can then be distributed to consumers 24 hours after a gassing, according to the Cornucopia Institute.

Organic Alternative: Cascadian Farms Honey Nut Os

Back to Nature

Back to Nature is owned by Kraft Foods and comes in nine varieties, with only one being organic. Its "natural" granola products contain conventional ingredients that are produced on conventional farms with the use of pesticides and other synthetic inputs that would be prohibited on organic farms. "Conventional grain ingredients destined for processed foods like granola can be fumigated in the warehouse," explains Vallaeys. "The USDA has tested ingredients like wheat flour for toxic fumigant residues, and has found some samples to be contaminated with levels higher than the maximum acceptable level for children. Organics, which prohibits these fumigants, offers a level of protection that 'natural' products don't."

Organic Alternative: Laughing Giraffe granola

Grape Nuts and Post's "Natural Advantage Line"

Grape Nuts may carry that crunchy, earthy image—and food industry giant Post did form the "Post Natural Advantage Line," including Grape Nuts, Shredded Wheat, and Raisin Bran—but the conventional ingredients used in these cereals are still grown with chemical pesticides, and USDA data shows that wheat is often contaminated with residues of malathion, chlorpyrifos methyl, and chlorpyrifos, toxic bug-killing chemicals that could harm neurological development. "They are 'natural' only in the sense that they do not appear to contain artificial preservatives," explains Vallaeys. "But the ingredients are conventional ingredients, from crops grown on conventional farms which can use toxic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically engineered crops, and a whole host of other inputs that are strictly prohibited on farms growing crops for organic cereal." For that reason, Post landed rock bottom on the Cornucopia Institute's Cereal Scorecard.

Organic Alternative: Cascadian Farm Organic Raisin Bran

Kellogg's Low-Fat Granola

Don't let this granola's earthy-looking packaging (like the green leaf?) or claims of whole grains fool you, warns the Cornucopia Institute's Cereal Crimes report. This granola contains harmful high-fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors, and other hard-to-pronounce ingredients that sound like they belong in a lab, not your mouth. "There is nothing natural about this product. Given that Kellogg's policy is to source GMOs, consumers should also assume that the corn, cottonseed and soy ingredients in this granola are genetically engineered," says Vallaeys. Luckily, high-quality, organic granola is readily available.

Organic Alternative: Lydia's Organics Grainless Apple Cereal

The 9 nastiest things in your supermarket

Think pink slime is gross? Wait 'til you see what other unappetizing secrets lurk within your grocery store.

1. "Pink slime"
The gross factor: The meat industry likes to call it "lean finely textured beef," but after ABC News ran a story on it, the public just called it what it looks like — pink slime, a mixture of waste meat and fatty parts from higher-quality cuts of beef that have had the fat mechanically removed. Afterwards, it's treated with ammonia gas to kill Salmonella and E. coli bacteria. Then it gets added to ground beef as a filler. Food microbiologists and meat producers insist that it's safe, but given the public's reaction to the ABC News report, there's an "ick" factor we just can't overcome. The primary producer of pink slime just announced that it's closing three of the plants where pink slime is produced, and Kroger, Safeway, Food Lion, McDonald's and the National School Lunch Program (among others) have all pulled it from their product offerings.

Eat this instead: Organic ground beef is prohibited from containing pink slime, per National Organic Program standards, so it's your safest bet. If you can't find organic, ask the butcher at your grocery store whether their products contain the gunk.

2. Vet meds in beef
The gross factor: Hankering for a burger? Besides a hefty dose of protein, a 2010 report from the United States Department of Agriculture found your beef could also harbor veterinary drugs like antibiotics, Ivermectin, an animal wormer linked to neurological damage in humans, and Flunixin, an anti-inflammatory that can cause kidney damage, stomach and colon ulcers, and blood in the stool of humans. Still hungry? We didn't think so.

Eat this instead: Look for beef from a local grass-fed beef operation that rotates the animals on fresh grass paddocks regularly, and inquire about medicine use. Typically, cows raised this way are much healthier and require fewer drugs. The meat is also more nutritious, too. If you're in the supermarket, opt for organic meats to avoid veterinary drugs in meat.

3. Heavy metal oatmeal
The gross factor: Sugary and calorie-laden, those convenient instant-oatmeal packets all have one thing in common. They're sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which, according to tests from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, may be contaminated with mercury. The group tested 55 samples of HFCS and found mercury in a third of them at levels three times higher than what the average woman should consume in a day.

Eat this instead: Buy yourself some instant oats, which cook in less time than it takes to microwave a packet of the sugary stuff, and add your own flavorings, like fresh fruit or maple syrup. And buy HFCS-free versions of other foods, as well. The artificial sweetener lurks in seemingly all processed foods.

4. Filthy shrimp
The gross factor: Food safety experts refer to imported shrimp as the dirtiest of the Seafood's Dirty Dozen list, and it's not hard to see why when you consider the common contaminants: Antibiotics, cleaning chemicals used in farmed shrimp pens, residues of toxic pesticides banned in the U.S., and pieces of insects. Less than 2 percent of all imported seafood is inspected — clearly, that's a problem.

Eat this instead: Look for domestic shrimp. Unfortunately, 70 percent of domestic shrimp comes from the Gulf of Mexico, and the recent oil spill may have long-term impacts on its shrimp stocks. But shrimp can be purchased from Texas, the East Coast, Maine and the Carolinas, so you still have options.

5. MRSA in the meat aisle
The gross factor: Hard-to-treat, antibiotic-resistant infections are no joke. Superbug strains like MRSA are on the rise, infecting 185,000 people — and killing 17,000 people — annually in the U.S. Thought to proliferate on factory farms where antibiotics are overused to boost animal growth, a January 2012 study from Iowa State University found that the dangerous organisms wind up in supermarket meat, too. The dangerous MRSA strain lingered in 7 percent of supermarket pork samples tested. The bacteria die during proper cooking, but improper handling could leave you infected. The spike in superbug infections is largely blamed on antibiotic abuse in factory farms that supply most supermarkets.

Eat this instead: The Iowa state researchers found MRSA in conventional meat and store-bought "antibiotic-free" meat likely contaminated at the processing plant. Search LocalHarvest.org to source meat from small-scale producers who don't use antibiotics or huge processing plants.

6. Pregnancy hormones in a can
The gross factor: Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that acts like the hormone estrogen in your body, is used to create the epoxy linings of canned food. What food processors don't tell you is that the chemical was created over 70 years ago as a drug that was intended to promote healthy pregnancies. Though it was never used as a drug, the food industry saw no problem adding this pregnancy drug to a wide range of products, including canned food linings and plastic food containers. "Low levels of BPA exposure has been linked to a wide range of adverse health effects, including abnormal development of reproductive organs, behavior problems in children, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic changes that result in altered insulin levels, which leads to diabetes," says Sarah Janssen, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council. And its use in canned food is the number one reason why 90 percent of Americans have it in their bodies.

Eat this instead: Look for products in glass bottles or aseptic cartons. Canned food manufacturers are in the process of switching over to BPA-free cans, but because those cans are produced in facilities that also produce BPA-based can linings, there's no way to keep BPA-free cans from becoming contaminated.

7. Bacteria-infused turkey
The gross factor: Turkey marinated in MRSA? It's true. A 2011 study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases found that half of the U.S. supermarket meat sampled contain staph bacteria, including potentially lethal MRSA. Turkey was the worst offender: Nearly 80 percent of turkey products samples contain staph bacteria. Pork (42 percent) was next in line in terms of bacterial contamination, followed by chicken (41 percent), and beef (37 percent). Researchers ID the overuse of antibiotics as the culprit.

Eat this instead: If you serve meat for Thanksgiving, invest in an organic, pastured turkey, such as one from Ayrshire Farm in Maryland.

8. Moldy berries
The gross factor: If pregnancy hormones in your canned fruit isn't enough to make you turn to fresh, consider this: The FDA legally allows up to 60 percent of canned or frozen blackberries and raspberries to contain mold. Canned fruit and vegetable juices are allowed to contain up to 15 percent mold.

Eat this instead: Go for fresh! When berries are in season, stock up and freeze them yourself to eat throughout the winter. To freeze them, just spread fruits out on a cookie sheet, set the sheet in your freezer for a few hours, then transfer the berries to a glass jar or other airtight, freezer-safe container.

9. Rocket fuel in lettuce
The gross factor: Lettuce is a great source of antioxidants, and thanks to the great state of California, we can now eat it all year long. However, much of the lettuce grown in California is irrigated with water from the Colorado River. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Colorado River water is contaminated with low levels of perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel known to harm thyroid function, and that perchlorate can be taken up inside lettuce plants. A separate study from the Environmental Working Group found perchlorate in 50 percent of store-bought winter lettuce samples.

Eat this instead: Perchlorate is hard to avoid, but some of the highest levels in the country have been found in California's agricultural regions. If you eat locally and in season, you can ask your local farmers whether it’s a problem in their irrigation water supply.

15 Surprising Uses for Butter

Yep, we know, butter is fattening. It’s something that should be consumed sparingly. But, it’s such a staple in the pantry that it’s hard not to have around. So, instead of using it in food, how about using it around the house instead?! Check out some of the fantastic ways to use butter.

Household

Stop Doors From Squeaking Generously grease the hinges with butter and voila — squeak no more!

Cut Down on Snow Shoveling Ah, one of the least fun winter activities. Cut your shoveling time down by greasing the shovel with butter, it’ll help prevent snow from sticking.

Get Rid of Ink Stains on Plastic Rub butter on the stain and let it sit out in the sun. After a few days of soaking up the rays, wipe clean with soap and water.

Get Rid of Pesky Watermarks on Wood Have a family member who’s allergic to coasters? Rub butter into the affected area and let it sit overnight. Wipe it with a towel in the morning.

Cooking

Make Cheese Last Longer Coat the cut edge of a hard cheese with butter. It will prevent the molding process that comes all too quickly otherwise.

Make Onions Last Longer Only using half of an onion and don’t want to waste it? Nix the plastic baggy — spread some butter on it and wrap it in aluminum foil.

Stop Water From Boiling Over Drop a tablespoon of butter into a pot that’s boiling over.

Cut Sticky Foods Pies and brownies stick to the knife all too often. Remedy this by coating the knife in butter before you dish out dessert.

Health & Body

Swallow Pills Can’t handle the horse pills? Lightly coat the pill in butter and wash it down with a big gulp of water. It takes the edge off that terrible feeling of the pill going down your throat.

Get Sticky Stuff Off Your Skin Can’t stand the feeling of sap or glue on your hands? Rub butter on the sticky part before you wash your hands. Rub hands with a towel, and then use water.

Remove Gum From Hair Rub butter into the affected area and let it absorb. Gently wipe away with a cloth.

Prevent Bruising If you’ve ever thought, “that’s gonna leave a mark,” this one’s for you. The phosphates in butter help prevent bruising, much like a raw steak does.

Beauty & Fashion

Detangle Jewelry Lessen the frustration of detangling necklaces and bracelets by rubbing butter on the entwined areas. Use a small pointy object to detangle.

Strengthen Your Nails Do you have weak, brittle & dry nails? Before bedtime, Rub butter on the nail beds and put on some cotton gloves. In the morning, you should see improvements in your nail strength.

Get A Tight Ring Off No need to rush to the jeweler if your ring won’t budge — apply butter to the area and it’ll (hopefully) slip right off.

Soothe Dry Skin If you’re in a pinch, butter is a great substitute for creams and lotions. You can even use it as a shaving cream.

The Beverage that Cuts Risk of Dementia in Half

Perhaps the Queen of England’s afternoon tea break has helped to keep her mind sharp as she aged, That’s because tea contains natural compounds that are increasingly linked to a healthy brain. Tea-totallers aren’t the only ones who can benefit from this good news. More and more research shows that drinking tea can help reduce the likelihood of experiencing dementia, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and other brain diseases.

New research published in The American Journal of Public Health found that tea-totalling can reduce the risk of dementia by more than 50 percent. Black, green and white tea all have significant amounts of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds called catechins, which makes them a great choice for a healthy brain. These natural phytochemicals have shown great promise as brain protectors.

In other research published in the medical journal Psychopharmacology, scientists found that people who drank green tea each day experienced improved cognition and memory. The scientists believe that this research holds promise for healthy individuals, as well as the treatment of cognitive impairments in psychiatric disorders like dementia.

Still further research found that green tea contains potent antioxidants that fight free radicals with 20 times the power of vitamin E. Free radicals react with healthy cells in the brain, causing damage, so lessening their numbers helps reduce damage to brain cells. Green tea also lowers the risk of blood clots and clumping linked to stroke. 

But it’s not just its antioxidant effects that help reduce your risk of stroke. Green tea also prevents cholesterol buildup in arteries and helps prevent cardiovascular disease. According to research in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), a special type of plant nutrient found in black, green and white tea, helps prevent fat buildup in arteries, which is important for both a healthy heart and brain. White and black tea also contain the substance; however, black tea typically contains less EGCG than white or green tea.

Few people would consider that they can drink their way to dementia-prevention. Yet, according to a growing body of research, it is possible to tea-total your way to a healthy brain. But, there are a few considerations to keep in mind to maximize the brain benefits of tea drinking:

1. Green and white tea have the highest amounts of EGCG, making them both excellent choices, but don’t rule out black tea, which still contains EGCG and has high amounts of antioxidants like the former 2 tea types.

2. Let your tea steep for at least 5 minutes before drinking to maximize the amount of natural phytochemicals that steep into the beverage.

3. Avoid loading up your tea with sugar and milk, since both of these substances have been linked with inflammation which could counter the benefits of tea drinking. Choose almond or rice milk and the natural herbal sweetener, stevia, if you prefer a sweeter tea.

4. Even if you can’t stand green tea, you may enjoy it brewed, iced, sweetened with a little stevia, and add a splash of fresh lemon juice for an amazing green tea lemonade that even green tea haters love.

The Food that May Halt Brain Disease and Cancer

The exotic names of olives—Moroccan, Kalamata, nicoise, picholine and Manzanilla—sound almost as good as these varieties of olives taste. But taste is only one of the reasons to enjoy them. Olives and olive oil have long been considered part of a heart-healthy or weight loss diet, but a new research shows that these foods may help protect the brain against brain diseases.

Olives are an excellent source of healthy monounsaturated fats and vitamin E. Monounsaturated fats have a beneficial role to play in maintaining the outer membranes of brain cells, protecting your body’s genetic material and the energy-producing cellular components (mitochondria) that help fuel your brain.

Vitamin E offers antioxidant protection to the fatty components of your brain and can lower your risk of damage and inflammation. This vitamin is also your body’s primary fat-soluble antioxidant, meaning that it neutralizes damaging free radicals in all the fat-rich areas of your body, including your brain and the protective coating of your nerves. Your brain is more than 60 percent fat, making vitamin E a significant contributor to brain health. Like other types of monounsaturated fats, vitamin E also helps protect the energy production centers in your cells to ensure that your cells are capable of creating adequate energy for your many bodily processes and brain functions. 

Olives and olive oil also help prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. Oxidized cholesterol has been linked to stroke. These anti-inflammatory actions of monounsaturated fats , vitamin E and beneficial plant chemicals called polyphenols help lessen the likelihood of inflammation in your brain. Olive oil is also rich in Omega-9 fatty acids that are important for your brain.

And, a recent study published in the Journal of Molecular Biology even suggests that oleic acid found in olives and olive oil may help to prevent or halt brain cancer. The study was preliminary so more research needs to be done before we can definitively say that olives and olive oil can help with brain cancer.

Be sure to use only organic olives or organic, cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil since it retains more beneficial nutrients and lacks potentially brain-damaging pesticides. When cooking with any type of oil, including olive oil, it is important to be sure that the oil never smokes. If it does, it has reached the oil’s “smoke point,” which is different for every type of oil. The smoke point is the point at which the oil will smoke and have a damaging effect on your body. Olive oil has a smoke point around 324 degrees Fahrenheit. Most types of vegetable oils available in grocery stores are heated to over 500 degrees Fahrenheit during processing, which is well beyond the smoke point even before they get to your kitchen. That means they should be completely avoided. Extra-virgin olive oil is the rare exception that tends to be processed at lower temperatures and is therefore fine for cooking at low temperatures.

Remember this when you’re cooking with any type of oil: if it smokes while you are heating it, it is essential that you throw it out and start over. Otherwise, the benefits of the oil are destroyed by the heat and it becomes capable of damaging cells in your brain through free radicals and inflammatory processes. Also, be sure to choose olives that are free from sulfites, as many commercial brands contain these and other chemical preservatives.