Ephedra Alternatives Jerome ID

Housecalls - Goat vs. Cow, Ephedra Alternatives, Safe Microwave Containers

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Cheese Choices
Q Is goat cheese healthier than cheese made from cow’s milk?

A A wee bit. Goat cheese (as well as other goat milk products) is often easier to digest than cow’s-milk cheese. It’s also less likely to trigger allergies, and it usually contains slightly more calcium, too. And because goat cheeses often come from small family farms, they tend to have fewer of the growth hormones and antibiotics that may raise the risk of prostate cancer and antibiotic resistance.

When it comes to everyday nutrients like vitamins, saturated fat, and cholesterol, though, goat cheese doesn’t offer any particular advantages. Not to say that you shouldn’t indulge if you’re so inclined. “I don’t hesitate to promote the goat,” says Stephanie Clark, a dairy researcher at Washington State University. “Goat cheese is very nutritious, and adds a nice variety to the dairy products that are out there.”

Beyond Ephedra
Q Are non-ephedra weight loss supplements any better than those made with ephedra?

A You’d think so, judging from the marketing hype. No sooner did the FDA announce last February that it would investigate the safety of ephedra supplements than the companies that had been promising to help people “lose weight fast with ephedra” switched their pitch to “lose weight fast without ephedra.”

Unfortunately, most ephedra-free pills contain stimulants that affect the nervous system pretty much the same way ephedra does, says Todd Luger, a practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego. “Any supplement that increases your heart rate and blood pressure has potential risks and can be especially dangerous for anyone with a heart condition,” he says.

Some of the more common non-ephedra stimulants to watch out for are synephrine (sometimes called zhi shi), phenylethylamine, and octopamine. And keep in mind that ma huang is just the Chinese name for ephedra.

But the particular ingredients on a label matter less than one simple, inescapable fact: You shouldn’t expect to lose weight—and keep it off—by way of a pill or potion. “People are just going to have to eat right and exercise more,” Luger says. “Nothing else works.”

Microwave Safe?
Q Is it safer to microwave food in glass bowls than in plastic ones?

A Probably, especially if you’re of the “better safe than sorry” mindset. Some 2,000 chemicals can be found among the plastics used for food storage, says Ned Groth, a food safety specialist for Consumers Union. While some have been thoroughly tested for storage and heating safety, many others have not.

Two types in particular have raised red flags: bisphenol-A (BPA), tentatively linked to hormonal problems in animals, and plasticizing chemicals, high doses of which have been linked to liver damage and cancer in animals and people. BPA is found in clear, hard plastics, such as those in—of all things—baby bottles, while plasticizers turn up in plastic wraps used to package cheese and meat in del...

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