Water or Fat Loss?

It's Spring so it is time to be concerned about how you look in a bathing suit. This is where many busy moms are tempted to take a weight loss supplement with a bit of something to pep you. The problem with these products is that they do not help you lose your fat. They can cause you to lose water and the water less is temporary. When you drink those Chinese teas and stuff it only works for a few days.

Diet products that cause water loss and not weight loss are called diuretics. The loss is temporary and fat is never dissolved as is sometimes claimed on the package, as that is not scientifically possible. Diuretics can actually promote dangerous heart problems. As soon as the body runs dry the weight comes back as you drink to quench the thirst caused by the dieting. If your weight loss is to be meaningful at all it must include the dropping of fat as well as water.

If you are dealing with a weight loss product that makes outrageous promises such as Lose Twenty Pounds in Two Weeks or Take Ten Inches off of your waist in a week then you really need to drink a lot of water. Also if you are dieting because you are a new mom who is trying to lose the baby weight you need to be aware that this type of crash dieting can really deflate your mood and make you feel depressed and fatigued.

The products that are diuretics can be hard to identify. You must look at the ingredients. According to the FDA the ingredients in anything must be listed from what the product contains the most of to what it contains the least of. If the first listing on the box is caffeine then you are looking at diuretic.

Most magical weight loss formulas (and especially those that are marketed as Chinese or miracle weight loss teas) contain herbs that act as diuretics. This includes green tea, which sounds all healthy, but any weight loss is causes are triggered by diuretic action and loss of water. There is no such thing as 'fat burning herb' only herbs that speed up heart rate, breathing and other functions. This is not “fat burning” it is simply a way to stress the body all of the time so it wastes a lot of calories.

There are quite a few herbs that you should not take if you are a mother. They make you moody and cause weight loss only. One of these is Bochum, which causes dizziness and fatigue so you can't function.

Another one to avoid in any mixture is Kola Nut. This is a powerful diuretic that is not to be fooled around with. The side effects are excessive thirst, nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, frequent urination, and urges to go on an empty bladder, over stimulation, mania and insomnia.

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The Most Recent Baby Food Recalls

We have all been horrified by the latest toxic pet food scare and just even thinking about it has got me thinking about baby food recalls. Just for your interest I decided to compile a list of the most recent baby food recalls just in case you happen to have a jar of the offending baby food sitting on your shelf.

February 16th 1997 – This recall was for Earth's Best Organic 2 Apple Peach Barley Wholesome Breakfast Baby Food. This batch of baby food was infected with Clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism, a life-threatening illness. The affected baby food was sold in single jars and 4-jar variety packs. It is part of the Earth’s Best 2nd Vegetables, Fruits and Blends line, which is made for babies over 6 months old. If you think you might have a jar of this contact Hain Celestial Group at 800-434-4246 for more information.

September 16th 2006 – This recall was for Similac Advance and Similac Alimentum Advance Baby Formula. This was a huge recall where about 3,00,000 bottles of Similac Alimentum and Similac Advance baby formula were recalled because the bottles were manufactured without a special plastic layering that keeps oxygen out of it. The problem with this is that when oxygen contacts this type of formula it reduces the Vitamin C in it. Vitamin C deficiency occurs rapidly in babies.

Once again if you have kept this on the shelf you might want to look at the lot numbers. The two brands affected are Similac Advance with Iron – stock code 55961, lot numbers 40177RH or 40172RH. The use-by se-by date is Nov. 1, 2007.
Similac Alimentum Advance – stock code 57512, lot number 401895V. The use-by date is May 1, 2007.March 16th, 2006. This recall was indirectly related to babies, toddlers and children. This was a recall of Walgreens Iron Supplements because thousands of bottles were issued without childproof packaging. Unfortunately these iron supplements look at taste like candy and an overdose could cause liver damage, coma and death in children. If you have a bottle of this still and have questions you can call Inverness who makes the product at 888-698-5032.

Feb 15th 2005. This recall was also for Similac Baby formula, specifically Similac Advance with Iron. This time the problem was that the 12.0 oz. cans were not made correctly and a manufacturing malfunction created a product where there was plastic debris at the bottom of the can. This of course was a serious choking hazard.

In the next blog I will try and keep you informed about the latest baby products recalls so that we can keep our dear ones safe and sound. Remember too that if you ever suspect that anything is wrong with a food product meant for children contact the manufacturer and the FDA immediately! These things are almost always caught by the public and not the maker of the product or any kind of quality control practitioners. When it comes to quality control – you are it!

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