'"Nuking" Food in Plastic Containers - Is It Dangerous?

While taking a "doggie-bagged" styrofoam container from the microwave, only to find a portion of the container has melded with the food, hopefully gives enough pause that this food isn't eaten, others argue no plastic containers should be trusted. Some argue that microwaves shouldn't be trusted, as well.

Microwave critics warn that the way that microwaves heat the food causes abnormalities at the food's cellular level, which lessens its nutritional value if not more. For more on this argument, visit mercola. com's collection of articles or read The Microwave News.

As for microwaving food in plastic, many criticize that the plastic containers contain chemicals such as dioxins (which are toxic) as well as others, like Bisphenol-A (which is a synthetic estrogen that may cause early menstruation in little girls). For more discussion on plastic containers, visit The Minnisota Daily's article, or dr.mercola's compilation of links.

What's the alternative? A toaster oven and a tea kettle work fine for me. I haven't noticed a loss of time since tossing my microwave, and I use glass instead of plastic whenever possible. I save the pickle jars, etc. and I find those one quart canning jars have 1000s of uses, in lieu of those disposable plastic storage options. I find the food tastes better coming from the toaster oven, and it's actually faster to boil water for tea in the kettle than it was to heat the mug in the 'wave.

Keeping Skin Elasticity As You Age

I've googled around and compiled a list of natural foods and/or supplements that help in keeping your skin taunt, or elastic, as you age.

They are: green tea; black tea; 100 mg/day of grape seed extract; cranberries; grapes; bilberry; and black current.

Why? Because they all contain proanthocyanidins, which help your body stabilize its collagen and keep two proteins critical to elasticity within connective tissue that support organs, joints, blood vessels, and muscle.

Sources: rxlist.com; vitacost.com; mothernature.com; wikipedia.com. Photo: Lon Chaney in costume, courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Vinegar's Unbelievable Variety of Uses

That plain, white, cheap vinegar you can pick up at the grocery has an unbelievable amount of uses around the home. Why? Vinegar is a natural germ-killer. The Heinz Company has produced research studies showing that white vinegar will kill 99% of the bacteria, 82% of the mold, and 80% of the germs it contacts. And, it's natural, biodegradeable, and safe for kids and pets.

How to use it? Use it straight to clean toilet bowls as well as kitchen cutting boards and countertops (let all set for 30 minutes, then rinse). Put a bottle into the washer and let a cycle run. Clean windows with a spray bottle filled with a dollop of vinegar to a bunch of water (10% vinegar, 90% water).

In gardening, vinegar is amazing. Put it out in a jar top, and the bugs run. Put a teaspoon in the vase water, cut flowers last longer.

There's lots more at about.com, 131 Uses for Vinegar.