Is Ghee Vegan?

The latest cooking craze in America is here – ghee, a zero-carb cooking fat with a rich, nutty flavor. If you follow food-related topics on social media, you’ve probably seen a lot of people using it.Is Ghee Vegan for real. Ghee has been particularly popular with people on ketogenic diets. It’s also been popular in the paleo community, since it’s similar to butter but is lactose-free. Some have even claimed it’s vegan, but there’s a lot of misinformation out there that needs to be cleared up. Here’s the skinny on everyone’s new favorite fat.

What is Ghee?Is Ghee Vegan

Ghee has been around since about 5,000 years ago when Hindu priests started using it in religious ceremonies. From there, it spread to Egypt and Ethiopia, which have their own regional variations. With the growth of global trade, it’s become a staple in kitchens around the world.

Traditional ghee is made by boiling milk, then adding some yogurt and letting the mixture sit overnight to ferment. The next day, the mixture is boiled again until all the water and milk solids are gone. This process of fermenting, then boiling the mixture is what gives ghee its distinct, nutty flavor. Modern, mass-produced ghee (the kind you’re likely to find in the grocery store) skips the fermentation process, instead of changing the boiling temperature at different stages to roast the ghee, mimicking the nuttiness of traditional ghee while cutting down production time.

What Nutrients Are Found in Ghee?(Is Ghee Vegan Or Not)

According to nutritionix.com, ghee has 115 fat calories, and zero calories from carbs or protein. It’s also a good source of Vitamin A. Like butter, ghee is high in artery-clogging saturated fat, so it should be eaten sparingly.

So, is it Vegan?

No, ghee is not vegan. Vegans do not eat any animals or anything that comes from an animal. A common source of confusion is that all the milk is boiled out of ghee, but the remaining fat is still milk fat – derived from a cow.

A good vegan substitute will depend on cooking temperature. If you’re making something like a frosting or other spread that requires low cooking temperature or no cooking at all, your best bet is to choose a non-dairy butter like Earth Balance or Miyoko’s. These kinds of butter contain no animal products and are therefore okay to eat on a vegan diet. If you’re cooking at higher temperatures, olive oil is an excellent choice for more savory dishes, and coconut oil is optimal for baking.

Why Eat Ghee?

Besides the fact that it’s delicious, ghee is a good butter substitute for people who are either lactose intolerant or abstain from lactose, like people on a paleo diet. Since it has zero carbs, it’s also perfect for people on a ketogenic diet. You can put it in your bulletproof coffee, and it will add a note of flavor while eliminating the handful of carbs found in regular butter. As for our vegan readers, we don’t have any good news about ghee but stick with the substitutes mentioned above, and your recipe will come out just fine.

source https://biogreen.life/is-ghee-vegan/

How To Tell When a Banana is Ripe

It may seem like a simple task to decipher whether a banana is ripe or not, but it is more complicated than meets the eye. At the different stages of the banana’s lifespan, it will have different health benefits and nutrient concentration, so it’s a good thing to know.

People prefer a banana in different forms. There are many scales showing bananas in different stages of ripeness and the opinions on which banana is best differ strongly and almost evenly.

The means in which people use bananas vary as well. Some only use it for cooking while others may eat an entire banana along with their cereal or toast at breakfast.

No matter the stage you are consuming the banana, there are always plentiful nutrients you receive.

When is a Banana Ripe OR How To Tell When a Banana is Ripe

The best stage to consume a banana may depend on what you would like to get from it, but the matter of when it is ripe is concrete. This ripeness occurs when a banana begins to show signs of dark discoloration. Yes, when the brown spots start to coat it, and most households throw it in the trash.

Appearance

The appearance of a banana is the best method of telling its ripeness. When the outside of the banana begins to blacken it is showing signs of ripening. Even when a banana is all encased in a dark skin it is over-ripened but edible.

When bananas are young, they start as a green color that lightens to yellow. There are some that prefer a green banana, but others who argue it has very bitter and raw properties.

Taste

Banana’s have a great taste for the entirety of their shelf life. If a consumer prefers a light banana taste, an unripe young banana will be a proper selection. It is stiffer and has more bitter of a taste the younger it is.

As a banana ages it becomes sweeter, and most prefer this banana taste. The banana can easily become a mushy consistency if left to over-ripen.

Health Benefits and points on How To Tell When A Banana Is Ripe

Everyone knows bananas are a healthy snack, but why? Bananas are chock full of nutrients such as fiber, potassium, Vitamin C and B6. Throughout the ripening process, the concentration of these nutrients remains constant. However, as the banana ripens, there is a chemical change happening.

Over time the starches are transformed into sugar compounds like glucose and fructose. Therefore, the taste of the banana is sweetened over the ripening process. When a banana is left to ripen, it can actually become easier for the average person to digest because your body does less work.

That does not mean a banana with less time to ripen is healthier because your own body will transform the starches to sugars on their own, so the calorie count remains the same. The only added benefit of a green banana is that it still might contain a more resistant starch compound which is favorable for bacteria in your stomach that are beneficial to your digestive process.

Health Disadvantages

When it comes to ripe bananas, one may assume they are the better of the two to consume. That can depend on the one digesting the fruit. When bananas are very ripe, they become denser in sugar concentration. This could be an unfavorable situation for a diabetic or someone closely watching their sugar intake.

Just because you must watch your sugar amount for the day does not mean you cannot enjoy a ripe banana, it just must be in moderation or be simple moderately ripe. For those who can’t have too much sugar, the relatively low sugar content makes it a great occasional healthy sweet treat.

Cooking Differences

When cooking with bananas, a ripe banana is usually preferred. This is because when a banana begins to ripen it becomes sweeter, and the starches are broken down into sugar. This mushy texture is also easier to deal with. Some very fun things to make with bananas are:

• Banana Pudding: This is a basic dish that involves a plain pudding and the addition to bananas. You can even make it very simple, and purchase banana pudding then add sliced bananas. If using slices, you want to use a banana that is about to be ripe so it will not have squishy consistency.
• Baked Banana Snacks: One of the most popular foods for children are bananas as well, and these can make a fun healthy dish.

Quick History of the Banana

There are different types of bananas all over the world, and they all have different tastes, sizes, and even colors. The United States was first gifted with the banana as an imported product in the 1870s.

Though they are commonplace now, they were originally marketed as a rare and exotic fruit at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. The fruit nearly fell off at first but Chiquita used their exotic origin to allow bananas to maintain enough popularity until Americans of the age learned how to peel and eat them correctly.

Almost unsurprisingly, there were protests of the banana at first which involved shaming women for publicly eating the phallic fruit. Fliers were disturbed throughout fruit markets to convince consumers that proper ladies only eat bananas with a knife and fork to maintain an appropriate etiquette.

Many do not know that the modern Cavendish Banana is not the same banana originally introduced to the US in the late 19th century. At that time the popular banana was a Gros Michel which was nearly wiped out by a fungus, referred to as Panama Disease, which the Cavendish Banana is resistant to. Everyone is familiar with the classic slipping on a banana peel gag, but most are unaware that this comes from actual events.

The Gros Michel banana actually had a more slippery peel than today’s Cavendish, and when it grew in popularity as a street food, many consumers simply threw the peel on the ground. The city of Chicago actually had to make it illegal to throw banana peels on the ground in an attempt to prevent growing instances of slips and broken bones.

The Bottom Line

Bananas are a healthy choice no matter what stage you consume them. It is never a bad decision to eat one or add it as a healthy snack to your diet. It may depend upon the person when the best time for them to eat it is, but the concept of it ripening does not mean it increases in nutritional value.

If you want to catch a banana at its sweetest is it best to wait for it to discolor or in other words-ripen.

source https://biogreen.life/how-to-tell-when-a-banana-is-ripe/

Is Chili Soup

Chili Soup is one of those foods that seems to come in a million varieties. It can be thick or runny, meaty or vegetarian. It can be full of beans – or have none at all. You can top it off with cheese or sour cream – or not. And of course, there’s the perennial debate: is chili a soup or a stew?

What is Chili Soup, Exactly?

Before we go any further, let’s see if we can find a definition of chili everyone agrees on. For this, we turned to the International Chili Society’s official chili contest rules (you can find them here if you’d like to read them in full). The ICS recognizes four different categories of chili:

Traditional Red Chili consists of any combination of meat cooked with red chili peppers or red chili powder and any mix of vegetables with the exception of beans.

Homestyle Chili is similar but can be cooked with any color chili pepper or powder and must also contain beans.

Chili Verde is similar to Traditional Red Chili but is to be cooked with green chili peppers or powder instead of red.

Veggie Chili is any combination of vegetables cooked with any kind of chili peppers or powder and may or may not contain beans or pasta.

If we’re going to define chili soup in a way that encompasses all these categories, our definition would be something like this: Chili is any combination of meat, beans or vegetables cooked with chili peppers or powder.

Is Chili Soup– The Argument

Webster’s defines soup as “a liquid food especially with a meat, fish, or vegetable stock as a base and often containing pieces of solid food.” We can expand on this with a few more common sense additions: soup contains a blend of ingredients, is served in a bowl, and is often served either as a side or with bread. Soup is also eaten with a spoon, and you can drink it from a cup.

By this definition, chili and soup share many things in common. They both contain a blend of various ingredients. They’re both generally served in a bowl. Both of them can be either a main dish or a side and are often served with bread to absorb the juices.

One thing they don’t have in common is a meat or vegetable stock base. And while you can certainly eat chili with a spoon, we don’t recommend drinking it from a cup unless you have a burning desire to change your shirt.

Chili is a Stew – The Counter-Argument

On the other hand, Webster’s defines stew as “fish or meat usually with vegetables prepared by stewing.” While chili comes closer to the mark here, this definition requires fish or meat, which would leave veggie chili out in the cold.

Is Chili a Soup or a Stew? – The Final Take

Chili has some aspects of both soup and stew. If we had to choose one or the other, chili is closer to a stew than it is to soup, but thankfully, life is not so black and white. Chili may not fit any pre-defined category, but it’s delicious just the way it is.

source https://biogreen.life/is-chili-soup/

How To Cook Without Oil

For optimal health, individuals who consume plant-based diets recommend using very little oil and if possible, no oil at all. This is an assertion that I agree with and totally support. As such, I also reckon that you need to develop cooking oil-free meals.

Oil-Free Baking and How To Cook Without Oil

This means even doing away with the olive oil that has been hailed as a healthy oil. The reality is, it does have calories – 119 calories for every tablespoon. It also contains saturated fats, which is not healthy for you.

And besides, there are plenty of alternative sources of fats, including avocados and nuts. You should not worry about getting sufficient fats for a healthy diet.

With the above in mind, when transitioning to cooking and baking vegan foods without oil, or cutting back on oil consumption, having an intricate understanding of alternative is essential. Moreover, you need to ensure that your kitchen is stocked with the proper equipment and appliances for your new style of cooking.

Herein are some of the ingredients and techniques as well as the best kitchen appliances and tools that you can use to transition to an oil-free lifestyle.

Olive Oil

How To Cook Without Oil on stove top

Stir-Frying And Sautéing – This is a straightforward cooking method. You can perform stir-frying and How To Cook Without Oil with water only. For the best results, when sautéing you should start by using a 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. After that, add a tablespoon every time it gets dry until you are done. Always watch to ensure that the water used does not evaporate completely. If you need more flavor, you can elect to use wine or water.

Caramelizing And Browning – Typically, it is not absolutely necessary to use oil when caramelizing and browning veggies. You can achieve both of these cooking effects without the use of oil with some extra time.

For instance, you can sauté vegetables without using water in a hot non-stick pan. In doing this, you will allow the vegetable to release their own water and begin to brown. Be patient and with time they will start to brown. For a caramelized effect, keep turning them in the pan until you achieve the desired caramel effect. The brown bits left in the pan are a good source of flavor. As such, you can deglaze the pan by adding some water and stirring until they float and brown the water.

Steaming – Steaming is a very effective way of cooking vegetables without using oil. Depending on the veggies you are cooking, you can steam your food in as little as 3 minutes. When you steam rather than boil your veggies, you allow the veggies to retain a lot more of their nutrients.

For seasoning, ideally, you should wait until the veggies are steamed before you season with any spices, sauces, and herbs.

Stovetop Kitchenware Suggestions

Nonstick Pans And Pots – When transitioning oil-free cooking, have a set or two of nonstick cookware is a must. The type you choose, whether porcelain enamel, ceramic titanium, or anodized aluminum is up to you. However, do stay away from Teflon.

To help you choose nonstick cookware, you can check out this article by Good Housekeeping which explores 27 different sets. However, if I were to decide for you, I would pick the Scan Pan line of pans. Although pricier, they do have a lifetime guarantee.

Cast Iron is another excellent choice for a set of oil-free cookware to buy. Preferably, you should choose cast-iron pans that are enamel-coated. They will be heavier than almost all of your cookware but they will also impart your food with some iron, which is good if you do not eat meat.

One drawback is that they need to be seasoned with some oil. As such, if you are going totally oil-free, this is not a good cookware option for you. With regards to prices, there are some expensive options on the market.

You should also consider adding a wok to your cookware. The wok will help you stir-fry completely oil-free, especially when you are eating a plant-based diet.

Steamer –  For steaming purposes, you can try a collapsible basket.

Oven Cooking Without Oil

Roasting: When roasting, the best appliance is nonstick baking sheets. Baking sheets are perfect for roasting as they provides you with a large space to spread your veggies. You will also need a parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Season your veggies to your desired level and spread the veggies out on baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

As for the cooking settings, you can either cook at a lower heat (225° to 250°) and for longer. Alternately, you can use a higher temperature setting such as the 400°, and cook for a much shorter time while still getting the crisping and browning effect.

You can also use veggie chips by thinly slicing veggies and, after that pressing them between layers of paper towel or towel to draw out some of the moisture. Get more oil-free chips recipes and tortillas here.

Deep Frying

If you are craving deep-fried foods, you can bread and then bake them. For instance,, if you need an eggless slurry, bake using a non-stick parchment-lined, or silicone-lined baking sheet for a much more crispy outer crust. For some extra crispiness, finish the baking process with a couple of minutes on broil. While this cooking method will not yield the same exact results as deep frying, it is close enough but much healthier.

Substituting Oil In Baking

Although it might not seem like it, you do have a lot of options when it comes to cooking without oil or butter. Herein are some of the best oil-free baking suggestions.

Unsweetened And Unflavored Applesauce – Use an equal amount of butter you need or ¾ of the amount of oil required for a dense baked result.

Mashed Bananas – Use an equal amount of butter or oil needed for a flavorsome and well-baked result.

Avocado Puree – Use equal to the amount of oil or butter needed for a mild flavor that does not interfere with the desired taste and end-result.

Ground Chia or Ground Flax Seeds – Use 3 tablespoons in 1 tablespoon of water for every tsp of oil or butter needed. Mix this mixture and let it sit for 10 minutes before you add your remaining ingredients. Chia imparts little to no flavor while flax does give a heartier flavor.

Squash, Prune, Or Pumpkin Puree – Use a third cup for every one butter stick needed. These are good substitutes for denser and heavily flavored baked goods. They are perfect when baking chocolate things and spice cakes.

While these are good substitutes to butter and oil, they are not effective at imparting the liquid quality that butter and oil do. As such, it is a good idea to slightly increase the amount of wet ingredients in your recipe.

Furthermore, for more effective and proper baking, you might want to use 25° less and use about 5 to 10 minutes less than it is specified in the recipe. As you might appreciate, you will need to do a lot of trial and error to perfect the use of these substitutes in your baking.

Oven Kitchenware Suggestions

When considering the bakeware to use in your oil-free baking endeavor, you should consider purchasing silicone and or nonstick ovenware.

 

Ceramic Bakeware – This is a great option as it has non-stick qualities but also lasts quite long. Silverstone offers a variety of high-quality and colorful choices at very reasonable prices. You can check them here.

Silicon Bakeware – The number one consideration to have in mind when purchasing silicon bakeware is that it is 100% silicone and, therefore, does not contain any filler. Fillers tend to be hazardous. As such, ensure that the silicone bakeware, you are purchasing is FDA approved and made of 100% food-grade silicone.

Parchment Paper – If you do not want to invest in new bakeware, you can just line the standard bakeware that you already have with parchment paper. This is an effective solution if you do not bake very often. Lining your pie plates, cake pans, muffin tins, and cookie pans will achieve the desired cooking surface for your oil-free items; your goods will not stick.

Oil-Free Salad Dressing

A good trick when it comes to oil-free salad dressing is to substitute processed oils with mashed avocados and soaked cashews. Soaked cashews have high oil content and are appropriate for everyone. For a truly fat-free alternative, you can use Cannellini beans.

Another great trick is to thicken water with 1 tbs of arrowroot or cornstarch by heating the mixture and allowing it to cool. Use this mixture as an oil substitute in your salad dressing.

Summary

These suggestions, though not many, will set you on the right path to oil-free baking and cooking. Head to the comment section if you have additional ideas or if there is an item that you cannot live without and it not discussed above. Thanks for reading through the article and happy cooking!

source https://biogreen.life/how-to-cook-without-oil/

How to Sweeten Oatmeal

Everyone loves a hot bowl of sweeten oatmeal. It’s nutritious, it’s high in fiber, and it’s one of the most calorie dense foods available, so it really sticks to your ribs. It also goes well with just about any fruit or sweetener. A glance at your grocer’s shelf will reveal dozens of flavor combinations, but if you’re a health-conscious consumer, you’re probably concerned about all the processed sugars in grocery store oatmeal packets.

Never fear. Here’s two scoops of advice on how to make nutritious, homemade oatmeal that tastes better than anything you’ll find in the grocery store.

How to Sweeten Oatmeal using Healthiest Oats

If you’re concerned about eating natural, whole foods, the first thing you’ll need to be aware of is that most commercially-available oats are highly processed. Quick oats and rolled oats are steamed before packaging, which makes them cook a bit faster, but also robs them of nutrients and causes some of the proteins to break down before the oats are even packaged. Your best bet is to use organic, steel-cut oats. These oats are unprocessed (except for being cut), so you get the benefit of every last gram of protein.

How to Sweeten Oatmeal Naturally

When it comes to sweeteners, there are many alternatives to processed sugar. Perhaps the healthiest way to sweeten your oatmeal is nature’s way: fruit! Raisins are a popular choice but can be extremely high in sugar and low in fiber compared to other fruits. A quarter cup of raisins contains 32 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of dietary fiber. By comparison, a medium-sized apple provides 25 grams of carbs and 4 grams of fiber. Strawberries, bananas, apples, blueberries, raspberries and even kiwis are not only delicious but rich in vitamins and minerals.

If you’re dedicated to eating whole foods, but less concerned about calories, honey, and agave nectar are fairly straightforward sugar substitutes. Of course, if you’re going to go that route, you may find it easier to just use an unprocessed cane sugar like Sugar in the Raw. Organic maple syrup is also just as sweet as honey or raw sugar and will give your oatmeal that extra kick of maple flavor.

How to Sweeten Oatmeal Without Using Sugar

If you’re diabetic or pre-diabetic, you’ll need to be extra careful. Fruit, honey and maple syrup may be healthier than processed granulated sugar, but at the end of the day, they’re still high in sugar. If you’re trying to avoid all sugars, stevia is an excellent alternative. Stevia is derived from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana, a plant native to Brazil and Paraguay, where local people have been using it as a sweetener for centuries. Granulated stevia is as sweet as sugar, contains zero calories, and has a glycemic load of zero. This makes it perfect for people who need to keep an eye on their blood sugar.

Another great option is cinnamon. While cinnamon isn’t a sweetener in and of itself, it adds flavor and can be even tastier when combined with a natural sweetener like stevia. It’s also a whole, plant-based food so health-conscious folks of all stripes can enjoy it guilt-free.

source https://biogreen.life/how-to-sweeten-oatmeal/

Follicle Color and the Prediction of Hair Loss

There are many times throughout life where we may begin to wonder if we are experiencing “telogen effluvium”, otherwise known to most of us as pattern baldness. Balding is a natural part of aging, but it certainly isn’t one we look forward to, and predicting or identifying baldness sooner rather than later can help you effectively treat and slow down its progression.

The good news is that there are a few tell-tale signs you can watch for if you are wondering if hair loss is in your future. One sign to watch for occurs on your hair follicles (more on that later).

Baldness and hair loss is a condition does not discriminate based on age, and though men typically experience the worst of it, females are also highly susceptible to hair loss and thinning.

If you notice a hair follicle with a bulb of white, know that the information in this guide will help you.

But First, What is a Hair Follicle Color and the Prediction of Hair Loss?

Strands of hair grow from cell-lined sacs known as follicles. Sebaceous glands are oil glands that secrete sebum to oil the skin and hair. If these follicles do not receive proper nutrients, they will fall off, resulting in permanent hair loss.

By looking at your scalp, you can determine if your follicles are still alive by looking for even the slightest, fuzziest hair. Live follicles produce hair that contain bulbs at their end.

What is a Hair Follicle Color and the Prediction of Hair Loss – Hair Bulb?

The bulb at the end of a strand of hair is the part of the hair closest to the root. When you see a white bulb at the end of the hair, it is not necessarily predictive of hair loss, but it can potentially be a sign.

Hair bulbs are mostly noticed when the hair falls out at the root or is pulled free. If there is no bulb, then it is known as breakage. Breakage will be discussed later in this guide.

What is the Hair Cycle?

Hair grows in cycles that occur over the period of a few years.

Each cycle contains four different periods:

1. Anagen – For two to six years, the hair actively grows. The bulb forms in the lower part of the follicle due to active cell development.
2. Catagen – This transitional stage can last for a few days or a few weeks. The hair is no longer actively growing, but the follicle is pushed out from the papilla: a large structure at the base of the follicle made of connective tissue and a capillary loop.
3. Telogen – A new anagen hair is being formed beneath the surface while the present follicles are at rest. Soon, the new hair will push out the old hair.
4. Exogen – The anagen hair pushes out the telogen hair. Anywhere from 50 to 100 hairs are lost each day during this part of the cycle.

Not all hair is in the same part of the cycle at the same time. This is why we experience continuous hair loss throughout the year. The issue occurs when your hair cycle gets off schedule, resulting in an extending resting stage.

Normal Hair Breakage

Hair can be broken without coming out at the bulb.

A few factors may cause this, such as:

• Vitamin deficiency
• Protein deficiency
• Mineral deficiency
• Stretching from tight hairstyles or styling when wet
• Dyes and Perms
• Heat Styling
• Overexposure to the sun

This premature breakage can be avoided by strengthening the hair or addressing problem areas. As you can see, maintaining a proper diet goes a long way to ensure your hair stays healthy, along with the rest of you. In fact, this is a key step if you begin to encounter this hair loss condition.

Other Signs of Hair Loss

Along with a large presence of white-bulb hairs, there are other signs that will signal if you are experiencing hair loss, such as:

• Thin, wispy hair – usually on the top of the scalp.
• Excess shedding of hair – especially for six months or more.
• Flaky and itchy scalp – this can be noted in many conditions, so check for this symptom to align with others.
• Receding hairline – this can be a sign of the stoppage of hair growth.
• Genetic hair loss – genetics play a large role in how our body behaves. Ask family members if they have ever been diagnosed.

These indicators, combined with the presence of white bulbs, can be indicative of telogen effluvium. White bulbs on hair follicles by themselves are not necessarily an indicator, so it is important to look for these other signs. As always, consult your doctor if you notice this occurring.

What is Telogen Effluvium?

Do not be confused by fancy sounding words! Effluvium merely means “outflow”, and, as we know, telogen is a part of the hair cycle. This is defined as an “outflow of telogen”. Basically, the hair enters an extended period of rest.

Telogen effluvium occurs when too many hairs prematurely entire the telogen phase and stop growing. Stress, nutritional deficiencies, changes in hormones, and shock are all known causes of this condition, but there are many causes that are not yet known.

This thinning of the hair may not occur evenly. The top of the scalp usually experiences more hair loss than the sides or the back.

If you notice these symptoms, do not despair! Telogen effluvium is not a death sentence for your scalp. There are ways to stop excessive hair loss in its tracks and this particular condition is largely reversible when handled correctly.

Facts Concerning Telogen Effluvium

Now that we have defined telogen effluvium as a hair loss condition, let’s look at a few facts surrounding it:

1. Telogen Effluvium more often affects women than it does men.
2. Chronic telogen effluvium is characterized by periodic shedding that lasts more than six months at a time.
3. Sudden weight loss can cause this condition, relating back to maintaining a healthy diet.
4. Pregnancy can cause hormone shifts that result in this condition, but as noted, the condition is reversible.
5. There are tests your doctor can perform to distinguish between this and other hair conditions, such as a wash test, a blood test, or a hair pull test.

It is also important to understand the causes of telogen effluvium, so you know when it is necessary to find out if you may be suffering from this condition.

Causes of Telogen Effluvium

There are many different causes of telogen effluvium. Some of the main ones include:

• Menopause
• Certain medications
• Metal toxicity
• Surgery
• Extremely traumatic events
• Major stress
• Poor diet
• Underlying health issues, such as thyroid problems

As you can see, some items are under personal control, while others are things you cannot control. The bottom line is to seek help if you suspect having this condition. There is no reason to suffer from something completely reversible with the proper care.

Types of Treatment

Telogen effluvium can be addressed in a variety of ways. Non-surgical hair replacement is one option. You can also seek counseling for the stressors in your life. When it comes to diet, take advantage of foods rich in protein, iron, and vitamins. Supplements are also an option.

Steps to Save Your Hair

If you notice excessive hair loss, try one of these solutions to reduce or eliminate hair loss issues:

1. Start using all-natural hair products. Hormones in these products, such as DHT blockers, can help to strengthen hair. Essential oils such as melaleuca, evening primrose, and pumpkin seed can also be useful when diluted in a carrier oil such as coconut oil.
2. Change your diet. Without proper nutrition, your hair lacks vitamins and minerals necessary for healthy growth. Probiotics, fiber, and low-glycemic foods can help with this. Consult a dietician to see what changes may be necessary.
3. Reduce stress with controlled breathing. Stress is a major cause of excessive hair loss, and controlled breathing exercises or meditation can help reduce stress.

Do Not Let Stress Control Your Hair

Regardless of the original cause of your hair loss, stressing out will not help the situation. Take a deep breath, re-read this guide, and plan a course of action for your hair. Telogen effluvium is a completely reversible condition, and you can find the solution that is right for you.

In a few months, your hair will begin to recover from the steps you took to protect it. You may continue to notice white bulbs on hair roots, but this can be a natural occurrence, so do not fret over it. With a proper care regimen, your black hair follicles will flourish.

Find Ways to Stay Physically and Mentally Healthy

We can’t control everything that happens to us, but we can control how we react to what happens to us. If your telogen effluvium is the result of dietary issues, use this opportunity to regain control of your health. If you need to find healthier ways to deal with stress in your life, seek the help you deserve.

Most of all, if this is the chronic telogen effluvium, realize that your hair does not define you, and resolve to live life anyway. There are many people with various types of hair conditions, or no hair at all, that still enjoy going out in public. By embracing who you are, you encourage others to embrace you as well.

source https://biogreen.life/follicle-color-and-the-prediction-of-hair-loss/

Are Apple Jacks Vegan?

Apple Jacks: the multicolored, fruit-flavored twin sister of Cheerios. They debuted in 1965 when they were called “Apple O’s,” and they’ve been around ever since. They’re grain-based, the flavoring is all-natural, and they’re sweetened with sugar, not honey. At first glance, you might assume they’re vegan. But let’s say you’re a more discerning consumer, and you look at the ingredients.

Ingredients to Figure Out Are Apple Jacks Vegan?

For this answer, we can take a look at the side of the box:

Sugar, corn flour blend (whole grain yellow corn flour, degerminated yellow corn flour), wheat flour, whole grain oat flour, modified food starch, oat fiber, soluble corn fiber, contains 2% or less of vegetable oil (hydrogenated coconut, soybean and/or cottonseed, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed), salt, milled corn, dried apples, apple juice concentrate, cornstarch, cinnamon, modified corn starch, natural flavor, yellow 6, baking soda, turmeric extract color, blue 1, red 40, BHT for freshness, vitamins and minerals: vitamin c (sodium ascorbate and ascorbic acid), niacinamide, reduced iron, zinc oxide, vitamin b6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin b2 (riboflavin), vitamin a palmitate, vitamin b1 (thiamin hydrochloride), folic acid, vitamin b12, vitamin d3.

No milk products. No honey. Obviously, there’s no meat, so you’d think you were good to go, right? Well, not quite.

What is Lanolin? – Unpacking Vitamin D3 and Does it make Are Apple Jacks Vegan?

The issue here is the very last ingredient, Vitamin D3. While Vitamin D is found naturally in many foods, the refined grains used in breakfast cereals are more or less devoid of any nutritional value. To compensate for this, food companies like Kellogg’s (the makers of Apple Jacks) fortify their cereals with vitamins to make them healthier to eat. While this has many positive effects, the downside is that certain vitamins, including Vitamin D, are hard to extract from plants.

Vitamin D comes in two forms, D2 and D3. While Vitamin D2 is found in many plants and is a part of any healthy vegan diet, it’s harder to artificially extract. To save money, many food producers opt to use Vitamin D3, which is easier to obtain. Unfortunately, Vitamin D3 is derived from lanolin, a waxy substance produced by wool-bearing animals, usually sheep. When the sheep are sheared, their wool is washed in hot water, and the lanolin rises to the surface. It’s less complicated than plant-derived extraction methods, but unfortunately, it involves the use of animals.

So, are they Vegan?

While Vitamin D2 is vegan, Vitamin D3 is not. A vegan diet, as opposed to a vegetarian diet, means abstaining from all foods that come from animals. Since Vitamin D3 is animal-derived, and since Apple Jacks are fortified with Vitamin D3, Apple Jacks are not vegan.

Vegan Substitutes

Fortunately, the vegan lifestyle has been growing in popularity, and the market has responded. As a result, there are now alternatives to Apple Jacks that not only taste delicious in a bowl of almond milk but are also vegan. Cascadian Farms, Barbara’s, and Kashi Organic all make fruit-flavored, multigrain cereals that are nutritionally sound and completely animal-free. If you can’t find these brands in your local supermarket, all of them are available on Amazon.

source https://biogreen.life/are-apple-jacks-vegan/