Tip Of The Month

Shocking And Surprising Things Chefs Don't Want You To Know - What order makes them mad and what THEY never order when they go out to eat.Roaches? Recycled Bread? And What Happens To Your Food When You Send It Back!!!

Have you seen the movie, "Waiting..."? If not, it's about shenanigans that go on at a restaurant by the waiters, managers and cooks. It's a comedy and not "real." But, it shows a lot of things people are afraid actually happens behind the scenes when they go out to eat.

For example, one customer sends his steak back because it is not cooked to his liking. So what does the cook do? He freaks out. Throws the steak on the floor... says, "oooops"... picks it up and puts it back on the grill. The movie shows a lot worse than that!

Well, does any of this stuff really occur? And besides that - what are some of the things chefs probably don't want you to know? Food Network Magazine surveyed thousands of Chefs (anonymously) across the country - and here's what they found...

Chefs Are Picky Eaters But Hate Picky Eaters!

Yes... this may be a little contradictory. But come on - you probably don't like some of the things you do either! According to the survey, 60% of chefs said requests for substitutes were annoying. One of the biggest annoyances was when customers "pretend" to be allergic to something. Hmmmm... one has to wonder how they knew they were "pretending?"

Chefs Have Expensive Taste And Avoid Pasta And Chicken

The restaurant chefs listed the most as "best in the country" was The French Laundry in California's Napa Valley. Dinner there is $240 per person, before wine. They avoid chicken and pasta because they are often the most over-priced items on the menu. Ironically, they like fast food... Wendy's topping the list.

What About Roaches?

Are you sitting down? You are... good. 75% said they have seen roaches in the kitchen! Also, on a scale of 1-10, 85% of chefs rate their kitchen as an 8 or above for being clean.

Do Chefs Spit In Your Food If You Send It Back?

Only 13% said they saw chefs do bad things to people's food. The worst was, "Someone once ran a steak through a dishwasher after the diner sent it back twice. Ironically, the customer was happy with it then." Three of the chefs said they re-used uneaten bread after it was taken back from the tables.

Chefs also work hard!

They average between 60-80 hours a week and work holidays. Their average pay is $75,000 a year. And there's more... like menu specials are often experimental dishes, fresh fish deliveries do NOT come on Sundays, and the appropriate tip for your meal is 20%. The complete article can be found by googling "25 Things Chefs Never Tell You Food Network Magazine".

Remember, we're always here, using Chiropractic and Massage to help your body heal and maintain the health you deserve.

Did You Know?

Plants have been used for centuries as medicines.

Now, genetically modified plants can produce plastic, skin tissue agents and human blood proteins. Biotechnologists have created genetically modified (GM) plants that can grow plastic. They managed this by inserting 4 genes from plastic-producing bacteria into varieties of oilseed rape (Eurasian plant) and cress. Conventional plastics are made from oil and do not degrade easily, but the plant plastic is biodegradable. But it is expensive, costing five times more than petroleum-derived plastic.

Actually, mankind has been "genetically modifying" everything from food to dogs for many centuries, but in the past, the only tool has been selective breeding. There are a variety of ways that scientists now modify plants and animals with genetic engineering techniques.

In the meantime, before you grow your own plastic plants, take good care of your real plants. Clean them often, speak to them, and play them some nice music - there is a lot of research that shows playing melodic or classical music to plants makes them grow healthier.

Shocker: Heavy Drinkers Outlive Non-Drinkers?

Discover what a new paper in the Journal Alcoholism found that might make you fall off the wagon!

Is it possible? Can it be true? There is no way... right?

As revealed in a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, people who do NOT drink alcohol do NOT live as long as people who do.

According to an article in Time Magazine, "Research suggests that -- for reasons that aren't entirely clear -- abstaining from alcohol does tend to increase one's risk of dying, even when you exclude former problem drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers' mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers.

"Moderate drinking, which is defined as one to three drinks per day, is associated with the lowest mortality rates in alcohol studies."

WOW! According to this paper, people who do not drink at all die sooner than heavy drinkers... not people who have a drink or two a night - but... HEAVY DRINKERS!

According to the article, a moderate drinker, defined as 1-3 drinks per day, had the lowest mortality rate.

Even though researchers do not know the real answer, there are plenty of theories as to why these findings exist.

One is that moderate alcohol consumption (especially red wine) can improve circulation, cardiovascular health and reduce stress. Stress reduction may be the most important item on the list. Here is why...

There is a vast amount of research linking stress to poor health, possible disease and shortened lifespan.

In fact, a press release from September 3, 2010 states researchers had finally found direct evidence linking stress to heart attacks.

It's All About HAIR

According to the press release, "Researchers at The University of Western Ontario have provided the first direct evidence using a biological marker, to show chronic stress plays an important role in heart attacks. Stressors such as job and marital and financial problems have been linked to the increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease including heart attack."

This study, published in the journal Stress, said researchers developed a method to measure cortisol levels in hair. This is important because cortisol levels are an indicator of stress levels and now the cortisol/stress level can be measured for several months leading up to the heart attack.

Until now, cortisol levels were only measured in saliva, urine and serum. Because of this, stress levels were only seen at the time of the measurement - not leading up to the event. Doctors and researchers have suspected for a long time that stress was bad for you but it has been hard to measure and "prove." Now, it looks like we can all say with relative accuracy... that...

STRESS KILLS!

This might shed new light on the alcohol research above. Maybe it's not alcohol as a chemical compound that is beneficial to your longevity... Maybe the key is alcohol's role in stress reduction.

Who knows? Right now, no one knows for sure, but we do know that correlation is not causation. In other words, just because drinkers live longer does not mean "alcohol is good for you." For example, if the reason drinkers live longer is actually due to a reduction in stress... then it may be possible to get the same results without alcohol consumption. Maybe learning to control stress through meditation and other ways will be found to be just as effective. The mind-body connection is what's really important. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, and science has now linked it to your stress levels, which basically links it to the way you think.

The way you handle situations in life every single day is actually a matter of not just happiness... but of...

Life and Death

So here's a little advice: Learn about stress and stress management ASAP. Most likely it will not only lead to a happier life... but a longer one.