Baldur

There are baking powders that do not contain aluminum, Rumford and Argo are 2 examples.
It is also present in many ready made products, including most cake mixes, 98% of the soft tortillas out there, biscuit mix, some cookies etc.
Since I started reading labels looking for lard I was amazed at what else is in our food

Baldur

Oddly, I've not found a brownie mix yet that contains aluminum.

sheftali52

Thanks for the baking powder suggestions. I must read labels a bit more carefully, I guess. Hmmm--no brownie mixes containing aluminum? That must mean we should eat more brownies! Yessss!

polenta

I've cooked with aluminum pots and pans for 41 years and so did my mother for all my previous life. Should I be worried? I hate TEFLON (is this the word?) and I don't like enamel, iron or stainless steel very much.
What's wrong with aluminum pots and pans?????????

polenta

I took a look at the baking powder I buy. It says the chemical composition is this one. Do you find it safe Baldur? I used the Google translator.

fosfato monocalcico
bicarbonato de sodio
diluyentes
almidon de maiz
carbonato de calcio

monocalcium phosphate
baking soda
extender
maize starch
calcium carbonate

Baldur

polenta, my mother always used aluminum pots and pans for as long back as I can remember.
Baldur had read years ago that aluminum was suspected as being a trigger that enable alzheimer's disease to take hold in humans. From what I remember of the article it claimed that the availablity of aluminum cookware in the early 20th century coincided with the explosion of alzheimer's disease upon the population.
Since then there have been all sorts of studies claiming that there is no link between the two. I however do not trust it at all.
For centuries man had used unlined copper for cooking and lead based plates and goblets eating off of. Even water pipes were primarily lead. We wouldn't think of doing so today.
I would be cautious of any metal that is 'reactive' since many of the foods we eat are acidic.
My pots and pans are stainless steel, that seemed the logical solution for my concerns.

Also your baking powder seems to be made of the same ingredients as what Baldur uses.

Baldur

http://alzheimers.org.uk/factsheet/406

This seems a balanced look at the issue.

Baldur also switched from using antiperspirants that contain aluminum chlorhydrate (years ago) to deodorants that do not.
After an incident in which tomato sauce on a lasagna ate holes through a sheet of aluminum foil overnight in my refrigerator I became very conscious about how I use foil.
It is never used with anything acidic.

polenta

I wonder how our governments and technical authorities aren't more conscious about what is put in our food. Why could they put aluminum in baking powder? What's their advantage?
I once heard they put some chemical substance in bread to make it look fresh or whiter for more time, but at the same time it's considered toxic.

Baldur

http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_myths_about_alzheimers.asp

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/195/does-exposure-to-aluminum-cause-alzheimers-diseas e

http://www.rense.com/general37/alum.htm

Baldur

There are a few more links to articles on the topic.
Since the evidence is contradictory and aluminum is not at all necessary in one's diet, I think it better to choose to avoid it whenever possible.

AuntieB

What a boring topic!
Why are you worrying about Alzheimer's disease? If you contract it you'll be the last to know.
Read this... it's much more enlightening:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock-paper-scissors

AuntieB

Since Valentine's Day has come and gone it has become apparent that many did not get the gifts they truly deserve.
My holiday was a simple one, this year I received:
a long weekend in Venice
a full length gray fox coat
a lovely pair of emerald drop earrings mounted in rose-gold settings in the Byzantine style
approximately 14 dozen roses, a few black iris, some ranunculus
chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. The best were handmade caramels with salt, dipped in a light milk chocolate drizzled in bittersweet chocolate and then sprinkled with bits of gold leaf.
This year I only got 4 marriage proposals, but the economy indeed has been rather bad.

Anyway if you were disappointed this year, it is never too early to start turoring your beaus for next year,
This link should be helpful to start with:

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds/diamond-education

marius

AuntieB, know your nephew adores Hyacinth Bucket, but my vote is for YOU! Heaven can only guess at your past, but would suspect you have stories that would easily make the antics of "Bertie Wooster" pale by comparison. Am thinking even your Diego would shine above Jeeves, and in this mind ... that would take some doing as Jeeves is the only one I've heard of who can shimmer in and out of rooms!

By the way Auntie, marius has contracted a nasty sinus infection and plugged up ears, problems which, except for ONE time, have always migrated to the lungs and created more to deal with, specifically pneumonia and/or bronchitis. The nurse practitioner said she could not give me antibiotics until I have a fever and have been coughing and stuffed up for more than four days. Heavens, normal body temp is 97.0-97.5 ... this means 99 IS a fever and really, what is the difference between coughing two days and four?

So marius said, "Thought I was doing the right thing by coming in early, preventing sinus problems from becoming worse." Then nurse practitioner (is that what they call those doctor-nurses?) says, "Blah blah blah ... too many people getting antibiotics ... blah blah blah ..." But yes, apparently the new trend is to wait to treat you until you are at death's door to treat you. Now, marius can be extremely dull in certain areas, but having learned from the past, she came home from nurse-person and called Brenda. (Brenda has enough medications to treat a city and if she can spare, she will.) So, marius started taking her contraband antibiotics last night and already the fever is gone and I finally got a good night's sleep.

Yes, AuntieB, we have now arrived to the question. How does marius convince these nurse/doctor people to listen to her? She knows her body, has seen this process often enough and what a ridiculous notion to think we patients are all sitting around scheming ways to get anti-biotics we don't really need! And, need I point out the idiocy of waiting until someone is 5 minutes away from needing hospitalization before treating them?

Signed,
gentle but slightly agitated listener

PS Goodness! What a Valentine's you must have had! However, marius gets long footrubs all year, most every night ... but hehehe, Auntie probably gets that too PLUS the trips, fur coats, and so forth.

polenta

I'm not worried about Alzheimer.... but I hope I will never be..... God forbid.

Hazer

Having worked in an Alzheimer's Care Home, I have to say that I dread that disease as much as, if not more than cancer. It is one disease that is so very difficult for the family to deal with and as a result many of our residents had no family support...and it probably meant that the families of those dear people weren't getting the support that they needed either. I hope and pray that none of us will have to deal with that terrible disease!!

Hazer

But on a happier note, and having read Auntie B's account of her wonderful Valentine's week end, I thought I would share how my own Valentines Day went. It's clear from Auntie B's account that her love language is receiving gifts, while mine on the other hand is acts of service. So, although it may seem odd to some, having hubby help me hang wall paper had me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
Unfortunately, hubby doesn't consider "acts of service" to be his preferred way of showing his affection, and hanging wall paper is really at the bottom of the barrel as far as he is concerned.
Acts of service, when done with a positive spirit, will have Hazer just over the moon....and really you would think that after almost 35 years of marriage, hubby would have caught on to that.
But he did come through in his own way with a poem titled " To My Sweetheart", which I thought was very sweet.

All this has me wondering about posting a Love Survey on Channel Goldie. See you there.

AuntieB

marius, first let me say that I'm quite happy that you circumvented the problem and have received antibiotics.

You still need to deal with the nurse practitioner and put her in her place for any future medical emergencies.

Your first step when denied antibiotics should have been to say "I want to speak with someone who has advanced beyond the practice level... Is there a real doctor here?"

That will raise her hackles and she will no doubt claim to be the one in authority. You are allowed a brief and poorly concealed chuckle.

Then your next step would be to say something along the lines of:
"I've reviewed my journal at home as to what transpired during previous sinus infections and can understand your position.
When it was determined that antibiotics were necessary in my case you were busy sucking face in the examination room with that cute young intern. Surely you remember Rahj Singh (actually insert an appropriate name here). You did seem highly pre-occupied."
She will turn purple and start denying everything.
Of course all that matters during the exchange was that your comments were audible to the entire waiting room.

Now the best part.
As she stands up and comes nose to nose with you in her outrage, it is your great opportunity.
Now you must suddenly cough or sneeze ay point blank range. Do whichever you can manage that will spatter the b......woman with as much bodily fluid as possible.
Follow that with a 'fluffy' little 'Oh I'm sorry'.
Dabbing your nose with your hankie in a ladylike manner sachet out of the office,

She will certainly remember you.
Next time you need medication they will be immediately forthcoming.
All you will need to do is take a sudden sharp intake of breath as if an explosive sneeze is imminent to remind her of you capabilities.

AuntieB

Now Hazer,
As to spending any part of any day hanging wallpaper.... well Auntie B just wouldn't allow it. On Valentine's Day I actually wouldn't even care to watch someone else doing it from a lounge chair with mint julep in my hand.
But to each their own.
If you enjoy getting paste all over yourself, more power to you.
On the holiday itself I was reveling on St Mark's Square in a silk robe, fox fur coat, cat womanesque mask and a frilly little costume jewelry tiara.
(I guess technically the gemstones in the tiara were paste)

Hazer

Well, I do have to admit that if I were to choose, wall papering would have been reserved for another day. But as it is in Hazer's world, getting the house ready for sale, and only having hubby's help on the weekends...well, there's always next year!

Baldur

I will not even attempt to correct all of Auntie B's spelling errors.

Hazer's recent mention of Hyacinth Bucket is such a coincidence!
In yesterday's mail Baldur received an invitation to a candlelight supper.
It is being held by my dear friend, Jacob and his partner.
There is just a little more than 3 weeks for me to get ready.
They don't want me to prepare anything to eat, but a 'hostess' gift will need some thought.
Most likely Baldur will bring some window beads.
Jacob's partner, Frank will do all the cooking so dinner will be quite nice
It appears there will be 9 or 10 people present.