Natural Skin Care, Twinkies, and Pumpkin Seeds

In the spirit of New-vember, I thought I'd just post some random health information...

In order for a skin care product to be called “natural,” up to 99% of the ingredients can be manmade. Since you absorb up to 60% of any substance applied to your skin, you could absorb up to 4.4 pounds of manmade chemical into your body in this way each year. (The Green Book, Rogers and Kostigen)

Glucose, the form of sugar that adds bulk and sweetness to Twinkies’ crumb and filling, also adds glossiness to shoe leather and prolongs concrete setting.
Only a small percentage of the 750 million lbs of cornstarch that’s manufactured annually goes into food like Twinkies. Two-thirds is used to make paper, cardboard, and packaging peanuts. (Twinkie Deconstructed, Ettlinger)

Raw pumpkin seeds are high in tryptophan, which works with tyrosine and zinc in the body to improve one’s mood, and increase levels of serotonin in the brain, alleviating depression. Pumpkin seeds have also been said to relieve stress, promote relaxation, and help insomnia. Make sure you eat them raw because cooking them destroys the tryptophan! (Eating for Beauty, Wolfe)