For the best nutritional health and benefits from the foods that you eat, it is important to become educated about their nutrients and properties. This is necessary for you to understand how to create the best anti-inflammatory and properly balanced diet – and to be able to understand and evaluate nutrition labels and any health claims made on the packaging of the foods.So, we have 2 issues to consider:(1) misconceptions about the way different foods you eat might affect you nutritionally(2) possibly misleading nutritional value from things not picked up on the nutrition label, or from the way a company might market its productsEating Fat Does Not Make You FatOne of the biggest misconceptions about food and nutritional health is with regards to fats – and that all fats are bad, or you need to stop eating fats because they will make you fat This is just not the case any more than categorically saying that protein or carbohydrates make you fat – you become overweight from any food if you are eating too many more calories than you are using, and you become fat from the way your body and cells store the foods that you eat.Fats are both necessary for metabolism and other functions, and can be very beneficial as natural anti-inflammatories. The problem comes from the kind of fats you eat; there are good fats and bad fats. The fats in your diet that are most often discussed are the omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids.If you are typical of most Westerners, you are eating 15 to as much as 30 times more omega-6 than omega-3 in your diet. This is something that is very nutritionally unhealthy, because the imbalance is highly inflammatory – and yes, eating too much of these fats are going to lead to being overweight and increased fat content.And do note that eating fats does not cause increased amounts of insulin, which is a primary cause for fat storage – making eating the same amount of sugars like high-fructose corn syrup which does cause more insulin to be produced, a far big problem for fat cells to be stored.Misleading Nutritional Claims On Labels And Food PackagesThere are many situations where a food nutrition label is misleading, and the same goes with different nutritional claims that may be used [intentionally] when marketing and promoting a product – below are a few examples of this:(1) Products labeled as being sugar-free and having no calories, but it contains carbohydrates. This is something that I saw when looking at a no calorie sports drink. I wouldn’t drink it anyway because it was sweetened with Splenda, which is also when I saw that it had 4 grams of carbohydrate per serving.It may not have calories from sugar, but carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram, or 16 calories per serving. Not that big of a deal, until you drink 4 bottles because you like the taste better than water, which is 8 servings – and now you have 128 of extra ‘empty’ calories that you weren’t aware of.(2) Product claims that it is ‘extra’ nutritionally healthy because it has omega-3 added. This seems to be the claim de jour these days, and seems to have become even more prevalent than probiotics being added to everything.If you have been working to balance your omega-6:omega-3 intake and adopting a nutritionally health anti-inflammatory diet, you know that there are different types of omega-3 fats. And you know that the primary nutritional health benefits come from omega-3 DHA EPA, because these are such strong natural anti-inflammatories – and that the best source for this is the oil from cold water fish or green lipped mussels.However, the omega-3 being added is typically omega-3 ALA from a plant source, and this has virtually no anti-inflammatory properties. And the product could be a breakfast cereal that is using this ‘omega-3 added for extra nutrition’ marketing claim to get you buy it for your kids – saying nothing that one of the highest quantity ingredients is high fructose corn syrup that you definitely don’t want your kids eating.Not only is this a product that isn’t additionally healthy because it omega-3 has been added, it is very unhealthy because this is the worst sugar for fat storage, and a primary cause for child obesity.(3) Product claims that it is ‘extra’ nutritionally healthy because it has probiotics added. I mentioned this one above, and a great example of this misleading claim is Dannon paying a large false advertising lawsuit settlement fee, because they claimed that the probiotics added to their Activia and DanActive yogurt made it far better for digestive health than ‘regular’ yogurt.Probiotics added to yogurt and nutritional health benefits are always an issue, because there are no requirements or standards for what has to be added to call it a probiotic food. An additional problem comes from the probiotics being added to a pasteurized food, because for the probiotics to be beneficial they must be live cultures, and the heat used in pasteurization is going to kill most [all] of them.And since this is another product that may be using this nutritional claim to market to your children, the yogurt also has more sugar added to it to make it taste better – and as discussed previously, the sugar is going to offset any of the health benefits with an unhealthy problem.There are many other examples of these kinds of problems. And the best way to avoid then is through learning more about nutritional health benefits in foods, so you will not be making dietary decisions based on misconceptions – and especially so you will be able to understand the foods nutrition labels better, and also see through the different marketing claims that just aren’t going to provide their supposed health benefits.
Online Pharmacies: Revolutionizing The World Of Prescription Drugs
Internet pharmacy or online pharmacy usually refers to a registered pharmacy that has a retail outlet and also offers to sell or supply medicines and/or other professional medical services over the Internet. Customers can order drugs and medical products online being connected to the Internet or even visit the store in person. An international or mail-order pharmacy may or may not have a physically existing brick-and-mortar store. High drug prices have produced alluring incentives for consumers to look for alternative resources to fill their prescriptions.Essentially, there are three types of Internet pharmacies:1) Pharmacies that only supply drugs for prescriptions written by a patient’s physician;2) Pharmacies that charge for a physician, and the drug is provided after the patient completes a simple questionnaire and then the cyber-doctor writes a prescription; and3) Pharmacies dispensing prescription drugs without a physician’s prescription.A recent study finds that sale of drugs through cross-border Internet pharmacies to consumers in many countries has seen a significant and rapid growth. Convenience and cost saving have been the top reasons for online prescription-drug purchasing. Internet pharmacies offer a host of benefits. They are convenient and allow customers to avoid nuisances such as going out in bad weather, parking hassles, standing in line, and the inevitable wait for the prescription to be filled. Many Internet pharmacies offer fast shipping of drugs, allowing customers to avoid the delay of regular mail.Some Internet pharmacies offer lower prices on medications than those charged by traditional pharmacies, as they do not have to bear the fixed costs such as property leases, maintenance, and property taxes. Another major advantage is that the Internet pharmacies can offer privacy that is often lacking in a traditional pharmacy. Many patients feel uncomfortable in purchasing some drugs and asking a pharmacist questions in front of other customers.The customer or patient is entitled to expect the same quality of pharmaceutical care irrespective of whether the service is provided online or face-to-face on the pharmacy premises. To ensure public protection and confidence in the profession many Internet pharmacies have a licensed pharmacist available 24 hours a day to answer questions by phone or by e-mail. Eventually the most helpful benefit associated with online pharmacies is that they offer perks not found in traditional pharmacies, such as e-mail alerts when the prescription is due for a refill and more. Consumers frequently utilize the Internet to obtain health information and products, and Internet pharmacies join a wide variety of healthcare-related websites to provide authentic information related to the drugs they supply.Online Canadian drug pharmacies have emerged as the leaders in the industry. Internet pharmacies in Canada are enjoying a booming business selling prescription drugs to consumers in U.S. and other leading nations taking the advantage of strict drug patents in these nations. Canadian Internet pharmacies offer substantial savings to American consumers, particularly those with chronic conditions — such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol — requiring regular, predictable doses of medicine over long periods.The Internet has revolutionized the way in which ordinary people conduct their everyday business. A significant number of people currently utilize the Internet as a health resource, and it is likely that this trend will continue. The Canadian online pharmacies are proving greatly advantageous to the modern healthcare system.
A vast majority of online purchasers of prescription drugs through Canadian pharmacies have reported satisfaction both in terms of quality and speed of delivery.
S&P 500 Biotech Giant Vertex Leads 5 Stocks Showing Strength
Your stocks to watch for the week ahead are Cheniere Energy (LNG), S&P 500 biotech giant Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX), Cardinal Health (CAH), Steel Dynamics (STLD) and Genuine Parts (GPC).
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While the market remains in correction, with analysts and investors wary of an economic downturn, these five stocks are worth adding to watchlists. S&P 500 medical giants Vertex and Cardinal Health have been holding up, as health-care related plays tend to do well in down markets.
Steel Dynamics and Genuine Parts are both coming off strong earnings as both the steel and auto parts industries report optimistic outlooks. Meanwhile, Cheniere Energy saw sales boom in the second quarter as demand in Europe for natural gas continues to grow.
Major indexes have been making rally attempts with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 testing weekly support on Friday. With market uncertainty, investors should be ready for follow-through day breakouts and keep an eye on these stocks.
Cheniere Energy, Cardinal Health and VRTX stock are all on IBD Leaderboard.
Cheniere Energy Stock
LNG shares rose 1.1% to 175.79 during Friday’s market trading. On the week, the stock advanced 3.1%, not from highs, bouncing from its 21-day and 10-week lines earlier in the week.
Cheniere Energy has been consolidating since mid-September, but needs another week to forge a proper base, with a potential 182.72 buy point formed on Aug. 10.
Houston-based Cheniere Energy was IBD Stock Of The Day on Thursday, as the largest U.S. producer of liquefied natural gas eyes strong demand in Europe.
Even though natural gas prices are plunging in the U.S. and Europe, investors still see strong LNG demand for Cheniere and others.
The U.K. government confirmed last week that it is in talks for an LNG purchase agreement with a number of companies, including Cheniere.
In the first half of 2021, less than 40% of Cheniere’s cargoes of LNG landed in Europe. That jumped to more than 70% through this year’s second quarter, even as the company ramped up new export capacity. The urgency of Europe’s natural gas shortage only intensified last month. That is when an explosion disabled the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia that had once supplied 40% of the European Union’s natural gas.
In Q2, sales increased 165% to $8 billion and LNG earned $2.90 per share, up from a net loss of $1.30 per share in Q2 2021. The company will report Q3 earnings Nov. 3, with investors seeing booming profits for the next few quarters.
Cheniere Energy has a Composite Rating of 84. It has a 98 Relative Strength Rating, an exclusive IBD Stock Checkup gauge for share price movement with a 1 to 99 score. The rating shows how a stock’s performance over the last 52 weeks holds up against all the other stocks in IBD’s database. The EPS rating is 41.
Vertex Stock
VRTX stock jumped 3.4% to 300 on Friday, rebounding from a test of its 50-day moving average. Shares climbed 2.2% for the week. Vertex stock has formed a tight flat base with an official buy point of 306.05, according to MarketSmith analysis.
The stock has remained consistent over recent weeks, while the relative strength line has trended higher. The RS line tracks a stock’s performance vs. the S&P 500 index.
Vertex Q3 earnings are on due Oct. 27. Analysts see EPS edging up 1% to $3.61 per share with sales increasing 16% to $2.2 billion, according to FactSet.
The Boston-based global biotech company dominates the cystic fibrosis treatment market. Vertex also has other products in late-stage clinical development that target sickle cell disease, Type 1 diabetes and certain genetically caused kidney diseases. That includes a gene-editing partnership with Crispr Therapeutics (CRSP).
In early August, Vertex reported better-than-expected second-quarter results and raised full-year sales targets.
S&P 500 stock Vertex ranks second in the Medical-Biomed/Biotech industry group. VRTX has a 99 Composite Rating. Its Relative Strength Rating is 94 and its EPS Rating is 99.
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Cardinal Health Stock
CAH stock advanced 3.2% to 73.03 Friday, clearing a 71.22 buy point from a shallow cup-with-handle base and hitting a record high. But volume was light on the breakout. CAH stock leapt 7.3% for the week.
Cardinal Health stock’s relative strength line has also been trending up for months.
The cup-with-handle base is part of a base-on-base pattern, forming just above a cup base cleared on Aug. 11.
Cardinal Health, based in Dublin, Ohio, offers a wide assortment of health care services and medical supplies to hospitals, labs, pharmacies and long-term care facilities. The company reports that it serves around 90% of hospitals and 60,000 pharmacies in the U.S.
S&P 500 stock Cardinal Health will report Q1 2023 earnings on Nov. 4. Analysts forecast earnings falling 26% to 96 cents per share. Sales are expected to increase 10% to $48.3 billion, according to FactSet.
Cardinal Health stock ranks first in the Medical-Wholesale Drug/Supplies industry group, ahead of McKesson (MCK), which is also showing positive action. CAH stock has a 94 Composite Rating out of 99. It has a 97 Relative Strength Rating and an EPS rating of 73.
Steel Dynamics Stock
STLD shares shot up 8.5% to 92.92 on Friday and soared 19% on the week, coming off a Steel Dynamics earnings beat Wednesday night.
Shares blasted above an 88.72 consolidation buy point Friday after clearing a trendline Thursday. STLD stock is 17% above its 50-day line, definitely extended from that key average.
Steel Dynamics’ latest consolidation could be seen as part of a larger base going back six months.
Steel Dynamics topped Q3 earnings views with EPS rising 10% to $5.46 while revenue grew 11% to $5.65 billion. The steel producer’s outlook is optimistic despite weaker flat rolled steel pricing. STLD reports its order activity and backlogs remain solid.
The Fort Wayne, Indiana-based company is among the largest producers of carbon steel products in the U.S. It engages in metal recycling operations along with steel fabrication and produces myriad steel products.
How Millett Grew Steel Dynamics From A Three Employee Business
STLD stock ranks first in the Steel-Producers industry group. STLD stock has a 96 Composite Rating out of 99. It has a 90 Relative Strength Rating, an exclusive IBD Stock Checkup gauge for share-price movement that tops at 99. The rating shows how a stock’s performance over the last 52 weeks holds up against all the other stocks in IBD’s database. The EPS rating is 98.
Genuine Parts Stock
GPC stock gained 2.8% to 162.35 Friday after the company topped earnings views with its Q3 results on Thursday. For the week GPC advanced 5.1% as the stock held its 50-day line and is in a flat base.
GPC has an official 165.09 flat-base buy point after a three-week rally, according to MarketSmith analysis.
The relative strength line for Genuine Parts stock has rallied sharply to highs over the past several months.
On Thursday, the Atlanta-based auto parts company raised its full-year guidance on growth across its automotive and industrial sales.
Genuine Parts earnings per share advanced 19% to $2.23 and revenue grew 18% to $5.675 billion in Q3. GPC’s full-year guidance is now calling for EPS of $8.05-$8.15, up from $7.80-$7.95. The company now forecasts revenue growth of 15%-16%, up from the earlier 12%-14%.
During the Covid pandemic, supply chain constraints caused a major upheaval in the auto industry, sending prices for new and used cars to record levels. This has made consumers more likely to hang on to their existing vehicles for longer, driving mileage higher and boosting demand for auto replacement parts.
Fellow auto stocks O’Reilly Auto Parts (ORLY) and AutoZone (AZO) have also rallied near buy points amid the struggling market. O’Reilly reports on Oct. 26.
IBD ranks Genuine Parts first in the Retail/Wholesale-Auto Parts industry group. GPC stock has a 96 Composite Rating. Its Relative Strength Rating is 94 and it has an EPS Rating of 89.