I'm taking US Airways from Frankfurt to LA. Then I take United from San Diego to Eugen, Oregon. This new baggage fee could cost me a small fortune! US Airways will not apply the fee to travelers coming to and from Europe (yeah). United does not start the fee increase until Aug 18, I am ending my United flight on Aug 2 (Yeah). So, I can still shop, shop, shop. With the Euro so high to the dollar, it would be such a crime to be restricted to what I could carry on!!! I am buying the kids school cloths for next year, and I may even bring home a cast iron Dutch Oven (no kidding). Last year I brought home a cast iron skillet. I love this skillet, and use it almost everyday. I hope to replace all my pans with cast iron cookware. It cooks better, and it is healthier. I'm sure you can get cast iron cookware in Germany, but so far I have not been able to find the high quality cast iron pots and pans they have in the USA.
Cast iron cookware has many benefits over aluminum cookware. It is virtually indestructible, retains heat well and spreads it evenly over the cooking surface, and cooks well at a wide range of temperatures. Cast iron cookware can also add necessary iron to your diet!
When food is cooked in cast iron, trace amounts of iron leach out of the cookware and into the food. Foods with high moisture content and acidity, such as applesauce, chili, and spaghetti sauce, which are stirred frequently and cooked for a long time, will absorb significantly more amounts of iron than foods that are fried quickly, like hamburgers.
It is estimated that 60% to 70% of Americans do not get enough iron in their diets. Iron is a vital mineral, and an essential factor in the body's ability to efficiently circulate oxygen through the blood stream. Iron is needed for the production of neurotransmitters, the chemicals which allow information to be passed between nerve cells.
Low levels of iron in the blood can result in insufficient amounts of oxygen being circulated, leading to tiredness and headaches. An extreme deficiency can lead to anemia, with nausea, vomiting, weakness, suppression of the immune system, and difficulty in maintaining body temperature. Inadequate iron levels can be caused by low dietary intake, excessive blood loss, or the body's inability to absorb iron due to an underlying disease.
Women who are pregnant or of childbearing age, or who have heavy menstrual periods, have the greatest need for iron. Pre-term or low birth weight infants, older toddlers, teenage girls, and patients with gastrointestinal disorders or kidney failure are also at high risk for iron deficiency. Athletes lose iron through perspiration.
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