| Saturday - November 7, 2009 In the 1960s, the edible oils industry began a campaign to convince us that vegetable oils are healthy. Yes, these oils are derived from natural sources. But by the time they make it to your grocery store, they are anything but good for you. Corn oil, for example, contains none of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber found in the plant itself. A number of studies have shown a link between processed oils and heart disease. Processed oils have also been associated with asthma, blindness, cancer, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, stroke, and liver problems. Meanwhile, the average American is consuming more than 50 times as much vegetable oil as he once did. Vegetable oils are not easy to avoid. They are in all salad dressings and processed foods. But some are healthier than others. Choose coconut oil for cooking. Choose olive oil (which is easily damaged by cooking heat) for salads.
We're seeing more and more junk food passed off as health food these days. Manufacturers have learned that they can increase sales (and justify significant price increases) simply by putting the word "organic" on the label. But "organic" doesn't always mean "healthy." You can buy organic sugar, white flour, potato chips, corn chips, donuts, waffles, sugar-added cereals, pizza, and frozen dinners at your local health food store. All of these products are highly processed. They contain little to no nutritional value, and they have a high glycemic index. My advice is to skip the same aisles in the health food store as you would in the regular grocery store. Avoid the baked goods, snack foods, cereals, and ice creams. Stick to whole foods and fresh produce.
Unemployment is already at 11 percent or 16 percent, if you do the right sort of accounting. In this type of environment, people lose jobs. Even good, hardworking, loyal people. Don't make the mistake of thinking your job is secure. You don't want to get to work one day and find a pink slip on your desk or, worse, the front door padlocked. There are two things every smart working person must do immediately to secure his or her financial future. - Become an invaluable employee.
- Develop valuable skills that can be used to get another job or start a business.
There is a difference between a good and an invaluable employee. Good employees come in to work every day and do a good job. They have a good attitude. They work overtime when asked. They don't complain. Invaluable employees are instrumental in producing profits for their business. Salespeople, marketers, copywriters, and profit center managers -- if they are really good at what they do -- are invaluable. If you are working in customer service, accounting, or engineering, your salary is on the expense side of the ledger. You may be great at what you do -- but when a business has to cut expenses, employees who fall on that side of the line will always be let go sooner than employees who are bringing in the bacon. But if you demonstrate a superior attitude by volunteering to do extra work and showing an interest in the profit side of the business, you may be considered "potentially invaluable" when it comes time to chop off heads. (When I consult with clients about cutting down payroll, I ask them to focus on individual people and their potential, not their current roles.) The core profit-driving mechanisms of every business are salesmanship and direct marketing. So I recommend that you study one or both of these skills. The more knowledge you have of them, the more potential you will show for becoming invaluable one day. This is also a good time to look into home-based business opportunities. If you have spare time in the evenings or on weekends, why not put it to good use by developing a second stream of income? Between the programs that we have developed at ETR and those we endorse from American Writers & Artists Inc., you have the following "second-income" opportunities available to you right now:
If you are too hungry when you sit down to a meal, you will probably overeat and end up feeling way too full. Try this: Drink two full glasses of water 15 minutes before you eat. I tried it recently and found that I ate considerably less. You wouldn't think the water could have that much of an effect. But it does!
Neiman Marcus is cutting merchandise orders by 20 percent in anticipation of weak Christmas sales. Saks Inc. is dong the same. American Eagle Outfitters says it expects to hire fewer temporary workers this Christmas. Friends of mine who own a chain of jewelry shops will need a holiday miracle to save their business. Sales have been decreasing since the Great Recession started. (When was that? Two years ago?) They've just filed for bankruptcy protection. They are closing stores. "We are staving off the inevitable," one of them said to me. Unemployment is going to go up sharply in the next six months. I don't have a crystal ball, but how can it not? Just think about all those people who expected to get temporary work in department stores. What will they be doing? Filing for benefits, that's what. And that's not to mention all the temporary cooks and waiters and floor cleaners and bookkeepers and sweepers and whatnot who are employed during the biggest buying frenzy of the year.
Last year, I predicted that a weak retail showing would start the collapse of the commercial real estate market after the first quarter. That is what happened. This year, I'm betting we'll see a steep hike in unemployment across the board, starting with a rash of retail bankruptcies that will begin in March or April. You aren't hearing about this in the media, because most of it will involve small companies (i.e., with less than $500 million in revenues). But those companies are a huge part of our economy -- and they account for most new hires. The government won't provide any useful help. On the contrary, the Obama administration is spending most of its time cranking up regulations. That makes doing business more expensive and less productive -- especially for the small guys. But who's looking?
Total Health Breakthroughs' Managing Editor Jon Herring has certainly stirred things up with his latest THB Undercover issue. The topic: whether or not early detection of cancer really does increase your chances of survival. Here's a small sample of the reader comments so far: "7 years ago I had a sore throat that didn't get worse or better --I had it checked and got a MRI and discovered I had squamous cell cancer that had gone from my tonsil to 4 lymph nodes--the doctors acted quickly and I went through 35 treatments of radiation (burn) 8 treatments of chemo (poison) They didn't cut me thankfully--my point is I have been cancer free for over 6 years and early detection and treatment did work for me--now I eat better and work out and hope to go well beyond my 58 years." - Rob "At last some commonsense facts to counteract what we have been fed by the media for so long and suffered from as a result of governmental drives for more, and yet more, money to be spent on screening." - Patricia "As a counselor I absolutely agree with these statements. The war on cancer (just the name of it) is enough to terrify people into depression or brutalising therapy." - Jacqui "I beg to differ & say out loud I think you & this article are incorrect. I also wonder from WHERE are you receiving your funding? As in the thought - Follow the Money." - Buster Join the discussion here.
[Ed. Note: Michael Masterson welcomes your questions and comments. Send him a message at AskMichael@ETRFeedback.com.] | 
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