Raw Food Blog

Protein on a Raw Food Diet

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 01:33:00 +0000

Photo credit: Ilovemypit

There is an oft-held perception about the raw food diet that you are going to have to deprive yourself of a lot of different and important areas of a healthy diet, and if you are the athletic type, number one on your list of concerns is likely protein. After all, without a solid supply of protein in your diet, your athletic endeavors will suffer the consequences. But fear not, there are plenty of ways to eat raw, get the protein you need, and keep your sporting engine running at maximum capacity.

Nuts are the first food item that most people would think of when they hear about protein in a raw food diet. No matter what variety of nut you choose, there is plenty of protein to help build a healthy body. If you want to include more nuts in your diet, it is relatively simple to do. Most people enjoy a handful of nuts as a handy snack, but they can be turned into a milk to be mixed into a morning smoothie; crushed to make a great addition to any salad; or ground down and dehydrated to make great raw breads and crackers.

Salmon might not be a food item that you would consider when you talk about raw foods in the first place, but remember that there are two great options to eat salmon on a raw diet. If you want to eat it completely raw, you can consume it as a sushi or sashimi. If you prefer a more firm texture for your meats, you can consume salmon as a cold-smoked food. Either way offers great taste, some highly beneficial fatty acids, and of course, a great source of protein. If you want to add more salmon to your diet, you can make raw crackers and a "cheese" ball, and have a delightful and high-brow snack when company comes over.

Beef is another food group that many people forget when they talk about raw foods, but there are a number of raw options for beef that allow you get the flavor and the protein of red meat, without resorting to the damaging effects of cooking it. Many people enjoy raw ground beef with a liberal dosing of lemon juice to "cook" the meats chemically rather than with heat; another option is to consume it as a thinly-sliced Carpaccio. Of course, many people chose to not consume any animal products or by-products, so this option is not perfect for everyone.

Sprouts are another often overlooked source of protein in a raw food diet. Sprouts can be grown from alfalfa, broccoli, chick peas, wheat and many other food items. Special care must be taken when eating sprouts, as nearly every grown food can be sprouted, but not every sprout should be consumed by people. Check before you try to grow your own sprouts. Also, there are concerns regarding E-coli contamination with sprouts, which means that extra caution should be taken when purchasing, growing, handling and storing your sprouts

Yuri Elkaim is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and author of the raw food diet for weight loss ebook, Eating for Energy. Visit http://www.eatingforenergy.ca to get started with his FREE "Energy Secrets" e-course and discover what your diet has been missing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yuri_Elkaim

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4078239

Trendy Middleton Dukan diet slammed as 'utterly ineffective and with no scientific basis' as experts compile list of worst weight loss plans

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 06:46:00 +0000

By Deborah Arthurs

Carole Middleton's svelte figure has been attributed to the Dukan diet

A diet said to be followed by the Duchess of Cambridge's mother Carole Middleton has been branded 'confusing, rigid and ineffective' by a leading health group.

Experts from the British Dietetic Association named the Dukan Diet the worst celebrity weight loss plan to follow and said it has 'absolutely no solid science behind it at all'.
The Dukan - also reported to be followed by actress Jennifer Lopez and supermodel Gisele Bundchen - is a complicated four-phase diet that starts with a protein-only approach which promotes weight loss of around 7lb per week.

It topped the BDA's annual list of the five worst celebrity diets to avoid in the New Year.

It works on restricting foods, calories and portion control. However, the BDA says cutting out food groups is not advisable.

The BDA said: 'This diet is so confusing, very rigid, full of very French foods that most Brits would run a mile from like rabbit and offal, and even Dr Dukan himself warns of the associated problems like lack of energy, constipation and bad breath.'
The BDA receives hundreds of calls every year on the subject of diets and analysed results to form a list of the most unreliable, difficult to follow or unhealthy diet plans.

BDA'S FIVE WORST DIETS

1 Dukan diet
2 Alcorexia diet (very low calories, calorie saving, alcohol binges)
3 Blood group diet
4 Raw food diet
5 Baby food diet

Based on the volume of telephone calls and other contributing factors, the Dukan Diet topped a list of 'dodgy' celebrity diets to avoid in the New Year.
The Dukan Diet was followed in the list by the Alcorexia or Drunkorexia Diet, an undeniably unhealthy tecnhnique believed to be used by many top models and other celebrities to keep their weight low without sacrificing their heavy partying lifestyle.
It involves eating very little during the day or week - a very low calorie (VLC) diet - and then 'saving' all the calories not eaten to binge drink alcohol.
However, the BDA reckons people must be 'blind drunk' to follow such a diet.

DUKAN DRAWBACKS

While weight loss can be quick, followers of the Dukan report difficulties. Here are the main cons.
1 Much of the diet prescribes solely protein for days on end. Followers complain this can get boring and as a result is difficult to adhere to.

2 Eating so much protein - around three to four times the normal amount - can put a strain on the kidneys. This can be more problematic for those with underlying kidney problems they may not have known about.

3 A lack of fibre can be a problem. An unbalanced diet short of fruit and vegetables and heavy in fish and meat can lead to constipation.

4 Lack of cereal-based foods can lead to deficiency of vitamin B.

5 Weight loss is difficult to maintain once the rigid programme has ended. The maintenance phase alone - six days of eating normally and one Dukan day of protein - is unlikely to keep the weight off for the average dieter, whose indulgence throughout the week will outweigh the benefits of the protein day.

The BDA said: 'Following a VLC diet alone is madness, as you will most certainly not be getting the calories, vitamins and nutrients your body needs to survive and function.
'In addition, you will feel weak, tired, have no energy and will become very irritable very soon. Alcohol has little nutrition other than calories.

'To do this in order to "bank" your calories so you can use them on alcohol is pure madness and could easily result in alcohol poisoning and even death.

'The BDA has received a significant increase in media calls about this diet and it is a worrying trend.'

The Blood Group Diet - said to be followed by Cheryl Cole, Sir Cliff Richard and Courtney Cox-Arquette - is also one to avoid, according to the BDA, which says it is 'completely based on pseudo-science'.

BLOOD GROUP DIET: Courteney Cox-Arquette and Cheryl Cole are said to use the diet to stay slim

Exponents of the diet claim that different nutrients are broken down in the body based on blood type.

However, the BDA said: 'Cutting out food groups is never a good idea, unless medically advised to do so and with help making substitutions from a dietician.

'This diet could lead to significant deficiencies such as calcium. You lose weight on this diet because your calorie intake is very restricted and this diet is not sustainable in the long term.'

Also on the list of the BDA's weight loss programmes to avoid is the Raw Food Diet, said to be followed by Hollywood A-listers Demi Moore, Natalie Portman and Woody Harrelson.

RAW FOOD DIET: Woody Harrelson, left, and Demi Moore, right, are said to follow the raw food diet

It is the practice of eating uncooked food and non-pasteurised or non-homogenised dairy products. This diet can be used by vegans and meat eaters.

However, the BDA warns: 'A raw diet can be low in fat and calories but can also be low in calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc and protein.

'Many foods can only be eaten cooked, like rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, beans and pulses, so these are excluded.

'The diet is unsuitable for pregnant women, children and other at risk groups. In fact some foods are more nutritious if cooked, like carrots and tomatoes.

'This diet is time consuming, socially isolating and you'll have an awful lot of chewing to do. For those who use meat in a raw diet, they put themselves at risk of food poisoning and gastroenteritis.'

The list to avoid is completed by the Baby Food Diet, said to be followed by Lady Gaga, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston.

The diet calls for eating only up to 14 jars of pureed food or baby food every day, or mostly pureed food and one adult meal, or pureed food instead of snacks.

However, the BDA warns: 'This diet works on portion control and guess what? Yes, restricted calories, as a jar of baby food has very few.

'Although fruit and veg are included they are pureed so have much less fibre and texture.

BABY FOOD DIET: Lady Gaga, left, and Gwyneth Paltrow, right, are said to have experimented with the Baby Food diet, which the BDA calls 'anti-social and lacking in fibre'

'Chewing food is associated with feelings of fullness and satiety, so reach for an apple or a carrot rather than a jar.

'Also, how anti-social would you be whipping out your jars of baby food at a top restaurant?'

Sian Porter, consultant dietician and spokesperson for the BDA, said of weight loss fads: 'Sadly, there is no magic wand you can wave.

'There is no wonder diet you can follow without some nutritional or health risk and most are offering a short-term fix to a long term problem.

'It may be obvious, but if you want to lose weight you need to eat a nutritionally balanced and varied diet with appropriately sized portions and burn off more calories than you consume.

'In short speak, eat fewer calories, make better choices and move a bit more.
'On a serious note, glamorous images of celebrities saturate our daily media in all forms. These celebs have an army of people to help them to keep looking good, which is essential to their livelihood and plenty of money to do whatever they think it takes.
'You need to remember too, a lot of these images are airbrushed and retouched to give celebrities an unachievable body image that does not exist in real life, yet many aspire to.

'Some people look at these images and will try anything they think will help them achieve the "perfect" body.

'If you have some weight you need to lose, then do it in a healthy, enjoyable and sustainable way. In the long term this will achieve the results you are after.'
The BDA, founded in 1936, is the professional association for registered dietitians in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is the nation's largest organisation of food and nutrition professionals with more than 6,000 members.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2062175/Dukan-diet-Kate-Middleton-weight-loss-plan-slammed-ineffective-scientific-basis.html#ixzz25O27aUIR

Why raw food is good for you

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 02:19:00 +0000

by NAOMI COLEMAN, femail.co.uk

If you've hardly stepped near your oven this summer and chosen salads and soups rather than slaving over a hot stove, there's no need to feel guilty.

Raw fruit, fish, vegetables, nuts and seeds are all brimming with vitamins and minerals which can help boost our immune system, give our gums a great workout, keep us slim and leave our skin looking young and silky.
Luckily, we are more likely to eat raw food in summer because we are attracted to lighter, cooler dishes such as salads, juices, chilled soups and smoothies.

Raw fruit and vegetables deliver far higher levels of nutrients to our body than cooked food.
In fact, nutritionist Jane Griffin believes raw food contains a third more vitamins and minerals than cooked food.

'This is because boiling water absorbs vitamins B and C during cooking,' she says. 'Raw food also contains more fibre than cooked food. This is because heat breaks down fibre which tends to get lost during cooking.'
Ian Marber, co-founder of London's Food Doctor Nutrition Clinic, says we should aim to eat at least one course of raw food at every meal.

However, he warns a diet made up of raw food and nothing else is unhealthy because we are not getting all the protein and carbohydrates found in other groups of food such as meat and grains.

But including some raw food in your diet is an ideal way to get your daily quota of five portions of fruit and vegetables. 'You're far more likely to eat a greater variety of raw fruit and veg,' says Griffin.

'That's because the traditional cooked meal is meat and two veg - but a typical salad can easily contain five or six different types of vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onions and peppers.'

Cucumber is rich in potassium and iron, while tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, carrots and other brightly coloured foods are high in the antioxidant betacarotene which reduces cancer-related free radicals.

The health benefits don't stop there. The good news is if you want to lose weight this summer, raw food is more likely to shed pounds than cooked food.

That's because raw fruit and vegetables tend to be more bulky than the cooked variety because they have a higher water content than cooked food which loses much of its moisture when cooked. This extra bulk helps full you up - so you are likely to eat less and not gain weight.

There are plenty of other health benefits too. Chewing raw food is an excellent workout for your gums and jaw because it is slightly harder to chew than cooked food.

A chewing motion stimulates blood supply to these parts of your mouth - helping to keep them healthy and exercised. Cooked, processed food by contrast can contain high levels of sugar which can lead to tooth decay.

Raw food can also benefit our skin. Carrots and tomatoes contain betacarotene which when eaten raw contains higher levels of this vitamin. After the body digests betacarotene, it is converted into vitamin A. This chemical stimulates skin cell growth and builds collagen - a structural protein present in the skin which is essential for skin elasticity.

So the raw mushroom diet works! Roxanne Pallett shows off the incredible bikini figure which she owes to an unusual food trick

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 15:38:00 +0000

By Holly Thomas

She recently admitted that the odd secret behind her slender figure is a diet high in raw mushrooms.

And while some might find Roxanne Pallett's claim a little far-fetched, it can't be denied that whatever she's doing is working to enviable effect.

The 29-year-old showed off her gorgeous bikini curves as she hung out by the pool in Tenerife on Tuesday.

Must be doing something right! Roxanne Pallett showed off her bikini body in Tenerife on Tuesday

Roxanne wore a deep blue two-piece with splashes of pale blue, pink and yellow, complementing her tan.

She wore her long hair up in a high ponytail-a practical option for swimming.
The actress wore minimal make-up, and appeared to have applied just a little waterproof mascara.

Toned curves: Roxanne showed off her new physique to its full advantage in a bright blue bikini

She had a pair of sunglasses with her, but preferred to use them as an accessory, wearing them in her hair rather than over her eyes.

Roxanne took a break from the water briefly, sitting on the side of the pool and dipping her toe in the water.

She read a few pages of Jason Manford's autobiography Brung Up Proper while soaking up the sun.

Roxanne- who is due to star in forthcoming British supernatural film Devil's Tower- recently revealed that the unexpected key to her slim figure is raw mushrooms.

Soaking up the sun: Roxanne took a break from the water briefly, sitting on the side of the pool and dipping her toe in the water

She explained the diet trick at the launch party of the Bali Health lounge in Manchester, where she avoided the calorific canapés and munched on her own secret stash of mushrooms.

‘This new role that I’ll soon be filming for is important to me and I need to look my best – mushrooms prevent me from gorging on fatty foods,' she said.

'I’ve upped the good foods in my diet. Mushrooms are one of them and they’re healthy - which is an added bonus.

Her secret: Roxanne explained her unusual mushroom diet trick at the launch party of the Bali Health lounge in Manchester

‘I love mushrooms – they give me so much energy and help me to keep going which is important with my busy schedule.'

‘I especially love James Martin’s mushroom soup – it’s divine, low in calories and very easy to make.’

Roxanne claimed that raw mushrooms have helped her dropped a dress size in just under two weeks and said she’s incorporating the vegetable in to her daily diet as a way of keeping her figure ‘ship-shape’.

Healthy eating: raw food

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 06:12:00 +0000

By Beverley Morrison

Thai flax crackers

Rebecca Kane has written a recipe book she claims involves little or no cooking but might just change your life.

The alternative health guru’s book, Turn Your Shine On, is aimed at showing how fresh ingredients can be turned into delicious raw food meals and snacks. Rebecca, 34, trained in kinesiology – a therapy that involves simple muscle testing procedures to find problem health areas.

She noticed many of her clients various problems required a holistic approach to both lifestyle and nutrition. As a former yo-yo dieter herself, Rebecca’s weight used to go up and down from a size 10 to a 14.

She investigated raw food diets and found not only did her weight stabilise, eating raw foods brought many health benefits. “I absolutely love raw food,” said Rebecca, who lives in Staffordshire with her husband and two stepchildren.

“I love the way it make me feel, the way it makes me look, and the clarity that it gives me to take on new challenges with confidence and ease.” “Of course, you may be asking yourself – will it actually work for me and will it fit into my unique lifestyle? I believe there is space in everyone’s diet for some sparkle from raw foods.

” We’ve reproduced some of Rebecca’s imaginative recipes here, plus some of her basic techniques for getting the most out of her dishes. There’s also a chance for six readers to win a copy of her book.
Rebecca’s website provides much more information, tips on techniques and raw food recipes.
She also runs courses on raw food techniques at her home in Staffordshire for those who want to learn more.
For more information visit www.shineonraw.com

Thai Flax Crackers

Ingredients

1 cup of flax seeds soaked in 1cup of water for 4 hours
2 cups of flax meal
2 cups of chopped tomatoes
1 cup of grated carrot
1 yellow pepper finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbs tamari
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
3 tsp agave
1 red chilli finely chopped
Pinch of salt

Equipment:

Food processor, dehydrator

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in the food processor. Spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet and place in the dehydrator for 6 hours. Remove from the baking sheet and place on the mesh tray and dehydrate for a further 4 hours until crunchy.

Sweet and spicy nuts
Ingredients

2 cups of cashews soaked for 4 hours
½ cup tamari
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbs agave
1 tbs cumin
Juice of 1 lime

Equipment:

Dehydrator

Directions: Mix all the ingredients thoroughly

Place the mixture onto baking sheets and dehydrate for 6 hours until crunchy.

Coconut Choc
Ingredients for the filling

1 cup of dates soaked for 20 minutes
½ cup of water
3 cups of desiccated coconut
¼ cup melted coconut oil
3 tbs ground cashews
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Chocolate
½ cup of melted coconut water
½ cup of cacao powder
¼ agave syrup
Pinch salt

Method

Filling: Blend the dates and water to make a date paste
Add in the rest of the ingredients and process until well combined
Shape the mixture into desired shape
Place in the fridge for at least two hours
Chocolate: Mix all the ingredients together with a whisk
Assembly: Place the firm coconut shape on a fork and place in the chocolate sauce
Remove from the chocolate and place on a non-stick sheet or grease proof paper. Place in the fridge until the chocolate has set.

How does Amanda Seyfried look this good? By eating an 'awful' raw food diet

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 05:20:00 +0000

By Daily Mail Reporter

Posing in a basque and stockings, Mamma Mia star Amanda Seyfried shows off an enviably slender figure.
But in a refreshing burst of honesty the 24-year-old admits it isn't without effort.
She says she sticks to a rigid raw food diet in an attempt to stay slim.

Raw food only: Amanda Seyfried appears in the April edition of Esquire

'It's intense. And sort of awful,' she tells Esquire magazine. 'Yesterday for lunch? Spinach. Just Spinach. Spinach and some seeds.'

The blonde blames the pressures of Hollywood for forcing her to worry about her figure.

'If I didn’t run and work out, there’s no way I would be this thin,' she told Glamour magazine in an earlier interview.

'But I have to stay in shape because I’m an actress.
'It’s f***ed up and it’s twisted, but I wouldn’t get the roles otherwise.

Dazzling: Amanda last night at the premiere of her new film Chloe in New York with co-star Julianna Moore

'If I’d been a bit bigger, I don’t think they would have cast me for Mamma Mia!'
Amanda is currently promoting her new film Dear John.

Although she already has a house in LA, she is reportedly apartment-hunting in New York with English boyfriend Dominic Cooper, who lives in London with Gavin & Stacey star James Corden.
The couple, who met on the set of Mamma Mia! three years ago, are currently in a long-distance relationship, splitting their time between LA and London.

In great shape: Amanda at last week's Oscars

click here to get your free copy of Raw Food 101

Raw Energy: Raw food is good, inside and out

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 03:39:00 +0000

By Brenda Richter

If raw foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, are high-energy, high-vibrational, self-curing foods, why doesn’t everyone do it?

Oftentimes, people think this way of eating is boring, unimaginative food and sense a deprivation from their favorite foods –— none of which is true. In fact, it is quite the opposite.

It can definitely be challenging to make changes in your diet if you do not know what you are doing, you’re not interested in learning about it, or want nothing but hot foods all the time.
Microwaving, baking and boiling all change the molecular structure of food and greatly diminish the nutrient values of our food, which encourages lack of nutrition, over-consumption of foods, along with a number of other negative impacts.

Creating satisfying raw dishes not only can save you time in the kitchen, but your taste buds will sing and your body will dance with delight once you start to notice the difference in how wonderful you feel as your body transforms inside and out.

Learn more and attend a free “Why RAW?” talk. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Register at Choices Natural Market, 6551 E. Riverside Blvd., Rockford, or call Raw Energy at (815) 543-1207.

Brenda Richter is a graduate of Living Light Culinary Arts Institute, where she received her certification as a Raw Culinary Arts associate chef and instructor. She’s passionate about sharing the living foods lifestyle with others, and teaches raw culinary arts classes in the Rockford area.

Source

click here to download Raw Food 101 for free

How a raw food diet saved model Carol Alt from career failure

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 11:11:00 +0000

Zucchini noodles, evaporated sea salt and endless mocktails: How a raw food diet saved model Carol Alt from career failure

By Kristie Lau

Supermodel Carol Alt has revealed details of the raw food diet that saved her career.
The 51-year-old New York-based starlet, who also works as an actress, explores her dietary regime in Easy Sexy Raw, her new book.

She told New York Daily News that as a 34-year-old model, she was almost thrown off the set of a photo shoot due to her unhealthy diet.

'I was gaining weight and starting to look old,' she said. 'They said "You're not in bathing suit condition" and called my management team over. I was so embarrassed.'
The accomplished model, who appeared on the cover of more than 500 magazines during the Eighties, has included recipes, advice and educational information about her raw food diet in the book.

It is her third cookbook in two years.

The brunette beauty has also a line of skincare products that keep in theme with the raw regime - the line is called Raw Essentials By Carol Alt.

She said that many people are lacking in the raw food their bodies yearn.

'People are hungry because their food isn't nutritious,' she explained. 'Because raw food is so nutritionally dense, you eat it and it'll feed your body.

'Take it from someone who has been through health issues, it doesn't matter if you'e the number one model in the world or you're a mechanic working on somebody's car, this is the best defense we have,' she continued.

The leggy bombshell adopted the diet regime 20 years ago after a string of weight problems.

In writing the book, the model has tried to show people how easy adopting a raw food diet can prove to be.

It includes an A-Z shopping list that details her food essentials which include nuts, fresh produce, cured fish and meats.

It also details how you are also able to 'cook' raw food, though never beyond the heat of 115-degrees Fahrenheit.

Recipes include mock tails and vegetable noodles as well as desserts.

She claimed that 'there's so much variation' in eating raw foods, which is not to be confused with a vegan diet.

The book also includes a section called Turn It Raw which aims to help people slowly convert the tastiest of dishes into raw foods including chocolate chip cookies.

She wrote on her website CarolAlt.com that a health expert had advised her many years ago to adopt a raw food diet.

She couldn't believe that anybody was telling her, a model, to eat anything.
'He wanted me to eat specific foods: raw vegetables, cold-pressed oils, evaporated sea salt, seared fish, fresh fruits - with no restrictions on the amount.,' she wrote. '
'All I could think was, "This man wants me to eat. This is the most freeing moment of my life!'

Eating a Raw Diet Food

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 09:27:00 +0000

By Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN
www.EatingforEnergy.ca

Photo credit: John Hritz

Eating a raw food diet is essentially a way of eating that does not involve the heating of foods. Part of the premise lies in the fact that heating foods above 118 degrees fahrenheit destroys their inherent food enzymes, a vast majority of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and their all important life force.

Chemical Changes in Cooked Foods

Heating foods radically changes their chemical properties making them less "recognizable" in once ingested. For instance, heating an egg renders into a solid mass whereas it began in a liquid, gelatinous. This occurs because the heat of frying or boiling denatures the protein structure within the egg, essentially making it more solid. As a result, this heated egg is now much more difficult for the human digestive tract to break down.

Another process that occurs with cooking foods is known as glycosylation. This is when sugar literally attaches to protein molecule. Glycosylation has been linked to the premature breakdown of the body's cell and many other undesirable health conditions.

The Importance of Raw Food Enzymes

The reason that the natural food enzymes are so important is that our bodies have only a limited ability to produce its own enzymes. Bear in mind that our bodies produce metabolic and digestive enzymes. The latter are used to breakdown foods whereas the former are essential to every single reaction in the body. But the problem is that we only produce a finite number.

When you eat cooked foods, you force your body to use more of its own enzyme reserves to digest them. Overtime, this is just like continually withdrawing money from your bank account without making any deposits. Eventually, you will run out of enzymes!

When you have no more enzymes, you no longer have any life - it's that simple.

Eating raw foods help you make more "deposits" into your enzyme bank account, allowing your body to preserve its own precious enzymes for more important uses such as breaking down problematic cells, immune complexes, and more.

What Can You Eat on a Raw Food Diet?

A raw food diet is mainly vegan for the simple reason that it isn't healthy or advised to eat raw animal products. Therefore, a raw diet contains no dairy, meat, or other animal products. Other than that, the choices are endless. Most raw foodists have diets that consist of vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds.

The amazing part is that the possibilities are truly endless with raw foods. Many people think of not being able to eat meat or wheat as a huge limiting factor. But the fact remains that processed, dead foods are dangerous to your body and there are tons of delicious and nourishing raw food recipes that will give you so much more than you can possibly imagine.

My Own Raw Food Experience

I started following a predominantly raw food diet in 2007 and it literally changed my life. From improved skin complexion to having more energy and mental clarity, I can't tell you how much better you can look and feel by eating the way nature intended for you to eat.

Growing up on dead foods like wheat, dairy, and meat literally destroyed my body and at the young age of 17, I lost my hair to Alopecia as a result of my immune system which had gone hay-wire and began attacking itself. Again, this was caused by years of abusing my body with foods that it was allergic to.

However, since eating a raw food diet, my health has never been better. My hair has returned (although I keep my head shaved because I like it like that now) and I have more energy than a teenager on red bull!

That's why I wrote Eating for Energy. If you'd like to experience the same kind of health and vitality then I urge to make the raw food diet more apart of your lifestyle!

About the Author

Yuri Elkaim is one of the world’s leading holistic nutrition and health experts. If you want to lose weight and live your healthiest and most energetic life ever, then you can learn more about his raw food diet book, Eating for Energy and get started with a FREE 6-part Energy Secrets e-course by visiting EatingforEnergy.ca today.

Ditch healthy berries to beat muscle pain: The eating plan that helped me cure my aches and pains

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 04:56:00 +0000

By Dr Clare Morrison

'No one could have been as surprised as me that the low oxalate diet actually helped,' said Dr Clare Morrison

When I wrote in the Daily Mail about how I’d overcome fibromyalgia, the response from readers was overwhelming.

Clearly, many people, like me, have been floored by the condition — and the lack of effective treatment — and were anxious for more details.

Unfortunately, no one really knows what causes fibromyalgia and there’s no cure.
Treatments such as painkillers rarely do more than ease the symptoms (characterised by debilitating muscle pain).

Many patients end up giving up work and normal daily life — I longed to retire early from my job as a GP just so I could rest all day.

After two years of misery, my condition was getting worse — but I then came across the theory that fibromyalgia may be linked to oxalates, which are compounds found in ‘healthy’ foods such as fruit, vegetables, salad, nuts and beans.

I cut these out of my diet and overnight my symptoms disappeared — the disabling muscle pains, tingling legs, fatigue and inability to concentrate all went.

But if I ate foods rich in oxalates, the symptoms returned within hours.

Why would this be so?

Oxalates are a kind of ‘natural’ plant pesticide and if the body doesn’t excrete them properly for some reason, it’s possible they accumulate in the muscles, brain and urinary system, causing a range of problems.

But though this made sense, no one could have been as surprised as me that the low oxalate diet actually helped.

And it really did — I was so happy to function normally again, to be able to run instead of amble, do my housework, carry on working and feel animated again.

I must stress that by no means am I an expert in fibromyalgia — eminent doctors and researchers, such as those behind the Fibromyalgia Association UK, have spent years studying this condition, and done much to support sufferers.

Indeed, the article I wrote was about my personal experiences and those of a small number of my patients.

What to avoid: fruit berries (blueberries, blackberries, etc); and beans: baked beans: kidney beans, black beans and green beans

But I can’t believe we are unique — I’m willing to believe my physiology may be a bit odd, but felt surely there would be others in the same situation.

Who knows how many, but my theory struck a chord with Mail readers, and even if sharing my experiences helped just one person, it would be worth it.

So how can you go about trying a low-oxalate diet?

First, you need to work out if you might benefit from it.

I’ve found these characteristics can predict whether someone is likely to respond well:

You used to be healthy, but gradually developed muscle pains, tingly, restless legs, stiffness and muscle twitches.

You pass small amounts of water frequently.

You feel tired and sleepy during the day, but don’t sleep well.

You often feel cold.

You feel as though you’re in a fog, flat in mood, but don’t know why.

Sufferers are most likely to be middle-aged women, though fibromyalgia can affect anyone.

Initially, you may assume this is part of getting older or perhaps due to the menopause.
If you are badly affected, you may feel unable to cope with your daily activities or work.

However, any blood tests by your GP doesn’t show anything wrong — something you find difficult to believe.

Alternatively, you may be diagnosed with fibromyalgia and given painkillers, anti-depressants or sleeping tablets.

There are no proper tests to see whether or not you would benefit from a low oxalate diet, though sometimes oxalate crystals can be seen in the urine.

The only way to tell is to try it, as I did — and my symptoms improved 100 per cent.

But it might not work for everyone — if it’s going to work, it will do within three weeks. If it doesn’t, then you haven’t lost anything.

Some people asked why I went to the Press rather than conduct a proper trial involving large numbers of people.

I simply didn’t have the resources or numbers of patients to do this: that’s why my ‘evidence’ is anecdotal.

Perhaps, in the future, proper controlled trials will be organised by doctors.
But my point is that until then patients have nothing to lose if they try this diet for a short time to see if it works.

As the philosopher Maimonides said: ‘No disease that can be treated by diet should be treated with any other means.’

HOW TO GO LOW OXALATE

The important thing to remember is that this approach appears to go against the healthy eating principles you’ve been following for years.

Your fruit and vegetable intake is going to be limited to low oxalate produce, which will likely result in you eating much less than before (though this is no reason not to get your five a day — you just won’t have a wide range of fruit and vegetables to choose from).
Going low oxalate also means avoiding healthy wholewheat products and potatoes.
I’d also recommend avoiding vitamin C supplements — in large doses, this vitamin is metabolised into oxalate.

Some low-oxalate foods, such as sponge cake and shortbread biscuits, are high in sugar, so shouldn’t be eaten to excess.

However, there are plenty of low-oxalate foods that are low in sugar, such as eggs, meat and cheese.

There is no denying a low-oxalate diet will feel counter-intuitive — as it did for me.
But I think on balance it is possible to eat healthily — I feel much better on the diet than I’d do otherwise.

And if I didn’t follow the low-oxalate diet I’d still be feeling ill, getting no exercise and going to bed whenever I could.

Of course, those without fibromyalgia can, quite rightly, enjoy eating plenty of these foods — they are, after all, delicious and healthy to most people.

WHAT YOU CAN EAT

Meat, chicken and fish.
Dairy (not soya milk).
White bread.
Yoghurt.
Fruit: bananas, pears, cherries, melon, coconut.
Vegetables: cauliflower, iceberg lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peas.
White chocolate.
White rice.
Rice Krispies/Ricicles.
White pepper.
Vegetable oil (not sesame oil).
Sugar.
Wine, spirits.
Lemonade.
Cola.

Clear apple juice.

WHAT TO AVOID...

Tea, coffee, chocolate, cocoa.

Nuts, including peanut butter and marzipan (almond paste).
Wheatgerm (bran cereals, wholemeal bread).
Fruit berries (blueberries, blackberries, etc).
Beans: baked beans, kidney beans, black beans and green beans.
Fruit juice of medium to high-oxalate fruits such as cranberry and orange. Also avoid orange flesh, however lemon juice is absolutely fine.

Vegetables: rhubarb, beetroot, celery, spinach, potatoes, leeks, carrots, green peppers, parsnips.
Herbs and seeds: parsley, sesame/poppy seeds, black pepper.
Peel of citrus fruits (marmalade, candied peel, fruit cake).
Soya.
Vitamin C tablets.

MEAL IDEAS

Chicken and bacon pasta bake.
Cheese and onion omelette.
Cauliflower cheese with any meat or fish.
Stir-fry with bean shoots, egg noodles, chicken, mushrooms and rice.
Baguette with cheese or pate.
Kedgeree made with smoked haddock, rice, hard-boiled eggs, peas and white pepper.
Remember you can eat a selection of low-oxalate fruits for dessert, including bananas, pears and melon.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2187890/Ditch-healthy-berries-beat-muscle-pain-The-eating-plan-helped-cure-aches-pains.html#ixzz243ilzyMn

Foods that give us energy

Foods That Give Us Energy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 04:59:00 +0000

By Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN
www.EatingforEnergy.ca

It's really unfortunate that the vast majority of the population turns to stimulants instead of looking to whole foods for a boost of invigorating energy. I guess part of the problem is that humans are generally lazy and would rather take the "magic pill" to fix all their problems.

But when it comes to having more energy the irony is that the stimulating foods such coffee, sugar, and energy drinks actually fatigue your body in the long run. Sure they give you a quick jolt of energy but then their real effects are felt as they wear down your adrenal glands, disrupt your blood sugar, and create a huge crash after the initial high. Essentially they are drugs. They are not foods that give us energy.

Ok, then, what are some natural foods that will give you long-lasting energy?

Well, you may want to consider that no single food will give you more energy than your overall diet. Sure you could add in some of the energy foods I describe below, but if your diet is horrific to begin with, then you will not see the sustained level of energy that you want.

Instead of searching for "miracle" energy foods your goal should be to eat a diet that consists of foods that are vibrating at higher energies. This means eating more raw living foods. When a food has not been cooked, it maintains its natural energy properties (not to mention all of its other nutrients). Thus, when you eat raw foods, you're giving your body direct energy from the ultimate source - the sun - as most of these foods will be plant-based, and the sun is where they get their energy.

The closer you eat to the bottom of the food chain, the more nutrition and energy will you acquire. Think about it - it takes more of your energy to digest animal meat than it does to digest a green vegetable, right? Plus, this green veggie will have the maximum amount of living energy versus a dead animal carcass.

Thus, to have more energy, you need to follow a high energy diet. After that, you can start to knit pick and see which specific foods give you more energy, if at all.

To help you get started, here is a list of some my favourite energizing foods:

- wheat grass - if you haven't tried wheat grass then you're missing out on some big time energy and nutrition. Growing it and juicing yourself can be a bit of a pain but you can easily get a "shot" at most health food stores or juice bars. 1 oz of wheat grass juice packs more nutrition than 2.5 lbs of green leafy veggies!

- raw cacao (nibs or powder) - incredible source of magnesium, antioxidants, and life force. These give me a natural high that can last for hours without the subsequent like you would get from coffee and caffeinated beverages.

- goji berries - another incredible source of antioxidants and polysaccharides that improve cell-to-cell communication. I actually combine these with my raw cacao nibs and complementary tastes work really well together.

Remember that although these foods provide incredible nutrition they are the like the healthier version of coffee and other quick fixes. The key still remains to follow a raw foods diet, as much as possible, that will provide you with tons of life force, alkalinity, and nutrients to help your body thrive.

About the Author

Eating for Energy Review

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 03:19:00 +0000

Discover how to boost your energy by choosing the right food for your health. Current lifestyles and eating habits can easily bring down our energy levels not suitable to meet the challenges of daily life.

Learn the Astonishing Nutritional Truths That You\'ll Never Hear From the Medical Establishment, Dietitians, or Even Your Doctor. Thousands of Years of Real Life Proof, and Nature\'s Secrets to Abundant Health, Revealed for the First Time!

As a former professional soccer player, registered holistic nutritionist and a coach for the University of Toronto men’s soccer program, Elkaim offers his insights into gaining more out of life through proper diet and exercise. If this sounds familiar, it should as most adults have repeatedly been told the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Relying on a principle called the Occam’s razor, which simply states that from a batch of competing theories the simplest is likely to be true, Elkaim presents the argument for eating only whole foods.

Elkaim argues against today’s commercial farming practices and eating processed food, meat or dairy products which he contends is responsible for creating an acid imbalance in the body. This overabundance of acid is blamed for obesity, osteoporosis, heart disease and other life threatening conditions. Eating only “live”, organically grown food is seen as the key to returning proper blood chemistry while restoring the body’s natural state. Divided into two main chapters, the first looks at understanding a nutritional lifestyle while the second examines how to actually live it. As anyone who has frequented the grocery aisle knows, eating only fresh, organically grown food requires significantly more money thus making this regime difficult for many. It is a sad commentary on our culture that nutritionally stripped food products are cheaper and more accessible then food presented in its natural state.

For many busy households trying to mesh packed schedules, getting a properly prepared meal on the table simply isn’t feasible. Still, it is possible to start incorporating a few healthy changes by keeping fresh fruit available instead of packaged cookies, using whole grain cereals and packing salads or smoothies to work. For those looking for further motivation, Elkaim includes several tasty recipes along with a twelve-week program and plenty of on-line support to assist those ready to begin a new lifestyle.

source

Food having vitamins C, E may reduce cancer risk

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 10:40:00 +0000

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Eating food which contains vitamins C, E and selenium could reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, a study suggests.

Every year about 7,500 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and it is the sixth commonest cause of cancer death

People who have larger amounts of the antioxidants are 67 per cent less likely to develop the disease than those who take in lower amounts, according to scientists at the University of East Anglia.

Researchers suggest that if the link turns out to be causal, one in 12 cases of pancreatic cancer might be prevented.

The study, published online in the journal Gut, examined data from almost 24,000 men and women aged between 40 and 74.

The participants, who were taking part in the Norfolk branch of the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC) study, completed comprehensive food diaries for seven days.

Researchers examined the nutrient intakes of those who were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and those of almost 4,000 controls using a specially diagnosed computer programme.

Within 10 years of entering the study 49 people developed pancreatic cancer. On average, the patients survived five months after diagnosis.

Researchers found that for those who took the highest amount of selenium in a week – within the top 25 per cent – their risk of pancreatic cancer was halved compared with those whose intake was in the bottom 25 per cent.

And those whose vitamins C, E, and selenium intake was in the top 25 per cent of consumption were 67 per cent less likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those who were in the bottom 25 per cent.

“If a causal association is confirmed by reporting consistent findings from other epidemiological studies, then population-based dietary recommendations may help to prevent pancreatic cancer,” the authors said.
Selenium is present in cereals, nuts, fish and meat. Vitamin E can be found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, margarine and egg yolk and vitamin C is in fruits and vegetables.

Researchers say that other trials using antioxidant supplements have not produced such encouraging results, but this may be because food sources of these nutrients may behave differently from those found in supplements.

Every year, about 7,500 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and it is the sixth commonest cause of cancer death.

Survival rates are the worst for any tumour. Only one in six patients survive beyond one year.
Genes, smoking and type 2 diabetes are all risk factors, but diet is also thought to have a role.

Source

Antioxidants and pancreatic cancer risk: an interview with Dr Andrew Hart

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 01:57:00 +0000

Interview conducted by April Cashin-Garbutt, BA Hons (Cantab) on 25^th July 2012

Please could you explain what antioxidants are and where they are found?

The antioxidants that we mainly looked at were selenium, vitamin C and vitamin E. They are chemicals which inactivate pro-oxidants or free radicals. Smoking and normal metabolism can lead to the production of free radicals.

Free radicals are toxic on cells and they may induce cancer. Antioxidants are essentially chemicals that can inactivate or nullify these pro-oxidants.

Vitamin C is found mainly in citrus fruits. Vitamin E is found in vegetables oils; nuts; seeds; egg yolks and so forth. The level of selenium in food depends on the selenium content of the soil. It can be found in cereals, nuts and fish. Thus antioxidants have many different sources.

Please could you give us a brief introduction to pancreatic cancer?

In the world there are around a quarter of a million cases of pancreatic cancer each year. Unfortunately, the number of people being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is going up.

It is a cancer which generally presents its symptoms when it is at an advanced stage. The pancreas is deep within the abdomen. The cancer often has to have spread to the liver, the lungs or other places before it displays any symptoms.

Once the diagnosis has been made then unfortunately the prognosis and outlook is very poor. It has the worst outlook of any cancer, predominantly because it presents at such an advanced stage. Most patients survive about 5 months after they have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

About 1 in 10 patients are suitable to have surgery, but it is major surgery. Of the 90% left, about half may be suitable for chemotherapy. This is still very toxic and it only increases patient’s survival by about several months. For the other 50% of people, palliative care is the focus. This involves relieving pain, jaundice and any other symptoms.

Unfortunately, it is a cancer with a very bad prognosis and there are very rarely any cures available. Hence, in our work we are looking at it from the other direction. We are focussing on what may be the causes of pancreatic cancer to see if people could alter their lifestyle in order to reduce their risk.

What causes pancreatic cancer?

The complete causes of pancreatic cancer are not known. Probably about a quarter of cases are caused by cigarette smoking. Carcinogens in cigarette smoke can get to the pancreas and induce cancer.

Generally it is known that smoking is bad for heart disease, lung cancer and so forth; but very few people know that it is one of the causes of pancreatic cancer. Smoking is a definite cause of pancreatic cancer, but it is probably only responsible for a quarter of cases.

We know that people with type 2 diabetes, which tends to present in later life, are associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. Nobody knows for sure why that happens but it may be as a result of the metabolic consequences of diabetes which are toxic on the pancreas.

There is emerging, but not complete, evidence that the rise in obesity in the western world may be important as well. Possibly by inducing generalised body chemical changes which may be toxic on the pancreas.
Roughly about two thirds of cases we don’t really know what the cause is, hence why we are looking at diet to see if different aspects may be involved. This is the first study in the series where we have looked at the potential protective features of antioxidants.

In the future we will look at other nutrients which may possibly be causative or protective. This is an on-going work to try to build up a complete picture of what the causes may be.

How significant was the intake of dietary antioxidants on the risk of pancreatic cancer?

We found a threshold effect of the more antioxidants people ate above a certain level the lower their risk. This meant that once you got to a particular level of consumption, it didn’t really matter how many more you ate. It seemed to be the people at very low intakes who were at increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

If you divided people into quarters across the population: the risk of the people in the top three quarters – 25%-100% intake – was, in all the antioxidants, about 2/3^rd’s lower than those who didn’t.

Specifically for selenium, the people, who ate the top amounts, in the top three quarters’ risk was about half that of people who didn’t.

What seems to be important is that it is bad if you consume very low amounts of antioxidants. Once you eat more, your risk levels off. There is a very big inverse association with risk of pancreatic cancer at very low intakes of antioxidants.

read more from source

Sally Ride and a Primer on Pancreatic Cancer

I was in medical school when Sally Ride, Ph.D, rode in space. Yesterday, I learned that she died of pancreatic cancer at the ripe age of 61 years. According to multiple reports, the physicist-astronaut had faced the disease for 17 months. She was a remarkable woman. Her case of pancreatic cancer was, unfortunately, typical in its course.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the few tumors with a rising incidence in North America, according to the American Cancer Society's (ACS) 2012 report. The most common form of the disease, called adenocarcinoma, arises from glandular cells in the main part of the pancreas. Nearly 44,000 people will receive a diagnosis this year, and over 37,000 will die from it. Pancreatic cancer ranks fourth among malignant killers in the U.S.

Scientific understanding of this tumor type lags, although several recent studies offer insights in its genetic underpinnings. A 2008 review attributes between 5 and 10 percent of cases to an inherited mutation or familial disposition. In most other affected individuals, pathologists find multiple acquired genetic aberrations in the cancer cells.

A recent publication in the ACS journal Cancer indicates that the rising incidence of pancreatic cancer -- on the order of 1 percent per year between 1999 and 2008 -- is mainly affecting Caucasian men and women. The only established risks are smoking tobacco and obesity; the cause for the increase is unknown. The statistics are bleak: In the latest ACS analysis, five-year survival was poor, in the range of five percent and, surprisingly, independent of the tumor stage at diagnosis; survival in the United States did not improve in the decade leading up to 2008.

Years ago, the only treatments for pancreatic cancer were surgery, to remove the tumor, and radiation. Surgery to the pancreas can be risky, especially in older patients. The digestive enzyme-containing organ is centrally located, near large vessels and easily inflamed. What's more, procedures like a Whipple -- in which all or part of the pancreas is removed -- are rarely curative. The problem, more often than not, is that by the time a person with pancreatic cancer or their doctor notices something's wrong, the tumor's already invaded nearby structures like the bile duct where it can cause obstruction, jaundice, and pain.

After surgery, some patients opt for an observational or palliative care approach. Treatments for pancreatic cancer after surgery include radiation and sometimes chemotherapy, typically with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and, in recent years, gemcitabine (Gemzar). So far the FDA has approved one targeted therapy, erlotinib (Tarceva) for treatment, in combination with chemotherapy, of advanced pancreatic tumors. This pill is an enzyme inhibitor; it blocks activity of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and likely other signaling molecules aberrantly "turned on" in malignant cells. Like other drugs of its type, Tarceva is costly -- to the tune of $30,000 per year, and can be toxic.

Scientists have observed that a particular oncogene, a DNA element that turns cells cancerous, is activated in a high fraction of pancreatic tumors. The K-ras oncogene may prove a useful target for future therapies, but so far none are established. Pancreatic cancer was also notably one of the first tumor types for which therapeutic vaccines were tested. Trials are ongoing to see if immunization strategies may help patients with various stages of this disease.

Sally Ride's unusual career reflected progress in science, technology and, also, attitudes toward women. She was smart and not particularly risk-averse. She took a ride into space and she did so knowing the potential harms and benefits in her journey, an ambitious experiment of sorts. She set a lead with forward-but-responsible, grounded thinking of the sort that patients, doctors and researchers in oncology might follow, today.

read more from source

Caffeine and Cellulite

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 05:05:00 +0000

Caffeine is latest anti cellulite weapon

Anti-cellulite cream doesn't remove the "orange-peel" cellulite appearance completely. But it's a temporary technique for cellulite reduction. It works by plumping up the skin, creating a smoother texture when massaged on cellulite prone areas. For better results, choose anti-cellulite creams that contain antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and other ingredients that help to stimulate blood flow.

If you do purchase anti-cellulite creams, make sure to check for the availability of some key ingredients listed below:

Caffeine
Some cellulite cream used caffeine to fight cellulite. Caffeine, the active ingredient in many cellulite creams, works to tighten blood vessels. There have not been any reports showing that caffeine is successful in cellulite reduction. But we are seeing this is a very big trend in creams. So some products may list "caffeine" or "coffee" but remember that "caffeine" can be derived from black and green teas as well -- so make sure to read the label carefully.

CoffeeBerry
CoffeeBerry is the fruit of the coffee plant from which the coffee bean is derived. It's another way of stating that caffeine is an active ingredient in the product. CoffeeBerry can have a higher level of antioxidants depending on when the fruit was selected.

Aminophylline
Cellulite cream containing aminophylline is used to reduce the bumpy, dimpling effect of cellulite. Aminophylline is said to break down fat cells into fatty acids. The extent of effectiveness of aminophylline in cellulite reduction is still unknown. However, some patients reported successful reduction of cellulite after using aminophylline treatment cream. Take note that anti-cellulite cream containing aminophylline must be kept away from heat and used quickly.

Retinol
Some anti-cellulite cream use Retinols to improve skin texture and is a common ingredient in wrinkle treatment creams. Though its effectiveness of retinols in fighting cellulite is still in debate, retinol is used to improve the thickness of the epidermis and circulation to the skin. Since retinoid or Vitamin A derivatives can be destroyed when expose to light, it is best to apply retinol based cream at night.

AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acids)
More and more cellulite cream make used of AHAs such as lactic acid and glycolic acid to fight cellulite. AHA helps accelerate the removal of the superficial layer of dead cells.

Herbal Cellulite Lotion
Citric, Tartaric and Phytic acids derived from fruits and plants are active ingredients used in cellulite treatment lotions. Herbal cellulite lotion helps to improve the tone and texture of skin in cellulite prone areas.

read more from source

Coffee Grounds

There's a reason most cellulite treatments contain caffeine; it's believed to breakdown a certain fat-storing enzyme. And though clinical studies supporting this are few, the consensus is that caffeine helps at least reduce the appearance of cellulite on the surface; an idea by which I stand. You've heard me sling it before—coffee-based body scrub—and the effects I saw after using it for only a week. But going through a $12 tub every two weeks got pricey, so I started saving my coffee grounds for a homemade version. Take your used grounds, dry them on a paper towel, then add to a bowl with cinnamon (for circulation) and your favorite oil (I use olive or coconut). The rest is even easier: Scrub on in the shower and rinse off. Tell me if you don't LOVE it!

read more from source

Caffeine For Cellulite + A Simple Recipe Worth Trying

Everyone is always racing to the stores for the new beauty products that promise better skin. But did you ever consider the ingredients that go into half that stuff? Most people don’t even know what the stuff on the ingredients list is, nor can they even pronounce it! Our skin is designed to absorb everything it touches, from sun light to water. Now, though I use some lotions but not often, I wouldn’t put it past the ingredients that they are completely safe. I believe the safest thing for skin is natural oils such as olive oil. Anyways, as far as cellulite, everyone company has their own spray, lotion, cream, of their so called “Cure” for cellulite. THERE IS NO CURE! Cellulite is a normal part of being human. Though most of us hate it, which I do, it’s NORMAL! I don’t have a cure, and I’m not going to claim it will rid you of the stuff, but it will reduce it and over time may make it very unnoticeable. It’s a little something called caffeine! It’s naturally found in coffee beans! What it does when it touches the skin, is it improves circulation to the area of the skin thus helping the old cells be removed and causes the body to make new ones in it place! Reasons of bad cellulite have been linked to poor diet, lack of exercise, and being over weight. It also seems to get worse as we all age. I’ve come to notice, however, very thin women have it, healthy women have it, and even gym bunnies have it! In women that are less in shape, it will be worse though! Anyways, here’s a little recipe that you can try every time you shower. If you have 5 minutes then you have the time! Try it for a week or two and see if it makes a difference! God bless and happy scrubing!

Instructions

Things you’ll need:

·                       One cup of sugar
·                       One cup ground coffee
·                       Two cups olive oil

To make the best cellulite cream, place coffee, sugar, and ground coffee in a blender

Blend on medium speed until mixture is mixed evenly.

Pour cellulite cream into jar with lid.

While in the shower, turn water off.

Smooth cellulite cream on legs and other problem cellulite areas on your body. Gently massage problem areas.

Rinse with water and pat dry. Use daily for best results.

read more from source

Parents 'are scared to talk to their children about weight issues'

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 04:34:00 +0000

Parents are worried that talking to their child about their weight will lead to an eating disorder

Photo: Reuters

A new report has found that parents are concerned that talking to their child about their weight will lead to an eating disorder.
This figure rises to 65% of parents who identify their child as being overweight or obese.
More than 1,000 parents with a child aged 5-16 responded to the Let's talk about weight survey on Netmums and shared how they feel about bringing up the topic of weight with their child.

Over a third of parents (37%) feel that talking to their child about their weight might lower their self-esteem.
Despite such concerns 42% of parents have attempted to talk to their child about weight but almost half of parents who had an overweight or obese child said it was an unhelpful experience for the family.
Two thirds of parents (66%) said they'd like more support in talking to their child about weight.
This increased to 85% of parents with an overweight or obese child.
Only 32% of parents found it difficult to help their child stay healthy.

Parents with an overweight or obese child (72%) said they found it difficult to help their child to stay healthy.
Most attributed this to their child's preference for foods high in fat and sugar.
Three quarters of parents often talked to their children about what they eat but over half of these parents haven't talked to them about their weight.

With obesity affecting a third of the UKs children, we can no longer afford for weight to be a taboo subject.
"Its crucial that we talk about obesity in a helpful way with a focus on the positive aspects of being healthy rather than looking good.

– Dr Paul Chadwick at MEND

Every parent wants the best for their child and although initially it may be a tough conversation to have, the family talking together and working together to find healthier ways of eating will lead to happier and healthier children."

– Netmums founder Siobhan FreegardThe easiest way to check if your child is a healthy weight or not is to measure their weight and height and then to use an online BMI calculator www.mendcentral.org.
Daybreak speaks to Paul Sacher, Paediatric dietitian and co-founder of MEND and mother and parenting expert Liz Fraser.

Source

Isochronic Tones Healing Meditation Technique

Mangosteen Benefits for the Skin

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 13:08:00 +0000

MANGOSTEENS have long been used in Chinese, Ayurvedic and folk medicine. Now, it’s benefits takes a new form – BB (blemish balm) cream by Origins. The new VitaZing BB SPF 35/PA+++ Revitalising Cream with Mangosteen, contains a blend of naturally-derived ingredients that aim to deliver eight correcting, perfecting and protecting skin care benefits.
The latest addition to the brand’s VitaZing range, this lightweight, oil-free cream is said to control oil and shine, minimise pores, hydrate skin, provide anti-ageing benefits and broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection, all while providing a natural-looking coverage.
The core ingredient is the Mangosteen Energy Complex, a combination of mangosteen, cordyceps mushroom and ginseng claimed to help optimise cellular energy and fight free radicals. The product also contains a blend of mineral pigments and plant actives to provide an even and radiant skin tone.
An essential oil blend of grapefruit, bitter almond, rose and field mint lends a light, fresh scent to the cream. The BB Cream comes in two shades.
Source

For Sun Damaged Skin

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Powered by Google Wallet, customers may purchase the guaranteed Beau Visage lineup of facial skin care products from Liberty Health Network, LLC. (LHN) While the Beau Visage lineup is marketed to the Anti Aging segment of the population, LHN reports that the same ingredients that turn back time also help to repair sun damaged skin.

To help customers restore and rejuvenate facial skin, LHN offers the following products: Beau Visage Non Surgical Facelift Mask; Beau Visage Facial Herbal Toner with Hyaluronic Acid and Witch Hazel (2 Ingredients recommended by TV's Dr. Oz); Beau Visage Facial Cleanser; Beau Visage Anti Aging Moisturizer. All four of the above products may be purchased individually, or in a complete set on Amazon.Com

In addition, LHN offers several of the company's best-selling Mortechem-Free Nutritional Supplements such as AlliSTAR Premium Garlic Supplement; ProZymaCleanse Daily Probiotic, Digestive Enzyme, and Fiber Supplement; O2 Plus Saturated Oxygen Drops; SlimEZ Weight Loss Supplement Capsules; MGA Plus Mangosteen, GoJi, Acai, and Pomegranate Capsules which play an important role in turning back the hands of time.

Additional products are also offered exclusively on the company's website for Network Marketing distributor sales.

About Liberty Health Network, LLC

Childhood Obesisty

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 03:11:00 +0000

Disney sets nutrition guidelines for food advertising

The Disney Company is now the first major media company to introduce standards for food advertising during programming that targets kids and families.

Under Disney’s new standards, by 2015 all food and beverage products advertised, sponsored, or promoted on the Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior, Radio Disney, or Disney-owned online destinations oriented to families with younger children must meet Disney’s nutrition guidelines.
Since the Disney guidelines are aligned with federal standards to promote fruit and vegetable consumption while limiting calories and reducing saturated fats, sodium, and sugar, this means kids should be seeing and hearing fewer commercials for junk food.

read more from source

Combat childhood obesity before pregnancy

Efforts to combat childhood obesity should start much earlier, even before conception, say researchers.

Obesity clearly begins early - in fact, before pregnancy, the researchers wrote in the June issue of Childhood Obesity.

Markers for later heart disease appear in 3-year-olds, they stated.

They suggested a multidisciplinary approach to break the cycle of obesity moving from generation to generation is needed.

read more from source

In fight against childhood obesity, healthy choices are better than harsh rules

< by Sarah Lemanczyk Sarah Lemanczyk, St. Paul, is a writer and independent radio producer. She teaches radio production at the University of Minnesota's Radio K.
It was my son's birthday. Following 21st century birthday protocol, we went to the grocery store to pick out a non-homemade, individually wrapped, peanut- and soy-nut-free, non-sugar snack to share with his first-grade classmates. He chose mini-carrots. And he was excited about it.
Don't laugh. These are the rules and he doesn't know any better. Think about it — children celebrating with mini-carrots. As adults, are there any milestones we celebrate with raw vegetables? Congrats on landing that dream job — this calls for some turnips!

Yes, we are fat and getting fatter, and as a nation we're facing an obesity epidemic that puts our children's very lives at risk. In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is responding to the threat with a ban on the sale of large-size sugary drinks in restaurants and movie theaters. Elsewhere, elementary schools are the first line of defense. I know for certain only two things about this:

1. It's a serious problem, and saddling first graders with a paunch (not to mention Type 2 Diabetes) will make both middle school and life that much tougher; and
2. I should have bought stock in a mini-carrot farm years ago.

Let's go back in time: I am in first grade at Sauk Trail Elementary School, and we celebrate everything with sugary treats. I'm talking birthdays, Christmas, Halloween, Easter and National Dairy Month (it was Wisconsin). I know, you can't look back. But if I did look back just once more, I'd tell you that there were 23 of us lined up next to Mrs. Nelson in that 1978 class photo, smiling back in orange, brown or orange and brown stripes.

In 2012, that same photo has 30 kids, each one clad in an even more ironic Gen X product-placement T-shirt. (Assuming about 10 mini-carrots per kid, that's 300 carrots per birthday, times 30 birthdays — damn investing hindsight!) But, assuming that these seven additional kids have only one birthday each per year, it's hard to believe the argument that today's larger classes and their seven extra cupcakes put our schools at risk for a full-scale pastry invasion.

But we need an obesity scapegoat. Birthday sugar-treats, you're it.

So, as 100-percent fruit juice, cupcakes and candy corn form an axis of evil, we muster a coalition of raisins, mini-carrots and water to battle against it. Listen, I know cupcakes have consequences. But merely branding foods as good or bad isn't going to teach our children about self-control, moderation or health.

I struggled with anorexia for a decade, and I can assure you that attaching a set of cascading moral values to food is not a good idea. Yes, my permanently weakened bones are a result of the opposite problem. But fetishizing foods and eliminating choices: These are not the hallmarks of a balanced diet. This I know.

Cupcakes are out there; we need to teach our children how to handle them. We need to give them the tools they need to build a balanced diet. We need to teach them to respect the food they're putting in their bodies, not fear it. Cupcakes have their place in a healthy diet — particularly a child's healthy diet. They're turning 7 — just this once, let them eat cake.

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Childhood Obesity Rates

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 08:46:00 +0000

Centegra HealthBridge is helping combat childhood obesity in McHenry County by lowering its fitness center membership age to 12 years old and continuing its Kids in Motion program.
“Illinois has the fourth-highest childhood obesity rate in the country,” said Matt Carlen, vice president of health and wellness with Centegra Health System. “This new membership aligns with Centegra Health System’s mission to promote wellness in greater McHenry County.”
Statistics show 1 in 5 children in the state struggle with obesity.
Centegra’s fitness centers lowered the membership age from 14 to 12 last month with encouragement from families and physicians concerned about childhood obesity, said Kim Piraino, sales and marketing manager for the Health Bridge fitness center.
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Research from the UVa Children’s Hospital is on display as doctors and students share their latest work in the efforts to keep kids healthy.
Some of the projects included treating kids with deadly food allergies, finding better ways to manage asthma, recognizing illness in infants, and studies on how to reduce obesity rates among kids. The chair of the Pediatrics Department at UVa Children’s Hospital, Dr. Jim Nataro, says prevention is the key.
“The most important thing we do is keep kids healthy. We want to keep them at home and keep them in school. We want to keep them out of the doctor’s office when we can and we want to keep them out of the hospitals. The key is preventive medicine and understanding what we can do to make sure kids don’t get into trouble,” said Dr. Nataro.
In all, about 50 research projects were on display. All of the research on display was done over the last year by doctors and residents at the UVa Children’s Hospital.
The topic dominating this research symposium on Children's health was how to deal with childhood obesity.
"There's been an overall increase in prevalence of obesity across the nation in the last ten to twenty years," said Dr. Stephanie Grice, Pediatrics Resident.
That's an issue that's growing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2008, more than one third of American children and teens were overweight or obese. In the past 30 years, childhood obesity has more than tripled and it's health crisis doctors say is tough when it comes to treating.
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EMC Editorial - Recently, the provincial government announced an ambitious goal of reducing child obesity rates by 20 per cent over the next five years. Many commentators on the issue, including Kate Hammer and Tamara Baluja in the May 23 Globe and Mail article "War on child obesity: out of the cafeteria and onto the playground", focus heavily on the role of schools as a means of meeting this goal, and debate whether improving cafeteria meals or increasing physical activity in schools is a more effective means of doing so.

While a school's culture can certainly play a large role in influencing kids to live healthier lifestyles, we believe that medical professionals and parents should also be encouraged to do more in the struggle against child obesity.

For instance, if the medical community spent half the time and energy encouraging parents to feed children a balanced, properly portioned diet as they spend stressing the health benefits of breastfeeding babies, perhaps more parents would think twice before taking their families to fast food restaurants multiple times a week.

Furthermore, children are in the care of their parents far more than they are the school system. More parents need to recognize the importance of getting their children involved in sports, or even simply taking them to the park on a weekend afternoon instead of letting them sit in front of the TV all day.
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Luxury tea trend threatens traditional tea culture

Actress Cynthia Nixon speaks up about rosacea diagnosis

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 03:44:00 +0000

When you are a famous actress who appears on TV, Broadway and the silver screen, having a fresh face is important.

That’s why Cynthia Nixon, star of Sex and the City and its two sequel blockbuster movies, was surprised when acne-like spots began appearing on her face in her early 40s.

She chalked it up to adult acne, but when she visited a dermatologist about a suspicious mole, she learned she had rosacea, a chronic vascular condition caused by inflammation.

“I assumed it was acne; I used to have it,” said Nixon, who recently starred in the Broadway play Wit, and can be seen on Showtime’s The Big C. “I was using facials and harsh astringents, and that was harming my skin even more.”

Nixon, 46, who has three kids and is a breast cancer survivor, found stress was a big trigger for rosacea – more specifically when she was stressing out about her skin. Other triggers for Nixon: wine and drastic changes in temperature, like taking a hot bath.

“Once I went to the doctor and got a little medicine and a little advice, I was on the right path,” Nixon said. “I was struggling for years. I could have saved myself a decade of scrubbing."

Nixon has teamed up with the National Rosacea Society (NRS) and Galderma Laboratories to raise awareness about the skin condition. The public service campaign can be found at rosaceafacts.com, along with a quiz to determine if you have it, and suggestions for dermatologists who can help treat it.
According to the NRS, rosacea affects more than 16 million Americans – and 78 percent of Americans don’t know they have it – or how to recognize it.

“It’s important to spread awareness because in addition to the physical symptoms, rosacea can cause anxiety, self-consciousness and embarrassment among sufferers,” said Sam Huff, executive director of NRS, in a news release.

Other rosacea symptoms include facial redness, eye irritation, thickened skin and permanent visible blood vessels, and common triggers include sun exposure, exercise and spicy foods.

Experts aren’t exactly sure why some people get rosacea, but inflammatory response and facial vessels may play an important role, according to the NRS. Rosacea typically occurs between the ages of 30 and 50, and while there is no cure, topical medications, laser treatments and systemic therapy can keep the condition under control.

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The power of tea

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 05:11:00 +0000

You may have heard about the powers of tea. It’s been credited as helpful for heart heath, fighting cancer risk, reducing stress and even good for weight loss. While tea certainly is not a cure-all, studies have shown numerous ways in which the ingredients in certain teas can be beneficial to your health.

However, with grocery stores and health marts practically overflowing with so many types of tea: green, chai, and teas with downright hard to pronounce names, selecting the right tea might seem overwhelming. To help you choose the tea that best suits your needs, it is useful to know a little of the science behind tea.

Scientists recognize tea as being black, green, white or oolong teas – all of which come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. These are true teas, and you’ll know you are getting the real thing when you see “tea” listed as an ingredient on a product’s nutrition label. You may be surprised to learn that herbal teas are not tea at all, but rather infusions from plants that have a much different nutritional profile. Herbal and flavored teas taste and smell wonderful, but there is little evidence that they offer health benefits derived from real tea.

A study done by UCLA, found that drinking three cups (or more) of either green or black tea a day can reduce your risk of stroke by 21 percent. The health benefits associated with tea come from its high levels of antioxidants such as polyphenols, flavonoids and catechins, which fight free radicals in the body and prevent healthy cells from being harmed. Other studies have found that drinking a couple cups of tea a day may also help lower cholesterol and protect against certain cancers.
So what is the difference between black, green, white and oolong tea?

Black tea

Black tea is the most common type of tea in the US and accounts for 75 percent of the world’s tea consumption. Like all tea, it comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. The leaves wither, get rolled up and then enter a lengthy fermentation period. This process gives black tea its distinctive smell and strong flavor, and it maximizes interaction between the antioxidant catechins and polyphenol oxidase. Research has found that catechins help reduce cholesterol, decrease blood pressure and prevent the risk of stroke from occurring.

Green tea

Green tea leaves go through a very different process than black tea. This type of tea gets picked, dried, and heat-treated, so that fermentation does not occur. Green tea contains epigallocathechin gallate (ECGC), which may help to boost metabolism by speeding up the brain and nervous system. The caffeine in green tea along with EGCG has been shown to increase fat oxidation by 12 percent, which is equivalent to burning an extra 80 calories a day.

Oolong tea

Oolong is extremely high in polyphenols, which activates the enzyme responsible for breaking down triglycerides and helps fight the battle of the bulge. Oolong tea is made by bruising the leaves, allowing the release of some of the polyphenol oxidase present in the leaves. This type of tea is then heated and dried before it goes to market.

White tea

White tea comes from the buds and young leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant; it is the least processed of teas and it has the highest antioxidant levels. White tea also contains flavonoids, a class of antioxidants that inhibit the growth of cancer cells and prevent the development of new ones from forming.

Tip: To preserve tea’s nutritional value it’s important to store it properly. Air and moisture will degrade loose tea leaves and tea bags, so be sure to keep these in airtight tins at room temperature.
Tanya Zuckerbrot MS, RD, is a nationally known registered dietitian based in New York and the creator of a proprietary high-fiber nutrition program for weight loss, wellness and for treating various medical conditions. Tanya authored the bestselling weight loss book The F-Factor Diet, and she is the first dietitian with a national line of high-fiber foods, which are sold under the F-Factor name. Become a fan of Tanya on Facebook, follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn, and visit her website Ffactor.com.

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Luxury tea trend threatens traditional tea culture

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 02:56:00 +0000

ZHENGZHOU - For centuries, tea has been considered one of the seven daily necessities of ordinary Chinese life, alongside rice, cooking oil, and cheap condiments like vinegar and soy sauce.

Nowadays, however, some tea is no longer a humble necessity, but an astronomically prized luxury good few can afford.

During promotion of this year's first batch of green tea, which usually hits the market in April, a Chinese company rolled out its top tea priced at 26,800 yuan ($4,253) per 100 grams.

The tea, named "Daqi," or "treasure" in Chinese, is a type of Xinyang Maojian, a renowned subcategory of green tea produced in Henan province. The tea comes in a cloisonne container with a jade lid and a sandalwood base.

While ordinary Xinyang Maojian sells at several hundred yuan per kilo, a three-gram cup of Daqi can cost 804 yuan, which, according to its producer, reflects the value of its rarity and "cultural flavor."
"Only a few kilos of Daqi tea are produced every year -- the tea only grows on a tiny patch of land, and our master-level selection and processing techniques have added to its value," said Huang Yixing, vice general manager of the tea's producer Henan Auspicious Cloud Tea Co Ltd.

Huang said the high-profile promotion could increase the fame of Xinyang Maojian, which is not as well-known as China's other famous teas.

"Compared with Anji White Tea, Pu'er, and Longjing, which have all fetched high prices, Xinyang Maojian has lagged behind. We hope our efforts can make consumers realize the tea's true value," Huang said.

China's tea market, which is now the largest in the world, has churned out a large number of luxury teas in recent months. In March, a high-end Longjing tea outvalued gold with an auction price of 180,000 yuan per 500 grams in east China's Zhejiang province.

In another eye-popping story, a Sichuan businessman introduced a new type of tea fertilized with panda dung. He is charging 20,000 yuan for 50 grams of the exotic tea, provoking public debate on his sensational bid to produce the world's highest priced tea.

Some entrepreneurs say they want to push the ancient brew into China's luxury market to compete with chronometers and red wines in appealing to the country's rising parvenu class.

"A watch can easily fetch 1 million yuan with its fine craftsmanship, and we want to show that tea also has this, as well as a profound cultural background," Huang said.

According to Wang Yong, head of the Henan Tea Association, the profit margin for luxury tea is unduly high, as its production cost is at most 3,000 yuan per 500 grams.

To make tea appear luxurious, companies tend to overpackage and overprice, contributing to a 10-percent rise in this spring's tea price in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, over the last year, Wang said.

The retail price surge, however, does not please Chinese tea farmers. Many have complained about a drop in purchase price due to a surplus after this year's bumper harvest as well as the exploitation of tea traders.

The bubble in the tea market has also left a bad taste among experts and the general public, many of whom identify the luxury tea trend with money worship, obsequiousness and corruption.

Zhang Jinbo, a professor at the Henan University of Economics and Law, said the competition among tea producers to set high prices reflects the broader social trend to measure things by price rather than by their inherent value.

The luxury trend in tea is also dangerous, because it might fuel a bubble and push up the price of consumer teas, Zhang said.

Although many companies are tapping into tea's cultural elements to command a higher price, Wang said such practices will actually threaten Chinese tea culture.

"In China, the main tea consumers are still middle- and lower-income earners, and the millennium-old culture of tea drinking should not become materialistic," Wang said.

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Antioxidants May Not Help Alzheimer's Patients

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:42:00 +0000

By Steven Reinberg

MONDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have suggested that antioxidants might help thwart Alzheimer's disease, but a new study finds that a "cocktail" of vitamins E, vitamin C and alpha-lipoic acid has no effect on certain indicators of the brain disorder.

The supplements may even have hastened mental decline, the researchers said.

"The benefit on oxidative stress in the brain was small and is of unclear significance," said lead researcher Dr. Douglas Galasko, a professor in residence in the department of neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego.

"Patients did not show cognitive improvement in this short-term study; in fact, there was a slight worsening on one test of cognition in patients who received the antioxidant combination," Galasko said.

Aging causes oxidative damage in the brain, which is extensive in people with Alzheimer's disease. Clinical trials looking at whether a diet rich in antioxidants could reduce that risk have had mixed results, the researchers said.

This study does not support using any of these antioxidants once a diagnosis is made of established Alzheimer's disease, Galasko said. "If antioxidants continue to be tested against Alzheimer's disease, newer approaches or drugs may be needed," he said.

This study, published in the March 19 online edition of the Archives of Neurology, does not address whether taking antioxidants could help to prevent Alzheimer's disease, he noted. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia among older people.

For the study, Galasko's team gave antioxidant supplements to 78 patients with Alzheimer's disease who were part of a study funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging. The patients were placed into three groups. One group received daily doses of vitamin E, vitamin C and alpha-lipoic acid. A second group was given coenzyme Q (a compound made naturally in the body to protect cells from damage) three times a day.
The third group received a placebo. After 16 weeks, 66 patients had their cerebrospinal fluid analyzed.
Among the three groups, the researchers found no difference in markers related to Alzheimer's disease in the cerebrospinal fluid. These markers included the amyloid-beta protein and the proteins tau and P-tau.
Galasko's group did see lower levels of one marker called F2-isoprostane, which could indicate a reduction in oxidative stress in the brain. However, the use of vitamins might have increased the pace of the disease, causing faster decline in mental ability, they cautioned.

Greg Cole, associate director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, said that vitamin E alone has shown some limited benefits in Alzheimer patients, but with no evidence that it really works to reduce oxidative damage, and that alpha lipoate -- a form of alpha-lipoic acid -- alone has also had some reported benefits, he said.

"Unfortunately, these researchers found no impact on pathological protein levels, and in their small group of patients, their cognitive function actually declined more than in the placebo group," Cole noted.

The increased cognitive decline might be due to random variation, he said, "or it may be a surprising but real adverse effect from something as seemingly innocuous as an antioxidant cocktail."

His research group has seen similar adverse effects from some, but not all, antioxidant mixes, he said.

"This should be a caution to the supplement manufacturers who typically sell products throwing in some mix of what seems like a great group of sensible antioxidants," he added. "Everyone assumes that they will work well together and are good for you, but they don't test them."

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Green Tea Can Save Lives

Sugar-free coffee or green tea: which is healthier?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 01:51:00 +0000

Sugar-free coffee gives you taste and benefits of coffee with fewer calories. Green tea, on the other hand, is a healthy drink because it is a decent source of antioxidant polyphenols.
A refreshing and calorie-safe beverage, green tea works as a good substitute for unhealthy beverages regularly consumed in today's lifestyles. So, now that both sugar-free coffee and green tea are healthy, we wonder which is healthier. Let's take a look...

Advantages of green tea
Green tea contains flavonoids (epigallocatechin ) gallate, or EGCG. New research published in the Journal of Nutrition reports that flavonoids EGCG extracts of green tea lower the harmful effects of high blood sugar. This EGCG can prevent damage to the major organs like the coronary arteries lining of the heart muscle. (via)

Some researches have found that green tea reduces the respiration quotient and increases your metabolic rate, albeit temporarily and to a marginal extent only. One study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1999, reports that those drinking green tea increased their total energy expenditure by 3.5 percent and a jump in the proportion of energy came from fat, which rose from 31 to 41 percent. (via)

Advantages of sugar-free coffee
A longitudinal study in 2009 found that moderate coffee drinkers had a reduced risk of developing dementia in addition to Alzheimer's disease. Some preliminary research evidence shows that coffee acts against beta-amyloid plaque that may have a causative role in Alzheimer's. These findings were published in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

A moderate coffee drinker who drinks around 3-4 cups of coffee in a day had 65 % less chances of getting dementia later in life. This is a new study from the University Of Kuopio, Finland and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

Research has shown that a person who is a moderate coffee drinker has less chances of getting gallstones diseases. Two such studies were done by the Harvard School Of Public Health.

Caffeine is the most commonly consumed psychoactive drug in the world. If you take caffeine in the form of coffee, it will increase the effectiveness of the pain killers, especially in migraine and headache medications.

Some primarily studies has shown that coffee helps boost short term memory. The study in 2005 was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) In which they demonstrated that caffeine modulates short-term working memory. Some cognitive performance tests of simple reaction time, choice reaction time, incidental verbal memory, and visuo spatial reasoning, have shown that participants who regularly drank coffee were found to perform better on all tests.

Roasted coffee contains antioxidant, which in turn contain the anti-cancer compound methylpyridinium. Coffee also increases your energy level after you drink it. But it is a temporary hike. Caffeine can stimulates the central nervous system for a few hours.

Bottom-line: Both, sugar-free coffee and green tea come with their own benefits. Each benefit kicks in only for a few hours, whether it is increased metabolism or migraine relief. Thus, both beverages are good - but in controlled measures. Research suggests that coffee and green tea are good in doses of maximum three cups a day. Therefore, if one uses them as substitutes for unhealthy beverages, they - each - benefit you. Remember, that no single beverage can keep you away from disease and weight gain. If you rely on green tea for weight management without eating healthy and exercising, even eight cups won't help you. Therefore, pick the beverage you prefer based on taste as this will help you develop a lifelong habit, and stick to overall healthy lfiestyle guidelines.

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The truth about green tea

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 04:14:00 +0000

HEALTHY FOODS — By Mini Padikkal — Green tea is the second most popular drink consumed worldwide after water. It has many beneficial roles which have made it very common among people. Green tea, the unfermented leaf of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, is richer in polyphenols than other types of tea.
This is because it is produced by steaming fresh leaves instead of fermenting them as done with black and oolong teas. Green tea retains useful natural products called polyphenol catechins (EGCG-epigallocatechin-3-gallate) the most active of which are believed to be responsible for the health benefits of green tea.
People prefer to drink green tea because of its attractive flavour and taste. Green tea is a popular natural remedy for many health problems and has been used for thousands of years. The following are some of the benefits of green tea and why you may want to consider pouring yourself a few cups a day.

EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate): One of the major benefits of green tea has to do with a compound called EGCG. This is a powerful antioxidant. Not only does it prevent cancer cells from growing, but it also kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. This has been scientifically tested, and in 1994 the National Cancer Society published results finding that green tea reduced certain cancers in men and women by 60 per cent. The ingredient EGCG is a potent antioxidant; about 200 times more powerful than vitamin E which neutralises pro-oxidants and free radicals. EGCG can also block the cancer promoting effect of carcinogens in the body. In addition to cancer, the powerful EGCG compound also boosts your overall immunity. Other health benefits include combating depression, headaches, and infection.

Obesity (overweight) is a well-known risk factor for insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. Patients can benefit from using green tea every day to help boost metabolism. Weight loss benefit of green tea comes from high concentration of poly phenols in green tea which helps to oxidise fat and encourage thermogenesis. Thermogenesis in the body can be defined as the rate at which the body burns calories. Studies have shown that green tea can increase the feeling of fullness stimulating the breakdown of fats. This can help facilitate weight loss by reducing the appetite and food intake.

Patients with diabetes can benefit in many different ways by adding this powerful anti-oxidant to their daily diet. Green tea is low in calories and natural sugars so diabetic patients can enjoy this beverage and reap the many health benefits of this drink without increasing their glucose levels. Research studies have found that green tea can improve glucose metabolism and benefit diabetics in the following ways:

• Improving glucose metabolism by increasing insulin sensitivity • Lowering fasting blood glucose levels • Improving kidney function • Improving liver function • Lowering triglyceride levels • Reducing damage to insulin- producing cells

Green tea is the best anti-aging supplements available. The most important of the active ingredients in green tea is EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) and this EGCG is responsible for most of the anti-aging health benefits.

The natural antioxidants in tea may have a strong effect on heart disease, controlling blood pressure and lowering cholesterol. Green tea also helps lower your bad cholesterol while boosting your good levels. This can prevent heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases.

Green tea is the perfect choice to improve outer appearance as well as the inner health of people. The anti-oxidants included in the tea not only improve your health but can also improve the appearance of your hair, skin and even improve your eye sight.

Green tea can help beat bad breath, according to scientific research. The study found that antioxidants in the tea, called poly phenols, destroy a number of compounds in the mouth that can lead to bad breath, tooth decay and even mouth cancer. The most common way to reap its benefits is to drink about 3 cups of green tea a day (provides 240-320 mg poly phenols). A cup is made with 1 teaspoon of tea leaves in 8 ounces boiling water. Add a little honey for a special treat. In cold weather there is nothing more satisfying than hot tea and in warm weather nothing greater than iced tea. You can really drink this all year round with ease. Green tea is available in most of the shops in Sultanate in different flavours. So sit back, relax yourself and enjoy the benefit !

— The writer is a dietician at
Atlas star Medical Centre, Al Khuwair, Muscat.

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