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Allium sativum - garlic, whose family members include onions, scallions, chives and shallots is a favorite, pungent flavoring agent around the world, but there's lots more to it than flavor!
Louis Pasteur proved that garlic had antibiotic properties by putting a small piece in a petri dish of bacteria, which it quickly killed. That was the first of thousands of modern scientific experiments using garlic - The Journal of the American Medical Association reported in the November 1990 edition that garlic has been described as therapeutic in more than 1,000 scientific studies!
As far back as 3,000 years ago, people were using it medicinally. It was a part of the diets of the slaves who built the pyramids. The ancient Greeks used it before battles and races. More recently, it was used to treat infected battle wounds of the First World War.
Is it really beneficial for the average person to eat it, though? Like most foods and substances, the answer is difficult to come by.
Some studies have shown that as little as half a clove of garlic a day can reduce cholesterol up to nine percent and because of that, reduce the risk of heart attack up to eighteen percent. Others say it will reduce cholesterol up to seventeen percent, still others say it has little if any effect. It's worth noting that many, many more studies show a reduction in cholesterol than those who don't.
We do know that it lowers blood pressure by enlarging or stretching blood vessels. One researcher noted that decreased blood pressure could be measured after patients took only one garlic powder capsule.
It's also an anticoagulant and could be helpful in protecting from clots which cause strokes. If you're taking aspirin to keep your blood from forming clots, garlic may be a more pleasant way. Mixing aspirin or other blood thinning medicines with garlic can be dangerous under some circumstances though, and should be done under a doctor's care.
It's been discovered that ulcers can be the result of viral infections, against which garlic can be a useful, internally taken, substance. It also is helpful against parasites, bacterial infection, cancer, and even slows the growth of existing tumors.
Garlic works inside the body by promoting the ability of white blood cells to fight infections, and by stimulating other immune cells like macrophages and T-cells which fight viral and bacterial infections, as well as cancer cells. In other words, it helps your body to help itself, and neither bacteria nor virus can develop a resistance to that.
Raw or cooked? It's still under debate. Some studies say one thing, some say another. Garlic pills are thought to be as effective as raw garlic cloves by some; by others they're thought to be useless. Standardized doses make it easier to track the effectiveness, but there are questions as to the effectiveness of garlic at all after it's been tampered with.
The reasoning is that the power as well as the taste and odor of garlic is released when a clove is bruised, cut or chewed. Allicin thus released oxidizes quickly and breaks down into over a hundred different substances, not all of which are proved to be helpful to the human body.
What can we believe? It's best to go with what we know to be true.
1. Raw garlic is an antibiotic, taken internally or externally.
bodyOffer3() 2. It lowers blood pressure in pill form.
3. It's an anticoagulant in any form.
4. It inhibits the growth of cancers and tumors in raw form.
With all the benefits to the average person, it should be included in every other diet every day. Especially in the US, where overweight, high blood pressure and heart problems are common health concerns, a daily dose of garlic is a part of a sensible, healthy diet.
Note: Individuals who take anticoagulants or who have hemophilia, or need to guard against low blood pressure need to consult their doctors and/or alternative health care specialist.
All our lives we've been told to eat our carrots, they help improve your eyesight. Maybe you've wondered, what exactly is it about the carrot that is good for my eyes? That would be the beta-carotene. In addition to giving the carrot its name and orange color, it also converts to vitamin A in the body which helps improve vision. The vitamin A forms a purple pigment called rhodopsin the eye needs to see in dim light. Rhodopsin production is spurred by vitamin A, raising the effectiveness of the light-sensitive area of the retina. Not getting enough vitamin A can actually lead to night blindness. Wow, mom was right!
But that's not all that carrots can do for you. The beta-carotene in carrots is an anti-oxident combating the free radicals that contribute to conditions like cancer, heart disease, and macular degeneration. Medical studies conducted in Texas and Chicago indicate that men with the high levels of beta-carotene and vitamin C had a 37% lower risk of cancer than the men with lower levels. Carrots also contain another anti-oxident called alpha-carotene. A study conducted in Bethesda, MD concluded that men who consume high amounts of alpha carotene have a lower incidence of lung cancer.
Cooking carrots actually raises the nutritional benefits. The fiber in carrots can trap the beta carotene, making it difficult for your body to extract. By cooking them slightly, you free the beta-carotene, from the fiber, which allows your body to absorb it better. Eating only a half-cup serving per day will give you more than the recommended dosage of beta-carotene. Also when you buy carrots raw at the store, you must cut of the leafy tops before storing, or they will suck out all the vitamins. the best way to consume your daily dose is to add carrot to your favorite juice blends. This actually breaks apart the fibers allowing the beta-carotene direct acess to absorption. So be sure to eat your carrots every day!
Nuitritional benefits of bananas
The banana, the comedian's friend. For as long as there has been comedy, the old banana peel gag has been around. The average person consumes up to 27 pounds of bananas per year. their benefits are long reaching and help to restore balance to your system.
As we all know, the banana is one of nature's best sources of potassium. Potassium is known to signifigantly lower the risk of high blood pressure and related diseases like heart attack and strokes. Bananas are believed to prevent dangerous low-density lipoprotein from oxidizing, which causes it to stick to the walls of the arteries. This accumulation can contribute to artherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, a major contributor to heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure. Even one serving of a potassium rich food, such as bananas, can lower your risk of stroke by up to 40%.
New research is indicating that bananas are helpful in ulcer treatment. They seem to act as a natural antacid. First, they stimulate the stomach's production of protective mucus which helps to prevent harsh acids from touching the tender stomach lining, causing an ulcer. Second, the protease inhibitor found in bananas appears to kill the harmful bacteria that helps to cause ulcers.
Bananas also contain electrolytes, which are essential for maintaining fluid levels and preventing dehydration. 30% of your DV of vitamin B6 is provided by one banana. B6 keeps your nervous system in top working condition and boosting immunity. Folate is also in bananas, which is needed for proper tissue growth, and can protect against birth defects, heart disease, and cancer.
To keep your bananas fresh, you should keep them in the fridge. If you are waiting for green bananas to ripen you can speed up the process by putting them in a brown papaer bag at room temperature. If bananas are not to your liking, you can mash them up and add them to a variety of recipes from meatloaf to casseroles, the taste of the dish will be slightly sweetened but without the direct taste of the banana. So buy a bunch today and help to save your life!!
Many of us relax at the end of a hard days work with a nice hot cup of tea. Some of us relieve the heat of a summer's day with a glass of ice cold tea. For many, tea conjures images of southern belles sipping tea and waving their fans. For others the ancient dynasties in China, geishas serving tea with elegance and ritual. Though it has been consumed for centuries, only recently have its true scientific benefits been discovered.
Hundreds of compounds called polyphenols can be found in tea. Basically polyphenols are very strong, very effective antioxidants, the best of these being found in tea. It also has the highest concentration of polyphenols. In fact, 30% of dry tea's weight is made up of polyphenols. What do these powerful polyphenols do for us? Professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, Joe A Vinson,Ph.D, has been studying the effects of these polyphenols on blocked arteries. Blocked arteries occur over many years, caused by the build up of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) that has oxidized and clings to arterial walls. As we all know blocked arteries can lead to heart attacks high blood pressure and stroke. Professor Vinton's studies have found that the polyphenols found in tea are extremely effective in blocking cholesterol from oxidizing and fouling blood vessels. One of the polyphenols, epigallocatechin gallate has been found to nuetralize up to five times as much LDL cholesterol as vitaminC, which has always been the most powerful antioxident. Another bonus of polyphenols is that they work in two places at once, both in the bloodstream and the artery walls. A Dutch study has found that men who drank 4 cups of black tea per day, lowered their chance of dying from heart disease by almost 58%. Another Dutch study showed that men who drank more than 5 cups of black tea per day lowered their chance of stroke by 69% compared to those who drank less tea.
Tea is also very helpful in the battle against cancer. Experiments conducted at the Case Western University School of Medicine by Hasan Muhktar Ph.D, have shown that tea can stop the growth of cancer in all stages, affecting growth and speed. In cases where a tumor has already formed, tea has been shown to shrink it. Green tea has been shown to be extremely beneficial to those suffering from skin cancer, having the same effectiveness whether consumed or applied topically. Dr. Muhktar's studies have led him to believe that the polyphenols in tea can affect our DNA, by keeping it strong and healthy, making cells less likely to turn cancerous.
Tea has also been proven to help in the fight against cavities in several ways. The polyphenol tannin, found in tea, works as an antibiotic, soaking up the bacteria that promotes tooth decay. Also, tea contains fluoride, which is so effective in the fight against cavities that many towns add fluoride to their water supply. Four compound in tea-catechin, caffeine, tannin and tocopherol- has been proven to increase the resistance of tooth enamel against acids. In fact the regular consumption of tea is thought to make your teeth 98% impervious to the effects of acid.
To get the most out of your tea you must brew it for at least three minutes. This will give you the maximum amount of polyphenols. Tea bags are actually more beneficial than loose tea, the bag offering more surface for polyphenols to dissolve through. Any variety of tea is beneficial, but the most research has been done on black and green tea, both giving you satisfactory results. However, be aware that studies have shown that adding milk to your tea can block the anti oxidant benefits. Studies have shown, though, that drinking a few cups of tea, iced or hot, with a meal of fried or broiled meat can help block the formation of cancer causing chemicals released when meat is cooked.
Olive oil is a staple in the diet of Mediterranean countries. It is used not only in cooking, but also used liberally mixed with vinegar as a dressing, and even with cracked black pepper as a dipping sauce for foccacia bread. 40 years ago, when research of the Greeks living on the island of Crete, researchers where amazed by the results. Despite the high fat content in the traditional Greek diet, the residents of the island had an exceptionally low occurrence of heart disease. This led researchers to examine the diets of the Greek people to try to figure out what factors contribute to this low rate of heart disease. Their conclusion? Olive oil! The Greeks do not eat much butter or margarine, substituting olive oil instead.
By replacing the saturated fats in your diet with monosaturated fat, such as olive oil, the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level is lowered. However, the beneficial high-density proteins are left alone, thus the dangerous, artery clogging fat does not continue to accumulate. The benefits of this are long reaching. In a scientific project called the Seven Countries Study determined that 46 percent of middle aged deaths in American men were due to heart disease, while the percentage of deaths in Crete were only 4 percent-over 10 times lower. In addition to the benefits of the monounsaturated fats in olive oil, there are several other compounds that can benefit your health. These can stop damage in your arteries before it starts. Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants found in olive oil. These antioxidants disable the free radical oxygen molecules produced naturally by your body. This keeps the free radicals from attacking the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) which lowers the chances that they will stick to artery walls, clogging them and causing heart disease. The conclusion? Adding olive oil to your diet can help to keep your arteries clear.
In addition to being beneficial to your heart, there is evidence that it may also be able to help protect your breast as well. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Athens School of Public Health studied the effects of olive oil on more than 2,300 women. They discovered that women who consumed olive oil more than once a day had a 25% lower risk of breast cancer, and in fact the female population of Greece is much less likely to die from breast cancer than woman in the United States. They believe the high concentration of vitamin E, which has been proven to slow or stop cell damage, found in olive oil , as well as, the polyphenols mentioned earlier contribute to this benefit.
To get the most benefit from olive oil, make sure to look for extra virgin olive oil. This oil comes from the very first cold press of the olive and contains the highest and purest amounts of disease fighting polyphenols. Also, unlike other oils, olive oil should be kept cool, either in the refrigerator of other dark cool spot. This will make sure your olive oil maintains its protective qualities, as well as its great taste.
Use olive oil moderately, as it contains 120 calories per tablespoon.
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