Did you know that at least one-third of all cancers are caused by poor diet? Definite health benefits come from centering your diet around vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and legumes. This combined with regular exercise, a healthy weight, alcohol used only in moderation, and avoiding tobacco are the fundamentals for disease prevention.
Many experts believe as much as 50-60% of degenerative disease is due primarily to dietary factors! Here are some tips that will maximize your protection.
Eat 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. If you have trouble getting this much in, cover your bases with a whole food concentrate to make up for the nutritional shortfall.
Eat dark green leafy and cabbage family vegetables daily. Try to include a wide variety - broccoli, spinach, kale, chard, mustard greens, collards, bok choy, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, turnips, and others.(more…)
The nutrients in plant foods are called phytochemicals. Phyto means plant, so these are just plant chemicals. Plant foods contain many thousands of these health-promoting substances. They include enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and many other protective chemicals.
Only plants, including vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, contain these healthy chemicals. And research shows that the more plants foods you eat, the lower your risk of cancer and other diseases.
Consider Your Diet
Beyond eating plenty of plant foods, variety is important for optimal disease prevention. If you just stick with familiar foods, you miss out on nutritional benefits many other foods offer. When was the last time you ate kiwi or cherries? How about mango and guava? Do you eat fresh pineapple? What about papaya?(more…)
Motivation is all about knowing what’s important to you. Is it your health and longevity? Is it how good you look? Is it the way you feel? If you can’t find powerful motivators for losing weight, food will continue to have greater attraction than your desire to reduce your size.
There are a few key questions you need to ask: What do I want and why? And what am I willing to do to get it? It’s best to write your answers down - that way you have something to review whenever your resolve starts wavering.
What Do I Really Want?
Of course you want to lose weight, but be more specific. How much do you want to lose? Do you want to become more fit? Do you want improvement in your social life or relationships? Are your goals realistic and achievable?
Think about what’s most important to you and get an idea of what losing weight really means for your life. Knowing where you’re headed and why will help you stay focused.
Now, write it all down. List the things you want that relate to weight loss and health improvement.(more…)
It’s important to recognize and prepare psychologically for the stages of motivation.
At first you’re full of enthusiasm and that’s great. Unfortunately, this initial zeal tends to wane after a week or so.
Now comes the trial and error stage. You need to try out various strategies for taking in less calories while burning more to find out what works best in your case. You’ll experience successes and failures. Maintain your determination and consider it a learning process. Bouncing back from setbacks is absolutely essential for success.
At this time, motivation can begin to ebb. It may sometimes look too hard and you may wonder if it’s really worth it. Temptation to give up can become intense.
When you feel your motivation slipping, don’t delay; enlist the aid of others for support and encouragement. It’s vital to have a group or at least one person that will hold you accountable and be there to encourage you when the going gets tough.(more…)
Human white blood cell destroying pathogenic bacteria
Part I of a 4-part article.
Did you know that over 400 species of microorganisms call your digestive system home and the majority are not only beneficial, but are absolutely essential for good health? Until we are born, we are completely sterile of microbes, but once outside the womb, we rapidly accumulate bacteria and possess approximately the same ratio as an adult by age four.
Bacteria Outnumber Body Cells
In fact, scientists believe that 100 trillion microorganisms reside within the human body - as much as 10 times more than our actual body cells! In other words, 90% of the cells within the human body are from single cell organisms who reside primarily in the mouth, gastrointestinal tract, and vagina.
If you wonder how this can be possible, it’s because our body cells are so much larger than microbes. For example, red blood cells are approximately four times the size of intestinal bacteria and some of our individual muscle cells take up more space than thousands of microorganisms!(more…)
I’m always looking for new smoothie recipes as I work with hospice patients who need nutrient-dense foods that are tasty and easy to swallow. In my searches I’ve come across a number of sites devoted to green smoothies.
At first I thought these must taste really bad, but after reading many peoples’ enthusiastic praise for the taste as well as the nutrition, I decided to try one. I made up this simple recipe.
Blend together -
1 banana
1 apple, cut up and/or some strawberries
1/2 cup pineapple orange juice
1/2 cup soymilk, kefir or yogurt
Now add about 2 cups of any kind or combination of greens and blend until very smooth. Here are some suggestions:
Kale
Spinach
Young collards
Dandelion
Arugula
Swiss chard
Mint
Romaine
Escarole
Endive
Sprouts
Beet greens
If the leaves are big, cut them up a little and remove the stems. You can also try adding a slice of fresh ginger and/or a spoon of tart cherry juice concentrate. A tablespoon of ground flax seed and the same of granulated lecithin are yummy and super-nutritious additions.
I made my first batch with some young purple kale from my garden and was absolutely astonished at the taste. It turned out to be one of the most delicious things I have ever put in my mouth!
Since then I’ve been making two big green drinks every day and my children, the brave ones who venture try a taste, agree; green smoothies are surprisingly delicious. They’re also highly energizing and if you’re afraid the green taste will be too strong, I have the remedy.
I made one today that had so much dandelion greens and mint in it that the taste grabbed us by the throat - whoa! Well, I just poured it back in the blender and added a half dozen strawberries - ahh, down easy!
And talk about fast food - it’s 5 minutes from start to pouring your glass. If you have any leftovers, save the remainder in a container in the freezer. Smoothies don’t keep well in the refrigerator, but are wonderful frozen, even better when slushy, and they taste just like freshly made when thawed. Try one today!
Employ these strategies that have been found to be the winning formulas of those in the National Weight Control Registry. The NWCR is the largest investigation of long-term, successful weight loss ever conducted. The registry has been tracking approximately 5,000 people since 1994.
1. The written word
Recording everything you put in your mouth will increase personal accountability and reveal problem areas. Adding in how you felt at each time you ate is helpful for discerning patterns of emotional eating.
2. Plan all eating ahead of time.
It’s crucial to have quick, tasty food at hand whenever you get hungry so that you aren’t faced with nothing but a selection of poor choices. Weekly planning, purchasing, and preparation is essential for success at eating healthy on a consistent basis.
3. Pay attention to portions.
Go heavy on low-calorie, highly nutritive fruits and vegetables, making them 50% of your meals. Let whole grains and lean protein make up the remainder. No foods must be forbidden, but indulgences in high-calorie goodies need to be small and infrequent.(more…)
Elevated blood pressure is a leading indicator of circulatory system dysfunction. When blood vessels contain the plaque of atherosclerosis, the unhealthy fats in our diet cause the red blood cells to clump together and move sluggishly instead of flowing freely. Additionally, the high-fat American diet causes arteries to spasm and constrict, further reducing blood flow for 4 to 6 hours after a meal.
Where arterial plaque exists, less space is available for blood to flow through. In addition, a loss of elasticity in the walls creates further resistance to blood flow. Consequently, the heart has to pump harder to force circulation through the narrow and stiff arteries. This causes pressure on the walls of the vessels to rise.(more…)
Alzheimer’s is primarily a disease of affluence. Like the health conditions that usually precede it, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, AD is largely the result of a lifetime of poor diet and insufficient physical activity.
Incidence
More than 5 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s. One out of every eight people over 65 has the disease. And for those over 85, it’s almost one out of every two.
When baby boomers reach 65 in 2011, these numbers will skyrocket as the incidence of Alzheimer’s is doubling every 20 years. Numbers of victims have been rapidly escalating since the 1970’s, coinciding with the rapid take-off of the fast food industry.
Devastating Dementia
AD impairs language, perception, planning skills, and reasoning as well as memory. Forgetting where you laid your comb doesn’t mean you have AD, but not remembering what a comb is for, does! Although most adults begin to notice memory lapses in their 40’s and 50’s, scientists believe the neurological changes of Alzheimer’s typically begin much earlier.(more…)
According to USC’s Dr. Vincent Fortanasce, although stress can greatly increase your risk for AD, simple daily tools can reduce levels of the harmful stress hormone, cortisol which accelerates cognitive decline.
Conquer stress with these techniques: a) Breathe! Stress alters breathing rates and impacts brain oxygen levels. Turn off the stress response with slow, deep, abdominal breathing. From momentary inhale, hold, and exhale sequences to guided group exercises, controlled breathing is powerful and simple. b) Daily relaxation activities - Walking, tai chi, yoga, bicycling or other forms of relaxing exercise can aid greatly in keeping stress hormones under control. c) Stay connected - We are social beings and the most connected fare better on tests of memory and cognition. Developing a strong support system through family, friends, groups, clubs, and activities improves mental state and slows decline. d) Nourish inner peace - There exists a strong mind-body connection and studies associate spiritual activities with better cognitive aging. Regular meditation, prayer, reflection, and religious practice aid in reducing stress.(more…)
Motivation is all about knowing what’s important to you. Is it your health and longevity? Is it how good you look? Is it the way you feel? If you can’t find powerful motivators for losing weight, food will continue to have greater attraction than your desire to reduce your size.
Employ these strategies that have been found to be the winning formulas of those in the National Weight Control Registry. The NWCR is the largest investigation of long-term, successful weight loss ever conducted. The registry has been tracking approximately 5,000 people since 1994.
Elevated blood pressure is a leading indicator of circulatory system dysfunction. When blood vessels contain the plaque of atherosclerosis, the unhealthy fats in our diet cause the red blood cells to clump together and move sluggishly instead of flowing freely. Additionally, the high-fat American diet causes arteries to spasm and constrict, further reducing blood flow for 4 to 6 hours after a meal.
Alzheimer’s is primarily a disease of affluence. Like the health conditions that usually precede it, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, AD is largely the result of a lifetime of poor diet and insufficient physical activity.
5. Stress Management
