Why Do We Need Lycopene Anyway?
August 7, 2008 | 4 Comments
Photo by LWY
If you regularly read about eating healthy foods, then I’m sure you’ve read it too … “Tomato sauce provides us more lycopene than raw tomatoes.”
But rarely do we hear why we need lycopene. So here is the scoop on lycopene and the “why” for which we need to eat our spaghetti.
What is lycopene?
Lycopene is a disease fighting antioxidant. It is found in watermelon, pink grapefruit, apricots, guava, papaya, and, of course, red and orange tomatoes. It is the compound that gives these foods their color. And lycopene comes in different forms too. Some of which are easier for our body to absorb. While it is true that red tomatoes have more lycopene than do orange ones, the orange varieties (while harder to find) provide a form of lycopene that our bodies more readily use. And, for instance, heating up tomatoes as you would when making tomato sauce (vs. raw tomatoes) creates another form of lycopene which is easier to absorb. That is why tomato sauce is a better source for lycopene than raw tomatoes and why we should eat our spaghetti … preferably with sauce made from orange tomatoes.
Lycopene is believed to …
- Be good for heart health as it may lower the risk of heart disease.
- Have anti-cancer protective effects, especially for protection against prostate, lung, and stomach cancers.
- Be an excellent source for managing high blood pressure (recent studies say).
And another good-to-know tidbit …
Eat your lycopene with a healthy fat, such as olive oil. Lycopene needs fat to latch onto in order to be absorbed by the intestinal wall.
So add a little olive oil to that spaghetti.
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Would You Eat A Raw Food Diet?
March 10, 2008 | 24 Comments
Photo by E p i t a
A menu consisting of raw foods sounds kind of boring, huh!
Yet, people who eat raw food diets claim they feel younger, have increased their energy, healed their body of certain ailments, and have even lost weight.
But, before you answer the question above - “Would you eat a raw food diet?” - let’s clear up the definition of “raw food” as it seems everyone has different opinions. Raw does not mean eating nothing but raw vegetables …. or salads. A raw menu, according to Carol Alt over at Raw Nutrition, can consist of sandwiches, smoothies, soup, granola, hummus, and desserts. Raw simply means foods that have not been cooked. And that can include vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, grains, unpasteurized dairy products, fish, and meat. Raw can also mean (and this is where some may disagree) food that has not been sprayed with pesticides, has no added preservatives, or has not been irradiated (treated with ionizing radiation to kill germs). I personally think of the latter as organic, but for some people this falls under the raw category because its causes foods to lose their vitality.
There are pros and there are cons to cooking these foods.
The pros are the main purpose for cooking the foods . . . to destroy all bacteria and other pathogens that could cause serious illnesses. And for that reason alone, many people understandably choose not to eat a raw food diet.
And the cons . . . that eating foods cooked at high temperatures (more than 112 degrees) can increase the rate at which we age plus it can contribute to weight gain. Again, according to Carol Alt, this is due to four things happening to the food when it is cooked at high temperatures:
1. The molecular structure changes.
2. The enzymes are killed.
3. The vitamins and minerals are destroyed.
4. The acid alkaline balance changes.
All this has an effect on how our body digests food which in turn prevents us from absorbing all the nutrients we need. The end result … the onset of weight gain and aging more quickly.
The health benefits of choosing raw foods over cooked include,
1. Weight loss
2. Slower aging
3. Better digestion
4. Increase energy
5. Improved skin appearance
6. Reduced heart disease
By simply changing how foods are prepared, we could shed our body of fat and we could lessen the effects of aging. But before giving up all our home-cooked meals, we need to decide which is the better risk,
1. Consuming foods that are cooked and considered bacteria free but which could promote weight gain and early aging, or
2. Consuming foods that are raw and facilitate weight loss and anti-aging and which perhaps is not bacteria free, but the fact that it provides better absorption of nutrients may be enough to protect against diseases.
For recipes for a raw food diet, consider Carol Alt’s book, The Raw 50: 10 Amazing Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, Snacks, and Drinks for Your Raw Food Lifestyle
Technorati Tags: raw food diet, Carol Alt, benefits of raw food, health, wellness, weight loss
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Curcumin For Powerful Health Protection
March 5, 2008 | 9 Comments
Photo by Buntalshoot
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a spice that acted as a safe multipurpose drug?
Scientific researchers from around the world are studying curcumin (derived from the curry spice turmeric) for its effects in fighting . . . cancer, arthritis, diabetes, cataracts, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, cystic fibrosis, and reversing Alzheimer’s disease. Curcumin even shows promise as a potential treatment for multiple sclerosis and skin disorders such as psoriasis and wounds, among many other things.
The downside is, however, that despite its benefits, in the past the effectiveness of oral supplementation of curcumin has been limited by poor absorption into the bloodstream through the digestive tract. But according to Life Extension Magazine, scientists have recently discovered an advanced formulation which is more readily absorbed than other curcumin supplement products. The new formulation is called BCM-95® and it is a registered trademark of Dolcas-Biotech, LLC. Compared to standard curcumin supplements, the BCM-95® formulation delivers up to seven times more curcumin to the bloodstream, sooner, and it sticks around nearly twice as long, which should greatly enhance the benefits of curcumin.
Is curcumin safe?
Turmeric has been safely consumed for thousands of years and it can be taken as a simple daily supplement. There have been few reports of mild gastrointestinal distress, which can be minimized by eating food with the supplement. Seems to me like a fair trade-off for the benefits it provides.
Technorati Tags: curcumin, turmeric, cancer prevention, Alzheimer’s, cystic fibrosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes
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Good Health Does Not Lead To A Heart Attack
March 5, 2008 | 3 Comments
Photo by Hvnly
Have you ever known anyone to say he/she feels healthy and has no symptoms so therefore must be healthy, but then a few days later dies from a heart attack?
Obviously, the person was not healthy as there was a health problem that caused the heart attack. So how do we know if we are healthy?
Start this, stop that, eat what?
Each of us are on a road to either sickness (which leads to death) or wellness (which leads to good health). We constantly read about things that we should or should not be doing in order to maintain good health. And every decision we make affects our health. But making lifestyle changes is not easy and it takes time, patience, dedication, and motivation to stay on track. It is difficult to know if we are doing enough to increase the years we have left on this precious earth.
But there are key factors that will help us know if we are at least moving in the right direction.
In order to have excellent health, we need to first examine what we are putting into our body and how we are treating our body, physically and mentally. Namely, the foods we eat and the exercise we get. But we must also acknowledge the good stresses in our life from the bad. There is such a thing as positive stress and it comes from regular exercise, solving problems, and working towards goals. And negative stresses come from sleep deprivation, bodily injuries, drinking alcohol excessively, worrying about finances, difficulties with career, and arguing with spouse. Stress has a huge impact on our overall health and is a big factor in whether we will be going in the direction of wellness or sickness.
It is detrimentally important that the good stresses outweigh the bad. Some strategies to help accomplish that include,
1. getting lots of ZZZ’s
2. smiling often
3. drinking wisely
4. maintaining a good attitude
5. relaxing
Which direction are you going?
Technorati Tags: health, wellness, stress
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Not Everything Causes Cancer Afterall
March 3, 2008 | 1 Comment
Photo by Midiman
A group of researchers are telling us we can relax as studies now show that not everything causes cancer as we commonly read.
According to these researchers, the only cancer-causing things we really need to worry about are smoking, alcohol, and sunlight. So we can put on our deodorant, drink our coffee, and eat our fruits with pesticides, and have no worry.
But should we really not worry?
According to the American Cancer Society, it is expected that over 1,437,180 cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2008. They say cancer cases which are most preventable are those cancer cases which occur as a result of smoking, drinking alcohol, and being exposed directly to too much sunlight. And only about 1/3 of all cancer cases could be prevented by making proper lifestyle choices.
Anyone can get cancer. While it may be true that no one knows for certain what causes cancer, we do know that by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, we greatly decrease our chances of developing the horrible disease.
The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends these guidelines for cancer prevention:
1. Choose mainly plant-based foods and limit red meat and processed meat.
2. Be active every day in any way for 30 minutes or more.
3. Aim to be a healthy weight throughout life.
4. Avoid sugary drinks and processed foods high in added sugar, low in fiber, or high in fat.
5. Do not use tobacco in any form.
6. Limit consumption of alcohol.
We never know from one week to the next what the researchers will be saying. But it doesn’t take a researcher to tell us that with a little common sense and a healthy lifestyle, we greatly increase our chances of living longer.
Technorati Tags: cancer prevention, causes of cancer
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Beef Recall: Where Does Our Meat Come From?
February 20, 2008 | 1 Comment
Photo by Drawings of Light - Paul
Ironically, the same slaughter house that won 2004-05 Supplier of the Year to the National School Lunch Program is also responsible for the nation’s largest beef recall ever.
The total amount recalled: 143 million pounds of beef! And it is estimated that 37 million pounds of that recalled beef went to school programs. That is, our kids.
The recent recall, which has been the nation’s top story for the past few days, came about after an undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the U.S. at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. This recall isn’t due to some illness wherein one infected cow came to the slaughterhouse and infected the others. This recall is due to the mistreatment, or should we say torture, of sick and injured “downer” cattle which were forced to stand long enough to fool the USDA into believing they were healthy and therefore pass the USDA’s inspection. Normally, downer cattle are prohibited from entering the food supply because they are more likely to spread Mad Cow’s disease, E coli, and salmonella. Once the sick cattle passed inspection, they went through the slaughter process and ended up on our children’s plates. This is a prime example of why we should be more aware of whom we are getting our food from.
How can we know if a supplier is a good one or a bad one?
The ill cattle at Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. passed the USDA’s inspection. Even the Cattlemen’s Association claims that the abuse is something they don’t condone and don’t tolerate and that they were unaware of the treatment at Hallmark. If both the USDA and the Cattlemen’s Association were unaware of what was happening with the downer cattle at Hallmark, then can we be assured that they know what is happening at the other 900 or so slaughterhouses in the U.S. and that we are buying untainted meat?
Our best bet is to buy beef locally. Buy from farmers who allow their herd to roam the range and live in conditions similar to their natural behavior with sunshine, fresh air, water, and a pasture. And while you are shopping for farmers, choose ones that don’t inject their livestock with antibiotics or growth hormones.
If you aren’t yet convinced of the necessity to shop around, take a look at this graphic video from the HSUS:
Technorati Tags: beef recall, Hallmark Meat Co.
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