5 things you need to know about Juicing

It’s hard to argue against the benefits of eating your vegetables. But drinking your vegetables is another story. Is juicing the antidote to bad health, as its proponents claim, or just another fad diet? Here’s what you need to know.

1. There’s room for debate.

Fans of green juicing, or juicing raw vegetables, say that you can drink more vegetables than you can eat, and that juicing allows your body to more easily absorb the vitamins and antioxidants extracted from fresh produce. Juicing has been credited with alleviating everything from skin diseases and immune disorders to cancer and high blood pressure.

But skeptics claim that the detox and cleansing benefits attributed to juicing may be more psychological than physical. There’s also a lack of scientific evidence that proves that juicing your vegetables is significantly healthier than just eating them. If you’re not eating enough vegetables, drinking them might be one way to up your intake. The bottom line is, juicing certainly can’t hurt.

2. Your digestive system will thank you.

Juicing proponents believe that your digestive system can function more efficiently when drinking raw vegetables. Although you lose the benefits of consuming fiber when drinking your produce, it takes less energy to digest food in liquid form. Heating and cooking vegetables also reduces or destroys some of their enzyme content, which some say can impede digestion. With juicing, it’s believed that these food enzymes are not only preserved, but your digestive system also gets a “rest.”

If you juice for enzymes, you might also believe that the right food combinations can help with digestion. Food combiners believe that eating a protein like meat or cheese, which requires one type of enzyme to be digested, with a carbohydrate, which requires another kind of digestive enzyme, can result in bloating and indigestion. When you juice, you only eat one type of food at a time, so digestion is speedier.

3. Moderation is key.

Despite what some raw foodists and “juicearians” might say, it’s probably not best to live on juice alone. A juice fast, in which one consumes only juice and no solid food for a day or more, can have healthy benefits, but it’s not entirely necessary. Drinking green juice can still have healing effects when combined with a regular, healthy diet.

For best results, drink green juice on an empty stomach, and make sure it’s as fresh as possible. More extreme measures, like the lemonade-and maple syrup-only Master Cleanse, or juice fasting as a quick-and-easy weight loss method, are not recommended.

4. Not all juices are created equal.

You can get your green juice at a juice bar, health food store or through a delivery service, but be wary of bottled and pasteurized juices. And read the labels carefully: Too much fruit or fruit concentrate can increase the sugar level, and heating and processing can lessen nutritional value.

Buying a home juicer and doing it yourself can pay off in the long run, although the juicer you buy might also make a difference. Centrifugal juicers, which grind and strain produce at high speeds, are the most affordable machines, but also less efficient – some say the high speed generates heat, and decreases the amount of enzymes in the resulting juice. Masticating juicers “chew” produce and can make more juice out of the same amount of vegetables, while triturating juicers, the most expensive and efficient option, “press” produce and retain more nutrients.

While juicers extract only juice from produce and remove the fiber, blenders retain all of the content by simply mashing everything together. Fiber aside, the blender versus juicer debate might come down to a matter of taste: drinking celery juice mixed with carrot juice will probably taste better than drinking a celery and carrot smoothie.

5. The possibilities are endless.

If you make your own juice, experiment with combining different kinds of fruits and vegetables for taste and nutrition. Popular combinations include mixing leafy vegetables like spinach or kale with celery or cucumber, and adding beet, carrot or apple for sweetness. See more recipes here and here.

Nine foods you should never eat again

With so much misinformation out there about food and how it affects human health, making healthy food choices for you and your family can be difficult and confusing. There are a number of specific foods; however, that you will want to avoid in almost every circumstance because they provide virtually no health benefits while posing plenty of health risks. Here are nine foods you should never eat again if you care about preserving your long-term health:

1) White bread, refined flours. By definition, white bread and refined flours in general are toxic for your body because they have been stripped of virtually all vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other important nutrients. Because of this, the body does not know how to properly digest and assimilate these so-called foods, which can lead to health problems. Refined white flour has also been bleached with chlorine and brominated with bromide, two poisonous chemicals that have been linked to causing thyroid and organ damage.

2) Conventional frozen meals. Most conventionally-prepared frozen meals are loaded with preservatives, processed salt, hydrogenated oils and other artificial ingredients, not to mention the fact that most frozen meals have been heavily pre-cooked, rendering their nutrient content minimal at best (especially after getting microwaved again at home). With the exception of a few truly healthy frozen meal brands such as Amy's and Organic Bistro, most frozen meals are little more than disease in a box, so avoid them in favor of fresh foods.

3) White rice. Like white bread, white rice has been stripped of most of its nutrients, and separated from the bran and germ, two natural components that make up rice in its brown form. Even so-called "fortified" white rice is nutritionally deficient, as the body still processes this refined food much differently than brown rice, which is absorbed more slowly and does not cause the same spike in blood sugar that white rice does.

4) Microwaveable popcorn. This processed food is a favorite among moviegoers and regular snackers alike, but it is one of the unhealthiest foods you can eat. Practically every component of microwaveable popcorn, from the genetically-modified (GM) corn kernels to the processed salt and preservative chemicals used to enhance its flavor, is unhealthy and disease-promoting. On top of this, microwaveable popcorn contains a chemical known as diacetyl that can actually destroy your lungs. If you love popcorn, stick with organic kernels that you can pop yourself in a kettle and douse with healthy ingredients like coconut oil, grass-fed butter, and Himalayan pink salt.

5) Cured meat products with nitrates, nitrites. Deli meats, summer sausage, hot dogs, bacon, and many other meats sold at the grocery store are often loaded with sodium nitrite and other chemical preservatives that have been linked to causing heart disease and cancer. If you eat meat, stick with uncured, nitrite and nitrate-free varieties, and preferably those that come from organic, grass-fed animals.

6) Most conventional protein, energy bars. By the way they are often marketed, it might seem as though protein and energy bars are a strong addition to a healthy diet. But more often than not, these meal replacements contain processed soy protein, refined sugar, hydrogenated fat, and other harmful additives that contribute to chronic illness. Not all protein and energy bars are bad, of course -- Thunderbird Energetica, Organic Food Bar, Boku Superfood, Vega Sport, PROBAR, and Zing all make healthy protein and energy bars. Just be sure to read the ingredient labels and know what you are buying.

7) Margarine. Hidden in all sorts of processed foods, margarine, a hydrogenated trans-fat oil, is something you will want to avoid at all costs for your health. Contrary to popular belief, butter and saturated fats in general are not unhealthy, especially when they are derived from pastured animals that feed on grass rather than corn and soy. And if animal-based fats are not for you, stick with extra-virgin coconut oil or olive oil rather than margarine.

8) Soy milk and soy-based meat substitutes. One of the biggest health frauds of modern times, the soy craze is a fad that you will want to skip. Besides the fact that nearly all non-organic soy ingredients are of GM origin, most soy additives are processed using a toxic chemical known as hexane, which is linked to causing birth defects, reproductive problems, and cancer. Soy that has not been fermented is also highly estrogenic, which can throw your natural hormone balance out of whack.

9) "Diet" anything. Many so-called "diet" products on the market today contains artificial sweeteners like aspartame (Equal) and sucralose (Splenda), both of which are linked to causing neurological damage, gastrointestinal problems, and endocrine disruption. Many diet products also contain added chemical flavoring agents to take the place of fat and other natural components that have been removed to artificially reduce calorie content. Instead, stick with whole foods that are as close to nature as possible, including high-fat foods grown the way nature intended, and your body will respond surprisingly well.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/15-foods-you-should-never-buy-again/

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/038467_foods_avoid_processed_meat.html#ixzz2RqJE6IiD

The Mineral Medic: Part 1

I don't believe in the unnatural healing properties of stones, the belief that simply by keeping a certain stone near you your health will rapidly increase. However, I do believe that certain minerals can naturally improve ones health.

The human body is made up of 19 different minerals; Boron, Calcium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Fluorine, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Phosphorous, Potassium, Selenium, Sulfur, Silicon, Vanadium and Zinc. As you can probably guess, each and every one of us requires a ready supply of these minerals to function properly, if your body lacks a substantial amount of these minerals then you will be open to a large range of potential illnesses. However, by keeping the levels of these minerals at optimal levels you can make sure that you remain strong and healthy.  Over the course of the next few weeks I will be going into detail on each of these minerals and to start with, I will go over some information on one of the most well know minerals, Calcium, and one of the least known Boron.

Boron is a trace mineral located in the human body that naturally helps fight against Arthritis, menopause and osteoporosis. It is also believed that Boron is responsible for the absorption of calcium and magnesium. I find it strange that a body lacking in Boron shows no immediate signs of degradation, however, adding further backup to the theory that Boron is responsible for the absorption of calcium and magnesium; it has been shown that bodies lacking in Boron have difficulty metabolizing new Calcium and Magnesium intake, leading to deficiencies in both minerals over time. On top of the metabolism problems, Boron deficiency is implied to also lead to problems with the thyroid and sexual hormone imbalances. 

For those reasons, I believe it safest to keep Boron levels in the body high, even though many of the supposed symptoms are theoretical, they are close to proven, and in the case of your own health, surely it is better to err on the side of caution?
The simplest way you can keep your Boron levels high are by eating certain fruits, which are natural Boron producers; apples, oranges, almonds, red grapes, pear, plum, kiwi, sultanas, dates, vegetables, soybeans and nuts. Boron is commonly overlooked for its uses to the human body, but the good it can do should not go unnoticed, a ready supply of Boron can;

• Combat the symptoms of Arthritis: In 95% of Arthritis cases where Boron has been used, it has managed to effectively reduce the symptoms of Arthritis and in many cases halt the degradation of bone density (the cause of Arthritis). 
• Build bone density: As suggested in the above post, a healthy Boron supply can help to strengthen bones and build their density, which will also help to combat Arthritis ever taking hold.
• Improve Cognitive processes: Studies have shown that Boron can enhance ones short term memory and concentration, as well as speed up and increase the accuracy of basic hand eye coordination. On top of this it has also been shown to enhance higher brain functions.
• Prevents Blood Clots: Some studies have shown that Boron contains some properties that can break up blood clots, however more studies need to be held to determine the authenticity of these reports.
• Aid in Cancer therapy: The Neutron found in Boron has been shown to have effective enzyme inhibitor growth effects, which help to fight back the growth of cancer cells. Boron compounds also acts as a powerful antibody in anti cancer treatments.

Calcium makes up 2% of the total body weight of a healthy human male, located in our bones and teeth in large amounts. As such the best known application of Calcium is to establish and improve the growth of bones, it being one of the minerals we require immediately from birth. The two most important times in our life that rely on a regular Calcium intake are the first few years of our life and our old age. In our infant years as our bones are still developing, it is important to keep a regular intake of Calcium to assure that the bones grow strong. Oddly, the opposite begins as we reach old age, our bones begin to thin and weaken (open them up to arthritis) so it becomes integral to keep a steady amount of fresh Calcium flowing into our bodies to combat this weakening. However, Calcium is not only responsible for bone development; trace amounts of Calcium can be located within the circulatory system, being utilized to combat internal hemorrhages. 

Currently Calcium deficiency is one of the greatest forms of Mineral deficiency in English and American societies, particularly in women. The probably cause for this is linked to the current societal view on the "Size 0" perception of beauty, causing young and/or insecure women to cut out calories (And therefore many foods high in Calcium) of their diets. It goes without saying that this is causing undue harm to many people, even though it is relatively easy to increase your Calcium intake.

A well known source of Calcium is Dairy products; Cheese, milk and yogurts being among the most used, however many fish also contain large Calcium deposits, Salmon and tuna being two of the largest suppliers. Finally, a large grouping of fruit and vegetables also host Calcium deposits; broccoli, spinach, orange juice, almonds, black-eyed peas, Green peas, and Ricotta being a few prime examples.

In addition to stronger, healthy bones, an optimal amount of Calcium in the body can cause the following changes in the body:

• Regulate and Control Blood Pressure: When combined in a diet involving large amounts of magnesium and potassium, studies have shown that blood pressure can be periodically lowered and maintained at a stable level. 
• Reduce the chances of becoming Obese: If you fail to keep a healthy level of Calcium in the body, hormones will be released that cause old Calcium cells to detach from the bone structure and move into the blood stream, simply to attempt to maintain the Calcium balance in your body. However, the hormone that is released also stimulates the growth of fatty cells in your body, increasing the fat percentage in the body. As you can see, this can rapidly cause obesity if not monitored carefully.
• Prevent Cardiac Arrest: Calcium also helps to build defenses around the Heart muscles as well as aid in their growth, releasing hormones to help stimulate the heart in moments of failure. By simply keeping an optimal level of Calcium, you can massively reduce your chances of Cardiac Arrest.

Copper

Chromium

Next time, I will give details on both Chromium and Copper, I hope the information I have given you today proves to be useful to you!

What can Aloe Vera do for me?

Aloe Vera’s first recorded use was over 5000 years ago in early Egyptian times  but this amazing plant now is used to treat hundreds of different ailments ranging from sun burn to constipation and is growing in popularity and an amazing pace.

The aloe vera plant is constructed with the basic building blocks of life, including essential vitamins and minerals, proteins, polysaccharides, enzymes, and amino acids. (Some people drink aloe vera for physical endurance and stamina, instead of energy drinks!) The bulk of the aloe vera leaf is filled with gel, which is approximately 99% water. The other 1% contains over at least 75 known nutrients including 20 minerals, 12 vitamins, 18 amino acids, 200 active plan compounds called phytonutrients, enzymes and of course, water.

So what can it do for me?

Currently there is an ever grown body of evidence suggesting Aloe Vera can help diabetics by helping to control blood sugar levels. Another is its ability to lower cholesterol although data is still insufficient to support these claims

What we do know?

Anti-fungal / Anti –inflammatory

It’s these properties that make Aloe Vera the ideal choice for minor burns and skin conditions as well as fungal infection such as athlete’s foot.

Use as a moisturizer

Aloe Vera is an Emollient they work by binding on the surface of the skin helping to prevent loss of moisture.

Internal uses

• Available source of several vitamins and minerals that are vital to healthy cell growth.
• Contains several antioxidants that protect the body against free radical damage.
• Contains multiple enzymes to aid the process of digestion.
• Helps stop Candida overgrowth in the body.
• Helps the body’s natural wound healing process function properly.
• Aids in detoxification and helps keep the colon clean and regular.

How to take it?

There are no official guidelines as to use of Aloe Vera but here are some guidelines to help you get the most from your supplements.

Creams and gels with aloe vera vary in dosage. Some creams for minor burns have just 0.5% aloe vera. Others used for psoriasis may contain as much as 70% aloe vera. As an oral supplement, aloe has no set dose. For constipation, some use 100-200 milligrams of aloe juice — or 50 milligrams of aloe extract — daily as needed. For diabetes, 1 tablespoon of the gel has been used daily. High oral doses of aloe or aloe latex are dangerous. Ask your doctor for advice on how to use aloe.daily. High oral doses of aloe or aloe latex are dangerous. Ask your doctor for advice on how to use aloe.

Source:

bobby's healthy blog