Food To Power Up Your Spring

 

 

Artichokes are loaded with magnesium, a mineral vital for generating energy. And spring garlic's allicin may keep you from overeating by stimulating satiety in the brain.
If you've been huffing and puffing up the stairs lately, try these spiky-leafed vegetables. They're loaded with magnesium, a mineral vital for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including one of the most important -- generating energy, says Forrest Nielsen, a U.S. Department of Agriculture research nutritionist."If you're not getting enough magnesium, your muscles have to work harder to react and you tire more quickly."

And about 68% of us aren't getting our proper share of this mighty mineral. For women, the goal is 320 milligrams (mg) per day. One medium artichoke gets you 77 mg of magnesium (a good deal for only 60 calories!). Other top sources include nuts, legumes, and whole grains.

 

 

Spinach is a great source of iron, which is a key component in red blood cells that fuel our muscles with oxygen for energy. These tasty leaves are a great source of iron
(especially if you don't eat meat), which is a key component in red blood cells that fuel our muscles with oxygen for energy. But researchers in Sweden recently identified another way in which these greens might keep you charged: Compounds found in spinach actually increase the efficiency of our mitochondria, the energy-producing factories inside our cells. That means eating a cup of cooked spinach a day may give you more lasting power on the elliptical machine (or in your daily sprint to catch the bus).

 

 

Walnuts are packed with tryptophan, an amino acid your body needs to create the feel-great chemical serotonin. (In fact, Spanish researchers found that walnut eaters have higher levels of this natural mood-regulator.) Another perk: "They're digested slowly," Katz says. "This contributes to mood stability and can help you tolerate stress."

 

 

Those green spears are one of the best veggie sources of folate, a B vitamin that could help keep you out of a slump. "Folate is important for the synthesis of the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine," says Dr. David Mischoulon, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. All of these are crucial for mood.

 

A cup of cooked asparagus has 268 micrograms (mcg) -- two-thirds of the 400 mcg RDA for women. Add a cup of enriched pasta -- which is fortified with folic acid, the synthetic form of folate -- and you'll have a feel-good meal indeed.

 

 

 

Salmon is full of omega-3s, which regulate oil production in the skin and boost hydration, keeping your complexion dewy and acne-free. There's wrinkle prevention on your plate: "Salmon is rich in a fatty acid called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), a type of omega-3 that naturally helps block the release of UV-induced enzymes that diminish collagen, causing lines and sagging skin," says Dr. Ariel Ostad, a dermatologist in New York City. Bonus: Omega-3s also regulate oil production in the skin and boost hydration, which helps keep your complexion dewy and acne-free.

 

 

 

They may not have the smoothest complexion themselves, but strawberries can get you one. They're loaded with antioxidants that help your skin repair damage caused by environmental factors like pollution and UV rays. Plus, they're packed with vitamin C 

(less than a cup gets you your entire 75 mg RDA) -- the vitamin associated with fewer wrinkles and less dryness, per research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Try them in a homemade facial, too. "Direct application of the antioxidants in strawberries -- as well as the natural exfoliant they contain, alpha-hydroxy acid -- will give you great results," Ostad says.

 

 

Have your over-easies before you hit the Easter egg hunt. The yolks are chock-full of choline, a key nutrient for recall. "Your body needs choline to make a brain chemical called acetylcholine, crucial for storing memories," says Dr. Steven Zeisel, director of the Nutrition Research Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for choline is 425 mg. There are 147 mg in a large egg; other good options are nuts and red meat.

 

 

 

Eat them regularly and you may reap big brain benefits. In one recent study, people with age-related memory decline who drank roughly two and a half cups of blueberry juice per day for 12 weeks (the equivalent of eating a cup of blueberries) made significant improvements on memory and learning tests compared with those who drank a placebo juice.

The secret component? A type of antioxidant called anthocyanins, says study co-author Robert Krikorian, professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati: "Anthocyanins have been shown in animal studies to increase signals among brain cells and improve their resilience, enhancing learning and memory."

Dove Experiment Aims to Change the Way You See Yourself

Dove posted on Monday a three-minute ad on YouTube that teaches a vital lesson about how we view ourselves compared to how others see us. Trust us, it's worth your time.
A former forensic artist for the San Jose police department met a series of women and asked each to describe the way they look. He had no way of seeing them behind a curtain. 

He prompted them to detail everything: hair length, facial structure, their most prominent features. He then sketched each participant from their self-description.
Each woman was asked before the study to get to know one of the other participants. The forensic artist then prompted each woman to describe the other's face.

At the end of the video, the artist reveals two sketches — one from the participant itself, one from their partner. The differences are remarkable.

"Women are their own worst beauty critics," Dove says. "Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful ... we decided to conduct a compelling social experiment that explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see."
What do you make of the video? Let us know in the comments below.

What's In Your Kentucky Fried Chicken?

This article will make you think twice about eating fast food, Ibrahim Lango, a 19 year old from Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom, found a piece of what they believe to be a kidney, which looked more like a human brain, in his Kentucky Fried Chicken.



It has been known for a while that KFC ingredients as long with many other fast food industries come from questionable sources. In this case it was a little more extreme than usual, the British 19 year old, Ibrahim Lango, acquired a “Gladiator” at one of the restaurants, and when he took one of the pieces he found something different in its texture, which he later described as “a horrible foreign body crumpled.”

As if this weren’t enough the customer complained to the staff but had no answer at all, until he took a picture of the evidence and posted it on the Internet. The company later responded to his posts, that it was probably a kidney, not a brain as he thought it was.
He affirms he will never eat in a fast food restaurant after this, and I assure you I won’t either. I hope this article shows you the real face behind the colorful advertising of these “food” industries.

Source : http://pijamasurf.com/2013/01/estudiante-encuentra-pedazo-de-rinon-con-forma-de-cerebro-en-su-pieza-de-pollo-kentucky/ 

5 Foods for Healthy Eyes

 By: Trevor Kriz

Growing evidence suggests that improving your diet can improve eye health. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness for seniors in the United States, and research suggests a connection between AMD and diets high in saturated fat. To preserve your vision as long as possible, cut back on saturated fats and add the fresh foods listed below to your diet.
 
• Carrots: It’s true! Carrots are chock-full of vitamin A, a nutrient needed for eyesight.

• Kiwi: The fuzzy-skinned fruits are high in lutein, an antioxidant that may decrease the risk of AMD.
 
• Kale: Along with the leafy green's many other health benefits, kale contains lutein as well as zeaxanthin, which has also been linked to lowering the risk of AMD.
 
• Fatty fish: Eating fatty fish such as salmon, tuna or mackerel two to three times per week may slow the progression of AMD, according to a study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
 
• Nuts: Nuts contain omega-3 fatty acids similar to fish, as well as copper, which may also help prevent AMD. Try a handful of nuts as a mid-day snack.

How the Monsanto Protection Act snuck into law

 
 By Natasha Lennard
  
Slipped into the Agricultural Appropriations Bill, which passed through Congress last week, was a small provision that’s a big deal for Monsanto and its opponents. The provision protects genetically modified seeds from litigation in the face of health risks and has thus been dubbed the “Monsanto Protection Act” by activists who oppose the biotech giant. President Barack Obama signed the spending bill, including the provision, into law on Tuesday

Since the act’s passing, more than 250,000 people have signed a petition opposing the provision and a rally, consisting largely of farmers organized by the Food Democracy Now network, protested outside the White House Wednesday. Not only has anger been directed at the Monsanto Protection Act’s content, but the way in which the provision was passed through Congress without appropriate review by the Agricultural or Judiciary Committees. The biotech rider instead was introduced anonymously as the larger bill progressed — little wonder food activists are accusing lobbyists and Congress members of backroom dealings.

The Food Democracy Now and the Center for Food are directing blame at the Senate Appropriations Committee and its chairman, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md. According to reports, many members of Congress were apparently unaware that the “Monsanto Protection Act” even existed within the spending bill, HR 933; they voted in order to avert a government shutdown.

“It sets a terrible precedent,” noted the International Business Times. “Though it will only remain in effect for six months until the government finds another way to fund its operations, the message it sends is that corporations can get around consumer safety protections if they get Congress on their side. Furthermore, it sets a precedent that suggests that court challenges are a privilege, not a right.”

Pairing Vitamin K2, Calcium & Vitamin D - A Winning Combo

Debunking the myth that calcium and vitamin D are all you need for bone health is one challenge, but helping people better understand that a nutrient as specific as Vitamin K2 can strengthen bone requires even more explanation.

New research reveals Vitamin K2’s potential to strengthen bone, and its promise – along with other essential nutrients - to potentially change the course of osteoporosis therapy.

Vitamin K, when taken at levels of more than 109 mg daily, is associated with improved bone density. Vitamin K may also reduce fracture rates -even in people with already low bone density already.

There are different types of vitamin K, but vitamin K2 is the type that’s most important for bone health.

A recent groundbreaking study, funded by the NIH, pinpoints two joined proteins- osteocalcin and osteopontin  - as essential for bone strength because they hold calcium crystals together. If these proteins can be strengthened, then it stands to reason that it could lead to overall strengthening of the bone.

So, what does all of this have to do with Vitamin K2? Well, That’s exactly what vitamin K2 does! Vitamin K2 activates these proteins and makes them stronger. The activated proteins increase the bond between bone and calcium, making the bone tougher. Equally important, the supply of these proteins is increased by vitamin D.

The new attention on Vitamin K2 and the understanding that bone health requires much more than calcium and vitamin D, is confirmed by the study’s advisor, Deepak Vashishth, head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute who said:
"Currently, all of the advice for treating osteoporosis is related to calcium. We believe there’s more to the story than just calcium, and the results of this new study raise an important question about vitamin K."

Diet alone doesn’t usually provide enough vitamin K2 for bone health. Leafy green vegetables like broccoli, spinach, and parsley are great dietary sources of vitamin K, but less than half the American population consumes enough for bone health, and vitamin K2 is the specific type that benefits bone most. 

For many years, Vitamin K’s function was restricted to blood homeostasis regulation. Then, research linked Vitamin K2 to two crucial health benefits: bone health and cardiovascular health. Now there is even more science-supported research which show that Vitamin K2 can ease muscle cramping and increase the body’s utilization of oxygen. 



There’s only one form of Vitamin K that delivers all these benefits at their best. MenaquinGold^® Vitamin K2 is the most bio-available, bio-active, and longest-lasting form of Vitamin K.

Green Tea Extracts + Vitamin D Boost Bone Health

Green tea polyphenols combined with a form of vitamin D called alfacalcidol could boost bone structure and strength, according to a new study in mice.
The mixture may reverse damage to bones caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced chronic inflammation, which could in turn reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Chronic inflammation causes bone loss through oxidative stress and excessive production of pro-inflammatory molecules.

According to NutraIngredients:

"The researchers reported that both extracted green tea polyphenols and alfacalcidol supplementations reversed LPS-induced changes in bone structure, whilst a combination of both was shown to sustain bone micro-architecture and strength."

Green tea polyphenols and vitamin D have been found to not only boost bone structure and strength, but also potentially reverse damage caused by chronic inflammation. Such damage can lead to bone loss over time and may increase your risk of osteoporosis.

Vitamin D and Green Tea: A Winning Combo for Bone Health?

Vitamin D is a well-known factor in bone health, as children who are deficient can develop rickets, a disorder that can lead to weakened bones, fractures and skeletal deformities. But even beyond childhood, vitamin D, or "the sunshine vitamin," is clearly associated with stronger bones and prevention of osteopenia, osteoporosis and osteomalacia.

Green tea is a relative newcomer in the bone-health arena, but previous studies have also found that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a component of green tea, blocks the activity of two molecules, IL-6 and cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2), which play a role in breaking down bone.

Why You Should Make Sure Your Vitamin D Levels are Optimized This Winter

Bone health is only one of many reasons why you need to make sure your vitamin D levels are in the optimal range. Vitamin D is actually a "prohormone," which your body produces from cholesterol. Because it is a prohormone, vitamin D influences your entire body -- receptors thatnbs respond to the vitamin have been found in almost every type of human cell, from your brain to your bones.

So what modern science has now realized is that vitamin D does more than just aid in the absorption of calcium and bone formation, it is also involved in multiple repair and maintenance functions, touches thousands of different genes, regulates your immune system, and much, much more.

Just one example of an important gene that vitamin D up-regulates is your ability to fight infections, as well as chronic inflammation as the study above also found. It produces over 200 antimicrobial peptides, the most important of which is cathelicidin, a naturally occurring broad-spectrum antibiotic.

This is one of the explanations for why it's so effective against colds and influenza.
In addition, since vitamin D also modulates (balances) your immune response, it can prevent an overreaction in the form of inflammation, which can lead to a variety of autoimmune disorders, such as Crohn's disease for example.

In recent years vitamin D has really emerged as a star of the "vitamin" world. For example, there are currently over 800 studies showing vitamin D's effectiveness against cancer. Optimizing your vitamin D levels can literally cut your risk of several cancers by 50 percent! Further, middle aged and elderly people with high levels of vitamin D could reduce their chances of developing heart disease or diabetes by 43 percent.

How to Optimize Your Vitamin D

New studies show that about 85 percent of the U.S. population is vitamin D deficient if one uses the new optimal blood levels of vitamin D as the criteria. This is primarily related to the recent appreciation that your levels of vitamin D should be MUCH higher than previously thought.

The OPTIMAL value of vitamin D that you're looking for has recently been raised to 50-70 ng/ml, with even higher recommended levels required for more serious disease prevention.

The ONLY way to determine what your levels are and how much vitamin D you might need is by testing your blood level of vitamin D.
If your levels are low, you can use safe sunlight exposure, a safe tanning bed, oral vitamin D3 supplementation or a combination of them to get your levels optimized.

More Reasons to Drink Green Tea …

Just as vitamin D has many more benefits beyond bone health, green tea also exhibits its own set of impressive benefits. Previous studies indicate that EGCG in green tea may be helpful in preventing and/or treating:

• Dementia
• High blood lipid
• Arteriosclerosis
• Cerebral thrombus
• Pain and inflammation related to rheumatoid arthritis
• Prostate cancer

It may also offer protection against heart disease, and may help protect fatty livers after a liver transplant. Green tea may even have fat-burning properties, which are related to a class of polyphenols called catechins -- naturally occurring antioxidants that have a number of physiological and pharmacological properties.
There is a misconception that it takes pot upon pot of green tea to add up to any significant benefits. In reality, much of the research on green tea has been based on about three cups daily.

My advice?
If you enjoy green tea, add a few cups to your day as an overall healthy addition to your diet. My personal favorite is Matcha green tea; it has a wonderful flavor and superior nutrient content as it has not been damaged through processing. The best Matcha green tea comes from Japan and is steamed, rather than roasted or pan-fried. As a result, Matcha green tea retains all the nutrient-rich value possible from the tea leaf. I also enjoy Tulsi iced tea on occasion, lightly sweetened with stevia.

10 More Tips for Bone Health

Vitamin D and green tea are both healthy additions to your lifestyle, but they are not the only factors you need to address for bone health.
If you want to maintain or increase your bone strength, here are the top steps you should take:

• Increase your consumption of vegetables and eat them based on your body's unique nutritional type. If you find it difficult to eat the recommended amount of vegetables you need daily, you can also try vegetable juicing.
  
  Eating high quality, organic, bio dynamic, locally grown food will naturally increase your bone density and decrease your risk of developing osteoporosis.
  
• Avoid processed foods. If you eat a diet full of processed foods, it will produce biochemical and metabolic conditions in your body that will decrease your bone density, so avoiding processed foods is a first step in the right direction.
• Consume a healthy balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fats, and especially reduce or eliminate the amount of processed vegetable oils such as corn, canola, safflower, and soy that you consume.
  
  Most everyone needs to take a high quality, animal-based omega 3 fat. I recommend krill oil, as I believe it’s a superior source of omega 3’s.
  
• Avoid gluten, a grain protein that has been shown to decrease bone density. Gluten is found in wheat, barley, rye, oats and spelt.
• Avoid soda and sugar, which increase bone damage by depleting your bones of calcium.
• Avoid steroids, especially if you have asthma or any other autoimmune disease. Steroids increase your risk for osteoporosis.
• Consider supplementing with vitamin K2 if you are not getting enough from food alone. Vitamin K2 serves as the biological "glue" that helps plug the calcium into your bone matrix. The dose is about 185 mcg per day.
  
  Fermented foods, such as natto, typically have the highest concentration of vitamin K found in the human diet and can provide several milligrams of vitamin K2 on a daily basis.
  
• Optimize your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D builds your bone density, in part, by helping your body absorb calcium.
• Exercise. Studies show that exercise is just as important to your bone health as eating a calcium-rich diet. Strength-building exercises like weight training are especially helpful here.
• Consider natural progesterone, which can increase your bone strength. It does this by serving as a growth promoter for the osteoblasts (the cells that build bone). For more on progesterone, please review Complications Regarding Progesterone Cream.

Will Better Sleep Help You Avoid Extra Pounds?

 By Denise Mann 

Could lack of sleep be causing you to gain weight?

Think about it: If you’re feeling sleepy at work, you may be tempted to reach for a cup of coffee (or several cups) and a doughnut for a quick shot of energy. Later you may skip the gym and pick up takeout on your way home to your family -- no time to cook. When you finally find yourself back in your bed, you are too wound up to sleep.

It’s a vicious cycle, and eventually this sleep deprivation can sabotage your waistline and your health. It starts out innocently enough. “When you have sleep deprivation and are running on low energy, you automatically go for a bag of potato chips or other comfort foods,” says Susan Zafarlotfi, PhD, clinical director of the Institute for Sleep and Wake Disorders at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. The immediate result? You may be able to fight off sleepiness. The ultimate result? Unwanted pounds as poor food choices coupled with lack of exercise set the stage for obesity and further sleep loss.

“Sleep debt is like credit card debt,” Zafarlotfi says. “If you keep accumulating credit card debt, you will pay high interest rates or your account will be shut down until you pay it all off. If you accumulate too much sleep debt, your body will crash.”

Not getting enough sleep is common -- even talked about with pride -- in the U.S.  “We brag about an all-nighter, but we do pay a price for staying up late and getting up early,” says Mark Mahowald, MD, director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center in Hennepin County.

Understanding the Sleep-Diet Connection

 

The sleep-diet connection is regular fodder for diet books and magazine articles. Maybe you have even heard about the sleep diet, which suggests you can lose weight while you catch your ZZZs. And it’s true, sort of.
 
“It’s not so much that if you sleep, you will lose weight, but if you are sleep-deprived, meaning that you are not getting enough minutes of sleep or good quality sleep, your metabolism will not function properly,” explains Michael Breus, PhD, author of Beauty Sleepand the clinical director of the sleep division for Arrowhead Health in Glendale, Ariz.
On average, we need about 7.5 hours of quality sleep per night, he says. “If you are getting this already, another half hour will not help you lose 10 pounds, but if you are a five-hour sleeper and start to sleep for seven hours a night, you will start dropping weight.”
Exactly how lack of sleep affects our ability to lose weight has a lot to do with our nightly hormones, explains Breus.

The two hormones that are key in this process are ghrelin and leptin. “Ghrelin is the ‘go’ hormone that tells you when to eat, and when you are sleep-deprived, you have more ghrelin,” Breus says. “Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating, and when you are sleep deprived, you have less leptin.” More ghrelin plus less leptin equals weight gain.
“You are eating more, plus your metabolism is slower when you are sleep-deprived,” Breus says.


So What Can You Do About Sleep Deprivation?


A lot, says Breus. First, look at how much you sleep vs. how well you sleep. “Some people such as new moms may only get to sleep for a four-hour stretch. And there are some people who get 7.5 hours of sleep that is poor quality because of pain or an underlying sleep disorder, and this has the same effect  as if they got less sleep,” he says.
Trouble-shoot both with improved sleep hygiene, he says.

For starters, avoid any caffeine in the afternoon because it will keep you in the lighter stages of sleep -- which are associated with poor sleep -- at night. Breus recommends only decaf from 2 p.m. on. Exercise also helps improve sleep quality.  How soon before bed should you exercise? It depends -- everyone is different. It’s more important that you exercise than it is when you exercise.  Breus says to be safe, don’t exercise right before going to bed. “But some people exercise better before bed and it doesn’t affect their sleep,” he says.

Watch what you eat before bedtime. “Pizza and beer before bedtime is not a good idea,” says Breus. “Neither is eating a big meal close to bedtime.” He suggests eating a few healthy snacks and then having a light meal -- like a bowl of cereal -- if you’re running close to bedtime. Heavy, rich meals before bed can also increase risk of heartburn, which will certainly keep you up all night.

What if you are getting enough hours of sleep but wake up and feel sleepy the next day? “Talk to your doctor about seeing a sleep specialist,” Breus says. After conducting a thorough evaluation and sleep study, in which you are monitored while sleeping, the sleep specialist can help identify any underlying problem. Together you can develop a treatment plan so that you get more high-quality sleep -- and maybe even slim down.

8 Healthy Fats to Add to Your Salad

Maximize nutrition and stay full longer with these salad add-ons.

Recently, researchers from Purdue University released a study
that showed why fat is an essential part of any salad.
They argued that low and no fat salad dressings made the vitamins 
and nutrients in greens and veggies less available to the body.
That’s because carotenoids - a class of nutrient that includes
lutein, lycopene, beta-carotene and zeaxanthin—is fat soluble and
can’t be absorbed by the body unless it’s delivered with some fat
as well.

But that doesn’t mean you should pull out the ranch and blue
cheese dressing just yet. Researchers discovered that certain
types of fats were more efficient at drawing out the nutrients,
meaning that a salad didn’t have to become a high-fat affair.

“You can absorb significant amounts of carotenoids with saturated
or polyunsaturated fats at low levels, but you would see more
carotenoid absorption as you increase the amounts of those fats
on a salad,” said lead researcher Mario Ferruzzi, an associate
professor of food science at Purdue, in a statement. The secret?
Using monounsaturated fats, which aided nutrient absorption, even
in a small portion size of three grams.

We covered the study here and readers weighed in about their
favorite salad fats in the comments. Using those and a host of
other options culled from the USDA database, we’ve compiled a
list of great fats to include in your next salad to maximize
vitamin absorption without overstepping your daily allowance:

1. Avocado

An avocado has 30 grams of unsaturated fat, and while estimates vary, about 16 of those are monounsaturated. That means that you need just one-quarter of one fruit—to get optimal lycopene, beta-carotene and other antioxidant absorption.

2. Olive Oil

Just a third of a teaspoon will yield 3.3 grams of monounsaturated fats and, along with it, polyphenols and vitamin E.

3. Olives

Though they pack a salty wallop with 400 milligrams of sodium per 10 olives, that same serving offers 3.5 grams of monounsaturated fat.

4. Cashews

Half an ounce, or about nine cashews, yields 4 grams of monounsaturated fats, as well as a healthy dose of magnesium and phosphorous, which are essential to good bone health. The nut also includes tryptophan, which can help regulate sleep cycles and is thought to enhance mood. Not bad for a salad topper!

5. Fresh Cheeses

A third of a cup of whole-milk ricotta includes 3 grams of monounsaturated fats, according to a USDA database. For less fat per volume, try half a cup of part-skim ricotta or two ounces of whole-milk mozzarella.

6. Tahini

One tablespoon of tahini contains 3 grams of monounsaturated fat, along with a healthy serving of magnesium.

7. Chopped Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia nuts are so rich in monounsaturated fat that you'd need only a fifth of an ounce—or about two nuts—to reach 3 grams of monounsaturated fats.

8. Other Oils

One third of a tablespoon of canola oil, half a tablespoon of peanut oil, and just over a tablespoon of sunflower oil all contain about 3 grams of monounsaturated fat. 

Put Down the Pepsi -- This is why!

Quit Smoking NOW!

The Amazing Benefits of Coconut Oil

Grapes - Vitamins & A Cancer Fighter!

Grapes come in different colors and varieties, but have some common health benefits. These health benefits include the ablity to treat constipation, indigestion, kidney disorders, and some eye diseases. 

 Grapes are rich sources of vitamins A, C, B6 and folic acid and many essential minerals like potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and selenium. 

Grapes contain flavonoids that are very powerful antioxidants, which can reduce the damage caused by free radicals and therefore is one of anti-aging fruits. Also the Resveratrol in grape skin is a famous cancer fighter. These are some great reasons to add grapes to your diet...maybe even some vino!

Raisins And 7 Other Foods That Could Naturally Lower Your Blood Pressure

Raisins for Blood Pressure!

That’s right, not only a delicious treat, but a study at the Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research Center found that eating raisins in place of other snacks can drop your numbers for both systolic and diastolic. The study was done on people who are pre-hypertensive, meaning that their numbers are a little higher than normal.



When you choose raisins for a snack, do so carefully, some brands are laden with sugar, you want the ones that the ingredient list says dried grapes, nothing else. Raisins are high in fiber, potassium, and antioxidants, any of which can be responsible for the drop, are a combination, further studies will need to be done, but the initial outlook is good.



Some other foods that can help with blood pressure are bananas, watermelon, chili peppers, chocolate, tofu, purple potatoes, and kiwi. Avoid highly processed and sodium filled foods.



The study included 46 men and women with pre-hypertension and lasted 12 weeks with 3 snacks a day, either the raisins or something else, the ones eating pre-packaged snacks had no significant changes. It just may be a delicious and easy way to keep your numbers down!

5 Healthy New Year's Resolutions for Men

New Year's Resolution No. 1: Get Fit

When men want to get fit, they tend to aim for weight loss in the stomach area and muscular definition in the biceps, chest, and abdominal, says Cedric Bryant, PhD, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise.

To achieve these goals, men do little cardiovascular exercise, and a lot of resistance training -- a strategy that Bryant says is not ideal.

"Men need to participate in a balanced exercise program where they are involved in strength training that is for all the major muscle groups. They need to participate in some aerobic exercise, because that's going to help them to expend energy and burn calories," says Bryant, who also notes that good nutrition is crucial to fitness success. "You need the whole package if you want to get optimal results."

For instance, a man who performs many abdominal exercises may become frustrated because he is not able to obtain the "washboard abs" he desires. He may well have beautiful, washboard abs, but a layer of fat may be hiding them.
"Until you lose body weight and body fat overall, people aren't going to see the fruits of your labor," says Bryant. He says there's no such thing as spot reducing -- targeting certain areas of the body for fat and weight loss. When people lose weight, it usually comes off all over the body.

To get rid of the flab and pounds, Jean Bonhomme, MD, MPH, suggests choosing an enjoyable physical activity, even if it is not a traditional workout.

The idea is to move the body, doing anything from running, hiking, walking, or martial arts.
With any new or renewed activity, it is important to start slowly, gradually raising intensity. Starting out at a level that is too aggressive could cause pain, injury, and a sense of dejection.

New Year's Resolution No. 2: Watch What You Eat

 

Meat and potatoes have somehow been associated with manly men. "For some men, it's a macho thing to eat a lot of red meat," says Bonhomme. "We're supposed to be the hunters, and we bring home the deer and the elk."

There is certainly nothing wrong with a juicy piece of steak, but overindulgence can be a problem, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "Diets that promote large amounts of protein and fat, like the low-carb diets, are really not the way to go. Men have a tendency to do that more," she says.

Low-carbohydrate and high-protein diets limit intake of particular grains, rice, potatoes, pastas, fruits, and starchy vegetables. They sometimes encourage meat and fat consumption to promote weight loss.

Studies show low-carb diets do help people lose weight in the short term. After a year, however, researchers found no difference in weight loss between the low-carb diet and the standard low-calorie diet.

Experts are still waiting for long-term data on low-carb diets. Critics fear the diets will have negative effects on the heart, particularly since fatty foods have been shown to raise risk of heart disease. Many of the restricted foods on the low-carb diet, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, have also been shown to prevent cancer, and lower risk of heart disease.
To lose weight, Taub-Dix recommends a well-balanced diet, with emphasis on whole grains, fruits and vegetables. She says three servings of low-fat dairy can also be beneficial. Besides improving bone health, some studies show calcium may make it easier to shed pounds.

Instead of a beefsteak, try tuna or salmon steaks. A turkey burger could replace a beef burger. There are also vegetarian meat substitutes.
If this does not sound appetizing, try mixing healthy items into the meals you normally eat. For instance, a beef dish could be mixed in with tofu. "So you can get some of what you want, but not enough to hurt you," says Bonhomme.

New Year's Resolution No. 3: Go to the Doctor

 

Do you have a twisted ankle, back pain, blood in the urine, an enlarged mole, or unexplained sadness lasting more than a couple of weeks? These are all good reasons to see a physician. Yet plenty of men simply don't do it.

Men make 130 million fewer visits to the doctor than women do, and that's not including childbirth visits, says Armin Brott, author of Father for Life. He says men tend to discount pain and see themselves as indestructible, especially at younger ages. He says this general thinking stems from ideas promoted in childhood -- that big boys need to be tough and they don't cry. As men grow up, they are raised to think of themselves as providers and protectors.

"We're supposed to be taking care of our families, and we just don't have time to take care of ourselves," says Brott, noting a great percentage of the time men go to the doctor because their wife sent them. By the time they go, however, their condition could have progressed to more troublesome stages.

Promise yourself that if something doesn't feel right, you'll go to the doctor, Brott tells men.
Besides treating ailments, a medical practitioner can screen for potential problems, and keep a record of normal fitness levels. Health exams can give doctors a baseline for things like blood pressure, and cholesterol. If a man does not go to the doctor, it becomes harder for physicians to determine the severity of a problem.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends the following screening tests for men:

• Cholesterol Checks. Have your cholesterol screened at least every five years, starting at age 35. Have it done at age 20 if you smoke, have diabetes, or have a family history of heart disease.
• Blood Pressure. Have it checked at least every two years.
• Colorectal Cancer Tests. Begin testing at age 50.
• Diabetes. Have a test done if you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
• Depression. Talk to your doctor if you've felt sad for two weeks straight, and have had little interest in normally pleasurable activities.
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Ask your doctor whether you should be screened.
• Prostate Cancer Screening. Talk to your doctor about the risk and benefits of performing the prostate-specific antigen test, or the digital rectal exam.

Brott says it's also a good idea for men to give themselves a regular visual exam, taking inventory of how they feel and look.

New Year's Resolution No. 4: Quit Smoking

 

Giving the nicotine habit the boot is one of the most popular resolutions for both men and women. It is a difficult task, and for some people, success does not come until after multiple tries.
Experts say the best way to deal with the problem is to get help. "You get no extra points for being macho," says Brott.

There are a number of resources for support. You may visit your primary care doctor and/or join a smoking cessation program in person, online, or by phone. You may consider medication, or nicotine replacements such as patches, gums, sprays, inhalers, and lozenges. Or you may contact groups such as the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, and the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health for help.

Robert Stenander, corporate services clinician for the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, recommends face-to-face support groups. The personal interaction, he says, can help raise accountability, and can provide vital social connections.
"You can describe and talk about what your issues are with regard to your smoking cessation, and you've got other people who may be able to give you some hints and suggestions as to what they've encountered," says Stenander.

A relapse is a real possibility, but it's important to look forward and avoid negative thinking. "Don't give up," says Stenander. "Don't get yourself in a defeatist attitude that you can't do something. Let's talk about what you can do."

If one smoking cessation method doesn't work for you, try another one. You may also consider different support groups as some may work better than others.

Don't forget that you can also enlist the support of family and friends. Many former smokers have found loved ones as a vital source of encouragement.

New Year's Resolution No. 5: Ease Stress

 

Got stress? Who doesn't? Men have their lion's share partly because society hasn't given them the freedom to process pressures that well, says Bonhomme. "A lot of times men will hold things inside ... they won't talk about them."

The pent-up negative feelings can cause feelings of anger and hopelessness, promote destructive behavior, or manifest themselves in physical ailments. Research shows stress can have adverse effects on the cardiovascular, nervous, immune, and digestive systems.
Bonhomme suggests exercise as a "masculine" way of relieving tension: "If you've had a stressful day and you work out, you burn off stress hormones."

It also helps to identify what is causing the stress, and try to deal with the issue, says Brott. Sometimes, he says this may mean talking to your girlfriend, wife, or a minister.
If none of these methods work, talk with your doctor, or a psychologist.

 Ready Set Go!

Should Organic Foods Have Synthetic Vitamins?

Should synthetic vitamins and minerals be added to organic foods? Organic producers say yes, fearing their products would otherwise be unable to compete with fortified foods; but some consumers strongly disagree.

The Agriculture Department’s Agricultural Marketing Service is preparing to renew rules allowing the addition of certain synthetics to organic food. It’s accepting public comments at regulations.gov through Dec. 26.

The rules state that only nutrients the Food and Drug Administration has declared essential for health can be added to organic products. Those include vitamins A, C, D, E, iron, iodine, magnesium, zinc and many others. Any nutrient that isn’t “essential” would require special approval.

So far, 24 commenters, including many companies that make organic products, have weighed in to support continuing to allow the addition of synthetic nutrients. Only six – all of whom are consumers – want them out. 

Gwendolyn Wyard of the Organic Trade Association says her group favors “the rational and safe addition of nutrients to foods in order to preserve a balance of nutrients in the consumer diet. We also support the maximum freedom of choice for organic consumers, and believe that organic products should be nutritionally equal to their conventional counterparts.”

Sean Taylor of the International Association of Color Manufacturers argues that the rules strike a good balance between the need for certain nutrients and the concerns of organic shoppers. “These ingredients are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and thus are deemed safe without environmental concerns. They have also been evaluated previously by the National Organic Standards Board. The National Organic Program has deemed them appropriate for use in “organic” and “made with organic” products," he writes.
"If any of these substances were disallowed," he adds, "the quality, number and types of 'organic' and 'made with organic' products available could decrease.”

But opponents like Patrick Winters accuse the agency of putting industry profits ahead of consumer interests. “For the sake of maintaining integrity and consumer confidence in the term 'Organic' no synthetics of any type should be allowed in the content,” he states. “To add vitamins and minerals to fortify an organic product seems to breach the spirit of organic in favor of expanding corporate markets.”

And Alan Greene, who runs the children’s health website DrGreene.com, argues for a middle ground: Allow synthetic nutrients, but label foods accordingly. He cites the example of vitamin D: “It's very well-tolerated by most people, but I'm not aware - yet - of a commercially viable way to make it organically.”

Since many people don’t get enough vitamin D, Greene argues, it should be added to organic milk – but the label should say Organic Milk (plus Vitamin D) rather than Organic Vitamin D Milk, for consumers who might want to seek an alternative without the added nutrient.

Do you think synthetic nutrients belong in organic foods? Share your comment with the Agricultural Marketing Service at regulations.gov - and be sure to copy it into the Comments section below this story, too, so Healthy Holistic readers can see what you think!