Corrolation Between Mediterranean Diet and Cancer

By pinky, 17 January, 2010, 1 Comment

We recently had a family member pass away from colon cancer. Although I’m not entirely sure how long this had been going on, I was told she had suffered abdominal pains for 6 months  and had been unable to eat.

I also learned she a made numerous trips to her doctor and had tests performed, only to have the doctor tell her to take tylenol for her pain. I sure doesn’t sound very promising when tests don’t reveal anything, or should I say I find that very hard to believe.

Anyway, I found these articles about the corrolation between the Mediterranean diet and cancer that I wanted to share.

Use Your Diet To Fight Cancer | Cure Pages

Most cancer is caused by lightning. It strikes out of the blue. But cancer doesn’t just happen by chance. It has a cause. Diet is one of the environmental.

foodconsumer.org – Mediterranean Diet Prevents Stomach Cancer

Saturday Jan 16, 2010 (foodconsumer.org) — A new study published on Dec 9 in the online journal American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has associated use of Mediterranean diet with a lower risk of stomach or gastric cancer. …

More articles about the Mediterranean diet

Great book about the Mediterranean diet

Click Here!

Hives Relief

By pinky, 14 January, 2010, 1 Comment
Allergic urticaria on the arm
Image via Wikipedia

Hives, also known as urticaria, are raised white or yellow welts surrounded by an area of red inflammation. It is an allergic (skin) reaction, causing the body to release histamine into the effected tissues resulting in extreme itching.

The size of the welt itself varies, with the larger ones sometimes joining together in places to form an irregular rash. The more you scratch, the bigger the welts become. They usually appear on the limbs and trunk, but can appear anywhere.

Acute urticaria develops rapidly and usually lasts for just a few hours.  It can sometime make you fell feverish, faint and occasionally nauseous. Chronic urticaria can persist for a long period of time. I had chronic urticaria years ago when I was in college.

Common Triggers

Drugs such as aspirin and penicillin, food additives, food sensitivity such as milk eggs, shellfish and nuts, environmental factors such as exposure to cold, heat or sunlight, stress, anxiety, bites and stings are common triggers.

Vitamin C

During the time I had chronic urticaria, I did some research and found that supplementing my diet with vitamin C would help. All fruits and vegetables contain some amount of vitamin C. Foods that tend to be the highest sources of vitamin C include green peppers, citrus fruits and juices, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, turnip greens and other leafy greens, sweet and white potatoes, cantaloupe and spinach. Vitamin C helps promote a healthy immune system and releases antihistamines. Green tea is also reported to have an antihistamine effect.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 has been reported to reduce the severity of acute hives as well as to reduce the frequency and severity of outbreaks in chronic cases. Vitamin B12 is found in  fortified foods, and some fermented foods. Some sources of B12 are eggs, meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and foods made from soy.  Salmon and low-fat milk are particularly good sources.

If you suffer from food allergies, it’s important to keep a detailed food diary.  Note what you ate when you have hives breakouts, as it may be just a simple matter of eliminating a food or several foods from your diet in order to avoid suffering from hives.

Looking for a homeopathic solution to hives? Try OxyHives

Hives Relief related articles

Natural Skin Hives Treatment

A cool shower or a cold bath in baking soda can provide relief. In some cases, spots with a little ‘calamine lotion or milk of magnesia to the hive were reported that to reduce the swelling and the itch to disappear. …

Calming Stress Related Hives – Life123

Sufferers of stress related hives often want relief, both from the discomfort of their rashes and from the stress that prompted the skin conditions in the first place. Learn how to calm both your skin and your nerves.

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Share Your Thoughts On Alkaline Diet

By pinky, 13 January, 2010, No Comment

I’ve been covering the pH Miracle Diet, also known as the alkaline diet for some time now. Have you considered switching to an alkaline diet or are you a raw foodist? Share your thoughts, experiences and ideas in the comment section below.

I’d love to hear what you have to say.

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In The News – Alkaline Diets

By pinky, 13 January, 2010, 1 Comment

Alkaline diets is a hot topic these days. I’m hoping doctors will one day acknowledge the benefits of alkaline diets and start educating their patients about the direct corrolation between bad eating habits and how they impact our health. In the meantime, I found some articles that may be of interest to you.

7 Ways to Make Alkaline Diet Benefit You

The premise of an alkaline diet is that the nutrients found in supplements, alkalizing foods, and water can bring the body back to balance. These vitamins, minerals, and herbs infuse the body with new energy, vitality, and better health …

Alkaline Diet Questions With Gareth (5)

As I get older I’m finding I’m feeling that acidic tummy and am looking into trying to go the 70/30% alkaline diet. Spirulina has always been a favourite energy drink. If it’s alkaline (do you know?) what would you suggest one mixes it …

Home Remedies For A Toothache

By pinky, 13 January, 2010, No Comment

I found this  informative article about cloves called What is a natural rememdy for a toothache? Although I briefly mention cloves in my article below, the author of this article provides some good information about cloves.

Cloves

Cloves can be found in the spice rack and are often used in apple dishes, but they are also one of the best known home remedies for a toothache.

To relieve the pain of mild toothache, chew two cloves on the affected tooth. If chewing is too painful, you can use oil of cloves. Mix 3 drops oil of cloves with a quarter teaspoon of olive oil. Soak a cotton ball or gauze pad in this mixture and rub it over the painful tooth and gum. Then keep it against the affected tooth by biting down on it. You should feel better within 10 minutes or less.  I prefer using the oil of cloves since I’m not too fond of the taste when you chew on cloves. It’s very strong, but if that doesn’t bother you, it’ll work faster than the oil.

Salt

Salt can be a very effective remedy for toothache as well as any gum infection or sore in the mouth, especially where bacteria are at the root of the problem. Ever wonder why dentists tell you to rinse with salt water after having work done on your gums? It has a soothing effect, as well as the ability to draw out bacteria so the gums heal faster.

Dissolve one teaspoon of salt in a small glass of lukewarm (body temperature) water. Take a sip and swirl it around the mouth, working it through the gaps between the teeth where possible. Do not swallow. Just spit it out and then take another sip and repeat.

By the time you finish the glass your pain should be much less. If it comes back later, just repeat. Even if you stay pain free, it is a good idea to do this after every meal for a few days. It will help clear any bacteria that might be forming around food particles in the mouth and prevent the problem from recurring.

If you have salt crystals, then alternatively you can take one or two and press them against the painful place with your tongue until they dissolve.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic that can be used to relieve the agony of toothache in much the same way as oil of cloves. Alternatively, add a few drops to a small glass of water and swirl around the mouth before spitting out.

Ice

Ice can numb pain and reduce swelling in the mouth as well as on joint sprains and strains. Either hold an ice cube against the painful tooth in the mouth, or make an ice pack from ice wrapped in a cloth or a pack of frozen food and hold it against your cheek where you have pain.

If you use frozen food as an ice pack, you should throw it away when you are done. It will have partially thawed and it is not safe to refreeze and eat.

Lower The Head

Increase blood flow to the head by putting your head between your knees, as if you were feeling faint. Combined with other methods this will strengthen the body’s ability to fight the infection.

See your dentist or doctor if home remedies for a toothache do not resolve your problem.

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Home Remedies For Hangovers

By pinky, 12 January, 2010, No Comment
Summit Beer In Killian's Glass
Image by DavidErickson via Flickr

That one last drink seemed like a great idea last night, but now you have to face the computer screen to search for home remedies for hangovers, you may be regretting it just a little bit!

The good news is you don’t have to look any further. We have all the information you need!

Stop Your Hangover In Its Tracks

The answer is to drink – but not alcohol! Alcoholic drinks actually use up your body’s water stores, causing dehydration. This in turn causes some hangover symptoms, so drinking water is a good start.

Be careful because it is possible to drink too much water too fast. Large quantities of water can strip electrolytes from the body so it is better to try to replace these as well, or keep to around a half liter of water per hour. From personal experience, drinking water too fast caused me to throw up, so take it easy, don’t gulp.

Sports drinks are one of the best ways to get you feeling human again. They will boost your blood sugar, rehydrate you and provide the vital electrolytes (potassium, sodium etc) that you will have lost through the kidneys while you were drinking and overnight.

If you prefer not to have the refined sugar and additives that are in sports drinks, have plain water and eat bananas for potassium and fructose. Or make a banana smoothie by putting a couple of bananas in the blender with a little water or milk.

If you do not have bananas and cannot face going to the store right now, use apples or other sweet fruit (not citrus) or even plain honey dissolved in water. Honey contains electrolytes too. The less refined your honey is, the better.

My all time favorite is Yakult. This priobiotic in a small container soothes the stomach so you feel better almost instantly. I’ve never tried yogurt, but it should have the same effect as Yakult.

Feverfew is a well known herbal remedy for headaches and can be taken in place of aspirin or other chemical painkillers. Raw persimmon and raw cabbage are also said to help with headaches. Aspirin can damage the lining of the stomach so it is not the best solution for a sensitive morning-after digestive system.

Exercise will help your circulatory system to detoxify. Take a brisk half hour walk as soon as you are able.

Next Time Around

Here are a few things that you can do before you go drinking to prevent the same thing happening next time around.

Drink water to prevent dehydration. The best rule is to have one glass of water between each alcoholic drink, but failing that, drink a couple of large glasses of water before you go to sleep.

Buy some Bifidus powder. This is friendly bacteria that detoxifies acetaldehyde, a byproduct of alcohol that is a major cause of hangover symptoms. One teaspoon in a large glass of water drunk before going to sleep should mean that you wake up hangover-free.

Foods high in unsaturated fats can reduce the effects of alcohol. American Indian lore says that 6 raw almonds eaten before drinking will stop you from getting drunk. African tradition recommends peanut butter. Evening primrose oil is another option, especially for women who can benefit from taking it anyway. Take any of these before you start drinking to avoid having to search for home remedies for hangovers after your next night out!

Hangover related article
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Principles Of The Rawfood Diet

By pinky, 11 January, 2010, 3 Comments

The rawfood diet has been taken up by millions of people, including several celebrities, who are seeking the weight loss or health benefits that following a raw regime is said to bring. Some people switch to raw permanently as a way of life, others go raw temporarily to lose weight or give their bodies a break while they fight disease. Either way, if you are considering going raw yourself, you need to know something about the rawfood diet.

Enzymes Present In Living Foods

Foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit contain enzymes which are the life force of the food. The enzymes will die at high temperatures, like any living thing. This is why raw food is often called living food. Advocates of the raw diet point out that before the use of fire for cooking, we would always have eaten raw foods and this is what our bodies are designed for. They consider that we need these enzymes to be truly healthy and help our bodies to heal.

While it is true that these enzymes are destroyed in the process of digestion, it may be that they can be absorbed in their living form in the mouth during chewing and in the upper stomach before they reach the digestive acids in the intestines.

In dried foods, the enzymes are often deactivated by growth inhibitors which puts foods such as seeds and grains into hibernation until conditions are wet enough for the plant to germinate or sprout. For this reason, even if you plan to eat these foods without sprouting them, it is a good idea to soak all seeds, beans, grains etc before consuming them, to reactivate the enzymes. Throw out the soaking water because this will contain the discarded growth inhibitors.

Is Cooked Food Poisonous?

Some advocates of the rawfood diet talk as if cooked foods were poisonous. Although this is probably an exaggeration, research has shown that some toxins are produced in certain types of cooking. For example, some oils and other fats will produce trans fats when heated above certain temperatures. Burned and even browned fatty food such as barbecued or fried meats has been shown to contain substances which are harmful to the body. And heating sugars together with proteins or fats (cakes, cookies, candy etc) is believed to produce glycotoxins. There are also many unnatural substances and additives in most processed foods. So if you do eat cooked food, it is better to prepare plain and simple boiled, steamed and stewed dishes from fresh ingredients.

What If I Cannot Be 100% Raw?

More and more people are adopting raw as their only food source these days but you do not necessarily have to buy into the 100% raw philosophy in order to benefit from eating more rawfood. Just increasing the amount of rawfood in your diet can have an extraordinary effect on your health and wellbeing even if you still have some cooked food too.

So if you do not want to go all the way, consider replacing two meals a day with raw foods. You could have a large fruit based smoothie with some leafy greens added for breakfast, and a large green salad with avocado and sunflower seeds for lunch. Or try grated carrot or celery root with pumpkin seeds. There are many delicious dishes you can make as part of your rawfood diet.

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The pH Miracle Diet as a Cleansing Diet

By pinky, 10 January, 2010, No Comment

One of the most important principles in the pH miracle diet is to cleanse your body of the acidic materials that are built up. The ph miracle diet is a cleansing diet. It not only cleanses the body but cleanses the tissues and organs as well. This cleansing is almost like setting the “restart” button on your body. Any conditions you developed from improper diet and lifestyle will start to dissipate. Cleansing diets like the pH miracle diet will help give your body the nutritional support it needs to function at an optimum level.

How a cleansing diet works

In order to understand what a cleansing diet is you need to understand how the body cleanses itself. The body rids itself of harmful elements through the colon, skin, lungs and bladder. The liver, kidneys and lymphatic system all assist with this cleansing. The liver is the organ in the body that is primarily responsible for body detoxification. When the liver is not functioning properly it can’t change toxins like alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, pesticides, drugs, antibiotics and additives into waste matter. If your liver doesn’t work, you’re poisoning yourself. The liver can become stressed through improper digestion (eating processed foods), yeast overgrowth, parasites, dehydration and inadequate water intake.

Your Liver

YouTube Preview Image

Copyright Infringement Not Intended. This video is for entertainment purposes only.

Cleansing your liver is the best thing you can do for your health and for the restoration of proper pH to your body. When you undergo a program, like the pH miracle diet that cleanses the liver, it normally requires the liver to work harder than it has before. You must add live enzymes to the diet rather than drawing them from the liver. The live enzymes will alkalize the body and restore your proper pH. You can accomplish this by incorporating organic vegetables into your diet. The proper alkalizing vegetables in the pH miracle diet supports the liver and help restore it’s natural function.

Once the liver is functioning at proper performance it can begin to do its job of eliminating waste. It will support the other detoxifying organs and perform more effectively in doing its own job.

The Cleansing Diet

The pH miracle diet qualifies as a cleansing diet because it performs a cleansing function of the liver and the rest of your body. The diet is made of mostly raw foods, simple proteins (beans and legumes), alternative whole grains and plenty of fresh and pure water. Cleansing diets include, at minimum, five servings of vegetables per day. In most cases, people eat twice that when they are on the pH miracle diet. This is accomplished with through fresh vegetable juices. There are four to five servings of vegetables in just two cups of juiced vegetables.

Small Meals

Eating small and frequent meals is also an important part of the cleansing function of the pH miracle diet. The small meals will keep calorie intake up and give you the opportunity to add more vegetables to your day. Although raw vegetables should be favored, lightly steamed veggies are also beneficial. Plant based proteins like beans, soy and nuts should also be included at each small meal for energy and balance.

The Effects

The effects of the pH miracle cleansing diet depend entirely on your previous level of health. If you’ve had a diet that consisted of meats, processed foods and other acid forming choices then the cleansing effects may be very difficult at first. Your body will have to adjust to living off of natural elements instead of chemical ones. However your efforts are well worth it. You will be learning the most natural way to eat and teaching your body to live to eat instead of eat to live. Remember that learning to eat in this manner and adopting a cleansing diet will be a process of healing, and not an overnight occurrence. As you take on the principles of the pH miracle diet, you will begin to change your health for the better.

Benefits of Soy Protein

By pinky, 6 January, 2010, 8 Comments
Soybean plants.
Image via Wikipedia

Soy protein is emerging as one of the great alternative protein sources for human consumption. Health experts are all excited about how soy protein can change the face of nutrition. So what’s all the rage?

Soy Protein

Soy beans contain complete protein. It’s one of the best protein that is easily digested among all protein sources. Soy beans also contain little or no fat and have virtually no cholesterol. If you’re lactose intolerant, soy beans are great because they contain no lactose.

Being a plant protein, soy is free from steroids and antibiotics that animal protein contains. It is also free from the parasites that contaminate some of these products. They also contain none of the diseases you can contract from meat sources such as Mad Cow Disease, and Foot and Mouth Disease.

Vegetarians love this bean since it provides a comparable – if not better – source of protein compared to its animal counterpart. It provides a protein that is better and easier to digest and is comparable to most protein supplements.

Versatility

Soy beans are very versatile. Various cuisines, especially Asian ones recognize the value of  soy beans. A variety of naturally delicacies are all soy based: tofu, soy pudding, Soya milk, and meat substitutes – not to mention condiments such as soy sauce, and hoi sin sauce.

The Great Substitute

Soy is low in fat and can be used to substitute most protein sources. When cooking, you can use soy substitutes instead of flour for a low fat alternative. This makes it a great protein source if you are looking to lose weight without compromising your protein requirements.

Although  bodybuilders are currently debating how soy can be a help to bodybuilders, it doesn’t take away anything from what soy can contribute to the overall health of a person.

It’s better to stick to natural protein rather than processed protein if possible, as processed foods typically have some risk attached to them. The best use of this food can be attributed to how it perfectly fits into anyone’s low-fat, high-protein diet.

Soy products can be incorporated into shakes and drinks. And being lactose-free, lactose intolerant people will still be able to get their milkshake fix without experiencing the side effects of lactose.

Soy products are also a great source of other nutrients such as saponins, isoflavones, and phytosterol. Saponins help support a healthy immune system. It also combines with cholesterol to avoid increased absorption of cholesterol in the body. Phytosterols also help reduce the absorption of cholesterol in the body in the same way saponins do.

Isoflavones are powerful antioxidants and prevent the effects of free radicals in the body. They prevent many of the signs of aging and have been known to help prevent cancer. This alone makes soy a miracle protein source in its own right.

Isoflavones, along with vitamins A,C, and E are among the front liners in the fight against such disease – they also counter the effects of pollution, and stress.

How Much is Too Much

Unlike other protein sources, it is pretty safe to consume a fair amount of soy products. While allergies to soy products exist, cases are few and far between. When changing to a soy diet, however, you should consult your physician or your nutritionist. Ask specifically if the soy interferes with any prescription drugs you are taking.

Soy Bean related article
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Benefits of Tea

By pinky, 5 January, 2010, 7 Comments

Tea provides us with a lot of health benefits. For one, tea contains antioxidants which prevent or slow down the oxidative damage to our body. This simply means lowering the risk of suffering from various diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Tea also happens to be much healthier than coffee because in terms of caffeine content, you only get about 30 to 40mg per cup compared to coffee which has about 135 mg. of caffeine.

Another benefit of drinking tea is its ability to strengthen your immune system.  No one yet knows  the cause of the common cold but it still happens. If you drink tea regularly, your immune system will be strong enough to prevent you from getting this contagious infection.  I should know since I am an avid tea drinker. I consume herbal teas as well as black, green, and rooibos teas. I haven’t had a cold nor the flu for as long as I can remember.

Although water is the best thing to drink whenever you feel dehydrated, studies show that tea can provide the same thing as well. This is because tea is a diuretic making you urinate regularly so there is a balance between what goes in and out of your body.

No Calories

Tea doesn’t have any calories unlike those found in energy drinks. This is because it does not contain any sugar. The only time that you will be ingesting calories is when you decide to add sweetener or milk with this drink .

Increases Metabolism

Overweight people can benefit from drinking tea because drinking tea regularly increases your metabolism. In short, you burn faster what you eat making it possible for you to burn at least 70 to 80 calories per day. At that rate, you can lose almost 8 pounds after one year.

Type of Teas

But what kind of tea should you drink? Well there are too many to mention so let’s just stick with two namely black and green tea. Both come from the same plant but what sets these two apart is how these are processed. The leaves for making green tea are dried for a shorter period of time compared to the other one. Black tea also goes through a fermenting process before this is packed and sold in the market.

The best part about making this your regular health drink is that you can serve this hot or cold. This allows you to have it any time of the day or night so all you need is some water, a cup or a tall glass.

You can buy tea in the grocery and in some specialty stores. Remember, all teas contain the same amount of flavonoids. What tea will be your favorite depends from what tree it comes from and which of these is suitable to your taste. You could say that this depends on the person similar to what choice of coffee you order when you decide to go to Starbucks.

Tea has been around for many years and its success all this time is because it is a health drink. You should try one today and then see if you like it. Who knows? You might even be addicted to it and never again coffee.

Tea Related Article
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