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The Importance of a Proper Acid Alkaline Balance in Your Body

Robert Ross
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The Importance of a Proper Acid Alkaline Balance in Your Body

When you want to transition to a healthier alkaline diet, it is critical to know which foods are alkaline and which are acidic so that you can make the right choices about what you put into your body for a healthy acid alkaline balance.

But what’s important about you acid alkaline balance is not just what happens when you test you foods with a pH strip, but what happens inside your body after you eat them … whether they’re “acid-forming” or “alkaline-forming.” In other words, what happens in your body after you eat or drink something … and that isn’t always obvious to most people!

For example, many people think all citrus fruits are acidic. In fact, when you test them with a pH strip … but once you eat them, they are actually alkaline-forming in your body. There are two components in your food that determine this, the mineral content and the sugar content. Take vegetables for example. They are mostly alkaline because the majority of them are high in minerals and low in sugar. Sugar is always high in acid foods. But just because a food is classified as “acidic” doesn’t necessarily mean that is is acidic for your body. Many fruits are low in sugar content and so are actually alkaline forming.

You see, when you consume sugar in any form it ferments in your digestive system just like beer and wine, turning into acid and alcohol which then clogs up your digestive system. Sugar also feeds bacteria and makes it harder for you to fight infections. Bacteria, viruses, molds, fungus and parasites thrive in an acidic environment but have a hard time surviving in an alkaline environment.

What about fruit juice?acid alkaline balance

Though fruits are alkaline-forming, keep in mind that juicing fruits dramatically increases the fructose … and that can be acid-forming and cause problems. Also, fruit sugar is not metabolized by your pancreas like glucose, it’s metabolized by your liver just like alcohol. This produces many of the same problems as chronic alcoholism, from chronic mineral depletion and hardening of the arteries to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, arthritis and much more.

The big problem today is that all the big companies making commercial food products use some form of fructose in their junk food. They have different names on the labels just to confuse you. All day long you are probably consuming fructose in various forms without knowing it! Many things have added fructose that you would never expect because they  never  needed any extra sweetness top begin with — like ketchup, for example. Does ketchup need added sugar? These ruthless companies actually promote fructose as an alternative for diabetics – but that doesn’t actually make it a healthy choice for diabetics!

Food companies do all this because fructose doesn’t spike your blood glucose levels. In a standard blood test like a CBC (complete blood count), fructose doesn’t even show up. Breath tests are the best for various sugars including fructose. When was the  last time your doctor gave you a breath test?

If you want something sweet, just eat a piece of whole fruit. Even the organic snack bars you see in supermarkets now are loaded with all kinds of sugars. So today, after decades of all this, most people are addicted to everything tasting sweeter than it really needs to. Also, your body has probably adapted to an emergency form of cellular metabolism that relies more on sugar since that is all you have been eating for decades.

A Poor Acid Alkaline Balance can Lead to Many Health Problems.

Tumors, bacteria and virus’s thrive in an acidic environment. Also, your body neutralizes acid-forming foods is by leaching calcium and magnesium from your bones leading to osteoporosis. Energy production in your cells is reduced in an acidic environment causing fatigue. Acidic blood is thicker, slower moving and less effective at taking nutrients and oxygen to your cells … and in removing toxins. And it can lead to many other problems as well.

acid alkaline balanceInstead, here are a few alternatives — though eliminating your need for sweet things is really the best long term strategy. For raw food recipes try using raw honey or dates (yes, honey is not strictly vegan). For cooked dishes try organic maple syrup. For an occasional desert use dehydrated cane sugar juice or maple sugar in moderation. Freshly made apple juice or orange juice can also provide plenty of sweetness – but remember, juicing sweet fruits is also a form of processing that concentrates sugars so should be used in moderation. If you must use agave, look for traditional raw, organic agave, though its very hard to find these days. Most agave products these days are extremely high in fructose.

Here is the bottom line — ultimately all added sweeteners are bad for you and acidic-forming just like cooked food. You see, processing is actually form of cooking! Healthy raw, live food actually taste wonderful naturally once you get used to the natural taste of real food. When you artificially alter the way food tastes, you confuse your instinctive ability to know intuitively what’s good for you — and what’s not.

With a raw, live food diet, after a period of cleansing and healing at the cellular level, your natural ability to taste real food begins to return. That’s when live, fresh foods begin to taste wonderful without any enhancement or artificial additives. After that, if you have a craving its no longer your addictions calling — it’s your body actually asking for something it really needs nutritionally. Then your body naturally returns to a healthy acid alkaline balance!

The Raw Food Answer – No Processing, No Labels, No Lies

When you eat fresh, organic raw food it doesn’t come with fine print on the label that can be distorted and twisted by corporate greed. Every single new sweetener introduced into the market was invented to do just one thing – make profits for a corporation. Since the FDA doesn’t enforce food-labeling laws, you cannot be sure that what you’re eating is what is on the label, so please don’t eat that junk! And reduce Your Consumption of ALL processed and artificial sweeteners, including fructose.

Also Read:
https://rawfoodlife.com/alkaline-minerals-reduce-risk-of-disease/

We are Winning — Latest Non-GMO Victory by Jeffrey Smith

Robert Ross
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We are Winning — Latest Non-GMO Victory by Jeffrey Smith

Check out the latest video from non-GMO advocate Jeffrey Smith. This short video is under 5 min., but it celebrates the fact that We the People are winning by rejecting genetically engineered foods (GMOs). When you learn how GMOs and Monsanto’s Roundup are linked to all the chronic “diseases of civilization” that plague our culture, I guarantee that you will want to change your diet to organic and non-GMO foods, too.

You may remember Jeffrey’s earlier film, Genetic Roulette—The Gamble of Our Lives, which exposed the awful health consequences of genetically engineered foods (GMOs) and motivated so many to start a non-GMO diet.

Thousands of physicians have seen their own patients recover from numerous conditions when they just that consuming toxic GMOs and pesticides like Roundup (glyphosate) – recently shown to be in virtually everyone’s blood now, despite the fact that Monsanto promised it could never happen since glyphosate is supposed to be biodegradable. NOT!

iStock_000003556658XcropGMOs are still the biggest threat to our environment and your health in human history. It’s a bigger, more dangerous threat than even Global Warming or Fukushima! To be a strong and healthy human being, we must have access to healthy non-GMO and organic foods.

Even conventional non-GMO foods are an improvement over GMOs which not only threaten to put organic farms out of business, but actually do that every time they contaminate organic with genetic drift – GMOs that float through the air contaminating nearby fields. Of course, Monsanto says that doesn’t happen. WRONG!

Jeffrey SmithThe leading consumer advocate for non-GMO choices, Jeffrey M. Smith, is the author of the world’s best selling books on the dangers of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Jeffrey exposes how biotech companies mislead consumers, legislators and safety officials to put everyone’s health in peril. Jeffrey founded the Institute for Responsible Technology in 2003.

by Jeffrey Smith, December, 2017
Founder, The Institute for Responsible Technology

Previous Video by Jeffrey Smith
GMO Food Allergies & Gluten Sensitivity

Also read:

Non-GMO — The Front Line in the Battle to Save Your Food

Superfoods as a Stepping Stone Forward

Matthew Monarch
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Superfoods as a Stepping Stone Forward
By Matthew Monarch, August, 2017, Proprietor, theRawFoodWorld.com

Much has been said about superfoods since the term became prevalent in the health food industry. A lot of articles and reports about them tend to fixate the public on that term.  But here I’ll mostly be focused how superfoods can be used to begin, maintain and accelerate a healthy lifestyle.

48517381 - green superfoodsThe term “superfoods” itself doesn’t actually have any specific requirements. It simply refers to whole foods with a higher nutrient density. Kale is a superfood that gets a lot of attention and with good reason. Compared to Iceberg Lettuce, there’s 5 times more protein and folate in kale. Also, you’ll get 8 times the calcium and 29 times the Vitamin K.

The greater nutritional profile in this one powerful example shows the immense potential in shifting your diet towards superfoods. A “superfood” can be anything from veggies we hated as kids to exotic fruits from far corners of the Earth.

Transitioning to a diet with superfoods comes with challenges.

Superfoods can be a big help with the nutritional aspects of your diet. Switching to plant-based, raw food diet can feel like there’s something missing when you’re coming from a diet of processed animal foods. The feeling of “fullness” has multiple factors. An unhealthy meal lacking nutrients can still leave you  satisfied because it gives you a dose of sedation which can be habit forming.

Transitioning from less physically dense foods towards more water, vitamin and mineral rich foods can avoid these pitfalls by incorporating the highest quality plant food possible. Transitioning from the Standard American Diet is a delicate time, so overstepping or not utilizing the available tools can make it more of a struggle than it needs to be. Superfoods are an essential tool for this process.

Beginning doesn’t have to be an all or nothing setup like becoming 100% vegan overnight. Simply start by making little improvements in your diet and lifestyle. These will begin to snowball over time as the body adapts to the new foods and begins to crave them. Bringing in new foods while letting others go is the way to truly move forward. Switching out a bun or a wrap for a salad is a huge improvement even if the meal is still centered around animal protein. By not only removing the processed starches and gluten but adding in the raw plants you’ve made digestion abundantly easier, improved your nourishment and made immense progress in the right direction. The same can be said for mashing up some guacamole instead of buying a container or dip from the store. Having chia pudding instead of cereal. The list goes on and on. With health foods stores in cities and online continuing to grow, diverse organic superfoods are more accessible than ever before, for which I’m incredibly grateful because they were a huge help in beginning and maintaining my improved diet.

As things balance out after removing the foods from the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.), we get used to making meals in new ways. It eventually becomes our new comfort level which opens up the door to more innovative and purposeful ways of incorporating superfoods into our eating habits. When I’m on the go or camping fresh and dried superfoods are incredibly helpful since I may not be able to make a salad, juice or really do much prep so having food that you don’t need to each much of to get a lot from is ideal.

33260231 - superfoodsSome superfoods are only available widely in the form of a dried powder made from the whole plant, such as maca, spirulina or camu, so adding them to smoothies, desserts or just eating them are all great delivery methods. Since these powders may be uncommon and pricey, the question often comes up of “Are they necessary?” The short answer is no, they are not — the way juicing is not really “necessary.”

Modern tools like juicing and dried powders offer such powerful doses of nutrition that utilizing them is like giving your body a gift. A teaspoon of camu powder has up to 2 times the daily requirement of vitamin C. Taking that during winter is truly using it as preventative medicine against the common cold and flu that get passed around. So they may cost more than typical groceries but they are a powerful tool in keeping our bodies strong and our minds sharp.

Rotating Your Diet with Superfoods

One of the keys to utilizing superfoods is using a diverse rotation of foods. Kale may be the best of the leafy greens but if you eat salad regularly it’s always good to use various greens to get a broad spectrum of nutrients. By doing this over long periods of time there’s a compounding effect when or bodies and or minds get incrementally better as they get cleaner and consistently well nourished. As this happens our senses heighten and things can have a greater impact on us. We get a stronger feeling of the effects from what we take in and we continue to use these foods as tools. However, now it’s also possible to accelerate things. Having a variety of superfood powders, potions, and tablets around can begin to have a modern day medicine man feel to it.

Adding something uplifting like raw chocolate or maca to your breakfast when you know you have a long day ahead is a spectacular alternative to energy drinks or junk food and with a cleaner system the benefits of the superfoods are felt more clearly. The morning before a physically demanding day I’ll often add a few chunks of fresh turmeric root to my juice to have it’s anti-inflammatory components in my system ahead of time. Dosage is also crucial. Sure, turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory but adding 1/2 tsp. to a curry dish won’t cure severe pains or even produce noticeable effects because of the small amount used.

Most of the time we don’t feel the effects of the superfoods we consume because that’s essentially what wellness is — the absence of discomfort. We put smaller, balanced amounts of food in our recipes and get all our bases covered, more or less. So just like with any medicine, keep in mind dosage when taking a superfood with a desired result in mind.

As we detox we get to know our bodies better than ever — that’s always our more accurate compass. Go by what you feel. Over time, new superfoods will continue to resonate and become an important part of your diet. But at the same time the damaging foods must be eliminated for true healing to happen. A particular superfood may be high in the component needed to heal a specific disease but if the cause of that disease isn’t stopped then adding the superfood won’t be fully effective. Superfoods are helpful but they are not the cure.

Superfoods demonstrate the beautiful, delicious and healing powers of nature coupled with an understanding and accessibility made possible by modern technology. Superfoods are what fed our ancestors and they will continue to aid us into the future.

Also Read:

Nature Wins Again: Coconut Water vs. Sports Drinks!

 

Discover the Joys of Growing Your Own Wheatgrass

Robert Ross
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Discover the Joys of Growing Your Own Wheatgrass

Drinking wheatgrass juice goes all the way back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia! Egyptians believed wheatgrass was a sacred plant and honored it for its many health benefits.

wheatgrass juiceIn the 1930s wheatgrass became a superfood when Dr. Charles Schnabel, the Father of Wheatgrass, compared it to other nutrient-dense vegetables like spinach and broccoli, though wheatgrass was superior. In the 1950s, raw-foods advocate Ann Wigmore began to make wheatgrass juice. Wigmore later started the Hippocrates Health Institute where she taught thousands about the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. Many people today attribute her long life to the many benefits of wheatgrass juice.

Wheatgrass Growing Basics

Wheatgrass juice is a popular superfood in many juice bars but it can be costly to buy an ounce or two at a time. Instead, you can easily grow it at home for just pennies a glass!

  1. First, soak hard winter wheat berries overnight (8 to 12 hours).
  2. Sprout the seeds in a jar for the next 16 to 24 hours, rinsing three times daily.
  3. When you can see a short “tail” then plant the seeds on top of the soil. You can use a potting mix with peat moss. Fill your 2″ deep growing trays with an inch of the soil. Water the trays and cover the seeds to keep them from drying for the first 3 days.
  4. During the first 3 days of growth water once a day in the mornings fully soaking the soil then just lightly mist your seed in the evenings.
  5. On day 4 uncover the grass and water heavily daily. Keep the grass in the shade with no direct sunlight.
  6. To prevent mold use a fan or air conditioner to keep temperature between 60-80°F.
  7. When you can see a little blade of grass start to split off its time to harvest. Typical growing times are from 7 to 12 days, depending on weather — using when the blades of grass splits as your guide. Don’t worry about how long it’s been or how tall it is.
  8. Harvest just once and store in the fridge for 7 to 10 days (longer in Green Bags).

You can build your own PVC growing stand to hold 7 trays at different stages of growth. Then as you harvest the one at the top you start another on the bottom and so on. Several kits are available if you prefer not to start from scratch. Use standard heavy duty 10″x20″ gardening trays you can find at your local garden center or online.

How to Make Wheatgrass Juice Part of Your Daily Routine

Wheatgrass juice is extremely potent. Drinking too much at one time can make you feel sick or nauseous, or even throw up. That called a “healing crisis.” You’ll be OK, but you can avoid all that just by taking it a bit slowly so you don’t detox too quickly.

  • Ease into your wheatgrass juicing starting with one ounce per day and slowly increase up to two ounces per day over several days.
  • Ideally, wheatgrass juice should be consumed on an empty stomach, but you can drink it with some other fruits and vegetables to mitigate the strong taste. But don’t drink wheatgrass juicer right after a meal or it may make you feel a bit nauseous.

Young children, pregnant women and the elderly should consult their doctors before adding wheatgrass juice to their diets.

Also Read:

DynamicGreens Flash-Frozen Wheatgrass is Better than Fresh!

What are the Benefits of a Raw Food Vegan Lifestyle

Robert Ross
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What are the Benefits of a Raw Food Vegan Lifestyle

Why Raw Food is Better than Cooked

Proponents of raw food benefits believe fresh, live food is much more nutritious than cooked. Cooking kills live enzymes in fresh food and destroys nutrients, creating toxic byproducts. So eating most of your food in its original raw, natural form is the most important part of a raw food lifestyle.

dreamstime_40202494Many people insist that we evolved eating cooked foods, but they’re just plain wrong! You see, early man started cooking about 350,000 years ago, but humanoids have been on the planet for 5 to 10 million years! The last 350,000 years were a drop in that bucket. What that means is that early humane ate plenty of fresh, raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains for millions of years before we even knew how to build fires.

Given that, it doesn’t make sense today to think we evolved to eat animals. That was a relatively recent adaptation for humans about 350,000 years ago when we learned to make fire. In fact, the average human back then died relatively young, around 25 years of age. About 43% of hunter-gatherer children never even reached their 15th birthday. Today, the child mortality rate in the United States is around 0.6%.

Living Longer isn’t the Only Measure of Our Health!

Today it’s more important to stay healthy into our 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond. Spending our elderly years hooked up to life-support machines and watching TV isn’t truly living. To enjoy a high quality of life as we get older we need to have a source of fuel for our cells that is both healthy and free from toxins that slowly build up in our bodies and eventually cause disease. Such toxins are mostly associated with eating processed foods and animal products for most of your life, though there are many diseases caused by everything from our air and water to our modern technology.

32941799 - healthy food vs junk foodMore than 90% of the food we eat today is processed, canned, and cooked. Such foods are usually denatured and chemically altered — regardless of how they may taste to you. So it’s no surprise we have an epidemic of chronic and degenerative disease — after all, you are what you eat. So many people now want to eat as much food as possible in it’s raw, unprocessed state, and usually or bio-dynamic and locally-grown foods.

Now, even if you jumped through hoops to find the best possible, organic foods, they are compromised the minute you cook them. Cooking kills most of the nutrition. For example, when you cook proteins the molecules tend to fuse together or coagulate and are then mostly unavailable to your body. So now you have to consume a lot more protein than you’d otherwise need just to get enough that survived cooking.

These indigestible proteins don’t just evaporate or disappears, they stay in your digestive tract where they putrefy (i.e., rot) and feed the bad, anaerobic bacteria in your gut. The by-products of these anaerobic processes are highly carcinogenic. This happens microscopically in all cooked/heated protein molecules whether or not you can actually see it.

The more that a food actually needs to be cooked to be edible, the more it can eventually compromise your health. When a food “needs” to be cooked that’s the first sign that it’s not something you should eat! However, lots of things we cook don’t really need cooking at all and are much more nutritious when raw!

Cooking Denatures Food Molecules Past the Point of Bioactivity

Some scientists tell you that cooking and digestion are chemically identical. This is a huge oversimplification. There are two ways to denature proteins — chemically with enzymes or by heat with cooking. However, when you heat food your body can no longer use the heat-damaged amino acids — they’ll never be living, healthy protein molecules again.

9855779 - human prion protein
A prion molecule (protein+infection)

You see, the function of a protein is determined by its shape, which is determined by its structure, i.e., the sequence of its amino acids. The sequence is determined by the sequence of nucleotides in its genes (DNA). The function of a protein is dependent on this structure. A prion (protein+infection) is a misshapen protein molecule that became infectious when it lost it’s normal shape. Though proteins normally fold or bend, they can get bent out of shape from cooking or processing and become infections that can even cause a fatal disease.

A number of things can disrupt the structure of a protein (called denaturing):

  • changes in pH (alters electrostatic interactions between charged amino acids)
  • changes in salt concentration (alters electrostatic interactions)
  • changes in temperature, usually from cooking or processing (higher temperatures reduce the strength of hydrogen bonds)
  • presence of reducing agents (breaking the S-S bonds between amino acids)

Several researchers have discovered that prion’s deadly misshapen form is determined by exposure to low, acidic pH environments. In a healthy neutral or alkaline environment (such as from a raw food lifestyle) these proteins are just fine and properly shaped. But in low pH, acidic conditions, the proteins get more and more distorted until at some point they permanently lose their proper shape and are become Prions.

Your Body Is Like an Alkaline Battery — It Runs on Electrons

Life-giving chemical reactions in your body can only happen when electrons or energy flows between atoms. Cooking or processing causes everything you eat to lose electrons – the actual source of the life energy your body is hungry for. Healthy raw foods contribute electrons to your body, so are called alkalizing. Cooked and processed foods “steal” electrons from your body so are called acidic or “oxidizing” (to burn up, rust or decay).

Because the pH scale is logarithmic even a fraction of a point can create huge changes in your body’s health. In fact, your body’s most important processes can only work within a very narrow pH range. For example, if the pH of your blood falls to the low end of its normal range (~7.35-7.45), a .10 difference, it could reduce the oxygen levels in your blood by as much as 300%!

Rather than force people to be totally raw, I usually recommend that most people eat a diet that’s 75% raw food. If you count your snacks as one meal, that leaves 25% for cooked foods. Your body is easily able to eliminate the toxins you get from just 25% of your food, which means you can enjoy some cooked foods and still be pretty healthy. Remember, the most important thing you can do is to enjoy your food — so be as raw as you can and don’t get overly stressed out about all this!

Raw Food Benefits

  • A  mostly raw food diet enhances you energy levels while preventing nutritional deficiencies & improving your digestion.
  • Fresh, live raw foods have been shown to significantly support weight loss and disease prevention — especially cardiovascular problems.
  • A raw vegan diet can increase HDL (good cholesterol) & decrease LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels.
  • A raw food vegan diet has been shown to favorably effect on fecal microflora, associated with a healthy immune system & a reduced risk  of cancer.

If you are suffering with arthritis, heart disease or any of the modern diseases associated with cooked foods, a raw food diet can significantly improve your total health and quality of life. All you have to do is know what are the best foods to eat raw … so here are some ideas to get you started.

The Eight Things You Should Always Eat Raw & Live!

Even though we often know which foods are good for us, we often ignore them for things we are used to — or even addicted to. They actually have the power top transform the way we feel and live if you just g ive them the chance. Stsrt with this list, incorporating these raw foods into your diet every day. Then, as your knowledge and understanding grows, your baby steps will turn into huge leaps! Of course, this is not a definitive list. There are many raw foods that can help transform your health and here’s but my top 7. Remember, these are always fresh, raw and organic. If you canb’t get organjic, at least get Non-GMO verified produce.

1. Fruits – There isn’t much research claiming that cooking has nay benefits for fruits. Eating berries, citrus fruits, melon and fruits their fresh, raw state is recommended for most people. Most people have been eating tons of glucose and fructose for decades, so they should probably take a break from too much fruits for awhile, until their diet stabilizes.

Regards tomatoes: just forget about cooking them! Cooking helps release more lycopene (an antioxidant) from tomatoes, but that only matters when you are eating a lot of cooked for. Raw foodists don’t need to worry as much about antioxidants — they’re in everything you eat raw!

2. Red peppers – You’ll get the highest amount of Vitamin C in the red variety of peppers, as well as several phytochemicals and carotenoids, particularly beta-carotene. The capsaicin in red peppers, which is what makes pepper “hot,” also supports weight loss, can speed up metabolism to reduce fat tissue and help tame your appetite

3. Onions – The high levels of allicin and quercetin in onions are known for their cancer-fighting and immune-boosting properties. Cooking, however, destroys these key nutrients and enzymes completely. I  like to add raw onions to all my salads, “raw” soups and gluten-free sandwiches.

4. Garlic – Also high in allicin, I toss onions into just about everything I eat raw. I often add a chopped clove or two in my salads with olive oil and lemon juice for a simple dressing.

5. Coconuts – I drink gallons of coconut water, eat plenty of coconut meat and use a ton of coconut oil every day. The meat of a coconut is high in protein, iron, folate, fiber, potassium and more. It also helps to restore oxidative tissue damage and contains a source of healthy fats, proteins, and several vitamins and minerals. The rich medium-chain fatty acids in coconuts actually helps with metabolism and fat loss. Coconuts are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-parasite, provides quick energy for physical and athletic performance, improves digestion and absorption of nutrients, protects the body from premature aging and degenerative disease,  reduces risk of heart disease and improves good cholesterol (HDL), supports thyroid function, prevents wrinkles, provides sun protection and much more.

6. Broccoli – When raw, provides your body with sulforaphane — an anti-cancer compound that is less available to your body when cooked. This is also true for other cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower or kale. Cruciferous vegetables are a good source of dietary fiber, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin E, manganese, phosphorus, choline, vitamin B1, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), potassium and copper. Broccoli is also a good source of vitamin B1, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, zinc, calcium, iron, niacin and selenium.

7. Nuts & seeds

Acting as a great source of healthy fats, protein, and other key vitamins and minerals, regular consumption of raw nuts and seeds will most certainly support positive health. Some of the best options include, but are not limited to:

  • Raw Macadamia Nuts – high amounts of manganese, vitamin B1, oleic acid (a healthy fatty acid) and magnesium.
  • Walnuts – just 1/4 cup give you 100% of your daily recommended intake of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids. Also, when consuming walnuts fresh from the shell, don’t remove the white, almost waxy skin. It contains up to 90 percent of the nut’s antioxidants.
  • Pumpkin seeds – High in zinc, known to promote healthy cell development and good for enhancing immune, thyroid and reproductive function.
  • Almonds, hemp seeds, pistachios and Brazil nuts – Consume organic whenever possible — especially pistachios (unsalted, of course). These nuts often go through a bleaching or blanching process to remove the natural staining and/or “skin” on the outside of the nut Blanching is done by putting the nuts in very hot water for about a minute (blanching) then cooling them rapidly — basically cooking the nut.Besides, the husk adds some flavor and is packed full of nutrients.

8. Fresh Sprouts – Also high in allicin, I toss onions into just about everything I eat raw. I often add a chopped clove or two in my salads with olive oil and lemon juice for a simple dressing.

 

Also Read:

Toxic Soup: How the Chemistry of Cooking is Making You Sick

 

Discover the Joys of Sprouting

Matthew Monarch
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Discover the Joys of Sprouting
By Matthew Monarch, October, 2017, Proprietor, theRawFoodWorld.com

Like a triumphant ant able to carry a rock thousands of times the weight of it’s own body, sprouts are some the most powerful plants on the planet. Sprouting is the process of germinating a seed. With proper airflow and regular rinsing a young shoot will protrude from the shell which begins to feed on the starch of the seed. This breaks down the seed making it easier on digestion. More importantly though, sprouting transitions the seed to a much more nutrient-dense stage in their lifespan.

“One pound of sprouts provides the combined nutritional advantage of thousands of baby plants.
Biologist tell us that in the first 5 – 10 days, young plants achieve their maximum nutrient density.
In other words they are more nutritious that at any point in their growth.”
— Sprouts: The Miracle Food, Steve Meyerrowitz, The Sproutman

17541807 - fresh alfalfa sproutsSprouts truly are a miracle because of their tremendous value to our health.  Also, large amounts of sprouts are easily attainable in any climate with a few simple tools. There is some variance depending on what you’re sprouting. Generally, just soak the seeds 6 – 8 hours or overnight. Then rinse and drain the sprouts 3 times a day. This is done easily using a sprouting jar or even a mason jar with a cheese cloth over across the top (held by a rubber band). After a final rinse, drain most of the water then place them upside down at a 45º angle so they continue draining while letting air in. Leave the jar out of direct sunlight until the last day. After just a few days you’ll have container of fresh, living and enzyme-rich living food that’s ready to eat.

Due to their high level of digestive enzymes, sprouts can be a helpful with many digestive issues. The many different seeds to sprout means there’s all kinds of flavors and a plethora of different nutrient profiles.

Some of the most powerful sprouts you can grow are radish seeds. Besides flax and chia, raw radish sprouts have a higher level of omega-3 fatty acids than any other plant food. They’re also high in omega-6s, vitamin C, B6 and B9. That’s just the tip of the iceberg with sprouts though.

We all know broccoli is good for us. Cruciferous vegetables are high on the list of cancer fighting foods. One of the reasons for this is because of their antioxidant content. Sprouted broccoli seeds can have up to 50 times the level of the antioxidant sulforaphane found in fully grown broccoli plants. It’s also exceptionally high in Vitamin A, C, E, K and selenium. All of this is combined with a myriad of other minerals, phytochemicals and other factors that help create sprouts’ ability to lower blood pressure and triglyceride levels —  contributing factors to heart disease when levels are too high.

Every type of sprout offers it’s own host of benefits for your body. So by rotating what you sprout you can get a well-rounded mix of the nourishment that sprouts offer.

58198499 - alfalfa, wheat, onions, sunflower sproutsAlong with their surprising level of nutrition, the rate at which sprouts can grow is astonishing as well. Your sprouting jar can be full of sprouts in a just a few days from just a couple of tablespoons of seeds. By starting a new batch every few days you’ll always have fresh sprouts on hand — at a fraction of what they’d cost in a store. You also get to control the quality of the water they’re grown in this way.

Sprouts are a versatile thing to keep on hand in the kitchen. They add a great texture to salad and toppings for all kinds of dishes. Sprouts will keep well for several days stored in the fridge. Unlike traditional gardening methods, there’s not much labor involved. This means it’s an easy project you can share with your family. It’s also a great way to stay connected to nature, especially in the winter months.  Also, because they grow so quickly, kids will enjoy the fruits of their labors without much delay.

Sprouts have a great taste but they’re not as strong as their fully grown counterparts which is another reason they can be excellent foods for kids to get used to. With just a small amount of raw sprouts, kids can get a lot of the nutrients they would get from eating a larger volume of vegetables which they may not be so quick to eat.

Sprouts are a miracle food!

Sprouts give you access to vibrant plant-based nutrition all year at a low cost. Growing the sprouts and enjoys all their flavors is great for both thew kids and their parents.  For some people, however, they play a more serious role. The high levels of enzymes in sprouts combined with their nutritional density makes them beneficial in preventing disease as well as a fantastic aid to people suffering from an extensive array of chronic ailments.

Ann Wigmore, pioneer in the raw & living foods movement for many decades, used sprouts along with wheatgrass juice, colon hydrotherapy and other holistic practices to help people suffering from chronic diseases heal themselves. Ann Wigmore founded the Hippocrates Health Institute (W. Palm Beach), the Optimum Health Institute (San Diego) and the Ann Wigmore Health Institute (Puerto Rico), where she proved time and time again the disease- fighting potential of living foods you can grow right at home!

Sprouts have the power of the mature plant condensed and contained within them, bursting at the seams with living energy — like an acorn ready to become a mighty oak tree. Growing sprouts is a deeply satisfying hobby, a gift to your body and an investment in your health.

Also Read:

Superfoods as a Stepping Stone Forward

Benefits of Truly Raw Organic Almonds & Where to Find Them

Robert Ross
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0
Benefits of Truly Raw Organic Almonds & Where to Find Them

It’s almost impossible to find raw organic almonds in America today. In fact, in order to sell almonds wholesale, virtually all growers are forced to pasteurize their nuts above 130°F. This damages the flavor and kills all the enzymes (enzymes die at 118°F). Though several raw food gurus claim to sell “raw” almonds on their websites that is not the whole truth.

Capay Hills Raw Organic Almonds
Click here to order directly from Capay Hills Organic Orchard!

You see, you can’t actually purchase raw organic almonds through retailer websites.  You can only buy raw organic almonds directly from the grower. TIP: Watch out for retailers that sell pasteurized almonds and call them “raw” because technically they’re not “roasted.” But they’re also not really raw! You see, almonds are pasteurized at over 130°F, and while this is a low temperature (roasting is over 350°F ), it’s still enough to kill the living enzymes and damage the nutrients. These nuts will never sprout – because they’re dead. To say a seed is raw, it must have live enzymes — you must be able to sprout it!

Since RawFoodLife.com doesn’t push retail sales, I get around this problem by letting you buy truly raw, organic, sproutable almonds directly from Brian Paddock at Capay Hills Organic Orchards. Just click the Buy Now button to go right to their website! I don’t get a mark up, though every now and then he may send me some of his almonds to say thanks.

When you buy directly from Brian, you are getting the very best almonds in the universe! And Brian insists on giving his customers the lowest price he can so he only sells directly to them. He refuses to sell at a “wholesale” price to other retailers. Which means that basically YOU are getting the wholesale price!

The Only Organic Certification Available for Almonds

The U.S. Department of Agriculture manages the National Organic Program (NOP) and authorizes certification. There are several organizations that offer certification. Capay Hills Orchards are certified organic by Yolo Certified Organic Agriculture (YCOA a USDA accredited certification agency). YCOA was created by local growers and consumers in Yolo County, California.

Terms like “beyond organic,” “no spray,” “pesticide free,”, and “grown organically” are NOT the same “certified organic.”  Only certified organic products are annually verified as being produced to NOP standards.

Truly organic farming takes a lot of serious effort and is financially intensive, but in the end it’s well worth it.

Always Soak & Sprout Your Raw Almonds

When you soak raw almonds for 12-24 hours, it activates the dormant enzymes, so they germinate and become a real living food. You’ll get all these amazing health benefits:

  1. Enzymes – Almonds are actually a seed not a nut. So soaking your almonds tells them it’s time to grow. This also tells them to turn off the enzyme inhibitors in nuts, which then increases the enzymes needed for plants to grow. Then you eat the almonds and get not just a lot of protein and other nutrients, but living enzymes that improve your digestion as well as many other bodily processes.
  2. Minerals & Vitamins – Growing plants need plenty of B vitamins and minerals – and so does your body!
  3. Carbohydrates – Seeds use carbohydrates for the energy they need to sprout.
  4. Reduced Oxalates – Oxalate-containing foods can be a health issue for people sensitive to oxalates or prone to developing kidney stones. Sprouting your raw almonds lets you enjoy them without any risk from the oxalates.
  5. Unlocks Amino acids – Certain nutrients, such as amino acids, become more bioavailable when you soak your  almonds.
  6. Improved Taste – Sprouted almonds taste more nutty than pasteurized or roasted  almonds.

Raw almonds need about 12 hours of soaking at room temperature to start sprouting (overnight is fine for most people). You don’t need to actually see the sprout poking out — just be sure to give your almonds 12 hours in the water.  Remember, “pasteurized” almonds that are often mis-labeled as raw will never actually sprout because they are “dead.”

fresh almond milk recipe

You can use your sprouted almonds to make raw, live almond milk and many other recipes. Raw, live almond milk is like throwing a party for your mouth! Once you try it you won’t every want to buy pasteurized almond milk in stores again.  I also like to dry my raw, soaked almonds in my dehydrator for a terrific snack. When you dry the almonds they last a lot longer than if you store them wet in the fridge. I also sprinkle the wet almonds with a little pink Himalayan salt before drying – even more delicious!

The Major Nutritional Benefits of Raw Organic Almonds

  1. Fills you up. Just one serving of raw almonds (one ounce or about 23 almonds) make a filling snack that can keep you going for hours. You get 160 calories, 6 grams of protein, 3.5 grams of fiber and 14 grams of healthy fats.
  2. Lower your cholesterol.  A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found almonds can reduce cholesterol levels as much as some statin drugs! Almonds are famously high in monounsaturated fat,  associated with heart health.
  3. Drastically reduce heart disease – The Nurses’ Health Study (one of the largest longitudinal health studies ever) estimate that replacing nuts for an equivalent amount of carbs cuts heart disease risk by 30%.  But even more impressive is substituting nuts like almonds for saturated fat (as in dairy and meat)–the disease risk goes down 45%!
  4. Maintain healthy blood pressure – The potassium to sodium ratio in raw almonds actually lowers your blood pressure by drawing more fluid out of the bloodstream and into your cells. Almonds have 162 mg of  and just .2 mg of sodium per serving.
  5. Prevent muscle spasms – The magnesium and potassium in almonds help maintain the blood and oxygen level in your muscles, helping to regulate electrical signals.  They also help blood vessels and muscles relax so they get more oxygen and nutrients that prevent cramping.
  6. Reduce risk of diabetes – Almonds can prevent surges in blood sugar while increasing antioxidants, important for preventing and controlling diabetes.
  7. Protect skin, organs & connective tissues – The high vitamin E in almonds keep organs like skin functioning well.  Almond oil is a highly-valued protectant and moisturizer for your skin, as well.
  8. Slow the aging process – The bioflavanoids in almonds work with Vitamin E to prevent cellular damage, helping your cells to cells regenerate.
  9. Provides cellular energy – Cellular energy needs trace minerals like the copper and manganese in almonds. B vitamins and vitamins C and E also help with your energy production. Sprouting raw organic almonds greatly multiplies all these nutrients.
  10. Helps weight loss – One study of overweight people on a low-calorie complex-carb diet compared to with people on a low-calorie, almond-rich diet showed that the almond-eaters had a 56% greater reduction in body fat and a 62% greater reduction in weight.
  11. Prevent gallstones – A study of nurses showed that women who ate 1 ounce of nuts per week lowered their risk of gallstones by 25%.
  12. Promotes healthy eating – In a year-long study, eating just 2 oz. of almonds daily also helped people prefer more nutrient-dense foods — and fewer high-sugar, low nutrient foods.
Selected References

  1. Delicia Beaty and Sharon Foutch. The Benefits of Soaking Nuts and Seeds.

  2. http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/the-benefits-of-soaking-nuts-and-seeds

  3. Federal Regulations. § 981.13 Handler. http://federal.eregulations.us/cfr/section/2011/11/28/7-cfr-981.13

  4. Federal Regulations. § 981.413 Roadside stand exemption. http://www.almondboard.com/Handlers/Documents/2009-Rules-Regs.pdf 

  5. Aqiyl Aniys. Benefits Of Soaking Almonds – Should I Soak Almonds? http://www.naturallifeenergy.com/should-i-soak-almonds-benefits-of-soaking-almonds/

  6. Andrea Cespedes. How to Eat Almonds to Lose Weight.
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/414307-how-to-eat-almonds-to-lose-weight/

  7. Michael Moss. Are Nuts a Weight-Loss Aid?
    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/18/dining/are-nuts-a-weight-loss-aid.html?_r=0

  8. Wellness Tips Blog. Pasteurized almonds update.
    http://blog.wellnesstips.ca/blog/?p=127

  9. Chen CY, Milbury PE, Lapsley K, Blumberg JB. Flavonoids from almond skins are bioavailable and act synergistically with vitamins C and E to enhance hamster and human LDL resistance to oxidation. J Nutr. 2005 Jun;135(6):1366-73. 2005.

  10. Jaceldo-Siegl K, Sabate J, Rajaram S, Fraser GE. Long-term almond supplementation without advice on food replacement induces favourable nutrient modifications to the habitual diets of free-living individuals. Br J Nutr. 2004 Sep;92(3):533-40. 2004.

  11. Tsai CJ, Leitzmann MF, Hu FB, Willett WC, Giovannucci EL. Frequent nut consumption and decreased risk of cholecystectomy in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Jul;80(1):76-81. 2004

  12. Wien MA, Sabate JM, Ikle DN, Cole SE, Kandeel FR. Almonds vs complex carbohydrates in a weight reduction program. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 Nov; 27 (11): 1365-72. 2003

  13. Bes-Rastrollo M, Sabate J, Gomez-Gracia E, Alonso A, Martinez JA, Martinez-Gonzalez MA. Nut consumption and weight gain in a Mediterranean cohort: The SUN study. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Jan;15(1):107-16. 2007

  14. Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Marchie A, Faulkner DA, Wong JM, et al. Direct comparison of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods with a statin in hypercholesterolemic participants. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Feb;81(2):380-7. 2005.

Click Here to Buy Now directly from Capay Hills Organic Orchard!

Also Read:

Farming with Integrity … Organically!

10 Foods That Pack A Wallop – Time Magazine

Robert Ross
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0
10 Foods That Pack A Wallop – Time Magazine

“Food, of course, is a necessary ingredient for good health. But is it more than that? Can eating the right foods in the right combination actually prevent disease? In the past few years, research on the subject has exploded. Scientists have started to identify what may be hundreds-even thousands-of natural chemicals in foods that seem to have preventive powers. They aren’t just vitamins and minerals but a whole new bouquet of strange-sounding compounds-starting with the latest nutritional superstars, the phytochemicals.

“In the pages that follow, we’ve used this research to prepare a shopping list of 10 foods that pack a nutritional punch. Used correctly, they may have the power to prevent all kinds of serious ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. You may never look at a tomato the same way again.

“A word of warning: you can find many of these compounds in dietary supplements, but they might not do any good. ‘Food is very complex,’ says JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. ‘It may be the combination of antioxidants, phytochemicals and fiber the work together to confer health benefits.’

“Fortunately nature has given us a handy rule of thumb. Many of the very chemicals that make foods good for us are the ones that give them color, turning blueberries blue, spinach green, and carrots deep orange. For optimum health, scientists say, eat a rainbow of colors. Your plate should look like a box of Crayolas.”

There are lots of great quotes from other articles too, including a great article on exercise and another one on overweight kids. This issue is extremely important for helping us to share the benefits of whole, live foods! Buy as many as you can afford from your local newsstand and send them to all your friends and family! They’ need it!

Food, of course, is a necessary ingredient for good health. But is it more than that? Can eating the right foods in the right combination actually prevent disease? In the past few years, research on the subject has exploded. Scientists have started to identify what may be hundreds–even thousands–of natural chemicals in foods that seem to have preventive powers. These aren’t just vitamins and minerals but a whole new bouquet of strange-sounding compounds–starting with the latest nutritional superstars, the phytochemicals.

In the pages that follow, we’ve used this research to prepare a shopping list of 10 foods that pack a nutritional punch. That clove of garlic in your refrigerator? That jar of nuts in your pantry? Used correctly, they may have the power to prevent all kinds of serious ailments, including heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. You may never look at a tomato the same way again. (Or, as it turns out, a potato.)

A word of warning: you can find many of these compounds in dietary supplements, but they might not do any good. “Food is very complex,” says JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “It may be the combination of antioxidants, phytochemicals and fiber that work together to confer health benefits.”

Fortunately, nature has given us a handy rule of thumb. Many of the very chemicals that make foods good for us are the ones that give them color, turning blueberries blue, spinach green and carrots deep orange. For optimum health, scientists say, eat a rainbow of colors. Your plate should look like a box of Crayolas.

Tomatoes

You can start by passing the ketchup. Several studies have linked the cooked tomatoes in ketchup, soups and sauces to a reduced risk of prostate cancer and other cancers of the digestive tract. Tomatoes contain lycopene, probably the most powerful antioxidant among the carotenoids, the compounds that turn fruits and veggies deep orange. It is so good at mopping up free radicals that Lycopene outperforms the best-known carotenoid of them all, beta-carotene. It is readily released from tomatoes by cooking and–good news for pizza lovers–it’s most easily absorbed when a small amount of oil is added. Like your tomatoes raw? That’s good too. They can be a valuable source of vitamin C.

Spinach

With his corncob pipe and his overdeveloped forearms, Popeye is hardly today’s poster child of fitness, but his legendary food preference still makes a lot of sense. Spinach is loaded with iron and folate, a B vitamin considered so important that it is now routinely added to flour. Folate not only prevents neural-tube defects in babies but also lowers blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that irritates blood vessels and is linked to heart disease. Just as impressive, spinach contains two phytochemicals, lutein and zeaxanthin, that seem to ward off macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. One cup of spinach contains just 41 calories and no fat, so you needn’t worry about any unsightly bulges in your forearms or anywhere else. Don’t like spinach? Try kale, Swiss chard or collard greens.

Red Wine

is it that the French can eat a diet rich in cheese and buttery sauces and still suffer less heart disease than Americans? The answer to the famous French paradox, say nutritionists, is French wine. The skins of the grapes used to make red wine contain supercharged antioxidants known as polyphenols, including one called resveratrol, which boosts HDL cholesterol (the good kind). Polyphenols, according to the latest research, may also inhibit the production of endothelin 1, a peptide that contributes to hardening of the arteries. But be careful. Wine may be great for the heart, but it’s been blamed for everything from cirrhosis of the liver to hemorrhagic stroke, fetal-alcohol syndrome and possibly breast cancer, so consumption should be limited to no more than several glasses a week.

Nuts

They’re loaded with fat and can be very salty, yet these filling little snack foods are nutritional powerhouses. That’s because the types of fat found in nuts–monounsaturated and polyunsaturated–are the good fats. When eaten instead of junk food high in saturated fats (like potato chips and doughnuts), nuts lower blood levels of triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol while raising HDL (good) cholesterol–a perfect formula for preventing heart disease. Many nuts, such as pecans and walnuts, also contain a phytochemical called ellagic acid. In preliminary laboratory studies, ellagic acid seemed to trigger a process known as apoptosis, in which cancer cells kill themselves. Nuts provide another benefit: they contain vitamin E, a potent antioxidant that may help ward off heart disease and cancer. The downside? At about 150 calories per ounce, they are a sure ticket to the fat farm. Eat them by the handful, not the bowlful.

Who cares if Dubya’s dad hated it? The fact is, broccoli is one mean green. It boasts a fistful of phytochemicals, including sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol, that may detoxify cancer-causing substances before they have a chance to cause harm. In women, indole-3-carbinol may turn the estrogen associated with breast cancer into a more benign form. A number of studies have linked regular consumption of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli to a reduced risk of breast, colon and stomach cancers. Broccoli is a rich source of beta-carotene, fiber and vitamin C (1 cup contains more C than an orange). The best way to unleash the nutrients is by cooking light and chewing hard. But if you simply can’t stand broccoli, try your luck with Brussels sprouts, cabbage and bok choy.

Oats

Sorry, Quaker, the fiber in oats and other cereals probably doesn’t prevent colon cancer. But there is still plenty to recommend in them. Raw in granola or cooked in porridge, oats consumed daily can help lower cholesterol. They contain beta-glucan, a spongy, soluble fiber that mops up the precursors of cholesterol in the intestines and whisks them out of the body. New evidence suggests that oats may also help lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Other benefits: the oat is one of the few grains that contain hard-to-find antioxidants, such as the vitamin E-like compounds called tocotrienols. Another plus is that the dietary fiber and protein in oats make you feel full fast. That should keep you away from more fattening foods and help control your weight.

Salmon that are free to roam the ocean enjoy a diet of fresh fish, which have eaten smaller fish, which in turn have eaten still smaller fish. At the bottom of that food chain are algae, the key to salmon’s health benefits. Algae boast a special kind of fat, known as omega-3 fatty acids, that seems to help the heart. Omega-3s prevent platelets in the blood from clumping together and sticking to arterial walls in the form of plaque. They also drive down triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol. Researchers suspect that omega-3s may block the production of inflammatory substances linked to autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Even more tantalizing, preliminary reports suggest that omega-3s interact with the fatty layers that surround brain cells and, as fishy as it sounds, may somehow help protect brain cells from the diseases of aging, like Alzheimer’s. Other sources of omega-3s: herring, mackerel and bluefish.

Garlic

Oh, that stinking rose! What makes garlic–and your breath–smell so bad is precisely what makes it so healthful. The odor factors are sulfur-based compounds known as allyl sulfides. Health gurus promote garlic as a cure-all, which it certainly is not, but many scientists agree that allyl sulfides and other phytochemicals in garlic may help protect the heart. Studies show that the sulfides can reduce cholesterol and may make the blood less sticky. Scientists are fairly confident that garlic also has antibacterial and antifungal powers. Preliminary reports even suggest that garlic may block the parasites that cause malaria. On perhaps less firm footing is the theory that allyl sulfides can stop tumor growth, a notion so far borne out only in the petri dish.

To release garlic’s potent compounds, you need to smash, mash or mince it. Cooking it for a long time or at a high heat may destroy its beneficial substances, however. Another caution: cooked or raw, garlic can irritate the lining of sensitive stomachs.

Green Tea

In Asian societies green tea is consumed in about the same quantities as coffee is in the West. Green tea is loaded with polyphenols, a class of phytochemicals with 100 times the antioxidant punch of vitamin C. Laboratory experiments suggest that one group of polyphenols in green tea called catechins may inhibit the growth of new blood vessels, which some scientists think may help prevent cancer by depriving early tumors of nourishment. (Catechins may also prevent DNA damage caused by carcinogens from occurring in the first place.) Indeed, population studies in China link drinking green tea daily with a lowered risk of stomach, esophageal and liver cancers. Studies from Japan show that consuming 10 cups a day may reduce the risk of heart disease. If that much tea seems hard to swallow, consider using it is a mouthwash; reports suggest that swishing green tea around the mouth may inhibit cavity-causing bacteria. Applied to the skin of laboratory mice, it also seems to reduce the incidence of skin cancer. What about black tea? Made from the same leaves as green, though processed differently, it may be equally effective, scientists suspect.

Blueberries

Pint for pint, these little blue jewels may contain more antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable. The most powerful health-promoting compounds in blueberries are anthocyanins, phytochemicals that belong to the flavonoid family. Besides combatting the free-radical damage linked to heart disease and cancer, anthocyanins may boost brainpower–at least in rats. When fed blueberry extract for nine weeks, elderly rats outperformed a control group at such tasks as navigating mazes and balancing on rotating logs. And when aging rats ate a blueberry-enriched diet for four months, they performed as well in memory tests as younger rats. Another blueberry benefit: like cranberries, they seem to fight off urinary-tract infections by preventing E. coli bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall.

And Now the Bad News: Potatoes

Potatoes are supposed to be one of the world’s greatest foods, filled with calcium, niacin, iron, vitamin C and plenty of carbohydrates. A diet of milk and potatoes, the textbooks say, will provide all the nutrients the human body needs. But there is trouble lurking beneath the skin. According to a controversial new theory, potatoes, eaten in large quantities by a population increasingly sedentary and overweight, may be a major contributor to America’s alarming rates of heart disease and diabetes.

The problem, according to Meir Stampfer, a nutrition professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, is potato starch. When you eat a potato and that starch hits the saliva in your mouth, its tightly bundled molecules immediately get turned into sugars, which make a beeline for the blood. “You ate a potato,” says Stampfer, “but your body is getting pure glucose.” The flood of blood sugar sets off a chain reaction. Insulin pours out of the pancreas. Triglycerides shoot up. HDL (good) cholesterol takes a dive. “It’s a perfect setup for heart disease and diabetes,” says Stampfer.

This is not just a potato problem. It’s also a problem with white bread, bagels and most white rice. But couch potatoes don’t have to give up their spuds altogether, as long as they eat them in moderation. Or they could switch to sweet potatoes and yams, which metabolize less rapidly and wreak less havoc with blood sugar.

TIME Magazine, January 21, 2002

Also Read:

A Diet Rich in Berries Protects Against Cancer, Heart Disease & Alzheimer’s!

Natural Relief – How CBD Helps Manage Pain

Robert Ross
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0
Natural Relief – How CBD Helps Manage Pain

23222745 - woman touching her backThat CBD helps manage pain is probably cannabis’ oldest acknowledged health benefit. The relief that people with terminal conditions can experience is the real power behind the demand for medical marijuana in many states, and is still one of the most powerful arguments for the therapeutic benefits of cannabis. The cannabinoid THC has been known as a powerful pain reliever for ages. However, the research on Cannabidiol’s (CBD) pain reduction abilities are only recently getting the headlines it deserves.  The health benefits of CBD have the potential to stop seizures for people patients with epilepsy, and are also valuable for managing pain.

How CBD Helps Reduce Pain

CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties. CBD can reduce inflammation in connective tissue and muscles, reducing pain levels, especially those from swelling. This makes Cannabidiol a perfect treatment for acute pain like sore muscles after a run. It can also be very effective for chronic joint pain like arthritis. The anti-inflammatory activity of CBD reduces swelling — the root cause of the pain. Topical treatments such as IrieCBD’s Pain Balm can provide relief quickly when applied directly to injured or swollen areas, though ingested full spectrum IrieCBD products  and tinctures can also be extremely helpful in healing inflamed tissues.

CBD is a neuro-protectant. That means it counteracts degeneration in the Central Nervous System. This makes CBD of particular interest to researchers looking for new treatments for degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Our bodies naturally make cannabinoids called Endocannabinoids, designed to protect brain cells and reduce central nervous system pain. CBD mimics you naturally occurring cannabinoids, alleviating pain from injuries and other central nervous system problems.

CBD’s anti-oxidant properties reduce damaging oxidation in the body from too many free radicals are present. Clinical research has shown that :

“consuming a diet rich in antioxidants can be helpful for relieving chronic pain. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and oxidative stress, which play a significant role in persistent pain conditions and have been linked to an increase in pain sensitivity (Tall, 2004).”

Superfoods like acai berries and kale are popular because they are amazing anti-oxidants. CBD is rich with anti-oxidants, and IrieCBD tinctures have high concentrations of the cannabinoid that are virtual miracle workers for some co0nditions.

CBD and your endogenous opiod system.  Your body has a natural opiod system to control pain and provides relief when you’re hurt, releasing compounds that can mask the pain and even give us euphoric feelings. This is why pharmaceutical companies market opiates for pain. But opiates are addictive and have side effects. CBD, however, works with both our cannabinoid receptors and our opiod receptors, making it a safer alternative to opiod drugs.

CBD doesn’t have any negative side effects. Because CBD works with the body’s own Endocannabinoid System, you get no negative side effects. It can be highly effective for pain management without being addictive. In some cases patients have been able to completely stop all pain medications. Of course, treatment decisions need to be made after with a physician.

Check out these great IrieCBD Products

IrieCBD Therapeutic Pain Support Blend

IrieCBD Pain Balm

IrieCBD Honeysticks 

irie-logo-150x150The IrieCBD company philosophy is about reconnecting, revitalizing and finding the natural goodness in everything around us. Their products are created with care, consciousness, and connection. IrieCBD is dedicated to finding natural solutions for health and wellness. Their unique products are the result of this belief, combining the ancient wisdom of herbal medicine with the powerful results from pure CBD oil.

Also Read:

How CBD Helps Children — a Safe & Miraculous Option for Parents

 

Power Food for Vegan, Vegetarian & Raw Athletes

Robert Ross
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0
Power Food for Vegan, Vegetarian & Raw Athletes

Athletes often like to experiment with vitamins, protein powders and pills, forgetting a simple yet vital performance factor — their diet. While genetic, physical, and psychological factors all play important roles, poor eating habits and poor nutrition can be the biggest factors in poor performance. Due to the heavy demands of exercise, athletes need extra nutrition. There are three basic fuels the body relies on while exercising — carbohydrate, fat, and protein. More calories from these fuels are needed to sustain energy and maintain lean body mass.1 A raw, whole food vegetarian diet is the optimal sports diet for raw athletes.3

In particular, a balanced diet that is high in carbohydrates, low in fats, and adequate in protein, is ideal.1,2 Due to a high carbohydrate and low fat content, a raw food, vegan diet is best.3 It is rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants — important nutrients that help the body utilize energy and protect it from the stress of exercise.

Your body is always burning a mixture of carbohydrate, fat, and protein. The duration of exercise, intensity of exercise, level of physical conditioning, and initial muscle glycogen levels will determine which primary fuel your body will use.4 In general, carbohydrate is the primary fuel utilized during high intensity exercise. In fact, about 55 to 75 percent of calories in the diet should come from carbohydrate, and even more in individuals who compete in endurance or ultra-endurance events.1 Whole fresh foods are excellent sources of carbohydrates. for raw athletes.

With prolonged exercise at lower intensities, fat (in the form of fatty acids) becomes the primary fuel source. The shift to fatty acids during exercise helps spare the carbohydrate (glycogen) stores in your body and allows for prolonged exercise. However, while high carbohydrate intake is recommended for performance, there is no need to increase fat in the diet beyond the commonly recommended 10 to 30 percent of calories, as it is taken from storage sites in the muscles when needed. Increasing fat in the diet is not recommended for improving performance for raw athletes.5

Compared to carbohydrate and fat, protein is used only minimally for fuel,4 as its primary function is for building and maintaining the tissues of the body. Overall, a high-carbohydrate diet is most important in ensuring optimal storage of carbohydrate in the body, fueling the body for exercise, and supporting performance in both endurance6 and strength.7,8 A vegetarian diet, which emphasizes uncooked whole nuts, seeds, grains, fruits, and vegetables provides the high carbohydrate content to fuel your body through training sessions and competition.

Strength and endurance athletes both have increased protein needs.1 Protein, composed of chains of molecules called amino acids, plays an important role in the building, maintenance, and repair of the tissues of the body, including muscle. There are 20 different amino acids in the foods we eat, but our body can make only 11 of them. The 9 essential amino acids which cannot be produced by the body must be obtained from the diet. A diet based on a variety of grains, legumes, and vegetables easily provides all of the essential amino acids. It was once thought that various plant foods had to be eaten together to get their full protein value, a method known as “protein combining” or “complementing.” We now know that intentional combining is not necessary to obtain all of the essential amino acids.9 Protein should come from plant sources, rather than meat, dairy products, and eggs, which are devoid of fiber and complex carbohydrates.

Remember, it is also important to maintain optimal hydration status for peak performance and to prevent injury. Dehydration, defined as body weight loss of 1 percent or more due to fluid loss, results in a number of symptoms including headache, fatigue, heat intolerance, and dark urine with a strong odor. More serious effects include heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. By maintaining a regular fluid schedule of at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day, these symptoms are easily prevented.12

Fluid needs increase with exercise. Additionally, participating in activity at high altitudes, low humidity, and high temperatures can also increase fluid needs.12 The following guidelines, endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine, can help you stay hydrated:13

  • Two hours before exercise: Drink 17 ounces (or about 2 cups) of fluid.
  • During exercise: Drink 4 to 8 ounces (or about 1/2 to 1 cup) of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes.
  • After exercise: Drink 16 to 20 ounces (or about 2 to 2½ cups) of fluid for every pound lost during exercise; weighing yourself before and after exercise can help you determine your fluid loss.

Water is ideal for replacing fluids, particularly for activities lasting less than one hour. Sports drinks have become popular for activities lasting more than 60 to 90 minutes, since they contain carbohydrates and electrolytes. However, they also contain “dead” processed ingredients and tons of processed white sugar. Fortunately, electrolytes and carbohydrates can be easily ingested through raw, uncooked food. The healthy digestive system of an athlete who eats mostly whole, raw vegan foods can quickly and easily assimilate everything needed following a training session or event.

The sports diet must be as carefully planned as the training regimen. A raw vegetarian diet, emphasizing consumption of a variety of foods is an optimal sports diet for both performance and health. By choosing generous servings of these foods with a focus on variety and wholesomeness, raw athletes bodies will reap the benefits.

  1. Soaked/Sprouted Nuts & Grains: These are rich in complex carbohydrate, fiber, enzymes, amino acids, zinc, and B vitamins.
  2. Vegetables: Choose a variety of colorful red, orange, and yellow vegetables in addition to leafy greens for vitamin C, beta-carotene, and other antioxidants that will protect your body from the stress of exercise. These foods also provide iron, calcium, fiber, plus some amino acids as well.
  3. Soaked/Sprouted Legumes: Sprouted chickpeas, mung bean sprouts and other bean sprouts are not only high in amino acids and rich in complex carbohydrate, fiber, iron, calcium, and B vitamins.
  4. Fruits: Choose a variety of fruits and juices for extra vitamins, especially vitamin C.
  5. Probiotics: Healthy bacteria are an essential part of your digestive system, and usually in short supply for most people. Looks for around 12 strains of probiotic bacteria grown on a raw green superfood like wheatgrass for even more concentrated amino acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants and other phytochemicals.

Selected References

  1. Position of the American Dietetic Association and the Canadian Dietetic Association: nutrition for physical fitness and athletic performance for adults. J Am Diet Assoc 1993;93:691.
  2. Houtkooper L. Food selection for endurance sports. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1992;24(9suppl):S349-59.
  3. Nieman DC. Vegetarian dietary practices and endurance performance. Am J Clin Nutr 1988;48(3suppl):754-61.
  4. Liebman M, Wilkinson JG. Carbohydrate Metabolism and Exercise. In: Nutrition in Exercise and Sport, 2nd ed. Wolinsky I and JF Hickson, eds. CRC Press: London,1994.
  5. Williams C. Macronutrients and performance. J Sports Sci 1995;13:S1-10.
  6. Jacobs KA, Sherman WM. The efficacy of carbohydrate supplementation and chronic high-carbohydrate diets for improving endurance performance. Int J Sport Nutr 1999;9(1):92-115.
  7. Haff GG, Stone MH, Warren BJ, et al. The effect of carbohydrate supplementation on multiple sessions and bouts of resistance exercise. J Strength Cond Res 1999;13(2):111-7.
  8. Leveritt M, Abernethy PJ. Effects of carbohydrate restriction on strength performance. J Strength Cond Res 1999;13(1):52-7.
  9. Position of the American Dietetic Association: vegetarian diets. J Amer Diet Assoc 1997;97(11):1317-21.
  10. Food and Nutrition Board. Recommended Dietary Allowances, 10th ed. National Academy Press: Washington, DC,1989.
  11. Lemon PW. Do athletes need more dietary protein? Int J Sport Nutr 1995;5(suppl):S39-61.
  12. Kleiner SM. Water: an essential but overlooked nutrient. J Amer Diet Assoc 1999;99:200-6.
  13. Convertino VA, Armstrong LE, Coyle EF, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and fluid replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1996;28:i-vii.
  14. Puhl SM, Buskirk ER. Nutrient Beverages for Exercise and Sport. In: Nutrition in Exercise and Sport, 2nd ed. Wolinsky I and JF Hickson, eds. CRC Press: London, 1994.

Originally published 2012.

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