1. Garlic

The key to heart health is encouraging the “good” HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol and limiting the “bad” LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol. LDL itself is not so bad. It becomes dangerous when it is oxidized by free radicals inside a blood vessel.

When that happens, it is attacked by the white blood cells, which become engorged and are then deposited on the arterial wall as plaque. This leads to the thickening of the arterial wall, narrowing of the passageway, and eventually blockage. HDL, on the other  hand, being denser and heavier, is not likely to attach itself to the arterial wall.

Instead, it actually picks up LDL, pulling it away from the blood vessel, and transporting it to the liver, where it can be broken down and excreted.

• Garlic reduces the free radicals that cause damage to cholesterol.
• Garlic also inhibits the infiltration of damaged fats and cholesterol through the wall of the arteries.

Garlic’s ability to lower serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure, and its ability to reduce platelet aggregation and premature clotting, we can understand why garlic is the single most important food for protecting the heart and arteries.  

2. Ginger

Ginger affect the synthesis and deployment of a group of biological response moderators called eicosanoids, which mediate healing and immunity.

The body makes these important compounds from essential fatty acids and uses them to regulate critical cellular functions.

Three principal categories of eicosanoids – prostaglandins, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes.  Imbalances in eicosanoid synthesis and release underlie many common illnesses, from arthritis and peptic ulcer to the increased platelet aggregation that can trigger heart attacks and strokes.

Ginger modulates this system in ways that reduce abnormal inflammation and clotting.

3. Sunflower Seeds:

Sunflower seeds are very high  in potassium and low in sodium, a balance sorely needed by most of us these days with so many salted foods available.

One cup of sunflower seeds contains more than 1,300mg of potassium and only 4mg of sodium. This is helpful as a diuretic or for people who already take diuretics, to help replace some potassium.

The high amount of oil in sunflower seeds as polyunsaturated fats, essential linoleic acid, and vitamin E is also helpful in reducing cholesterol levels and improving or preventing cardiovascular disease.

If sunflower seeds are soaked overnight, it makes them more digestible and alkaline-forming.

4. Hawthorn:  

For centuries hawthorn has been used to treat heart ailments, particularly “ dropsy”, (congestive heart failure).

In addition, both Asian and European practitioners have used it for centuries to treat high blood pressure and angina pectoris. European researchers have discovered that the active ingredient in hawthorn is the oligomeric procyanidins, a complex of flavonoids.

This flavonoids complex helps the heart pump more efficiently by increasing blood supply to the heart muscle through vasodilatation through the coronary arteries, increasing the heart’s output of blood, and decreasing the peripheral vessel resistance, which improves blood flow.

The overall result is a stronger, healthier heart with improved circulation.  

5. Red Grapes and Wine:

Both red wine and red grape juice may protect against heart disease in several ways. First, both of these beverages are an excellent source of phenolic compounds, including catechin, epicatechin, and gallic acid.

Although red wine is a better source of phenolic compounds, they are also present in red grape juice. Phenolic compounds have been shown to prevent the formation of blood clots, which are a major cause of both heart attack and strokes in humans.

Second, phenolic compounds also help to adjust the effects of nitric oxide, an important free radical produced by the body. By controlling the muscular tone of the blood vessels, nitric oxide regulates circulation and normalises blood flow, but excessive amounts of nitric oxide can be harmful.

Thirdly, phenolic compounds are antioxidants which prevent oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which can lead to atherosclerosis and ultimately to a heart attack. Red wine does not lower cholesterol levels, but it does prevent LDL from turning rancid, which can lead to the formation of plaque deposits in arteries.

Wine drinkers are not only less likely to get heart disease, but they appear to be less likely to get macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness among people over sixty-five.

 6. Sweet Potatoes

One medium-sized baked sweet potato offers about 24,700I.U. of retinol equivalents (from beta carotene or carotenoids), or five times the RDA for vitamin A, in addition to potassium and fiber. Making them a terrific heart protecting food !


Barbara is a Health & Wellness Coach and a Nutrition Consultant.

She is also the author of 'The Med Life Diet', dedicated to helping others develop healthy eating and healthy lifestyle habits and attitudes for life !

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 They have:

Vitamins A, B, and E, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. Short- and medium- chain fatty acids. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).  

Benefits: 

Higher proportion of short – and medium –chain fatty acids.

They have little effect on cholesterol levels.

They also make milk easier to digest. Conjugated  linolenic acid (CLA) is a cancer-fighting fat-reducing fat.

The fat globules in sheep and  goat’s milk are smaller than fat globules in cow’s milk, making it easier to digest.



If you are aware of any health problem which may compromise your general health, it is important to seek treatment. A Health and Wellness Counselor may help you, to bring you back in balance and to good health through, detoxing, healthy eating and living, create a proper diet suited for your condition, advise natural remedies, herbs, wholefood supplements and organic cosmetics.



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 For the adventurous persons - Ghlindos known as Vlito are in season from June to October. Their English name is Amaranth. The tender stems and leaves are eaten boiled and served with an olive oil and lemon juice dressing or they may be cooked with pulses. Amaranth is loaded with calcium, potassium, vitamins C and beta-carotene, whereas the seeds are rich in protein, minerals (calcium and iron), and vitamins C, E and B complex. Tea made from the leaves may help people suffering from intestinal bleeding, dysentery, diarrhea, excessive menstrual bleeding, ulcers and swelling.

When we go to a restaurant and consider what to order, what comes to mind are foods that are tasty.  When we think of what to cook for dinner, what we consider are things that are easy to make but taste good. Cheese dips, French fries, and mac cheese are all things that come to mind instantly. When deciding a menu, we rarely consider which foods are more nutritious, even though there are many recipes that are tasty as well as healthy. We should also know how to use different foods in their right combinations so as to get the maximum nutritional benefit out of them.

One particular food item may be rich in one nutrient while lacking in another. Combining it with another food that is rich in what the first one lacks will make the two a healthy blend. Given below are some of the combinations which can be highly beneficial to your body.

1. Orange and Spinach

Though iron is abundant in many of the foods that we take, many people have iron deficiency because the available iron fails to get absorbed into the body. Vitamin C helps the body to absorb iron the right way.  Orange is rich in vitamin C and spinach has good iron content. When taken together, the body gets all the goodness of vitamin C, and its iron absorption also becomes optimum. So make an orange and spinach salad frequently and ensure the health of your family.

2. Oatmeal and Yogurt

Probiotics are microorganisms that are beneficial to our body. These are found in yogurt and other fermented foods. Prebiotics are food ingredients which are not digestible but nevertheless promote the growth of probiotics and other useful bacteria in our digestive system. Fiber-rich foodstuffs like oatmeal have plenty of prebiotics in it. When you take oatmeal with yogurt, the combination of probiotics and prebiotics will give you good health benefit.

3. Beans with Brown Rice

This is an apt vegetarian combination. Both these food items have iron content, and beans has got more protein than rice. In combination, the two provide us with most of the amino acids that the human body requires. Beans is good together with other whole grains also.

4. Vegetables with Olive Oil

Olive oil and vegetables work well in combination, because both these contain plenty of antioxidants. Further, the fat in olive oil is monounsaturated fatty acids, which is considered a healthy form of fat.

5. Whole Grains with Lean Meat

Lean meat is high in proteins and certain vitamins. Whole grains are low in fat and rich in carbohydrates and some of the vitamins. Together they form an effective combination for athletes, body builders, and people who are involved in physically strenuous jobs, by helping to regulate blood sugar and repairing damaged cells and muscles.

All the foods listed above are highly nutritious foods. Each of it will do you a lot of good even if consumed by itself. It is only that it will be more effective when taken in combination. For more foods that are rich in nutrition, visit the Harvest Nutrition blog.


If you are aware of any health problem which may compromise your general health, it is important to seek treatment. A Health and Wellness Counselor may help you, to bring you back in balance and to good health through, detoxing, healthy eating and living, create a proper diet suited for your condition, advise natural remedies, herbs, wholefood supplements and organic cosmetics.

 When it comes to food most of us have our ready made, pre packaged and often pre-cooked favourites. People realise that certain fast foods or sugar filled snacks are bad for us, but most people don't know exactly HOW bad some added ingredients actually are.

It's common knowledge if you want to stay as healthy as possible you should eat fresh nutritious food and drink a lot of water, as well as balancing a healthy diet with exercise. However the need to stay healthy shouldn't stop any of us from enjoying the occasional treat. Below however are some ingredients listed in many, many products that you may not know the hidden dangers of.


Aspartame: One of the most prevalent sweeteners used in food manufacturing. Research has shown that prolonged consumption of it can cause blurred vision, seizures and even neurological conditions. Not to mention the migraine headaches associated with it, any labels bearing it should be something you should consume little of, if not avoid completely. Also be mindful of Sucralose (Splenda), these low cal alternatives to sugar have actually been shown to PROMOTE weight gain.


Yeast Extract: Many food products that claim to be 100% natural actually contain Yeast Extract. This is an ingredient that actually sounds pretty naturally harmless itself and could be skimmed over in a list. This is why manufacturers love it. In reality it is a form of MSG in disguise and can contain up to 14% 'free glutamate' - aka 'the bad stuff'.


Phosphoric Acid: The name says it all really. Phosphoric acid is added to fizzy drinks to make it that little bit, well, fizzier and to add the sting in your nose when you gulp down too much pop. As well as annihilating tooth enamel, which is why dentists loathe fizzy drinks, phosphoric acid also has other uses outside of the beverages department. Think scrubbing rust off war ships, and dissolving steel nails. That sort of thing.



*VEGANS BEWARE*


Casein: Ironically, Casein is used in many many 'soy' based cheeses which vegetarians unknowingly buy to use as an alternative to cows milk based cheese. For those of you with a vegan lifestyle who buy brands that aren't directly aimed at vegans, be sure to skim through soy alternatives labels' to double check that Casein is NOT listed.


Lanolin: Often cloaked as 'gum base' on packets of chewing gum, Lanolin is actually the oils secreted from sheeps wool. Eughk!


Fake Vitamins: The keyword here is Hydrochloride and if you see it listed, it should ring some alarm bells if you're buying the product for it's 'healthy' value. Anything with hydrochloride added to the end (eg. Thiamin Hydrochloride) is actually a chemically produced form of synthetic B vitamins, which nutritionally are almost useless to you.


Sugar: Yep, plain old sugar. It's not rocket science to know it's bad for you in too high amounts however many people don't realise that during the process from sugar cane to the sweet white powder (thrown on pretty much everything), the good parts of the sugar can are actually lost. The 'good' part, called molasses are used by farmers to feed their animals. So, ironically, farm animals are given the better parts than what is sent off to be humanly consumed. Diabetes, obesity, nutritional deficiencies and mood swings are all associated with high-sugar diets.


Most foods sold today are created in laboratories rather than crafted in kitchens, which is why it is is better to always cook from as fresh as possible and source your food responsibly. The problem with this though is that the modern day worker doesn't have time to cook for hours, or mill around shops grabbing separate ingredients to then return home, only half way to a hot meal. The work that goes into food production, such as multi-variate data analysis and product research is vita, however there are some crafty angles food companies take in concealing so read up and learn the truth behind certain ingredients.

 
About the Author - James enjoys reading and writing about the risks of certain types of food. A good resource for anyone looking to do further research is http://www.camo.com because they offer a variety of helpful software.


If you are aware of any health problem which may compromise your general health, it is important to seek treatment. A Health and Wellness Counselor may help you, to bring you back in balance and to good health through, detoxing, healthy eating and living, create a proper diet suited for your condition, advise natural remedies, herbs, wholefood supplements and organic cosmetics.

Periodontal disease is a health epidemic that is affecting a wide proportion of the adult population. Periodontal disease is the advanced form of gum disease and there is an urgent need for relevant information about its effects and how to prevent it. Since around 75 percent of adult Americans have developed some form of gum disease, there is a clear need for simple and easy-to-understand information about this condition and how to protect your oral health.

Plaque And Bacteria

Your mouth is home to a lot of bacteria – some of it good and some of it potentially damaging. Much of the damaging bacteria come from the food that you eat and the food particles that are left over from eating. These bacteria need to be removed daily through your oral health routine. If not they accumulate and can damage your gum tissue.

When the bacteria flourish in your mouth it mixes with your saliva and this creates a sticky, yellowy substance called plaque. This clings to your teeth and irritates the gums causing inflammation and swelling of the gum tissue. Over time when plaque builds up it hardens and becomes tartar, which is a substance that can only be removed from the teeth by your dentist.

Bacteria, plaque and tartar work together to infect the gum tissue and potentially destroy the gum bone and damage your teeth. When the gum tissue becomes severely infected, the teeth can become wobbly and you may even lose your natural teeth.

The Early Stages Of Gum Disease

Gum disease is divided into two key stages – gingivitis, the early stage of the condition, and periodontal disease, which is the advanced stage of the condition. There are a couple of clear, early symptoms of gingivitis that you should be on the lookout for. They include:

• Redness on the gums
• Swelling and inflammation of the gum tissue
• Bleeding especially after brushing your teeth
• Constant bad breath
• Bad taste in your mouth

If you notice any of these symptoms, then it is time to visit the dentist for a check-up and for them to make a diagnosis. Your dentist is able to offer a deep clean to remove the plaque and tartar on the teeth and gums and to suggest an appropriate treatment plan.

Periodontitis

At this stage, there is a risk of long-lasting damage to your oral health. You will most likely need to undergo some form of dental intervention – be it surgical or non-surgical. Your dentist will have to determine the level of the condition and how you can best restore your oral health before you lose your natural teeth and suffer serious infection.

For more information visit OraMD


If you are aware of any health problem which may compromise your general health, it is important to seek treatment. A Health and Wellness Counselor may help you, to bring you back in balance and to good health through, detoxing, healthy eating and living, create a proper diet suited for your condition, advise natural remedies, herbs, wholefood supplements and organic cosmetics.

A new study bu the UK and US researchers found that blood pressure is increased by every extra sugar-sweetened drink that is consumed per day.

Drinking just one sugar - laden drink a day may result in high blood pressure.

Harvard researchers found that women who drank one or more sugar-sweetened soft drinks per day were 83 % more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than women who drank less than one a month.

The Harvard School of Public Health offers these ideas for low and no-sugar drinks:

1. Infused water: You can easily buy flavoured water, but it's just as simple to make your own by adding citrus fruits, ginger or fresh mint to a jug of water.
2. Herbal or Green Tea, hot or cold, tea is an excellent sugar-free beverage. Try fruit-flavoured herbal teas, or teas with cinnamon or other spices such as ginger.
3. Sparkling juice: Make your own with 350ml of sparkling water and 40ml of juice. For a flavour boost, add sliced citrus or fresh herbs.
4. Fresh fruit coolers: Smoothies are marketed as "health" foods, but they're loaded with sugar. Instead, make a refreshing fresh fruit cooler, blend ice, sparkling water and melon or berries until slushy. Garnish with mint or citrus slices.
5. Low-sodium broth: There's no rule that says we must satisfy our thirst with something sweet. A low-sodium variety of miso soup can be a satisfying way to give your body the fluid it needs. 

If you are aware of any health problem which may compromise your general health, it is important to seek treatment. A Health and Wellness Counselor may help you, to bring you back in balance and to good health through, detoxing, healthy eating and living, create a proper diet suited for your condition, advise natural remedies, herbs, wholefood supplements and organic cosmetics.

 A free radical is an atom or group of atoms that contains at least one unpaired electron. Electrons are negatively charged particles that usually occur in pairs, forming a chemically stable arrangement.

If an electron is unpaired, another atom or molecule can easily bond with it, causing a chemical reaction. Because they join so readily with other compounds, free radicals can effect dramatic changes in the body, and they can cause a lot of oxidative damage.

Each free radical may exist for only a tiny fraction of a second, but the damage it leaves behind can be irreversible, particularly damage to heart muscle cells, nerve cells, and certain immune system sensor cells.

Free radicals are normally present in the body in small numbers. Biochemical processes naturally lead to the formation of free radicals, and under normal circumstances the body can keep them in check.

Please note that not all free radicals are bad. Free radicals produced by the immune system destroy viruses and bacteria. Other free radicals are involved in producing vital hormones and activating enzymes that are needed for life.

We need free radicals to produce energy and various substances that the body requires. If there is excessive free radical formation, however, damage to cells and tissues can occur. The formation of a large number of free radicals stimulates the formation of more free radicals, leading to even more damage.

Causes of Free Radicals: 

• Exposure to radiation, whether from the sun or from medical x-rays
• Exposure to environmental pollutants e.g. tobacco smoke, car exhaust
• Diet high in fat can increase free radical activity because oxidation occurs more readily in fat molecules than it does in carbohydrate or protein molecules.
• Cooking fats at high temperatures, particularly frying foods in oil, can produce large numbers of free radicals.

The reason why free radicals may be dangerous is that they can alter the way in which the cells code genetic material.

Changes in protein structure can occur as a result of errors in protein synthesis. The body's immune system may then see this altered protein as a foreign substance and try to destroy it. The formation of mutated proteins can eventually damage the immune system and lead to leukemia and other types of cancer, as well as to many other diseases.

In addition to damaging genetic material, free radicals can destroy the protective cell membranes. Calcium levels in the body may be upset as well. Over time, the body produces more free radicals than it does scavengers. The resulting imbalance is what causes aging.

Substances known as antioxidants neutralise free radicals by binding to their free electrons. Antioxidants available in supplement form include the enzymes superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, vitamin A, beta-carotene, and vitamins C and E; the minerals selenium and zinc, and the hormone melatonin.

By destroying free radicals, antioxidants help to detoxify and protect the body.


If you are aware of any health problem which may compromise your general health, it is important to seek treatment. A Health and Wellness Counselor may help you, to bring you back in balance and to good health through, detoxing, healthy eating and living, create a proper diet suited for your condition, advise natural remedies, herbs, wholefood supplements and organic cosmetics.

http://easyconsciousliving.typepad.com/conscious-times/2012/10/healthy-food-guide-healthy-food-list-.html


If you are aware of any health problem which may compromise your general health, it is important to seek treatment. A Health and Wellness Counselor may help you, to bring you back in balance and to good health through, detoxing, healthy eating and living, create a proper diet suited for your condition, advise natural remedies, herbs, wholefood supplements and organic cosmetics.

 Research: Ginger Selectively Kills Breast Cancer Cells | GreenMedInfo.


If you are aware of any health problem which may compromise your general health, it is important to seek treatment. A Health and Wellness Counselor may help you, to bring you back in balance and to good health through, detoxing, healthy eating and living, create a proper diet suited for your condition, advise natural remedies, herbs, wholefood supplements and organic cosmetics.