A Natural Environmental Health Facts Ezine

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"A NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH FACTS Ezine" Here to Inform and Help You Become Healthier and Happier while Achieving Quality Longevity!

http://www.antibiotic-alternatives.com
Email Lena
928-636-9425
Sunday November 27, 2005
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=> IN THIS ISSUE!
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==> Editors' Ranting & or Warnings
==> Something To Think About
==> Health Thought for the day!
==> Showcase Health Spotlight
==> Monthly Spotlight Ads
==> Today's Health Tip
==> Food of The Week
==> Health Today
==> Environmental Report
==> Life Changing Information

Enjoy your weekend...Did you put a day of rest in it? I certainly hope so. I suppose you get tired of me harping on you about taking a day of rest, but most people have no idea that our body needs it and continue 24/7 until the body rebels and says "Enough is enough" and decides to break down... It's important and don't you forget it!!!!

If you have a question or comment (good or bad) send it to me... Click Here
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Take charge of you and your family's health before it takes charge of you!
Lena

==> Find An Alternative Health Professional
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http://www.thehungersite.com Share your LOVE here!

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Something To Think About
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Today's fruits and vegetables are apparently a shadow of their former selves, according to every research and study done in the last twenty years.

Researcher Virginia Worthington reviewed 41 published studies comparing the nutritional value of organic foods with conventionally grown counterparts and discovered significant differences.

A 2004 report compared nutrient values of 43 different fruits and vegetables from the 50s with today's contemporaries and found deficiencies in six out of 13 nutrients: protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin (vitamin B2), and vitamin C. What's even more disturbing is that we could be at a loss for lots of other nutrients -- like magnesium, zinc, vitamin B6, vitamin E and dietary fiber -- and not even know it until it's too late and illness takes its toll.

Eating organic foods is only part of the solution.

Proven Fact Of Marketing!
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We accept all advertisements in good faith, but the advertisers are completely responsible for the content and accuracy of their advertisements. We do not give any warranties and accept no responsibility. The editor and publisher suggest that you exercise due diligence!
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Fasting Facts

If you're watching your blood cholesterol levels -- along with the rest of the world -- you might be interested in what happens if you don't eat anything at all.
According to the Journal of Nutrition, your cholesterol would still rise.

The department of pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, decided to see what effect voluntary fasting has on people who think they can lose weight quickly by not eating. The study included 10 people who were already at their ideal body weight, who fasted for seven days.

At the end of the study, the subjects had almost doubled their total serum cholesterol and their low-density lipoproteins (LDL, the bad stuff). The high-density lipoproteins (HDL, good cholesterol) remained the same.

LENA'S COMMENT: Just goes to show the body needs that cholesterol to survive and will get it whether you eat or not...

Punica proto-punica, Granada (Spanish), Grenade (French).

This round reddish fruit is sitting in markets these day in large quantities and something you should consider as a health food!

The pomegranate a native from Iran to the Himalayas in northern India and cultivated and naturalized over the whole Mediterranean region since ancient times. It is widely cultivated throughout India and the drier parts of Southeast Asia, Malaya, East Indies and tropical Africa. The tree was introduced into California by Spanish settlers in 1769. Now grown for its fruits mainly in the drier parts of California and Arizona.

Granted, it is a bit messy and can stain clothes mercilessly, but the unique sweet taste and health benefits are well worth it. Recent research to identify foods high in antioxidants have brought the pomegranate into the forefront of the antioxidants with its high levels of polyphenols, tannins, and anthocyanins -- all thought to be important parts of our cancer-prevention arsenal. Food seeds of all kinds are rich in fiber ? including the pomegranate - making for a healthy intestinal system. "Prostate, breast, and colon cancer rates are higher in populations consuming relatively large quantities of meat and lower in populations whose diet is rich in ?seed foods.?" Journal of the American Medical Association

The pomegranate tree is a neat, rounded shrub or small tree that can grow to 20 or 30 ft., but more typically to 12 to 16 ft. in height. Dwarf varieties are also known. The trunk is covered by a red-brown bark which later becomes gray. Pomegranates are also long-lived. There are specimens in Europe that are known to be over 200 years of age. The vigor of a pomegranate declines after about 15 years, however.

The pomegranate fruit is almost a perfect round, 2-1/2 to 5 in. wide fruit with a crowned base known as a calyx. The tough, leathery skin or rind is typically yellow underneath and overlaid with light or deep pink or rich red. The inner fruits are separated by membranous walls and white, spongy, bitter tissue into compartments packed with sacs filled with sweetly acid, juicy, red, pink or whitish pulp. In each sac there is one angular, soft or hard seed.

Pomegranate is a delicious fruit, which has many potential beneficial compounds. Pomegranate has substances, such as polyphenols, that have antioxidant, anti-viral, and anti-tumor activity. Rich in the minerals Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Zinc, Copper and Selenium along with Vitamins C, B-6, B-12, A, E, total ascorbic acid Thiamin Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, Folate and Folic acid making for a very healthy food! Pomegranate may also be helpful in maintaining healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin reported that a pomegranate extract inhibited skin tumors in mice, while the red wine compound reseveratrol, applied topically, inhibited the expression of a cancer-causing protein normally caused by exposure to UVB rays. Pomegranate fruit extract (PFE) contains several polyphenols and anthocyanidins (pigment that gives certain fruits their dark red color), which demonstrates a higher antioxidant activity than that of red wine and green tea, according to the Wisconsin researchers.

Seed removal tip: Cut out the blossom end, remove some of the white pith, but do not break the red pulp around the seeds. Score the skin into quarters. Break the pomegranate into halves and then halve again following score lines. Bend back the rind and pull out the seeds.

Uses of the pomegranate;

The juice gives a unique fresh flavor to sauces and marinades for fish, chicken, and beef. Use the seeds to garnish fruit salad, dessert, and appetizers. Pomegranate juice is the original ingredient in Grenadine although contemporary manufacturers may utilize a synthetic.

The seeds and crimson pulp may be added to fruit salad for a touch of color and flavor.

To extract the juice, separate and crush the edible portion of ripe pomegranates (do not remove seeds at this point). Place fruit in jelly cloth or bag and squeeze out the juice, or cut the fruit in quarters and juice with a juicer. Most juicers will automatically extract the juice and discard the seeds.

The juice can be frozen in 1/2 pint or 1 pint containers, to make into punch later on.

Pomegranate Syrup is absolutely fantastic with pancakes, waffles or French toast... To make it;

Boil together 3 1/2 cups pomegranate juice, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/3 teaspoon salt and 1/2 bottle liquid pectin. When mixture cannot be stirred down, add 5 1/2 cups sugar and boil for 5 or 6 minutes.

Enjoy your red food!
Lena

A hidden Addiction That Everyone Indulges in Without Realizing it!
© By Lena Sanchez

People eat it daily (no it's not food addiction although that is high on the list) and what you are addicted to is in just about every item on the grocery store shelf... Canned, frozen, prepared foods, breads, pastas, legumes, etc... You can't imagine how much you are really eating of this substance. But it is a proven fact that if we can overcome this addiction you can improve your health and the health of the world...

A whole host of illness and disease has been traced to this very food additive!

IT"s SUGAR...A carbohydrate? If you don't think you are getting sugar daily, think again... A very minute number of people do not get sugar in their diet at every meal.... "Sugar consumption is off the charts," reports Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "Added sugars-found largely in junk foods such as soft drinks, cakes, and cookies are squeezing healthier foods out of the diet. Sugar now accounts for 20 percent of the calories consumed by the average American and 22 percent of teenagers' calories." A government study found that back in 1977-78, added sugars provided only 11 percent of the average person's calories.

Not only is sugar a major culprit, the consumption of refined carbohydrates that quickly turn to sugar in our blood is equally damaging.

Next time you go grocery shopping read the labels and find out what has sugar... Just about every thing you buy... It may not say sugar; it can be listed as corn syrup, sucrose, fructose, honey and molasses... One listed product is so innocuous that you would never expect it to be a sugar and in its regular form isn't but becomes sugar when digested and that is Corn Starch.... Sadly a lot of food products have more than one of the above ingredients making it even more dangerous to our health...One of the worst cases of sugar abuse in products, I have found to be; those usually labeled Fat free or Low fat... Especially baked goods... These have been loaded with sugars to add taste, to make up for the fat loss, thus adding to your sugar addiction.

According to the USDA, people consuming 2,000 calories a day should eat no more than about 10 teaspoons of added sugar. But USDA surveys show that the average American is consuming more than double that amount.

Another high sugar problem stems from sodas, coffee and tea drinkers who add sugar. Soft drinks, which contain about nine teaspoons of sugar per 12-ounce can, are a leading contributor to increased sugar consumption. (Must add here, sugar is safer than the substitute sweeteners that are in vogue. Sugar problems can for the most part be corrected when discontinued but artificial sweeteners are causing far worse problems. (That's another column.)

We live in a Prozac society, which is a bit out of sink most days... If you suffer from mood swings, cravings, inability to lose weight along with a host of other symptoms. You are probably a sugar addict... Some of the most common symptoms of gross sugar addiction is rooted in carbohydrate craving obesity (CCO), premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) according to the "Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge." These problems are generally preceded by high carbohydrate cravings (sugar). Those cravings only tend to elevate the problem rather than help!"

More sad news for sugar addicts.... The "Department of Clinical Pharmacology, St. Hans Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark" writes, "At least three categories of atypical depression have been described. The hysteroid dysphoria is characterized by repeated episodes of depressed mood in response to feeling rejected, and a craving for sweets and chocolate. Two other issues are characterized by a cyclical occurrence of changes of mood and appetite, i.e., the late luteal phase dysphoric disorder (DSM-III-R, appendix), or "the premenstrual syndrome" (PMS), and the major depression with seasonal pattern (DSM-III-R), or seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The reactive mood changes are frequently accompanied by features as hypersomnia, lethargy and increased appetite, particularly with a preference for carbohydrates. Central serotonin pathways participate in the regulation of mood and behavioral impulsivity, and modulate eating patterns qualitatively and quantitatively. Depressives with PMS or SAD benefit, in general, from treatments with serotonin potentiating drugs, suggesting that brain serotonin plays a role in the pathophysiology. Ingestion of carbohydrates increases the plasma ratio of tryptophan to other large neutral amino acids in man and animal, and the serotonin synthesis in the rat brain. Based on these findings it has been suggested that the excessive carbohydrate intake by patients with PMS and SAD reflects a self-medication that temporarily relieves the vegetative symptoms via an increased central serotonergic activity."

Walt Stoll, M.D. wrote, http://askwaltstollmd.com/ "When it comes to battling chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), supplements are only part of the picture. Medical experts agree that the overall quality of your diet also makes a big difference in how you feel. Here are a few dietary changes that might prove helpful."

Go easy on sugar. "Eating too much refined sugar weakens the immune system and may inhibit the ability of white blood cells to stay active," says Allan Magaziner, D.O., director of the Magaziner Medical Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. "Both of those factors play roles in CFS."

Some research suggests that people with CFS are deficient in an enzyme needed to metabolize sugar, says Paul Cheney, M.D., a CFS specialist and director of the Cheney Clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina. The result is a buildup of lactic acid in the bloodstream, which can lead to muscle pain, vascular headaches and neuropsychiatric disorders such as panic attacks, all of which are associated with CFS.

Last but not least is Diabetes... My grandmother used to say eat too many sweets and get diabetes... The medical profession for 60 or more years say no but the latest studies say yes. Sugar kills the ability of the pancreas to function properly setting you up for diabetes in two ways... 1) Obesity shuts the pancreas down and 2) the pancreatic over-production leads to eventual non-production

My plea to each and every one is watch the intake of sugar and if you cannot do that look for help to kick the sugar addiction...

REMEMBER READ LABELS AND CHOOSE THOSE WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OR NO SUGAR AND SMALLER AMOUNTS OF REFINED CARBOHYDRATES... Do not substitute with aspartame and other chemical sugar replacer as they carry hefty latent side effects with them.

Include in your diet as much fruits and vegetables as possible- The recommend amount is 5 servings of 1/2 cup of each daily.

Meals should be small and frequent in order to keep blood sugar at a normal level. Protein should be included with each meal.

Good eating and a healthy world is my wish for all!!!
Lena