Foods that prevent colds and flu

You don't have to go to a pharmacy to buy vitamins supplements to boost your health. Foods and fruits w/c we almost bypass when we are walking down the street or doing groceries are just around the corner and are within reach. Try going natural like eating fruits or veggies w/c are naturally rich in vitamins and minerals w/c are I think the best preventive ways in warding of colds and flus. They say " Prevention is better than cure ".

Here are some foods that would prevent colds and flu:

Omega-3 - Most people do not eat enough Omega-3 and it is necessary to support your immune system. Eating fish, or fish oils will help you boost the amount of omega-3 you are getting and in turn boost your ability to fight colds and flu.

Garlic is nature’s antibiotic and can help you fight off infections. It also has anti-viral properties. A traditional, and still widely used, concoction to prevent colds and flu is the “four thieves” mixture. This mixture got its name from thieves that used it during a plague to prevent getting sick as the stole from those that were ill. The concoction is vinegar, garlic cloves, and a blend of essential oils. Garlic is one of the best foods to prevent colds and flu naturally.

Vitamin C prevents colds and flu by stimulating antibodies. Eat foods such as red & green sweet peppers, kiwi, oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, papaya, mango, guava, and black currant to make sure you are getting enough vitamin C in your diet.

Vitamin E has antioxidant properties that prevent colds and flu. Eat foods such as sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil, wheat germ oil, turnip greens, and pine nuts to ensure you are getting enough vitamin E.

Antioxidants prevent colds and flu. These antioxidants are found in the pigments of fruits and vegetables with a colorful hue. Carotenoids give plentiful in carrots, apricots and sweet potatoes mangoes, squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, collard greens, tomatoes, guava, and pink grapefruit. Bioflavinoids are more antioxidants that give fruits and vegetables a colorful hue. Bioflavinoids are plentiful in the white pith just beneath citrus peel of an orange or grapefruit, peppers, grapes, onions, garlic, berries, green and white herbal tea and buckwheat.

Yogurt - Many alternative health practitioners believe that your ability to fight off colds and flu is dependent on the health of your digestive system. Cultured foods, such as yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut, as well as probiotics, populate your digestive system with the good bacteria it needs to boost resistance to colds and flu. Sugar feeds the bad bacteria in the digestive system and is all too common in the American diet. Probiotics are available in pill form at natural health stores and should be purchased only if they are refrigerated.

Echinacea is a well-known herb for boosting resistance to colds and flu. It works best when taken as a tea in fresh leaf form, but can also be taken as tea from dried leaves, as a tincture, or in capsule form. Echinacea is best at preventing colds and flu when taken in combination with Goldenseal.

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Health tip of the day: Benefits of Carrots

Apart from granting good looks and outstanding taste to salads for your party guests, carrots are also included in the diet recommendation list of a doctor. The carrots in raw form and carrot juice have developed a unique status in providing impressive health track for human body.

Carrots, like broccoli, are rich in vitamins and antioxidants. They are high in beta-carotene, a form of pro-vitamin A, which is converted into Vitamin A by the liver, and stored in the body. Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant. The name “carotene” comes from “carrot.” Red carrots contain 10-15 times more carotene than yellow ones.Other vitamins include Vitamin B3, Vitamin C and E. They are also rich in minerals: potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, sodium, sulphur, chlorine and traces of iodine.Carrots also contain soluble fibre and pectin.

Read full story on Health Benefits of Carrots.

Natural Health 101: Anti aging vitamins for mature skin care

As we age, getting your body the things it needs becomes more important every day. This is especially true to keep the skin looking its best, as it most notably shows the effects of aging and improper care - you may do more damage to your heart, or liver, or some other part of your body, but only a doctor will know that unless you tell someone. (Read Full Story)

ONION: Tasty health benefits

The smell of frying onions is one of the most enticing and delicious smells to the nostrils when you are hungry. It confronts our senses with all the promises of the culinary delights that are possible front this vegetable plant. Literarily all cultures on earth, have onions in their cooking recipes. Read More....


Know more about Vitamin C benefits, click here.

Health tip of the day: 10 benefits of watermelon

Watermelon is a natural source of most powerful antioxidants provided by nature. It is a good source of the antioxidant vitamins C and A to protect us from diseases. It reduces the risk of dehydration.

Summer and watermelon are inseparable. Watermelons are found almost everywhere in the world. Although we can find watermelons in our markets throughout the year, the season for watermelon is the summer when they are sweet and of the best quality. No other fruit can we find so crunchy and thirst quenching like watermelon.

To know more about its benefits, click here.


P.S. Health is very important but so is Wealth.

Natural food-Fruit Vitamin C Content

Vitamin C is an efficient immunity booster that helps build collagen, the stabilizing tissue in our bones, epidermis and muscles. Vitamin C is indispensable to 300 metabolic functions in our bodies and can work without any other vitamin. it is also an anti-oxidant. to know more of its fruit benefits, (click here)

by: superoyee

Health Tip of the Day

The amazing health benefits of Parsley

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a bright green biennial herb, often used as spice. It is common in Middle Eastern, European, and American cooking. Parsley is used for its leaf in much the same way as coriander (which is also known as Chinese parsley or cilantro), although parsley has a milder flavor. To know more about the Health Benefits of Parsley, click here.
To know more about the benefits of Vitamin K, click here.

The 10 Best Supplements for Heart Health

One in three Americans has one or more types of cardiovascular disease—39 million of which are age 60 and older. High blood pressure is a major indicator of emerging heart disease, but there are things you can do to reduce your risks. Health experts recommend that healthy people get adequate nutrients by eating a variety of foods in moderation, rather than by taking supplements, but the following list of 10 supplements will help protect your heart and keep it strong and functioning for years to come.

To protect your heart and keep it strong and functioning for years to come, consider these top supplements:

1. Omega-3’s: Omega-3 supplements have several protective benefits for people at risk for developing cardiovascular disease and those who have already been diagnosed—including the lowering of high blood pressure, decreasing the risk of arrhythmias, and inhibiting the buildup of plaque in the arteries.

2. Fiber: Fiber pills and powders can help keep blood pressure within a normal range.

3. Antioxidants: Antioxidants—including vitamins A and C—have been shown to improve recovery following a stroke.

4. Magnesium: This mineral helps to restore the healthy functioning of blood vessels. Magnesium also helps patients with heart disease exercise longer, and recover quicker.

5. Potassium: Optimal levels of this mineral aid in the transmission of electrical impulses in the heart that regulate the heartbeat.

6. Garlic: Garlic has been shown to have a positive effect among people with mild high blood pressure.

7. Coenzyme Q-10: This beneficial supplement significantly reduced systolic and diastolic pressure in a 12-week Australian study.

8. Vitamin C: Vitamin C’s antioxidant properties block the damage than can be caused by free-radicals, byproducts than can accelerate the aging process and make you more likely to develop heart disease.

9. Thiamine (Vitamin B1): Thiamine assists the cells with the conversion of carbohydrates into energy and ensures that the muscles and nervous systems are all functioning properly. Deficiencies can result in congestive heart failure.

10. Vitamin E: In a study out of Cambridge University, vitamin E reduced the risk of both fatal and non-fatal heart attacks by 47 percent and non-fatal heart attacks by 77 percent.


There you have it, the 10 best supplements for heart health. You can find more information about each of these on Alternative Health Journal.

By: Erin Jansen, AHJ Editor


Posted by: superoyee

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Immunosenescence - the decline of our immune system as we grow old

Nature has not meant for us to grow old. Nature simply wants us to reproduce ourselves; afterwards, she causes us to rapidly deteriorate. As we age, we are no longer able to run as fast as when we were young, we get tired more easily, it takes longer for our wounds to heal, etc. (many of those who are reading this are probably all too familiar with the aches and pains associated with growing old). If we were still living in the jungle, with predators all around us, those of us who are old would soon be “recycled.” Nature’s goal is the perpetuation of the species, so that resources, if limited, are saved for those who can contribute more toward the fulfillment of that goal. Nature has caused us (and other organisms) to be born with the conviction that those who compete for limited resources are best eliminated; alliances with those who enhance access to those resources are best formed. We apply the notion of competition and alliance not only to other species, but also to members of our own species. By Nature’s reckoning, the old, who are no longer able to contribute significantly to the welfare of the species and who now pose competition for resources, are best eliminated. Nature is so unfeeling.

But we defy Nature and we have developed means that allow us to grow old. We no longer fear the predators that used to chase us, hoping to feast on our flesh (we have killed most of them off). We have developed drugs that fight many of the parasites that plague us (but there are still very many that we have to get rid of, or at least control). We have developed mechanical means to allow the incapacitated to walk and even to run. We have developed electrical means to allow even the severely hearing impaired to hear. Indeed, more and more, we can grow very old despite Nature. (And we have learned to cherish the old — many of us, anyway.)

Ah, but Nature still has a few tricks up her sleeve.

Nature has provided us with the means to ward off disease, to fight organisms that cause disease. Our skin is a barrier that prevents entry of parasites and pathogens. The acid in our stomach usually can kill organisms that get in by way of our mouth. The tears in our eyes, the saliva in our mouth, and other secretions protect our other orifices. If viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other pathogens manage to get past those barriers, they will still have to contend with our immune system.

Our immune system is our ultimate protection against disease. We have cells and molecules that are specially designed to recognize substances that do not belong in our body. Immune cells and molecules patrol our organs and tissues, seeking out foreign substances. Germs and other pathogens are killed and the harmful molecules that they produce are neutralized and expelled from our body. Our immune system also gets rid of our own cells that have become abnormal, or are no longer functioning properly.

Very importantly, our immune system produces “memory cells” that remember previous encounters with a pathogen, so that the immune reaction to any new invasion is much faster. Immune memory is the rationale for vaccination — and for its success. Memory cells have been found to persist for more than 50 years in individuals who had been vaccinated against smallpox and for more than 90 years in survivors of the 1918 flu pandemic. Clearly, immune memory persists for many years and sometimes for a lifetime.

So, what does Nature do? To prevent us from getting (too) old, Nature weakens our immune system as we age — a condition called “immunosenescence” (immune aging). With the decline of our immune system, we more easily succumb to infection, we are more prone to cancer, we are more susceptible to seasonal diseases like the flu, etc., and vaccination, which we have invented to protect us from many diseases, becomes less and less effective.

For example, there were reports several years ago (in 2005 and 2006) of studies that showed that vaccination against flu of people 65 years old and older was not significantly protective. That finding was bolstered by a more recent finding (last year) that vaccination against flu of people over 70 years old did not reduce mortality. From these findings, it would seem that vaccination of the elderly is a waste. That is frightening, since 90 percent of flu deaths are of elderly individuals (who are more susceptible to pneumonia and other complications of flu).

Can we defy Nature one more time?

(To be concluded)

STAR SCIENCE By Eduardo A. Padlan, PhD
Eduardo A. Padlan is a corresponding member of the NAST and is an adjunct professor in the Marine Science Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman. He can be reached at fileap-mail@yahoo.com.

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Discovery Shows New Vitamin C Health Benefits

ScienceDaily (Jan. 12, 2005) — CORVALLIS - Researchers in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University have made a major discovery about the way vitamin C functions in the human body - a breakthrough that may help explain its possible value in preventing cancer and heart disease.
The study, which explores the role of vitamin C in dealing with the toxins that result from fat metabolism, was just published in a professional journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

It contradicts the conclusions of some research that was widely publicized three years ago, which had suggested that this essential nutrient might actually have toxic effects.

The new OSU study confirmed some of the results of that earlier laboratory study, which had found vitamin C to be involved in the formation of compounds potentially damaging to DNA. But that research, scientists say, only provided part of the story about what actually happens in the human body.

The newest findings explain for the first time how vitamin C can react with and neutralize the toxic byproducts of human fat metabolism.

"This is a previously unrecognized function for vitamin C in the human body," said Fred Stevens, an assistant professor in the Linus Pauling Institute. "We knew that vitamin C is an antioxidant that can help neutralize free radicals. But the new discovery indicates it has a complex protective role against toxic compounds formed from oxidized lipids, preventing the genetic damage or inflammation they can cause."

Some earlier studies done in another laboratory had exposed oxidized lipids - which essentially are rancid fats - to vitamin C, and found some reaction products that can cause DNA damage. These test tube studies suggested that vitamin C could actually form "genotoxins" that damage genes and DNA, the types of biological mutations that can precede cancer.

But that study, while valid, does not tell the whole story, the OSU researchers say.

"It's true that vitamin C does react with oxidized lipids to form potential genotoxins," said Balz Frei, professor and director of the Linus Pauling Institute, and co-author on this study. "But the process does not stop there. We found in human studies that the remaining vitamin C in the body continues to react with these toxins to form conjugates - different types of molecules with a covalent bond - that appear to be harmless."

In human tests, the OSU scientists found in blood plasma extraordinarily high levels of these conjugates, which show this protective effect of vitamin C against toxic lipids.

"Prior to this, we never knew what indicators to look for that would demonstrate the protective role of vitamin C against oxidized lipids," Stevens said. "Now that we see them, it becomes very clear how vitamin C can provide a protective role against these oxidized lipids and the toxins derived from them. And this isn't just test tube chemistry, this is the way our bodies work.

"This discovery of a new class of lipid metabolites could be very important in our understanding of this vitamin and the metabolic role it plays," Stevens said. "This appears to be a major pathway by which the body can get rid of the toxic byproducts of fat metabolism, and it clearly could relate to cancer prevention."

Oxidation of lipids has been the focus of considerable research in recent years, the scientists say, not just for the role it may play in cancer but also in other chronic diseases such as heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and autoimmune disorders.

The toxic products produced by fat oxidation may not only be relevant to genetic damage and cancer, researchers believe, but are also very reactive compounds that damage proteins. For instance, there's a protein in LDL, the "bad" cholesterol in your blood, which if damaged by toxic lipids can increase the chance of atherosclerotic lesions. In continuing research, the OSU team plans to study the role of this newly understood reaction between vitamin C and toxic lipids in atherosclerosis. In clinical studies they plan to examine the blood chemistry of patients who have been diagnosed with coronary artery disease, compared to a healthy control group.

"In the early stages of atherosclerosis, it appears that some of these toxic lipids make white blood cells stick to the arterial wall, and start an inflammatory process that ultimately can lead to heart disease or stroke," Frei said. "When we better understand that process and the role that micronutrients such as vitamin C play in it, there may be strategies we can suggest to prevent this from happening."

The new findings, the OSU scientists say, also point to new biomarkers that can be useful in identifying oxidative stress in the human body. They may provide an indicator of people who may be at special risk of chronic disease.

from: ScienceDaily



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Berries offer bountiful health benefits

" COST IN NOT IMPORTANT IF WERE TALKING ABOUT HEALTH. THINK OF IT. IT'S NOT TOO LATE"

Whether you grow them, pick them at a “pick-your-own” patch or in the wild, or buy them at grocery stores or farmers markets, berries are good for your health.

Berries are a colorful addition to our plates and contribute cancer-fighting antioxidants, which protect our cells from damage. Blue and red berries get their color from “anthocyanins,” which are natural pigments that act as antioxidants.

Eating a colorful, antioxidant-rich diet may reduce our risk of certain types of cancer and heart disease. In a 2004 U.S. Department of Agriculture study, researchers tested more than 100 commonly eaten foods. The top 11 foods in terms of antioxidant capacity included wild and cultivated blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.

Naturally sweet berries are a dieter’s dream, too. A cup of blueberries has about 85 calories and a cup of strawberries just 56 calories. Berries provide vitamin C, folate (a B vitamin) and fiber.

Besides helping protect us from cancer and heart disease, berries may protect our brain, too. In studies with mice, blueberry extracts have shown promise in reversing age-related declines in memory.

You may have seen dietary supplements that promise you can skip your fruits and/or veggies and opt for a “fruit and veggie pill” instead. Don’t believe all the dietary supplement claims, though. Fruits and vegetables are complex mixtures of natural chemicals. Nutrition experts recommend enjoying the whole food instead of an isolated substance.

Enjoy more tasty, colorful berries with these tips:

- Wash berries right before eating and clean strawberries with the stem intact.

- Sprinkle some berries on your breakfast cereal.

- No time for breakfast? Place some frozen berries and yogurt in a blender, blend one minute, pour in a cup and be on your way.

- Make a fresh fruit salsa with strawberries, apples and cilantro. Serve as a side dish with grilled fish.

- Make a snack mix with your favorite whole-grain cereal and dried cranberries and blueberries.

- Add blackberries and strawberries to salad greens, such as spinach or romaine.

- Make a parfait by layering berries and fat-free vanilla or lemon yogurt in a glass.

- If you buy extra berries, freeze some to enjoy later. Wash them, blot with a paper towel, lay them in a single layer on a tray, freeze for an hour or two and package in freezer bags labeled with the date.

Wouldn’t some berries be a tasty snack right now? Try this smoothie for a quick breakfast or snack. For more information and recipes,

visit www.ndsu.edu/eatsmart.

Julie Garden-Robinson,
Ph.D., L.R.D.


BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Vitamins present at Top Five Foods for Beating Depression

Top Five Foods For Beating Depression


By: Erin Bates



Drug advertisements and conventional doctors tell the public that depression is caused by an imbalance of a neurotransmitter in the brain called serotonin. This idea makes it seem that drugs that flood the brain with serotonin are the answer to depression, but there is no scientific evidence that drug therapy really works. In studies in which scientists lowered serotonin levels to induce depression, the experiment failed. Other studies found that dramatically increasing serotonin levels in the brain failed to relieve depression. So why do doctors persist in prescribing medications with side effects ranging from mood swings to suicidal or homicidal behaviors when those drugs may not even work?

There are treatment options that can relieve depression without swallowing pills. Many of the symptoms of depression can be directly linked to vitamin and mineral deficiencies in the standard American diet, which is largely comprised of empty carbs, caffeine and sugar. Depression, mood swings and fatigue often have a common cause: poor nutrition. Avoiding depression or recovering from a depressive episode is often as easy as changing your diet and boosting your consumption of key foods that deliver brain-boosting nutrients and help regulate brain chemistry.

Fish oils contain omega-3 fatty acids. Research has shown that depressed people often lack a fatty acid known as EPA. Participants in a 2002 study featured in the Archives of General Psychiatry took just a gram of fish oil each day and noticed a 50-percent decrease in symptoms such as anxiety, sleep disorders, unexplained feelings of sadness, suicidal thoughts and decreased sex drive. Omega-3 fatty acids can also lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health. Get omega-3s through walnuts, flaxseed and oily fish like salmon or tuna.

Brown Rice contains vitamins B1 and B3, and folic acid. Brown rice is also a low-glycemic food, which means it releases glucose into the bloodstream gradually, preventing sugar lows and mood swings. Brown rice also provides many of the trace minerals we need to function properly as well as being a high-fiber food that can keep the digestive system healthy and lower cholesterol. Instant varieties of rice do not offer these benefits. Any time you see "instant" on a food label, avoid it.

Brewer's Yeast contains vitamins B1, B2 and B3. Brewer's yeast should be avoided if you do not tolerate yeast well, but if you do, mix a thimbleful into any smoothie for your daily dose. This superfood packs a wide assortment of vitamins and minerals in a small package, including 16 amino acids and 14 minerals. Amino acids are vital for the nervous system, which makes brewer's yeast a no-brainer for treating depression.

Whole-grain oats contain folic acid, pantothenic acid and vitamins B6 and B1. Oats help lower cholesterol, are soothing to the digestive tract and help avoid the blood sugar crash-and-burn that can lead to crabbiness and mood swings. Other whole grains such as kamut, spelt, quinoa and buckwheat are also excellent choices for delivering brain-boosting nutrients and avoiding the pitfalls of refined grains such as white flour.

Cabbage contains vitamin C and folic acid. Cabbage protects against stress, infection and heart disease, as well as many types of cancers, according to the American Association for Cancer Research. There are numerous ways to get cabbage into your diet: toss it in a salad instead of lettuce, use cabbage in place of lettuce wraps, stir fry it in your favorite Asian dish, make some classic cabbage soup or juice it. To avoid gas after eating cabbage, add a few fennel, caraway or cumin seeds before cooking. Cabbage is also a good source of blood-sugar-stabilizing fiber and the raw juice of cabbage is a known cure for stomach ulcers.

Also worth mentioning, foods like raw cacao, dark molasses and Brazil nuts (high in selenium) are also excellent for boosting brain function and eliminating depression.

Things to avoid: If you feel you are depressed or at risk for depression, you also need to avoid certain non-foods and substances. Some commonly prescribed drugs - such as antibiotics, barbiturates, amphetamines, painkillers, ulcer drugs, anticonvulsants, beta-blockers, anti-Parkinson's drugs, birth control pills, high blood pressure drugs, heart medications and psychotropic drugs - contribute to depression. If you are taking any of these, don't quit them without talking to your doctor, but be aware that they may be contributing to your condition by depleting your body of depression-fighting vitamins and minerals.

You should also avoid caffeine, smoking and foods high in trans-fats and sugar. Keeping your blood sugar stable and getting B vitamins is important for stabilizing your mood. Cacao can be good for mood because it releases endorphins in the brain, but watch out for milk chocolate and candy varieties high in sugar.

Other non-food things to do: Get plenty of sunshine. Natural sunlight is a proven cure for depression. Engage in regular exercise at least three times per week.
Exercise lifts mood and alters brain chemistry in a positive way. Finally, experience laughter. It's good medicine.

This article was submitted as a public service by Cathy Thompson-Lidster, GCFP, Health Educator/ Coach. 267-3022

VITAMIN C- THE MOTHER OF ALL VITAMINS

Did you know that all other vitamins need Vitamin C to work? Interesting, right? But what’s more interesting is the fact that Vitamin C can actually do its job without the other ones.

Vitamin C is required for about 300 metabolic functions in our body and can work without any other vitamins. Almost all animals and plants manufacture their own Vitamin C except humans and a few animal species.

Since our bodies cannot generate Vitamin C, we must get it through proper diet that should include grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, and beans — types of food that are often ignored and even shunned by some people.

Among its other functions Vitamin C, which is also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble and valuable antioxidant that protects our cells from the harmful effects of free radicals. It is needed for collagen formation, which supports all the tissues in our body such as skin, bones, teeth, etc. It also enhances energy and mood, sleep, and pain control, as well as fight stress and fatigue.

The alkaline type or non-acidic Vitamin C is notably more effective and can enter the body four times faster and stays in the body tissue longer than standard forms.

As taught by our health teachers in grade school, deficiency in Vitamin C results to scurvy in humans. Other known weaknesses or illnesses brought about by its absence are: susceptibility to colds and bronchial infections, joint pains, lack of energy, poor digestion, difficult wound healing, and tooth loss.

Mother of all Vitamins

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