Category Archives: Diet and Nutrition

Breast Cancer and Diet: Not Just What, but When – David L. Katz, MD

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Please read this article by Dr. Katz (Director, Yale University Prevention Research Center) and pass it on to any one you know with young daughters or sisters.

 ~ Be Well.  ♥

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My one time patient and student, Nicole Larizza, earned her MS degree in nutrition studying the effects of nutrition in childhood on breast cancer risk in adulthood. Her important insights have led her to establish an organization dedicated to the early prevention of breast cancer, Nourish Our Girls.

I found the information Nicole shared with me important and provocative- and felt it deserved to be shared. My questions and her answers follow to that end.

 Breast cancer typically presents during adulthood. Why is nutrition during childhood and adolescence important?

As women, we tend not to think about breast cancer until mid-life – our 40s, 50s, and beyond – when our friends, sisters, mothers, or coworkers are diagnosed with this dreaded disease. But adult breast health is largely determined much earlier in life when the breast tissue is developing. During this time, the breast is most vulnerable and sensitive to nutritional and environmental stimuli. Research shows us that consumption of certain foods during the breast development process may actually change the physiology of the breast, thereby making it more or less susceptible to future cancer.

One example of this is soy foods. Regular consumption of whole, traditional forms of soy during puberty is associated with the growth of fewer terminal ductal-lobular units (TDLUs) in the breast. These TDLUs are the end point of each mammary duct that extends out from the nipple, and are the site where the overwhelming majority of breast cancers originate. If we reduce the number of TDLUs in the fully-developed breast by altering a girl’s pubertal diet, then we reduce the opportunity for cancer to occur there.(Messina, 2009) This is just one of many examples about how diet during the breast development stage may affect physiology and influence risk as a result.

 

2. How does a girl’s nutrition during childhood and adolescence affect her risk of breast cancer later in life?

The development of cancer is a multi-step process at the cellular level. Very simply, it begins with initiation when a single cell is damaged. This is followed by promotion as the damaged cell replicates and makes more damaged cells, and finally culminates with progression as masses of damaged cells spread throughout the body, infiltrate other tissues, and affect function.

This process may take up to 35 years. (National Academy of Sciences, 1982) With women being diagnosed at earlier ages now – in their 40s, 30s, and even some in their 20s – think about when that disease process may have started! The food a young girl eats may directly affect her risk of breast cancer by intervening at the earliest points along the cancer continuum. The presence of antioxidants and other nutrients may protect cells from becoming damaged in the first place, and may slow down or prevent the promotion of cell damage thereafter.(Murillo, 2001) Conversely, toxins and anti-nutrients like sugar and synthetic fats may actually cause cell damage or create a cellular environment in which cancer grows and thrives.(Liu, 2010)

More indirectly, but just as important, certain dietary patterns and food intakes during childhood and adolescence are associated with the timing of menarche. Earlier menarche is an independent risk factor for adult breast cancer because it extends the window of exposure to estrogen. Estrogen has been implicated as a stimulus for cell division as well as a promoter of hormone-receptive breast tumors. As such, women with a higher lifetime exposure to estrogen have higher rates of breast cancer.(DeAssis, 2006) Any behaviors we can modify to delay that first period, and shorten the window of estrogen exposure, may therefore result in decreased cancer risk. These behaviors include eating a lower fat, lower protein, higher fiber diet, as well as being physically active and maintaining a lean body weight.

 

3. Which foods or dietary patterns during childhood/adolescence help to reduce risk of adult breast cancer?

Based upon available clinical evidence, there are essentially five dietary patterns that appear to be protective. The mechanisms of action are yet to be completely elucidated, but these patterns are associated with reduced risk of adult breast cancer and other breast cancer biomarkers… Read full article by clicking here.

Studies Link Antioxidant Levels with Reduced Risk of Cancer, Heart Disease

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A recent compilation of several studies published by the National Institutes of Health brings good news for those of us who eat carotenoid-rich foods.

J Natl Cancer Inst. 2012 Dec 19;104(24):1905-16. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djs461. Epub 2012 Dec 6.

Circulating carotenoids and risk of breast cancer: pooled analysis of eight prospective studies.

Eliassen AH, Hendrickson SJ, Brinton LA, Buring JE, Campos H, Dai Q, Dorgan JF, Franke AA, Gao YT, Goodman MT, Hallmans G, Helzlsouer KJ, Hoffman-Bolton J, Hultén K, Sesso HD, Sowell AL, Tamimi RM, Toniolo P, Wilkens LR, Winkvist A, Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A, Zheng W, Hankinson SE.

Source: Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Farmers Market2 Union Sq 0912

Carotenoids, micro-nutrients in fruits and vegetables, may reduce breast cancer risk. Most, but not all, past studies of circulating carotenoids and breast cancer have found an inverse association with at least one carotenoid, although the specific carotenoid has varied across studies.

METHODS:

We conducted a pooled analysis of eight cohort studies comprising more than 80% of the world’s published prospective data on plasma or serum carotenoids and breast cancer, including 3055 case subjects and 3956 matched control subjects.

To account for laboratory differences and examine population differences across studies, we re-calibrated participant carotenoid levels to a common standard by re-assaying 20 plasma or serum samples from each cohort together at the same laboratory. Using conditional logistic regression, adjusting for several breast cancer risk factors, we calculated relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using quintiles defined among the control subjects from all studies.

RESULTS:

Statistically significant inverse associations with breast cancer were observed for α-carotene (top vs bottom quintile RR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.71 to 1.05), β-carotene (RR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.70 to 0.98), lutein+zeaxanthin (RR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.70 to 1.01), lycopene (RR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.62 to 0.99), and total carotenoids (RR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.68 to 0.96).

For several carotenoids, associations appeared stronger for estrogen receptor negative (ER(-)) than for ER(+) tumors.

CONCLUSIONS:

This comprehensive prospective analysis suggests women with higher circulating levels of α-carotene, β-carotene, lutein+zeaxanthin, lycopene, and total carotenoids may be at reduced risk of breast cancer.

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And another study:

Effects of antioxidant supplementation on the aging process

Domenico Fusco,1 Giuseppe Colloca,1 Maria Rita Lo Monaco,1 and Matteo Cesari1,2

In Western Countries, atherosclerotic disease is the major cause of death in the elderly population. Several antioxidants, such as polyphenols and lycopene, have been proposed to delay the progression of this disease. At the beginning of the Nineties, Renaud and de Lorgeril created the so-called “French Paradox”, describing how, despite the high intake of saturated fat, the French population presents a low incidence of coronary heart disease events (Renaud and de Lorgeril 1992).

Even if their study raised a huge controversy, it has been suggested that beneficial effects from red wine consumption might be related to its high content of antioxidants (Heller et al 1998). Resveratrol, a phytoalexin found in several plants (in particular, red grapes), has shown to be able to up-regulate the nuclear Liver X receptor α and its target genes in macrophages, and to reduce the expression of lipoprotein lipase and scavenger receptor AII.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disorder with cognitive and memory decline, speech loss, personality changes and synapse loss. The heterogeneity of the etiologic factors of Alzheimer’s disease makes it difficult to define the major clinical determinants for the onset and progression of the disease. However, increasing evidence has recently indicated oxidative damage as a potential cause of Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis (Nunomura et al 2006; Onyango and Khan 2006).

Cancer: While the exact role of free radicals in carcinogenesis and cancer progression is still under investigation, increasing evidence has demonstrated that some antioxidants are associated with a lower incidence of specific types of cancers. Vitamin E, for example, has been shown in some trials to reduce the incidence of breast, lung, and colon cancers, but the most significant results have been obtained with prostate cancer.

Read Full Article Here.

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I suggest to each person I counsel on Disease Prevention to consider taking a high quality, pure supplement that contains the full spectrum of Antioxidants to help ensure they are doing all they can to reduce their risk for cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Maintaining high antioxidant levels is the single most critical goal for good health.

  “The amount of antioxidants that you maintain in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live.” -  Richard Cutler M.D., Director Anti-Aging Research, National Institute of Health (NIH)

Of the many supplements I have taken and that have been suggested to me by a leading nutritional oncologist, a handful of brands stand above the rest.  However, for a comprehensive pharmaceutical-grade Supplement which includes a full spectrum of Antioxidants, Vitamins and Minerals in doses that have been scientifically formulated to work together synergistically, no brand competes with Pharmanex’ Lifepak.  The company guarantees that your antioxidant levels will rise after 6 – 8 weeks of taking the supplement, or your money back.  I know of no other supplement that makes that promise.

More importantly, Instead of testing for the 50 or so required contaminants that the FDA outlines, Pharmanex tests for over 200 of them!  That’s a company I am confident has my good health in focus.

If you are serious about impacting your health in a tangible way, and understand that none of us can get the recommended levels of nutrients and antioxidants from our diet alone (many reasons for that, including depleted nutrients in our soil), then you should consider taking LifePak.

Drop me a message and I will create an account for you with Pharmanex, so you have access to what I pay… which is the lowest possible price (20 – 25%) below the published web price.

To Your Good Health! ♥

Feeling Fatigued? The Culprit is Likely to Be Hiding in 75% of What You Eat!

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The article below is well-written and very thought-provoking posted by

It seems that every few days a new post appears somewhere in the print or online media pleading with us to recognize that many of the health problems we are now dealing with can be traced to what we choose to feed our bodies.

Addictive ingredients are intentionally built-in to the foods we crave.  One of the most favored addictive ingredient is SUGAR.  From chips, to pasta sauce, to “healthy energy bars”, sugar has found its way into almost every snack and jarred food item.Pies

Time and time again we’ve proven that Wealth is always chosen over Health by the packaged food industry.

Unless we all become aware of this awful plot we are all pawns in, we are not going to recover our right to live in good health, nor are we going to protect our children from the rising risk of obesity and the negative health effects it guarantees.

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Blood sugar () is the body’s main fuel, with the brain claiming a hefty 20% for itself. That’s why low can leave you feeling exhausted, anxious, irritable and brain fogged.

High blood sugar doesn’t do you any favors either. It punishes the blood vessels in your body — from wide arteries to the tiny, cell-wide capillaries. The result is increased risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, nerve pain, blindness, foot ulcers that won’t heal, and amputations.

Unfortunately, we Americans eat a lot of glucose-raising sugar, with an astounding average of 150 pounds of food-processed sugar added to a person’s diet every year.

The result? Some experts predict that by 2020 half of Americans will be either prediabetic or diabetic! But you don’t have to be part of that half…

Colour Sweets

The message to take from this is that to feel well and stay healthy, you have to keep your blood sugar at an optimal level. And a few simple actions can help you do just that!

Click here to read full article.

High-Fat Dairy Intake Linked to Mortality – Research Study

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High-Fat Dairy Intake Linked to Mortality

Kroenke CH, Kwan ML, Sweeney C, Castillo A, Caan BJ. High- and low-fat dairy intake, recurrence, and mortatlity after breast cancer diagnosis. J Natl Cancer Inst. Published online March 14, 2013.cheeese

Women who consumed the most high-fat dairy products were more likely to die during a 12-year follow-up, compared with those who consumed the least, according to a new study published by the National Cancer Institute. Researchers followed 1,893 women who had previously been treated for early-stage breast cancer as part of the Life After Cancer Epidemiology Study.

They found that the participants who consumed one or more servings of high-fat dairy products per day, compared with none to less than half a serving, were at a 64 percent increased risk for dying and 44 percent increased risk for dying from breast cancer. Dairy products monitored included cow’s milk, cheese, dairy-based desserts, and yogurt.

Read Abstract here.

~ Be Well!

 

 

The Olde Pink House Restaurant and Himalayan Dinner

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So, have you seen the Olde Pink House Restaurant in Savannah, Georgia?  It is a child’s and any adult who remains young at heart’s dream-come-true restaurant…!

Yesterday was my birthday… and if I had been able to choose where to go with no limit on distance, The Olde Pink would have been up there on my list.  Forget the fact that I probably can’t eat a thing on their menu.  :)

olde pink house restaurnat, savannah, GA

This is what I thought was the Olde Pink House restaurant, per a website I read…

Below is the actual Pink House Restaurant!!  Disappointing but, pretty in it’s own down to earth way. :)

The Olde Pink House

Well, I opted for the one and only organic Thai food restaurant.. which happens to be in Berkeley.

We hopped in the car and drove to this little place that serves wild caught salmon, brown rice, organic chicken and organic veggies on a special menu.

As we walked  to the restaurant, after parking, we passed by the Himalayan restaurant, which is usually busy.  On a whim we took a look at the posted menu. We all love Indian food but don’t go any more since I can’t eat fatty foods and white rice.

Well, guess what!  They had an organic greens salad and an organic chicken Tandoor!!  You guessed it, we skipped Thai to try this out.  After all, Curry is super full of antioxidants, thanks to Turmeric, garlic, and all the other wonderful spices.

J ordered a Himalayan a Bhutan spicy chicken and veggie dish and the Basil Naan, my son had the Goat Curry, J’s daughter had the Tikka Masala and I had the Tandoor and Salad.  All came with a garlicky Lentil Soup.

My salad had just the right amount of a lovely light balsamic dressing.  You can see the Mango Lassi that J had.Mixed greens and Veg salad_Himalayas

To my utter surprise and pleasure, the Tandoori Chicken did NOT have the usual red coloring on it.  No guilt at all having this meal.  My brown rice was not as fibrous as I would have liked, but I only had a little.  That’s the Tikka Masala and white rice in the background.

organic chicken Tandoori, tikka masala

A good time was had by all.

~ In Good Health! ♥

Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with Mediterranean Diet

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Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet

 
Ramón Estruch, M.D., Ph.D., Emilio Ros, M.D., Ph.D., Jordi Salas-Salvadó, M.D., Ph.D., Maria-Isabel Covas, D.Pharm., Ph.D., Dolores Corella, D.Pharm., Ph.D., Fernando Arós, M.D., Ph.D., Enrique Gómez-Gracia, M.D., Ph.D., Valentina Ruiz-Gutiérrez, Ph.D., Miquel Fiol, M.D., Ph.D., José Lapetra, M.D., Ph.D., Rosa Maria Lamuela-Raventos, D.Pharm., Ph.D., Lluís Serra-Majem, M.D., Ph.D., Xavier Pintó, M.D., Ph.D., Josep Basora, M.D., Ph.D., Miguel Angel Muñoz, M.D., Ph.D., José V. Sorlí, M.D., Ph.D., José Alfredo Martínez, D.Pharm, M.D., Ph.D., and Miguel Angel Martínez-González, M.D., Ph.D. for the PREDIMED Study Investigators

February 25, 2013
Pour on the olive oil, preferably over fish and vegetables.

One of the longest and most scientific tests of a Mediterranean diet suggests this style of eating can cut the chance of suffering heart-related problems, especially strokes, in older people at high risk of them.

The study involved about 7,500 people in Spain. Half had diabetes and most had high blood pressure and cholesterol. They were told to follow a low-fat diet or a Mediterranean one with extra olive oil or nuts. That meant lots of fruit, fish, chicken, beans, tomato sauce, salads and wine.

After nearly five years, those who ate Mediterranean-style had a 30 percent lower risk of major cardiovascular problems compared to the low-fat group.
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olive oil
The traditional Mediterranean diet is characterized by a high intake of olive oil, fruit, nuts, vegetables, and cereals; a moderate intake of fish and poultry; a low intake of dairy products, red meat, processed meats, and sweets; and wine in moderation, consumed with meals. In observational cohort studies, and a secondary prevention trial (the Lyon Diet Heart Study), increasing adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been consistently beneficial with respect to cardiovascular risk.

Participant Selection and Randomization

Eligible participants were men (55 to 80 years of age) and women (60 to 80 years of age) with no cardiovascular disease at enrollment, who had either type 2 diabetes mellitus or at least three of the following major risk factors: smoking, hypertension, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, overweight or obesity, or a family history of premature coronary heart disease.

Beginning on October 1, 2003, participants were randomly assigned, in a 1:1:1 ratio, to one of three dietary intervention groups:

1. a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil,

2. a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts,

3. or a control diet.

Results

Baseline Characteristics of the Study Participants

Participants were followed for a median of 4.8 years (interquartile range, 2.8 to 5.8). After the initial assessment, 209 participants (2.8%) chose not to attend subsequent visits, and their follow-up was based on reviews of medical records.

As with many clinical trials, the observed rates of cardiovascular events were lower than anticipated, with reduced statistical power to separately assess components of the primary end point. However, favorable trends were seen for both stroke and myocardial infarction. We acknowledge that, even though participants in the control group received advice to reduce fat intake, changes in total fat were small and the largest differences at the end of the trial were in the distribution of fat subtypes.

The interventions were intended to improve the overall dietary pattern, but the major between-group differences involved the supplemental items. Thus, extra-virgin olive oil and nuts were probably responsible for most of the observed benefits of the Mediterranean diets. Differences were also observed for fish and legumes but not for other food groups.

Read Complete Study Here.

♥

Quick Saturday Lunch : Lentil ‘n Rice Mash, Raw Veggies and Egg Salad

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I actually enjoy the challenge of finding ingredients to quickly toss together a healthy lunch when I’m on the go on weekends.  Today was one of those days.

My son has a cooking assignment for his Japanese Class making Okonomiyaki – it’s like a pancake with chopped cabbage, green onion, shrimp and pickled ginger which is sautéed till crispy and topped with cooked crisp bacon then drizzled with Tonkatsu sauce!  NOT on my list of foods to promote good health… but at 17 I have to cut him some slack.  It’s one of his teacher’s favorite recipes.

Japanese Okonomiyaki Recipe

Japanese Okonomiyaki _ allrecipes

So I ran to the grocery store  after a morning visit from one of my 30-something nephews, then back before my son’s cooking buddy showed up.  I have a list of things I’d like to accomplish today, one of which is to spend an hour writing (novel in progress for too many years!) and another is to make GF Cinnamon Rolls before I have to start dinner.

Since the kitchen had two 17-year-old boys with all the recipe ingredients spread out, I grabbed a few things from the fridge almost randomly and put them on the corner counter to see what I could make of them.

What I grabbed:

  • a tiny bowl of egg salad
  • a tiny bowl of Mjaddara (lentil and rice mash)
  • an avocado
  • a few carrots
  • a slice of papaya
  • an heirloom tomato (hidden under the other vegs.)
  • a radish
  • Vegenaise!

Well, here’s what it looked like.  Colorful, flavorful and good for me.  :)

Quick lunch mjaddara, veg, egg salad

Fiber and vegetable protein in the lentil mash; antioxidant power in papaya, radish and avocado; a little more protein and good omega-3 fat in egg salad.

~ To Your Health ♥

Top 7 Reasons Apple Cider Vinegar Should Be a Part of Your Diet

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Most people in the U.S. associate Apple Cider Vinegar with “Dr. Bragg”, and that’s as it should be.  Dr. Paul Bragg has done more to promote and raise awareness of the numerous health benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar over the past few decades than any other company or individual. I actually buy his Organic Apple Cider Vinegar by the Gallon!  I fill small jars to give to family members with a quick list of benefits.

Dr. Paul Bragg

Born around 1895, Bragg grew up in Washington, D.C. with his parents. In 1921 Bragg and his family, now also including two young daughters, moved to California, where Paul was employed by the YMCA. Around 1926, Paul left his job and became an entrepreneur in the health field, by opening  the “Health Center of Los Angeles” and then, in 1928, “Bragg Health Center”.

Crippled by TB as a teenager, Bragg developed his own deep breathing, water fasts, consumption of organic foods, drinking distilled water, juicing, and exercise to rebuild his body into an ageless, tireless, pain-free citadel of glowing good health.  He was the first to import Juicers to the US, and the first to introduce Pineapple juice to consumers.

Bragg was the inspiration and personal health and fitness advisor to top Olympic stars.  He lived to the age of 85.

Here is a WANT AD from his book on Apple Cider Vinegar that I thought was cute:

 

I love the flavor of Cider Vinegar. I pour a little over steamed greens, dip my fish filets in it, and love salad dressings the include this amazing food.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Bragg’s Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

According to Dr. Bragg and others here are …

 7 Reasons to Include Organic Apple Cider Vinegar in Your Diet:

       1. Apple Cider Vinegar is a great source of Potassium:

Potassium is to our soft tissue what Calcium is to our bones. Potassium is a mineral that has electrical properties when it dissolves in  the blood and so is classified as an electrolyte. It is critical to life as is required for the proper functioning of our cells, including the cells of the heart muscle.

Diets high in potassium may help to protect against hypertension, strokes, and cardiovascular disease.

Tell tale signs of Potassium Deficiency are:

  • Aches and pains in lower back, both muscle and bone
  • Dizziness when straighten up after leaning over
  • Dull morning headache upon rising
  • Hair feels dry and is unmanageable
  • Eyes itch and feel sore at times
  • Extreme loss of mental alertness, forgetting names or places that are on the tip of your tongue
  • Impatience and irritability
  • Nervousness, perhaps periods of depression
  • Insomnia
  • Insatiable Thirst
  • Chills
  • Hands and feet get cold, even in warm weather
  • High Cholesterol Levels
  • Glucose Intolerance
  • Impaired Growth
  • Edema
  • In extreme cases, cardiac arrest

2. Helping Your Body Get Rid of Toxins:

Apple Cider Vinegar helps cells move normal waste from our body. Toxins that are not flushed from the body lodge in the joints and organs.  This protective action of AC Vinegar is called “Acetolysis”.  Waste products are broken down, then made inert.  The organs responsible for eliminating waste are your kidneys, bowel, lungs, and skin… and sometimes they can use a little help.

HOW?  Add 2 tsp. AC Vinegar to 6 ounces of Tomato Juice, and drink between meals once or twice a day.

3.   Relieve Headaches: Headache

HOW?  Add equal parts water and AC Vinegar in a small pot.  Heat until it comes to a slow rolling boil. Remove the pot from stove and placing a towel over your head, lean over just until the fumes are tolerable but strong.  Inhale for about 60 – 80 breaths.

It may take up to 30 minutes of warming the mixture and inhaling to get rid of a Chronic headache.

4. Relieves Dandruff, Itchy Scalp and Dry Hair:

The Malic acid and powerful enzymes in AC Vinegar kill the germs responsible for many scalp and hair problems. These little germs clog our hair follicle openings causing scales.  The result is itching and dandruff.

HOW?  Pour 2 Tbs. of vinegar in a cup. Moisten a cotton ball with water and then soak it in the vinegar. Part your hair in sections and apply the solution directly to the scalp. Leave on for 15 – 30 minutes before shampooing.  This process restores proper pH balance to the scalp.  May need to repeat daily for acute cases.
For maintenance… after shampooing, add a little vinegar to water for the last hair rinse.

5. Relieve Muscle Soreness and Aching Joints:hot stone massage 1

HOW?  Soak in a warm bath to which 1-2 cups of AC Vinegar have been added. Massage your body while in the water starting with your feet.  Continue up the torso, gently squeezing each part, always moving towards the heart.  Start with hands and work up arms and neck, again rubbing towards the heart.

Include your face and scalp in the massage.

6.  Fight Mucus with AC Vinegar:

Many of us suffer from allergies that cause mucus to collect around our sinus cavities, nose and throat.  The irritating nasal drip can be halted with the aid of this miraculous substance.  First, you should discontinue consuming dairy products to decrease mucus.

HOW? Each morning when you rise, drink a glass of water with 1 tsp. local honey and 2 tsp. AC Vinegar mixed in. Sip slowly to get the most benefit.  Repeat sometime during the day. Also use Cider Vinegar in your salad dressings.

7. Younger Looking Skin:Female portrait 3

Washing our face with soap has an alkaline result on the skin, which is not something we want. You want to keep your skin in an acid state for healthy glow. Your skin is made up of protein, water and other minor chemicals. Proteins are very complex chains of amino acids and they are very sensitive to the level of pH surrounding them. When the skin’s proteins react with an acid in a low pH coagulation occurs. The acid destroys the existing tissues so that they can be replaced with new cells.

HOW? Wash your face with very warm water (no soap). Wet a hand towel in very warm water and hold it to your face for 3-4 minutes.  Then soak a wash cloth in a bowl of tepid water that has 3 Tbs. of Cider Vinegar per cup of water, and apply that to your skin. Cover with the hand towel that you have soaked again in very warm water and wrung out. Wait 5 minutes.

Rinse your face with warm water and rub briskly with a clean dry towel.  This will remove the dry skin loosened by the vinegar.

Wow! And that was only half the benefits that Apple Cider Vinegar is known for.

For more information and to purchase Bragg’s AC Vinegar, click here.

~ Be Well! ♥

The Awesome Benefits of Barley Grass Powder

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I have long praised Barley Flour for the high fiber content it adds to baking Gluten Free, and now I have discovered that BARLEY GRASS is an AWESOME, powerful nutrient.

Barley Grass

Barley grass

(Hordeum vulgare) is the seedling of the barley plant. It is usually harvested about 200 days after germination.

Benefits

Barley contains eight essential amino acids. According to a recent study, eating whole-grain barley can regulate blood sugar (i.e. reduce blood glucose response to a meal) for up to 10 hours after consumption.

The antioxidant alpha-tocopherol succinate – the potent half of vitamin E, may be responsible for much of the plant’s anti-tumor action, according to Allan L. Goldstein, Ph.D., head of the biochemistry department at George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C.

It seems to seems to inhibit several types of cancer, including leukemia, breast cancer, brain tumors, and prostate cancer.

In an experiment at GW University, Goldstein and his colleagues exposed leukemic cancer cells to dehydrated barley grass extract. The extract killed virtually all the cancer cells.  They then subjected brain cancer cells to the extract. It wiped out 30 to 50% of those cells. In a third trial, the extract inhibited the growth of three types of prostate cancer cells by 90 to 100%!

Nutrients

Barley grass contains rich amounts of vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids. The cereal grass is enveloped in chlorophyll, a disease-fighting substance which gives grass blades their emerald color.

BY WEIGHT, dehydrated barley grass has 11 times the calcium of cow’s milk, 5 times the iron of spinach, and more protein than sirloin steak.

The wealth of health benefits found in barley grass may be easily explored by drying the grass and grinding the blades until

barley flour

it becomes a fine powder. The powder maintains the original benefits of the grass with an added bonus of a nutty flavor can be easily utilized in teas or culinary dishes.

       Read article on this topic on Livestrong by clicking here.

How To Use Barely Powder

Barley grass  powder is best taken on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before or two hours after a meal.
Dr. Yoshihide Hagiwara, the creator of Barleygreen, looked at all green plants in Japan, and then narrowed his search down to 150 leafy green varieties. He found many plants with satisfactory nutrition, but none that covered as wide a spectrum of nutrients as green barley.
For disease prevention, Hagiwara advises taking 2 to 6 g of powder – dissolved in water or juice – two or three times a day.

To treat skin or stomach ailments, you may need to take up to 12 g of powder two or three times a day. Expect improvements within three months.

CAUTION:  People with eczema or acne may notice some skin aggravation when they first take barley grass.
Also, barley grass may initially cause nausea, diarrhea, or constipation. If any of these symptoms occur, you may want to cut back to 1/2 g twice a day, then slowly increase your dosage until your body adjusts.  Always consult your Medical Practitioner before beginning any new regimen, to make sure there is no interaction with medications/supplements you may be currently taking, or a condition you are being treated for.

~ Be Well!  ♥

Why Do We Get Sick and Age?

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As you know your body is made of a kazillion cells (give or take a few).

Cells form tissue, tissue forms organs, organs form organ systems, and organ systems form a complete human body. So when we get sick, or age.. it is in fact our cells that are getting sick and aging.  Your health is dependent on the health of your CELLS.

Back to Biology Class for a moment…

Just by breathing and breaking down food, our body creates free radicals, or molecules with unpaired electrons. These unstable molecules make their way through the body, scavenging our cells, trying to snatch up that missing part. The free radical theory of aging says that the damage done by these free radicals to our cells, particularly Oxidative Stress that oxygen-free radicals cause, could be why our bodies age.
Inflammation is a natural, necessary response to fight germs or heal wounds. Our immune system steps in to fight foreign invaders.
Inflammatory chemicals are a by-product which can be harmful to our tissues… antioxidants restore order.
Because free radicals are a natural byproduct of numerous bodily functions, we’re destined to have these molecules running around all the time.

To The Rescue!

Antioxidants have extra electrons that they give to free radicals.  These are your body’s repairmen! We get antioxidants from colorful fruits and vegetables.

What Depletes Our Antioxidants Stores?

  • Smoking
  • Alcohol
  • Fatty Foods
  • Pesticides
  • Pollution
  • Stress
  • Some prescription drugs
  • Exercise

Exercise???  YES! When you exercise you are oxidizing your body… right?  Well, then you are a person who needs MORE ANTIOXIDANTS than the average bear.

The goal is to MAINTAIN a healthy level of antioxidants.  Not to get enough for a few days, and drop your intake for a few days.

“The amount of antioxidants that you maintain in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live.”

     -  Richard Cutler M.D., Director Anti-Aging Research, National Institute of Health (NIH).

The FDA used to recommend that we get at least 6500 ORAC (a measure of antioxidant capacity of foods) per day.  This number would equal about 4 cups of blueberries a day. Most Americans get around 2,000 ORAC a day.

Not long ago they raised the number to 8500 ORAC a day.  WHY?

1. Our soil is depleted of nutrients, so the food we eat offers less nutrients

2. Pesticides lower antioxidant values

3. Toxins in our environment deplete antioxidants and those are always on the rise.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO FIGHT BACK?

1. Eat ORGANIC

2. Eat a wide variety of dark berries, colorful vegetables and lots of spices (a 1/4 tsp of Cinnamon gives you approximately 25% of the Antioxidants you need in a day!)

3. Avoid chemical additives in food, cosmetics and containers

4. Take a pharmaceutical grade supplement daily that has the full spectrum of Antioxidants and minerals your body needs since it is almost impossible to consistently maintain a healthy level of antioxidants

Below is an example of a comprehensive antioxidant supplement:

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Send me an email for a list of pharmaceutical grade manufacturers.  All supplements are NOT created equally.  Many pills you buy at the local drug store go right through you before your body is able to break them down.  The supplement sample above has been clinically shown to raise antioxidant levels within 4 6- weeks.

~ Be Well. ♥