New findings -eggs are good for you

New findings prove that there is no relationship between the cholesterol in eggs and heart disease, and in fact your health benefits from adding eggs to your diet. But the type of eggs you eat is very important.

To learn more about what eggs you should be eating and the best way to cook them, watch Dr. Heidi's video below. I personally use coconut oil to cook my eggs, as it has many health benefits including antibacterial and anti fungal properties.

View the video here: How To Fry An ER Egg

Healthy salad idea

My husband and I always like to have a healthy salad with our main meal. Prior to the e-coli scare with packaged spinach last year, I usually made us a spinach salad because spinach has so many more nutrients than regular iceberg lettuce. Even after the source of the e-coli was discovered, we were hesitant to eat packaged spinach.

I make my own oil and vinegar dressing, using olive oil and apple cider vinegar, lime juice, garlic, sea salt, hot pepper flakes or a few drops of hot pepper sauce, parsley and oregano. A good rule of thumb is half oil, 1/4 vinegar, and 1/4 lime juice. For convenience, I make up a batch ahead of time - this lets the flavors mingle and you'll always have the dressing on hand.


So I came up with an alternative, and we both like it even better than a spinach salad. There are no right or wrong vegetables for this salad. I use mainly broccoli and cauliflower for the bulk of the salad, and there is no measuring. Just do what you like. Here are my choices:

*broccoli and cauliflower - cut into thin slices.
*onion and peppers - chopped (the red and yellow peppers are higher in vitamin C)
*grated Parmesan cheese - sprinkle on top of vegetables
*chunks of meat (warm) - I use whatever I have left over (turkey, chicken, spam, bacon) It only takes a little bit of meat to add flavor -heated just slightly, it has a softening affect on the vegetables.
*season with a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper
*Drizzle oil and vinegar dressing over top and toss (just a little goes a long way)

Variations:
I usually include meat if eating the salad as my meal for lunch, and leave the meat out if we're having a meat entre for supper. You can also add tomatoes, or crumbled egg; this salad has a lot of flavor regardless.

(It's a good idea to use a good vegetable wash such as Solay Fruit and Vegetable Wash from Solay Wellness (see link on right), to remove any bacteria and contaminants from processing that plain water doesn't remove) Solay's products are biodegradable, they use only natural ingredients, and do not engage in any animal testing.

I hope you enjoy the salad as much as we do.

For your health, drink tea

I've been a big tea drinker since I was a child. We lived next door to my grandparents and whenever I popped in for a visit, Grandma would brew us a pot of tea. Back then, we drank black or green tea made from tea leaves, and sometimes she'd make mint tea from her own plants. My Grandma lived to be 91 years old with good health right up till her last year, and I think her love of tea was a contributing factor.

Now that I'm in my mid fifties, watching my caffeine intake has become important. Regular decaffeinated teas don't work for me because the caffeine is removed by a chemical process. I drink only natural and organic teas.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, my goal is to avoid any prescription drugs as I age, and herbal supplements can be very beneficial in the fight against diseases. And naturally, I want these supplements to come from organic herbs. Organic India provides a full line of USDA certified organic teas and herbal supplements. Not only do their products impress me, as a company they are committed to providing sustainable agriculture in India, and pay a premium market rate to the farmers, which in turn provides the farmer with a living wage.

If you're not a tea drinker, I recommend you give it a try. Tea is full of antioxidants which fight free radicals in the body, so it's a good way to protect your health.

Make your own yogurt for optimal benefit

You probably know that yogurt is beneficial for your digestive tract health because it contains active cultures of good bacteria. You may not know that those active cultures have a very short shelf life of just a few days. In order to assure the yogurt I eat is actually doing me good, I make my own yogurt. One of my readers asked how I make it, so here is what I do.

First of all, I purchased a small yogurt maker online from Amazon.com, along with a starter kit of active yogurt cultures. The whole thing cost me approximately $15. If you are able to purchase plain yogurt at a store and you are certain the cultures are still living, you could just use about 1/4 cup as your starter.

Ingredients:
16 ounces of heavy cream & 16 ounces filtered water; or 32 ounces of milk (raw milk would be optimal, but our state doesn't allow dairies to sell it at present)
1/4 cup of vanilla whey protein mix or powdered milk
1 packet of starter cultures (mix according to box) or 1/4 cup of plain yogurt

Stir the protein powder into the cream mixture, then heat just to boiling. This will kill any bacteria etc. Then I place it in the freezer for approximately 35 to 45 minutes to bring the temperature back down to around 100 - 110 degrees. The liquid must be cool enough so the active cultures aren't killed by the heat. Next stir the yogurt cultures into the cream mixture gently, and place container into the yogurt maker, cover and your done. Instructions say to leave it for at least 12 hours, but I prefer it left for 24 hours so that it will be thicker. After the 24 hours, I place it in the refrigerator, where it will thicken a bit more.

The end result is the best tasting yogurt you've ever had, it's cheaper than buying the ready made yogurt, and you can be sure you're getting the benefit of the good bacteria.

You may have Candidiasis and not know it

Did you know that 1 out of every 2 people will suffer from Candidiasis sometime in your life?

Symptoms of Candidiasis are:
* bloating, headaches, depression, fatigue, memory problems, impotence or loss of libido, unexplained muscle aches, brain fogginess.
* a craving for sweets, products with white flour, or alcoholic beverages.
* repeated vaginal infections.
* repeated health problems involving inappropriate drowsiness, mood swings, rashes, bad breath, dry mouth, post-nasal drip or nasal congestion, heartburn, urinary frequency or urgency.
* repeated fungal infections (jock itch, athlete's foot, ringworm)
* recently taken repeated courses of antibiotics or steroids.
* use of birth-control pills

If you answered yes to two or more of these, you may be suffering from Candidiasis, a yeast overgrowth. Good bacteria lives in our intestinal tract (acidophilus and bifidobacteria). Bad bacteria such as Candida albicans is a form of yeast that can be dangerous to the body. The good bacteria will produce antifungal substances to keep the bad bacteria under control. But when the good bacteria and bad bacteria get out of balance, problems arise. Proper PH balance is needed, and if the body becomes too acidic, it affects the functioning of heart, blood, brain, nerve, muscle, bone, skin, hair cells, and hormonal levels.

Sugar is the worst enemy of the good bacteria, and feeds the bad bacteria. When antibiotics or steroids are taken, it kills the illness-causing bacteria, but also damages the good bacteria, allowing the bad bacteria to take over. The bad bacteria also thrive on dairy products (except yogurt), as well as yeast and glutens. Pesticide residue, car exhaust, industrial chemicals and heavy metals such as mercury amalgam in dental fillings can encourage growth of the bad bacteria.

It is possible with commitment to reverse Candidiasis. First, remove sugar, alcohol, milk and dairy products from your diet, along with any foods containing mold and yeast. I suffer from eczema and am extremely sensitive to aged cheeses, bread, and some chocolate (I'm guessing I react to chocolate that has been on the store shelf too long and mold may be present even if you can't see it). Supplementation is helpful, increasing Omega 3 oils, taking probiotics to boost the good bacteria, and eating yogurt containing acidophilus. I personally make my own yogurt to be sure I'm getting the live cultures, as they have a short shelf life of a few days.

For more information on Candidiasis and suggestions of what supplements may help, CLICK HERE

Danger of Microwave ovens

I recently read about 2 separate studies conducted on the safety of microwaved foods, and it is quite scary.

The first study was conducted by the Russians (the inventors of the microwave oven). Foods tested were only placed in the microwave for the amount of time needed to cook, thaw, or heat the food to ensure sanitation. Carcinogens were formed basically in all foods that were tested. Here is a summary:
* in meats, it caused formation of d-Nitrosodiethanolamines, a carcinogen
* in milk and cereal grains, some amino acids were converted into carcinogens
* thawing frozen fruits caused their glucoside & galactoside to be converted into carcinogens.
* cooked or frozen vegetables with only short exposure converted their plant alkaloids into carcinogens.
* plants, and especially root vegetables formed carcinogenic free radicals.

Another short term study of 8 volunteers found significant changes in the blood of people consuming microwaved milk and vegetables. These people ate a combination of the same foods cooked different ways. All of the foods placed in a microwave oven caused blood changes in the volunteers, such as decreased hemoglobin, white cell, and lymphocytes levels, while cholesterol levels increased.

In her book "Health Effects of Microwave Radiation-Microwave Ovens," as well as in the March and September 1991 issues of Earthletter, Dr. Lita Lee has stated that every microwave oven leaks electromagnetic radiation, harms foods, and converts substances cooked in them to dangerous organ-toxic and carcinogenic products. So why hasn't the FDA banned these harmful products?

For more information on microwave ovens, including the history of the microwave, how it works, etc, written by Natural News.com, CLICK HERE.

Irradiation of our fresh produce

Have you heard that the USDA wants to irradiate all fresh produce sold in the U.S? If this goes through, we will all be in big trouble, health wise.

Irradiating all fresh produce will sterilize or make the food dead, killing the phytonutrients, digestive enzymes and life force properties that are in fresh foods. Phytonutrients help prevent cancer, eye diseases, nervous system disorders, heart disease among other diseases. But the amount of radiation needed to kill 99.9% of the pathogens will also kill the phytonutrients.

The USDA is apparently basing their decision to irradiate all fresh foods based on the thought that because one person's immune system is compromised and can't handle a little E.Coli, it is more important than the health of the entire population. A better approach would seem to be to boost the immune systems of those individual people so they can survive occasional contact with E.Coli rather than sterilizing our environment where nothing can live. And did you know that the people who are most susceptible to food-borne illnesses are those people who's immune systems have been compromised by vaccines and antibiotics? Modern medicine and drug companies have created this problem, not the bacteria.

For more information on this subject, and what you can do about it, check out the article at Natural News by CLICKING HERE.

Some health facts you probably don't know

I ran across some interesting health facts at Mercola.com that you probably haven't heard of before. For more health facts, be sure to check out his site:

1) Motorists who talk on cell phones are more impaired than drunk drivers with blood-alcohol levels exceeding .08.

2) Banging your head against a wall burns 150 calories an hour.

3) In some parts of the world, they protect their babies from disease by bathing them in beer.

4) The word ‘gymnasium’ comes from the Greek word gymnazein, which means ‘to exercise naked.’

5) There are more than 1,000 chemicals in a cup of coffee; of these, only 26 have been tested, and half caused cancer in rats.

6) The average American eats at McDonald’s more than 1,800 times in their life.

7) There are more bacteria in your mouth than there are people in the world.

8) According to U.S. FDA standards, 1 cup of orange juice is allowed to contain 10 fruit fly eggs, but only 2 maggots.

9) You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

10) It is possible to go blind from smoking too heavily.

11) Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people.

12) You are about 1 centimeter taller in the morning than in the evening.

13) During your lifetime, you’ll eat about 60,000 pounds of food -- that’s the weight of about 6 elephants.

Looking for more health facts? Do feel free to use the search feature located in the upper-right corner of this page. I have spent over a decade filling this site with useful information to address your health questions, and it’s all available to you with just a few clicks of your mouse.

Those of you who are interested in an even deeper level of health awareness would also likely enjoy my brand new Inner Circle. When you join, you’ll get access to some of the brightest minds in the health world, hear them speak on various health topics in exclusive interviews, and be sent monthly print newsletters, audio CDs, and video DVDs that no other group has access to.

So if you consider yourself very health-conscious, or if you simply LOVE to learn, as I do, then the Inner Circle is for you.
Sources:

* Health Ranker March 17, 2008

Fight heart disease by drinking tea

There's been much written about green tea's positive health affects, but both green and black tea fight heart disease. Green and black tea contain catechins, which are bioflavonoids that act as potent free-radical scavengers and strengthen blood vessels.

A study was conducted over 10 years involving 806 men between the ages of 65 to 84. The men who consumed the most catechins were the least likely to develop heart disease. Catechins are also found in apples and dark chocolate.

Tea normally does contain caffeine, so you may want to consider a caffeine-free tea if you have a sensitivity to caffeine. I steer clear of decaffeinated products as they use a chemical process to remove the caffeine. I prefer teas such as Haiku Kukicha Twig Tea, an organic Japanese tea. It is made by roasting the tree's twigs and stems rather than the leaves where all the caffeine is contained. The flavor of this tea is excellent, and you can drink as much as you like without getting the caffeine jitters. I've always loved the teas served in oriental restaurants, but could never duplicate the flavor at home, until I bought this tea. I buy it in the 35 oz. bag and make a pot with my drip coffee maker every day.

Pneumonia - a symptom of a Vitamin C deficiency

A recent study of pneumonia and vitamin c suggests that if you get pneumonia, it's a sign that you have a vitamin c deficiency. Researchers found that as little as 100 mg. taken twice a day can prevent up to 80% of pneumonia cases, as well as reduce hospital stays by 36%.

Most people don't get adequate vitamin c in their diet due to processed foods, unhealthy lifestyles and smoking. Vitamin c is crucial in activating your immune cells. You can increase your vitamin c levels by eating more vegetables and fruits. Most people don't get enough vitamin c through eating, and a supplement is a good idea. But before you buy any supplements, make sure they are not synthetic. I encourage you to request a FREE REPORT on Safe Vitamins before purchasing any supplements. And if you smoke, a vitamin supplement is definitely recommended, according to Dr. Robert J Rowen.

Avoid lemons in your water and ice tea-

The next time you have water or iced tea in a restaurant, you might want to pass on the lemon.

A recent study found that 2 out of 3 lemon wedges tested in restaurants were covered in a total of 25 different types of bacteria, including fecal bacteria. Apparently many restaurant workers fail to wash their hands after going to the restroom. They then handle the lemons and the bacteria is left on the lemon peel, which goes onto your glass rim. Then you handle it to squeeze the lemon into your drink, and the bacteria goes into your drink as well as on your hands.

Most people's bodies can handle the bacteria, but those with compromised immune systems, the elderly and very young need to be especially careful as this bacteria can make you very ill.

For more information on the lemon study, CLICK HERE.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

We've all heard the old saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." It's not just an old wives tale.

In a recent study, 6 people were placed on a diet low in antioxidants for 2 days, then followed with 600 grams of red-delicious, unpeeled apples. Their blood was taken at 0, 3, 6 and 24 hours after eating the apples. The researchers exposed their white blood cells to a significant oxidant stress in a test tube, and found that the apple consumption protected the cells. As the 24 hours passed, the protection decreased, so an apple each day is indeed needed.

Preventing damage to your white blood cells from oxidation helps prevent all kinds of illnesses. It's important to eat the peel as well, and if at all possible eat organic apples to avoid chemical sprays.

More reasons to avoid artificial sweeteners

As featured this week on Good Morning America, a recent study done by Purdue University found that the artificial sweeteners in diet soda pop can actually cause you to gain more weight than drinking soda pop sweetened with real sugar.

Apparently when you ingest sugar, your body's metabolism is increased. However, with artificial sweeteners, the taste buds taste something sweet but there's no calorie load that comes with it to increase your metabolic rate. This causes a mismatch in our bodies which changes our brain chemistry in some way. Even 1 diet soda a day can increase your weight.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

"Downers" in our food supply mean animal cruelty and danger for consumers

An investigation by The Humane Society of the United States at a cattle slaughterhouse has documented that animals too sick or injured to stand or walk—called "downers" by industry—have been kicked, beaten, dragged with chains, shocked with electric prods, sprayed in the face with hoses and pushed by forklifts in efforts to get them to their feet to pass USDA inspection. This unacceptable cruelty potentially puts the food supply at risk—at least 12 of the 15 identified cases of mad cow disease in North America to date have reportedly been downers.

In spite of claims that downers were being eliminated from the food supply, downed animals may be falling through the cracks as a result of poor oversight, anemic enforcement, and a loophole created by inconsistent agency regulations. The result is a losing proposition for animals who are beaten, kicked and dragged to their death and consumers who unknowingly consume the meat from sick and injured animals.

TAKE ACTION
Demand that the USDA eliminate this dangerous loophole and immediately put in place a "bright line" ban on all downers.

I just took action online asking the USDA to clean up cruel slaughterhouses by banning "downers," or animals who can't walk, from the food supply.

The current lax enforcement and loophole-ridden government
policy allow hideous abuses to occur, causing excessive
suffering and endangering our food supply. Please join me in
asking the USDA to crack down on downers.

It will only take a minute. Here is the link:
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/CA_2008_investigation?rk=Odw6qkKqQcklW

Food borne disease

I ran across an article at Whole Food and more concerning an organization called S.T.O.P. (safe labels our priority) a citizen supported group whose only purpose is to fight against foodborne disease. Here is an article from their website; please pass this information on to your friends.

"Foodborne disease is any infectious disease transmitted via contaminated food. The CDC estimates that every year foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States. It is estimated that 2-3% of foodborne illness cases may cause permanent injuries or health damage, which may never be traced back to the disease source. (Source: USDA/Fightbac).

Many foodborne illnesses are caused by bacterial contamination, including E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Campylobacter jejuni, and Listeria monocytogenes. Viruses, such as Norwalk-like virus and Hepatitis A, are also frequently transmitted through food, as are parasites such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia.

Severe foodborne disease is almost always a preventable tragedy. Most foodborne illnesses result from missteps at several places in the food chain. Pathogens are allowed into the food we consume through ill planned farming techniques and faulty production procedures, exacerbated by lax regulation, spread by careless food handling, and sustained by the lack of sufficient response on the part of individuals, government, industry, medical and public health communities."

For the complete article, click here

Can you afford to eat right?

According to Whole Food and More, "There may be one reason why many Americans aren’t eating healthy that has nothing to do with will power or flavor: it’s too expensive.

Millions of Americans simply can’t afford to eat healthy, according to researchers at the University of Washington in the first study of its kind. They compared prices of healthy foods (rich in nutrients and low in calories, such as fresh vegetables, fish, lean meats and whole grains) with high-calorie junk foods. They found that prices for healthy food jumped nearly 20 percent over a two-year period, compared to a modest 5 percent increase in the overall food price inflation. Prices of high-calorie foods, meanwhile, remained about the same, and in some cases even dropped."

To read the entire article, and find out how you can afford to eat right, click here.

Vitamin C should not be taken with some foods

According to Dr. Robert J Rowen of "Second Opinion," there are some foods that can be dangerous if taken with vitamin C.

Many beverages and foods, such as soda pop, juices, pickles, salad dressings and jams contain the preservative "sodium benzoate." No evidence has been found that sodium benzoate causes any problems by itself. The problem arises when it is mixed with vitamin C; a chemical reaction creates benzene, which is a proven carcinogen.

Many companies add vitamin C to their products, such as soda pop, cereals, snack foods etc. The FDA recently tested 84 soft drink products and found that 54 of them had detectable benzene, some of which had 16 times higher levels than is allowed in drinking water.

So check the labels on your soda pop and processed foods. The best and safest thing to do is get rid of all processed foods. To quote Dr. Rowen "if God didn't make it, don't eat it."