Virtually Ignored Fruit
Disables Killer Bacteria

Cranberry Bog

Cranberries Create
An Impenetrable Energy Shield
More Powerful Than
a Missile Defense System

Although it’s been known for several years that cranberries can prevent urinary tract infections, up until now, the exact mechanism has remained a mystery. But in a newly published study, scientists at Worcester Polytechnic Institute say they’ve discovered the secret.

They found that virulent bacteria, like the kind that create urinary tract infections, have hair-like projections called fimbriae that attach to the wall of the bladder. Their studies showed that even low concentrations of cranberry juice created a thermodynamic energy shield that keeps these nasty creatures from getting a foothold.

No Harm To Friendly Bacteria

Because the good bacteria don’t have these fimbriae, they aren’t affected. This is important, because our bodies have billions of good bacteria that provide protection from such gut wrenching disease organisms like Clostridium difficile.

Unpublished work also shows cranberry juice has potent effects on disease-causing bacteria, but that the effect is temporary. This suggests that in order to have continuous protection; you will need to consume some form of cranberry regularly - perhaps daily.

Cranberries, a Superfood
You Should Enjoy Year Round

• Cranberries are higher in antioxidants than strawberries, spinach, broccoli, red grapes, apples, raspberries, and cherries. With 8,983 total antioxidant capacity per cup, only cultivated blueberries outrank them.

• Besides being naturally high in Vitamin C, cranberries also contain calcium, folate, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sulfer, vitamin A, vitamin B-1, Vitamin B-2, vitamin B-3, vitamin B-5, vitamin E, and zinc.

• Rich in a dozen phytochemicals (phytonutrients). Phytochemicals work in a number of different ways to prevent disease, even cancer.

• Proanthocyanidins present in cranberries are responsible for their anti-adhesion properties. In addition, these proanthocyanidins promote dental health since they inhibit the bacterial growth that causes plaque.

• A 2001 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry revealed this red berry (in its pure form) contained the highest quantity of disease-fighting phenols, a type of antioxidant that is thought to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, stroke and heart disease.

• Cranberries are also a good source of resveratrol, the component of red wine that makes it so good for you.

How to Get Your Cranberries
Without Terrorizing Your Body
With High Calorie Sugar

Sugar (sucrose) is not only highly addictive; it’s absorbed directly into the blood stream from your stomach, which upsets the natural chemical balance of your body. In addition, sucrose has zero nutrient value.

Pure fresh cranberries have only 45 calories per cup, but when sugar is added, the result tips the scale…

• 140 calories from 1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries. Note: Craisins (by Ocean Spray) is sweetened with sugar, but Eden Foods offers dried cranberries sweetened with apple juice. Same amount of calories, but better for you.

• 130 calories from 8 oz. of cranberry juice cocktail (sweetened with sugar)

• 5 calories from 8 oz. of Ocean Spray diet cranberry juice cocktail (sweetened with fruit juice and Sucralose). Note: Since research has shown Sucralose can cause the thymus gland to shrink, I wouldn’t recommend it. The thymus is important to your immune system.

• 258 calories from 1/3 cup of jellied cranberry sauce

After an exhaustive search, I finally found unsweetened dried cranberries by the pound at Purcell Mountain Farms and Sunrise Dried Fruit Company.

Action Plan

Add this “Thanksgiving fruit” to your weekly diet. Try them in salads, muffins, pancakes, breads, cheese spreads, on peanut butter sandwiches, etc. You can find unsweetened cranberry juice at some health food stores. Since it’s very sour, you can either sweeten it with honey (heat together in a sauce pan until the honey dissolves into the juice) or make cranberry vinaigrette to serve on your salads.

Photo credit: andwat

Posted in Food & Diet, Medical | 2 Comments »

Stop Letting Your Bladder
Control Your Day!

Sustaining Bladder Control at Any Age

It’s so embarrassing those who suffer from it frequently become reclusive. Losing control of your bladder is not a disease, and it isn’t related to getting older.

Urinary tract infections, constipation, and certain medications and health disorders can affect a person’s ability to control their bladder. Incontinence can be treated with medications, surgery, or even artificial devices.

But a few exercises and practical tips go a long way in ensuring that this problem stays away.

If you are already suffering from urinary incontinence, note what you eat and drink, and at what time of the day. Also make a note of how often and at what time you are unable to control your bladder. Your doctor will be able to find out what kind of incontinence you have:

Types of Incontinence

• Stress incontinence: Leaking urine while undertaking physical activity, coughing, sneezing, or laughing, which puts sudden and unexpected pressure on the bladder. This problem affects younger women who have just been through childbirth and those who are experiencing the onset of menopause.

• Stress incontinence: Leaking urine while undertaking physical activity, coughing, sneezing, or laughing, which puts sudden and unexpected pressure on the bladder. This problem affects younger women who have just been through childbirth and those who are experiencing the onset of menopause.

• Urge incontinence: Most people can control the urge to urinate if a lavatory is not accessible. But sometimes, those who have diabetes, or have suffered from a stroke, or Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, or multiple sclerosis may be unable to control the urge and therefore leak urine. Certain drugs such as, antidepressants, diuretics, tranquilizers and high blood pressure medicines can stress the bladder-wall muscle.

• Overflow incontinence: Men with an enlarged prostate may experience that a little urine leaks from a full bladder. Diabetics could also suffer from this type of incontinence.

• Functional incontinence: Most common in people with Arthritis and bone disorders, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease that curb one’s movements, thinking, or ability to communicate - making it difficult or impossible to reach the lavatory in time.

• Mixed incontinence: Most common in women. Usually stress and urge incontinence.
  Anatomic or developmental incontinence: Caused by a physical or neurological abnormality or damage due to trauma or disease.

• Because of pregnancy & childbirth, menopause, and the structure of the female urinary tract, women experience incontinence twice as often as men.

8 Ways to Improve Bladder Control

• Kegel exercises: Arnold Kegel developed a series of exercises in the late 1940s that helped pregnant women overcome stress incontinence. But, they are used today by almost anyone to control the bladder and bowel movements. For at least 2 minutes - 3 times a day, follow these exercises:

• a) Relax your muscles and imagine that you are holding back a bowel movement by tightening the anal muscles.
  b) When urinating, stop the flow, and restart it.
  c) Sit or lie down with your knees slightly apart and tighten the pelvic muscles for at least 2 seconds, relax for 2 seconds and repeat this 10 times. Gradually, hold and relax the muscles for about 10 seconds each time.

• Watch your fluid intake: If your diary shows that you have been having lots of fluids (coffee, juices, soups, etc) you may need to cut it down, at least before bedtime or just before a long journey. However, take care that you do not cut away too much and dehydrate yourself.

• Look out for diuretics: Alcohol, caffeine and grape juice are well-known diuretics that increase the urge to urinate.

• Seize opportunities… To relieve yourself. Holding it in for too long in social gatherings or during meetings may lead to an infection or overstretch the bladder. Get into the habit of relieving yourself at regular intervals.

• After you urinate, wait for a few seconds and stand up and sit down again. Double voiding usually works for those who do not feel relieved even after urinating.

• Stop smoking. The nicotine irritates the bladder and the lungs. A sudden cough could lead to a loss of bladder control. Smoking also raises your blood pressure causing increased urine production.

• Cranberries juice or capsules significantly reduce urinary tract infections and also alleviate the symptoms of urinary tract illness. It also deodorizes urine and inhibits the adhesion of dangerous micro-organisms that stick to the urinary tract.

• Watch your weight: Fat deposits put a lot of pressure on the bladder and pelvic muscles. Studies have found that those who suffer from incontinence and then shed excess weight, are able to control their bladder better.

Photo credit: trialsanderrors

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Do Happy People Live Longer?

George Burns & Bob Hope

Discovered: Fun Way to Live
7.5 Years Longer

A 23-year study of 660 people over the age of 50 conducted at Yale University concluded that it was actually possible to increase one’s lifespan by about 7.5 years by holding a positive perception of aging. And this advantage held true regardless of age, sex, economic status, loneliness, or even functional health!

The implication of this research and others like it is tremendous. Positive Psychology, a relatively new branch of psychology, studies the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. A recent study showed being happy also influences the happiness of your family and friends, and to a lesser degree their friends and family.

So, happiness can increase your lifespan and quality of life.

Why Happy People Live Longer

Researchers at University College London’s Department of Epidemiology and Public Health have concluded some important biological processes are actually improved by happiness.

In their study they found that cortisol, a stress hormone that can lead to diabetes and hypertension and controls many of the body’s functions was 32% lower in the subjects who were happy. They also found happy people had lower stress levels and heart rates.

And, they discovered that health-related biological factors were independently related to happiness. In other words, people aren’t just happy because they are healthy… They are healthy because they are happy.

A happy person seeks out more challenges and ways to have fun. They tend to see new developments as stimulating rather than threatening. The ability to see the lighter side of things leads to a lower stress life.

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore concluded that laughter leads to healthier blood vessels. When you laugh, it’s a work out for your diaphragm, abs, heart and shoulders.

Laughing and having a good time increases the production of endorphins, the number of antibody-producing cells, and boosts the success of T-cells. A stronger immune system means you get ill less often. And because you are healthier, you enjoy life more. Another one of life’s pretty neat circles…

Action Plan

Have you ever seen a baby that’s just happy all the time? Turns out happiness is coded in our genes… Studies of identical twins who grew up in separate homes have proved this. Which means some people are just going to be happier naturally.

But don’t despair if you weren’t born happy. You can still make a conscious choice – and live longer.

We all know that emotions, negative and positive, affect our posture, heart rate, blood pressure, & adrenaline levels… In short, our health. In a similar way, our pursuit of happiness, our decision to cheerfully accept or make choices, leads to a lifestyle governed by the pleasure-seeking principle.

This means you can choose to:

• Go out camping with friends instead of spending a lonely weekend at home

• Help someone who is less fortunate than you (it will automatically elevate your mood)

• Watch funny movies

• Take a fun mini-vacation with family every month

• Be around other happy people

• Count your blessings daily

Yes, happiness is a state of mind, but also manifests in the way your body functions. Many studies have shown that a happier person tends to deal with illnesses, unforeseen shocking events and even with permanent disability better than those who hold a largely negative perception of life and aging.

Turns out, laughter is the best medicine. Maybe this explains why George Burns and Bob Hope lived so long.

Photo credit: Sean Dockery

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VA Gives Veterans
Money to Pay for
Elder Care Services at Home

Aging Veterans – Help Beyond the Parade

Guest Post by Valerie VanBooven RN BSN

Under the right conditions, about 33% of all seniors in this country could qualify for up to $1,843 a month in additional income from the Department of Veterans Affairs. This money can be used to pay just about anyone to provide elder care services at home. As an example, these funds can be used to pay children, other relatives, friends, home care companies, or domestic workers. Adequate documentation and evidence must be provided in order to receive money from VA for these services, particularly the services provided by family members or other non-professional providers. The National Care Planning Council furnishes detailed instructions and training to those practitioners who wish to help veteran households receive this valuable source of revenue to pay for home care.

Veteran’s Pension
May Pay for Long Term Care

This little-known source of money for paying long term care costs is known as Veterans Pension and is available to veterans who served on active duty during a period of war or to the single surviving spouses of these veterans. Pension is also known popularly as the “aid and attendance benefit.” Of approximately 35 million Americans age 65 and older in this country, about 11.5 million are veterans who served during a period of war or their surviving spouses. This represents about 33% of the senior population.

The Pension benefit has an income and an asset test. Veteran households with income or assets above the test levels will not qualify for the benefit. Fortunately, there are special provisions that allow — under certain circumstances — individuals who would normally fail the tests to still qualify. VA typically does not tell potential applicants about the special provisions. A practitioner who understands how to obtain the aid and attendance benefit can help potential applicants receive the benefit even when they have been told by VA that they do not qualify.

Pension income is often used to pay costs of long term care such as home care, assisted living or nursing home care. That’s because the nature of these expenditures allows potential applicants for the aid and attendance benefit to meet the special provisions of the income test.

Consultant Training Available

Over the past 3 1/2 months the National Care Planning Council has received over 750 requests from veterans families all over the country who are trying to find help with their loved ones’ long term care needs. Many of these veterans households would likely qualify for the aid and attendance benefit mentioned above. As a result of these inquiries, the council is looking to train veterans benefits consultants to help veterans obtain their benefits and to handle these requests.

This consultants package not only provides the training but it also provides a listing service, a unique website, a seminar marketing system and business strategies to help consultants reach out to more veterans who might qualify for this benefit.

This is a new program. The first trained consultant has been in place for a little over three weeks. In that short time, his personal listing service and personal website, provided by the National Care Planning Council, have already resulted in 15 requests for his services from veterans families seeking help with the aid and attendance benefit. Other consultants who have come online since this first one are experiencing similar results.

If you are interested in becoming a consultant or know someone who might be, you can call the National Care Planning Council at 800-989-8137 or check out our consultants training package: www.consultantspackage.com. To learn more about the National Care Planning Council, go to www.longtermcarelink.net.

Valerie VanBooven RN BSN
LTC Expert Publications LLC
http://www.MySeniorService.com

Photo credit: chinaice

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Five Quick Ways to
Supercharge Your Memory

Super-Charge Your Memory

Quick! What day of the week is it? When is your best friend’s birthday? How many times did you answer the phone yesterday? Where have you parked your car?

Got you stumped, eh?

Does your brain buzz and hum along like a power saw? Or do you feel like your life resembles the memoirs of the absent-minded professor?

Not to worry, you’re about to learn some easy ways to boost your brain into hyper-drive.

Don’t take your body for granted, especially not your brain. This super organ will see you through life and needs to be juiced up and kept running all the time. Here’s what you can do to rev up your brain, today.

Enlist Your Eyes

Visualize your plan for the day. Say, you have to pay the phone bill and pick up pineapples for a fruit salad and meet your colleague for lunch at 2. Make a story. Imagine you’re holding a pineapple shaped phone and calling your colleague while standing under a huge clock that is chiming two ‘o clock. Or, whatever!

Before you move on to a new task, take a look at what you have achieved. This means… You take a look at the place where your car is parked before you walk away. You pause for a second and see where you’ve placed you key. You turn back and see that the geyser is really switched off, before you get out of the bathroom.

When you enter a room full of people you have to talk with, let your eyes move across their face, from left to right, then right to left. Moving your eyes horizontally activates the brain, and British researchers have found that this exercise even helps you retain information you’ll hear. The secret is in the horizontal movement that spurs the brain’s hemispheres to interact, which also helps in memory retrieval.

Recharge With Meditation

Got an important and long meeting lined up right after lunch, can’t keep from drifting off? Well, first, it’s a good idea not to eat rice for lunch. Second, snatch a few minutes before the meeting, shut yourself in your cubicle, and meditate. Sit still, close you eyes and focus on your breathing. You will feel your tiredness lift off you.

With as little as 20 minutes of meditation, you’ll feel as if you have slept for eight refreshing hours. Once you are alert, you’ll be better able to commit information to your memory.

Challenge Your Brain

Brush your teeth with your left hand. Take a new route to your office. Try to remember the phone numbers you are supposed to dial.

Once you slip into a routine, you stop thinking about simple tasks, and spend time worrying about the day ahead. This time will be more productively spent, by challenging your brain.

Change the way you normally do things, pick up new tasks or hobbies, multi task. By pushing your brain, you’ll create new pathways to carry information that will help you later in life.

Recharge It With Oxygen

Your brain needs to breathe too. The more oxygen you give it, the easier it will be for you to stave off age-related memory loss. Exercise is the best way to do this. If you can’t go to the gym, walk briskly for at least 30 minutes, as often in the week as you can.

Eat Brain Super-Foods

The Journal of Neuroscience published a report recently that spinach, strawberries and blueberries are literally food for thought. Research by the USDA has found that eating blueberries every day dramatically slows the impairment of memory associated with old age. Polyphenols in blueberries prompt the signals that help brain cells communicate with each other.

Spinach is a storehouse of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds that also slow brain aging and protect your memory. Spinach is also well known as one of the very few food sources of alpha lipoic acid - a powerful antioxidant.

Ginkgo is another super food. Not only does ginkgo extract reduce the progress of dementia, but it also helps you retain your memories for longer and boosts the speed of thinking. It does this is by increasing circulation to the brain. And because it’s an antioxidant it protects the brain from cell damage.

There you have it, five ways to boost your memory. Can you remember what they are?

Photo credit: Axel Rouvin

Related article: 5 Ways to Sharpen Your Mind

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Religion & Family Ties
Catapult You to 100

Is there really a connection between religion and health; between going to church and enjoying a longer than average life; between spending Sunday at home and celebrating your 101st birthday with your great-grandchildren?

Several studies seem to indicate this is so. Here is what the jury has found so far:

Time Well Spent

What most studies have found is that people belonging to all faiths across the globe, spend lots of time socializing with like-minded people, helping the community, and carrying out rituals that mostly emphasize a healthy, austere kind of life.

Support

Although it may seem like an endless chore sometimes, spending time with family members results in a stronger support system to rely on should you ever need help. Just knowing support is there relieves unnecessary stress. Plus, older family members tend to insist on balanced meals and eating on time, thus improving the health of the younger ones at home.

Shouldering Responsibilities

Studies show that marriage improves the health of most men. This is because the emphasis on cooking meals at home gets stronger. And having a partner to take care of chores around the house reduces stress.

However, the modern day story is changing a little. Working women, single or married, tend to skip cooking meals sometimes, opting for ready-to-eat foods. Working women also need partners who are willing to share responsibilities such as cooking and cleaning.

Hope As An Antidepressant

Those who are spiritual or practice religion have an abiding faith in love and divine justice. This hope for goodness is enough to function as a powerful antidepressant. The body feels less stress, thus reducing chances of high blood pressure, various heart diseases and even cancer. In fact, some researchers have found that very few senior citizens who regularly attend religious gatherings suffer from cognitive decline, an essential feature of Alzheimer’s disease.

Discipline Your Mind

Meditation makes you happy. Not just because you spend some quality time calming yourself, but because the act of meditating disciplines the amygdala (the area in the brain that is activated in fearful situations). The amygdala plays an important role in motivation and emotional behavior. Regular meditation can help you keep your temper in check, ensure that you do not get flustered too easily and thus include self-control in its list of life-long benefits.

Being Involved, Being Important

Studies have found that having faith is associated with a constructive outlook. This includes taking part in community efforts, maintaining relationships with others of the same community, and having a more positive attitude about life.

Editor’s Comment

I’m not suggesting you go out and join your local church, synagogue, mosque, or temple if you don’t already belong to one. If that works for you at this time, fine.

Religion is about belief in the Supreme Creator and a life beyond this mortal body. How you choose to acknowledge that has nothing to do with a building or belonging to a group. The scriptures of every major religion in the world are available to read and study without depending on someone else to interpret them and interject their own prejudices.

Of course religion & family ties alone will not bring you longevity, but they go a long way to improving the quality of life.

Photo credit: mudpig

Posted in Lifestyle, Mental Fitness | 2 Comments »

Dates - Natural Sustenance
From Ancient Mesopotamia

Although the exact origin of the date palm is lost in antiquity, it is known to have been used in construction of the temple of the moon god near Ur in Southern Iraq (Mesopotamia) as early a 4000 BC.

Dates were considered very important in both the Jewish and Islamic religions, and were believed to be a curative for many ailments.

Ancient Phoenicia was known as “the land of palms” and no doubt dates sustained them as they sailed around the Mediterranean and became the predominate maritime trading culture of the time.

Nutritional Powerhouse

Dates are one of the most nourishing natural foods. Containing 3,000 calories per kilogram (2.2 lbs.), just a handful taken with a glass of milk, can provide all the nutrition a person needs for the entire day. And because the natural sugars in dates are fructose and glucose, diabetics can safely consume them.

Dates are also high in dietary fiber and low in sodium and fat. They are also a valuable source of antioxidants (ranked #11 out of 100 fruits and vegetables in ORAC score).

100 grams (about 3 ½ oz.) of dates contains

• Carbohydrates 75 gm (including 63 gm sugar)

• Dietary fiber 8 gm

• Protein 2.5 gm

Full to the brim with super-healthy benefits this dry fruit is a must-have in your kitchen.

Cancer Fighter

Fresh, dried, or semi-dry dates pack a nutritious punch when it comes to getting your daily requirement of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and especially magnesium.

One study indicates that 64% of men and 67% of women fail to get enough of this important mineral. Bone density, blood pressure and insulin activity are just some of the things affected by magnesium levels.

A Swedish study, conducted over 14.8 years among 61,433 women showed that a diet high in magnesium rich foods cut the risk of colon cancer by 34%. And the evidence is clear that a high fiber diet is very important in the prevention of colon cancer.

It is known that date consumers in Saharan areas have the lowest incidence of cancer, which is attributed to the high magnesium content of dates.

Top 5 Things to Know About Dates

• Fresh dates are a useful source of Vitamin C and when dried, they are richer in potassium than bananas.

• Dates can have a mild laxative effect, making them ideal for children and convalescing adults who need to clean up their intestines.

• Dried dates are a rich source of niacin, copper, iron and magnesium. Just drinking a juice made of dates soaked overnight in water will strengthen the heart and purify the blood.

• Certain cultures use dates to provide all the body’s necessary nourishment by stuffing dry dates with nuts and raisins to use as a snack during fasts. This is an easily made treat for those suffering from low blood sugar. Eating just two stuffed dates can quickly raise your blood sugar to normal levels.

• Dates are also rich in calcium, and date syrup added to milk strengthens bones. Even breast-feeding mothers can benefit from dates, because it is known to enrich the milk and boost the child’s immune system.

Caution: Use moderation. Eating too many dates at a time could lead to dental caries and gum disease as the sugar in the dates is fermented in the mouth and forms plaque. Dates are also known to trigger migraines in some people.

Quick and Easy Ways to Use Dates

• Chop and add to the dough when you are making cookies or brownies

• Put some in your milkshake instead of sugar or honey

• Dice and serve with ice cream or yogurt

• Blend with milk and use as syrup

• Stuff with nuts and a chunk of cheddar cheese

• Add to hot cereal to punch up the nutritional value

• Dice and put in your pancake or waffle batter

• For a super healthy snack, stuff with raw chocolate nibs

More exotic dishes include Moroccan tajines (a slow-cooked spicy stew) and ka’ak bi ajwa (an Arab cookie filled with ground dates). In Manila, a cake similar to fruitcake made with nuts and dates is called “Food for the Gods”.

It is estimated that there are 100 million date palm trees growing today. And because of that, you can easily enjoy one of the most nutritious and sustainable fruits in the world without traveling to Mesopotamia.

Photo credit: kspoddar

Posted in Food & Diet, Medical | 2 Comments »

Make Your Own Probiotic

Perogies and Sauerkraut

What are Probiotics?

The word probiotic (from the Greek) means “for life”.

Probiotic: (1) A beneficial bacterium found in the intestinal tract of healthy mammals or (2) Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.

Probiotics are “friendly bacteria”. Yogurt with live cultures is one natural food that has become mainstream in society, but there are others…

Fermented foods are part of nearly every traditional culture. As far back as Roman times, people ate sauerkraut because of its taste and benefits to overall health. In Asian cultures, pickled fermentations of cabbage, turnips, eggplant, cucumbers, onions, squash and carrots still exist today.

Probiotics Promote Health

Probiotics are thought to promote health by:

• Suppressing the growth of potentially harmful bacteria

• Improving immune function

• Enhancing the protective barrier of the digestive tract

• Helping to produce vitamin K

• Helping replace the good bacteria that have been destroyed by medicines or illness

An analysis of studies in the journal of Alternative Medicine Review found that chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and Rheumatoid arthritis may be associated with fewer friendly bacteria in the gut.

Sauerkraut: A Probiotic Food You Can Enjoy All Winter

The best, most hypoallergenic and digestible form of probiotics is sauerkraut. It’s loaded with extra B vitamins and vitamin C.

Make it using ancient sea salt like Redmond’s Real Salt and you’ll have a food product loaded with trace minerals like phosphorus, sulfur, magnesium, zinc, iodine and others… Trace minerals missing from many of our foods today due to depleted soils.

Cancer Fighter

One study done by Michigan State University and Warsaw’s National Food and Nutrition Institute found women who eat at least three servings per week of sauerkraut or raw cabbage are significantly less likely to develop breast cancer than those who have only one serving.

One possible explanation for how cabbage could reduce breast cancer risk… Researchers at the University of Illinois identified compounds in cabbage and sauerkraut that block the action of estrogen.

And a study from Finland found that fermenting cabbage produces isothiocyanates, compounds with recognized anti-cancer properties.

“We are finding that fermented cabbage could be healthier than raw or cooked cabbage, especially for fighting cancer,” says Eeva-Liisa Ryhanen, Ph.D., research manager of MTT Agrifood Research Finland.

Sexy Food

To make matters even better, sauerkraut may give your libido a boost.

Bestselling author of You Are What You Eat, Dr Gillian McKeith says, “The sexiest food of all is raw sauerkraut. Honestly! Research carried out in the US found that 90 percent of men were more ‘up for it’ after eating the pickled cabbage.”

Fun and Easy to Make Your Own

Most commercially available brands of sauerkraut have been pasteurized to allow for easier transport and shelf stability. But pasteurization destroys any probiotics within the vegetables. So, too, does the use of sodium benzoate, a common preservative.

While there are sources for non-pasteurized kraut, they are quite expensive, and it’s fun and easy to make your own. Since I’m about ready to make my yearly batch, I decided to share my thoughts with you. An Internet search will turn up a variety of recipes, but some of them are complicated (and a few are in error).

The recipe I’ve used successfully for the last 2 years is from Purdue University Extension. It’s a simple pdf download, which you can print out for your recipe book or save on your computer.

Good sources to find the right cabbage for kraut are your local farmer’s market, a roadside stand or a local fruit and vegetable market. I’d avoid buying your cabbage in the grocery store, as it likely won’t be the right kind for kraut.

So, gather the family and spend the afternoon making your own probiotic you can enjoy all winter. When you’re ready to start eating it, Great Lakes Kraut Company has dozens of mouth watering recipes from appetizers to desserts. They even have one for kraut pizza!

Photo credit: mpich3

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Top 5 Fruit Market
Skin Restoratives

Your Natural Beauty Market

Cheaper Than a Spa

What’s cheaper than a spa, tastes good, doesn’t smell too bad and can rejuvenate your skin in less than 10 minutes? Fruits are natural and effective skin restoratives. The best thing you could ever do to keep looking good, is to understand the healing properties of fruits.

Most fruits are low in calories, sweet, and a good source of vitamins, fiber and antioxidants. Used as a face pack or mask, they hydrate your skin, smooth away wrinkles, lighten it, and even heal various skin conditions.

• Banana mask:

  Bananas have lots of magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, iodine, and vitamins A, B, E, and F. Their anti-aging powers make them a great skin restorative for anyone over 35. If you make this banana mask at home, you could store it in the refrigerator for about 5 days and use it at least twice in a week.

  Mash a banana and add to it milk or cream, honey, and oat flour. Apply it to your face, arms, and neck, and rinse it off after ten minutes (longer, if you can stand the smell). If you have oily skin, add a few drops of lemon juice to the banana and milk mixture.

• Mixed fruit pack I:

  The enzyme papain in papayas is a natural exfoliator and is especially good for those with damaged skin. Papaya juice can also lighten freckles and brown spots, and soften the skin.

  Don’t throw away the peel; it has antibacterial and wound healing abilities. Cucumbers act as a toner and strawberries condition and tone the skin.

  Blend strawberries, cucumber or papaya with a little yogurt and clay. Apply it to your face and leave it on for a while. This face mask moisturizes the skin, lightens it, and removes dead skin.

• Mixed fruit pack II:

  The fruits in this pack are excellent for hydrating tanned and dry skin. It’ll also nourish and protect the delicate skin around the eyes. You could also add clay to the pack since it absorbs oil from oily skin.

  Apply a thin film of honey on your face and then apply a mixture of strawberries, pear, grapes, apples and oranges. Wash it off with warm water after 10-15 minutes.

• Apricot mask:

  Apricots are best for extremely dry skin. The Vitamin A in the fruit rejuvenates the skin instantly, it smooths wrinkles and tightens the skin.

  The oils in the fruit and especially in the kernel, are utilized by the skin to make enriched sebum that protects your skin.

  Take two apricots and some yogurt; blend them and apply it to your face. Wash it off after 10 minutes.

  Add a tablespoon of honey to apricot pulp for an invigorating mask that clears the skin and moisturizes.

• Orange and yogurt mask:

  Oranges aren’t just for eating. The Vitamin C in them also works wonders when applied to the skin. Sunburned or extremely dry skin will benefit from this face mask.

  Take orange pulp, or the rind and blend it with some yogurt. Apply it to the face and massage it in. Wash it off after 10 minutes with lukewarm water.

7 More Tips for Naturally Healthy Skin

• Aloe Vera gel: It soothes, moisturizes and protects the skin from extreme weather

• Tea tree oil: Its antiseptic and antifungal properties make it invaluable for those with sensitive acne-prone skin

• Rose hip oil: Revitalizes the skin, halts the formation of wrinkles, and nourishes the tender skin under your eyes

• Yogurt: A natural cleanser… and if you don’t happen to like its smell, use it in combination with fresh fruits. Wash it off with warm water and the skin will be soft for a long time

• Honey: Undoubtedly the best moisturizer. For oily skin, use it with egg white. And if you have dry skin, add it to milk or cream.

• Tomato: Lightens and softens the skin. Cut off a slice and apply it all over your face and neck.

• For Soft, Blemish-free Skin Forever… Add fruits to your diet to remove toxins from your body. Try it for 7 days by eliminating caffeine, alcohol, junk food and sweets from your diet and eating only fruits and vegetables. This will clear up your blood making your skin glow like a fresh peach.

Photo credit: tuey

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Curb Your Hunger
With Omega-3s

Herbed salmon with veggies

How a fatty acid can be good for you

The word ‘fat’ has the power to evoke great fear and anxiety. Not surprisingly, it is also one of the most misunderstood words.

Fats, found in oil, meat, veggies, and dairy products are what make food yummy and there is no denying the role they play in infusing the most heady aromas and flavors into all kinds of cuisines.

But more than that, some fats are very important for your healthy physical development. So, worry not that Omega-3 is called a fatty acid, that’s a good thing and our body needs it.

There are two kinds of fatty acids – saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats stay solid at room temperature whereas unsaturated fats are liquid and are further divided into two types - monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

Our body cannot make a few essential polyunsaturated fatty acids such as omega 3 and omega 6 and therefore needs to get them from food.

As compared to Omega-6, which is found in vegetable oils, egg yolk, meats in general (particularly organ meats), and other animal-based foods, we need very little Omega-3 for the overall development of our body.

A good source for omega 3 is not just oily fish like salmon and mackerel, but also soy beans, pumpkin seeds, hemp & flax oil, walnuts, and green leafy veggies including parsley, spinach, cabbage and broccoli.

The Omega effect

• Essential for development of the brain and eyes

• Reduces inflammation and blood clotting

• Treats heart diseases, psoriasis and arthritis

• May prevent breast and pancreatic cancer and inhibit growth of tumors

• May be helpful in cases of depression and anxiety

• Women who consume enough Omega-3 have very little menstrual discomfort

• Flax seed oil, which is very rich in Omega 3 brings life back to dry and lifeless hair and treats itchy scalps and dandruff

How Omega-3 works

This fatty acid regulates blood sugar levels, so you do not feel hungry as often. It also increases your metabolic rate, so you can burn away more calories.

Once started in earnest, an Omega-3 rich diet can reduce the risk of diabetes and obesity. However, diabetics are warned that too much oily fish may increase their blood glucose levels. Easy does it.

(Although inconclusive, some studies have shown people who are obese can lose weight by consuming evening primrose oil, an Omega-6 fatty acid.)

How much should you eat?

Those who can incorporate fish in their diet are recommended eating it thrice a week. The alternative is fish oil supplements. Because of the potential for side effects and interactions with medications, dietary supplements should be taken only under the supervision of a knowledgeable health care provider.

The only word of caution when it comes to consuming fish for their Omega-3 content is that a lot of pollutants remain in the fish’s body if it is only lightly steamed or grilled, so make sure that the fish you buy is fresh and cooked well.

Or you may wish to consume flax seed oil or cod liver oil on a regular basis. Note: For best absorption, flax seed oil should be followed by a half cup of plain yogurt or cottage cheese.

Note that doctors recommend the overall fat in your diet should be less than 30 percent of your total consumption. And a healthy diet should consist of roughly one omega-3 fatty acid to four omega-6 fatty acids.

It may seem ironic — incorporating a fatty acid to burn away more calories, but rest assured there’s nothing fishy about Omega-3.

Photo credit: Laurel Fan

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