The Helpful Pointer

With the seemingly never ending list of things to do nowadays it’s hard to find the time to take a break, make yourself a nutritious meal and still get everything on your To-Do list done. It’s no surprise that people find it difficult to get their recommended daily intake of fruits, veggies and vitamins. The issue being, quick food we pick up these days is made using pre-packaged, low quality ingredients with tons of preservatives. Processing the foods this much eliminates practically all the fibre and nutrients! But finding the time to cook an entire meal is next to impossible these days.

Bottom line, if you’d like to get healthy and do something that’s good for your body, the best thing to do is buy the ingredients and make it yourself. Just remember, less processing means more health benefits. Do your best to stay away from preservatives. Foruntately, once you learn the right types of recipes to cook, you can be whipping dinner up at home in no time! I have tons of different recipes for yummy meals that only take 30 minutes to cook! (And trust me- Rachel Ray’s Horrid 30 Minute Meals have nothing on these babies!) The Cooking Cousins have tons of delicious recipes that are simple but made with all fresh ingredients. If you’d like to impress someone with your cooking skills would prefer not to spend the day in the kitchen, try their gnocci recipe.

Simply Can’t Fit Cooking Into Your Schedule? Get Healthy with a Samson Single-Gear Juicer

If you find you simply don’t have time to cook at home, you can also turn to juicing for a quick way to get your daily intake of fruits and vegetables. Like everything else, juice purchased at the store (especially from concentrate) is simply not as good for you as homemade juice. If you’d like to stop paying those crazy juice-bar prices, you should invest in a good juicer. A good one will last you at least 10 years! The Samson Juicer makes delicious, high quality juice and only require 2 minutes for clean-up, so they’re perfect for busy people like yourself. Visit www.PurelyJuicers.com to find great deals on a Samson Green Power Kempo and receive free shipping.

Vegetarian diets are gaining in popularity as more and more people are becoming concerned about health and healthy eating.

There are different types of vegetarians:-

• Semi-vegetarians - These people cannot really be classed as true vegetarians because they have only cut out red meat and still eat white meat and fish.
• Fruitarians - Do not eat any animal products and eat a vegan diet which is limited to eating the ripe fruit of trees and plants.
• Vegans - Do not eat any animal produce at all.
• Lacto-vegetarians - Do not eat meat or eggs but do consume dairy products.
• Lacto-ovo-vegetarians - Do not eat meat products but do consume eggs and dairy products.

There are many benefits of following a vegetarian diet and it is easy to find vegetarian recipes online whichever type of vegetarian you are.

Benefits of cooking vegetarian recipes and cutting out meat products include:-

1. A lower risk of disease - Cutting out meat and eating more vegetarian recipes will cut your risk of contracting coronary heart disease and strokes. This is due to the fact that vegetarian recipes and diets are low in saturated fats, high in good fats and high in antioxidants. An average American man can cut his risk of heart disease from 50% to 15% if he cuts meat out of his diet.
2. A longer life - On average, vegetarians live about 7 years longer than meat eaters and vegans live up to 15 years longer.
3. A vegetarian diet is high in antioxidants because of the high fruit and vegetable content of vegetarian recipes. Antioxidants protect our cells from damage by cancer causing free radicals, such as pollution and smoking, and help reduce the signs and effects of ageing.
4. Lower cholesterol - Good fats in nuts and seeds in vegetarian recipes help to lower bad LDL cholesterol and raise good HDL cholesterol. Vegetarians tend to eat more soya protein which contains iso flavones which also lower cholesterol. On average, vegetarians have 14% lower cholesterol levels than meat eaters.
5. Lower risk of blood clots - Iso flavones in soya protein reduce the risk of blood clots.
6. Lower risk of bone loss and therefore osteoporosis - Studies have shown that vegetarian women are at a lesser risk of osteoporosis.
7. Weight loss - Vegetarians tend to be slimmer than meat eaters because vegetarian recipes and diets are lower in saturated fats and calories.
8. Lower risk of Cancer - Studies have shown that plant based diets help to protect against many types of cancer and soya protein inhibits tumour growth.

Of course, if you are going to cut out meat and eat chips, chocolate and cheese all day then you are not going to benefit from any of these. To have a healthy vegetarian diet you need to include the following in your diet and vegetarian recipes:-

• Wholewheat products and wholegrains
• Nuts, seeds and legumes
• A wide variety of fruit and vegetables
• Dairy or soya products

Have fun experimenting with vegetarian recipes.

Health Supplement - what is it?

So what is a health supplement? Health supplement is a term that means products made of one or more of the fundamental nutrients, for example vitamins or minerals and which is very beneficial for our health. It provides you with some specific (or a mix of) vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, amino acids, metabolites, etc. Our health depends on the correct intake of these nutrients and if the diet doesn’t work, some type of health supplement or supplements would be the answer.

Health Supplement - vitamins.

Many health supplements provide us with various vitamins. For example, vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin E. Vitamin A plays an important role in vision, bone growth, reproduction, and cell division and cell differentiation. Vitamin D maintains normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus, helping to form and maintain strong bones. Vitamin E is a very powerful biological antioxidant, which plays a great role in preventing cell damage that may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Health Supplement - minerals.

Health supplements also provide us with various minerals. Minerals play a number of roles, like helping your body to use the energy from foods. For example, iron supplement provides your body with iron, which is an important component of proteins involved in oxygen transport and metabolism. Calcium supplement provides us with calcium, which is critical for transmission of nerve impulses, regulation of the heartbeat, clotting of blood, and building and maintaining healthy bones.

Health supplement - be careful.

Before you start taking some type of health supplement, make sure that an appropriate diet is not enough to increase the intake of some minerals or vitamins. Consult with a doctor to see that using supplements is right for you. Some supplements may have side effects.

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For more information http://www.liquid-vitamins-4u.com

Vitamin B5, also known as pantothenic acid is useful to the body through many ways. It is a member of the nutritionally elite group of eight vitamins collectively known as the Vitamin B complex. This powerful group of vitamins plays a big role nearly in almost every major body system and process. The Vitamin B complex serves to keep both body and mind functioning and to be perpetually in good health.

Vitamin B5 like all of the vitamins that make up the B complex is essential to the body’s ability to use the food that it takes in as fuel for it to able to perform the various tasks that it has lined-up every single day, great and small. It works in the regular maintenance and repair of all bodily tissues from the cellular level up. This makes it an essential part of the body’s efforts to fight the physical damage that excessive stress can cause us to have.

Vitamin B5 serves many important functions in the nervous system especially in terms of nerve function and health. Among the contributions that Vitamin B5 makes to the nervous system is the production of neurotransmitters which are important to the ability of the nerves to communicate properly and effectively.

Because of its important role in the growth and health of the hair and our high regard towards having healthy skin it is used frequently in a variety of cosmetic products. Vitamin B5 acting as a cofactor to other members of the Vitamin B complex and other nutrients has an important role in how the adrenal glands properly functions and also serves to promote normal growth of the body due to its big role in hormone production throughout the body.

Deficiency in Vitamin B5 can have a variety of negative consequences for the body as well as in one’s mind. Symptoms of physical malfunctions brought about by lack of Vitamin B5 include fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, weakened immune system, abdominal pain, neurological disorders, muscle weakness and cramps, increased insulin sensitivity, acne, digestive problems and slow or retarded growth.

Symptoms of a break down in a person’s mental capabilities which can be brought about from a lack of Vitamin B5 include depression, personality disorders and change, sleep disturbances and insomnia - which if not attended to immediately and cured, can actually pose as a bigger problem since insomnia can actually cause far greater problems to a person who is already suffering from poor mental health. In general adults should have about 5mg of Vitamin B5 per day with women increasing their daily intake to 6mg to 7mg while they’re pregnant or breastfeeding. Children, depending on their size and weight should have about 2mg to 4mg of Vitamin B5 each day.

The importance of the Vitamin B complex to good physical health and proper mental functioning needs to be taught better to people so as to be able to educate them of what they’ve been neglecting for so long. For a person to be able to fully utilize not only his physical capabilities but the power of his or her own mind as well, including cognitive functions and emotional responses and stability the standard recommended daily intake levels of these vitamins should be met every single day. Because these are water-soluble vitamins they are washed away daily with the urine and thus the body’s supply of these essential nutrients must be renewed daily.

Nutritional supplements are a reliable and safe way to meet these important nutritional goals provided that proper attention is given to the accepted limits of dosage. Too much of any nutrient can be toxic and can often cause as much damage as having too little. The body is a delicately balanced system and that balance requires to be maintained to function at its best.

Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR’S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.

Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links and information about Vitamins, please go to: http://vitamins.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated links and information on all health related topics, go to: http://www.besthealthlink.net/

These natural health products for enlarged prostate will significantly improve the condition which affects a high percentage of men over 40. Natural health products for enlarged prostate that work.

There’s a great need for natural health products for enlarged prostate. Enlarged prostate or Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH) affects half of all men over 50, and three-quarters of those over 65–by age 80 incidence increases. Even worse, BPH if left untreated ultimately becomes prostate cancer.

We interviewed several naturopaths and folllowing is the consensus of a natural treatment approach.

BPH is treated with zinc at 50mg three times per day, essential fatty acids, high fiber diets including pumpkin seeds (a terrific source of zinc) and alfalfa (rich in protein, vitamins A, E & K and minerals - used traditionally to treat cancer and urinary disorders).

Other vitamins include high dose Vitamin A as beta-carotene (300,000 IU - in consultation with your local naturopath), Vitamin C to bowel tolerance, chlorophyll (strong antioxidant and rich source of amino acids), amino acids (glycine, alanine and glutamic acid) a 5 grams each daily for 90 days, hydrogen peroxide(20 drops per oz of aloe juice) at 1 oz twice a day, cranberry juice (at 2 pints per day), herbs including saw palmetto and selenium at 250 mc per day.

Putting all of this information together, the recommended supplements containing all of these nutrients are:

• All 90 Essential Nutrients - complete range of minerals, vitamins, amino acids and essential fatty acids..
• A prostate supplement - containing zinc, selenium, saw palmetto and amino acids.
• A hydrogen peroxide supplement - containing Aloe Vera juice, herbs and minerals and completely safe for use.

Paul Newland is a health writer, sports training consultant and martial arts instructor and manages the Global-Longevity.com website.
He is the author of numerous health information books and guides, including the Wellness Report, The Ultimate Heart Health Guide, The Ultimate Antioxidant Report, The Selenium Report, The Ultimate Nutrient Guide and The Essential Fatty Acid Report and The Ultimate Sports Nutrition Guide - available Free (for a limited time) through Global-Longevity.com

While it is common to see scientific studies on how health can be improved by using certain, particular supplements of vitamins and minerals it is not the same for the real McCoy.

How true? Ask yourself and do a goggle search (or a PUB Med or any advanced search of scientific articles) about how many times you see a study–any study–on a particular fruit or vegetable that comes out proving some health improvement. Not a group, but a particular fruit or vegetable. And proof of health, not disease (this is an important distinction).

We are talking about real science here not just made up stuff from some science nut or health nut. And we are talking about real fruits and vegetables like a particular apple or broccoli as opposed to a group of fruits or vegetables. In other words we are talking about something very concrete and not at all abstract–this is where real scientific study comes in very handy: such study is not abstract or it is not science. And, importantly, if I can prove it and you cannot, it is not scientifically provable. Period.

How many? Which vegetable? Which fruit?

There are plenty of promoters of eating fresh fruits and vegetables and many of them provide solid credentials like the Harvard, Tufts, Eat 5 a day, and so on (for a really good goggle search try vegetables and health or fruits and health).

For example, the Harvard site cites the latest dietary guidelines that, “call for five to thirteen servings of fruits and vegetables a day, depending on one’s caloric intake. For a person who needs 2,000 calories a day to maintain weight and health, this translates into nine servings, or 4 cups per day.” The citation for this is The USDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is a helpful abstraction but not a particular guide to particular fruits and vegetables and how they can promote your health.

But most of what these prestigious institutions promote is air–no scientific studies demonstrating the health effects of a single fruit or vegetable could be found on the Harvard site, not one. True, it’s nice air, but air nevertheless.

Now we are not talking about the genuine research on fruits and vegetables like this one listed in Pub Med, “Electron beam and gamma irradiation effectively reduce Listeria monocytogenes populations on chopped romaine lettuce”, (J Food Prot. 2006 Mar;69(3):570-4, for those who need to know) . This kind of research is not after the health promoting effects of eating, in this case, romaine lettuce. And it does not pretend to be anything other than what it is.

Of course sites promoting the health benefits of eating of fruits and vegetables could be hiding the scientific studies and don’t want to bother their visitors with all those numbers and scientific names for turnips or plums. Or farmers who grow the really good stuff and how to buy them.

I remember a study concerning folate and green leafy vegetables and some kids on an island in the South Pacific. The study, a genuine scientific study, had to be halted because the scientists found that the children in the study could not get enough folate for their diets from the fresh vegetables because the vegetables themselves were deficient. So the study stopped because, ethically, depriving the children’s diet of this essential ingredient could hurt them–especially when the science proved the children would be deficient on a natural diet. So much for the health promoting benefits of this entire group of vegetables–and I have not seen another study to refute this single isolated, particular controlled scientific study on green leafy vegetable and exactly how they promote health in humans.

So how do you know if the fruits or vegetables you eat can really promote better health? Simple answer is you don’t. But then again, if you stopped eating fruits and vegetables what would happen? Could be all those diseases they write about in Pub Med and cited by the Tufts nutritionists and become the cover story about our fat nation for Time Magazine: eat your fruits and veggies and stay healthy or until we know, for sure, something different.

Copyright 2006 Herbert E Dreyer

Herb Dreyer is the critically acclaimed artisan chef at Good Friends & Company, http://www.goodfriendsco.com , makers of fine American foods.