The Benefits of Fermented Foods

 American Wellness, Foods For Wellness, Recipes For Wellness
May 032014
 

Fermented foodsUnlock the True Potential of Vegetables

  • By Kaare Melby
    Organic Consumers Association, January 23, 2014
  • Want to boost your immune system, increase the nutrient content in your food, improve your mental health and detox your body? Fermented vegetables are for you!Fermentation is the process that occurs when the natural bacteria in a vegetable break down the food’s complex elements into more digestible forms. When fermentation occurs, vegetables become easier to digest, allowing your body to work less, while reaping more benefits. And those benefits include higher levels of available nutrients, and live cultures of pro-biotic bacteria (kind of like the good stuff in yogurt). Fermented foods boost the amount of pro-biotics per serving. These pro-biotic bacteria can improve your digestion, boost your immune system, improve your mental health, and detox your body.

Worried that fermenting is risky? No need! Fermented veggies are actually safer than raw vegetables, because the fermentation process actually kills off any unwanted or dangerous bacteria that may exist on the food prior to fermentation. According to the USDA, there has “never been a single case of food poisoning reported from fermented vegetables.”

Fermented foods have been around for eons. Fermentation is an ancient art that pre-dates writing and agriculture. It’s often considered to be the practice that first ushered our ancient relatives from the natural world, into a culturally driven world. In fact, the word ‘culture’ is another word for fermentation. Sandor Katz, who has written several books on the subject, calls it “a health regimen, a gourmet art, a multicultural adventure, a form of activism, and a spiritual path, all rolled into one.”

And the good news is that it’s a simple process that even the most novice cook can accomplish.

To get started, you’ll want to choose vegetables that are fresh, local, and organic, as your ferment will be only as good as the ingredients you start with. You can ferment any vegetable, but some work better than others. It’s best if you experiment and find a mix of vegetables that you enjoy. Here at the OCA office, we like to mix as many fresh organic veggies together as possible. Not only does this create a variety of textures and flavors, but it also creates a wider variety of beneficial bacteria in the end product.

If you are looking for a good place to start, cabbage is easy to process, and makes a great ferment. Raddishes, carrots, turnips, apples and beets also make good ferments. The fermentation process creates a wonderful flavor that is often refered to as “sour.” But you can add more or different flavors in any way you want. Onions and garlic are great additions, and you can use fresh or dry herbs, and spices, too. The best approach is to experiment until you discover what combination of flavors you like most.

Here’s how to get started.  Jars of Fermented Foods

What you need
• Fresh vegetables
• A knife or grater
• A glass or ceramic jar for fermentation (quart sized, wide-mouth canning jars work well)
• A smaller jar that fits inside the fermentation jar (small jelly jars work great)
• Salt
• Clean water
• A clean towel
• Rubber band to fit over the mouth of the fermentation jar
• Herbs and spices (optional)

What to do

• Chop/shred/grate vegetables, salting lightly as you go. You want to get all of the vegetables as uniform in size as possible. This way, they ferment at the same rate. Vegetables like carrots and radishes do well grated, while it’s best to slice up that cabbage or onion. As you chop or grate the vegetables, add small pinches of salt. But not too much—fermentation only needs a little. Try tasting as you go. The vegetables should taste only slightly salty.

• Mix the veggies well. You want to make sure that the salt is spread out evenly throughout all the vegetables. Taste the veggies, and add more salt to taste if needed. If you are going to add any herbs or spices, add them now.

• Let the vegetables sit for 5 to 10 minutes. As they sit the salt will start to draw the liquid out of the vegetables.

• Squeeze the vegetables to release their juices. Take handfuls of vegetables and squeeze as hard as you can, keeping the juice that comes out. You want to get as much juice out of them as possible.

• Tightly pack the vegetables into the fermenting jar and cover with collected juice. As you fill the jar with the vegetables, be sure to pack them down tightly to the bottom of the jar. This will help release more juice, and remove any air bubbles that get stuck in the vegetables. Add any remaining juice once the jar is filled. Be sure there is enough liquid to completely cover the vegetables. If you need to, use a mixture of salt and water to bring the juice level up over the vegetables. You don’t need too much salt for the water, just enough to make it taste like seawater.

• Fill the smaller jar with salt water, then place it on top of the vegetables in the fermenting jar. The purpose of the second jar is to hold the vegetables under the liquid in the jar. This will help the fermentation process by preventing “scum” from forming on the top of the ferment.

• Cover the fermenting jar with a clean towel, and secure it with the rubber band. Using a towel to cover the jar ensures that gases can escape, without letting any dirt or bugs get in.

• Let it ferment! Put the jar in an easily accessible area, and keep an eye on it. In about 24 hours you will begin to see air bubbles in the vegetables. This is how you know it’s working. After a few days, the ferment will start to smell sour. Taste it at every stage. This will help you determine how fermented you like your vegetables. Some people like “young” ferments that have only fermented a few days, while others like “mature” ferments that have been fermenting for months. If there is a white layer of “scum” that forms just scrape it off. It’s ok if you don’t get it all. When you like the flavor, remove the towel and smaller jar, put a lid on the fermentation jar and put it in your refrigerator. When the ferment cools down, the fermentation process rapidly slows, and you will be able to enjoy your fermented foods for several weeks or longer.

That’s it! Now you know the secret to unlocking the true potential of your vegetables. To learn more, check out Sandor Katz’s book “Wild Fermentation,” available through Chelsea Green Publishing. Good luck and happy fermenting!

Kaare Melby is social media coordinator for the Organic Consumers Association. Fermented Foods Probiotics

Food Facts by Dr Mercola

 American Wellness, Foods For Wellness
Apr 222014
 

A Fantastic breakdown of Food Facts from A to Z.  Dr. Joseph Mercola has created a Health website very useful for alternative information.

Click on this site and the page will open for you to research most foods from A to Z. Nutritional awareness  made easy.

http://foodfacts.mercola.com/

The 7 Most Alkaline FoodsAlkaline Foods

 

Keep in mind, the more Alkaline (and the less Acidic) the food source, the better for your
overall health and well-being. According to health experts, 75% of your foods should come from
Alkaline sources and 25% can come from Acidic sources. Tip: Try pairing foods for easier digestion
and to promote a healthier balance. For example, consume beans (acid) with broccoli (alkaline).
Get pH Balance Saliva Testing Tape with Dispenser. Get Alkaline Booster pH Protector Drops.

Monitor Your pH Balance Using pH Balance With Saliva Testing Tape
Click here for directions.*

7.0 indicates a neutral pH. Above 7.0 is alkaline. Below 7.0 is acid.

For optimum health, the body should remain in a neutral to alkaline pH state.
With pH Testing Tape, you’ll always know where you are in the acid/alkaline
spectrum. Each dispenser includes 15 feet of tape–enough for hundreds of
tests. The easy-to-read, color-coded chart makes it easy to get a fast, accurate
reading every time. For use with bodily fluids only. pH tape can test saliva and urine.

Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) (Good Fat) Medicine

 American Wellness, Foods For Wellness
Aug 092013
 

palmkernel-oilnfat Remove Plaque Build-Up in Arteries

MEDIUM CHAIN TRIGLYCERIDES (MCTs) Overview Information Coconut Oil

Medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) are partially man-made fats. The name refers to the way the carbon atoms are arranged in their chemical structure. MCTs are generally made by processing coconut and palm kernel oils in the laboratory. Usual dietary fats, by comparison, are long-chain triglycerides. People use MCTs as medicine.

MCTs are used along with usual medications for treating food absorption disorders including diarrhea, steatorrhea (fat indigestion), celiac disease, liver disease, and digestion problems due to partial surgical removal of the stomach (gastrectomy) or the intestine (short bowel syndrome).

MCTs are also used for “milky urine” (chyluria) and a rare lung condition called chylothorax. Other uses include treatment of gallbladder disease, AIDS, cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and seizures in children.

Athletes sometimes use MCTs for nutritional support during training, as well as for decreasing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass.

MCTs are sometimes used as a source of fat in total parenteral nutrition (TPN). In TPN, all food is delivered intravenously (by IV). This type of feeding is necessary in people whose gastrointestinal (GI) tract is no longer working.

Intravenous MCTs are also given to prevent muscle breakdown in critically ill patients.

Other Names:

Propanetriol Trioctanoate, AC-1202, Acide Caprique, Acide Caproïque, Acide Caprylique, Acide Laurique, Capric Acid, Caproic Acid, Caprylic Acid, Caprylic Triglycerides, Lauric Acid, MCT, MCT’s, MCTs, Medium-Chain Triacylglycerols, Medium-Chain Triglycerides, TCM, Triacylglycérols à Chaîne Moyenne, Tricaprylin, Triglycérides à Chaîne Moyenne, Triglycérides Capryliques, Triglicéridos de Cadena Media (TCMs), Trioctanoin.

How does it work?

MCTs are a fat source for patients who cannot tolerate other types of fats. Researchers also think that these fats produce chemicals in the body that might help fight Alzheimer’s disease.

MCTs is the abbreviation for a type of fat called medium-chain triglycerides. Most of the fat found in your food is made of long-chain triglycerides. The length of the molecules of the fat you eat affects how fat acts in your body. MCTs are routinely added to the diet of epileptic patients because they can help prevent seizures. However, most Americans do not consume a lot of MCTs because they are only found in very specific foods.

MCTs in FoodCoconut Oil Unrefined

The main natural source of MCTs in foods is coconut, especially in coconut oil. Palm kernel oil, which should not be confused with palm oil, is also a big source of MCTs. Butter is also a source of MCTs, but to a smaller extent compared to coconut and palm kernel oil. MCTs, mainly from coconut oil, can be extracted and concentrated to produce MCT oil, which are available in most health food stores. Human milk is rich in MCTs and this is why concentrated sources of MCTs are commonly added to infant formulas.

Bonus: The health benefits of red palm fruit oil can be achieved by incorporating only 1-2 tablespoons into your daily diet.

 

Red Palm Fruit Oil vs. Palm Kernel OilRed Palm Fruit Oil

Regarded as a sacred healing food by many civilizations, including the ancient Egyptians, crude or virgin red palm fruit oil should be regarded as one of the most nutritious edible oils in the world. It is not to be confused with palm kernel oil. It is derived from the fruit of the oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis) and is referred to as “red palm oil” because of its rich dark red color in its unprocessed natural state. Palm kernel oil is derived from the seed or the kernel.Red Palm Oil Label

 

At room temperature, this semi-solid oil seems as likely as lard to clog your arteries. But what might shock you to learn, as it has equally stunned researchers, is that although red palm fruit oil is indeed high in saturated fat, it actually protects against heart disease. Saturated fats behave like a thick molasses through the cardiovascular system, eventually contributing to plaque (atherosclerosis). But studies show that adding palm oil into the diet can remove plaque build-up in arteries and, therefore, reverse the process of plaque and prevent blockages. In fact, studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have shown that a natural form of vitamin E called alpha tocotrienol, which is the form found in high amounts in red palm fruit oil, can help reduce the effects of stroke by 50% by protecting your brain’s nerve cells.

Removing plaque is not the only way red palm oil may protect against strokes and heart attacks. Red palm oil can also improve cholesterol values and also helps maintain proper blood pressure. Science now understands that inflammation in the artery lining is what warrants cholesterol to deposit in the first place. So, it makes sense that the protective effects come from the high antioxidant, anti-inflammatory content of the red palm oil which works to quench free radicals and keep inflammation under control.

Palm fruit oil contains mainly palmitic and oleic acids and is about 50% saturated, while palm kernel oil contains mainly lauric acid and is more than 89% saturated. The general assumption that kernel oil and palm fruit oil are one in the same may have lead to one of the greatest oversights in modern nutrition. The stigma attached to the kernel has kept the fruit in the dark – at least until now. Virgin organic sustainable red palm fruit oil is otherwise a bona fide miracle food.Red Palm Oil Chart

 

Palm kernel oil does not convey the same health benefits that Red Palm Fruit Oil does. The health benefits are only achieved due to the red color of the palm fruit oil that is attributed to its high content of carotenes, which include beta-carotene and lycopene. These powerhouse antioxidant nutrients are the same ones that give tomatoes and carrots and other fruits and vegetables their rich red and orange colors. What may shock you is that red palm fruit oil contains more than tomatoes or carrots. Red palm fruit oil is also densely packed with numerous tocotrienols – a powerful form of vitamin E.

MCTs and Weight

MCTs are metabolized differently compared to the long-chain triglycerides found in vegetable oils and animal fats. When you eat foods containing MCTs, these fats can bypass many digestive steps and go straight to your liver. Compared to other fats, MCTs are burned for energy by your body and not stored as fat, as explained by Dr. Mary G. Enig, a biochemist, in his book “Know Your Fats.” Moreover, MCTs provide slightly less calories compared to other fats, in addition to reducing your appetite and increasing your metabolism, which are all important factors that can contribute to a healthier weight.

MCTs and Other Properties

Once you ingest MCTs, they can have anti-microbial properties in your body. MCT-rich foods can help protect you against viruses, bacteria and parasites. Studies have also indicated a role for MCTs in slowing aging, improving physical performance, boosting immunity, lowering blood sugar levels and preventing heart diseases, according to “Nutrition Reviews.”

MCTs in Your Diet

To include more MCTs in your diet, use coconut oil instead of your usual fats and oils. Virgin coconut oil is less chemically processed and has a pleasant coconut flavor that can enhance many dishes. Use coconut oil to cook your eggs, vegetables and meat. You can also substitute oils and margarine for coconut oil when baking muffins, granola bars and cookies. You can even add coconut oil to your green tea if you like. Fresh coconut meat, unsweetened dessicated coconut, coconut milk, coconut butter and coconut cream also provides MCTs, but in smaller quantities compared to coconut oil. Talk to your physician before making major changes to your diet or attempting to treat any health conditions.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/517455-which-foods-contain-mcts/#ixzz2bEFRxTiK

http://www.hybridrastamama.com/2012/08/333-Uses-For-Coconut-Oil.html

 

The Biggest Culprits of Chronic Inflammation

 American Wellness, Wellness Solutions
Jul 292013
 

Heart surgeon speaks out on what really causes heart disease

 
Dr. Dwight Lundell
PreventDisease
Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:58 CST
Print
 
Dr Lundell

 Dr. Dwight Lundell is the past Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery at Banner Heart Hospital , Mesa , AZ. His private practice, Cardiac Care Center was in Mesa, AZ. Recently Dr. Lundell left surgery to focus on the nutritional treatment of heart disease. He is the founder of Healthy Humans Foundation that promotes human health with a focus on helping large corporations promote wellness. He is also the author of The Cure for Heart Disease and The Great Cholesterol Lie.
 

We physicians with all our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here it is. I freely admit to being wrong. As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries, today is my day to right the wrong with medical and scientific fact.

I trained for many years with other prominent physicians labelled “opinion makers.” Bombarded with scientific literature, continually attending education seminars, we opinion makers insisted heart disease resulted from the simple fact of elevated blood cholesterol.

The only accepted therapy was prescribing medications to lower cholesterol and a diet that severely restricted fat intake. The latter of course we insisted would lower cholesterol and heart disease. Deviations from these recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice.

It Is Not Working!

These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart disease and other chronic ailments will be treated.

The long-established dietary recommendations have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences.

Despite the fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite the fact we have reduced the fat content of our diets, more Americans will die this year of heart disease than ever before.

Statistics from the American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes. These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers every year.

Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.

Inflammation is not complicated — it is quite simply your body’s natural defence to a foreign invader such as a bacteria, toxin or virus. The cycle of inflammation is perfect in how it protects your body from these bacterial and viral invaders. However, if we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or foods the human body was never designed to process,a condition occurs called chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is just as harmful as acute inflammation is beneficial.

What thoughtful person would willfully expose himself repeatedly to foods or other substances that are known to cause injury to the body? Well, smokers perhaps, but at least they made that choice willfully.

The rest of us have simply followed the recommended mainstream diet that is low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates, not knowing we were causing repeated injury to our blood vessels. This repeated injury creates chronic inflammation leading to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.

Let me repeat that: The injury and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet recommended for years by mainstream medicine.

What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.

Take a moment to visualize rubbing a stiff brush repeatedly over soft skin until it becomes quite red and nearly bleeding. you kept this up several times a day, every day for five years. If you could tolerate this painful brushing, you would have a bleeding, swollen infected area that became worse with each repeated injury. This is a good way to visualize the inflammatory process that could be going on in your body right now.

Regardless of where the inflammatory process occurs, externally or internally, it is the same. I have peered inside thousands upon thousands of arteries. A diseased artery looks as if someone took a brush and scrubbed repeatedly against its wall. Several times a day, every day, the foods we eat create small injuries compounding into more injuries, causing the body to respond continuously and appropriately with inflammation.

While we savor the tantalizing taste of a sweet roll, our bodies respond alarmingly as if a foreign invader arrived declaring war. Foods loaded with sugars and simple carbohydrates, or processed with omega-6 oils for long shelf life have been the mainstay of the American diet for six decades. These foods have been slowly poisoning everyone.

How does eating a simple sweet roll create a cascade of inflammation to make you sick?

Imagine spilling syrup on your keyboard and you have a visual of what occurs inside the cell. When we consume simple carbohydrates such as sugar, blood sugar rises rapidly. In response, your pancreas secretes insulin whose primary purpose is to drive sugar into each cell where it is stored for energy. If the cell is full and does not need glucose, it is rejected to avoid extra sugar gumming up the works.

When your full cells reject the extra glucose, blood sugar rises producing more insulin and the glucose converts to stored fat.

What does all this have to do with inflammation? Blood sugar is controlled in a very narrow range. Extra sugar molecules attach to a variety of proteins that in turn injure the blood vessel wall. This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off inflammation. When you spike your blood sugar level several times a day, every day, it is exactly like taking sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels.

While you may not be able to see it, rest assured it is there. I saw it in over 5,000 surgical patients spanning 25 years who all shared one common denominator — inflammation in their arteries.

Let’s get back to the sweet roll. That innocent looking goody not only contains sugars, it is baked in one of many omega-6 oils such as soybean. Chips and fries are soaked in soybean oil; processed foods are manufactured with omega-6 oils for longer shelf life. While omega-6’s are essential -they are part of every cell membrane controlling what goes in and out of the cell — they must be in the correct balance with omega-3’s.

If the balance shifts by consuming excessive omega-6, the cell membrane produces chemicals called cytokines that directly cause inflammation.

Today’s mainstream American diet has produced an extreme imbalance of these two fats. The ratio of imbalance ranges from 15:1 to as high as 30:1 in favor of omega-6. That’s a tremendous amount of cytokines causing inflammation. In today’s food environment, a 3:1 ratio would be optimal and healthy.

To make matters worse, the excess weight you are carrying from eating these foods creates overloaded fat cells that pour out large quantities of pro-inflammatory chemicals that add to the injury caused by having high blood sugar. The process that began with a sweet roll turns into a vicious cycle over time that creates heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and finally, Alzheimer’s disease, as the inflammatory process continues unabated.

There is no escaping the fact that the more we consume prepared and processed foods, the more we trip the inflammation switch little by little each day. The human body cannot process, nor was it designed to consume, foods packed with sugars and soaked in omega-6 oils.

There is but one answer to quieting inflammation, and that is returning to foods closer to their natural state. To build muscle, eat more protein. Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colorful fruits and vegetables. Cut down on or eliminate inflammation- causing omega-6 fats like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them.

One tablespoon of corn oil contains 7,280 mg of omega-6; soybean contains 6,940 mg. Instead, use olive oil or butter from grass-fed beef.

Animal fats contain less than 20% omega-6 and are much less likely to cause inflammation than the supposedly healthy oils labelled polyunsaturated. Forget the “science” that has been drummed into your head for decades. The science that saturated fat alone causes heart disease is non-existent. The science that saturated fat raises blood cholesterol is also very weak. Since we now know that cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease, the concern about saturated fat is even more absurd today.

The cholesterol theory led to the no-fat, low-fat recommendations that in turn created the very foods now causing an epidemic of inflammation. Mainstream medicine made a terrible mistake when it advised people to avoid saturated fat in favor of foods high in omega-6 fats. We now have an epidemic of arterial inflammation leading to heart disease and other silent killers.

What you can do is choose whole foods your grandmother served and not those your mom turned to as grocery store aisles filled with manufactured foods. By eliminating inflammatory foods and adding essential nutrients from fresh unprocessed food, you will reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body from consuming the typical American diet.

You can read more of what you can do… click http://wellnesswillpower.com/wellness/2012/08/24/no-inflamation-or-bloating-when-you-properly-combine-food/

 

Blood Thinning/Thickening Alternatives

 American Wellness, Foods For Wellness, Wellness Solutions
Mar 102013
 

Blood Thinning FoodsFoods for the blood

from Nutra Legacy

– updated article with new information

Home » Cardiovascular Health » Human Circulatory System » Natural Blood Thinners

A Blood thinner is something that prevents the platelets in the blood from forming clots. A blood thinner is also referred to as an anti-coagulant. Platelets, also known as thrombocytes, are cells in the blood which are colorless and which make the blood clot. They clump together to prevent blood loss by creating plugs when holes in blood vessels form. Good Fat (HDL) helps keep the plugs smooth and prevent plaque from building up. Interestingly, the cholesterol in high density lipoprotein (HDL) would have a role in protecting the cardiovascular system, which it is known as “good cholesterol”.

There are many blood thinning foods available in your local food store. However, it is important to remember that they may not be suitable for everyone. For instance, if you were prescribed anticoagulant (blood thinning) medications, you probably should not take in too many blood thinning foods in addition to the drugs, as they may cause serious complications or damage to your health.

COUMADIN (warfarin sodium) is an anticoagulant that acts by inhibiting vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors. Discovered when cows were dying from bleeding to death from eating spoiled sweet clover and it then was synthesized into a blood thinner.(WARF, for Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation)

If you want to wean yourself off blood thinner drugs, introduce foods that will slowly replace your blood thinning needs. Nutritional awareness develops your willpower to adjust the foods you need to maintain healthy blood. Be pro active when getting blood tests. See how slowly replacing less dosage of drugs to consuming more of the right foods maintain your normal blood viscosity. Not all liquids are the same. Some are thin and flow easily, while others are thick and gooey.  A liquid’s resistance to flowing is called its viscosity.

If you want to make your blood thinner, the main thing to do is decrease your fat and protein consumption. Also, it’s important to take Salicylates, which are aspirin-like substances. They are necessary because they prevent the absorption of vitamin K, which plays a huge role in the blood clotting process.

Vitamin K …  and foods that thicken the blood

Vitamin K is required for your platelet cells to become “sticky,” which means their tendency to aggregate together and form blood clots in response to breached blood vessels. Without enough vitamin K, the coagulation cascade is slow to develop, which leads to increased clotting times, easy bruising, nosebleeds and heavy menstruation, as cited in “Biochemistry of Human Nutrition.” Blood-thinning medications work by inhibiting the actions of vitamin K. Excellent natural food sources include spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, avocado, kiwi, egg yolks, most meats, some cheeses ( Gouda) and some vegetable oils, such as organic coconut oil  and olive oil.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/470290-natural-foods-that-will-help-thicken-blood/#ixzz2N6Cl0jEc

Blood coagulation and iron also seem to have a yin-yang relationship. People who have iron deficiency anemia have an increased platelet count. Nutritional awareness gives you the ability to balance blood coagulation.

Certain supplements and foods are known to thin blood. Usually, they can be divided into four groups:
• Foods with high amounts of Salicylates (such as aspirin and like substances)
• Supplements containing vitamin E.

• Omega-3 fatty acids   (in a ratio 3-1 Omega 6 & 3)
• Additional groups (selected foods with compounds that thin blood)

Vitamin E is another wonderful natural blood thinner. It is a vitamin that is fat-soluble, so it helps prevent the essential vitamin A and essential fatty acids from oxidation in the cells. It also stops the body tissues from breaking down. Vitamin E can be found in various food groups, such as walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, and peanuts, soy, vegetable oils like canola, peanut, corn, sesame, sunflower, cottonseed, palm, and rice bran oil. Vitamin E is also found in lentils, chickpeas, rice, wheat, oats, and northern beans. Oil that has been extracted from wheat germ is also a wonderful source of vitamin E.
• Omega-3 fatty acids: Purslane’s “claim to fame” is that it is the most concentrated source of omega 3 of any green vegetable. You likely think of fish when you think of sources of omega 3 fatty acids; very few other foods and even fewer vegetables have significant amounts of omega 3. One cup of purslane leaves can contain up to 400 mg of omega 3 alpha-linolenic acid. Purslane also contains EPA and DHA, which are the long-chain omega 3 fatty acids often associated with fish oil.

Purslane (Omega 3)

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/430812-purslane-omega-3-acids/#ixzz2N6Fex6up
• Additional groups (selected foods with compounds that thin blood)

Some other blood thinning foods include: organic coconut oil, olive oil, onions, garlic, artichoke, eggplant and jicama.   Pomegranate juice is also an excellent blood thinner. Research was conducted which showed that pomegranate juice promotes blood flow through the body to the heart. It also decreases the amount of plaque in the arteries, lowering the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood, and at the same time increasing “good” cholesterol levels.

Foods that are generally high in Salicylates include: Salicylates

• many types of spices and flavorings (oregano, cinnamon, paprika, licorice, ginger, turmeric, peppermint, dill, thyme, as well as curry powder and cayenne pepper). Besides, research shows that cayenne pepper reduces blood cholesterol levels.
• most fruits (grapes, raisins, oranges, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, tangerines and prunes)
• nuts  (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, and peanuts)
• some other salicylate-rich foods (wine, chewing gum, peppermints, vinegar, honey, orange juice, cider, broccoli, avocados, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, wild carrot, wild lettuce, and cabbage).

For the original story, and further information on blood thinning foods, click here

http://www.everydaywithadhd.com.au/user-assets/info_sheets/salicylate_food_chart.pdf    Salicylate Food Chart
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Disclaimer: Here at WellnessWillpower.Com we offer all information not to be taken as medical advice. Products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

The ABC’s to Z’s of teaching Nutrition to your kids

 American Wellness, Foods For Wellness
Oct 182012
 

The ABC’s to Z’s of teaching nutrition

Post Submitted by Anonymous on Ask Dr Sears Website on Sat, 05/21/2011

  • Family Nutrition
  • First a message from WellnessWillpower:
  • The mass media present both good and bad information about nutrition. Teach your children to recognize the difference. Television, magazines, and even the Internet have a powerful influence on children. Discuss with your child how to tell the difference between truthful information and manipulative advertising. When you see sound nutritional information on TV, share it with your child and use it as a springboard for teaching. The best habit is teaching by example with proper education in Food Combining. Kids will pick up on your habits at an early age. Learn good nutritional habits by referencing WellnessWillpower/No Inflammation Or Bloating When You Properly Combine Food.

 

A:  IS FOR ACCESSIBILITY

NUTRITIP

 

You control the food that comes into the house. Make sure the good food you want your children to appreciate is child accessible.

The saying, “caught, not taught” certainly applies to teaching nutrition to kids. More powerful than any amount of talking about nutrition is the example you set in your home. Give new meaning to “fast foods.” Make nutritious foods readily available for your children. Plan to have fresh foods within easy reach, so that when they’re hungry and foraging for something to eat, it’s easy for them to help themselves! If you want to control the serving size, consider pre-packaging healthy snacks in plastic sandwich bags. Ideas for accessible snacks:

  • A raw vegetable tray kept in the refrigerator at children’s eye level
  • A tempting assortment of fresh fruits washed and ready to eat in a fruit bowl – or cut up in bite-size pieces in the refrigerator, ready to eat.
  • A special place in your cupboard or pantry for “kid’s snack attacks.” It may include popcorn, whole-grain crackers, bread sticks, rice cakes or raisins.
  • A pre-mixed snack that includes a variety of cereals, pretzels, and dried fruit. And, have fun keeping the best foods, not only available, but accessible!

A:   IS ALSO FOR AMBIANCE

NUTRITIP

Create a positive environment for eating at the breakfast, lunch, and dinner table!

Create a pleasant, supportive and unhurried environment in which your children can enjoy healthy foods. Meal and snack times should be happy times. If there is enjoyable, light conversation and relaxing background music playing, it is more likely that appetites and dispositions will be good. To lighten moods and facilitate pleasant conversation, ask each family member to share one positive thing that happened that day. Appetites are likely to be poor if parents are impatient with children’s behavior, if mealtime is a platform for discipline or criticism, or the T.V. is on. So, set the stage! Create the mood – and set your kids up to enjoy their meal times. And by all means, enlist their help!

  • Pick kid-friendly, ethnic meal themes, such as Mexican or Italian
  • Make special name tags or table decorations
  • Pick some flowers from the garden (or at the florist or grocery store) for the dinner table, and/or light candles.
  • Use special dishes – paper plates for a picnic atmosphere, the best China for mom’s birthday. When you involve your children in the meal planning and give them choices, they are more likely to have a good attitude toward eating and eat the foods best for them.

B:   IS FOR BOOKS

NUTRITIP

Read picture books about nutrition and then discuss them. Read recent posts on WellnessWillpower.com

Choose books at the library or bookstore that weave a good message about nutritious and adventuresome eating into the story line. Discuss what you read. Ask questions along the way. Did the character learn and eat the food that was good for them? What foods are good for you?

Try these favorites:

  • Bread and Jam for Frances, By Russell Hoban, 1993, HarperCollins
  • Bread is for Eating, By David & Phillis Gershator, 1995, Henry Holt and Company
  • Green Eggs and Ham, By Dr. Seuss, 1960, Random House
  • Picky Nicky, By Cathy East Dubowski, 1996, Grosset & Dunlap
  • The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food, By Stan & Jan Berenstain, 1985, Random House
  • The Carrot Seed, By Ruth Krauss, 1945, Harper & Row
  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar, By Eric Carle, 1969, Philomel Books
  • What Happens to your food?, By Alastair Smith, 1997, Usborne

A useful and fun workbook is: How to Teach Nutrition to Kids by Connie L. Evers, 24 Carrot Press, 1995.

C:   IS FOR COPY CAT!

NUTRITIP

You are your child’s first nutrition teacher. Would you want your kids to copy your eating habits?

Kids will copy your food habits. Do you eat nutritious foods? Set an example by being a good role model. If children see their parents enjoying nutritious food, they are more likely to do so, too, as children and as adults. Kids will pick up on your habits at an early age. If what you do does not mirror what you say, you will likely hear little voices asking, “Mommy, why are you eating that when you said I couldn’t have it?” If a family member, such as grandma or uncle, is on a special diet for health reasons, talk with your children about why this person eats certain foods and not others, and how the diet helps this special someone stay healthy. Model the positive value of good nutrition, and children will eventually begin to see that consistent daily choices translate into health and happiness.

Don’t expect your child to like a food just because you do. Use a small helping of peer pressure to get your child to eat. If your child is going through a food-refusal stage, invite over peers with adventuresome palates, kids who like to eat new and wholesome foods. Monkey does what monkey sees.

D:   IS FOR DISCOVERY ON A FIELD TRIP

NUTRITIP

Make learning nutrition fun by packing up the kids and discovering good food on a field trip!

There are many places to learn about good food right in your own community. Try one of these ideas when you need to get out of the house:

  • Visit a grocery store and have your child help pick out produce and other items on your grocery list. Talk about the nutritious and not-so-nutritious foods you see. (HINT: feed your child and yourself before you go!)
  • Lay ground rules so that your child knows what to expect, such as the need to stay in the cart, what snacks are acceptable, and no begging for toys or candy.
  • Take a behind-the-scenes tour of a grocery store. Many stores will arrange a tour for children of the different areas of the store, including delivery docks, meat counter, bakery, and produce.
  • Visit an orchard or farm where fruits and/or vegetables are grown. Perhaps the children can pick fresh strawberries or apples. They’ll have fun eating the fruit they pick.
  • Visit a nursery and look at the different fruit trees and vegetable plants.
  • If you’re planning a garden, let your children choose the plants or seeds (once you’ve decided on what is appropriate given your climate and soil conditions).
  • Visit a farmer’s market. Many cities have scheduled times that local farmers come into town to sell their produce, plants and flowers. Talk to the farmers about what they’re selling, such as how long did it take to grow? When was this fruit or vegetable picked? What’s a good way to cook and eat it?
  • Visit an animal farm or zoo. Milking and feeding time can be particularly educational. Have the guide explain what the animals eat and why.
  • Visit a bakery or food processing plant and observe how bread is made or other foods are produced.
  • Visit a restaurant or food establishment to view cooking and food preparation. Watch how pretzels are formed, how pies are made, how pasta is cooked, how omelets or waffles are prepared, how pizza is put together.
  • Visit a museum with exhibits on nutrition and health. Children’s museums may have “hands-on” exhibits about food.

E:   IS FOR EDIBLE ART

NUTRITIP

Children love to create. Make some edible art! They can learn about nutrition bite by bite.

Cereal necklace. String O-shaped cereal and dried apples (with holes through the pieces) on a piece of string or dental floss. Have fun wearing it, then snacking on it!

Cottage-cheese cone. Fill an ice-cream cone about two-thirds full with a scoop of cottage cheese, or chicken or tuna salad. Have the child add toppings: finely grated carrots or zucchini, chopped cucumber, or chopped olives. Top it all with a halved cherry tomato.

Breakfast banana split. Cut a banana in half lengthwise and place it in an ice cream bowl (a “banana split” bowl would be ideal). Place two scoops of cooked, cooled oatmeal, made on the “thick” side, in the middle of the bowl. Drizzle lightly with fruit-only jam or apple butter. Add a dollop of yogurt to each scoop. Garnish with fresh strawberries, cherries, and top with chopped nuts or granola.

Pretty pizzas. Use pita bread or English muffins sliced in half. Spread on the tomato sauce, then make a face or design with cheese triangles, sliced olives, strips of bell peppers, and sliced deli meats. Heat in the oven until the cheese starts to melt.

Pancake faces. Decorate pancakes using banana slices for the eyes (with a raisin pupil), raisins for the nose, a thin sliver of cantaloupe for the mouth, yogurt for a beard, and California avocado slices for eye brows.

Fruit caterpillars. Cut up an assortment of fresh fruit (apples, strawberries, grapes, bananas, oranges). Have children skewer a mixed assortment on shish kebob sticks. Serve with vanilla yogurt for the dip.

Cup faces. Put some plain or vanilla yogurt in a plastic cup. Decorate with coconut cut into small pieces for the hair, raisins for the mouth and eyes, and a strawberry nose.

Pepper pots. Kids enjoy stuffing peppers. Take small red, green or yellow bell peppers and cut the top off. Scoop out the insides. Have the child mix cooked rice, beans, corn and chopped spinach. Spoon it into the peppers and sprinkle with grated cheese and seasoned bread crumbs. Bake at 350° for fifteen minutes.

Sandwich characters. Cut out sandwiches with cookie cutters, then decorate with vegetables such as olive pieces for eyes, carrot curls for a smile, and a cherry tomato nose.

Cute cookies. Make whole wheat oatmeal cookies with half the amount of honey instead of sugar and have your child decorate them with sprinkles or raisins.

F:   IS FOR FEEDBACK

NUTRITIP

Children generally seek to please their parents. Dole out praise for making wise food choices and experimenting with new taste sensations.

Positive reinforcement is a very effective technique for modifying behavior. Acknowledging good eating habits with positive feedback will produce lasting positive effects. Praise your child for making good food choices and trying new foods. Resist the temptation to nag or scold for poor choices. Avoid praising your child for cleaning his plate or for how much he eats, since linking approval with overeating can lead to obesity. You can also use a reward system with a sticker chart. If your child eats at least five fruits and vegetables each day, put a sticker on his chart. “After she receives five (or whatever you agree on) stickers, she gets a social reward.

Here are some ways you can acknowledge good eating habits:

  • “I like the way you chose that piece of fruit.”
  • “I’m so proud that you’re learning to make good food choices to help you grow strong and be smart!”
  • “Wow! I see all the food groups on your plate!”
  • “Yummy – those vegetables and fruits are my favorites, too!
  • “You’re such a super helper in the kitchen. We’ll be able to eat dinner much sooner since you helped.”

G:   IS FOR GROW FOODS

NUTRITIP

Let the Food Guide Wheel give your kids a visual description of what they should be eating so they can grow! Teach them about “grow” and “non-grow” foods.

No longer are there just the four food groups you learned about in health class long ago. Now there is a Food Pyramid with five food groups, designed to illustrate the ideal composition of a daily diet, with a new emphasis on foods from plant sources. The Food Pyramid makes it easier to teach children about what foods help them grow and which don’t. (See “Food Guide Wheel“).

  • Help your children make a “Grow Foods” chart for your kitchen. Draw pictures or cut them out of magazines and glue them under “grow” and “non-grow” categories on a piece of poster board.
  • Use another piece of poster board to make your own Food Pyramid. Fill it with pictures of “grow” foods in each category.
  • When dining out and ordering from the menu, ask your kids to pick out Grow vs. Non-Grow foods. Talk about the “grow” and “non-grow” foods you eat at home. Name a “non- grow” food and ask your child to name a “grow” alternative.
  • Make a list of grow and non-grow foods.

(For another “G”, see Grazing – feeding your picky eater).

H:   IS FOR HAPPY BREAKFAST

NUTRITIP

A nutritious breakfast has been proven to improve behavior and learning in school children. Happy breakfast!

Missing breakfast leads to a sad state of affairs. In the morning, the blood sugar is low after a night-long fast. This translates into sluggishness, fatigue, and a low energy state. The body therefore tries to conserve energy – including brain energy! Research shows that children who skip breakfast do more poorly on tests and don’t perform other tasks as well as those who eat breakfast. Problem-solving capabilities are also affected. And, a child who doesn’t eat breakfast may become cranky and out of control by mid-morning.

Here are some basic guidelines to set your children up for a happier day, one that starts with breakfast:

  • Get up early enough to have a relaxed atmosphere at breakfast.
  • Be prepared to “sell” your children on the benefits of breakfast: “It will help you grow, learn, and feel better all morning long.”
  • Choose breakfasts that provide quick energy, as well as sustained energy. Best breakfasts contain protein, plus complex carbohydrates. Include a food high in protein, bread or cereal, a fruit or vegetable, a small amount of fat, and milk or yogurt.
  • If there isn’t enough time for a leisurely breakfast, prepare a “fast” one- dish breakfast that is easy to eat on the run, such as a smoothie made with low-fat yogurt or milk and fresh fruit. Or, mix cottage cheese and fruit (e.g., mandarin oranges from a can) and use it as a spread on mini bagels.
  • Start a Happy Breakfast Club. Provide an incentive for eating breakfast. After a week or a month, reward breakfast eaters with a pass to a “breakfast club” on the weekend. Take the child to a local restaurant that specializes in buffet breakfasts and pick out “grow foods” from the wide selection. Some restaurants have clubs you can join where you can earn a free meal after you eat there a number of times. (See “Breakfasts for Growing Brains“).

I:   IS FOR INTRODUCING NEW FOODS

NUTRITIP

“Try it, you might like it!” Have children (and parents) take turns choosing a new food to introduce to the family.

Don’t fall into a food rut. Try new foods with your family and make it fun. Here are some ideas for introducing new foods:

  • Offer the new food at the beginning of the meal. Serve it alongside at least one known favorite.
  • Offer memberships in the “One-Bite Club.” When children try “just one bite,” they get to celebrate by going out to a family restaurant – one that has a nutritious salad bar, of course.
  • Make sure everyone gets the same new food to sample! Remember that children copy their parents’ example. Put on your happiest face, but don’t overdo it. Your child may see through your theatrics.
  • No grunts, grimaces, or negative comments allowed. More precise descriptions are okay: “sour,” “chewy,” or the always safe “very interesting.”
  • Have children be on the lookout for new vegetables or fruit at the grocery store.
  • Give funny names to food your child is reluctant to try. Be creative, such as broccoli “trees” and tofu “blocks.”
  • Serve food warm, not hot. It’s hard to taste food when your tongue is burnt.
  • Try one new food each week, incorporating different types of foods. By the end of each month, your family could have a new favorite menu!
  • If a child doesn’t want to try a certain food today, revisit it next week or next month. When you do re-introduce it, try preparing it differently, or folding it into a favorite casserole, pasta dish or soup. And, remind your children that as they grow their taste buds change.

J:   IS FOR JUMP, JOG OR JIGGLE!

NUTRITIP

Encourage an active lifestyle for your children and join them as they jump and jiggle! Choose activities that foster family togetherness and family fitness.

Get your children moving by giving them plenty of opportunities not just to play sports, but to stay fit. Children of active parents are more active themselves, so look for ways that you can all exercise together.

  • Jump rope, dance, swim, bike, hike, or otherwise get moving. Balance a good, healthy diet with adequate exercise. Obesity in children is often caused by a sedentary lifestyle. It is often directly correlated to time spent watching television or playing video games.
  • Teach your children how to make food choices based on their activity level. Provide juice after soccer practice and outlaw high-fat snacks during TV time.
  • If the weather is not conducive for outdoor play, put on some music and dance around the house, or get out rhythm instruments and shake ’em!
  • Look for exercise videos to share with your children. One exercise video is called “Workout with Daddy & Me” for ages 3 & up (produced by Family Home Entertainment). It’s fun and can be done as a family exercise program. Our six-year-old, Lauren, will often join in.

K:   IS FOR KALEIDOSCOPE OF COLORS

NUTRITIP

Color is nutritious! Teach your children that a colorful plate means lots of “grow foods.”

What a beautiful array of colors fruits and vegetables have! You can use this eyeful of color to your advantage by teaching your child to choose naturally colorful foods. The brightest colors are found in produce that is in season, fresh, and eaten raw or lightly steamed.

Activities for Kids:

  • Play a color-matching game. What’s in the reds? Why is it good for you?
  • When you’re in the supermarket’s produce section, send your children out on a color-finding mission. Assign one child orange and green, and another child gets the job of choosing two yellows! This can also be an excellent way of introducing new foods and getting variety into the family diet.
  • When you serve fruits and vegetables, ask your children what vitamins and minerals they are high in, and why these are good for them.
  • Have children color the fruits and vegetables on the sheet. Then have them draw lines and match the color to the correct group of vegetables and fruits.
  • Have children draw pictures of food on paper plates. Are all the food groups represented? Use colorful markers.
  • Ask your children what color foods they ate today. Talk about each food and its color. “Did you eat your yummy yellows and great greens today?”
  • Create a “rainbow lunch,” a tray of colorful foods cut into bite-sized servings.
  • Kids remember colors. To get your children to appreciate the nutrient value of foods, teach them that colors mean healthy foods, or, in kid-language, “grow foods.” Remind them: “Did you get your reds today?”

WHAT DO THE COLORS ON YOUR PLATE MEAN?

Color Foods Nutrients Why They’re Good for You
Yellow Pumpkin, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, apricots, carrots Vitamin A
Folic Acid
Fiber
Beta carotene		 Helps kids grow
Helps kids see better (improves weak eyesight)
Good for their skin (promotes healthier skin)
Green Broccoli, leafy green vegetables (e.g., kale, bok choy, collard greens) Vitamin A
Folic Acid
Fiber		 Helps kids grow
Helps kids see better (improves weak eyesight)
Red Strawberries, watermelon, Tomatoes Vitamin C
Fiber
Lycopene		 Keeps kids healthy
Helps make boo-boos heal faster
Orange Oranges, grapefruit, cantaloupe Vitamin C
Fiber		 Keeps kids healthy
Helps make boo-boos heal faster

HEALTH COLORS

Colors Food Sources Nutrients Health Benefits
Red tomatoes
tomato sauce
ketchup
watermelon
pink grapefruit
guava juice
red peppers		 lycopene
beta carotene
vitamin C		 Lycopene is a potent antioxidant and is one of the top ten anticancer carotenoids. It has been linked to reductions in the risk of prostate cancer. Anthocyanins have anti- cancer properties. Red peppers contain much more beta carotene (and more vitamin C ) than green peppers.
Pink pink grapefruit lycopene
beta carotene		 Like lycopene, beta carotene is an antioxidant that is good for the eyes. It also reduces the risk of cancers and cardiovascular disease.
Orange or deep yellow apricots and peaches
(especially dried)
sweet potato
carrots
pumpkin
winter squash
mango
yellow peppers		 beta carotene
vitamin C		 Some orange/yellow vegetables, such as pumpkin and summer squash contain the phytonutrient, lutein, which helps protect against degeneration of eye structure with aging. Carotenoids, like beta carotene , are the phytos that protect plants from sun damage. Perhaps they do the same for humans.
Dark green kale, other “greens”
asparagus
watercress spinach
broccoli
parsley, fresh
dill, fresh
romaine lettuce
zucchini
green peppers		 beta carotene Dark green foods are rich in antioxidants.
Blue or dark purple blueberries
bilberries
cherries
grapes
red wine
plums
purple cabbage		 anthocyanin The pigment anthocyanin has anti-cancer properties.
Black or dark red black beans
kidney beans		 Calcium
Iron		 Black beans are higher in fiber and calcium; red beans contain slightly more iron.

L:   IS FOR LEARNING ACTIVITIES

NUTRITIP

Make learning nutrition fun and games! All you have to say is, “Let’s play a game,” and the kids will come running!

Experienced teachers know that games are a great way to learn, much more effective than lectures and quizzes. Here are some games to try at home:

  • Food flash cards: Have children cut out pictures of foods from magazines or newspapers. Glue the pictures onto an index card, then glue the cards to Popsicle sticks (easier for children to grasp). Have the children take turns holding up a card. Younger children can tell which food group the food belongs in on the Food Pyramid. Older children can tell what nutrients are found in food.
  • You can use these food flash cards for other games, too. Try food group versions of “Go Fish” or “Old Maid” or cut the cards in two pieces to play matching or memory games.
  • Try the shiny penny experiment. The phosphoric acid in soft drinks is strong enough to remove the corrosion from a coin. Leave a “dirty” penny in a glass of soda overnight to show your kids what soda can do to their tummies and teeth. Do they really want that stuff in their bodies?

M:   IS FOR MEDIA

NUTRITIP

The mass media present both good and bad information about nutrition. Teach your children to recognize the difference.

Television, magazines, and even the Internet have a powerful influence on children. Discuss with your child how to tell the difference between truthful information and manipulative advertising. When you see sound nutritional information on TV, share it with your child and use it as a springboard for teaching. If a delicious citrus salad flashes on television, you can say, “Wow, those oranges look delicious! The ad says they have Vitamin C! Do you know what Vitamin C is good for?” If a news program describes a new study on diet and health, talk about it with your child. Point out how ridiculous many commercials are. “Did you see that thin little boy? The ad says he grew up to have a lot of muscles just because he drank that protein drink. That company really wants you to believe that kids your age will get muscles like that from their product. Do you think some kids will believe this ad? Be an ad-buster. While watching at least one hour of children’s programming on a T.V. network, such as Fox or Nickelodeon, that has food commercials targeted at children, tally up all the different foods advertised. Write down these foods and analyze their nutritional value. Share your findings with your children.

N:   IS FOR NUTRITION LABELS

NUTRITIP

What’s in your food? Knowing how to read a nutrition label is a valuable skill for children.

Older children can learn to read and interpret nutrition labels. Comparing labels on different products is a particularly good exercise for kids. (Serving size and percentage of daily values are based on figures for adults, so this information may not apply to children.) Try comparing two different boxes of cereal, or examine junk food labels and compare these with more nutritious alternatives. Point out how much fat is in the junk food and how much fiber is in the nutritious cereal. Show your child how to be a sugar detective by checking the ingredients list. Look for foods in your pantry or refrigerator that are high in iron or vitamin C. Another “N” activity is the nibble tray (See Nibble Tray).

O:   IS FOR OPPORTUNITIES IN THE KITCHEN

NUTRITIP

Give your child opportunities to learn about food by helping out in the kitchen. Kids will be more likely to eat what they have helped cook.

How could getting your child to help out in the kitchen have anything to do with teaching nutrition? One study published in Journal of Nutrition Education analyzed mothers’ reports of their three-year-olds’ involvement in food-related activities and found that children who were more involved in these activities scored significantly higher on nutrition awareness tests. Following are age-appropriate skills your child can practice in the kitchen.

Ages three to five:

  • Help set the table.
  • Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces for salad.
  • Pour ingredients into a bowl and help mix.
  • Help choose a favorite food for the menu.
  • Toss a salad.
  • Mix frozen fruit juice concentrate with water
  • Snap fresh beans.
  • Wash fruit, such as grapes and apples.
  • Slice bananas, soft cheese, and hard-cooked egg with a plastic knife
  • Squeeze a lemon or orange.
  • Help rinse and wash unbreakable dishes.
  • Peel a hard-boiled egg
  • Knead bread dough
  • Make a pizza

Ages six and up:
In addition to the activities mentioned above, have your child try these:

  • Mash potatoes
  • Measure ingredients
  • Peel vegetables
  • Read simple recipes and follow the directions
  • Open cans
  • Use the microwave oven (with supervision)
  • Put away groceries
  • Make a shopping list

P:   IS FOR PRESENTATION

NUTRITIP

How do you get your child to appreciate the nutritious food you serve? It’s all in the presentation.

“That looks yike I don’t like it!” How foods look matters to kids. Eyes and appetites are directly linked. Here’s some ideas for putting pizzazz into the presentation of the nutritious foods you serve:

  • Serve food in different containers. Be a little zany and see the look of surprise on your child’s face! Put pieces of fruit or pasta salad in a muffin tin.
  • Garnish foods – and let the kids help you! Kids can put slices of oranges or sprigs of parsley on plates. Kids can help wash lettuce leaves and arrange them on a plate, and then add cherry tomatoes, olives, raisins, or grapes as their own creative touch.
  • Personalize it! Cut slices of cheese into the shapes of your child’s initials and melt the cheese on bread. (Get it out of the oven before the shape disappears!) Or, decorate a piece of toast topped with the child’s initials outlined in raisins or banana slices.
  • Have your child help you choose tableware, perhaps adding colorful napkins or place-mats.
  • Experiment with different forms of the same food. For instance, if your child doesn’t go for diced carrots, try carrot “coins” or shredded carrots. Instead of spaghetti noodles, try alphabet noodles, bow tie pasta, or shells.
  • Cut foods into shapes. There are many gadgets at the store that can transform ordinary veggies into zig-zags, flowers, and other appetizing shapes.

Q:   IS FOR QUEEN (OR KING) FOR A DAY!

NUTRITIP

Let’s celebrate! On special days, treat your child like royalty, while helping them make healthy meal choices.

Let your child choose a special menu for her birthday, half-birthday, or other special day. Look for excuses to celebrate and treat family members like royalty at mealtime. For example, if your child was born on March 11, you could designate the 11th of every month as her day to choose the menu.

Decorate the dining room for these special meals. Tie a balloon to the back of the honoree’s chair, use a special place-setting. There are plates available that say “It’s your special day!” or “You are special today!”

R:   IS FOR RESOLUTION

NUTRITIP

Make a resolution with your children to improve family eating habits. Then, get them involved in carrying it out!

Do you want to improve your family’s eating habits? Here are samples of simple food resolutions you can make that will benefit your family’s nutrition:

  • We will eat more fruits and vegetables and eat less chips and candy.
  • We will order corn-on-the-cob or salad with our burritos or burgers when we eat out instead of french fries.
  • We will sit down and plan our weekly menus together using the Food Pyramid.
  • We will take turns picking out a new ethnic food to try each week.

Make a resolution as a family. Try it for a month, then re-visit it. Was your plan successful? What can be done to make it work better?

S:   IS FOR SNACKS

NUTRITIP

Teach children to graze on good food.

Explain to your children the difference between feel-good and junk-food snacks: “Your body works better if you eat the right foods. Feel-good snack foods are those that get into your body slowly and aren’t used up fast. They leave you feeling better. Feel-good foods for snacks are yogurt, bread, cereal, homemade cookies, and veggies. Junk-food snacks, such as doughnuts, sodas, cupcakes, candy, and cereals with too much sugar, get into your body quickly and get used up quickly – and you don’t feel good after they get used up. This feeling comes from what is called ‘low blood sugar.’ Now, what snacks would you like to take to school and what snack foods shall we keep in the pantry and refrigerator for when you get hungry or get a snack attack?”

“S” also stands for sugar. Teach your children the concept of steady blood sugar . The sugar story could go like this: “Your body, especially your brain, needs a steady supply of food for fuel. When it runs out of fuel, you feel hungry, weak, or just don’t feel good. But if you put the wrong fuel in your body or don’t put enough of it in at the right times, you don’t feel good. Because your body uses up foods for energy very quickly, you have to refill your body often, otherwise it won’t feel or work right, sort of like a car running out of gas. You know when your body is running low on fuel. You feel hungry, tired, weak, maybe even a bit fuzzy-headed. That’s why it’s important to snack or nibble on nutritious foods between meals. In fact, many animals nibble all day long instead of eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner like we do. This is called grazing. Some people feel better and have more energy if they graze on five or six mini meals each day instead of eating three big meals.”

T:   IS FOR TREATS

NUTRITIP

Treats don’t always have to be sweets.

Today’s children are bombarded with candy treats, sugary snacks, and foods that offer fun, but no nutritional value.

Teach your child to appreciate nutritious treats: fresh strawberries, the first apples of fall, fresh-picked corn-on-the-cob, and home-baked bread. Talk about why these treats are better than sweets.

Another “T” activity is a tally sheet. Use this sheet to track eating habits in a visual way. Post a copy of the Food Guide Wheel on your refrigerator at your child’s eye level. Beside it post a sheet listing the healthy food groups. Fill it in with stickers or coloring as the day goes on. At the end of the day, see if you’ve met or exceeded your Food Guide Wheel goals.

U:   IS FOR UNDERWHELM

NUTRITIP

Set your child up to finish the food on his plate by starting him out with small portions. A huge plateful of food can overwhelm and take his appetite away.

Tiny people have tiny tummies. Children don’t eat as much as adults. Give children a positive sense of accomplishment by giving them servings they can finish. Then they have the opportunity to say, “More please!” Start small, with “underwhelming” portions.

HOW MUCH FOOD?
The guideline of one tablespoon (per food group) per year of age may be helpful.

V:   IS FOR VARIETY

NUTRITIP

Variety truly is the spice of life.

There are sound reasons for offering children a variety of foods, even if they seem content with a limited menu of old favorites. Even children get bored with food if they see the same ones day after day. It’s hard to enjoy a meal when you’re bored. Offer two choices of fruits and vegetables at meal times, for example, cooked carrots and zucchini for dinner or apples and oranges for lunch. With enough variety on the table, everyone in the family will find something they like to eat. Remember, children like to binge. They like veggies for a few days, then may not touch them for a while. Instead of a balanced meal, shoot for a balanced week.

W:   IS FOR “WATERING” YOUR GROWING CHILD

NUTRITIP

Teach your children to acquire a taste for water, the most vital drink of all! Reference WellnessWillpower/Think Before You Drink

Water is essential to good nutrition! Since our bodies are made up of fifty to sixty percent water, we need to continually replenish our fluids. Hidden sources of water include milk or fruit juices, cooked cereal, fruit, and vegetables. Have cold water readily available for your child throughout the day. Keeping it in a pitcher in the refrigerator makes it seem more special, so does an attractive cup or glass and maybe some ice cubes or a twist of lemon. Don’t forget to offer water often during the day, especially in warmer temperatures. If a child is well hydrated, he or she is more likely to have a good appetite.

X:   IS FOR XYLITOL

NUTRITIP

Nature’s desserts are sweet to eat, thanks to a natural sugar called “xylitol.”  Another safe sweetener is Agave Nectar.

Do you like strawberries and raspberries? They contain xylitol, a type of sugar. Teach your children to enjoy nature’s desserts-fruit. Since fruit has the extra advantage of being high in Vitamin C and fiber, it makes sense to depend on it to satisfy the sweet tooth of your children.

Here are some ideas for healthy desserts made with fruits:

  • Fresh fruit kabobs
  • Fresh strawberries served in an ice cream cone topped with whipped cream
  • Slices of fruit with yogurt dip
  • Baked apple or pear
  • A milkshake or smoothie made with yogurt and fresh fruit
  • Banana bread
  • Applesauce topped with graham cracker crumbs
  • Use Agave Nectar as it is the safe alternative for sweetening

Y:   IS FOR YOGURT

NUTRITIP

There are many high-calcium foods besides milk. Chief among them is yogurt. Reference WellnessWillpower/Probiotics And How They Strengthen The Immune System

Teaching your child about building strong bones and teeth goes beyond mentioning milk. There are some children who don’t particularly care for milk, or have milk allergies. Many of these will like or tolerate yogurt. Eight ounces of yogurt contains even more calcium than eight ounces of milk. And, yogurt can be the start of truly creative eating. Let your children add pieces of fruit, chopped nuts, raisins, wheat germ, and other goodies to yogurt. Or, use it as a dip for vegetables or in salad dressings. There are alternative choices for Probiotics beyond Yogurt like Kefir, Lassi, Tempah, Natto, Kimchi, Sauerkraut.

Z:   IS FOR ZEST FOR GOOD NUTRITION!

NUTRITIP

Let your zest for nutrition inspire your children that good eating habits help them grow, feel great, and do their best!

You want your children not only to know about good nutrition, but truly enjoy eating nutritiously. With you as a guide, your children can learn to appreciate foods that make them feel good. They’ll be eager to eat and enjoy nutritious food. Just remember three important points:

  • You are your children’s role model for good nutrition. In fact, you are their first nutrition teacher!
  • You choose the variety of foods to offer them.
  • You can make it fun.

If you feel like your child is too picky and not getting the correct nutrition, don’t be afraid to try a multivitamin such as Little Champions multivitamin soft chews until they get their eating habits back on track.

May you have many happy, healthy meals together as your children learn that eating right helps them feel great, do their best, and grow!

  TOP OF PAGE

No Inflammation or Bloating when you Properly Combine Food

 American Wellness, Foods For Wellness
Aug 242012
 

   Wellness is the Objective…. Will power is the engine.

By Eddie Katz

Health is your Wealth. If we do not have our health,

nothing else is going to matter.

Your health is a personal challenge.

Choose health by challenging your will power.

You are not what your parents fed you growing up.

We can start as soon as we start living on our own or sooner.

But first here is a letter I wrote to President Obama:

Serious Proposals for Health Care that needs to be addressed-

90% if not more Americans are addicted to unhealthy hard to digest food.

We need to take personal responsibility to learn Nutrition.

This will give us the skill to use Will Power.

This is where we challenge our Will Power to make common sense choices.

The choice and knowing the difference between good fat-bad fat, good sugar-bad sugar,

good salt-bad salt. ( good examples…. coconut oil, agave nectar, Himalayan pink salt )

Teach Nutrition early in kindergarten and continue through 12 grades.

I’m thinking how much more in savings in health care we will generate with this nutritional directive you should put into America’s mindset.

Ask not what your country can do for you…. Ask what you can do for yourself.

       

                 Digestive Enzymes

AbsorbAid®A Natural Approach… Unlike Antacids and Acid Blockers

  • Aid for Digestion & Stomach distress.
  • Natural plant enzymes from Papaya and Pineapple.
  • Clinically tested, Scientifically proven.

AbsorbAid® significantly increases your body’s ability to absorb nutrients, and the unique “stabilized plant enzymes” have been bio engineered to be stomach acid stable, and continue to be active in the small intestine – AbsorbAid® will help digest every food group. It has been scientifically proven to enhance the absorption of vital nutrients up to 71%.

Nutrition Education made simple to understand.

Know food groups to properly combine for best assimilation and digestion.

 

Foods that inflame also thickens the blood. Foods that eliminate inflamation thins the blood. This awareness might prevent blood clotting and strokes.

     Click on these charts 3 times to view better.

These charts show you that the normal American food combinations are not proper combining of food.

 

Wellness

Wellness is a difficult word to define. Traditionally wellness has meant the opposite of illness and the absence of disease and disability. More recently wellness has come to describe something that you have personal control over. Wellness is now a word used to describe living the best possible life you can regardless of whether you have a disease or disability. Your wellness is not only related to your physical health, but is a combination of things including spiritual wellness, social wellness, mental wellness and emotional wellness. Wellness is seen as a combination of mind, body and spirit. Different people may have different ideas about wellness. There is no single set standard for wellness and wellness is a difficult thing to quantify.

So lets make it as simple as possible. Use Willpower to control the balance between the 3 sides of our health (triangle). Our Structural self (exercise), Chemical self (everything you ingest, inhale, transdermal), Emotional self (choose happiness, peace, creativity, production capacity, positivity).

Six Healthy Heart Tips

A few more recommendations that can have a profound impact on reducing inflammation in your body and reducing your risk of heart disease include:

  • Optimizing your insulin levels. If your fasting insulin level is not lower than three consider limiting or eliminating your intake of grains and sugars until you optimize your insulin level.
  • Optimizing your vitamin D levels. Most people are not aware that vitamin D can have a profoundly dramatic impact on lowering your risk for heart disease. Your best source of vitamin D is through your skin being exposed to the sun. In the wintertime, It is recommended to use a safe tanning bed that uses UV B. If you opt for a vitamin D supplement, make sure you’re taking the right form of vitamin D—D3, not D2—in the appropriate amounts up to 8000IU to reap the benefits, and remember to get your vitamin D levels tested regularly.
  • Balancing your omega-6 to omega-3 fat ratio. Most Americans eating a standard American diet have a ratio of 25:1, which is highly unbalanced. The ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats is 1:1. Therefore, you’ll want to lower the amount of vegetable oils in your diet, and make sure you have a high-quality, animal-based source of omega-3s, such as krill oil. For vegetarians purslane has more omega fatty acids than salmon. Flax meal, Chia seed, or Hemp oil will do just as good.
  • Exercising regularly. Exercise is a great way to lower inflammation without any of the side effects associated with medications. Short bursts ( 5-10 min) of high intensity interval exercises are particularly beneficial for heart and your Wellness.
  • Normalizing your weight, or better yet, your waist size. If you’re a woman with a waist measurement of over 35 inches or a man with a waist of over 40 inches, you probably have high inflammation. Whittling a few inches off the waist by reducing your portions and increasing activity can go a long way toward solving that problem. Proper Food Combining will stop the inflammation and bloating.
  • Addressing your stress. Feeling stressed can create a wide variety of physiological changes, such as impairing digestion, excretion of valuable nutrients, decreasing beneficial gut flora populations, decreasing your metabolism, and raising triglycerides, cholesterol, insulin, and cortisol levels. Counting the Deepest of Breaths will bring the quickest relief and a state of calm, also oxygenation which builds your immune system and its free.

Be Well with your choices… Walk On                                                          TOP OF PAGE

Reference: Food Combining Simplified by Dennis Nelson, Santa Cruz, California

Probiotics and how they strengthen your immune system

 American Wellness, Post of the Week Archive, Recipes For Wellness, Wellness Solutions
Dec 232011
 

    

                               Kombucha Mushroom                                       Natto Enzyme       
                           

Fermenting Vegetables  <Click to see video

Sauerkraut has 12 Trillion live organisms per serving

 

 Probiotics Vital for Wellness

What Are Probiotics?

By Probiotics.org

 

Probiotics are live microorganisms thought to be healthy for the host organism. According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: “Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host”. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria are the most common types of microbes used as probiotics; but certain yeasts and bacilli may also be helpful. Probiotics are commonly consumed as part of fermented foods with specially added active live cultures; such as in yogurt, soy yogurt, or as dietary supplements.

Etymologically, the term appears to be a composite of the Latin preposition pro (“for”) and the Greek adjective βιωτικός (biotic), the latter deriving from the noun βίος (bios, “life”). At the start of the 20th century, probiotics were thought to beneficially affect the host by improving its intestinal microbial balance, thus inhibiting pathogens and toxin producing bacteria. Today, specific health effects are being investigated and documented including alleviation of chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases, prevention and treatment of pathogen-induced diarrhea, urogenital infections, and atopic diseases.

21 Amazing Facts About Probiotics

1) Probiotics In Our Body Outweigh Our Brain

 

The typically human brain weights about 3 pounds, and a healthy human body will have over 3.5 pounds of probiotic bacteria and organisms (according to Casey Adams Ph.D. The fact that our heart weights only 0.7 pounds, our liver weights about 4 pounds, makes our probiotic bacteria one of the largest organs in our body.

2) There Are 10 Times More Probiotics Than Cells In Our Body

 

In a healthy person, there are more than 100-300 Trillion probiotic bacteria and yeast, compared to only 10 trillion cells in our body. According to Mary Ellen Sanders, if the bacteria in our body were laid end to end, they would encircle the globe 2.5 times.

3) The Probiotics Market Is Huge

 Sauerkraut has 12 Trillion live organisms per serving

According to MARKETSandMARKETS, probiotics is a 16 billion dollar market. Moreover, as of 2008, there were more than 500 probiotic food and beverage products have been introduced in the last decade. And these numbers are only expected to grow as holistic health treatments become ever more pervasive.

4) Probiotics Live Throughout Our Entire Body (Not Just Our Stomach!)

 

The largest number of probiotics live in the colon, but billions also live in the mouth, oral cavity, nasal cavity, the esophagus, around the gums, in the pockets of our pleural cavity (surrounding our lungs). They dwell within our stomach, our intestines, within the vagina, around the rectum. within joints, under the armpits, under the toenails, between the toes, urinary tract, inside our urinary tract and many other places!

5) The Appendix Is Not Useless – It Incubates Probiotics

 

In the past, the appendix was largely thought to be useless. Appendicitis, a life-threatening condition, would call for removal of the appendix. In 2007, Randal et al. at Duke University conducted research into the vermiform appendix. The researchers observed that when the body was under attack by pathogens, the appendix would release probiotic bacteria that would perfectly counter the specific type of invaders. The appendix does this by releasing them into the cecum when the body is infected.

6) Probiotics Fight Cancer, Colds and Constipation

 

It may not surprise you to hear that probiotics can reduce constipation (Italy, Amenta et al. 2006). But what may surprise you, is that probiotics play a role in cancer. They have been shown stimulate production of anti-cancer chemicals (Hatakka et al. 2008). The probiotics, Lactobacillus casei, have also been shown in Tokyo to reduce the risk of bladder cancer, depending on frequency and dosage (Ohashi et al. 2002).

Numerous probiotics have been shown to fight viruses such as colds, the flu, rotavirus, herpes and ulcers. In New Delhi, 100 children ages 2-5 were given L. acidophilus for 6 months. These children have fewer incidences of colds, flu, diarrhea and fever than the placebo group (Saran et al. 2002).

7) There Are More Than 100 (known) Benefits To Taking Probiotics

 

According to the book, Probiotics by Casey Adam Ph.D., there are more than 100 benefits to supplementing with probiotics. Hundreds of studies have shown different species of probiotics confer different health benefits.

However, we must take these probiotics in their proper context. For example, almost every probiotic study requires the patient to take large, therapeutic doses, for at least two months. Often times, the studies conferred the benefits after an entire year of daily, large dose supplementation.

8) Probiotics Are Responsible For 70% Of Our Immune Response

 

According to Casey Adams Ph.D., probiotics play a role in 70-80% of our immune response. Probiotics stimulate everything from T-cells to macrophages. Probiotics also activate cytokines and phagocytic cells to coordinate the immune response.

9) Probiotics Produce Antibiotic Chemicals

 

In the book Probiotics, Protection Against Infection, Casey Adamas writes:

“To protect against pathogens, [probiotics] will produce a number of natural antibiotics designed to reduce the populations of [pathogenic bacteria]…”

Moreover, these antibiotic substances are perfectly tuned to kill the invading pathogens. And if the pathogens become resistant to that chemical, then the probiotics will change strategies and produce a new, more effective antibiotic chemical.

Contrast this dynamic probiotic strategy to our static, oral antibiotics which must be phased out every few years (as pathogens evolve resistance). While we may be able to continue to discover new antibiotic substances, nature will always win in the long term. The bacteria will always evolve resistance. This is illustrated by the fact that bacteria can even survive in nuclear waste!

10) Antibiotics Nuke Our Body’s Immune System

 

It is well known that antibiotics kill bacteria and can make us better. But what isn’t well known, is that antibiotics also kill our good bacteria. Since probiotics comprise 70-80% of our immune response, antibiotics will kill our immunity.

The moment our probiotics are gone, opportunistic parasites, fungi and pathogenic bacteria rush in to fill the ecological void. Moreover, this use of antibiotics will create drug resistant bacteria that can’t be defeated by antibiotics.

11) Probiotics Easily Kill Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

 

The use of antibiotics can create antibiotic resistant, super bugs. In fact, MRSA (multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is immune to many different antibiotics…and in some cases they are immune to all antibiotics known to man.

However, probiotics can defeat these super bugs with ease. Probiotic bacteria and pathogenic bacteria have been fighting for billions of years. And healthy humans have the perfect environment for probiotic bacteria to beat pathogenic bacteria. The fact that humans have been surviving before the invention of antibiotics is proof of how powerful probiotics are.

12) Probiotics Will Be The 21st Century’s Antibiotics

 

Valery V. Smirnov writes,

“… 21st century probiotics will successfully rival traditional drugs on the pharmaceutical market, especially those used for disease prevention purposes…”

The profound point Dr. Smirnov is making is that probiotics will be the antibiotics of the 21st century. This is because their effective medical implementation will revolutionize our perspectives on disease in the way antibiotics did before.

13) 400 Strains Of Probiotics Live In Our Bodies

 

According to numerous research studies, there are well over 400 probiotic strains resident in our bodies. Some of these probiotics are permanent residents, and others are transient. Interestingly, only 20 strains account for 75% of the mass of bacteria that live in our bodies.

Numerous scientists also argue that the combined DNA of our probiotic residents are more important to our survival than our own DNA.

14) Probiotics Are Bacteria And Fungi That Make Us Healthy

 

The World Health Organization probiotics definition is “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.” These probiotic organisms can be yeasts (fungi), good bacteria or even organisms commonly found in soil.

The deference between normal pathogenic bacteria or candida and probiotics, is that the probiotic organisms have a symbiotic relationship with our bodies. Our bodies and probiotic organisms have formed a mutual defense treaty. And while we are extremely fearful of bacterium and fungi, specific probiotics strains are very beneficial to our health.

15) Probiotic Foods Have Been Healing For Millennia

 

There are numerous traditional probiotic foods that are extremely tasty and healthful. These foods have been restoring health for millennias.

Foods like natto, miso, kimchi, tempeh, sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha and lassi all have very rich cultural heritages and medicinal benefits.

 

16) Probiotics Can Decrease Lactose Intolerance

 

In a 1996 study, Jiang et al. studied milks containing B. Longum grown in a medium rich in lactose. He found that when lactose intolerant individuals consumed this special milk, they showed significantly fewer symptoms of lactose intolerance. They have been numerous studies that have shown probiotics to be helpful in decreasing lactose intolerance.

17)Are You Getting Your Vitamins? Better Get Your Probiotics.

 

It has been proven that probiotics produce a huge number of vitamins, such as:

  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin K
  • Vitamins B1-B3, B5-B7, B9, B12
  • Essential Fatty Acids

So perhaps the need for B-vitamin supplementation is really a call for proper probiotic colonization. I look forward to the day when probiotic companies and organic food companies put vitamin companies out of business.

Additionally, probiotics also increase the digestibility, bioavailability and processing of a large number of nutrients, including:

  • copper
  • calcium
  • magnesium
  • iron
  • manganese
  • potassium
  • zinc
  • proteins
  • fats
  • carbohydrates
  • sugars
  • milk
  • phytonutrients
  • cholesterol

These lists are both by Casey Adams, Ph.D. in his book, “Probiotics – Protection Against Infection”.

18) Supplemented Probiotics Don’t Remain In The Body

 

It is interesting to note that no study has shown supplemented probiotic strains remain in the body for more than two weeks. At the National University of Signapore, Mah et al. infants were given probiotic supplements for the first 6 months of her life. During these 6 months of supplementation, the supplemented probiotic strains were present in the infants’ feces. However, within weeks of stopping the supplementation, the probiotic strains were no longer found in the feces.

These results of this study and the results of other research suggest that supplemented probiotics assist the our native probiotic strains. The foreign probiotic strains form a beachhead for our own native probiotics, and allow our probiotics to proliferate. This situation is analogous to a foreign arming invading a country, fighting one “evil” faction, and allowing another “good” faction time to proliferate.

19) Vaginal Birth Is Our First Dose of Probiotics

 

It’s no secret that a healthy, loving mother is key to a healthy child. And a healthy mother will have a vagina lined with probiotics to fend off invaders. What isn’t well known, is that when a baby experiences a vaginal birth, the baby gets it first dose of probiotics. In fact, 60% of vaginal births will give infants their first probiotic inoculation of Bifidus Infantis. However, only 1% of cesarean section births will give infants B. Infantis innoculation, according to “Probiotics” by Casey Adams.

After getting a dose of probiotics from vaginal birth, consumption of breast milk gives more probiotic inoculation. In fact, mother’s colostrum has up to 40% probiotic content.

20) Probiotics Are Good For Infants

 

In a 2004 study, Saavedra et al. gave infants, average age 2.9 months, B. lactis or S. thermophilus for 210 days. The infants who were given the probiotics have a lower frequency of colic and needed fewer antibiotics compared to the control group.

In an Estonian study by Vendt et al. 2006, preterm infants L. rhamnosus GG until they were six months old. The infants given probiotics had grown more than the placebo group.

21) Probiotics Are Vital For Women’s Health

 

Both oral probiotics and douching supplementation can prevent and cure vaginitis and vaginosis. An interesting study on probiotics and vaginosis was conducted in a 2007 by the University of Milan (Drago et al).They found that after a 6 day daily douche of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus paracasei F19, 92.5% of women had their vaginosis cured. The fishy order was cured in all women. The pH levels of women were normalized to 4.5 in 34 out of 40 women.

Probiotics has also been shown to reduce mastisis. Back to top

 

 

                                                                                     
     
 

Emotional Intelligence – Effect your Will Power

 American Wellness, Mental Wellness, Post of the Week Archive, Wellness Solutions, Willpower
May 312011
 

 

          

 

 

 

For Children – Emotional Intelligence Means Being Smart with Your Feelings
By Josh Freedman – 24th September 2010
 
This article is written for children to read or for an adult to read to a child.
When I was a kid, no one taught me about feelings.   Even when I took psychology in college I still didn’t learn why sometimes I felt angry or sad or worried or happy — and that I had a choice about my feelings.  I noticed that I had different feelings, and other people did too.  I noticed that sometimes I could get more of what I wanted by using the feelings that matched the situation, but a lot of the time it seemed like feelings were something that just happened to me.
How about you? Have you learned much about your feelings?  How have you learned that?
Do you feel in charge of your feelings, or does it seem like they’re in charge of you?  Are there some feelings that are easier for you to understand, but others that are more confusing?
Almost accidentally, I started working in a job where I was teaching people about feelings, so I had to learn a lot!  I read, talked to work friends, and paid much closer attention to my own and others’ reactions.  I’ve enjoyed this learning about emotional intelligence and it’s helping me be happier, stronger, and accomplish more, so I want to share some of the ideas with you.
“Emotional intelligence” means being smart with feelings. Emotional intelligence allows us to make good decisions and work well with others.
What is Intelligence?
Some people have not heard about emotional intelligence; it’s pretty much like other forms of intelligence.  So what is “intelligence”?  Someone who is intelligent is able to gather information and use it to solve problems. For example, if someone is smart about math, what can they do well?  They pay close attention to numbers, and are accurate.  Then they use that information to solve math problems (such as how to divide fractions).
Pretty much the same is true for emotional intelligence. People who are smart with emotions notice and can accurately describe feelings. They can use feelings to solve problems (such as how to be a good friend).
Why does Emotional Intelligence Matter?
A few years ago, a work friend of mine, Anabel Jensen, and I, asked students how learning about emotions helped them.  Here are a few of the answers from kids:
I felt more included.
I felt less alone.
I learned how to listen to people.
I learned how to be a better friend and to ask my friends to be better friends.
We were working together to make everybody’s life better.
I felt more in charge of my own feelings.
How does that sound to you?
Emotional Intelligence Helps Children be Smart About Feelings
In the last few years, a lot of research has been conducted to measure how emotional intelligence skills help people.  The research, and our experience teaching about emotions, says that
The skills of emotional intelligence help young people have less, and more:
Would you like less of these? And more of these?
My sister and I were playing and having fun, but then she got really annoying and… well, here I am back in time out.I’m bored.  I KNOW there is a lot to do, but I just can’t find the energy to do anything. I wish my friends would stop leaving me out of the game at school, but I don’t know how to get them to include me.I have lots of really good ideas, but sometimes kids don’t listen to me because they say I am too bossy.  But their ideas are boring.A lot of times I KNOW the answers on the test, but I just can’t think of it right then. I’m happy because I have lots of good friends and I can always talk to them. When kids are doing something wrong or dangerous, I am able to stop them — or at least walk away and not get involved in bad behavior.Sometimes I have bad moods, but I can get myself out of it and try again. I hardly ever have fights with my parents about homework because I’ve gotten good at doing it. My brother is sometimes annoying, but I know how to work around that so we have fun together.
Some Questions About Feelings
Is there one of the stories that you especially want to have more often?
Can you think of other ways being smarter with feelings would help you and others?
Is there one of the stories that you experience too often?
Can you think of other problems that you could solve if you were smarter with feelings?
How Do Children Improve Their Emotional Intelligence?
The best news about emotional intelligence is that it’s something EVERYONE has and everyone can improve.  Maybe it’s not something you’ve given much attention, or maybe you’ve already learned a lot, but in any case you grow in this.  I call this “growing on the inside.”  On the outside kids grow in obvious ways (like getting taller).  What does it mean to grow on the inside?
Can you notice how you’ve already grown a lot on the inside?  For example, when you were little, you probably were more selfish and less careful than you are now.  Maybe you’ve learned to think a little more before you act, or to notice when you’re feeling tired and take care of yourself better?  Sure, maybe another kid or an adult is even better at some of those things, but you’ve grown — which shows you that you can.  Do you want to grow on the inside even more?
This is a serious question.  If you don’t actually WANT to be more emotionally intelligent, you are not likely to do it.  On the other hand, if you go back to the two lists, above, and you want less of the “left” and more of the “right,” then you do want to grow — and you can.
Emotions Are Messages for You
I work for an organization called Six Seconds.  We’re called “Six Seconds” because of the way emotions work in our bodies.  Suppose you’re playing and you break something you like.  Here’s what happens in your brain:
The first ¼ second:  You begin to pay attention and notice something happened.
Second ¼ second:  Your brain begins to decide this is a problem, and produces a bunch of new chemicals.
Next ½ second:  The chemicals go flowing into your brain and start going into your blood.  These chemicals are messengers causing a whole bunch of different reactions in you (such as, tightening certain muscles, focusing your attention, making you tear up, changing the way you’re breathing).
Next 5 seconds:  The chemicals continue to flow through your blood and go everywhere in your body.  The emotion messenger chemicals cause different cells in your body to produce new chemicals — so they ripple through you expanding their effect.
After six seconds, the original chemicals are almost all gone.  They’ve delivered their messages and you are now reacting to the mistake of breaking that item.  Maybe you’re crying and sad, maybe your angry and wanting to blame, maybe you’re shocked and still, maybe you want to run away.  Your reaction depends on how you’ve learned to deal with this flood of chemicals.
But here’s something amazing:  Those original feeling chemicals are now gone.  If you continue to feel sad/mad/afraid/hurt — whatever — you are actually choosing to re-create more and more of the feeling chemicals.  You don’t HAVE to keep reacting.  You’re reacting because that’s what you’ve learned to do.  You can learn a different way of reacting.
Everyone has these chemicals, and each feeling chemical carries both a message and some chemical power.  Feelings are information and energy.  As we become more emotionally intelligent, we get better at “reading” the messages and we get to use the energy to move us forward in a useful direction.
Three Steps for Feeling Smarter About Feelings
At Six Seconds, we have a way of practicing emotional intelligence that uses three steps:
1. Notice your reactions.
We call this “Know Yourself” because we want you to tune in and pay close
attention to what’s happening inside you.
2. Take charge of your responses.
This step is called “Choose Yourself” because you have a lot of options
– which will you select?
3. Decide what’s really important.
“Give Yourself” is the final step because now you’re thinking not just
about you, but what you want to give to others and the world.
These three steps are not always easy, but we’ve found that (just like learning anything) when you start practicing, you get better and better at it.  Usually we show people three steps in a circle.  Once you’ve done any of the steps, it makes the next step easier.  Then you can keep repeating the steps over and over until you are really clear about what you want and how to move toward that.
For the next few days, notice yourself in these three steps.  Do you find certain steps easier, harder?  Do you do some of the steps only in certain situations?  Maybe you follow the steps carefully when you’re with some people, but not so carefully when you are with others?
Use this chart to check your progress.  It gives examples what you might think, feel, and do if you are not practicing the steps of EQ…. and what you might think, feel, and do if you ARE practicing each step:
What you say if you are not doing this.  Are you putting the three steps in action? What you say if you are doing this a lot ->
Feelings just happen, I Have no idea why. Know Yourself:Notice your reactions. I can clearly see the sequence of events that lead to my feelings.
Act first, think later…I don’t have a choice. Choose Yourself:Take charge of your responses. I have choices about how to respond, I don’t need to react without thought.
I don’t think about others or the world, I’m just focused on what I want. Give Yourself:Decide what’s really important. I am connected to others and our world, and am committed to doing my part.
You As A Scientist
At Six Seconds, we teach teachers a process for working with students on emotional intelligence.  It’s called “Self-Science” because we want students to use the skills of a scientist to learn about themselves.  A scientist notices.  When something goes as expected, she notices that… and when something goes differently than planned, she definitely pays attention!  Not with frustration or disappointment, but with curiosity.  The scientist’s most powerful tool is the question.
Scientists are always saying:  “I wonder….”  So I encourage you to try that out — to be like a scientist observing yourself. Noticing your reactions and choices is a powerful way of developing emotional intelligence.   In fact, by paying close attention to the way you’re following these steps, you’ll be working on step 1!  What are your emotional intelligence strengths?  Where do you get stuck or have trouble?  Practice observing yourself as a Self-Scientist — you’re on your way to increasing your emotional intelligence! Back to top

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