Healthy Eating, the Natural Way!
Stephania Munson-Bishop

In the past few weeks, Gram has been weeding through, throwing out, organizing – probably the most hateful task of all, the
chore for which there never seemed to “be enough time.” Well,
the truth is, time is always of the essence. But limited energy
should probably have taken top billing. Admiring the neat
appearance of her closet, Gram wondered, “What gives with me?
Why the sea change?”

Then, with one glance at the gleaming new juicer sitting at the ready on the kitchen counter, it became Obvious. All the claims
about the benefits of juicing must be true!

You might have heard about Juicing, and the trendy juice bars in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and other major cities.
But for some, juicing has become a way of life. And now Gram
understands why. Energy, weight control, restful sleep, no
indigestion (not even one bout of acid reflux) – the overt
bonanza of juicing, even in the early stages. And this, during a
stressful period on the Day Job! “My, my,” thought Gram;
“Like a natural tranquilizer in a glass.”

And is it tasty! Never mind all the health benefits – terms like
natural enzymes and phytochemicals purported to fight disease/
dis-ease in the human body. Well, those, too. Who among us wouldn’t like to be healthier and feel better, less lethargic
and out of sorts?

But having a background in human services, Gram has long known that a client’s mood swings and even a teen’s unruly behavior
can be improved with a sound, nutritious diet. More people have
various food allergies than one might suspect. So it stands to
reason that what we eat or don’t eat can affect the way we feel.
If we think of our bodies as efficient machines, then we are
more likely to think of food as fuel.

Since the juicer arrived, Gram has assembled a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables at least once a day. Scrubbing produce
with a stiff vegetable brush, lining up the items to go into the
juicer, we’ve aimed for a quart of juice at each session.
Some super vegetable combinations:
cucumber, celery, spinach, green pepper, a small apple (nothing peeled, mind you – just core the apple and seed the pepper);
carrots, apples, yellow squash, celery, lemon (again, nothing peeled except for removing the lemon rind);
tomato, carrot, celery, kale. Fruit juices that are very good:
cantaloupe, apple, carrot; watermelon, lemon, celery;
blueberry, honeydew; pineapple, orange, lemon. Each juicing
experiment has resulted in another “favorite.” In the vegetable
combinations, we’ve added a tablespoon or two of wheat germ or brewer’s yeast, to add protein. Also, an assortment of sprouts – but keep reading for more about sprouting.

In the meantime, we’ll be juicing. Is there really a Fountain of
Youth? Our juicer just may be the closest thing.

All you need for a kitchen powerhouse of fresh foods and unparalleled nutrition during the winter months: a few Mason or mayonnaise jars, several 4″ x 4″ squares from old pantyhose (the top part is best), and some rubber bands. You also need a safe source of seeds and dried beans, most likely your local health or natural foods store — because whatever you use must be organic, e.g., not treated with chemicals.

It’s all about enzymes — and how freshly sprouted foods are loaded with them. It’s about vitamins and fiber, too. Here are some choices: adzuki beans, alfalfa, barley, beans of almost any kind, buckwheat, broccoli, clover, kale, chive, chickpeas (or garbanzos), chia, cress, mung beans, fenugreek, lentil (must be whole to sprout, not halves), radish, soybean, triticale, wheat.

Then you place a 1 to 2″ layer of seed or bean in a Mason jar, cover the jar with the nylon square, and secure the square over the mouth of the jar with a rubber band. Fill with water a few inches above your layer, and let soak for 2 to 8 hours or overnight (the larger beans need a lot longer than small seed such as alfalfa or clover). Drain the jar and invert at a 45 degree angle in your dish drainer (or in a large plastic margarine tub in your kitchen sink). Rinse with water and drain several times a day. When sprouted in the next few days (again, depending on the size of the bean or seed), rinse and drain, put a lid on the jar, and refrigerate. Use within 3 to 5 days.

What can you do with these dietary nuggets? Use mung beans in eggs foo yung, and certainly in stir-fries. You can toss into soup during the last few minutes, put alfalfa sprouts into an omlet, even make bread. Incorporate in meatloaf or burgers. Throw the sprouts into your juicer with either fruit or veggie blends, for a beverage so loaded with nutrients it might even add spring to your step! But the quickest, easiest way is to include them in a big green salad.

With fast food and packaged frozen dinners which comprise so much of the American diet, people simply aren’t getting enough fiber. Our foods are mostly processed. When was the last time, other than salad or an apple, you enjoyed anything raw?

There are many websites on raw food diets. Researchers say that the best course is a combination of foods, both raw and cooked. There are even some who advocate a completely raw diet, including raw fish and meat. http://www.rawpaleodiet.org/
“Say It with Sprouts” is an article devoted to mung bean sprouts:
http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa092101a.htm
“Types of Raw Food Diets” discusses the variety of diets, at
http://www.living-foods.com/articles ypesofraw.html
The Raw Food Directory has a wealth of resources to guide you:
http://www.buildfreedom.com/rawmain.htm And don’t miss a colorful, whimsical site with over 400 pages of sprout information: http://www.sproutpeople.com

The other detail we’d like to include: sprouts are probably the all-time best nutritional value you can obtain for the negligible price. True, you can forage for wild foods, but you have to be able to identify what you’re bringing home to eat. I priced alfalfa sprouts at my local grocery: $1.99 for 4 ounces. You can sprout your own at home for a few cents, and know they are fresh and wholesome.

Dr. Ann Wigmore was one of the first raw foods proponents. She recommended Energy Soup, the base of which is sprouts. Even your children can develop a taste for sprouts. Mix a half cup of alfalfa sprouts with peanut butter for sandwiches. “Mmm! What’s this crunchy stuff?” they’ll say, as the natural vitamins are helping their bodies to grow strong. Toss sprouted garbanzo beans (chickpeas) into your next taco filling. Sprinkle clover sprouts into breakfast cereal, omlet, or pancake batter.

Up for a new/nutritious eating adventure? Try sprouts!

About the Author

Stephania is a human services professional with nearly 40 years in the field. She publishes a monthly, content-rich ezine, “Tidbits from the Pantry,” to over 10,000 subscribers.

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Getting A Healthy Breakfast
Peter Garant

Breakfast, like any other meal of the day, needs proper
planning. No longer is it planned independently of the other
meals. The three meals should be planned as a unit and balanced
against the daily body requirement with enough allowance for
good health. A light breakfast must necessarily be followed be a
substantial meal, while a heavy breakfast must be followed by a
light lunch. If both breakfast and lunch are light, then a heavy
dinner is needed. Like all meals, breakfast must be planned to
include food nutrients not provided for or inadequately found in
the two other meals to complete the essential body requirements
for the day. Too often, skimpy breakfasts are blamed in lack of
time. Considering that one-fourth to one-third of the day’s
requirements is served at breakfast, the need for planning ahead
is doubly justified. Breakfast mean to break the fast of several
hours. The factors affecting the nature of the breakfast menu
will depend upon age, sex, weight, health, and kind of
activities of the individual family members. Other factors to
consider are the amount of time allotted for its preparation by
one or several family members, or by a hired helper and how
light, moderate, or heavy other meals are intended to be. Family
custom may have to contend with all of these, although strictly
speaking, this must not prevail upon the more important factors.
Breakfast should always include a raw fruit because this
contains more vitamins and minerals than cooked ones. Fresh ripe
fruits have a rich mellow aroma that can stimulate even the most
delicate appetite. It should be taken as the first course of the
meal for the same reason. Fresh eggs are good breakfast food
because they are rich in complete protein, fat, iron, calcium,
phosphorus, vitamins A & B, and niacin. They are also easy to
prepare and digest. They can be fried, poached, soft-cooked,
hard-cooked, scrambled, or prepared as an omelet. Rice and other
cereals are the main fuel contributors in breakfast. Rice is
cooked plain or sauted in small amount of fat and garlic. Corn
broiled and buttered is a practical American way that can be
adopted anywhere where corn is available. Milk is the almost
complete food and is welcome at any meal. At breakfast, milk is
popular as a beverage or taken with coffee, chocolate, oatmeal,
and other cereals. Milk should be bought from sanitary and
reliable sources. Fresh milk is safer if pasteurized before
serving. Breakfast breads may be in the form of rolls, buns,
loafbread, biscuits, waffles, or hot cakes. Breads can be
toasted and served with butter or fruit jam like strawberry.
Waffles, hotcakes, and French toast are good for heavy and
substantial breakfast. Rolls with butter and jam, jelly, or
marmalade are suitable for heavy breakfast, too, especially if
taken with a heavy protein dish and chocolate.

About the author:

Mr. Peter Garant is writing health, diet and exercise articles
for the 1200″>http://www.diet1200.com”>1200 calories
diet site and herbal health related articles for his herbal”>http://www.good-herbal-health.com”>herbal health site.

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Acai Berry Making for a Healthy Heart
Mike Law

Acai is a new fruit from Brazil that offers vital nutritional benefits for people over 40 years of age. The Acai contains 33 times the cholesterol fighting anthocyanin than a glass of red wine, a Daily Value (DVS) of calcium, twice the DVS at the antioxidant ‘Vitamin E and a substantial amount of dietary fiber (2)

Cardiovascular Maintenance, Anthocyanins are cholesterol regulating compounds with well researched data (indicating their value in Cardiovascular support Elevated blood cholesterol is one of the major modifiable risk factors for coronary heart disease (5) and the leading cause of death in the US The fact is that 490,000 Americans die of Coronary Heart Diseases each year (3) with cost of over $60 billion annually in medical expenses and lost productivity ( 4) Therefore, regulating and reducing cholesterol through dietary means can contribute to prolonging life and reducing medical expenses.

Low cholesterol foods and exercise are only a part of the natural program to prevent and mitigate cardiovascular diseases. The consumption of foods rich in compounds that reduce cholesterol, reduce blood pressure and carry antioxidant protection completes the program. Acai is an excellent example of such a functional food that is now accessible to food, beverage and supplement markets in an economical and convenient form.

Calcium rich Acai also provides several cardiovascular health benefits. According to a research summary by the Just-Food.com editorial team. More than maintaining skeletal strength and reducing the impact of osteoporosis, studies have shown that people who suffer from high blood pressure often also have diets low in calcium, When calcium is added to their diet, blood pressure drops. Some research also suggest that calcium may help reduce LDL cholesterol levels. Also the lower risk of stroke, found in a study of 86,000 women, was attributed to calcium. Diets rich in calcium have also been linked to reduced occurrences of colon and breast cancer in various laboratory studies.

The generous amount of Vitamin E in Acai, twice the D.V., (Daily Value), is essential for regeneration of damaged tissue and as a protective antioxidant. Cancer prevention and Intestinal function: “Acai” high fiber content is very favorable to the consumers proper intestinal function, ” reports Dr. Herve Rogez , “Fiber accelerates the intestinal processes and has a very important role in avoiding colon cancer, The D.V. is 35g of fibers/adult a day, Acai consumers reach this dose very easily,” (2)

References (1)Claire Madden, VP Marketing at MarketResearch.com, (2) “Biochemical and Technical Studies on Acai” by Dr. Herve Rogez 2, Sofia Pascal 2, Jesus N.S. de Souza, Arlete R. Aquino & Raphaele Buxant Dept.. de Engenharia Quimica – Centro Tecnologico, Diaouiweir ria I niinnin, Beligica) (3) National Contor for Health Statictice. Annual summary of births, marriages, divorces, and deaths United States, 1993, Monthly vital statistics report-, vol 42 no 13. Hyattsville, MD: Public Health Service, 1594. (4) American Heart Association. Heart and stroke facts 1995 statistical supplement. Dallas, TX: American Heart Association, 1994, (5) National Cholesterol Education Program. Second report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults Adult Treatment Panel II). BeM6sda National Heart, Lung

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www.whatismonavie.com

Mike Law is a distributor of some the highest grade health and beauty products available. Rich in antioxidants and anti-aging nutrients, look and feel younger. Contact me or visit my sites to learn how to become a distributor yourself or simply to find out more about the products. www.wealthontap.usana.com

Mike Law is also CEO of www.wealthontap.com whose mission is to better peoples lifestyles by substantially improving their health and or their financial status.

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The majority of people who hear about Atkins diets think that you are going to have to eat bars, not eat any bread, and never have another dessert. This is quickly proved incorrect when you look through the available recipes hat you are able to find in cookbooks at your local store or even on the internet. Many people have many different beliefs as to why the Atkins diets are not actually healthy or do not actually help you to lose weight. Yes, it is true, many different people have many different body types and many different nutritious needs meaning that for some this diet may not work, but in many people who take on this diet correctly you can not only see a difference in their weight but in their health due to having a healthier eating lifestyle.

Most people who take on this diet decide to plan out their daily routine in intervals of: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and diner. Which in itself proves that to be healthier you do not have to eat less, but rather monitor your eating and nutrition. The recipes that you can find are split into the following groups most often; Appetizers, first course, main course, beverages, grains, bread, and dessert.

No matter what style of food you like or from what culture you can find a recipe that is for the Atkins diet in the form you would find pleasing or you can make changes to a recipe that you find to make it more Atkins friendly. You can find different types of dishes in each category of food. This means that even if you are looking for a beverage to have dinner or a dessert beverage you can find them within the beverage section. Making the items that you are looking for much easier to find.

When you look through each list you may find many different recipes that are appealing to you, you should then see which ones fit your Atkins dietary needs. Many people view Atkins diets as a way to eat without bread or items like that which you enjoy, when the main point of Atkins is to try to make a healthier you.

Once you try to Atkins diet you are sure to find that it is very similar to other diets in many ways. It is not about forcing you not to eat items that you enjoy, but rather about limiting yourself where you need to and finding ways to get the nutrition that you need to be fit and healthy. You can find any number of recipes that will be to your liking, with chocolate, slushies, chili, squash and much more that when cooked properly can be nutritious and still very healthy. If you are looking to find a diet that you can mold to fit your need Atkins is perfect for you. You can make your favorite treats healthy and good for you.

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