Category: Nutrition (Page 5 of 48)

Look Prettier With Every Bite!

July 27, 2012 / Staff

Free image courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net

There are more reasons to eat fruits and veggies than just your health.

Your Vanity!

Thehe carotenoids in produce, the compounds that give plants their pigmentation, are the very ingredient that will also give you that healthy glow.

During the six-week study, participants filled out three dietary questionnaires to gauge what they ate and how their consumption changed, while researchers recorded their skin coloring. In a second part of the study, 24 observers were shown pictures of four Caucasian faces whose coloring was modified to correspond to varying levels of fruit and veggie intake. The observers were asked to rate the faces based on perceived health and attractiveness, with the goal being to figure out how many servings of produce a day was associated with a noticeable bump in beauty.

Although the actual color change was subtle, the overall appearance and quality of skin was enhanced, noticeably.

Enjoy fruits and vegetables with the skins as they contain the most nutrients.

Nutrition, Quality Control, Research, Wellness

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“All Natural” Isn’t Always What It Seems

July 27, 2012 / Staff

Free image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Ingredients labeled “natural” may actually be harmful.

“All-natural geranium extract”, only sounds healthy.
However, according to a new study, it’s anything but natural—and it might even be lethal.

Makers of workout and weight-loss products—think diet pills and sports drinks—containing DMAA (1,3-dimethylamylamine) tout it as a natural stimulant, made from geranium plants, that can boost athletic performance. But new research from Daniel Armstrong, PhD, a professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, finds that DMAA is actually a synthetic substance—one that the FDA has received 42 complaints about regarding adverse effects, such as cardiac and psychiatric disorders, as well as death.

In April 2012, the FDA sent warning letters to 10 manufacturers that products containing DMAA are now considered to be “new dietary ingredients” and must meet FD guidelines for safety.

Even if the manufacturers had submitted safety documentation, the FDA probably wouldn’t have accepted it in light of clear evidence to the contrary.

There have been two deaths of U.S. soldiers reported—as well as multiple reports of kidney and liver failure—which led to the Department of Defense banning anything containing DMAA in military bases in 2012.

Nutrition, Quality Control

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Can Food Cause Pain?

July 22, 2012 / Staff

There is real truth behind the “gut feeling”.

Our intestines do more than simply process food and the wrong foods can wreak havoc with our bodies.

Too much sugar, starch and fat are the leading offenders when it comes to pain because of their inflammatory affects on our bodies.

Avoiding inflammation through diet is the best way stay healthy.

Scientists are making a strong link between our food choices and pain.
About 70% of our immune cells are in our digestive system, making direct contact with the food we enjoy every day. If the immune system is triggered by bacteria in food, or flags a food as an allergen, or has an imbalance of important hormones such as insulin, it can set off the red alert of inflammation.
For example, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that processed sugars and other high-glycemic starches increase inflammation, which causes pain, overheating, redness and swelling.
While inflammation is an important part of the body’s healing process, chronic inflammation is at the root of many deadly diseases. The great news is that we can completely heal and prevent chronic inflammation with an eating plan.

Nutrition, Quality Control

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Dr. Oz Approved Diet Foods

July 21, 2012 / Staff

Any processed foods are a bad thing.

But always having to prepare meals can be difficult for even the most organized of us.

Along with a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains a few healthy shortcuts can make it easy to stay on your regime without falling off the wagon.

Being able to pick up a healthy snack or prepared meal when you’re on the go will help to insure that you can always make a good eating choice wherever you are.

Chiquita Pineapple Bites, Amy’s Roasted Vegetable Pizza and Lucy’s Gluten-Free Ginger Snaps are just three of the 99 choices.

Read the list for all the healthy options.

Doctors, Nutrition, Resources

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Milk May Not Be So Wholesome After All

July 20, 2012 / Staff

The debate centers around school lunch and the longtime promotion that milk builds strong bones.

Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the PCRM, (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) has stated that, “Research has now made it abundantly clear that milk doesn’t build strong bones. Whether we are talking about children who are forming bones or older people who are trying to keep their bone integrity, milk doesn’t have a beneficial effect on either one.”

The promotion of milk to help build strong bones in kids is, “in effect, the promotion of an ineffective placebo,” writes the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in its petition [PDF]. “Milk is high in sugar, high in fat and high in animal protein” — all of which counters its purported benefits to bone health, the committee argues.
The PCRM notes that dairy products, including milk, are the No. 1 source of saturated fat in Americans’ diets. Drinking milk for the calcium it contains is therefore a losing strategy, especially since people can get their daily recommended calcium from other, more nutritious foods. And for millions of Americans who are allergic to milk — including 1.3 million children — or intolerant to the lactose it contains, drinking milk carries potentially severe health risks.