Eating Right Can Beat Genetic Heart Disease

Written by Alan Parker, an active blogger out of New York City whose writing covers green technology, healthy living, and the great outdoors.  You can follow him on Twitter @AGreenParker.

According to the US National Library of Medicine, your genes are one of the major risk factors when it comes to being diagnosed with heart disease. The latest research, however, is showing promising results that this may not be the case for those predisposed to this disease. The study shows that maintaining a nutritious diet full of fruits and vegetables can overcome genetics in many cases, reducing the instance of heart disease.

The study published by the Public Library of Science Medicine Journal focused on the 9p21 genetic variant, which has been strongly linked to heart disease. Of the 27,000 subjects in the study who were placed on a raw fruit and vegetable rich diet, research showed that the 9p21 variant was suppressed. However, according to one of the authors, Dr. James Engert, “That’s not suggesting that diet is going to overcome all variants, but for all intents and purposes — in this case — it suppressed the susceptibility.”

The results of the research provide further evidence in support of epigenetics. This scientific field studies how factors in people’s environments can turn their genes’ predispositions around. The research in this field can have a major impact on the general population’s health, although more study is certainly required to discover how this is accomplished in the body. If more people realize that they are in control of their genes, and are no longer committed to the same fate as their parents, more people may be more apt to change bad habits.

With the CDC reporting heart disease as the number one cause of death in the US, a great deal of energy, money, and time are spent on finding treatments and better ways to monitor heart health. From wireless heart monitoring developed by the Winston Wong Biotech Center, to heart monitoring t-shirts, technology is improving to ease lives of people diagnosed with the disease.  But with the help of research in the field of epigenetics there may be hope for people who are genetically predisposed to heart disease, where a simple lifestyle change may help stop it right in its tracks.

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Thanks, Alan, for a fascinating insight into this exciting field. Please update us all on further developments.

• To form a barrier between the environment and your body’s internal organs, protecting them from sunlight, injury and infection.
• To sense touch, temperature, pain, pressure and itching.
• Temperature control by sweating or conserving heat.
• Waterproofing.

So, to perform all these functions – as well as the one we often think of first, looking good -you need to take good care of your skin.

There are many attacks on our skin every day; sun, wind, lack of proper hydration or care. Fairly soon you will look in the mirror and wonder when your skin started to look so dull or when the wrinkles started to appear.

Winter is a wonderful time of the year – holidays, warm fires, crisp air, and for many, fresh fallen snow. But the colder temperature and lower humidity affect the condition of your skin.

Summer is wonderful too – but prolonged exposure to the sun, without adequate sun-screen, is dangerous to your skin and your general health.

As with most things in life, preventing your skin getting into poor condition is better than a cure so what you do to reduce signs of aging and regain a more vibrant appearance.

NUTRITION AND HYDRATION FOR THE SKIN

As many people are aware, what goes inside will show on the outside. The best prevention from aging skin is to provide your body with a proper diet of healthy fresh foods as well as sufficient hydration. Alcohol and caffeine cause dehydration and should be limited.

Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will improve the texture of your skin and fight dry skin. Healthy foods can provide the vitamin C and E that are so rich in antioxidants. Add to the steps noted above a good night’s sleep and you are on your way to getting the fresh, vibrant skin you desire!

SUNSCREEN

No article on skin would be complete without mention of sunscreen. So if you live in, or are heading off to, sunnier climes – whether you’re 18 or 58, it is vital to protect skin from the damage of the sun. While the dangers were not as well known years ago (or so severe) it’s only common sense for everyone to safeguard the sensitive skin on their face from the harsh damage caused by the UV rays from the sun.

Whenever you’re outside, even on a sunny winter’s day, use a moisturizer or foundation with a sunscreen that has an SPF of 15 or higher every day. UVA and UVB rays contribute to wrinkles and burns not to mention the possibility of skin cancer.

ANTIOXIDANTS AND SKIN CARE

Pollution in the air and chemicals in our food release free radicals into our bodies. Free radicals break down the collagen and elastin in your skin which leads to wrinkles and sagging. Antioxidants in your diet, skin-care products or in supplements will protect the collagen and elastin which keeps skin firm and supple.

SKIN CARE ROUTINE

As skin ages it tends to become drier. Dry skin will show more wrinkles than well hydrated skin. Moisturizers create a barrier that keeps the skin from losing essential water. So your skin care routine should always include a moisturizer.

The moisturizers available today are far more luxurious than the cold creams of yesterday. Starting a moisturizing routine will help your skin retain hydration which contributes to a supple texture reducing the appearance of fine lines.

Moisturizers also prepare the skin for the application of makeup which will apply smoother and create a fine finish without cracking or flaking.

For more information on skin health, download my free skin-care ebook

So it was great to come across this quote from David Wolfe, author of “Naked Chocolate: The astounding truth about the world’s greatest food”. David Wolfe maintains that “Chocolate in its natural state is the best form of magnesium, chromium and iron, which are the top three mineral deficiencies in the United States”. You can find out more about this book by clicking below.

It is NOT intended to treat or diagnose any specific condition, and should NOT be used in place of advice by your conventional medical specialist, but given the health benefits of asparagus, why not try increasing your intake along the lines recommended?

Health Benefits of Asparagus

• High in vitamin K and Folate
• Helps get rid of warts
• Helps detoxify your body
• Great for your heart
• Has antioxidant agents – prevents the effects of aging
• Antifungal & antiviral qualities
• Helps prevent scurvy
• May help high blood pressure
• Helps prevent multiple sclerosis
• Eat asparagus when you are pregnant or thinking about conceiving – because of it being high in folic acid it helps prevent birth defects such as spina bifida
• Add more asparagus to your diet to lower cholesterol
• Helps menstrual cramps with fertility problems
• Great for your gastrointestinal tract and your colon
• Great food to help treat depression
• Is considered a diuretic which means it is a good anti-inflammatory – best for arthritis, asthma rheumatism, and even water retention in PMS
• Great for nursing mothers stimulating milk production
• Great for your kidneys – cleansing your body by stimulating urination and preventing kidney stones
• Helps prevent bladder and urinary tract infections
• Use to be used as an a aphrodisiac – increase sexual and comforting feelings
• Helps fight chronic fatigue syndrome
• If you bruise easily – eat more asparagus
• Is considered a laxative – eat an asparagus if you have diarrhea and constipation
• Great for your capillaries – eat more asparagus to avoid varicose veins
• Great for your eyes preventing cataracts
• If you are experiencing hair loss – eat more asparagus
• Helps treat toothaches
• The highest tested food containing glutathione, which is considered one of the body’s most potent anticarcinogens and antioxidants.

Asparagus should be cooked before using, and therefore canned asparagus is just as good as fresh.

Two leading canners of asparagus, Green Giant and Stokely, state that their brands contain no pesticides or preservatives.

* *  PROCEDURE:
1) Place cooked asparagus in a blender and liquefy to make a puree. Store in the refrigerator.
2) Give the patient 4 full tablespoons twice daily, morning and evening.

Patients usually show some improvement in from 2-4 weeks. It can be diluted with water and used as a cold or hot drink. This suggested dosage is based on present experience, but certainly larger amounts can do no harm and may be needed in some cases.

There is an old saying that “what cures can prevent”.  Based on this theory, you could use the asparagus puree as a beverage with meals, for example 2 tablespoons diluted in water and served hot or cold to suit your taste with breakfast and with dinner.

Asparagus contains a good supply of protein called histones, which are believed to be active in controlling cell growth.  That could account for its action as a general body tonic. In any event, regardless of theory, asparagus used as suggested, is a harmless substance.

Routinely drinking 4 or more cans a day of this could increase the risk by up to 78%.  Research by Dr. Thorhallur Ingl Halldorsson who studied 60,000 women, found there is no increased risk from sugar sweetened drinks.

The research team suggests that the exposure to methanol, which is contained in some artificial sweeeteners, may play a part in bringing forward the births.   Critics of Methanol assert that it is a nerve toxin, which can form formic acid in the body.  It can also lead to formaldhyde, the chemical used to preserve dead bodies.

Historically, sacharine has also been identified as accumulating in the placenta.

Prof. Erik Millstone of Sussex University said “I would think it is prudent for pregnant women to diminish consumption of these drinks & possibly those foods containing artificial sweeteners.”

Some British public health experts are now advising pregnant mothers to avoid food & drink containing aspartame. Yet I have seen other well-respected scientists put forward a completely opposing view, that aspartame is completely harmless.

As it remains a legal additive (in the UK at the time of writing) I can only advise readers to do their own research on aspartame on the Internet and make up their own minds. The decision is a simple on: do you need aspartame, or  could your life continue unimpaired by simply avoiding it “just in case” the doubters turn out to be correct.

My personal stance on aspartame is that I do my best to avoid it, without being totally obsessive.

Source Acknowledged with thanks:

Daily Mail 10.7.10 “DIET DRINK SWEETENERS LINKED TO EARLY BIRTHS”

Bellaverde(R) Broccoli

Broccoli is said to be one of nature’s superfoods, and this week I want to focus firstly on the health benefits of eating it and secondly on the launch of a new variety of broccoli that has all the health benefits of traditional broccoli while being more palatable to those who don’t number it among their favourite foods.

Why is broccoli good for you?

Broccoli contains the antioxidant beta-carotene and is also an excellent source of vitamin C. For every ounce, broccoli provides more vitamin C than an orange, more calcium than a glass of milk, and three-times the amount of fiber in a slice of wheat bran bread. It also provides calcium, potassium, folate and phytonutrients, which are plant compounds that may help prevent diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

Broccoli is necessary for maintenance of skin, the mucous membranes, bones, teeth, and hair; for good vision; and for reproduction.

Studies show that broccoli sprouts reduce infection from the Helicobacter pylori bacteria. H.pylori is linked to peptic ulcers, stomach cancers and gastric lymphoma.

There is research suggesting that a mechanism involving antioxidants found in the Brassicaceae family of vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts cabbage and cauliflower) can prevent the build-up of free radicals. Excessive free radical production can damage cells and may even trigger cancers

But despite all these undisputed virtues, many people shun eating broccoli. So I was pleased to receive information on:

Bellaverde® – the Belle of the Brassicas

Fresh from the fields of Lincolnshire, bellaverde® is a new sweet tasting long stemmed broccoli, very similar in appearance to the traditional wild broccoli Cime di Rapa, eaten by our forbears. The young shoots are hand picked after just 10 days of growth and have a delicate, clean, fresh sweet taste, quite unlike any other broccoli.

Over the years farmers and breeders have invested time, effort and money on research programmes to develop a less bitter, sweeter tasting broccoli, and in the end nature came up with its own solution with bellaverde®.

Phillip Effingham, Director of Farming and Agronomic Development with leading brassica producer Marshalls*, based in Lincolnshire, explains: “We had been trialling a new variety of broccoli and I was walking across the field inspecting the crop after the main head had been harvested when I saw these fresh young shoots growing from lower down the plant. I bent down to taste one and it was a real eureka moment. It was what we had been working towards all these years.”

Because of its vibrant colour, farmers have christened the crop bellaverde®, which is Italian for “beautiful green.”  Broccoli originates from Italy where the name means ‘little shoots’. Bellaverde® is a true pure broccoli, rather than a cross with another vegetable, and therefore has all the health boosting superfood qualities of a traditional broccoli. It is high in Vitamin C, fibre and the B vitamin folate as well as being a source of potassium.

Bellaverde® will be launching in the supermarkets across the country from early July with the UK season lasting right up until the end of November when production switches to Spain to ensure a year round supply.

Phillip added: “Bellaverde® has a very long UK season compared to other long stemmed broccoli varieties which need to be flown in from warmer climates, and so we believe it will be very popular with customers who are actively looking for home grown produce. It will be grown on just one farm in Lincolnshire and one farm in Spain to ensure quality and consistency.”

To celebrate the launch, Italian celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo has devised some delicious family recipes using broccoli, which are available on www.bellaverde.co.uk. (launching soon) along with a host of other recipes and cooking tips. I shall bring you some delicious broccoli recipes over the next week or so.

“I love broccoli,” says Gino, “but it was not always the case. As a young boy I did find the bitter taste quite off-putting and so I think bellaverde® could be the answer to many parents’ dreams. My two young sons certainly like it.”

Gino added: “But what’s great for me as a chef is its versatility. You can throw it into stir fries, toss it in pasta, serve it on the side with meat or fish, enjoy in a warm salad or just eat raw as a crudité with dips. The florets and stems cook to perfection to give a crisp ‘al dente’ bite and nothing gets wasted.”

People who dislike broccoli aren’t just being fussy eaters. Twenty-five per cent of the population have more taste receptors on their tongues than the rest of us and are known as ‘super tasters’. They are genetically pre-disposed to pick up on the bitter taste of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables and to dislike them. They usually dislike the bitter taste of coffee and grapefruit juice too. The most famous broccoli hater was George Bush Senior who banned it from the White House.

With the launch of bellaverde®, British farmers are hoping everyone will now be able to benefit from the many nutritional benefits of broccoli.

It takes just three minutes to cook, with nothing being wasted as it can all go into the pan. An 80z serving counts as one of your 5-a-day and contains just 26 calories (kcals).

* Marshalls is a division of Produce World, also based in Lincolnshire, which will be packing, distributing and marketing bellaverde®

The Truth Behind Your Yeast Infection

Educating yourself about your candida infection is the first and most important step in curing this painful, annoying and relatively dangerous chronic condition and taking responsibility over your health and well-being.

Although yeast infection (known by the names of Candida, Monilia or Thrush) is in fact a very common condition, (as three out of four women develop it at some point in their lifetimes), it is little discussed. Most people regard candida infection as a ‘on the surface’ problem that should be treated with creams and antibiotics whereas few are aware of its potentially risky complications.

Yeast Infection is first and foremost an internal problem. Like most chronic conditions, there is never one cause for this fungal problem and thus yeast infection cannot be permanently eliminated using medications or creams that work superficially and fail to tackle the root factors that trigger the formation of candida infection in the first place.

The problem is that the majority of yeast infection sufferers choose to leave it in the hands of others: Doctors, pharmacists, drug and over the counter industries. They willingly choose NOT to take responsibility for their candida condition, for their health and for their own body.

If you suffer from yeast infection then you must have experienced the confusion stemmed from conflicting advice and from information overload. Honest information about vaginal yeast infection or any other type of candida infection is harder to come by than ever before, and nearly everyone has been misled at one time or another. I know I have. I wasted literally thousands of dollars on candida treatment programs that didn’t “work out” and anti-yeast infection products that didn’t do anything.

Furthermore, to successfully navigate through today’s jungle of misleading, dishonest and conflicting information, you’re going to have to become a very shrewd and discriminating consumer.

There are in fact, alternative, cheap, safe, natural and holistic health practices and methods necessary to permanently eliminate the symptoms of this disease and cure the root internal cause of yeast infection regardless of its type, location, or level of severity.

To effectively overcome candida infection, you need to be aware of the real cause of yeast infection and be able to identify its symptoms. You need to know how to self-test and diagnose your candida condition, learn about the dietary principals needed to maintain a candida free environment and about the complimentary treatments that will help you battle against the negative effects and complications of your yeast infection.

By educating yourself about the steps you need to take in order to deal with your candida infection condition and help your body heal itself and control the fungal overgrowth from the inside out you can and will eliminate the pain, annoyance, humiliation and frustration associated with this condition and feel more in control. Additionally, as a side benefits you’ll feel more energized, healthier and vibrant. You will enjoy improved digestion, enhanced vision, and healthier hair, skin and nails.

Knowledge is power. Embrace it. Share it and apply it and you will be yeast infection free.

This article is based on the book, “Yeast Infection No More” by Linda Allen and is published with her kind permission.

Linda is an author, researcher, nutritionist and health consultant who dedicated her life to creating the ultimate holistic yeast infection solution guaranteed to permanently cure the root of candida and dramatically improve the overall quality of your life, naturally, without the use prescription medication and without any side effects.

Learn more by clicking the banner below to visit her yeast infection website:

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If you tell many people that you’re thinking about taking up a vegetarian diet, they’ll look at you as if you’re crazy.  However, there are a lot of good reasons to go vegetarian, from your health, to that of the world around you.

A vegetarian diet will often

• cost less than a meat based one,
• help you feel a lot healthier,
• reduce your ecological footprint,
• help you avoid cruel factory farming practices,
• help you lose weight.

You just have to make sure you’re doing it correctly – a diet based mostly on spaghetti and powdered Parmesan cheese is technically vegetarian, but it’s not particularly good for you.

In fact a bad vegetarian diet is probably more harmful that a good meat-containing diet – especially if it’s just chips, chips and more chips!

However, eating a widely varied vegetarian diet consisting of lots of different types of fruits and vegetables (with or without the addition of dairy products and eggs) can help you have more energy, eat fewer calories, and get a better nutritional balance than the usual American diet.

It doesn’t have to be boring, either.  If you and your family are envisioning lots of heavy, dull meals packed with unseasoned boiled veggies and indistinguishable casseroles, or you think all you can eat on a vegetarian meal plan is salad, think again.  There are lots of vegetarian diet options out there to suit anyone.

Going without meat can be hard if you’re used to thinking of a meal as a central portion of protein with a few side dishes.  You’ll need to rethink the way you plan meals.  However, there are cuisines all over the world producing fantastic vegetarian food that tastes great while being nutritionally excellent.

You just need to learn how to go about it.  Try some Indian, Chinese, Japanese, or vegetarian Mexican meals.  Investigate the farmer’s market to find vegetables and fruits you’ve never tried before, and above all, be willing to be adventurous.

To help your family adjust to your vegetarian diet, the first thing to do is not to push it.  Even if you’re enthusiastic about the possibility of improved health, a greener life, and not paying for animal cruelty, they might not be convinced.  Evangelism isn’t the answer!  Don’t force anyone else to follow your lead, and don’t spend all your time talking about how great a vegetarian diet is.  Instead, learn to make meals that your family will love, and don’t focus on the fact that they’re vegetarian.  Once they realize that vegetarian food can be great, they’ll be a lot less resistant.

There are all kinds of reasons to choose a vegetarian diet, from a tightening budget to tightening your waistline.  Diet books mostly focus on chicken and fish, and don’t offer a wide variety of meat free options.  However, there are more ways to lose weight and save money than choosing factory farmed meat.

Try a vegetarian diet and see what you think, but make sure you’re using a great cookbook.  Making meals you enjoy is the first priority, even if you’d like to go meat free.  A vegetarian diet has a lot to offer, and you owe it to yourself to find out more today.

Click here for a free vegetarian meal planner.

Does eating fewer calories improve the brain?

What do you think? Please leave your comments here.

Life is so “fast-paced” these days that it’s difficult to avoid the temptation of the “ready-meal”, however much we know we really shouldn’t. Wouldn’t it be great if there were healthy ready-meals foods? The great news is, there are!

Grant Recipient Stevan Taylor, of The Foodamentalists

I “bumped into” Steve the other day in an on-line business networking site. He was explaining that he hadn’t been online a lot because he’d been having a major push with his business. Before that I didn’t know much about what he did, but it turned out that his products could be just what many of us are looking for. I asked him to tell me more, and here’s what he had to say.

At the Foodamentalists we believe in convenience foods without compromise which is why there are three values that sum-up our ready meals: local, ethical and homemade.

Our meals are frozen so there’s no need to add anything ‘nasty’ such as artificial preservatives. We believe in supporting our local farmers and butchers so where possible we source our ingredients locally. Our meat comes from local farms and is outdoor-reared / free-range.

We seek to minimise our impact on the environment. As well as using local food to reduce food miles, we have sourced biodegradable packaging.

We passionately believe that consumers shouldn’t have to compromise their ethics when buying ready meals: that they don’t have to be and shouldn’t be a “necessary evil” of modern life. This was a key inspiration in developing a product with a unique combination of convenience, local produce, traceability and good ethics.

Our main motivation was to produce great tasting food. As busy people we had come to rely increasingly on convenience food, but were disappointed with what was on offer. We didn’t understand why it couldn’t taste as good as a home-cooked meal. This is why we cook all our meals just as one would at home: in a kitchen, using great ingredients and without adding anything nasty.

We believe part of offering great food is providing choice to our customers so they can enjoy favorites or get excited about something new. This is why we have developed our menu to include traditional favorites, such as our “Thyme for Rabbit Stew” or more contemporary dishes, such as our take on the Italian dish Agro Dolce, which we make with a red wine marinade and a touch of dark chocolate.

We called ourselves the Foodamentalists to reflect our fundamental belief in great tasting home-cooked food made using quality local ingredients and sound ethical practices. We offer convenience without the compromise, because we know our customers don’t want to compromise on the quality of their food or their ethics and we don’t believe that they should have to.

It has been a lot of work from concept to product and there has been a lot of development in getting the recipes right, we are still developing our menu with 2 new ranges 1) lunch time meals with less than 200 calories per serving, 2) A range of children’s meals with hidden vegetables in them to help children get their 5-a-day. They sound great Steve, no wonder you’ve been so busy lately! Visit Foodamentalists at one of the farmers’ markets listed below.

Wetherby 2nd Sunday in the month
Harrogate 2nd Thursday
Boston Spa 2nd Friday
Easingwold 3rd Wednesday
Keighley 3rd Sunday
York Last Friday
Otley Last Sunday

These “healthy convenience foods” can be found at www.foodamentalists.co.uk and now in selected CostCutters.

You can ring Steve on: 07884064130