Food actions for the body(Chinese medicine)

COLD

VEGETABLES:

Asparagus
Bean Sprouts
Bok Choi
Califlower
Celery
Chinese Cabbage
Chrysanthemum flower
Cucumber
Dandelion leaf
Eggplant
Seaweed
Snow peas
Turnip
Water chestnuts
White mushroom
White peony root
Zucchini

FRUITS:

Banana
Blueberry
Cantaloupe
Cranberry
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Lemon
Mango
Mulberry
Persimmon
Plum
Pineapple
Rhubarb
Tangerine
Tomato
Watermelon

GRAINS:
Wheat germ

MEAT:

Clam
Crab
Octopus
SPICES
Salt
White pepper.

MISC:
Soy sauce
Sugar cane
Tofu

COOL

VEGETABLES:

Alfalfa sprouts Artichoke
Bamboo shoots
Bitter Gourd
Button mushroom
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrot
Cooked Lettuce
Cooked Onion
Corn
Daikon radish
Endive lettuce
Lotus root
Mushrooms
Potato
Romaine
Snow Pea
Soybean Sprouts
Spinach
Swiss chard
Tomato

FRUITS:

Apple
Avocado
Black currant
Cherries
Fig
Lemon
Oranges
Pear
Prunes
Strawberries
Tangerine

GRAINS

Amaranth
Barley
Buckwheat
Millet
Wheat
Wild rice

SEEDS

Lima beans
Mung bean
Soybean

MEAT

Duck egg
Duck
Eggs
Fresh water snail.
Frog
Pork
Rabbit

SPICES

Cilantro leaf
Marjoram
Mint
Peppermint
Tamarind

MISC

Beer
Cheese
Green tea
Milk
Miso soup
Oolong Tea
Peppermint
Sesame oil
Yogurt

WARM

VEGETABLES

Bell pepper
Chive
Cooked Tomato
Fennel
Green bean
Green Pepper
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leek
Mustard green
Onion
Oyster mushroom.
Parsley
Parsnip
Pumpkin
Scallions
Squash
Sweet potato
Watercress

FRUITS

Blackberry
Coconut
Dates
Grapes
Hawthorn fruit
Kumquat
Litchi
Longan
Nectarines
Pomegranates
Quince
Raspberry
GRAINS
Oats
Quinoa
Safflower
Sweet/glutinous rice

SEEDS

Black bean
Chestnut
Lotus seed
Pine nut
Walnut

MEAT

Anchovy
Beef
Butter
Capers
Chicken
Eel
Fresh water fish
Ham
Lobster
Mussels
Pig tripe
Sheep & goat
Sheep's milk
Shrimp
Turkey
Venison

SPICES

Anise
Basil
Bay leaf
Caraway
Carob
Clove
Coriander (also known as Chinese parsley or Pak Chee, in Thai.)
Cumin
Dill seed
Fennel
Fenugreek
Fresh ginger
Jasmine
Nutmeg
Oregano
Rosemary
Sage
Spearmint
Thyme

SWEETENERS

Amasake
Brown sugar
Malt sugar
Molasses
Sorghum

MISC

Black tea
Coffee
Goats milk
Plum vinegar
Rice vinegar
Wine
Vinegar

HOT

VEGETABLES:

Garlic
Green onion
Raw onions
Red pepper

MEAT

Deep-fried or grilled meat.
Dog.
Grass fish.
Sparrow meat.
Turtle

SPICES

Black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Chili pepper
Horseradish/wasabi
Mustard

MISC

Chocolate
Cocoa

TASTE NATURE OF FOOD

You may have realised by now that Chinese food -- Chinese philosophy as well -- is all about balance. In Western/European cooking, everybody knows there are "five food groups" -- meat, fruit&veg, grains, nuts and dairy products. In Asia, however, there are many other categories of food groups. As well as temperature, foods are also classified by taste, five tastes for that matter: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and pungent. In Thai cuisine, every meal is prepared to have a perfect balance of each of these five taste groups.
The Five flavors refer to the concept of five kinds of taste of foods or drugs, ie, pungent, sweet, sour, bitter and salty, FIVE TASTE GROUPS:
Pungent: Ginger, scalllion, garlic, hot pepper, pepper, cayenne pepper, onion, leek, spirit.
Sweet: Potato, lotus root, wheat, polished rice, pea, milk, pork, chestnut, date, honey.
Sour: Tomato, tangerine, plum, lemon, grape, papaya, haw, cherry apple, pomegranate, vinegar.
Bitter: Bitter melon, almond, lily bulb, orange peel, tea, coffee, bitter green, arrow root, pig liver.
Salty: Barley, millet, dried purple sea weed, kelp, jelly fish, pork, beef, crab, table salt.
According to Chinese Food Therapy: "Each taste acts on or has direct influence on a specific vital organ... Sweet acts on the spleen and stomach helping digestion and neutralizing the toxic effects of other foods. Sour acts on the liver and gall bladder and controls diarrhea and excessive perspiration. Bitter acts on the heart and small intestine and reduces body heat and excessive fluids and induces diarrhea. Salty foods act on the kidneys and bladder and soften hardness of muscles or glands. Pungent acts on the lungs and large intestine and induces perspiration and promotes energy circulation."

MEDICAL USES OF FOOD

Apart from maintaining general health, foods can be utilised more specifically to deal with health problems and even medical emergencies. For example, eating an apple is recommended as a quick way to sober up after drinking too much alcohol. Some medical uses of food, compiled by Dr. David Chan:

STOP BLEEDING: Black fungus, chestnut, Chicken eggshell, cottonseed, cuttlebone, guava, lotus plumule, spinach, vinegar.
REDUCE STOMACH ACID: Chicken eggshell, cuttlebone.
STOP PERSPIRATION: Oyster shell, peach.
INDUCE PERSPIRATION: Cinnamon twig, coriander, ginger, green onion, marjoram, rosemary.
STOP URINATION: Raspberry.
PROMOTE URINATION: Asparagus, barley, Chinese cabbage, carrot, Chinese wax gourd, coconut, coffee, corn silk, cucumber, grape, hops, Job's tears, kidney bean, lettuce, mandarin orange, mango, mung bean, muskmelon, onion, pineapple, plum, star fruit, sugar cane juice, water chestnut, watermelon.
CLEAR TOXINS: Abalone, banana, bean curd, black soybean, castor bean, cherry seed, chicken egg white, Chinese wax gourd, clam (freshwater), cucumber, date (red & black), fig, honey, Job's tears, kohlrabi, radish, salt, sesame oil, small red bean, star fruit, vinegar.
TRANSFORM PHLEGM: Chinese wax gourd, clam (saltwater), longevity fruit, pear, radish, sea grass seaweed.
IMPROVE APPETITE: Green & red pepper, ham.
INDUCE BOWEL MOVEMENT: Castor bean, sesame oil.
LUBRICATE DRYNESS: Bean curd, chicken egg & yolk, honey, maltose, mother's milk, pear, pork, sesame oil, spinach, sugar cane juice, yellow soybean.
LUBRICATE INTESTINES: Bitter & sweet apricot seed, banana, milk, peach, soybean oil, walnut, watermelon.
LUBRICATE LUNGS: Apple, apricot, chicken egg white, ginseng, lily flower, longevity fruit, loquat, mandarin orange, peanuts, persimmon, strawberry, white fungus, white sugar.
PROMOTE BLOOD CIRCULATION: Black soybean, brown sugar, chestnut, eel blood, peach, saffron, and sweet basil, wine.
PROMOTE DIGESTION: Apple, coriander, ginseng, green & red pepper, hops, malt, nutmeg, papaya, pineapple, plum, radish & leaf, sweet basil, tomato.
PROMOTE ENERGY CIRCULATION: Caraway, chive & root, dill seeds, dry mandarin orange peel, fennel, garlic, kumquat, litchi, marjoram, radish leaf, spearmint, star anise, sweet basil, tangerine, tobacco.
PROMOTE MILK SECRETION: Common carp, lettuce.
QUENCH THIRST: Crab apple, cucumber, loquat, mango, muskmelon, persimmon, pineapple.
REDUCE FEVER: Muskmelon, star fruit, water chestnut.
RELIEVE ASTHMA: Bitter apricot seed.
RELIEVE COUGH: Sweet & bitter apricot seed, kumquat, longevity fruit, mandarin orange, tangerine, thyme.
RELIEVE DIARRHEA: Guava, sunflower seed.
RELIEVE HEAT SENSATIONS: Chicken egg white, crab, mung bean, sea grass.
RELIEVE PAIN: Honey, litchi, spearmint, squash, tobacco.
SHARPEN VISION (Brighten eyes): Abalone, bitter gourd, wild cucumber, freshwater clam, cuttlefish.
TONIFY KIDNEYS: Black sesame seed, string bean, sword bean, wheat, kidney.
TONIFY LIVER: Black sesame seed, liver.
TONIFY LUNGS: Job's tears, milk.
TONIFY SPLEEN: Beef, gold carp, ham, horse bean, hyacinth bean, Job's tears, polished rice, potato, string bean, sweet potato, yellow soybean.
RELIEVE DRUNKENNESS: Apple, ginseng, strawberry.

Chinese food therapy

http://www.dhyansanjivani.org/chinese_food.asp


Chinese food therapy dates back as early as 2000 BC. However, proper documentation was only found around 500 BC. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine also known as the Niejing, which was written around 300 BC, was most important in forming the basis of Chinese food therapy. It classified food by four food groups, five tastes and by their natures and characteristics.

During the Chau dynasty (16 BC), food therapy was established as a specialist field. The state even had a food specialist serving the emperor in the imperial court. It was during the Tang dynasty (608-906 AD) that food therapy became popular and the classic books on the subject were published.

Throughout Chinese history, healthcare was not the responsibility of the state but rather the responsibility of every ordinary citizen. People used their own resources to find cures when they became sick, which meant that most people could not afford to be sick. This is why preventive healthcare is so popular in China. Out of the four pillars of health - lifestyle, diet, exercise and mind - diet is most important because food is considered the primary cause of sickness as well as the main reason for living long and healthy.

Food plays a center role in Chinese culture. Cooking good food for family members is a lifelong profession for most women. Children are brought up with some knowledge of the nature of their daily foods. Dietary restriction is commonly understood and observed. Eating well and healthy is almost a national obsession and definitely the most valued activity of family life.

Herbal Medicine and Food Therapy
"Medicine and food are of the same sauce", the Neijing says. When the Chinese discovered farming and agriculture in the early days, they discovered the medicinal properties of food. Since then, food has been studied and analyzed for its medicinal effects on people. This knowledge enables people to use food as the first line of defense to ward off common sicknesses and diseases. It is only when food alone cannot solve the health problem that people seek the help from medical practitioners.

When treating sickness, Chinese doctors use herbal remedies initially to control the problem. They apply tried-and-true formulas with slight variations to meet the patient's specific conditions. Mixing herbs of similar properties increases the overall effectiveness. Mixing herbs of different properties can moderate the effects of the main herbs, complement the actions and/or minimize any adverse side effects. Some herbs can be as harsh as drugs, very forceful and effective but not to be taken continuously.

Herbal medicine comes from plants, animals and minerals sources. Plant sources are roots, stalk, and bark, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds of wild vegetation. Some can only be found in extreme climates and mountainous terrain. Animal sources include insects, marine products and game. Mineral sources include crushed stones, fossilized bones and crushed shells. Herbal remedies are mostly decocted into teas, to be taken warm and are very bitter in taste. They are used to control and treat the predominant symptoms of sickness. Once the sickness is under control, food therapy is used to continue the treatment.

This combination of foods and herbs to make medicinal dishes to treat sickness is food therapy. When herbs of similar, supporting or enhancing natures are added to food, they intensify the medicinal effects. When herbs of opposing natures are added, they lower the impact or change the effects on the body. Therapeutic foods are designed to assist the body in healing itself for permanent cure. The herbs used are superior herbs or food herbs with little or no adverse side effects.

Medicinal food is most effective when taken regularly for a few days or up to a few weeks. Patients going through the treatment gain a better understanding of their body's systems and know what to eat to prevent future reoccurrence. Some simple therapeutic recipes have become popular family dishes and the more precious ones are delicacies in Chinese cuisine.

The Four Food Groups
The four food groups in the Chinese diet are grains, fruits, meats and vegetables. Dairy products, especially cow's milk, are not considered suitable for humans.

The Niejing defines "grains for sustaining, vegetables for filling, fruits for supporting, meats for enhancing." Grains and vegetables are regarded as the basic foods necessary to sustain life. They should form the major part of our diet. Meats and fruits are supporting and complementary foods and should be eaten in moderation.

A balanced Chinese diet comprises 40 percent grains, 30 to 40 percent vegetables, 10 to 15 percent meats and the rest in fruits and nuts.

The Five Tastes
Foods are classified by the five tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and pungent. Each taste acts on or has direct influence on a specific vital organ. When each taste is consumed in moderation, it benefits the corresponding organ. Over-indulgence in any taste harms the organ and creates imbalance among the five vital organ systems.

Taste Sweet Sour Bitter Salty Pungent
Act on Organ System Spleen/Stomach Liver/Gall bladder Heart/Small Intestine Kidney/Bladder Lungs/Large Intestine


Sweet acts on the spleen and stomach helping digestion and neutralizing the toxic effects of other foods. Sour acts on the liver and gall bladder and controls diarrhea and excessive perspiration. Bitter acts on the heart and small intestine and reduces body heat and excessive fluids and induces diarrhea. Salty foods act on the kidneys and bladder and soften hardness of muscles or glands. Pungent acts on the lungs and large intestine and induces perspiration and promotes energy circulation.

The five organ systems control and support each other. Proper coordination only exists when there is no one organ stronger or weaker than the rest. Since the five tastes have direct influences on your organs, your diet should have a good combination of the five tastes in order to promote internal balance and harmony.

The Nature of Food
Chinese medicine defines the natures of foods as hot, cold, warm, cool, wet and neutral. It is the same definition as our body constitution.

Yang Yin
Hot < Warm < Neutral > Cool > Cold

Knowing your body's constitution and the nature of foods are necessary to eat right for your type. When the body is in balance, it is in good health and is more resistance to disease and external evils.

You are born with a specific body constitution determined by genes and the diet of your mother when carrying you. However, your diet can change its constitution after birth. Eating foods that are in contrast to your body's constitution is beneficial because it balances out the effects. This is why people of cold constitution can eat a lot of heat excess foods without getting sick and vice versa. So, what is good food for others can be bad food for you. You just have to eat according to your constitution.

The nature of food can also affect your moods. Too much hot or yang food brings about over excitement. Too much cold or yin food brings about sadness and fearfulness. Foods that are neutral in nature are good for everyone and they promote clear thinking and reasoning.

The Action of Food
The proper flow of energy around your body is most important in keeping your system in good order and healthy. Food affects the flow because of its movement characteristic. It can move energy outward, inward, upward and downward.

Food moving outward promotes the flow of energy from the center of the body to the surface. It induces perspiration and releases body heat. When the body is suffering from wind-heat attack resulting in fever, it is important to move heat outward. Inward-moving food promotes the opposite effects. When people are having profuse perspiration, night sweat, premature ejaculation and frequent urination, inward-moving food is used to contain the excessive outward movement. Upward-moving food controls diarrhea, prolapsed anus or uterus and falling stomach. Downward-moving food controls vomiting, food-rejection, constipation and energy obstruction.

It is beneficial to know about the movement of most common foods in order to use them to your health advantage.

The Seasonal Effects

Eat According to the Season
In Chinese medicine, all illnesses can be prevented if you constantly observe and maintain the balance of qi (vital energy) in your body. There is good qi and bad qi resulting from external influences - the weather, and from internal influences - our food. For example, a diet with too many spicy and deep-fried foods generates excessive heat and hot-qi. It dries up the internal body fluid, causes constipation and dries up lips and skin. It is worse in summer when the weather is hot and the body loses water through perspiration. To bring the body back to the right balance, you need to eat cool-food such as watermelon, citrus fruits or white turnips to counter the internal and external heat. If the imbalance is not rectified promptly, the body can develop a deficiency in protecting-qi and you become ill. Eating to counter the seasonal excesses or evils is a very effective way in staying well.

In spring, it is the season dominated by wind. When the pores of your skin dilate due to the warmer temperatures after the cold winter, it is easier for "wind-evil" to enter the body causing coughing, a stuffy or runny nose, headaches, dizziness and sneezing. It is important to eat food that can eliminate excessive wind in the body during spring.

In summer, it is heat / fire that dominates with symptoms such as excess body heat, profuse sweating, parched mouth and throat, constipation and heart palpitations. When summer heat combines with dampness, it results in abdominal pains, vomiting and intestinal spasms. Cooling yin foods will help, while overly hot yang foods should be avoided. Iced drinks are cool in temperature, but not cool in nature. They can damage the spleen and stomach causing more health problems.

In autumn, dryness dominates and can easily injure the lungs, causing heavy coughing, blood in the sputum, dry nose and throat and pains in the chest. "Inner-dryness" can be a result of profuse sweating, vomiting, bleeding or diarrhea. The symptoms are dry and wrinkled skin, dry hair and scalp, dry mouth and cracked lips, and dry stomach with hard and dry stools. Insufficient body fluid is harmful. You should eat more nourishing yin food to promote body fluid and soothe the lungs.

In winter, cold is a "yin-evil", which dominates and injures the body's yang energy. If cold enters the body through the skin, it produces symptoms of fever, cold, headaches and body pain. If it reaches the meridians, it produces muscle cramps and pains in the bones and joints. If it enters as far as the internal organs, cold excess causes nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pains, coldness in limbs and many other complications. To prevent the attack of cold, plenty of warming yang foods and slightly fatty foods should be included in the diet. And in extreme cold, a few warming yang herbal medications should be consumed regularly.

The external evils or the six excesses - wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, dryness and fire - affect everyone differently. They attack people when and where they are weakest. Healthy people with strong immune system are least affected. Eating to strengthen the body's resistance lowers the chance of catching seasonal sicknesses.

Body Constitution

Eat According to Your Body's Constitution
It is very important to understand your body's constitution or type so that you know what foods to eat that are complementary and what foods to avoid. Body constitution can be classified into five types: hot, warm, neutral, cool and cold. With neutral in the center, hot and warm are yang types, and cool and cold are yin types.

Yang Yin
Hot < Warm < Neutral> Cool > Cold

Body type is usually determined by the following characteristics: If you are always hot and have warm hands and feet even in winter, always energetic and almost restless, underweight by at least 20 pounds, and have a high sex drive, you belong to the hot type. If you prefer summer to winter, are normally not tired, fairly active and enjoy sex more than food, you are the warm type. On the reverse, if you are always cold, with cold hands and feet even in summer, overweight by at least 20 pounds, normally tired, easy going and quite patient and have a low sex drive, you are the cold type. If you prefer winter to summer, just slightly overweight, normally lazy and fairly relaxed, and enjoy food more than sex, you belong to the cool type. If you have a combination of cool and warm symptoms, you are likely to have a neutral body type.

Knowing your body type helps you choose foods to maintain good balance. A person with a yang body type should eat more yin foods and vice versa. A person having a yin body type and eating too much yin foods drives his or her body to a yin extreme. The body's natural defense mechanism will show signs of rejection, which western medicine describes as food allergies. If the imbalance is not rectified, the person will become ill.

Sickness Dependent

Eat According to the Nature of Sickness


Sickness has yin and yang characteristics as well. When you become sick, you should identify the nature of your sickness first and then use foods of the opposite nature to balance the yin and yang effects.

Usually, by observing the patient, it is quite easy to find out the nature of his or her sickness. If the patient feels better under warmer surroundings and enjoys warmer foods and drinks, the person most likely is suffering from yin sickness. Yang food such as ginger is effective. If the person is having a fever and a cooler environment and cold drinks gives him or her more comfort, the sickness is most probably of the yang type. Yin food such as mung beans and watermelon should be eaten to restore balance. If it is too damp causing water retention, drying foods such as broad beans and job's tears should be used. If the sickness is causing qi flowing in the wrong direction resulting in hiccups or vomiting, food with downward movement of energy such as ginger and chive should be used. If there is fever, food of outward movements helps to induce perspiration therefore lowering the temperature.

When we are sick, we need extra nutrition for the body to fight the sickness. A healthy spleen/stomach system is most important for digesting and absorbing nutrients from foods. We should avoid cold drinks, raw foods, hard to digest foods and oily and deep-fried foods, which add an extra burden to the digestive system. Easy to digest foods such as soups are most suitable.

Needs Driven

Eat According to Age and Needs
To stay healthy, you should eat according to your age and physical needs. Over-eating or under-eating are both harmful to your health.

Young children whose bodies are developing healthy bones and muscles need a diet rich in protein and calcium. They are highly active and should eat regularly to maintain their energy levels. Teens need a good quantity, well-balanced diet with lots of calories and nutrients as they develop toward maturity. Older people whose digestive system's are weakening and who are less physical active should eat less and easier to digest foods. Professional people, such as athletics or construction workers, should eat more, especially carbohydrates to maintain their energy. People whose profession requires them to think can nourish their brain with a protein-rich diet.

A diet that doesn't provide the necessary nutrition to support the physical demands or is in excess of what the body needs is harmful and could lead to serious health problems. Eating three meals a day at fixed times, in moderation and with lots of variety is recommended.

The Application
Eating food according to your constitution and in harmony with the climate is fundamental to staying well. Understanding common diseases, knowing how to read their early symptoms and knowing the nature and characteristics of foods are keys to eating right for preventive healthcare.

Chinese medicine believes that most diseases progress from initial stage with obvious surface symptoms or external conformation and develop into bigger problems with internal conformation. If we can identify problems at the initial stage and treat them with dispersing drugs, we can stop them from progressing further. When diseases turn internal, they become chronic in nature and are more difficult to treat. The treatment starts by treating the interior symptoms. When the interior problems are corrected, the surface symptoms disappear automatically.

During sickness, it is important to eat foods that are complementary to the treatment so that relief can be achieved sooner. Usually Chinese doctors explain the nature of the problem and give advice on what foods to eat and what to avoid during that time.

Most therapeutic food dishes are eaten as meals or with meals and repeated for days or sometimes weeks until the body has enough nutrition to repair itself. The results are more comprehensive and permanent. After recovery, repeating the recipe at regular intervals is recommended for maintenance purposes.

Eating purposely for health requires knowledge, time and effort. Investing in your food is an investment in yourself; health and quality of life will follow.

Fight tumor re-seeding with natural immunization

(NaturalNews) Researchers stated in the Journal Cell on Thursday, December 24, 2009, that tumors, besides metastasizing throughout the body, can actually re-seed themselves. They stated that this may be one explanation as to why a tumor reappears after being removed. The premise given is that circulating cancer cells can go back to their place of origin, recolonizing in the original tumor site. This process is called self-seeding. The repopulation of the tumor site with these aggressive cells enables the tumor to grow at a more rapid rate. The research team's focus in controlling these cells is our very immune system. A failed immune system plays a critical part in the re-seeding process. Tumor recurrence is the consequence of a failed immune system. Concentrating on the immune system is an integral part of preventing, not only metastasis, but also future recolonization of the primary tumor site. In doing so, all parts of a person`s lifestyle must be addressed which includes diet, exercise, providing the body with the needed vitamins and minerals, and taking the proper anti-cancer and immune strengthening supplements.

There are many reasons that an immune system becomes compromised. As people age, their immune system becomes weakened. Other contributing factors are:

Poor Nutrition
Lack of Exercise
Sleep Deprivation
Emotional Trauma
Medications
Toxins

The first area to take into consideration is one`s diet. A healthy diet should consist of raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, roots and tubers. However, because of their sugar content, the emphasis should be on vegetables, while limiting fruits. Additionally, juicing has powerful health benefits that have been known to reverse disease.

Other effective natural healing alternatives that work on both killing cancer and strengthening the immune system are:

Oleander Extract: Although extremely toxic in its raw state, when properly made into an extract, it is extremely effective when addressing cancer and other health conditions. Not only does it contain cancer fighting properties, but it also has been found to have six times the immune stimulating activity compared to many of the immune stimulators known to man.

Curcumin is another highly proven cancer fighter and preventative.

Black Cumin Oil (Nigella Sativa) has been highly revered throughout history. Both the Bible and the Prophet Mohammed make reference to its healing qualities. Although it has been used in healing many conditions, it is highly effective when it comes to cancer. It is one of the few cancer fighters that have had success with regard to pancreatic cancer.

Cayenne Pepper Tincture, another effective anti-cancer agent, has been especially successful when dealing with prostate cancer.

Vitamin B-17 (Laetrile), although difficult to find, is another potent cancer fighter. The best source is apricot pits.

It is important to ensure that the body is provided with adequate amounts of iodine, selenium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, vitamin C, Calcium, and Vitamin D. Studies are proving the value of vitamin D not only in addressing cancer, but also in all types of health conditions.

Last but not least, our emotional state has everything to do with illness. Conflict, forgiveness, trauma, and grief should be resolved.

Nature`s medicine cabinet is full of options when addressing cancer. It is important to reiterate that when dealing with this disease; one must take his/her entire lifestyle into consideration. We cannot expect healing if we hold on to unhealthy habits in any area of our lives.

Sources: http://www.samaa.tv/News15709-Tumor...

http://www.tbyil.com/anticancer.htm

http://www.4life-stay-healthy.com/t...

http://www.juicefeasting.com/

http://breast-cancer-research.com/c...

Pancreatic cancer linked to soda drinks

http://www.nowpublic.com/health/new-study-...er-and-soda-pop

A long-term study has confirmed that drinking soda pop even just a few times a week significantly increases the risk of getting pancreatic cancer. If soda pop is consumed ever two or three times a week, this doubles the risk of a person developing pancreatic cancer. The information of this study has only just been released today, after following 60,000 people over a 14 year time-span.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal types of caner, with only 5% of people surviving more than five years after diagnosis. The danger of consuming soda pop on a regular basis factors in when considering how that affects the human body's insulin levels. It has been found that the levels of sugar in soda pop significantly increase the levels of insulin in the body, which can be directly correlated to the growth and development of pancreatic cancer cells.

"The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth," lead researcher Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota said in a statement. Insulin helps the body metabolize sugar, and is produced in the pancreas.
Source: ctv.ca

This study on soda pop consumption and its relation to pancreatic cancer cell growth has been carried out by Mark Pereira, a researcher from the University of Minnesota. Pereira and his team have been studying over 60,000 people in Singapore over the past 14 years to conduct their research.

Statistics from their study show that 140 people died of pancreatic cancer. Those who consumed more then two cans of soda pop per week had an 87% risk increase of developing the pancreatic cancer cells. Further information on this study is available in the following journal: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

The diary disaster-milk does not do good

(NaturalNews) From celebrities sporting milk mustaches to former horror queens touting the benefits of yogurt, the dairy industry spends billions of dollars on advertising in attempt to brainwash the public into believing that "milk does a body good." The truth is that too much dairy can cause obesity, cancer, heart disease, allergies, diabetes, and even osteoporosis.

Calcium is essential to good health and can be found in a plethora of plant sources such as broccoli, cabbage and spinach. The dairy industry has led us to believe that we can only get the calcium we need from their dairy products. "There`s no best source of calcium," says Robert Heaney, Professor of Medicine at the Osteoporosis Research Center at Creighton University School of Medicine. "The sheer quantity of calcium in dairy products certainly makes them attractive sources, but they have no monopoly on calcium. There`s no reason in the world why you couldn`t get an adequate intake from a vegetable source."

Casein, a protein present in milk, causes minor to severe allergies in many people resulting in hives, stomach pains, bronchitis, bloating, and even asthma. In actress Alicia Silverstone`s recent book The Kind Diet, Silverstone recalls growing up with bronchitis three or four times a year; she was on regular allergy medication and relied on an inhaler for her asthma. It wasn't until she gave up dairy that her allergies went away. "Very soon after becoming vegan, I stopped experiencing allergies or any asthma-type symptoms," says Silverstone. "They just disappeared."

No other species drinks the milk of another species. Drinking the milk of another mammal may even cause osteoporosis- the very disease it is touted to prevent. "When we have babies, we breastfeed them, and then at a certain point, we stop," explain Skinny Bitch authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. "It is exactly the same for cows and every other mammal on the planet. They produce milk when they give birth, they feed their young, and then they stop. We are the only species on the planet that drinks the milk of another species. We are the only species on the planet that drinks milk as adults. Why? Because the multi-million dollar dairy industry has convinced us that we need milk for healthy bones. However, Yale researchers found that countries with the highest dairy and meat intakes also suffer the highest osteoporosis rates."

Milk is pasteurized in order to remove unhealthy bacteria, but this process also removes the nutritional value of the milk. Milk pasteurization destroys digestive enzymes and even doubles the amount of harmful bacteria. During pasteurization, enzymes like lactase, galactase, and phosphatase are destroyed. Without these enzymes, milk is especially difficult to process in our bodies, especially since the human pancreas cannot always create these enzymes on its own. When the pancreas is overtaxed diabetes and other diseases may occur.

Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone is a genetically engineered hormone that is given to cows in order to increase their milk production, thus increasing the profits of the dairy industry. Bovine growth hormone (rBGH) accelerates the development of IGF-1, a hormone that is not eliminated in pasteurization or digestion. IGF-1 and rBGH increase cell division which can lead to breast, prostate, or colon cancer. When we drink milk we are increasing our risk of cancer. Think of it this way, if a cow`s life is shortened by 20 years when injected with BGH, what could that do to your life?

Freedman, Rory & Barnouin, Kim. Skinny Bitch. Old Saybrook: Tantor Media, 2007

Silverstone, Alicia. The Kind Diet. Philadelphia: Rodale Press, 2010.

www.all-creatures.org, "How Milk and Dairy Products Will Destroy Your Health and Cause Cancer, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Allergies, Osteoporosis, and Infection`" http://www.all-creatures.org/health...

Mediteranean diet-good for diabetes control

(NaturalNews) For the first time, a long-term health study has demonstrated that the Mediterranean diet may help diabetes patients control their blood sugar without the use of medication.

"A Mediterranean-style diet is a very important part in the treatment of diabetes," said endocrinologist Loren Greene of New York University Medical Center, who was not involved in the study. "We knew that, but there just hasn't been a good study to confirm this before."

In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers assigned 215 overweight, adult residents of Naples, Italy, to adhere to one of two diets. Participants in one group were assigned to follow a Mediterranean diet -- eating large quantities of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and certain healthy fats such as olive oil; favoring lean protein sources such as nuts, poultry and fish; and gaining no more than half their daily calories from carbohydrates. Participants in the other group were assigned to follow a low-fat diet similar to that recommended by the American Heart Association -- with no more than 30 percent of its daily calories from fat and 10 percent from saturated fat; low in sweets and high-fat snacks; and high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

All participants were instructed to limit their caloric intake to 1,800 calories per day for men and 1,500 per day for women. They were given regular nutrition counseling and urged to exercise regularly.

After four years, 56 percent of the participants in the Mediterranean diet group were able to manage their diabetes without drugs, compared with only 30 percent of those in the low-fat group. Participants eating a Mediterranean diet also maintained more weight loss and more improvement in levels of HDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglycerides.

Greene noted that as most patients dislike taking medication, the new study might provide an incentive for more diabetics to watch their diets.

"If you are told, 'If you don't want to go on medicine, stick to this diet,' then that's a pretty valuable tool at least for patient compliance," she said.

Sources for this story include: www.time.com.

Broccoli protects your arteries

(NaturalNews) The health benefits of broccoli and related vegetables may come in part from a chemical known as sulforaphane, which appears to activate a specific heart-protecting protein, according to a study conducted by researchers from Imperial College London and published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.

"We know that vegetables are clearly good for you, but surprisingly the molecular mechanisms of why they are good for you have remained unknown for many years," said researcher Paul Evans of the United Kingdom's National Heart and Lung Institute. "This study provides a possible explanation for how green vegetable consumption can promote a healthy heart."

Researchers carried out their tests directly on the chemical sulforaphane, which occurs naturally in vegetables in the family Brassicaceae, also known as cruciferous vegetables. In addition to broccoli, the cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, cauliflower, rapeseed (canola), radish, turnip, mustard greens and watercress.

Sulforaphane was found to increase the activity of the protein Nrf2, which is known to be inactive in areas of the cardiovascular system that are predisposed to plaque buildup. In these areas, which include bends and branches in blood vessels, blood flow is slowed or even disrupted entirely.

"What our study showed was that sulforaphane can protect those regions by switching on the Nrf2," Evans said.

"These fascinating findings provide a possible mechanism by which eating vegetables protects against heart disease," said Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation, which funded the study. "As well as adding evidence to support the importance of eating 'five-a-day', the biochemistry revealed in this research could lead to more targeted dietary or medical approaches to prevent or lessen disease that leads to heart attacks and strokes."

Because the study was carried out using pure sulforaphane, the researchers plan to repeat it in a way that closer approximates consumption of actual broccoli.

"We now need to go and test this with broccoli smoothies, as it were, and compare that with the effect of purified sulforaphane," Evans said.

Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com; www.nutraingredients-usa.com.

Use astralagus to boost immune system

(NaturalNews) Beginning of the school year, rumors of the swine flu sparked great fear around the world. As viruses and bacteria begin to spread like wild fire throughout our communities, you are probably searching for the best immune system supplements to protect your family in addition to a well-balanced diet. When trying to choose the best immune boosting supplement for your family, you need something that is simple to incorporate into your lifestyle. One of the best immune system supplements known throughout history is astragalus root.

You may be surprised that astragalus may also assist in reducing the following: cardiovascular disease, chemotherapy side effects, common cold, diabetes, HIV, and AIDS. Studies have shown that astragalus may actually further suppress cancerous tumors from growing. But astragalus is mainly known for its ability to boost the immune system.

Basics on Astragalus

According to drugs.com, astragalus has no known adverse effects. For those who take immunosuppressive medication you should be aware that astragalus should not be taken; it stimulates the immune system and may cause the medication to not be as effective. Also, astragalus should not be ingested during a fever.

There are many different ways to take astragalus. The root is usually created into a decoction by simmering the root in water for a couple minutes. Then you drink the decoction as you would tea. You can also purchase the extract or capsulated versions.

If you are looking to save money while boosting your immune system, purchase astragalus powder in bulk form. You can encapsulate it yourself or add the powder to your food as you cook.

Dosages for Astragalus

You should always follow the advice of a medical professional when determining the dosage for your body. Each variety of astragalus product may suggest different amounts depending on its strength. Follow the directions listed on the label.

Drugs.com says that the average recommended dose for an adult is 2-6 grams of astragalus powder. 4 grams of powder is equivalent to approximately 1 teaspoon for an adult. Since astragalus is almost tasteless, 1 teaspoon of astragalus powder can be easily hidden in different foods, like soups, sauces, or smoothies. You can also easily hide the strained decoction in foods.

How to Use Astragalus in Smoothies

Smoothies are convenient and many people, young and old, love them. It is usually easier to get your kids to drink an immune boosting smoothie than to swallow the capsules.

You have two main forms of astragalus to choose from when adding astragalus into your smoothies. The easiest way is to use the bulk powder. The second way is to create a decoction for the liquid of the smoothie. For your convenience, the recipes below use astragalus powder.

Astragalus Smoothie Recipes

Macadamia Vanilla Astragalus Shake
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, raw
1 cup water
8 dates, pitted
1/4 tsp stevia
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp astragalus powder
12 ice cubes
Blend the first three ingredients until smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend again.
Makes 2 - 1 cup servings

Strawberry Banana Smoothie
1 cup fresh strawberries
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup fresh fruit juice
2 tablespoons honey or 1/2 tsp stevia powder
1 tsp astragalus powder
8 ice cubes
Place the fresh ingredients under the frozen ingredients into the blender and blend until completely smooth. Makes 2 - 1 cup servings

Chocolate Peppermint Smoothie
1/4 cup cashews or macadamia nuts, raw
1 cup water or peppermint tea
8 dates
1/4 tsp stevia powder
1 tsp astragalus powder
1 tablespoon cocoa or cacao
1-2 drops peppermint essential oil
12 ice cubes
Blend the first three ingredients until smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend again. Makes 2 - 1 cup servings

Resources:

http://www.drugs.com/npc/astragalus...

http://www.smart-publications.com/t...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...

http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/691...

http://www.raisingchildrennaturally...

Saturated fats are healthy

(NaturalNews) Today we are caught between two philosophies: one says saturated fat is killing us; the other says these fats are necessary for true vitality. There is a heated back-and-forth, a constant tug-of-war scenario, with society caught in the middle like a child caught between two parents in a nasty divorce.

But fortunately, we are adults who can take a step back from the madness and look at the facts - all of the facts - before coming to our own conclusions. The trouble is finding anything but propaganda regarding saturated fats. Corporate food industry and government agencies are quick to demonize these fats, but in traditional cultures saturated fat was revered and even coveted as a source of vital energy.

Mankind has survived for century upon century thanks to saturated fats, depending on these fats to nourish our bodies and support the health of future generations. Only in recent decades have we turned away from natural fats and toward manufactured vegetable oils. And only in recent decades have we seen an explosion of degenerative conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Here are four important reasons saturated fat should have its place at the table:

#1 - Lower Your Risk for Heart Disease and Improve Your Cholesterol Profile

It's the opposite of what the medical industry tells you, but it's true: eating a diet rich in saturated fats protects your heart. Saturated fat reduces Lp(a), which is associated with increased risk for heart disease, and contributes to higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, which keeps your heart healthy.

#2 - Prevent Loss of Bone Density and Osteoporosis

We all know we need calcium for strong, healthy bones. We also need saturated fat to transport that calcium to our bones. This is why dairy products naturally contain both calcium and saturated fat. All those calcium supplements won't do much good if saturated fat is lacking in our diet.

#3 - Strengthen Your Immunity and Prevent Illness

Saturated fats contain specialized fatty acids which are naturally antifungal, antimicrobial and antiviral. These important fatty acids include lauric acid, myristic acid and caprylic acid. A diet rich in these beneficial fats provides the body with what it needs to fight pathogenic substances.

#4 - Feed Your Brain, Your Nervous System and Your Hormones

Your brain is fat. And that's a good thing. Your brain consists mainly of fat and cholesterol, and it needs saturated fat more than any other kind. Even the brain-friendly omega-3 fatty acids can't be utilized without ample saturated fat. In addition, saturated fat facilitates nerve signals and hormone production. All of these systems rely on saturated fat to function, and to keep you healthy and ultimately alive.

It's important to choose the right saturated fats, like real butter and virgin coconut oil. Avoid highly processed fats and especially hydrogenated oils, which have been proven to cause heart disease, cancer and a slew of other conditions.

The logic is hard to miss. We are told saturated fats cause heart disease, so we trade butter for vegetable oils: heart disease skyrockets. We are told saturated fats cause bone to lessen, so we drink low-fat milk: osteoporosis is widespread. We are told saturated fat isn't good for our brains, so we stop eating traditional fats like coconut oil: depression, ADHD, dementia and autism are more prevalent than ever before. Are saturated fats really the villain here? In reality they are the victims of misinterpreted studies and commercialized industry, which have no interest in what our ancestors could have told them: saturated fat is the key to good health.

For More Information:

http://www.westonaprice.org/Know-Yo...

http://www.naturalnews.com/026819_l...

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...

Raw food's health benefits

(NaturalNews) Raw food diets are becoming increasing popular, and with good reason. Foods in their raw state are truly as nature designed and they are the most biocompatible with our bodies. In fact, it's interesting to know that a boiled potato has 420 more molecular compounds than a raw potato. These new compounds are created in the cooking process, but part of the problem is that our bodies aren't always able to process new compounds - even if someone created them in a kitchen and they taste good.

Our bodies have specific enzymes for digestion, and they work like a lock and key. But when we keep changing the locks, the keys don't always fit. The result is that cooked foods aren't always digested well and particles of them end up stored in our bodies as toxic sludge, instead of used for fuel with the remainder eliminated.

Interestingly, studies have shown that cooked foods increase our white blood cell activity. This essentially means that our bodies see cooked foods as invaders, and work to defend against them. Raw foods don't have this effect.

Another reason raw foods diets are becoming popular is that raw foods contain enzymes whereas cooked and processed foods are devoid of enzymes, as heating destroys them. Enzymes are critical factors in the health equation; they're often called our life force. Enzymes are the catalysts for every function of the body, including blinking and breathing. When we run out of enzymes, we die.

Digestion requires enzymes and by eating raw foods, we're doing little to deplete our enzyme reserves. In contrast, cooked foods demand that the body give up some of its enzymes for digestion. In this manner, cooked foods literally speed our death and hasten all of the processes along the way, including aging and disease.

Unfortunately, most cultures and social circles aren't geared towards raw foods. Many don't understand the benefits of raw food diets, or understand that a diet geared around cooked foods causes problems. Many people also think raw foods are boring or difficult to prepare. In truth, they don't have to be either.

Adding Raw Foods to Your Diet

An easy way to increase your raw food consumption is to drop the cereal or toast for breakfast and start eating fruit. People often say they'd be hungry doing that, but the solution is to eat more. A pineapple or half watermelon is a delicious breakfast. Your favorite fruit can also replace candied or processed snacks.

You can also boost your raw food intake by eating more salads, and making them more substantial in the process. A salad doesn't have to be all lettuce and half a tomato. Salads can skip the lettuce entirely and can bulk up with a quarter cabbage, two tomatoes, an avocado, and perhaps half a cucumber. With a great dressing, it'll be delicious, and most people will be quite satisfied afterward. So, forget conventional salad wisdom and bulk your salads up with lots of your favorite veggies.

Raw foods can also be added to cooked foods, when the cooking is complete. For example, shredded cabbage, fresh thyme, and a diced tomato can be added on top of a boiled potato to make a great half raw "potato salad." Just season with coconut oil and sea salt.

If you're not ready to go completely raw, you can benefit by simply adding more raw foods to your diet. Many health experts recommend a diet of about 70 percent raw foods, which would be two meals a day, plus snacks. However, in truth, the more you add, the better off you'll be.

More:
Genefit Nutrition, Roman Devivo and Antje Spors
http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxif...
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.c...

Pistachios slash lung cancer risk

(NaturalNews) People who want to avoid the leading cancer killer have a pal in the pistachio. According to the latest research on this nutritional nut, pistachios help reduce the risk of developing lung cancer because of their high gamma-tocopherol content. Gamma-tocopherol is a form of vitamin E that has been proven to be an effective cancer deterrent.

The pistachio likes to keep a "low" profile. For example, Penn State researchers say a daily dose of pistachios "lowers" cholesterol levels by as much as 11 percent; nutritionists recommend them to people who want to "lower" their calorie intake (i.e., pistachios are the lowest calorie nut); and a 2008 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says pistachios "lower" the risk for cardiovascular disease.

How "low" can the pistachio go? Well, when it comes to how at risk someone is for lung cancer, pretty darn low.

Researchers from Texas Woman`s University in Houston supplied a group of 18 healthy participants (who were chosen at random) with two ounces of pistachios. The pistachios were to be eaten every day for a period of one month (two ounces = about 117 pistachio kernels). The other group of 18 did not eat pistachios but, other than that fact, ate the same diet as the first group.

Through various testing procedures that analyzed their vitamin E levels, the researchers found that the pistachio-munching group had higher levels of gamma-tocopherol. As aforementioned, prior studies have found gamma-tocopherol to be effective in protecting men from prostate cancer. And based on this latest round of findings, the gamma-tocopherol in pistachios are every bit as effective in warding off lung cancer.

Lung cancer kills more people per year than breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer combined.

Now, 117 pistachios per day may sound like a lot, but according to the study`s lead researcher, two ounces of pistachios should not lead to any significant changes in body mass.

If you`re not jazzed about the pistachio, there are other ways to get your gamma-tocopherol fill besides supplementing. Nuts are the most abundant source of gamma-tocopherol (both nuts and nut oils), but another especially rich source is wheat germ oil. One-hundred grams of wheat germ oil contains a whopping 215 milligrams! This is important to note, because even though gamma-tocopherol is the major source of vitamin E in the diet, the blood retains more alpha-tocopherol than gamma-tocopherol.

Sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/stat...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tocopherol
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocent...

Enjoy an antioxidant melange !

(NaturalNews) You want to make the Cranberry Melange Recipe. The dilemma is you are wondering how to perform some of the culinary techniques to make it? Also, you may be wondering the answers to questions like why to use salt in this sweet recipe? Wonder no more...

*Citrus - How to supreme...

Segmenting citrus, or to "supreme" in culinary vernacular, means to release the individual segments or sections of a citrus fruit from the membranes (that hold the fruit together). First, slice off the tops and bottoms of the citrus. With a small sharp knife (serrated works well), cut off the peel (cutting deeply enough that the white bitter pith is removed). This can be done either in a circular motion (moving around the globe of the fruit) or by slicing from the top to the bottom of the fruit (following the contour of the fruit). To catch any juice that is released, work over a bowl. Insert knife along one side of a membrane, and slice toward the center of the fruit (keeping knife as close to the membrane as possible). One side of the segment will now be separated. Do the other side of the membrane the same way (until segment is completely freed).

*Citrus - How to zest...

With its floral and tangy tones and a slightly and sophisticated bitterness, zest refers to the vividly colored and most outer peel of citrus fruits. This very outer peel contains natural, volatile and aromatic oils that intensify citrus sapor. The white portion (or called the pith - which lies just below the zest) is less desirable (because of its bitter taste). Try tangerine or blood orange zest with their exquisite flowery aromas. Use zest from only organic citrus fruit (to avoid waxes and chemicals). Always zest the fruit just before using the zest (because this is when the zest`s volatile oils are strongest). Use only citrus fruit with a beautiful appearance and drawing fragrance (for highest quality zest). Zest only uncut citrus fruit (for ease of zesting). Before zesting, always clean the citrus fruit.

*Nuts - How to soak and dehydrate...

Place nuts into a container. Add a little highest-quality unrefined unheated salt. Fill container with cool temperature filtered water to cover nuts by a few inches. Lid container. At room-temperature, soak nuts for the time specified in recipe. Drain off soaking water. In fresh cool-temperature filtered water, submerge and swish soaked nuts. Drain nuts. Dehydrate nuts: Place flexible mesh screen over top of rigid larger-holed tray. Arrange nuts in single layer. Set dehydrator at 95 degrees. Dehydrate nuts equal to or twice as long as soak time (depending on texture desired).

*The Cranberry Melange Recipe was tested using the English = Royal = Persian walnuts.

*Allspice comes from a single tree. It tastes like a mixture of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. If grinding allspice, about 5 whole berries = 1-teaspoon. If grinding cinnamon, 1 stick = 1/2-teaspoon. For a spectacular culinary result, preferred is to use Ceylon cinnamon.

*In lieu of highest-quality Himalayan pink crystal salt (unrefined and unheated) that is used in The Cranberry Melange Recipe, feel free to use any highest-quality unrefined and unheated salt of choice. The Hawaiian red clay salt is fabulous.

*Why is there salt used in this sweet recipe? The answer is because salt 1. Mingles flavors and 2. Increases the sweet taste in a sweet recipe.

*For health, it is important to use a honey that is pure, unprocessed, unfiltered and unheated. In addition, honey that is certified organic can be obtained.

Will you comment on the recipe?

Thanks for reading!

References:

Cranberry Nutrition:

http://www.naturalnews.com/001505_b...

Walnut Nutrition:

http://www.healingfoodreference.com...

Walnuts (culinary info):

http://www.foodsubs.com/Nuts.html

Turmeric and black pepper prevent breast cancer

(NaturalNews) Seasoning food with turmeric and black pepper can do more than just spice up a meal. Researchers at the University of Michigan (U-M) Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that the compounds curcumin, which is derived from turmeric, and piperine, derived from black pepper, could play an important role in preventing and even treating breast cancer.

Previous research has already provided evidence that curcumin and piperine may be potential cancer treatments. However, the new U-M study, just published online in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, is the first to suggest exactly how these natural spice compounds could prevent cancer. The research shows curcumin and piperine target stem cells (unspecialized cells that can give rise to any type of cell in an organ). This is of major significance because cancer stem cells comprise the small number of cells inside a tumor that fuel the growth of malignancies.

Current chemotherapy agents are useless against these cells -- that's why cancer can recur and spread despite rounds of heavy duty, toxic chemo. But if cancer stem cells could be eliminated and/or their growth shut down, cancer should be controlled.

"If we can limit the number of stem cells, we can limit the number of cells with potential to form tumors," lead author Madhuri Kakarala, M.D., Ph.D., a clinical lecturer in internal medicine at the U-M Medical School and a research investigator at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, said in a statement to the media. And the new study shows curcumin and piperine work along these lines. The spice derivatives are able to do what chemo can't -- they limit the self-renewal of stem cells.

Chinese food therapy

Chinese Food Therapy

http://www.allchinanet.com/chinese_medicin...d_therapy.shtml

Green Onion (Scallion)

As Chinese saying goes "no onions do not cook dishes," in daily life, the green onion (scallion) , while mostly used as seasoning, its nutritional value and health value can not be underestimated. Green onion (scallion) is regarded as “warm” in nature in Chinese traditional medicine. Chinese used it for dispersing chill, relieving congestion and relaxing muscle tension. Mixing scallions, ginger and brown sugar is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription for early treatment of cold. Green onions also benefits the stomach and lungs since green onions can promot digestion and destroy oral and respiratory bacteria.

Ginger

Ginger is widely used in Chinese cooking as seasoning. But its value is far beyond serving as the flavoring agent. In traditional Chinese medicine, ginger is “warm” in nature. Ginger is often used for treatment of abdominal bloating, diarrhea, nausea, headache, and bleeding. It is also used for treating of cough, common cold, help digestion, neutralize poisons in food, promote blood circulation, support cardiovascular health. In addition, ginger is commonly used for treatment of inflammatory joint diseases, such as arthristis and rheumatism. Its healing power has made it one of the most popular food remedy in traditional Chinese medicine.

Garlic

Garlic is another food with strong healing power. Like ginger, it is “warm” in nature in traditional Chinese medicine. One could found that lots of Chinese dishes contain generous amount of garlic. Chinese not only use it to promote the flavor, but believe it kills bacteria, help digestion, and prevents diarrhea. Researchers found that eating garlic on a regular basis lowers the risk of stomach and colon cancers. Other therapeutic functions have been found in garlic, such as being used as a remedy for hypertension, diabetes, hepatitis. It is recommended to eat garlic raw and crushed. It is found that fresh raw garlic when crushed has the most effectiveness to release it’s healing power.

Cucumber

Speaking of cucumber, many people like to eat it, but few people know it's pharmaceutical value. Chinese traditional medicine believes that the cucumber is “cool” in nature. It has the effect of detoxification and could help to ease throat pain causing by some illness. Modern medical researchers found that cucumber is rich in vitamin E, which helps fighting against aging. Women like to put cucumber juice or film on the face to smooth skin and reduce wrinkle. Cucumber also contains vitamin B1, which is essential tp brain and nervous system. Chinese traditional medicine believes cucumber has the effect to soothe the nerves and aid in the treatment of insomnia.

Peach

There is Chinese saying of “Longevity peach”, reminding people the connection of peach and the promise of longevity. Chinese medicine believes that peach is moderate “warm” in nature. Peach seed is widely used in Chinese medicine to improve blood circulation, dissolve accumulated blood clots, moisten the intestines and relaxes the bowels. Since peach is rich in iron, Chinese believes consuming enough amount of peach has the beauty effectiveness.

Grape

Chinese traditional medicine believes grape is neutral regarding to “warm” or “cool” in nature. Eating grape can tune the b lood, strengthen the bone, and promote urination. Because grape contains highly effective anti-cancer substances, it is a good food choice to prevent from cancer. Also, dried grape (raisin) is rich in iron, which is especially beneficial to children or people who has anaemia.

Tomato

Tomatoes are known to be a powerhouse of nutrition. Traditional Chinese medicine regards it as “cool” in nature. Chinese medicine believes that tomatoes have the effectiveness of detoxification, reducing blood pressure, preventing from cancer and aging. It contains a multitude of vitamins and minerals that promote the immune system and support health. In addition, tomato is high in nutrition, but low in calories, it is an excellent choice for weight loss diet.

Apple

As wisdom says “one apple per day keeps the doctor away from me,” traditional Chinese medicine found that apple is “cool” in nature and promotes various health benefits. Researchers found that eating 1-2 apples per day, the rate of suffering from heart disease can be reduced by half. Apple contains soluble fibre that help to prevent from constipation. The scent of apples helps people to relax and refresh their spirit. Apple cider vinegar helps digestion and reduces fat. Eating apple slowing in the mouth can be very effective to kill the oral bacteria.

Strawberry
Strawberry’s bright red color and delicious tastes have made it a popular fruit. Chinese traditional medicine believes that strawberry is “cool” in nature. It lubricates lungs, promotes body fruids, strengthens spleen and stomach, and detoxifies in alcohol intoxication. It also contains anti-cancer ingredients that prevent people from cancer and aging.

The importance of "good bacteria"

Stick to fermented foods and the likes of unpasteurised Kombucha or Kefir.

Learn about the Importance of Good Bacteria, Part I

Friday, December 18, 2009 by: Dr. David Jockers
http://www.naturalnews.com/027763_friendly...probiotics.html


The adult intestine contains around 2-4 pounds of bacteria. This bacterial load is 10 times greater than the number of cells within our body. In real numbers, since we are about 75 trillion cells we have approximately 750 trillion bacterial cells within our body. It is astonishing to think about our bodies in such a manner, but we are literally living, breathing bacterial reservoirs.

Although we have been trained by society to dislike and often to fear bacteria and other microorganisms, most of those that populate our systems work in harmony with us in what is called a symbiotic, or mutually benefiting, relationship. There are those, however, that are pathogenic in nature and when they are allowed to accumulate in large numbers, bring about distress and disease. The ideal ratio of progenic (life-supporting) vs. pathogenic (disease forming) species is 85:15. When the pathogenic species grows beyond this ratio, problems begin to occur.

Most of the microorganisms in our body work to support us, as they break down fibers and other larger molecules into smaller, more bioavailable nutrients that our cells can utilize. They also help us to eliminate wastes and other toxins. The gastro-intestinal wall and mesenteric lymph nodes, referred to as the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), normally contain a healthy mucous membrane, which is deeply entrenched with microbes. This region plays a powerful role in immune regulation through a key immunoglobin called secratory IgA. When pathogenic bacteria dominate the region, sIgA levels decline and immune regulation suffers. In addition, toxic waste from the pathogenic species is secreted into the bloodstream, causing a reactive immunological response leading to tissue inflammation. Auto-immune reactions are often triggered through this mechanism.

Probiotics (life enhancing bacteria) are a key inclusion whether it is in your diet and/or through supplementation for immune regulation and overall wellness. Different probiotic species can be separated into adhesive and non-adhesive properties based on their ability to adhere to the mucosal membranes. According to Dr. Bengmark, a leading expert on intestinal microorganisms, "The ability to permanently or temporarily adhere to the mucosal surfaces seems to be important for the optimal function of probiotic bacteria." The greatest health benefits come from the bacterial colonies that are housed in the mucosal membranes. One of these benefits is that they help to strengthen the intestinal wall, preventing unwanted molecules from seeping through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream.

The intake of processed foods, sugars, many pharmaceutical drugs, fluoride, chlorine, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, and other chemicals & industrial wastes destroys the mucosal colonies, causing the intracellular junctions within the intestinal wall to become weak. When this happens, it opens the door for opportunistic infections of pathogenic bacteria, and fungi to take the intestinal reign of power. In addition, large molecules and other toxins are able to easily cross the intestinal cell wall, getting into the bloodstream causing havoc on the rest of the body.

Much of our society believes that yogurt is a great way to reintroduce healthy probiotic strains into our system. However, yogurt primarily contains L. acidophilus, L bulgaricus, enterococcus thermaphilus, and others that are all non-adhesive strains. According to Dr. Bengmark, "Lactobacillus plantarum was the most common bacteria in the food of our ancestors."

L. Plantarum has the ability to adhere and quickly colonize the intestinal mucosa. In addition, it has been shown to compete strongly for food and resources with pathogenic microorganisms, thus minimizing their ability to flourish. In addition, key nutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acids are preserved, and cacogenic nitrates and other toxins are effectively eliminated through the action of L Plantarum.

Eating on schedule prevents obesity

(NaturalNews) Researchers have long noted that shift workers -- folks like nurses, security personnel and others on the night shift -- are extremely prone to developing metabolic syndrome, a pre-diabetic condition marked by insulin resistance, weight gain around the middle and high cholesterol levels. But why? Do they tend to simply eat too many snacks as they try to stay alert at night or is it related to disruption of the circadian clock, the body's internal master clock in the brain that's set by light exposure? Turns out, according to new research by scientists at the Salk Institute, there's probably another crucial factor: not only is what you eat important to health but when you eat appears to be crucial to weight control and healthy metabolism.

In experiments with mice, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies discovered there's a daily waxing and waning of thousands of genes in the liver, the organ that's the body's metabolic clearinghouse. And this revving up and slowing down is primarily controlled not just by food intake and not by the body's circadian clock, as was previously assumed.

"If feeding time determines the activity of a large number of genes completely independent of the circadian clock, when you eat and fast each day will have a huge impact on your metabolism," said the study's leader Satchidananda (Satchin) Panda, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Salk Institute's Regulatory Biology Laboratory, in a press statement.

The Salk researchers' findings, which are set for publication in an upcoming issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could explain why shift workers are at an unusually high risk for metabolic syndrome, diabetes, high cholesterol levels and obesity. "We believe that it is not shift work per se that wreaks havoc with the body's metabolism but changing shifts and weekends, when workers switch back to a regular day-night cycle," Dr. Panda explained.

The new research involved putting mice on a strict feeding schedule. They could eat during an 8 hour period but they had to fast for the next 16 hours. The result? The scientists found that genes that encode enzymes the body needs to break down sugars soar immediately after a meal, while the activity of genes which encode enzymes needed to break down fat increases the most during fasting. Bottom line: a clearly defined daily feeding schedule causes healthy regulation of the enzymes needed for metabolism and optimizes burning of sugar and fat.

"The liver oscillator in particular helps the organism to adapt to a daily pattern of food availability by temporally tuning the activity of thousands of genes regulating metabolism and physiology," Dr. Panda said in the statement to the press. "This regulation is very important, since the absence of a robust circadian clock predisposes the organism to various metabolic dysfunctions and diseases."

In fact, the more defined fasting and feeding periods are, the more robust the regulation. Dr. Panda has tried the scheduled eating himself. He quit eating between 8 pm and 8 am and reported he feels great eating this way. "I even lost weight, although I eat whatever I want during the day," he noted.

Author's note: NaturalNews is opposed to the use of animals in medical experiments that expose them to harm. We present these findings in protest of the way in which they were acquired.

For more information:
http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelea...

Tips to stop sugar cravings

(NaturalNews) People who eat sugar on a daily basis typically crave even more sugar. It can correctly be called an addiction. Blood sugar levels spike after eating sugar and then plummet, resulting in a craving for more after a couple of hours. Some people eat sugar in response to stress or depression, relying on the emotional comfort of say, cookies or cake to feel better. Eating balanced, healthy meals and controlling blood sugar are pivotal when trying to stop cravings.

Stop Sugar Cravings with Balanced Meals

Craving sugary foods can be an indication of a lack of certain nutrients in the body, such as chromium (found in broccoli, grapes and dried beans), phosphorus (found in nuts, legumes, grains, fish and eggs), carbon (found in fresh organic fruit) and tryphtophan (found in cheese, liver, raisins, sweet potato and spinach).

Combining protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy oils at mealtimes reduces the risk of triggering sugar cravings. Both healthy fats and protein leave the body feeling full longer than sugary foods and complex carbohydrates contain many of the essential vitamins and nutrients the body needs. Protein slows down digestion so that even when consuming complex carbohydrates, there is no rapid rise in blood sugar.

How to Control Blood Sugar to Prevent Cravings

Not eating regularly or going for long stretches between meals can cause a person's blood sugar levels to drop. When blood sugar levels drop too low, cravings kick in because the body craves food that can quickly be converted to energy. Typically, this is when people reach for a chocolate bar or quick "pick me up". Since the boost of energy is not sustained, another craving will take place a couple of hours later. The key to controlling blood sugar levels from dipping is to eat small meals and snacks frequently.

Excellent choices for snacking in between meals would be nuts (such as almonds, walnuts or Brazil nuts), seeds, fruit, dried fruit (such as raisins, dried cranberries, dried peaches) or vegetables (such as carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices). These foods will provide fiber, vitamins and nutrients and at the same time will keep blood sugar levels from plummeting.

The easiest and quickest way to stop the sugar habit? This would be to go cold turkey. Gradually trying to cut down is not likely to work as well. Coming off sugar may be hard, but cravings will subside after the first few days and the individual concerned will likely be astounded at the increase in energy levels he or she experiences.

If stress is given as the reason for turning to sugar, alleviate stress in other ways. Find the route cause and change the situation if possible. Exercise is an excellent stress-buster and will improve overall health.

Sources:

www.americanheart.org

Duyff, R. American Dietetic Association's Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. Third addition. Wiley & Sons. NJ. 2006

http://www.radiantrecovery.com/addi...

Western diets stimulates genes for "fat"

(NaturalNews) New research published in The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) has found that the "Western" diet, typically high in sugar and fat, may be responsible for activating genes that signal the body to become fatter. According to scientists, the body's response to high amounts of energy-dense food is to activate the kappa opioid receptor which triggers increased fat storage.

Researchers arrived at this conclusion by conducting an experiment on two groups of mice. One group had its kappa opioid receptors genetically deactivated while the other remained intact. Both groups were fed diets high in fat and sugar for 16 weeks. At the end of 16 weeks, the group with the deactivated receptor remained lean while the control group gained significant weight.

Besides limiting their bodies' ability to store energy-dense food in their fat stores, the mice whose receptors had been deactivated were noted to also have a limited ability to assimilate and store nutrients from the foods they ingested.

Traci Ann Czyzyk-Morgan, one of the study's researchers, indicated that the findings prove the hypothesis long held by many in the scientific community that the kappa opioid receptor may be responsible for causing widespread obesity in Western countries. She and others continue to encourage people to avoid diets high in fat and sugar.

Now that they better understand the process by which fatty, sugary foods turn to fat, those in the medical community are seeking other options as well, including therapeutic ways of deactivating the receptors in order to help curb obesity.

Foods to increase bone desity

Use Tips from David Wolfe to Increase Bone Density

Saturday, December 05, 2009 by: Barbi Trejo
http://www.naturalnews.com/027660_David_Wo...ne_density.html


The well-known author and supporter of the raw-vegan lifestyle, David Wolfe (www.davidwolfe.com) states that, "Calcium does not build bones. This is one of the biggest misconceptions ever." He states that silicon and magnesium are the keys to increasing bone density. So, stop taking calcium and start taking silicon and magnesium to increase your bone density.

Foods that contain silicon include bell peppers, soybeans, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, alfalfa, beets, brown rice, rice bran, rice hulls, rolled oats, nettles, hemp leaf and horsetail.

Magnesium is found in nuts such as cashews, almonds, macadamia and cacao. Foods like halibut, avocados, oatmeal, baked potatoes and spinach also contain magnesium. Make sure you are adding plenty of green leafy vegetables to your diet, as they are foods rich in magnesium. They are also a good source for calcium and silicon.

Raw chocolate and cacao are not only a great source of magnesium; they are also beneficial for the teeth, as chocolate destroys Streptococcus, the organism that causes cavities. According to David, the tooth's worst enemy is sugar; chocolate is beneficial.

David Wolfe's Super Foods:

David recommends including super foods and herbs in your diet by adding them (in powder form) to meals or by brewing teas with these beneficial herbs and foods. He recommends 1-3 capsules of silica from horsetail extract daily. The herbs and super foods contain all the vitamin, mineral and protein requirements, glyconutrient requirements, essential fatty acid requirements, immune system requirements and more.

David's top super herbs include: vanilla bean, pau d'arco, cat's claw, chanca piedra, camu camu berry and horsetail.

The top super foods include: goji berries, cacao beans (cacao nibs, cacao powder, cacao butter), maca (regular maca, red maca), acai, bee pollen, honey, blue-green algae, aloe vera, noni, yacon root (powder and syrup), hemp seed, Incan berries and kelp.

David Wolfe's Favorite Teas:

1. Horsetail, alfalfa, nettles and cat's claw.

2. Gogi berry, vanilla, pau d'arco, cat's claw, nettles and horsetail. According to Wolfe, "They are amazing."

3. Goji berry, vanilla bean and pau d'arco.

4. Mushroom tea consisting of reishi and maitaki. Mushroom tea is made using the same method as is used for herbal teas; the herbs or the mushrooms are not boiled.

How David Wolfe Makes His Teas:

David slowly heats high-quality water (preferably spring water) to no more than 170 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water cools, he adds the herbs. He suggests using a stainless steel pot.

David added, "Every herbalist that I knew when I was a kid - Chinese medical doctors said you have to boil it, you have to boil it. I never boil it and it's perfectly fine. In fact, it's the best ever."

In addition, David takes horsetail tinctures daily. MariaTrebens, (www.mariatrebens.com) offers the following recipes for teas and tinctures:

Tincture - Place 10gm of fresh horsetail in 50gm of vodka or whiskey. Place the mixture in the sun for 14 days. Shake the bottle daily.

Infusion or tea - Pour 1/2 liter of boiling water over 2 heaping teaspoons of dried horsetail.

The Swiss herbalist, Abbe Kuenzle says, "All people from a certain age on should drink a cup of Horsetail tea every day all year round and all pain caused by rheumatism, gout and nerves would disappear and every person would have a healthy old age."

Horsetail should be stored in a well-sealed container in a cabinet, away from the light.

Black strap molasses- EXCELLENT !

Health Benefits

Blackstrap molasses is a sweetener that is actually good for you. Unlike refined white sugar and corn syrup, which are stripped of virtually all nutrients except simple carbohydrates, or artificial sweeteners like saccharine or aspartame, which not only provide no useful nutrients but have been shown to cause health problems in sensitive individuals, blackstrap molasses is a healthful sweetener that contains significant amounts of a variety of minerals that promote your health.

Iron for Energy

In addition to providing quickly assimilated carbohydrates, blackstrap molasses can increase your energy by helping to replenish your iron stores. Blackstrap molasses is a very good source of iron. Particularly for menstruating women, who are more at risk for iron deficiency, boosting iron stores with blackstrap molasses is a good idea--especially because, in comparison to red meat, a well known source of iron, blackstrap molasses provides more iron for less calories and is totally fat-free. Iron is an integral component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen from the lungs to all body cells, and is also part of key enzyme systems for energy production and metabolism. And, if you're pregnant or lactating, your needs for iron increase. Growing children and adolescents also have increased needs for iron. Just 2 teaspoons of blackstrap molasses will sweetly provide you with 13.3% of the daily recommended value for iron.

A Spoonful of Molasses Helps Your Calcium Needs Go Down

Blackstrap molasses is a very good source of calcium. Calcium, one of the most important minerals in the body, is involved in a variety of physiological activities essential to life, including the ability of the heart and other muscles to contract, blood clotting, the conduction of nerve impulses to and from the brain, regulation of enzyme activity, and cell membrane function. Calcium is needed to form and maintain strong bones and teeth during youth and adolescence, and to help prevent the loss of bone that can occur during menopause and as a result of rheumatoid arthritis. Calcium binds to and removes toxins from the colon, thus reducing the risk of colon cancer, and because it is involved in nerve conduction, may help prevent migraine attacks. Two teaspoons of blackstrap molasses will meet 11.8% of your daily needs for calcium.

An Energizing Mineral-Dense Sweetener

Molasses is also an excellent source of copper and manganese and a very good source of potassium, and magnesium.

Copper, an essential component of many enzymes, plays a role in a wide range of physiological processes including iron utilization, elimination of free radicals, development of bone and connective tissue, and the production of the skin and hair pigment called melanin. Numerous health problems can develop when copper intake is inadequate, including iron deficiency anemia, ruptured blood vessels, osteoporosis, joint problems such as rheumatoid arthritis, brain disturbances, elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduced HDL (good) cholesterol levels, irregular heartbeat, and increased susceptibility to infections. Using two teaspoons of blackstrap molasses to sweeten your morning cereal and the coffee or tea you drink during the day will supply you with 14.0% of the daily recommended value for copper.

That same amount of blackstrap molasses will also provide you with 18.0% of the day's needs for manganese. This trace mineral helps produce energy from protein and carbohydrates, and is involved in the synthesis of fatty acids that are important for a healthy nervous system and in the production of cholesterol that is used by the body to produce sex hormones. Manganese is also a critical component of an important antioxidant enzyme called superoxide dismutase. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is found exclusively inside the body's mitochondria (the oxygen-based energy factories inside most of our cells) where it provides protection against damage from the free radicals produced during energy production.

Like calcium, potassium plays an important role in muscle contraction and nerve transmission. When potassium is deficient in the diet, activity of both muscles and nerves can become compromised. Potassium is an especially important mineral for atheletes since it is involved in carbohydrate storage for use by muscles as fuel and is also important in maintaining the body’s proper electrolyte and acid-base (pH) balance. When potassium levels drop too low, muscles get weak, and athletes tire more easily during exercise, as potassium deficiency causes a decrease in glycogen (the fuel used by exercising muscles) storage. Simply by adding two teaspoons of blackstrap molasses to your morning smoothie, you can supply 9.7% of your potassium needs for the day along with a healthy dose of carbohydrates to burn.

Calcium's balancing major mineral, magnesium is also necessary for healthy bones and energy production. About two-thirds of the magnesium in the human body is found in our bones. Some helps give bones their physical structure, while the rest is found on the surface of the bone where it is stored for the body to draw upon as needed. Magnesium, by balancing calcium, helps regulate nerve and muscle tone. In many nerve cells, magnesium serves as Nature's own calcium channel blocker, preventing calcium from rushing into the nerve cell and activating the nerve. By blocking calcium's entry, magnesium keeps our nerves (and the blood vessels and muscles they ennervate) relaxed. If our diet provides us with too little magnesium, however, calcium can gain free entry, and the nerve cell can become overactivated, sending too many messages and causing excessive contraction. Insufficient magnesium can thus contribute to high blood pressure, muscle spasms (including spasms of the heart muscle or the spasms of the airways symptomatic of asthma), and migraine headaches, as well as muscle cramps, tension, soreness and fatigue. In two teaspoons of blackstrap molasses, you will receive 7.3% of the daily value for magnesium.

Switching from nutrient-poor sweeteners like white sugar or corn syrup, or from potentially harmful fake sweeteners like aspartame or saccharin to nutrient-dense blackstrap molasses is one simple way that eating healthy can sweeten your life.

Description

The truth behind the phrase “slow as molasses” becomes apparent when you reflect on molasses’s thick, viscous, syrupy texture. Featuring a robust bittersweet flavor, blackstrap molasses helps create the distinctive taste of dishes such as baked beans and gingerbread. Blackstrap molasses is very dark in color, having a black-brown hue.

Blackstrap molasses is just one type of molasses, the dark liquid that is the byproduct of the process of refining sugar cane into table sugar. Blackstrap molasses is made from the third boiling of the sugar syrup and is therefore the concentrated byproduct left over after the sugar’s sucrose has been crystallized.

History

Molasses has been imported into the United States from the Caribbean Islands since the time of the early colonists. In fact, it was the most popular sweetener used until the late 19th century since it was much more affordable than refined sugar, which was very expensive at that time.

In some respects, molasses has had a rather sticky history with at least two important historical events centering around this sweet food product. The first is the Molasses Act of 1733, a tariff passed by England to try to discourage the colonists from trading with areas of the West Indies that were not under British rule. This legislation is thought to be one of the events that catalyzed pre-revolutionary colonial dissent and unrest.

It is not often that a fateful tragedy occurs that centers around a food, but unfortunately, in 1919, one such event did occur. The event is referred to as the Great Molasses Flood and occurred when a molasses storage tank holding over two million gallons of molasses broke, and its sticky content came pouring throughout the city streets of Boston, Massachussetts, traveling as fast as 35 miles per hour and creating a thirty foot tidal wave of sweetener. Unfortunately, this was not a sweet matter as twenty-one people died and significant amounts of property was destroyed.

Blackstrap molasses gained in popularity in the mid-20th century with the advent of the health food movement. Today, the largest producers of molasses are India, Brazil, Taiwan, Thailand, the Phillipines and the United States.

How to Select and Store

Look for blackstrap molasses that is unsulphured since not only does it not contain this processing chemical to which some people are sensitive, but it has a cleaner and more clarified taste. Blackstrap molasses made from organic sugar cane is also available in some markets.

Molasses should be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator or a cool, dry place. Unopened containers should keep for about one year, while opened containers should keep for about six months.

Blackstrap Cane Molasses
2.00 tsp
32.12 calories

Nutrient, Amount, DV(%), Nutrient density, World's Healtiest Food rating

manganese 0.36 mg ...... 18.0 .... 10.1 excellent
copper ....... 0.28 mg ...... 14.0 ..... 7.8 excellent
iron ............ 2.39 mg ..... 13.3 ..... 7.4 very good
calcium ...... 117.53 mg .. 11.8 ..... 6.6 very good
potassium . 340.57 mg ... 9.7 ...... 5.5 very good
magnesium 29.38 mg ..... 7.3 ...... 4.1 very good
vitamin B6 . 0.10 mg ....... 5.0 ...... 2.8 good
selenium ... 2.43 mcg ..... 3.5 ....... 1.9 good

amount 2.00 tsp
total weight 13.67 g

Basic Components
nutrient amount %DV

calories 32.12
calories from fat 0.00
calories from saturated fat 0.00
protein 0.00 g
carbohydrates 8.31 g
dietary fiber 0.00 g 0.00
soluble fiber 0.00 g
insoluble fiber 0.00 g
sugar - total 5.85 g
monosaccharides 2.09 g
disaccharides 3.68 g
other carbs 2.46 g
fat - total 0.00 g
saturated fat 0.00 g
mono fat 0.00 g
poly fat 0.00 g
trans fatty acids 0.00 g
cholesterol 0.00 mg
water 3.92 g
ash 1.12 g
Vitamins
nutrient amount %DV
vitamin A IU 0.00 IU 0.00
vitamin A RE 0.00 RE
A - carotenoid 0.00 RE 0.00
A - retinol 0.00 RE
A - beta carotene 0.00 mcg
thiamin - B1 0.00 mg 0.00
riboflavin - B2 0.01 mg 0.59
niacin - B3 0.15 mg 0.75
niacin equiv 0.15 mg
vitamin B6 0.10 mg 5.00
vitamin B12 0.00 mcg 0.00
biotin -- mcg --
vitamin C 0.00 mg 0.00
vitamin D IU 0.00 IU 0.00
vitamin D mcg 0.00 mcg
vitamin E alpha equiv 0.00 mg 0.00
vitamin E IU 0.00 IU
vitamin E mg 0.00 mg
folate 0.14 mcg 0.04
vitamin K 0.00 mcg 0.00
pantothenic acid 0.12 mg 1.20
Minerals
nutrient amount %DV
boron -- mcg
calcium 117.53 mg 11.75
chloride -- mg
chromium -- mcg --
copper 0.28 mg 14.00
fluoride -- mg --
iodine -- mcg --
iron 2.39 mg 13.28
magnesium 29.38 mg 7.34
manganese 0.36 mg 18.00
molybdenum -- mcg --
phosphorus 5.47 mg 0.55
potassium 340.57 mg
selenium 2.43 mcg 3.47
sodium 7.52 mg
zinc 0.14 mg 0.93

HEALING PROPERTIES OF MOLASSES

http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/molasses.html

6 yea - curing Anemia
2 yea - curing Constipation
1 yea - controlling Diabetes
2 yea - growing Nails
1 yea - curing Tumors in dogs
2 yea - curing Arthritis in 2 weeks
1 yea - curing Acne
2 yea - turning gray hair to brown!
3 yea - giving energy

Fermented vegetables and their benefit

(NaturalNews) Eating fermented vegetables can be one of the best things for overall health. Fermentation is an excellent way to preserve food, ensuring fresh vitamin-rich food all winter. It also infuses the body with beneficial microflora which can keep you healthy and strong.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are five tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and pungent. All five tastes need to be eaten for optimum health. Fermented vegetables have a "sour" taste, which is under-eaten in this country. The sour taste corresponds to the wood element and benefits the liver and gall bladder.

Healthy bacterial cultures such as Lactobacillus are present in cultured vegetables. The more healthy microflora one has the more the body`s receptors are blocked when exposed to dangerous bacteria and viruses. Fermented vegetables are high in antioxidants and benefit health in many ways, including:

Preserving nutrients and breaking them down into more easily digestible forms

Creating new cultures, which then create B vitamins such as folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin and biotin

Removing toxins from food: all grains contain phytic acid which blocks absorption of zinc, calcium, iron and magnesium. Soaking and fermenting grains neutralizes the phytic acid.

Promoting digestive health by flooding the intestines with beneficial microflora



Sandor Ellix Katz, author of Wild Fermentation credits fermented foods as being key to his superb health and energy, despite living with AIDS for many years. Many healing diets including macrobiotics and Ann Wigmore`s raw food and wheatgrass diet use fermented foods as a way to regain health. Macrobiotics uses miso - a fermented soybean paste - as well as tempeh and tamari, two other cultured soy products. Ann Wigmore`s diet uses rejuvelac, a beverage made from fermented sprouted grains.

Beneficial bacteria are readily available on vegetables and in the air, so no starter culture is necessary. Simply provide the right environment with:

Unrefined sea salt, which inhibits unwanted bacteria

Liquid, which prevents the vegetables from molding.



Cabbage is often used as the base because it is loaded with the beneficial bacteria required. Other vegetables, such as carrots, scallions, and broccoli, can also be added.



Cabbage is often used as the base because it is loaded with the beneficial bacteria required. Other vegetables, such as carrots, scallions, and broccoli, can also be added.

To make delicious fermented vegetables:



Chop or grate your chosen vegetables into tiny pieces. The smaller they are the more readily they will release their liquids and faster they will culture.

Mix all vegetables in a large bowl.

Use the salt liberally while mixing, to taste. A quart of sauerkraut will have at least 1 to 3 Tbsp of salt.

As you are mixing the vegetables you will find liquid is being released.

Pour the liquid and the vegetables into a jar.

Press down to release any air bubbles and to submerge the vegetables completely.



Large cabbage leaves can be rolled and pressed down on top to keep the vegetables submerged. A weight such as a smaller jar filled with water can be placed on top. Cover with a cloth to keep insects out. Or simply cap the jar once the vegetables are submerged (without adding the weight). Open the jar daily to release the pressure and to taste your kraut.

The vegetables should be kept at room temperature for at least 4 to 7 days. The warmer it is the faster they will culture. Some people culture their vegetables for weeks to months. Once you like the way they taste place the jar in the refrigerator where it should keep indefinitely.

References

Katz, Sandor Ellix. Wild Fermentation. Chelsea Green Publishing. 2003.

Gates, Donna. The Body Ecology Diet. Body Ecology. 2002.

Pitchford, Paul. Healing with Whole Foods. North Atlantic Books. 2003.

http://www.ChiDiet.com: Ann Wigmore and Rejuvelac