As anyone who has a passion for donuts will confirm, an excess of sugar easily turns to fat in the body. This is the ingredient insanity of many low-fat foods. They may contain a low percentage of fats, but the amount of sugar (added to make the food more palatable) ends up producing the very condition consumers are trying to avoid in the first place—weight gain. Read the rest of this entry »
Sugar Cravings – What Happens to Sugar in Your Body
Glycemic Researches and Blood Sugar
For the past two decades, The Glycemic Research Institute has been conducting research on what dietary factors trigger insulin changes in the body. Scientists believe that by determining how the body metabolizes foods, they can gain insight into the varying effects of different foods on an individual. Insulin elevated by a particular food is calculated by a clinical rating system called the glycemic index. Read the rest of this entry »
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Fiber and Phytates
Good news/bad news—it never seems to fail. A new study comes out triumphantly heralding the miraculous benefits of a particular product and is soon followed by news alerts that warn of its dangers. The same was the case with fiber during the 70s.
The missionary surgeon, Dennis Burkitt, M.D., who came back to England from Africa rocked the nutritional world and popularized the word fiber for the world-wide lexicon. Read the rest of this entry »
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The Grain Products
Grain products, particularly breads, are the Western version of whole grains. In the Orient the most popular forms of grain products are noodles and dumplings, usually both included as soup ingredients.
In the West, we like our bread dry and usually toasted— we’re a nation of carbon lovers. Read the rest of this entry »
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Five Reasons for Eating Whole Grain and Five Reasons Why They are Avoided
Here are five benefits you derive by eating whole grains:
1. Regularity
Eating whole grain means you’ll be getting long-chain fibers, which take up water in the colon and expand to create bowel regularity. Often, when people first begin to eat whole grain and reduce foods and substances that stimulate bowel function (caffeine, sugar, tobacco, etc.), they complain that whole grain causes them to become constipated. In the beginning, you may experience several days of your bowels acting sluggish as they become accustomed to purging themselves without the help from stimulants. Within days, you’ll be amazed at your body’s adjustment to whole grain and a new kind of regularity you’ve probably never experienced. Read the rest of this entry »
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What are Whole Grains?
Whole grains are cereal grains with their bran intact. They have seven layers of protective fiber with hundreds of nutrients and micronutrients locked in. Botanically, wild rice and buckwheat are classified as seeds; however, for the sake of simplicity and due to their fiber content, here they are listed as a whole grain. There are also many varieties of native corn, traditionally know throughout the world as maize. General knowledge of corn today is limited to grits and the hybird variety that is actually considered a vegetable. Dried versions (grits and dried whole kernels) qualify more as a grain. Read the rest of this entry »
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Herbal Help for Insomnia
The following herbs are some of the most helpful for treating insomnia.
Mild Sleep Enhancing Herbs:
California poppy (Eschscholzia Californica) is a member of the opium poppy family. It contains natural chemicals that have a sedative effect similar to that of codeine, but it is much milder and not addictive. It is effective for nervous tension and anxiety that interfere with sleep. Pour one cup of boiling water over 2 teaspoons of dried herb, cover, and steep for 15 minutes. Strain, and sweeten if desired.
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) has been used for centuries as a mild tranquilizer, and in Germany it is a popular ingredient in herbal sedatives for insomnia. Read the rest of this entry »
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Carbohydrates
Intricately manufactured by plants as a way of storing energy from the sun, carbohydrates provide us with most of the energy we require for everyday functioning. For some people, the word carbohydrate sounds like a nutritional swear word; it conjures images of impossible-to-remove fat and memorable images of favorite treats from times past. Suddenly, you feel guilty for even thinking about such foods. The truth is simple, yet complex. Read the rest of this entry »
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Insomnia – What is it and how to prevent it
Most women need about seven or eight hours of sleep each night to wake up feeling refreshed. But many factors interfere with a good night’s rest, including stress, tension, anxiety, and depression. Insomnia, or difficulty falling or staying asleep, can also be caused by stimulants such as caffeine, and environmental factors such as loud noises and bright lights. The hormonal fluctuations that occur with PMS and menopause are also prime contributors to sleep difficulties. Over-the-counter and prescription sedatives are the most common treatments for insomnia, but although they knock you out they don’t provide restful sleep, and often cause grogginess and fatigue the next day. In addition, prescription sedatives are powerfully addictive, and even over-the-counter sedatives can be habit forming. Read the rest of this entry »
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Cancer: Detection, Prevention and Diet
The war on cancer in the United States has been mainly focused on detection. Detection has become our method of prevention. Medical organizations and the media routinely publicize the benefits of cancer detection by promoting breast, skin, and testicular self-examination as if they were methods of prevention, encouraging this deception. Read the rest of this entry »