Lycopene in Tomatoes May Ward Off Heart Disease, Stroke, and Prostate Cancer

Scientists say the naturally occurring antioxidant lycopene, found in abundance in tomatoes, helps block the body from absorbing “bad” LDL cholesterol. This bad cholesterol is primarily responsible for clogging arteries.

In its natural form, lycopene gives tomatoes their red color, but is also poorly absorbed by the human body. Now scientists at the British Cardiovascular Society say a new supplement derived from tomatoes “can reduce the oxidation of harmful fats in the body to almost zero within eight weeks,” according to a report by the BBC. The supplement, Ateronon, provides a modified form of lycopene that is readily used by the body. The modified lycopene compound was originally developed by Swiss food giant Nestle.

Early evidence suggest that the supplement “could be much more effective than statin drugs currently used by doctors to treat high cholesterol,” according to the report.
We are eager to hear the reaction of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They have created a “Catch-22” situation in which:

• All drugs must be FDA-approved.
• The FDA defines “drugs” as “articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease,” even if those substances are naturally occurring.

• If a substance has not been declared an FDA-approved drug, no health claims may be made about it, regardless of the scientific backing for the claim.

Case in point: In 2005, the FDA banned information about the scientifically proven health benefits of cherries from appearing on websites, calling cherries “unapproved new drugs.” And more recently, they said the maker of Cheerios cannot claim any health benefits of the cereal lest they too be declared a new drug.

Source:  American Association for Health Freedom

Posted:  True Health Is True Wealth

Related Resources:

• The Drug Story
• Western Medicine - Forbidden Cures
• The Neglected Nutritional Research of Dr. Weston Price, DDS
• Big Red Juice
• Sanoviv Medical Center

Eating Salads Can Make You Fat

 

Eating Salad Could Be Making You Fat!

 

America's Worst Salads
It takes a uniquely American brand of innovation to transform a healthy helping of produce into a green monster.

 

No meal on the planet carries a healthier reputation than salad, and because of that, our fast food merchants know they can hide gobs of fat-riddled toppings amidst the foliage. So most of today's salad entrees are swimming in as much fat and sodium as a heaping plate of cheese fries -- and that's before the greens are drowned in dressing.

 

Looking to capitalize on our belief in the almighty leaf, restaurants and fast-food chains have loaded their menus with dubious salads, and diners are grazing away, like sheep before the slaughter. Reports from the National Restaurant Association and the USDA show salad sales up by as much as 50% over the past decade.

So how did the salad leap from a nutritional boon to a full-blown health hazard? Over the past decade the restaurant industry has surreptitiously merged our growing affinity for greens with two other scary restaurant trends -- bigger portions and more fried foods.

 

That's why today's fresh produce increasingly is freighted with more crumbled cheese, greasy bacon, pan-browned beef, and oily dressing. The one-time rabbit food now looks a lot more like pig slop.

 

Chili's Caesar Salad w/ Grilled Chicken and Caesar Dressing

  930 calories
  71 g fat (13 g saturated)
  1,840 mg sodium

 

The top three words you never want to see sharing a space with "salad" on a menu: tuna, taco, and yes, the mighty Caesar. Consider that tangle of romaine a hapless vehicle for the troubling trinity of croutons, parmesan cheese, and viscous Caesar dressing. Chili's version is the worst; the elephantine portion yields a salad with more fat than a dozen Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches from Breyers. (Maybe Brutus was right to take a knife to him, after all.)

 

Chili's Boneless Buffalo Chicken Salad

  1,070 calories

  78 g fat (15 g saturated)
  4,440 mg sodium

 

This twisted new concoction earns the dubious distinction of being America's Saltiest Salad, packing more sodium in a single bowl than you'll find in 77 cups of buttered popcorn. How can they possibly cram so much salt into a pile of greens? Simple, by mixing chunks of fried chicken with some of the food world's most sodium-riddled conspirators: wing sauce, crumbled bacon, bleu cheese, and fried tortilla strips.

 

Quiznos Chicken with Honey Mustard Flatbread Salad

  1,110 calories
  74 g fat (14.5 g saturated)
  2030 mg sodium

 

Surprised to see a Quizno's salad with nearly as many calories as five packages of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups? Don't be. Half the salads on the menu top 1,000 calories, and 330 of those calories come from the flatbread alone. (See if Quizno's and your other favorite eateries make the grade with this handy Restaurant Report Card.  If you don’t see their chart posted, ask for it.

 

Macaroni Grill Seared Sea Scallops Salad

  1,320 calories
  91 g fat (25 g saturated)
  2,860 mg sodium

Macaroni Grill manages to take two normally healthy food -- salad and seafood -- and turn them into the caloric equivalent of 29 Chicken McNuggets. Not to mention more than one day's worth of sodium, fat, and saturated fat. There's an important lesson here: Sea creatures, just like leafy greens, are at grave risk when they fall into the hands of the restaurant industry.

 

T.G.I. Friday's Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad

  1360 calories
  Fat: Unknown (The company refuses to disclose the nutritional content of the food they're serving you.)
  Sodium:  Turns out Friday's monster salads aren't much better than their burgers.

 

Six out of the seven we analyzed topped out with more than 900 calories, which means that lunchtime can be the start of something big -- namely, your belly.

 

Chevy's Fresh Mex Tostada Salad with Chicken
  1,551 calories
  94 g fat (37 g saturated)
  2,840 mg sodium

 

Steer clear of Mexican-themed salads; they invariably suffer from the caloric impact of fried tortillas, shredded cheese, and ice-cream-size scoops of sour cream. This particular Mex mess has nearly two days' worth of saturated fat and more than an entire day's sodium.

 

Salad Hall of Fame
Now that you've been warned of the greenest nutrition follies in the nation, here are seven salads worthy of their healthy reputation.

 

McDonald's Premium Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken

  300 calories
  10 g fat (1 g saturated)  890 mg sodium

Panera Classic Cafe Salad

  400 calories
  11 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
  270 mg sodium

Au Bon Pain Butternut Squash Salad

  280 calories
  6 g fat (4 g saturated)
  570 mg sodium

Jack in the Box Southwest Chicken Salad with Grilled Chicken Strips

  310 calories
  12 g fat (5 g saturated)
  840 mg sodium

Carl's Jr. Charbroiled Chicken Salad

  330 calories

 

By David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding

Sources:  MSNBC.com & MensHealth.com

You should always check the nutrition chart, especially at fast food restaurants before ordering.  Often making the fish or chicken sandwich choice is no healthier than the burger you really wanted.

 

Posted:  Marion's Place - Eating Salads Can Make You Fat 

 

Try GoChi for overall well-being and lose weight naturally with TaiSlim – The Weight Is Over!

 

 Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution

15 Ways to Hack Your Brain

If you’re looking to improve mental cognition, increase your memory, and enhance your alertness, here are 15 easy ways to help out your brain. 1. Exercise: More than 20 percent of your body’s blood and oxygen go directly to your brain. Exercise, particularly cardio training, effectively increases the flow to your brain, keeping it a well-oiled machine. But if you’d like something a little more Zen, try Yoga. Many Yoga poses, like Downward Facing Dog, are specifically engineered to get blood to your brain faster. 2. Hydrate: If you’re looking for a little pick-me-up, don’t reach for your usual double espresso. Instead try drinking water. The caffeine in coffee and soda may temporarily make you feel more alert, but in the long run will make you even more tired by dehydrating your muscles and constricting your blood vessels. Water, on the other hand, is a simple way to keep your mind alert and refreshed. 3. Find Stimulation: By decorating your work area brightly or switching your font color to something more vivid, you can work through boredom and fatigue. Aromatherapy can also be enormously effective, as smell is the strongest of the senses. Lemon, peppermint, and cypress are several scents known to stimulate the brain.  4. Think Happy Thoughts: Your brain, particularly your memory, doesn’t respond well to stress. If you’re tense, overwrought, or unhappy, you’re much less likely to retain information or stay alert. Try to eliminate stressful influences from your life and workplace. 5. Play Games: Studies with dementia patients have shown that playing word games and puzzles can increase and even restore mental cognitive abilities. 6. Watch Quality TV: Unfortunately, studies indicate that passively sitting in front of the TV is counterproductive. But if you must, choose a game or quiz shows like Jeopardy, and try to answer the questions. Even if you have never heard of the Federalist Papers, your brain will be stimulated in the same way as if you were playing Trivial Pursuit with your friends. 7. Surf the Net: A recent study at the University of California Los Angeles found that searching the Web stimulated centers in the brain that controlled decision-making and complex reasoning. A simple task like searching the Web appears to enhance brain circuitry. 8. Eat Brain Food: If you want to get peak mental performance from what you eat, here are a few things to remember. Protein is the main source of fuel for your brain. Your brain also needs foods rich in crucial vitamins and minerals, and it’s always better to get these from food rather than taking pills  …  • Vitamin A is needed to protect brain cell membranes • B Vitamins are essential for neuronal growth and vitality • Vitamin C is so vital for brain function that its levels in your brain are 15 times higher than anywhere outside your brain • Vitamin E prevents and actually reverses brain deterioration • Magnesium maintains the metabolic viability of neurons • Zinc rids your brain of impurities • Amino Acids are necessary to the growth and health of neurotransmitters 9. Load Up On Fish Oil: The omega -3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in fish oil keep the dopamine levels in your brain high, increase neuronal growth in the frontal cortex of the brain, and increase cerebral circulation. Krill oil is another excellent source of omega-3, and may even be superior to fish oil.  10. Eat Weeds: There are about a dozen or so ‘brain-boosting’ herbs, but the two most important are Ginkgo Biloba and Ginseng. Ginseng helps your brain adapt to stress agents by heightening the productivity of your adrenal glands. 11. Learn Something New: Very few people find the time to master new skills or even read a new book that isn‘t for work or class. But learning a foreign language, a new handcraft or recipe, or challenging yourself with an unfamiliar subject all increase brain growth. 12. Don’t Waste Time: The best way to organize your mind is to declutter your life. Maximize your time with a few personal alterations. Make and keep a list of daily and long-term priorities, and don’t let your focus wander.  13. Actively Improve Your Memory: The most effective way to remember facts is by forming multiple associations. For example, you may remember the date of your dentist appointment, because that number was the age of your favorite singer when he died. After that, repetition is a tried and true method of memorization. 14. Rest: Almost nothing is as crucial to proper and efficient brain functioning as sleep. 15. Have Sex: A lot happens to your body during sex, and much of it goes on in your brain. There is no activity that increases more blood flow to your brain, enhancing cognitive capabilities.  Having sex also produces hormones that dramatically improve brain functioning. One example includes the hormone oxytocin, which increases your ability to think of original solutions to a problem. Serotonin and dopamine, which surge after sex, help your creative thinking and support calm, logical decision-making. Sources: Brainz.org  &  Dr. Mercola

Chocolate - Dark Is The Key!

Think chocolate is one of the worst things for your skin? Think again. 

Skin expert, Dr. Amy Wechsler, has a recipe for hot chocolate that can make your skinglow. 

Dark Is Key
In one study, just 6 weeks of a daily dose of cocoa made skin smoother, better hydrated, and less sun sensitive. And 12 weeks did even more. All thanks to the skin-boosting antioxidants in cocoa, called flavonols. But it’s got to be dark chocolate, according to Wechsler. "Skip cocoa mixes, which don't have the same flavonol levels, and go for the real thing: dark, unadulterated cacao powder that contains 70 percent or more cacao," she writes in her new book,

Super Simple, Healthy Hot Cocoa
The secret to this easy recipe? Heat it slowly. Slow heat helps release the antioxidants. 

Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder with 70% or more cacao (such as Scharffen Berger natural cocoa powder or Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa)
2 teaspoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup skim or low-fat milk

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently (do not let it boil), stirring frequently, until cocoa is just beginning to steam. Pour into a mug and enjoy. 

Getting the right amount of antioxidants through diet or supplements can make your RealAge 6 years younger. 

Some Healthy Food Choices for Your Skin and Body Choose Nutrients Supplied Vegetables  Spinach, leaf lettuce, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes Vitamin A (carotenoids) Tomatoes, bell peppers Vitamin C Fruits  Papayas, mangoes, cantaloupe Vitamin A (carotenoids) Oranges, grapefruits Vitamin C Other Foods  Fortified whole-grain cereals (check label) Vitamins B, D, zinc, selenium Nuts, sunflower seeds Vitamin E, zinc Salmon, tuna Vitamins D, E, calcium, omega-3 oils, selenium, protein Vegetable oil Vitamins D, E Low-fat milk Vitamin A (retinol), calcium, zinc, selenium Eggs Vitamins A (retinol), E, B, zinc Legumes, dried beans Vitamins B, zinc

Also:  FreeLife's Himalayan Goji Juice or Go-Chi

Source:  RealAge

Protect Yourself From Killer Hospitals - Part 4

The greatest protection from killer hospitals or in any situation is knowledge!  Be aware.  Do your homework. Checkout the alternatives to surgery and prescription drugs!

There are a growing number of alternative health clinics around the world.  One I can recommend personally is Sanoviv Medical Center in Rosarito, Mexico... founded by Dr. Myron Wentz.

 

Alternative Healthcare:

Sanoviv Medical Institute 
"I invite you to experience the innovative medical diagnostics and therapies, detoxification, nutrition and serenity that Sanoviv offers - and to partner with us in helping you achieve true health." …Myron Wentz, Sanoviv Founder, Ph.D., Microbiology and Immunology

Other protective means are:

• Taking high quality nutritionals and other proven natural health products
  
• Get enough sleep
• Exercise regularly
• Drink lots of water
• Try alternative health treatments before surgery and drugs like:  acupuncture, chiropractic care, reflexology, natural herbs, etc
• Cut out or down on red meat, sugar and white flower products
• Don't smoke
• Limit alcohol intake
• Colonics and Colon Cleansing
• Learn and practice relaxation exercises
• Think positively

USANA Nutritionals
Himalayan Goji Juice
FreeLife Nutritionals
CanineCare by FreeLife for Dogs

ACT Natural Energy Drink

Where Are The Goji Berries?

"Where are the Goji berries?" ... is fast becoming the most-heard phrase in many health food stores around the world.

If you have not yet heard of goji juice, you will soon. The goji berry has occupied an important place in traditional Asian medicine for countless generations, but the secrets of its nutritional benefits have remained a mystery to most of the world until recently.

Many of the world's longest living people, in parts of the world where the average life span is 100 to 120 years old, consume regular daily helpings of a tiny red fruit that may just be the world's most powerful anti-aging food—the goji berry. Many of the legendary properties of lycium barbarum (Goji's Latin name) are being confirmed in modern scientific studies, and this has led to the possibility of even more far-reaching benefits. In addition to its anti-aging qualities, this little berry is showing that it can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells, reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol and cure morning sickness.

However there are many varieties of goji – as many as 41 species in Tibet alone, and like with grapes they are not all created equal!

December 01 - In the New York Times:
Running The Sahara - Documentary - Rating: NR

Starring: Matt Damon
Directed by: James Moll

PLOT DESCRIPTION

LivePlanet, Inc. founders Matt Damon and Ben Affleck team with Emmy-winning director James Moll to cover the most physically demanding marathon ever attempted as a three-man international expedition team attempts to run across the blistering-hot Sahara desert on foot with little more to drive them than a steady supply of FreeLife's Himalayan Goji Juice. With 4000 miles of treacherous terrain that stretches across Mali, Niger, Senegal, Libya, Egypt, and Mauritania, this punishing run offers the equivalent of two marathons a day for seventy-five days. No one has ever accomplished such a feat before, and if these brave adventurers reach their lofty goal they will have set the bar for human endurance to a spectacular new level. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide