Ways To Reduce Inflamed Arteries - Without Drugs

The experts predict that as a result of a study, which seemed to show that the statin drug Crestor lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes in those with high levels of inflammation, will lead to millions of people being put on statin drugs. But the benefits were actually tiny -- about 0.72 percent of the statin takers in the trial had a heart attack or stroke, compared with 1.5 percent of those taking placebos.

As an alternative to going on a statin drug that comes with dangerous side effects, you may want to try these five measures first:

1. Stop smoking. Smoking hardens the arteries and increases inflammation. But research shows you can reverse all the damaging effects to your arteries within 10 years of quitting.

2. Think olive oil, fish, and nuts. People who stick with a Mediterranean-style diet based on fruits, vegetables, nuts, and olive oil can lower their levels of inflammation. It works by increasing the amount of foods you eat that are rich in omega-3 fats, which fight inflammation.

3. Get active. Exercise is a great way to lower inflammation without any of the side effects associated with medications.

Shrink your waist size. If you're a woman with a waist measurement of over 35 inches or a man with a waist of over 40 inches, you probably have high inflammation. Whittling a few inches off the waist by reducing your portions and increasing activity can go a long way toward solving that problem.

4. Get enough sleep. A new study shows that elderly people with high blood pressure who sleep less than 7.5 hours a night have dramatically elevated chances of having a stroke or heart attack. Other research has shown that both too little and too much sleep increases inflammation. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says most adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night.

5. Reduce stress. High levels of stress hormones can lead to the release of excess inflammatory chemicals.

Source: U.S. News & World Report November 11, 2008

Do You Need a Nutritional Supplement

There are nutritionists that claim vitamins and supplements do less than promised and that we should simply eat healthier whole foods to provide for our dietary needs. These claims are not without merit. Many of the supplements on the market today do not deliver the nutrition that they claim because they are not bioavailable.

Ideally, all of us would derive our complete nutrition from a balanced and wholesome diet. But the reality is that our modern lifestyles make it hard or impossible to find time to prepare the foods that our bodies truly need. It is also inconvenient and very expensive to do. Here are some things to tell you whether you need additional supplementation or more real live whole food nutrition in your diet.

• If you’re not getting multiple servings of a variety of vegetables and fruits every day, it’s unlikely that you’ll be taking in the necessary amounts of minerals and vitamins that you body needs for optimal health.

• If you’re on a restricted-calorie diet, you may not be fulfilling your daily requirements. This is primarily due to not eating a wide variety of foods, which makes it very difficult to get all of the essential nutrition your body needs.

• If you are considering becoming pregnant, or are already pregnant, your body’s needs are different. You’ll need more calcium, iron and folate. The extra iron is needed for red blood cell health, in order to stave off fatigue. Folate is generally recommended to protect against fetal spinal defects, like spina bifida.

• If you are postmenopausal, you need additional nutritional support. This period of life is marked by drops in estrogen production which can lead to bone loss. It’s imperative that you receive additional calcium and vitamin D, which is necessary for your body to process calcium to strengthen bones.

• If you drink alcohol heavily or smoke tobacco, your body’s ability to absorb nutrients can be impaired. Taking supplements won’t reverse the effects of these unhealthy habits, but they may help to offset some of the damage done to your body.

It certainly seems that the majority of us could use additional whole nutrition provided by fruits and vegetables that are recognized by the body instead of synthetic pills that your body has a hard time recognizing because they are manufactured nutrients.

Blueberries - This Months SuperFood

We sing the blues but shouldn't we eat the blues, too? Most of us encounter blueberries very minimally: folded into muffins or sprinkled into fruit salads. However, science has been extremely invested in this pebble-sized super food as of late, conducting countless studies on this small wonder. Let's put it this way: if the blueberry were a Broadway play, a star-studded lineup of nutrients would be on the Playbill.

Little Friends with Big Benefits

Blueberries have a low glycemic index. A ½ cup serving of blueberries is just 40 calories, containing nutrients like potassium and iron as well and vitamin C. Blueberries also provide dietary fiber, in fact, two grams in ½ cup serving. This equals the amount of fiber in a slice of whole wheat bread.

They may be small but they pack a powerful punch. Health Magazine listed blueberries as the top source of antioxidant activity in their Guide to 50 Super Foods a while ago.

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, their high level of antioxidants helps the body to slow the process of aging and protect cells against damage.

Blueberries are particularly rich in the antioxidants known as anthocyannins, which are also present in blackberries, radishes, red cabbage, grapes and apples. Blueberries are lovers of the brain. In fact, some neuroscientists call it the brain berry.

The Bluer the Berry

Foods that are blue or purple in hue are often overlooked in our diets. These colors deeply promote urinary tract health, memory function and encourage healthy aging with their vast array of phytochemicals such as phenolics and the aforementioned anthocyannins.

Next time you pass by them in the supermarket, you should swipe a carton or two. Give your body a chance to sing the blues.

Whole Foods Provide Nutritional Balance

Every day thousands of individuals walk the vitamin aisles of health food stores baffled by the hundreds of choices of bottles of pills and tablets on the shelves. Then a more difficult challenge arises. Most hard and difficult-to-swallow pills are only absorbed between 10% and 20% because our stomach was not designed to digest rocks and indigestible binders. The remainder of the so called nutritional pills are filtered out of the body by the kidneys and the liver and they can be found in abundant supply in the nation's sewer plants.

Is it time you stop wasting your hard earned money on vitamin pills, mineral pills and capsules? Join the hundreds of thousands of other health like minded individuals that are becoming more determined to receive the health benefits of eating live whole foods that provide nutrition to the body in natures perfect balance the way it was intended.

If your lifestyle prevents you for eating whole food in adequate quantities, there are now real live whole foods on the market that are a convenient intelligent alternative. Find out more.

Gas Prices Can Affect Your Health!

Are you feeling the pinch with food prices rising due to the increased cost of fuel? Many people are opting for lower-priced processed food products, replacing meat with more carbohydrate-based meals and waiting for specials before buying. More and more unhealthy processed foods are being purchased and consumed. What affect does this have on your body?

Be careful because over time, the experts warn, proper nutrition is crucial to long term health. This could lead to a higher incidence of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes already being reported.

With food prices going up between 10 and 20 per cent, consumers are finding it more difficult to buy nutritious organic live whole foods. This causes the consumers to control their spending habits that can result in purchasing less nutritious food. As a result, shoppers, particularly those with lower incomes, are choosing less expensive food items that lack adequate nutrition that they would normally get from whole foods and whole food supplements.

I choose to eat whole foods containing the proper nutrition to stay healthy and cut expenses in other areas. Your body is not like a car. You cannot buy a new one, so keep what you have healthy for life. Fuel your body with the proper nutrition all of the time because your health is priceless.

Can The Sodas

Gary Foster, director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University and colleagues have just completed a two year study. Five Philadelphia elementary schools replaced sodas with fruit juice. They scaled back snacks and banished candy. They handed out raffle tickets for wise food choices. They spent hours teaching kids, their parents and teachers about good nutrition.

The results were phenomenal. The number of students who became overweight during the two-year experiment was a full 50% less than the number of kids who became overweight in schools that didn’t make these changes. The findings are published in the April, 2008, issue of the journal Pediatrics.

In the five test schools, juice, water and low-fat milk replaced sodas. Snacks had to meet limits for fat, salt and sugar. Students who ate healthy snacks got raffle tickets to win prizes such as bikes and jump ropes.

But the schools can’t do it all on their own – the biggest challenge to schools is that kids drink sodas and eat junk food at home – so they come to school expecting to do the same. As parents, imagine the difference we could make if all of us made these same simple changes in our homes.

Wholefood Farmacy foods taste great, they’re convenient, kids love them and can help you to take that first step in the right direction.

Dangerous Ingredients Lurking in our Food Supply

Here are examples of what is in many of our foods today unknown and unseen by the general public.

• Hormones, steroids, antibiotics found in animal products
Research shows these compounds can be absorbed by fruits and vegetables grown in soil treated with manure from animals fed antibiotics.

• Toxins and pollutants from contaminated soil and water
These can stay in our environment years after they've been banned, such as DDT.

• Pesticides, fertilizers and fumigants
These are unnatural compounds.

• MSG (Monosodium Glutamate}
MSG is a neurotoxic flavor enhancer that's hidden in many foods.

• Partially hydrogenated oil
Gives baked goods and snacks longer shelf life but contains high levels of trans fat.

• High fructose corn syrup-With a high glycemic index, it converts to fat more than any other sugar. Usually made with genetically modified corn and genetically modified
enzymes.

• Genes from bacteria, viruses, plants, animals and even humans inserted into plants like soybeans, corn, canola and cotton
Unlike traditional breeding, genetic engineering can create life forms that would normally never exist in nature.

•Artificial colors and flavorings
Artificial colors are chemical compounds made mainly from coal-tar; artificial flavors are cheaply produced chemical mixtures that mimic natural flavors.

• Artificial sweeteners
Despite claims that these are "safe" food additives, remember they are not natural. For example, aspartame is made up of three chemicals.

• Benzoate preservatives-These are phenolic compounds often added to food to preserve fats and prevent fats from becoming rancid; these preservatives produce low levels of hormones.
The result? Food that has been denatured - stripped of much of its nutritional value and integrity. Food that could potentially cause health issues.