Health Benefits of Red Wine

The French seem to know something about the health benefits of red wine. In a study that compared French and German red wines, the French red wines delivered a greater health benefit due to their higher level of antioxidants.

In 1991, the television program 60 minutes aired a report called The French Paradox. The program explored the heart attack rates of daily moderate wine drinkers in southern France; their rate is one of the lowest in the world, and their food among the unhealthiest.

One of the most studied antioxidants in red wine is resveratrol, a compound found in the seeds and skins of grapes. Red wine has a high concentration of resveratrol because the skins and seeds ferment in the grapes' juices during the red wine-making process. This prolonged contact during fermentation produces significant levels of resveratrol in the finished red wine.

Resveratrol is a type of polyphenol called a phytoalexin, a class of compounds produced as part of a plant's defense system against disease. It is produced in the plant in response to an invading fungus, stress, injury, infection, or ultraviolet irradiation. Red wine contains high levels of resveratrol, as do grapes, raspberries, peanuts, and other plants.Beliefs in the benefits of red wine got a boost in 2006 when Harvard Medical School researchers found that resveratrol made mice live longer, more active lives, even if the mice made pigs of themselves. The study, reported in the journal Nature, showed that with daily doses of resveratrol, middle-aged mice on an unhealthy, fat-heavy food regimen remained as healthy, or even healthier, than those eating much less fat.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, people who drink in moderation are different from non-drinkers or heavy drinkers in ways that could influence health and disease. Part of a national 1985 health interview survey showed that moderate drinkers were more likely than non-drinkers or heavy drinkers to be at a healthy weight, to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, and to exercise regularly.

The definition of moderate drinking is something of a balancing act. Moderate drinking sits at the point at which the health benefits of alcohol clearly outweigh the risks. The latest consensus places this point at one to two drinks per day for men, and one drink per day for women - moderation seems to be the key.

Hot Peppers May Kill Cancer

Capsaicin (pronounced: cap-say-a-sin) is the stuff that turns up the heat in jalapeños. Not only does it cause the tongue to burn, it also drives prostate cancer cells to self-destruct, according to studies published in the March 15, 2006, issue of Cancer Research.

According to a team of researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical and their colleagues from UCLA, the capsaicin in hot peppers caused human prostate cancer cells to undergo “programmed cell death”, a process otherwise known as apoptosis (pronounced: ap-op-toe-sys). Apoptosis is a natural process in many tissues that maintains a healthy balance between newer replacement cells and aged or worn out cells. In other words, the old worn out cells are naturally programmed to self-destruct. Cancer cells, on the other hand, often dodge this process by mutating the genes that participate in the process of apoptosis.

This new research showed that capsaicin induced approximately 80 percent of prostate cancer cells growing in mice to follow the molecular pathways leading to apoptosis. Moreover, prostate cancer tumors treated with capsaicin were about one-fifth the size of tumors in non-treated mice.

“Capsaicin had a profound anti-proliferative effect on human prostate cancer cells in culture,” said Sören Lehmann, M.D., Ph.D., visiting scientist at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the UCLA School of Medicine. “It also dramatically slowed the development of prostate tumors formed by those human cell lines grown in mouse models.

”Lehmann estimated that the dose of pepper extract fed orally to the mice was equivalent to giving 400 milligrams of capsaicin three times a week to a 200 pound man, roughly equivalent to between three and eight fresh habañera peppers per week – depending on the pepper’s capsaicin content.

The pepper extract also curbed the growth of prostate cancer cells through regulation of androgen receptors, the steroid activated proteins that control expression of specific growth relating genes. On top of all that, the hot pepper component also reduced cancer cell production of PSA, a protein that often is produced in high quantities by prostate tumors and can signal the presence of prostate cancer in men. PSA is regulated by androgens, and capsaicin limited androgen-induced increases of PSA in the cancer cell lines.

Habañeras are the highest rated pepper for capsaicin content according to the Scoville heat index. Habañera peppers, which are native to the Yucatan, typically contain up to 300,000 Scoville units. The more popular Jalapeño variety from Oaxaca, Mexico, and the southwest United States, contains 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units.

Olive Oil - Liquid Gold

In ancient Greece , Hippocrates, the father of Medicine, called it “the great therapeutic". Homer called it "liquid gold” and ancient Greek athletes ritually rubbed it all over their bodies. The health benefits of Olive Oil that had been known and applied for centuries in ancient Greece are now being rediscovered by modern day researchers.

A study published in the March 2004 issue of Medical Science Monitor reported that 2 tablespoons a day of olive oil added to an otherwise unchanged diet in 28 outpatients, ranging in age from 64 to 71, resulted in significant drops in total and LDL cholesterol.

Published studies link the judicious use of olive oil to reducing the effect of a growing list of ailments. For example, Greek women have a 42% lower rate of breast cancer than women in the U.S. Olive oil is recognized as important in maintaining metabolism and contributes to the development of the brain and bones in children. It is also recommended as a source of vitamin E for older people. A natural anti-oxidant, olive oil slows down the natural aging process. It also slows down acid overproduction in the digestive system thereby reducing the risk for ulcers and other gastrointestinal problems.

There is also a low incidence of skin cancer among Mediterranean populations, and olive oil consumption could be a contributing factor to this low skin cancer rate. Olive oil contains significantly higher amounts of Squalene than other seed oils, and Squalene is to a large extent transferred to the skin. German researchers believe that this transfer mechanism is probably accomplished by scavenging singlet oxygen generated by ultraviolet light. Japanese scientists also claim that virgin olive oil applied to the skin after sunbathing could protect against skin cancer by slowing tumor growth.

The Wholefood Farmacy’s Heart of Gold is made from Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Walnut Oil, Avocado Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Orange Oil, & 24 Carat Medicinal Gold. Use it as a sop for whole grain breads, make your own salad dressings or pour it on raw or steamed veggies!

Rejuvn8 is a refreshing whole food skin cleanser made from 100% cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Grape Seed oil, Sesame Seed Oil, Sea Salt, and Real Lime. It is excellent for deep cleansing and re-hydration of the face and body.

Pamper yourself, inside and out, with nature’s gift from the olive trees.

Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables

Eating your fruits and vegetables is a great recommendation for a healthy diet for good reason. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can help you ward off heart disease and stroke, control blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent some types of cancer and guard against cataract and macular degeneration, two common causes of vision loss.

How much do we really need? If you don't count potatoes - which should be considered a starch rather than a vegetable - the average American gets a total of just three servings of fruits and vegetables a day if that much. The latest dietary guidelines call for five to thirteen servings of fruits and vegetables a day, depending on one's caloric intake. For a person who needs 2,000 calories a day to maintain weight and health, this translates into nine servings, or 4½ cups per day.

Over the past 30 years or so, researchers have developed a solid base of science to back up what generations of mothers preached. Eating required amounts of fruits and vegetables for your nutritional needs will benefit your health as every no profit organization in the world will tell you.

If this is not possible due to your busy lifestyle, there is a new InstaFresh Juice called "The Feast" that is a convenient way to get your daily requirements of fruits and vegetables.

Citrus Fruit Benefits

These days, juicy, delicious oranges are practically synonymous with vitamin C. But did you know that America 's favorite fruit also provides healthful natural compounds called limonoids? In laboratory tests with animals and with human cells, citrus limonoids have been shown to help fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach, and colon.

Agricultural Research Service scientists in northern California led by chemist Gary D. Manners of the Western Regional Research Center in Albany have uncovered new details about these compounds. Their research has demonstrated that our bodies can readily access a limonoid called limonin, and all of its health-imparting properties, each time we bite into an orange. This is the first time that bioavailability has been shown in humans.

In some individuals, limonin remains in the bloodstream for up to 24 hours which is an impressive length of time. This longevity, or persistence, may help explain why limonoids fight the type of cancer cells which proliferate unless they are continuously suppressed.

A single orange provides 12.5% of the daily value for fiber, which has been shown to reduce high cholesterol levels and to prevent atherosclerosis. A single orange offers you over 170 different phytochemicals and more than 60 flavonoids, many of which have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and blood clot inhibiting properties, as well as strong antioxidant effects.

Although oranges are the major fruit in the citrus fruits group we shouldn't forget about the others such as Tangerines, Mandarines, Clementines , Satsumas, Lemons, Limes and Grapefruits.

Treat yourself and your children to a slice of life today!

Visit The Wholefood Farmacy

Are You Nuts?

Some fairly recent analyses of the Adventist Health Study findings showed a remarkable relationship between eating nuts and whole wheat bread, and experiencing a reduced risk for Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). These findings were the subject of a research article submitted by Dr. Fraser and his colleagues to the Archives of Internal Medicine, and published in its July 1992 issue.

The most outstanding findings of this part of the overall study show that nut consumption reduces the risk of both fatal and nonfatal coronary heart disease. Again, the researchers looked for a variety of ways to disprove the finding, adjusting the data for differences in age, sex, smoking habits, exercise, relative weight, and hypertension. The protective qualities of nuts remained statistically significant and essentially unchanged in magnitude.

Those individuals who ate nuts one to four times a week had 26% decrease in the risk of suffering from definite nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) and a 27% decrease in the risk of definite fatal coronary heart disease as compared to those who ate nuts less than once a week. However, those individuals who ate nuts five or more times a week had a 48% decrease in the risk of definite nonfatal heart attack and a 38% reduced risk of definite fatal CHD as compared to the group who ate nuts less than once a week.

Age- and sex-adjusted analyses of the associations between nut consumption and definite CHD were calculated for various subgroups within the Adventist Health Study. Results were examined to see if the association between nut consumption and CHD held up in different segments of the population. The consistency was quite remarkable and adds to the researchers' confidence in the importance of these findings.

Both "ever-smokers" and "never-smokers" showed a 46% decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease when they ate nuts five or more times a week. Study participants with normal blood pressure showed that eating nuts more than five times a week reduced their risk of coronary heart disease by 60% percent, and hypertensive individuals enjoyed a 30% decrease in risk compared to similar subjects who ate few nuts.

Nuts are widely used here at The Wholefood Farmacy and you can find them in many of our foods. In addition, the next time you go to the grocery store, spend a few minutes looking at all of the different types of nuts and consider them in place of other processed food snacks such as potato chips and cheese puffs. You'll love them, your kids will love them and your whole family will be much better off. Now is the best time to put your kids on a path that leads to health, vitality, longevity and happiness.

Healthy Living is Powerful

Dr. Dana King and his team of researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have just completed a very inspirational study. Dr. King and his team set out to find if middle-aged adults could reap the rewards of habits like eating vegetables and walking 30 minutes a day.

The researchers reported in June 2007 that middle-aged adults age 45 to 64 who began eating five or more fruits and vegetables every day, exercising for at least 2 1/2 hours a week, keeping weight down and not smoking decreased their risk of heart disease by 35 percent and risk of death by 40 percent in the four years after they started.

"The adopters of a healthy lifestyle basically caught up. Within four years, their mortality rate and rate of heart attacks matched the people who had been doing these behaviors all along," said Dr. Dana King at the Medical University of South Carolina, who led the research. Dr. King added "even if you have not had a healthy lifestyle previously, it's not too late to adopt those healthy lifestyle habits and gain almost immediate benefits."

The four key habits are eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables everyday, exercising for 2 ½ hours per week, not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight. The study participants who adopted all four healthy habits enjoyed a sharp decline in heart disease risk and in death from any cause.

It took all four -- having just three of the healthy habits yielded no heart benefits and a more modest decrease in overall risk of death. Still, said Dr. Nichola Davis at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, "These benefits are on a continuum. The more of the healthy habits that you can adapt, the better. ...These are modest changes that they're talking about."

The Whole Food Farmacy Foods offer you a convenient and delicious way to enjoy five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each and every day. How many servings have you, your family and your children had today?

Spice It Up!

New research shows that herbs and spices also pack a powerful punch when it comes to antioxidants. A USDA study looked at nearly 40 common herbs and spices to test their antioxidant activity. Oregano emerged as the leader of the pack.

Researchers found that oregano has 3 to 20 times more antioxidant activity than the other herbs studied. In fact, it has more than many fruits and vegetables. Oregano has 42 times more antioxidant activity than apples, 30 times more than potatoes, 12 times more than oranges and 4 times more than blueberries. But that's not the only herb or spice that can improve your health. Dill, thyme, sage, rosemary, ginger and even peppermint have high antioxidant levels too.

The main ingredient in curry is turmeric, from which a spice called Curcumin is derived. Dr. Sally Frautschy, Ph.D., is a researcher from UCLA who has done extensive testing on Curcumin. She says that "we accidentally found out that it blocks every single step in Alzheimer's pathogenesis and it kills nearly every cancer cell in the lab." In India, curry is part of the staple diet; they also have the lowest rates of Alzheimer's disease in the world.

Marcia Herrin, R.D., a nutritionist at the Dartmouth Medical School says "practically every herb and spice that's been studied has some health benefit," herbs and spices are loaded with antioxidants, but we may not be getting those benefits as much as we could. Herrin says Americans don't use many herbs and spices compared to the rest of the world.

Researchers also say that many of these antioxidants in herbs and spices are only absorbed by the body when they're eaten with fat, so recipes that include good fats to help your body to absorb and use the antioxidants.

You favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods are rich in a wide array of spices and combined with good fats from nuts and seeds so that your body will get the most benefit from all of the antioxidants that spices have to offer.

Understand Dietary Fiber

You don't usually see it or taste it, but fiber works wonders for your body. Dietary fiber, or roughage, is a known cancer fighter found only in the cell walls of plant foods. For years, studies have pointed to the fact that increased fiber intake decreases the risk of colorectal cancer.

According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (1999), this protective effect may be due to fiber's tendency to add bulk to your digestive system, shortening the amount of time that wastes travel through the colon. As this waste often contains carcinogens, it is best if it is removed as quickly as possible; so, increased fiber decreases chances for intestinal cells to be affected.

The Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1999) reported that Fiber may also help protect against breast cancer, an effect noted especially with consumption of whole grains and wheat bran. Additionally, studies suggest that high amounts of fiber may also prevent breast cancer by binding to estrogen. When bacteria in the lower intestine break down fiber, a substance called butyrate is produced which may inhibit the growth of tumors of the colon and rectum as reported in the Journal of Oncology Research in 2000. Fiber may also have a protective effect against mouth, throat, and esophageal cancers according to a study published in the International Journal of Cancer in 2001.

If you're like most North Americans, you take in only 10 to 15 grams of fiber per day. However, most studies have shown that optimal intake for cancer prevention is at least 30 to 35 grams per day. Recent studies suggest that small increases in fiber, such as adding vegetables to a chicken stir-fry or having a hamburger on a whole wheat bun, do not offer much protection. On the other hand, when we replace high-fat, animal products such as chicken, fish, cheese, and eggs with plant foods, we easily boost fiber to levels where real protection is possible.

Whole foods contain two types of dietary fiber which are known as soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and is found in a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains. It cuts cholesterol and adds to your feeling of fullness. Good sources of soluble fiber are oats, oat bran, oatmeal, apples, citrus fruits, strawberries, dried beans, barley, rye flour, potatoes, raw cabbage, and pasta.

As you may have guessed, insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and is found in whole grain brans, fruit pulp, and vegetable peels and skins. It is the type of fiber most strongly linked to cancer protection and improved waste removal. Good sources of insoluble fiber are wheat bran, whole wheat products, cereals made from bran or shredded wheat, crunchy vegetables, barley, grains, whole wheat pasta, and rye flour.

It is best to choose fiber-rich foods over fiber supplements in order to get the full range of the cancer-fighting phytochemicals that fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains contain. Wholefood Farmacy foods offer you a convenient and delicious way to enjoy whole grains each and every day.

Understand Whole Grains

Whole Grains are the seeds of plants that belong to the grass family. This seed, also known as the kernel, is made up of three key parts: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm.

A whole grain can be a single food, such as oatmeal, brown rice, barley, or popcorn, or an ingredient in another food such as bread or cereal. Whole grains include whole wheat, whole oats/oatmeal, whole-grain corn, popcorn, brown rice, whole rye, whole-grain barley, wild rice, buckwheat, bulgur (cracked wheat), millet, quinoa, and sorghum. Other less common whole grains include amaranth, emmer, farro, grano (lightly pearled wheat), spelt, and wheat berries.

Recent research reported in the May 2007 issue of the online journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, shows that Americans should eat more whole grains like oatmeal, barley and brown rice to help lower their risk of clogged arteries, heart attacks and strokes, according to researchers. The study's lead author, Dr. Philip B Mellen, of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina commented: "Many consumers and health professionals are not aware of the health benefits of whole grains".

In a review of seven major studies, the researchers found that higher whole grain intake was consistently linked to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. On average, adults who ate 2.5 servings of whole grains per day were nearly one-quarter less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than their peers who rarely consumed whole grains. Whole grains are believed to benefit the heart in a number of ways. The fiber and other nutrients in whole grains may help lower cholesterol, blood sugar and insulin levels, as well as improve blood vessel functioning and reduce inflammation in the circulatory system. Yet, surveys show that few Americans get the recommended three servings of whole grains per day, according to the authors of the new study. More than 40 percent of U.S. adults say they eat no whole grains at all.

The Wholefood Farmacy is proud to offer a wide variety of delicious, convenient meals and snacks that are rich in whole grains. Phi Plus, Cranberry Phi, Coco Cherry Phi are rich in whole grains. Our line of Farinas are all handcrafted using our custom whole grain blend that includes Cracked Wheat, Rye, Oats, Millet, Bulgur Wheat Brown Rice, and Quinoa.

Understand Free Radicals & Antioxidants

If you think back to your days in high school or college chemistry, you probably remember the topic of molecules. A molecule has a nucleus at the center and then a certain number of electrons that orbit around the nucleus. Normally, the molecules that make up your body are balanced; they have an even number of electrons.

A free radical is a molecule that has lost one of its electrons leaving it with an odd number of electrons.These unbalanced free radical molecules attempt to stabilize themselves by "stealing" an electron from another healthy molecule. The cells your body where this process is occurring can become injured. The cell may malfunction causing disease or even become malignant causing cancer. It is also widely believed that free radicals are one of the main causes of the aging process.

The body produces free radicals through normal metabolic pathways such as extracting energy from the food we eat. Exposure to the toxins in junk food or polluted air, for example, can also be sources of free radical production. In short, we are exposed to potential sources of free radical production every day of our lives.

Antioxidants are nutritional compounds in whole foods that have extra electrons. When an antioxidant comes in contact with a free radical - the antioxidant "donates" an electron to the free radical. This way, the free radical doesn't have to "steal" an electron from another healthy molecule and the damage normally caused by the free radical can be avoided. The antioxidant nutrients themselves do not become free radicals when they "donate" an electron because they are stable in either form.

The human body is capable of producing antioxidants naturally, but under conditions of a poor diet, toxicity, physical stress or emotional stress this antioxidant production can be severely impaired. Do you know someone who eats a poor diet, has high levels of toxicity and is stressed out much of the time? This is why they may appear older than they actually are.

Eating a healthy whole food diet and drinking plenty of water are two of the best ways to protect your body from the damage of free radicals. Fruits and vegetables provide an excellent source of natural antioxidants to help your body stabilize the free radicals and ward off the damage that they cause.

Visit The Wholefood Farmacy and discover their organic products.

Your Heart Needs Abundant Water

Drinking high levels of water can significantly reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, say researchers at Loma Linda University whose research was reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology (Vol. 155, No.9). This exciting study reveals that drinking high amounts of plain water is as important as exercise, diet, or not smoking in preventing coronary heart disease.

"Basically, not drinking enough water can be as harmful to your heart as smoking," warns Jacqueline Chan, DrPH, principle investigator and lead author of the article. Dr. Chan and Synnove Knutson, MD , PhD , second author, chair of epidemiology department, found that California Seventh-day Adventists who drink five or more glasses of plain water a day have a much lower risk of fatal coronary heart disease compared to those who drink less than two glasses per day.

The results from this study show that by drinking more plain water, healthy people without any history of heart disease, stroke, or diabetes-- reduced their risk of dying from a heart attack by half or more . This is as much or more than if they had adopted any other well-known preventive measure, including stopping smoking and lowering cholesterol levels, increasing exercise or maintaining ideal weight.

Because drinking more plain water is a simple lifestyle change that anybody can do, this simple practice has the potential of saving tens of thousands of lives each year with minimal cost . Neither total fluid intake, nor intake of other fluids combined showed this reduced risk. Instead, for women, high intake (5 or more glasses a day) of other fluids showed a greatly increased risk of coronary heart disease.

"People need to be made aware that there is a difference, at least for heart health, whether they get their fluids from plain water or from sodas," says Dr. Chan.

As you enjoy your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods, we encourage you to make water your drink of choice.

The Skinny on Fats

As awareness of the obesity epidemic began to rise during the 1990’s - the nation’s focus turned towards dietary fat. The advice of the time was to eat a low-fat diet in order to prevent obesity and other diseases. It sounded good – it made sense - so most people jumped on board. An avalanche of low-fat and fat-free processed foods hit the grocery store shelves and the low-fat craze was on.

Some 15 years later, a growing body of evidence is now pointing to the ineffectiveness of the low-fat diet for weight loss or prevention of heart disease and several cancers. The most recent revelation came when the results of the Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial were published in the February 8, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

After following 49,000 women for eight years, the researchers reported that eating a low-fat diet did not prevent heart disease, breast cancer, or colon cancer, and that it didn't do much for weight loss, either. What is becoming clearer by the day is that too much saturated and trans fats increase the risk for certain diseases while more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, lower the risk. The key is to eat more of the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, the largest sources of saturated fats are dairy products and red meats. The largest sources of trans fats are processed foods such as margarine, vegetable shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, deep-fried chips, fast foods and most baked goods.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils, such as olive oil, nuts, seeds and fish. While these foods do have small amounts of saturated fats, they have much larger amounts of the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats by comparison – and that’s the key.

Wholefood Farmacy foods make it easy for you, your family and your children to enjoy delicious, convenient whole foods that have more of the healthier fats that nature has to offer.

Good Bacteria Probiotics

Probiotics are also referred to as the friendly, beneficial or good bacteria which when ingested act to maintain a healthy intestinal tract and help fight illness and disease. The friendly bacteria can be found in live whole food supplements that have not been processed and found in some dietary supplements. They can help bring back the balance of good bacteria to promote a healthy digestive tract and help your immune system.

Probiotics are not a magic bullet to prevent or cure disease, but they are considered safe since the good bacteria are already a part of the digestive system. These small organisms help maintain the natural balance of organisms (microflora) in the intestines. Probiotics are viable bacteria that colonize the intestine and modify the intestinal microflora and their metabolic activities, with a presumed beneficial effect. Probiotics are vital for our immune system, too. They are valuable health-promoting and disease-preventing agents within your body.

Importance of Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is vital for photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light. Animals maintain life when they eat other organisms, either plants or other animals. They mostly can't make nutritive substances on their own. Plants can make nutrients, such as glucose, protein, and vitamins, by photosynthesis. When they spread their leaves toward the sun, the chlorophyll that colors them green absorbs solar energy and produces glucose from water and carbon dioxide -- an economic method of nutrition productivity.

Chlorophyll bears a striking chemical similarity to hemoglobin, the vital component of blood. Chlorophyll's phorphyrin structure has magnesium as its central metallic element; hemoglobin has iron. When an animal eats grass, a metathesis occurs in its intestinal villi, transforming a large amount of magnesium into iron. Metathesizing chlorophyll creates increased hemoglobin in the blood, which is why vegetarian animals can maintain life by eating only green grass. That's also why some people call chlorophyll "green blood."

Chlorophyll is primarily found in leaves and is responsible for a plant's ability to make food through photosynthesis. It is responsible for transforming carbon dioxide in the air to oxygen and it uses the energy of the sun to manufacture nourishment for the plant.

According to a 1999 study by the Eighth Asia Nutrition Study Board, chlorophyll also helps prevent cancer by defending against harmful variations in meat produced by cooking. But chlorophyll is also easily damaged by heat -- you'll notice that steamed vegetables produce greenish liquid, which contain the dissolved chlorophyll. That's why it's better to eat green vegetables raw.

Phytonutrients Help Promote Health

As the name suggests, phytonutrients exist only in plants. They're usually found in the rinds and other exterior features of plants to defend against outside attacks by insects, etc. To strengthen the immunity of our own bodies, we must consume the immune substances of plants. That's why it's better to eat fruits and vegetables with rinds, leaves, stems, and roots.

Phytonutrients are certain organic components of plants, and these components are thought to promote human health. Phytonutrients are nutrients concentrated in the skins of many vegetables and fruits, and are responsible for their color, hue, scent, and flavor. Four sources of phytonutrients that cannot be ignored if we want to remain healthy and cancer free are berries, cruciferous and dark, leafy vegetables, soy and red wine. Berries, such as blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries offer the highest sources of phytonutrients. Let us put all these phytonutrients to good use.

Other known phytonutrients include carotenoid in carrots, tomatoes, and oranges, soy's isoflavone, and catechin in green tea. Only 10% of functional phytonutrients are known, but as more are revealed, phytonutrients will factor greatly in health plans. And since phytonutrients are more effective consumed fresh and whole, we need to consume them raw.

A Balance Nutritional Diet

We all need nutrients in order to continue to function properly. Nutrition can be found in four basic food groups. Whole Food Supplements can be taken to help a person receive all the nutrients that they need. The Feast InstaFresh Juice made by URI International provides well balanced live whole food nutrition if you not able to have a balanced daily diet.

The four basic food groups that contain the nutritional requirements that everybody needs includes meats, dairy, fruits and vegetables, and grains. Each of these food groups contains all the vitamins, minerals, and other substances that help a body to grow, and to help maintain good health.

Generally speaking meats are the foods that contain proteins and other enzymes that the body needs to help build and maintain muscles. Proteins are also found in a variety of beans, soy products and protein is also found in milk and cheese products.

Various forms of Vitamin B (especially B12) are found in meats and dairy as well, and these are important for red blood cell and/or DNA production to help combat stress. Red meat is also known to produce iron, which is necessary for the blood as well.

Fruits and vegetables are the ones that contain most of the vitamins and minerals that the body needs. For example, carrots contain Vitamin A and Beta Carotene. Some green vegetables contain Vitamin A as well, such as spinach. Fruits, especially many citrus ones and berries, contain a large source of vitamin C.

Vitamin A helps with a variety of functions, especially vision. Vitamin C helps fight against colds and other sickness and helps build a strong immune system. There are other important minerals that the body needs such as potassium, which is found in bananas.

Foods made from grains, such as whole grain cereals, pasta, rice, and others are necessary for producing carbohydrates. This is the body’s biggest source of energy used for daily activity. One word of caution, however, is that eating too many carbohydrates can cause obesity. Only the amount of carbohydrates that a person needs to perform daily tasks should be eaten in a day.

A variety of other nutrients are needed as well, and most people will be able to include these in their diet if they remember to eat a variety of foods a day. Everybody is slightly different, so the nutritional requirements vary from person to person. However, there are general guidelines regarding the amount of each food needed daily.

One of the guidelines for nutrition is the one set by the federal government. That is generally 2-4 servings of grains, 3-4 servings of fruits and vegetables (or even more), 2-3 servings of meats, and 2-3 servings of dairy. The amount of total food needed per person differs, depending upon the overall bodily structure of a person, and depending upon the amount of activity that a person participates in on a daily basis.