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.

Garlic and your Heart

A new study just released in the Oct. 16th, 2007 issue of the prestigious medical journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that garlic causes red blood cells to release hydrogen sulfide in the body thereby causing blood vessels to relax.

When blood vessels relax, they become larger and are able to carry more blood and more oxygen to the brain and other important parts of the body. Blood pressure also comes down when blood vessels relax. It is well known that high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, so this newly discovered health benefit of garlic, once again, is an example of modern day researchers confirming the wisdom of the ancients. Garlic has been used for medicinal purposes throughout all of recorded history.

The lead researcher is Biology professor David Kraus from the University of Alabama. He said that there is also another study in progress that shows "sulfide can protect from cardiovascular damage during a heart attack, it can alleviate various sorts of inflammation, and it can reduce platelet aggregation that would cause a blood clot to form".

When you eat garlic, your body metabolizes garlic's active ingredient, allicin, and produces hydrogen sulphide. The hydrogen sulphide then signals your blood vessels to relax, increasing blood flow, reducing blood pressure and supporting heart health.

You can find garlic in many of your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods such as Corn of Plenty, Veggielicious Spice, V-8 Creamy Bean Soup, V-10 Creamy Yam Soup and V-12 Creamy Vegetable Soup.

Hidden Benefits of Corn

Corn is a wonderful whole grain food that is a good source of vitamin B1, Vitamin B5, folate, fiber, vitamin C, Phosphorous, Manganese and a nutrient called beta-cryptoxanthin.

In addition to preventing birth defects, Folate can also help to lower your risk of heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. It has been estimated that consumption of 100% of the daily value of folate would, by itself, reduce the number of heart attacks suffered by Americans each year by 10%. Folate-rich diets are also associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer.

Consuming foods rich in beta-cryptoxanthin, an orange-red carotenoid found in high amounts in corn, may significantly lower one's risk of developing lung cancer. A study published in the September, 2003 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention reviewed dietary and lifestyle data collected from over 63,000 adults in Shanghai, China, who were followed for 8 years. Those eating the most crytpoxanthin-rich foods showed a 27% reduction in lung cancer risk. When current smokers were evaluated, those who were also in the group consuming the most cryptoxanthin-rich foods were found to have a 37% lower risk of lung cancer compared to smokers who ate the least of these health-protective foods.

Corn is also a good source of Thiamin which is a nutrient essential to good brain cell health and mental function. The brain uses Thiamin to make a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine which is essential for good memory. In addition, maintaining healthy acetylcholine levels may help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Research reported at the 2004 American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) International Conference on Food, Nutrition and Cancer, by Rui Hai Liu, M.D., Ph.D., and his colleagues at Cornell University shows that whole grains, such as corn, contain many powerful phytonutrients whose activity has gone unrecognized because common research methods have overlooked them. Dr. Liu’s team measured the antioxidant activity of various foods, assigning each a rating based on a formula. Broccoli measured 80, Spinach 81, Apples 98, Bananas 65, but Corn topped them all measuring a whopping 181.

The Wholefood Farmacy has foods that are made with Corn. They are Cornucopia, Cornaborealis, Corn of Plenty, V-10 Creamy Yam Soup and V-12 Creamy Vegetable Soup. If you want to make Corn and other whole grains a part of your food choices each and every day, check them out!

Raisins are a Top Antioxidant

Raisins rank among the top antioxidant foods, according to USDA government tests. Early findings suggest that eating plenty of fruits high in antioxidants, such as raisins may help slow the processes associated with aging in both body and brain.

Andrew J. Dannenberg, M.D. a cancer researcher at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University reports that the antioxidant catechin, found in raisins and some other fruits and vegetables, in the diet of mice genetically predisposed to intestinal tumors reduced the number of tumors by at least 70 percent compared to the control group. This type of study adds to the body of evidence which shows that components of fruits and vegetables have the potential to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, colorectal adenomas and other gastrointestinal tumors.

Carl L. Keen, Ph.D. from the University of California Davis reports that a significant amount of raisins eaten daily for 4 weeks increased the plasma antioxidant capacity. This in turn decreased the level of circulating oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) also known as the “bad cholesterol”. These data clearly show raisins are an important part of 5-a-day diet and that benefits of eating raisins are similar to benefits seen when eating other fruits and vegetables with these plant antioxidants.

Christine D. Wu, M.S., Ph.D. of the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry has found that raisins contain compounds including oleanolic acid that inhibit in vitro growth of Streptococcus.mutans, the bacteria in the mouth responsible for tooth decay. Oleanic acid and other compounds in raisins also inhibit organisms associated with periodontal disease, including Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum. Oleanolic acid is most effective in suppressing in vitro plaque formation by Streptococcus mutans. Prevention of plaque building up on the tooth surface is critical both for preventing tooth decay and promoting healthy gums.
Mary Ellen Camire, Ph.D. of the University of Maine reports that dietary fiber and other components may reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer by binding bile acids and causing their elimination from the body. Camire’s study confirms that eating fibrous foods, such as raisins, stimulates the body to replace the bile acids that have been eliminated by making them from its own cholesterol, thus potentially lowering serum cholesterol and the risk of coronary heart disease. Furthermore, bile acids that are bound by fibers such as those in raisins will not be metabolized to a more toxic form and this may potentially reduce cancer risk.

Gene A. Spiller, Ph.D. of the Sphera Foundation and Health Research Studies Center - Los Altos, CA reports feeding of raisins along with peanuts to 10-12 year old children prior to a soccer game resulted in lower increases in blood glucose and insulin than a snack of a white bagel and jam. This is important because it means a more steady fuel supply to the exercising muscle of the young players. Lower insulin levels are advantageous because high levels of circulating insulin can promote the laying down of fat and may lead to insulin resistance, a concern among US children today, where rates of obesity and type 2 Diabetes are increasing.

You, your family and your children can enjoy all of the health benefits that raisins have to offer with your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods such as Phi Plus, Cranberry Phi, Fruitalicious, Fruitalicious Plus and Cornaborealis.

Our Body Needs Enzymes

Enzymes participate in all processes of life: birth and death, growth and maintenance. They are the catalytic elements that accelerate chemical reactions by 108 to 1011 times. Some laundry detergents contain enzymes to accelerate the dissolution of proteins and removal of dirt.

No matter how much good food we eat, the food can't become part of our bodies without enzymes. Protein, for example, is too large to pass through our blood vessels alone; enzymes must first dissolve it into molecularly-miniscule amino acid. Enzymes also produce necessary substances, dissolve unnecessary substances, and help eliminate harmful ones from the body.

As we get older, enzymes decrease their production. That's why elders often have more difficulty digesting food than younger people do. For digestive problems, we generally take peptic medicines that contain enzymes, such as amylase that dissolves rice starches, proteolytic enzyme, and fatty lipolytic enzyme.

As stress and environmental pollution increase, so does our need for enzymes. Since cooking and processing food destroys enzymes, you can see why modern urban people with busy lives often lack sufficient enzymes in their diet, and often suffer from digestion, stressed bodies, accelerated aging, and diseases.

Enzymes also need vitamins and minerals to function properly, and these are also damaged and destroyed by cooking. Raw food supplies the enzymes, vitamins, and minerals you need.



To get the full benefit of live whole food nutrition, the foods can not be exposed to high heat because it will destroy many of the benefiicial nutrients our bodies need on a daily basis.

Whole Grain Benefits

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.

"Years ago, scientists hypothesized that the higher rates of chronic diseases we have in the West, including heart disease, are due, in part, to a diet full of processed foods," Mellen said. This idea has been born out, he added, in the lower rates of obesity, high cholesterol and heart problems seen in people who eat more 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. But when a grain is refined, most of the bran and some of the germ is removed, resulting in losses of fiber, B vitamins, vitamin E, trace minerals, heart healthy fats, and about 75 percent of the phytonutrients. Examples of refined grain products include anything made with white flour such as white breads, pasta, and crackers. Other examples include white rice and corn flakes cereal.

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. Whole grains may be eaten whole, cracked, split, flaked, or ground. Most often, they are milled into flour and used to make breads, cereals, farinas, and other grain-based foods. Regardless of how they are handled, whole grains, or foods made from whole grains contain the three essential parts and naturally occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed.

The Wholefood Farmacy is proud to offer a wide variety of delicious, convenient meals and snacks that are rich in whole grains. Let The Wholefood Farmacy be the pathway for you, your loved ones, and your children to get three servings of healthy whole grains each and every day.

Benefits of Prunes

Prunes are a good source of fiber and have long been recognized as a nutrient-rich fruit with multiple health benefits. But according to a recent study from Tufts University in Boston, prunes may also help slow the aging process in both the body and brain. The study ranked the antioxidant value of commonly eaten fruits and vegetables using an analysis called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbency Capacity). Prunes topped the list with more than twice the antioxidant capacity as other high-scoring fruits such as blueberries and raisins.

ORAC is a test tube analysis that measures the total antioxidant power of foods and other chemical substances. Early findings suggest that this same antioxidant activity translates to animals, protecting cells and their components from oxidative damage.

"If these studies are borne out in further research, young and middle-aged people may be able to reduce their risk of diseases of aging – including senility – simply by adding high antioxidant foods to their diets," said Floyd P. Horn, administrator of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, in Beltsville, Md.

The role of fruits and vegetables in health promotion and disease prevention may also be related to nutrients, other than the vitamins, minerals and fiber, found in these plant-based live whole foods. In addition to well-known antioxidant vitamins A and C and beta-carotene, there are over 1,800 other biologically active compounds that have been identified in foods. Research is just beginning to identify these nutrients and to describe their activity in the human body; however, many are believed to offer the protective benefits of antioxidants.

Importance of Dietary Fiber

Past food-processing techniques focused on eliminating fiber, considering it unnecessary and difficult to digest. Now, fiber is recognized as useful in preventing and treating such ailments as diabetes, obesity, and cancer.

A British scholar first addressed the importance of dietary fiber after realizing that the English suffer a higher incidence of colon cancer than Africans do. He noted that an English person's average daily stool quantity was 110 grams, and it took 45 to 60 hours for the excretion to pass through their colons. In contrast, Africans had average daily stool quantity of 200 grams for urban dwellers, 300 grams for rural people, and their stool took 30 to 40 hours to pass through their colons. He found that saprogenous bacillus existed largely in English stool, while African stool contained more beneficial bacteria. The reason: the Africans' greater amount of vegetable intake gave them more fiber, which reduced their chances of colon cancer.

Fiber is an excellent internal cleanser. It absorbs and removes harmful waste products and poisonous materials, while reducing cholesterol and heavy metal levels. Fiber absorbs water like a sponge, and adheres to digestive tracks, which reduces digestion duration. This cuts the time carcinogens stay inside the body.

According to a study at Washington University, lab mice with large fiber intake were less likely to develop cancer, even when injected with carcinogens: 39% of the mice fed a large quantity of fiber developed cancer, compared to 69% of those not fed fiber.

Your colon contains approximately one hundred types of bacterium, with a total of about a hundred trillion bacteria. Such beneficial bacteria as lactobacillus or lactobacillus bifidus thrive on fiber in the colon, thus retarding the growth of harmful bacteria. They dissolve fiber to make vitamins and amino acids.

Fiber can be obtained through vegetables, whole grains, marine plants, and mushrooms, but not through most processed food. And more fiber is obtained by eating raw food and fruits with rinds than through cooked food.

Peanuts Are Rich In Antioxidants

Peanuts, contrary to their name, are not really nuts. They are a member of the legume family along with peas, lentils, chickpeas and other beans. Peanuts start growing as a ground flower - but because the peanut flower is very heavy - it bends towards the ground and eventually pushes it’s way underground where the peanut matures.

A University of Florida team says peanuts are rich in antioxidants which protect cells from damage linked to heart disease and cancer. Peanuts also contain high levels of protein and "good" monounsaturated fat.

The US researchers tested the antioxidant content of a dozen different varieties of peanuts. Antioxidants are the naturally occurring substances in plants that protect the body from free radicals - 'volatile' chemicals in the blood.

Although free radicals do play an important role in the immune system, they also alter cholesterol in a process known as oxidation, which is thought to speed up the hardening of the arteries.

Red and orange fruits and vegetables are already known to be particularly high in antioxidants. But the researchers found peanuts were also high in the beneficial chemicals. They found peanuts contain high levels of polyphenols, a family of chemicals commonly found in foods, which have strong antioxidant properties.

Steve Talcott of the University of Florida, who led the research, said: "When it comes to antioxidant content, peanuts are right up there with strawberries. We expected a fairly high antioxidant content in peanuts, but we were a bit shocked to find that they're as rich in antioxidants as many kinds of fruit."

Use Ginger More Often

Ginger can kill ovarian cancer cells while the compound that makes peppers hot can shrink pancreatic tumors, researchers told a conference. Their studies add to a growing body of evidence that at least some popular spices might slow or prevent the growth of cancer.

Dr. Rebecca Liu, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, and colleagues tested ginger powder dissolved in solution by putting it on ovarian cancer cell cultures. It killed the ovarian cancer cells in two different ways. First, through a self-destruction process called apoptosis and second, through the process of autophagy in which cancer cells digest themselves, the researchers told a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Ovarian cancer kills 16,000 out of the 22,000 U.S. women who are diagnosed with it every year, according to the American Cancer Society. Ginger has been shown to help control inflammation, which can contribute to the development of ovarian cancer cells.

“In multiple ovarian cancer cell lines, we found that ginger-induced cell death at a similar or better rate than the platinum-based chemotherapy drugs typically used to treat ovarian cancer,” said Dr. Jennifer Rhode, who helped work on the study.

Ginger mint dressing is great on salads, great for tossing with steamed veggies or drizzling over fresh veggies!