They sit left behind on relish trays. They?re often by-passed in grocery store refrigerator shelves. Dad and Grandpa usually eat them but later complain of belching them up. The poor radish has gotten a bum rap. There are at least five different varieties; but for now, the popular, red globe variety will be spotlighted. They are a great source of vitamin C and an excellent low calorie snack (only 12 calories in a half cup of radishes). Radishes are root vegetables that are classified in the cabbage and mustard family, thus their strong taste.

Most people eat them raw, with a little salt. If you?d like your radishes to be a little crispier and a little less sharp in taste, put them in ice water for a couple hours before you plan to eat them. There are also a number of ways to cook them. Boil a half inch of water, add the sliced radishes, and then cover and simmer until tender, adding more water if necessary. Cook five to ten minutes. To microwave, place a half pound of sliced radishes in a microwave safe dish with 1 tablespoon of water or broth. Cook for approximately four minutes.

If the taste of raw radishes is a little too pungent for some, try them steamed. Their bright red skin will turn pink on steamed radishes. The easiest way to steam them is to place whole radishes in a vegetable steamer and cook over boiling water until barely tender. Cook approximately eight to twelve minutes. Another way to prepare our friend, the red radish, is to stir fry them. Sliced radishes combine well with other vegetables and meat in stir-fries. Don?t over cook them or they?ll become mushy. Cook approximately three to five minutes.

As Cliff Claven would say, ?It?s a little known fact that ?? radishes were first cultivated thousands of years ago in China, then in Egypt and Greece. In Greece they were so highly regarded that gold replicas were made. (Now that?s some serious radish lovers!)

So the next time you walk past radishes in the grocery store or at the market, back track a few steps and pick up a bunch or two. Or better yet, plant some in your garden this year. Radishes are one of the very first vegetables ready for harvest in the spring. They will in turn, ready your soil for other veggies! Give these little guys a chance again.

The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any health care program.

Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle Health News and Medical Health News where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on many medical, health and lifestyle topics.

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Some say they don?t or can?t buy organic foods due to higher cost and less availability. Here are a few ways to make organics more affordable and easier to purchase for your family.

1.Do not always assume organic is more expensive. Look at the prices of conventional and organic products and compare. You may be surprised that on some items, there is little or no difference in price, depending on where and when you buy.

2.Buy in season. These items will be the lowest priced, whether you?re shopping at a specialty market or local farmer?s market.

3. Grow your own. Even a small window box can yield some organic herbs or tomatoes. Larger areas can accommodate lettuce, strawberries, broccoli, carrots and more. A garden is also a great classroom and hobby for children and adults alike.

4.Shop at one of the more than 2,500 farmers? markets in the United States. The produce here is as fresh as possible, because the food is usually picked within 24 hours of your purchase. This is a great place to check prices with little effort. Becoming a regular shopper and getting to know growers personally, is a good way to get the best selection and price.

5.Join a food cooperative. A food co-op is kind of a buyers club for affordable, fresh, local organic and natural products. It is an actual store where members buy ?shares? of the business to provide the capital necessary to run the store efficiently. You as a member directly influence the kind and variety of products and foods available, and also receive a discount in the store. Many co-ops allow you to ?buy? shares by volunteering several hours per week or month.

6. Visit a farm and pick your own produce. Children love to experience something new, especially when it involves dirt and food. According to the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) ?Parents had reported that their children started to eat more vegetables after visiting a farm on a school field trip, having experienced for the first time the process of gardening.?

Lisa Barnes is the owner of Petit Appetit, an educational service promoting healthy eating habits and good nutrition for infants and toddlers. She is also the author of The Petit Appetit Cookbook (Penguin March 2005). For information and to sign up for a free newsletter visit http://www.petitappetit.com

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The body needs a lot of fiber, so it?s only common sense to add plenty of fiber to your diet. Vegetables will definitely supply you with much of the daily fiber that you need. Nature grows the required vegetables and fruits suitable for the complete nourishment of your body, so you have no excuses.

So, go ahead? it?s perfectly OK to go crazy eating vegetables.

Here are some juicy tidbits about the benefits of vegetables, and how to prepare them properly.

1. Vegetables are your best bet when it comes to losing extra pounds. Nature provides a terrific buffet of healthy vegetables, and leafy green veggies are your best choice for dropping that spare luggage. So, always try to include a salad with your meals.

2. If you need to have a snack, stay away from the cookie jar! Choose vegetables as a healthy snack instead. We all get those pangs of hunger in between meals, but it is something that we have full control over. A great snack suggestion would be to try munching on carrots. They are a wonderful way to satisfy those hunger pangs and are good for your eyes, as well as your teeth. If people tease you about being Bugs Bunny, just remember that you won?t be saying ?What?s up Doc?? nearly as often as they will. You will be healthy!

3. Fresh vegetables are far better for you than cooked or canned vegetables, so always try to eat your vegetables raw. Wherever possible, locally produced seasonal fruits and vegetables fresh from the garden or grove should be eaten. When you cook vegetables, you are taking away nearly half of the vitamins in them. Canned vegetables are not much better than cooked. They are processed and are not nearly as good for you as fresh vegetables. Also, when you buy your vegetables it?s always a good idea to see if the label states whether it?s pesticide free or not.

4. If you do have to cook your vegetables, steam them. Try steaming them without adding anything at all. This is probably the healthiest way to eat vegetables such as cabbages, cauliflowers and a whole host of other yummy vegetables.

5. Consider carrying some sprigs of parsley with you. Parsley is another excellent thing to snack on in between meals. Not only is it good for you in terms of vitamins, but it is also a perfect way to make your breath fresher? just in case you might need it.

Your mother was right? eating your veggies is very important for your overall development. And if you haven't been listening to your mother, it's not too late for you to start now!

To support your Mom's advice one more time, here's one more benefit to eating your vegetables that is often overlooked. Water intake.

Most people seem to be surprised when they learn of the pure simplicity and effectiveness of water for weight and health management. And yet, it?s right in front of us!

Since some vegetables like tomatos (actually a fruit) are a good source of water, you now have one more reason to consume vegetables. So, don?t think about it anymore; just do it.

**Water intake is a whole other topic, but one that will also enable you to drop the pounds and stay healthy. To learn more about the amazing benefits of water and how to maximize it?s use in your dietary routine, visit: http://www.privilegedinfo.com/waterwisdom.html.

Steve Shannon is webmaster at PrivilegedInfo.com and finds unique and useful information such as the weight loss tips at http://www.privilegedinfo.com/waterwisdom.html . You may reprint this article in its entirety as long as this resource box remains intact and the links are live.

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By this time, most of the population has become aware of the great importance of a healthy and balanced nutrition. This importation is exponentially greater in the case of children. Their diet has an immense influence over their developing body. Also, this is when they need to gain strong principles and habits for a healthy adult life.

Fruits and vegetables provide a child with all the vitamins and minerals they need for a healthy growth. Their diet also has to incorporate a fair amount of meat and dairy. The problem is that a child, when facing a decision, will always go for the more attractive junk food or sweets in the detriment of what they know to be ?right for them?. After all, a pizza looks much more appealing than a platter of healthy vegetables.

For many kids, these types of food that don?t nearly cover the sufficient necessary nutrients for their bodies form their regular diet. The consequences of an inappropriate diet to modern children are deficiencies of mineral and vitamin and child obesity. Children should get most mineral and vitamins from their meals. Vitamins are most important to a child?s growth like for example Vitamin D that is mostly responsible for bones and teeth strength. You can imagine that lacking crucial vitamins for their system is a real concern and must never be taken lightly. There are some cases when the child?s organism simply can?t extract the appropriate nutrients through eating. The right thing to do is to guide the children to a vitamin rich diet and balance the nutrients levels with vitamin supplements. Some professional assistance will help you find out the child?s nutrient efficiency and how you can augment their diet with nutrient supplements.

protein,diet,body building body building news

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Juice fasting is gaining popularity as a great way to detoxify. Many people are interested in getting toxins out of their system so they can live a healthier life. When toxins accumulate in the body, they feel sluggish and also have a poor immune system. Juice fasting, as a cleansing method, can help to people to achieve better health and more energy. It is quite easy to do as fruits are readily obtainable and all that is required additionally is a juicer.

For a beginner to juice fasting, it is important to start out slow and to try it out for one day. By juice fasting, you are limiting your intake to juices only. Fruit juice is high in sugar, so if you are a diabetic or otherwise in need of monitoring your sugar intake you should be cautious of trying a juice fast with fruit juices. Anyone just starting out with fasting should always speak with their doctor first. Also, do not juice fast for prolonged periods like more than 3 days, not unless your doctor agrees that it is safe for you to do so.

The following are sample recipes that can help give you an idea of combinations of fruits and vegetables to use together:

Recipe 1: Vegetable Juice Combo

2 Swiss chard leaves

1/2 beetroot

2 or 3 sprigs of watercress

3 carrots

1 celery stalk

Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

Recipe 2: Carrot-Apple Juice

2-3 Green Apples

1 carrot

Fresh basil leaves

Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

Recipe 3: Carrot-Vegetable Juice

A handful of dandelion leaves

1 kale leaf

4 carrots

Fresh mint, basil or coriander leaves

Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

Recipe 4: Peach Juice

2 or 3 peaches

Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

There are many different types of juice fasts. Some diets call for fruit juices while others used less sugary vegetable juices. You can always come up with your own unique combination of fruit and vegetable juice diet recipes.

About The Author
Sandra Kim Leong posts information on colon cleansing, liver cleansing, kidney cleansing, detox diet , juice fasting and alcohol detox on her site. For updates and more articles, please visit http://www.Detox-Cleansing.com.

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You may have heard about the glycemic index and wondered what it is all about. The glycemic index is a ranking of carbohydrates based on their immediate effect on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. It compares foods gram for gram of carbohydrate. Carbohydrates that breakdown quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic indexes. The blood glucose response is fast and high. Carbohydrates that break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have low glycemic indexes.

Foods with a high glycemic index convert into sugar very quickly, with negative physical effects. Foods with a low glycemic index turn into sugar gradually, helping maintain your body's chemical balance. In general, foods with a low index are preferable.

Glycemic Load measures the amount of sugar a food actually releases in the body. Foods with a low glycemic load usually have a low glycemic index, yet still have a low glycemic load. Other foods have both a high index and a high load. You should avoid high load foods as a regular part of your meal plan.

When you choose carbohydrate foods, check both their glycemic index and glycemic load. Detailed tables with this information are widely available. Use the chart below to get started.

High Glycemic Index

  • Fruits and Vegetables
    • Corn
    • Cranberry juice
    • Orange juice*
    • Raisin

  • Starches
    • Bagel
    • Bread (white)
    • Refined cereal
    • Granola
    • Muffin
    • Pasta
    • Potato
    • Pretzel
    • Rice
    • Tortilla (flour)

    Medium Glycemic Index

    Fruits and Vegetables Starches Apricot* French Fries Grape* Oatmeal Pineapple* Pita Bread Watermelon Waffle

    Low Glycemic Index

    Fruits and Vegetables

    • Apple*
    • Asparagus*
    • Broccoli*
    • Brussels sprout*
    • Cauliflower*
    • Celery*
    • Cherry*
    • Cucumber*
    • Grapefruit*
    • Green Bean*
    • Green pepper*
    • Kiwi*
    • Lettuce*
    • Onion*
    • Orange*
    • Peach*
    • Plum*
    • Spinach*
    • Strawberry*
    • Tomato*
    • Zucchini*

    • * Low glycemic load foods.

    Simply eating more fruits and vegetables is not the answer - they must be the right fruits and vegetables. Starchy vegetables such as peas or lentils (200 to 250 calories per cup) are healthy, but they contain more calories than you may want. If you need to eat more to satisfy your hunger, add low glycemic load vegetables. For example, spinach and asparagus are better choices than higher calorie corn and peas. A cup of spinach topped with 1/2 cup of tomato sauce has only about 90 calories, but it gives you nutrients from two colour groups.

    Why Not Brown and Beige?

    When considering which foods to enjoy sparingly, also use colour as a guideline. Many brown and beige carbohydrates, like pasta, beans and potatoes, while healthy, also tend to be high in calories.

    Kim Beardsmore, M.Bus(HRM), B.Sc., is an Independent Herbalife Distributor and creator of the online magazine Weight Loss News. For more information about healthy weight loss, recipes and health visit http://www.weight-loss-health.com.au Your online Herbalife store at http://www.weightlosshealth.herbalcoach.com

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    Breast cancer is now the most common cancer women get, putting lung cancer second to this growing female epidemic. Although the exact causes of breast cancer still are not known, studies and statistics show that a woman's risk of getting breast cancer increases as she ages.

    A new intriguing study suggests - no, concludes - that not only is a vegetable-rich diet good for preventing breast cancer, but it also significantly improves a breast cancer patient's odds of the disease returning after remission.

    You may have been going all these years, thinking that eating your veggies was just a good health measure that was only the skinny minnies and health nuts. Well, new studies are showing that the consumption of vegetables is not only preventative maintenance against many kinds of cancers, but it also dramatically improves a woman's odds of breast cancer returning once she has gone into remission.

    Not only is it the mere consumption of your leafy greens and brightly colored veggies, it's also got a lot to do with the variety of veggies that are consumed. The wider the variety, the better the women's chances were in the study of continuing on in full remission and recovery from their cancer.

    The Carotenoid Connection

    So, what exactly is the responsible factor for this improvement of odds against the return of cancer? It's a tiny little micronutrient, found commonly in many vegetables, called carotenoids which is believed to be responsible. The reason this conclusion was reached is that women who did not see their breast cancer return tested with very high carotenoid blood levels, while the women who did see their breast cancer return did not.

    The same women who had high levels of this potent antioxidant compound said that they not only consumed a veggie-rich diet, but that they also consumed a wider variety of vegetables in their diet, which lends itself to higher levels of this antioxidant in the blood stream. This translates into a powerful anti-cancer message : Eat your veggies, just like your grandma said.

    Visit Natural Breasts: Enhancement and Health for information on how to naturally manage breast health, as well as beautify your breasts and keep them healthy and young. Danna Schneider is the founder of Breast Enhancement.

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    Many Americans include health improvement in their New Year?s Resolutions. But real life intrudes, and we find ourselves facing the fact that our plans for reshaping our lives and health were a bit too much to manage in the face of the rest of our busy lives. However, small changes can be as effective as large ones - much less intimidating - and result in long-term improvements in your health.

    Here are two week?s worth of small changes and activities that can improve your health. While these are written with people in an office in mind, they can be adapted to outdoor work or full-time parenting.

    Day 1: Identify your Junk-Food-Hour. Put an index card in wallet or purse. Keep track of times at which you?re most likely to hit the candy machine or potato chip stash, that one thing that frustrates your good eating habits. For many of us, it?s mid-afternoon, though it may be at 1 a.m.! Track yourself for a week.

    Day 2: Have a Green Day. Whether you buy lunch out or make it, see if you can include a green veggie each day. If you?ve got kids, they can have fun picking out new green food (nope, green gelatin doesn?t count!)

    Day 3: Exercise Nibble. Take five minutes of your lunch break to walk. Walk two and a half minutes towards any place (up the street? up the stairs?) and then take the other two and a half minutes getting back. Got kids? Make it a small family ritual and start their good habits early!

    Day 4: Sneaky Exercise. Sneak in exercise while you watch TV! Every time there?s a commercial, stand up and march in place until the commercial?s over. If you only watch public TV? Pick a word that characters or announcers are likely to say and march in place for two minutes.

    Day 5: Start the Smoke-Out. If you smoke, pick up your phone, today, and make an appointment with your healthcare provider to set up a quitting plan. Alternatively, call the National Quitline at 1-800-784-8669, or check out the webpage put out by the Surgeon General (http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/conspack.html) for the booklet ?You can quit smoking? in both English and Spanish.

    Day 6: De-stress the Drive. At each red light or stop sign, take a slow deep breath, counting to five as you inhale, count to five as you exhale. This simple habit makes sure you?ve really stopped at a ?STOP? sign , and reducing your stress can keep you focused to prevent an accident.

    Day 7: Junk Food Begone! Use your index-card record to figure out when you?re most vulnerable to a junk-food attack. Put some healthy alternatives (depending on your nutritional needs, this may be whole wheat crackers, dried fruit, nuts) in a bag at your desk or in your purse. Five minutes before your tough time, check to make sure that you?re hungry. If you?re just bored, take a short walk (even up the stairs, wash your face, or reapply lipstick). If you?re hungry and losing energy, make use of the stash of healthy food you?ve created.

    Day 8: Check the Pressure. Stop at the drug store and use the automated blood pressure machine. High? Time to see your healthcare provider. Low? Check back each month.

    Day 9: Life-Saving Self-Exam. For women of all ages: Pick a date and circle it on your calendar in pink. Repeat for the rest of the year. If you menstruate, make sure the dates are unlikely to coincide with PMS. Each ?pink? day, do a self-breast exam. Don?t know how? Go to www.bigbam.org to download a ?how-to? card.

    Day 10: Medication Weed-Out. Set a timer for 30 minutes and tackle the bathroom cupboards. Medication that are expired? Vitamins that have been sitting there for years? Get rid of them. Make sure that you don?t flush these medications; your pharmacy or sanitation company can help you discard these items safely. If it takes more than 30 minutes, repeat on Day 11.

    Day 12:. ?Sleep hygiene.? Cleaning up your sleep habits to reduce interrupted or difficult sleep. Things that can help you sleep well: cutting down alcohol or caffeine before bed, not watching TV or looking at the computer for a half hour before bed (the bright light in your eyes can trigger wakefulness)

    Day 13: Measure Me! If you?re engaged in weight loss, put a tape measure by the scale. Waist measurements are a good indicator that exercise and diet are improving your health (below 35 inches is associated with lower heart-disease risk).

    Day 14: Housework Works. Pick one physical chore that you pay someone to do - mowing the lawn, raking the yard, vacuuming. Do it yourself, and stash the cash. Reward yourself with a healthy, stress-reducing, or ?don?t I look great!? treat.

    They seem like small steps, but small steps can add up to a marathon of good health!

    Gaesser, G.A. Multiple Short-Bouts of Exercise: Fitness Alternative for Those Who Don't Have Time For Exercise. (Continuing Professional Education article) SCAN's Pulse (Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutritionists),Volume 20, issue 3-4, 2001.

    Proper, K.I. Effect of individual counseling on physical activity fitness and health: a randomized controlled trial in a workplace setting. Am J Prev Med - 01-APR-2003; 24(3): 218-26

    USDA, 2005 Dietary Guidelines ?Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Nutrition and your Health?

    Ian Mason, owner of Shoppe.MD, your source for Online Prescription Medications and health news.

    Ian studies health, weight loss, exercise, and several martial arts; maintaining several websites in an effort to help provide up-to-date and helpful information for other who share his interests in health of body and mind.

    Contact Ian Mason by e-mail at ian@shoppe.md.

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    With all the Hype about our need for protein, millions are being poisoned, by too much protein, and/or the wrong kind of protein. For the arthritis sufferer, this creates an acid condition that;

    ?Robs calcium from bones and teeth, producing osteoporosis, tooth decay, and extreme sensitivity to toxins in the food and environment.

    ?Causes degeneration of joints irritating joint tissues, causing inflammation, pain in the joints, and other connective tissue.

    How much protein do we really need?

    The best research (as outlined in the China Study *) has demonstrated that we were designed for a diet of 5% protein. The average American eats a diet of 25% protein.

    The most simple way to back this up I know is to look at the stage of life when we should need the most protein. It would stand to reason that a growing human baby, during the first year of its life, would need the most protein, on a percentage of total calories basis. Does that sound logical to you?

    It is a no brainer, to say that a human baby is designed to eat its mother's milk. So what is the protein level in mother's milk? It is 5%. This has been demonstrated countless times.

    If the child is fed cows milk, which is much higher in protein, it is very likely to experience many disease symptoms. Cows milk is designed for a growing calf. A Calf grows to full maturity in less than two years. We humans take 20 years to grow to maturity. To be blunt, Cows milk is designed for a fast growing calf.

    When we feed our children too much protein, it is like trying to force them to maturity too soon, before they are ready for it. They exhibit all sorts of symptoms. One of the most obvious is premature puberty. Many of the sources of excess protein are high in Growth Hormones that accelerate a child's body to a maturity level far beyond what they are emotionally ready for.

    There are many other side effects; allergies, cancer, juvenile diabetes, early onset arthritis, ADHD, the list goes on and on.

    What Kind of protein do we really need?

    That is the subject of another debate. I touched on that above. When you look at our physiology it is easy to see that we were not designed to easily make use of whole protein. We were designed to get our protein in the form of amino acids.

    The protein in fruits and most vegetables is in the form of amino acids. Because of this fact, it is much easier for us to make use of the protein in fruits and vegetables, since it is already in the form we need it to be in.

    The protein in animal products must be broken down into amino acids before we can make use of it. Our digestive system is not equipped to do this in a timely manor, especially if we eat a large percentage of animal products at a given meal. It has been shown that if we eat leafy greens with a small amount of animal products our bodies cam make better use of them, though they are not ideal.

    Another problem with animal products is that the protein has been deranged by heat. This makes it that much more difficult to digest and that much more toxic to our bodies.

    So what are the results?

    The obvious primary result is a high incidence of cancer and heart disease. Our bodies have to work hard to deal with this foreign protein.

    It is like giving a builder defective building materials to build your house. It is likely to fall down or have some other mishap like a fire caused by defective wiring. If the bricks are sound but he mortar is not the wall could fall down if bumped or with the least vibration.

    If we try to build our bodies with defective building materials, why should we be surprised when we have a defective body, or a body that is falling apart?

    Diabetes is rampant in our society. In areas of China, * where they eat a diet based on whole plant foods, Diabetes is unheard of.

    Our people are plagued with all sorts of allergies. Take away the animal protein and the allergies disappear. High protein levels in the blood make our bodies hyper sensitive to the toxins we are exposed to.

    The Main result of a high protein diet is that our blood is too high in acid content. We were designed to have our blood on the alkaline side of neutral. We cannot tolerate an acid blood PH. To compensate our bodies rob our bones and teeth of calcium and other base minerals to neutralize the acid. This is a defensive measure. If this did not happen we would die much sooner than we do from acid poisoning.

    The calcium in cow's milk has been cooked. The result is that it is inorganic. The only benefit we can get from inorganic calcium is to help neutralize acid. Inorganic calcium cannot be used to build strong bones effectively. The problem is that when combined with too much protein there is not enough calcium to neutralize the acid produced by the digestion of, foreign, deranged, whole protein.

    Arthritis is caused by an acid condition in the body. As stated above this is usually caused by the consumption of animal products. Eating too much cooked food can also cause it. Cooking destroys most of the food value of otherwise healthy foods.

    Protein poisoning causes Cancer. Foreign proteins in the blood are attacked by our body defense system. Cancer is the natural result of the defense and healing process. High protein levels cause cells to break away from bodily control. If the defense system is unable to destroy these cells that are out of body control, it tries to isolate them. This is what causes tumors to develop.

    The Body creates tumors as a way to isolate toxins and cells that leave the control of the body. If we don't stop causing this situation, It is likely to continue. Cutting out the tumor only addresses the results, or symptoms. It does nothing to remove the cause. The same is true of radiation and chemotherapy. They do nothing about the underlying cause.

    To Summarize

    We need our protein from whole plant sources, in the form of amino acids, in the form and percentage we were designed for. That is living whole fruits and vegetables, or the fresh juice of the living fruits and vegetables, with their living enzymes intact. Any other source is not what we were designed for.

    Charles Snyder is a Health Minister and teacher of Natural Hygiene. He has been living what he teaches for 23 years. He changed his diet and lifestyle in 1983 after suffering for 13 years with arthritis in his back and knees. You can read his story and contact him by going to his website.

    He has written a fiction adventure story called Six Months to Live. It is based on testimonies of real people, who did what he did to overcome disease, set into an exciting, adventure that is hard to put down. Ask for it in your local bookstore or visit his website to order an autographed copy. http://www.arthritis-back-knee-pain-free-health-restored.com/books.html

    Another books at that webpage that can help you are The Health Seekers Yearbook

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    Contrary to the ads that you may see on television, juices are not more healthful than whole fruits or vegetables. How can an extract from food be more healthful than that food? For some people, they are much less healthful. For example, a glass of orange juice contains about one tenth as much fiber as an orange and twice the calories. Diabetics shouldn't drink fruit juices because they drive blood sugar levels too high, nor should people who are trying to lose weight drink fruit juices because a rise in sugar calls out extra insulin that makes you hungry.

    Don't be fooled by juices that claim that they supply 100 percent of your daily needs for vitamin C and A. Most drinks that can make that claim have artificial vitamins added to the drink and are no better for you than juices that have only 10 percent of your daily requirements. Adding calcium to fruit juices is reasonable because there are no known harmful effects and some people do not get enough calcium from other foods that they eat.

    There is no known advantage or disadvantage to drinking fruit juice that has first had water removed to form a concentrate and then had the water added back in to form the juice. This process does not destroy nutrients, nor does it add any.

    It really doesn't make much difference whether you drink juice that is 100 percent fruit juice or made from 50 percent sugar water and 50 percent juice. Some fruits have higher water and sugar content; others must have water or sugar or both added to make them palatable. All juices contain around 8 to 10 percent sugar because that's the concentration of sugar that tastes best and that most people prefer. All fruit juices often use added sugars extracted from grapes, apples or other fruits rather than from sugar cane. There is no difference between any type of sugar added to a diluted fruit juice and the sugar that was originally in the fruit. Both are lower in fiber than the fruit, so they both cheat you of fiber, and since they both contain the same amount of sugar, they affect diabetics and obese people in the same bad way by driving their blood sugars higher.

    Pasteurized means that the fruit juice was heated to kill germs. You are less likely to be infected with E coli from a pasteurized drink and pasteurization does not reduce the amount of nutrients in a drink. Ultraviolet light, freezing, dehydrating and bubbling ozone through a drink get rid of germs and do not reduce nutrients.

    The bottom line is to eat whole fruits and vegetables, and drink juices if you can afford the extra calories and sugar. You gain nothing extra from juicing, and diabetics and overweight people should restrict their intake of juices because they are not much more than sugared water

    Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

    Free weekly newsletter on fitness, health, and nutrition.

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    You'll find tons of articles and lists on how to be more eco-friendly, and they're all great. I still believe that going organic in our average lives should be a pleasurable adventure, like taste-testing, not a social or political statement.

    Organic food:

    On a pretty autumn Saturday, swing into a local organic farm stand and browse. Nothing is better than locally grown produce that's grown exclusively for flavor and color, compared with supermarket veggies grown to withstand harsh cross country shipments.

    Visit local pumpkin farms at harvest time. In many areas of the country, families annually enjoy autumn weekend outings to pumpkin farms that are a riot of color, and absolutely packed with incredible organic vegetables at great prices. Try organic apple orchards and berry farms where you can pick your own baskets.

    Try organic coffee. Yum! More stores are carrying organic java now, which may cost more but has rich flavors that cannot be matched by chemically processed coffees. Look for the Fair Trade label which means beans grown and harvested by organic farms and coops around the world, who get a fairer price. Organic coffee farmers are better able to feed their families, provide education for the children, and provide community services we take for granted.

    Absolutely plant some herbs. There's nothing like clipping some basil and oregano from your own garden patch or patio pots, for your favorite sauce recipe. Most herbs don't require much babying and come back year after year.

    Go Vegetarian?

    That's a very personal decision. If your family is accustomed to meats, I suggest initially just cutting back on the burgers and introducing more fish, and more vegetable based entrees with cheese. Some restaurant chains are introducing vegetarian appetizers and entrees that are so good, being meatless is more of a bonus. Try some vegetarian dishes. If you and your family like them, add them to the menu.

    Is an Organic Home too high-end?

    No, not at all. While organic bedding and organic cottons for bed and bath are typically considered luxury items, they are for EVERYBODY. No need to strip your bedrooms and go nuts, unless you want to. In the range of around $100, you can pick up a few organic cotton bathtowels, an organic cotton bathrobe, or some basic organic cotton sheets.

    Organic cotton blankets and throws are also around the $100 range, and the quality is amazing. Organic cotton and wool comforters are a bit more expensive, but will last years longer than conventional comforters. Gradually replace old pummeled bed pillows with organic cotton or wool fill pillows, that range between $50 and $100 apiece, depending on size.

    Organic cotton underwear is very affordable. You can replace a bunch of undies for around $100.00, and good local or web-based stores are easy to find.

    Organic foods and home products are to be enjoyed, and integration into our normal lives should be natural, pleasurable, and easy.

    Susan Fullen-Yurek of Kushtush Organics, http://www.kushtush.com, is an e-commerce entrepreneur specializing in organic bedding and organic cotton linens.

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    They are extremely rich source of minerals, enzymes, and vitamins. Faulty cooking and prolonged careless storage, however, destroy these valuable nutrients. Most of the vegetables are, therefore, best consumed in their natural raw state in the form of salads.

    There are different kinds of vegetables. They may be edible roots, stems, leaves, fruits and seeds. Each group contributes to the diet in its own way. Fleshy roots have energy value and good sources of vitamin B. Seeds are relatively high in carbohydrates and proteins and yellow ones are rich in vitamin A. Leaves, stems and fruits are excellent sources of minerals, vitamins, water and roughage.

    To prevent loss of nutrients in vegetables, it would be advisable to steam or boil vegetables in their juices on a slow fire and the water or cooking liquid should not be drained off. No vegetable should be peeled unless it is so old that the peel is tough and unpalatable.

    In most root vegetables, the largest amount of mineral is directly under the skin and these are lost if vegetables are peeled. Soaking of vegetables should also be avoided if taste and nutritive value are tobe preserved.

    To learn more about the energy principle in healing, please read:

    Cost-free Miracle Asthma Cure
    Overcome Type I Diabetes and Type II Diabetes Naturally
    Alternative Treatments for Incurable Diseases made easy

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    You are a mineral body

    Every part of you is made from minerals - your bones, cell structure, lymph liquid, arteries, organs, tissue, muscle, hair, and so on. You cannot live without minerals. Your body does not produce minerals.

    Where do you get your minerals? You get them from vegetables and fruits and good supplements. Since only 10% of the people eat enough fruits and vegetable, the rest of you are deficient in minerals.

    If we eat enough vegetables and fruits, why do we have to take a mineral supplement?

    Long time ago when the soil was rich in minerals, vegetable and fruits were jammed pack with minerals. Fruits and vegetables were not picked early, frozen, waxed, radiated, or stored in argon gas. Those who ate these vegetables and fruits obtained an adequate supply of minerals and seldom has a deficiency.

    Today the opposite is true. You and I cannot get enough minerals from eating fruits and vegetables. Now we eat more cooked vegetables, more vegetables in packages, fruits and vegetables that are waxed, and vegetables from other countries not processed properly.

    Today, we need to supplement our eating habits with a live mineral liquid to make up for the lack of minerals in the good food and junk food we eat.

    Here is a partial list of illnesses and their related mineral deficiencies and below each mineral is the food that is highest in that mineral.

    * Calcium - receding gums, PMS, panic attacks, muscle cramps, lungs weak, low back pain, kidney stones, insomnia, bone weakness, bone spurs, calcium deposits.

    ** Foods - cheeses, cottage cheeses, dulse, greens, kelp, goat milk, sesame seeds, unrefined cereal grains, seeds and almonds.

    * Sodium - restless nerves, poor eyesight, mental confusion, lack of saliva, frontal headache, white coated tongue, cracking joints, fatigue, offensive breath, stiff tendons, stiff joints

    ** Foods - goat milk, goat whey, black mission figs, apples, apricots, kale, kelp, prunes, raisins, strawberries, sunflower seeds, black olives, celery, dulse, asparagus, greens

    *Potassium - fearfulness, mental illness, low energy, pains and aches, body acidity, tendency toward violence, suspiciousness, loss of ambition, nervousness, negativity

    * Foods - black olives, dulse, potato peeling broth, bitter greens, kelp, Irish moss, various seeds and nuts, apple cider vinegar, soy milk, spinach, goat milk, grapes, apples, bananas, cheese, cucumbers, fish, dale, lettuce

    * Magnesium - A.D.D., anorexia, arterial calcification, low calcium absorption, convulsions, depression, gastrointestinal disturbances, growth failure, menstrual migraines, osteoporosis, tremors, hot temper, fainting

    ** Foods - seeds and nuts, yellow cornmeal, rice polishings, wheat germ, avocados, coconuts, spinach, goat milk, grapes, honey, whole wheat

    * Phosphorus - constant weakness, neuralgia, numbness, lack of confidence, slow oxygenation, sensitive to noise or criticism, fatigue

    * Foods - meat, egg yolk, dairy products, fish, almonds, rice bran, pumpkin seeds, soybeans, lentils, sunflower seeds, almonds, various types of beans, carrots, pecans, lentils, cabbage

    * Manganese - A.D. D., asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome, convulsions, loss of libido, miscarriage, retarded growth rate, still birth, TMJ, nightmares

    ** Foods - black walnuts, and other nuts and seeds, pineapple, parsley, leaf lettuce, celery, blueberries, black eyed peas, apricots

    * Copper - A.D.D., anemia, arthritis, behavior-violent, cerebral palsy, high cholesterol, eyelids sagging, gray or white hair, hernia, liver cirrhosis, learning disabilities, low blood sugar, slow healer, high risk of strokes, varicose veins

    ** Foods - liver, sea foods, almonds, greens, leafy vegetables, whole grain cereals

    * Selenium - age spots, aging skin, Alzheimer?s, cancer, cystic fibrosis, fatigue, heart palpitations , HIV, hypothyroidism, liver damage, muscular weakness, scoliosis

    ** Foods - wheat germ, bran, whole grains, onions, broccoli, eggs, seafood's, milk products, meat, asparagus, tomatoes, mushrooms, nuts

    * Iodine - goiter, menstrual difficulties, thinking confused, heart and lung problems

    ** Foods - kelp, fish, dulse, sea plants, watermelon, okra, mustard greens, green peppers, eggplant, brussels sprouts, carrots chives, artichokes, agar

    * Iron - fatigue, low auto-immunity, anemia, depression, low blood pressure, slow speech, poor memory, susceptibly to colds

    ** Foods - greens, unsulphured dried fruits, dulse, kelp, Irish moss, black cherries, black berries, liquid chlorophyll, strawberries, celery, spinach, rice polishings sunflower seeds, blackstrap molasses, eggs, goat milk, pinto beans

    * Zinc - A.D.D., hair loss, congenital birth defects, body odor, brain defects, diarrhea, slow healer, heart defects, hernia, impotence, lung defects, prostate enlargement, loss of sense of smell, short stature, webbed toes

    * Foods - goat milk, brewer's yeast, pumpkin seeds, wheat germ, wheat bran, high protein foods, cow's milk

    * Chromium - A.D.D., unexpected weight loss, low sperm count, pre diabetes, manic depression, learning disabilities, impaired growth, hyperactivity, coronary blood vessel disease, cataracts, low blood sugar

    * Foods - brewer's yeast, whole grain cereals, clams, meat, cloves and spices, corn oil.

    There are more minerals than the ones listed above. This is just a start, so that you can see why minerals are so important. A consistent lack of a specific mineral can lead to a serious illness.

    Rudy Silva has a Physics degree from the University of San Jose California and is a Natural Nutritionist. He has written an ebook called ?How to Relieve Your Constipation with 77 Natural Remedies.? You can get more information on this ebook and more constipation remedies at this site. http://www.stop-constipation.com

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    Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid is found in many of our ?every day? foods and is essential to keep our bodies running at an optimum.

    Vitamin C has several key uses:

    ?It aids our bodies by helping form collagen which is an important protein that creates new tissue so that we can grow and/or repair any damage to our organs.

    ?It is also an antioxidant which means it blocks some of the damage that can be caused by free-radicals which can build up as a result of our bodies transforming food into energy.

    The human body cannot produce vitamin C on its own; therefore it needs to be made a part of our daily diet.

    Symptoms of a vitamin C deficiency include ?

    -Anemia ( Vitamin C aids absorption of iron )
    -nose bleeds
    -easy bruising
    -dry skin
    -inflammation of gums
    -decreased immunity to infection
    -higher risk of developing cancer
    -lung related problems

    The average amount of vitamin C needed for an adult is 80-100mg per day. The body cannot store vitamin C, it will excrete any excess, and therefore this amount needs to be included in the diet every day to maintain health.

    There are many foods that contain vitamin C. Most fruit and vegetables contain some vitamin C. Ripe food will contain more than unripe. Some examples of food with higher vitamin C content are?

    -parsley
    -broccoli
    -bell pepper
    -strawberries
    -oranges
    -lemon juice
    -papaya
    -cauliflower
    -kale
    - mustard greens
    - Brussels sprouts

    So make sure you are getting enough vitamin C in your diet and help boost your health today.

    For more information on Vitamin C or any other vitamin, as well as recipe ideas on how to include these essential vitamins in your diet everyday, you can visit
    www.truth-about-vitamins.com

    Lysah Woods is an Australian currently studying to become a paramedic. She has always had a keen interest in all health related topics and combined with her love of food, nutrition is one of her strongest topics.

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    Increasing the fiber in your diet has been shown to: reduce your cholesterol, reduce your hunger, lower your fat absorption, reduce surges in insulin levels, help with weight loss, lower the risk of colon cancer, and lower your risk of heart disease. WOW! Sounds like a miracle cure - where can I get this stuff? The answer: At your grocery store.

    Old Ben Franklin, citing in Poor Richard's Almanac 250 years ago stated An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well he was right. Not only because the apple contains vitamins and minerals, but also because it is a major source of fiber. Maybe three apples a day keeps three doctors away!

    What is fiber? Well, it is basically indigestible complex carbo-hydrates that come from plant foods. What your Grandma called roughage is called fiber by scientists. When you look at some food labels, fiber is often listed under carbohydrates - but it is not a single food or substance and by itself has no calories because your body cannot absorb it.

    There are actually two types of fiber and they have different health benefits. The two types are water soluble and water insoluble. Soluble fibers include the skins of fruits such as apples, oranges (not the orange peel, but the white material after you peel it), pears, peaches and grapes; the skins of vegetables, seeds; oat bran, dried beans, oatmeal, barley, rye, and prunes. Insoluble fibers include the meat of fruits and vegetables, dried beans, wheat bran, seeds, popcorn, brown rice, and whole grain products such as breads, cereals, and pasta.

    Bran of course does bulk up the diet and results in larger, softer stools. But it actually does more than prevent constipation - there are clear data showing that fiber also reduces the risk of colon cancers. The stickiest kinds of fiber are the gums and pectins (soluble fiber) and they help keep cholesterol under control by removing bile acids that digest fat. Bile acids, which promote better digestion, unfortunately also contribute much to the reabsorption from the bowel wall of our bodies own home-made cholesterol. Every gram of fiber intake per day reduces your total blood cholesterol by approximately one point. The same class of fibers may help regulate blood sugar as well. This latter feat is accomplished by coating the bowel's lining and delaying stomach emptying. As a result, fiber can slow sugar absorption after a meal and may reduce the amount of insulin needed to keep blood sugar at the right levels. Reducing the over-production of insulin is a major factor in reducing obesity.

    Insulin resistance (abnormally high insulin levels) is common in very obese patients and may be a factor in obesity begets obesity. Fiber is also a weight watchers dream since fibers called cellulose and hemicelluloses take up space in the stomach, making us feel full; thus lowering total caloric intake at meal time. Popular agents such as Metamucil are actually an important part of many weight reduction diets as they slow down absorption of sugars taken in as part of most meals - promoting further weight loss.

    The average American gets only 14 grams of fiber per day in their diet. Most scientists agree that the optimal amount is closer to 35 grams per day. Increasing the consumption of complex carbo-hydrates is the best way to increase fiber intake. Fiber supplements are also available at the grocery. However, be aware that a large increase in your fiber intake over a short period of time may result in bloating, diarrhea, gas and general discomfort. It is important then to increase the fiber amount in your diet gradually over a period of time (up to three weeks) to allow your gut to acclimated and avoid abdominal side-effects.

    Disclaimer: If you are under 18, pregnant, nursing or have health problems, consult your physician before starting any weight loss plan. The information here is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your physician before beginning any course of treatment.

    Dr. John Rumberger is the Author of The WAY Diet, The complete lifestyle plan to live longer, reduce stress, and lose weight the healthy way. To purchase The Way Diet simply go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?path=ASIN/0974993387
    &linkcode=as2&camp=1789&tag=icobweb-20&creative=9325 or go to Empty Canoe Publishing http://www.emptycanoe.com and order your copy of The Way.

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    Avian influenza, or the bird flu, was discovered in China in 1996. It is currently spreading like wildfire across Europe, Africa, and Asia leaving tens of millions of slaughtered poultry behind. Though rare in humans at this time, those contracting the bird flu have a survival rate of only about 50%. Experts fear that this virulent avian influenza strain will eventually mutate and acquire the ability to pass easily between people. When this happens, an influenza pandemic could annihilate millions of people as happened in the past.

    The Spanish Flu Pandemic, of 1918, was an unusually deadly strain of avian influenza that killed millions of people (estimates range from 20 to 100 million worldwide). It is believed to have been one of the most deadly pandemics in human history, possibly even surpassing the Black Plague. The bird flu is expected to reach America before the end of the year. Are we prepared? There is no vaccine available at this time.

    The good news is that any virus must first get past our body's homeland security- - the immune system. The immune system is our body's first line of defense against viral invaders, but it can't do its job without the proper military hardware.

    Here is what your immune system needs:

    Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain more of what your immune system needs than any other food. You should be getting 9+ servings a day (a serving is about half a cup). Go for a wide variety, in a rainbow of colors. Fresh? Frozen? Canned? Raw? Cooked? The best choice is to eat what you enjoy.

    Vitamins and minerals are important to the immune system, particularly the antioxidants. Taking supplements might help, but can also be risky business. Some vitamins can attain toxic levels in the body if taken in excess or for a prolonged period of time. Iron supplements can actually depress the immune system. This is a subject to discuss with your doctor.

    Now is the time to avoid the things you know are bad for your health. Alcohol, drugs, and tobacco smoke are obvious villains to avoid. Sugar is one of the worst enemies of the immune system so pass up pop, candy, and other junk or processed foods. You need a high fiber diet, so stay away from products made with white flour or soy.

    Good nutrition is important, but the immune system also needs a healthy mind and body. You need moderate, though not stressful, exercise. Mental exercise is helpful too. Social activity is good for the immune system, so learn how to enjoy family and friends. Rest is essential; get 7-9 hours sleep nightly. Water is vital, so drink at least 8-12 cups daily. Love, laugh, and live.

    John Ritter has written a free online encyclopedia concerning herbs and other healing foods used in nutritional healing and disease prevention.

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    It?s so important to get your kids to eat more fresh vegetables every day, but what do you do if they groan every time they see a broccoli spear? Try these five crafty ways to get children to eat more veg.

  • Rethink the way you serve meals. Don?t have the plate half covered with meat, with an apologetic spoonful of veg hidden behind it. Gradually reverse the ratio, so that the main part of the plate is filled with generous helpings of veg. It?s easier if you cook a couple of types.

  • Add extra veg to meals you already serve. A can of borlotti beans in a pasta sauce, a sprinkling of sweetcorn kernels on a pizza, spaghetti served in a ?nest? of steamed broccoli florets. Every extra bit helps.

  • Peel and chop into crudit?s a couple of carrots, a few celery sticks, a red pepper ? anything with a bit of crunch. Leave these lying casually on the table before supper as the hungry hordes gather and just see what happens.

  • Master the art of rapid soup-making. I never mess about with pre-frying the veg, it adds fat and makes no discernible difference to the flavour. Chop the veg you have to hand and simmer in stock (try Marigold bouillon powder) until tender. Add herbs - mint, basil, tarragon, coriander ? or spices ? ground coriander, cumin, paprika grated fresh ginger (not too much). Whiz in blender and there you really do have it. If it?s a bit thin, throw in a some cous cous or add a handful of broken spaghetti bits and simmer for a little longer. It?s great for lunch, in a flask for a packed lunch, as an evening snack ? any time. Well, maybe not breakfast.

  • Add greenery to sandwiches. There is not a sandwich in the world you can?t improve with a generous handful of green leaves. Don?t let your sandwiches leave home without one.

    And there you have it. Any or all of these little tricks are simple to build into the daily routine once you get started, and are fantastic ways to get your kids eating more fresh vegetables.

    Elizabeth Martyn is webmaster at http://healthy-eating-made-easy.com, where she provides information, tips and recipes on using seasonal, fresh ingredients to feed the family healthily and without hassle. There are also over 120 easy healthy recipes for family meals on the site.

    For more help with feeding the family, check out healthy eating for kids.

    This article may be published electronically or in print in its entirety as long as the author by-lines in the resource box are included and urls kept live.

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    Evidence for the importance of fruit and vegetable intake to health and quality of life with aging is widely recognized. Consuming fruits and vegetables can reduce an individual's risk of cardiovascular disease and many cancers.

    Furthermore, fruits and vegetables are important components of diets for the secondary prevention of diabetes and hypertension. Of course, with diabetes, you want to use the low glycemic fruits. The highest sugar fruits are melons. Diets rich in nutrients and phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables have also been associated with delay or decreased risk of conditions associated with aging such as cataracts, diverticulosis, degeneration in neurological and cognitive performance, decline in bone mass, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

    Diets that are high in fruits and vegetables lower an individual's risk of chronic disease and contribute to healthy aging. Homebound seniors often have low intake of fruits and vegetables and limited access to fruits and vegetables with the most protective nutrients and phytochemicals.

    Wouldn't it be a great idea to send someone you know who is a Senior Citizen or someone you know in your community that would benefit from a nice, juicy fruit gift basket?

    Once a year, our home care agency sends a Thanksgiving gift Basket and Christmas gift basket to one of our patients who can really benefit from receiving one of these gift baskets. It not only makes them feel special, but they get a nutrition meal.

    If you don't know what to give your friend for the holidays, consider a fruit and vegetable gift basket.

    Home delivery of fruits and vegetables is an effective way to increase fruit and vegetable intake in homebound seniors.

    Copyright 2005 Fern Kuhn, RN
    Specializing in Diabetes

    http://www.diabetestestingcenter.com
    http://www.attentiondeficitdisordercenter.com
    http://www.acidrefluxandgerd.com

    You may reprint this article as long as you keep the links active.

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    Many people take for granted very simple ways to healthy living and eating. Our foods are full of toxins, chemicals and preservatives so when you eat try to think natural which is the best way to know your eating right.

    If we go back thousands of years when man had no supermarkets and no packaged goods but just simple food then we can relate that to how we should be eating in the 21st century. Back then man would eat food straight from the fruit trees, vegetables that have no chemicals in the soil and free of pesticide spray. Men and women would have been much healthier as they would have also had to work hard to gather their food and we all know that exercise is a vital part of healthy living.

    Instead of buying your vegetables from the supermarket which are usually full of chemicals and pesticides consider taking a visit to your small local fresh fruit & vegetable store. Not all of these small fresh fruit & vegetable stores are are that much better as many of them still buy their stock from the same growers as the supermarket chains. The best way to judge if the produce is free from toxins & chemicals is to take it in your hand and take a look at the produce. Study the leafs in greens, do they have a look of been nearly perfect and pest free? If the leaves looks like they have had some harmless insects nibbling at the leaves then thats a good sign the produce has not been sprayed. Do the tomatoes looks pale and without blemishes? If so they have been grown in a hothouse artificially. You are the best judge, use your own discretion and ask the shop keeper directly if the produce is organic and free of sprays & chemicals.

    You can also find particular sections in supermarkets & fresh fruit & vegetable stores that cater especially for organic foods which is probably one of the best guarantees that the food is free of toxins. You can also find fresh fruit & vegetable stores that only sell organic foods which is usually the best places to buy.

    Eggs are another food source we all need but can be unhealthy to eat due to the chickens been bred in cages and they get no exercise and the eggs contain traces of chemicals from the artificially produced eggs. The eggs also have less natural vitamins, minerals and proteins so we don't get the full benefits of what natural eggs would normally contain. To be assured your eggs are going to be good for you then buy farm range eggs that are organically grown.

    How many of us buy white sugar or use white sugar when buying a drink from a caf?? Most likely over 80% of us... Instead of having white sugar which is very bad for our health when too much of it is consumed, buy raw sugar which is less refined or even better use honey to sweeten your drinks and food. Honey is a very healthy food but make sure you buy it unfiltered and honey that has not gone through any processing or heating. The best place to buy honey is straight from the owners of bee hives. If you do have to buy your honey from a store then look for a dark natural color with traces of honey comb and read the label.

    Another over consumed everyday food source is salt, apparently most people eat 2 sacks of salt a year more than they need. That is an awful lot of salt but its in nearly every packaged food and nearly all foods from your local restaurant, caf?s or fast food outlet. Aways insist on salt free food when buying from these places and most restaurant & caf?s will be happy to prepare a special dish free of salt for you although at a slightly higher price but it's well worth it. We all need some salt but not so much, only use natural sea salt or kelp in our meals and do so moderately.

    Lucy Denim writes part-time about nutrition and is in charge of the Health & Beauty department at DiscountSaver.net - http://www.discountsaver.net/coupons.asp?savediscount=healthbeauty

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    Let's start with what you should do in the morning. Get up and go straight to the kitchen. It's very important that you eat or drink something in the morning to get your metabolism going. The earlier you get your metabolism going, the more calories your will burn. It will also help your circadian rhythm stay in balance. Get out a banana, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, and a cup of yogurt and start blending them in your blender or better yet, your smoothie maker. Get that smoothie in your stomach and you'll be doing your intestines a favor the later morning. Bacon and eggs might be your prefered choice when it comes to taste and satisfaction, but you'll find that your tastes will change overtime and your body will start to appreciate and crave this new diet of fruit and yogurt.

    When lunchtime comes around go to your grocery store and browse the produce section for whatever is on sale and in season. Not only do vegetables taste better when they are in season, they can actually be more healthy for you at the same time as they can contain more antioxidants, minerals and vitamins when they are in season. In addition, people often have bad associations with fruits or vegetables just because they once ate something that was unripe or rotten and did not realize that that was not a good representation of what it was supposed to taste like. If you have a bad association with a fruit or vegetable learn how to tell when they are ripe and never leave them on the counter for too long and expect them to stay fresh and taste the same. I always examine my vegetable rigorously for this very reason and I have found that I can take a liking to almost anything in the produce section.

    Take your vegetables home and give them a good washing. Put them in a microwave safe dish and set your microwave setting to fresh vegetables. If you don't have a microwave with this setting, I highly recomend you go out shopping for a microwave that does. It is a huge time saver and I love being able to just press a button and get perfectly steamed vegeables everytime. Eat your vegetables up and get on back to work. But take with you your favorite tea. Green tea, black tea, spice tea whatever. As long as your tea makes you happy, I don't care what kind it is. The important thing is that you drink tea instead of something that will give you heartburn like soda pop. Drink your tea throughout the afternoon as you desire. I find it's a nice break time activity that generates good conversation with my coworkers. I like to talk about the benefits of drinking tea and I am fortunate that my coworkers do as well. If your tea has ginger in it, it is even thought to aid in digestion. You might think that you have no digestive problems, and that is great, drinking tea may just prevent you from ever having them in the future. It 's so much easier and less expensive to keep your body in good working order by taking simple preventative steps that are as easy as drinking tea. I can't stress this enought.

    Speaking of stress, when you get home at night and finish your dinner there is another tea that I like to drink. Before we get to that, let's talk about dinner. Dinner should not be the largest meal of the day as contrary to popular practice that may be. However, this is time for your body to slow down and get ready for a good night's sleep. Have a small portion of chicken or your favorite cut of meat with some good whole grains and vegetables on the side. If you can boil your chicken instead of fry it to reduce your fat intake. Once dinner is over, I like to drink some chamolile tea and listen to the radio in bed. The radio? Yes, the radio helps to calm my body down much more than the T.V. does. This might not be your idea of an exciting night, but it can really pay off in your long term health if you get to bed at a reasonable time and get your sleep started off early. Today, it is all to common for people to get in a bad habit of going to bed late and getting up feeling groogy and tired. This is not only a bad idea for your body's health, it is also a bad idea if you intend on performing well at work.

    Please don't put your health care on the backburner. If you do, you're just asking for high price emergency health care at some point in the future. Doctors then must resort to powerful medicines with negative side effects and surgery to treat aliments that could have been prevented. Keep your body healthy and strong and empower your natural ability to fight off diseases.

    I thank you for reading my article on everyday preventative health care. Please feel free to repost this article on your website, but you must keep this footer intact. Please also visit my website Low Price Health Care to read reviews, articles, and find low prices on a variety of health care products online. Our website is nicely organized into categories like:

    Allergy, Sinus & Asthma, Cough & Cold, Diabetes, Digestion & Nausea, Eye Care, Feminine Hygiene, First Aid, Hair Care, Homeopathic & Natural Remedies, Oral Hygiene, Pain Relievers, Sleep & Snoring, Smoking Cessation, Thermometers, Herbal Supplements, Homeopathic Remedies, Massage & Relaxation, Nutritional Supplements, Nutrition Bars & Shakes, Vitamins, Skin Care, and Weight-Loss Products.

    Thank you for reading my article and be well!

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    Potatoes are one of the top crops grown throughout the world, and they're certainly a favorite right here in the United States. In fact, potatoes are America's favorite vegetable, and they are harvested somewhere in the United States during every single month of the year.

    Americans love potatoes. We each eat about 126 pounds of them every year -- a hefty amount when you consider that we only eat 30 pounds of lettuce and 4.5 pounds of broccoli in the same time-span. Interestingly, though, despite their popularity there is an ongoing debate as to whether they are good for you or not.

    Potatoes are As Bad as Sugar

    At the heart of the argument against potatoes is their high level of carbohydrates. They were avoided like the plague during the very recent low-carb craze, with Atkins' dieters and others swearing they were one of the worst foods you could eat.

    Harvard's head nutritionist, Walter Willett, M.D., agreed. White potatoes are like white sugar and white bread, he said. Not only do they cause a spike in blood sugar, but they can raise levels of harmful triglycerides and lower HDL (good) cholesterol. Willett maintains that this increases the risk of heart attack, particularly in people with insulin resistance.

    Two Harvard studies also found that eating a lot of potatoes increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Further, while most vegetables reduce the risk of cancer, potatoes do not appear to have this effect.

    Willett says that potatoes should be treated like candy and desserts and eaten only sparingly.

    Most Potatoes Eaten are Fried

    Eating a plain baked potato is one thing. It is in this form, or, perhaps, roasted, mashed, boiled or steamed, that a case for a healthy potato can be made.

    When potatoes come in their processed form -- French fries, potatoes chips, tater tots, hash brown patties -- no one claims they are good for you. But it is in this processed form that the majority of potatoes are consumed. In fact, from 1977 to 1995 Americans increased their potato consumption by 30 percent -- mostly in the form of French fries and potato chips.

    What is so unhealthy about fried potato chips and French fries?

    • They contain artery-clogging trans fats.
    • They contain acrylamide, a cancer-causing substance. While the EPA safe limit for acrylamide in drinking water is 0.5 parts per billion (ppb), a small order of fries contains 400 ppb!
    • They are cooked in vegetables oils that may be rancid, thereby producing large amounts of free radicals in the body.


    A Heart-Healthy, Antioxidant-Rich Comfort Food

    Many believe that potatoes have gotten a bad rap -- that they're actually quite healthy (as long as they're not fried or processed).

    Potatoes are a good source of:
    • Vitamin C
    • Vitamin B6
    • Copper
    • Potassium
    • Manganese
    • Dietary fiber


    Further, potatoes contain a variety of antioxidants, including:
    • Carotenoids
    • Flavonoids
    • Caffeic acid
    • Unique tuber storage proteins, including patatin, which help fight free radicals


    It has also been discovered that potatoes contain newly identified compounds that lower blood pressure called kukoamines. The compounds, discovered by UK scientists at the Institute for Food Research (IFR), were previously only thought to exist in Lycium chinense, an exotic herbal plant.

    Potatoes have been cultivated for thousands of years, and we thought traditional crops were pretty well understood, said IFR food scientist Dr. Fred Mellon, but this surprise finding shows that even the most familiar of foods might conceal a hoard of health-promoting chemicals.

    How to Best Bake a Potato

    It certainly looks like the potato will continue to be a mainstay of the American diet for some time. To best bake a potato, so as to retain the maximum number of nutrients, we recommend the following recipe:
    • Scrub the potato under cold running water using a vegetable brush.
    • Remove any eyes or deep bruises with a paring knife.
    • Leave the peel on -- it contains a load of healthy fiber.
    • Pierce the potato several times on either side. This will allow steam to escape and keep the potato from bursting.
    • Do not wrap the potato in foil; some believe that aluminum foil may transfer toxins to food. Also, the foil will trap moisture, causing the potato to be steamed rather than baked.
    • Place potatoes in a 400?F oven.
    • Bake for 45-60 minutes. Potatoes are done when they give slightly after squeezing.

    This article was provided by the world's #1 most popular and trusted holistic living e-newsletter -- FREE to you right now at http://www.SixWise.com! The old way of thinking: holistic living pertains only to personal health. The new way of thinking: holistic living means prevention of the negative and adherence to the positive in all SIX practical areas of life: relationships, finances, career, home environment, safety and health. With the SixWise.com e-newsletter, you will get holistic wisdom from the world's top experts in all six of these areas -- completely FREE with a simple sign-up (and a guaranteed no-spam policy!) at http://www.SixWise.com.

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    You?re hungry, so you eat. It?s so simple, isn?t it? Well, maybe not so simple these days.

    It is apparent that what you eat has a profound effect on how you feel and how healthy you are.

    Your diet, the number of calories, the Glycemic Index, the mix of protein and carbohydrate, the amount of refined sugar, processed or home made, when you eat and more, all have some effect on your long-term health and ultimately happiness.

    Eating has turned into a science instead of a simple necessity. The focus on food is now where and how it is grown and the time it takes to get from field to your table.

    Food processing companies are becoming as large and powerful as drug companies in that they bombard us with advertising to try the latest food combination ready-made, frozen meal. They play on the pace of life today and the lack of time to prepare and cook food for you and the family.

    The consequence of poor diet throughout your life increases your chances of becoming overweight and developing diabetes, or even possibly some other disease such as cancer. It is not something to look forward to.

    Maybe now is a good time to review what you eat and think about changing to a healthier mix of food. Certainly, cutting down of processed food is a must, as is trying to reduce the amount of refined sugar you munch through in cookies, cakes and candies.

    But, don?t think the news is as bad as it might seem. The benefits of fresh and organic foods are many, and they taste just great. Once you get into the habit of choosing fresh fish and meat, seasonal fruit and vegetables, you?ll never go back.

    You will feel better and happier, and you will be healthier.

    What to do is take a look at what makes up these delicious fresh foods. Check out their calorie content, how many vitamins and minerals they contain, how much fat both saturated and unsaturated, the water content and most of all just what impact they can have on your health.

    Suddenly you will see how omega-3 fatty acids help a whole list of conditions such as helping your memory, lowering cholesterol, reducing inflammation, building up your immune system and much more.

    You?ll discover the benefits of antioxidants to help combat ageing, and lutein to help preserve your sight.

    What about the good things that fibre, both soluble and insoluble, does for health?

    Then, there are the foods that fight cancer. Broccoli, for instance, slows cancer growth and may kill Helicobacter pylori in your stomach so preventing ulcers.

    The list is endless. All kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables contribute to your well-being. It doesn?t take a lot of time or effort to prepare healthy, nutritious and delicious meals. And, buying healthy food takes no longer than unhealthy processed meals.

    Take a look at some fresh foods and you?ll be surprised just how good they are for you.

    James Brunton is a pharmacist with many years experience. Get his booklets on alternative therapies including basic food groups at http://www.healthexplored.com, subscribe to his newsletter and get a free tips booklet, or claim some of his special reports on cholesterol, antacids and pain.

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    The Grapefruit diet is not a diet for life. It is a short time diet; it only lasts 2 1/2 months. It is a diet for rapid weight loss and fast weight loss diets are always popular. We have seen popular diets come and go and this dieting program is no exception; we can call it a fad diet. It is also a weight loss diet for real heavy weighters who need to lose lots of pounds. If you follow this diet exactly you should be able to lose 52 pounds during this two and a half month's dieting period. To sustain the weight loss however, you need to change to a long term diet. The usefulness of this diet is to motivate people who are severely overweight towards a flying dieting start. If you look at the diet this way, it might be useful for you.

    General Guidelines

    • During this diet you should reduce your coffee consumption, it slows down the burning process. Only one cup a day

    • Don't eliminate anything from the diet. The combinations of food listed in the diet are important for the fat burning (especially bacon AND salads)

    • Drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water per day which means 64 oz. total daily

    • Fry your food in butter and cover your vegetables generously with butter

    • If you want you may double or even triple helpings of meat, salad or vegetables

    • Never change the amount of grapefruit or juice. This has to do with the diet's fat burning effect

    • This diet allows no desserts, breads, white vegetables or sweet potatoes

    • The diet does not allow eating between meals. If you follow the diet you will not get hungry

    • Stay on the diet 12 days, then stop the diet for 2 days and repeat the dieting cycle for two and a half month (approximately 75 days)..

    • On this diet you can eat until you are stuffed

    • Never eat less than the minimum listed at each meal in this diet.

    The Diet Plan

    Breakfast:

    • Either 1/2 grapefruit OR 8 oz. unsweetened juice
    • 2 eggs any style
    • 2 slices of bacon

    Lunch:

    • Either 1/2 grapefruit OR 8 oz. unsweetened juice
    • Salad with any dressing
    • Meat any style and any amount

    Dinner:

    • Either 1/2 grapefruit OR 8 oz. unsweetened juice
    • Salad with any dressing OR a red or green vegetable cooked in butter or spices
    • Meat or Fish any style cooked any way
    • Coffee or Tea (1 cup)

    Evening Snack:

    • 8 oz. glass of tomato juice or 8 oz cup of skim milk.

    This diet is not for everyone but could be right for you. Good Luck!

    Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet marketer. He runs the website 11-Weight-Loss.net. Terje enjoys to give advice and help people with fast weight loss with the grapefruit diet. fad diets and more balanced diets.

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    In today's fast paced, fast food world, most of us need to improve our daily diet by eating more vegetables. For optimum health that means 3 to 5 servings a day. Try these twelve ways to easily (and deliciously) incorporate more veggies into your meals and snacks.

    1. In the winter, make one pot meals, like soups, stews, and chowders. Use a combination of fresh and frozen vegetables. Turnips, parsnips, and other vegetables you might not enjoy on their own are quite satisfying in a hearty winter soup or stew.

    2. Make a simple tossed salad part of your dinner every night. No need to wash and cut up veggies. Buy salads already prepared, so all you have to do is open the bag, put the salad in a bowl or on a plate and add some low-fat or low-calorie dressing. Toss in a few sunflower seed kernels, dried nuts, or sprouts for extra crunch and additional nutrients.

    3. Trade potato chips and other high fat, high calorie snack foods for matchstick carrots. Again, buy the carrots already washed and prepared. They may seem a bit expensive but there's no waste (if you actually eat the carrots and don't leave them to rot in the crisper of your refrigerator).

    4. Make at least one stir-fry meal a week. Experiment with various stir- fry recipes to come up with your favorite variation of vegetables, seasonings, and a small amount of meat. Use fresh veggies, or try some of the many frozen varieties of stir-fry mixes available at the supermarket.

    5. Try a chicken and veggie fajita for dinner or lunch at least once a week. Simply cook diced chicken and chopped onion in a few tablespoons of oil. Add seasoning (look for fajita seasoning in the spice section of your supermarket). When the chicken has cooked all the way through, and the onions are translucent, add chopped green, yellow, and red peppers and continue cooking until they soften. Put a couple of spoonfuls of the cooked veggies and chicken in the center of a flour tortilla, add some shredded cheese, and fold as you would for a burrito.

    6. Add shredded carrots or zucchini to meatloaf or meatballs.

    7. Instead of a meat lover's pizza, order (or make) a veggie lover's pizza once in a while.

    8. Serve low calorie dips with fresh veggies instead of chips and crackers.

    9. If you get tired of salads, try slaw. Browse cookbooks for recipes that include red cabbage and interesting ingredients besides the ordinary green cabbage and carrots.

    10.Experiment with vegetable casseroles. Broccoli and Rice is an easy one that most families will eat. You'll find recipes for some variation of this in many cookbooks, or try the all time kid's favorite, Green Bean Casserole.

    11.Make a simple and satisfying veggie quiche for dinner once in a while. Use a frozen pie crust and all you'll need to prepare is the filling.

    12.Drink vegetable juice for a morning or afternoon snack. Also add it those hearty soups and stews you rustle up for dinner.

    Once you start thinking about it, you'll find it really isn't that difficult to incorporate more fresh and frozen vegetables into your daily diet.

    Suzanne Lieurance is a freelance writer, children's author, and owner of the Three Angels Gourmet Co. Read her daily food tips at http://www.threeangelsgourmet.blogspot.com or visit http://www.threeangelsgourmet.com for heavenly gourmet mixes.

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    Eat more vegetables when you want to lose weight. You've heard it before and you know the benefits:

  • Hard to overeat. You can eat potato chips all day and night, but you quickly feel stuffed on carrot and celery sticks.
  • Feel fuller faster.
  • Decrease meat content by adding more vegetables.

    • But eating more vegetables is often easier said than done. Try these painless ways to sneak more vegetables into your diet:

    • Precut vegetables into serving-size portions and place in the refrigerator for easy access. Make your vegetables as convenient to eat as any other snack food and you will eat more of them.

    • Serve your vegetables on a beautiful plate or bowl. Break out the china or treat yourself to a funky new serving platter.

    • Serve vegetables in fancy shapes. Use cookie cutters or learn how to make roses, palm trees, birds, and other creations with vegetables. You have fun decorating cakes and cookies, why not vegetables? There are simple courses on the market teaching vegetable garnishing. This web site offers books, videos, and other tools for decorating with food: www.chefharvey.com.

    • Create a salad bar with healthy dips and those vegetable decorations you learned to make. Dips include low fat salad dressing, peanut butter, cottage cheese, and salsa.

    • Slice vegetables thin and layer them in sandwiches.

    • Got a shredder? Choose a variety of vegetables you don't normally eat: asparagus, parsnips, beets, whatever strikes your fancy. Shred them together and top with your favorite dressing.

    • When serving hamburgers, sloppy joes, pizza or any other kid-pleasing fare, toss in some shredded carrots or broccoli. Just a small amount will blend right into a red sauce and boost the nutritional value of any dish. While you've got the shredder out, shred more vegetables and package them in zip-lock bags or air-tight containers for the next meal.

    • In beef stew, cut the meat in half and double the vegetables. Try adding another vegetable along with the traditional carrots and potatoes. You'll still have the meaty taste, but with lower fat and calorie content.

    • Traditional nori seaweed wraps form the outer casing of sushi. You can buy nori made from vegetables or fruits and use it in place of tortillas or sandwich bread. Asian grocers or health food stores carry this product, or you can order on-line.

    • Hide vegetables in chocolate cake. Add tomato juice or pureed spinach to the batter. You won't be able to taste the veggies after the cake is baked!

    • Learn to cook spaghetti squash. A 4-ounce serving has less than 40 calories! Spaghetti squash can be boiled, baked, slow cooked, or microwaved. Once tender, pull a fork through squash to tear out spaghetti-like shreds. Ladle on tomato sauce perked up with shredded carrots, mushrooms, and sliced broccoli. Nutritious and delicious!

    • Try grilled kabobs. Cut bite-size pieces of vegetables and grill them on skewers or alternate with chunks of meat. Add a tasty marinade.

    ===============================================================================
    Looking for diet and weight loss tips? Kathy Ferneau has created an excellent resource for information on diets, healthy eating, and exercise. Click here: http://www.lose-weight-diets.com
    Get a free smoothie recipe e-book just for visiting! http://www.lose-weight-diets.com/smoothierecipe.html

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    Would you care for a side dish of pesticides with your meal tonight?

    Most sane people would not raise their hand in the affirmative. So how do you reply in the negative, so that food manufacturers will hear you?

    Go organic! It is healthier for you to not ingest chemicals not intended for your system. With large-scale food production, pesticides and chemicals are added to help the earth and plants perform. Soil becomes depleted with overuse in food production, so the chemicals are added in an effort to amend that, and to fight off the pests that invade the off-balance system. The chemicals themselves lead to an imbalance, causing a cycle of depletion and perpetuating the system imbalance. In the meantime, these same chemicals are killing off earthworms, which eat soil and produce a richer fertilizer than can be manufactured!

    The Environmental Protection Agency lists 60,000 of the 70,000 chemicals produced as being potentially dangerous to our health. Hundreds of millions of pounds of pesticides are added annually to the billions of pounds already in the ground, which in turn leach into the cells of the foods that we will be ingesting. To top it off, food plants grown in chemical-additive soil contain more carbohydrates and are lower in protein and minerals. The chemical fertilizers can also cause a severe lack of magnesium in plants, which in turn causes deficiencies of magnesium in humans. This means that the foods we are purchasing are coming to us nutritionally inferior, in their natural state, as a result of their production!

    Food plants grown in soil rich in natural minerals and humus have a greater protein content than those grown in chemically fertilized soils. Calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron contents of vegetables from mineral-rich organic soil has ranged from four to many hundreds of times higher than soils chemically fertilized. These foods are more natural, as a direct result of their being grown naturally, and clearly more nutritionally beneficial.

    The question is why food manufacturers would continue to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides, when the risks appear to outweigh the benefits. It comes down to economics, as usual - organic production requires a little more labor and effort, which in turn can make the cost of production a little higher. By spreading chemicals instead, the result is a cheaper solution, with the cost being somewhat hidden in the way of environmental side-effects and our ingesting chemicals not intended for human consumption.

    Organic foods, when first introduced, were generally a lot more expensive than their chemically-grown counterparts. What has happened, as a result of consumer demand, is that the supply of more organically-grown foods were requested and purchased, and in turn, the costs have come down. What you have to consider is how much is your long-term health worth? It doesn't seem to make sense to purchase foods that are nutritionally deficient right off the shelf. The purpose of food is to provide our body the maximum amount of nutrients possible. We certainly don't eat for malnutrition, vitamin and mineral deficiency, and unnatural chemicals migrating into every cell of our bodies.

    What wouldn't you pay for vitality and the most premium health you can possibly possess?

    Debra Augur has studied holistic nutrition for years, put that knowledge into practice, and has a passion to share that knowledge with others who are seeking their own best health. If we are what we eat, are we denatured, devitalized, deficient and potentially toxic? Visit http://www.eat-well-to-be-well.com to learn more, and begin acquiring your healthiest self.

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    By the time you finish reading this article, you'll possess a powerful weapon in your fight against chronic tiredness and other health problems.

    This potent weapon is not new. It's well known by many health experts.

    So what is this key resource to help you enjoy better health?

    It's making your own fresh fruit and vegetable juices. When you juice fruits and vegetables, you make delicious drinks that will contribute to increased energy and enhanced health.

    Why is juicing so effective?

    Here's how this wonderful health weapon works: juices are absorbed almost immediately into your body, thus supplying needed vitamins and minerals. Cooking vegetables removes a lot of their nutritional value, but juicing saves these vitamins and minerals. So you get mega-doses of vitamins and minerals.

    Let's say you make a carrot-apple drink from one apple and four carrots. Imagine sitting down and eating all those at one time in their original state! But you get the vitamins and minerals from the fruit and vegetables in their juice and it's living! That's because the vitamins and minerals have not been destroyed by the pasteurization process used to make juice sold in stores.

    How do you get the maximum health return from juicing?

    Start your day right by drinking freshly-made juice. It's wise to drink it before you eat and then wait about ten minutes (before eating the rest of your breakfast) to give your body a headstart as it absorbs the life-giving fluid into your bloodstream.

    Don't let the juice sit around, but drink it within minutes of making it to retain those precious vitamins and minerals.

    You can also add to your fiber intake by using the pulp in muffins and bread. Just add the pulp of your favorite fruits and vegetables to your recipe and you'll have a moist taste-bud pleasing treat!

    How are fruits and vegetables prepared for juicing?

    First wash them. Cut out any bad spots that you wouldn't want to eat. You usually don't need to peel fruits and vegetables.

    What are some popular juice recipes?

    1. Carrot Juice

    Carrots are a favorite for juicing purposes. Put them through your juicer one at a time and don't peel them.

    Carrot drinks taste great all by themselves, but you can also use them as a base for other fruits and vegetables too. Carrots and apples taste wonderful together. Children love this combination taste treat!

    2. Celery Juice

    Celery should be cut into 3-4 inch sections and fed into your machine at a steady pace.

    3. Fresh Apple Drink

    Just cut the apples into pieces that will fit into the feeding chamber. You don't need to core them, although you might want to do so.

    4. Melon Thirst Quencher

    You'll need to remove the rinds but not the seeds. Most varieties of melons are great for juicing.

    5. Combo Drink

    Add all different kinds of vegetables together, including tomatoes. It's fun to experiment! But don't put in vegetables or fruit that you don't like to eat because your beverage won't taste good to you.

    What kinds of juicers are available?

    1. Centrifugal-ejection machines

    These are good for most uses.

    2. Low-speed masticating juicers

    These do a better job juicing spinach and wheatgrass.

    3. Twin gear juicers

    These machines work in two stages. First the fruits and vegetables are crushed and then the juice is pressed out. You get a higher quality drink because of this process, but twin gear machines are slower than the other juicers.

    4. Citrus juicers

    If you're just squeezing lemons, oranges and grapefruit, this is the one for you.

    The better the machine, the longer the warranty. The inexpensive juicers aren't made to withstand daily use. A powerful motor extracts juice faster with less strain. Centrifugal juicers should have a motor rating of at least 450-watts. Machines that use a slow, grinding motor speed (masticating and double-auger models) don't need as much wattage.

    If making your own energy-packed juice isn't in your arsenal of health weapons yet, it should be.

    Step up your energy to a much higher level by juicing your way to vibrant health!

    Patricia Wagner offers health tips & newsletter to help you live a more energetic lifestyle. She is also an artist, so be sure to view her original landscape art.

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    Why is it that all of us cannot keep the skin we were born with. Well I?ve still got my skin but it has changed and, according to my mother, it has changed a lot. It would also need to have stretched a bit, well in my case stretched a lot. As we get older, things happen to our skin, like wrinkles. I have them but I am a man so I can get away with it. Unfortunately, ladies find it harder to get away with having a few wrinkles. As a man, I am not too bothered by a few wrinkles and as long as I keep my skin clean, I do not bother with it much and no one really notices. What we do notice though is skin on women, and because many men are somehow genetically programmed to be uncaring and insensitive about your skin, you spend a great deal of time and effort to make your skin look good.

    Why is it then that men can get away with wrinkles but women cannot? Is there anything you can do about it? If you adopt a skin care program then this should help to affect how your skin looks and more importantly it will affect how you feel as well, and that is very important. You have to remember that the skin is the largest organ in your body and so by adopting a skincare program you are looking after yourself.

    So what can you do about it? Well to start with after every shower even after you have dried yourself your skin is still damp and by applying moisturizer you are trapping moisture into your skin which is a great plus factor. Another one is to drink water and this hydration helps your skin as well. However, if you notice that even after this your skin is always dry and sometimes a little flakey, just visit your doctor to check things out. One other reason you should quickly visit is if there is a major change such as dark, (or lighter), skin patches and any changes or growth to moles you may have. Get these checked out just to make sure you have no problems.

    One thing to watch out for is the effect the sun has on your skin. The sun is at its fiercest when it is highest, which is generally at midday, so just take care. Applying a good sunscreen helps, and another thing to take into consideration is that elastin, which is a substance in your skin, breaks down under strong sunlight. This can cause the skin to sag so just be careful. It is a pity about the effects of sunlight on skin as most of us feel much happier when exposed to sunlight.

    Rather than buy every skincare product on the market there is a lot you can do to help your skin by developing your own personal skincare program.

    Healthy skin is helped by a healthy diet, and a healthy diet is usually a balanced diet containing fresh vegetables and fruit. Both of these have been found to contain antioxidants which can help your skin protect itself from day to day living. To get the best values from fruit and veg though it must be fresh or only lightly cooked.

    Another important factor in skincare is skin hydration and this is helped by drinking a sensibly amount of water. I have seen it suggested that 4 to 8 cups a day is sensible but if you are drinking bottled mineral water check the chemical makeup of the water as some are high in sodium which means high salt levels. Do not fall into the trap that drinking 4 to 8 cups of coffee a day, (which is mainly water after all), is as good for you. Coffee contains plenty of caffeine which helps the body to dispose of water. I had a great idea that I would drink beer instead of coffee as that is mainly water, but drinks containing alcohol, (including wine,) do not class as water either. It does not have to be bottled water either; tap water is fine as long as it is pure and clean. Not at bedtime though as drinking late at night means your body may retain this water causing your skin to stretch a little which is not something you want to happen.

    Your skin also stretches when you become overweight and after a diet, and loosing weight, you will need to exercise to tone your skin into shape again. A younger person has more flexible skin but when you are older your skin is not as flexible and it becomes harder to tone your skin after loosing weight. The answer is not to try and put on weight in the first place but that is not always easy especially as we get older. However please try to keep weight gain off your skin care program as the two do not go together.

    Whatever you decide to do, do some research and find out what will work best for you. One way of doing this is to talk to people selling skincare products in stores. Although their job is to try and sell you their product, they will still give you good advice. You could ask your friends as well, as some of them may be able to guide you in the right direction. Whatever you decide to do, good luck.

    Ric Wiley is an established writer and Internet author. His latest advice site about skincare can be found at http://www.skincare-today.info

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    Vitamin supplements seem to the new hot item discussed on the Internet, in newspapers and magazines, sometimes even on the evening news. There's a good reason for the growing popularity of vitamins, minerals and supplements and that's the simple fact that our bodies need quality nutrition in order to function properly.

    There are a large number of essential vitamins and minerals that our body needs to routinely make it through the day and with our daily food intake not adding up into a balanced diet the need for a vitamin supplement has never been greater. Vitamin supplements are responsible for making sure they fill the gaps created by our improper diets in order to prevent a deficiency from taking place with the essential vitamins and minerals we need. Although there are plenty of ways to research vitamin supplements online the best advice can be gained from the advice given by a trained health professional or even better a dietary technician. Expert advice can be very important to your health because although vitamin supplements do help our bodies they can also harm you (in some cases they can be toxic) if taken in large dosages. Additionally a dietary specialist can determine the types of minerals and nutrients you need by analyzing your diet and then accurately prescribe a vitamin supplement to meet your deficiencies in the correct dosages.

    The benefit of seeking expert advice and dietary opinions is magnified if you fall into a specific category of health or follow a specific diet such as a vegetarian. The reality is no matter how good a vegetarian diet is for your health and weight it leaves your body deficient in a number of essential vitamins that are normally only found in meat type products. For that very reason a good vitamin supplement is needed in order to properly address the nutrient deficiency based on only eating vegetables. Vegetarians also don't need to be worried about ingesting any animal type products with their supplements since there are synthetic versions available that allow vegetarians the opportunity to get the minerals and nutrients they need without compromising their dietary beliefs.

    As you can probably imagine the older we get the more we rely on vitamins and nutrients in order to help us make it through the day. Unfortunately our bodies lose the ability to effectively draw the nutrients we need from our daily dietary allowance. We don't completely lose the ability there is just a degradation in the efficiency process of extracting nutrients from the food we it. A vitamin supplement is a natural fit here in order to help us process our food more better and to again fill in the vitamin deficiency we may be experiencing.

    Finally, although children naturally have a better system for drawing nutrients out of the food they eat the problem with their vitamin deficiency lies in the actual diet they consume. Let's face it; children don't eat a sufficient amount of foods in a wide variety so a vitamin supplement would help to augment their development until such time as they start eating more foods with a better source of nutrients and minerals.

    Your health is important and in order to optimize our bodies so they can properly react to the stress involved in the activities know as daily living we need the proper nutrition, vitamins and minerals in the correct amounts. Vitamin supplements are an effective way to accomplish this quickly and easily.

    Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of VitaminSupplementsGuide.com. He provides more information on anti-aging supplements, dietary supplements and the benefits of taking a vitamin supplement that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

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    authorHello, my name is Jim Black. I'm interested in healthy cooking and fitness.



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