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Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts

Saturday, May 3, 2008

The PREVENTION of MALIGNANCY

Based upon the evidence currently available, it is my conviction that a rational plan can be designed to prevent most types of cancer. Summed up in one word, moderation, the preventive approach involves several factors:
Your diet should be simple, utilizing natural foods as much as possible. Adequate amounts of fruit, fresh vegetables, and whole grain cereals should be included together with some nuts and natural sources of dietary fats, such as olives, avocados, and a most sparing use of vegetable oil. Any excess of oil, sugar, salt, or any single food, especially refined ones, in the diet should be shunned.
The low-fat vegetarian diet has been associated clearly with an increased resistance to many types of cancer. When individuals abstain from milk and eggs, as well as meat, the cancer risk becomes even lower. Naturally these total vegetarians must have a considerable knowledge of nutrition in order to maintain balanced nutrition, and provide optimum vitamin and mineral intake to maintain excellent health. Thousands of discriminating consumers, however, are rapidly adopting a vegetarian lifestyle as fast as they are able to learn how to select and prepare the foods. In this change is found the key to preventing not only many cancers, but also atherosclerosis and numerous other diseases.
Reasonable amounts of exercise should be obtained daily for a lifestyle that is low in occupational stress, while satisfying and productive. A moderate exposure to sunlight prevents detrimental premalignant skin changes that many acquire as their skin ages. The use of a broad-brimmed hat, sunscreen lotions, and avoidance of excessive sun bathing can bring about vibrant health, without wearing out or prematurely aging the dwelling of skin we live in.
Temperance advocates for many years have proclaimed the key to prevent one most common cancer. Those who abstain completely from tobacco smoke, and even avoid settings where the involuntary inhalation of stale secondhand smoke is required, will reduce their risk of lung cancer dramatically. Even ex-smokers who quit before a cancer develops, have a much lower rate than the devotee who continues to use cigarettes. Although pipes and cigars may produce less lung cancer, they’re stronger forms of tobacco still show malignant potential in cancer of the lip, tongue, throat, and larynx far too often.
Chronic use of alcohol increases the risk of cancer in the breast and liver, as well as seriously irritating the stomach and several other organs. Exposure to drugs of all kinds, including sex hormones, antibiotics, anticancer agents, and coal tar preparations can increase the incidence of malignancies in many organs. True temperance requires us to dispense entirely with all things hurtful, and use in moderation those things healthful. This principle of moderation can help to prevent many cancers.
Routine physical examinations and periodic self-examination of the breasts and skin, with careful observation for the symptoms of cancer described above can detect abnormal lesions in the earliest possible stage, when surgical removal is a possibility. A regular annual physical should usually include the annual Pap smear, a biennial sigmoidoscopic examination, together with the appropriate laboratory testing for additional aid in early diagnosis. On the other hand, it may just give satisfying reassurance concerning one’s state of health.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Enjoy Lighter, Smaller Vegetarian Dinners

It seems to be an American custom for people to eat their biggest meal in the evening. From a standpoint of heart attacks, this is the worst time to eat a big meal . . . especially a meal with a preponderance of fat. It has been definitively established by researchers that the blood is more likely to clot 2 to 8 hours following a meal with a high fat intake. It would therefore seem logical to avoid heavy meals – particularly in the evening – to minimize the chances of intravascular clotting. The occurrence of a heart attack after eating a heavy meal has been recognized by doctors for years. Just think of how often you read or hear about a man in his prime dying of a heart attack while in bed at night.
Retired people, of course, can regulate their mealtimes easily. Business people can dine at an earlier hour in the evening and can certainly regulate their diet to promote their health and prolong their lives.
It can begin with a raw combination salad with lemon and olive oil dressing. Follow it with 2 lightly cooked vegetables such as stringbeans, zucchini, peas, corn on the cob, kale, okra, vegetable chop suey, etc. Several nights a week add a baked potato – but do not drench this potato in fat! Season it with a spray of Bragg Aminos, sea kelp and Bragg Organic Olive Oil instead of butter.
Now we are not telling you that the price you must pay to avoid a heart attack and live a longer life is to give up good flavor. Not at all! As mentioned previously, French dishes, soups, salads, potatoes, veggies, etc. are world famous and among the best heart-healthy recipes. A good French chef rarely uses salt and cooks with very little fat. The secrets of French flavor lie in the use of herbs, garlic, olive oil, onions, green peppers and mushrooms.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

How Not to Get Sick : Proper Nutrition

The things we eat can have tremendous effects on our health. We can link some foods to causing diseases as well as link foods to helping us fight many diseases. Most people know that too much fat can block arteries, which can lead to a heart attack or a stroke. Most people know that being overweight can lead to diabetes. Most people know that certain processed foods can lead to cancers. Most people know of relatives, friends, or loved ones who developed an illness because of their lifestyle and the foods they eat. You might not have given much thought to proper nutrition. In fact, there are few people who give their bodies the right amount of all the nutrients. We are fortunate that our bodies, a lot of the time, can regulate themselves to get what they need and get rid of the things they do not need. We still, however, have to help our bodies because our bodies can only take this imbalance for so long before we start paying the price of poor nutrition.
To incorporate proper nutrition effectively into our lifestyle, we need to remember why we decided to live a healthy lifestyle and realize that to do that, proper nutrition should be a part of it. At its very core, proper nutrition is giving our bodies the right amounts of the essential ingredients our bodies need to live on. These are:
• Water
• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Fats
• Vitamins
• Minerals
How do we get these in the right proportion? The figure below shows the food pyramid developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In using this pyramid, we should eat more of the foods at the bottom of the pyramid and less of the foods at the top. Remember, it does not say “do not eat the foods at the top,” just that we should eat less of them. This is important because our bodies need all the components mentioned above. Fats, for example, are needed by our bodies to maintain our brain function and other vital activities. If we totally eliminated fat in our diet, we would not function as well. Any attempt to deprive your body of any of these essential foods can have serious consequences. Another good example is when you deprive your body of carbohydrates (which is what happens when you go on an all-protein diet). Since carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body, without them your body will start burning fat to release energy. This might sound like an answer to weight loss but, when your body breaks down fats to release energy, it produces substances that, in large enough quantities, can actually lead to comas and even death. So, to attain proper nutrition, resolve to eat more of the foods at the bottom of the food pyramid and less of the foods at the top.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Recommendations on healthy eating

The ”Western” diet contains high energy intake in comparison to low energy expenditure, a high intake of total and saturated fat, cholesterol and salt, and on the other hand, a low intake of carbohydrates and fibre. Finns have quite a high cholesterol level compared with other countries, and one reason for this might be the structure of fat in the food: it contains much saturated fat and cholesterol, but little mono- and polyunsaturated fat.
Common elements in the guidelines about a healthy lifestyle and diet include eating a variety of foods; consuming less fat; consuming more vegetables, fruits and grain products; being moderate in use of salt, sugar, and alcohol; increasing physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight. The Nordic countries have set guidelines for the composition of diets and the recommended intake of nutrients.
The guidelines give recommendations for the intake of fat, carbohydrates and protein. The recommendations also include reference values for the intake of energy, certain vitamins and minerals as well as the intake of sodium chloride. The recommendations are given separatelyfor adults, children older than 3 years and children under 3 years of age. According to the recommendations, the diet of an adult should not contain more than 30E% fat and 55 to 60E%
carbohydrate. The protein intake should provide between 10 to 15E%. The current Finnish recommendations (Statens näringsdelegation 1998) are very similar to the Nordic nutrition recommendations. The food circle, the food pyramid and a food plate model are used to describe a recommended, balanced diet.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Protein – Building Blocks of the Body

Protein foods are nuts, seeds (such as sunflower, sesame, pumpkin), nutritional yeast, wheat germ, soy beans, dairy products, whole grain cereals, meat, fish, poultry and protein supplements.
Protein is one of the most important food elements and is essential for keeping the heart fit. You must have protein for building every cell of your body. This fundamental demand of Mother Nature rules every creature living on the face of the Earth.
Protein is you – flesh, muscle, blood, heart, bones, skin and hair – all the components of the body are essentially composed of protein. You are literally “built” of protein. This basic function of your body – of converting food into living tissue – is one of life’s miracles. Your life processes and the factors that help you resist disease are all composed of protein (amino acids) components.
Every time you move a muscle, every time your heart beats, every time you breathe, you consume protein in the form of amino acids. The link between protein and body tissue is the amino acids – and the bloodstream carries them to every part of the body where they work to repair, rebuild and maintain body tissues. They enrich blood and condition the organs, including the heart.
Amino Acids – The Body’s Building Blocks
Human tissue is renewed daily. Scientists once believed that there were great masses of protein in the body in an inactive state – stores of protein built up in the muscles, tissues and organs which remain there until the body might need them. Now we know that the great builder protein is not stationary, but in motion. This activity requires a replenishment of essential protein for the rebuilding process, especially in older people.
What is the connection between Amino Acids and proteins? Amino Acids are the building blocks from which different food proteins are constructed. When we eat a protein food, such as meat or soybeans, the natural hydrochloric acid in the stomach digests the protein, releasing the Aminos Acids. They are the link between the food we eat and assimilate for our body’s tissues. Amino Acids are what makes our food turn into us!
Unlike vitamins, the activators in our nutrition, Amino Acids actually enter into the structure of the body tissue itself. They are the very foundation of all protein foods. They build muscles, tissues and organs and circulate freely in the blood – the body’s vital lifestream. Your blood is your precious river of life – protect it!
The phytochemicals found in soy are specifically known as isoflavins. These isoflavins have been shown to be strong antioxidents that help repair cellular damage in the body, and they have anti-tumor effects. Soy can contribute to optimal health and has remarkable health-promoting properties.
Amino Acids – Life-Givers & Life-Extenders
Famous Pioneer Endocrinologist and Biochemist, Dr. W. Donner Denckla, with the National Institute of Health, has been immersed in pathfinding research on longevity for years. Dr. Denckla has the opinion that ageing is not inevitable and that Amino Acids and their interaction with a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland seem to be the key to slowing down ageing.
If we could look within the body, we would see all the living cells that make up the tissues, organs and bloodstream are in a highly active state. Paul C. Bragg was the first to preach the gospel of Amino Acids, their relationship to ageing and how they can help keep you younger, longer! He stressed that when the protein supply – the Amino Acids – are replenished regularly, the new cells that are constantly growing and being born can then thrive and live with more positive intensity! Another important benefit of Amino Acids – they help form antibodies to fight germs, infections and disease!

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Healthy Benefits from Eating Onions and Garlic

Ancient Egyptians and Romans prized the extraordinary healing powers of garlic and onions. Recent research supports these claims. According to studies done by the nutrition department at Pennsylvania State University, consuming one medium onion a day may lower your cholesterol by 15 percent. The sulfur compounds in onions help lower dangerous levels of blood fats and help keep plague from adhering to artery walls. Onions come in many varieties: yellow, red and white. Sweet onions like Vidalia, Maui and Walla Walla have a lower sulfur content than other more pungent varieties. To minimize tears, chill onions for half an hour before peeling and chopping. It’s best to eat them raw for their full health benefit in salads, dips, spreads, soups, sandwichs and most foods. When cooking onions, lightly sauté them, for over-cooking can destroy important enzymes. As for garlic’s health role in protecting your heart, the cloves contain natural anticoagulants that help thin the blood, and they help protect against platelet stickiness – thus lowering the risk of clotting and even a stroke! Plus, garlic has potent immune-enhancing properties, it may eradicate many types of bacteria and fungi, including salmonella and candida; as well as inhibit gastrointestinal ulcers. Remove garlic’s outer papery skin. Let it sit for 10 minutes after chopping, to let the beneficial enzymes develop. Varieties of garlic and onions are: shallots, elephant garlic, garlic spears, leeks, chives and scallions – allbeneficial to health!