Oolong tea dates back 400 years to the end of the Ming dynasty, in the Fuijian province of China. This area of China offers the most suitable natural environment for the cultivation of tea. Ironically black, green and oolong teas are all made from the same plant. Although the raw ingredients are the same these teas are produced differently through fermentation methods. Green tea is produced without fermenting the leaves. Black tea is completely fermented. The difference with Oolong tea is that this tea is only partially fermented as the leaves are withered in a way which allows them to soften, releasing enzymes that darken the tea leaves when exposed to air. With this particular tea a experienced tea maker is needed for assistance as the tea leaves should only change color only so much, as flavor will be enhanced. Oolong tea is easily distinguished by its reddish edges semi-oxidized. This tea is jam packed with antioxidants which soothes the senses.
Oolong tea contains a very high amount of Polyphenols, higher than both green and black teas. According to research, it’s clear that Polyphenols are the ingredient that generates the delicious flavor unique to oolong tea and also promotes beauty and health. Polyphenols are used in a couple of ways which are noteworthy. First, they are used to enhance the function of enzymes throughout the body, secondly they are used are scavengers clearing up free radicals in our body.
In clinical trials, people who drank four cups of oolong tea a day for three months showed a significant increase in antioxidants. Also it has been known for sometime that tea helps control obesity. The active ingredient Polyphenol activates the enzyme that is responsible for dissolving fat. It has been confirmed in studies that continuous intake of Oolong tea contributes to fat metabolism.
Today in the United States there is a growing occurrence of diabetes. This is not only in the older population, but also the younger population. Founded in 1891 by a German Chemist Emil Fischer, Xylitol is a sugar alcohol (carbohydrate) extracted primarily from birch, however; xylitol is also found in corn, strawberries, and plums. Even our own bodies produce a few grams a day. Xylitol can be used as a natural sugar substitute which would include everything form chewing gum to natural sweeteners. In comparison to everyday table sugar, xylitol has two-thirds the sugar value .
Chemically speaking, xylitol differs from other sweeteners such as sorbitol, fructose, and glucose because the xylitol molecule has five atoms; as opposed to six in the other sweeteners. This in one of the reasons xylitol has been shown in laboratory studies to have natural anti bacterial properties. As a result, there in a lower risk of developing cavities. A recent Finish study showed there was a 30%-60% reduction in cavities among children 11-12 who used xylitol chewing gum.
Xylitol has virtually no aftertaste, and is advertised as safe for diabetics and individuals with hyperglycemia. This is because sugar-alcohols have less impact on a persons blood sugar. Xylitol is important for diabetics as it is metabolized without using insulin. Finally the question of safety arises and in 1986 the FDA confirmed what many people already assumed; xylitol was indeed safe for human consumption.
If there is a case for a forgotten organ, certainly the liver has a case. Past cultures around the world have recognized the liver as the seat of physical and emotional health. Here in the U.S. it has taken quite a long time to catch up to this idea.
The liver is a giant organ which acts like a giant filter. Everything we eat, drink, or absorb through the skin is processed by the liver. In today’s society, the liver is exposed to a onslaught of harmful substances. A very important herb called Milk Thistle has been identified as a liver tonic since the days of ancient Rome. Milk Thistle contains a beneficial compound called silymarin, this compound protects the health of certain liver cells called Kupffer Cells. These cell are responsible for removing bacteria, old blood cells, and other toxins form the livers blood supply.
Milk Thistle is also a powerful antioxidant, as it actually helps regenerate the liver by assisting the organ in “rebuilding ” itself. Milk Thistle is also a powerful antidote. People in Europe have eaten poisonous mushrooms and were able to completely cure themselves by intravenous administration of Milk Thistle. Milk Thistle displaces toxins that try to bind to the liver, and neutralizes those that have penetrated the cells. Milk Thistle is especially helpful when treating alcoholic liver disease, not just everyday stresses.
In several laboratory studies, the use of Milk Thistle has been shown to be useful against a variety of liver diseases including Hepatitis C. The active ingredient Silymarin is typically administered in amounts ranging from 200-500 mg per day.
PhosphatidylSerine (PS) is a considered a essential fatty acid that helps create the membrane around our cells. Ironically, the brain contains more PS than any other organ. Without this critical phospholipid life as we know it wouldn’t exist. According to Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling, PS is considered a orthmolecule meaning a molecule that is essential for everyday life. PS is one of the most intensely studied supplements with more than 25 double blind trials.
PS mainly acts like a bridge between neurons in the brain. PS works directly with the neurons in our brain, by acting as a generator of electrical signals, then assisting these signals to other neurons. People who have used PS report a drastic improvement in academic performance, and benefits in depression and anxiety. Other double blind studies have documented benefits in memory, learning comprehension, mood, and stress reduction. Studies have also shown PS to help people of all ages including college students and also the elderly. Using a Positive Emission Tomography Scanner studies have found people over 65 could restore up to 12 years worth of memory. In another study of children 3-19, of the 31 tested 28 showed improvement in attention, concentration, learning and behavioral improvement. Studies out of Belgium, Italy, Germany, and Isreal have also shown positive results in Alzheimer’s Dementia.
PS as a whole is a perfectly safe supplement for anyone concerned with declining memory, or just a tune-up. To get the best benefits use 200-300 mg/day
I grew up eating a significant amount of fish, however; most of the fish I ate was deep fried. Once I moved away for college I was finally exposed to the wonderful taste of salmon. I was under the impression that all salmon was caught wild in Alaska then shipped to my grocery store, but I was deeply misinformed. With this months blog I would like to give the reader a basic overview of what happens in the salmon industry.
I hope your visual like me as I’m going to paint you a picture of the life of a salmon. Logic would tell you that a salmon needs to be free swimming in the open waterways of the planet. The majority of the salmon you eat today is farm raised in small pens with very little room to move. Picture yourself sitting in your bathtub with two ten pound salmon sharing the same soundings as you. When it comes to meal time, salmon naturally would swim wildly to feast of it’s favorite food krill. Unfortunately, these pen raised fish lack the environment to eat krill. A caged salmons diet consists of corn meal, genetically modified canola oil, chicken feces, plus a barrage of antibiotics. I don’t know about you, but I certainly have no intentions of eating a fish like this. In 2004, The Journal of Science warned us if we consume farm raised salmon we will be eating a fish that has 7-10 times more PCB’s than a wild fish; not to mention the mercury that accumulates in the fish.
One of the nicest things about salmon if the pretty reds and pinks that salmon portray when they feed on krill. If you think the salmon in cages are vibrant in pink you are sadly misinformed. A farmed raised salmon remains a dull grey and remains this way up till harvest. The fish industry discovered if red dye is administered to the salmon the native pinks and reds would remain in the flesh. If you do some research on red dye you’ll find many people have reactions to the dye. In my local grocery store the salmon sold is labeled farm raised with red dye.
We are told that fish is so good for us and helps us with improved heart health, cancer, arthritis, and inflammatory diseases. The underlying reason for these benefits is a fatty substance called Omega 3. What we are not told is the amount of this valuable oil is minimal in farm raised fish. It’s important to know the reason why wild salmon are high in Omega 3 is their wild diet, while in a pen eating pellets the Omega 3 oils are minimal at best. Let us not believe all is lost as wild salmon is still available to the general public. You will find that wild salmon season is from May through October. Also keep in mind that even though a fish is labeled as wild it could still be farm raised. Please use discretion when buying your salmon, make sure its clean and of sound value.
Going as far back as ancient Greece & Rome, Valerian has been used as a natural sleep enhancer and muscle relaxer. This pink-flowered perennial, which has a strong smell is found in North America, Europe and Asia. It grows in both damp and dry places. When the root of Valerian is dried the plant acts on the body by increasing the amount of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter. This will then create a feeling of sedation.
When taking Valerian some people get immediate results while others take a few weeks. Fortunatlely, Valerian has few if any adverse effects. Insomnia is truly as national concern, a herbal remedy would be Valerian.
It’s pretty safe to say that sugars impact on the American culture has been devastating. Wherever you look sugar in food can be found. For the last several hundred years a plant from South America thats 300x sweeter than sugar has sweetened the taste buds of people in this region. Stevia is great for people with obesity, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. The leaves of the stevia plant contain several chemicals called glycosides, even though sweeter than sugar; there are no calories. Dozens of clinical studies have validated the safety of this particular plant.
In Japan the use of Stevia is quite diverse. Most people in the States use stevia in tea or coffee, however; in Japan stevia is used in Coca Cola and even pickles. When looking for a pleasant tasting alternative to sugar make sure stevia is given a chance to sweeten up your food or drink.
Recently the topic of High Fructose Corn Syrup, or HFCR for short has been coming to my attention on a regular basic. HFCR is a sweetener used in soda, jelly’s, ketchup and other foods commonly distributed throughout this country. Surprisingly this sweetener is used significantly more than table sugar. So lets take a look at this sweetener and find out more about it. Initially we start off with ordinary corn. This crop is a useful crop with high yields, states David Pimentel, a Cornell professor. Finding a less expense source seems to always be a initial objective, and corn is much cheaper than sugar cane to produce. First off, most of the corn used has been genetically modified, then a set of enzymes are reacted to the corn to change the corn starch to a fructose state. This is where we start to see problems. Between the liver and the pancreas, there is a incomplete breakdown of the fructose. This causes the release of fatty acids from the liver to the bloodstream, this is because fructose initiates the accumulation of triglycerides in the liver. Also during this process ordinarily the pancreas would release insulin in the presence of carbohydrates, however; with HFCS that is compromised and insulin which normally acts as a appetite suppressent does not in this case and we never get full. Could this be a reason why there is so much obesity in this country?
In conclusion, I would advise everyone reading this to check there food labels. Be aware of what your putting into your body and make sure its of sound value. I just question HFCS and it’s value in the American diet.
Are you aware that the average individual holds 2-4 pounds of bacteria in their intestines? Now don’t be too alarmed by this. It is a common belief that all bacteria is detrimental, but this is far from the case. In fact, many nutritionists believe friendly bacteria or probiotics (Latin “for life”) are one of the most important supplements available to us. The most common probiotic would be Lactobacillus Acidophilus. Before World War II most people had close to 85% good bacteria versus 25% bad bacteria in their gut. As a result of stress, chlorinated water, processed high-sugar foods, and the use of medication like antibiotics, most good bacteria have been unfortunately eliminated. This is why many people take L. Acidophilus between dosages on antibiotics.
Our ancestors who came from a whole host of different countries did not have modern conveniences as we do in this country. When they needed carrots or tomatoes they went to either the garden or the market. Often times the vegetables were still coated with soil. This is how many of the bacteria infiltrated our digestive systems. Back when we were primitive man, we got dirty and we were exposed to all sorts of microbes. Without exposure to certain germs in the soil our immune system would not be exposed to various intruders. Without exposure or an awareness of certain bacteria, our immune system may become overwhelmed and turn on itself; hence, “auto immune” diseases are born. Many of the bacteria that we house in our body are of great benefit to our immune system. In nature, these friendly bacteria assist plants by breaking nutrients into easier absorbed forms. In out bodies, these little buggers, after bypassing our stomach enter our intestinal tract and immediately start to go to work. They serve many benefits, and I’ll mention a few. As the friendly bacteria work under all the layers of undigested food or putrefaction, the friendly bacteria literally lodge themselves onto our intestinal tract. They then start to ward off the current inhabitants like yeast (candida), mold, fungus, and parasites, until there is a more conducive environment. These good bacteria also act as security guards in the selective admittance of molecules into the blood from the intestines. There are several strains of good bacteria that produce B vitamins; they also produce lactase which is an enzyme that breaks down lactose (milk sugar). These bacteria are of great benefit to those individuals who are lactose intolerant. Probiotics have been shown to be nature’s antibiotic, as they possess a broad-spectrum ability to ward off many common food-borne pathogens. A common immune stimulant used by Oncologists to fight cancer occurs naturally in our bodies. It is the production of alpha-interferon by the friendly bacteria in our intestines. At Britain’s school of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Dr. David Strachan conducted a study with children who played in the dirt and exposed themselves to resident soil organisms. As opposed to children who did not get in the dirt, the dirty group had a dramatically lower rate of asthma, hay fever, and eczema. “We need dirt” explains Dr. Strachan.
As a conclusion, unless we eat directly from the soil as our forefathers have, a good probiotic may be needed into everybody’s lifestyle. Starting as a toddler to a senior citizen, friendly bacteria is definitely a friend of the family.
Often I get asked the question, “What is your favorite product in the store?” and without hesitation the word Chlorella comes up. Two Billion years ago a single-celled freshwater algae began to spread through the waters of the world. This algae is much more complicated than the algae on your fish tank.
In the nutrition industry more and more people are becoming interested in whole food supplements, Chlorella would be considered by many as the Cadillac of whole food supplements. With 20 vitamins and minerals, and 19 amino acids not to mention omega 3 fatty acids, there would have to be a massive argument to over take this food. Chlorella is the only food I know which has the capacity to repair damaged RNA & DNA & and in theory stop the aging process. In Japan, Chlorella has been the number one selling supplement for years. It’s commonly sold to assist the body in the breakdown of heavy metals, and other toxins like PCB’s, DDT, Mercury, Cadmium and even Lead.
Chlorella is nature’s richest source of chlorophyll, a powerful cleanser & detoxifier for the body. Chlorophyll is the green blood of plants and if we were to look at chlorophyll at the molecular level we’d see a very similar chemical composition to our own blood. So humans and plants are closer than you may think.
Our bodies immune system is a very complex system and its first line of defense would be macrophages. These cells certainly don’t discriminate, anything foreign is destroyed right on the spot, no questions asked. Chlorella has been proven to significantly stimulate the activity of macrophages.
When taking Chlorella it would be best to take with a small meal. Three grams a day is generally a good dose to take. Keep in mind it’s a whole food, and not a concentrate or extract, therefore you can not take too much of it. If you are concerned about taste, tablets are also provided.