One of the TOP Food Wonders: Flax Seed

Flax Seed, also known as Linseed, is considered one of the top five food secrets today!

Flax seed contains high levels of four important nutritional components:

• Omega-3


• Insoluble Fiber


• Soluble Fiber


• Lignans (A lignan is a group of

chemical compounds found in plants. Lignans are one of the major classes of phytoestrogens, which are estrogen-like chemicals and also act as antioxidants.)

Phytoestrogens work to lower levels of circulating estrogens linked to breast cancer.

Studies suggest that flax seeds have many health benefits:

Flax promotes cardiovascular health. The ultra-high levels of omega-3 fatty acids lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Fish oils and algae are also good sources of essential fatty acids.

Potential cancer-fighting ability

Natural source of estrogen

Healthy source of fiber

Flax promotes colon health. It has anti-cancer properties and, as a natural lubricant and a rich fiber source. Helps reduce constipation.

Good source of magnesium

How to consume flax seeds

1. Buy organic flax seeds (like Bob’s Red Mill brand)


2. Grind a small amount of the seeds in a coffee grinder and store in an airtight container in your freezer. Freeze ground flax seeds up to 1 week. Whole seeds can be stored for a year.


3. Just add 1 tablespoons of to an 8-ounce glass of water and mix. (The seeds settle out, so swirl and drink, swirl and drink!)

Begin by adding 1 Tbs ground flax seeds to 8oz water at bedtime.
(Flax expands 20 times in volume and should be taken with a generous amount of water.)
Do this for a few days then increase to 2 Tbs for a few days. The goal is to have 2 to 3 bowel movements per day. You may consume up to 3 Tbs per day until you achieve your goal, then back down to 2-3 tsp. of ground flax seed per day.

Flax has water soluble fibers like lignans that will decrease diarrhea or improve constipation as these types of fibers are bowel movement normalizers.

Ground flax seeds can also be mixed in with
Oatmeal
Yogurt
Cereal
On salads or any food where a nutty flavor is appropriate.
Add to soups, stews

Add ground seeds to baking recipes (bread, muffins, pancakes, granola).

Cut the flour measurement by 1/3 cup and add 1/3 cup of ground flax seed.

Flax oil is not recommend at all as it is far to perishable.
Eating ground flax seeds is nutritionally superior to consuming just the extracted oil.

Whole flax seeds just sail on through providing limited value. Grinding the seed releases all the benefits!

One ounce of flaxseed meal (4 Tbs.) will yield about 6 grams of protein, and 8 grams of fiber.

http://www.flaxcouncil.ca/english/index.php?p=g1&mp=nutrition

Study on flax seeds and breast cancer reduction:

http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/cancer-flaxseed.php

Download a brochure on Healthy Flax: http://www.healthyflax.com/files/Flax%20Info%20r0502.pdf

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T041700.asp

Recipes

Citrus Tahini

1 cup of sesame seeds
1 lemon
cup of water
2 Tbs. of flax
1 tsp. of garlic powder
few drops cider vinegar
1 tsp. of sea salt
Grind sesame seeds into fine powder in your decaffeinated coffee grinder. Add remainder of ingredients and blend well until smooth. This is an excellent dip for veggies.

Lemon Garlic Dressing

2 Tbs. powdered flax seeds
2 cloves garlic
pinch salt
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 large tomato
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1 lemon (seeds removed)
1/2 cup water
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. If you like the taste of garlic, you’ll love this dressing on your salad.


http://www.freedomyou.com/recipes/flax%20seed.htm

"Silver" Fillings in Your Teeth?

Silver Fillings in Your Teeth?

You need to watch this disturbing video:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/07/06/mercury-in-your-teeth-you-need-to-watch-this-video.aspx

Is Pasta Good for You?

Is Pasta Good for You?

The Pastas

to Eat

and the

Ones to Avoid

by BodyEcology.com


Do you love a plate full of spaghetti but wonder what it does to your waistline and your wellness?

What's Wrong With Pasta?

Much of the pasta on the market today is made from durum wheat flour, a special kind of wheat with a high protein content and strong gluten.
Pasta may seem fairly nutritious, but it is still a refined and processed food!

One Italian study even linked an increased risk of cancer to pasta and rice consumption.

Conventional pastas feed pathogenic yeast and bacteria in your intestines.

They disturb the growth of good microflora, and can lower your immunity.

Candida, a systemic fungal infection, especially thrives on the natural complex sugars in pasta that can ferment in your gut and encourage candida overgrowth.

Most pasta:

• Is made from processed flour
  
• Contains gluten
  
• Is difficult for many people to digest
  
• Creates a sticky "sludge" in your digestive tract
  
• Encourages the growth of pathogenic bacteria and yeast (microflora) in your gut

Yes, there are healthy pastas - want to know more?

Read the rest of the story:

http://www.bodyecology.com/07/07/26/avoid_pasta.php

Lemon and Water Health Benefits

"Lemon & Water" painting by Judith dAgostino

The Amazing Health Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water

Squeeze 1/4 - 1/2 of an organic lemon into and 8 oz glass of pure water and enjoy many health benefits

Prevent Kidney Stones

Two studies presented recently at the American Urological Association's annual meeting show lemonade or lemon juice may increase the production of urinary citrate, a chemical that prevents crystals from forming and potentially building up into kidney stones

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/24/health/webmd/main1653742.shtml

New research shows that lemonade is an effective — and delicious — way for kidney-stone-prone people to slow the development of new stones. "When treating patients in our kidney stone center, we put everyone on lemonade therapy," says Steven Y. Nakada, chair and professor of urology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

For people prone to stones, doctors usually prescribe potassium citrate. It can be taken as a pill or in liquid form. But lemon juice is full of natural citrate.


Powerful for the Body's Biochemistry and pH

From The Cure, by Dr. Timothy Brantley:

The lemon is one of the most powerful foods for supporting the digestive organs, since it helps to turn on the gody’s energy and to cleanse and activate the liver.

Upon rising drink 8 ounces of pure water with a pinch of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Lemon is one of the only foods with the same kind of energy as the liver. The liver and the lemon contain what is called anionic energy, while most foods contain a cationic energy.

When you drink lemon juice and water first thing in the morning, you successfully turn on your liver, warming up the engine, preparing the liver to support the digestive process.

Lemon has a powerful effect on the body’s biochemistry and pH levels. The lemon is high in potassium, one of the top 5 macrominerals essential for health and well-being.

Dr. Brantley suggests drinking lemon and water twenty to thirty minutes before each meal.

Killing You Sweetly: Aspartame & Friends

There is no magic alternative to sugar when it comes to sweeteners.

Saccharin (Sweet-n-Low)
Acesulfame potassium (Sunett)
Aspartame (NutraSweet or Equal)
Sucralose (Splenda)
D-Tagatose (Sugaree)
And there's a whole host of new ones on the horizon.

Aspartame

“Aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods.” – Dr. Joseph Mercola

Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names

· NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure.

Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA.

· Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death.

Of approximately 100 independent studies conducted on aspartame, over 90 percent have demonstrated significant health risks.
http://www.aspartamekills.com/lydon.htm

A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include:
· Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures,
· nausea, numbness, muscle spasms,
· weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue,
· irritability, tachycardia, insomnia,
· vision problems, hearing loss,
· heart palpitations, breathing difficulties,
· anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste,
· tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.

Read more on the dangers of Aspartame: http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/index.htm

Splenda

Splenda (Sucralose)

Safety Concerns

Few human studies of safety have been published on sucralose.

Research in animals has shown sucralose can cause many problems in rats, mice, and rabbits, such as:

* Shrunken thymus glands (up to 40% shrinkage)
* Enlarged liver and kidneys.
* Atrophy of lymph follicles in the spleen and thymus
* Reduced growth rate
* Decreased red blood cell count
* Hyperplasia of the pelvis
* Extension of the pregnancy period
* Aborted pregnancy* Decreased fetal body weights and placental weights
* Diarrhea

Sucralose causes
swelling of the liver and kidneys, calcification of the kidney,
fertility issues in male rates, and
gastrointestinal problems in pregnant rats.

If you experience kidney pain, cramping, swelling, an irritated bladder, or blood in your urine after using sucralose in Splenda, stop use immediately.

Read more:

http://www.janethull.com/newsletter/0704/splenda-here-we-go-again.php

http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/3/sucralose_dangers.htm#

Letter to School Officials: Ban Energy Drinks!

July 6, 2007

xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx

Dear xxxxxx:

As a concerned parent and former worker in the health care field, I am writing to urge you to ban energy drinks from our school.

Several hundred drinks are currently on the market with names like Amp Overdrive, Venom, Pimp Juice, Vamp, Rage, Monster, Rock Star and Full Throttle. Our kids are tempted to drink this legal “buzz in a bottle” because it gives them a jolt and it is the latest and greatest fad.

“Recently Cocaine (the energy drink) was outlawed after its manufacturer ran afoul of the FDA for marketing the drink as “liquid cocaine” and “the legal alternative” to the street drug. In response, the company renamed it Censored and put the drink back on the shelves, promoted with the slogan “Banned by the Man.” – http://www.rd.com/content/spiked-/

Although I am not in favor of selling soda at school, a can of Coke looks like health food compared to the so called energy drinks.

12 oz can of Coke has 10 tsp of sugar and 34 mg of caffeine.

24 oz can of Rock Star has 22 tsp of sugar and 360 mg of caffeine - -
Students bringing this in their lunch will have consumed the same
amount of sugar and caffeine as if they ate 4 Snickers candy bars and then drank 3 or 4 cups of coffee.

Energy drinks are not harmless pick-me-ups. The drinks hamper concentration, blunt performance, and cause dehydration. Children are showing up in emergency rooms suffering from caffeine poisoning and experiencing racing heart rates, heart palpitations, even seizures.

Please take a stand and ban energy drinks at school.

Sincerely,

Health Benefits of Black Pepper

Health Benefits of Black Pepper
from Whole Foods Website

http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=74

Improve Digestion and Promote Intestinal Health

Black pepper

Stimulates the taste buds in such a way that an alert is sent to the stomach to increase hydrochloric acid secretion, thereby improving digestion. Hydrochloric acid is necessary for the digestion of proteins and other food components in the stomach.

When the body's production of hydrochloric acid is insufficient, food may sit in
the stomach for an extended period of time, leading to heartburn or indigestion,
or it may pass into the intestines, where it can be used as a food source for
unfriendly gut bacteria, whose activities produce gas, irritation, and/or
diarrhea or constipation.

• Has long been recognized as a carminitive, (a substance that helps prevent the formation of intestinal gas), a property likely due to its beneficial effect of stimulating hydrochloric acid production.



• Has diaphoretic (promotes sweating), and diuretic (promotes urination) properties.



• Is an impressive antioxidant and has antibacterial effects--yet another way in which this wonderful seasoning promotes the health of the digestive tract. And not only does black pepper help you derive the most benefit from your food, the outer layer of the peppercorn stimulates the breakdown of fat cells, keeping you slim while giving you energy to burn.