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Antioxidant-Rich Juices

There’s that word again: antioxidants. Those little molecules that bond with free radicals and help protect your body against heart disease, cancer, and more huge health issues. A recent study from UCLA looked at drinks that were chock full of antioxidants. You’ve heard the praise for some of them before — red wine, white tea, and green tea — but you might be surprised about the other seven drinks in the top ten. Fruit juices with the most antioxidants per ounce include: Pomegranate (the highest antioxidant power in a fruit juice) Concord grape Blueberry Black cherry Acai Cranberry Orange One … Continue reading →

Ginger: Not Just for Ale and Snaps!

Ginger has a long history in the kitchen AND in health care. Throughout Asia and Europe, the “root” has been a popular ingredient in cooking and a popular remedy for more than one ailment. Ginger isn’t actually a root, as it turns out — although we call it ginger root. The lumpy, bumpy “root” is actually a rhizome. What’s a rhizome, you ask? A rhizome is an underground stem from which plants grow. Shoots can form at the joints of the root as it grows horizontally. What can ginger do for your health? Settle your stomach. Ginger is great for … Continue reading →

What Are Adaptogens?

I was at a holistic health expo this weekend and visited a booth offering “adaptogen sprays”. I’d never heard of adaptogens before, and grabbed a brochure. Adaptogens are plants and/or herbs that supposedly have the ability to increase the body’s resistance to fatigue and stress. Although certain adaptogens have been in use since ancient times (many were and still are popular in Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine), modern investigation into adaptogens did not begin until the 1940s. In 1947, an adaptogen was defined as an agent that helps the body counter physical, chemical, and/or biological stress. Adaptogens help boost the … Continue reading →

Acai

I’d never heard much about acai before a friend gave me a smoothie-maker for Christmas. Along with the smoothie-maker, I was given a big bag of frozen berries and some packets of acai to kick off my blender experiments. First things first: acai is pronounced ah-sigh-ee. It comes from Brazil and is all the rage in anti-aging these days. You might not think acai is much to look at — but these tiny, dark red and purple berries have huge health benefits. They’re full of essential fatty acids. They’re full of antioxidants — anthocyanins are antioxidants that lend those deep … Continue reading →

A Healthy Diet Helps Teen Lungs

Common sense says that a healthy diet helps children and teenagers develop into healthy adults. A recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health focused on lung performance and diet in teenagers and found that certain nutritional deficiencies can lead to asthma, coughing, and wheezing. More than two thousand teens from the United States and Canada were surveyed. Many of the teenagers surveyed did not get the USDA recommended amount of fruits and vegetables in their diets. Only eleven percent of teens surveyed took a daily vitamin supplement. The teens with the worst diets — those who didn’t get … Continue reading →