There’s a lot to be said about this delicious fruit and its health benefits. Chief among its abilities, apples help fight major diseases like cancer, stroke, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and arthritis, and aid in digestive and breathing problems.

Inside the Apple 

Apples contain a huge amount of water and dietary fiber, two ingredients doctors often recommend for optimal health. Both keep your bodily systems running smoothly, ward off disease and give a general feeling of wellbeing. An apple is also a source of other essentials, including vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, C, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium.

Praise For the Apple 

Arthritis – Apples contain boron, a mineral that nutrition experts believe lowers your risk of developing arthritis. The recommended daily amount of boron to keep your risks down is between 3 and 10 milligrams. Since apples only contain a small amount of this mineral, you would have to eat many of them in order to reach that level. However, coupling it with other foods that contain lots of boron like raisins, dates and peanut butter is a simple fix that will provide all the boron you need to prevent arthritis.

Heart Disease & Stroke – Studies show that eating apples regularly lowers your risk of getting heart disease and strokes. Apples are full of flavonoids like quercetin and minerals like potassium and magnesium that all work together to regulate heartbeat, cholesterol and blood pressure and keep your blood free of plaque buildup which are often the main causes of the diseases.

Asthma and Lung Conditions – Apples also have a way of clearing up breathing passages and allowing you to get more oxygen in your lungs. This is especially helpful to those with conditions like asthma, pneumonia, emphysema, apnea and other lung conditions where breathing is an issue.

Dementia and Neurological Breakdown – To keep our mental capacities intact and protect against neurological deterioration that occurs in dementia cases, eating apples may be one solution. Animal research has shown that those who eat apples regularly live longer and brain function is stronger.

Cancer – Apples are loaded with antioxidants that roam the body seeking out and destroying diseases and cancer cells. One apple supplies over 15 times the antioxidants found in the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. Antioxidants keep your immune system strong, preventing diseases from thriving in your body. They are essential for your body to remain healthy and youthful.

Bowel and Digestive Problems – The fiber and pectin in apples have a way of regulating your bowel movements from both extremes, so that diarrhea and constipation are alleviated. An apple a day is all you would need to stay regular, and since a backed up colon is often the cause of so many diseases – and can even affect weight loss – this is one time when the old “apple a day” adage holds true.

Available in white, green, orange and purple varieties, cauliflower is best served on a vegetable platter and eaten raw or steamed and lightly seasoned to taste. It makes a great, crunchy food to dip in your favorite salad dressing or veggie dip. Read on for more facts about cauliflower and why it’s so good for you, especially in your latter years.

Inside Cauliflower 

Cauliflower is most plenteous in vitamin C, but also contains high water content, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9 and K, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc. Consumers will also be happy to know that cauliflower is low in fat, calories and carbohydrates. It’s a great all-around vegetable.

Why Cauliflower?

Cauliflower is of particular importance to those who are beyond middle age and entering their latter years of life, because cauliflower nutrients target conditions that are more common in older people – like prostate cancer, osteoporosis, and post-menopausal conditions. Eating cauliflower earlier in life can be a method of prevention for these and other conditions.

Steaming cauliflower retains more of the nutrients than boiling or frying it. So to get the full health benefits, steaming or eating them raw is the way to go.

Cancer Blocker – Cauliflower is a great food choice, especially among vegetarians, because it cooks fairly quickly when steamed, and like so many other veggies, cauliflower gives our bodies what we need to tackle cancer and win. Rarely do you find a natural means of exterminating prostate cancer, one of the most prevalent and deadly forms of cancer among men, but that’s one of the things that makes cauliflower so special. Its phytonutrients are master scavengers and destroyers of prostate cancer cells. Eating this veggie can cut a man’s risk of developing the disease by almost 50 percent!

Postmenopausal women and others who have hormonal imbalances and fluctuations can eat more cauliflower to curb their chances of developing breast cancer, due to the cancer-blocking power of certain phytonutrients called glucosinolates and the chemical Indole-3-carbinol found within cauliflower and other vegetables in its family.

Bone Strengthener – Cauliflower also helps to protect your bones, by strengthening them and preventing breaks that can occur particularly in old age and among those who have developed osteoporosis. This is due to the high vitamin C and vitamin K content. You can get the daily recommended amount of vitamin C in just one cup of cauliflower.

Bleeding Buffer – People who are prone to bruising, falling and bleeding easily would do well to eat more cauliflower, because its rich supply of vitamin K helps the body’s natural blood clotting abilities, without which a person could bleed to death in the event of injury.

Getting FIT

To avoid the drooping and sagging that tends to start in middle age, it’s important that a woman keep her core, especially, and her muscular frame strong. If she’s a mom, she will need the added strength and energy to deal with the stresses that come with balancing home life and a career. To keep the body firm and trim and burn calories during sleep, strength training and abs toning are the orders of the day. Strengthening your core creates better posture, allows for better weight bearing, and just makes you look and feel great. People who carry the majority of their weight in their midsection are more susceptible to developing heart disease and low back pain. Walking is a great low-impact cardio workout that also improves your overall health.

Caring For Your SKIN

As you go through your 30s, you may be more prone to skin blemishes and discolorations. To look your radiant best, use skin creams and serums that contain vitamins A, C, E and K and CoQ10. These vitamins and nutrients work to even out skin tones, make the skin firm and more elastic, smooth out wrinkles and fine lines, and moisturize your skin for a healthy glow that we all desire. Finally, make sunscreen a regular part of your skin treatments. It blocks harmful UV rays that can cause wrinkles and age spots or even skin cancer.

EATING Right

It’s no secret that fruits, veggies, whole grain, nuts, complex carbs and lean meats are essential for good nutrition. That’s because they contain a warehouse of nutrients that repair, rejuvenate and renew cells in the body that allow the body to heal itself. They also contain antioxidants that are powerful weapons against bacteria and disease. If childbearing is in your future, be sure to include folate in your diet to protect your reproductive system and protect your unborn child from neural tube defects. Also, for added energy, consume more vitamin C and iron.

Protecting Your EYES

The antioxidant beta-carotene (plentiful in carrots) and vitamin A help to keep your eyes sharp. Our vision naturally declines as we age, so we’ve got to do our part in maintaining the vision that we do have. In addition to these nutritional remedies, get your eyes checked and wear corrective lenses and contacts as needed. Also, avoid lengthy periods of time in front of the computer screen or TV to alleviate eye strain and prevent further vision deterioration.

Protecting Your REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

It is important that you stay up to date with your annual physicals, gynecological exams and mammograms. Once a woman reaches age 35 – sooner if she has a family history of breast cancer – she needs to have annual mammograms. Sexually active women should have annual pap smears and 3-year breaks between them when in a committed, single-partner relationship. Any reproductive system malfunctions should be reported to your physician immediately, since you are now more prone to reproductive system problems. Something as simple as an irregular period could signal danger, so be as vigilant as possible. Your health is on the line.

Cholesterol free and low in sodium, peanuts have the surprising ability to protect the heart, fight cancer and aid in weight loss, among other things. Read on to see just how good for you peanuts really are.

Inside the Peanut 

Peanuts are high in fat (the majority of which are the good monounsaturated kind) and high in protein (containing over 25 essential nutrients), niacin, thiamine, folate, vitamin B5, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc. They are also a good source of dietary fiber, iron, vitamin B6, and riboflavin with trace amounts of calcium. Peanuts contain more protein than any other nut, probably because peanuts are technically beans and not nuts.

What’s So Good About Peanuts?

Peanuts Protect the Heart – Consuming monounsaturated fats, the kind that are plentiful in peanuts, are a necessary part of everyone’s diet. Monounsaturated fats can actually lower your cholesterol. Even though peanuts contain good fats, it’s still wise to eat them in moderation since too much of anything can turn out to be a bad thing. A little more than a cup of peanuts alone meets your daily recommended amount of fat. That leaves little room for anything else when you’re trying to maintain a reasonable weight. The large amount of folate in peanuts is also good for the heart, since it blocks the formation of homocysteine, which can harm blood vessels. Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant in peanuts that further protects the arteries by clearing up blockages and clots that may form as a result of cholesterol and plaque buildup in the blood.

Peanuts Shield You From Cancer – Peanuts contain phytosterols that keep cancer from taking over the body. People who consume peanuts and products made from peanuts like peanut butter and peanut oil on a regular basis are less prone to be diagnosed with certain cancers, especially cancers that affect the sexual organs and the colon.

Peanuts Make it Easier to Lose Weight – The mix of protein and fiber found in peanuts makes you feel fuller longer and boosts your energy levels. Because fiber helps remove toxic buildup and excess waste in the body, that can eventually translate to pounds lost. The energy boost will give you the strength and motivation you need to exercise harder and longer.

Peanuts Are A Good Source of Coenzyme Q10 – CoQ10 reduces one’s risk for premature death, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, gum disease, cancer, DNA mutations, and migraines.

Peanuts Protect the Brain – The huge amount of niacin in peanuts aids in the smooth flow of blood to and from the heart to other organs in the body, especially the brain. Keeping a steady flow of blood and oxygen to the brain reduces the risk for stroke and other neurological disorders.

Yogurt is a delicious, creamy snack option that comes in all types of great flavors. Even greater than its delicious taste is its nutritional value. Yogurt aids in digestion, strengthens bones, lowers cholesterol and fights bacterial infections.

Praise For Yogurt 

Yeast Infection Blocker – Yeast infections are common among women, especially when hormones are out of control or antibiotics are being used. An accumulation of bad bacteria causes this itchy, uncomfortable condition, so introducing the good bacteria found in yogurt into your body on a daily basis keeps a balance that prevents yeast infections from springing up in the first place.

Cholesterol Blocker – It’s not totally clear how yogurt helps to lower cholesterol, but eating yogurt on a consistent basis has had a noticeable effect on cholesterol levels. As cholesterol levels are lowered, the heart works more efficiently and so do other organs the heart pumps blood to.

Gastrointestinal System Regulator – Yogurt is full of probiotics (good bacteria) that have the job of seeking out bad bacteria and killing them. Your gastrointestinal system also contains some probiotics which try to hold back illness and disease-causing bacteria, but the GI tract is like a cesspool of bacteria. It needs a whole lot of probiotics to maintain a healthy balance within the body so you won’t get sick. That’s where yogurt comes in. There are specific brands that contain more probiotics than others and contain live cultures which are especially helpful in this process. Those are the ones to look for.

Bone Strengthener – Get the health benefits of milk without the effects that are a pain to those who are lactose intolerant – upset stomach, diarrhea, bloating, and gas. Yogurt contains enough calcium in a serving to give you 1/3 of your daily recommended amount, so the result is strong bones, teeth and nails and a lower risk for fractures.

Peptic Ulcer and Gastritis Balm – Yogurt has been proven to be effective against the Helicobacter pylori bacterium that causes some ulcers and, in extreme cases, cancer in the gastrointestinal tract. The H. pylori bacteria are especially difficult to get rid of once they take up residence in the stomach. Antibiotic treatments only partially work and eventually the bacteria develop a tolerance or immunity against those antibiotics, rendering them useless to stop it from spreading and wreaking havoc in the body. Yogurt just may be nature’s simple cure. Again, the live cultures within certain types of yogurt soothe and coat the inflamed areas and kill the offending bacteria.

Yogurt is high in protein and calcium, but also contains vitamins A, B6, and B12. It is greater in nutritional value than its source, milk. At less than 175 calories on average per cup, yogurt is an excellent snack you can eat everyday in between meals with no side effects. For added nutrition and flavor, get the low-fat, plain variety and add your own fresh fruits and nuts.

Though Western culture tends to have a preference for black tea, green tea and black tea come from the same source but the way they are made makes a huge difference in the quality and power they possess.

Origins 

Green tea and black tea are derived from the Camellia sinensis bush, but while black tea is fermented, green tea is steamed while the leaves are still fresh. As a result, more of the antioxidants remain in green tea. These antioxidants work to stifle the effects of cancer-causing free radicals and slow down the process of aging. Antioxidants in green tea outshine even those found in the average vegetable. Green tea is also low in caffeine, so you can drink more of it without the jitters caffeine tends to cause.

More Praise for Green Tea 

Weapon in Cancer Prevention – Green tea defends the body against cancer itself and then works like a backup reinforcement in chemotherapy treatments. What cancer cells chemotherapy misses or that become unresponsive to chemotherapy and drugs, green tea can reactivate and get those cells to cooperate with further treatment. Drinking lots of green team makes cancer patients more likely to win their battle with cancer and less likely to rebound with the disease. Green tea works best at fighting oral, stomach, skin, breast, prostate and colon cancers.

Weight Loss Aid – Green tea revs up your metabolism and helps your body burn fat quickly.

Fights Bacteria and Disease – Drinking green tea is enough to kill disease-causing bacteria and save you from annoying conditions like diarrhea, gingivitis and other dental problems, and even fatal diseases that come from bacterial infections like E. coli. Not only do the antioxidants in green tea fight bacteria, they also flush out toxins and poisons in the body that could cause disease – especially liver disease.

Heart Disease and Stroke Defense – Heart attacks, congestive heart failure and strokes are largely the result of stagnated blood flow back and forth from the heart to the rest of the body. Green tea keeps cholesterol levels down, prevents plaque buildup in your arteries and keeps blood flowing smoothly – all of which aid in the fight against heart disease and stroke.

Osteoporosis Defense – Probably no other culture is more known for drinking tea than the British. They splurge on green and black tea consumption, and as a result have remarkably strong bones. Other poor lifestyle choices that could cause weakened bones, such as smoking, are practically rendered powerless in the face of green tea; bones remain strong. Therefore, green tea combined with strength training or regular exercise could prevent fractures that are common in old age.

Add honey and lemon to your next cup of green tea to make its effects stronger and the flavor so much more delicious. Drink up!

The Chemical Breakdown Diet is meant to detoxify the body, provide a quick way to shed some pounds, and help give you a boost in the right direction of getting fit. Read on to see whether the good outweighs the bad.

Chemical Breakdown Diet Plan 

The Chemical Breakdown Diet consists of a 3-day regime of highly restricted eating, followed by 4 days of liberal eating. The diet boasts that you can lose about 10 pounds per week, and it incorporates a few foods that you wouldn’t normally consider to be healthy foods like hotdogs and ice cream. The concept of the diet is that combining certain foods together in moderation will increase metabolism and turn the body into a fat-burning machine. The daring claim is that this can be achieved in 3 days. Many people have lost a significant amount of weight with the Chemical Breakdown Diet, but let’s explore the pros and cons. Here’s the day-to-day breakdown:

Day 1

Breakfast – ½ grapefruit, slice of toast with 1 tbsp. of peanut butter, tea or coffee
Lunch – ½ cup tuna, slice of toast, tea or coffee
Dinner – 3 oz. lean meat, 1 cup string beans, 1 cup carrots, 1 small apple, 1 cup vanilla ice cream

Day 2

Breakfast – 1 egg, ½ banana, 1 slice of toast, coffee or tea
Lunch – 1 cup cottage cheese or tuna, 8 saltines
Dinner – 2 beef hotdogs, 1 cup broccoli, ½ cup carrots, ½ banana, ½ cup vanilla ice cream

Day 3

Breakfast – 1 oz. cheddar cheese, 5 saltines, 1 small apple, coffee or tea
Lunch – 1 boiled egg, 1 slice of toast, coffee or tea
Dinner – 1 cup tuna, 1 cup carrots, 1 cup cauliflower, 1 cup melon, ½ cup vanilla ice cream

Pros 

• You can have a little ice cream and fruit on 2 out of the 3 days.
• The foods are inexpensive and easy to find at your local supermarket.
• Your body is being detoxified through the chemical combinations of food.
• Almost anyone can stick to a restricted diet for 3 days, and the other 4 days of the week are free.
• The diet works; you can lose up to 10 pounds in 3-7 days and your metabolism will likely increase.

Cons 

• You must follow the plan perfectly to achieve results.
• Weight loss is mostly water weight and is easily regained.
• Some of the food combinations are weird and undesirable.
• Critics argue that weight loss is the result of consuming fewer calories rather than the food mix.
• Because you are eating so little, you may get dizzy and hungry quickly and can easily lapse back into unhealthy eating.
• The food mix is not healthy over the long term, and processed food like hotdogs is a very poor choice. Processed foods contain additives and chemicals that are potentially harmful to the body.

Conclusion 

The Chemical Breakdown Diet does work, but a healthy, long-term lifestyle change in your eating and exercise pattern is the best plan to follow.

The Cabbage Soup Diet relies mostly on cabbage to aid in weight loss, and whenever there’s too much emphasis on one food rather than a balanced mix of foods, that tends to create a problem or a health risk. Read on to explore the diet a little further.

Cabbage Soup Diet Plan 

The Cabbage Soup Diet consists of a 7-day regimen of mostly cabbage soup, water, a few fill-in meats and carbs, other fruits and veggies. The ingredients used for the cabbage soup vary, but are usually cabbage, scallions, green peppers, stewed tomatoes, onion soup mix, chicken or beef bouillon cubes, celery, carrots, and seasonings of your choice for added flavor. You are allowed as much of the cabbage soup as you like, with alternating foods on other days. Here’s the day-to-day breakdown:

Day 1 – All fruits except bananas, cabbage soup, water, cranberry juice, tea or coffee

Day 2 – All veggies except beans, peas or corn, one baked potato, cabbage soup and same drinks

Day 3 – Approved fruits and veggies, cabbage soup

Day 4 – Eight or fewer bananas, skim milk, cabbage soup

Day 5 – Six or fewer tomatoes, 20 oz. or less of chicken, fish or beef, cabbage soup and water

Day 6 – As much cabbage soup and veggies as you like, 3 or fewer steaks

Day 7 – As much cabbage soup and veggies as you like, brown rice

Pros

• You can lose up to 17 pounds in 7 days.
• It’s a fairly simple plan to follow and of short duration.
• The ingredients are inexpensive and easy to find in the grocery store.
• The cabbage soup has very little calories so you can eat as much as you want.
• You will be getting more vegetables and water in your body, which is a good thing.
• It is a good accompaniment to fasting, since it carries your body through a sort of detox.
• Heart patients and the severely obese could use this diet as a quick jumpstart to eating right and losing weight.

Cons 

• The bland mix of foods and huge lots of cabbage soup can become boring and monotonous.
• Weight loss is typically water weight and thus quickly regained when regular eating is resumed.
• The food mix is lacking in nutritional balance, which isn’t healthy over an extended period of time.
• The abundance of cabbage and veggies you eat, as well as the milk and bananas, together produce a lot of intestinal gas and bloating.
• The recommended healthy amount of weight one should lose is 2 pounds per week, so losing 10-17 pounds with this diet could be dangerous, especially if it’s continued beyond one week.

Conclusion 

The facts are laid out for you, so now it’s up to you to be the judge; and of course, consult your doctor before beginning any nutritional or fitness regime. Furthermore, dieting is not a wise approach to getting fit. Rather, choose an active lifestyle and eat foods you know are good for you.

Monounsaturated fats, the majority of the whopping 30 grams of fat per avocado, actually balance cholesterol levels by adding more of the good fats (HDL) and reducing the bad fats (LDL) in the blood. Read on for more surprising facts about avocados.

Inside the Avocado 

Avocados have lots of vitamins B5, B6, folate, dietary fiber, protein and healthy fats. The fruit also contains moderate amounts of certain vitamins (B2, B3 and C) and potassium and trace amounts of vitamin B1, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.

Why Avocados?  

Rough, Dry Skin Treatment – Avocados can be used as part of your daily beauty treatments to smooth and moisturize your skin by simply combining the pulp with milk and rubbing it on your face or other area of skin prone to dryness and rough texture. Rinse after 10 or 15 minutes.

Cancer Defense – The incredible amount of fiber (10 grams) in one avocado keeps your colon clean and clear and flushes out toxins, which cuts down your colon cancer risk tremendously. The antioxidant-rich fruit also sends free radicals and cancer cells packing. Also present in the fight against cancer is a healthy dose of vitamin C, beta-sitosterol and folate. All of these elements together are effective defenders against all types of cancer, including colon, breast, lung, oral, cervical and stomach cancers.

Heart Disease Blocker – Again, the high-fiber content in just one avocado lowers your risk for developing heart disease, by warding off high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Also key in reducing high blood pressure, one avocado has a staggering 1,200 mg of potassium, which is over 2 ½ times the amount found in a banana (the fruit people normally believe has the most potassium). The magnesium in avocados promotes the free flow of blood throughout your arteries, which helps the heart function more efficiently. Other vitamins and nutrients play a part as well – namely vitamin C and folate. Folate, which is more abundant in this fruit than any other, protects your arteries and thus protects your heart.

Stroke Annihilator – Potassium, fiber and magnesium also lower one’s risk for stroke. In fact, lots of potassium – and we know avocados have tons – has been found to lower risks by almost 40%, while fiber and magnesium were found to lower risks by about 30%.

Diabetes Buffer – Consuming lots of fiber has the ability to lower blood sugar and insulin levels, which can eventually eliminate diabetic symptoms or prevent you from getting diabetes in the first place. Avocados are so effective against diabetes that the American Diabetes Association even recognizes them as a valuable part of your diet and an inhibitor of the disease.

What Part Does the Thyroid Play?

Something as simple as changing your eating habits can improve your thyroid function, regulate consequential hormonal imbalances and help you shed those stubborn pounds. Few people realize the correlation between their thyroid, weight loss and energy levels. They are closely interrelated, and the thyroid is also instrumental in various other bodily functions.
The thyroid is situated at the base of the neck right about where the Adam’s apple is, and its primary function is simple: to regulate metabolism (or energy and fat-burning levels). It does so by distributing hormones to their proper organs, so that everything runs as it should. If there is any disruption, interruption or malfunction in this process, the body as a whole suffers (chemical imbalances occur, for example), and you may develop thyroid disease. When this happens, your hormones are essentially out of control and you may experience one of two extremes – hypothyroidism (insufficient hormone production) or hyperthyroidism (excess hormone production).
Hypothyroidism slows things down, including your metabolism; and since metabolism is the fuel for weight loss, your weight loss may come to a halt or you could even start to gain weight. Further, this process of slowing down puts the bodily functions and your general mood in sluggish mode. You may, therefore, become excessively tired, depressed, achy, cranky, constipated and forgetful and could even suffer some hair loss. Another dangerous side effect of hypothyroidism is a rise in cholesterol levels, which could quickly lead to heart disease or stroke.
With hyperthyroidism you may become jittery and anxious, lose weight too quickly and develop tachycardia (fast heart rate), which overexerts and puts the heart at risk.

Natural Remedies For Thyroid Problems

So if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, as well as seeing signs of swollen glands in your neck, or are having a tough time losing weight; by all means get your thyroid checked. Once you have found that your problem is a faulty thyroid, start infusing your diet with more foods containing vitamins A, C, D and E; iron; copper; zinc; selenium and iodine. All of these natural nutrients and minerals counteract thyroid disease. Foods that fit the profile include sunflower and olive oils, seafood, dairy products, whole grains, beans, oranges, green-leaf vegetables, yams, apricots, liver, lean meats and iodized salt. Once that thyroid is functioning right again, continue your fitness regime, eat properly and watch those pounds start to melt away.