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Betaine Hydrochloride is an organic compound and vitamin-like substance found in many different foods such as sugar beets, grains and spinach. It is currently being recommended by both naturopaths, as well as medical doctors, as a supplemental source of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

Studies show that this compound can profoundly benefit individuals suffering from digestive upsets such as hypochlorhydria, a deficiency of stomach acid production.

Normally, healthy stomachs can produce enough gastric acid to kill off bacterial and parasitic infestations. But when people experience deficiencies in producing stomach acid, they are more likely to have bacterial and intestinal infections, as well as the increased presence of intestinal parasites.

Betaine HCL also has the ability to help the stomach to break down fats and proteins in the food we eat. It also assists the general detoxification processes in the body. It is an essential component for metabolizing and absorbing food, and is particularly needed for assimilating proteins, vitamin B12, calcium and iron.

Continue reading: “Betaine Hydrochloride: How it helps with Digestion & Detoxification”

Recently there has been some e-mails circulating online regarding the use of onions for reducing or preventing flu symptoms. I have been asked to comment on this and give my opinion on the validity of this remedy. So here is what I have found.

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What centuries of grandmothers have instinctively known is now being confirmed by everyone from modern scientists to naturopathic doctors. Onions may have the ability to ward off and relieve symptoms of the common flu. And in a world where, according to the CDC, many Americans will get the seasonal flu every year, the simple method of boiling onions into a drinkable broth may be a good practice to return to.

Moreover, the outbreak of H1N1, commonly known as swine flu, has caused many people to consider getting flu vaccinations that, in my opinion, will do more harm than good. Prevention is the best method, and the following post will offer some insight into this ancient technique of using onions for flu prevention.

How Onions Help with the Flu

The idea that onions could ward off disease through their potent medicinal properties hails back thousands of years. Ancient Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine revered onions for their anti-inflammatory and congestion-relieving properties. The Ancient Greeks rubbed onions on sore muscles and the Native Americans used them to ward off the common cold and flu.

Continue reading: “Will Onions Help Fight the Flu?”

Although we can find many foods in the supermarket that have been fortified with a synthetic form of Vitamin D, there are only a select number of foods containing vitamin D in them naturally.

Normally, our body takes in Vitamin D in the form of sun-synthesis through the skin. But in our modern times, where many of us spend countless hours inside houses, cars and shopping malls, our actual exposure to the sun is limited. This fact may be a principle cause of many ailments, including depression. For this reason, it is extremely important to have a diet high in Vitamin D or take a vitamin D supplement.

This is my ‘List of Foods Containing Vitamin D’, as well as some of the great potential benefits of the vitamin. (In no particular order)

Continue reading: “10 Foods Containing Vitamin D”

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Since the early 1930’s our government has been “protecting” us from the “dangers” of whole, raw milk. How do they do this? By actually killing the whole, raw milk by pasteurizing it! Interestingly, pasteurization also increases the shelf life of milk, making it much easier to mass-market, maximizing profits for the dairy industry.

Real milk comes from real goats or cows that are allowed to graze in toxin free pastures. Besides tasting great, raw organic milk is a precious, life-giving food. But extreme temperatures used to pasteurize (”cook”) the milk can actually render it life-depleting.

Pasteurization destroys almost all of the nutritive value of cow’s milk. The milk everybody drinks today is far from a whole food, and in my research is not fit for human consumption.

Pasteurization also destroys beneficial bacteria found in raw milk. It kills the natural enzymes and destroys the chemical make-up of calcium in raw milk. Calcium is vital to the growth and health of children. Pasteurization has been implicated in everything from allergies to heart disease to cancer. Truly, the resulting product after pasteurization is not raw and living, but rather “killed and dead.”

Raw Milk: Why the Fuss?

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The fuss about raw milk has to do with pathogens – organisms that can cause diseases such as Salmonella. But whether or not raw milk carries pathogens depends totally on the way the milk is produced, how the animals are fed, and the care that’s taken to keep the milk clean during production.

Today’s pasteurized milk comes from cows crammed in cages loaded with synthetic hormones and antibiotics. Homogenizing purposely destroys raw milk’s natural butterfat in an effort to separate and hide the cream from the consumer. European studies show that this is dangerous and may cause heart disease. Of course our FDA disputes this. Homogenized milk is quite unnatural!

Back in the 20’s Americans could buy raw, clean, grass-fed milk and cheese – and at that time milk-borne diseases were rare. Can you believe that suppliers of organic, raw milk today are required to display the words “Not fit for human consumption”? It’s true!

I firmly believe that true health starts in the colon. Raw milk contains the milk sugar “lactose” in its purest form, and lactose aids in digestion and elimination. And organic, raw milk is the only food that has it in a usable form! I personally am not a animal milk drinker, but if I was I would only consume raw organic goats milk.

Continue reading: “Pasteurized vs. Raw Milk: Which One Is Healthier for You & Your Family?”

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Remember what a drag it was when Mom used to nag at you to eat your veggies at dinner? She may have been saving your life.

A study conducted in part by scientists at Oxford University’s Cancer Epidemiology Unit indicates that vegetarians develop some cancers, including bladder and stomach cancers and leukemia, up to 45% less than persons who eat red meat, that’s nearly half the risk! The study was published in the British Journal of Cancer earlier this year.

According to the National Cancer Institute, limiting your fruit and vegetable intake actually puts you at risk of developing cancer. Consider fruits and vegetables to your body like income to your bank account. The more you eat, and fill up your body’s bank account, the more “stuff” you can do, like fight off diseases, maintain healthy vision and organ function, be athletic, travel, focus, learn.

When your body is low on funds, you run into problems paying the bills and meeting the demands of life. Keeping your body’s bank account full is like keeping a nest egg or an emergency fund. As long as you’ve continued feeding your body good live things, you’re better equipped to handle whatever comes your way, mentally, emotionally and physically.

Continue reading: “Study: Vegetarians Are 45% Less Likely to Develop Cancer”

The multi-billion dollar phenomenon of energy drinks has captured the attention of scientists and nutritionists across the country. One of the main reasons is taurine, a common ingredient found in the caffeine and sugar-laden concoctions.

Taurine is a free form amino acid contained in foods and manufactured in the body from the amino acid cysteine. It was first discovered in the bile of bulls, and now produced synthetically by the truckload. Since taurine is created naturally in the human body, a good diet supplies all you need.

Studies have implicated synthetic taurine in illnesses ranging from high blood pressure to strokes and seizures to heart disease. For these reasons it’s been banned in some Scandinavian countries – like Switzerland – after being linked to the deaths of three consumers.

Because taurine is utilized by the body during exercise and in times of stress, it’s become a popular ingredient in energy drinks. But taurine has a stimulating effect on the central nervous system that’s very unnatural.

Continue reading: “The Dangers of Taurine, Commonly Found in Energy Drinks”

I previously posted my list of different types of nuts that are healthy and nutritious. Like nuts, seeds are a vital part of our diet. Seeds are high in fiber, vitamin E and monounsaturated fats that can help keep our heart healthy and our body disease free.

Healthy seeds are also great sources of protein, minerals, zinc and other life-enhancing nutrients. Numerous studies have shown that different types of seeds and nuts can actually prevent weight gain, the development of heart disease and the accumulation of LDL cholesterol.

If you are going to add seeds to your diet, I would recommend that you eat only organic seeds, in their raw state. I personally try to avoid irradiated or roasted seeds, and stick with raw seeds. Here is my list of the five healthiest seeds you should add to your diet. (In no particular order)

Continue reading: “The Top 5 Healthiest Seeds”

For many years, nuts have gotten a bad rap for being high in fat. But in reality, nuts are a vital part of our diet, as they are high in monounsaturated fats that actually keep us heart-healthy and disease-free.

Healthy nuts are also great sources of protein, minerals and other life-enhancing nutrients. Scientific studies now show that different types of nuts and seeds can actually prevent heart disease, weight gain and the accumulation of LDL cholesterol.

All nuts should be organic, eaten in their raw state, and not irradiated or roasted. Here is my list of the five healthiest nuts you should add to your diet. (In no particular order)

Continue reading: “The Top 5 Healthiest Nuts”

Lifestyle choices play a major role in our physical, mental and emotional health. Poor lifestyle choices will lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and a suite of other health issues.

Decision processing becomes sluggish as poor health leads to a more sedentary lifestyle. Which will then lead to reduced blood flow to the brain, thus affecting your entire body.

Performance at work, school and in the home becomes mediocre as health issues begin to consume time and finances. Self-esteem and confidence suffer, and affect even otherwise healthy relationships.

Despite the consequences of not living healthy, the number of middle aged adults in America who are obese has risen from 28% to 36% over the last 18 years, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Medicine. The study compared five lifestyle factors of a group of 7,340 middle-aged (40-74 year old) adults from 1988-1994 to a group of 7,811 middle-aged adults from 2001-2006.

5 Healthy Lifestyle Habits

• Physical activity at least 12 times per month
• Consumption of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily
• Maintenance of a healthy weight (BMI between 18.5 and 29.9)
• Moderate alcohol use, if any at all
• Not smoking

What the researchers from Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston found was that there was a 10% drop from the 1998-1994 to the 2001-2006 group in the number of middle-aged persons who undertook physical activity 12 or more times per month, and an 8% increase in obesity for the same group.

Despite the fact that tobacco use increases cancer risk, the percent of the population that smokes did not change in the seven year interval between the groups. Even while “health kicks” are on the rise, the number of people consuming five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day has dropped from 42% to 26%.

Continue reading: “New Study: Following a Healthy Lifestyle is on the Decline in the US”

Recently, I found a study that I thought was really interesting.

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In a society which is literally getting fatter and fatter on a daily basis, it becomes increasingly difficult to find ways to keep people from eating unhealthy junk food.

But in that same society of obesity, there is a growing need to be “green” & “environmentally friendly”. As such, natural health practitioners preaching weight loss through a more nutritious diet may have finally found their biggest ally.

According to David Pimentel and his colleagues at Cornell University in New York, a healthier diet and a return to traditional farming could possibly help reduce the energy consumption of the US food industry by as much as 50%.

To put this all into perspective, 19% of total energy consumption here in the United States, is created by the production and supply of food.

Fossil Fuels & Our Food System

In an article entitled ‘Reducing Energy Inputs in the US Food System‘ recently published in the Human Ecology journal, Pimentel set out a variety of strategies that could reduce the food industries use of fossil energy fuel use.

Continue reading: “How Eating Less Junk Food Could Help Cut Fossil Fuels”