Tag Archives: care2

Top 5 Vitamins That Protect Against Cancer

By Michelle Schoffro Cook for Care2.com

The best way to beat cancer naturally is to adopt a lifestyle to prevent it. Healthy, nutrient-rich food is an essential part of any anti-cancer plan. Here are my picks for the top 5 vitamins that help protect against cancer. Stay posted next week for the Top 5 Minerals that Help Protect Against Cancer.

1. Beta carotene
This precursor of Vitamin A is found in most orange and green vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, and other leafy green vegetables. An amazing nutrient, it has been shown in research to protect the lungs against toxins that are linked to lung cancer.

Another study found that ex-smokers who ate green and yellow vegetables high in beta carotene daily decreased their risk of stomach and lung cancer.

2. Vitamin B6
This B-Vitamin is essential to maintain a healthy immune system and helps protect the respiratory tract from pollution and infection. In studies it has helped protect against cervical cancer. Vitamin B-6 is primarily found in carrots, apples, organ meats, bananas, leafy green vegetables, and sweet potatoes.

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Posted on September 15, 2023 by GuestBlogger

12 Shockingly Unhealthy Coffee Drinks

By Melissa Breyer for Care2.com

Oh, for the day when the worst thing you could do to your coffee was add a hundred calories in cream and sugar. These days, most of the health atrocities being committed in the name of coffee come to us courtesy of the ubiquitous coffee-house and fast food chains that are colonizing our neighborhoods from sea to sea. Why do they see the need to turn a cup of coffee into a concoction capable of ringing up four-figure calorie counts? (Aside from the fact that consumers are scarfing them up…)

A plain cup of brewed coffee has only two calories and no fat. Even adding 49 calories from a tablespoon of sugar, 20 calories from a tablespoon of half and half, or 52 calories from whipping cream–a regular coffee can’t come close to competing with the desserts-in-coffee-cups listed here.

For a little perspective, keep this in mind: the range of recommended calories is from 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day for adult women and 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day for adult men, depending on age and physical activity level.

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Posted on September 14, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Prevent Urinary Tract Infections with Nutritional Supplements

By Delia Quigley for Care2.com

While it is more men who tend to develop kidney stones, women have the higher rates of urinary tract infections. Bladder infections affect one million Americans, 90 percent of these women, and are the most common cause of women seeking medical attention. Bladder incontinence affects 13 million American adults each year.

Your urinary tract includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Of these organs, infections of the bladder are the most common problem. You pretty much know you have a bladder infection when you experience

  • A burning sensation when you urinate.
  • A feeling to urinate constantly.
  • The urge to urinate but cannot.
  • Leaking urine.
  • Urine that is cloudy, dark, or bloody.

A women’s urethra is shorter than a man’s, giving bacteria a shorter distance to reach the bladder. Another problem is that the urethra is located close to a woman’s rectum, where bacteria can easily move up the urethra and enter the bladder. Not the most pleasant experience, although not as painful as kidney stones, bladder infections can be treated holistically with herbs and tinctures. (more…)

Posted on September 7, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Learn How to be a More Intuitive Eater

By Lisa Turner for Care2.com

As obsessed as we are with food and diets, you’d think we’d be thin and healthy by now. So why are we Americans still universally less-than-fit and soft around the middle?

The fact is, diet tips, rules and tricks won’t work if we’re ignoring the mental and emotional side of eating. Why do we still overeat—or eat the wrong things? Most of the time, when we’re craving cookies, we’re really hungry for love, sex, friendship, peace, a sense of purpose and meaning. And when you’re gripped by that kind of hunger, all the tips and tricks in the world won’t save you.

Next time you’re ready to embark on the next fix-me-fast diet, try something different: instead of focusing on the food, tune in to address the emotions that make you stray. Here’s how to start: (more…)

Posted on September 5, 2023 by GuestBlogger

20 Reasons Bacteria Does a Body Good

By Michelle Schoffro Cook for Care2.com

It may come as a surprise to learn that there are many reasons to love bacteria, but after pouring through medical journals, I found that there are at least 20 reasons to love health-supporting probiotic bacteria. They include:

1. Digestion and Nutrition

Certain types of bacteria help ensure that food is adequately broken down and that the nutri­ents are synthesized and absorbed by the body.

2. Anti-Toxic Effects

Probiotic bacteria help to ensure that toxins are not absorbed into the blood and at the same time, help keep harmful bacteria in check. This aids gut and immune system health.

3. Allergies

Research by scientists at the Osaka University School of Medicine found that certain probiotics were effective in the treatment of nasal and sinus symptoms linked to allergies. Published in International Archives of Allergy and Immunology, the specific strains they found to be effective include: Lactobacilli casei, Lactobacillus paracasei, L. acidophilus, and Bifidobacterium longum. (more…)

Posted on September 3, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Foods With Naturally Occurring Antibiotic Properties can Ward Off Illness

By Delia Quigley for Care2.com

“Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.” Hippocrates

In herbology they are called astringent meaning foods and herbs that are natural blood cleansers and antibiotic in nature. The word anti (against) – biotic (life), refers to a list of pharmaceutical antimicrobials designed to kill harmful bacteria in the host body. Problem is, these synthetic forms of antibiotics kill off both the good and bad bacteria leaving the body depleted of living microflora that support immune function.

Including foods and herbs that contain antibiotic properties in your diet can support your immune system and help to defend you from certain infectious bacteria. This can also be said for organisms such as the Lymes spirochete and Candida Albicans, an overgrowth of yeast. There are many foods and herbs known to have natural antibiotic qualities; and with an increased resistance to pharmaceutical antibiotics in people today, it is wise to eat foods that work in your defense on a daily basis.

This is not to imply that you should not take antibiotics when deemed necessary by your medical doctor. However, knowing how to use certain foods as medicine can help you to cut down on over using synthetic antibiotics for minor health conditions. Naturally, consult your physician before proceeding.

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Posted on August 28, 2023 by GuestBlogger

13 Ways to Eat Healthier on a Budget

By Michelle Schoffro Cook for Care2.com

A whopping 20 percent of Canadians can’t afford their homes according to a study released this week and I’m sure this statistic is comparable in the U.S. and other developed countries right now. The report went on to state that these people frequently chose unhealthy food options because they believed them to be cheaper and felt they couldn’t afford to eat healthy. So in my effort to help everyone who is watching their money (isn’t that just about everyone these days?) I have compiled some of my favorite ways to eat healthier on a budget.

1. Double or triple your normal recipes and freeze the leftovers. You’ll dramatically cut down the cost of buying prepared and packaged foods. And, you’ll eat healthier when you’re tired or in a pinch for time.

2. Use seasonal produce as much as possible. When food is in season it is cheaper. Plus, you’ll be doing your part for the environment by eating more locally grown food.

3. Watch for sales. Plan your meals around some of the cheaper sale items you find.

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Posted on August 26, 2023 by GuestBlogger

How Much is Too Much Sugar?

By Melissa Breyer for Care2.com

The federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest an upper limit of 25 percent of daily calories come from added sugar. Doesn’t that seem really high? If you have an extra 500 calories to spare, wouldn’t it be wise to spend it on something with some nutritive value? Aside from a waste of calories, a new study shows that adults who consume high levels of sugar have significantly elevated levels of several risk factors for heart disease.

The study, conducted by a group of researchers at the University of California, Davis, and in Japan suggests that the generally-accepted guidelines for sugar may be too lenient and should be reconsidered. The results of their study were reported online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, and will appear in the journal’s October print edition.

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Posted on August 22, 2023 by GuestBlogger

15 Reasons Eating Organic Beats All

By Michelle Schoffro Cook for Care2.com

1. In study after study, research from independent organizations consistently shows organic food is higher in nutrients than traditional foods. Research shows that organic produce is higher in vitamin C, antioxidants, and the minerals calcium, iron, chromium, and magnesium.

2. They’re free of neurotoxins-toxins that are damaging to brain and nerve cells. A commonly-used class of pesticides called organophosphates was originally developed as a toxic nerve agent during World War I. When there was no longer a need for them in warfare, industry adapted them to kill pests on foods. Many pesticides are still considered neurotoxins.

3. They’re supportive of growing children’s brains and bodies. Children’s growing brains and bodies are far more susceptible to toxins than adults. Choosing organic helps feed their bodies without the exposure to pesticides and genetically-modified organisms, both of which have a relatively short history of use (and therefore safety).

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Posted on August 21, 2023 by GuestBlogger

10 Reasons You Need More Water Than You Think

By Michelle Schoffro Cook for Care2.com

We hear about importance of drinking enough water constantly. On the flip side, there has been a growing trend in the media lately that the commonly recommended eight cups of water daily is a myth, which is technically accurate, but not the whole story. Whether you need eight cups of water daily, or four or ten, most people are not getting the message that whatever their particular water needs are, they aren’t meeting them.

And even dietitians, nutritionists, and medical professionals are contributing to the problem by informing people that they get enough water in their diet in the form of fruits and vegetables. That might be true for some people, but after assessing the diets of countless people, I assure you that isn’t the case for most people.

Plus, have you ever noticed that when you throw vegetables in a pan and turn on the heat you’ll see liquid in the pan soon afterward, and then shortly after that you’ll see steam rising from them? That’s because you’re literally cooking the water out of the vegetables.

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Posted on August 20, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Food Combining Promotes Weight Loss and Digestion

By Delia Quigley for Care2.com

Combining your foods for optimal digestion has a long and controversial history. Many people, as well as health practitioners, swear by how it aids in digestion, assists weight loss, clears up acid reflux and chronic digestive problems. As it is a simple and not too difficult method of organizing your meals into specific food groups you can easily experience it for yourself.

Basically, foods are separated into groups that require a particular enzyme for digestive purposes. These can be an acidic gastric juice or alkaline pancreatic enzymes. When more than one type of food is eaten together the necessary gastric juices and enzymes compete with one another, which compromises digestion in the stomach. For example:

  • Protein foods depend on gastric acid, which consists of hydrochloric acid and an acidic enzyme called pepsin.
  • Fats are emulsified by bile, and carbohydrates require pancreatic enzymes and are mostly broken down in the small intestine. (more…)
Posted on August 13, 2023 by GuestBlogger