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Blood cleansing is usually achieved by following a special blood cleansing fast. First you need to choose an appropriate time for a fast. Blood cleansing fast requires the conservation of energy, so it is not a good idea to plan heavy work or sport events for the same week. Therefore it is easier to do blood cleansing fast during spring and summer. Maybe the most important thing is to be mentally prepared. If you strongly “feel like it”, then it is the right time for blood cleansing fast.

To fully benefit from the blood cleansing fast you should also be physically prepared. For one week prior to the blood cleansing fast eat only raw vegetables and “green drinks”. This way your body will be “pre-cleansed” and the fast will not be such a shock to your system.

To carry the toxins out of your body with blood cleansing fast you need to drink at least 8 cups of steam-distilled water every day. Use herbal extracts to aid in blood cleansing. Drink juices made of beets, lemons, carrots and leafy greens. Chlorophyll in leafy greens builds up the blood with important nutrients, promotes regularity, and inhibits cellular damage from radiation. This makes Chlorophyll an essential part of any blood cleansing therapy. Good sources for Chlorophyll are wheatgrass, barley, and alfalfa juices.

You can use these herbs in any combination or independently to aid in blood cleansing. Dandelion, burdock, licorice, rhubarb, sage, shiitake mushroom, ginsengs, hawthorn, pau d’arco, and red clover. If you have high blood pressure, don’t use licorice or ginseng at all and not more than 7 days in a row when healthy. Sage is not an option for you during blood cleansing fast if you have any kind of seizure disorder, and avoid Siberian ginseng if you have hypoglycemia or heart disorder.

To cleanse the liver and the endocrine system you can use barberry, black radish, eyebright, lobelia, milk thistle, Oregon grape, pau d’arco, wild yam, and yellow dock in combinations or independently. Oregon grape is not an option when pregnant, and lobelia should not be taken an ongoing basis. To cleanse the mucous membranes you can use goldenseal for one week at a time. If you are allergic to ragweed use it with caution. Borage seed, ginkgo biloba, and sarsaparilla help to restore the acid/alkaline balance.

Stay on the blood cleansing fast for three days. Once the blood cleansing fast is completed, avoid sugar, white flour, and heated fats and oils at least for one month. Better yet to always avoid unhealthy food.

More information about nutrition, diets, herbal remedies, body cleansing, and vitamins at Nutritionbases.com

(Part 2 of a 5 Part Series on Body Awareness)

If I were to tell you there is an energetic, vibrant and creative person inside of you and all you needed to do was eat certain foods to let that person out, would you believe me?

Each and every one of us, at our very core, is each of these three things. Vibrant, Energetic, Creative. We each have a wonderful capability to accomplish many great things and do them all with an abundance of energy. No one was short changed in terms of their ability to have a energetic soul. That’s our gift.

Now, why are you so darn worn out?

We’ll, you’re probably eating the wrong foods.

There’s a way to release that spectacular spirit and live an enriched and energized life… eating the right foods is the first place to start.

In Part 1, “Fighting Fatigue and the American Diner Diet, ” of this series, I discussed listening to your body and how important it is to hear the things it tells you after you eat certain foods. In my case, I ate a fried tofu wrap and then passed out at my computer 20 minutes later. You’ve probably had a similar experience.

When you can recognize how your food affects you and this process becomes a habit, you will begin to identify the particular foods bring your energy levels down. Practice listening to your body for a few weeks and I guarantee that you’ll have a similar list to the foods I’ve listed here:

* Fried Anything

* Pancakes

* Sausage, Bacon

* Large portions of meat.

* Coffee (Don’t be fooled, if it didn’t bring you down you wouldn’t need another cup!)

* Potato Chips, Corn Chips, Crackers, Other Snacks.

* Sweets, Candies, Pies (after the sugar high wears off)

It doesn’t take much to deplete your energy. Eat a large fry from McDonalds and you’ll understand what I’m telling you. The nutrient balance in your body is easy to upset. A few days of eating energy-starving foods like the ones I listed above and you’re feeling pretty lame–probably propped up on the couch after work because you’re whipped after only a half-day of work.

So how does this apply to the “energetic, vibrant and creative person” I was talking about?

Well, when you have some or many of these energy-starving foods in your diet, your energy levels drop significantly. Your body is not getting enough nutrients to function at an efficient level. It starts to move into crisis mode and stores energy and nutrient reserves for later so that you will be able to use them in case of an emergency.

This is pretty serious stuff on the physical level. Your body is hoarding nutrients, water, and whatever else it needs and making sure you don’t use everything up all at once. So what happens to you? You fall asleep after a meal. You don’t have enough energy to make it through the day. You name it… your body is doing it.

The scary thing is that once that has happened over a period of time, something psychological begins to happen.

Instead of THINKING that you have low energy, you begin to BELIEVE that you ARE a tired person, that you ARE a lazy person, that you ARE the type of person that doesn’t have any energy. Getting down on yourself and believing you ARE the things that your food is causing you to be is a challenging battle to fight and is probably why many people experience failure with their diets and exercise programs. They truly believe that they are what their food is making them.

You’re actually none of these things. You are a vibrant, energetic and creative being, remember? It’s just the fuel that you are taking in that is making you sputter. Think about the effect sugar has on a car engine. It stops it from running.

If you’re putting sugars and bad oils and other toxins into your tank, your engine is going to jump and clunk and spit–just like any old car would. If you’re putting in the high-grade fuel–energy rich foods–than you are burning them efficiently and are rewarded with the by-product of boundless energy. No more 2:00 blues. No more waking up more tired than you were when you hit the sack. No more “I’m a tired person. Your confidence grows. You feel good about yourself.

Stop identifying your energy levels with you and look at the foods that are causing your energy deficiency. Know that you are the vibrant, energetic and creative person.

Remember how you used to play for hours on the playground and in the backyard as a child? That playfulness is still there and wants to burst out of you… it’s just waiting for you to eat the right foods.

In Part 3, I will discuss the second component of bringing the energetic and playful child in you back to the surface–exercise. Through exercise, you will be able to build energy just as quickly and effectively as eating the right foods. Put them together and you are unstoppable!

Until then, here are some foods that you should consider eating more of for maximum energy:

* Fresh vegetables

* Fresh fruits

* Raw nuts and seeds

* Organic meats (in small portions)

* Fresh vegetable and fruit juices

* Fruit Smoothies

* Whole Grains

* Brown Rice

Put one or more of these into your everyday diet and watch how quickly you lighten up in your step and how much more energy you have everyday. You’ll be amazed.

Kevin Gianni is the holistic fitness expert. He is a certified personal trainer and co-author of “Lifestyle Fitness”, a home workout program for the time and energy strapped!

Be sure to sign up for our free email newsletter that has the fitness and health tips other “gurus” are charging big bucks for.

http://www.yourlifestylefitness.com

The American poet, W.H. Auden, put it quite nicely when he once said, “Health is the state about which medicine has nothing to say.” I have spent most of my adult life trying to achieve that state of silence; actively searching for health products that perform as promised, taking me to a medical-free zone or as close to it as possible.

Each product produced a result which surfaced as a blip on the radar screen guiding me gently towards the secret light of perfect health. Perhaps collectively working to keep me afloat over the years, warding off at the very least chronic conditions that seem to plague so many people today.

As I see it, there are just a few simple rules to live by in order to achieve good health. You try very hard to avoid and/or minimize stress, pollution, eat a balanced diet, get some exercise and then, I believe, you supplement and with a little luck you remain relatively healthy. Barring any unforeseen accidents, you live to be 90, maintaining a bit of clarity as to the events that passed leading you to this wonderful, ripened age.

The important thing is to keep things natural. You will notice I did not mention anything about taking pharmaceutical drugs in my approach to wellness. I am not a big fan of prescription drugs and over the counter medications and believe they should be minimized at all costs.

Until recently I never even gave them much thought. It was the drug companies’ ability to advertise that first made me suspicious of their drug pushing ways. It is too much like the happy side of a soap opera playing out on my television screen followed by a succession of swiftly read words, in the gentlest tone; words like constipation, nausea, cramping, dizziness, anxiety, depression and even death. And I am certain that without an extreme amount of vigilance on my part to avoid these drugs to begin with, I would fall into the small category of casualties. Life can be just that cruel.

Here is a statement that should flash on the bottom of our television screens while watching a drug commercial. In a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a report concluded that 44 percent of all of the studies done by pharmaceutical companies were suppressed because they contained adverse information. Now that is note worthy information!

There is also the economic tie between the pharmaceutical industry and doctors that should raise a red flag of concern. One report concluded that $10,000 per drug company per doctor per year is spent on attempting to influence doctors’ decisions on which drugs they should prescribe.

There are also some alarming statistics as recorded by the Institute of Medicine regarding the misuse of drugs. One such study published in 1998 pertained to an analysis of a group of people who were admitted to the hospital for no other reason than that something went amiss with their prescription drugs. There were 2,216,000 of those people admitted and 106,000 never got out of the hospital! If only 10 percent of adverse drug reactions get reported, and that is the estimate provided by the Institute of Medicine, these numbers are in all probability much, much higher.

A subsequent study, relating specifically to deaths in hospitals, revealed mistakes caused by medical personnel giving the wrong drug, dose and/or the wrong patient the drug and this resulted in the deaths of approximately 80,000 people.

Taking medicine does not make us healthy but it may keep us alive and therefore it is a necessary evil. Genetics and other factors out of our control will come into play and make the avoidance of certain drugs impossible. Pharmaceutical drugs are developed for specific effects for a targeted physiological function. They are potent and often toxic to other areas. It is best to increase our activity level, balance our diet and increase natural supplementation to avoid, decrease and if possible remove both over the counter medications and prescriptive drugs from our daily routine if at all possible.

Supplements on the other hand, utilize the holisitic properties of plants - often having multiplied or combined positive benefits. In my search for the perfect supplement I did finally discover one that is outstanding in its delivery, replacing several of my favorites with this one product. It is a juice made from the whole fruit puree of the mangosteen fruit manufactured by the company of XanGo, containing a rather hefty dose of a new classification of antioxidants known as xanthones.

This company boasts there are 22 reasons why you should make XanGo your daily habit. In my opinion, the most important reason is that many XanGo consumers have reduced and/or eliminated their prescriptive medications for a variety of ailments as a result of drinking this juice each day.

A prominant spokesperson on the subject of the mangosteen fruit, Dr. Frederick J. Templeman, has been noted to have asked the question, “Why would anybody take a drug when you could have a natural food accomplish the same goal WITHOUT the side effects?”

This is a very good question and perhaps one we should all consider.

Paula Rothstein has worked in the legal profession for 15 years and owns an Internet business. For more information please visit:
http://www.mymangosteen.com/distributors/drinkjuiceforhealth/

Many people have heard and seen the many advertisements about tea and its various cures and benefits. Along with weight loss, cancer fighting, and other cellular benefits curing Headaches and Migraines while reducing stress is among the top advertised. But when I see these ads, I think Why ?

After drinking tea for a while, including Green Tea, Oolong Tea, Rooibos, Lemongrass, and a wide listing of organic herbal blends, I have found that I don’t really know if I am fighting cancer inside my body. But I do know that tea can greatly help me to balance out a stressful time, and help get rid of and prevent headaches.

Simply drinking tea, especially some of the herbal blends specifically mixed for the occasion, can help with headaches, and you will receive all other benefits from the actual tea itself. But only drinking the tea in itself will not allow you to fully maximize all the potential, especially in regards to headaches and migraines. Because not always, but sometimes, drinking tea is about Drinking Tea.

I drink tea all day long. Cup after cup (Thank you, Tea Stand) I drink with no sense of traditional practice, or religious afterthought. I just drink it. But when I have a headache (from stress, sinus headache, caffeine, or many other reasons), just drinking tea isn’t always best. That is when my tradition comes out.

I don’t use special pots, or time honored traditions. There is nothing wrong with them, but I rarely have time for that, and growing up in the United States, there are no time honored tea drinking traditions. I always used tea bags (low quality as they were my only option, and didn’t know any better).So now, even though I am closer to tradition, I still do not have time for this. My Headache/Stress tea drinking practice takes less than five minutes. Usually, that is all the time I have (which is mostly why I have the headache in the first place).

I begin with the double chamber gourmet tea bag. High quality loose tea, easy to use tea bag, reusable; three of the reasons why. I rough it up a little to make the tea inside spread out, and then I put the bag into my mug. With the tea bag ready I pour steaming hot water over it. A little bit too hot to drink. When the cup is full, I bob the tea bag in and out of the water for a minute or so, and let it site for a minute (maybe, depending on how strong I want the tea, how many times have I used the tea bag already, etc.) When letting the tea bag sit, I wrap the string around the mug handle and anchoring it with the bead at the end. After the tea is ready, I take the tea bag out of the cup, and hang it on my tea stand. With green teas and Oolong teas, this is especially important. If you leave the tea bag in the cup too long it can get very bitter.

Now that my tea is ready ( a process which took maybe two minutes) I am ready to relieve myself from this nagging headache. With the cup still steaming, I cup my hands around the mug and slowly breath in the steam. Slow, deep breathes. I do this three to five times, or until the tea has cooled down a little so that I can begin drinking it. It is still hot, but I won’t burn my tongue or lips if I drink it. Then I take small slurping sips. The hot water is important not only for the steam but also for these first few sips. The hot water slows down your drinking, and also helps to clear out your head. After a couple minutes of this I am generally feeling better.

Maybe this 5 minute practice is loosely based on tradition, and doesn’t sound too complicated, but it helps me. I am sure that all in this hectic world can appreciate 5 minutes where life is slowed down and especially a tradition that is fast, easy, and that really helps to get alleviate life’s little inconveniences; headaches, migraines, and stress.

David Giusti is a partner of Sabaidi Tea Co., Ltd., a manufacturer and exporter of Handmade Gourmet Tea Bags containing high quality herbal teas. You can read more on the company’s home page at Sabaidi and their Forum

Trying to find a hoodia 1000mg product is not easy. Many companies advertise a 1000mg product, but reading the fine print on the back or the diet pill bottle does not always support their claims.

There are many diet pills containing hoodia gordonii on the market. Sometimes finding a diet pill containing genuine hoodia gordonii is the problem. Compared to a stimulant containing diet pill, hoodia gordonii appears to be much safer. Effectiveness seems to vary among individuals and there is no accepted standard dosage, however many people report that it takes about 3000mg per day to suppress their appetites. In order to avoid taking numerous pills throughout the day and to keep the cost per day at a more reasonable level, we searched for hoodia 1000mg products. This is what we found.

The first problem is finding a diet pill hoodia gordonii product that actually contains 1000mg of hoodia gordonii. We looked at Hoodia Xtra 1000. The name suggests that it is a hoodia 1000mg product, but each capsule only contains 500mg. They listed the recommended dosage as two capsules. An advertisement led us to ebay, where many companies sell hoodia products. One would think that that the diet pill hoodia gordonii 5000 contains 5000mg per capsule, but each capsule actually contains 250mg of a 20:1 extract. There is no exact equivalency from extract to powder. Some companies claim that twenty pounds of plant are used to create one pound of extract, but it is actually 20 grams or whole plant to create one gram. This does not mean that the extract is twenty times stronger, but that is what they would like for you to believe.

The diet pill hoodia gordonii 1000 SRT claims to be a hoodia 1000mg product, but is sold by a site that sells arts and crafts and has no certifications of authenticity. The price is nice, but really cheap products with no certificates of authenticity are probably not genuine hoodia gordonii. The bionutricals diet pill hoodia 1000 is supposed to be 1000mg, but the recommended dosage is two capsules, three times a day, which would be 6000mg and no one recommends a dosage that high. They do not show an enlargement of the back of the bottle, so we can not verify the content.

The only diet pill hoodia gordonii product that we could find that actually is a hoodia 1000mg capsule that we could find is Hoodia XR. We have written a lot about Hoodia XR and we wanted to be able to compare it to other products containing the same amount of genuine hoodia gordonii. But, it turned out that we could not find any. If we do, we’ll let you know.

For more information about hoodia 1000mg products, visit the Hoodia Info Blog.

Patsy Hamilton is an editor of the Hoodia Info Blog. Visit us at http://hoodiainfo.blogspot.com.

All carbohydrates are not the same. Generally it is assumed that simple carbohydrates are not good for health as they increase blood glucose levels rapidly, and complex carbohydrates are good because they have a slower effect on glucose levels. But this is not always true. Recent work into the Glycemic Index (GI) has changed the understanding of the relationship between ingested carbohydrates and blood glucose levels.

The glycemic index is a measure of how fast a carbohydrate triggers to raise the blood sugar. The higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response. On this basis, all carbohydrates can be assigned a value, known as glycemic index, compared to glucose. The glucose is the fastest releasing carbohydrate so it has been assigned a glycemic value of 100. A high glycemic index value for a food indicates that it results in a rapid rise in blood glucose levels and hence a spike in insulin response. Conversely, a low GI value indicates a slow rise in blood glucose and insulin levels.

The glycemic index is a better method for classifying good and bad carbohydrates as it relies
upon actual blood glucose response. Let us compare the GI of two carbohydrates. Maltodextri, a glucose polymer is a complex carbohydrate, has a GI of ~100 . This means that it rapidly raises blood glucose levels. Fructose, on the other hand is a simple carbohydrate with GI of only ~20. If we do not look at their GI values, we will assume that maltodextri is better than fructose because the former is a complex carbohydrate and the later one is a simple carbohydrate. Consult glycemic index list of foods for making a low glycemic index diet.

Benefits of Glycemic Index (GI)

• Can help to control diabetes.
  
• Improves insulin sensitivity and efficiency.
  
• Reduces appetite for quick sugars and carbohydrates, thus avoiding
  blood sugar spike.
  
• Can help people lose weight.
  
• Can help lower blood cholesterol.
  
• Can help to reduce the risk of heart disease.
  

Copyright 2005 P. Mehta http://www.fatfreekitchen.com

This article has been written by http://www.fatfreekitchen.com For more information on glycemic index and glycemic load, visit the web site
glycemic index and glycemic load

Nuts of all kinds (I am talking peanuts, cashews etc) have a mixed reputation. They are high in fat, but have no carbohydrates. Many people I know will not eat any type of nut because of their high fat content. Nuts have a very important role in a healthy weight loss plan.

First, the fat in nuts is 90% percent unsaturated, which means it helps keep your arteries clean of cholesterol. Remember saturated fats, make you fat and clog your veins, unsaturated fats only cause you to gain weight. Do not let that scare you off; we need some fats in our diet.

Second, nuts have of no carbohydrates or sugar, which means they do not cause any insulin release, which is associated with weight gain. They are also so a great source of protein, one of the best of any non-meat food.

Do not go over board, nuts do have a lot of calories. But they also stay with you along time. If you find you are hungry between meals, have your self a serving of nuts. Make sure to eat one serving, read the label.

They can keep you from being hungry, because they have a lot of fat and protein. They also do not trigger the body to release insulin, which can cause you to get hungry.

Do not eat more then one serving a day. Any type will do so eat which ones you like they all have the same basic nutrients. They will also help you lower your cholesterol, because of the high amount of unsaturated fats

I know they have some fat, but if your weight loss plan is good and you the nuts by them selves, with out any type of sugar you will be fine. Drink water or diet soda pop with them. If you are watching you sodium you may want to eat unsalted nuts, or talk about with your doctor.

So, the next time your need a quick snack, grab a handful of cashews, almonds or peanuts and enjoy.

About The Author

Phil Satterfield runs www.dietcrazy.com a small, but quickly growing site, that is dedicated to providing people with the information they need to develop their own weight loss plan. Visit www.dietcrazy.com and sign up for a free newsletter and get a free weight loss guide. The site has many articles and links and is growing all the time.

philsatterfield_1@lycos.com

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body and also an important supplement to take. Calcium is needed to form bones and teeth and is also required for blood clotting, transmission of signals in nerve cells, and muscle contraction. The importance of calcium for preventing osteoporosis, however, is probably its most well-known role.

While anyone can benefit from taking a calcium supplement, it’s a MUST for those that rarely consume dairy products, especially women because of the threat of osteoporosis. It seems that few people realize how important calcium is to their body, but if you consider the fact that it’s needed for healthy bones, that in itself is a strong argument to make sure you’re getting enough calcium daily. What’s the adequate daily intake of calcium? 1,000-1,200 mg daily.

So how do you choose a calcium supplement. A form of calcium has recently emerged called coral calcium. It’s a natural form of calcium derived from Okinawa marine coral. The amazing thing about coral calcium is that it naturally contains calcium and magnesium in a 2:1 ratio. This biologically perfect ratio gives your body a perfect pH balance while supplying the basic ingredients for the rejuvenation of the body.

Since most of the body is comprised of water our pH level has a direct effect on all body chemistry. An imbalanced pH describes the pH level of the body when it is too acidic or too alkaline for long period of time. Scientific studies have shown that for a body to be healthy it must have a balanced alkaline system. They found acidic systems are highly susceptible to degenerative diseases including Cardiovascular Disease (the #1 killer in the U.S.), Cancer (#2 killer in the U.S.), and Diabetes, as well as systemic weight loss.

I highly recommend you take a look at your eating habits and do a careful evalution of how much calcium you are getting daily. It’s crucial you’re intaking between 1,000 and 1,200 mg daily. Most likely you will need to supplement your diet with a calcium supplement. Coral calcium is proving to be a dominant calcium supplement, but if you’d rather go with a regular calcium supplment, calcium citrate is the form to take.

Looking for a quality coral calcium supplement? Find what you’re looking for at http://www.simplehealth123.com. At the very least, please visit and download Simple Health, a free ebook that shows the average person how to live a healthy lifestyle.

About The Author

Ryan Cote’ has maintained an avid interest in health and fitness for over 10 years, including working 3 years for General Nutrition Center. He is the owner of SimpleHealth123.com, a website devoted to health.

webmaster@simplehealth123.com

Everyone wants to live a long healthy life, but few of us know how to go about doing so. Most people think that as they age, getting some type of health problem or disease is inevitable. This is simply not true! All of the major causes of death–cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease and injury–can be prevented by the things you do. The major change that you need to make is in your eating habits. The problem is that no matter how health conscience of an eater you are, your body will still lack most of the daily nutrients you need to live a long healthy life. Everywhere you look you will find evidence supporting the fact that it is impractical and virtually impossible to obtain the amounts of nutrients needed for optimal health from food alone. People that take dietary supplements know and understand this. They know that the most needed dietary supplement to take is a multivitamin so that their body can receive a variety of much needed vitamins and minerals. What they don’t know is the differences between multivitamins and which ones have the highest potency, balances of nutrients, and the best absorption. Many cheap, low quality grocery-store brands (and many brands available through supplement stores) fail at obtaining high quality ingredients for absorption and potency. With most of these brands, there is a high probability that the vitamin simply passes through your system undigested, or with a low percentage of the nutrients absorbed.

First let’s get one thing straight: If you are taking vitamins in pill form, then you definitely have not found the most beneficial supplement on the market. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against pill form supplements, it’s just that I know that your body will not get all of the nutrients contained in that supplement. Even If you were to buy the highest quality vitamin on the market, the fact remains that your body has to break down that pill to liquid form before it can be digested properly. When your body breaks the pill down, the pill loses its potency and if the pill is of low quality, your body might not break it down at all (in other words the pill goes right through your system without being digested). Even If your body is able to break down the pill you are still only going to receive 10%-20% of the nutrients. That means for every $100 you are spending on nutrients, you are literally flushing about 90% of it down the toilet. Why take your system through the extra step of breaking down a pill when you can purchase a vitamin that is already in liquid form that will bypass the digestive process and go directly into the bloodstream and into the cells within a matter of minutes? I have tried several dietary supplements in liquid form and the Himalayan Goji Juice endorsed by Dr. Earl Mendell is the only all natural liquid vitamin that I can drink without having to chew some gum to get the nasty taste out of my mouth. This Goji Juice has a delicious taste and comes from goji berries with the highest nutrient density.

Himalayan Goji Juice is the only liquid on earth that contains all the nutrients you need to increase your energy and strength naturally while treating high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, heart disease kidney disease, and a long list of other health problems. This juice contains four active polysaccharides (phytonutrient compounds) unique to the goji berry that come together to control many of of the body’s most important biochemical defense systems, and are of great importance to the smooth functioning of every cell in your entire body. The juice also contains 19 amino acids (including all of the essential ones); More protein than whole wheat; 21 trace minerals including germanium (an anti-cancer trace mineral rarely found in foods); Vitamin C at higher levels than even those found oranges; Vitamin E (rarely found in fruits, only in grains and seeds); B-complex vitamins, necessary for converting food into energy; Essential fatty acids (EFA’s), which are required for the body’s production of hormones and for the smooth functioning of the brain and nervous system; Beta-Sitosterol, an anti-inflammatory agent (Beta-Sitosterol also lowers cholesterol and has been used to treat sexual impotence and prostate enlargement); and a complete spectrum of antioxidant carotenoids, including beta-carotene (a better source then even carrots) and zeaxanthin (protects the eyes). Goji berries are the richest source of carotenoids of all known foods.

If you care about your health and well being, then you want to consume food and nutritional supplements with the highest level of nutrients. Himalayan Goji Juice will give you the nutrients you need to stay healthy and disease free.

This article was written by Vernita Sherman of GojiNutrients.com and Ultimate Fat Burning Secrets. Vernita is the owner of several health and fitness websites, and she is dedicated to discovering the best natural health products on the market for her website visitors. To learn more about Goji Juice and receive a free copy of the Goji ebook, please visit http://www.gojinutrients.com

The topic of nutrition is one that is always present in our lives no matter where we turn. It’s on the news, magazine articles, at school, at your doctor’s office, and even is a major topic for many books.

Over the years, there have been many ideas presented how to structure your diet so you ensure a good state of health. The RDA established by the government recommends certain percentages of nutrients that are claimed to be a healthy standard for all people in this country.

Now you have many scientists and researchers stating that the RDA standards are too low and need to be revised to reflect higher percentages of nutrients. There are other scientists and doctors that claim based on your body type, you should only eat certain types of foods while avoiding others.

Many health officials advise the public to limit total fat intake to a low percentage of their total daily calories. There are other groups that claim eating a good portion of fat in the diet is actually healthy. So, who is right and what constitutes eating healthy?

Well, I think that society has made nutrition much too complex. Trying to calculate every single calorie and each percentage of nutrients every day is a little too unrealistic let alone confusing. I believe we need to simplify the aspect of nutrition in our lives.

Before we do that though, we need to grasp the real meaning of what nutrition is. Nutrition is any food item or substance that supplies the body with vital nutrients that enable it to carry out normal physiological functions.

Nutrition does not constitute food items that either deplete the body of nutrients and/or increase the energy expenditure by the body in order to process that food item. Nutrition from food should supply your body with vital compounds necessary for physiological functioning and not strip away nutrients.

Based on many people’s diets today, there are numerous food items and store bought supplements that actually strip nutrients from the body. To eat too many of these foods and/or ingest poor quality supplements will actually leave your body less nourished than before you ate them. This does not make any sense! A good analogy will serve to explain this concept.

Picture if you will your paycheck that you receive from work. Now, let’s say that every time you get your paycheck, you go to the bank and deposit it immediately. As in the normal case when you deposit your check into your bank account, it reflects as an increase in total account value.

Now… picture that every time you deposit your check in the bank, instead of adding value to your account, it actually diminishes your account value. You wouldn’t like that very much would you? However, this is exactly what happens when you eat foods that contain little or no nutritional value.

Food items such as coffee, French fries, corn chips, soda, hot dogs, pretzels, white bread, donuts, milk and many other food items contain little or no nutritional value to them. By consuming these foods, vital nutrients will be taken from the body in order to process them accordingly.

I am not advocating avoiding these foods forever. I am simply stating that people eat way too many of these low nutrient foods in their diet. I would recommend adding plenty of raw vegetables when eating low nutrient foods to compensate for the lack of nutrition in these foods.

For example, let’s take an average portion of chicken breast. If you ate simply this portion of meat, it would require enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and other bionutrients for the body to process it accordingly. In essence, as in this case, the body will have lost vital nutrients in the process of digesting this meat. Most people would view that by eating a piece of meat that this would serve as nutrition for the body.

In reality, this meat added no nutrients to supply the body with its needs and it only really contributed protein. Yes, protein is important to receive in your diet and chicken is a very good source of protein. However, it is that many people don’t eat enough fruits and raw vegetables to compensate for the lack of nutrition in their diets.

A typical dinner of chicken, baked potato, and a small serving of peas is still lacking a large percentage of nutrients. How? A baked potato really does not contain very much as far as nutrients. Yes, it has carbohydrates but it has no real adequate nutrients as in vitamins and minerals. Peas, if bought frozen and heated will have lost almost all vitamins and will contribute only some minerals, some fiber, and some protein.

This meal just does not contain enough raw enzymes, vitamins, and minerals in order to nourish your cells adequately let alone to process the food itself. Thus, even though you may have eaten a large meal as in this case, you still have not contributed many nutrients to your body to allow for normal physiological functioning.

When the body does not receive enough nutrients with every meal, it will draw these vital compounds from its reserve. The body normally uses vitamin and mineral reserves in times of emergency such as when a person has a cold, flu, or some other illness.

Think of the reserves like a savings account in which you use only for times of real need or urgent emergencies. You only want these reserves being tapped into at these times of real need. You do not want your reserves being used on a regular basis just to aid in processing the food you eat.

If your reserves keep getting used in non- emergency situations, as is the case when one eats a low nutritious diet, then eventually they become depleted. Once this happens, one is setting themselves up to become deficient in many nutrients, become susceptible to low immunity, and experience poor physiological functioning of the major organ systems.

At the point the reserves get used up, the body will eventually start taking whatever nutrient it needs from other sources. For example, if one has lost extensive calcium reserves, then the body will take it from the bones and teeth.

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your body and is very important in serving to buffer the acid produced by eating acidic foods and foods that contain very little or no nutrient content. So, if someone is not receiving proper amounts of calcium in their diets, then the body will eventually take what it needs from your bones and the teeth.

This is a condition no one wants to be in. Taking a calcium supplement would not restore this condition. In fact, taking store bought calcium supplements could actually aggravate this condition. Cells CANNOT absorb store bought supplements since they are synthetic and are not recognizable to your body.

In taking a store bought calcium supplement in this case, you will aggravate this calcium deficiency because your body now needs to process this unrecognizable compound and will use up vital nutrients in doing so.

Does it not make sense to eat foods that already contain the needed nutrients for proper digestion and that feed your cells with the vital compounds they require for normal physiological functioning of your body? Food items such as pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, potato chips, cheesesteaks, meatball sandwiches, pop tarts, processed cereals, white breads, and many canned/packaged foods contain very little or no real nutrients that are essential to the cells of your body.

In modern times, convenience has taken priority over actual nutrient content of foods. People tend to go for the food items that take very little time to prepare. In this choice for convenience though, many people will not receive proper amounts of nutrients that are essential for optimum health.

One can never get true nutrition from canned or pre-made foods. True nutrition only comes from whole foods that are close to nature as possible. Whole grains, fruits, legumes, vegetables, nuts, roots, seeds, eggs, and pure oils are the best way to receive the vital nutrients that the cells require for optimum health.

When preparing a meal, one should always seek to make these whole foods the main portion. You don’t need to deprive yourself of your favorite food items. One just needs to structure their diets in a fashion where they are receiving a fair amount of raw nutrients on a regular basis. Eating only a couple pieces of fruit and a couple vegetables a day simply will not supply your cells with all the nutrients the body needs for normal functioning.

The Best Diet

Many people wonder if there is a special diet that benefits everyone. There are many books and programs that claim their diet regimen is healthy for everyone. I say that you are the only one who knows what the best diet is for you. Every person has his or her own unique blood makeup and genetic structure.

A diet that serves one person may not serve another. Your unique blood makeup will determine what suits you best. Some people do well eating meat while others do poorly when they eat meat. Some people do best on grains and vegetables while others do best with eating cheeses and other high fat & high protein foods.

You are your own master and only you know how you feel after eating certain foods. My recommendation is to experiment and observe the kinds of foods you eat and determine how you feel. For example, when you eat meat, how do you feel in the hours afterward? Do you feel energetic, alive and balanced? Or, do you feel tired and have indigestion? Again, you are the master of your body.

Allow your body and cells to tell you what the best diet is for you. I do recommend the following daily regimen for everyone. Conform the following recommendations to your body type. For example, if you know that you require meat in your diet, then just add meat to these recommendations. If you are a grain or cheese type then add these to my recommendations.

Suggested Daily Regimen for Optimum Health

Eat 4 to 5 fruits a day. I know that this sounds like a lot. You can easily consume this many fruits by incorporating smoothies into your diet. For example, take 2 bananas and a mango with a little distilled water and then blend into a smoothie. You can combine many fruits to make great tasting smoothies.

Another example, take a papaya and strawberries with some water and blend. A great idea is to freeze bananas and then use these in all your fruit smoothies since bananas make a great binding ingredient. Freezing them adds that refreshing smoothie texture. Make a commitment to yourself that you will eat 4 to 5 fruits a day. They taste great and it is healthy for you.

Eat as many raw vegetables as you can every day. Eat a variety of veggies, especially ones that are dark green since they contain chlorophyll, a compound that is very beneficial for your health. Also, vegetables contain fiber that is very important for proper bowel health and elimination. Make large raw vegetable salads for lunch and dinner and make the portions to be more than 50% of my whole meal. For example, make a large salad of red romaine lettuce, onions, avocado and red peppers. How about a salad of cucumber, fennel, olives, tomato, and carrots?

There are many combinations that you can come up with. Just be creative! Again, you can add shredded meat to these salads if you are one who does well with meat, or add walnuts if you do well with nuts or add goat cheese or hard-boiled eggs. Add whatever that serves you well. Only you know what serves you well. I can’t tell you that nor can anyone else. Listen to your body because it is always communicating with you. Learn to hear its message!

Use healthy oils every day: Drizzle extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil or pumpkin oil on all your raw salads. These oils are very beneficial to your health. Use them daily since the fats in these oils are very healthy. If you are concerned about gaining weight from ingesting these oils I have news for you. You will not gain weight from every food item that has fat in it.

As you will discover in the chapter on weight management, it is not a healthy practice to limit all fat consumption. In fact, limiting your overall fat consumption can actually program your cells to store more fat on your body and may increase your chances of weight gain.

The issue with fat is the type of fats that people ingest that are not suitable for long term health. Almost all prepared foods such as canned and pre-packaged food items contain what are called hydrogenated oils that are chemically altered and are very dangerous to your long term health.

These oils can cause all sorts of health ailments and shorten your life span. Almost all restaurants and food manufacturing companies use these hydrogenated oils in their foods for the preparation process. If you ever see an ingredient listed as HYDROGENATED, then you know that it is not healthy.

Juicing: This is a great way to receive raw nutrition without digestion. You can juice any combo of raw vegetables. Pick veggies that are super green like spinach, kale, and parsley. Juice at least 3 to 4 times a week and notice how much better you feel.

Use seaweed: varieties like dulse, kombu and hijiki in your salads and meals. These sea plants are packed with vital nutrients and are great keeping you body clean.

Make homemade soups and stews with fresh vegetables. You can add anything you like. How about adding egg to make egg-drop soup or how about chicken broth soup. Be creative. Make a large pot and then store the rest in a big corningware container. Eat some every day for a main meal or a snack. You can dip whole grain rye crackers in it for an extra crunch.

Make your own homemade ice cream: Freeze bananas and then put them into your food processor and pulse. You now have instant banana sorbet. You can also freeze strawberries, pineapple, mango, peaches and watermelon. Use any combo of these fruits. Just pulse them in your food processor and you have instant sorbet. You can add fresh mint, ginger and other spices to make it an extra special treat.

To make you own ice cream just pulse some frozen bananas or any fruit you like. Add this mixture to organic milk or goat milk and then add some vanilla extract. You can add some stevia to make it sweeter and some lecithin (found in health food store) to make it creamier, Then just put this into the freezer for a couple hours. Voila…you now have an awesome natural treat. Experiment with this and other combinations.

Words of Wisdom

You are the only one that is responsible for your body and health. No one else will make sure that your cells are receiving proper amounts of nutrients. Some people will pay extra money to put the highest-octane gas in their cars to ensure they run well.

However, when it comes to putting the highest quality food into their bodies, the same attention is not there. Just because your belly is full and you are no longer hungry, does not mean that you have really nourished your body!

Your body is your main vehicle. You need to take care of it and love it just as you would a child. You have 70 to 100 Trillion cells in your body and each one has its own intelligence. In essence, you are carrying 70 to 100 Trillion little babies with you at every moment. Only you are responsible for them and only you can nurture and feed your cells appropriately. Your body responds to you the way you treat it. If you want optimum health, then you need to nurture your body and cells.

Eating healthy does not have to be lacking in taste. If you take care of your body then it will thank you in return by giving you optimum health and a great feeling. Isn’t your health worth it? Make the commitment today to start nurturing your body and fueling it with Mother Earth’s pure and whole foods!

IF YOU DON’T TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY, THEN WHOM DO YOU THINK WILL?

Rino Soriano is a Holistic Wellness Consultant & Health Coach. He specializes in empowering people to create optimum health for their entire lives. Rino had chronic fatigue syndrome for over 4 years and through self empowerment and holistic modalities he healed himself.

Rino’s expertise in knowing how to create and maintain optimum health is truly revolutionary.

Rino now also offers online seminars for chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers that coaches them to restore their health.

His book How To Create & Maintain Optimum Health For Life is receiving high praise. http://www.healthsecretsneverbeforerevealed.com

Educating & Empowering People For Optimum Health

Rino Soriano -”The Chronic Fatigue Buster”
http://www.holistichealthexpert.com