B 12 and Digestion

Several studies have shown that people who supplemented their diets with vitamin b12 shots reported higher energy levels and increased rates of weight loss vs. a control group that took no supplements. Some doctors may say there is no connection between weight loss and B12 but what they overlook is how many people are deficient in B12.

Studies indicate that B12 deficiencies do not correlate with diet (participants with diets high in foods rich in B12 had just as low levels of B12 as those without). It’s not because people aren’t eating enough B12 rich foods but the vitamin isn’t getting absorbed.

Studies conducted by the US Framingham trial reveal that a Vitamin B12 deficiency has been detected in 1 out of 4 Americans.

One possible cause of vitamin B12 deficiency – age. Many people don’t realize it but as they age their risk for a deficiency increases. Two factors that lead to B12 deficiency are an insufficient diet and declining rates of absorption.

The natural process of aging disrupts the digestive tract. This is caused by the cumulative effect of the typical American diet. The stomach lining gradually gets weaker so it can’t produce hydrochloric acid – the agent that “extracts” Vitamin B12 from what you eat.

Also consuming antacids and various remedies for an upset or acid stomach can also be blamed for the body’s inability to integrate Vitamin B12. Bacteria are another leading cause of Vitamin B12 deficiency. One such bacterium is the Helicobactor pylori, which puts the stomach at risk for moderate to serious ulcers, thereby aggravating a person’s deficiency.

Research in the field of nutrition reports that when the stomach lining fails to produce a protein called the intrinsic factor, the vitamin B12 will not bind, which prevents the body from absorbing B 12 via the small intestine.

It is important to make sure you get enough B 12 and that is absorbed properly as it is an effective digestion aid. It allows food to be properly and efficiently absorbed, and it promotes the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates.

Additionally B 12 is thought to responsible for more stable moods maintaining excellent memory functions, increased concentration and mental alertness.

For more help with digestive problems see our post Eating for Better Digestion

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Mental Gymnastics

Dr Oz had a great article on how to boost your brain power. All of things he suggests are so easy to do and are not expensive. You don’t have to join a gym, take an expensive supplement or spend a lot of time learning how to do something new. So try one or two of these a week and by the end of the month you will be healthier and smarter too:

Drink more coffee – Hard to believe but Dr. Oz says coffee (six cups a day) can reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease by more than 20 percent.

Mental Gymnastics – Mental challenges are what help your brain stay strong and vital. Any kind of mental puzzle or even just thinking about a complicated problem. Use it or lose it.

Walk when you can – Regular, moderate exercise cuts dementia odds in half. Plus it helps keep your blood sugar down.

Mediterranean diet – Eating more fish, fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes reduces your risk of Alzheimer’s by up to 40 percent. Did you know the month of October is Vegetarian Awareness Month? See our post Mediterranean Diet

Use turmeric spice – Indians have 75% less brain dysfunction and Alzheimer’s at the same age as Westerners. The reason: it’s thought to be the curcumin-derivative turmeric found in curry.

Eat more chocolate - It keeps your brain happy, possibly by keeping your arteries young.

Quick change – Playing a sport that requires fast changes in direction improves balance and memory.

Practice playing an instrument - Playing music bolsters language areas of your brain and you don’t have to be good for it to work. Whistling is a kind of a musical instrument so even if you just practice whistling it will help.

Take DHA and D – DHA is the omega-3 fat that helps keep brain cells young. You know the old saying “fish is brain food.” Get 600 mg a day from fortified foods or DHA supplement. Add 1,000 IU of vitamin D-3 to help keep the arteries going to your brain younger, too.

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Nutrition Facts of Whole Grain

At least half the grains you eat should be whole grains, says the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Next time you shop for food, substitute whole grains for some of the grains you usually buy.

Whole-grain products contain all three parts of the grain’s seed, the endosperm, gran and germ. Refined grains contain only the endosperm. Refining removes the bran and germ. This creates a finer texture, but it also removes fiber.

Eating whole grains is important because fiber helps reduce high blood cholesterol by blocking your intestines from absorbing cholesterol. Fiber may also help you lose weight because it makes you feel full on fewer calories. Losing excess weight helps control high blood pressure and improves your body’s use of insulin.

Research in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that overweight and obese adults on a weight-loss diet reduced their LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol more if they ate whole grain ready to eat oat cereal instead of grain-based products that were low in fiber. They also reduced their waist measurement more with the cereal.

Whole grains include brown rice, wild rice, buckwheat, bulgur, oatmeal, amaranth, millet, quinoa, sorghum, triticale and popcorn. Grain-based products like bread, pasta, crackers, breakfast cereal, tortillas, and pitas may be made from either whole or refined grains. Choose products that contain whole grains, such as whole wheat, whole rye, whole-grain barley, or whole-grain cornmeal, as the first ingredient on the label. Don’t be fooled by the term “multigrain.” It doesn’t mean whole grain.

You can make your own whole grain bakery products at home. Here are two really easy muffin recipe with lots of fiber. If you like blueberry muffins check out our recipe for high fiber blueberry muffins. See our postHealthy Recipe for Blueberry Muffins Even my kids thought this recipe for blueberry muffins was good and they are tough to please.

Whole Grain Banana Muffins ( http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=594615)

Ingredients

1 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C whole oatmeal
3 tsp baking powder,
1/2 tsp baking soda,
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 C brown sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg white
1/3 C unsweetened applesauce
1 C mashed banana

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix applesauce, egg, egg white, and mashed banana together before adding to dry mixture. Stir just until well blended. Spoon into 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 12- 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool before serving.

Number of Servings: 12

Cranberry Whole-Grain Muffins (tp://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cranberry-whole-grain-muffins-recipe)

Muffins
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour or King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 cup (2 5/8 ounces) quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) buttermilk powder or nonfat dry milk
2/3 cup (4 5/8 ounces) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries,* chopped
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 tablespoon orange zest (finely grated orange peel)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (6 ounces) milk
1/3 cup (2 1/4 ounces) vegetable oil or melted butter

Glaze
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) orange juice
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) sugar or 1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

*For a sweeter muffin, substitute 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease the wells of a muffin tin, or line with papers, and grease the inside of the papers.

Muffins: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then stir in the cranberries and nuts. Whisk together the orange zest, eggs, milk, and oil or melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until blended; don’t beat, or your muffins will be tough! Fill the muffin cups or liners about 3/4 full.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven, leave them in the pan for 5 minutes, then take out of the pan and transfer them to a rack to finish cooling.

Glaze: In a small saucepan or the microwave, stir together the glaze ingredients. Bring just to a boil, to dissolve the sugar. Dip the tops of the warm muffins into the glaze. Yield: 12 muffins.

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Nutrition Facts on Prunes

Prunes are nature’s little fountain of youth when it comes to your cells according to Dr. Oz. That’s because these dried fruits are loaded with minerals and vitamins that rev up your body’s own antioxidant production.

The antioxidants in your cells get rid of free radicals in your body. Free radicals are one of things that cause your body to age and they make you more susceptible to things like heart disease and cancer. Prunes rank foremost in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) list of high-scoring antioxidant fruits. In fact, prunes register off the scale on the Orac index, which measures how effective food is at neutralizing damaging free radicals. Prunes are also good for your skin. The high levels of antioxidants in prunes means that eating just 4 of these super fruits a day is as good for your skin as any expensive anti-wrinkle creams.

Prunes are high in phenolic compounds. This makes prunes not only anti-aging but anti inflammatory and anti-clotting as well. Prunes also have Vitamin A and vitamin C to help maintain healthy hair and skin. Chromium which maintains healthy blood sugar levels. Lutein to prevent eyesight failure and slow-release sugars to keep energy levels up during the day. They are a low GI food which is ideal for people with insulin resistance and diabetes.

Prunes are a low sodium food and a have a high potassium level meaning the fruit is a wonderful way to regulate your blood pressure and reduce water retention within the body.

Prunes also have a high amount of magnesium in them. It is already known that magnesium is quite useful to the aging body and helps us to achieve and maintain sufficient energy levels. Magnesium is a mineral important at working to relax the muscles, nerves and blood vessels in the body. It helps to alleviate sore muscles, effects of asthma and migraine headaches.

About half of the fiber in prunes is insoluble and helps move food through the digestive track. Some foods in our diet such as meat can ‘sit’ in the intestines undigested for a very long time. This can be cause bad bacteria to build up in your intestines which can lead to digestive disorders. Prunes’ insoluble fiber provides food for the “friendly” bacteria in the large intestine. When these helpful bacteria ferment prunes’ insoluble fiber, they produce a short-chain fatty acid called butyric acid, which serves as the primary fuel for the cells of the large intestine and helps maintain a healthy colon. These helpful bacteria also create two other short-chain fatty acids, propionic and acetic acid, which are used as fuel by the cells of the liver and muscles.

So about 1/4 of prunes a day is about a close as you can get to taking a sip from the fountain of youth.

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Resveratrol and Green Tea

Do you remember hearing about Mediterranean diet? The American Heart Association says there is no one Mediterranean diet but here is what it usually includes:
• high consumption of fruits, vegetables, bread and other cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds
• olive oil is an important monounsaturated fat source
• dairy products, fish and poultry are consumed in low to moderate amounts, and little red meat is eaten
• eggs are consumed zero to four times a week
• wine is consumed in low to moderate amounts
Mediterranean diet and lifestyle seem to be more conducive to healthier weight levels and longevity plus you get to eat stuff that actually tastes like something. So hopefully we are in agreement here that the Mediterranean diet is a good idea.

Also you are always hearing about how the French eat a high-fat diet, enjoy rich desserts, drink wine and still have better cardiovascular health than the rest of us.
One of the big differences in the French diet versus the American diet is red wine which is bursting with health benefits. Besides being good for your heart, it may also aid in the fighting against gum disease, a Canadian study reports. Danish researchers report, people who buy wine tend to buy healthier food than those who purchase beer. Research also indicates that light to moderate drinking may help you lose weight…

The important antioxidant in red wine that does so much good is resveratrol. In addition to wine, resveratrol is also found in grape skins, blueberries, cranberries and other plants, and recent animal and in vitro studies indicate that it can have a positive effect on helping to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, supporting insulin health and optimizing metabolic and immune pathways that protect cells and improve mitochondrial function.

There is a new product out which is different than other diet supplements in that it uses a combination of natural and herbal ingredients designed to help the body stay healthy while losing weight. How? By mimicking certain aspects of the Mediterranean diet.

The product is called
Resveratrol Select. And one capsule of Resveratrol Select includes as much resveratrol as 200 glasses of wine—without the added calories of alcohol. But consuming resveratrol alone isn’t enough to help with weight loss—so the manufacturers of Resveratrol Select also added a different type of antioxidant, Green Tea Extract (EGCG), over time, green tea consumption helps increase metabolism, burn fat and reduce fat storage due to its caffeine and L-theanin content, which can be helpful in maintaining energy for exercise. The supplement also contains Chromium. Chromium, a niacin-based mineral that plays an important role in how the body uses insulin to burn sugars, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for energy

To learn more about Resveratrol click on this button =>>

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If you want to learn more about green tea and weight loss see our postGreen Tea and Weight Loss Curepure has the best natural health cures

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Happiness is – What You Eat

You can actually eat your way to a happier disposition. Certain foods can make us feel good by boosting our energy or putting us in a better mood. I know your thinking chocolate, chocolate ice cream, chocolate cake, chocolate brownies. Need I go on? But no, chocolate is not on the list though you should see our related postDark Chocolate Is Good For You.

Here are five foods that can help lift your mood:

Cereal: Deficiencies in folic acid can make you feel depressed. Breakfast cereals contain folic acid, which boosts levels of serotonin, which regulates mood in your brain. If your still stuck on the chocolate thing – eat Cocoa Puffs!

Walnuts: Foods high in fat can increase endorphins, which can make you happy. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in walnuts. They’re also found in flaxseed and salmon. Again chocolate lovers – dip walnuts in dark chocolate and label the container “For medicinal purposes.”

Beans and grains: Carbohydrate-rich food contribute to higher levels of serotonin, which can lead to increased feelings of pleasure. Whole grain bread, brown rice,, potatoes and pasta are carbohydrate rich.

Tofu: Protein-rich foods, including tofu contain tyrosine, a mood-boosting amino acid. It also can be found in low-fat dairy products such as cottage cheese, in egg whites, and in lean meats and some fish.

Eggs: Zinc helps regulate metabolism and promotes a more energetic body. Eggs are a good source of zinc. Also raw cremino mushrooms and boiled spinach.

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Colon Cleansing Benefits

Colon Cleansing used to be something just recommended by homeopathic doctors. My own first experience with colon cleansing was a prescription from a doctor who practiced homeopathic medicine but was also a medical doctor. She had both a D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy) and an M.D. (Doctor Of Medicine). You may have heard ofcolon cleansing from Dr. Oz the very popular medical expert on Oprah’s show. With digestive disorders on the rise (60 to 70 million people per year) many of us are looking for some relief. Especially at this time of year, with the holidays approaching, it would be a good idea to do a little preventative maintenance on our systems.

When your colon is not working properly, toxins may be forced to leave the body in ways other than natural elimination. Halitosis (bad breath) and body odor can be signs of colon malfunction. Yeast infections can also be a result of your colon not functioning at peak efficiency. Colon cleansing may help eliminate these problems.

Bad bacteria in the colon can possibly cause colon diseases, headaches, fatigue, muscle aches,lupus and cardiovascular disease.

Cleansing the colon can assist your body in getting rid of unwanted parasites that might be living in your intestines. These parasites can come from a variety of sources such as: insect bites, rare meats, vegetables not cleaned properly, pets and even through sexual activity.

It seems that our body is actually designed for bowels to move after every meal. But because of our busy lifestyle most of us have trained ourselves to move our bowels much less frequently and we wonder why digestive disorders are so frequent these days. When our food sits in our colons it can begin to putrify and bad bacteria can develop.

Even with a pattern of regular bowel movement, waste can move through the colon and leave some residue on the walls. A colon with leftover residue can cause the muscles of the colon wall to lose their tone and this loss of tone can cause diverticulosis (a condition that occurs when small pouches (diverticula) push outward through weak spots in the colon). Food can get trapped in these pouches and bad bacteria can form.

Here are some common symptoms besides digestive problems that are though to benefit from colon cleansing: depression, cold hands or feet, chronic fatigue, endometriosis, circulaton problems, memory loss, low sex drive, gas, insomnia, irritability, allergies, body odor, and bad breath, brittle nails and hair, blood pressure, memory loss and inability to concentrate.

Many people report feeling lighter and more energetic after a cleansing. A product we like for colon cleansing is Colon Formula. The people who make Colon Formula are so convinced their product works that they are offering a “no risk” free trial. All you pay for is shipping and handling. It’s really not much to pay to get your digestive system running smoothly. As Dr. Oz said on Oprah – The fiber washes out all the junk so it doesn’t lay in the colon irritating the cells and becoming toxic by rotting there.

Probiotics supplements are great way to improve the health of your digestive system. With your digestive system functioning at peak efficiency you feel better and have more energy. If you want to learn more about probiotic supplements. Click on the link below or the one at the top of the post.

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Digestive Health

I found these facts in Parade magazine and I wanted to pass them on because I know digestive health is something that many people are concerned with.

Your GI tract acts as a second brain. With a rich network of nerves and ganglia, it communicates directly with the brain and the heart.

There are trillions of microbes inside you. Altering the bacteria that inhabit the GI tract can affect conditions ranging from irritable bowel syndrome to asthma.

Your digestive system also affects mood through the hundreds of chemicals and hormones it produces.

If you want to learn more about the relationship between the foods you eat and a healthy digestive system consider subscribing to this FREE 8-part e-course called the “Toxic Side of Food”. Changing your diet is one of the best things you can do to prevent colon cancer. Every other day (over the next 2 weeks) you will receive a new and mind-blowing lesson about how the foods you’re currently eating are keeping you fat, making you sick, and draining your energy, as well as, strategies you can use to keep your body toxin-free, vital, and as healthy as possible. Just click on the banner at the top or bottom of the page or just Click Here!

Probiotics supplements are great way to improve the health of your digestive system. With your digestive system functioning at peak efficiency you feel better and have more energy. If you want to learn more about probiotic supplements. Click on the link below or the one at the top of the post.

See our post on Colon Cleansing Products

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Preventing Colon Problems

A colorectal cancer screening is recommended at age 50 and beyond unless you have a risk factor. So many people put them off because they are afraid of the discomfort. Doctors say though with sedation the procedure is painless. The benefits to having the screening is that with early detection, colon cancer is curable in up to around 90 percent of the cancers.

Colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon and/or rectum) is the third most common cancer and second leading cause of cancer deaths among Americans. The American Cancer Society reports that colon cancer rates among African Americans are about 15% higher and deaths about 40% higher than among whites. Yet there is no explanation for this statistic. There is some common ground between the lifestyles of  black Americans and colon cancers risk factors being overweight, low level of physical activity, having a diet high in fat and red meat and low in fruits and vegetable. Risk also increases if you smoke, have a family history of colorectal cancer, have  digestive disorders such as IBS,ulcerative colitis or Crohns disease.

Here are some commonly prescribed prevention strategies:

Eat less fat and less red meat especially processed meat. Eat more fruits and vegetable.

Quit smoking

Many people find that using a mild natural colon cleansing product is very helpful in keeping their colon clean and preventing digestive disorders. Dr. Elson M. Haas, M.D. founder and medical director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin and author of several popular health books says Through my 25 years in medical practice and health care.. I have come to believe that the cleansing/detoxification process is the missing link in Western nutrition and one of the keys to real healing. I have seen hundreds of patients over the years transform regular or persistent illness into health and greatly improved vitality.

If you want to learn more about the relationship between the foods you eat and a healthy digestive system consider subscribing to this FREE 8-part e-course called the “Toxic Side of Food”. Changing your diet is one of the best things you can do to prevent colon cancer. Every other day (over the next 2 weeks) you will receive a new and mind-blowing lesson about how the foods you’re currently eating are keeping you fat, making you sick, and draining your energy, as well as, strategies you can use to keep your body toxin-free, vital, and as healthy as possible. Just click on the banner at the top or bottom of the page or just Click Here!

See our post on Colon Cleansing Products

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Digestive Disorders

Americans spent $107 billion dollars on drugs and antacids in 1992 trying to fight digestive disorders. Digestive disorders are affecting more and more of us. Obviously pharmaceuticals are not the answer. Poor digestion causes us to have stomach aches, gas and just not feel at our best. The digestive process is what powers our body – it converts food into a usable form of energy. If our body is not getting all it can from the food we consume, we tend to feel sluggish and uncomfortable. We have less energy and feel less able to cope with our daily tasks. Digestive problems are thought to be responsible for chronic fatigue, premature aging, arthritis, poor skin and hair, toxicity, allergies and cancer. But if pharmaceuticals are not the solution what is?

The answer is to help the body’s naturally occurring microorganisms do their job. More than 400 different types of bacteria live in the gastrointestinal system and some are good and some are bad. The entire body depends on the colon doing its job properly. The colon’s beneficial bacteria manufacture B vitamins including biotin, niacin, folic acid and pyridoxine. Besides producing the enzyme lactose necessary for digesting milk sugar (lactose), these microorganisms produce antibacterial substances that kill disease-causing agents such as salmonella and some type of E. coli. These bacteria make the digestive tract function at top efficiency.

Two very important beneficial bacteria are acidophilus bacteria and bifid bacterium. Having a slightly acidic PH in the colon helps support these beneficial bacteria and helps keep bad organisms from spreading, since most of the bad organisms don’t like an acidic environment. Unfortunately, the colon’s PH can be altered by many conditions causing the beneficial bacteria to be reduced hence throwing off the delicate balance among the different microorganisms. Conditions that interfere with the colon’s Ph are: high meat and high fat diets, alcohol, stress, and antibiotics. Probiotics, dietary supplements made of beneficial microorganisms, can reintroduce beneficial bacteria. Many people are familiar with yogurt, which contains acidophilus and other foods that are high in probiotics but you can also get probiotics in supplement form. If you suffer from digestive problems or just want to keep your digestive system functioning at peak efficiency you might consider a probioitc supplement.

Probiotics are the good bacteria that help your digestive system. Though you can find probiotics in many foods both Dr. Oz and Dr. Mike recommend taking a probiotic supplement on a regular basis to keep your digestion system healthy. Dr. Mike says though you can get probiotics in food easily, but a supplement is more reliable.

Bowtrol Probiotic contains 9 Billion live probiotic cells, more than 5 times the live active cultures typically found in yogurt, but without the sugar and calories. Unlike many other probiotics, the Bowtrol Probiotic is specially designed to survive the acidic stomach environment and be delivered to the intestines. Click on the banner below to find out how you can improve your digestive system and start feeling better today.

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