A study by the Nurses’ Health Study which was reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine (Arch Intern Med. 2010;170:961-969) indicates that eating 5 or more servings of white rice per week was associated with higher risk of Type 2 diabetes. Replacing white rice with brown rice by as much as 50 gms per day or one-third of the serving per day can potentially reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes by as much as 16% and if totally replaced this reduction can be as high as 36%.
Tags: brown rice, whole grain
Chamomile Flower is a mild relaxant useful for nervousness, stress and anxiety. It can induce sleep. It can be used used for an anti-inflammatory, an antispasmodic and digestive complaints, especially too much tummy gas. The flowers are edible and medicinal. It contains essential oils angelates & tiglates which can relax. Prepared as tea; or body wash or for aromatherapy.
Essentially, stressful or anger conditions can be helped by chamomile, however we recommend you to take the tea in the evening before bedtime for a good sleep and a relaxing evening.
How to Prepare a Chamomile tea
from http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Chamomile-Tea
Chamomile tea is known well as an aid to sleep.It is also used to calm nerves, dispel stomach gas and aid digestion.Making your own at home is easy.
Ingredients:
*2-3 tsps dried chamomile flowers per cup (use German Chamomile, Matricaria recutita)
*Hot water
Procedure:
1. Put the dried chamomile flowers into a cup.
2. Pour in hot water.
3. Allow to infuse for 3 minutes.
4. Strain into another cup. Use a tea strainer to catch the chamomile flowers.
5. Drink. If wished, you can add honey or lemon juice to adjust the taste if wished.
Note:
Do not consume chamomile tea if you have ragweed allergies unless advised that it is all right by your regular health professional. Chamomile is related to ragweed and some people can have allergic reactions. Those taking blood thinners should not drink chamomile tea either.
Photo from: http://leda.lycaeum.org/Images/Chamaemelum_nobile_Specimen.7163.jpg
Tags: Chamomile
Many of us have tasted red wine and may have heard about its benefits in protecting the heart by reducing fat deposition. Observations of the French population and coupled with biochemical research point heavily on the substance called RESVERATROL as the bio-active principle. Many have taken a keen interest on the potential health benefits of polyphenols and RESVERATROL in red wine. What we know now is that polyphenols and resveratrol achieve high concentrations if red wine goes to fermentation, but it does not need to be; these bioactive substances are naturally present in Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cupsidatum) and pomegranate (Punica granatum). Commercially prepared resveratrol comes from the Japanese knotweed. They sometimes call resveratrol as the exercise pill or capsule because of its ability to achieve weight reduction. While many may not be able to drink red wine daily as the French people do, we could find pomegranate as an alternative. Resveratrol is no considered to have a very high potential as anti-cancer.
I happen to see a good source of pomegranate in Market Market, Bonifacio Global City (http://www.ayalamalls.com.ph/content/market_market.asp). Just stroll by the fruit section and you will probably find good fruits such as the very nutritious and medicinal pomegranate. More recently, I saw some in Shopewise Alabang.
If you like preparing the wonder juice, just take out the seeds and put them in a blender and turn it on in burst of cycles, a few cycles would do so as not to destroy the seeds and make your juice a bit bitter. Pour the blend into a strainer to separate the seeds and you have the pomegranate juice which is rich in polyphenols and of course, RESVERATROL.
Malunggay has been in focus in recent months. Not only is it a vegetable for good health and many ailments, it is now being investigated as a biofuel and a clean one which does not give any toxic by-product on combustion. Considered to be a “miracle vegetable” we have abundant material for our food and we hope we will not miss the boat here since it’s becoming an important economic product or raw material.
We know that malunggay has been in our diet but we only think of this vegetable for mothers who want more milk production. In an analysis by FNRI-DOST (Food and Nutrition Research Institute – Dept of Science and Technology) 100 grams (1 cup cooked) of malunggay leaves contain 3.1 g. protein, 0.6 g. fiber, 96 mg calcium, 29 mg phosphorus, 1.7 mg iron, 2,820 mg ß-carotene, 0.07 mg thiamin, 0.14 mg riboflavin, 1.1 mg niacin, and 53 mg ascorbic acid or vitamin C. It also has a high antioxidant activity ( 71% relative to Vit E). What we really do not know is the form in which the minerals occur. For some of us who have heard about “chelated minerals” it makes us wonder if such forms are present in malunggay. Chelated minerals are defined as minerals bonded with amino acids. This binded form enables many plant derived minerals to be assimilated by the body in minute amounts to meet the daily requirements. Unlike synthetic minerals, we need only a small amount of chelated minerals to meet the body’s requirement. The reason is that synthetic minerals have to be given in large amounts in order for them to get transported into the cells. The implication is that if the minerals of plants are mainly in chelated forms, we don’t need to use synthetic supplements for our daily needs. A cup of malunggay will be enough for our health maintenance or higher than that would also mean our ability to raise our anti-oxidant intake if we are a cancer patient. Malunggay has also been reported to be able to lower blood sugar. So in addition to ampalaya, banaba, luyang dilaw, we have malunggay. Aduts who want calcium supplementation will thus benefit for the prevention of osteoporosis.
So extend your horizon, eat malunggay, plant malunggay and we should be healthy (if we eat this vege often). Someone told me she is taking malunggay shake, well why not, we can make it better tasting by adding pineapple juice. Try this: 1/2 cup fresh (raw) malunggay leaves + 1 cup water -blended and strained. Add another 1/2 cup of pineapple juice for a health drink taken 2-3 x a week. Two times daily for cancer survivors. Always make a fresh blend, to be consumed with 2 hours. Maybe this should be comparable to wheatgrass juice, which is imported from the US.
Citrus Bioflavonoids
Most of us would like to have an affordable supplement that would help us maintain good respiratory health. Citrus bioflavonoids are a group of antioxidants which have been used in folklore medicine and which also been investigated by modern medicine. General properties of citrus bioflavonoids:
1. Respiratory health
2. Hastens the repair of tissues and has been useful in reducing the duration of damage from injuries, especially sports injuries
3. It helps improve our natural defense against infectious diseases
4. If applied locally, it can help whiten the skin – maybe a good substitute for gluthathione
Citrus fruits such as calamansi (Citrus microcarpa), dalandan and lemon are just the common sources of citrus bioflavonoids. The rind of citrus fruits is a rich source of bioflavonoids. Taken daily it will help strengthen our immune system.
Calamansi Juice with more citrus bioflavonoids.
Buy calamansi, which is almost always available. Squeeze the juice of about 5 medium pieces, save the squeezed fruit (rind) and remove the seeds. Blend the rind with a small amount of water and strain. This material is your added citrus bioflavonoid which you can either mix with your drink or rub on your skin with a small amount of soap to whiten it. Simple and affordable.
If you want to make a body soap solution with this material mix the strained, blended rind with soap chips (use your favorite bath soap) and blend the soap chips ( or grated soap) and blend -you have a body soap solution for whitening your skin.Warning:test a small amount of the mixture on your forearm because too much rind juice will irritate the skin. Find the dilution that will not be irritating to your skin.
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