Fruits and vegetables for good health

Many studies have proven that high intake of phyto-chemical rich fruits and vegetables can actually lower the risk of certain diseases. The cardiovascular diseases in France is much lower than, for example in, Great Britain, USA, and Germany, despite the fact that the consumption of saturated fatty acids and the serum cholesterol values in these countries are comparable. This is attributed to the French diet, where more fruits, vegetables, and red wines are consumed and one reason for this benefit is the presence of antioxidants in these foods.

Antioxidants act as our first line of defense against oxidative damage by neutralizing or scavenging free radicals. Free radicals are electronically-charged unstable molecules that can easily react with and damage other molecules. They are formed in our bodies as by-product of metabolism whenever oxygen is involved and externally, when they are left behind by smog, cigarette smoke, pollution, ozone, solvents, pesticides, and the sun’s ionizing radiation. They can damage cells, membranes, DNA genetic material, and other body structures which eventually leads to chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, macular degeneration of the eye and cataracts. The more antioxidants we consume, the more free radicals are neutralized. They also help in preserving the food that we eat. It is estimated that there are more than 4,000 compounds in foods that act as antioxidants. Some of the well-known antioxidants include Vitamins C and E, carotenoids, selenium, copper, zinc, ubiquinol, and some phenolic substances.

Butter vs. Margarine

Pass The Butter. please. This is interesting . . . . .

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings.

DO YOU KNOW.. the difference between margarine and butter?

Read on to the end...gets very interesting!

Both have the same amount of calories. Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods. Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added! Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods. Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

And now, for Margarine..

Very high in trans fatty acids . Triple risk of coronary heart disease .Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol) Increases the risk of cancers up to five fold. Lowers quality of breast milk. Decreases immune response. Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact....

HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC..

This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

You can try this yourself:

Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things:

* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)

* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Share This With Your Friends..... (If you want to "butter them up")!

Chinese Proverb:

"When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others.

Cure for Dengue?

Speak out: Cure for dengue?
By Bernardo Rocha Calibo
Director, National Police Commission 7

Note: This article is very interesting. it may save other peoples lives!

THERE is hope that the dengue scourge will be obliterated.

I was in a meeting in Manila recently with other Napolcom officials. While waiting for my flight back to Cebu, I happened to talk with friends. The conversation eventually turned to dengue. Some of their statements shocked me. I called up the persons concerned and they confirmed these revelations.

Computer technician Wenceslao Salesale Jr., 27, was downed by dengue. His platelet count plunged from 180 to 80. He was rushed by ambulance from Novaliches to Manila. Inside the ambulance, a relative, acting upon the advice of a missionary priest, made him drink soup made from camote tops. The following day, his platelet count was normal.

Dengue attacked the 7-year-old daughter of engineers Mar and Lita Budlongan of Kaloocan City. Her platelet count read 80. The same treatment was used. The following day she was back to normal.

The 15-year-old daughter of businessman Nepomuceno Salaga of Sampaloc, anila had a dangerous platelet count of 80 due to dengue. The same treatment was followed. The following day she was back in school.

I asked a doctor of medicine about herbal cures and he said that many, if not most, medicines come from plants. He also said that under the Hippocratic Oath, doctors are bound encourage anything that can cure a patient.

Research

We need not do research deep in the rainforests of the Amazon or venture into the ocean depths in search of the elusive cure for dengue. It is right there in the backyard.

The following information is from Wikipedia:

In 1992, the Center for Science in the Public Interest compared the nutritional value of sweet potatoes to other vegetables. Considering fiber content, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium, the sweet potato ranked highest in nutritional value. According to these criteria, sweet potatoes earned 184 points, 100 points over the next on the list, the common potato (NCSPC).

Sweet potato tops are excellent sources of antioxidative compounds, mainly polyphenolics, which may protect the human body from oxidative stress that is associated with many diseases including cancer ad cardiovascular diseases. Sweet potato greens have the highest content of total polyphenolics among other commercial vegetables studied.

Note: This is true!

Sweet potatoes contain protein, dietary fiber, lipid, and essential minerals and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, aluminum and boron. Sweet potatoes are also important sources of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and ascorbic acid.

Camote (Sweet Potato)

In the case of Salaga, he bought five sheaves (bugkos/ bigkis) of camote cuttings. Each sheaf consists of about 12 cuttings. Each cutting measures about one foot. A sheaf costs about P5.

Camote tops are boiled in water to extract the juice. The boiling lasts for about five minutes. A little salt is used to give flavor to it. The patient is made to drink slowly and gradually. The body's immune system is thus revived, making dengue helpless against the body's natural defenses. Camote enables the body to heal itself.

Now you know why I earlier said that my friends' revelations shocked me.

They were shocking because people are needlessly dying all around us from dengue, while their very cure is also all around us.

In the past, many were fond of using the derogatory statement, "Go home and plant camote." Now, camote is big news. It can
save lives. What could be bigger than that? So, to fortify your family against dengue, "Go home and plant camote!"

Note: Let's all plant camote in our backyards...

What are free radicals?

Free radicals are electronically charged unstable molecules that can easily react with and damage other molecules. An atom, molecule, or ion robs another of one or more of its electrons. Chemicals exhibiting this tendency for stealing electrons are referred to as oxidizing agents. When a material is oxidized, its chemical structure is altered.

A. + B: -----> A: + B. (Reaction 1)

B. + C: -----> B: + C. (Reaction 2)

They can be formed in 2 ways: Internally - as by product of metabolism whenever oxygen is involved. Externally – smog, cigarette smoke, pollution, ozone, solvents, pesticides, and the sun’s ionizing radiation. Some of the known free radicals include: Singlet oxygen (¹O2*), Superoxide radical (O2-), Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and Hydroxyl radical (HO-). They can damage cells, membranes, DNA genetic material, and other body structures which eventually leads to chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, macular degeneration of the eye and cataracts (www.foodwatch.com 2001).