Natural Way Health Blog

Juices vs Juicing

I’ve noticed a trend over the last 5 years and it has lead to increasing disquiet. Someone comes up with a new berry or fruit that they say has the best antioxidant levels of any fruit or berry. They then lay claim to pseudo science by saying that this and that study prove what they are saying. Most consumers will simply take the promotional claims at face value without testing the validity of the science.

Problems with the Science (actually pseudo science)

Invariably in my studies I’ve seen these new companies promoting wonder products with hugely impressive health claims. They then go on to quote a Doctor or two who says that they have seen great results and that they recommend/use it with their clients. Once you scratch below the surface the quoted scientific study has some depressingly familar paterns. The study has been done using whole fruit/berries which were tested in the laboratory for their vitamin, mineral, enzyme or phytochemical content.

The juice drink being marketted is so different from the raw fruit being tested that to claim one supports the other is an affront to common sense. Lets just look at the packaged juice:

• it will have added water, flavourings, sugar most likely
• it will be in cheap plastic bottles that will taint the contents with chemicals that will harm you
• it will have a sell by date or a best by date – but it will last without degrading for months.
• it will not need refrigeration
• it will have been stored in a humidity controlled warehouse to protect the packaging not the contents

The juice itself will have:

• been pasturised to kill off any bacteria that could cause the product to spoil
• it will have added preservatives to prevent spoiling

The net effect is that:

• the juice drink is effectively lifeless as the heat of pasteurisation will have destroyed any phytochemical activity, any enzymes and most of the vitamins.
• the chemical preservatives are causing free radical damage to your systems and are often bio accumulative.
• the drink is loaded with cheap sugar to make t acceptable for most people to drink – sucrose is not good for us in large amounts
• the drink is often highly flavoured with cheap flavours to mask the unpleasant natural taste

So the bottom line is this. Don’t waste your money on nicely packaged exoticaly named juices – the claims are laregly unfounded (possibly fraudulent), the science is not valid as it relates to the whole fresh fruit, the juice in the bottle is effectively dead and nutritionally virtually useless.

This breif expose will doubtless anoy many marketers who proudly sell these products beleiving the marketing training they have been given. The truth is that they too have been deceived.

My firm belief is that we should be eating whole, locally grown fruits and vegetables, grown without pesticides and eating them in a raw state. Cooking does not help most food – mushrooms, tomato and a few other exceptions.

If you must get your nutrition from a drink then juice it yourself and drink within a few minutes of processing. Leave your juice an hour or more and you’ll find that the enzymes will have been at work and much of the nutritioanl value will have already gone.

The best juicers are made by Solo Star, Rhino and Matstone.

Matstone Juicer	Rhino Blender	Solo Star II Juicer

Nuts about Health

For boosting heart health, this nut’s got one up on olive oil. That’s right. Walnuts are better than olive oil at combating the harmful effects that saturated fats have on arteries, which may make walnuts the mightiest nuts of all. Here’s what makes them special.

When you eat a meal high in saturated fats, it causes your arteries to narrow and stiffen. And although you may have the best intentions of shunning nacho cheese and bacon-wrapped hamburgers, everyone slips a little now and then.

So here are a few things you can do to minimize the impact of the nasty fats on your arteries.

• Eat a handful of walnuts. In a study, arteries stayed more relaxed when walnuts were added to a high-fat meal. They did an even better job than olive oil of helping blood to flow unrestricted. Researchers credit the alpha-linolenic acid in the nuts with helping keep arteries flexible.
• Take a walk a couple of hours after you indulge. Physical activity partly offsets the blood vessel dysfunction caused by eating a high-fat meal.
• Top off your meal with a tiny piece of dark chocolate, some hot tea, or a bit of pomegranate juice. These items are rich in compounds that help your arteries relax.

Source:  www.realage.com

Wonder Why Food Has No Taste?

According to a US Senate Report (Document 264) published in 1936, most of the farmland in America had by that time become seriously depleted of minerals. The report went on to suggest that 99 percent of the population who were then dependent on American grown foodstuffs were suffering from significant mineral deficiencies.
Since that time, things have gotten worse, much worse. In 1992, the Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro presented conclusive evidence that on average, American farmland was 85 percent depleted of minerals, compared to 75 percent worldwide.
Study after study is now concluding that the soil on which almost all food in America (and in much of Europe) is grown today contains very little of what humans need to maintain healthy, functioning bodies. The vitamins and minerals essential to health are simply not in the food we eat. To read a more complete article on soil depletion and its effects click here

10 Things To Protect Your Health

There are so many ideas and products touted to improve your health that the whole picture is confused. So I started thinking what are the top 10 free things you can do to protect or improve your health?

1. breathe clean air -
2. drink clean water
3. eat food closest to the way nature made it – avoid processing at all costs
4. walk a mile every day
5. grow your own food
6. get 8 hours of sleep a night
7. take at least one day a week off from work
8. avoid pharmaceutical drugs unless absolutely essential
9. spend time with someone you love – even your pet
10. try and do something beneficial for someone else every day

OK – all those things are either free or very low cost and all contribute to your health – everything else is a bonus or an add-on.

Take a Proactive View of Your Defence system

How to support your health by making sure your defence system is working well?

Eating fresh fruit and vegetables may be good but is it enough? Do you really know what your food contains? What are the risks with using supplements – we want your views?

Do you really understand the relationship between your defence system, immune system and hormonal system?