Why are we NUTS about NUTS?

Pecans have it all. Besides being one of the most elegant, versatile and rich-tasting nuts you can put on your plate, they offer up a package of health benefits that’s very impressive. In fact, the new 2005 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommend eating 4 to 5 servings of nuts each week.

The Mayo Clinic conducted a study which found that all nuts are nutrient dense and naturally cholesterol free. Not only are nuts cholesterol free but, studies have suggested that eating pecans may help reduce LDL cholesterol levels, leading to a reduction in the risk of heart attacks and coronary artery disease. The serving size for nuts is about one ounce, which equals about 15 pecan halves. Pecans are a great staple for vegetarians, because one serving of pecans can take the place of the protein found in an ounce of meat.

Pecans are also a rich source of oleic acid, the same type of fatty acid found in olive oil. Researchers from Northwestern University in Chicago recently found in laboratory tests that oleic acid has the ability to suppress the activity of a gene in cells thought to trigger breast cancer. While this area of study is still in its early stages, the researchers say it could eventually translate into a recommendation to eat more foods rich in oleic acid, like pecans and olive oil.

Researchers from Loma Linda University in California and New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, have confirmed that when pecans are part of the daily diet, levels of “bad” cholesterol in the blood drop. Pecans get their cholesterol-lowering ability from both the type of fat they contain and the presence of beta-sitosterol, a natural cholesterol-lowering compound.

Eating 1 ½ ounces of pecans a day, when its part of a heart-healthy diet, can reduce the risk of heart disease. Moreover, a study published in the June 2004 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that pecans, hazelnuts, and walnuts contained the highest antioxidant levels of all nuts tested.

The same natural compound that gives pecans its cholesterol-lowering power, has also been shown to be effective in treating the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland in men. About two ounces of pecans provides a dose of beta-sitosterol found to be effective. In addition, a recent laboratory study from Purdue University found that gamma-tocopherol, the type of vitamin E found in pecans, has the ability to kill prostate cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. Last but not least, despite the widely held belief that “nuts are fattening,” several population studies have found that as nut consumption increased, body fat actually decreased.

Pecans, along with their antioxidant packed relatives, walnuts and hazelnuts, can be found in many of your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods including Phi Plus, Cornaborealis, Corn of Plenty and your favorite Farinas.

Go nuts today!

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Why are Free Radicals a Danger to you Body?

Think back to your school days. There, in a science class, you likely learned a lesson about molecules. Here's a quick refresher.

A molecule has a nucleus at the center and then a certain number of electrons that orbit around the nucleus. Normally, the molecules that make up your body are balanced; they have an even number of electrons. A FREE RADICAL is a molecule that has lost one of its electrons leaving it with an odd number of electrons.

These unbalanced free radical molecules attempt to stabilize themselves by “stealing” an electron from another healthy molecule. The cells your body where this process is occurring can become injured. The cell may malfunction causing disease or even become malignant causing cancer. It is also widely believed that free radicals are one of the main causes of the aging process.

The body produces free radicals through normal metabolic pathways such as extracting energy from the food we eat. Exposure to the toxins in junk food or polluted air, for example, can also be sources of free radical production. In short, we are exposed to potential sources of free radical production every day of our lives.

Antioxidants are nutritional compounds in whole foods that have extra electrons. When an antioxidant comes in contact with a free radical – the antioxidant “donates” an electron to the free radical. This way, the free radical doesn’t have to “steal” an electron from another healthy molecule and the damage normally caused by the free radical can be avoided. The antioxidant nutrients themselves do not become free radicals when they “donate” an electron because they are stable in either form.

The human body is capable of producing antioxidants naturally, but under conditions of a poor diet, toxicity, physical stress or emotional stress this antioxidant production can be severely impaired. Do you know someone who eats a poor diet, has high levels of toxicity and is stressed out much of the time? This is why they may appear older than they actually are.

Eating a healthy whole food diet and drinking plenty of water are two of the best ways to protect your body from the damage of free radicals. Fruits and vegetables provide an excellent source of natural antioxidants to help your body stabilize the free radicals and ward off the damage that they cause.

Re-set your body’s nutritional system back to “original manufacturer’s specifications” through our Whole Food Farmacy 13-day Tri-Decathlon Delux program of whole foods, water and walking. With this program you will cleanse your body of toxins and fill it with natural antioxidants. Imagine how good you will feel treating your body to 13 days of nature’s best?

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HEALTH WARNING: Are you using your Microwave safely?

Recent Cancer News from Johns Hopkins University, of Maryland, focuses on dioxins, chemicals found in plastics frequently used in freezing and microwave cooking. Read on to determine if you are putting yourself and your family at risk with your cooking and freezing methods.

Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital, was on a TV program to discuss dioxins and the risks they pose on our health. Specificially, he mentioned the dangers of dioxins and why they are bad for us. Here's what you need to know.

Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Dioxin chemicals causes cancer, especially breast cancer.

If you freeze your plastic bottles with water in them it releases dioxins into the water from the plastic.

He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers either. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Is this what you're feeding your family?

Instead, Dr. Fujimoto recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin.

Such food items as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc.

He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.

Cover food with a paper towel instead (which may not be much better, depending upon the content of the towels)

In summary...

1. No plastic containers in micro - they release dioxins, which are toxic.

2. No water bottles in freezer - they release dioxins, which are toxic.

3. No plastic wrap in microwave - they release dioxins, which are toxic.

Personally, my family stopped using our microwave about a year ago. Other than to occassionally melt chocolate in a ceramic bowl for dipping strawberries and other yummies, this contraption sits unused on our countertop.

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