Striving4Zen

Heal scars naturally with these tips from Seattle-based naturopath Tamara Cullen, ND:

Want to Prevent a Scar?
Manuka honey’s antibacterial properties actually lift dirt from the bed of the wound and help battle infection—a key to preventing a scar from forming in the first place. Manuka’s particularly high vitamin C content also leads to a faster rate of tissue regeneration and inflammation suppression.
Applying aloe vera to a cut also works well when it comes to scar prevention; the allantoin in the aloe plant stimulates new cell growth.

Have a New Scar?
Calendula cream, which is high in flavonoids, helps strengthen skin. Use it along with vitamin E oil; its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties soften skin and promote healing.

Have an Old Scar?
Once scar tissue forms, there’s not a lot you can do. But Barbara Close, author of Pure Skin (Chronicle, 2005), recommends trying products with frankincense, which has been shown to soothe aging skin, and geranium, which has anti-inflammatory components that heal and regenerate skin.

For Stretch Marks: Try gotu kola (Centella asiatica), an ayurvedic herb that offers antibiotic and wound-healing properties. Take 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of a tincture daily, or 300 to 400 mgs a day in capsule form.

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Labels: aloe vera, calendula, gotu kola, scars, skin care, Vitamin E

Cantaloupe and honeydew share similar nutritional profiles, except for two main differences-vitamin C and beta-carotene.

Cantaloupe contains about twice the amount of vitamin C as does honeydew (37 milligrams for 100 gram serving versus 18 milligrams) and about 67 times the amount of beta-carotene (2020 micrograms for 100 gram serving versus 30 micrograms).

So if we were looking for a source of this important nutrient, we would look to cantaloupe rather than honeydew as it contains minimal amounts of beta-carotene. While cantaloupe may contain more of these two nutrients, honeydew melons are delicious and we encourage you to enjoy them, along with other melons, as part of your Healthiest Way of Eating.

Labels: canteloupe, citrus fruits, healthy eating, honeydew, Vitamin C

It's no mystery why Americans are getting fatter. We're expending less energy to work, play, travel and acquire food. And we're taking more calories in.

And how!

New York City's recent law requiring chain restaurants to post calorie counts on menus has revealed some intriguing -- and appalling -- information.

Some observations:

Studies have shown that even dietitians often underestimate how many calories dishes contain, and no wonder. Applebee's Fiesta Lime Chicken packs 1,290 calories. Pizzeria Uno's Individual Chicago Classic (serves one) has 2,310. Who could eat another bite after an appetizer like T.G.I. Friday's Jack Daniel's Sampler at 2,330?

But It Sounds So Healthy …

Salads come so embellished these days they may as well be dessert. The Pecan-Coated Chicken Salad at T.G.I. Friday's (garnished with mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, glazed pecans, celery and blue cheese) is 1,360 calories. California Pizza Kitchen's Grilled Vegetable Salad is 1,020, or 1,490 with sautéed salmon.

Sandwiches can be a caloric bargain in comparison. At Shea Stadium's Metropolitan Club, the Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad is 807 calories; the Grilled Chicken Sandwich is 340. As veteran dieters know, dressing sends salads to the moon, calorically.

Lightening Up

Some restaurants have had their own sticker shock and started offering lighter options. Così had a nutritionist look for ways to save on every item. S witching to low-fat mayo brought the Così Club from nearly 800 calories to 447. Così's popular Signature Salad (with gorgonzola, grapes, pears, pistachios, dried cranberries and roasted sherry shallot vinaigrette) goes from 611 calories to 371 with reduced-fat dressing and half the cheese." Having to post this information in New York really focused us on paying attention as well," says Chris Carroll, the chain's chief marketing officer.

"A lot of restaurants use a lot of butter or oil in the preparation. Cutting that by half usually doesn't change the taste or the consistency but it dramatically changes the calories and fat," says Healthy Dining Program's president Anita Jones-Mueller. "Some restaurants are really embracing this and creating exciting new items," she adds. "And others are kind of waiting to see if it goes away."

Will posting calories prominently really make Americans think twice and order more healthy items? "Anecdotally, you hear constantly about people who've changed their choices," say Commissioner Frieden. "You go into fast-food places and you hear a lot of buzz online."

Elisabetta Politi, director of nutrition at the Duke Diet & Fitness Center, isn't so sure. "Some of our clients know so much about nutrition they could teach the classes, but does that help them control their weight? Absolutely not," she says.

Source

Labels: eating out, epidemic, Fat, Obesity, restaurants

Providing energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

• Depression: According to a recent survey amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
• PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
• Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
• Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect way to beat high blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
• Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
• Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
• Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
• Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
• Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
• Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation. (Fascinating!)
• Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
• Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady. (Oops -- they left out the fact that it's good to eat protein and/or fat at the same time.)
• Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
• Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit t hat can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer, tryptophan.
• Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal. (Really?)
• Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
• Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%.
• Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape.

Source

Labels: bananas, citrus fruits, healthy food, potassium

Did you know kiwifruit is the most nutrient dense fruit?

A study conducted by Dr. Paul Lachance of Rutgers University evaluated the nutritional value of fruits to determine–ounce for ounce–which provide the most nutrition. The study found that out of the 27 most commonly consumed fruits; kiwifruit is the most nutrient dense.

Did you know kiwifruit has the highest level of Vitamin C?

Kiwifruit has almost twice the Vitamin C of an orange. A serving of kiwifruit (two medium) provides about 230% of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance. Vitamin C aids in wound healing, iron absorption and maintains bones, blood vessels and teeth.

Did you know kiwifruit outranks bananas as the top low-sodium, high potassium fruit?

A serving of kiwifruit contains an average of 20% more potassium than a banana. Potassium is an important mineral that controls heart activity and works with sodium to maintain fluid balance in the body.

Did you know kiwifruit is a good low-fat source of Vitamin E?

A serving of kiwifruit has some 10% of the U.S. RDA. Kiwifruit actually has twice the Vitamin E of an avocado, but has only 60% of the avocado’s calories. Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant and may reduce the risk of heart disease and some forms of cancer.

Did you know there are few foods equal to kiwifruit in folic acid?

Kiwifruit provides 10% of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of folic acid, or folate. Folic acid is essential to the reproduction and formation of red blood cells. Lack of folic acid can contribute to some problems of anemia and it is especially important for expectant mothers to protect against birth defects.

Did you know kiwifruit is especially rich in lutein?

Kiwifruit ranked higher than spinach and all other fruits and vegetables, except yellow corn, for its lutein content. Lutein is an antioxidant that may decrease the risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration.

Did you know kiwifruit is an excellent source of dietary fiber?

Kiwifruit provides both soluble and insoluble forms of fiber (16% USRDA), providing more than a serving of bran flakes and four times that of a cup of chopped celery. Soluble fiber appears to play a protective role in heart disease and diabetes, while insoluble fiber aids in prevention of constipation, diverticulosis, hemorrhoids and some forms of cancer.

Did you know all the other rich minerals that are in kiwifruit?

Besides potassium, there are four minerals contained in kiwifruit which have a nutrient density of one or more. These are: Calcium, Iron, Magnesium and Copper. In addition, kiwifruit is an unusual supplier of some new researched trace minerals including Manganese, essential to the enzymes involved in the body’s use of protein and food energy, and Chromium, known to be a key factor in regulating the heartbeat and the body’s use of carbohydrates.

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Labels: eating healthy, fruits, kiwifruit, Vitamins

A downtrodden economy — and the worries it brings — can wreak havoc on one’s beauty, deepening frown lines and cultivating crops of gray hairs. It’s enough to prompt beauty devotees to put down their lipsticks and surrender.

But amidst the hopelessness, an enterprising group of marketers is working to widen the scope of beauty to wellness. Wielding an inside-outside approach, they are touting ingestible supplements — pills, candies and drinks — as an integral, but lacking, part of women’s daily beauty routines.

In September, the Nestlé Co. will introduce Glowelle, a dietary supplement billed as a beauty juice formulated with antioxidants, vitamins and botanical and fruit extracts. A daily serving of the juice, or its alternative powder packet form, is said to help stave off aging by nourishing and hydrating skin from the inside out, according to the company.

“Stress and poor diet affect the skin, hair and nails,” said Kimberly Cooper, chief beauty officer of Nestlé’s Glowelle. “Wellness, to most women, is looking and feeling good.”

The beauty juice will steer clear of food retailers. “Glowelle is for beauty insiders so high-end department stores are a better fit,” said Cooper, adding Glowelle has introduced Nestlé to new retail territory, which the company plans to expand its presence in over time.

Dr. Susan Beck, Glowelle’s scientist and nutritionist for research and development, agreed. “Juice is an easy delivery system. It feels easier to drink something, and it’s less work for the digestive system [than a pill],” she said. “Juices easily cross the intestinal layer.”

She added that antioxidants taken orally are metabolized and then reach the inner and outer layers of the skin, unlike topicals and creams that sit on the skin’s top layer.

Beck, who holds a doctorate in nutritional sciences and has a master’s degree in Chinese medicine, noted there’s increasing evidence that antioxidants work synergistically, naming vitamin E and vitamin C in particular. Beck explained that by itself, vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that protects skin cells from free radicals. But once it has disarmed a free radical, vitamin E becomes spent, or inactive. Enter vitamin C, which can regenerate vitamin E.

She continued that, in two separate human studies, researchers found that vitamins C and E worked better to protect the skin against the harmful effects from free radicals generated from the sun when taken together than when taken individually.

Source

Labels: anti-aging, Glowelle, innovative, Nestle, new product

Skin toners are the next step after a facial cleansing routine. Skin toners ensure complete removal from the skin of all cleansing preparations. They freshen and tone up the skin and prepare a clean surface for the application of make-up. They also restore the acid or alkali balance of the skin, because they are pH balanced. They are designed to penetrate pores, refresh and cool your skin while clearing away excess oil, impurities and dead skin cells that were not removed with your cleanser.

Toners restore the skin's natural pH balance. When you wash your face, the pH balance of the skin is distorted leading to skin working overtime to restore pH levels; the process of skin restoring the pH levels on its own can take up as much as half and hour or more. By using a skin toner, the pH level of your skin is restored instantly.

Choose a toner appropriate for your skin type. Alcohol dries the skin and harms the soluble collagen below the surface of the skin. It is thus safer to use an alcohol-free toner.

The common herbs used in toners include witch hazel, geranium, honey, lemon, ivy, sage, nettle and burdock. Witch hazel has a tendency to dry the skin. It is ideal to combine it with moisturizers such as Vitamin E, honey, etc. Rosewater helps keep skin and face moisturized, fresh and balances the pH levels.

Essential oils are the gentlest way of toning up. Rose water for normal or dry/sensitive skin or witch hazel for oilier skins is ideal bases for fresheners. These can be applied with cotton wool, using smooth, gentle upward strokes or sprayed on to the face. Oily skin benefits from juniper or lemongrass whereas drier skins would benefit from rose or sandalwood.

Apply the skin toner to a cotton ball and sweep it gently across your face. The cotton wool should come out relatively clean when toning. If it is not clean it indicates the cleansing has not been done properly. Do not succumb to the temptation to tone the skin whenever you feel it has become dirty. It should be used only after the skin has completed a cleansing routine and not as a substitute for cleansing. So, remember that your toner must function as a toner and not as a cleanser.

Homemade Toner Recipes

Watermelon Toner

1 cup watermelon chunks, 2 tbsp witch hazel and 2 tbsp distilled water.

Purée watermelon chunks in a processor or blender. Strain the liquid and discard the solids. Mix the strained liquid with the remaining ingredients, stir and pour into a glass bottle. Dab on face using a cotton ball. This is rich in sugar and vitamins A, B and Watermelon has astringent properties, and the super high water content makes it an excellent skin refresher.

Rose Skin Toner

3 ½ cups of witch hazel, ½ cup dried rose petals and 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Mix ingredients together making sure it is all blended well. Strain the blend and splash on your face after cleansing.

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Labels: essential oils, herbs, skin care, toner, watermelon

Organic bananas are wrapped in plastic because it helps speed up the ripening process. Although all bananas are shipped in their unripened green state, conventional bananas get a quick spray of an ethylene gas to accelerate their transition from green to yellow.

Understandably, the organic bananas are not gassed and are instead prepackaged in plastic bags. Since bananas naturally give off ethylene gas, the bags allow the fruit to soak up the gas and turn yellow on their own.

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Broccoli (as compared to other cruciferous vegetables) has a particularly powerful type of sulforaphane, which the researchers believe gives broccoli its particular cancer-fighting properties. It appears that broccoli contains the necessary ingredients to switch ON genes that prevent cancer development, and switch OFF other ones that help it spread.

There is plenty of evidence linking a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables to reduced cancer risk. But the study published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS One is the first human trial investigating the potential biological mechanism at work, Mithen added in a telephone interview.

The power of food in normalizing chronic disease and helping you achieve optimal health is quite profound....

Source & Source

Labels: broccoli, cancer, cruciferous vegetables, eating healthy, healing with food, Holistic Health

It may seem like a fight you’re destined to lose, however I firmly believe you can reduce your exposure to heavy metals quite dramatically, thereby giving your body a fighting chance to eliminate accumulated toxins and restore health.

These guidelines can help limit your exposure:

• Use glass, cast iron, carbon steel, titanium, and enamel cookware. Both aluminum and Teflon are well known for their toxic dangers, and stainless steel can expose you to carcinogenic nickel.

• Minimize consumption of restaurant food as restaurants are required to use stainless steel pots and vats.

• Avoid stainless steel thermoses; the glass lined kinds are best.
  
  
• Avoid cosmetics with aluminum bases, mineral powders that contain bismuth, and aluminum-laden antiperspirants, which have been shown to increase your Alzheimer’s risk by as much as 300 percent!

• Avoid vaccinations that inject mercury or aluminum directly into your bloodstream.

• Avoid and remove dental amalgam fillings.
  
  
• Avoid stainless steel orthodontics such as braces and palate wideners.
  
  
• Avoid costume jewelry if you are sensitive to metals.
  
  
• Avoid smoking and second hand smoke as it causes cadmium poisoning.
  
  
• Make sure you purchase your natural herbal remedies from a reputable source with strict quality testing. Some colloidal silvers can lead to silver poisoning, and some folk remedies can be high in mercury, lead and arsenic, either due to alleged medicinal properties or through unintentional contamination.
  
  
• Avoid conventional household cleaning products.
  
  
• Avoid conventional insecticides and herbicides. Also be VERY cautious when using the “natural alternative” Borax (boric acid), which can also cause serious health problems, including death.

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Labels: cleanse, Mercola, mercury, toxic, toxic metals, toxins

A.K.A. Supta Vajrasana

1 - Kneel on the floor
2 - Knees together, feet apart, sit your bum down between your heals
3 - If it's too intense at this point, bring your feet together and sit on your heals (skip remaining steps)
4 - If your bum is on the floor comfortably, lean back
5 - Elbows first, lower your back and head to the floor
6 - Grab opposite elbows over your head
7 - Relax totally for 2-5 minutes

Benefits

1. This stretches the thigh muscles and the abdomen.
2. The stomach is stimulated.
3. It strengthens the thighs.
4. Helps those suffering from constipation.

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Labels: benefits of yoga, Reclining Hero, Supta Vajrasana, yoga pose

Olives cannot be eaten right off of the tree; they require special processing to reduce their intrinsic bitterness. These processing methods vary with the olive variety, region where they are cultivated and the desired taste, texture and color.

Some olives are picked green and unripe, while others are allowed to fully ripen on the tree to a black color. Yet, not all of the black olives available begin with a black color. Some processing methods expose unripe greens olives to the air, and the subsequent oxidation turns them a dark color. In addition to the original color of the olive, the color is affected by fermentation and/or curing in oil, water, brine or salt.

Olives are concentrated in monounsaturated fats and a good source of vitamin E. Because monounsaturated fats are less easily damaged than polyunsaturated fats, it's good to have some in our cells' outer membranes and other cell structures that contain fats. The stability of monounsaturated fats translates into a protective effect on the cell that, especially when combined with the antioxidant protection offered by vitamin E, can lower the risk of damage and inflammation. In addition to vitamin E, olives contain a variety of beneficial active phytonutrient compounds including polyphenols and flavonoids, which also appear to have significant anti-inflammatory properties.

They are also a good source of iron, copper, and dietary fiber.

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Labels: monounsaturated fat, olives, Vitamin E

Apricots, bananas, cantaloupe, kiwi, nectarines, peaches, pears, plantains and plums continue to ripen after they're picked. The tomato, which is actually a fruit, also continues to ripen after picking.

Fruits that you should pick or buy ripe and ready-to-eat include: apples, cherries, grapefruit, grapes, oranges, pineapple, strawberries, tangerines and watermelon.

To speed the ripening of fruits such as peaches, pears, and plums, put them in a ripening bowl or in a loosely closed brown paper bag at room temperature. Plastic bags don’t work for ripening.

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Labels: fruits, how-to

Creamed, whole kernel, or on the cob, corn’s got something that can really sweeten your health.

It's a potent phytochemical called ferulic acid. And new research shows the compound could help you skirt a host of chronic conditions, from Alzheimer’s disease to cancer.

Substance Superpowers

You’ll also find the super phenol in tomatoes and rice bran, and it does a ton of good things for your body, like scavenging cell-damaging free radicals, preventing inflammation, and diminishing plaque buildup in artery walls. And if all of that isn’t enough -- it may help fight aging, too.

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Labels: corn, ferulic acid, free radicals, phenols

A new University of California, Los Angeles, study ranked 10 beverages by their levels of disease-fighting antioxidants—and pomegranate juice came out on top.


Here, the healthiest beverage powerhouses:

1. Pomegranate juice
2. Red wine
3. Concord grape juice
4. Blueberry juice
5. Black cherry juice
6. Açaí juice
7. Cranberry juice
8. Orange juice
9. Tea
10. Apple juice

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Labels: beverages, blueberries, drinks, Pomegranate, red wine

For years, Mel Williams rarely ate fruit and vegetables -- unless it came out of a can.

Fresh produce was too expensive or too far away until the state-funded "Veggie Mobile" started bringing the fruits and vegetables to him at a lower price.

With the rapidly climbing cost of food and fuel, states and nonprofit groups are finding ways to get healthy food to these underserved areas.

In New York, the health department gave $500,000 to the Veggie Mobile, operated by the Capital District Community Gardens and delivering fresh, locally grown produce to people in Albany, Troy and nearby Schenectady who otherwise might never buy a fresh apple or tomato.

"It makes it possible for families to include these foods in their diet because it's about half the price of what it is in the market," said Amy Klein, executive director of the nonprofit.

When compared to New York Supermarket -- a small grocery in the poor Arbor Hill neighborhood of Albany -- the Veggie Mobile offered dramatic savings, more selection and fresher options. Bananas sold for $0.99 a pound at the supermarket, but went for $0.59 a pound from the Veggie Mobile. Iceberg lettuce was $1 each at the mobile grocery, and $1.99 at the New York Supermarket. Cucumbers sold for $0.89 each at the neighborhood market, but were 3 for $1 from the Veggie Mobile.

The difference means that poor families cannot only afford and access fresh produce, but can buy more than if they relied on the neighborhood options.

"People were skeptical and thought they (low-income families) weren't going to come, and they're not going to spend their money on fresh produce," Klein said of the Veggie Mobile. "But they are, and they're buying it in large quantities ... They're not looking for a freebie, they're appreciative that it's there, that it's available and it's affordable."

Source

So let's see if we've got this straight: the Monsanto company produces a synthetic growth hormone called Posilac, used by some dairy farmers, which juices cows to produce more milk.

Lots of people don't want this in their milk, for compelling reasons. Dairy farmers that do not use the recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) almost invariably state that on their milk carton labels. You, the consumer, get useful info. But since the FDA would not allow Monsanto to ban rBGH labelling nationally, the dirtbags have been going state-by-state to pass legislation that would ban the labelling.

They're now trying to do it in New York; they need to be stopped.

Source

Labels: fight back, hormones, milk, Monsanto

Mintel estimates that the natural and organic personal care product market has grown by 35% since 2005 and is currently valued at $465 million. The success of this burgeoning market has been enjoyed by both major brands like Walmart and smaller boutiques. The latest entry in this marketplace, mastihashop caught our attention.

The brand recently opened an outpost in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and showcases a wide range of products featuring mastiha, a therapeutic cure-all long hailed in the East. Mastiha is an all-natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial resin harvested from the sap of trees found exclusively on the Greek Island of Chios.

Sisters and co-founders Artemis and Kalliopi Kohas, who spent summers in Chios, selected a sleek and natural design for their shop to reflect both mastiha’s tradition and modernization. Artemis Kohas told Peep Insights that the versatile mastiha has over 300 known applications and has been used in remedies for over 2,500 years. The Orchard Street store features a wide range of mastiha products, from homeopathic remedies to beauty products. Some favorites include the mastiha infused soaps, the mastiha chocolate bars, and the Korres mastiha oil hair products.

As a nutritional supplement and beauty product, the resin freshens breath, fights plaque and gingivitis, heals and regenerates skin, eases digestion and strengthens hair and nails. It is found in everything from chewing gum to toothpaste, wine, ice cream and cosmetics.

Mastihashop
145 Orchard Street
, New York, NY 10079, (212)253-0895

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Labels: beauty, cool new place, Cool Store, LES, mastiha, MastihaShop, natural products, NYC

The first FDA approved stevia based sweetener Truvia is now for sale online. Previously, other stevia sweeteners have been labeled as "dietary supplements," but Truvia has the distinction of being known as a zero-calorie sweetener. Because it is derived from an herb, it is considered "natural."

Developed by Cargill in partnership with Coca-Cola, Truvia will be used in a handful of Coke products. Rumor has it that Pepsi is working on a zero calorie stevia sweetener of its own. Let the cola wars begin.

If you live in NYC, you can sample Truvia at Rockefeller Center today!!

Thanks for the Tip!

Labels: artificial sweeteners, FDA, new product, Stevia

Does your sunscreen work?

An investigation of nearly 1,000 brand-name sunscreen products finds that 4 out of 5 contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or don't adequately protect skin from the sun's damaging rays. Some of the worst offenders are leading brands like Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena.

More than a million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year, but FDA still hasn't finalized sunscreen standards first announced 30 years ago. Click here to tell FDA you're tired of waiting.

Meanwhile, companies are free to claim but not provide broad spectrum protection. Until FDA requires that all sunscreens be safe and effective, Environmental Working Group's comprehensive sunscreen guide—including a list of 143 products that offer very good sun protection—fills in the gaps.

Source & Source & Source

Labels: FDA, hazardous, skin cancer, sunscreen, sunshine

From your personal care products, to household cleaning agents, to plastic food containers and baby bottles… Many of them contain ingredients that are known to be toxic or cancer-causing.

Top Cancer-Causing Products in the average home, as compiled by the National Cancer Prevention Coalition, which includes:

• Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder with talc
• Crest Tartar Control toothpaste
• VO5 Hair Conditioner
• Clairol Nice-n-Easy Hair Color
• Cover Girl Replenishing Natural Finish Make Up
• Ajax cleanser
• Lysol disinfectant
• Zud Heavy Duty Cleanser

Read more....

Labels: baby powder, cancer, Mercola, personal care, toxic

No other fruit says summer like the subtly crunchy, thirst quenching watermelon. Although watermelons can now be found in the markets throughout the year, the season for watermelon is in the summer when they are sweet and of the best quality.

Watermelon is not only great on a hot summer day, this delectable thirst-quencher may also help quench the inflammation that contributes to conditions like asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and arthritis.

Sweet, juicy watermelon is actually packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature. Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C and a very good source of vitamin A, notably through its concentration of beta-carotene. Pink watermelon is also a source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene. These powerful antioxidants travel through the body neutralizing free radicals. It is also a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of thiamin, potassium and magnesium.

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Labels: Anti-oxidant, eating healthy, fruit, lycopene, Vitamin A, watermelon

Cleanse
Harsh cleansers can dry out your skin, thus leading to—oh, snap—more wrinkles. That’s why green gurus recommend using creamy plain yogurt as a face wash to soothe the most sensitive complexions.
Skipped the sunscreen?
It’s especially good after a day of indulgent Apollo worship. Add fine-ground oatmeal to gently exfoliate, or, for a fruitier formula, mix in a kiwi for its natural acids and high concentration of vitamin C. A few drops of honey and almond oil can also help lift pollutants, revealing glowing skin beneath that daily build-up.

Tone
It’s widely known that cucumbers reduce puffiness – thus the old cucumbers-on-the-eyes trick. A few tablespoons of blended and strained cucumber can serve as a mild, daily toner to cool skin and prevent irritation. Add a few drops of witch hazel from the first aid aisle in the drugstore, and this toner will act as an herbal astringent for combination-to-oily skin. Apply with a cotton ball and leave on for up to 10 minutes.

Exfoliate
You wouldn’t wake up without your morning cup of coffee, and now you might not wash your face without the grounds. Caffeine is found in various store-bought skin care products used to tighten and reduce puffiness. That’s because it’s a natural diuretic, which means it temporarily combats water retention in the skin. Mixed with a simple base of yogurt or olive oil, coffee grounds can refresh the face while loosening dead cells. They’re a stimulating alternative to rough exfoliants that leave your face feeling like it was rubbed with asphalt.

Moisturize
It’s avocado season, which means awesome guacamole and—eternal youth? Rich in vitamins and natural oils, the pulp of a ripe avocado can be smoothed alone on the face to produce radiant, hydrated skin. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice, and the result isn’t just delicious, it’s useful: Citric acid is a powerful antioxidant that promotes collagen production (a key to firm, youthful skin) and skin cell renewal. If that’s too messy – or you live with a dude who doesn’t heart the green goblin – some DIY divas recommend smoothing the inside of an avocado peel over your skin. Many essential oils are found in the rind, and it’s an undeniably tidier method of moisturizing.

Face Mask
Skin still dry? Reach for the nearest ripe banana, which hydrates for the price of a pack of gum. Mash and use alone, or combine with honey and plain yogurt - the miracle base of many at-home facials. If it’s oily, angry skin you wish to combat, brew a pot of green tea, and then cool it to room temperature. Combine with rice flour until the mixture is paste-like and spreadable, then apply to skin for soothing, anti-inflammatory effects (green tea is also a powerful soldier in the fight against evil, age-inducing free radicals). Leave on either mask for 10 to 15 minutes, then wash.

Condition
The Body Shop used to make a fabulous banana conditioner that they discontinued, much to our dismay. But you don’t have to wait for a banana conditioner revival to repair dry or damaged hair. Puree a banana with a tablespoon of olive oil and about ¼ cup of mayonnaise in a blender and apply the mask to your hair. Wait 15 minutes then rinse for soft, shiny, just-like-new hair.

Lesson learned?
Results need not come with unpronounceable ingredients and a sky-high price tag. With a shopping list and a good blender, every beauty junkie can look and feel like an earth goddess.

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Labels: avocado, beauty, cleanse, DIY, hair-care, moisturizer, skin care

No, smoked salmon does not have the same nutrient value as fresh or frozen salmon. Smoked salmon is less healthy than cooked salmon for several reasons.

Perhaps the most important reason involves omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon is one of the richest sources of omega-3 essential fatty acids, which have been associated with the reduction of inflammation and protection against many different types of degenerative diseases. Smoking salmon has been found to substantially reduce its omega-3 content. For example, 3 ounces of baked Chinook salmon contain about 1.75 grams of omega-3 fatty acids. This same 3-ounce portion of Chinook salmon, when smoked, contains less than 1/2 gram of omega-3s.

Another reason that cooked salmon is preferable is because smoking of foods can create toxic substances in the foods called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Many of these compounds have been shown to increase risk of cancer. When wood or coal is used for smoking, the hotter the wood or coal burns, the more PAHs are created.

Most of the other nutritional changes that occur during the smoking process are not particular to smoking, but involve exposure to heat and air over a fixed period of time. In other words, the quantity of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates and fats in smoked and broiled meats/fish are fairly similar, with cooking of any kind resulting in loss of certain nutrients, and prolonged cooking resulting in the loss of more nutrients than short-term cooking.

In the case of lox, which is very lightly smoked, nitrates are often added as a preservative. Smoking fish has been a traditional way to preserve fish for many different cultures. Fish that is smoked for longer periods of time are less likely to require the addition of preservatives to extend their shelf life; however, they may have a higher PAH content.

Many factors would be important in determining whether to include or avoid smoked salmon in their Healthiest Way of Eating. Most individuals in a relatively good state of health with fully nourishing diets would be able to include smoked salmon and benefit from its consumption. These individuals would have plenty of additional omega-3 food sources in their weekly meal plan, and they would also have healthy detoxification systems that could readily process and eliminate the PAHs or preservatives found in the smoked fish.

As we emphasize throughout our website, wild-caught (versus farmed) fish are always best for optimizing nourishment, and your salmon-whether smoked or non-smoked-would be best purchased in the wild-caught versus farmed variety.

Source

Labels: healthy eating, lox, Omega-3s, salmon, smoked salmon

Labels: fruits and veggies, organic, pesticides

Snack on Oko frozen yogurt, a Park Slope fave that just opened in the East Village (137 First Avenue; 212-228-3321). The environmentally friendly shop (the name means “eco” in Hungarian) uses all-natural ingredients and toppings and bio-packaging, so you can lose any guilty weight.

ÖKO's Mission Statement: "We simply want to share our passion on good food and a good environment."

Oh, and in case you were wondering, ÖKO means ECO in several European languages.

Thanks for the Tip!

Labels: cool new place, eco-friendly, Fro-yo, ÖKO Frozen Yogurt

CybeleSays is having a closet cleaning contest and the best part of it is we get a chance to win some MAJOR Beauty BOOTY!

All you need to do is comment on her blog! Yup, that's it. It's so easy to win. There will be 7 winners!! Picked at random, any seven!

Comment here....

Labels: beauty, booty, Contest, CybeleSays, win this

Try something different. Add a little lychee to your fruit salad. Not only will it add an exotic tickle for your taste buds, but it will tickle your ticker, too.

When scientists recently measured the heart-helping polyphenol content of fruits popular in France, lychees were bested only by strawberries. Grapes came in third.

The Top 10

Who would have thought lychees -- cultivated in China -- would become a fave fruit in France? But the top polyphenol-spiked fruits there, in order, are:
strawberries, lychees, grapes, apricots, apples, dates, cherries, figs, pears, and white nectarines.

(Here’s how polyphenols help prevent heart disease.) The small, heart-shaped red fruit is now going global and making an appearance in U.S. markets, too, especially during the summer.

Two More for Your Ticker

In addition to impressive amounts of polyphenols, lychees also have heart-smart vitamin C and potassium. (Find out what this mighty mineral does for your blood pressure.)

SOURCE

Labels: citrus fruits, eating healthy, heart healthy, lychee, polyphenols, strawberries, superfoods

Spirulina (fresh water algae) - delivers a whopping dose of B vitamins, Iron, and the essential fat, GLA.

Chlorella (fresh water algae) - is packed with chlorophyll, also known as "the blood of plants," and is believed to have powerful blood/body cleansing properties.

Chlorella is known to boost energy and aid in the natural elimination of heavy metals and other toxins from the body as well.

Barley Grass Juice Extract - the ultimate green food, is excellent for stretching students because of its high levels of beta-carotene, calcium, and iron.

Source

Labels: barley grass, chlorella, greens, spirulina