Super Foods and Fruits

It is very important to give proper attention to one’s health especially in today’s times. There are individuals who encounter problems with caffeine and as you know, green tea does contain caffeine. You can see a lot of advertisements on television about the positive effects of drinking the said tea but for those individuals who can’t take caffeine, they should be extra careful.

It seems that despite the good things about green tea, the modern community was able to prove that it also has a negative effect. Well, before you decide whether you will continue drinking green tea or not, read on and discover some amazing facts about the intake of green tea.

Some of the harmful effects of caffeine intake in people are heart palpitations, jitters, insomnia, and many other unwanted effects. Because of this realization, manufacturers of green tea are now producing decaffeinated extracts to cater to the needs of those who can’t take caffeine.

In fact, there are now supplements which are also decaffeinated. You should get this type of green tea and supplements especially if you’re not allowed to take beverages with caffeine. Although the caffeine content in green tea is much less than coffee, a person who is extra sensitive to caffeine will experience the same unwanted effects by drinking the tea.

For every eight ounces of tea, the caffeine content is about forty milligrams. Are you already computing your tea intake and the caffeine that you’re getting? The caffeine contents are relatively smaller in green tea and if you can can get away with it without any bad effects, you will also benefit in other health areas.

Even if green tea contains caffeine, it also contains antioxidants like polyphenols which can benefit the body. The antioxidants can help in preventing certain types of cancer, lowers the bad cholesterol in the body, and it can enhance the immune system. The health benefits are truly amazing and this may the very reason why even the ancient Chinese continued to serve green tea at home and to their guests.

The modern world enjoys advanced medical technology and so it is no longer a surprise if scientists and researchers discover the good things about green tea. More and more advanced clinical studies and lab tests are conducted to prove the tea’s healing properties. If you think that the positive effects of green tea outweighs the negative, then there’s no reason for you to stop taking it.

In truth and in fact, caffeine occurs in cocoa beans, tea, and coffee. Cola drinks also contain caffeine because manufacturers use it to enhance the drink’s flavor. Green tea and black tea defintely has caffeine because the plant (Camellia sinensis) itself contain caffeine.

If you’re afraid of the effects of caffeine, you can just purchase the decaffeinated green tea. Even if the tea no longer contains caffeine, it would still taste the same; you will still get the great ‘kick’ in taste when you drink it. Most of the tea’s caffeine are removed in the decaf process. However, some studies show that because of the decaf process, the healing properties are ruined.

If you do have extreme problems with caffeine, then most probably you will go for the decaf green tea. For people who don’t have any problems connected to caffeine, it is advisable to drink the original green tea so that you can benefit from its healing properties.

All in all, the benefits of drinking the original tea preparation outweigh the negative effects. It is up to you whether you drink the decaf green tea or the original one. There’s black, green, and red tea. Green tea is obviously in the middle in terms of caffeine content. So what’s it’s gonna be? Decaf, original, or no tea at all?

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Spirulina and Chlorella belong to a family of tiny organisms, many millions of years old, and generally classified as algae. They are the two most commonly, commercially cultivated algae produced for todays health food and health supplement market.

Spirulina and Chlorella are perfect whole foods, true superfoods . They have perfect compliments of protein (60%) carbohydrates (19%), fats (6%) bio-available minerals (8%). They are not extracts, concentrates or amalgams of vitamins and minerals that look good on paper such as the vitamin and mineral supplements that people generally believe to be healthy. In reality, the body does not absorb 90% of these vitamin supplements because they are dead, void of enzymes. On the other hand, eating Spirulina or Chlorella is like eating any other whole food such as a banana, apple or broccoli.

Health benefits of Spirulina

Spirulina is extremely high in protein as well as essential fatty acids, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12, C, D and E and minerals such as calcium, potassium, iron and zinc. Spirulina assists with muscle building, weight loss and as treatment for certain types of cancer.

Health benefits of Chlorella

Chlorella is rich in many of the same nutrients, yet chlorella also acts as an antioxidant. Chlorella is one of the highest forms of chlorophyll and has been used to prevent cancer. As a dietary supplement, chlorella is used to cleanse the body. Chlorella is also used to rebuild nerve damage in the brain.

Which one to take

Spirulina is a nitrogen based blue green algae and has the predominant odour of seaweed. Chlorella is oxygen based green algae that have the predominant odour of fresh grass. Chlorella gets its name from the high amount of chlorophyll in it, up to 10 times that of Spirulina which is itself quite high in chlorophyll. Chlorella belongs to a class of algae called chlorophyta.

Spirulina is an extremely high energy food, great before or after a workout and is very good for the treatment of arthritis. Chlorella is excellent for digestion, heavy-metal detoxification, and is a immune system builder. Therefore, the answer to the question as to which of these two algae should you take is that you should definitely have both of them in your diet.

You are what you eat. Your health and well being depends largely on what you put into your body and how you use your body. A balanced diet, regular exercise, and no nasty habits like smoking, drugs or excessive alcohol, and you are likely to enjoy good health.

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by Dubber

Garlic

Garlic is otherwise known asAllium sativum. Garlic has been used as both food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years, dating back to when the Egyptian pyramids were built. In early 18th -century France, gravediggers drank a concoction of crushed garlic in wine they believed would protect them from the plague that killed many people in Europe. More recently, during both World Wars I and II, soldiers were given garlic to prevent gangrene. Today garlic is used to help prevent heart disease, including atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arteries that can block the flow of blood and possibly lead to heart attack or stroke), high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and to improve the immune system. Garlic may also protect against cancer.

While the science is not conclusive, research shows promise for garlic in the areas of cancer protection and heart-related risk factors for patients.

Garlic is rich in antioxidants, which help destroy free radicals — particles that can damage cell membranes, interact with genetic material, and possibly contribute to the aging process as well as the development of a number of conditions, including heart disease and cancer. Free radicals occur naturally in the body, but environmental toxins (including ultraviolet light, radiation, cigarette smoke, and air pollution) can also increase the number of these damaging particles.

There are several types of garlic preparations. Most clinical studies have been performed on aged garlic extract or enteric coated, dried garlic tablets. The conditions for which garlic is showing the most promise whichinclude:

Cancer

Garlic may strengthen the immune system, helping the body fight diseases such as cancer. Laboratory studies suggest that garlic may have anti-cancer activity. Studies that follow groups of people over time suggest that people who have more raw or cooked garlic in their diet are less likely to develop certain types of cancer, particularly colon and stomach cancers. Researchers found a 30% reduction in risk of colorectal cancer among people who had a high intake of raw or cooked garlic. Dietary garlic may also protect against the development of breast, prostate, and laryngeal (throat) cancers.

Cardiovascular disease

Garlic consumption may decrease the progression of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is associated with several factors, including raised serum total cholesterol, raised low density lipoprotein (LDL), and increased LDL oxidation (free radical damage), increased platelet aggregation (clumping), hypertension, and smoking. Garlic may help decrease LDL and total cholesterol levels while raising good cholesterols (high density lipoprotein, or HDL), decreasing platelet aggregation (helps the blood flow more easily), and decreasing blood pressure. Recently, garlic was also found to decrease two other markers of cardiovascular disease, homocysteine and C-reactive protein. Garlic may also reduce blood pressure.

Common cold

A study found that garlic helps prevent and treat the common cold.

A Women’s Health Study, looked at the garlic, fruit, and vegetable consumption in 41,000 middle-aged women and results that women who regularly consumed garlic, fruits, and vegetables had a 35% lower risk of developing colon cancer. Garlic may help the immune system function more effectively during times of need such as in cancer. Studies also suggest that aged garlic supplementation may reduce the side effects of chemotherapy, including fatigue and anorexia (lack of appetite). Further, results found that aged garlic decreased heart and intestinal damage commonly seen with certain chemotherapy agents.

Other uses

Laboratory studies suggest that large quantities of fresh, raw garlic may have antiparasitic properties against the roundworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, which is the most common type of intestinal parasite. Fresh garlic contains allicin, which is reported to have antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Garlic consumption may kill bacteria known to cause ulcers andtopical application of garlic may help treat fungal skin conditions, such as Tinea cruris and Tinea corporis. Garlic may alsohelp combat fatigue. Plant Description

Garlic is a perennial that originally came from central Asia, and is now cultivated throughout the world. The most important part of this plant for medicinal purposes is the compound bulb. Each bulb is made up of 4 – 20 cloves, and each clove. Garlic supplements can either be made from fresh, dried, aged, or garlic oil, and each may have different effects on the body.

Components of Garlic

There are several important components of garlic that have been identified, and many more that have not. Alliin is an odorless sulfur-containing chemical derived from the amino acid cysteine. When garlic bulbs are crushed, alliin is converted into another compound called allicin. Allicin appears to be one of the primary active compounds that gives garlic its characteristic odor and many of its healing benefits. However, allicin is not absorbed effectively by the human body.

To combat this problem, aged garlic is fermented to break allicin down to usable compounds. These compounds are water-soluble sulfur compounds and a small amount of oil-soluble sulfur compounds. The sulfur containing compounds in aged garlic give the supplement its reported benefits in cholesterol levels, heart disease, and cancer.

Available Forms

Garlic supplements are made from whole fresh garlic, dried, or freeze-dried garlic, garlic oil, and aged garlic extracts.

Not all garlic contains the same amount of active ingredients. There is a wide variation in the amount of important components in both fresh garlic and commercial supplements. The amount of healthy compounds present depends on where the garlic is grown as well as how the product is prepared.

Aged garlic products are made by fermenting garlic. Several clinical studies support the use of aged garlic for cardiovascular disease prevention. Aged garlic is high in sulfur compounds that are easily absorbed and have beneficial effects on heart disease and health.

Precautions

Herbs, however, contain components that can trigger side effects and that can interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, herbs should be taken with care, under the supervision of a authorised person.

Garlic is considered to have very low toxicity.

Side effects from garlic include upset stomach, bloating, bad breath, body odor, and a stinging sensation on the skin from handling too much fresh or dried garlic. Handling garlic may also cause skin lesions. Other, more rare side effects that have been reported by those taking garlic supplements include headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle aches, dizziness described as vertigo (dizziness), and allergies such as an asthmatic reaction or contact dermatitis (skin rash).

Garlic has blood-thinning properties. This is also important to know if you are going to have surgery or deliver a baby. Too much garlic can increase your risk for bleeding during or after those procedures.

Have a Healthy Life!

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