Broccoli juice for disease prevention

Broccoli is a member of the cauliflower family or a Brassica. It is a diverse super food that is delicious when steamed or can be finely chopped and sprinkled on food for added nutrition. Juicing is a great way to get the most out of this amazing food. By drinking broccoli juice daily, we can prevent disease and transform our health.

Broccoli juice contains high levels of Vitamin C, Vitamin B, fiber, zinc, folic acid, magnesium, iron and beta-carotene (an important antioxidant). It is a potent immune system booster which can help to counteract diseases such as cancer, stomach ulcers and infection.

Broccoli juice offers a whole array of amazing benefits that help us to enjoy optimum health. It contains glucoraphanin that converts into sulphoraphane, a powerful anticancer agent. It contains isothyocyanate, the chemical that activates our natural cancer inhibiting genes. The sprouted seeds and the broccoli juice help to fight prostate cancer. It contains compounds that help to detox the liver from cancer causing toxins.

With high levels of selenium and fiber, the juice of Broccoli offers protection from stomach and bowel cancer.

Broccoli juice contains compounds that protect cells from ultraviolet light. It helps to increase the production of protective enzymes that protect cells against different aspects of UV damage by working inside the cells. It helps in prevention of skin cancer.

Glucoraphanin present in the broccoli juice promotes antioxidant defenses in the body that help lower blood pressure and harmful inflammation in the heart and arteries.

The phytochemical sulforaphane helps the body defend against H. pylori, a bacteria that causes gastrointestinal problems. Thus, it helps to prevent stomach ulcers and painful bloating.

Broccoli juice contains fibers which help to maintain a healthy gastrointestinal GI tract. It reduces cholesterol levels in the blood. Calcium present in the Broccoli juice promotes healthy bones and helps to burn fat. It decreases the production of cortisol, which is a stress hormone, relating to food cravings and stomach fat.

Other Benefits of Broccoli:

*Contains folic acid that is needed for the normal growth of the tissue. This is good for pregnant woman.
*Helps to get relief from cold symptoms, since it contains Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
*Assists the body in absorbing iron.
*It helps to prevent osteoporosis, since it contains large amount of calcium.

By combining Broccoli juice and its various nutritional benefits with other super food juices, we can even create greater radiance and disease free health. Celery, cucumbers, ginger and kale are some of the healthiest foods for juicing. A little carrot and apple can naturally sweeten the juice, making it more palatable and enjoyable.

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=40120

The Truth About Diet Soda

The Truth About Diet Soda

The authors of Eat This Not That reveal some hard truths about low-calorie sodas.
By Dave Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, Men's Health
Soda in glass (c) Image Source / Super Stock

We talk a lot about “watching what we eat,” but if you never gave a thought to what you ate and instead watched only what you drank, you could probably cut 450 calories a day out of your life—that’s nearly a pound of fat trimmed away each week! That's what a study from the University of North Carolina found. Americans today drink about 192 gallons of liquid a year—or about 2 liters a day. To put it into perspective, this is nearly twice as many calories as we did 30 years ago.

When confronted with the growing tide of calories from sweetened beverages, the first response is, “Why not just drink diet soda?” Well, for a few reasons. Eat This, Not That! did some research and found out some hard truths behind the low-calorie (and nutrition-free) beverage. The story isn't as clear-cut as you suspect, and it might make you think twice the next time you're looking for a thirst-quencher.

Hard truth #1

Just because diet soda is low in calories doesn't mean it can't lead to weight gain.

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It may have only 5 or fewer calories per serving, but emerging research suggests that consuming sugary-tasting beverages—even if they're artificially sweetened—may lead to a high preference for sweetness overall. That means sweeter (and more caloric) cereal, bread, dessert—everything. Considering there are 15 calories in every teaspoon of sugar, that's not good news if you're watching your weight.

Hard truth #2

Guzzling these drinks all day long forces out the healthy beverages you need.

Diet soda is 100 percent nutrition-free—and it's important to remember that all that useless liquid is taking up space that could have gone to more healthy alternatives. On the positive side, it means you won’t be taking in equally non-nutritious, calorie- and sugar-packed options. But it's just as important to actively drink the good stuff as it is to avoid that bad stuff. So one diet soda a day is fine, but if you're downing five or six cans, that means you're limiting your intake of healthful beverages, particularly water and tea, which is high in antioxidants.

Plus, a recent study from Johns Hopkins found that restricting liquid caloric intake is a more effective way to lose weight than restricting calories from food. There’s no better place than by eliminating anything on our list of the 20 unhealthiest drinks in America.

Hard truth #3

There remain some concerns over aspartame, the low-calorie chemical used to give diet sodas their flavor.

Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar, and some animal research has linked consumption of high amounts of the sweetener to brain tumors and lymphoma in rodents. The FDA maintains that the sweetener is safe, but reported side effects include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss, and mood changes. Check out our guide to the 11 most controversial food additives to see how aspartame stacks up.

The bottom line is this: Diet soda does you no good, and it might just be doing you harm. The best way to hydrate is by drinking low-calorie, high-nutrient fluids—and choosing healthy alternatives, like the ones you'll find in our list of the 16 best drink swaps.

Now that you have a hold on your liquid assets, upgrade the rest of your grocery list by avoiding the 13 Worst "Healthy" Foods in the Supermarket.

Reduce Headaches with Regular Exercise

Reduce Headaches with Regular Exercise

If you suffer from frequent headaches or migraines, chances are you shy away from exercise for fear of inducing a headache. You may be surprised to hear you can find relief through exercise. A recent Swedish study published in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain showed that exercise does not seem to increase migraines. In fact, regular activity can reduce the number of migraines, the intensity of migraines and the need for pain medication.

The exercise program in the study was specific: for twelve weeks, 26 participants exercised for a total of 40 minutes. This included a 15-minute warm-up, followed by 20 minutes of more vigorous activity, and then ending with a 5-minute cool-down period. Researchers kept track of each participant's maximum use of oxygen (VO2MAX) to measure their fitness level.

Study participants logged their migraines during the entire study. They made note of the days in which the migraines occurred, how painful they were and how much pain medication was used during each occurrence.

By the end of the study, participants were logging fewer migraines; they occurred less often and with less intensity. Participants were also able to use less pain medication to treat their migraines. Maximum oxygen uptake was also noticeably increased.

Emma Varkey, of the Cephalea Headache Centre in Gothenburg, Sweden and co-author of the study says, "While the optimal amount of exercise for patients with migraine remains unknown, our evaluated program can now be tested further and compared to pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments to see if exercise can prevent migraine."

Two large surveys in Norway produced conclusions similar to those of the Swedish study. The surveys questioned more than 68,000 adults about their exercise habits and their headache symptoms. Findings show that people who don't exercise are 14 percent more likely to experience headaches. It also points out that those who already deal with head pain may be less inclined to exercise.

Exercise is linked to many health benefits, including the prevention of health problems like diabetes and heart disease. It's important not to shun exercise, even if you suffer from frequent headaches or migraines. Instead, try to find a form of exercise that agrees with you. Including a warm-up period and monitoring the intensity of your work-out may help. Activities like yoga or outdoor walks may also help bring exercise back into your life. And with a benefit of reduced headaches, it's bound to be worth a try.

Sources:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/boo...

http://sciencemode.com/2009/03/30/s...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933..

Depression and Migraines Eased With Exercise and Relaxation

Women who suffer from migraines may be able to reduce the intensity of their pain and their risk of depression by regularly taking part in a simple exercise and relaxation routine, according to a study conducted by researchers from Innsbrook Medical University and published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.

Thirty women migraine sufferers were randomly assigned either to stay with their normal migraine treatment or to supplement that treatment with specific routine involving 45 minutes of aerobic exercise and 15 minutes of progressive muscle relaxation two times per week. After six weeks, the women who took part in the exercise and relaxation routine reported significantly less intensity of migraine pain than the women in the regular treatment only group.

Women in the exercise and relaxation group also reported significantly fewer symptoms of depression after six weeks than women in the control group. Overall, however, the level of psychological well-being was found to be the same in both groups.

Previous research has suggested that while exercise appears to have no ability to prevent migraine attacks, it does appear to reduce the intensity of pain experienced -- a conclusion supported by the current study.

The researchers were unable to determine the reason for the exercise and relaxation therapy's effect on migraine pain, but they speculated that the treatment might improve feelings of self-efficacy and thus improve people's ability to cope with pain.

Up to 28 percent of people will suffer from a migraine attack at some point in the course of their lives. In any given year, 6 to 15 percent of adult men and 14 to 35 percent of adult women will suffer from at least one migraine attack.

People who suffer from migraines - especially young adults, women who use hormonal contraception, and women who suffer from migraine with aura - have two to three times the risk of undergoing a stroke as those who do not experience migraines.

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