Elderberry for the wintery colds....

Article from Body+Soul:  link

Try Elderberries for Good Health:

Elderberries are a fruit that grow on certain species of the Sambucus tree. For thousands of years, every part of the elderberry tree has been put to some form of medicinal use. The flowers and leaves have been used to relieve pain, swelling or inflammation. The aged bark can be used as a laxative, diuretic or to induce vomiting.

However, it is the blue-black berry in particular that has a long history of medicinal and culinary uses. In 400 BC, Hippocrates apparently called the elder tree his "medicine chest".Elderberries are a rich source of flavonoids, which are both antioxidants and immunologics, meaning they stimulate the immune system.

Do they work?

Elderberry extract has been trialled for effectiveness in relieving the symptoms of influenza, bronchitis and bacterial sinusitis. In a range of placebo-controlled, doubleblind studies, elderberry extract has proven effective against a variety of flu viruses. A study at Hadassah University Hospital in Israel found that elderberry anthocyanins boost the production of cytokines, which increase the body's immune function.The study found that black elderberry extract reduced the duration of flu symptoms to three to four days and was effective against 10 strains of the flu virus.

A study published last year in the journal Phytochemistry found that elderberry flavonoids prevented swine flu (the H1N1 strain), and, also in 2009, a study undertaken by Retroscreen Virology at the London Bioscience Innovation Centre found that black elderberry extract was at least 68.37 per cent effective against the virus. Elderberry juice was used to treat a flu epidemic in Panama in 1995 and led to a reduction in severity and a faster recovery for many cases. It was found that 93.3 per cent of the cases treated with black elderberry compound experienced a significant improvement in their symptoms.

The pros 

Elderberries are a natural remedy for sinus and upper respiratory conditions. They also strengthen the immune system and reduce the severity and duration of colds and flu. The juice of elderberries has been shown to reduce excessive mucous secretion and some researchers believe that elderberries play a role in reducing the swelling of mucous membranes and improving sinus drainage. Elderberries are a rich source of vitamins A, B and C, potassium and antioxidants. Some research suggests they may be better than blueberries at fighting free radicals.

The cons

Too high a dose of elderberries can result in vomiting, diarrhoea or other stomach upsets. Raw and unripe berries contain cyanide, so ensure the elderberries come from a trusted source and are only consumed in recommended dosage levels.

When to avoid them

If you have any allergies to the Caprifoliaceae family (honeysuckle), it's best to avoid elderberries. Unless your doctor or healthcare provider suggests otherwise, pregnant or breastfeeding women should avoid elderberries. Unless you're following medical or professional advice, it's best to avoid consuming fresh or dried elderberries, or the dried flowers or bark, as the dose can be unpredictable. A commercially prepared form is the best option to ensure you take a measured dose.

Juice of the Week - Nashi pears, Ginger, Apples and more!

Improve your athletic performance naturally with beets: Research

Article from: Natural News

(NaturalNews) If you want to improve your athletic performance and stamina, there's no real substitute for simply putting time into working out. But if it if you're looking for a simple, natural way to increase the length of your workouts, or if you just want to give yourself that little edge in endurance or speed, then beet juice may be the answer.

Beet juice is naturally high in nitrate (NO3), which the body uses to make both nitrite (NO2) and nitric oxide. Nitrite is known to protect the blood vessels from injury, while nitric acid expands blood vessels and therefore increases the flow of oxygen to the cells. This, in turn, increases both the power available to the muscles and the length of time that the muscles can exercise without tiring.

Early studies into the effectiveness of beet juice for exercise showed that people who drink the juice for several days before undergoing exercise tests do indeed use less oxygen in their muscles, and are correspondingly able to exercise for longer. In one study, drinking beet juice decreased oxygen needs by 19 percent and increased exercise endurance time by 17 percent.

In other studies, scientists proved that drinking beet juice increases people's blood concentration of nitrates, and that beet juice which has had the nitrates artificially removed loses its exercise-boosting power.

Beet juice increases your speed 

While early studies focused on whether beet juice can increase the time before an athlete becomes exhausted, more recent studies have focused on the juice's real-world effects on athletic performance. For example, a study published in 2011 in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise found that cyclists who drank beet juice and then rested for 2.75 hours were able to complete a 4 km cycling task 11 seconds faster than cyclists who had consumed a nitrate-depleted beet juice placebo. The experimental group also completed a 16.1 km task 45 seconds faster than the control group.

More recently, researchers from Maastricht University Medical Centre in the Netherlands conducted a pair of beet juice studies, both published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism in 2012. In the first, the researchers had 12 male cyclists with an average age of 31 drink 140 mL per day of either normal beet juice or a nitrate-depleted placebo for six days. The men then participated in a 60-minute cycling exercise and a 10 km timed cycling trial. After a 14-day washout period, participants were given the other beverage and the trial was repeated.

As expected, the researchers found that cyclists performed better following the nitrate-rich beet juice treatment in both time and power output.

In the second study, cyclists drank the beet juice just 2.5 hours prior to performing the cycling trial, as in the 2011 study. But this time, no difference was seen in performance between the nitrate-rich and nitrate-depleted groups. Further research will be needed to explain this discrepancy, said study author Naomi Cermak.

"We don't know whether dietary nitrate is effective only at certain exercise intensities or certain exercise durations," Cermak said.

For example, Cermak noted that the two Maastricht studies differed not only in when the beet juice was provided, but also in how long the cycling trial lasted. In the first study, participants cycled for between 14 and 18 minutes (10 km), while in the second they cycled for one hour (40 to 50 km).

"Thus we do not know yet whether the ergogenic effects of dietary nitrate depend on the duration of supplementation or the actual exercise itself (i.e. higher intensity exercise, shorter duration)," she said.

Juice of the Week

Inspired by the increased endurance training at Melbourne Aikido and read-ups on more benefits of the amazing and luscious beetroot!  .. :)

Bit on the modern day dilemma..

Article: Overfed and Undernourished: Nutrient Deficiency in Our Modern Diet

From: http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/nutrient-deficiency-zm0z13jjzmat.aspx#axzz2WEo43jWD 

                 It’s a paradox of modern culture: Though more than a third of us are classified as overweight or obese, and though more than 3,700 calories of food are available daily for every person in the United States, many of us still don’t get enough of some essential nutrients, including potassium, calcium and vitamin D. This paradox, in which we are overfed and undernourished, is sometimes called nutrient deficiency.
In its latest update of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2010), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that our average intake of some of these “nutrients of concern” is so low as to be a widespread public health issue. How is it that we eat so much, yet lack key nutrients?

The answer to that question is complex, encompassing everything from food distribution to the failings of industrial agriculture. One thing is clear: We now eat too much of the wrong kinds of food. We consume too many sugary soft drinks and fat-laden desserts and not enough nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables, beans, and whole grains. As our waistlines expand, diet-related diseases and their associated costs grow along with them. Science has linked nutrient deficiencies to a variety of diseases and unhealthful conditions. For example, a recent study in Australia that compared five types of diets found a direct link between women who preferred nutrient-poor foods and increased osteoporosis and fractures, which indicates calcium deficiencies. Few consume the recommended daily amount of potassium — a nutrient that helps lower blood pressure — and one in three of us suffers from hypertension.

Increasing evidence shows that our consumption of fats, sugars and fluffy white foods contributes to the incidence of degenerative, age-related diseases such as cancer, cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease and stroke. Biochemist Bruce Ames — who has won numerous prestigious awards, including the National Medal of Science — argues that widespread vitamin and mineral deficiencies in modern diets result in chromosomal damage that leads to cancer and accelerated aging.

Some of the harm from nutrient-poor diets can occur in the earliest stages of human development. A major new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that mothers who took a supplement of folic acid (the more stable, supplement form of folate) were 40 percent less likely to have a child later diagnosed with autism. A key finding in this study of more than 85,000 mothers was that the supplement has to be taken prior to conception. Folate contributes to prenatal brain and spinal development, and most of that development occurs during the first 28 days of pregnancy — before most women know they’re pregnant. So the researchers determined that women should begin taking folate even before becoming pregnant.

Shifting to Unhealthy Food Choices

If the solution to these problems seems obvious — eat more fruits and vegetables — why is it so difficult to achieve? According to pediatrician and former FDA commissioner David Kessler, author of The End of Overeating, we have been trained to prefer foods high in sugar and fat. Eating and the desire to eat release dopamine, a brain chemical associated with “reward” feelings, Kessler writes. He cites a study in which people tracked the food they ate and rated it for pleasure. They gave the highest ratings to foods high in fat and sugar. Unsurprisingly, they also ate more of them, consuming 44 percent more of the pleasure foods. Because we prefer foods high in fat and sugar, our spending on processed foods and sweets has nearly doubled — from 11.6 percent of our grocery budgets in 1982 to 22.9 percent in 2012 (see “We’re Spending Less on Meat, But Way More on Junk” in the Image Gallery).

Unlike most evolutionary processes, this shift to an overwhelming preference for sugars and fats didn’t occur over a span of centuries or millennia. We went from relying upon staples, such as meat, eggs, dairy products, and fruits and vegetables, to processed foods — often called “convenience” foods — in just a few decades. After World War II, the food industry kicked into full gear, and high profit margins and convenience (including shelf life) took precedence over nutrition and flavor. The industry was unrelenting. Advertising and the media, along with the advent of supermarkets and advances in packaging, caused convenience foods to win over old-fashioned basics. Today, the average person “eats 33 pounds of cheese — triple what we ate in 1970 — and 70 pounds of sugar — about 22 teaspoons a day,” writes New York Times reporter Michael Moss in Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. He continues: “We ingest 8,500 milligrams of salt a day, double the recommended amount, and almost none of that comes from the shakers on our table. It comes from processed food.” Salt often covers off flavors and it acts as a preservative.

Our nation’s farm policies have helped the food industry addict us. “Agricultural subsidies have helped bring us high-fructose corn syrup, factory farming, fast food, a two-soda-a-day habit and its accompanying obesity, the near-demise of family farms, monoculture and a host of other ills,” writes New York Times columnist Mark Bittman.
The latest USDA analysis of the average shopping cart found that most U.S. citizens spend far less on fruits and vegetables than they do on refined breads, pastas, cereals and cookies, and frozen desserts and pizzas. Similarly, the National Health and Nutrition Survey found that the average consumption of dark green vegetables and whole grains falls well below suggested levels, each now at less than 10 percent of the totals recommended. Meanwhile, potato chips are the top source of oils in our diet, and carbonated beverages account for more than a third of added sugars. (For more on the top sources of calories in our diet, see “Top 20 Sources of Calories in the Average U.S. Diet.”)... 

Continue reading at 

 http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/nutrient-deficiency-zm0z13jjzmat.aspx#axzz2WEo43jWD 

With exams looming...

With the exams coming close, juice for stress relieve is on my mind!