Vegetable juices to boost your new dieting strategy .....extract from Sunday Nation

•A number of vegetables with two distinct features: minimal calorie content and nutrient-rich, have been labelled as ‘superfoods’ and are recommended for juicing. These include wheatgrass, barley grass, sprouts, broccoli, and pretty much all green, leafy vegetables

In health food circles, a juicing lifestyle is regarded as a gateway to health and vitality. This is mainly because a number of nutrients derived from vegetables are heat-sensitive and, therefore, destroyed during the cooking process.

And Dr Norman Walker, pioneer of the cold-press juicing movement, recommends that one should eat their fruit and juice their vegetables.

It is said that one’s quality of life will increase from following a juicing lifestyle as maximum nutrients are absorbed, the digestion process is enhanced and energy levels are boosted.

In addition, selective juicing of specific vegetables is reported to target two steps to health — prevention and cure of disease.

Juicing is promoted to treat minor ailments, as well as prevent chronic diseases such as cancer, through the ingestion of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytonutrients and fibre. Some dieticians recommend a juice fast (as opposed to a water fast) as there are benefits of cleaning out of the system while absorbing nutrients.

A litre of vegetable juice is recommended throughout the day, and fruit such as apples and grapes may be added as a natural sweetener to make the ‘green juice’ more palatable. This is with the exception of high fructose (fruit sugar)-containing vegetables such as carrots and beetroots.

Restrictions on the amount of fruit juice or high fructose-containing vegetables consumed are necessary as drinking large quantities of fruit sugars will cause spikes in blood sugar levels, whose regular occurrence is detrimental and thought to be a precursor of diabetes as it affects insulin production.

This is a classic example of how over-doing a good thing for your health can, in effect, make it a bad thing.

Other juicing tips to maximise the benefits include juicing a variety of vegetables from day to day and diluting the juice with clean water.

Wheat grass

A number of vegetables with two distinct features: minimal calorie content and nutrient-rich, have been labelled as ‘superfoods’ and are recommended for juicing. These include wheatgrass, barley grass, sprouts, broccoli, and pretty much all green leafy vegetables.

Wheat grass is the sprouted grass of a wheat seed. Unlike the whole grain, it does not contain gluten, which causes irritable bowel syndrome. Its less well known counterpart, barley grass, is reported to have up to ten times more calcium than cows’ milk, more iron than spinach and more Vitamin C than orange juice!

Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kale are reported to contain sulforaphane, an antioxidant which eliminates toxic-free radicals from cells, and is associated with the prevention of cancer.

Spirulina, which is a cultivated micro-algae, is reported to have high protein levels and, therefore, particularly recommended for vegetarians.

Vegetable juices may be supplemented with a view to creating a balanced diet. Supplements include essential oils, specifically the omega 3 and omega 6 containing oils that occur in flaxseeds or flaxseed oil, cod liver oil and evening primrose oil. These unsaturated fatty acids are renown for a range of health benefits, including immune, brain and heart function.

For those new to a juicing lifestyle — note that maximum benefits are reaped from incorporating it into your lifestyle — it is recommended to start with small quantities and gradually build up to a litre per day.

This also gives one’s taste buds time to become progressively accustomed to what may be initially perceived as a strong taste, seeing as we are used to eating cooked vegetables.

Rachel Oppitz, ND, recommends starting with an easy-to-digest recipe of two stalks celery, two stalks fennel and one cucumber, before adding a variety of lettuce leaves, and eventually a few leaves of dark green, leafy vegetables which are more nutrient-rich. Oppitz also recommends adding herbs such as coriander and parsley.

Note that vegetable juice is perishable, but it may stay fresh for up to 24 hours when refrigerated in an air-tight container.

Compliments to you my friend Chief @Miefu.

No more alcohol or soda, only drink water or frsh fresh juice throughout this year.

That is exactly what I have been doing a couple of years now, and I have been so good health wise.


Please stay healthy, also your dear wife.

Take Care.

Best Regards

What is very important is that in our diet we must make deliberate and conciencious effort to increase our intake of fruits and vegetables and reduce drastically the intake of processed foods because if we eat anything we are likely to see anything in future.

Proper caring of health is a amazing way of healthy living.
For ex. If men are suffering the male impotence problem then they have to take the doctor advise and consume viagra pills for healthy sexual life.

Suppose men are facing the over obesity problem.... they should take balanced diet with proper exercise and take generic acomplia pill for reducing the over weight.

Your feeding pattern is as important as what you eat
.
The ideal thing is your heaviest meal should be breakfast , your lunch should be moderate while your lightest meal should be dinner.

Unfortunately most of us practice the reverse, making our dinner the heaviest.

Did you know tomatoes are a fruit? And this red fruit also provides plenty of health benefits.

1.Anti-oxidant:

Tomatoes contain a lot of vitamins A and C, mostly because of beta-carotene, and these vitamins act as an anti-oxidant, working to neutralize dangerous free radicals in the blood stream. These dangerous free radicals can cause cell damage. And keep in mind, the more red the tomato, the more beta-carotene it contains. Also, remember that cooking destroys much of vitamin C, so stick with raw tomatoes for these benefits.

2.Diabetes:
Tomatoes also have plenty of the mineral chromium, which helps diabetics to keep their blood sugar level under control.

3.Smoking:

No, tomatoes can’t help you stop smoking, but what they can do is to help reduce the damage smoking does to your body. Tomatoes contain chlorogenic acid and coumaric acid, which help to fight against some of the carcinogens brought about by cigarette smoke.

4.Vision:
Because of all that vitamin A, tomatoes are also an excellent food to help improve your vision. This also means tomatoes can help your eyes be better about night blindness.
5.Heart troubles:

Due to potassium and vitamin B, tomatoes help to lower blood pressure and to lower high cholesterol levels. This, in turn, could help prevent strokes, heart attack and other potentially life-threatening heart problems.

6.Skin care:
Because of high amounts of lycopene, a substance found in many of the more expensive over-the-counter facial cleansers, tomatoes are great for skin care. The best way to use tomatoes for skin care is to peel a bunch of them, eight to twelve, then lay back and place the tomato skins on your face (or other skin areas). Make sure the inside of the tomato skins are against your skin, and let this sit for at least 10 minutes. Then wash off. You’re face will be cleaner and more shiny, though it also might be a little red from the tomatoes. Don’t worry, that red on your face will wear away.

7.Hair:

Remember all that vitamin A in tomatoes? Well, it’s good for keeping your hair strong and shiny, and its also good for your eyes, teeth, skin and bones.

8.Cancer:

Various studies have shown that because of all that lycopene in tomatoes, the red fruit helps to lessen the chances of prostate cancer in men, and also reduces the chance of stomach cancer and colorectal cancer. Lycopene is considered somewhat of a natural miracle anti-oxidant that may help to stop the growth of cancer cells. And, interestingly enough, cooked tomatoes produce more lycopene than do raw tomatoes, so enjoy that tomato soup!

9.Bones:

Tomatoes have a fair amount of vitamin K and calcium, both of which help to strengthen and possibly repair in minor ways bones and bone tissue.

10.Kidney stones and gallstones: Eating tomatoes without the seeds has been shown in some studies to lessen the risk of gallstones and kidney stones.

Dietary supplements can be a great addition to your health routine,but it's crucial to choose your supplements wisely. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has instated regulations to ensure that supplements are contaminant-free and properly labeled, there are several other safety issues you should consider before and after you buy.

Your Supplement Safety Checklist
To make sure your supplements are right for you, keep these safety concerns in mind.

1) Watch Out for Drug Interactions

Since a number of supplements such as St. John's wort and ginkgo biloba may interact in harmful ways with prescription or over-the-counter drugs, you should always consult your physician before starting a supplement regimen.

Your doctor may also be able to notify you of any other potential risks the supplement might pose to your health (especially if you're pregnant or planning to have surgery), as well as offer guidance on the best dosage to take. If your doctor isn't comfortable with advising you on supplement use, ask if he or she can refer you to a supplement-savvy alternative health practitioner.

2) Do Your Research

Before you purchase a supplement, brush up on scientific evidence supporting the safety of its use. Third-party sources (such as information provided by objective health experts) are far more reliable than health claims published on a supplement manufacturer's website.

You can get the latest information on specific supplements right here on About.com.

3) Seek Out Certified Products

If a supplement is certified by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), NSF International, or the United Natural Products Alliance, it's guaranteed to meet a certain standard of quality. (The USP's screening process, for instance, ensures that a product will break down properly and effectively release its ingredients into the body.) Look for a certification seal from any of these organizations whenever you buy a supplement.

4) Check the Label

When shopping for an herbal supplement, it's important to verify which parts of the plant were used in its production. Different components can produce different effects, some of which can harm your health. For example, research shows that while the roots of the herb kava seem to be safe, its stem peelings and leaves may contain compounds that could be toxic to the liver. Talking with your doctor or herbalist and researching an herbal supplement can help you determine which plant parts to look for.

5) Take Heed of Side Effects

If you experience any adverse effects after taking a new supplement, discontinue its use immediately and contact your doctor. Although many supplements can be used without harm, others are linked to serious side effects (such as kidney damage and gastrointestinal problems), especially when taken at excessive doses.