Healthy Living

Natural cures are nature’s way of healing our bodies, minds and souls.  No drugs, no side effects, and no down time.

Well staying and feeling youthful are also benefits of natural foods and cures and today we’re going to focus on one and a few of it’s health benefits.  It’s called a superfruit and the advantages of eating this superfruit are staggering.

After reading this article by Dr. Glenn S. Rothfeld, M. D. I’m sure you’ll agree.  It guarantees that by eating this ancient superfruit you’ll stay young.

It says…Beauty may be skin deep…but aging isn’t!

There are so many companies focusing on the OUTSIDE of your bodies — trying to sell you everything from creams, scrubs, and peels to injections and surgeries –but I’m much more concerned with what can slow aging on the INSIDE.

Because the cells of your organs and other tissues can take just as much abuse as the skin on your face or the hair on the top of your head — if not more!

Now, just because you can’t see the aging doesn’t mean there isn’t anything you can do about it.

A recent study has discovered that the key to staying young on the inside may be pomegranate, an ancient superfruit that’s chock-full of antioxidants.

When you eat pomegranate, your body produces a compound called urolithin A — and researchers from Switzerland have found that it can turn back the clock in three major ways:

1. Making your muscle cells regenerate
2. Clearing out the parts of the cells that don’t work anymore (usually the mitochondria, or the “power house” of the cells)
3. Putting the parts that still do work to use.

When they gave the compound to senior mice, the critters were able to run 42 percent longer.

Imagine having the strength and endurance to last longer — bringing you right back to the days when you were at your peak, and you felt like you could keep going — forever!

What’s more, the fruit of the pomegranate tree is also known to reduce inflammation and can even destroy parasites in your body.

Researchers in Oxford looked at clinical trials over a year and findings have reignited interest in the effects of superfruits – especially pomegranates.

Latest studies show a promising impact on the management of the body’s glycaemic index – a key issue in Type 2 diabetes.  There is also a link between pomegranate and a slowing down in the spread of prostate and bowel cancers.

So, get plenty of pomegranate — but beware of juices and other processed foods with added sugars.  Fresh, organic pomegranates are still exotic in some parts of the country, so if you can’t find them (or at least a package of the seeds), you should be able to get pomegranate supplements in capsule form at your local health food store.

But why stop with pomegranate?  Bulk up on other antioxidant foods that your body can use to produce urolithin A, including black and red raspberries, strawberries, walnuts, and almonds.

Other fruits and vegetables getting worldwide attention are blueberries, cranberries, avocados, beetroot, mangosteen, acai berries, kiwi fruit, goji berries and noni fruit.

Eat them all, and you’ll slow the aging and damage to the inside of your body, cut your heart disease risk, fight infection, and even improve your vision and memory.

Just make sure they’re organic.

And remember…1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

20 you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Our health…it gets more important to us as we age and harder to maintain.  At 16 or 17, or even 24 or 25, eating healthy is the last thing on our minds.

Usually at that age we’re at our best weight and in the best of health.  It’s critical that we maintain that health as best we can.

Heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure can be kept at bay if we do what it takes for it to stay that way.

So how do we stay healthy?  Well, for one thing we have to have a made up mind that that’s what we really want, and we must remember that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, died so that we may have life and health and have it more abundantly.              John 10:10

We must do our part and do what we can.  For ourselves and more importantly for Christ, whose death and resurrection made it available for us.

Thankfully there’s help…help that can insure we stay as healthy as possible.  Yes those illnesses threatens our lives as we age but did you know that certain bacteria in our bodies can actually help us to fight against them?

Newsmax.com gives us 3 gut bacteria that could bring heart disease, diabetes and HBP to it’s knees.

Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Lactobacillus reuteri.  This is one trifecta of probiotics that betting on delivers a payoff everyday.

Making sure you have the right balance of these good-for-you bacteria in your intestines (that’s where they live!) can help you lose weight, lower cholesterol and reduce your risk for Type 2 diabetes and its complications while keeping your cardiovascular system healthy.  They thrive in foods you love (really!), and you can take them as supplements.

Lactobacillus acidophilus is in probiotic yogurt and fermented soy products like miso and tempeh.  Most often thought of as a digestive aid, it’s good for treating vaginal yeast infections.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus act as anti-inflammatory in your gut and helps fight obesity and insulin resistance.  You can enjoy it in probiotic yogurt, fermented soy and fermented milks.  Remember: Diary products help probiotics survive through stomach acid, but make sure you choose nonfat, no-added-sugar dairy.

Lactobacillus reuteri reduces lousy LDL cholesterol and your risk of coronary heart disease.  You can get it in supplements, and it’s in breast milk (just FYI) and even chewing gum designed to control dental plaque and gingivitis.

I’m betting this lacto-trifecta will show you good bacteria in the right place, and that’s a big health win!

So even though it gets harder as we age to stay healthy, it can be done…and with this trifecta the payoff is huge.

By now you know that I’m interested in Preventative measures in order to stay healthy.  Rather than getting sick and having to cure it, it’s best to, at least try and prevent illness.

We, as Christians know that God’s plan for us is to be healthy but he won’t and don’t make us do anything,  We’d be his robots.  He gives us free will to decide for ourselves.  And for every decision, rather good or bad, there’re consequences.

Dr. Glenn S. Rothfeld, M.D. wrote these words.  Who would’ve thought that enjoying a cold beer on a hot day…relaxing with a nice glass of wine…or even enjoying a little nightcap could be the secret to a healthy heart?

He stated that the latest research confirms: An occasional cocktail, glass of wine, or beer could lower your risk of heart disease.

A new study just published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) reveals that drinking in moderation reduces your risk of several life-threating heart conditions — especially when compared to not drinking alcohol at all.

Over the course of six years, British researchers analyzed the medical records of nearly two million people around the UK, all of whom were at least 30 years old at the start of the study, and none of whom had prior heart problems.

To the cheers of every Englishman who’s ever had a pint in a pub, the results showed that when compared with teetotalers, it was the moderate drinkers who were less likely to be diagnosed with several conditions–including chest pain, heart failure, stroke, and peripheral artery disease ( which reduces the circulation to your arms and legs).

He said that these things echoed what he’d said in the past, particularly as it relates to heart health and drinking.  He says that the medical community knows that some alcoholic beverages, like red wine, are loaded with antioxidants like resveratrol that are great for your heart; and they also learned that beer can boost your levels of “good” cholesterol and prevent you from having a heart attack.

But don’t start knocking ’em back just yet, because they say it was the heavy drinkers who were most likely to be diagnosed with these heart conditions as well as with cardiac arrest.

Now, if you’ve already quit drinking completely, there’s no reason to start again.  He states that according to the study, drinking again after you’ve already quit won’t improve your heart’s health.

But if you don’t drink at all…if you always abstain and find yourself toasting with a glass of water…now may be a good time to try a little tipple.

Just don’t go overboard by making up for all those toga parties you never went to in college.

According to the experts, moderate drinking means no more than 14 units of alcohol a week.  That translates into about five to seven glasses of beer or wine in a seven-day period…and less if you’re drinking hard alcohol like whiskey or vodka.

The heart is the center of our being, so let’s at least, if we can, raise a glass in a preventative measure to have a happy, healthy heart.

To our Good Health…

Being healthy and living a healthy life should be the number one goal in our lives.  Before we get to the point of taking pills to control a situation we should have determination.

Determination to keep our bodies, which are temples of God, free of illness and disease.  Prevention is the key!

Preventative Healthcare consists of measures taken for disease prevention, as opposed to disease treatment.

If we maintain healthy eating habits and exercise regularly we can decrease the chances of us getting ill.  But we have to have a made up mind.  We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and he can help us if and when we’re ready.

We must set our minds the same way we set a clock to incorporate these new lifestyle changes.

According to the Journal of Health and Social Behavior 1990, Vol 31 (September): 240-259, habitual modes of behavior, like other habits are very difficult to change.  They require a period of time to develop, but change can be done.

As Christians we know to look to God for all things, our health and well being is one of those things.

There’s a massive amount of foods out there that are both healthy and tasty.  We don’t have to fear that healthy food won’t taste good.

Almost all fruit is healthy.  Apples, oranges, blueberries, bananas, etc. I can’t list them all.

Eggs are nutritional too.

It’s a myth that all meat is harmful.  Unprocessed, gently cooked meat is one of the healthiest and most nutritious foods you can eat.  Lean beef, chicken breast and lamb just to name a few .

Despite being high in fat and calories, studies suggest that nuts and seeds can help you lose weight, if eaten in moderation.  Nuts and seeds are a great natural source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are associated with many health benefits, and they’re easy to carry with you as a snack.

Calorie for calorie, vegetables are among the world’s most concentrated sources of nutrients.  There’s a wide variety available, and it’s best to eat many different types of vegetables every day.

There’s also fish and seafood, grains and even dark chocolate is healthy.

Prevention saves money and improves health.

So you see there’s no reason why we can’t be mindful of our health and what we eat.  We must take action and move towards a healthier lifestyle….before our food makes us sick.