Recent Blog Posts

  9 Top Holiday Food Gift Ideas Gone Wrong   While the most popular place for holiday shoppers are online discount stores, followed by department stores, about 45 percent of shoppers still plan to purchase some gifts at the grocery store, according to the National Retail Federation’s Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey. A bowl of your homemade muffins you may feel are filled with love, but giving them to your gluten-intolerant neighbor would not be. In fact, candy and food spending is expected to increase along with overall holiday-related shopping. Shoppers are anticpated to spend an average of 10% more on food related gifts over last year. A food item can indeed make a very thoughtful, not to mention delicious, gift. But before you start pre-heating the oven or heading over to your local gourmet shop with ready-to-be-filled gift baskets in hand, make sure you are not making any of these food-related gift-giving blunders. 9 Food Gift Ideas Gone Wrong 1. Candy or Sweets for a Diabetic. People with diabetes of any form must avoid most sweets, so please [...]

  Trans Fat's Strong Link to Cancer, Diabetes & Heart Disease, and How to Avoid It   Trans fatty acid, also known as trans fat, is an artery-clogging fat formed when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil, a process called hydrogenation. Many manufacturers use this process of hydrogenation because it reduces cost and increases the shelf life and flavor stability of their food. Hundreds of household food items such as commercially prepared baked goods and margarine, and commercially prepared fried foods like onion rings, contain significant amounts of trans fatty acids. Astoundingly, typical French fries contain about 40% trans fatty acids, many popular cookies and crackers have from 30 to 50%, and doughnuts include some 35 to 40% trans fat. The healthiest choice for your family is to eat food as close to its natural state as possible. Dangers of Trans Fat Trans fat poses various serious health risks. It raises your body's level of bad cholesterol (LDL) while scrubbing away the good cholesterol (HDL) that keeps your arteries clean. Your arteries can become clogged, making them inflexible, which can [...]

  Some Startling Stress and Anxiety Statistics and What You Can Do to Eliminate Your High-Stress   A full 43 percent of U.S. adults suffer adverse health effects from stress, according to an American Psychological Association (APA) study. Problems at work are more strongly associated with health problems than any other life stressor, including financial or family problems. Not only does stress and anxiety interfere with your immune system, making you vulnerable to illnesses like the flu, it impairs your body's ability to respond to its anti-inflammatory signals, putting you at an increased risk of allergies, autoimmune diseases and heart disease. In other words, chronic stress is known to actually intensify inflammation, according to the APA, which makes you more vulnerable to inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis. Stress can also trigger or worsen diabetes, if you already have it. When your body is stressed it releases stress hormones that automatically secrete extra sugar into your bloodstream (which is, of course, not a good thing for someone who is already struggling with diabetes). You may not have known that [...]

  Nine Uncommon "Green Leafy Vegetables" Worth Trying   You hear it virtually everywhere these days: eat more green leafy vegetables. And with good reason; leafy greens are among the most nutritious of all vegetables, offering major benefits to your entire body, including your brain, your bones and your heart, while helping to prevent cancer, detoxify your body, boost your immune system and give your more energy. Not bad for a bowl full of greens! However, most Americans are not eating enough of these incredibly healthy foods. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that less than one-third of American adults eat the amount of fruits and vegetables the government recommends, despite the fact that diets rich in these healthy foods are known to prevent disease. Bok choy, a type of Chinese cabbage, tastes great as a side dish and also helps prevent cancer, protect against cataracts and fight free radicals in your body. Give These Uncommon Greens a Try If your diet is lacking in healthy greens, or if you're looking to experiment with a tasty and [...]

  How Does the Way You Think Impact Your Health?   "Disease cannot live in a body that's in a healthy emotional state," at least, so says author Bob Proctor in the film, "The Secret." "The Secret" -- which was not being shown in theaters, but rather was spread through a viral, grassroots marketing campaign -- discussed a centuries-old principle that has earned a "new-age" reputation. According to the Law of Attraction, if you focus on positive things you'll attract good into your life. But the opposite also holds true: if you worry constantly and think negatively, you may attract more of that into your life. "The secret is the Law of Attraction. Everything that's coming into your life you are attracting into your life. And it's attracted to you by virtue of the images you're holding in your mind," Proctor said. The idea is simple and very general: whatever it is that you focus on, think about and occupy your thoughts with will appear in your life. Humans, in this way, are like magnets, attracting into their lives whatever [...]

  The Amazing Cancer Prevention Health Benefits of Parsley, or, "Hey, I Shouldn't Be JUST a Table Garnish!"   Parsley is an easy-to-use, incredibly flavorful, nutrition powerhouse, yet, it is often regarded as a "throw-away" garnish on dinner plates. Derived from the Greek word meaning "rock celery" (because it's related to celery), parsley has been cultivated for 2,000 years, and was used medicinally long before that.   Just two tablespoons of parsley provide over 150% of the daily recommended value of vitamin K. In fact, in ancient times parsley was regarded as sacred and was used to decorate tombs. It's believed that the ancient Romans were the first ones to begin popularizing parsley as a garnish. Among its more than 30 varieties, the two most popular are flat-leaf parsley and curly-leaf parsley, both of which can be found in most supermarkets (and are simple to grow yourself). Aside from adding a burst of fresh flavor to soups, vegetables, meats and a host of other dishes, parsley is full of valuable nutrients that have proven health benefits. Parsley's Many Health-Giving Properties [...]