24. th 2008 by admin.

By: Dahlia Rideout; Guest Writer
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Although there are very few foods that cause instant death, there are some well known, and not so well known, dangerous foods that we should all be aware of. This list is by no means comprehensive, but it hits some of the more common dangerous ingredients you could encounter.

Mushrooms.
Most people know that certain types of mushrooms can be deadly. The more common poisonings come from the Death Cap (often confused for the Paddy Straw mushroom), Destroying Angels, and Deadly Webcap. Death Caps alone contain over seven toxins and one bite can lead to a nasty death. Watch out for the Gyomitra, which is often confused for Morrel.

Blowfish (Fugu).
This fish is deadly on its own, and highly regarded as a Japanese and Hong Kong delicacy. It’s poison, tetrodotoxin, is 1,200 times more potent than cyanide. Around one hundred diners die each year from it. Preparation is the key; make sure a licensed chef prepares your Fugu. Becoming a licensed Fugu chef is a long and intensive process, culminating in the chef preparing a Fugu meal and eating it himself. The most deadly parts of Fugu include the liver, muscles, ovaries, and skin.

Shellfish.
Shellfish poisoning is mostly associated with bivalve mollusks (mussels, clams, oysters, and scallops). These shellfish are filter feeders and can accumulate high levels of toxics including domoic acid, produced by microscopic algae. Cooking doesn’t always inactivate these toxins and some can lead to death in high dosages. Kosher diets anyone?

Rhubarb.
Ever wonder why Rhubarb recipes mostly contain the stem and not the leaves? The leaves contain higher concentrations of oxalate, which causes poisoning in large doses. The stems contain much less of the compound. Anthraquinone glycosides are also present and may add to its toxicity.

Potatoes.
Potatoes contain glycoalkaloids (solanine and chaconine), toxic compounds which are more prevalent in the wild potato varieties. Cooking at high temperatures mostly removes the toxin, although headaches, diarrhea, and cramps—and in severe cases, coma and death—can occur in rare cases. Ever wonder why we’re told to keep potatoes away from light? It’s to prevent higher concentrations of solanine. So don’t eat potatoes after they have turned green.

Apricot Stones (Seeds).
Actually, many fruits of the rose family contain cyanogenetic glycosides, which upon ingestion release hydrogen cyanide gas. These include seeds from cherries, apples, plums, almonds, and peaches. Although it would take a mega-dose to do you in, keep this in mind the next time you go on an apricot seed binge. There have been reported deaths in Turkey, a large apricot grower, for this very reason.

Tomato.
Although the fruit itself is safe (more technically a berry), tomato plants contain glycoalkaloids, which are indeed toxic.

Chocolate.
Chocolate contains the alkaloid theobromine, which in unusually high doses can be toxic to humans. However, it would take an unholy amount of chocolate to achieve this. But other species react much worse: dogs, parrots, horses, and cats can be killed by ingesting chocolate.

Tapioca.
Tapioca, if not processed properly, can be toxic. It contains a natural source of cyanide, whose precursor, linamarin, is rendered harmless if properly dried, soaked, and baked.

Peanuts.
Our little top hat and spectacle friends can be deadly for those allergic, which isn’t all that uncommon. Watch out for artificially flavored nuts as well; they can be re-flavored with another kind of nut that you might be allergic to.

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4. th 2008 by admin.

It’s not necessarily laziness that makes people hit the “snooze” button in the morning. Most likely, your body clock is mismatched with the demands of your life.

Your clock is controlled by the suprachiasmatic nucleus, a part of the brain that controls the body’s biological rhythms. But, says Jean Matheson, a sleep-disorders specialist at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, these preset natural rhythms often don’t align with daily realities—work or school start times cannot be adjusted to fit a person’s sleep schedule. People who have trouble crawling out of bed probably have an inner clock set to late wake-up and sleep times, a condition known as phase delay.

It is possible to adjust your phase-delayed body clock, Matheson says, but at a price: No sleeping in on the weekends. “When people sleep late on weekends, they revert to their natural phase-delayed rhythm,” she explains. This makes it harder to wake up early on weekdays. You can train yourself to wake up earlier, Matheson says, by setting your alarm 15 minutes earlier each day (and heeding its call).

Exposure to artificial light in the evening can also cause phase delay. The brain is very sensitive to light, and too much of it just before bed—from computer screens, televisions or bright reading lights—can trick the brain into thinking it’s daytime.

If you find it difficult to adjust your sleep habits, there’s some good news. Scientists at the University of California at Irvine recently discovered that a single amino acid regulates your internal clock. One day, says pharmacology professor Paolo Sassone-Corsi, this research could translate into a drug that controls the brain’s sleep cycle.

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8. th 2008 by admin.

Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.

Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.

Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.

Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.

Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.

Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
How to eat: Just drink it.

Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked
.
Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.

Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.’’ They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.

Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,’’ it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.

Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.

Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In my own house, I only have two of these items — pumpkin seeds, which I often roast and put on salads, and frozen blueberries, which I mix with milk, yogurt and other fruits for morning smoothies. How about you? Have any of these foods found their way into your shopping cart?

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8. th 2008 by admin.

UCLA scientists have developed additional information about what we already knew: dark-colored fruit juices, such as grape, blueberry, black cherry and cranberry are healthiest. They discovered also that the dark-colored fruit enjoyed by ancient Greeks, including Spartans, is the healthiest of all. Pomegranate juice was found by the researchers to be the number-one healthiest fruit juice. The main reason dark fruits are healthier, according to the study, is their high antioxidant levels. In our view, however, there are three things wrong with the study, or at least how it’s being reported in the mainstream press:

1. As is often the case, foods are discussed as “drugs” that help fight various diseases and other health problems. In fact, it’s not natural, ancient foods that cure or prevent diseases, but the absence of those foods that cause disease and other health problems. Our bodies expect and need them in order to function properly.

2. Why juice? The Spartan Diet calls for drinking only water, and not drinking juice. The healthiest and best and most Spartan way to consume pomegranates (as well as grapes, cherries, blueberries and cranberries) is to eat them whole and raw. Organic is best. What’s funny is that the researchers arbitrarily focused on juice — a product made from the fruit rather than the fruit itself — then warned people not to drink too much juice because of its concentrated amounts of sugar and high calories. And they don’t warn againt “dead foods” (fruit or juice in cans or bottles) or praise “live” foods, such as fresh fruits. Spartans: Ignore the juice bit and just eat pomegranates as one of the many whole raw fruits you eat every day — no warnings necessary.

3. They focus on the anti-oxidant part of the fruit, and ignore the many other qualities, including vitamins, fiber and the rest. Again, it’s not a drug. It’s a food, which should be eaten for all its health benefits, not just the ones scientists have decided are the important ones.

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For more information visit: http://thespartandiet.blogspot.com

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25. th 2008 by admin.

OK Gals (and Guys),

We’ve had a whole bunch of emails asking us if we knew the best way, or ways to treat recurrent yeast infections.

Well, we’re not doctors, but we just completed some excellent research and it’s too long to post here on our blog, so we put it up on a seperate Web page on our site. It has videos, symptoms and  types of natural remedies that we believe in here at GoWomensHealth.info. We think it’s excellent information and you can check it out here Treat Recurrent Yeast Infections

If you’re suffering from this infection we think this will help. So, check it out.

Jamie @ The Team

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