Eating nuts along with a healthy diet may reduce the risks of heart disease by lowering lipid levels or the bad fats in the blood like triglycerides and cholesterol.  High levels of these two lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) significantly increases your risks of heart disease, so eating nuts to help keep them in check can be very helpful.

An Evaluation of past studies showed that eating 2.4 oz of nuts per day can lower your total cholesterol by 5% and bad LDL cholesterol by 7%, triglyceride levels decrease by 10%.  A whole food, eating nuts including walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and hazelnuts, you can expect positive affects on blood lipid levels  and lower heart disease risks.

Believed to enhance longevity, build strength and virility, but these health claim have not been confirmed by research.  Goji berries are full of antioxidants, carotenoids, vitamin B1, B2, B6 and vitamin E, 11 amino acids, 22 minerals and polysaccharides making this sexy little berry a superfruit.  They taste like a mix of cranberries and cherries. 

When naturally dried, they may be the new raisin, ¼ cup for a single serving can me tossed into rice or stuffing rather than cranberries, in trail mix, added to oatmeal or other cereal, added to a smoothie, puréed into carrot soup, added to a fruit pie or on top of a salad, let your imagination go wild.  We offer Goji juice, goji supplements and nut & berry crunch snacks with Goji berries.

The liver is the largest internal organ and often under appreciated.  The liver has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion,  glycogen storage, decomposition of red blood cells, plasma protein synthesis, hormone production, and metabolism, making it one of the most important organs to keep healthy and it is often neglected.  I have moved to completely natural pain alternatives like Curamin that does not process negatively on the liver.  Many over the counter pain remedies are very harmful to the liver.  I became aware of the potential risks about a year ago when my liver enzemes tested a little high and my doctor was concerned about why. 

Most of us are aware that Alcohol is dangerous for your liver, but insulin resistance can lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and severe cases can cause scaring and perminate damage and can progess into cirrhosis and liver failure, all serious concerns.  This made perfect sense for me as I love sugar and have been informed more than once that unless I change my sugar intake I will develop diabetes in the future. 

Now a study shows that 800 IU of Vitamin E supplements may reduce inflammation and fatty deposits in people with nonalcoholic steahepatitis.  To help with insulin resistance, try chromium picolionate and or cinnamon, both of which help insulin process glucose better and have helped me control the amount of sugar and carbs I eat.  So try eating a low-glycemic index diet, regular exercise, healthy weight loss, eat vitamin E rich foods especially seeds and nuts and consider adding a vitamin E supplement.

Yesterdays show discussed supplement safety particularly diet supplements and I wanted to give my option.  I agree that we all need to be concerned about what we put in our bodies from food to supplements.  We always advocate the importance to making sure your supplements are good quality, produced with quality ingredients and by reputable manufactures.  There are many big box companies where you can purchase less expensive supplements and vitamins but I am concerned about how much those large general merchants really know about what they sell and the manufactures that produce them.

We only carry products from manufactures who comply with FDA regulations.  All of our products have all labeling in English and manufactures information is listed on labeling and they manufactures have real phone numbers, customer services agents and usually a nutritional specials on staff to answer questions.  Sometimes customers don’t understand why a particular product may be out of stock for a period of time and that is often because the product is undergoing regular testing to verify content and accurate labeling.  It can be frustrating when you need something but it for everyone’s safety.  I am happy that our manufactures stand behind their product and do regular testing.

Research indicates that persons eating plenty of fish and poultry, tomatoes, cruciferous vegetables, dark green and leafy vegetables, and fruits and limited high-fat dairy, red meat and organ meat had a 38% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s.  This research is consistent with research on Mediterranean diets and Alzheimer’s.

So the bottom line is, try filling your plate with brain boosting foods that can also reduce risks of heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and dementia.

• Go Fish is not just a game, eat more fish especially wild-caught seasonal fish once or twice a week.
• Got more chicken, poultry is a healthy way to get protein and it tastes great, why else would everything else be compared to it as, “it tastes like chicken”
• Go Green with your food, leafy green veggies 5 times a week minimum.  With salads, use olive oil or vinaigrette dressing and maybe skip the high fat add on like cheese and croutons.
• Drop your red meat intake to 3 oz portions only a few times per week and organ meats to only special occasions.
• Go with low fat dairy, but high fat dairy like butter and cream to 3 times per week or less.
• Each fresh tomatoes or low or reduced sodium tomato products a few times per week.

Calcium to fortify bones, help prevent osteoporosis and maintain bone mass, nothing new there.  What you probably don’t know are the effects of calcium on blood pressure, cholesterol, reduced risk of colon cancer and helps weight management.   Calcium is often overlooked and it is as important as your daily multivitamin.  Calcium with magnesium is one of the 4 things that cardiovascular surgeon Doctor Oz said you must start taking this year.

It is essential that you get enough and as I have said for years, I drink tons of milk, but I have started taking calcium magnesium supplements to be sure.  I would hate to find out that I was not getting enough calcium with all the benefits getting sufficient levels does for me.   1000mg per day for those under 50 and 1200 mg for those over  the age of 50 in a 3 to 2 ratio of magnesium.   (1000mg calcium about 600 to 700 mg of magnesium, 1200mg calcium with 800mg magnesium) .

There are different forms of calcium which are listed below for your reference from Healthnotes article "Boning Up on Calcium" dated May 27th, 2010, regardless of which form you take, it appears that the amount is more important than the form, so make sure you are getting enough calcium.

• Calcium citrate malate (CCM): This form is well absorbed by the body and may be more effective in keeping bones strong than some other forms.
• Calcium citrate: Not to be confused with CCM, this is the calcium salt of citric acid.
• Calcium carbonate: This form absorbs as well as the calcium in milk, it’s inexpensive, and also requires the fewest number of tablets to reach an appropriate level, which makes it a popular choice for many people. Calcium carbonate is the main ingredient of coral calcium supplements and also antacids, such as Tums®, which is why some people rely on those as a calcium supplement.
• Calcium amino acid chelates: These have not been well studied, though they appears to be well-absorbed by the body.
• Microcrystalline hydroxyapatite: This bonemeal variation has been shown to build bone mass in people with certain conditions.

There is always a lot of talk about causes of cancer including the many chemicals we exposed.  There are many studies which have lead to conflict among experts and confusion for the rest of us.  Of the over 80,000 chemicals used in the US, only a few hundred have been tested for safety.   When they are tested, they are test individually overlooking the effects of combined chemicals and what the health damages are.  We are usually exposed to more than one chemical at a time, so obviously there is a long way to go.   Chemicals are assumed safe unless strong evidence come up to show otherwise meaning that chemicals with unknown effects are not considered unsafe by regulatory agencies.

So what should you do, try to limit your exposure to harsh chemicals and go for more natural solutions especially in cleaning products, the natural option may be a little more but what is the price of your future health?  We offer both Mrs. Meyers Clean day and Dr. Bonners both of which are great natural options.  Also, try to eat organic fruits and veggies, make sure of local farmers market, the closer you can get food from the farm the better.  Filter your tap water and store drinking water in stainless steel or bisphenol-A (BPA)-free containers, only microwave foods in ceramic or glass not plastic.

Life changes but our core nutritional needs remain the same over time, such as protein, fiber, essential vitamins and minerals like vitamin D, calcium and zinc.  To ensure you get enough, you may need to concider taking supplements to fill in the gaps in your diet.  A good quality daily multivitamin provides a family of vitamins and minerals including a Vitamin B complex including Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12.  To B or not to B, who would have guessed there are so many vitamin Bs to be worried about.  Your multivitamin should also have between 200mg to 1,000mg of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E and zinc.

To avoid osteoporosis later in life, women need an increased amount of calcium to preserve bone mass.  For women under 50, 1000mg per day is recommended, after 50 you need to increase that to 1200 mg per day.  Your calcium should be taken with magnesium at a 3 to 2 ratio, so 1200mg of calcium should be with 800 mg of magnesium.  A minimum of 400mg of vitamin D per day is also recommended, although I would suggest around 2500 to 5000 mg, but you should discuss actual levels with your doctor.

Now we can’t forget the Omazing Omega 3 fatty acids which may protect against heart disease, depression, osteoporosis as well as a wide range of other conditions.  It is good for your joints and your skin, between 1000 and 4000 mg per day is recommended.  Try our Omega 3 fusion which is 3500 mg of Omega with both DHA and EPA and being a liquid it is absorbed better in the body.  The great lemon taste will surprise you, my teenage sons say it tastes like skittles, so taste the rainbow.

Easy ways to live longer, stay active, eat fruits & veggies, DON’T SMOKE and no or moderate alcohol consumption.  Nothing new, but always a good reminder. A new study looked the correlation of these 4 things to longevity and the higher the number of the 4 health behaviors that are poor the higher effective age compared to actual age.  Those who had all 4 poor health behaviors were effectively 12 years older than their actual age, not to mention future quality of life.

As a mother of 3, business owner, wife and community volunteer, I know how the demands of life can get in the way of meeting healthy diet and exercise goals, so there are some tips that may help all of us;

• Coloring in the line by getting your fruits and veggies in an array of colors or as said in the health industry, eat the rainbow.  Try to get fruits and veggies from each color of the rainbow and you will be getting your fruits and veggies fill for the day.
• Give yourself a break and break up your exercise routine with shorter groups of exercise like 3 small ten minute walks rather than 30 minutes all together.  I get 2 of my 3 walks just walking to and from my store and the train and walking around the store probably makes up the 3rd, so that was easy.  So look at your life to see where you may be able to replace a small car ride with walking or maybe biking.
• Smoke out your smoking and quit now.  Risks of many serious diseases are lowered by stopping smoking and it is never too late, you can always lower your risks by quitting.
• Celebrate life with a smoothie, some use the antioxidant properties of some alcohol as a reason for moderate drinking but as little as only one drink daily can increase risks of some cancers.  Any amount of positive antioxidants that can be obtained from alcohol can be much outweighed by consuming fruits and veggies high in antioxidants or with an antioxidant supplement or resveratrol.

I went to visit my doctor today for a regular annual check up.  When it came time to  discussing what medications or supplements I am taking, I started listing the supplements I take on a regular basis.  I take a multivitamin, Vitamin D3, Super Omega 3 Fish Oil, Vitamin B complex, Vitamin C, Ubiquinol (oxidized version of CoQ10), Calcium & Magnesium, Chromium Picolinate and cinnamon to help we with my carb and sugar cravings.  At the time I was taking bromelain to help with a UTI as recommended by Doctor Oz until I got to the doctor for a prescription.

I was surprised by the response from my doctor, she did not know what bromelain was but it is a little obscure, so I would understand, but when she did not know what Ubiquinol was a little disappointed.  Now understand, she is not a heart specialist, so the benefits of Ubiquinol for the heart is not her field. 

My conclusion from all my experience dealing with doctors is this, first, doctors are either general practitioners or specialist.  General practitioners have a general knowledge of health but not in deep detail in a specific area.  Specialist have in depth knowledge in their field but only that field, so do not ask a gynecologist details about your heart health, the fields are different.  The same can be said about nutrition and natural preventative health.  Most doctors are not knowledgeable about nutrition, that is a nutritionist. 

Second, you need to take your health into your own hands.  I have had to in the past really push my doctor in order to get the health care I needed for a particular situation.  Education yourself and know what you want to accomplish and how you want to deal with your health care.  If you want to go with more natural products, make sure you have a doctor who is open to natural alternatives to prescription medication when applicable.  Stand up for yourself and your health, when it is all said and done, it is your body.  Your doctor is there to help you achieve your goals.

The best advocate for your health is you, so education yourself.  You have a world of information available to you, but make sure the sources are credible.  All our information is taken from our Healthnotes service - a health information service featuring information from leading industry expects or the manufactures of the products we offer who have followed FDA regulations concerning their products and ingredients.