The Whole Food Blog

Hundreds of studies have been conducted to determine just how and why green tea and various types of herbal tea seem to make such a difference in health and vitality.

Herbal tea is often used medicinally by those who prefer a more natural approach to health.   It is believed that an upset stomach can be calmed by a cup of strong peppermint tea and sleeplessness overcome with a dose of chamomile tea.  It is even thought that various herbal teas, green tea among them, have the ability to prevent cancer.  Just the act of brewing and drinking a cup of herbal tea can be calming, as the aromas delight the drinker and the warm liquid soothes the throat.

Green tea is probably the most well-known and studied herbal tea.  Sources ranging from The Journal of the National Cancer Institute to the Mayo Clinic have found exceptional benefits to green tea and its components.  Coupled with thousands of years of documented anecdotes, the health benefits of herbal tea are compelling. In addition to potentially preventing cancer, green tea has also been credited with lowering the risk for heart disease, lessening symptoms of arthritis, preventing tooth decay, promoting natural weight loss and even eliminating bad breath.

Green tea is made from the Camellia sinensis bush, but an herbal tea can include other botanical elements, including leaves, roots, stems, and even the flowers of various plants.  It is possible to make “tea” that doesn’t use Camellia sinensis at all, although this would more accurately be referred to as an “herbal infusion” or “tisane” rather than an herbal tea.

To better appreciate natural antioxidants, it is helpful to understand a bit more about how human digestion works.  As compounds are broken down in the body, they are transformed into energy and various substances.  Some of these substances do damage, and that’s where natural antioxidants can be beneficial.

Oxygen is the key in the process of breaking down food, which is why the resulting molecules are considered to be “oxidized.”  Through various processes, the oxygen in a molecule loses electrons.  This results in a positively charged molecule that steals electrons from other molecules in order to try and rebalance its own neutral state.  Some of these molecules or partial molecules go on to cause significant damage if they’re not neutralized.  That is where natural antioxidants come into play.

The positively charged molecules created during the oxidation process are called “free radicals,” and as they seek out electrons, they damage cells within the body.  These cells then die or become poisoned.  Antioxidants are able to neutralize these free radicals before they are able to set off chain reactions that damage and kill cells.  Some natural antioxidants also have the job of repairing this type of damage once it has already been done.

The body helps to regulate some of this by creating its own antioxidants, such as catalase and glutathione perixidas.  We are also able to introduce additional antioxidants through the diet.  Unfortunately, modern diets generally offer a very low level of antioxidants. The best sources for the most potent natural antioxidants are whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

When it comes to pregnancy nutrition, mothers-to-be should consider supplementing with whole food vitamins.  These types of vitamins are extracted from natural sources rather than chemically engineered, and the result is better pregnancy nutrition before conception, during fetal development and after childbirth.

By eating a balanced diet, expectant mothers are able to extract the necessary daily requirements of vitamins, minerals, fats, and energy sources needed to keep their bodies running the way they were intended to work.  The unfortunate truth is that many women don’t eat a properly balanced diet any more, which accentuates the need for specialized pregnancy nutrition.  Adding supplements such as whole food vitamins allows expectant mothers to regain some of those essential compounds that may be missing from the processed foods most people eat every day.

Whole food vitamins utilize sources found in nature, rather than synthesized compounds.  The advantage, whether as a part of pregnancy nutrition or not, is that they are more easily absorbed and utilized by the body.  The best places to find health-sustaining whole food nutrients is through a diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, but few people actually get enough of these foods in their day-to-day regimens.

Naturally occurring whole food vitamins come from fruits, vegetables, and food grade herbs.  Because the body recognize these compounds—as opposed to synthetic or isolated vitamins—it knows how to put them to use.  In the case of vitamins that have been isolated from their whole food sources or even created in the lab, as much as 90% of them pass directly through the body with no actual benefit.

Making whole food vitamins a part of an overall pregnancy nutrition regimen helps ensure that the nutrients are actually being absorbed and used for the health of both the baby and the mother.

Related Articles:

Perfect Pregnancy Nutrition Begins With All Natural Whole Foods

Healthy Pregnancy Nutrition Requires Nutrition Facts About Whole Foods

All Natural Foods and Natural Weight Loss – 5 Simple Tips for A Perfectly Balanced Diet

Once again, the recall of a popular weight loss product reveals that foods and drinks made with cheap ingredients create more harm than good.

All Slim-Fast beverages have been recalled by the manufacturer due to possible contamination from unhealthy bacteria, Bacillus cereus.  A notice posted on the FDA website explains, “The recall involves all Slim-Fast RTD products in cans, regardless of flavor, Best-By date, lot code or UPC number.”

Here’s more on this topic with an excerpt from an article by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger and editor of NaturalNews.com

“The probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote,” says the FDA. But they mean from the bacteria. The possibility of serious adverse health consequences from the other ingredients in Slim-Fast is a whole different matter.

By the way, if you do own some Slim-Fast (and please tell me you don’t), and if there is some Bacillus cereus swimming around in those cans, you might find it interesting to note the bacteria is the only thing alive in Slim-Fast!  That’s because Slim-Fast is a dead food. Every one of its ingredients has been pasteurized, processed, refined, cooked or otherwise destroyed of any living properties, making Slim-Fast just like all the other processed dead foods sold in grocery stores — dead and devoid of any real phytonutrients, but loaded with cheap, dead ingredients like milk and sugar.

Read the rest of the article…

So, as this reveals, you can shop for health food products that save money, but when cheap ingredients are used, your health suffers.  Is it really worth saving a couple bucks to buy products that, at best don’t work, and at worst, make you sick? Better ingredients equal greater benefits for your health and fitness.

Live enzymes in vegetarian foods can provide great energy for the body.  Enzymes are needed to digest food, but many of the things humans ingest don’t contain any of their own.  This means that the body has to work even harder to break these foods down into usable components.  Those who consume mostly raw fruits, vegetables, herbs and juices are using the power of live enzymes to create plenty of benefits for themselves.

Because the live enzymes in some vegetarian foods work synergistically with the body’s digestive system, less energy is used to break the foods down.  The body doesn’t have to work as long or as hard to do the same job.  This means that more energy is created with less food and fewer calories.

Of course, live enzymes aren’t the only benefits from consuming more vegetarian foods.  As mentioned, these foods generally offer more vitamins and minerals than their counterparts.  They also provide an excellent, natural source of dietary fiber.  Fiber is generally made up of plant material that the body cannot digest.  While it seems counter intuitive to eat something indigestible, it actually serves a couple vital purposes.

Fiber slows down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, which allows for more balanced blood sugar levels between meals.  In addition, the fiber provided by so many vegetarian foods also helps to keep the digestive tract free of unwanted toxins and debris.

It’s no secret that vegetarian foods offer a number of health benefits, and live enzymes play an important role.