UnSymmetrical

Want to do your body a world of good? It's as easy as expanding your grocery list.

Although some guys aren't opposed to smoking some weed, most wouldn't think of eating one. It's a shame, really, since a succulent weed named purslane is not only delicious but also among the world's healthiest foods.

Of course, there are many superfoods that never see the inside of a shopping cart. Some you've never heard of, and others you've simply forgotten about. That's why we've rounded up the best of the bunch. Make a place for them on your table and you'll instantly upgrade your health -- without a prescription.

Beets

These grungy-looking roots are naturally sweeter than any other vegetable, which means they pack tons of flavor under-neath their rugged exterior.

Why they're healthy: Think of beets as red spinach. Just like Popeye's powerfood, this crimson vegetable is one of the best sources of both folate and betaine. These two nutrients work together to lower your blood levels of homocysteine, an inflammatory compound that can damage your arteries and increase your risk of heart disease. Plus, the natural pigments -- called betacyanins -- that give beets their color have been proved to be potent cancer fighters in laboratory mice.

Continue reading "The 10 Best Foods You Aren't Eating" »

Posted by Vitamin Z at 10:17 AM | Permalink

Yale researchers have determined that men who eat half a cup of broccoli or cauliflower per week are half as likely to develop the deadly form of prostate cancer. This information comes from the 29,000 men participating in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial.

Hundreds of studies show that cruciferous vegetables have potent anti-cancer properties, especially relating to the male and female reproductive systems. The important protective components of these vegetables are called glucosinolates, substances that defend the vegetables from insects and animals that would otherwise readily eat them. As a person chews broccoli or cauliflower an enzyme within the vegetables activates the glucosinate called glucobassicin, producing the biologically active compound Indole-3-carbinol or I3C (also called indole-3-glucosinolate). I3C is broken down by stomach acid into various compounds, one of which is Diindolylmethane (DIM).

Both I3C and DIM are available as dietary supplements, wherein 1 capsule provides far more of the active components of cruciferous vegetables than a half cup serving. This is great news for people who don’t eat as much of these veggies as they should or those seeking to adopt a nutritional prostate support program.

Continue reading "Cruciferous Vegetables Cut Prostate Cancer Risk in Half" »

Posted by Vitamin Z at 07:17 PM | Permalink

Two-thirds of US adults and some 25 million children are obese or overweight, and the fatness of the land is harming Americans' health and threatening US competitiveness, a report published Monday showed.

"In the past year, obesity rates have continued to rise in 31 states. Eighty-five percent of Americans believe that obesity is an epidemic," the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) said in its fourth annual "F as in Fat" report.

The rate of adult obesity more than doubled in percentage terms in the past 25 years across the United States, growing from 15 percent in 1978-80 to 32 percent in 2003-04, the report said.

In the same period, childhood obesity increased more than three-fold.

Poor nutrition and physical inactivity were putting Americans at greater risk for developing diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and even some forms of cancer.

"Today's children are likely to be the first generation to live shorter, less healthy lives than their parents. Approximately 25 million children are already obese or overweight," the report said.

Continue reading "Epidemic Obesity Hurting US Health and Economy" »

Posted by Vitamin Z at 12:32 PM | Permalink

A groundbreaking Minnesota law is shining a rare light into the big money that drug companies spend on members of state advisory panels who help select which drugs are used in Medicaid programs for the poor and disabled.

Those panels, most comprised of physicians, hold great sway over the $28 billion spent on drugs each year for Medicaid patients nationwide. But aside from Minnesota, only Vermont and Maine require drug companies to report payments to doctors for lectures, consulting, research and other services.

An Associated Press review of records in Minnesota found that a doctor and a pharmacist on the eight-member state panel simultaneously got big checks _ more than $350,000 to one _ from pharmaceutical companies for speaking about their products.

The two members said the money did not influence their work on the panel, and the lack of recorded votes in meeting minutes makes it difficult to track any link between the payments and policy.

Continue reading "Minn. Law Sheds Light on Drug Companies" »

Posted by Vitamin Z at 12:12 PM | Permalink

Groups campaigning about the dangers of the artificial sweetener aspartame are disappointed that the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) is shooting the messenger rather than listening to the message.

The Soil & Health Association and the Safe Food Campaign have been hosting international aspartame expert Betty Martini at media and public meetings in New Zealand. Betty Martini has been researching the artificial sweetener for over 15 years and has the authoritative 1000 page medical text Aspartame: An Ignored Epidemic by Dr HJ Roberts dedicated to her.

"The NZFSA say they want to scrutinise evidence-based research on this controversial sweetener, yet they refused to meet Betty Martini who has every bit of evidence they publicly ask for, and who had already supplied relevant references to the authority, ahead of her New Zealand visit," said Soil & Health spokesperson, Steffan Browning. "It seems NZFSA would rather dodge an inconvenient truth by attempting to discredit the expert."

"Aspartame has never been proven safe," stated Alison White of the Safe Food Campaign. "On the contrary, very reputable scientists and doctors have testified their grave concerns about the range of adverse health effects this dangerous and addictive neurotoxin is associated with. The corruption and scandal associated with the registration of aspartame in the US and UK is a matter of public record. It remains on the market today because of addiction, profit and greed."

Continue reading "Aspartame: an Inconvenient Truth" »

Posted by Vitamin Z at 05:52 AM | Permalink

Based on my work experiences over the past several years, I'm convinced that osteoporosis is one of the most misunderstood health conditions that we know of. The purpose of this article is to help you identify the essential choices that you must make on a regular basis to minimize your risk of developing osteoporosis. Put another way, this article is intended to help you understand what it takes to build and maintain healthy bones.

Understanding how to prevent osteoporosis requires that you have a clear understanding of the physical structure and functions of your bones.

Your bones are active organs that are filled with a number of different tissues, the main ones being bone tissue (hardened minerals), bone marrow, specialized tissues that line different sections of your bones (endosteum and periosteum), cartilage, blood vessels, and nerves.

Why are there so many different types of tissue in your bones? Because your bones need to carry out a number of functions, the most important ones being:

Continue reading "How to Prevent Osteoporosis" »

Posted by Vitamin Z at 12:18 PM | Permalink