THE BENEFITS OF SULFUR

Sulfur is a mineral that is present in all cells, especially in cartilage and keratin of skin and hair. Food contain sulfur, and the need for this mineral is met when there is an adequate protein in our diet.

Sulfur is important for a healthy hair, skin and nails, it also helps maintain oxygen balance for proper brain function.

Other Function in the Body :

• Purify and tone system and promote bile secretion.
• Constituent of essential amino-acids.
• It is a mild laxative, thus preventing constipation.
• Helps treat rheumatism, gout and bronchitis.
• Use in the treatment of skin diseases.

Symptoms of Deficiency - Sluggishness and Fatigue.

Daily Requirements - 850 mg. / day

Food Sources :

• Garlic, onions, cabbage, cauliflower, legumes, asparagus, dried beans, nuts, chives, fish, eggs.

LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT GARLIC

Today, many countries often rely on garlic in the treatment of tuberculosis, bronchial disorders, lupus, pulmonary gangrene, and inflammation of the trachea. Garlic is widely known as "Russian penicillin",because Russian physicians have long used it for respiratory disorders, giving children with whooping cough garlic ingredients via inhalation. Russians have also used garlic preparations for flu, sore throats, and mouth sores.

Garlic is probably the most widely recognized medicinal herb. Much has been written on the healing effects of garlic and new studies are continually being published throughout the world. Garlic is one of the most researched plant medicines.

Daily use of garlic in the diet has been shown to have beneficial effects on the body, especially the blood system and the heart. Scientific data reveals that garlic reduces glucose metabolism in diabetics, slows the development of arteriosclerosis and lowers the risk of heart attacks. Without a doubt, garlic provides the body with protection against cardiovascular disease.

The Nutrition Committee of the American Heart Association publicly acknowledged garlic's potential in helping to reduce the risk of heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases.

Garlic may also help the body to protect itself from heavy-metal accumulation, which can result from eating fish that may be high in mercury, or whenever you are exposed to smog and heavy air pollution.

Aged garlic extract provides the nutritional composition and therapeutic effectiveness of garlic without producing the offensive smell and irritability to the stomach.

THERAPEUTIC USES

Garlic and its preparations, such as aged garlic extract, have been widely recognized as agents for prevention and treatment of:

• cardiovascular and other metabolic diseases
• atherosclerosis - hardening and/or thickening of the arteries, a process in which deposits of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium and other substances that build up in the inner lining of an artery
• hyperlipidemia - an elevation of lipids (fats) in the bloodstream
• thrombosis - formation of a blood clot within a deep vein
• hypertension - condition in which blood pressure is persistently elevated
• microbial infections
• asthma
• diabetes

Additionally, research data have suggested that garlic decreases fatigue and improves memory.

Research indicates that garlic:

• Increases blood levels of antioxidant enzymes
• Acts as an effective antioxidant against the oxidative damage caused by nicotine
• Protects vascular cells from oxidant injury, protects blood vessels
• Prevents LDL cholesterol oxidation
• Lowers undesirable LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Increases desirable HDL-cholesterol levels
• Minimizes or prevents elevations in blood lipids in humans after consumption of a high-fat / cholesterol meal
• Prevents and possibly has a curative role in arteriosclerosis therapy (plaque regression)
• Inhibits lipid peroxidation in the liver, retarding the aging process in liver cells
• Maintains health function of the liver
• Inhibits Candida albicans in animal studies and Cryptococcal meningitis in human trials

The take away message from all this is: eat your garlic, onions, broccoli etc.!

APPLES

The disease-fighting profile of apples provides a multitude of health benefits, including a potential decreased risk of cancer and heart disease. Several recent studies suggest apples provide health benefits such as lower blood cholesterol, improved bowel function, reduced risk of stroke, prostate cancer, type 2 diabetes and asthma.

A 2001 Mayo Clinic study indicated that quercetin, a flavonoid abundant in apples, helps prevent the growth of prostate cancer cells. A Cornell University indicated phytochemicals in the skin of an apple inhibited the reproduction of colon cancer cells by 43 percent. The National Cancer Institute has reported that foods containing Flavonoids like those found in apples may reduce the risk of lung cancer by as much as 50 percent.

Two recent British studies indicated that eating apples can improve lung health. A Finish study published in 1996 showed that people who eat a diet rich in Flavonoids have a lower incidence of heart disease. Other studies indicate that Flavonoids may help prevent strokes.

Apples are a delicious source of dietary fiber, and dietary fiber helps aid digestion and promotes weight loss.

So the nursery rhyme says, “An Apple A Day Keeps the Doctor Away” and has been proved to be more fact than fiction. So, eat lots of apples!

ELECTROLYTES

The human body is an “electrical machine.” All vital bodily functions happen as a result of electrical signals being sent between the various parts of your body and your brain. In order for your body to operate at peak performance, these electrical signals must be conducted in an efficient manner – this is where electrolytes come in. Electrolytes are substances that will conduct electricity when dissolved in water – the most common electrolyte in your body is salt.

Your body is 70% water, about two-thirds of the water resides inside your cells, (intracellular fluid) and about one-third resides outside of your cells, (extra cellular fluid). Your body works constantly to make sure that the intracellular fluid and extra cellular fluid have the same amount of electrolyte concentration-this is a very important component of homeostasis or your body’s inner balance.

The mechanisms that monitor and adjust the balance of electrolytes respond only to changes in extra cellular fluid such as blood. When someone is ill or injured and taken to the hospital, one of the first and most common procedures is to hang an I.V. which simple means injecting salt water directly into the blood stream. Doing so helps the body to operate better because electrical signals moving between the brain and the body can be better conducted.

In addition, when salt is added to the extra cellular fluid it causes water to move between the intracellular and extra cellular areas allowing the body to become properly hydrated. This is why athletes take salt pills or drink sports drinks during workouts.

You can make your own electrolyte drink by putting about 1/8 teaspoon of celtic sea salt in a 12 ounces of water. Drink one of these per day, along with making sure you get plenty of clear water. Take your weight and divide by two and drink that many ounces of clear water per day.

DIETING DON'T WORK

Dieting don't work because if it did there would be a lot of skinny people walking around instead of the 66% who are overweight! One is considered to be overweight if they weigh 10 pounds more than they should or have a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 27. One is considered to be obese if they weight 30 pounds more than they should or have a BMI of 30 or more.

Most diets will help you lose weight initially, but very, very few of them will help you keep it off without lifestyle changes. So what can you do? Glad you asked! Eat predominately a plant based diet - vegetables and fruits. Take your weight and divide by two and drink that many ounces of water per day. Don't eat within four hours of going to bed - if you do everything you eat goes to fat! Get your fat off the couch and start moving! Walk, joy, swim, bike etc. to get the heart pumping; do resistance training with weights. Start small and work your way upward.

By doing these type of things you can lose the weight you need to lose and keep it off without counting calories, fat grams or carbs. If you feed the body what it needs and give it the exercise that it should get, it will stay healthy, strong and useful for a lifetime.

ALMONDS

Almonds are a wonderful whole food and science has recently discovered the benefits of eating them in their whole form. Recent research reveals that the flavonoids in almond skin work synergistically with the vitamin E found in them. This synergistic combination creates more than 200% the antioxidant power of the almonds and almonds skins when separated.

“We have identified a unique combination of flavonoids in almonds,” said Jeffrey Blumbery, Ph.D. senior scientist and director of the Antioxidant Research Laboratory at Tufts University. “Further blood tests demonstrated that eating almonds with their skins significantly increases both flavonoids and vitamin E in the body. This could have significant health implications, especially as people age.”

Blumberg’s team tested the effects of almond skin’s flavonoids alone and then in combination with the vitamin E found in almonds. The tests were done on blood samples containing LDL cholesterol. While almond skins flavonoids alone enhanced LDL’s resistance to oxidation by 18%, when the almond’s vitamin E was added, LDL’s resistance to oxidation was extended by 52.5%! “The synergy between the flavonoids and vitamin E in almonds demonstrates how the nutrients in whole foods such as almonds can affect health,” says Dr. Blumberg.

Once again, the scientists and researchers have found that the nutrients in whole foods have more to offer when consumed in their original, whole form.

In addition to the above, almonds are a great source for calcium, even better than cow’s milk and other dairy products!

FRUITS & VEGETABLES

“Eat your fruits and vegetables” is one of the tried and true recommendations for a healthy diet, and for good reason. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can help you ward off heart disease and stroke, control blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent some types of cancer, avoid a painful intestinal ailment called diverticulitis, and guard against cataract and macular degeneration, two common causes of vision loss.

What does “plenty” mean? More than most Americans consume. The latest dietary guidelines call for five to thirteen servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

The largest and longest study to date, done as part of the Harvard-based Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, included almost 110,000 men and women whose health and dietary habits were followed for 14 years. This study found that the higher the average daily intake of fruits and vegetables, the lower the chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

Increasing fruit and vegetable intake by as little as one serving per day can have a real impact on health disease risk. According to these two studies, for every extra serving of fruits and vegetables that participants added to their diets per day, their risk of heart disease dropped by 4 percent!

Eat more vegetables and fruits! Stay healthy! And enjoy life to the full!