I guess you could say I am passionate about food, really more about the nutritional impact. The foods we eat make us healthy or not. So, please indulge yourself with lots of colorful foods from nature every day.
The colors of natural foods actually play an important role in our health. Each color offers unique ingredients that can give healing and support to our bodies. So, lets take a look at these colors and see what they do.
When you see these colors, I want you to think; anti-aging, a reduced risk of heart and cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, cancers, arthritis, high blood pressure, dementia, they reduce inflammation and provide a big boost to your immune system etc…. and the list of health benefits just keeps going.
YELLOW/ORANGE foods contain beta carotene and lutein are rich in Vitamin C and folate.
These foods help protect the brain, lower the risk of some cancers, support heart health and vision health, and support a healthy immune system. The orange in sweet potatoes, pumpkins, carrots and butternut squash can be converted to Vitamin A in our bodies. However, citrus fruits do not contain much beta carotene but they are rich in Vitamin C and folate.
These foods also maintain healthy mucus levels in the body, keep our skin healthy, help keep blood vessels flexible, improve our vision and aid in healthy bone health.
Beta carotene may also help reduce cholesterol levels in some people according to a scientific study.
Some food sources are:
Yellow apples
Apricots
Butternut squash
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Grapefruit
Lemons
Mangoes
Nectarines
Oranges
Papayas
Peaches
Pears
Yellow peppers
Persimmons
Pineapple
Pumpkin
Rutabagas
Yellow summer or winter squash
Sweet corn
Sweet potatoes
Tangerines
Yellow tomatoes
Yellow watermelon
Red/Pink Foods contain the antioxidant lycopene
Cherries
RED foods contain lycopene which is also a anthocyanin. The red and pink foods help protect the brain, lower the risk of some cancers, support heart health, urinary tract health, and prostate health. The lycopene in tomatoes are better absorbed when cooked and eaten with a little fat than when eaten raw.
The lycopene in tomatoes, watermelon and pink grape fruit may help reduce the risk of many cancers but particularly, prostate cancer. The antioxidants in strawberries, grapes and other foods help prevent cellular damage reducing the risk for other adverse health conditions.
Some food sources are:
Red apples
Beets
Red cabbage
Cherries
Cranberries
Pink grapefruit
Red grapes
Red peppers
Pomegranates
Red potatoes
Radishes
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Make it a habit to eat from natures rainbow everyday. It will do your body good!
The contents of this blog is not and should not be considered medical advice. This blog is for informational purposes only. Always consult with your doctor before making any dietary or lifestyle changes. Never quit taking prescription medications unless advised to do so by your doctor.
Have you ever wondered why foods are different colors? I think most of us have at some point.
The colors of natural foods actually play an important role in our health. Each color offers unique ingredients that can give healing and support to our bodies. So, lets take a look at these colors and see what they do.
When you see these colors, I want you to think; anti-aging, a reduced risk of heart and cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, cancers, arthritis, high blood pressure, dementia, they reduce inflammation and provide a big boost to your immune system etc…. and the list of health benefits just keeps going.
The Benefits of the Five Colors of the Vegetative World
The five color categories are blue/purple, green, white, yellow/orange, and red. These colors identify unique antioxidants and chemicals that have powerful health promoting properties. Each color makes a unique contribution to our health and provides a lower risk of developing chronic diseases. Many vegetables come in multiple colors such as carrots, cauliflower, Swiss chard and asparagus. This means multiple benefits!
Blueberries
BLUE/PURPLEfoods contain anthocyanin’s.
These foods are rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins. They are anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and lower the risk of some cancers. They also promote urinary tract health, help with memory function, and support healthy aging. Studies show eating blueberries may help slow or prevent dementia.
Some food sources:
Blackberries
Blueberries
Eggplant
Figs
Juneberries
Plums
Prunes
Purple grapes
Raisins
GREEN foods contain chlorophyll, lutein, zeaxanthin and sulforaphanes.
Rainbow Chard
These foods improve immune function, lower the risk of some cancers, protect against aging, promote vision health, and support strong bones and healthy teeth. Some members of the green group, including spinach and other dark leafy greens, green peppers, peas, cucumber and celery, contain lutein. Lutein works with another antioxidant, zeaxanthin to keep eyes healthy. As you can see nutrients from natural foods work together to build healthy bodies!
Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables contain “indoles” which may help protect against some types of cancer.
Some of the foods sources are
Green apples
Artichokes
Asparagus
Avocados
Green beans
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Green cabbage
Cucumbers
Green grapes
Honeydew melon
Kiwi
Lettuce
Limes
Green onions
Peas
Green pepper
Spinach
Zucchini
WHITE foods contain anthoxanthins and allicin.
Jicama
White foods contain the antioxidant anthoxanthins. Onions, garlic and shallots also may contain health-promoting compounds such as allicin, which may help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and may help reduce risk of stomach cancer and heart disease. Bananas and potatoes, are also rich sources of the mineral potassium. Potassium is an electrolyte that is critical for nerve and heart health.
Some food sources are:
Bananas
Cauliflower
Garlic
Ginger
Jicama
Mushrooms
Onions
Shallots
Parsnips
Potatoes
Turnips
Make it a habit to eat from natures rainbow everyday. It will do your body good!
The contents of this blog is not and should not be considered medical advice. This blog is for informational purposes only. Always consult with your doctor before making any dietary or lifestyle changes. Never quit taking prescription medications unless advised to do so by your doctor.
At WebND / Renewal and Wellness, the focus is on promoting health and wellness while preventing illness and disease naturally. They achieve this through dietary and lifestyle consulting as well as dietary and lifestyle seminars and classes. They take your nutrition very seriously. That’s why they formulate their own nutritional products and provide the highest quality, affordable nutritional products that really make a difference. Additionally, they tailor your diet and supplementation to your specific needs. They are also the largest Protocel distributor. Both Protocel 23 and Protocel 50 along with Biosuperfood are available from WebND and Renewal and Wellness. Having a knowledgeable and friendly team means going the extra mile to insure your needs are meet. Visit them online at www.webnd.com or www.renewalandwellness.com For phone orders call 864-962-8880 or 888-581-4442.
I love this time of year. It rings of comforting nostalgia, the crisp air, apple cider and cinnamon, can you smell it? I can close my eyes and think back to being 8 years old in moms kitchen and the aroma of pumpkin pie and sweet potato soufflé make me smile, it just makes me feel good regardless what kind of life I am having. I also think the act of kindness and charity at this time of year seems to give a greater meaning to life. It’s not all about me, it’s about us. There is much to be grateful for.
For many of us, the Thanksgiving week-end is a detour to our bodies normally dietary intake. We end up eating a lot of foods that pollute our bodies. Regardless how hard you try you must give in a little to those sumptuous tasting yet not very healthy foods, it’s Thanksgiving after all. After three or four days of eating a few of the normally avoided foods my body is rebelling and I feel bloated and heavy and I can’t wait to get back to a clean body. Frankly, by the time Sunday arrives I have had enough and my body is in shock from all the calories, simple carbohydrates and excessive protein. For those of you that eat fairly healthy and would like to get your body back to normal as quick as possible try this short and simple approach. If you don’t eat healthy this would be a good way to start.
This is not intended to be a total body cleanse. If you have been eating a poor diet for a long time you will need to do a different and more intense cleanse, however that type of cleanse should only be done under the supervision of a qualified health professional.
The question is, how do we get our bodies back to normal as quick as possible after the holiday? It’s fairly simple. We need to aid our body in cleansing out the junk through a light diet and exercise. The diet will help in the cleanse and exercise will get our lymphatic system moving the junk out. The lymphatic system is part of our cellular waste and toxic material removal system. It relies totally of the movement of our muscles to pump our lymphatic fluid throughout our body. Unlike our circulatory system that depends on our heart, our skeletal muscles do the job for the lymphatic system. For example; when your arms and leg muscles contract, they squeeze the lymphatic fluid through the lymphatic system. The body is so amazing.
An infrared sauna can also help remove toxins through your sweat.
Suggested Dietary Changes for 3 days
Day 1 Healthy Liquids Only (cleansing lemonade, warm green tea)
Day 2 Healthy Liquids and select vegetables and fruits only
Day 3 Healthy Liquids, select vegetables, fruits and a few cooked vegetables.
Day 4 Slowly add other healthy whole grains, beans and nuts and seeds back to your diet.
Recipe; Cleaning Lemonade ( taste very good, you can drink this everyday if you wanted to)
110 ounces of purified water or spring water
1 to 1.5 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice ( I use the juice and pulp from 7 lemons )
6 ounces of apple cider vinegar
4 ounces of blackstrap molasses (this is optional) add to mix if exercising or you have diarrhea during the cleanse
Stevia and/or xylitol as sweetener, sweeten to your taste preference
Warm Green Tea
My Cleansing Routine
Day 1
On Monday I will start a liquid only diet for 24 hours. The contents for my day are; Renew the Anti Aging Formula , Biosuperfood (BSF) the cleansing lemonade and warm green tea. My diet will consist of 1.5 scoops of my Renew dark chocolate formula with 12 ounces of water 4 times that day, 2 capsules of BSF F3 every 4 hours for a total of 6, 40 ounces of cleansing lemonade, consumed throughout the day and 24 ounces of warm green tea. It does not matter when you drink the lemonade or green tea. The Renew is taken at breakfast, lunch, late afternoon and early evening.
Exercise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, work up a good sweat. If you can only walk for 5 minutes, walk for five minutes 2 or 3 times every day and slowly build up your time till you can walk comfortably for 30 minutes at a time.
Day 2
On Tuesday I will cut the Renew intake to 2 times that day, will continue the BSF and cleansing lemonade and will add raw vegetables and fruit to my diet. Continue to exercise and sweat.
Mid morning snack will be a small to medium apple.
Lunch, I will have a salad with spinach, romaine lettuce, orange bell pepper, carrots, zucchini squash, onion, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, and portobello or crimini mushrooms. Dressing will be balsamic vinegar and olive oil. You can add spices of your choice.
I eat a salad at least 5 days per week and some days I will have one at lunch and dinner! A salad is hard to beat for building health as long as you do not use unhealthy dressings. A dressing high in sugar content or those that contain high fructose corn syrup can neutralize some of the health benefits that a salad provides. Using too much salad dressing, even a healthy one can sabotage the benefits from lower calories a salad naturally offers.
Mid afternoon I will have another Renew drink.
Dinner, I will have another salad.
Mid evening snack, mixed fresh fruit
Day 3
The Renew is consumed twice per day on going, the BSF intake remains the same. I will continue drinking the cleansing lemonade ongoing, I like it.
I will add back a little cooked food to my diet. Cooked food is optional. There are many days I do not eat any cooked food. The schedule is the same as day 2 except for dinner. You can switch lunch and dinner at any time. Many people say it is best to eat your heaviest meals at mid day. I grew up eating my largest meal at dinner and most of the time I have continued that tradition. It is best not to eat at least 2 hours before bed time.
Dinner; steam 1 large head of broccoli, 1 cup asparagus spears, then saute in olive oil 3/4 cup onions, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 cup of diced mushrooms, 1 whole red yellow pepper, 1 whole tomato (optional) and 2 cups diced purple cabbage.
Evening snack; mixed fruit
Ongoing days
Slowly add your normal foods back to your diet, hopefully healthy foods! Continue to drink at least 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water per day. Be sure to include beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds with your daily dietary routine, they provide great health benefits. Exercise must be a regular part of your daily routine.
The contents of this blog is not and should not be considered medical advice. This blog is for informational purposes only. Always consult with your doctor before making any dietary or lifestyle changes. Never quit taking prescription medications unless advised to do so by your doctor.
