Ginger Research -- What Science is Finding About Our Favorite Rhizome

Although commonly referred to as a root, it is actually a rhizome of the plant Ziniger officinale. This sort of thing is important to the science nuts that tell us what we know about the excellent effects of whole food supplements! Today we are looking at ginger, and how it has shown up in various forms in the scientific literature of the past few years.

Ginger could save Third World babies

Third World babies often develop fatal diarrhea, due to unhealthy water supplies and bacteria in food. However, ginger is showing up as a promising alternative to the condition which is currently treated by drug therapy. Zingerone is the compound that is likely responsible for the antibacterial effect, which kills E.coli -- it has been shown to kill around 25% of human pathogens. Ginger whole food supplements would be a safe and fairly cost-effective way to deliver ginger

Ginger treating chemotherapy nausea

Chemotherapy may work for many cancer patients, but some wonder whether life is worth living while undergoing chemo. Nausea, weight loss, headaches and inability to concentrate are some of the most common side effects. Ginger has been shown to combat the nausea, at least, and one study showed it actually to be more effective than current anti-emetic drugs like Zofran, Novaban, etc. Ginger whole food supplements containing 0.5g or 1g of ginger, taken three times daily, reduced nausea by around 40%.

Gingerol could help colon cancer

Gingerol is the compound that gives ginger its flavor, and is chemically similar to capsaicin, found in capsicums and hot chillies. Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that mice who were fed gingerol three times weekly had slower rates of colon cancer growth than those who were not. The same researchers are now conducting experiments that will be more clinically relevant -- for example, giving the mice gingerol only after their tumors hit a certain (detectable) size. There is plenty of gingerol in ginger whole food supplements, but synthesized versions are low in the natural compound.

Breakfast Recipes for Detoxifiber by Garden of Life

You've probably read lots of good things about fiber. It cuts your risk of heart disease, promotes healthy gut function, reduces your risk of gastrointestinal diseases, helps your liver do its job, and so on. And if you've ever tried to take your daily fiber serving in a tiny glass of water, or even by itself, you may have sworn that you didn’t care what happened to your liver! There's an easy way to have it both ways, though. Garden of Life DetoxiFiber doesn’t degrade under heat or by mixing, so why not incorporate it into a yummy recipe? Breakfast is the best time of the day for taking fiber, to allow your digestive system to process it while you’re awake -- here are some recipe ideas for next time you take your Garden of Life Detoxifiber.

Homemade muesli

There are a ton of homemade muesli recipes on the internet, and you'll need to find one that suits you. If your muesli recipe calls for seeds (sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds are common) you can omit these and replace with Garden of Life Detoxifiber. Alternatively, add a small amount of Detoxifiber on top of the other ingredients -- just experiment to make sure it doesn't get too gluggy.

Whole wheat pancakes

You might already have a favorite pancake recipe, or you might like to try out variations like chocolate pancakes, banana lemon pancakes, French pancakes, and so on. You can add Detoxifiber to any of these recipes -- the ones that basically require chucking all the ingredients together will handle your Garden of Life Detoxifiber best. If you prefer, you can add the Detoxifiber to your maple syrup, or blend it in equal amounts with sugar and drizzle lemon juice over the top.

Banana bread

Bananas have plenty of natural fiber anyway -- the thick, rich taste of Detoxifiber won’t be amiss in this recipe. Everybody has a favorite, and each is equally easy to prepare. Simply replace a quantity of the flour with your fiber powder -- make sure it is blended into the flour before you add the other ingredients, otherwise you may end up with little fiber pockets in your bread!

Granola breakfast bars

If you’re the sort of person that values sleep more than anything in the world (especially when the sun is just coming up), breakfast bars are probably a staple for you. You can make enormous batches of these and freeze them -- they are quite freezer friendly. You'll often find that they don’t take much defrosting either -- the honey keeps everything relatively stable. Many recipes call for flour, and here you can substitute Garden of Life Detoxifiber; for recipes that don’t use flour, simply add a small amount to the mix after you've added wet ingredients.

4 Best Garden of Life Products Under $30

Good health doesn't have to be expensive … even if fruits and vegetables are becoming more of a luxury item with every new economic pressure. There are still some very cost-effective, safe and natural ways to get your daily dose! Garden of Life holds quite a few of the top sellers under $30 -- today we are looking at their whole food supplements best for those on a middling to low budget.

Fungal Defense

Some cancer researchers are increasingly pointing towards long term candida infestation as a cause of cancer. Whether this turns out to be the case or not, candida infestation in the gut certainly means that you can't optimally digest nutrients from your food, and might experience bloating, nausea, and any of a dozen more low-level symptoms. 84 caplets is only $23.47!

Acid Defense

The acid-alkaline balance in our body has come under similar scrutiny recently for its ability to either promote disease or health. Alkaline environments are said to discourage cancer, heart disease, and normal aging and oxidative stress. The product helps relieve heartburn as well as giving you important enzymes. 360g of powder is only $21.57.

Fruits of Life

Do you eat between two and four serves of FRESH FRUIT (not tomato sauce, and not even dried sultanas) per day? If you don’t, Fruits of Life can help you boost your antioxidant intake with the goodness of whole food supplements freeze dried ingredients. It actually tastes good too! 150 grams of powder is only $27.57.

For Your Inflammation

Unlike the name suggests (to those with a quirky sense of humor!), the product doesn’t cause inflammation, but helps cure it. Inflammation has been linked to depression, Parkinson's and heart disease, as well as traditionally, rheumatoid arthritis. The blend contains chicken collagen, turmeric and bromelain, and also support antioxidant function in the body. 90 caplets are $27.57

Whole Food Multivitamins -- Myths and Facts

Whole food multivitamins (indeed many formulations of multivitamins) have some awesome benefits in health. They have had their positive effects on physical health, mental health, disease fighting and overall wellbeing proven in many scientific studies. Unfortunately, they have been around long enough for quite a few myths about their use to have arisen as well! Today we are looking at what whole food multivitamins do, and don't do, in your body, and other general common myths about them.

Myth 1: Quantities matter, price tags don't

In many foods, a higher price tag simply reflects a greater marketing budget for the product. In whole food multivitamins, products which come at "everyday low prices" generally use the cheapest forms of ingredients, which may or may not be bioavailable. Even if they can list the same number of milligrams of a vitamin, you mightn't be able to use it. You may be paying for something that won’t dissolve in your body, and if it does, the nutrients won't be processed and reach your cells. Look for quality brands of whole food multivitamins, with discounts from business practices like online stores and buying in bulk to save money instead.

Myth 2: Multivitamins are completely unnecessary, a balanced diet will take care of your needs

This can be true. However, in reality, try to think of the last time you got your five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit in a day. When was the last time you ate fresh fruit or raw vegetables twice in a day? When have you got the greatest proportion of your calories from unsaturated fats, whole grains, lean meat? So yes, you CAN do without whole food multivitamins if you have a good diet. But do you have that?

Myth 3: If one whole food multivitamin is good, two is better

You should only take a single dose of one whole food multivitamin a day (even if that dose is split into morning and evening tablets, for instance). Mixing them may cause some nutrients to be locked out, and can also cause dangerous overdose related side effects.

How to Prepare Medicinal Mushrooms

Medicinal mushrooms have been used for centuries as a health aid -- they are one of the stars of traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine, two cultures that are known to have especially low disease rates in some categories. Whole food supplements containing medicinal mushrooms are becoming increasingly popular, with cordyceps, maitake and reishi mushrooms now readily available through respected natural, organic suppliers like New Chapter. Today we are looking at the different ways you can prepare and take whole food supplements with organic mushrooms, that preserve the medicinal value and cater to different tastes.

Making a tea from your New Chapter Mushrooms

If you purchase dried mushrooms, sometimes the easiest way to take them is in a tea. Far from prolonging the agony of having to swallow something that tastes disgusting, for anyone averse to the taste of mushrooms making a tea mellows the flavor significantly, while preserving the medicinal benefits. To make a tea from your dried mushroom whole food supplements:

• Grind your dried mushrooms to a powder in a coffee grinder
• Place them in a saucepan, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer at least 20-30 minutes, and for maximum benefit, simmer for 2-4 hours.
• You can keep the grounds to reheat for another cup of tea -- just discard them when they stop coloring the water
• Filter the tea through a coffee filter, and then drink!

The easy way to take New Chapter mushrooms

The easiest method for taking them is simply buying them in capsule form. Some people believe that absorption differs when taken in a capsule as compared to a tea -- the heated liquid medium may make a difference. However this is very small, and if you just don’t have the time to brew and drink mushroom tea then a capsule is infinitely preferable to not getting the benefits of these New Chapter mushrooms at all.

Extracts

Extracts can be mixed into hot or cold beverages (like smoothies). A benefit of this method is that hot drinks aren’t required -- and nor is swallowing capsules for those who have difficulty with this. Thirty drops of this whole food supplement extract are required, and it is best to mix these in with a savory or nutty flavoured drink to get the best flavor mixture.

3 Main Mushrooms in Whole Food Supplements

There are hundreds of different varieties of mushroom in the world, as adventuring and tourism books like to remind us. Each of them has different properties within the human body -- some are simply a fairly nutritious addition to our dinners, some are poisonous, and some have an amazing number of compounds that our bodies love to have, but generally miss out on! Medicinal mushrooms usually fall into the latter category, and there are three main species of these. We have a look at the potential effects of cordyceps, maitake and reishi mushrooms as whole food supplements.

Cordyceps mushrooms

Cordyceps mushrooms look strange, and quite unlike what we think of when we hear the word "mushroom." Their species name is cordyceps sinensis, and they belong to the ascomycete fungi genus. They are long and sort of woody-looking at the stem, coming to a purplish head. Mushroom hunters in Tibet can earn $900 for an ounce of cordyceps!

Cordyceps has mainly been investigated for its effect on the blood glucose absorption, and its effect in diabetic or insulin resistant people. Whole food supplements made with cordyceps have also been seen to have an antidepressant effect, protect the liver from damage and protect against irradiation.

Maitake mushroom whole food supplements

Maitake is quite similar in taste to the common cooking mushroom shiitake. However, in whole food supplements it has a much greater protective effect in the body. Early studies show that it is rich in antioxidants, and could have immune system supporting effects.

At a base level, maitake whole food supplements have been seen by researchers to regulate blood pressure, help with glucosemetabolism and insulin resistance, could help people lose weight and metabolize fats.

Reishi mushrooms

The name is much less familiar, but the benefits are just as striking, Reishi mushrooms have been used in Chinese courts for centuries, and now scientists believe they may hold potent anti-cancer properties. They have been seen to boost the immune system, to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and also to inhibit platelet aggregation (beneficial for people with heart disease). An excellent all-round whole food supplement!

Fantastic Flax: Recipes Using Flax Seed

You know about the benefits of flax seed whole food supplements, and you know how easy it is to mix into yogurt, smoothies and soup. If you are looking for more creative ways to utilize your flax seed organic whole food supplements in your everyday diet, check out these favourite recipes!

Banana Date Flaxseed Bread

Flaxseed bread is a popular product utilizing the healthful grain - this is a freezer-friendly, sweet twist.

You will need:

· 1/4 cup vegetable oil

· 1/2 cup sugar

· 2 eggs

· 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

· 1/2 tsp baking powder

· 1/2 tsp baking soda

· 1/2 tsp salt

· 1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates

· 2-3 ripe bananas-mashed

· ¼ cup flax seed whole food supplement

- In one bowl, mix the wet ingredients -- banana, oil and eggs -- with the sugar.

- In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients.

- Combine and bake at 350 F for 55-60 minutes in a greased loaf pan, checking for readiness by inserting a wooden skewer into the center.

Flaxseed Pizza Bread

If you prefer incorporating your flaxseed organic whole food supplement into savory recipes, the nutty flavor will be a hit in this pizza bread. You will need:

· 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

· 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

· 1/2 cup light parmesan cheese

· 1 tbsp granulated sugar

· 1 tbsp baking powder

· 2 tsp oregano leaves

· 1/2 tsp salt

· 1/4 tsp pepper

· 1 1/4 cups skim milk

· 2 tbsp canola oil

· 1 egg

· 1 small tomato, diced

· 1/4 cup diced green pepper

· 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

· ½ cup organic whole food flax seeds

- Whisk the oil, milk and egg together in one bowl

- Combine the remaining ingredients, apart from tomatoes, green pepper and mozzarella, in another bowl.

- Pour the first bowl into the second, and then pour into a loaf pan.

- Sprinkle the tomatoes, cheese and green pepper on top of batter -- they will fall through during baking.

- Bake for 55-60 minutes at 350 F, and enjoy your flaxseed whole food supplement in a yummy pizza bread!

Probiotics' Secrets Revealed by New Scientific Study

Scientists, bless them, are always trying to get to the "why" and "how" of questions about the workings of our bodies and worlds. We have known for centuries that certain foods can help with health conditions, and have known for quite a few years now that probiotics in these foods may be the reason that they promote good health. Science has now discovered the mechanism of action behind these substances in whole food supplements.

An international research team at the Institute of Biotechnology, and the Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences at the University of Helsinki have sequenced the genomes of LGG, or Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. The research team found that the particular good bacteria binds with the intestinal mucus, with a specific adhesion component. It is actually this binding feature, unremarkable as it sounds, that seems to be the mainstay of LGG's health benefits. The protein structure that enables it to bind to the intestinal mucus produces a positive immune system modulation.

The particular probiotics in question is a licensed trademark of Valio, however, most studies on probiotic's health benefits do not use a brand name of probiotic. This is a convenient way to get funding -- but definitely doesn't mean that any other probiotic whole food supplement is less effective.

As recently as the middle of last year, you could find a raft of scientific articles about the benefits of probiotics in humans, but nearly every one of them began with "Scientists don’t know exactly how probiotics work, but they have discovered another of their amazing health benefits!" These amazing benefits of probiotics as whole food supplements has included:

• Decrease in serum CRP levels, which indicate an inflammatory response
• A potential therapy for ulcerative colitis
• Assisting with weight loss
• Reduce the side effects of antibiotics
• Treat bacterial vaginosis
• Preventing allergies in caesarian delivered babies
• Preventing diarrhea and other conditions caused by gut pathogens.

The different probiotics in different whole food supplements all have different effects -- you can expect to see many more studies of this type in the future!