Organic Farms Better For People And Planet
After conducting side-by-side comparisons of organic and conventional strawberry farms and their fruit, scientists found clear evidence that organic farms produce more flavorful and nutritious berries and leave the soil far healthier and more genetically diverse.
“Our findings have global implications and advance what we know about the sustainability benefits of organic farming systems,” John Reganold, Washington State University Regents professor of soil science and lead author of the study, which was just published in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE, said in a media statement. “We also show you can have high quality, healthy produce without resorting to an arsenal of pesticides.”
The comprehensive study involved the analysis of 31 chemical and biological soil properties and soil DNA, as well as the taste, nutrition and quality of three strawberry varieties on 13 conventional fields and 13 organic ones.
The scientists discovered that organic strawberries had significantly higher antioxidant activity including much higher concentrations of ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds (phytonutrients known to help protect and fight a host of disease). The organic strawberries also had a longer shelf life. What’s more, anonymous testers found organic strawberries looked and tasted better. The researchers also documented that organic soils excelled in important chemical and biological properties – including nitrogen, microbial biomass, enzyme activities, and micronutrients.
Non Organic Lipsticks Contaminated With Lead
Tests conducted by the FDA on 22 red lipsticks found lead, a neurotoxin, in every single sample studied. The highest levels were in Cover Girl, Revlon, L’Oreal lipsticks.
The lead found in Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor Maximum Red was 34 times higher than the lead found in the lowest scoring lipstick, Avon’s Ultra Color Rich Cherry Jubilee.
The FDA does not regulate lead in finished cosmetics, only in colors added to the products.
Studies suggest the average woman inadvertently consumes about 4 pounds of lipstick over the course of her life, licking her lips, eating fruit, sipping tea.
Glosses generally tested lower for lead than highly pigmented, opaque lipsticks.
But the best are organic lipsticks.
Cruciferous Vegetables Health Benefits
Cruciferous vegetables includes broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, collard, turnips, bok choy, kohlrabi, horse radish, and a few other vegetables.
Cruciferous vegetables are master detoxifiers. (1)
The cells in our body, especially in the liver, have “detoxification factories” in them called enzymes. These factories relentlessly work to process the things that can damage the body.
Cruciferous vegetables can speed up enzyme processing of toxic compounds. They make the body a more efficient detoxifier.
Also, cruciferous vegetables balance hormones in a favorable way (2) and help prevent various cancers.
A review of research published in the October 1996 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed that 70% or more of the studies found a link between cruciferous vegetables and protection against cancer.
Various components in cruciferous vegetables have been linked to lower cancer risks. Some have shown the ability to stop the growth of cancer cells for tumors in the breast, uterine lining (endometrium), lung, colon, liver, and cervix, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.
Studies that track the diets of people over time have found that diets high in cruciferous vegetables are linked to lower rates of prostate cancer.
Another way cruciferous vegetables may help to protect against cancer is by reducing oxidative stress.
Nutritional Benefits
|
Per 1 cup:
|
Broccoli
|
Cauliflower
|
Cabbage
|
B. Sprouts
|
Bok Choy
|
Kale
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (steamed) | (frozen, cooked) | (raw) | (cooked) | (cooked) | (cooked) | |
| Calories | 44 | 34 | 22 | 60 | 20 | 36 |
| Fiber | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | |
| Vitamin A | 33% DV | 1% | 2% | 16% | 62% | 137% |
| Vitamin B-2 | 16% | 9% | 3% | 11% | 10% | 8% |
| Vitamin B-6 | 17% | 12% | 7% | 21% | 22% | 14% |
| Vitamin C | 165% | 75% | 38% | 129% | 59% | 71% |
| Folic Acid | 23% | 18% | 10% | 23% | 17% | 4% |
| Magnesium | 12% | 5% | 4% | 10% | 6% | 7% |
| Potassium | 14% | 7% | 6% | 14% | 18% | 8% |
| Omega-3s | 200 mg | 140 mg | 60 mg | 260 mg | 100 mg | 100 mg |
It is best to eat these vegetables raw or only lightly steamed to retain the phytochemicals that make cruciferous vegetables special in terms of health.
Buy the organic ones for optimal benefits.
1. Murray M. Altered CYP expression and function in response to dietary factors: potential roles in disease pathogenesis. Curr Drug Metab. 2006;7:67-81.
2. Fowke JH, Longcope C, Hebert JR. Brassica vegetable consumption shifts estrogen metabolism in healthy postmenopausal women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2000;9:773-79.
Brew Your Own Tea – Great Healthy Option
The health effects of tea have been claimed some thousand years ago in China indicating that Camellia sinensis infusions were beneficial for treating tumors, abscesses, bladder problems and lethargy. Since then numerous studies documented that drinking tea is good for health, fighting cancers, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and great for controlling cholesterol and even reducing tooth decay.
All tea varieties including white, green, black, and oolong tea are derived from the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis. They contain numerous compounds including polyphenols (catechins), tocopherol, vitamin C, as well as other antioxidants. Green tea has been documented to be helpful for artherosclerosis, LDL cholesterol, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, liver disease, weight loss, neuro-degenerative diseases, and halitosis.
Making your own tea at home guarantees the perfection of your taste preferences and the absence of artificial ingredients or high fructose corn syrup. A brewed tea at home ensures the use of an ideal combination of organic and local ingredients such as organic tea, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, no sugar, and your sweetener of choice (honey, agave or stevia).
The tea with powerful health-promoting properties would be made at home with green tea, honey, and fresh-squeezed lemon juice.
Recently, scientific research has shown that drinking green tea with lemon juice is best to bring out its health benefits. A study from Purdue University found that most catechins are not absorbed into the bloodstream when tea is drunk by itself, but adding lemon juice to the tea lowers the pH in the small intestine and allows a better absorption of the catechins. Green tea is up to 5 times as healthy when citrus is adedd.
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