Health Nuts
February 6th, 2008

Some fairly recent analyses of the Adventist Health Study findings showed a remarkable relationship between eating nuts and whole wheat bread, and experiencing a reduced risk for Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). These findings were the subject of a research article submitted by Dr. Fraser and his colleagues to the Archives of Internal Medicine, and published in its July 1992 issue.

The most outstanding findings of this part of the overall study show that nut consumption reduces the risk of both fatal and nonfatal coronary heart disease. Again, the researchers looked for a variety of ways to disprove the finding, adjusting the data for differences in age, sex, smoking habits, exercise, relative weight, and hypertension. The protective qualities of nuts remained statistically significant and essentially unchanged in magnitude.

Those individuals who ate nuts one to four times a week had 26% decrease in the risk of suffering from definite nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) and a 27% decrease in the risk of definite fatal coronary heart disease as compared to those who ate nuts less than once a week. However, those individuals who ate nuts five or more times a week had a 48% decrease in the risk of definite nonfatal heart attack and a 38% reduced risk of definite fatal CHD as compared to the group who ate nuts less than once a week.

Age- and sex-adjusted analyses of the associations between nut consumption and definite CHD were calculated for various subgroups within the Adventist Health Study. Results were examined to see if the association between nut consumption and CHD held up in different segments of the population. The consistency was quite remarkable and adds to the researchers' confidence in the importance of these findings.

Both "ever-smokers" and "never-smokers" showed a 46% decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease when they ate nuts five or more times a week. Study participants with normal blood pressure showed that eating nuts more than five times a week reduced their risk of coronary heart disease by 60% percent, and hypertensive individuals enjoyed a 30% decrease in risk compared to similar subjects who ate few nuts.

Raw nuts are widely used here at The Wholefood Farmacy and you can find them in many of our foods such as Apple Cinnamon Phi, Choco Cherry Phi, and Cranberry Phi. In addition, the next time you go to the grocery store, spend a few minutes looking at all of the different types of nuts and consider them in place of other processed food snacks such as potato chips and cheese puffs. You’ll love them, your kids will love them and your whole family will be much better off. Now is the best time to put your kids on a path that leads to health, vitality, longevity and happiness.

Visit The Wholefood Farmacy Here: www.organicsnacks.wholefoodfarmacy.com

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As always, we are at your service,
The Wholefood Farmacy Team

How about a Date?
February 27th, 2008

Dates are a great source of dietary fiber. The American Cancer Society recommends that you consume 20-35 grams of dietary fiber a day. Dietary fiber comes in two forms – soluble and insoluble. Each serves a valuable function. Insoluble fiber increases the rate at which food moves through the digestive system. Soluble fiber may help control diabetes by decreasing elevated blood glucose levels. Soluble fiber also had been found to help lower serum cholesterol levels, particularly undesirable low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

According to researchers at the University of Scranton in Scranton Pennsylvania, they have the highest concentration of polyphenols among dried fruits. The findings of this research suggest that dried fruits should be a greater part of the diet as they are dense in phenol antioxidants and nutrients, most notably fiber.

A serving of power-packed dates contains 31 grams of carbohydrates, making them a powerhouse of energy. Carbohydrates include 3 grams of dietary fiber and 29 grams of naturally occurring sugars such as fructose, glucose and sucrose to provide quick energy and are readily used by the body. Dates are a perfect energy boosting snack.

Dates are one of the best natural sources of potassium. Potassium is an essential mineral your body needs to maintain muscle contractions including the vital heart muscle. Potassium is needed to maintain a healthy nervous system and to balance the body’s metabolism as well.

Since potassium is not stored in the body, and much is lost in perspiration, it must be continually replenished. As you consume potassium you excrete sodium, helping to keep blood pressure down. As people age, their kidneys become less efficient at eliminating sodium. About a 400 mg increase in potassium intake has been associated with a 40% reduction in the risk of stroke. This roughly amounts to one additional serving daily of Dates.

Dates also contain a variety of B-complex vitamins – thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6 and pantothenic acid. These vitamins have a variety of functions that help maintain a healthy body – to metabolize carbohydrates and maintain blood glucose levels, fatty acids for energy, and they help make hemoglobin, the red and white blood cells. Dates also contain Magnesium which is essential for healthy bone development and for energy metabolism and Iron which is essential to red blood cell production. Red blood cells carry all the nutrients to cells throughout the body. In addition, Dates are fat and cholesterol free!

Organic Phi Plus, Organic Cranberry Phi and Organic Coco Cherry Phi are among the most popular of Wholefood Farmacy foods. These foods are made from dozens of organic whole food ingredients and are very rich in Dates. Have you had your Phi Plus today?

Visit The Wholefood Farmacy Here: www.organicsnacks.wholefoodfarmacy.com

Read More Wellness Articles Here: www.organicsnacks.wholefoodfarmacy.com/2005/ww.asp

As always, we are at your service,
The Wholefood Farmacy Team

Organic Phi Plus – “The Healthiest Food In The World”

Curcumin May Prevent Heart Failure

There is a new Superstar herb on the block. That herb is curcumin. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric and has recently been shown to block inflammation, stop cancer, kill infectious microbes, and improve heart health.

Hundreds of cases of curcumin research and experiments have been conducted by reputable researchers that have demonstrated curcumin's ability to halt or prevent certain types of cancer, stop inflammation, improve cardiovascular health, prevent cataracts, kill or inhibit the toxic effects of certain microbes including fungi and dangerous parasites, and protect, at least in the laboratory, against the damaging effects of heterocyclic amines (potentially carcinogenic compounds found in some cooked foods).

As one investigative team declared: "[Curcumin] has been proven to exhibit remarkable anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties."

As if that were not enough, curcumin research shows promise as a potential treatment for multiple sclerosis, and may ameliorate the damaging effects of long-term diabetes. It is even being investigated as a topical treatment to speed diabetic wound healing. Some researchers also have noted an exciting link between turmeric consumption and a dramatically decreased incidence of Alzheimer's disease, an effect that may well be related to curcumin's ability to block signaling pathways that lead to inflammation.

The healing properties of turmeric have been well known in eastern cultures for some time. The herb has been used in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine to reduce scar formation. For example, when there is a cut or a bruise, the home remedy is to reach for turmeric powder because it can help to heal without leaving a bad scar.

According to Peter Munk at the Cardiac Centre of the Toronto General Hospital, found when the herb Cucumin is given orally to a variety of mouse models with enlarged hearts (hypertrophy), it can prevent and reverse hypertrophy and restore heart function and reduce scar formation.

Unlike most natural compounds whose effects are minimal, curcumin works directly in the cell nucleus by preventing abnormal unraveling of the chromosome under stress, and preventing excessive abnormal protein production.

The best source of Curcumin is a natural extract from turmeric root. Get your daily dose of tumeric by drinking the green drink Farmacy Pro Power available at www.organicsnacks.wholefoodfarmacy.com

Healthy Spices
April 23, 2008

Antioxidants are those nutrients in whole foods that keep diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer away. When you think about antioxidants, fruits and vegetables usually come to mind. But those aren't the only foods where these health boosting nutrients are hiding.

New research shows that herbs and spices also pack a powerful punch when it comes to antioxidants. A USDA study looked at nearly 40 common herbs and spices to test their antioxidant activity. Oregano emerged as the leader of the pack.

Researchers found that oregano has 3 to 20 times more antioxidant activity than the other herbs studied. In fact, it has more than many fruits and vegetables. Oregano has 42 times more antioxidant activity than apples, 30 times more than potatoes, 12 times more than oranges and 4 times more than blueberries. But that's not the only herb or spice that can improve your health. Dill, thyme, sage, rosemary, ginger and even peppermint have high antioxidant levels too.

The main ingredient in curry is Turmeric, from which a spice called Curcumin is derived. Sally Frautschy, Ph.D., is a researcher from UCLA who has done extensive testing on Curcumin. She says that “we accidentally found out that it blocks every single step in Alzheimer's pathogenesis and it kills nearly every cancer cell in the lab.” In India, curry is part of the staple diet; they also have the lowest rates of Alzheimer's disease in the world.

Marcia Herrin, R.D., a nutritionist at the Dartmouth Medical School says "practically every herb and spice that's been studied has some health benefit," herbs and spices are loaded with antioxidants, but we may not be getting those benefits as much as we could. Herrin says Americans don't use many herbs and spices compared to the rest of the world.

Researchers also say that many of these herbs are only absorbed by the body when they're eaten with fat, so recipes that include healthy fats, like those found in Heart of Gold, a delicious plant oil blend available only from The Wholefood Farmacy.

Visit The Wholefood Farmacy Here: www.organicsnacks.wholefoodfarmacy.com