Can A cup Of Coffee That Good?

 CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETT 

Recently studies were conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health and published online in Diabetologia found that consuming a certain amount of coffee could help lower your risk for type 2 diabetes.  Is this finding contradicting previous beliefs?

The study included 123,000 participants. They all completed questionnaires regarding their coffee intake. The researchers analyzed the amount of coffee consumed and compared that to different health benefits.

The team found that those who increased the amount of coffee they consumed by more than one cup per day over a four-year period significantly reduced their risk for diabetes, compared to those who drank less coffee, which was found to increase risk for diabetes.

According to lead researcher, Dr. Frank Hu:

"Basically, the more coffee, the lower the risk of diabetes, people who drink three to five cups of coffee a day enjoyed a significant reduction in type 2 diabetes risk." 

If you are interested in minimizing your risk of developing type-2 diabetes, you might want to consider increasing the amount of coffee you consume each day.

Enjoy your day.

Ever Tried Healthy Almond Milk?

Almond milk is very healthy and moreso, very easy to make fresh. Here is the recipe:

  Fresh raw almond milk is delicious, healthy, unprocessed, and economical. There is no waste. And this tastes much better than store-bought. The resulting almond meal is a free bonus, useful in cookies, crumb crusts, porridge, granolas, or in lieu of bread crumbs in stuffings and dressings, breaded crusts and bread. 

You will be using about 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of raw almonds out of the shell. Soak overnight in enough water to cover with a little water more, to provide room for swelling. A quick whip in a powerful blender results in a thick, frothy almond puree, ready to be squeezed in a mesh bag or jelly bag, cheesecloth, or something similar. 

Simply place your cheesecloth or mesh strainer bag over the bowl, pour and scoop your puree into it, draw it closed, and start squeezing until the almond meal is as dry as you can get it. Don't add any more water at this point. The harder you squeeze, the more creamy and nutritious your milk will be, but not to worry, whatever you didn't get into milk will still be eaten in the form of the almond meal, so there is nothing wasted.  

Then pour the undiluted almond to filter, when it slows, gentle stirring makes filtering go faster. At the end,  press the bit of almond paste in the bottom to extract the last and creamiest bit. This finer, white almond meal is good to keep and dry separately and use as almond flour. You can make this easier by straining it the second time directly into glass half-gallon(depending on how much cups you made) refrigerator pitcher, and then adding more water to fill the pitcher, taste by adding water, but better too rich than too thin, because too rich can be solved by adding water.

 Let it sit covered in the refrigerator pitcher for 24 hours. You will notice a creamy layer floats on top, but with a few gentle shaking sessions and a day or so in the refrigerator, it will blend nicely and taste superbly creamy. Once that has happened, add sweetener if you choose, add salt a pinch at a time, shaking in between and tasting, until the flavor goes from a little "flat" with no salt. (perfect). If not sure, hold back on another pinch of salt because one pinch too many ruins it. 

If you accidentally add that one extra pinch past perfect taste. add more sweetener and it will no longer taste salty. You can add vanilla, almond extact or anything of choice. 

As for the almond meal, that may be another Instructable, but in brief, you spread it out on a half-sheet in a 300 degree F oven stirring a few times here and there until toasty and dry. Store in a jar, use as breadcrumbs, crumb crusts, breading, stuffing, cookies, cakes, and bars, or make into low glycemic granola or almond bread. mmmmmmmmmmm. delicious!! Enyoy!

Have a great day.

Some Natural Pain Relief Ideas

Try The Natural Way First!

 If you have a headache, try taking a magnesium supplement. Magnesium is known as the "relaxation" mineral and helps increase your brain's blood flow. And it's highly effective when it comes to relaxing muscles and relieving tension that can trigger a headache. Just take 

300 mg. of magnesium the next time you get a headache. (It also works for muscle cramps!)

Dehydration is another common cause of headaches. In addition to magnesium, try drinking unsweetened coconut water. It has a lot of electrolytes, especially potassium, which can help remedy the dehydration faster than plain water. This, then, relieves the headache.

If you suffer from migraines, try feverfew. It can reduce both the frequency and severity of migraines. It works especially well when combined with magnesium. Take 250 to 325 mg. of a feverfew supplement that's standardized to contain 0.2 - 0.4% parthenolides four times per day.

Chronic pain – A great choice for relieving chronic pain is the amino acidphenylalanine, or DLPA. Athletes and people with chronic pain often supplement with DLPA regularly, since it builds up in the system and becomes more effective over time.

Most people can begin with 300 to 500 mg. twice a day and see relief, while others may need to reach 2,000 to 3,000 mg. a day. Be sure to take vitamin B6 and vitamin C along with DLPA, as they must be present in the blood for the DLPA to be absorbed.

Joint, muscle or nerve pain – Capsaicin formulations used on the skin (topically) can help ease pain. They work by blocking nerves from sending pain signals to the brain. You can get even better results if you look for one that includes menthol – which is often referred to as "nature's anesthesia." Look for a maximum-strength formula that contains 0.75% capsaicin.

While both of these ingredients will offer soothing relief, they can also be irritants, especially if you get them in your eyes. That's why I prefer a roll-on formula. You can apply it exactly where it's needed without getting it all over your hands.

Other topical remedies include tiger balm and arnica.

Tiger balm is a blend of Chinese herbs that has a mentholated quality and can be used in a number of ways. For headache, rub on the temples. For muscular pain, rub on the affected area. For coughing or breathing difficulty during a cold, rub on the chest. And for nasal congestion, place beneath the nostrils.

Arnica is from a plant related to sunflowers and has been used for sprains, strains, bruises and swelling for centuries. However, make sure not to apply it on broken skin or an open wound. It can be toxic if it gets inside the body.

When you have a headache or any other minor aches or complaints, turn to your natural medicine cabinet first. Not last.

Have a healthy day.

Avoid The Risk Of Disability

A study conducted at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health found that every hour spent sitting significantly increases your risk of disability.

The study included 2,286 participants over the age of 60; they wore accelerometers, which helps monitor activity levels for 3 years. The researchers analyzed the amount of activity the subjects participated in and compared that to their health.

The team found that for every additional hour a day the participants spent sitting raised their risk of disability by 50 percent. In addition, they found that even for those who exercised regularly and would sit for prolonged periods of time had the same increased risk of disability.

According to lead author, Dorothy Dunlop the following are some ways to avoid sitting for prolonged periods of time:

·        Stand rather than sit when talking on the phone or during work meetings

·        When you run errands, park your car in a far parking spot

·        Take short walking breaks throughout the day

·        Always take the stairs instead of the elevator

If you are interested in preventing disability, you might want to consider not sitting for long periods of time and staying active throughout the day.

Have a great day.

Want To Add Years To Your Life?

A new research was conduced at the Memorial University in New Foundland , Canada indicates that the consumption of blueberries can potentially protect against Parkinson’s disease and increase your life span.

In their report the researchers explained that  previous studies suggested that alpha-synuclein plays a critical role in regulating the release of dopamine - a neurotransmitter involved in motor control that is believed to be lacking in patients with Parkinson's.

People that  have an accumulation of alpha-synuclein are more likely to experience oxidative  stress. that can cause cell damage or death because it affects  the body's ability to protect itself from cell damage with antioxidants.

In this study the researchers found that flies that were fed the blueberry extract had up to an 8-day (15%) greater lifespan than flies that had been fed a standard diet. In addition, blueberry extract appeared to improve eye defects in the flies.

According to Dlead researcher Dr. Staveley:

“The increase in lifespan seen in the fruit flies is the equivalent to an 8-year extended lifespan in humans. If you have a disease and you're given an extra 8 years of life, you'd probably be pretty happy with that. “

If you’re interested in reducing your risk of Parkinsons’ disease and extending your life, you might want to make blueberries a regular part of your diet.

Enjoy your day.

Think About Your Heart Before Diet Drinks

A study was presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 63rd Annual Scientific Session in Washington D.C. found that consuming diet beverages could increase your risk for heart attack and stroke.

The study included 60,000 participants; all of them completed questionnaires regarding their diet. The researchers followed the participants for 9 years to see if there was a correlation between the number of diet drinks they consumed per day and their risk of heart problems.

The team found that those who consumed two or more diet beverages per day had a 9 percent increased risk of heart issues, which included heart attack, stroke, heart failure, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular death.

According to the researchers, artificially sweetened and sugary beverages are not good for your health. However, the following beverages are healthy and even provide some health benefits:

·         Black and green tea

·         Coffee provides health benefits in moderation

·         Cup of tea sweetened with honey

·         Glass of water with a squeeze of fresh lemon of lime

If you are interested in reducing your risk of heart issues, you may consider not consuming diet beverages and instead consume tea (hot and cold), coffee (in moderation), water or water with lemmon.

Good health to you.

Can Nuts Really Fight Metabolic Syndrome?

 Recently a study was conducted at Loma Linda University in California and published in the journal PLOS ONE found that consuming tree nuts significantly lowers your risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Metabolic Syndrome is a disorder characterized by three out of the five health conditions: obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high bad cholesterol (LDL) levels and low good cholesterol (HDL) levels.

The study included 803 participants; they were all given a food frequency questionnaire to determine the amount of tree nuts and peanuts they consumed daily.

The team found that consuming one large handful of tree nuts (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts) every day lowers your risk of chronic disease and obesity. Specifically, they found that one serving (28g or 1 ounce) of tree nuts per week was associated with a 7 percent lowered risk of MetS. The researchers recommend eating 1.5 ounces of tree nuts per day, which is about the amount in a good size handful.

According to lead study author, Dr. Jaceldo-Siegl:

“We found that high tree nut consumers had significantly lower prevalence of obesity compared to the low tree nut consumers… and, high consumers of tree nuts had the lowest prevalence of obesity when compared to the low peanut/tree nut groups.”

If you are interested in reducing your risk of MetS or lowering your risk for chronic disease and obesity, you might want to consider adding tree nuts to your daily diet.

have a great day.

Being Proactive May Prevent Alzheimer

A recent study conducted at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health and published in JAMA Neurology found that getting enough sleep (7-8 hours) each night could help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

The study analyzed 70 participants, all of whom were free of dementia. All of the subjects were told to report their sleep patterns, and the researchers measured the amount beta-amyloid plaque using brain imaging.

The team found that those who slept on average shorter durations had more beta-amyloid buildup in the brain, which is directly associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

According to Live in the Now natural health author and practitioner, Kathy Gruver, Ph.D, the following are natural ways that help you get a better night sleep:

·        Do not consume caffeine too late in the day

·        Keep your sleep cycle constant, don’t take long naps during the day or sleep in too late on the weekends.

·        Lavender is a common aromatherapy to induce sleep and relaxation.

·        Make sure your room is dark, quiet, and uncluttered.

If you are interested in preventing Alzheimer’s disease, you might want to consider getting at least 7 hours of sleep per night.

Have a great day.