In This Issue...
Green Veggies to the Rescue -- All Greens (Vegetables)
Are Not Created Equal!
Keep Your Heart Healthy, Your Arteries Clear, and Your Blood Pumping Powerfully... With Your Body's Own Chemical
An Ounce of Prevention -- Immune Boosters to Help
Beat the Flu Season
3,379 Very Simple Ways to Make Your Home More Lovable
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Green Veggies to the Rescue
I have a friend who used to call iceberg lettuce a "waste of chewing time" because it provides very little nutritional value. Of course, if there is one single thing that virtually every nutritionist -- from the lowest of the low-carbers to the highest of the high-carbers -- agrees on, it's that we should all be eating more green, leafy vegetables. So, if you're going to eat the lettuce, which ones are worth the effort? And why are they so fantastic for us in the first place?
THE ROOT OF GREENS
To find out, I interviewed Sonja Pettersen, ND, whose use of whole foods and understanding of their healing properties are a big part of her naturopathic medical practice.
"To start with, the compound that makes plants green is chlorophyll," Dr. Pettersen explained. "Chlorophyll is a natural blood purifier. The by-products of bacterial, fungal, yeast or viral infections litter the blood vessels with compounds that shouldn't be there. Our own immune system creates complexes that attack these foreign substances, and chlorophyll goes a long way toward assisting our bodies in cleaning them out."
She went on to explain that since everything travels through the blood, blood is ultimately our way of eliminating "sludge." "Chlorophyll will manage bacterial growth," she told me. "It helps remove unwanted residue and is a natural anti-inflammatory. It's renewing to the tissues. And it helps activate enzymes, so your own body systems and actions will reach their potential." Indeed, super chlorophyll-containing plants -- such as spirulina, chlorella, and wild blue-green algae -- are an essential part of the healing armament in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and other Eastern practices.
Which lettuces are best? Here's a rundown of those that are the most powerful. The numbers are the amounts of the vitamins found in one raw cup...
Vitamin
A (IU)
Vitamin
K (mcg)
Beta carotene (mcg)
Lutein+
Zeaxanthin
(mcg)
Potassium
(mg)
Folate
(mcg)
Vitamin
C (mg)
Calcium
(mg)
Red leaf lettuce
2,098
39
1,258
483
52
10
1
9
Iceberg
361
17
215
199
102
21
2
13
Romaine
2,730
48
1,637
1,087
116
64
11
16
Butterhead
1,822
56
1,093
673
131
40
2
19
Arugula
474
22
284
710
74
19
3
32
Watercress
1,598
85
959
1,961
112
3
15
41
Endive
1,084
115
650
0
157
71
3
26
Mustard greens
5,881
278
3,528
5,543
198
105
39
58
Spinach
2,813
145
1,688
3,659
167
58
8
30
Kohlrabi
49
0.1
30
0
473
22
84
32
Kale
10,300
547
6,182
26,500
299
19
80
91
Source: www.nutritiondata.com
CRUCIFEROUS CANCER FIGHTERS
The Brassica group of vegetables, which includes cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, are packed with compounds called glucosinolates. Glucosinolates are not well absorbed by humans until they come into contact with myrosinase, an enzyme that's produced in the gut. At that point, they turn into truly amazing compounds called isothiocyanates, which are now thought to be the primary agents responsible for the anticancer activity of cruciferous vegetables. Isothiocyanates have been shown to have direct effects on human cancer cells, suppressing tumor growth and inhibiting cellular proliferation. They also help the liver in its job of detoxification.
Note: Proper gut function is necessary to produce the isothiocyanates, so if you are taking antacids, you will be indirectly blocking much of the synthesis of this crucial compound.
Winners in the Brassica group are watercress, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, arugula and kale.
A note about cooking vegetables: Although eating most vegetables raw provides maximum nutrition, sometime we want them cooked. It is far better to steam veggies than to microwave them. Approximately 36% of nutrients are lost through steaming... but as much as 97% can be lost by microwaving.
The beneficial compounds outlined above are actually the same ones that give certain plants their bitter taste, according to Dr. Pettersen. "For example, arugula is much more bitter than iceberg lettuce -- and it also has much more benefit." She said that there is what might be called a "bitter continuum," with greens at the bitter end providing the most nutritional benefits.
ANTIOXIDANTS, OF COURSE
Of course, green vegetables are loaded with antioxidants, which are vitamins and other compounds that help block the free radicals that can cause DNA damage, aging and even cancer. Antioxidants are rated on an oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) scale, which is a rating of the combined antioxidant power of a food -- how much antioxidant punch they (the antioxidants in the food) pack when taken together, working synergistically. The higher the rating, the better.
ORAC ratings of common vegetables
Kale
1,770
Spinach
1,260
Brussels sprouts
980
Alfalfa sprouts
930
Broccoli florets
890
Beets
840
Red bell peppers
710
All in all, most greens are definitely worth the chewing time.
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Keep your heart healthy, your arteries clear, and your blood pumping powerfullY... with your body's own chemical
Sounds simple, yet this discovery is so important and so revolutionary that it won the Nobel Prize in medicine.
Scientists discovered that nitric oxide, a naturally occurring chemical in your body, helps prevent heart attack and stroke in 4 ways...
It lowers cholesterol by 10% to 20%.
It reduces arterial plaque by as much as 50%.
It expands blood vessels, reducing blood pressure and allowing blood to flow more freely.
It controls platelet function, so they don't clump together and cause blood clots.
The secret is knowing how to increase nitric oxide levels in your body. And that's easy, too. Click here to learn more...
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An Ounce of Prevention
A few weeks ago, I wrote about homeopathic treatments to both cure and prevent the flu (Daily Health News, October 18, 2005). Of course, not everyone believes in the effectiveness of homeopathy -- so, for the nonbelievers out there, I spoke with Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, about his favorite naturopathic ways to build up your immune system before flu season starts, so that you can protect yourself from the assault of germs.
PREVENTION BEATS CURES
According to Dr. Rubman, the real issue with regard to the flu is the state of a person's underlying health. Just because you are exposed to the flu doesn't mean that you are going to get it. Organisms are able to cause disease only when they can get past the body's defenses. A strong immune system is your best bet for deterring germs from entering in the first place -- and even if they do find their way in, a strong immune system will help limit the duration and intensity of symptoms.
Dr. Rubman's Favorite Flu Fighters
I've written again and again in these pages about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. The best way to maintain wellness and prevent disease of any kind is to follow a healthful diet, get a good balance of exercise and rest, manage stress in a positive way and steer clear of negative habits such as smoking and overindulgence in alcohol. That said, Dr. Rubman has a few tricks up his sleeve to boost your immune system and ward off colds and flu at this time of year. He recommends...
Selenium: A Powerful Antioxidant
This essential trace mineral is a valuable antioxidant that prevents cell damage from free radicals. Selenium helps the immune system recognize viruses and block them from entering cells, explains Dr. Rubman. With the onset of flu season, he recommends a dose of 400 micrograms (mcg) to 500 mcg a day divided into three parts -- that is about four times the usual. This should be taken only during the six to eight weeks of peak flu season.
Red Hot Chili Peppers: A Spicy, Immune-Boosting Tea
Another of Dr. Rubman's flu-fighting favorites is a spicy tea concocted from echinacea, goldenseal, slippery elm bark and just a touch of the red hot pepper capsicum. Echinacea, goldenseal and capsicum team up to fight off germs, while slippery elm bark allows the tea to coat the back of the throat, where viruses are most likely to take hold.
Here's how to make it:
At your local health-food store, purchase one-half ounce of powdered goldenseal root... one-half ounce of powdered echinacea root (not the whole plant)... two ounces of slippery elm bark powder... and one teaspoon of capsicum.
At home, put ingredients in a brown paper or plastic baggie, close tightly and shake. Transfer the contents to a screw-top jar. (Give this jar a shake each time you use it in order to remix the ingredients.)
To make the tea, pour one cup of very hot water into a mug over one-half teaspoon of the powder.
Cover and steep for five minutes. Sip up to several cups daily throughout flu season.
Use Common Sense
Of course, nothing replaces good old-fashioned common sense during flu season. This means you should avoid exposure to infected people... try not to touch your face (the most common way to transfer germs)... cover your mouth and nose with a tissue (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze... get plenty of fresh air... and wash your hands frequently.
With smart planning and a dose of good luck, you and your family will be able to make it through another flu season without getting sick.
Be well,
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News
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3,379 Very Simple Ways to Make Your Home More Lovable
Household tricks... garden secrets... indoor and outdoor projects that require little effort or money -- but provide very big reward.
BOTTOM LINE has teamed up with America's legendary home and garden experts, John and Martha Storey -- and their 30 years of wisdom -- to help Americans do "the impossible." Plus, the best from more than 100 of their expert home and garden associates to help make your home "the most admired on the block."
Read on...
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Sources:
Green Veggies to the Rescue
Sonja Pettersen, ND, is in practice in Scottsdale, Arizona. She received her doctor of naturopathic medicine degree from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon.
An Ounce of Prevention
Andrew L. Rubman, ND, adjunct professor of clinical medicine, I.W. Lane College of Integrated Medicine, Orlando, Florida and medical director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut.
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