Top 5 Food Additives to Avoid

Did you know 90% of the typical American grocery bill is spend on processed foods? Processed foods are loaded with preservatives and additives that are, quite frankly, ruining our health. These “foods” - if you can call them food - have a longer shelf life due to the dozens of chemical additives. But at what cost?

Here is a “Top 5″ list of additives to avoid and why… Continue reading

28 Things Betcha Didn’t Know About Aloe Vera

I have a huge aloe vera plant in my kitchen bay window. A few years ago, I thought it was a goner, but thankfully I didn’t throw it away. It has blossomed into a very hearty plant, and has gotten so big I’ve had to give several sections of it away.

Most of us think of aloe vera as a sunburn soother. Although it’s great for burns, it has many other health benefits as well (links go to scientific studies provided by Google Scholar): Continue reading

Benefits of Vitamin D - Why it’s essential to health + the best food sources

I love summer. My kids love to play outside, and I can sit in the sun with my laptop and soak up the Vitamin D. It’s so comforting to have the sun on my skin, knowing not only does it feel good on the surface of the skin, but the Vitamin D that is being produced is doing the inside of my body good, too.

Then autumn rolls around, and winter, and I am worried that my family isn’t getting enough Vitamin D. We switch from fish oil - which has omega-3′s, but not Vitamin D - to cod liver oil which does contain Vitamin D. Since regular cod liver oil contains low amounts of Vitamin D (as opposed to fermented which is a more concentrated form and contains lots more Vitamin D) it’s essential I add food sources of Vitamin D to our diet.

Vitamin D - Immune System Booster

So why am I so careful to add Vitamin D to our diet? My biggest personal reason is because it’s vital for a healthy immune system.

I am sure you’ve noticed that colds and the flu is more prevalent during the winter months when we are covered up more due to the cold (at least here in New England!). Our skin isn’t exposed to as much sunlight.

Find out what else Vitamin D is also needed for, learn about Vitamin D deficiency, what the best food sources of Vitamin D are, what interferes with Vitamin D absorption, and what enhances Vitamin D absorption… Continue reading

Reasons to Limit Fructose Consumption

I am not a fan of eating too much fruit. There are a number of reasons why you should not consume too much fructose. Here are some ways your body can be damaged by consuming too much fructose. Continue reading

Formaldehyde now officially listed as cancer-causing chemical; here are the top sources of exposure

(NaturalNews) Formaldehyde is present in relatively benign quantities in nature; however its presence in manufactured goods is a major health concern because according to a significant body of research, it is a known carcinogenic substance.

Recently the U.S Department of Health and Human Services released a report on newly designated carcinogens that included formaldehyde. The report went on to suggest that people in certain industries were especially vulnerable to the effects of exposure such as those workers who worked in nail salons, in the funeral industry, and in industries which use formaldehyde to produce common household items including home furnishings, cleansers and personal care products. People who are exposed to concentrated levels of formaldehyde are more likely to develop certain cancers such as nasopharyngeal cancer and myeloid leukemia. Continue reading

How to Prevent and Treat Sunburn

How to Prevent and Treat Sunburn

It used to be that sunburns were as much a part of summer as picnics and pool parties. Today, we know that too much sun — i.e. when your skin gets red and feels hot to the touch — can, over time, result in dry, wrinkled skin, liver spots, and even skin cancer. Continue reading

Tips for Avoiding MSG

Drinks, candy, and chewing gum are potential sources of hidden MSG and/or aspartame, neotame. and AminoSweet (the new name for aspartame). Aspartic acid, found in neotame, aspartame (NutraSweet), and AminoSweet, ordinarily causes MSG type reactions in MSG sensitive people. (It would appear that calling aspartame “AminoSweet” is industry’s method of choice for hiding aspartame.) We have not seen Neotame used widely in the United States. Continue reading

EWG Releases the 2011 “Dirty Dozen” Most Toxic Fruits and Vegetables List

Here are EWG’s “Dirty Dozen” - the top dozen worst non-organic produce choices you can make.

EWG analyzed pesticide residue testing data from the US Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration to come up with rankings for these popular fresh produce items. Continue reading

Magnesium Offers Strong Radiation Protection

One would not normally think that magnesium deficiency can increase the risk of cancer yet we will find that just as severe dehydration or asphyxiation can cause death, magnesium deficiency can lead directly to cancer. It is known that carcinogenesis induces magnesium distribution disturbances, causing magnesium mobilization through blood cells and magnesium depletion in non-neoplastic tissues. Magnesium deficiency is carcinogenic, and in the case of solid tumors, a high level of supplemented magnesium inhibits carcinogenesis. Continue reading