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90 Days To Wellness
A Public Service Campaign of
The Wholefoods Farmacy
Day 3: Understanding Whole Grains
Whole Grains are the seeds of plants that belong to the grass family. This seed, also known as the kernel, is made up of three key parts: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm.
A whole grain can be a single food, such as oatmeal, brown rice, barley, or popcorn, or an ingredient in another food such as bread or cereal. Whole grains include whole wheat, whole oats/oatmeal, whole-grain corn, popcorn, brown rice, whole rye, whole-grain barley, wild rice, buckwheat, bulgur (cracked wheat), millet, quinoa, and sorghum. Other less common whole grains include amaranth, emmer, farro, grano (lightly pearled wheat), spelt, and wheat berries.
Recent research reported in the May 2007 issue of the online journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, shows that Americans should eat more whole grains like oatmeal, barley and brown rice to help lower their risk of clogged arteries, heart attacks and strokes, according to researchers. The study's lead author, Dr. Philip B Mellen, of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina commented: "Many consumers and health professionals are not aware of the health benefits of whole grains".
In a review of seven major studies, the researchers found that higher whole grain intake was consistently linked to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. On average, adults who ate 2.5 servings of whole grains per day were nearly one-quarter less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than their peers who rarely consumed whole grains. Whole grains are believed to benefit the heart in a number of ways. The fiber and other nutrients in whole grains may help lower cholesterol, blood sugar and insulin levels, as well as improve blood vessel functioning and reduce inflammation in the circulatory system. Yet, surveys show that few Americans get the recommended three servings of whole grains per day, according to the authors of the new study. More than 40 percent of U.S. adults say they eat no whole grains at all.
The Wholefood Farmacy is proud to offer a wide variety of delicious, convenient meals and snacks that are rich in whole grains. Phi Plus, Cranberry Phi, Coco Cherry Phi are rich in whole grains. Our line of Farinas are all handcrafted using our custom whole grain blend that includes Cracked Wheat, Rye, Oats, Millet, Bulgur Wheat Brown Rice, and Quinoa.
Visit The WHOLE FOODS Farmacy.
Thank you,
The Wholefood Farmacy Team
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90 Days To Wellness
A Public Service Campaign of
The Wholefoods Farmacy
Day 4: Understanding Dietary Fiber
You don't usually see it or taste it, but fiber works wonders for your body. Dietary fiber, or roughage, is a known cancer fighter found only in the cell walls of plant foods. For years, studies have pointed to the fact that increased fiber intake decreases the risk of colorectal cancer.
According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (1999), this protective effect may be due to fiber's tendency to add bulk to your digestive system, shortening the amount of time that wastes travel through the colon. As this waste often contains carcinogens, it is best if it is removed as quickly as possible; so, increased fiber decreases chances for intestinal cells to be affected.
The Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1999) reported that Fiber may also help protect against breast cancer, an effect noted especially with consumption of whole grains and wheat bran. Additionally, studies suggest that high amounts of fiber may also prevent breast cancer by binding to estrogen. When bacteria in the lower intestine break down fiber, a substance called butyrate is produced which may inhibit the growth of tumors of the colon and rectum as reported in the Journal of Oncology Research in 2000. Fiber may also have a protective effect against mouth, throat, and esophageal cancers according to a study published in the International Journal of Cancer in 2001.
If you're like most North Americans, you take in only 10 to 15 grams of fiber per day. However, most studies have shown that optimal intake for cancer prevention is at least 30 to 35 grams per day. Recent studies suggest that small increases in fiber, such as adding vegetables to a chicken stir-fry or having a hamburger on a whole wheat bun, do not offer much protection. On the other hand, when we replace high-fat, animal products such as chicken, fish, cheese, and eggs with plant foods, we easily boost fiber to levels where real protection is possible.
Whole foods contain two types of dietary fiber which are known as soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and is found in a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains. It cuts cholesterol and adds to your feeling of fullness. Good sources of soluble fiber are oats, oat bran, oatmeal, apples, citrus fruits, strawberries, dried beans, barley, rye flour, potatoes, raw cabbage, and pasta.
As you may have guessed, insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and is found in whole grain brans, fruit pulp, and vegetable peels and skins. It is the type of fiber most strongly linked to cancer protection and improved waste removal. Good sources of insoluble fiber are wheat bran, whole wheat products, cereals made from bran or shredded wheat, crunchy vegetables, barley, grains, whole wheat pasta, and rye flour.
It is best to choose fiber-rich foods over fiber supplements in order to get the full range of the cancer-fighting phytochemicals that fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains contain. Wholefood Farmacy foods offer you a convenient and delicious way to enjoy whole grains each and every day.
Visit The WHOLE FOODS Farmacy.
Thank you,
The Wholefood Farmacy Team
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90 Days To Wellness
A Public Service Campaign of
The Wholefoods Farmacy
Day 5: he Benefits Of Daily Exercise
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, studies that have followed large groups of people for many years are all drawing the same conclusion: A sedentary (inactive) lifestyle increases the chances of becoming overweight and developing a number of chronic diseases.
Exercise or regular physical activity helps many of the body's systems function better and keeps a host of diseases at bay. According to the US Surgeon General's report, regular physical activity:
Improves your chances of living longer and living healthier Protects against heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol Helps protects against certain cancers, including colon and breast cancer Helps prevent or control type 2 diabetes Helps prevent arthritis and may help relieve pain and stiffness in people with this condition Helps prevent the insidious loss of bone known as osteoporosis Reduces the risk of falling among older adults Relieves symptoms of depression and anxiety and improves mood If you already exercise on a daily basis - keep it up! If not, please consider taking a walk each day. Start off easy if you need to with a short 10 minute walk. From there, gradually increase your walking to 30 minutes a day - the results will amaze you! Your mood will improve, your energy levels will increase and you'll enjoy all of the health benefits listed above.
Visit The WHOLE FOODS Farmacy.
Thank you,
The Wholefood Farmacy Team
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90 Days To Wellness
A Public Service Campaign of
The Wholefoods Farmacy
Day 6: Spice It Up!
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. Dr. 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 antioxidants in herbs and spices are only absorbed by the body when they're eaten with fat, so recipes that include good fats to help your body to absorb and use the antioxidants.
You favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods are rich in a wide array of spices and combined with good fats from nuts and seeds so that your body will get the most benefit from all of the antioxidants that spices have to offer.
Visit The WHOLE FOODS Farmacy.
Thank you,
The Wholefood Farmacy Team
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90 Days To Wellness
A Public Service Campaign of
The Wholefoods Farmacy
Day 7: The Power Of Healthy Living
Dr. Dana King and his team of researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have just completed a very inspirational study. Dr. King and his team set out to find if middle-aged adults could reap the rewards of habits like eating vegetables and walking 30 minutes a day.
The researchers reported in June 2007 that middle-aged adults age 45 to 64 who began eating five or more fruits and vegetables every day, exercising for at least 2 1/2 hours a week, keeping weight down and not smoking decreased their risk of heart disease by 35 percent and risk of death by 40 percent in the four years after they started.
"The adopters of a healthy lifestyle basically caught up. Within four years, their mortality rate and rate of heart attacks matched the people who had been doing these behaviors all along," said Dr. Dana King at the Medical University of South Carolina, who led the research. Dr. King added "even if you have not had a healthy lifestyle previously, it's not too late to adopt those healthy lifestyle habits and gain almost immediate benefits."
The four key habits are eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables everyday, exercising for 2 ˝ hours per week, not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight. The study participants who adopted all four healthy habits enjoyed a sharp decline in heart disease risk and in death from any cause.
It took all four -- having just three of the healthy habits yielded no heart benefits and a more modest decrease in overall risk of death. Still, said Dr. Nichola Davis at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, "These benefits are on a continuum. The more of the healthy habits that you can adapt, the better. ...These are modest changes that they're talking about."
The Wholefood Farmacy foods offer you a convenient and delicious way to enjoy five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each and every day. How many servings have you, your family and your children had today?
Visit The WHOLE FOODS Farmacy.
Thank you,
The Wholefood Farmacy Team
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90 Days To Wellness
A Public Service Campaign of
The Wholefoods Farmacy
Day 8: Teach Your Children Well
Teaching children from a young age to eat healthy fats can have lifelong health benefits according to a new study published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation in August, 2007.
The study focused on over one thousand children in Findland who were followed from the age of 7 months through age 14. The researchers found that children who were taught to focus on the healthy fats found in fish, nuts, seeds, and plant oils had slightly lower cholesterol levels compared to children who ate an unrestricted diet by the time they reached the age of 14.
Dr. Art Labovitz, cardiology director at Saint Louis University School of Medicine pointed out that even a small decrease in cholesterol levels can have a big influence over the course of your child's life. "If you study large numbers of people, the small increments result in a significant change in heart attacks and cardiac deaths," said Dr. Art Labovitz.
Dr. Harri Niinikoski, lead author of the study done at the University of Turku in Finland, said children begin forming their eating and lifestyle habits in childhood. "We think that this lifestyle change can be started early," he said.
Dr. Sarah Blumenschein, a pediatric cardiologist with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said the study shows that early intervention is the key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. "The earlier you intervene, the more likely you are going to be successful," she said.
The key is to teach your children, starting as young as possible, to appreciate the healthy fats found in fish, nuts, seeds, and plant oils. By eating a little less meat and avoiding the saturated fats and trans fats which are in most processed foods, fast foods and junk foods - your children will lower their total fat intake and enjoy more of the benefits that healthy fats have to offer. As your children grow into their teens and begin eating more meals away from home, their healthy habits will guide them towards healthier food choices when unsupervised.
We encourage parents everywhere to read the nutrition information on the foods that their children eat. The healthy fats are listed as unsaturated fats, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The unhealthy fats are listed as saturated fats, partially hydrogenated oils, and trans fats.
Wholefood Farmacy foods are rich in heart healthy fats which are found in nuts, seeds, and plant oils - and these foods offer you a wonderful way to encourage healthy eating habits with your children starting at a young age.
Visit The WHOLE FOODS Farmacy.
Thank you,
The Wholefood Farmacy Team
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90 Days To Wellness
A Public Service Campaign of
The Wholefoods Farmacy
Day 9: Go Nuts!
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.
Nuts are widely used here at The Wholefood Farmacy and you can find them in many of our foods. 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 WHOLE FOODS Farmacy.
Thank you,
The Wholefood Farmacy Team
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90 Days To Wellness
A Public Service Campaign of
The Wholefoods Farmacy
Day 10: A Slice of Life
These days, juicy, delicious oranges are practically synonymous with vitamin C. But did you know that America 's favorite fruit also provides healthful natural compounds called limonoids? In laboratory tests with animals and with human cells, citrus limonoids have been shown to help fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach, and colon.
Agricultural Research Service scientists in northern California led by chemist Gary D. Manners of the Western Regional Research Center in Albany have uncovered new details about these compounds. Their research has demonstrated that our bodies can readily access a limonoid called limonin, and all of its health-imparting properties, each time we bite into an orange. This is the first time that bioavailability has been shown in humans.
In some individuals, limonin remains in the bloodstream for up to 24 hours which is an impressive length of time. This longevity, or persistence, may help explain why limonoids fight the type of cancer cells which proliferate unless they are continuously suppressed.
A single orange provides 12.5% of the daily value for fiber, which has been shown to reduce high cholesterol levels and to prevent atherosclerosis. A single orange offers you over 170 different phytochemicals and more than 60 flavonoids, many of which have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and blood clot inhibiting properties, as well as strong antioxidant effects.
Although oranges are the major fruit in the citrus fruits group we shouldn't forget about the others such as Tangerines, Mandarines, Clementines , Satsumas, Lemons, Limes and Grapefruits.
Treat yourself and your children to a slice of life today!
Visit The WHOLE FOODS Farmacy.
Thank you,
The Wholefood Farmacy Team
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* Employees of Healing Touch Therapies are NOT licensed physicians. The information provided by Healing Touch Therapies’ website or employees is not a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment by a licensed physician. Information provided is for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professional. You should not use the information or products contained herein for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication. Information and statements regarding our complimentary and alternative health products and services have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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