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Please visit our Dedication Page for Sarah Rachel Lemire
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90 Days To Wellness
A Public Service Campaign of
The Wholefoods Farmacy
Day 11: Apple Juice
When it comes to apple juice, "cloudier" may mean healthier, according to a study published in January 2007, in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
In a head-to-head comparison of apple juices, Polish researchers found that pulpy, non-clarified juice carried a greater antioxidant punch than clear juice. Antioxidants are compounds that neutralize free radicals, molecules that can damage body cells and contribute to disease.
Unlike cloudy apple juice, the much more common clear variety undergoes additional processing to remove any apple solids. Manufacturers typically think the public will favor the more attractive, clear juice over its cloudy cousin, and retailers prefer the clear variety for its longer shelf life.
But the new findings suggest that health-conscious consumers should reach for the cloudy variety, according to Dr. Jan Oszmianski, the study's lead author. "Cloudy apple juices contain much more antioxidant than clear," says Dr. Oszmianski, a researcher at the Agricultural University of Wroclaw.
In fact, Oszmianski's team found, cloudy juice packed up to four times the level of polyphenols, a group of antioxidant plant compounds. And in experiments, cloudy juice was the more effective free radical "scavenger," the researchers report in their findings.
In addition, Researchers at the University of California-Davis recently reported that apples and apple juice may help protect arteries from harmful plaque build-up. In the first study conducted in humans, adults who added two apples, or 12 ounces of 100% apple juice, to their daily diet demonstrated a significant slowing of the cholesterol oxidation process that leads to plaque build-up - thereby giving the body more time to rid itself of cholesterol before it can cause harm. Enjoy some apples or cloudy apple juice each day and keep the doctor away!
You can also find Apples in some of your favorite Wholefood Farmacy Foods such as Fruitalicious, Fruitalicious Plus and Phi Plus. Have you, your family and your children had some apples or cloudy apple juice 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 12: Garlic & Your Heart
A new study just released in the Oct. 16th , 2007 issue of the prestigious medical journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that garlic causes red blood cells to release hydrogen sulfide in the body thereby causing blood vessels to relax.
When blood vessels relax, they become larger and are able to carry more blood and more oxygen to the brain and other important parts of the body. Blood pressure also comes down when blood vessels relax. It is well known that high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, so this newly discovered health benefit of garlic, once again, is an example of modern day researchers confirming the wisdom of the ancients. Garlic has been used for medicinal purposes throughout all of recorded history.
The lead researcher is Biology professor David Kraus from the University of Alabama. He said that there is also another study in progress that shows "sulfide can protect from cardiovascular damage during a heart attack, it can alleviate various sorts of inflammation, and it can reduce platelet aggregation that would cause a blood clot to form".
When you eat garlic, your body metabolizes garlic's active ingredient, allicin, and produces hydrogen sulphide. The hydrogen sulphide then signals your blood vessels to relax, increasing blood flow, reducing blood pressure and supporting heart health.
You can find garlic in many of your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods such as Corn of Plenty, Veggielicious Spice, V-8 Creamy Bean Soup, V-10 Creamy Yam Soup and V-12 Creamy Vegetable Soup.
Have you had a serving of garlic 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 13: A Woman's Heart
Amazing new research was published in the October 2007 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. This new study shows that women who eat a healthy diet, drink moderate amounts of alcohol, are physically active, maintain a healthy weight and do not smoke have a significantly reduced risk of heart attack - a reduced risk of up to 92 percent!
Dr. Agneta Akesson, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and colleagues identified dietary patterns in 24,444 postmenopausal women by analyzing food frequency questionnaires, on which the women supplied information about how often they ate 96 common foods.
The low-risk lifestyle, characterized by a high intake of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fish and legumes, in combination with moderate alcohol consumption, not smoking, maintaining the proper weight and being physically active was associated with 92 percent decreased risk compared with findings in women without any low-risk diet and lifestyle factors.
Several components of fruits, vegetables and whole grains such as fiber, antioxidant vitamins and minerals, have been associated with a reduced risk for coronary heart disease, the researchers note. In addition, previous studies have found beneficial effects of small amounts of alcohol in preventing the buildup of plaque in the arteries, which could help prevent heart attacks. "The combined benefit of diet, lifestyle, and healthy body weight may prevent more than three of four cases of heart attack in our study population," Dr. Akesson and colleagues report.
Wholefood Farmacy foods make it easy and convenient for you to enjoy the benefits of a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and dietary fiber. How many servings of fruits and veggies 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 14: The Amazin' Raisin
Raisins rank among the top antioxidant foods, according to USDA government tests. Early findings suggest that eating plenty of fruits high in antioxidants, such as raisins may help slow the processes associated with aging in both body and brain.
Andrew J. Dannenberg, M.D. a cancer researcher at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University reports that the antioxidant catechin, found in raisins and some other fruits and vegetables, in the diet of mice genetically predisposed to intestinal tumors reduced the number of tumors by at least 70 percent compared to the control group. This type of study adds to the body of evidence which shows that components of fruits and vegetables have the potential to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, colorectal adenomas and other gastrointestinal tumors.
Carl L. Keen, Ph.D. from the University of California Davis reports that a significant amount of raisins eaten daily for 4 weeks increased the plasma antioxidant capacity. This in turn decreased the level of circulating oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) also known as the "bad cholesterol". These data clearly show raisins are an important part of 5-a-day diet and that benefits of eating raisins are similar to benefits seen when eating other fruits and vegetables with these plant antioxidants.
Christine D. Wu, M.S., Ph.D. of the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry has found that raisins contain compounds including oleanolic acid that inhibit in vitro growth of Streptococcus.mutans, the bacteria in the mouth responsible for tooth decay. Oleanic acid and other compounds in raisins also inhibit organisms associated with periodontal disease, including Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum. Oleanolic acid is most effective in suppressing in vitro plaque formation by Streptococcus mutans. Prevention of plaque building up on the tooth surface is critical both for preventing tooth decay and promoting healthy gums.
Mary Ellen Camire, Ph.D. of the University of Maine reports that dietary fiber and other components may reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer by binding bile acids and causing their elimination from the body. Camire's study confirms that eating fibrous foods, such as raisins, stimulates the body to replace the bile acids that have been eliminated by making them from its own cholesterol, thus potentially lowering serum cholesterol and the risk of coronary heart disease. Furthermore, bile acids that are bound by fibers such as those in raisins will not be metabolized to a more toxic form and this may potentially reduce cancer risk.
Gene A. Spiller, Ph.D. of the Sphera Foundation and Health Research Studies Center - Los Altos, CA reports feeding of raisins along with peanuts to 10-12 year old children prior to a soccer game resulted in lower increases in blood glucose and insulin than a snack of a white bagel and jam. This is important because it means a more steady fuel supply to the exercising muscle of the young players. Lower insulin levels are advantageous because high levels of circulating insulin can promote the laying down of fat and may lead to insulin resistance, a concern among US children today, where rates of obesity and type 2 Diabetes are increasing.
You, your family and your children can enjoy all of the health benefits that raisins have to offer with your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods such as Phi Plus, Cranberry Phi, Fruitalicious, Fruitalicious Plus and Cornaborealis.
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 15: Peanuts
Peanuts, contrary to their name, are not really nuts. They are a member of the legume family along with peas, lentils, chickpeas and other beans. Peanuts start growing as a ground flower - but because the peanut flower is very heavy - it bends towards the ground and eventually pushes it's way underground where the peanut matures.
A University of Florida team says peanuts are rich in antioxidants which protect cells from damage linked to heart disease and cancer. Peanuts also contain high levels of protein and "good" monounsaturated fat.
The US researchers tested the antioxidant content of a dozen different varieties of peanuts. Antioxidants are the naturally occurring substances in plants that protect the body from free radicals - 'volatile' chemicals in the blood.
Although free radicals do play an important role in the immune system, they also alter cholesterol in a process known as oxidation, which is thought to speed up the hardening of the arteries.
Red and orange fruits and vegetables are already known to be particularly high in antioxidants. But the researchers found peanuts were also high in the beneficial chemicals. They found peanuts contain high levels of polyphenols, a family of chemicals commonly found in foods, which have strong antioxidant properties.
Steve Talcott of the University of Florida, who led the research, said: "When it comes to antioxidant content, peanuts are right up there with strawberries. We expected a fairly high antioxidant content in peanuts, but we were a bit shocked to find that they're as rich in antioxidants as many kinds of fruit."
If you're a peanut fan we encourage you to consider Buckey Ball Matrix. This delicious energy food is handcrafted from peanuts, honey, white and black sesame seeds, dried whole raspberries, organic raspberry tarts, and olive oil. It's a taste that's sure to please and always a hit with the kids.
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 16: Brown Rice
Milling is the process that turns brown rice into white rice by removing the outer layer known as the bran layer - this alters the nutritional value of the rice. The complete milling process that creates white rice from brown rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. In short, brown rice is a fiber-rich whole grain whereas white rice is simply a refined and nutritionally depleted processed food.
In March of 2006, research reported in the journal Agricultural Research, Nancy Keim and a team at the USDA ARS Western Human Nutrition Center studied 10 women age 20-45 who ate a whole grain diet for three days, then ate the same foods but with refined grains in place of whole grains. Blood samples at the end of each 3-day period showed that the refined grains diet caused a significant increase in triglycerides and a worrisome protein called "apolipoprotein CIII" (apoCIII), both of which have been associated with increased risk of heart disease.
At the University of Utah, in a study of over 2000 people, a team led by Dr. Martha Slattery found that high intakes of whole grains, such as brown rice, reduced the risk of rectal cancer 31%. They also found that a high-fiber diet, 34 grams or more of fiber per day, reduced rectal cancer by an impressive 66%. The findings were published in the February 2004 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
In a Study presented at American Heart Association Conference, March 2006, overweight children, age 9-15, spent two weeks on an all-you-can-eat diet of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein, while exercising 2.5 hours each day. University of California researchers led by Dr. James Barnard reported that in just two weeks the children's cholesterol levels dropped an average of 21%, while insulin levels fell 30%.
TropiPhi is know as the "Rolls Royce" of snack foods and it's made from macadamia nuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, pineapple, papaya, mango, bananas, coconut flakes, brown rice, & orange oil. If you've got a "sweet tooth" then TropiPhi offers real satisfaction in the healthiest way imaginable.
We encourage parents everywhere to consider guiding themselves and their children down a healthier path by replacing processed and refined grains with healthy, natural whole grains such as brown rice. The healthy habits that your children learn from you while young will stay with them and be passed on for generations to come.
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 17: Walnuts
Back in 1993, the original Walnut Study from Loma Linda University made headlines around the world and was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Why all the excitement? Because Loma Linda University had broken new ground. They were the first to find that walnuts in a controlled diet reduced LDL (bad) cholesterol and heart disease risk significantly more than the Step 1 diet that was then recommended by the American Heart Association. In other words - they proved, scientifically, that food really can be your medicine.
In April 2000, another landmark walnut study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The study, a follow-up to the 1993 Loma Linda study, was conducted at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona. Researchers had 49 men and women with high cholesterol incorporate walnuts into a healthy Mediterranean diet, substituting a handful of walnuts a day for some of the monounsaturated fat in the diet.
Participants lowered their "bad" LDL cholesterol by almost 6 per cent and heart disease risk by 11 per cent beyond what would be expected from the Mediterranean diet alone. The Loma Linda study participants substituted walnuts, one of nature's richest sources of polyunsaturated fat, for saturated fat. The Barcelona participants substituted walnuts for another healthy fat.
Barcelona scientists also remarked on the ease of incorporating walnuts into the diet. According to researcher Juan Carlos Laguna, Ph.D., "That's the main point of the study. You eat a normal amount, like five or six walnuts a day. That's something you can do every day without any problem."
We encourage parents to consider bringing walnuts home from the store in place of cheese puffs, potato chips and other processed food snacks. Let the kids open the walnuts themselves and enjoy the very heatlhy treat inside. You can also find walnuts in many of your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods including Phi Plus, TropiPhi, Coco Cherry Phi and Cranberry Phi.
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 18: Broccoli
Eating foods like broccoli and soy has now been linked to lower cancer rates, and California researchers recently reported that they may have discovered the biological mechanism behind the protective effect.
Using cells in a lab dish, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that diindolymethane (DIM), a compound resulting from digestion of cruciferous vegetables such as Broccoli, along with genistein, an isoflavone in soy, reduce the production of two proteins needed for breast and ovarian cancers to spread.
"We think these compounds might slow or prevent the metastasis of breast and ovarian cancer, which would greatly increase the effectiveness of current treatments," said Erin Hsu, a UCLA graduate student in molecular toxicology.
The findings highlight "an entirely unique mechanism ... Preventing the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells is crucial," said Dr. Alan Kristal, associate head of the cancer prevention program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Cancer cells express very high levels of a surface receptor known as CXCR4, while the organs to which the cancers spread secrete high levels of CXCL12, a ligand that binds to that particular receptor.
This attraction stimulates the invasive properties of cancer cells and acts like a homing device, drawing the cancer cells to organs like the liver or brain.
The study found that when cancer cells were treated with either DIM or genistein, movement toward CXCL12 is reduced by at least 80 percent compared to untreated cells.
As the modern day researchers continue to confirm the wisdom of the ancients, and we encourage you to embrace this wisdom. Ancient civilizations such as the Greeks and the Essenes knew the recipe for good health. They partook of pure air and water, sunshine, and nutrient-dense whole foods. Today, it seems that science has come full circle. They have arrived "back in time" only to discover the future!
All of us at The Wholefood Farmacy would like to take this opportunity to welcome you "Back to the Future". You can enjoy the health imparting powers of Broccoli in our Veggielicious, Veggielicious Spice and V-12 Farmacy Gourmet Vegetable Soup. Getting 5 servings a day of veggies has never been easier!
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 19: Cinnamon
Just half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day significantly reduces blood sugar levels in diabetics, a new study has found. The effect, which can be produced even by soaking a cinnamon stick your tea, could also benefit millions of non-diabetics who have blood sugar problem but are unaware of it.
The discovery was initially made by accident, by Richard Anderson at the US Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland. "We were looking at the effects of common foods on blood sugar; one was the American favorite, apple pie, which is usually spiced with cinnamon. We expected it to be bad. But it helped," he says.
The active ingredient in cinnamon turned out to be a water-soluble polyphenol compound called MHCP. In test tube experiments, MHCP mimics insulin, activates its receptor, and works synergistically with insulin in cells.
To see if it would work in people, Alam Khan, who was a postdoctoral fellow in Anderson's lab, organized a study in Pakistan. Volunteers with Type 2 diabetes were given one, three or six grams of cinnamon powder a day, in capsules after meals.
All responded within weeks, with blood sugar levels that were on average 20 per cent lower than a control group. Some even achieved normal blood sugar levels. Tellingly, blood sugar started creeping up again after the diabetics stopped taking cinnamon.
In the volunteers, the Cinnamon also lowered blood levels of fats and "bad" cholesterol, which are also partly controlled by insulin. And in test tube experiments it neutralized free radicals, damaging chemicals which are elevated in diabetics. Cinnamon's essential oils also qualify it as an "anti-microbial" food, and cinnamon has been studied for its ability to help stop the growth of bacteria as well as fungi, including the commonly problematic yeast Candida.
Research led by Dr. P. Zoladz and presented April 24, 2004, at the annual meeting of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences, in Sarasota, FL, found that chewing cinnamon flavored gum or just smelling cinnamon enhanced study participants' cognitive processing. Specifically, cinnamon improved participants' scores on attention related processes, virtual recognition memory, working memory, and visual-motor speed while working on a computer-based program.
(Hint: simmer a few cinnamon sticks in water while your kids are doing their homework - this will also serve as wonderful yet non-toxic air freshener for your home)
In addition to the active components in its essential oils and its nutrient composition, cinnamon has also been valued in energy-based medical systems, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, for its warming qualities. In these traditions, cinnamon has been used to provide relief when faced with the onset of a cold or flu, especially when mixed in a tea with some fresh ginger.
You will find Cinnamon used in many of your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods including Phi Plus, DetoxiPhi, Joule and Cornaborealis
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 20: Berries
Antioxidants are natural substances found in plants, which are known to aid in the prevention of heart disease, cancer and stroke. Berries have an especially high level of antioxidants, according to a recent study published in the journal BioFactors (Vol. 23, pages 197-205).
The pigments that give berries their rich red to blue, black and purple colors are a type of phytochemical that has been shown to have significant disease-fighting, cell-protecting antioxidant capacity. In addition to boosting your immune system, these valuable compounds are also known to slow the effects of aging by improving things like memory, balance, coordination and motor skills.
The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC Value) of foods is a measurement of the Antioxidant levels. The higher the ORAC Value, the more Antioxidants a food has. It's believed that foods high in these powerful nutrients give the body its greatest protection.
Berries are some of the most delicious and powerful disease-fighting foods available. Blueberries are among fruits and vegetables with the highest Antioxidant levels with an ORAC Value of 5486. Right behind blueberries are blackberries with an ORAC Value of 4654; strawberries at 3520 and raspberries, 2789. Berry ORAC levels top that of many other fruits and vegetables such as oranges, grapefruit, cherries, plums, brussell sprouts, broccoli and spinach.
Single servings of fresh or freshly cooked fruits and vegetables supply an average of 600-800 ORAC units. Scientists believe that increasing intake of foods that provide 2000-5000 units per day may be needed to increase serum and tissue antioxidant activity sufficiently to improve health outcomes. This is why it's important to eat 5 to 9 servings daily of fruits and vegetables.
The Wholefood Farmacy makes it easy and convenient to get your 5 to 9 servings each day and to enjoy the very best that nature has to offer. You can find many different types of berries in your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods including Phi Plus, Cranberry Phi, Coco Cherry Phi, Fruitalicious & Fruitalicious Plus.
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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