Beryl,

Yes Carrots are great for you and I love to eat cooked or raw carrots !  mmmm taste ! 

Linda

Day 30 - Hot Peppers

Capsaicin is the stuff that turns up the heat in jalapeños. Not only does it cause the tongue to burn, it also drives prostate cancer cells to self-destruct, according to studies published in the March 15, 2006, issue of Cancer Research.
 
According to a team of researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical and their colleagues from UCLA, the capsaicin in hot peppers caused human prostate cancer cells to undergo "programmed cell death", a process otherwise known as apoptosis.

Apoptosis is a natural process in many tissues that maintains a healthy balance between newer replacement cells and aged or worn out cells. In other words, the old worn out cells are naturally programmed to self-destruct. Cancer cells, on the other hand, often dodge this process by mutating the genes that participate in the process of apoptosis

This new research showed that capsaicin induced approximately 80 percent of prostate cancer cells growing in mice to follow the molecular pathways leading to apoptosis. Moreover, prostate cancer tumors treated with capsaicin were about one-fifth the size of tumors in non-treated mice.

"Capsaicin had a profound anti-proliferative effect on human prostate cancer cells in culture," said Sören Lehmann, M.D., Ph.D., visiting scientist at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the UCLA School of Medicine. "It also dramatically slowed the development of prostate tumors formed by those human cell lines grown in mouse models."

The pepper extract also curbed the growth of prostate cancer cells through regulation of androgen receptors, the steroid activated proteins that control expression of specific growth relating genes. On top of all that, the hot pepper component also reduced cancer cell production of PSA, a protein that often is produced in high quantities by prostate tumors and can signal the presence of prostate cancer in men. PSA is regulated by androgens, and capsaicin limited androgen-induced increases of PSA in the cancer cell lines.

Lehmann estimated that the dose of pepper extract fed orally to the mice was equivalent to giving 400 milligrams of capsaicin three times a week to a 200 pound man, roughly equivalent to between three and eight fresh habañera peppers per week - depending on the pepper's capsaicin content.

Habañeras are the highest rated pepper for capsaicin content according to the Scoville heat index. Habañera peppers, which are native to the Yucatan, typically contain up to 300,000 Scoville units. The more popular Jalapeño variety from Oaxaca, Mexico, and the southwest United States, contains 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units.

So try to spice it up a bit in the kitchen and enjoy the wonderful protective powers of hot peppers. If you're in the mood for a spicy and nutritious whole food beverage, try AmpliPhi from the Wholefood Farmacy!

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Olive Oil
 

n ancient Greece , Hippocrates, the father of Medicine, called it "the great therapeutic". Homer called it "liquid gold" and ancient Greek athletes ritually rubbed it all over their bodies. The health benefits of Olive Oil that had been known and applied for centuries in ancient Greece are now being rediscovered by modern day researchers.
A study published in the March 2004 issue of Medical Science Monitor reported that 2 tablespoons a day of olive oil added to an otherwise unchanged diet in 28 outpatients, ranging in age from 64 to 71, resulted in significant drops in total and LDL cholesterol.

Published studies link the judicious use of olive oil to reducing the effect of a growing list of ailments. For example, Greek women have a 42% lower rate of breast cancer than women in the U.S.

Olive oil is recognized as important in maintaining metabolism and contributes to the development of the brain and bones in children.  It is also recommended as a source of vitamin E for older people.  A natural anti-oxidant, olive oil slows down the natural aging process. It also slows down acid overproduction in the digestive system thereby reducing the risk for ulcers and other gastrointestinal problems.
 
There is also a low incidence of skin cancer among Mediterranean populations, and olive oil onsumption could be a contributing factor to this low skin cancer rate. Olive oil contains significantly higher amounts of Squalene than other seed oils, and Squalene is to a large extent transferred to the skin. German researchers believe that this transfer mechanism is probably accomplished by scavenging singlet oxygen generated by ultraviolet light. Japanese scientists also claim that virgin olive oil applied to the skin after sunbathing could protect against skin cancer by slowing tumor growth.

The Wholefood Farmacy's Heart of Gold is made from Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Walnut Oil, Avocado Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Orange Oil, & 24 Carat Medicinal Gold.  Use it as a sop for whole grain breads, make your own salad dressings or pour it on raw or steamed veggies! Rejuvn8 is a refreshing whole food skin cleanser made from 100% cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Grape Seed oil, Sesame Seed Oil, Sea Salt, and Real Lime. It is excellent for deep cleansing and re-hydration of the face and body.  Pamper yourself inside and out with nature's gifts from the olive trees.

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"Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease," the authors report. For each additional point to Mediterranean diet scores (indicating increased adherence to the diet), Alzheimer's risk dropped by 9 to 10 percent. Compared with the subjects in the least adherent group that adhered to a Mediterranean diet the least, subjects in the middle had 15 to 21 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, and those in the highest group had a 39 to 40 percent lower risk, suggesting a significant response effect.

"We conclude that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a reduction in risk for Alzheimer's disease," they say.  In addition, they say that the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet for non-neurological conditions have been previously shown to be generalized to different populations, and that the current study provided the opportunity to examine the effect of this diet for a neurological disease in a multiethnic community in the U.S.

When it comes to getting your 5 servings of fruits and veggies everyday, the Wholefood Farmacy is the easiest way.  When healthy foods are delicious and convenient everyone in your home, especially the children, will benefit.  Keeping some Wholefood Farmacy foods on hand can help you "bridge the gap" when you just don't have the time.  Have you and your children had your 5 servings of fruits and veggies today?

Visit The Wholefood Farmacy

Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease," the authors report. For each additional point to Mediterranean diet scores (indicating increased adherence to the diet), Alzheimer's risk dropped by 9 to 10 percent. Compared with the subjects in the least adherent group that adhered to a Mediterranean diet the least, subjects in the middle had 15 to 21 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, and those in the highest group had a 39 to 40 percent lower risk, suggesting a significant response effect.

"We conclude that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a reduction in risk for Alzheimer's disease," they say.  In addition, they say that the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet for non-neurological conditions have been previously shown to be generalized to different populations, and that the current study provided the opportunity to examine the effect of this diet for a neurological disease in a multiethnic community in the U.S.

When it comes to getting your 5 servings of fruits and veggies everyday, the Wholefood Farmacy is the easiest way.  When healthy foods are delicious and convenient everyone in your home, especially the children, will benefit.  Keeping some Wholefood Farmacy foods on hand can help you "bridge the gap" when you just don't have the time.  Have you and your children had your 5 servings of fruits and veggies today?

Visit The Wholefood Farmacy