A warm welcome to our newest  TEAM Member,  Karl Jones

http://community.adlandpro.com/go/FortunesGlobal/default.aspx

Enjoy exploring Whole Food Farmacy and trying the awesome, healthy products !

Linda, Team Leader

A warm welcome to our good friend  Patricia Bartch !  Enjoy Whole Food Farmacy !
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Try the Heart of Gold, Tropiphi or other awesome products !

Linda, Team Leader

Do you know why empty calories are called "empty"? It is because they are full of calories but "empty" of nutrients.  In fact, the more empty calories you eat, the more nutrients you need because vitamins and minerals speed up your metabolic engine. The more deficient you are in certain nutrients, the more food you will crave (and eat) just to try to get more nutrients.  This creates a vicious cycle of bingeing, which leads to further deficiencies and more cravings.  

Generally white fluffy foods like bagels and bread and most products made with any kind of flour are empty of key nutrients like the B vitamins, biotin, chromium and magnesium.  They are all needed to process refined or any type of carbohydrates.

You can get most of these nutrients by just eating whole foods. Think of what your great-great grandparents ate. They wouldn't recognize half the stuff we call food.  

Along with eating whole foods, taking a multivitamin and extra chromium can help cut cravings for white fluffy foods. Add high quality multivitamin and 500 mcg of extra chromium a day to your daily routine.

-- Dr. Mark Hyman

Visit the Whole Food Farmacy !

Most of the foods that are the smartest for the brain are also good for the heart, because both rely on a steady oxygen supply. The risks for cardiovascular disease correlate with risks for cognitive decline.

1. Blueberries
Sweet wild blueberries are bursting with antioxidants, which mop up nasty free radicals. Studies of rats show that a blueberry-rich diet improves memory and motor skills and reverses age-related declines in balance and coordination. Chemicals in blueberries affect the contractile machinery of arteries, and therefore have a good effect on blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure can damage delicate blood vessels in the brain and can lead to strokes.

2. Dark Leafy Greens
Chemicals called homocysteines are a normal part of protein metabolism, but high levels are linked with cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (as well as heart disease), which accounts for most cases of dementia in the U.S. According to Katherine Tucker, director of the dietary assessment research program at the Human Nutrition Research Center of Aging, "Homocysteine has a toxic effect on arterial walls, and oxidation corrodes the arterial walls too, which makes them a bad combination." In order to break themselves down, homocysteines require folate and B12 or B6, vitamins found in vegetables like collard greens and swiss chard.

3. Salmon, Sardines and Herring
Fatty fish are full of neuroprotective omega-3 fatty acids. Higher levels of omega-3 in the blood go hand-in-hand with higher levels of serotonin, a mood-enhancing brain chemical. A study from the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging in Chicago found that people who eat at least one fish meal a week are significantly less likely to end up with Alzheimer's disease than those who regularly eschew fish. Because a fish diet aids communication between nerve cells, studies have shown its positive effect on learning acquisition and memory performance.

4. Spinach Spinach research has finally caught up with mom's advice: Spinach turns out to be full of antioxidant power. James Joseph, chief of the Neurosciences Laboratory of the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, finds spinach beneficial in slowing down cognitive deficits and age-related problems in the central nervous system. A salad with spinach has more than three times the amount of folate as one with iceberg lettuce.

5. Red Wine (or, better yet, Grape Juice)
Drinking red wine in moderation increases longevity. But, since alcohol slows down the brain's ability to function properly, grape juice may be a smarter beverage choice.

New research from James Joseph shows that Concord grape juice significantly improves short-term memory and motor skills. It's not just the heavy dose of antioxidants. Joseph believes grape juice increases production of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Concord grape juice has the highest total antioxidant level of any fruit, vegetable or juice tested.

6. Whole Grains and Brown Rice
One of the best things you can do to improve your intake of nutrients is to switch to brown rice. It's filled with vitamins and magnesium, which seem to be important to cognitive health. Whole grains contain vitamin B6, which aids in reducing homocysteine levels. Americans often don't get enough vitamin B6, because they mostly eat processed foods.

7. Hot Cocoa
Warm up with hot cocoa to help your brain, as well as your frostbitten fingers. Chang Young Lee, professor of food chemistry at Cornell University, found the antioxidant content of two tablespoons of pure cocoa powder is "almost two times stronger than red wine, two to three times stronger than green tea and four to five times stronger than that of black tea." The antioxidants in hot cocoa protect brain cells from oxidative stress that can lead to Alzheimer's and other disorders.