Eating fruit and other foods including cheese and bananas found to help patients suffering one of most common variants

Eating grapefruit, bananas, fish and cheese could help patients suffering one of the most common lung conditions in Britain, say scientists.

Research showed a direct link between the foods and improvements in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Scientists from the US and Europe used diet records for 2,167 COPD sufferers over a three-year period.

Those who had eaten the products within 24 hours showed improvement in a range of measures such as lung function, fitness scores and white blood cell count.

Lead study author Dr Corrine Hanson said patients should now be offered dietary and nutritional counselling as part of their treatment. Continue reading →

Feed them ASPIRIN say scientists to fight disease and boost yield

Growing tomatoes has given gardeners a headache for generations.

But now it seems there is an effective cure for blight, wilt and all manner of pests and diseases – and it was lurking in the medicine cabinet all along.

For aspirin, scientists say, is just the medicine to create a healthy tomato plant.

Feeding it to your plants can help ward off diseases and boosts yields, they have found. Continue reading →

Nutrition is full of all sorts of lies, myths and misconceptions.

What people believe to be true is often the exact opposite of the truth.

Here are 11 “diet” foods that are actually making people fatter.

1. Breakfast Cereals
So-called “healthy” cereals are the worst foods you can possibly eat at the start of the day.

They are usually loaded with sugar and refined carbs, which are some of the most fattening ingredients in existence (1, 2). Starting your day off with a processed cereal will spike your blood sugar and insulin levels. When your blood sugar crashes a few hours later, your body will call for another snack high in refined carbs (3).

This is the blood sugar roller coaster that is familiar to people on high-carb diets. Seriously… READ the label. Most breakfast cereals, even those with health claims like “low-fat” or “whole grain” on the package, are usually loaded with sugar. Continue reading →

Most people think of carrots when it comes to foods that help improve vision, but studies show that bananas are also very effective when it comes to eye health.

Research shows that fruits like bananas help vision

An 18-year study of more than 100,000 men and women found that increased fruit intake like that of bananas trumped vegetables when it came to certain vision improvements. Specifically, the study noted that fruits helped combat an eye disease even more severe than age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) that leads to blindness, neovascular ARMD. Neovascular means that new blood vessels are growing in parts of the eye where they should not be, which leads to blood and fluid leaking underneath the retina, which typically progresses to blind spots in central vision and can even turn into blindness. Continue reading →

By now, people are well aware of the dangers behind eating foods that have been treated with pesticides. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that approximately 1.1 billion pounds of pesticide active ingredients are used annually in the U.S., and the EPA says up to 20,000 U.S. agricultural workers are diagnosed with pesticide poisonings annually.

Choosing organic produce at the market and even growing fruits and vegetables in the backyard are safe and favorable options. However, when growing foods in the yard, there’s often the matter of having to fend off pesky intruders that chomp away at foods and even harm the entire crop with disease.

Here are some ways to safely grow foods in the yard. Continue reading →

Green tea is the healthiest beverage on the planet.

It is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients that have powerful effects on the body.

This includes improved brain function, fat loss, a lower risk of cancer and many other incredible benefits.

Here are 10 health benefits of green tea that have been confirmed in human research studies. Continue reading →

It’s a medicine! It’s a salve! It’s a glue! It’s … garlic!

Did you know garlic naturally repels mosquitoes (and according to folklore, vampires)? That’s not surprising considering it can also repel your loved ones, co-workers and neighbors … for days … following an extra garlicky meal.

But this innocent little herb doesn’t mean to offend anyone. Commonly called the “stinking rose,” garlic’s sulfur-containing compounds are responsible for the delicious kick it gives meals (and the ensuing garlic breath) … as well as a surprising number of health and other benefits.

Good for Your Health
Garlic is made up of more than 70 active plant chemicals, including allicin — the source of its odor and potential health benefits. Some studies have shown when added to your diet, garlic might: Continue reading →

Most of us have, at one point in our lives, experienced intense cravings for unhealthy foods. Whether it be for chocolate, donuts, salty snacks or refined carbs, our bodies appear to want them — and we’re often all too happy to submit. There’s just one problem: Eating these foods doesn’t seem to end the cravings. What is going on here? Are our bodies playing a cruel joke on us? Well, not quite. Continue reading →

Chemistry teacher’s DIY infographics reveal truth behind strange effects of certain foods.

Natural food may be healthier than processed, but some can have strange effects on our bodies.

A British graduate chemist and secondary school teacher has created a number of infographics to explain the unexpected chemistry behind some foods – revealing why coffee tastes bitter and chocolate is toxic to dogs. Continue reading →

There is a lot of controversy in nutrition. Sometimes it seems like people can’t agree on anything at all.

But there are a few exceptions to this… some nutrition facts that aren’t controversial.

Here are 11 universal truths in nutrition that people actually agree on. Continue reading →

All herbs have a purpose—whether it’s culinary or medicinal—but, it’s a particularly good sign when an herb is revered as the “queen of herbs” and is held as a holy plant worthy of worship. This plant, holy basil (tulsi), not only has medicinal benefits, but is also said to have spiritual benefits. What’s more, holy basil benefits can be experienced in an exciting way, as the herb can be grown in your home or on your patio – making it a great addition to your healing herb garden.

Holy basil, or tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) is a member of the mint family. It’s closely related to the sweet basil you add to Italian dishes and pesto, but the flavors are quite different. This plant is sometimes referred to as pepper basil as it’s clove-flavor is spicier than it’s sweet counterpart. Continue reading →

Throughout my life I have always enjoyed soups – of an exotic flavor – as well as other delicious delicacies. Within the following column from the Fall of 2011 are a series of recipes that defy the dictates of all seasons. Eat healthy, my friends. (Ed.)

We may be seeing the first burnt-orange and fiery reds of fall foliage, but farmers’ markets and Community Supported Agriculture baskets are still laden with deep greens like Swiss chard, broccoli rabe and bok choy. If your produce basket is overflowing, here are five new recipes from Martha Rose Shulman that will get you cooking with greens. Continue reading →

Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers have recently introduced legislation to allow for the sale of raw milk, i.e., unpasteurized milk. Their Milk Freedom Act of 2014 would make it legal for “certified dairy farmers” to sell unpasteurized milk products without harassment and criminal prosecution on the part of the FDA. If enacted, this would be a major victory for those who are health conscious and understand the grievous misperception by our medical establishment regarding the safety of raw milk.

The distribution of raw milk has been banned in the U.S. since inception of the pasteurization laws in the 1920s. The American Medical Association together with the FDA brought about this ban of raw milk because of its susceptibility to being a carrier for certain infectious microbes such as salmonella.

The error here is that it was never “raw milk” that was a problem. It was “warm raw milk” produced in crowded, unsanitary conditions from grain-fed cows instead of grass-fed that was prone to an unhealthy level of microbes. Grass-fed cows produce a milk with natural “inhibins,” anti-microbial agents that keep pathogens low, while grain-fed cows do not produce high “inhibin” levels in their milk. Continue reading →

Vegetarians are less healthy and have a worse quality of life than meat eaters, according to a study by the University of Graz, Austria.

According to the study, those who abstain from meat are “less healthy (in terms of cancer, allergies, and mental health disorders), have a lower quality of life, and also require more medical treatment.”

Vegetarians were twice as likely to have atopy (allergies), a 50 percent increase in cancer and a 50 percent increase in heart attacks. They also drank less alcohol. Continue reading →