The Alkaline Body and pH Balance

Archive for July, 2009

Our health is directly influenced by our immune system. A balanced and healthy immune system is central to the body's ability to defend against infections.

The Health Benefits of Vegetables

* Isothiocyanates are highly effective in suppressing the growth of human prostate cells at concentrations achievable through the dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and watercress. A Japanese study observed that cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and Chinese cabbage decreased the risk of stomach and colorectal cancer.

* A vegetarian diet was found to significantly reduce the risk of uric acid kidney stone formation. Fruit and vegetables provide an alkaline residue which reduces the risk of uric acid crystallization in the urine.

* In a Japanese study, the daily intake of green-yellow vegetables was associated with a significant 26% reduction in the risk of death from total stroke in men and women compared with an intake of once or less per week. Daily fruit intake was associated with a significant 35% reduction in risk of total stroke in men and a 25% reduction in women.

* Lutein intake, in the Iowa Women’s Study, was associated with a lower risk of ovarian cancer. Lutein is the carotenoid pigment found in broccoli, spinach and other green vegetables.

* New research data provide support for the notion that a high intake of broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts reduces the risk of prostate cancer.

* Dietary antioxidants play a role in preventing age-related cataracts by preventing the oxidation of proteins and lipids within the lens. Spinach, kale, broccoli, and other leafy vegetables rich in the carotenoid lutein, reduce the risk of developing cataracts. In the Nurses’ Health Study, women who ate spinach and other greens at least twice a week had an 18 percent lower risk of cataract surgery than women who consumed them less than once a month. In the Health Professionals’ Study, men who ate broccoli more than twice a week had a 23 percent lower risk of cataract surgery than men who consumed broccoli less than once a month.

* The beta-carotene in carrots and spinach is absorbed three times better from the cooked vegetable than from the raw vegetable.

Author: Winston Craig, MPH, PhD, RD.

True story about a man who’s been saving hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and Big Macs from McDonalds for over 18 years… and they look EXACTLY the same!

1998 Hard Copy Special on MILK. What the government doesn’t want you to know about milk. Don’t drink milk, we know it contains fat and cholesterol but did you know it contains the protein CASEIN (which is basically a glue which leads to a lot of mucous build up and other health problems like asthma and congestion), milk also contains.. powerful growth hormones, viruses, a host of deadly chemical and biological bacterial agents, bovine proteins that cause allergies, insecticides, antibiotics, all this can trigger the growth of cancer and contributes to today’s problem of obese children (ever notice why young girls breasts develop faster?). Cow’s milk is the number one allergic food in this country. It has been well documented as a cause in diarrhea, cramps, bloating, gas, gastrointestinal bleeding, iron-deficiency anemia, skin rashes, atherosclerosis, and acne. It is the primary cause of recurrent ear infections in children. It has also been linked to insulin dependent diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, infertility, and leukemia. Milk and refined sugar make two of the largest contributions to food induced ill health in our country.

When you want to know what’s in your tap water, look at your local water utility’s website. You’ll find the source of the water and any chemical pollutants remaining after treatment.

It’s the law.

Many utilities also volunteer their treatment methods. Even if they’re too small to have a website, they mail out periodic water quality reports.

When you pay a premium price of up to 1900% for bottled water, you expect more.

But with rare exceptions, you get less.

All too often, you get nothing. Unless you count hyped advertising come-ons like “crisp,” pristine” or “essential.”

In our book, empty rhetoric means zero. Zip. Nada. Pure drinking water is all about the facts.

An 18-month Environmental Working Group investigation of bottled water labels and websites has found that:

* Only 2 bottled waters disclose water sources and treatment methods on their labels and offer a recent water quality test report on their websites. These best performers are:

o Ozarka Drinking Water

o Penta Ultra-Purified Water

* Just 18% of bottled waters disclose quality reports with contaminant testing results. Among them, all 8 Nestlé domestic brands surveyed:

o Poland Spring

o Nestlé Pure Life

o Arrowhead

o Calistoga

o Deer Park

o Ice Mountain

o Ozarka

o Zephyrhills

* None of the top 10 U.S. domestic bottled water brands label specific water sources and treatment methods for all their products.

EWG recommends

* Filtered tap water It saves money, it’s purer than tap water, and it helps solve the global glut of plastic bottles.

* Stronger federal standards for bottled water to enforce the consumer’s right to know all about bottled water — where it comes from, what’s been done to it, if anything, and what trace pollutants lurk inside.

Until the federal Food and Drug Administration cracks down on water bottlers, use EWG’s What’s in My Bottled Water guide to find brands with high scores for disclosing full water source, treatment and quality and that use advanced treatment methods to remove a broad range of pollutants.

Use the search box below to check out how your water rates from EWG, The Environmental Working Group.