The Mystery Of Chia Seeds Health Benefits For Athletes

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Chia seeds and barefoot running are connected in an unusual way.

Firstly, both of these have got health benefits that were identified and taken advantage of by original peoples in ancient times and in the present day.

What’s more, the two may be linked. Barefoot runners just about everywhere count on chia seeds’ health benefits to give them the energy, stamina, and vitality they need.

Author and barefoot runner Christopher McDougall examines this topic in his book Born to Run.

According to McDougall, people of the Tarahumara tribe enhance their capacity to run by consuming chia seeds consistently.

Did you ever think to yourself, “I’m positive I’d be a great athlete if I only had better shoes?”

It’s hard to keep thinking that when you know about the Tarahumara.

The home of the Tarahumara tribe is Copper Canyons, a remote area deep in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. These tribal people are able to run incredible distances without exhibiting symptoms of low energy or overtiredness.

And they do it without training agendas, running coaches, elaborate running shoes, heart monitors, or any of the gadgets that runners in industrialized countries take for granted.

Thanks to McDougall’s book, the Tarahumara have gained celebrity as super-athletes.

But their athletic superpowers are not fully innate, nor are they out of reach for regular folks like you and me. The Tarahumara consume chia seeds, a fantastic superfood that you can conveniently enjoy in the comfort of your home.

You can consume chia seeds raw, bake with them, or stir them into soups and stews. There’s pretty much nothing you can’t add chia to. Its neutral, mild flavor means you don’t even notice it most of the time.

Why is chia so marvelous for runners and other athletes? Here are just a few of the chia seeds’ health benefits:

Omega 3 (ALA)

Chia contains the highest levels of omega 3 of any plant-based food. Omega 3 is specially crucial for a strong heart, and can decrease cholesterol. Chia seeds yield 25-30% extractable oil, mainly ?-linolenic acid (ALA).

Dietary Fiber

Chia is made up of 36% fiber. Taking soluble fiber can decrease cholesterol in the body. The dietary fiber in chia is mostly soluble with high molecular weight.

Antioxidants

Chia contains high levels of antioxidants. A diet rich in antioxidants helps to neutralise free radicals in the body, which supports heart health.

Protein

Chia seeds contain about 20% protein.

Gluten-Free

Chia seeds contain no gluten, so they’re a great choice for people with gluten allergies.

Chia has many more health benefits, but these are the main ones. You can have an understanding of why runners and other athletes could like to ingest chia! In ancient times, Mayans and Aztecs could run extensive distances through mountainous landscape with only a few spoonfuls of chia as provisions.

Try consuming chia next time you go for a run or do any exercise. You will be impressed at the amount of energy and vitality you have!

Swedish Fish Are Good For You

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Last night as I sat and watched television I opened up a bag of Swedish Fish. As I sat enjoying the delicious flavor of the gummy snack I did not give much thought to the fact that the gumminess of snack food was a potentially rebuilding my skin and adding to the elasticity of my cells. Growing up I was always taught that all snack food is essentially junk food and has no real nutritional value. However,

I recently learned that there are snack foods that are high in protein and contain hydrolyzed collagen which is essential for health bones, cartilage, and skin. Giving the Swedish Fish I was enjoying their gummy consistency the viscosity of the hydrolyzed collagen is what gives not only Swedish Fish, but all sorts of products their gummy texture.

As a parent I often indulge my children with a gummy based fruit snack. The sometimes juice flavored fruit snacks provide about 10% juices from the various flavored fruits that they represent and now that I know my children are receiving the health benefits of having the proteins of hydrolyzed collagen added to the fruit flavoring of their favorite snack treat I can feel good about giving them a treat that has some health benefits to them.

I have also learned that hydrolyzed collagen aids in the regeneration of damaged tissue. As a parent I know how easy it is for my children to suffer injuries and minor cuts and bruises that require a band aid and kiss to help them heal, but I have also discovered that their injuries are healed better with a dose of collagen proteins that are an essential building block for the bodys ability to regenerate cells and tissue that children are prone to.

Found in 30% of all animal proteins hydrolyzed collagen keeps skin looking and feeling younger as is responsible for proper joint function and movement. Because the cartilage within a joint acts as a cushion between the bones, having soft pliable amount of cartilage is essential to the healthy movement of joints throughout the body. As I thought about all of the benefits I and my children were gaining from enjoying a snack of Swedish Fish I could not help but think I was actually doing something good for my body and not filling it with sugar or artificial colors.

By eating a small portion of the gummy snack treat I was actually helping to replace the hydrolyzed collagen that my body needs to be healthy and strong. Who know gummy snacks could actually be good for you?

Fruits And Vegetables Health Benefits By Rainbow Color

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Ever wonder what the health benefits of all those colorful fruits and vegetables you are eating really are? Fresh whole foods are full of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and many other nutrients that are essential for ultimate health. There are so many beautiful colors of produce out there and each color has its own set of health promoting nutrients. It is vital to consume the full spectrum of colors to get the most nutrients to protect your overall health.

Red Fruit and Vegetables

The most notable nutrients found in red fruits and vegetables are lycopene and anthocyanins. There are many thousands of other beneficial nutrients as well and create some pretty impressive health benefits for your body.

Some health benefits of consuming lots of red produce include reducing the risk of cancer and free radical damage. There have been studies that have shown red produce lowers the risk of prostate cancer, lowers blood pressure, inhibits tumor growth, lowers LDL cholesterol levels, and supports joint tissue.

Red fruit and vegetables include red peppers, cranberries, tomatoes, pomegranates, apples, strawberries, raspberries, red cabbage, cherries, guava, and watermelon.

Orange Fruit and Vegetables

Carotenoids and citrus bioflavonoids are the most popular nutrients found in orange produce. Orange produce has shown to improve brain function, decrease muscle cramps, lower cancer risk, lower heart disease risk, and increase the efficiency of your immune system.

Some examples of these orange fruits and vegetables are pumpkin, sweet potatoes, mango, carrots, cantaloupe, tangerines, and oranges.

Yellow Fruit and Vegetables

Lutein and zeaxanthin are two big nutrients found in yellow fruits and vegetables with the most notable benefit being the decrease risk of macular degeneration and they overall protect your eyes from damage. They can also increase your energy levels and your immune system.

Some yellow fruits and vegetables are corn, pineapple, yellow peppers, lemons, yellow apples, and pears.

Green Fruit and Vegetables

Chlorophyll is the major nutrient in that green color you find in fruits and vegetables. Green produce has been shown to lower cancer risk, blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, free radical damage, and improve your vision and immune system.

There is lettuce, kiwi, artichokes, asparagus, limes, Brussels sprouts, avocado, spinach, kale, peas, green beans, green peppers, green apples, zucchini, and broccoli that fall under the green produce category.

Blue and Purple Fruit and Vegetables

The vast array of health benefits found with blue and purple fruit and vegetables range from improving the immune system, digestion, and lowering inflammation in the body to lowering LDL cholesterol levels, tumor growth, and risk of cancer. The main nutrients that give these fruits and vegetables their color and some health benefits are resveratrol, proanthocyanidin, and anthocyanidin.

What are some blue and purple fruit and vegetables that you can start eating for these health benefits? Blue and purple produce options include raisins, plums, blueberries, blackberries, grapes, eggplant, and pruns.

White Fruit and Vegetables

Anthoxanthins are health beneficial nutrients found in white produce. With this color of fruit and vegetables come some great health benefits of lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, stomach cancer risk, and overall heart disease risk. Onions, potatoes, leeks, bananas, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, and many nuts and seeds are great examples of white fruit and vegetables that give you many nutrients.

The key to ultimate health is getting a variety of fruits and vegetables and eating the full spectrum of the rainbow. Each color has its own beneficial nutrients and should have a place in a healthy plant based diet. A diet high in nutrients and lower in nutrient-poor foods is the key to longevity and health.

Amazing Health Benefits Of Chlorella

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Chlorella is a single-celled, blue-green algae noted for its nutrient-richness, its ability to support detoxification and its role as a complete food. It is in fact one of the worlds greatest superfoods, making available much of the nutrition we require to maintain good health. Its broad spectrum of protein, carbohydrate and vitamin content makes it a highly useful supplement for people following a vegetarian or vegan diet. Chlorella is also a popular aid to detoxification and the subsequent maintenance of an optimised system.

Rainforest Foods Chlorella is a variant known as Chlorella vulgaris. It has several major virtues, notably its ability to assist detoxification of the body. It appears to bind to the toxic chemicals we absorb through eating, drinking and respiration, ushering them away through excretion. Conversely, it seems able to recognise nutrients valuable to the system and leave them in place.

Within the cell wall is Chlorella growth factor (CGF), a powerful immune system stimulator that aids the bodys natural defences against viruses and cancer and helps damaged tissue heal. CGF is primarily composed of nucleic acid derivatives such as RNA and DNA, which help govern cell growth, reproduction and repair.

In addition to assisting toxin removal, Chlorella carries a multitude of valuable nutrients into the body. It delivers vitamins A, C, E and the vitamin K complex. It also provides most of the B vitamins, including folic acid. This latter is well known as a desirable supplement for pregnant women as it supports healthy foetal development. Chlorella is a useful source of slow-release proteins, as well as essential minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous and chlorophyl.

The role of Chlorella as a digestion aid is less celebrated, but no less important. Thanks to the presence of enzymes such as pepsin and chlorophyllase it fosters healthy gut flora to optimize the digestion of food and removal of waste. This ability to promote healthy food processing while providing valuable food elements boosts the immune system in its own right. As an optimiser of the human system, Chlorella has few peers.

Health benefits of Chlorella

It helps optimise the gastro-intestinal system, protecting against and aiding recovery from ulcers, colitis, Chrohns disease and diverticulosis
It boosts the immune system, and promotes the bodys production of infection-preventing interferons
It aids cholesterol control
It helps optimise heart function
It helps normalise blood sugar
It aids the maintenance of healthy muscle and bone structure

Chlorella has a tough cell wall. This helps with detoxification, binding a variety of toxins to it and helping the body eliminate them. However, the cell wall also acts as a barrier, reducing the amount of nutrients within the cell that are available to the body. In Rainforest Foods chlorella the cell wall is broken using a high impact jet spraying process that maintains the nutritional integrity of the cell contents. This means that the nutrients within the cell are both accessible and undamaged.

Drug Patents Are Good For Our Health

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Miles White, Chairman and CEO of Abbott Laboratories recently wrote about the importance of drug patents for the future of medicine. He began by talking about a case settled by Abbott and the South American country of Brazil. Brazil felt that the price of Abbotts AIDS medication Kaletra, the most widely used AIDS medication, was too high and patients could not afford it. They were threatening to break Abbotts patent and produce a generic version locally in order to treat more patients. The two sides reached an agreement as Abbott agreed to significantly reduce the price per patient and the government agreed to honor the patent.

White points out that while this situation ended well for both parties involved, this issue should not be forgotten. He writes, we cannot let the agreement end discussion of the ideas involved; it is essential that we consider their implications so as to avoid situations that might not be so fortunately resolved. What hangs in the balance is how the world will continue to develop the medicines it needs.

He also writes about the need for a balance to exist between innovation and access to medicine:

The negotiation raised a well-worn chorus of criticisms of the patent system, but failed to address the underlying question: how would our society continue to progress without it? The problem is that our global needs and global systems are in conflict. This threatens to harm one goal, innovation, in the name of another, access to medicine. Access is the goal the world cares about and one taken seriously by innovator companies (those that conduct research and development of new medicines) that have made significant contributions to this end across the developing world – from building healthcare infrastructure in Africa, to drastic price cuts that have benefited a wide range of countries, including Brazil. But it must be recognized that access is inseparable from innovation: without access, innovation is meaningless; without innovation, there is nothing to have access to.

White concludes by quoting President Abraham Lincoln, The patent system added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius. The patent system exists so that innovation can continue. So scientists discoveries are protected.