EVER HEAR OF THE NUTRIENT APIGENIN?

I have to say that with all my nutritional/medical research I had never heard of the nutrient apigenin. That is until a read about a lab study done at Ohio State University in 2012 or 13, I believe. The study found that this nutrient which is found in peppermint, parsley, oranges, etc may have cancer-fighting superpowers. The study found that apigenin triggered cancer cells to kill themselves off. Interesting and might make it worth your while to add more oranges, peppermint, or parsley to your diet.

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DR. STEVEN NISSEN, FORMER CHAIR OF THE CARDIOLOGY DEPT. CLEVELAND CLINIC, ON DIET AND HEART HEALTH

According to Dr. Steven Nissen, former chair of the cardiology department of the Cleveland Clinic, today's 75-year-old can live to be 90 or 95. But there are some things to do and not do to stay healthy, especially heart healthy. Here is his #1 thing to stay away from: Fad Diets! He says there are many diet books out there and all are mostly contradictory. "One will say eat no fat. The next one will say eat no carbs. They're all wrong. None of these diets is healthy or appropriate for cardiac health." That is a quote from Dr. Nissen. His #2 thing to stay away from is dietary supplements. He stated, "There's no way to know what's in them (they are largely unregulated).

He says heart health is determined by the quantity and types of foods one eats. He cited a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine that looked at a low-fat diet versus a Mediterranean-style diet. Those who consumed a diet rich in olive oil and nuts (both have fat content, but they are good fats) had a much lower risk for heart disease. That would be a Mediterranean-style diet.

Note: Dr. Nissen is semi-retired now, but he still does some attending at the Cleveland Clinic.

NUTRITIONAL BAR TIP

When grabbing a nutritional bar always check out the sugar content then look to see where the sugar comes from. Does it come from fruit or refined sugar? And remember this, once that nutritional bar is coated in chocolate or yogurt it has added calories! Always read labels to decide what is best for you.

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HOT OUTSIDE? TRY THESE FOODS

According to practitioners of ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, eating the following foods will help cool you down: mint, watermelon, cucumber, summer squash, fennel, coconut, and cilantro. Does it work? I have no idea, but I would assume folks in India would know something about dealing with heat.

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SOME BENEFITS OF EATING SOY

 Following are some facts about the benefits of soy in your diet:

• Aaron Tabor, M.D., nutrition researcher and author of The Revival Slim and Beautiful Diet states that soy is rich in isoflavones, plant compounds that increase the production of skin-firming collagen. Studies have shown around 63% of women see improvement in skin tone and texture when they add soy to their diets.
• According to researchers at John Hopkins University, a daily dose of soy can cut ones breast cancer risk by 15%. Warning, this is only effective when your soy comes from food and not supplements! Soy contains mild estrogen-like compounds that block the effects of a woman's stronger, more damaging estrogens.
• Need to kick start weight loss? Adding soy to your diet can restart weight loss in as little as three days according to researchers at the University of Illinois. Soy is packed with proteins that stimulate body cells to burn fat.

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