Another blog about grow goji berries

grow goji berriesBeans - The Perfect Food

Beans. Legumes. Pulses. Whatever you call this plant group, they are all edible seeds in a pod. The majority of them are packed with complete plant protein and contain almost no fat. They are also a good source of healthy complex carbs.

Beans helped me turn the corner with my illness, the worst part of which was actually when I was on the mend - though it certainly didn't feel like I was mending at the time.

I was following Robert Young's program. Since I had an urgent need, I skipped the Transition period and went straight to Step 2 - the Cleanse - which should only last a week and should be supervised. In my wisdom (ahem), I decided this wasn't really necessary and got on with it on my own, but when the end of the week came I was having such a strong 'healing crisis' that I was unable to move on to the next part of the program. I was eating a quarter of a tomato a day and stuggling to keep that down. The smell of cucumber turned my stomach. I was eating nothing when I should have been eating dark green veg, sprouts, seeds, grains, nuts and EFAs. But it all made me feel sick - I was desperately weak. I pulled out all my health related books looking for an answer and then I read the following paragraph from Gillian McKeith's You Are What You Eat:

"If you don't eat enough good carbohydrates, you will feel ill. All my patients who stopped eating carbohydrates became weak, constipated, gaunt, irritable and depressed. It's like playing Russian Roulette with your body. I agree that it's a good idea to cut out the bad refined carbohydrates such as cakes, cookies, biscuits and sweets. But the message here needs to be very clear: complex carbohydrates, such as beans, are essential for good health! Eat them regularly."

Other than constipation, I had all the other symptoms. I had lost over a stone in 2 weeks. I knew I had to eat. I could only stand for a couple of minutes at a time, but that was long enough to put a pan of brown rice on the hob, with some cream of coconut, some herbs and a can of kidney beans. Within 30 mins of eating a portion of Jamaican 'Rice n Peas', the nausea had gone, the headache was lifting and I felt nourished and in an altogether better mood. That batch lasted me a couple of days and gave me the strength I needed to start fixing myself more balanced meals.

I continue to eat beans on a regular basis and I promise you that if the rest of your diet is healthy, bottom burps are not an issue!!

Beans can lower cholesterol, prevent heart disease and are great for weight loss. I am eating more now than ever before and yet the excess weight is still coming off - but in a much more gradual and therefore safe and healthy way. Aduki beans are reportedly the best of weight loss. The Japanese use them to treat kidney and bladder infections. They contain very high levels of fibre, vitamin B Complex, iron, manganese and zinc. Their diuretic properties relieve the body of excess fluids and rid it of undesirable toxins and mucus. They burn fat and help balance metabolism.

And so to Haricot beans. There's a lot of talk around at the moment about the Glycemic Index or GI of foods. The GI is a measurement of the quality of carbohydrate in a particular food. It represents how quickly 50g of a given carb will raise blood glucose levels as it's digested. The slower the better basically and the carbs in Haricot Beans have a GI of 38, rated low. So besides being great for metabolism and regulation of your blood sugar levels, they also support kidney-adrenal function, provide an excellent source of protein and fibre and contain those vital B vitamins - great for your nervous system and more help with weight management.

Haricot beans are the beans you find in a can of Heinz Baked Beans. You'll also find a load of sugar, salt and modified cornflour. But there is no reason why you should stop eating Beans on Toast and once you've tried my recipe, there'll be no going back, I'm sure.

You'll find the recipe on my blog at www.claireraikes.blogs.com/claires_blog/2005/07/healthy_beans_o.html Claire Raikes is a Health and Wellbeing Coach who 'cured' herself of a chronic, disabling and potentially life-threatening bowel condition without the use of steroids, surgery or any other traditional medical intervention. She shares her passion for natural and vibrant health by working with individuals and companies to educate, encourage and inspire people to increase energy levels, boost immunity, lose weight and lead happier lives as a result.

See how much happier and healthier you could be; get your FR'EE Wellbeing Checklist by visiting: www.liveinessence.com/free.htm

Receive Enzymes the Natural Way

In today's society, the level of vegetable consumption has decreased immensely. This is because more and more people are on the go and eat more and more processed foods. It is estimated that Americans spent more than $110 billion on fast food in 2000, a large contrast to the $6 billion that was spent in 1970. Because of this, it is even more important to get a maximum amount of raw veggies into our diets.

When you consume raw veggies, you are introducing a host of useful enzymes into your body that you would not be able to obtain otherwise. How do you do this? Through juicing, drinking antioxidants and green juices by supplement form. You can gain more nutrients from your vegetables by drinking 8 ounces of fresh vegetable juice - more than you would be able to obtain in a week's worth of fast food and take-out. Sure, eating vegetable soups and cooked veggies are healthy for you, the fact of the matter is that you're cooking away the enzymes and nutrients your body needs. I love the Adaptogreen Plus for convenience and antioxidant science.

Because fresh vegetable juice is made from fresh and raw veggies, the enzymes in them are still alive and thriving. Enzymes are so powerful, that you will often feel an instant increase in your overall well-being as soon as you consume a small 8-ounce glass. The kick of energy is even more noticeable if you are fatigued. In fact, if you juice your veggies on a regular basis, you will be able to consume over 50% of your veggies raw, which means all of the enzymes instead of those that have not been killed by heat.

Raw foods are rich in enzymes because the enzymes are not killed by the heating and cooking process. The most powerful enzymatic foods are legumes, sprouted seeds and grains. There are several conditions that can be relieved by simply consuming more raw foods that are rich in digestive enzymes such as:

�Belching
�Gas
�Bloating
�Bowel disorders
�Cramping in the abdomen
�Food allergies
�Heartburn
�Weight gain
�Skin disorders

Most people just take some sort of antacid to relieve these issues, but many do not work because acid is not the issue. The issue is that you lack in the digestive enzymes that you could get by simply consuming more raw veggies.

Dr. Roni Deluz, RN, ND, PhD is a life style consultant and owner of Martha's Vineyard Holistic Retreat. She is also the author of "21 Pounds in 21 Days," which debuted #3 on the New York Times Bestseller list. She is a registered nurse, colonic therapist and naturopathic doctor. She travels across the country helping people to make their lives better and healthier via natural health sciences. For more information on her book, products and services visit http://www.mvholisticretreat.com

Talking to the Vegetarian "Sceptics"

As more and more people become vegetarian, for moral, spiritual, environmental and health reasons, their friends and acquaintances still quiz them about why they don't eat meat. While vegetarians shouldn't have to justify their diet any more than anyone else, many people still want them to "defend" themselves. Here are some of the ways that vegetarians can reply to common questions and comments from the "sceptics".

"It must be boring being a vegetarian."

The idea that vegetarians only eat salad and nuts can easily be debunked by the number of vegetarian restaurants in any major Western city, not to mention the number of lofty vegetarian cookbooks that are available. In fact, for many vegetarians (having to find an alternative to the famous "meat and three vegetables" meals), food has an endlessly exciting sense of discovery.

"Don't you think plants scream when you pull them out of the ground?"

It's tempting to say something smart-alecky ("Why, no. Do you hear them scream?"), but perhaps it's better to simply point out that livestock is fed on grains. According to some estimates, it takes 10 kilos of grain to feed one kilo of beef. If you're worried about plant cruelty, you should avoid eating animals.

"You need meat to survive!"

Literally billions of people survive without meat. Meat is only one possible source of protein. A vegetarian diet needs to be balanced, of course - but then, as many people forget, so does any other diet. If people suggest that vegetarians are weak and scrawny, you can reel out a list of famous athletes who are vegetarian, including Bill Pearl (former Mr Universe), swimmer Murray Rose, wrestler Killer Kowalski, and Sri Chinmoy, who has broken several weight-lifting records.

"If you were in the middle of a desert, and there was nothing there except a rabbit, wouldn't you kill it and eat it?"

Someone actually used that argument with me (and quite heatedly, as well). It seems to show that, when people feel passionate enough about something (like, umm, food), they resort to very strange debates. The obvious answer is that, if I ever found myself in that terrible situation, I would possibly eat the rabbit... especially if someone was kind enough to provide me with cooking facilities. Fortunately, I've never been in that situation. (But thanks for asking.)

"Why are you vegetarian?"

Of course, most vegetarians can answer this one for themselves! There are many benefits to vegetarianism, but perhaps the most common is spirituality. "The vegetarian diet does play a role in the spiritual life," says Sri Chinmoy. "When we eat meat, the aggressive animal consciousness enters into us. Our nerves become agitated and restless, and this can interfere with our meditation... The mild qualities of fruits and vegetables help us to establish, in our inner life as well as in our outer life, the qualities of sweetness, softness, simplicity and purity. If we are vegetarians, this helps our inner being to strengthen its own existence."

Noivedya Juddery is a writer and journalist based in Australia. A member of the Sri Chinmoy Centre, he is inspired by personal meditation and spirituality in his growing number of creative activities. He can be contacted via his website: http://www.markjuddery.com/