Category: Health/Nutrition

The folks at Baylor University Medical Center have come up with a list of some food items that can make your Thanksgiving meal more healthy. You don't have to give up the turkey, just be sure to pass around plenty of cranberry sauce.

Tired of spinach, bored with broccoli? Experts say there’s a new generation of superfoods that promise to do double or triple-duty when it comes to preventing illness.

A collaborative group from the Burnham Institute in La Jolla, CA and in Japan, report that the herb rosemary contains an ingredient that fights off free radical damage in the brain. The active ingredient in rosemary, known as carnosic acid (CA), can protect the brain from stroke and neurodegeneration that is due to injurious chemical free radicals.

Rosemary not only tastes good in culinary dishes such as Rosemary chicken and lamb, but scientists have now found it is also good for your brain. A collaborative group from the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham Institute) in La Jolla, CA and in Japan, report that the herb rosemary contains an ingredient that fights off free radical damage in the brain. The active ingredient in rosemary, known as carnosic acid (CA), can protect the brain from stroke and neurodegeneration that is due to injurious chemical free radicals. These radicals are thought to contribute not only to stroke and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s, but also to the ill effects of normal aging on the brain.

Although the U.S. government continues to fight tooth and nail against any attempts to legalize commercial hemp in this country, the Canadians are finding plenty of uses for the plant that was once a major agricultural product here in the states.

Despite misconceptions about hemp, an increasing number of horse owners are finding that the plant's nutritional properties reduce inflammation and increase the overall well being of their animals (all warm-blooded animals can benefit). "Hemp is emphatically not a drug. It is a natural product that is absolutely safe with no side effects," says Lana Tatarliov, who has launched Hemp for Horses. "Feeding hemp to horses provides them with a combination of essential fatty acids not found in other oils."

Think vinegar is merely an ingredient to enhance meals? Think again. From removing laundry stains to repelling insects, a new online survey reveals consumers utilize vinegar for a variety of household chores.

Think vinegar is merely an ingredient to enhance meals? Think again. From removing laundry stains to repelling insects, a new online survey reveals consumers utilize vinegar for a variety of household chores.

When you’re trying to manage your weight, a grocery store can offer plenty of tempting treats, but there are many healthy options to find as well. Next time you go shopping, arm yourself with these simple strategies.

When you’re trying to manage your weight, a grocery store can offer plenty of tempting treats, but there are many healthy options to find as well. Next time you go shopping, arm yourself with these simple strategies:

Consumption of apples and apple juice are associated with decreased symptoms and risk of asthma and wheezing among children, according to two studies in respected European journals: "Thorax" and "European Respiratory Journal."

Published in the September 2007 issue of Thorax, the latest study finds that when women ate apples during pregnancy, researchers found a significant decrease in asthma and wheezing among their children when the children were followed over five years and reached five years of age.

While many in the scientific community work to debunk Linus Pauling's claims that vitamin C can prevent and fight cancer, other researchers are having much luck in proving Pauling right.

Nearly 30 years after Nobel laureate Linus Pauling famously and controversially suggested that vitamin C supplements can prevent cancer, a team of Johns Hopkins scientists have shown that in mice at least, vitamin C - and potentially other antioxidants - can indeed inhibit the growth of some tumors ― just not in the manner suggested by years of investigation.

Although the antioxidants found in supplements are considered safe, research suggests that the ultimate benefit can be found by getting your antioxidants from natural sources.

When it comes to boosting antioxidant intake, recent research indicates there’s little benefit from taking diet supplements. A better way, according to a report in the September issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter, is eating a diet rich in antioxidant-containing foods.

Experts say that many fruit juices provide powerful health benefits. In fact, recent research has identified ways that beverages such as pomegranate, orange and cranberry juices can help to prevent or cure diseases.

In years past, family physician Pamela Rockwell told parents not to let their children drink too much fruit juice because of its link to obesity. These days, though, she has changed her advice.

Data from a new Mayo Clinic study suggest that dietary therapy using flaxseed can decrease hot flashes in postmenopausal women who do not take estrogen. The findings from the pilot study are published in the summer 2007 issue of the Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology.

A hot flash is often described as a flush of intense warmth across much of the body that may be accompanied by sweating, reddening of the skin, or, occasionally, cold shivers. Hot flashes occur in varying frequency and duration, even during sleep, and often cause or accompany sleep deprivation, anxiety and irritability.