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Phytochemical of the month, Lycopene

You say Tomayto I say Tomhato

By Gina Rollins DP

 

Lycopene from the neo-Latin lycopersicum has been studied for more than 75 years and has had thousands of articles published about it.

Lycopene is a carotenoid compound found in fruits, vegetables, and green plants. It significantly helps the body’s ability to protect against free radicals.

 

Lycopene is great at mopping up free radicals like those produced by sun damage on the skin and eyes as well as inflammatory damage in the heart and prostate cancer.

 

FOOD SOURCES

Raw tomatoes are the best-known source for Lycopene (cooking them makes the nutrient more bioavailable).

For those with sensitivity to tomatoes, apricots, asparagus, sweet peppers, cranberries, pink grapefruit, guava, papaya, peaches and watermelon are all excellent alternatives and should be included as part of a healthy diet.

FYI: Even though strawberries and cherries are red, they do not contain lycopene.

EAT, DRINK AND G-WELL

Phytochemical of the Month, Indole-3-Carbinol

 

INDOLE-3-CARBINOL

By Gina Rollin DP, HHC

Cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale and brussel sprouts are unique because they are rich in sulfur containing compounds called glucosinolates which support detoxification and indole-3-carbinol which has been shown to greatly reduce the risk of breast, colon and lung cancer.

  • They block the conversion of sex hormones into a cancer-causing form.
  • They help protect cells from DNA damage.
  • They help inactivate carcinogens.
  • They have antiviral and antibacterial effects.
  • They have anti-inflammatory effects.
  • They induce cell death (apoptosis).
  • They inhibit tumor blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) and tumor cell migration (needed for metastasis).

This enzyme is only activated after maceration of the vegetable. They can also be used in soups since cooking does not damage indoles.

Chemoprevention: (The use of chemical agents, drugs, or food supplements to prevent the development of cancer.)

Indole-3-carbinol has chemopreventive activity and stimulates the production of detoxifying enzymes. The phytochemical protects against carcinogenic effect of pesticides and other toxins.

Cruciferous Vegetables Thyroid Side Effects

According to the research, it would take a large amount of cruciferous vegetables to cause hypothyroidism and it appears that there is only a risk if someone also has an iodine deficiency.

One study in humans found that the consumption of 5oz a day of cooked brussels sprouts for four weeks had no adverse effects on thyroid function.

 

Always check with your doctor before changing your diet!

In Summary:

Ample proof is available showing cruciferous vegetables (especially cabbage) to have more medicinal value than any other natural food. It helps heal stomach ulcers and may help prevent cancer. Colon, prostate, and breast cancer risk are minimized with good amounts of them in the diet. In fact, some studies indicate that cruciferous ingestion may be more effective than any other treatment.

Chopped in cold salads for a delicious crunch, added to vegetable soups for a satisfying flavor or even juiced, cruciferous veggies are truly super foods.

Eat, Drink and Gwell,

Gina

 

Good Vibrations

The Law of Vibration

This Law states that everything within the universe vibrates. Everything around you, including yourself, is vibrating at some frequency.  This includes what we see, hear, smell, touch, taste, as well as what we think and feel.   Everything in the universe consists of energy that is constantly moving.  Even matter is energy as Einstein explains in his formula E=mc2 (Energy is equal to mass * the speed of light squared).                 Something that seems solid like a rock or your kitchen table is always vibrating at a certain frequency and we see it through light vibrations, touch or smell.  This is because the rock and table consist of millions of millions subatomic particles constantly moving and “popping” with energy.  Since we can’t see it, it appears separate and solid to us.         With that being said, we as human beings are essentially vibration sensors.  All of our senses are just allowing us to experience vibrations of different frequencies with our physical bodies.  Our limited capacity to detect frequencies applies to some vibrations within the universe.  Just because you cannot hear, see or detect something that vibrates does not mean that it’s not vibrating.  For example: A dog hears and smells on a different frequency than their humans.  Even though it may seem that you are separate from all other things around you, animals, plants, people, objects, we are all connected on the lowest level, a level Professor John Hagelin calls the unified Field and Dr. Deepak Chopra calls “Quantum Soup”.

What does this mean for you?

CHANGE YOUR VIBRATIONS, CHANGE YOUR LIFE

It all begins with a thought.  Experts estimate that we have between 60,000 and 80,000 thoughts everyday, unfortunately 90% of these thoughts are the same ones.  When your conscious mind dwells habitually on thoughts of a certain quality, these become firmly imbedded within the subconscious mind. Like lifting weights to strengthen certain muscles they become the stronger vibration. This vibration sets up a resonance with other similar vibrations and draws them into your life. Like attracts like. In turn, your vibrations affect everything around you – your environment, the people around you, the inanimate objects.  What you are feeling at the present moment dictates your vibration.  It is said that feeling is a word to define conscious awareness of vibrations. So, what you are feeling at the moment is the vibration you are in, which sets up things of like nature. Positive feelings = positive circumstances, negative feelings = negative circumstances.

Eat, Drink and Gwell

NASA has discovered the beautiful vibrations of our galaxy.  To hear them go to:       Vibrations of our Universe

What is a Dosha?

According to Ayurveda, (A 5000 year old healing system from India) human beings are made up of each of the five elements:

Air, Space, Fire, Water, Earth.

Together in specific combinations these elements form the three Doshas:

Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

Because we all have these five elements in our bodies, we all have each of the three doshas as well. However, each of us is born with a unique, individual combination of these doshas. So, like fingerprints, no two of us are alike.

According to Ayurveda, for an individual to be considered healthy, they need to take into account each and every individual’s personality, habits, and emotions.  We all come into this world with a unique “Blueprint” which is determined at the time of conception.

This blueprint creates who we are.

Our mental and physical characteristics, along with our personality is what makes a unique

“Bio-individual”.

 Each one of us is made up of the combination of these three doshas. Most of us have one or two doshas to be dominant, with the third one to be passive. A small percentage is Tri-Doshic, meaning they are made of an even amount of all three Doshas.

This makes up our unique blueprint or Prakruti (Basic constitution). Every activity and function of our mind and body is dependent upon the balanced or unbalanced state of our doshas.

Would you like to discover your real personality type, your own unique combination of Doshas that no one else has?

Would you like to learn the hidden cause of your physical and emotional discomforts?

Would you like to understand why you face certain problems in your life as well as how to rectify them through natural ways?

Would you like to understand why you and others around you react the way they do and learn how you can minimize the negative elements in your relationships?

Would you like to learn how to get healthier and live a much happier life?

A free test is coming soon to discover what your unique dosha is.

 

Phytochemical of the Month, Resveratrol

 

                                                  By Gina Rollins DP, HHC

  Resveratrol is an antioxidant belonging to a group of flavonoids. Evidence shows it may protect against many diseases.

Anti-Cancer

Resveratrol appears to protect against the promotion of cancer cells. It was found to inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells, help repair damaged information in some cells and encourage apoptosis (the death) of damaged cells.

Cardiovascular Health

Resveratrol appears to prevent free radical oxidation of LDL cholesterol that leads to plaque buildup in arteries and atherosclerosis.

 Diabetes

May protect against oxidative damage caused by high glucose levels and reduce diabetic neuropathic pain.

 The French Paradox

Is the observation that French people have a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease despite having a diet rich in saturated fats. It is believed that the French Paradox lies in the resveratrol found in red wine. Resveratrol is believed to not only help widen the arteries – making it easier for blood to flow freely through – but also works at reducing platelet aggregation (otherwise known as the clogging of the arteries). The French Paradox works because, despite their consumption of fatty foods known to damage heart health, the French drink healthy doses of red wine. It is little wonder that the French have long believed in drinking to one’s health.

Sources:

The most abundant sources are grapes, grape juice and red wine. It can also be found in varying amounts in peanuts, blueberries, raspberries, mulberries, bilberries, cranberries and Japanese and Chinese knotweed.

A word about supplements

It is important to keep in mind that the FDA does not regulate resveratrol supplements so there’s no guarantee that the dosage listed on the label is the actual amount present in the capsule.

Most supplements sold in the United States contain resveratrol extracted from the Japanese and Chinese knotweed plant, while others are made from wine or red grape extracts. Japanese knotweed also contains emodin, known to stimulate bowel activity so diarrhea is a possible side effect.

In conclusion, it is always best to get your nutrients from a wide variety of whole foods and always check with your doctor before beginning any supplement or dietary changes.

Eat, Drink and Gwell

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What are Phytochemicals?

By Gina Rollins DP, HHC

Phytochemicals

are non-nutritive chemical compounds that naturally occur in plants (phyto means plant in Greek). They provide plants with their color, odor and flavor. They have protective or disease preventive properties and are non-essential nutrients, meaning that they are not required by the human body for sustaining life. It is well known that plants produce these chemicals to protect themselves but recent research demonstrate that they can also protect humans against diseases. There may be as many as 4,000 different phytochemicals.

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, once we eat them, research shows they can influence the chemical process inside our bodies in helpful ways.

Findings from laboratory studies have shown that phytochemical’s have the potential to:

  • Stimulate the immune system
  • Block substances we eat, drink ad breathe from becoming carcinogens
  • Reduce the kind of inflammation that makes cancer growth more likely
  • Prevent DNA damage and help with DNA repair
  • Reduce the kind of oxidative damage to cells that can spark cancer
  • Slow the growth rate of cancer cells
  • Trigger damaged cells to commit suicide before they can reproduce
  • Help to regulate hormones.To date Thousands of phytochemical’s have been identified and scientists have only begun to investigate their promise.  The future looks bright.

Eat, Drink and Gwell

Chakras

What exactly is a Chakra?

Chakras are 7 circular vortexes of energy (sometimes pictured as gems of light or flowers) that flows through our bodies.

History: The origins of this ancient science are rooted in Hinduism and Buddhism, and date back to the time of the Vedas, four holy books that Hindus believe emerged between 1500 and 1200 BC.

The First Chakra, often referred to as the Root Chakra or the Muladhara Chakra is located at the base of the spine. The color is Red. The first Chakra influences your career, money mindset and sense of belonging.

The Second Chakra, often referred to as the Pleasure Chakra or the Svadhisthana Chakra is in the lower abdomen. The color is Orange. The second Chakra influences your sexuality and creativity.

The Third Chakra, often referred to as the Navel Chakra or Manipura Chakra is positioned at the navel region. The color is Yellow. The third Chakra is the center of motivation, where we set out intentions.

The Fourth Chakra, often referred to as the Heart Chakra or the Anahata Chakra is positioned in the heart region. The color is Green. The forth Chakra is the center of sympathy, empathy and love.

The Fifth Chakra, often referred to as the Throat Chakra or the Vishuddha Chakra, it is located in the throat. The color is Light Blue. The fifth Chakra is the center of self expression and communication

The Sixth Chakra, often referred to as the Third Eye Chakra or the Ajna chakra, is located between your eyebrows. The color is Dark Blue.   The sixth Chakra is the center of intuition, imagination and perception.

The Seventh Chakra, often referred to as the Crown Chakra or the Sahasrara Chakra, is positioned above the head or at the top of it. The color is Violet. The seventh Chakra is the center of connecting to something greater than oneself, and expressing wisdom and enlightenment.

If you are interested in learning more about Chakras and energy healing please feel free to contact me.

Live long, strong and happy,

Gina