Question: from Marc – Does Beta Carotene Increase Risk of Cancer?

The WCRF have recently released the results from the research carried out looking into foods associated with increased risk of cancer. I noticed that Beta carotene is a supplement they found to increase the risk of Lung Cancer and that your Total balance contains 5000IU of this ingredient. Please let me know whether it is still safe to be taking this supplement.

Comment: from Warren Matthews of Xtend-Life

Joanna will answer this question, but I thought that I should first make a comment. This is another example of a misleading study. There is also a world of difference between taking NATURAL Beta-Carotene in conjunction with many other co-factors such as are present in Total Balance as opposed to taking a synthetic Beta-Carotene as a single stand alone ingredient which should never be ingested in that manner. To suggest that beta-carotene in a natural form in sensible quantities is risky is a bit like saying don’t eat your carrots because you may get cancer. It is nonsense.  Read more...

You might have heard the term free radical before, but few people know what they actually are. When a single molecule that resides within a cell in our body is left with an unpaired electron, after it has split, a free radical is formed.

When this happens it loses it’s stability and tries to regain it from the molecule next to it by taking it’s electron. After this occurs, both molecules are considered free radicals and a chain reaction is started.

The cell that is being compromised loses it’s stability and ends up dying. The tissue also becomes damaged.

As nasty as it sounds, free radicals are not always something to be concerned about. They can be created by the body to encourage healthy metabolism or fight off an infection. When the body is healthy free radicals pose no problem at all. They become a danger when the immune system has been compromised or is in a state of weakness.  Read more...

Pizza is a favorite food for many people. Too bad it is so loaded with calories that most people don’t indulge if they want to lose weight and stay healthy. No need to worry. Here are some alternatives for your pizza to help you enjoy it anyway.

Let’s start from the bottom up, which is where the expert pizza guys start when they are making their wonderful-tasting pie. Many commercial crusts are made with white flour. Processed white flour contains too many sugars. It rates high on the glycemic index.

For those who don’t know, the glycemic index is a way of rating carbohydrates. If a carbohydrate causes your blood sugar to spike, it will usually get a number above 50 on the index. Spikes are usually followed by periods of sluggishness when you eat more spiking carbs to give you some energy. It is a vicious cycle.

Eating foods that are lower on this index will help keep your blood sugar steady, which fights cravings. Your energy level becomes consistent throughout the day as well.  Read more...

Cumin is a spice that is used in Eastern dishes to add rich flavor to the food, but it can be much more than that. Cumin can be used as an herbal remedy in your home. Here are some of its other benefits.

Those who live in the East have known about the effects of cumin for thousands of years. Now it is time for the rest of us to learn how it can help. This herb is a flowering plant from the parsley family and even its seeds are useful.

Cumin has been traditionally used to heal digestive ailments. If you suffer from gas, indigestion, diarrhea and even morning sickness, cumin is your herb of choice. You can make a tea by boiling the seeds. Combine the cumin water with coriander leaf juice and salt.

Don’t throw those seeds away, though. If you grind them into a paste and mix with water, they can be made into a salve that is used topically to treat boils. The seeds are also full of iron. Incorporating them into your diet can enhance the functions of the liver. As you probably know, the liver helps to detoxify the blood.  Read more...

The hardest part of losing weight seems to be changing eating habits. You can exercise until you are blue in the face but if you don’t have your food intake under control, you could be simply spinning your wheels. Here are some ideas to help you make the right choice when it comes to food.

It is a fact that fresh foods have more natural flavor and nutrients than processed food. We often choose the processed foods because we are in a hurry. The one thing we tell ourselves is that we will do better next time.

How many of you know that tomorrow never comes in this case? Making the right and healthy food choices requires focus, discipline and a few simple tricks of the trade.

1. Prepare your food ahead of time. The chief complaint about making a healthy dinner is that you don’t have time. Take a day on the weekend when you have more time and whip up a few nutritious dishes for the following week. Because you have the time, you can experiment with spices and different foods you may not have tried before.  Read more...

When we create a weight loss plan, we always account for the food that we eat. What about what you drink? Choices here are just as important as eating.

If you look on the back of a soda can or a bottle you’d be astounded at the amount of calories in one glass of soda. And, when buying those value size 20-ounce bottles, you probably didn’t notice that each one contains two and a half servings. So when you drink the entire bottle, you are taking in almost triple the amount of calories.

Here are some alternatives that won’t be adding hundreds of extra calories to your healthy eating plan each day. You are probably familiar with all of them. Maybe it’s time to get reacquainted.

Water is the healthiest drink you can have. It contains no calories. Most people say that it has no flavor, but depending on your region or what type of water you have, some people like the taste of some water over others. Bottle, tap, well or carbonated, water is still good for you.  Read more...

We all have certain foods that we love to eat even when eating too much is bad. These are most often comfort foods that are hard to give up. If you are making food choices that aren’t the best, here are some suggestions for making changes.

You have probably sabotaged your eating habits once or twice. You didn’t intend to but it just so happened that you had that last box of chocolate cookies in the cupboard. Since you know they are there, you’ll be more likely to reach for them when stressed or you think you are hungry.

Before you fret, there is hope for all of us. Use the following steps to turn those hard to get rid of habits into winning techniques for weight-loss success.

1. Never go to the grocery store hungry. This is another sabotaging method. You might be saying to yourself that you are only going into the grocery store for a few things. With your stomach rumbling, you are prone to abandon the pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for fried chicken wings at the deli.  Read more...

There are many reasons that can lead to the occurrence of ADHD in children. Most of these factors have been studied in detail. One of the causative factors that have been postulated to have a profound impact on ADHD is lack of proper nutrition. A growing number of scientific studies have linked nutritional deficiencies like deficiency of essential fatty acids and amino acids has been linked to ADHD. Also, intake of some ingredients found in foods has been linked with the onset of ADHD.

If this does not convince you let us look at the results of some of the studies conducted in different parts of the world. The first study that linked ADHD with lower levels of essential fatty acids was conducted in 1981. A similar study conducted in 1983 found lower levels of essential fatty acids in children with ADHD.  Read more...

There have been debates about which is better of the two when someone is trying to lose weight. Butter or margarine, which one is the healthy option?

Both of them have advantages; this comparison may help you decide which one is the best choice for you.

Mankind has been making butter in one form or another for thousands of years. It was originally made from the milk of water buffalo or camels. Today it’s made from cow’s milk but the process is exactly the same as it’s been for over six millennia.

One of the reasons why some people say to stay away from butter is that it contains saturated fat. Saturated fat raises the bad form of cholesterol, known as LDL cholesterol, as well as raising the total blood cholesterol levels.

What most people don’t understand, however, is that the cholesterol in the food you eat has little to no effect on the blood cholesterol levels of most people.  Read more...

Depending upon who you talk to, some people believe following a vegetarian diet is healthier than one containing meat products. People of all ages, including teens, have adopted a vegetarian lifestyle. If this sounds like your child, you may wonder how to keep your vegetarian teenager healthy when you feel they’re missing vital nutrients.

What most non-vegetarians don’t realize is that it is possible to meet all your body’s nutritional needs by eating only fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and legumes. Because there is no meat in the diet, vegetarian diets usually have less fats and cholesterol, although there will be some.

It will, however, take some planning to ensure your teenager includes a variety of foods to get all of the vitamins and nutrients they need. By learning more about the vegetarian lifestyle, you will be able to guide your teen into making wise food choices.  Read more...