Maximizing Your Nutrition DollarWritten by Karen Walker
Getting most nutrition for every dollar spent is of great concern for those interested in maintaining good health. Yet for average consumer, nutrition derived from fresh food dollars has substantially decreased over past three decades. Why is this happening and what can be done about it?Everyone wants good nutrition from foods we eat and we are encouraged to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Yet in light of methods used to bring food to our tables, getting even minimal levels of nutrients from foods we eat can be a challenge. Why is it such a challenge to get good nutrition from our most basic foods? The answer lies in many of habits of our modern lifestyle. We no longer live on farms, so our foods often must travel great distances from field to table. Because consumers demand produce with an attractive (read ‘perfect’) appearance, food industry focus is on producing fruits and vegetables that ship well, not nutrient content. Picked green in field and shipped in cold storage, many types of produce that look great in store fail to produce optimal nutrients that develop only in ripe state, or lose much of their nutrients in cold dark conditions. Examples of this are tomatoes and lettuce. Vine ripened tomatoes are proven to contain higher levels of beta-carotene, lycopene and soluble fiber than green picked fruit. Lettuce loses up to 46% of certain nutrients within 7 days of cold, dark storage. Another reason for nutrient poor produce is very soils they are grown in. Soils throughout North America have been depleted since ‘dust bowl’ years of 1930’s. Soil depletion is a problem worldwide, because of poor farming methods that take from soil without returning minerals vital to good health. Modern methods replace only minerals necessary for good plant growth, not trace minerals essential for human health. Although this trend is beginning to be reversed by today’s organic farmer’s careful cultivation of soil, depletion continues to be a problem throughout world with little attention paid to contribution of trace minerals to good health.
| | How to stay healthyWritten by Anonymous
Question : I AM a 33-year-old male smoker who often suffers from coughs and colds. How can I improve my health? Answer : ON average, adults have two to four colds a year. The symptoms may vary but typical cold starts with a sore throat, sneezing, nasal congestion and a runny nose, frequently followed by a cough that can linger for a week to 10 days. You may catch a cold - or flu - if you have a weak immune system. There are no cures for common cold. However, there are numerous alternative and folk remedies worth trying to alleviate cold symptoms. Get plenty of rest. Drink extra fluids to thin mucus. A cool-mist humidifier to increase air moisture can relieve nasal symptoms. Abstain from smoking and stay away from smoky or polluted environment as these may prolong cold symptoms. Hot baths or alternating warm and cool showers will help you feel better. For immune system to function vigilantly, you must have good nutrition and take some supplements to boost it.
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