Eat salt for health and wellness

Salt is essential for life – nobody can live without it!

Salt is essential for everybody – not only to life, but to good health too

Regretfully, most people simply can’t even imagine that there are enormous differences between standard – refined table salt and natural cooking salt that appears to be health-promoting salt.

Commercial refined salt (usually called common table salt) is not only denuded of all its minerals, with exception of sodium and chloride, but it also is heated up at such heats that the chemical structure of salt changes. Additionally, salt usually is chemically cleaned and bleached and treated with anticaking agents which prevent it absorbing moisture in the container. Unfortunately, all the anticaking agents perform the same (anticaking) function in the human body, so refined salt does not dissolve and combine with the water and fluids present in body. Additionally, usually used aluminum is a light alloy that deposits into the brain, often causing Alzheimer’s disease.

All sorts of natural salt – sea, rock and Himalayan salt -
promote a healthy balance (homeostasis) in the body

As all sorts of natural salt contain literally all of almost 80 elements found in the body, natural salt is characterized as:

• promoting a healthy pH balance in body cells – particularly brain cells
• supporting respiratory health
• regulating proper sleep
• promoting bone strength
• promoting vascular health
• regulating the water content throughout the body
• supporting libido
• etc.

Human blood contains 0.9% salt (sodium chloride). Salt holds the electrolytes balance – inside and outside of cells. Most of salt occurs from foods. Even doctors usually advocate replacing water and salt dropped off during exercise or working outside.

For example, wilderness hikers know the importance of salt tablets to combat dehydration and hyperthermia. Rehydration drinking mineral water involves replacing both missing water and salt. Expectant mothers are advised to get enough salt.

Increased salt intakes have been used successfully to combat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

According to the National Academy of Sciences (USA) recommendations, it is compulsory to consume a minimum of 500 mg/day of sodium to maintain good health.

Personal needs, nevertheless, can vary hugely based on genetic make-up and the lifestyle. While individual requirements range widely, usually there is no trouble reaching their minimum requirements. Most consume “excess” sodium above and beyond that advised for proper bodily processes. The kidneys efficiently process
this “excess” sodium in healthy people – to some extent.

Research show that most humans tolerate a wide range of sodium intakes, from about 250 mg/day to over
30,000 mg/day. The usual range is much narrower. Americans consume about 3,500 mg/day of sodium; men more, women less. Major part of the population consumes 1,150- 5,750 mg/day of salt which is termed the “hygienic safety range” of sodium intake by some researchers.

Chloride is essential to good health too. Every substance, including water, can be toxic in certain concentrations and amounts. However, this is not a big concern for using natural salt.

Here’s what scientists, researchers of salt influence on health and wellness have found:

• 10 year follow-up study (1997) of the big Scottish Heart Health Study found no improved health outcomes for those on low salt diets
• Analysis of the 6 years data (1997) from the MRFIT database documented no health improvements of lower-sodium diets.
  Further analysis, using 14 years data (1999), confirmed no improved health benefit from low-sodium diets
• 8 year study of New York (USA, 1995) hypertensive population ranked for sodium intake levels documented: those on low-salt diets had more than 4 times as many heart attacks as those on normal-sodium diets – precisely opposite of what was told by the “salt hypothesis”
• Highest-quality meta-analysis of clinical trials was published in the British Medical Journal (2002) confirming earlier meta-analyses’ conclusions that significant salt reduction would lead to very
  small blood pressure changes in sensitive populations and no health benefits
• Analysis of the health results over 20 years from those in the massive US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I, 1998) documented a 20% greater incidence of heart attacks among those on low-salt diets compared to normal-salt diets

Eat your salt for health and
wellness

To health and wellness -

Dr. Czes Kulvis

[tags] salt, natural salt, health and wellness [/tags]

Eat raw eggs for health and wellness

Eggs are among the most nourishing foods around, particularly
once consumed raw

Learn why raw eggs are so good for your health, and at the same time much safer than you could think

Eggs, though constituting to be one of the fullest sources of beneficial protein and fat, are also among the foods that many people are allergic to. However, raw eggs bear significantly lower allergic reactions. This follows because heating the egg actually changes its protein structural composition, so this deformation can easily contribute to the egg allergy.

The regular headache about consuming raw eggs usually is a fearfulness of salmonella. But the chance of catching salmonella from raw eggs is in reality unbelievably low. Research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture evidenced that of the 69 billion eggs farmed annually, only 2.3 million are infected with salmonella. It means that only one in every 30,000 eggs is infected – you're more probable to die out in airplane collapse than catching salmonella from raw eggs. Nevertheless, here are some suggestions (mainly common sense) about how to buy the healthiest eggs achievable.

First of all, recall that good for your health eggs arrive from healthy chickens, whilst unhealthy eggs – from unhealthy chickens. Whether you eat eggs raw or cooked, try to buy organically fed free-range, so omega-3 raised eggs. Do not forget that they're the conditions of commercialized hens growers that chickens are fed unclean diets and raised in small strangled cages where disease can widely spread. This arrives at the average supermarket eggs more probable to be contaminated with salmonella than eggs produced in healthy conditions.

Three measures to insure eggs are safe:

• Try to purchase eggs fresh and un-refrigerated and keep them on the counter – at room temperature. (This won't work however after the eggs have already been refrigerated). Note – people do not refrigerate eggs in most other countries. Among the primary rationalities for maintaining eggs at room temperature is that refrigeration causes little damage to the egg protein
• If there is a crack in the shell, don’t eat the egg. You can easily check for cracks by immersing the egg in cool, lightly salted water. If you notice the egg emiting a small stream of bubbles, do not take it, because the shell is permeable.
• 3) Open the egg. A healthy egg has no afoul odor, the egg white is not watery (gel-like), whilst a healthy egg yolk is convex and firm.

If the egg doesn't deliver these features, throw it aside

It is significant to note that in the extremely rare event that you get salmonella poisoning, you might experience sickness and have loose faecal matter, but this contagion is easily handled by using top-quality probiotics that contain great deal of beneficial bacteria. At best take a tablespoon of probiotics every half an hour – until you start to feel better. Most people improve within a couple of hours.

Additional concern is that raw egg whites incorporate a glycoprotein called avidin that is really efficient at blocking biotin (sometimes called vitamin H), one of
the B group vitamins, leading to a possible biotin deficiency. The answer is to eat eggs in their complete form (both yolks and whites) as yolks hold high amounts of biotin to counteract avidin.

I came across this valuable information reading a wonderful book "Total Health"
by Dr. Joseph Mercola.

Presently I know I am consuming best possible proteins and fats – eating raw eggs (mainly yolks) and avocados.

To health and wellness -

Dr. Czes Kulvis

[tags]health and wellness, raw egg, raw yolk[/tags]

Mineral deficiency – health and wellness problems

The alarming fact is that food … now being raised on millions of acres of land that no longer contain enough … minerals are starving us, no matter how much of them we eat….
Lacking vitamins, the system (body) can make use of minerals, but
lacking minerals, vitamins are useless!
- USA Senate document 264, 74th Congress, 1936

Deficiency — U.S. Population
Magnesium: 75%
Iron: 58%
Copper: 81%
Manganese: 50%
Chromium: 50%
Zinc: 67%

It has been recorded that 40% of the people who say they “feel good” actually suffer from some kind of a chronic disease. It is a well-known fact that more than 99% of Americans to some extent are deficient in minerals that are required for the maintenance of a healthy body.

The body needs various minerals for health, survival and wellbeing. Mineral deficiency means a condition where the concentration of any of the minerals essential to human health is abnormally low in the body. In some cases, low mineral concentration is defined as that which leads to an impairment in a function dependent on the mineral.

Minerals are essential to the functioning of organ systems and our entire body. Some of these minerals exist in large amounts in our body such as calcium. Others such as manganese exist in trace amounts but are, nonetheless, critical to our health and well- being.

Minerals are inorganic substances that regulate processes within the body. Minerals are in different structures within the body to create enzymes, hormones, skeletal bones, skeletal tissues, teeth and fluids. Calcium and phosphorus are the two most common minerals found in the body. Some of the other prevalent minerals found in the body are: iron, zinc, sodium, potassium, magnesium, sulfur, copper, chloride and others.

Inadequate diet can lead to mineral deficiency, or at least to insufficient minerals. Some of the more common deficiencies are iron, iodine, calcium etc deficiency. For example, iron is needed by the blood and iron deficiency leads to anemia and various other symptoms; iodine deficiency leads to goiter…

As many as a third of the world’s people do not meet their physical and intellectual potential because of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, according to a report released in New York today by UNICEF and The Micronutrient Initiative.

If one eats moderate-size meals every four hours, it is usually very rare to get a mineral or vitamin deficiency. This is because some inadequacies only become apparent after several months of none or little consumption. However, there is another problem: modern farming methods, using massive amounts of artificial fertilizers to get high yields, denude the soil of vital minerals. This means that some foods usually have little real goodness in them.

Repeating information about high levels of mineral depletion in agricultural soils worldwide has raised the question about the quality of the food we eat. Avoiding mineral deficiencies appears to be a difficult task, but fortunately there are ways around it:
Take mineral supplements. When mineral intakes do not meet dietary recommendations, supplements can make an important contribution.

Select fortified foods. Many foods are now fortified with calcium, iron, and other minerals, as well as with vitamins and other essential nutrients. Unfortunately, all fortifying has been performed with synthetic vitamins etc.

Grow your own. Soils can be analyzed and deficiencies corrected by adding missing elements to restore balance. Amend the soil and grow your own mineral-rich, healthy vegetables and fruits.

Dr. Czes Kulvis

[tags]mineral deficiency, health and wellness[/tags]

Chocolate for health and wellness

You may think: “What is connection between health, wellness and so delicious chocolate“?

Chocolate is getting good deal of congratulations in the medical and nutritional world these days. But in that respect nothing novel happens about this news.

South American Indians (Olmecs, Mayans and Aztecs) were the first to introduce and use chocolate, starting 1500 BC.

Masses (including doctors) back then used chocolate to address fatigue, restore normal body weight, sedate aggravated nerves, and improve digestion. It was also treasured as an exceptionally powerful aphrodisiac.

Late studies on chocolate show that it is choke-full of valuable nutrients that benefit everything from heart to temper.

However, all these benefits apply only for premium dark chocolate, but not the extremely processed, mass produced, cheap, sugary junk you can find literally everywhere.

Numerous chocolate’s benefits are attributable to the fact that it contains flavonoids, which are all-powerful antioxidants.

Dark chocolate is a leader among anti-oxidant foods

Chocolate is the most powerful known free radicals scavenger food. On average anti-oxidant activity of dark chocolate is 2 times bigger than that of milk chocolate  and 3-5 times higher that that of most fruits and vegetables

Most important benefits from dark chocolate consumption:

• High in antioxidants. Dark chocolate is one of the richest food sources of these crucial substances. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals – aggressive oxygen molecules that add to heart disease and cancer and accelerate aging
• Lowers blood pressure. Chocolate helps relax blood vessels so blood can flow through them easier. People who ate just over 3 ounces of premium quality dark chocolate each day reduced their blood pressure by as many as 10 points in just two weeks, according to a 2003 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
• Rich in valuable micronutrients. Dark chocolate supplies significant amounts of potassium, zinc, magnesium, and iron. Most members of Western civilization do not get enough of these nutrients.
• Fights cancer. The high flavonoid content may have a highly protective effect against some cancers (based on the more extensive research on flavonoids in tea)
• Helps prevent clots. Chocolate makes platelets, important for clot formation, more lubricous. This protects the heart by helping prevent artery blockage
• Good for cholesterol. The fat in chocolate itself is “cholesterol neutral,” meaning that it doesn’t have a negative effect on cholesterol levels. But it has been found to lower bad LDL (low density) cholesterol (5-10 percent) while leaving good HDL (high density) cholesterol the same
• Calms coughs. A recent small study from England showed that chocolate is a highly effective cough suppressant – at least as good as codeine (drug)!
• A safe, mild stimulant. Chocolate actually has relatively little caffeine, but many people notice a quick increase in alertness and improvement in mood that can last hours after eating it
• Doesn’t cause acne. No connection between chocolate and acne has ever been proven. So chocolate is not an acne problem for most people
• Prevents cavities. High quality dark chocolate can help prevent teeth cavities by fighting common mouth bacteria. So do not worry about cavities when you eat chocolate

As you see, eating medium (not too much) amounts of quality dark chocolate can definitely contribute to your health and wellness.

To health and wellness -

Dr. Czes Kulvis

[tags] chocolate, health and wellness [/tags]

Avocado for health and wellness

I found out these wonderful words on a website of WebMD:

I eat three avocados a day - says George Bliss, age 81, has been eating avocados morning, noon, and night…After eight decades of daily avocado consumption, he’s still going strong; at 6 feet tall, he weighs a trim 180 pounds.

In addition to great taste, avocados is great health.

But why avocados are so good for health and wellness?

• regulate cholesterol
  - 1996 study by researchers at the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social in Mexico (Archives of Medical Research, Winter 1996) that looked at the health benefits of daily avocado consumption. The 45 volunteers who ate avocados every day for a week experienced an average 17% drop in total blood cholesterol. Their cholesterol ratio also changed in a healthy way: Their levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein, or “bad fat”) and triglycerides, both associated with heart disease, went down. Their HDL (high-density lipoprotein, or “good fat”) levels, which tend to lower the risk of heart disease, climbed.
  - In the December 1999 issue of the American Journal of Medicine, researchers pointed out that beta-sitosterol was shown to reduce cholesterol in 16 human studies. Among all commonly eaten fruits, oranges and avocados contain the most beta-sitosterol and contain at least twice the amount of the phytosterol found in other foods, including corn, green soybeans, and olives.
• boost brainpower
  Avocado won’t increase your IQ, but it will help you make the most of what grey matter in your brain you’ve got. The potassium in avocados helps fight fatigue and depression, both of which reduce your ability to concentrate.
• immune support
  The combination of B group vitamins (including B6 and niacin) vitamins C and D, riboflavin and manganese found in avocados helps maintain a strong immune system. They are also a good source of vitamins A and E, which help protect against cancer. Other nutrients include niacin, biotin, pantothenate, thiamin and riboflavin. Avocados are high in omega-3, which reduces the risk of heart disease and lecithin, a type of fatty acid crucial for healthy nervous tissue.
• antioxidant support
  Avocado, additionally to vitamins C and E, contains a lot of glutamine – antioxidant, necessary to neutralize free radicals that could harm our organism with heart disease and some cancers. Avocados may be one of the best fruit sources of glutathione, which may offer some protection against oral, throat, and someother types of cancer.
• Avocados along with other fruits and vegetables are nutrient-dense in vitamins E and C – antioxidants that help promote healthy teeth and gums and protect the body tissue from oxidation damage.
• The richest fruit sources of potassium are avocados and bananas. Potassium helps the body’s fluids and other life-essential minerals stay in balance. Avocado is said to be protective against the formation of kidney stones because of its high potassium content. Potassium reduces the urinary excretion of calcium and people who eat diets high in potassium (like plenty of fruits and vegetables), are at a low risk of forming kidney stones. This is in addition to the beneficial effect of reducing blood pressure.
• Avocados contain more folate per ounce than other fruits. Folate is another important nutrient that promotes healthy cell and tissue development. Consuming enough folate is essential for pregnant women and women of child-bearing age.
• The blend of antioxidant vitamins in avocado makes it protect the eyes from cataract formation, especially the vitamin A, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene.
• Avocados contain a very concentrated dietary source of the carotenoid lutein and contains measurable amounts of related carotenoids (zeaxanthin, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene) plus significant amounts of tocopherols (vitamin E). Avocado has also been found to protect the prostrate from hyperplasia (non-cancerous growth) and prostrate cancer. A research published in the January 2005 edition of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry stated that an extract of avocado inhibited the growth of prostrate cancer cells.
• Avocado also offers significant protection against breast cancer. This is said to be due to the oleic acid, carotenoid lutein and vitamin E amongst other things.
• Avocado is also good for arthritis and helps in combination with other therapy to reduce pain.
• Avocado is also said to be good for asthma patients. The antioxidants in it reduce the susceptibility of asthmatics to attacks.

Avocados contain over 12 minerals. These minerals stimulate growth and keep other body functions in check. If you are tired all the time and struggle to deal with stressful situations, you may be suffering from nutritional anaemia, in which case the excellent copper and iron content in one of these little green wonders will aid red blood cell regeneration and help prevent the anaemia.

Recent research (University of Ohio) shows that avocados significantly increase the absorption of phytochemicals contained in other fruits and vegetables.

They contain oleic acid which is great for your heart and can help lower cholesterol levels. They are rich in Vitamin E – vital for healthy skin and offer an excellent source of protein. The high magnesium content helps fight against osteoporosis.

Avocados have more potassium than a banana, but even though an avocado is technically a fruit, it contains only 2% sugar so much better for you if you are trying to reduce your sugar intake to control candida.

EAT AVOCADOS! THEY ARE REALLY, REALLY GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS!

Dr. Czes Kulvis

[tags]avocado, health and wellness, nutrition, health, immune[/tags]