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From the BBC comes a good report on the ins and outs of the whys and wherefores of eating a varied diet, especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables. Get more information here and here.

‘Pick the right veg’ for health
Obvious choices of fruit and vegetables are not necessarily the healthiest, say researchers.

According to US experts, making simple swaps like eating sweet potatoes instead of carrots and papaya rather than oranges could make a difference.

Foods, like raspberries, watercress and kale, are richer in phytonutrients which may help prevent disease, they told a US meeting.

UK nutritionists said a balanced diet is essential to good health.

The British Nutrition Foundation warned that relying on eating a few select food types to boost health was ill-advised and said there was no such thing as a “superfood”.

No one food can give you everything you need
Dr Emma Williams of the British Nutrition Foundation

Experts recommend five portions a day of fruit and veg in a healthy diet.

Plant foods are known to contain “phytonutrient” chemicals that can protect the heart and arteries and prevent cancers.

But the most popular varieties may not be the best, according to US researchers.

They analysed data from US health surveys of people’s dietary habits to look at the most common sources of phytonutrients.

They found that for 10 of the 14 phytonutrients studied, a single food type accounted for two-thirds or more of an individual’s consumption, regardless of how much fruit and veg they ate overall.

Carrots were the most common source of beta-carotene, oranges and orange juice the most common source of beta-cryptoxanthin, spinach the most common source of lutein/zeaxanthin, strawberries the most common source of ellagic acid and mustard the biggest provider of isothiocyanates.

However, for each of these phytonutrients there was a richer food source available.

Richer foods

Switching from carrots to sweet potatoes would nearly double beta-carotene intake, say the researchers.

Similarly papaya contains 15 times more beta-cryptoxanthin than oranges, while kale has three times more lutein/zeaxanthin than spinach.

Raspberries have three times more ellagic acid than strawberries and one cup of watercress contains as much isothiocyanate as four teaspoonfuls of mustard.

Study leader Keith Randolph, who is a technology strategist for the supplement company Nutrilite, said: “These data highlight the importance of not only the quantity but also the significant impact the quality and variety of the fruits and vegetables you eat can have on your health.”

Dr Emma Williams of the British Nutrition Foundation said: “They are right that some foods are richer sources of phytonutrients.

“But at the end of the day, to be healthy you need to make sure you have a varied and balanced diet.

“No one food can give you everything you need.”

The findings were presented at the 2010 Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, California.

Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/8645104.stm
Published: 2010/04/27 02:43:11 GMT BBC MMX

This information is provided by Creating Health Institute
through our Health Matters(c) project.

Bipolar disorder can be very confusing and disconcerting for the person who has the condition, as well as the people who love them. There are periods of mania, followed by periods of depression, and if there is a middle ground, there is only a very short stop there. In fact, there really isnt ever a stop in the middle ground. Its more like a drive-by on the way to either mania or depression. There are symptoms of mania and depression, associated with bipolar disorder that you should be aware of.

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder – Mania

When a person is in the mania state of bipolar or headed towards it they will seemingly have an increased amount of energy. They may even become very creative. They appear to be on top of the world. They may talk very fast and get little sleep during this period.

While this may seem ideal, it isnt. It can be just as dangerous as depression, because it is during the mania period that the bipolar person feels invincible, and is more likely to take unnecessary risks. During this period, the person may engage in risky sexual behavior, gamble, partake of drugs, or make bad decisions that they wouldnt normally make. Other signs of mania include being irritable, racing thoughts, inability to concentrate,

The period between the middle ground, or what we consider normal, and mania is actually referred to as hypomania. In this state, the person still feels all of that energy and creativity, but they are still capable of making good decisions and they dont tend to take as many risks. Impulsiveness, disregard for consequences, delusions, or hallucinations.

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder – Depression

The symptoms of bipolar disorder depression are much the same as the symptoms of non-bipolar depression. The only real difference between the two is the way that the depression is treated. Researchers are agreeing more and more that antidepressants do not have a positive effect on those who are suffering from bipolar disorder depression.

The most common symptoms of bipolar disorder depression include feeling hopeless or sad, being irritable, the inability to express any happy emotions, fatigue, changes in appetite, trouble sleeping or excessive sleeping, trouble concentrating, being forgetful, and thoughts of death or suicide.

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder – Mixed

When a person is having a mixed episode of bipolar disorder, they will actually demonstrate symptoms of mania and depression. They will be very irritable or agitated. They may suffer from anxiety. Insomnia is very common. Their thoughts may race and they are easily distracted. This is the most dangerous period of bipolar disorder, as this is when a person is most likely to commit suicide.

As I understand it, hidden deep inside the 2700 or more pages of the recently passed health bill is a small detail I think my readers should know.

As you may know the issue of pre-existing conditions was a major PR focus in the efforts to ram this bill through Congress, and get the citizenry to think they were really getting something.

What’s missing is this tiny detail I fell upon in the past day or so about exactly what happens to one of the Big Insurance carriers that will be allowed in the “pool” to sell you something that will continue to give their CEO at least $13 million a year in salary without perks.

And you might end up not getting your claims paid if you happen to have one of these items, obscure and otherwise, deemed “pre-existing” by insurance profiteers.

It just so happens that whomever has been writing this bill, and of late it always seems that industry is writing the legislation, they sure seem to favor industry over Joe or Jane Citizen.

The slap on the hand for denying coverage for “pre-existing” is a paltry $100 a day. To Big Insurance the $100 a day fine doesn’t even measure up to pocket change.

In the interim, you or a loved one could die.

Don’t you think it might be a good idea to start taking back responsibility for your health?

See also “health care problem is far from solved”

This information is provided by Creating Health Institute
through our Health Matters(c) project.

Hello, everyone! This is the editor of Mark’s Daily Apple, Aaron Fox. Mark has his hands full today, so I’ll be reporting from the field. Check back throughout the day for text, photo and (maybe, fingers crossed) video updates.

7:53 am: There’s a buzz in the air as the inaugural PrimalCon kicks off in beautiful Oxnard, California. Attendees are trickling in. Grok On! shirts have been sighted.

8:00 am: Primal peoples meet and greet at registration

8:01 am: Getting hooked up with a Primal gift bag

8:16 am: Heading out to the beach park for sprint and lifting sessions

8:24 am: Chatting with Mark

8:27 am: PrimalCon event coordinator extraordinaire, Brad Kearns, sporting a slick PrimalCon shirt

8:32 am: PrimalCon attendees unite!

8:32 am: US Olympic team runner, Michael Stember, begins his sprinting instruction session

8:33 am: Philippe Til instructing on proper lifting form

8:55 am: Run like Grok!

12:10 pm: Ocean Plunge! A little cold water therapy does a person good.

12:45 pm: Primal lunch feast

1: 02 pm: The Aftermath

1:03 pm: FiveFinger Strawberry

1:33 pm: PrimalCon 2010 Keynote Address

4:06 pm: McGrath Organic Family Farm Tour

7:06 pm: Primal Feast number 2

8:02 pm: Mark and Barefoot Ted chat after dinner

8:32 pm: Wine and Dark Chocolate “Fireside Chat” back at Mark’s suite. Attendee overheard saying, “Man, I love this diet.”

11:33 pm: That’s it for the first day of PrimalCon. These updates hint at what the PrimalCon experience has been thus far, but in all honesty they hardly do it justice. Pictures can’t capture the joy of meeting fellow Primal Blueprinters face to face, or the taste of cedar-smoked salmon, or the experience of personal instruction in the Primal lifestyle behaviors. Tomorrow, if we can sort out the logistics, in addition to live blogging we will be bringing you PrimalCon 2010 updates using advanced technologies such as smell-o-vision and holographic virtual reality. See you then!

Live Blogging from PrimalCon 2010 – Day 3

Live Blogging from PrimalCon 2010 – Day 2

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Some lucky folks are born with perfect vision but for the others who are not there are ways to fix and improve the vision. For some people their vision is so blurry that getting a pair of glasses or contact lesnses is really the most effective way to improve their vision. One of the first steps to improving the vision is going for a visit with the eye doctor. The opthomologist can give you a good eye test to figure out what exactly is wrong with the eyes and the visual strength of each eye. One eye may be stronger than the other eye and in that case getting glasses with lenses that equal out the strength of the eyes can improve the vision.

Improve Your Vision Naturally

There are certain vitamins and minerals that are essential for the human body to function properly and without them the body will not function at it’s peak. There are certain vitamins that can be consumed specifically to improve the vision. Some of these vitamins are found in the foods you may already be eating. If you are not consuming enough of these essential vitamins the result may be weakened eyesight.

Some of the essential vitamins that can be consumed in foods or taken in vitamin supplements that can improve the vision are vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, Ginko Biloba, and Alpha-Lipoic Acid. Vitamin A is one of the most essential vitamins that contribute to good eye sight. If your vision seems weak it is probably a good idea to take a vitamin A supplement every day. Vitamins A, C, and E work the best when they are taken all together and they work better when taken with food. Vitamin A is more readily absorbed into the body when it is taken with fats so eating a breakfast that includes eggs, another good source of vitamin A, is a good way to take the supplement.

One vegetable that contains a large quantity of vitamin A is carrots. One way to naturally improve vision and especially night vision is to consume carrots regularly in the diet. Carrots contain a lot of carotene that can help you see better in the dark.

The eyes can be strengthened like any other muscle in the body by exercising them. In addition to getting the right amounts of the proper nutrients that can help to improve the eye sight there are also specific eye exercises that can be done to strengthen the muscles in the eyes. It is a good idea to do these exercises at least once a day if you work on a computer and spend a lot of time looking at a computer screen. Giving your eyes a break from staring at the computer will remove some of the strain. If your eyes to begin to feel strained while working at a computer or if you have been looking at something for too long splashing them with cool water will wake up and refresh the eyes.

Photo by kms !

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