by Claire Addison on February 22, 2010
There are several benefits to almond butter that are really catching on with consumers and causing growth in sales. These spreads are very similar to peanut butter, but are made naturally with almonds instead of peanuts. There are several health benefits to this, and while almond butter spreads can vary from one company to another, in general this is a better choice than peanut butter is. Organic almond butter can be made from almonds processed one of two ways: almonds that are heated and blanched, and then also by raw almonds. It is important to note that just because an almond butter is labeled as organic, that doesn’t necessarily mean that its raw almond butter. That all depends on how the almonds are processed.
Why almond butter as opposed to peanut butter? There are several reasons.
Some raw almond butter benefits:
- Far fewer allergies. Some people have severe and potentially fatal peanut allergies. The same is not true with almonds, as almond allergies are extremely rare and generally far less severe.
- Less calories. Almond butter generally has less calories than peanut butter, and raw organic almond butter won’t have the added sugar that often comes with regular peanut butter.
- High in protein and fiber, and the fats are healthy fats.
These are just a few of the benefits of raw almond butter that makes it appealing to consumers. While early on it can be a little bit different to get used to, over time many people come to enjoy the texture and taste of almond butter even more than classic peanut butter.
Currently there are many medical and University tests being done to further study almond nut butter health benefits, as there is some hope that maybe this organic spread will show some positive strides in being part of a healthy diet to help fight things like cancer and heart disease. So if you’re looking for something to replace peanut butter with something healthier, take a look at almond butter as an alternative.
Popularity: 57% [?]
by Claire Addison on February 9, 2010
The papaya is a wonderfully juicy fruit with a butter like texture. Its taste is something like a mix of a pineapple and a peach without the tartness. Besides its splendid taste, this tropically grown fruit can delivery some amazing health benefits.
The papaya’s biggest claim to fame in the health world is its content of a digestive enzyme called papain. Papain is able to digest protein into amino acids and can be a great benefit to those with a weak or problematic digestive systems. Some people with digestive problems find that their health can improve substantially when they take papain supplements or drink papaya juice everyday. In fact papain is so effective that it is used as a meat tenderizer to help break down tough meaty fibers.
Papain is also considered to be helpful with pain and healing wounds. In the tropical countries were papaya grows, such as Hawaii and Tahiti, the local people make a poultice out of the skins (which are a densely concentrated source of papain) to apply topically to burns, rashes, cuts and stings. When Harrison Ford was filming one of the Indiana Jones movies he used papain injects to help him heal from a rupture disk!
The health benefits of Papain don’t end there either! Research has found that papain, and another similar enzyme found in papaya called chymopapain, have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. This might, in part, explain why papain is useful for helping to reduce pain, especially pain induced by inflammatory conditions. Papain supplements and papain juice may be a great aid for those with inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and asthma.
Papaya is also a great source of vitamin C, and a good source of vitamin E and beta-carotene. These three nutrients have independently been discovered to have anti-inflammatory effects. Vitamin C in particular has been shown to be very effective in helping to reduce the inflammation based pain in older people with arthritic knees, especially in higher doses of 500mg a day or more. This benefit was even greater when the vitamin C was obtained free real food sources, such as whole fruits and juices, rather than supplement form.
So if you have digestive problems, asthma, arthritis or other inflammatory conditions a daily papaya juice may benefit you. To make your own homemade papaya juicer recipes, you will need 4 papayas. Remove the skins and scoop out the seeds and put only the flesh into your juicing machine and wallah – fresh papaya juice. Enjoy!
Popularity: 70% [?]
by Claire Addison on February 4, 2010
Carrot Juice Recipes#1 – Straight Carrot Juice
10 large carrots
Carrot Juice Recipes #2 – The Capple Zipper
5 carrots
1 apple
1″ slice of fresh ginger root
Carrot Juice Recipes #3 – Jamaican Juice
4 carrots
1 cup of coconut milk
1 tsp of nutmeg
1 tsp of vanila essence
Only the carrots go through your juicing machine in this carrot juice recipe. Add the milk, nutmeg and vanilla essense seperately and mix well.
Carrot Juice Recipes #4 – Green Carrot Juice
3 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 cup of spinach
1/2 a cucumber
1/2 an apple
Juicing Carrots
I recommend using organic carrots for your vegetable juice recipes. Non-organic carrots are often smothered in pesticides that are carinogenic and create a lot of work for your immune system to detox them. As the skin is the area that contains the most amount of pesticides, it is a good idea to peel non-organic carrots if you use them for juicing.
Carrots are a hard vegetable, so for some juicing machines it might be easier to get them through if you half or quarter them first. I use a Jack LaLanne power juicer and that gets them through whole.
Health Benefits Of Carrots
Carrots are the richest source of beta-carotene than any other vegetable. Beta-carotene is powerful antioxidant as well as being the plant pigment that puts the orange hue in carrots. One study in Massachusetts found that eating beta-carotene rich foods can help reduce the risk of developing heart problems. The diets of 1,300 elderly people were closely followed by researchers and they discovered that those who ate daily serving of carrots or squash (another beta-carotene rich food) were 60% less likely to suffer a heart attack than those who ate fewer than one serving per day!
Beta-carotene is also a great protector of eye health. As an antioxidant it helps protect the eyes from the harmful effects of free radicals in UV light, Such protection help keep the eyes younger for longer and also reduces the risk of developing potentially blinding eye diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration.
Beta-carotene also has more to offer for eye health. It is converted in the liver to vitamin A, which in turn is also converted into a chemical called rhodopsin. Rhosdopsin is a purple based chemical that the eyes need in order to see at night time. Without we develop night blindness. So carrots really do help you see in the dark!
Popularity: 57% [?]
