Category: Vitamins

Buy Local Honey

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Buying local honey supports beekeepers. Plus, it’s great for the environment.  No one wants to deal with the middle-man, and that’s why I love my farmers market.   Beekeepers travel from upstate New York and from right here in NYC to sell at local markets throughout the Five Boroughs.  We have Beekeepers on rooftops and in many urban backyards.  Locals areas like Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx and all over.  Many of them like Brooklyn Grange and Bronx Bees offer programs to help others. You will also find local honey at Whole Foods. 

I purchased this bottle of raw honey from my local market at Union Square Greenmarket, and the beekeeper is Andrzej Kurosz from Warwick, NY.  Sweet Things Wild Thyme and Honey is raw, chemical free, and pure. 

Compared to other sweeteners, raw honey contains a variety of vitamins and minerals.  It is a potent anti-infection/anti-inflammatory bee product, which is a natural option to antibiotics. Plus, it is also great for building up your resistance to allergens.  I’ve already started taking a teaspoon a day and I sprinkle some bee pollen in my food as well.  The pollen is the male seed of flowers and it’s also rich in vitamins and minerals.  But get this, bee pollen is rich in protein.

In addition to that, taking bee pollen may reduce the presence of histamine, which can ameliorate many allergies. It works for me.  Around springtime my allergies starts to act up. My eyes are irritated, I sneeze constantly, and I basically feel and look like crap.  

Last year, I started taking the bee pollen and it really build up my tolerance and reduced my attacks. You might want to research it. Also, if you’re allergic to bee stings or have sensitivities to foods, it’s best you consult with an alternative medical doctor or any other qualified healthcare professional before trying bee pollen. 

Go out and support your local farm, and don’t forget the local beekeeper. 

Resources: Bronx Bees, Brooklyn Grange Farm, Bee Pollen As A Superfood, New York City Beekeepers Association 

 

Papaya: My New Obsession

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Papaya’s are my new obsession at the moment. I go through these fazes with fruits and vegetables all the time. Right now it’s papaya. It is extremely healthy for you. Just one whole papaya has 168.08 mg of vitamin C, and a whopping 2622.00 International Units of vitamin A.

According to whfoods website, papayas may prevent a number of health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, aging and cancer. To read more about these health benefits click here.

Papaya alone will not prevent those diseases. It’s the other foods along with papayas that will determine your faith. I’m all about eating foods that will nourish my body. Especially, the ones that has anti-aging benefits…lol! I want to age gracefully and healthy. Who doesn’t? Those kinds of foods are whole foods and plant-based.

I quote from the book Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition by, T. Colin Campbell, PhD:

“The foods you consume can heal you faster and more profoundly than the most expensive prescription drugs, and more dramatically than the most extreme surgical interventions, with only positive side effects.”

This book is phenomenal. The only diet now that can promise you and me that, is a whole food plant-based diet. I highly recommend reading it, and Healthy Eating Healthy World by, J. Morris Hicks, and The China Study by, Dr. Campbell again.

These three books will transform your outlook on food, nutrition and your life forever. There is much to be gained from reading these books. They are clearly written and powerfully true with scientific researches to support each claim. You will be able to comprehend and implement the changes into your life, and benefit from them.

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Some photos of how I incorporate papayas in my diet. It’s all plant-based foods.

Antioxidants and Good Food Sources

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Naturally occurring antioxidants help fight diseases in the body, boost immunity, and repair damaged cells. These antioxidants can be found in a variety of whole foods that nutritionists have been recommending for years, including fruits, legumes and whole grains.

It’s important to include antioxidants in your diet because of their many health benefits, so try digging in to one of these especially antioxidant-rich foods like pomegranates, berries and veggies.

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Vitamin C – As an antioxidant it protects proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, DNA and RNA from oxidation by free radicals. Foods like citrus fruits and their juices, berries, dark green vegetables (spinach, asparagus, green peppers, brussel sprouts, broccoli, watercress, other greens), red and yellow peppers, tomatoes and tomato juice, pineapple, cantaloupe, mangos, papaya and guava.

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Vitamin E –
Vitamin E is also a fat soluble vitamin. As an antioxidant it protects fats from oxidation, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. Foods like vegetable oils such as olive, soybean, corn, cottonseed and safflower, nuts and nut butters, seeds, whole grains, wheat, wheat germ, brown rice, oatmeal, soybeans, sweet potatoes, legumes (beans, lentils, split peas) and dark leafy green vegetables.

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Selenium –
Selenium is a powerful antioxidant mineral that protects tissues from free radical damage. Foods like Brazil nuts, brewer’s yeast, oatmeal, brown rice, chicken, eggs, dairy products, garlic, molasses, onions, salmon, seafood, tuna, wheat germ, whole grains and most vegetables.

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Beta Carotene –
Beta-carotene is a form of vitamin A found in many foods that are dark orange, red, yellow and green vegetables and fruits such as broccoli, kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, carrots, red and yellow peppers, apricots, cantaloupe and mangos.

Source:
http://www.whfoods.com/