You must have wondered why on earth anyone would consume things like kombucha, water kefir, coconut oil, black current oil, etc. as detailed in my last post.
Before I explain why, let me pass on a true story. A very dear friend has been going through a very difficult period of his life and as a result of all the stress; he developed big red blotches on his forearms. One day he dropped by and told me that a friend of his had a similar problem and suggested that he drink apple cider vinegar mixed with a spoon of honey. Knowing my interest in these matters, he asked what was in the apple cider vinegar that “worked”. My eyes immediately went to his forearms and I saw that the red blotches were almost gone.
I had no idea of what it was in apple cider vinegar that had “cured” him and that is “the moral of the story”; if things that have been recommended throughout the ages and there is nothing “questionable/unacceptable” about them, then do it. You’ll be surprised by the benefits or the absence of future problems.
I’ll try to be as short and concise as possible. Here goes.
- COCONUT OIL
Coconut oil contains a unique combination of fatty acids with powerful medicinal properties.
The saturated fats in coconut oil are called Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT’s), which are fatty acids of a medium length and are metabolized differently than your run-of-the-mill long-chain-fatty-acids found in meat, cheese, etc.
MCT’s go straight to the liver from the digestive track, where they are used as a quick source of energy or converted to ketone bodies, which have been shown to have therapeutic effects on brain disorders like epilepsy and ALZHEIRMER’S.
So, briefly, coconut oil:
*Increases your energy expenditure and you burn more fat,
*The lauric acid in it kills bacteria, viruses and fungi,
*Kills your hunger,
*Improves blood cholesterol levels,
*Is a great moisturizer and sunscreen,
*Ketones can boost your brain functions,
*Can make you loose fat.
Could anyone ask for more? I suggest consuming 2 tablespoons a day.
2. KOMBUCHA AND WATER KEFIR
On the left are the SCOBY s and on the right water kefir grains.
Kombucha is a Chinese word meaning mushroom tea, but the mushroom looking “starters” above are called “symbiotic colonies of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY)”and have nothing to do with mushrooms. One uses the SCOBY s, some previously produced kombucha tea, sugar, green and black tea to “brew” the new batch.
I think it tastes great and its consumption goes back about two millennia.
It is used by bodybuilders to loose fat, is an excellent drink for a hangover, has a great many medicinal qualities and is a great overall tonic. Remember, from the previous post of its probiotic nature and, thus, its contribution to one’s immune system.
You can make it yourself or you can buy the ready made kind, from many websites and from Whole Foods.
I’m sure that most of you are thinking, “I know Kefir, but what on earth is WATER KEFIR?” Well, its kefir NOT MADE WITH MILK. I didn’t have such luck with yogurt, but with kefir I do.
Although it is quite easy to obtain scoby s in Turkey, one cannot say the same for water kefir grains. I know of no supplier.
If you accept the challenge of dealing with the Turkish Postal Service and Turkish Customs, you can order water kefir grains from Germany (www.kombuchapilz.de) or from Amazon.
Here’s what you need to make water kefir:
*One liter of organic pomegranate juice
*One liter of water
*And an appropriate amount of kefir grains
I put the grains in a cloth bag and the diluted pomegranate juice into a 5-liter jar. Cover the mouth of the jar with gauze, with a rubber band to keep it in place. Keep it in a warm place for 24 hours. Bottle them in bottles with stoppers that can withstand the pressure of the gaseous product and keep them in a warm place for another 12 hours. Then refrigerate.
This is easier to make then kombucha; which takes about two weeks. It tastes unbelievably good and gives you the same benefits as kombucha.
Again, PROBIOTICS for super immunity.
- CLOVES
I’m sure that most of you have no idea as to how great an antioxidant cloves are. There is a measure of antioxidant capacity called an ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value. This is just an index but it’ll give you an idea of what I mean. A few examples:
*Cloves 290,283
*Blueberries 4,669
*Pomegranates, raw 4,479
*Red wine 2,670
If you go back to my second post “Eternal Youth, Can It Be For Real”, you will see the importance of antioxidants and what an important role they play in keeping us young and healthy, and prolonging our life.
Consume cloves every chance you get. I grind them up and put them in my daily “smoothie”.
4. HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AND BICARBONATE OF SODA
No household should be without these very common but unbelievably useful products.
Did you know that our body’s produce hydrogen peroxide to ward off harmful pathogens. There are, of course, other qualities that the body benefits from.
The body and its environment are truly unbelievable. Some elements, oxygen for example, is essential for life, but it also damages our genes and body. Another term for free radicals is oxidative damage. You can live without water for only a few days, but water can also drown you.
Do you know why your hair goes white as you age? It is the concentration of hydrogen peroxide under the follicles.
When you feel a cold coming on, you can dilute it with water and gargle with it, or use it as a nasal spray.
My favorite “advice” to friends, who get colds, is for them lie down on one side and have someone put three drops in one ear. Lie there for a few minute and then do it on the other side. Works like magic.
It should be used in conjunction with bicarbonate of soda. When you feel that cold coming on, mix a teaspoon in a glass of water and drink it up. Repeat 6 times the first day. Next day, 4 times, and then 3. On the 4th day you should do it twice. YOU WOULD DO WEEL TO TAKE TWO TEASPOONS every day to keep your body alkaline. Bacteria, fungi, and other pathogens like an acidic environment. It is even claimed that cancer cells like acidity and not alkalinity.
SO KEEP YOUR PH LEVEL ABOVE 7 BY INGESTING A TEASPOON MIXED IN WATER TWICE A DAY. By the way, Ph means “potential hydrogen” and you can measure it in your urine with Ph strips or more sophisticated measuring devices.
The Internet literature is filled with claims about what a miracle cure bicarbonate of soda is. Google it and you’ll be surprised as to its claimed powers.
As you read in my previous post, its an excellent deodorant, and
*Keeps Food in the fridge smelling fresh (put it in an open dish)
*Gets foul smells out of your carpets
*Whitens your teeth, etc., etc.
5: APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
Apple Cider Vinegar will change your life. Remember though; buy the organic non- filtered (with the mother) kind.
For your health:
*It can prevent diabetes
*It can help with weight loss
*It can lower one’s cholesterol
*It can detox your body
*It can clear sinuses
*It can reduces soreness in one’s throat
*It aids digestion
*It aids in reducing acid reflux
*It helps remove warts
*It boosts one’s energy
and more.
Mix a quarter of a cup with water and drink 1-2 a day.
6. SHITAKE MUSHROOMS
Shitake mushrooms are rich in copper, pantothenic acid, selenium, riboflavin, niacin, zinc and manganese.
They also contain ergothioniene, an antioxidant that inhibits oxidative stress.
Consuming shitake mushrooms;
*discourages inflammation
*discourages tumors
*discourages bad bacteria and harmful viruses.
When you eat some your body breaks down fats, carbs and protein to provide energy.
Lentinan, a potent antifungal protein in shitake mushrooms, has cancer-prevention properties.
So, go ahead dig in. Sauté them slightly, don’t eat them raw.
7. TURMERIC, GINGER AND CINNAMON
TURMERIC has been around for 5,000 years and western culture is just beginning to discover what a “super nutrient” it is. The pigment that gives turmeric it’s orange color is curcumin and it is behind many of the health benefits attributed to turmeric. So what are these benefits?
*A potent anti-inflammatory
*Provides safe, natural pain relief
*There is evidence-based literature backing its anti-cancer claims
Recent research has discovered that curcumin inserts itself into your cells’ membranes and changes its physical properties by making the membranes more orderly. This improves your cells’ resistance to both infection and malignancy and may help prevent:
*Gallstones
*Type 2 diabetes
*Arthritis
*Cataracts
*Inflammatory bowel disease, and more.
I could go on but I think you get the message.
The only “problem” with turmeric is the fact that it is not absorbed that well. As explained in my previous post, you can increase absorption by using freshly ground black pepper in the same amount as your turmeric.
GINGER is also a spice that has been used in the east for thousands of years. Here are some of its properties:
*A good source of vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, and copper
*Promotes the release of intestinal gas
*Increases cardiovascular circulation
*Relieves morning sickness and motion sickness better than Dramamine
*It is protective against osteoarthritis pain, and several cancers like ovarian, colorectal, lung and breast.
CINNAMON is a storehouse of calcium, fiber and one teaspoon provides 22 % of your daily-recommended dose of manganese. So what’s so great about manganese, you may ask:
*Helps the body form strong bones and connective tissues and sex hormones
*Helps coagulate blood properly
*Helps metabolize fat and carbohydrates
*REGULATES BLOOD SUGAR
*Helps the body absorb calcium
*Is essential for optimal brain and nerve function.
As if all of the above benefits were not enough, its also a component of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismultase, which helps in the neutralization of free radicals which damage your cell membranes and DNA.
Studies have shown that cinnamon reduces blood glucose concentration and enhances insulin sensitivity IN NORMAL-WEIGHT ADULTS.
Don’t expect miracles if you don’t treat yourself as you should. I mean, of course, EAT PROPERLY, EXERCISE AND TRY NOT TO BE STRESSED.
8. PUMPKIN SEEDS
The first thing that comes to mind, particularly to those who show a bit of interest in health/nutrition, is how pumpkin seeds are said to prevent prostate problems in men. But there is much more to pumpkin seeds then that.
Let’s briefly go over what eating pumpkin seeds can do for you:
*They contain a significant amount of magnesium which participates in the creation of ATP (adenosine triphosphate, the energy molecules of your body), which in turn helps synthesize RNA and DNA, the pumping of your heart, proper bone and tooth formation, relaxation of your blood vessels, and proper bowel function.
*They are a rich source of zinc, which is important for immunity, cell growth and division, sleep, mood, taste and smell, eye and skin health, insulin regulation and male sexual function.
*They are a good source of Omega-3 fats.
*The zinc content is very important for prostate health. Pumpkin seed oil is also beneficial for prostate health.
*Pumpkin seeds may help improve insulin regulation, prevent diabetic complications by decreasing oxidative stress.
*Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of tryptophan, an amino acid which in turn is converted into melatonin, and thus could help you get a good night’s sleep.
*Let’s not forget the anti-inflammatory benefits.
So sprinkle RAW pumpkin seeds on your salads and have a handful a few hours before bed for a good sleep.
9. WHEATGRASS JUICE
Although wheatgrass juice is used to treat many conditions, the scientific evidence to support all these claims is not sufficient.
It is a concentrated source of nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, calcium, magnesium, and amino acids.
Its primary benefits include:
*Increasing the production of hemoglobin
*Improving blood sugar disorders, such as diabetes
*Preventing tooth decay
*Improving wound healing
*Preventing bacterial infections
*Removing toxins from the body.
There are also those who use it as an alternative program for cancer treatment, because of the high chlorophyll content.
If you decide to use it, either juice it yourself or make sure it is very fresh. Drink it on an empty stomach and chase with a glass of water with lemon juice in it.
- BLACK CUMIN SEED OIL
Nigella sativa is one of the most revered medicinal seeds in history. Black cumin seeds were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, they are mentioned in the Bible as well as in the words of Prophet Mohammed.
*Black cumin seeds have been found superior to almost every other natural remedy used for autoimmune disorders.
*Many dramatic results have been achieved with asthma and allergies.
*There have been cancer prevention studies concluding that a healthy immune system will detect and destroy cancer cells. Black cumin seeds stimulate the production of immune cells, bone marrow cells, and B-cells that produce antibodies.
*In animal studies, while none of the subjects in the control group survived, two thirds of the mice that had been given black cumin seed oil were still alive 30 days after efforts to cause cancer in them.
I could go on and on but don’t want to bore my readers.
Use it in cooking, pour it over vegetables, and drink a teaspoon before meals twice a day, BUT PLEASE JUST USE THIS UNBELEIVABLE OIL.
