Food for a Healthy Immune System and for Overall Good Health

By Patsy Hamilton

Focusing on food for a healthy immune system can increase overall good health and nutrition. Foods that build your immune system are rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements and omega-3 fatty acids. Including these foods in your weekly diet can improve your energy levels and decrease the number of colds and other bugs that you get every year.

Some people rely on daily multi-vitamins and dietary supplements, instead of food for a healthy immune system and good supplements are always a good idea. It is not always possible to eat the right foods in the right combination every day. For instance, you may think of oranges or orange juice when you think of foods that build your immune system, but oranges are not the only foods that contain Vitamin C. And if you don't have enough calcium and magnesium in your diet, then your cells cannot efficiently absorb Vitamin C. Complicating things further, if you drink a glass of orange juice and a glass of milk, then the acidic content of the juice can sour the milk, leading to stomach upset.

People who have frequent heartburn or are lactose intolerant may not be able to include either orange juice or milk in their diets. Citrus fruits are highly acidic and trigger heartburn in many people. Regular milk causes bloating, pain, gas and diarrhea in people who are lactose intolerant. So, what is a person to do?

Crabmeat, lobster and oysters are all rich in calcium, magnesium and vitamin C. Salmon is an important food for a healthy immune system and is often referred to as a "super food" by dieticians and nutritionists, because it contains numerous vitamins and minerals, plus a healthy amount of omega-3 fatty acids, believed to be beneficial in preventing heart disease, cancer and arthritis. Broccoli, tomatoes, peaches and apples are good sources of Vitamin C and are all foods that build your immune system. Broccoli is another food that contains numerous vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and selenium. Not familiar with selenium?

Selenium is an essential trace mineral that may not be included in your daily multi-vitamin, but very important to human health. It is essential to proper immune system function, as well as numerous metabolic pathways. Remember chicken soup? Chicken is another good source of selenium and is one of the foods that build your immune system strength.

Like mushrooms? Researchers studying foods that build immune system strength by increasing white blood cell counts learned that shitake mushrooms worked. The study concluded that beta glucans found in edible mushrooms increased white blood cell counts. White blood cells are primary infection fighters. Don't like mushrooms? Beta glucans are biologically active compounds found in numerous plant foods and some immune system dietary supplements.

So, in order to include some of the best foods that build your immune system in your weekly diet, eat salmon, tuna and/or seafood three or four times a week, chicken three or four times a week, a variety of fruits and vegetables including broccoli and mushrooms, whenever possible. Relying on food for a healthy immune system may not be enough, depending on where you live or work. A daily multi-vitamin can help and there are immune system supplements that contain beta glucans, herbs and other ingredients that can also help, particularly during cold and flu season. To learn more about food for a healthy immune system and supplements that can boost your immune system, visit www.immune-system-booster-guide.com.

Patsy Hamilton has been a healthcare professional for more than twenty years and currently writes informational articles for the Immune System Booster Guide. Read more at http://www.immune-system-booster-guide.com.

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What Is The Most Effective Diet For Arthritis?

By Stephanie Cooke 

For a long time, doctors doubted that there could be any link between diet and arthritis. They saw the disease as a natural result of wear and tear on the joints, something inevitable as we age. However new research is making them reconsider this idea, as it now appears that nutrition plays a vital role in helping to prevent or ease the effects of arthritis. Eating certain foods can help to reduce the inflammation and pain and can slow the progression of the disease. This article examines the most effective diet for arthritis.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, and may protect the joints from the damaging effects of free radicals (unstable molecules that can cause joint inflammation). Recent research shows that vitamin C can help prevent bone loss and cartilage deterioration associated with aging. Vitamin C plays a key part in repairing cartilage and helps to keep your cartilage "young."

Fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C include oranges, cantaloupe, broccoli, strawberries, peppers and cranberry juice. Vitamin C is also available in supplement form.

It is thought that eating foods that are rich in calcium and vitamin D can reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis. The body manufactures vitamin D from sunlight so make sure you spend time outdoors every day- undertaking some form of exercise such as walking or cycling is ideal. Vitamin D can also be found in oily fish and fortified foods such as margarine and some cereals. Food rich in calcium include dairy products, nuts and seeds (especially sesame seeds) and fish.fish oil, salmon, mackerel, avocado, seeds, almonds, 

Omega-3 oils are thought to have anti-inflammatory properties and can reduce the pain caused by inflamed and swollen joints. Omega-3 oils are found in oily fish, such as salmon and mackerel. It is also found in avocados, nuts and seeds, especially almonds, and is added to some cereals or margarine.

A selenium deficiency has been linked to a more rapid progression of arthritic symptoms. Brazil nuts are particularly rich in selenium, but it can also be found in supplement form.

Eating a Mediterranean style diet is thought to be effective at preventing and treating arthritis. The Mediterranean diet consists mainly of fresh fruit and vegetables, oily fish, grains and pulses, with a limited amount of red meat.

Recent studies have indicated that vegetarian diets can be helpful for some people with rheumatoid arthritis. These studies also indicate that people who eat a lot of red meat seem to have a higher risk of developing inflammatory types of arthritis. If you decide to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet, make sure you are getting sufficient quantities of calcium, selenium, vitamin D and vitamin B12. Vegetarians can get vitamin B12 from yeast extract, soya milk or fortified foods.

Excess weight can exacerbate the symptoms of arthritis, as it places extra pressure on the weight bearing joints and can increase joint wear and tear. By eating a healthy diet, you will find it easier to lose any excess weight and your overall health will improve as a result.

Is arthritis making your life a misery? Would you love to be able to relieve the pain and discomfort of this debilitating condition? Drop by our blog Arthritis Remedy [http://www.arthritis-remedy.org] for tips and resources on how to deal with the symptoms of arthritis. Also visit to read reviews of some of the most effective arthritis treatments [http://www.arthritis-remedy.org/category/arthritis-reviews/] available

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Best Fruits For Diabetics: Water Melon, Star Fruit And Wax Apple

By Kez Sze 

  

Fruits are very much part of a dietary approach in tackling diabetes, even as early as the starvation treatment by Dr. Louis Webb Hill. To combat the disease after a few days of abstinence from solid foods, the accompanying table on fruits showed mostly those of low glycemic index.

In particular, the watermelon, a fruit with a high glycemic index but low glycemic load was found in the list. Perhaps a modern version of such tables will include the star fruit and rose apple - a breath of fresh air in the diabetic diet.

A star fruit tree with scraggly branches growing next to the door, used to greet all those entering the home of a friend. Perhaps in protest of its proximity to the house, the shedding of its very tiny fruits persisted for months. Just as an individual needs space to grow, so does a tree; for it should be planted at least 30 feet away from a building. Nevertheless, gathering those forlorn fruits prompted me to think more deeply about the uses they could have served.

Water Melon And Star Fruit Nutrition

Isn't it surprising that the palm-sized, thin-skinned and sweetish star fruit can match up to the diabetics' needs just as well as the bigger, sturdier and sweeter water-melon? It is just a matter of portion sizes, they say. So, either one of the 2 fruits will do in lowering high blood pressure naturally. as each boasts a fiber that is tops in lowering cholesterol and slowing down sugar absorption into your bloodstream.

Besides, both fruits are low in sugar, and having high water content (about 92 %), are thus low in calories - 3 factors in favor of the diabetic diet.

However, while the high potassium content in watermelon flushes out the toxins in your kidney; the neurotoxin in the star fruit takes an opposite course and attacks an already distressed kidney. Despite the two fruits are like juice canisters, you must drink of the star fruit with due care, if you have kidney problems.

Wax Apple

Crisp, light on the palate and slightly tinged with sweetness, this fruit also has high fiber content and low fat and calories - all of which will add up to what is a good food for diabetics. Further, it does not harbor any element of neurotoxic fear, in fact, it tonifies your liver and brain

The lustrous deep pink fruits are as beautiful as a rose; while the taste is that of an apple - what a wonderful combination!. Because of this, children love to shove the fruit in their mouth to explore the taste and texture.

Owing to its mild to almost bland taste, it can enrich a salad with more vitamin A and potassium, while offsetting a blend of 4 flavors of herbs like kaffir lime leaves, shallots, lemongrass and torch ginger flower in a dressing of agave honey and lime juice.

The fruit is for everyone; just don't let any condition to rob you of your portion.

Feeding plants leads naturally to an interest in trees; just as wholesome home feeding, to whole foods, natural remedies and a plant-based diet. This briefly encapsulates the natural world of Kez Sze, author, publisher and researcher.

Please visit http://dietthatworks1.com/2014/09/16/hello-world/ and http://www.DietThatWorks1.com

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