Superfoods – Summer Berries

Berries are some of the most healthful foods, and summer is the season of the berry. From strawberries to blueberries to cherries, summer brings these healthful fruits to our tables. They are more affordable in summer, being in season. Here are some of the more commonly available berries and their health benefits.

1. Strawberries

These popular fruits are the base for desserts and snacks that range from simple to decadent. Like most berries, though, their health benefits are best obtained by eating them raw.

These tasty fruits have high levels of vitamin C, antioxidants and phenols. They also contain notable amounts of manganese. Their red color indicates their high concentration of antioxidants, particularly anthocyanins. These and other nutrients, such as potassium, combine to make strawberries helpful in preventing cancer, decreasing inflammation, and protecting the heart. They are even implicated in promoting joint health.

Harvard Medical School recently found new evidence that strawberries are good for cardiovascular health. The berries lowered participants’ blood levels of a kind of protein known as C-reactive protein. The presence of this protein indicates blood vessel inflammation, so lower blood levels indicated that the strawberries decreased blood vessel inflammation.

2. Blueberries

Blueberries get their dark color from anthocyanins as well (they actually have more red than blue coloration). Generally speaking, the more colorful the berry, the healthier it is, and blueberries are richly pigmented. They are excellent sources of antioxidants, and are indicated in heart and eye health. Due to their high lutein content, blueberries are said to help prevent age-related macular degeneration (ARMD).

Blueberries are also said to help reduce the risk of age-related mental illness, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.

While blueberries’ antioxidant content puts them in the anti-cancer category, they are said to reduce the incidence of ovarian cancer specifically by almost half. This is due to the presence of a flavonoid called kaempferol.

Like cranberries, blueberries also help fight urinary tract infections.

3. Cherries

Related to plums, cherries contain iron in addition to vitamin A, phosphorous, calcium, and potassium. Like strawberries but even more so, cherries are good for the joints due to their anti-inflammatory properties. They are rich in antioxidants – do you notice a common antioxidant thread that connects all berries?

Cherries contain melatonin, which helps induce a healthy sleep and preserve mental clarity. Cherries support heart health by helping to reduce belly fat, reduce inflammation, and lower cholesterol.

4. Blackberries

These big, dark berries have many vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A, C, E, K and folate, and calcium and manganese. They are astringent in action, making them useful in treating diarrhea. Their antioxidants fight cancer-causing free radicals more so than their red counterparts, raspberries.

5. Raspberries

Once again, pretty color makes for healthful eating. They have lots of manganese and vitamin C. Raspberries contain high amounts of ellagic acid, a polyphenol that is useful in preventing cancer and enhancing the immune system.

Berries share many of the same benefits in varying proportions. Overall, they are good for eye and heart health, useful in maintaining a healthy weight, and in helping to prevent cancer.

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What Exactly is Smog and How Does It Affect Our Health

The term “smog” is a combination of the words “smoke” and “fog,” and that is essentially what it is. Smog forms when particles of dust, smoke, industrial emissions, or other pollutants mingle with water droplets in the atmosphere. Because it is heavier than smoke or fog alone, it tends to collect in valleys and hollows.

Smog can, in fact, be harmful to your health.

1. Ozone

You may remember that the hole in the ozone layer was a topic of heated debate some years ago. That left many of us with the impression that the depletion of ozone is bad; thus the creation of ozone must be good. However, the ozone layer of the atmosphere is far above the earth, and is not breathed by humans. Its function is to filter out harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun, shielding the earth from excessive warming and other harmful irradiative effects. But ozone that forms at ground level is different.

Ground-level ozone is the primary ingredient in smog. It is formed when certain pollutants mix with sunlight. Because of the water content in smog, it hangs lower in the atmosphere – low enough to be breathed by humans.

Some of the pollutants that are most likely to form ozone when mixed with sunlight are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are found in household and industrial paints, and nitrogen oxide, which is an emission associated with the burning of fossil fuels, the management of soil on farms, and other human activities. Nitrogen oxide can also occur naturally, particularly in tropical forests.

Breathing ground-level ozone is associated with respiratory problems, congestion, and a compromised immune system.

2. Particulate Matter

As the term implies, particulate matter is made from particles. Another ingredient in smog, these particles are dust, dirt, smoke, or other particles that are formed via chemical reactions in the atmosphere.

Whether these particles are fine or coarse, their effects on the lungs are uncomfortable and potentially harmful. The finer the particles, however, the more likely they are to damage the lungs – fine particles can be inhaled deep into the lung tissue where they can cause chronic coughing, wheezing, and other uncomfortable symptoms.

The breathing of smog in general has been associated with headaches, fatigue, nausea, and allergy symptoms. Children, elderly people, asthmatics and the chronically ill are particularly susceptible to the negative effects of breathing smog. While scientists are still researching to determine long-term effects, the fact that smog is not healthy to breathe is generally accepted as fact.

The Healing Power of Sea Vegetables

Sea vegetables are not, botanically speaking, really vegetables. But they can be eaten as or with vegetables, they are green and leafy, and “sea vegetable” somehow sounds more palatable than “seaweed”! Sea vegetables are amazing foods. In Japan, they are a staple food that is fried, steamed, boiled, toasted, etc.

Sea vegetables are eaten by coastal-dwelling people all over the world. Practitioners of a macrobiotic diet – a Japanese-based, vegetarian diet and overall lifestyle that has been reported to alleviate cancer – incorporate large amounts of sea vegetables into their dishes, often serving them in some form for every meal.

What makes these ocean-dwelling plants so healthful?

* Iodine – All types of sea vegetables contain iodine, although some contain more than others. Iodine is an essential nutrient that supports thyroid function. In fact, people who experience a sluggish thyroid often find the problem corrected when they ingest kelp tablets. Kelp is a kind of sea vegetable that is especially high in iodine. Arame is also high in iodine.

* Calcium – Japanese women, who eat very few dairy products, do not suffer osteoporosis any more frequently than dairy-consuming westerners do. The secret may lie in the calcium-rich sea vegetables so common in the Japanese diet. Hijiki, a rather strong-flavored sea vegetable, has the most calcium of the common sea vegetables. It is followed by Wakame, Arame, and Kombu.

* Protein – Vegetable protein is considered healthier than animal protein, and easier to digest. Nori, the seaweed wrap that is used to make sushi, has the highest protein content of the common sea vegetables.

* Vitamin C – Vitamin C is an important nutrient; it supports the immune system and acts as a natural antihistamine. Its antioxidant activities help protect against cancer. Kombu and Dulse are two types of sea vegetable that contain significant amounts of vitamin C.

* Essential Fatty Acids – Dulse, a purplish sea vegetable that is popular dried and sprinkled on food like salt, has a healthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. Essential fatty acids – so called because the body can not manufacture them and they must be obtained via diet – are anti-inflammatory and may guard against cancer.

* Fucoidan – Found in brown sea vegetables such as Arame, fucoidan is a carbohydrate that has been shown to shrink tumors and act as an anti-inflammatory.

Incorporating sea vegetables into your diet

One of the best ways to eat sea vegetables is in a traditional Japanese soup called miso soup. Miso is a soybean paste that can be found in the refrigerator section of your health food store or supermarket.

The sea vegetable usually used in miso soup is Wakame, which is also available at health food stores. Sea vegetables generally need to be soaked prior to cooking, and the same goes for Wakame. You will only need a couple of strips for two servings of soup.

Soak the strips in water for at least half an hour. In the meantime, chop 2 tablespoons of green onion (scallions) and shred/grate carrots to make 1/4 cup. Chop a Daikon radish into matchsticks, about 1/3 cup. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add the vegetables. Chop and add the soaked Wakame. Simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of miso paste.

Another easy way to incorporate sea vegetables into your diet is to use them as a condiment or eat them for a crispy snack.

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