Simply Natural Cafe

EPA has issued the first list of pesticides to be screened for possibly disrupting the endocrine system.  Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interact with and possibly disrupt the hormones produced or secreted by the human or animal endocrine system, which regulates growth, metabolism and reproduction.

“Endocrine disruptors can cause lifelong health problems — especially for children,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Gathering this information will help us work with communities and industry to protect Americans from harmful exposure.”

EPA will issue test orders to the manufacturers of 67 pesticide chemicals this summer to determine whether their chemicals may disrupt the endocrine systems (estrogen, androgen and thyroid).  Testing, conducted through the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP), will eventually be expanded to cover all pesticide chemicals

Brazilian berry destroys cancer cells in lab, UF study shows
 A Brazilian berry popular in health food contains antioxidants that destroyed cultured human cancer cells in a recent University of Florida study, one of the first to investigate the fruit’s purported benefits.

Published  in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the study showed extracts from acai (ah-SAH’-ee) berries triggered a self-destruct response in up to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested, said Stephen Talcott, an assistant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

“Acai berries are already considered one of the richest fruit sources of antioxidants,” Talcott said. “This study was an important step toward learning what people may gain from using beverages, dietary supplements or other products made with the berries.”

He cautioned that the study, funded by UF sources, was not intended to show whether compounds found in acai berries could prevent leukemia in people.

“This was only a cell-culture model and we don’t want to give anyone false hope,” Talcott said. “We are encouraged by the findings, however. Compounds that show good activity against cancer cells in a model system are most likely to have beneficial effects in our bodies.”

Other fruits, including grapes, guavas and mangoes, contain antioxidants shown to kill cancer cells in similar studies, he said. Experts are uncertain how much effect antioxidants have on cancer cells in the human body, because factors such as nutrient absorption, metabolism and the influence of other biochemical processes may influence the antioxidants’ chemical activity.

Another UF study, will investigate the effects of acai’s antioxidants on healthy human subjects, Talcott said. The study will determine how well the compounds are absorbed into the blood, and how they may affect blood pressure, cholesterol levels and related health indicators. So far, only fundamental research has been done on acai berries, which contain at least 50 to 75 as-yet unidentified compounds.

“One reason so little is known about acai berries is that they’re perishable and are traditionally used immediately after picking,” he said. “Products made with processed acai berries have only been available for about five years, so researchers in many parts of the world have had little or no opportunity to study them.”

Talcott said UF is one of the first institutions outside Brazil with personnel studying acai berries. Besides Talcott, UF’s acai research team includes Susan Percival, a professor with the food science and human nutrition department, David Del Pozo-Insfran, a doctoral student with the department and Susanne Mertens-Talcott, a postdoctoral associate with the pharmaceutics department of UF’s College of Pharmacy.

Acai berries are produced by a palm tree known scientifically as Euterpe oleracea, common in floodplain areas of the Amazon River, Talcott said. When ripe, the berries are dark purple and about the size of a blueberry. They contain a thin layer of edible pulp surrounding a large seed.

Historically, Brazilians have used acai berries to treat digestive disorders and skin conditions, he said. Current marketing efforts by retail merchants and Internet businesses suggest acai products can help consumers lose weight, lower cholesterol and gain energy.

“A lot of claims are being made, but most of them haven’t been tested scientifically,” Talcott said. “We are just beginning to understand the complexity of the acai berry and its health-promoting effects.”

In the current UF study, six different chemical extracts were made from acai fruit pulp, and each extract was prepared in seven concentrations.

Four of the extracts were shown to kill significant numbers of leukemia cells when applied for 24 hours. Depending on the extract and concentration, anywhere from about 35 percent to 86 percent of the cells died.

The UF study demonstrates that research on foods not commonly consumed in the United States is important, because it may lead to unexpected discoveries, said Joshua Bomser, an assistant professor of molecular nutrition and functional foods at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

But familiar produce items have plenty of health-giving qualities, he said.

“Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with decreased risk for many diseases, including heart disease and cancer,” said Bomser, who researches the effects of diet on chronic diseases. “Getting at least five servings a day of these items is still a good recommendation for promoting optimal health.”

Credits Writer:Tom Nordlie, tnordlie@ifas.ufl.edu, Stephen Talcott, sttalcott@ifas.ufl.eduJoshua Bomser, ,jbomser@hec.ohio-state.edu

100 Percent Juice Consumption Linked To Healthier Diet. No Link To Obesity In Kids.

According to a recent analysis of government data, children who drank 100 percent juice had healthier overall diets than non-juice consumers and consumed more total fruits, fiber and key nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and folate. The juice consumers also had significantly lower intakes of total fat, saturated fat and sodium.

According to the researchers, the group of 100 percent juice consumers also had equal or lower bodyweights and body mass indexes (BMI) than the non-juice consumers, adding to the scientific evidence which shows that 100 percent juices play a role in a healthful diet and are not associated with overweight.
Using well-established data from the government\’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researcher Victor Fulgoni, Ph.D., examined the impact of 100 percent juice in children\’s diets on bodyweight and BMI among more than 7,500 children ages 2-18. This analysis of the most recent NHANES database (1999-2002), combined with growth chart data from the Centers for Disease Control and Promotion (CDC), found that juice consumers had significantly lower z-scores for body mass index for their age than non-juice consumers (body mass index is a relative measure taking into consideration body weight and body size and z-scores represent the distance from the mean or average of the total population studied).

While there were no differences specifically in BMI between the juice consumers and non-juice consumers for children aged 2-11, there were differences in children aged 12-18 years — the juice consumers had significantly lower BMIs than those who drank no juice at all.

According to Fulgoni, \”These findings are consistent with many other research studies that have found no association between consumption of 100 percent juice and obesity.\”

The government data analysis also demonstrates that children who drank 100 percent juice had a total fruit intake that was three times higher than non-juice consumers. These research findings are supportive of statements made in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report (Appendix G; Fruit and Fruit Juice Analysis), which states that fruit juices provide higher, more substantial contributions of several vitamins and minerals than whole fruit. With the exception of fiber, these include vitamin C, potassium, folate and magnesium.

Experimental Biology is a multi-society, interdisciplinary, scientific meeting attended by 12,000 independent scientists and sponsored by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). The abstract of Dr. Fulgoni\’s research \”Consumption of 100 percent juices is not associated with being overweight or risk for being overweight in children,\” has been published in a special issue of the March FASEB Journal.

 A diet rich in vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots and leafy vegetables, could cut the risk of adult asthma by about 20 per cent, says new research.

The \”Five-a-day\” message is well known, but applying this does not seem to be filtering down into everyday life. Recent studies have shown that consumers in both Europe and the US are failing to meet recommendations from the WHO to eat 400 grams of fruit and vegetables a day.

The new study, from the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica, Mexico, reports that women who ate a diet high in fruits and veg such as tomatoes, carrots and leafy vegetables considerably reduced their risk of asthma, a condition that affects 30 million people in Europe.

Published in the journal Thorax (Vol. 61, pp. 209-215), the researchers report the results of a prospective investigation of 68535 women whose dietary habits were recorded as part of the French branch of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Dietary intakes were measured from food frequency questionnaires of the daily intake of 208 food items.

After eleven years of follow-up, the researchers found that women who consumed more than 90 grams per day of leafy vegetables had a 22 per cent lower risk of asthma than those who ate less than 40 grams per day.

Similar risk reductions were also seen for tomatoes (20 per cent) and carrots (18 per cent).

The researchers also reported that women who used dietary supplements were m ore likely to be thinner, eat significantly more fruit and vegetables, but also more likely to report allergies.

The underlying mechanism or mechanisms of protection, say the scientists, is most probably due to the a combination and/or interaction of nutrients from the fruit and vegetables.

\”One biological mechanism may be associated with the effect of antioxidant vitamins, such as carotenoids. Carrots and leafy vegetables are rich in carotenoids (alpha- and beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin) which protect cells from oxidative stress.

Tomato juice, carrot juice and spinach powder have been shown to increase plasma levels of cystolic glutathione transferase [a family of enzymes that can play a role in the detoxification of lipid peroxidantion products], an effect attributed to carotenoids,\” wrote lead author Isabelle Romieu.

The researchers also noted that leafy vegetables are a rich source of folate, which has been linked to reduction in DNA damage due to oxidative stress.

The strengths of the study include the large number of prevalent asthma cases and the wide variability of the reported diets. However, the use of questionnaires did not permit the researchers to assess modifications of a woman\’s diet due to their asthma.

The study is yet more support for increasing the daily intake of fruit and vegetables – a recommendation that should be relatively easy to implement.Fruit and veg may cut adult asthma risk
A diet rich in vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots and leafy vegetables, could cut the risk of adult asthma by about 20 per cent, says new research.

Source: http://www.nutraingredients.com

Everyone Needs to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
A growing body of research proves that fruits and vegetables are critical to promoting good health. In fact, fruits and vegetables should be the foundation of a healthy  diet. Most people need to double the amount of fruits and vegetables they eat every day.

Fruits and Vegetables Fight to Protect Your Health
Fruits and vegetables are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and disease-fighting phytochemicals. Because of this, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables everyday can help reduce your risk of:

Heart disease
High blood pressure
Type II diabetes
Certain cancers
Fruits and Vegetables Contain Powerful Phytochemicals (fight-o-chemicals)
Fruits and vegetables have many important phytochemicals that help \”fight\” to protect your health. Phytochemicals are usually related to color. Fruits and vegetables of different colors — green, yellow-orange, red, blue-purple, and white — contain their own combination of phytochemicals and nutrients that work together to promote good health. Learn more about phytochemicals and the colors of health.

  Fruits and Vegetables and
Weight Management
Because they\’re low in calories and high in fiber, fruits and vegetables can help you control your weight. By eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer high-calorie foods, you\’ll find it much easier to control your weight.

Fruits and Vegetables and Energy
Busy lives require food that\’s nutritious, energizing, and easy to eat on-the-go, like fresh fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are a natural source of energy and give the body many nutrients you need to keep going.

Many people asked about American bison. We have bison burger available in our cafe.

For those who does not know the health value of bison we provide following short information.
TASTE:Buffalo meat tastes similar to fine beef, with just a slightly sweeter and richer flavor. Bison is naturally flavorful and tender and can be prepared much the same as beef.

Publications ranging from Gourmet Magazine to the Old Farmers Almanac are heralding bison as the meat of the future.

VALUE:The value of buffalo is not what you pay, but what you get in return. Nutritionally you are getting more protein and nutrients with fewer calories and less fat. Buffalo is a dense meat that tends to satisfy you more while eating less.

HEALTH: Bison are handled as little as possible. They spend their lives on grass, much as they always have, with very little time in the feedlot. They are not subjected to questionable drugs, chemicals or hormones.

NUTRITION:Research by Dr. M. Marchello at North Dakota State University has shown that the meat from Bison is a highly nutrient dense food because of the proportion of protein, fat, mineral, and fatty acids to its caloric value.

Comparisons to other meat sources have also shown that Bison has a greater concentration of iron as well as some of the essential fatty acids necessary for human well being. Readers\’ Digest magazine has even listed bison as one of the five foods women should eat because of the high iron content.

Drink wheat grass. Wheat grass detoxify the liver and digestive tract and will increase oxygen supply.Green drinks also provide energy by providing lots of ATP activities.Taking green drink twice a day will help your adrinal glands to stay at peak and prevent midday slump.If you add protean powder to green drink ,it will help you keep your energy through the day.Starting your day with smoothie of fruit and protean powder .and green drink with protean and wheat grass between 12-2pm will help you stay active

A Predominantly Organic Diet Virtually Eliminates Children’s Exposures to Two Common Insecticides

A team based at the University of Washington in Seattle has published an important study showing that in school-age children, a diet composed of predominantly organic food “…provides a dramatic and immediate protective effect against exposures to organophosphorous (OP) pesticides.”

Twenty-three children were enrolled in the study, which included three phases of testing for OP insecticide metabolites in urine. The first phase followed a period when the children consumed a diet containing conventionally grown foods, the second phase of testing came after five days of a predominantly organic diet, and the third, after a return to a conventional diet.

All 23 children had OP insecticide metabolites in their urine in phase one testing, while levels were below the limit of detection during phase two for all children, following the consumption of mostly organic food for just five days. Once the children were back on their normal, conventional food in phase three, the levels of insecticide metabolites in urine returned to those found in phase one.

This carefully designed and conducted study confirms the findings of a similar study conducted by many of the same team members (Curl et al., 2003). Together, the two studies support two key conclusions:

First, on a daily basis, the majority of the exposures to OP insecticides among children are coming through the diet and are the result of OP insecticide use on crops, rather than uses in the home, schools, and residential environments.

Second, consuming food grown using organic production methods can virtually eliminate exposures to a dangerous class of insecticides known to disrupt neurological development in infants and children.

Sources: “Organic Diets Significantly Lower Children’s Dietary Exposure to Organophosphorous Pesticides.”
Authors: Chensheng Lu, Kathryn Toepel, Rene Irish, Richard Fenske, Dana Barr, and Robert Bravo
Environmental Health Perspectives, Online

Is an ancient Persian formula used by the kings to attract prosperity and fortune to the empire.
you can’t control your luck. Right? Or may be you can.
The ancient Persians pondered the questions of luck, chance and fate for thousands of years. And they come up with some answers.The Persians discovered we can carefully summon good luck. Like the way a stream, with the fragrance of quite, summons the animals to drink. The Persians discovered you can affect the migration of luck. You can spray the right combination of essential oils into the air to make it sweet and attractive, and it will summon the creature of luck to partake of your life.

Aromatic essences are volatile, oily, fragrant substances that can be obtained from plants in a variety of ways. Aromatherapy is the use of these essential oils for psychological and physical well-being. The medicinal use of aromatic essences has a long tradition, although the term aromatherapy was not used until the 20th century, the foundations of aromatherapy date back nearly one thousand years.

When one considers the history of aromatic essences, one may go back thousands of years to find distillation of plants being practiced in ancient Persian.

Use prosperity essence to:

Manifesting an abundance of well being. Foster a sense of inner security and align with the Source of Universal, limitless supply. Firstly through faith and belief in yourself, and the inner knowing that to manifest your dreams and goals all the power and intelligence and love that I need is already mine.

Recognize this inherent power and follow the keys to success:

• Work with the spiritual laws of money and abundance
• Experience the abundance in your life and give thanks
• Magnetize inner resources needed to implement a plan and attract your heart’s desire (hold the vision)
• Build towards manifesting your ideas and ideals
• Affirm creative abundance
• Follow your inner guidance and intuition

Use the properity essence and see the result and if you like let us know about your success story and share it with others.