Acai Berry - Where to Buy Acai Berries

The hip new taste in Rio health stores, juice bars and hot spots is Acai (ah-sigh-EE) berry juice and smoothies. But where can you buy Acai berry? Unfortunately this health giving berry perishes very quickly after it has been harvested. It is a small, deep purple colored berry that is mostly seed, that grows on a special palm tree found only in the Amazon rainforests.
Acai powder is quite difficult to find because it is so perishable but there are a few Network marketing companies do manufacture this. It is also possible to find Acai Berry powder or frozen Acai at up-market health food stores, but you should try to find a naturally extracted product. Acai berry products are also found at online stores and many of these products are from reputable sources, but also make sure that the product you order is from a natural source.
Acai has been researched and found to be one of the top ten foodstuffs available in the world today. It is a complete solution to nutrition, digestive and cardio vascular health. Athletes make regular use of Acai berry as it provides a complete solution for energy and is well know to be beneficial for muscle contraction and regeneration.
As this Acai is considered to be one of the Super-foods of the year, where to buy Acai berry should not be a problem in the near future. It is good for virtually everything that Kale is, and tastes a whole lot better. It contains naturally occurring Omega three, six and nine and I packed full of minerals vitamins and nutrients. It is also rich in protein and contains everything to make it a "complete" meal. This makes it perfect as a meal replacement and a fantastic supplement for weight loss and dieting.

Lingzhi A Miracle Herb For Peak Health

The secret of success is knowing how to deal with your body to maintain peak health condition. The dictum Health is Wealth hold more truth in the modern context than ever before.
While medical science has progressed what one could ever imagine, in treating disorders and disease, the real challenge lies in prevention. Modern medicine has succeeded in treating major disease it has not found a perfect system for prevention of dreaded diseases like cancer and HIV.
The answer lies in looking to a system which is natural sustainable and adaptable for all conditions and all body systems.
This has now led to extensive research in Herbs as the primary preventive source and healthy herbal and organic food products now take the lead in preventive systems.
The king of Herbs as it is known in China and Celestial Herb in Japan is Ganoderma. It is also known as Lingzhi in China and Reishi in Japan.
Lingzhi is now widely researched across the globe by many universities and research institutions and sterling work has been done by China and Japan.
Revered for thousands of years and shrouded in mystery, Lingzhi however was difficult to grow. After much research in 1970 a breakthrough was achieved in commercial cultivation. Still it remains rare and cultivated in few countries like China, Japan, Malaysia and Korea to name a few.
DXN a company from Malaysia remains in the forefront of bringing the benefits of the Lingzhi to the common man. More details at http://globalhealthnetwork.tripod.com
The Magic Effects of Ganoderma
Research is still going on and scientists have discovered 252 active components beneficial and essential to the human body. It is an adaptogen which brings immense benefits to human body without any side effect.
Analysis and experiments done by various universities and pharmaceutical manufacturers have attested to its being a hemocatharsis, detoxificant,diuretic, liver protector, intestine regulator, cardiotonic, blood pressure adjuster, a cold tonic, expectorant, a tranquilizer and inhibits tumour and cancerous growth.
What is the Healing Principle of Ganoderma
Many clinical trials and experiments by doctors, especially Dr. Shigeru Yuji’s experiments has established the reasons Ganoderma is effective because of its basic functions

• Lowers cholesterol in the blood and the amount of free fat
• Reduces blood sugar levels and helps pancreatic functions
• Lowers blood lipids and stabilizes red cell membrane
• Improves the function of the cortex of the adrenal glands to maintain endocrine balance
• Elevates the natural healing ability of the body, allows the body to establish strong immune system
• Prevents tissue cell degeneration
• Prevents senility, maintaining a youthful constitution
• Lowers the side effects of antihypertensive drugs
• Prevents organ degenetation
• Prevents allergy caused by antigens, because it inhibits the histamine release by mastcells
• Relieves pain caused by cancer

While plenty of medical terminology is used to describe various effects on the body, we have avoided such references as the article is not meant as a medical prescription but mainly for use by the common man as an effective health giving food supplement.
Main Health Giving Components
While the Linghzhi mushrooms are said to contain 252 active medicinal compounds, the two main components are:

1. Germanium: Germanium can promote blood circulation, can increase oxygen absorbing capability of the body and keep sufficient oxygen in the body, improve metabolism and prevent functional degeneration. Based on research germanium is the major component of Lingzhi. The germanium contained in Lingzhi is 4-6 times more than ginseng.
2. Poly-saccharides: The poly saccharides can increase antibody count which strengthens immunity. Poly saccharides are the most active health enhancing ingredient for the body.

No wonder the Lingzhi mushrooms are called the ‘Celestial Herb’ by the Japanese for its health giving properties. Modern science and cultivation methods have made this difficult to grow herb available for the past decade or two for everyone to derive the benefits.
While there are thousands of research papers available on the medicinal aspects of the Lingzhi this article primarily is to highlight the health giving aspects of this wonderful herbal remedy for ills of the modern living like stress, pollution and imbalances in food habits.

Boost Your Immune System

The Immune System is probably the most important system in your body. It was designed by nature, millions of years ago, to aid the body in recovering from injuries and illness. In other words “a natural built in healing system”.
Your blood is composed mainly of red and white cells, the red ones carry the oxygen and nutrition to all parts of the body, the white ones are the defenders and scavengers of your body, during infection, they are immediately called upon to fight the infection and clean up afterwards.
These billions of cells work very hard and consequently they have quite a short lifespan, usually, only a few days.
Originally the Immune System did not face as many problems, as it does in this day and age, now it has to cope with pollution, poisons, toxins, pesticides, herbicides and chemicals, in the air that we breathe, the food that we eat and the water that we drink. As you will understand, the immune system is fighting a huge battle, just trying to cope with all these attacks that are happening every day. Luckily for us, these cells can be generated very quickly, so with the correct nutrition, it will not take the immune system much time, to get back up to full strength.
When you have a vaccination, your immune system is given a copy of a specific disease, so that if the system comes across the disease again, the memory cells in the immune system, will know exactly what action to take, likewise, if you have had a disease before, they know what to do in the event of reinvasion.
The cells involved in your immune system, have what is called “cellular communication”, this means that the cells all talk to each other, they ask each other if they are OK, if one says it is unwell, the others will all help it to heal, if it is beyond help, the other cells will exterminate it and then eliminate it completely from the body.
Sometimes the immune system will go astray and start attacking the good healthy cells, then problems occur which are known as auto immune system diseases, which can cause cells to mutate with all sorts of consequences. Auto Immune System diseases are increasing all the time, and is one of the most serious threats to good health.
There is a natural slow decline in the efficiency of the body’s immune system, which partly comes with age; you tend to absorb some nutrients less efficiently.
There is evidence that suggests a nutrient dense diet, may slow this decline, slow the aging process, improve your immune system and energy by giving it a boost or modulating the cellular communication process.
One of the Natural Healing products that are available through our website, is a natural nutrient, that has been used for over a thousand years and it is known as the most “Nutritionally Dense” food in the world.
Your immune system needs help to function at the highest capacity. Without an efficiently functioning immune system, you are not going to maintain good health.
Health is you’re your most valuable asset, even though you might not realize this now, when it begins to deteriorate, it could just possibly be to late to do much about the consequences of ill health. Possible help for the Immune System is a healthy diet, with lots of natural sources of Vitamins A, C and E, Zinc, Iron, Folate, Vitamin B6. Check out the website for more information.

What is an Antioxidant?

For the few people out there who are not already aware, antioxidants are authoritative substances that are found in certain fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants are anti aging, which means that they allow you to stay younger longer with better health. They not only help you to stay look young but as well can slow down or even preclude certain illnesses and diseases.
If there is any substance that you should be interested with when it comes to your health, one of the top issues of all would be antioxidants. Most people have heard of antioxidants before and know that they are a good thing, but most people are not witting of just what they are and the wellness benefits they offer.
An antioxidant is a very authoritative thing, one that anyone interested about their wellness should be witting of. An antioxidant is a molecule that is equal to of deceleration or even wholly preventing the oxidisation of other molecules, viz. free radicals which are sober in the body and which can actually end up doing constipation to the body.
In other words, an antioxidant is something that helps by deceleration down or preventing oxidisation in the body and this can be very good for the wellness in a number of different ways. They can make a very prescribed contribution to your wellness and ameliorate your ecumenical state of wellness and well being.
They can also provide other benefits, such as to your whisker and skin, and so overwhelming foods that are high in antioxidants is plain one of the best things that you can do for your health.
Where to Find Antioxidants
There are actually quite an a few dissimilar foods that are high in antioxidants. If you want the best antioxidant ratio, one of the things you are departure to start overwhelming more is green tea. Green tea is made from sweet leaves and reportedly contains the peak density of brawny antioxidants named polyphenols.
These are substances that work by scavenging free radicals which are disconcerting compounds in the body that meddle with DNA or inherited material. If you want a food that is high in antioxidant levels you are emphatically departure to want to amplification your consumption of green tea.
Another food that has a high antioxidant level is fruit. Berries, actually, are all methamphetamine full of antioxidants. There is actually quite an a diversity of dissimilar fruits that contain antioxidants and this includes cherries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, crowberries, blueberries, black currants, pomegranates, grapes, oranges, plums, pineapples, New Zealander fruits and grapefruits. This fruits are all full of these antioxidants, and are departure to offer you optimal wellness benefits. They are also usable year round, which makes it easier for you to work them into your diet.
Vegetables such as kale, chili pepper, red cabbage, peppers, parsley, artichoke, Brussels sprouts, spinach, lemon, ginger and red beets, dry fruits, legumes, daft and seeds, and cereals are all high in antioxidants as well.
There are certain antioxidant rich foods which contain more antioxidants than others, and it is these antioxidant food that you are departure to want to start including more in your diet.
Of all the dissimilar antioxidant food that there is out there, there are a few antioxidant food choices in particular that are departure to be worth feeding more of. One of the foods with the peak level of antioxidants is dark chocolate.
Dark chocolate is produced by the chocolate bean, which is known to be jammed full of antioxidants. Hot tea was thought to contain the preeminent amount of antioxidants but it was new proved that this was in fact not true and or else dark java does.Dark chocolate, like red wine, is said to be able to protect against substance disease, and total bring down the amounts of free radicals in your body.
The benefits of this antioxidant food are actually plentiful. They give you anti senescent protection against degenerative diseases and help to slow the senescent process of your skin, cells, tissues and organs.
If you are bemused on this thing you should verbalize to a nutritionist. They are trained professionals in this area and will be able to offer you a net ton of worthily advice and data on this matter.
Antioxidants are able to provide stronger insubordinate immunity to flues, viruses, and infections, greatly reduced relative incidence of all cancers, bar of glaucoma and macular degeneration, reduced chance of cholesterol-oxidation and substance disease, and anti senescent of the cells in the body. They work by armed combat disconfirming free radicals in the body and this is authoritative because free rout oxidisation constipation is the basic cause of senescent and is as inauspicious and destructive to your body as rusty is to your car.
You can verbalize to your doctor or even a dietitian for more data on this, and to get a better idea of which foods contain the peak levels of antioxidants so you can amplification your intake of these foods in your dieting and see to it your optimal health.

The Truth About Red Wine and Heart Disease

Red Wine, Heart Disease, Hungry Sharks and Knights in Shining Armor
What is so special about wine? What is it that makes it potentially more protective against coronary heart disease, and perhaps other diseases, that other forms of alcohol?
In recent years, scientists have concluded without doubt that many human diseases such as heart disease, cancer and the aging process is caused or stimulated by a ravenous group of chemicals called free radicals, that act like hungry sharks. These highly charged little villains prowl the body and attack healthy cell membranes through a process that is called oxidation. In this scenario, there is however a knight in shining armor that jumps to the rescue and purges these ever hungry little killers. The name of our crusader is antioxidants.
Without getting too technical, the oxidation process in our bodies is crucial for health, without it, for instance, we would not be able to extract energy from our food. But if there are too many free radicals in our bodies this can be harmful.
Our body has its own defenses against free radicals, in the form of enzymes that are able to turn the hungry little sharks into harmless water. However, sometimes our body’s natural defense mechanisms can’t cope. Other times, external events can cause huge increases of free radicals within our bodies, such as x-rays, cigarette smoke and exposure to toxic substances. At times, this surge of free radicals can swamp our defenses and illnesses such as radiation sickness may take place.
So what does oxidation and free radicals have to do with heart disease?
Low density lipoproteins, commonly know as “bad” LDL, can penetrate and gather against the inner walls of our arteries, under certain conditions, forming fatty streaks and plaque. Taken alone, LDL particles aren’t so dangerous it seems, however, when attacked by free radicals they turn into dangerous and somewhat aggressive cells, capable of actually penetrating and harming the smooth inner walls of our arteries. This process is called oxidation. Oxidized LDL is known to be the culprit in stimulating atherosclerosis, heart disease and stroke.
Antioxidants, as the name suggests (anti-oxidants) can help stop the oxidation process, which are the results of free radicals doing their stuff. Most antioxidant research has been carried out on vitamins (A, E, beta carotene) but quite a lot of work has also been done on the healthy benefits of red wine. While most research on red wine has been done in relation to coronary heart disease, it seems that the benefits of wine don’t stop there.
Red wine and Coronary Heart Disease
Red wine contains a wide range of flavanoids; these are the chemicals that give the wine its particular taste and character, making one different from another. Many of these flavanoids act like antioxidants. Perhaps the forerunner of wine research was carried out by a certain Serge Renaud, who discovered the French Paradox, which suggested that wine was the decisive factor in protecting the people in southern France from their very high fat diets and ultimately coronary heart disease. Even if these people do eat large quantities of high fat cheese, pâté, and salami they have some of the lowest rates of heart disease in the world.
Another study, statistical rather than practical, by a Professor Grey of the University of Bern in Switzerland focused on the low, medium and high coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality figures of the World Health Organization.
What did he find? Well from among the high mortality areas were Finland and Scotland, the middle areas included Ireland, and the low CHD areas included Spain, Italy and France. He then compared heart attack rates with antioxidant levels in blood samples taken from men living in those areas.
Vitamin E and Heart Disease
What he found was very interesting, the results showed that high antioxidant levels, in particular vitamin E, coincided with low death rates of heart disease. Moreover, his results showed that vitamin E levels were 94% more accurate in predicting CHD rates than were cholesterol levels or blood pressure figures! Apart from diet, the high CHD regions drink very little, if any wine, whereas the low regions traditionally accompany their meals most days with wine.
It certainly seems strange that two much studied cities; Glasgow in Scotland and Toulouse in France show many similarities and yet many differences. The inhabitants of both cities eat tremendous amounts of high fat foods, traditionally take little exercise and drink alcohol. The surprising difference is that while the people of Glasgow have one of the highest rates of CHD in the world, the fortunate people of Toulouse have one of the lowest. Traditionally beer and spirits are the preferred drinks in Glasgow, while the folks in Toulouse drink red wine.
It has also been suggested that drinking in moderation together with meals is beneficial, while binge drinking at bars in the evening is harmful. It seems the southern Europeans don’t drink for the alcohol buzz, but just as a pleasant accompaniment to their meals.
At first the large heart institutions such as the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association ignored both antioxidants and frowned upon wine. While it is clear that it could be potentially dangerous for a physician to recommend his patients start drinking alcohol, it is also strange that they pretended for so many years to ignore the evidence. Well, now even if they don’t promote the taking of vitamin pills; antioxidants and free radicals are now recognized. However, according to the AHA “There is no scientific proof that drinking wine or any other alcoholic beverage can replace conventional measures. No direct comparison trials have been done to determine the specific effect of wine or other alcohol on the risk of developing heart disease or stroke. Just ask yourself who would pay for such studies. Clinical Trials have the purpose of showing one thing to be better than another, or whether a certain substance is beneficial to health. The costs of clinical trials is so high that only the pharmaceutical industry have the financial clout to invest in them – invest is the correct word. What a surprise.

Powerful Anti-Aging Secrets!

Many people have searched the world over looking for the fountain of youth. We all long for eternal beauty, free of wrinkles or the sagging of age. To answer this yearning, the market has been bombarded with creams and serums boasting the secrets of anti aging. Anti aging has become a market in itself and we have answered the call, purchasing our fill or at least the fill of our pocketbooks! However, perhaps the answer does not lie in a miracle lotion or cream, but in the life we live before we reach our advanced years.
Do not misunderstand, I am not suggesting we will forever be free from wrinkles if we live properly – at some point our skin will sag and we will show our age. Instead, I am suggesting our society is always looking for the quick fixes. To lose weight, we look for a miracle pill instead of eating right and exercising. On the same note, instead of eating properly and caring for ourselves, we look for the easy way out – something to rub on our faces to remove the evidence of the life we have chosen to live, or even worse, surgery to cut away and stretch out the skin we have chosen to disregard for so long.
On the other hand, why don’t we accept the creases that line our faces as trophies we have earned with the years we have endured on this Earth? Why is the exploration in search of anti aging so much more popular than the search for self-acceptance?
At the end of the day, when our eyes close for the final time, will it matter how many wrinkles line our faces, how tight our stomach muscles are, or the amount of gray in our hair? Will the pursuit of anti aging be a factor when age ceases to exist? Of course not. Perhaps we should spend our lives pursuing something that may actually proceeds us in death, instead of that which fades with lost memories.

Detoxing the Liver - Does Lemon Juice Detox the Liver?

Did you know that a seemingly ordinary substance, lemon juice can help to detox your liver? The liver is one of the most essential organs in the body. Liver failure is often fatal. It is well known that drinking excessive alcohol will damage the liver. But do you know why this is so? The liver is the organ that cleanses the body of toxins. Having a well functioning liver means that potentially harmful substances can pass out of your body. So when we think about detoxifying the body, we have to think about the liver, since this organ is what actually does the detoxifying.
Lemons are not often thought of as a fruit, or even a food. Most people would not sit down and eat a lemon they way they might an orange or apple --too bitter. We tend to think of lemons as a flavoring, maybe something to add as a garnish on top of a salad, or mixed alcoholic beverage. Or perhaps lemonade, with enough sugar to offset the bitterness. Lemons, however, are one of the most beneficial fruits, or foods of any sort, that nature has provided for us.
One interesting fact about lemons is that, although they taste very acidic, they actually have an alkalizing effect on the body. When we speak of food being acidic or alkaline, the important thing is how they effect the body after digestion. Lemons, along with some other apparently acidic substances, such as apple cider vinegar, has an alkalizing effect, which is usually beneficial in terms of detoxing the body. I say "usually," because most people's diets are overly acidic and it helps to balance this out with alkaline foods. In the rare cases of people whose diets are overly alkaline, consuming additional lemons would not be beneficial. But, unless you have an extremely spartan health food diet, such as eating strictly raw foods, vegan or fruitarian, your diet is most likely overly acidic.
There are several ways to consume lemon, given that you probably don't want to eat whole lemons. You can drink lemon teas. There are prepared herbal teas with lemon, but it's better to supplement this by squeezing fresh lemon into it or adding lemon juice. You can similarly add lemon to water. Drinking more water is another fundamental principle of detoxing, so if you drink, say eight glasses of water per day and squeeze a slice of lemon into each one, you'll be multiplying the detoxifying effect. You can also squeeze fresh lemon, or lemon juice into homemade salad dressings.
Lemon juice, or fresh lemon, can indeed help detox the liver and the whole body. Don't underestimate the power of this under-appreciated fruit.

The Fountain of Youth - Right in Front of Us All This Time!

The Fountain of Youth - Right at Your Fingertips

Can we really stop the aging process, slow it down, or even reverse the effects of aging on our skin and body? It is an enigma for which so many have searched the answers to for years. Now, with advanced modern science making breakthroughs and discoveries every day, the answers have become apparent to the age-old quest for the proverbial fountain of youth.

In large part, your everyday lifestyle choices contribute to the way you age, and at what rateyour body ages. Diet, environmental factors, exercise and the topical skincare products and skin care regimen you choose, all affect the way you are going to appear now and ten, twenty, and thirty years down the road. It's no surprise your lifestyle plays a pivotal
role in how your body and skin age over the years, since we've always known diet and exercise affect our energy levels, appearance, moods, and fitness level.

However, several key foods have been found to be very effective weapons not only against aging in general, but also against skin disorders ranging from acne, rosacea, thin skin, and photo aging (sun damage). These foods can even help reverse and repair sun and other environmental damage done to theskin. This powerful weapon is a goup of chemical compounds called antioxidants, and what they accomplish in high doses, along with adequate exercise, can mimic a surgical facelift over a relatively short period of time!

Think about all of the damage your skin is exposed to on a daily basis. It is your largest and most vulnerable organ, exposed to toxins and other damaging elements, like the sun, every day. These elements will actually accelerate the aging process by producing harmful compounds called free radicals, which can damage cells and in turn damage the skin. Antioxidants actually fight free radicals, and reverse some of the damage already done by them in the body.

Precautions to be taken to prevent these nasty little free radicals from wreaking havoc on your skin include wearing sunscreen every day, getting regular moderate exercise, using preventive skin care (cleansers, lotions, gels, creams, etc.) formulated with powerful antioxidants like Vitamin C and Alpha Lipoic Acid, and making sure your get an abundance of
antioxidants in your every day diet.

Some examples of foods high in antioxidants include berries (strawberries, bluberries, raspberries, etc.),citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, etc.), and vegetables rich in color, such as broccoli, zuccini, spinach, and summer squash.

While there are many foods to be enjoyed while living by the
"anti-aging" diet, there are also foods that need to be either avoided all together, or strictly minimized. These are refined sugar, caffeine, and all starchy and white flour products. The resulting surge of insulin created by these foods produces more free radicals and breaks down the cell's defenses against damaging elements, leaving you wide open to more skin damage
(ie. wrinkles, skin disorders, and other premature aging effects).

These foods are highly inflammatory by nature, and while they may taste good going down, know that they are destroying good cells and allowing for future damage by weakening the cell's defenses further. Eating these foods results in less tone and definition. The skin "droops", hence the creation of fine lines, wrinkles, and dull color. You will know a person that has a high sugar and high carb diet by looking at their face. They may have almost a "doughy" appearance to their skin, lacking the sharp definition and tone enjoyed by those who follow a healthy diet based on the anti-aging principles.

So, there you have it, some of the core concepts that will get you started to minimizing and even reversing the affects of aging. This is really just the tip of the iceberg. There is actually a lot more information on these concepts available that would be well worth your time to learn. What
you do with these principles is up to you, it's just a matter of making some minor changes for a longer, happier and healthier life. I'd say that is definitely worth the investment!

How Can Fat Be Essential?

Did you know that some fats are essential to the body? Yes, there are some fats that our body cannot produce which means that we must get them from our food. Perhaps you’ve heard of omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. These are both considered essential and must be supplied by the foods we eat.

What do they do? Well, the omega-3 fatty acid, for example is used for the production of healthy cell membranes and for the production of a class of hormones called prostaglandins. You know how aspirin and acetominophen are anti-inflammatories? So are the prostaglandins that our bodies produce from omega-3 fatty acids.

Now, we need the omega-3’s and the omega-6’s to be in the proper combination to be most effective to us. Empirical evidence shows that the proper ratio is about 4:1 between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. What do you suppose our average diet gives us? About a 20:1 and up to a 40:1 ratio; not even close to the optimal ratio.

Why is the balance so out of whack? Well, our normal diets are rich in omega-6 fatty acids. We get them from meats, dairy products, and processed foods. We eat a lot of those foods on average. We get omega-3 fatty acids from certain vegetable oils such as flaxseed, canola, and soybean. And we get omega-3 fatty acids from cold-water fish such as mackerel, sardines, salmon, and tuna.

Eat more fish! You’ve heard that said before, and now you know why.

Especially the salmon. It is especially rich in the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon , or any of the other omega-3 rich fish (but what tastes better than good salmon?) should be consumed at least once a week.

In order to get the omega-6 vs. omega-3 ratio in order, decrease your consumption of the saturated fat from meats and dairy products and increase your consumption of fish such as salmon.

Do you know how else you will benefit from increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids? Your cholesterol level will improve. You see, the essential omega-3 fatty acids have the ability to help decrease your total cholesterol and your LDL cholesterol level. The LDL cholesterol is the so-called bad cholesterol. So you will improve your cholesterol levels by adding a better balance of omega-3 fatty acids to your diet.

Not surprisingly, the omega-3 fatty acids can be heart healthy. Several diseases show improvement when patients increase their intake of these essential fats. Check out Dr. Ray Strand’s important book for citings of clinical studies of omega-3. The book is titled, “What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You.” It’s a wonderful book and should be a standard reference volume in your nutrition library.

Eat well, take appropriate supplements, and stay healthy.

Macrobiotics: Diet and Lifestyle for Long-term Health

A frequent misunderstanding about macrobiotics is that it
is a diet sick people use - cancer patients especially - in
order to heal. While it is true that a macrobiotic
approach has helped a great many people get well,
macrobiotics is much more than a mere diet, and it is for
everyone. Whether you're recovering from illness or simply
interested in having greater vitality, macrobiotics is a
wholistic, natural system for good health and long life.

"Let food by thy medicine, and medicine thy food," is a
saying from the ancient Greek philosopher Hippocrates, who
also coined the term "macrobiotics." In Greek, "makro"
means long or large, and "bio" means life. A macrobiotic
approach to good health begins with food and cooking,
extending to include lifestyle and exercise. Daily walks,
a grateful state of mind, and meditation for centering
oneself are among the practices of the system. Its purpose
is to create a state of health that supports rather than
prevents a full and vibrant life.

Since Hippocrates coined the term, we know that the
principles of macrobiotics have been around a long time.
They're the same concepts that you'll find in any modern
day nutrition or fitness class: high fiber, low fat, plenty
of vegetables and grains, limited meat. Going beyond these
basics, macrobiotics also includes healing foods such as
sea vegetables and ginger root.

To bring balance to one's physical and emotional condition
through utilizing food is the macrobiotic focus. Foods
that have nutritional and energetic balance - yin and yang -
are used: legumes, beans, whole grains, and vegetables
dominate. Red meat, dairy, refined sugar, and coffee are
examples of foods without balance and they are eliminated.
For flavor, variety, and seasonal virtue, some oils, nuts,
and fruits are used in small amounts. The variety adds
interest and also increases the nutrient range. The end
result is food both wholesome and delicious.

It is critically important that the food tastes good
because food is sensual, and if it doesn't appeal to our
senses, we won't eat it in the long run. It might take a
bit of time to develop the taste for macrobiotic cuisine
because it is light and elegant in its simplicity.