A Tasty Way To Take Turmeric

Turmeric is a “must have” addition to your health regimen. The research abounds with reports of reduced inflammation and many other benefits for the immune system.

Turmeric powder

Turmeric is a main ingredient in curry, however, you don’t need to make or buy curry to enjoy it’s health benefits.
Here’s a great way to take a teaspoon or two of turmeric:
Scramble two or three raw eggs with a couple teaspoons of turmeric powder and cook your eggs as usual.
Turmeric is often used as a dye, so your eggs will have a beautiful orange color.
It’s a tasty way to take turmeric!

Pure Green Coffee Bean Extract

Green Coffee Bean Extract is getting a lot of attention now. Even Dr. Oz jumped on the bandwagon. He gave it to two fans of his show to take for five days. One girl lost two pounds and another lost 6. A pound a day.
Check this out this clip from youtube:

I also read that Green Coffee Bean Extract may potentiate nitric oxide! This amazing stuff lowers blood sugar and increases nitric oxide.

It is recommended that you take two 400 mg capsules twice a day before a meal. This will slow the release of sugar into your blood stream and theoretically slow down the fat creation process.

I’m excited about losing about a pound a day..what about you?

Better Ejaculate Volume Sperm and Testosterone with Soy Lecithin

I was shopping at Vitamin Shoppe the other day and decided to pick up a jar of Soy Lecithin Granules because of the choline content of lecithin.

You can get it on amazon here:

What a surprise when I found out that lecithin can improve ejaculate volume, sperm and fertility! In addition it can also improve testosterone levels! These studies were conducted in rabbits, but nevertheless are extremely interesting. You can read it here.
Here’s the abstract:
A total of 28 adult V-line rabbits were fed ad libitum a control diet or a diet supplemented with 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5% soybean lecithin (SL) for 12 weeks. Bucks that received 0.5%, 1.0% or 1.5% dietary SL had a higher ejaculate volume, mass motility, sperm concentration, total sperm output and total motile sperm. Dietary SL reduced the percentage of dead sperm and increased the normal sperm, and this concurred with an increase in blood testosterone concentration. Blood and seminal plasma total lipid, acid phosphatase and seminal plasma alkaline phosphatase were significantly increased because of inclusion of SL. Interestingly, SL reduced blood and seminal plasma thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances while increasing blood and seminal plasma glutathione content, glutathione S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity. Conception rate and litter size at birth and weaning were also significantly improved. Practically, it could be suggested that SL is a suitable supplement for improving semen quality, antioxidant status, reproductive traits and the economic efficiency of V-line rabbit bucks and 1% is an adequate concentration.

Low Carb For Faster Weightloss

Low Carb diets are making a huge comeback after news that an Atkins style diet can burn up to 300 calories a day more than a low fat diet! However, there’s a catch–researchers are saying inflammation markers and cortisol could increase. A good compromise? They recommend a low glycemic diet instead. It won’t burn as much extra calories as a really low carb diet, but you won’t have as much cortisol and inflammation.
Check out this newstory here.

Wonderful Pomegranate Near Panacea

Who knew that Pomegranates could cure what ails you?

Check out the research studies posted here.

Seems like pomegranate extract or juice can help with:

  • Reduction of arterial plaque
  • Improve exercise recovery
  • Improve erectile dysfunction
  • Fight Cancer, especially prostate cancer

Pomegranates boost nitric oxide.

How often do you find something that tastes good and is good for you?

Gastritis Cure And Remedies

Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach lining. It can be extremely uncomfortable. Symptoms can include abdominal/stomach pain, indigestion, a feeling of “fullness”, cramping or flutter sensations near the top of the stomach or just simply a feeling that something is just wrong.

The first step is to stop self-medicating and seek the advice of a gastroenterologist. Depending on the doc and their approach to handling this frustrating problem, you may have an upper endoscopy to confirm the diagnosis. When you have an endoscopy, they will put you to sleep and slide a tube down your throat equipped with a camera to view your stomach lining. Compared to other procedures, this one is quite simple and relatively risk free. The great thing about this procedure is the doctor can rule out any serious problems that could be causing the same symptoms. Untreated gastritis could lead to ulcers and worse things, so it’s something you want to address urgently and completely. The doc may take some tissue samples to find out if you are infected with a bacteria called h. pylori. Anyway, don’t mess around with your health and get this checked out.

After you received your diagnosis, you have to stop doing the things that have irritated your stomach. If your doc said you have a bacterial infection, then you’ll have to take some antibiotics. If you don’t have an infection, it may take some sleuthing to find out what is causing your problem. The most common things are excessive alcohol consumption (which tends to dissolve your stomach mucosa and expose the tissue to stomach acid). The next most common irritant is smoking. Stress can also hurt you as well as too much coffee, flours, certain medications like nsaids or irritants, chemicals and believe it or not, certain vitamins like Vitamin C in high doses.

Because your stomach is now irritated, your doc will most likely prescribe an acid blocker like aciphex. Although, I personally dislike the idea of taking an acid blocker, it’s a quick way to stop irritating your stomach. If you stop irritating your stomach by quitting coffee and stopping the other things, you’ll be off the acid blockers in no time at all.

I have discovered some simple natural remedies that can heal your stomach quickly. I’ll write about these in future posts.

It can take several months to heal gastritis. With patience, following a simple diet and the remedies I outline,you’ll be off the medication quickly and you’ll have a brand new stomach. You’ll feel like a million bucks!

Shirataki Noodle Recipe

I wrote about shirataki noodle recently here.

I found a great way to enjoy your noodles. Just to recap, these are zero calorie all fiber noodles that taste like anything you cook them in. So, grab a bag of noodles and a can of chicken, beef or vegetable broth.

Empty the broth in a small pot, rinse the shirataki noodles (they stink a little) and pop them in. I like to add some Hijiki seaweed. Add some chicken, beef, mushroom or whatever you like. Bring the mixture to a light boil and enjoy.

This is a quick, filling meal that you’ll enjoy and is great to help you meet your health and diet goals!

Easy Low Calorie Irish Moss Recipe

Many irish moss recipes call for condensed milk and sugar which often means many calories! Instead of condensed milk, try a low calorie substitute such as almond milk or coconut milk. So Delicious makes a wonderful coconut milk you can use:

Cook a handful of dried irish moss and ground up flax seed in a slow cooker for a couple of hours. Add vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. When the irish moss is dissolved, add in the coconut milk or almond milk to cool it down quick.
Enjoy!

Super Easy Paella Recipe

I call this “poor man’s paella” because it makes a super easy Spanish style paella in about an hour. Paella is tricky to make because you have to get the right amount of water to cook the rice so it’s not too mushy and not too dry or undercooked. Here’s what you need for this super tonic and delicious meal:

Mandatory:
1 or 2 cans of diced tomatoes with optional onion and garlic
Soup Stock
Saffron (don’t get cheap paprika and sazon)
lime juice (fresh)
Salt and pepper to taste (adobo is cool)
Rice (Jasmine rice works just fine)
Peas
Very Recommended:
Olives
Sausage (chorizo is traditional but chicken/turkey sausage works)
Garbanzo beans and/or black beans
Use as needed:
from the sea:Mussels, Clams, Shrimp, Lobster Tail, Sea Scallop, Octopus, Salmon, etc.
from the land:Chicken Thigh Meat
up to you: anything you think works…

The idea is that you can put anything in a paella..think of it as the Spanish version of Chinese Fried Rice. As long as you have good quality saffron, rice, some kind of meat and seafood you’re all set. It’s hard to mess it up.

The secret to easy paella is to cook the rice in a rice cooker with the soup stock, saffron and diced tomatoes. Measure the right amount of soup stock you need instead of plain water. Most rice cookers are a 1:1 ratio of rice to water. In my rice cooker, I have to add extra water to make the rice come out just right.

Get a deep pan and spread some good quality olive oil. When the rice is done (smells yummy and aromatic) spread it out in the pan. Add all the other ingredients and bake it in the oven for about 45-minutes to an hour. Cook it just enough to cook your meat and sausage. You can pre-cook some of the meat with garlic and spices while the rice is cooking to speed up the bake time.

What makes this approach good is the rice is cooked perfectly because it’s done in the rice cooker.

Paella made old school in a deep pan with the water the rice is great because all the flavors cook together, but honestly, the method above is fool proof and just as good.

Try it..and feel the effects of a traditional Spanish tonic recipe.

Aloe Vera For Anti-Aging

Everyone knows that resveratrol has been shown to delay aging and has remarkable effects. However, I stumbled upon something very interesting. Did you know that aloe vera, the plant that you can grow in your home for almost nothing, has similar effects?
What?
How come nobody is interested in exploring this study further? Click to see the study on Pubmed. Or here’s the abstract:

“Longevity extension in Drosophila melanogaster by feeding diet supplemented with chemicals throughout adulthood can cause harmful side effects. We tested the effect of larval diet supplementation with five different concentrations of resveratrol and one concentration of Aloe vera extract on the adult longevity of short-lived D melanogaster populations. Resveratrol and A vera extract supplementation of larval diet extended adult longevity in both the male and female flies without reducing fecundity but by efficient reactive oxygen species scavenging through increased antioxidant enzymes activity and better neuroprotection as indicated by increased locomotor activity in adult males.”

Fountain of Youth Aloe Vera Plant
I remember years ago bringing an aloe vera plant home. We planted it outside and within a few years we had a farm of them. Too bad I wasn’t aware of it’s anti-aging free radical scavenging effects back then.
Many people know that you can put aloe vera on your skin to speed up healing of burns and cuts, but many people don’t know you can and should drink the stuff! Don’t grind up the skin, filet it and mix up the inner gel in a blender with some fresh squeezed orange juice. Or if you’re brave, drink it straight up!
I found this cool guy on the ‘net who loves his aloe and it works for him. Check him out!
Here’s a youtube clip showing a good way to prepare a refreshing and healthy drink.
I heard it helps you lose weight too!

Bee Pollen Power

I’m trying Bee Pollen. I found a local, dark, raw and unfiltered honey to take with it. Feeling pretty good after only a day on this stuff. I’ve tried bee pollen years ago and didn’t notice much. I’m thinking that maybe it’s true that you should try as much as possible to get bee products locally. Bee Pollen has been reported to kick the libido into high gear as well as heal prostate issues. It also reportedly helps you lose weight!
Bee carrying pollen back to the hive

Try some nutmeg with your eggs and stout

I wrote about guinness stout and raw eggs in a previous post. Try it with fresh cinnamon and nutmeg sprinkled on top. Reading about nutmeg can be quite interesting. It reportedly contains small amounts of a hallucinogen called Myristicin. However, don’t get excited because nutmeg can make a person quite sick. However, in small amounts, it tastes and smells great.

Nutmeg is used by people who like to enhance dreaming as it is one of the reported side effects of this unique spice.

Real Cinnamon and Honey

Many people are mixing cinnamon with honey for health benefits, weight loss, acne, hair growth and arthritis. A google search of “honey and cinnamon” brings up the same post about the benefits of this combination. It’s almost comical the way so many websites repost the same exact post. Cinnamon has made the news recently for its ability to reduce blood sugar and as a powerful antioxidant. However, be really careful with cinnamon. I found out there is a “real cinnamon” and then a similar substance that tastes like cinnamon called ‘Cassia’. Cassia is what most of us in America think is cinnamon. It’s not. What’s worse is that Cassia contains high amounts of Coumarin, which is toxic to our livers and kidneys. Taking too much cassia, thinking you’re doing something good for the body, can actually kill you!! It’s rat poison!
I found a site that shows a picture of the two and how to tell the difference at this link.
Cassia is dark and thick like a tree bark. It looks like one thick hollow tube. Real cinnamon looks like rolls of paper. It’s very ‘cigar’ like. Real cinnamon comes from Ceylon and is sometimes called ‘Ceylon Cinnamon’. I found out that most Mexican Cinnamon is imported from Ceylon. Saigon Cinnamon, Chinese Cinnamon and most unmarked Cinnamon in the supermarket is really Cassia–the ‘bad stuff’.
Be careful!

Onions Triple Testosterone Levels?

I heard onions could triple testosterone levels and found this article at the ergo log.
Tonight I tried to juice an onion. If you’re thinking of trying onion juice be prepared for an experience. I juiced some beets and carrots then threw in the onion. It took about 10 minutes for my eyes to stop tearing. The juice didn’t taste too bad because the beets are delicious and sweet. However, the after taste of the onion juice is a little hard to take. I’m not sure I can do this with any regularity.

Topical Onion juice has reportedly helped hair growth, so there must be a nitric oxide effect from the juice.

Let me know if anyone one of you try it.

Chia Seeds — Tiny but powerful

Chia seeds are very cool. These tiny seeds pack a wallop of Omega 3 fatty acids, fiber and antioxidants.
I get mine from VitaminShoppe.
Chia Seeds
A great way to eat these is to mix a tablespoon in a liquid. The seeds quickly form a gel. There’s a tonic from mexico that calls for these seeds in water with some lemon and honey. Strain the seeds if you wish for a refreshing tonic.
Another smart way to eat these is to mix the seeds with almond or coconut milk. Let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours for an awesome low calorie pudding. If it doesn’t gel enough, add more seed.
I’m forming a theory that foods that create gels like Irish Moss (Sea Moss), Sea Cucumber, Agar and now Chia Seeds are good for the joints and are an overall jing tonic. Of course, I have no scientific evidence for this observation, but it’s something interesting to note.
Try it and see what you think.

Manuka Honey — Sore Throat Killer

Last week I woke up with a slight fever and a sore throat. Found this at the vitamin shoppe:
Manuka Honey Sore Throat Cure
Manuka honey is found in Australia and New Zealand and is considered one of the strongest in terms of antibiotic activity.
It soothed my sore throat immediately but I still felt it every few hours and would take a little more.
I thought I would have to make a trip to the doctor for some antibiotic or to make sure I didn’t have something like strep.
After about 2 days of this treatment the sore throat was gone! Just luck? Not sure, but I’ll definitely try it again at the first sign of a sore throat.
I recently bought some raw Buckwheat honey because it was shown to increase antioxidant activity in the body. You can find the study here.
Here’s the abstract:
“Honey has been known to exert significant in vitro antioxidant activity, in part due to its phenolic content. However, conclusions that the antioxidants in honey are or are not efficacious in the human body cannot be reached if its antioxidant action is not assessed as part of a human study. In the present study, the acute effect of consumption of 500 mL of water, water with buckwheat honey, black tea, black tea with sugar, or black tea with buckwheat honey on serum oxidative reactions was examined in 25 healthy men. Antioxidant capacity of human serum samples was measured using different methods: the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, ex vivo susceptibility of serum lipoprotein to Cu(2+)-induced oxidation, and the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay. The results showed that the serum antioxidant capacity determined by ORAC increased significantly (p < 0.05) by 7% following consumption of buckwheat honey in water. No significant changes in serum antioxidant capacity could be established after the consumption of any of the other beverages. Ex vivo serum lipoprotein oxidation and TBARS values were not significantly altered after consumption of any of the five beverages. This study provides primary evidence of the in vivo antioxidant activity of buckwheat honey. However, long-term studies and epidemiological data are necessary to investigate whether honey consumption can exert overall antioxidant-related health benefits."

Ginseng Royal Jelly for Super Power

This tonic was a nice surprise. It’s a staple in most asian grocery stores and I never thought much of it. I started reading up on the amazing benefits of Royal Jelly–the food that makes a Queen Bee a Queen Bee (more details to come in a later post).
After drinking a few vials, I felt a sudden increase in energy and strength. This is good stuff–and without side effects. You can take it right before bed, it doesn’t make you jittery or nervous.
Try it before working out!
Ginseng and Royal Jelly
Check out this interesting study showing that royal jelly can increase testosterone and sperm production (in rabbits)

Shirataki Noodles — Asian Slimming Secret!

Well, the secret is out. While obese westerners continue to down thousands of calories in noodles and pastas, our eastern cousins are eating just as much, but with practically NO CALORIES!! How is that possible? Shirataki noodles or Yam Noodles look and taste like noodles and pasta made from wheat, but have almost no calories. Yes, you read it correctly–no calories. In fact, the noodles are mostly soluble fiber, which we know is great for lowering triglycerides and cholesterol and for improving digestion. It’s almost a dream come true for your typical overeating, overweight type II diabetic American. These noodles are tasteless, so they absorb whatever sauce you cook them in. The fiber reduces hunger all day and cleans out your intestines. It’s said that the average person has up to 20 lbs of compacted fecal matter in their intestine. This stuff will clean you out!
So, don’t skimp on your diet anymore, these low to no calorie, no gluten, low carb noodles are your slimming secret!

Low Carb Low Calorie Yam Noodle
Low Carb Noodles