Share
Read

Foods

Discover Real Foods & Water That Help You To Wellness!

February 1st, 2011 by Arlan Murata

Discover Real Foods That Are Essential In The Battle Against Aging

When it comes to fighting the signs of aging, the solution doesn’t always lie across the pharmacy counter or in the doctor’s office. Some of the best ways to grow old gracefully can be found right in your very own kitchen.

Most of the nutrients that the body needs everyday to survive are found in the foods that we eat. Unfortunately, many of us are not making the proper food choices to keep our bodies, and skin, healthy. Making a few changes to our diet can make a big difference in how we feel and look.

Antioxidants save the day

When talking about foods to eat we’re mainly talking about the general category of antioxidants in food. How does adding foods rich in antioxidants to your diet help your skin?

The body takes on a lot of stresses in a day. One byproduct of this stress, or cellular activity, is free radicals. Free radicals are unstable substances that lack an electron so they steal it from healthy cells throughout the body. This can lead to signs of aging, disease, and pain over time. Antioxidants are natural substances that are designed to neutralize the effects of free radicals. Eating foods that contain antioxidants will lower the free radical count in your body and lessen the damage they can do.

So, what should we be eating to improve our overall health and youthful appearance? Let’s take a look at some of the foods that contain nutrients essential to fighting off the aging process:

Berries
The mighty blueberry shines in this group, but other berries like blackberries, cranberries, and raspberries all play a part in neutralizing free radicals that damage your skin. You’ll notice a theme in these berries; they all are very colorful. Stick to dark colored berries for the best nutritional punch. Berries actually help the body make collagen, the substance that supports and plumps the skin, so adding a good portion of berries to your diet every day is a smart thing to do to battle wrinkles. Berries are also loaded with Vitamins C, E, and riboflavin, as well as being a good source of fiber.

Green Tea
Another powerhouse in the fight against free radicals, green tea has become the go-to beverage for everything from losing weight to lowering blood pressure. Green tea is known to have anti-inflammatory properties as well as antioxidants. Not only does drinking green tea improve your overall health, but many skin creams now contain green tea extract which allows you to rub it right into your skin. Green tea is also believed to help prevent some skin cancers caused by the sun’s damaging rays. Drinking green tea daily gives you a good source of Vitamins C, D, K, and riboflavin, calcium, and iron

Nuts
You need plenty of good fatty acids to help prevent skin dryness. Adding nuts to your daily diet will provide not only healthy fatty acids, but also Vitamins A, E, riboflavin, zinc, and selenium. The Brazil nut is an especially excellent source of selenium, which helps with the skin’s elasticity by producing glutathione which neutralizes free radicals in the body; the same free radicals that are destroying our skin’s collagen and elastin. Eat a variety of nuts, including almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, and pine nuts, every day to add good fatty acids to your diet along with a host of essential vitamins and minerals.

Avocados
At first glance, you may think you should stay away from avocados because they appear to be high in fat. But, most of the fat is monounsaturated and is considered a healthy fat. Avocados are rich in omega-9 fat, a powerful skin plumper which also improves dry skin, as well as Vitamin C and Vitamin E, which act together to form a strong anti-aging team. Vitamin B6 is another free radical warrior and is essential to your skin’s youthful look and healthy overall condition. Just one small avocado gives you enough B6 to meet your daily requirement.

Carrots
This may not often make the top of the skin-health list, but there are good reasons it should. Carrots are an excellent source of beta-carotene. What is beta-carotene? Beta-carotene converts to vitamin A inside the body. Vitamin A is crucial for skin cell health. You may have a Vitamin A deficiency if your skin is dry. If you have light skin, eating carrots can also provide a slight SPF sun protection. Carrots also are a good source of Vitamin C which fights free radicals and promotes the creation of collagen in the skin.

Sweet Potatoes
Another overlooked powerhouse in the battle against aging skin is sweet potatoes. Not only do these spuds deliver a healthy dose of beta-carotene and Vitamin C, but sweet potatoes also contain Vitamin E. What’s important about the combination of these two vitamins is that they work together. Vitamin E helps regenerate Vitamin C in the body, which maximizes the effectiveness of Vitamin C. This one-two punch becomes a very effective antioxidant and offers topnotch skin protection.

Whole Grains
Vitamins A, C, and E have taken center stage in the battle against aging skin, but there’s another player in town that’s just as important; that’s the B complex group. Eating breads and cereals that are made with whole grains, as opposed to refined grains, provide B complex vitamins which are essential for healthy skin. The B Vitamins are necessary for the growth of new cells which replace the dull, dead cells. This group of vitamins also helps protect skin against stress. A shortage of B Vitamins in your diet could result in dry, rough skin; even cracking and peeling.

Cold water fish
This group of fish includes salmon, sardines, mackerel, and fresh tuna. These may seem like a fatty bunch of fish, but the fat is the healthy kind containing omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are responsible for healthy cell membranes. These stronger cell membranes are more able to keep water in which keeps the skin cells hydrated; and hydrated cells will give us skin that is supple and younger looking. Salmon is also another source that’s high in selenium, which we know helps the body in its ongoing battle against skin damaging free radicals.

All the wrinkle reducing potions in the world won’t help if you aren’t giving your skin a fighting chance from within. Start your anti-aging battle with a healthy diet filled with nutrient rich foods. These simple, and delicious, foods are some of the easiest things you can choose to fight the effects of aging.

Water
Ionized Alkaline Water is consider good water to drink. Want more information. Want to be enlightened check out this 9 minute video:

Want more information, send me an e-mail at Arlan@muratasensei.com

Your wellness friend,

How To Stay Healthy During The Winter?

January 21st, 2011 by Arlan Murata

Increasing Healthy Fat Intake during Winter

Winter is the time of year when nature hibernates. It is cleansing itself to start again in the spring. We can take a page from that book by staying healthier this winter.

It’s the one time of year that you don’t have to worry about swimsuits or wearing shorts. You can cover up with sweatshirts and long pants and it is very acceptable. No one will see you properly until the spring so you can eat what you want, right? Wrong!

It is easy for the metabolism to slow down in the winter because we slow down. When you eat but don’t get a lot of activity, your metabolism adjusts. It’s like when you deprive yourself of food on a restrictive diet. The body holds onto stored fat because it doesn’t know where its next meal is coming from.

You don’t want that to happen to you this winter. Instead, find ways to boost your metabolism and stay healthy.

There is a catch-22 here. During the winter we celebrate many holidays that center on food. It is easy to get caught up in high-fat meals, calorie-laden desserts and sitting in front of the television.

Instead, try to incorporate healthy fats into your diet this winter. If you are health conscious, you might be saying why fats at all. Well, fats are a part of the make-up of the body right down to the cells. The body needs certain fats to create cellular membranes, produce certain hormones and also cushion the organs from injury.

Many of the healthy fats that we need can’t be produced in the body. They have to be obtained from food. These good fats are not what we usually see stored in our bodies. Most of that comes when we consume too many fats and do not expend enough energy to use them. They get stored and added to our body fat.

So, what are the healthy fats that the body needs? One that we always hear about is omega-3 fatty acids. They are instrumental in heart health and cellular repair. You can get them from supplements but it is better when they come from food.

Food Sources

Start with seafood and fish. Meat contains fats but there are more saturated fats and omega-6s which are not as healthy as omega-3s. Try salmon, mackerel, crab, shrimp, and other fishes.

Vegetables are also a good source of omega-3s. Opt for soybeans and leafy greens like cabbage and kale. Combining vegetables like these with fish will also boost your intake of healthier fats.

Oils are another excellent source. Consider flaxseed oil, walnut oil, soybean and corn oil. The seeds used to make these oils are also good to consume. You can add them to salads, and as add-ins for side dishes.

Fat is important but in the right ways and amounts. Without them, the body couldn’t produce hormones and maintain cellular integrity.

“The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d druther not.”  Mark Twain.

Your Wellness Friend,

Are You Killing Yourself?

October 18th, 2010 by Arlan Murata

Hi Friends:

As Pogo said, I have met the enemy and he is me. Are you knowingly or unknowingly poisoning yourselves with what you drink and eat?

Do you have these adverse reactions to foods as reported to the FDA? Headaches/migraines, Dizziness, Seizures, Nausea, Numbness, Muscle spasms, Weight gain, Rashes, Depression, Fatigue, Irritability, Tachycardia, Insomnia, Vision problems, Hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss and joint pain.

According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame they found that the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by aspartame: Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia and diabetes.

Where are we getting aspartame into our bodies? Aspartame is the technical name for the brands names of NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful and Equal-Measure. Read the labels of the diet drinks and foods you love. Adrienne Samuels, Ph. D. is an experimental psychologist specializing in research design and Olney, Professor Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Washington University, a neuroscientist and researcher and one of the world’s foremost authorities on excitotoxins are among the experts who have spoken out about the damaged caused by aspartame and glutamate. Are you drinking and ingesting these substances knowingly or unknowingly? Then it is time to read the labels and stop unless you want to continue killing yourselves. Watch this 6 minute video and learn what you are drinking and eating that is killing you.

Your friend in wellness, “Wellness Is Your Choice”

How Do Herbs And Spices Help Your Body Heal?

August 23rd, 2010 by Arlan Murata

Herbs are high in most valuable nutrients and thus have great healing properties besides improving the flavor of foods. Spices & herbs make digestion easier. They help burn toxins found in food. Some spices warm the stomach & blood, stimulate the senses and increase the appetite. Herbs strengthen the immune system and have an antibacterial effect on the body. Some herbs help eliminate mucus and waste from the stomach, intestines, lungs and respiratory tract. Generally, herbs and spices stimulate digestion and circulation, thus contribute to purification of the blood.

Here are examples of some herbs and spice, their description, how best to use them in our diets, and their possible healing effects on the body.

Ginger: is an outstanding remedy for many ailments including colds, travel sickness, and warming purification drink. If you have nausea, add some sliced ginger to hot water and drink it.

Turmeric: is a mild digestive and it simultaneously improves the intestinal flora and strengthens the liver. It helps with excessive or abnormal functioning of any organ and inadequate functioning of any organ and helps with the digestion of proteins.

Cilantro: helps cool the body. Combined with cumin and fennel it helps alleviate intestinal problems.

Garlic: is recommended for carnivores, since it improves digestion and lowers blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglycerides. Garlic stimulates the immune system and fights infections and colds. Some people find that it prevents blood clots and the cardiac and circulatory problems experienced by carnivores

Cayenne: stimulates circulation and intestinal fires. It is believed to have a cleaning and strengthening effect on the lungs, promoting clearing of mucus, alleviating chronic bronchitis and helping to dissolve blood clots

If you would like to know more about helping your body heal itself, contact me at (714) 784-0474 or arlanmurata@gmail.com

What Are The Best Foods To Eat?

August 10th, 2010 by Arlan Murata

Food types include living foods, raw foods, cooked foods and processed food.

Living foods are foods that are still growing and consumed within 48 hours of being picked. Examples are: apples picked off the tree and vine ripen tomatoes that are both enjoyed immediately. Living foods are the best sources of enzymes, oxygen, vitamins, chlorophyll, fiber and essential fatty acids. They contain the proper balance of alkaline to acid minerals.

Raw foods are less nutritious because they are reaching you after48 hours after being picked and longer before you eat them. Cooked and processed foods have no healing powers according to how many doctors feel. These foods contribute to the acidity of your body, which are the causes of many of our degenerative diseases.

Enzymes are protein catalysts that have to be present for life to exist as they perform the multitude functions in the body, digestive and metabolic. They are needed for our bodies to function. Without them our body functions stop. Living foods have the most enzymes and raw foods have less but cooked/process foods have none. Enzymes play a key role in our digestion, assimilation and elimination of food and food by-products. Our energy levels and happy feelings are a direct relation to the amount of enzymes in our bodies.

Dr. Edward Howell in his book, “Enzyme Nutrition”, says that people with low-enzyme foods will experience degenerative diseases and poor health. You rebuild your enzyme supply by eating living and raw foods.

Healthy living is the results of balancing the alkaline and acidic foods. Most health professional recommend a balance of 80% alkaline and 20% acidic foods in your diet. Eating a good portion of alkaline foods is important.

Alkalizing Foods are:

Vegetables (Including Oriental Vegetables): Garlic, asparagus, fermented veggies(EM-Effective Microorganisms), water cress, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, chard, chlorella, collard greens, cucumber, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens. Dulce, dandelions, edible flower, onions, parsnip, peas, peppers, pumpkins, rutabaga, spiriluna, alfalfa, barley grass, wheat grass, wild greens, maitake, daikon, shiitake, kombu, reishi, nori, umeboshi, wakame, sea veggies

Fruits: Apple, apricots, avocadoes, banana, cantaloupe, cherries, currants, dates/figs, grapes, grapefruit, melon, nectarine, orange, lemon, pear, pineapple, all berries, tangerine, tomato, tropical fruits, watermelon

Protein: Whey protein powder, cottage cheese, chicken breast, yogurt, almonds, chestnuts, tofu (fermented), flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, tempeh(fermented), squash seeds, sunflower seeds, millet, sprouted seeds, nuts, eggs

Spices & Seasoning: Cinnamon, curry ginger, mustard, chili pepper, sea salt, miso, tamari, all herbs

Other: Apple cider vinegar, bee pollen, lecithin granules, probiotic cultures, green juices, veggie juices, fresh fruit juice, organic milk, mineral waters, alkaline antioxidant water, green tea, herbal tea, dandelion tea, ginseng tea, banchi tea, kombucha

Acidifying Foods include:

Fats & Oils: Avocado Oils, Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Flax Oil, Lard, Olive Oil, Safflower Oil, Sesame Oil, Sunflower Oil

Fruits: Cranberries

Grains: Rice cakes, wheat cakes, amaranth, barley, buckwheat, corn oats, quinoa, rice, rye, spelt, kamut, wheat, hemp seed, flour

Nuts & Butters:  Cashews, Brazil Nuts, Peanuts, Pecans, Tahini, Walnuts

Animal Protein: Beef, carp, claims, fish, lamb, lobster, mussels, oyster, pork, rabbit, salmon, shrimp, scallops, tuna, turkey, venison

Pasta: Noodles, macaroni, spaghetti

Drugs & Chemicals: Drugs, medicinal drugs, psychedelics, pesticides, herbicides

Alcohol: Beer, spirits, hard liquor, wine

Beans & Legumes: Black beans, chick peas, green peas, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, pinto beans, red beans, soy beans, soy milk, white beans, rice milk, almond milk

Waters: Rain water, certain backwash filtered water, distilled water, reverse osmosis water, bottled water

Dairy: Cheese, cow cheese, goat cheese, processed cheese, sheep milk, butter

Other: Distilled vinegar, wheat germ, potatoes

What Can Foods Do For You, Like Sweet Potato?

July 20th, 2010 by Arlan Murata

Did you know that SWEET POTATO (kamote) far exceeds the nutrition and health values of rice? Here are the benefits of substituting rice with kamote:

1. Sweet potato is more filling and suppresses hunger pangs longer. It is also cheaper than rice.

2. Unlike rice, it is easy to grow. It grows in backyards with or without fertilizers. Local government executives can provide their poor communities with idle government land for planting kamote which the entire community can share.

3. Unlike rice which needs to be eaten with a dish, Sweet Potato tastes good and can be eaten by itself. Thus, substituting rice with sweet potato saves money for other needs.

4. Rice cannot match the nutritional values of potato. Because rice converts to sugar in the body, the Philippines register as a top producer of diabetics in the world. The poor tends to load up on rice and less on the dish which are more expensive. That makes them vulnerable to diabetes, an ailment known in developed countries as a rich man’s disease.

5. The nutritional values of a 3 oz. baked sweet potato are: calories 90, fat 0 g, saturated fat 0 g, cholesterol 0 mg, carbohydrate 21 g, protein 2 g, dietary fiber 3 g, sodium 36 mg, vitamin A 19,218 IU, folic acid 6 micrograms, pantothenic acid 1 mg, vitamin B6 <1 mg, vitamin C 20 mg, vitamin E 1 mg, calcium 38 mg, manganese 1 mg, carotenoids 11,552 mcg, potassium 475 mg and magnesium 45 mg. Compare that to a 100 g serving of white rice with: calories 361 kcal, water 10.2 g, total fat 0.8 g, dietary fiber 0.6 g, calcium 8 mg, phosphorous 87 mg, potassium 111 mg, sodium 31 mg, vitamin B1 0.07 mg, vitamin B2 0.02 mg, niacin 1.8 g, protein 6 g and carbohydrates 82 g.

6. Too much rice consumption can make you sick, but sweet potato (kamote) can bring you to health and keep away some health problems. These have been proved medically.

In a recent medical documentary on KBS World (the South Korean TV Network), The results of the research the Koreans conducted on the nutritional and medicinal benefits of kamote (which they refer to as sweet potato) was impressive.

In that Korean medical documentary, they presented the research findings on people with established health problems who were placed on a kamote/sweet potato diet.

Believe it or not – Sweet Potato (kamote) lowers hypertension, bad cholesterol and even blood sugar when eaten as SUBSTITUTE TO RICE! The purple sweet potato (kamote) is particularly effective for lowering hypertension.
Not only that, the Korean medical documentary credits the sweet potato (kamote) as high fiber and is one of the best foods that one can eat to prevent cancer!

For those who are only impressed by US doctors, read this: the North Carolina Stroke Association, American Cancer Society, and the American Heart Association have all endorsed the sweet potato for its disease prevention and healing qualities.

The Americans, the South Koreans – both progressive nations – have raised the kamote to a high pedestal. Many of them even call the sweet Potato a “super food that heals.”

Here is what George Mateljan, Biologist, nutritionist and author of “The World’s Healthiest Foods” says about the sweet potato. A great source of good nutrition, as sweet potatoes are an Antioxidant-Rich and Anti-Inflammatory Food that is a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, manganese, copper, dietary fiber, Vitamin B6, potassium and iron. Antioxidant food have healing properties that eliminate free radicals that damage cells and membranes associated with the development of conditions like atherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease and colon cancer. Also, the nutrients in sweet potatoes are anti-inflammatory they can be helpful in reducing the conditions where inflammation is the cause of asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The rich Vitamin A content in sweet potatoes helps protect us from cancer and emphysema.