Healthy Life For us

2013 Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 About this time every year the Environmental Working Group releases their latest list of foods highest and lowest in pesticide residue. This week I want to share with you their updated lists for 2013. They have again expanded the Dirty Dozen with a Plus category to highlight two crops -- kale and collard greens.  According to the EWG, these vegetables "did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen criteria but were commonly contaminated with highly toxic organophosphate insecticides. These insecticides are toxic to the nervous system and have been largely removed from agriculture over the past decade. But they are not banned and still show up on some food crops." Here are EWG's updated lists for 2013: Dirty Dozen: Apples Celery Cherry Tomatoes Cucmbers Hot Peppers Nectarines Peaches Potatoes Spinach Strawberries Bell Peppers Plus: Kale/Collard Green Summer Squash Clean 15: Asparagus Avocados Cabbage Cantaloupe Corn Eggplant Grapefruit Kiwi ...

4 September, 2008 While many foods contain quercetin, the apple is an excellent source of this substance, and provides fiber too. The apple contains many nutrients for health.  You can get your copy of  our special report on Apples and Nutrition which can be sent to you once you donate to our non-profit parent organization via our donation button - More about apples Substance Found In Fruits And Vegetables Reduces Likelihood Of The Flu ScienceDaily (2008-09-03) -- Mice given quercetin, a naturally occurring substance found in fruits and vegetables, were less likely to contract the flu. The study also found that stressful exercise increased the susceptibility of mice to the flu, but quercetin canceled out that negative effect. Quercetin, a close chemical relative of resveratrol, is present in a variety of fruits and vegetables, including red onions, grapes, blueberries, tea, broccoli and red wine. ...  read full article

Just as I finished posting the following article about vitamins I received a new FLASH from MedPage about just how bad vitamin E and selenium are for you.  Of course the study showed no specific type of vitamin E or selenium, but the type does make a difference. In a similar vein the correct type and dose of vitamin E will prevent and reverse cardiovascular disease  and it can help lung disease by allowing more oxygen to cross in to the blood from the lungs, and it can prevent hair loss with chemotherapy. In a more balanced and fair presentation this popped up on my screen today - Health Forensics offers drug interaction and nutrient depletion reports The M.D.: So what's the risk of taking that medication? What to consider when reading drug companies' mandated lists of side effects, which can be hard to understand or overwhelming. By Valerie Ulene, Special to the Los Angeles Times October 10, 2011 It's getting harder for me to deny that I've reached middle age, a...