Your questions answered for the week of June 4th

Why are apples good for you?

Apples are packed with beneficial substances, such as pectin (a type of soluble fiber that helps lower artery-damaging LDL cholesterol), vitamin C, and other phytochemicals that may prevent heart disease, certain cancers, and also alleviate symptoms of allergies and asthma.  Eat apples raw for vitamin C and antioxidant power to improve the immune system’s ability to fight off infections.  For pectin, it’s best to cook the apples for the release of pectin when the apple’s cell walls soften as they cook.  Use unpeeled apples so you benefit from the insoluble fiber which adds bulk to stools, eases elimination and promotes satiety as well.

-Rebekah K.

Considering today’s fast paced lifestyle, many eat a lot of fast food and other fatty items.  What’s a good way to naturally detox your body and get rid of the harmful agents in those foods?

Fast food and packaged foods are packed with sugar, sodium, chemicals and fat.  A majority of people are used to eating highly processed foods on a regular basis.  Your body has its own natural detoxifying process through the liver and kidneys.  They process chemicals and eliminate them in sweat, urine, and feces.  The colon’s natural bacterium detoxifies food wastes and its mucus membranes prevent bacteria and toxins from re-entering the body.  There are many detox diets and products available but many are so restrictive you can’t maintain them for long, any weight that is a loss is from fluid or muscle loss and long-term use of detox diet/products can cause harm.  Eating clean which is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and complex carbs and staying away from man-made foods can be a major transition and natural detox for a majority of people due to addictions to sugar, white bread, and fast food.  Increased consumption of water, herb teas, fruits, and vegetables and other fiber rich foods and reducing consumption of fats, red meats and milk products will also help you detoxify naturally.  Adding fiber will help the body detox by promoting regularity. 

·         Water helps detoxify by cleaning us through our skin and kidneys and it improves our sweating with exercise. 

·         Exercise improves our metabolism and helps us overall with our efforts to detoxify naturally. 

·         Aloe Vera juice helps detoxify the bowel, neutralize stomach acidity and relieve constipation and gastric ulcers.

·         Apples contain pectin fiber that is great for your gut and detoxifying.

·         Artichokes are a liver-cleansing food.

·         Arugula, watercress, and dandelion greens help protect against toxins and help us detoxify.

·         Broccoli contains sulfur compounds that assist in detoxifying the body.

·         Carrot juice detoxifies.

·         Cauliflower activates detoxification enzymes in the liver, which disarm carcinogenic molecules and helps remove them from the cells.

·         Garlic helps detoxify heavy metals from the body.

-Eric C.