Beating Candidiasis: 10 Diet and Whole Food Multivitamin Tips

Candidiasis can be such a frustrating disease. For those who are predisposed to yeast infections, and especially for those who are on long term antibiotics (such as for acne), or the contraceptive pill, they can be a daily part of life. Today we are looking at some strategies for getting rid of those nasty little bugs, and taking control of your body back, including diet tips and fungal defense complexes.

1. Avoid sugar. Yeast needs simple sugars to survive, so in addition to doing your pancreas and liver a favor, cutting down on the sugar will starve those little yeast organisms.
2. Avoid yeast. Eating white bread, white flour products that have been 'risen', crackers, pastries, etc will only put more yeast back into your body … and you want them OUT!
3. Avoid alcohol. Beer is not the only drink that is made with brewer's yeast - again, you don't want to put more yeast in your body when you're trying to get rid of it!
4. Avoid fruit juices and fruits. Fruit does have lots of essential nutrients, buit it also has a high percentage of natural, simple sugars. You'll be feeding the colonies.
5. Avoid coffee and tea. Pau de arco tea is the only exception to this - even green tea and herbal tea is sometimes seen to contribute to candida proliferation.
6. Avoid chlorinated tap water. This ultra-sterile environment may help the candida colonies grow - tap water can contain natural probiotics that will help outcompete the candida.
7. Avoid old leftovers. You can freeze any dinner that you don't eat, but if something has been in the fridge for more than three days after being cooked, it is a breeding ground for yeast.
8. Fungus foods like mushrooms and blue cheese should be avoided.
9. Peanut butter - it seems that candida likes this as much as kids do! You can use almond butter in place of peanut butter, for a lovely flavor and more nutrients.
10. Take a fungal defense holistic capsule as often as directed. Look for one that is made from organic vitamins and minerals, and has fermented whole foods.

Is Bottling the Answer to the Water Dilemma?

To answer the question posed by today's blog title … NO! If you are wondering why bottled water is certainly not the solution to the problems that our tap water often has, keep reading. We know that tap water is often filled with low levels of agricultural chemicals, chlorine, and various organic pollutants. We also believe that this low level chemical exposure is a huge contributor to degenerative diseases that proliferate in our society … completely negating the good effects of all those organic vitamins that you are taking! Today we give you six reasons why bottled water is not the answer to the water dilemma, but filtration is.

1. It takes three bottles of water to make one bottle of water
   The water input come in the processing, waste, manufacturing of the plastic to hold it, and transport. Seems crazy to keep drinking such a wasteful substance!
2. Bottled water is TERRIBLE value
   Bottled water costs thousands of times what water from the tap does. However, there are no guarantees that it is any purer or fresher than what comes out of your tap! In many cases, all he bottler does is put a label on it and do some marketing to give the impression that it is purer … but doesn’t actually filter anything. You aren't helping your body or assisting your organic vitamins by buying bottled water.
3. Bottled water creates garbage
   Even if you faithfully recycled all of your water bottles, there would still be resources in the form of energy and water needed to melt them back down and convert them into another usable form. If you don't recycle, your water bottles end up as landfill or litter. Given that there are 60 million of them in movement on any given day in the US alone, this is no small problem.
4. If we spent equaivalent money on public water systems instead of bottled water, we would have much more efficient solutions
   Buying bottled water puts your dollars in the hands of those that least need it. It might not feel like, it but it would actually be more sensible to donate what you would have spent on bottled water to your water authority.
5. Bottled water has contaminants, too
   There are no regulations, either state or federal, that require bottled water to be better, cleaner or safer than tap water. It must meet minimum standards, of course … but so must your tap water!a

If you want to make a difference in your body, buying a water filtration system is the best way to support all your other organic vitamins and healthy activities. Bottled water is a waste of money and resources!

Why Are Supercritical Supplements So Good?

If you've stumbled across the New Chapter range of whole food multivitamins and organic vitamins, you are probably also wondering about the "Supercritical" label that many of them have. Many people take it to mean that the supplement is one of the most critical elements of their diet … and while this can be true of the nutrients these little pills contain, it isn’t the intended meaning! Today we take a look at exactly what supercriticality is, and some of the products that utilize this technology and extraction method.

What is a supercritical fluid?

Rather like the superheroes of old, who were not quite man, not quite monster, supercritical fluids are stuck between two physical states. The critical point represents that highest pressure and highest temperature at which a substance can exist as a liquid and vapor in equilibrium. Above a certain pressure things trend towards being solid, while above a certain temperature they trend towards becoming liquid, then vapour -- think water turning to steam as it heats up.

However, there is a magical point at which something can be a solid, liquid and gas all at once. There is also a temperature and pressure range above which a substance is considered supercritical, and has the properties of both liquids and gases, both dissolving other materials and diffusing through solids.

What does supercritical mean with supplements?

It doesn’t actually mean that the organic vitamins exist in a supercritical state, partway between solid and gas … although that would be a neat trick! It means that their ingredients are obtained by supercritical extraction -- that a herb is taken to its supercritical zone to distill a substance from it.

What are the benefits of supercritical extraction?

It is the gentlest way to extract vitamins and minerals from a herb, and means that chemical solvents don't have to be used in the process.

What are some examples of supercritical supplements?

New Chapter has the market in supercritical supplements pretty much tied up! Check out some of their products if you want to see what difference taking supercritical, rather than ordinary, supplements could make to how you feel. Their range includes:

1. Supercritical DHA 100
2. Supercritical DHA 100
3. Supercritical Holy Basil
4. Supercritical Omega
5. Supercritical Stress Advantage Stress Take Care
6. Supercritical Antioxidants

6 Quick Facts About Bone Health

Our bones really do tend to get used and abused .. .even if they are never broken! They tend to be ignored until there is a problem with them -- while plenty of people do preventive cardiovascular exercise, they try to take care of their livers by not drinking alcohol or eating too much meat, and we are very protective of our skins, our bones just don't get that same focus. Today we take a quick overview of bone health at all stages of life, perhaps telling you something you didn’t know about the strategies and whole food multivitamins that can help ensure your bones stay healthy and strong!

1. Did you know the teen years are actually the most important ones in the prevention of osteoporosis? If you have a healthy diet and exercise pattern as a teenager, your peak bone mass grows, and you'll be able to get better effects from weight-bearing exercise andwhole food multivitamins.
2. Eating disorders can ruin your bone health. One unfortunate and long-lasting side effect of eating disorders is the leaching of calcium from your bones, through malnutrition.
3. Dairy products are a good source of calcium, but supplements aren’t always. If you hate milk or are lactose intolerant, be aware of how much calcium you take as a supplement. Taking too much calcium can actually cause it to leach from your bones -- not the desired effect!
4. The greatest calcium intake is usually required during the reproductive years. Between the ages of 20 and 45, there is no excuse for ignoring your bone strength!
5. Weight bearing exercise is critical for increasing bone strength. When you put pressure on your bones, they form tiny, tiny tears and fractures. When these heal, they are stronger than the previous bone was. When you're doing cardio, make sure you do plenty of jogging as well as swimming.
6. You should also make sure you get enough vitamin D to support calcium's role in maintaining strong bones. You get vitamin D from sunshine, so if you have an indoor job you may suffer during the winter months. Always be sun smart, though -- 10 minutes sunshine a day on your face and hands will get you plenty of vitamin D.

Boffin Update: What Science is Doing With Maitake New Chapter Mushrooms

Japanese people have been widely studied in the past several decades, with their seeming natural resistance to many of the common diseases of the Western world. Diet has been found to be an enormous factor in this good health, and as such, scientists have been studying traditional Japanese foods to see how their active ingredients work in the body. Now whole food supplements are incorporating them, including New Chapter organic supplements like Maitake caps and Maitake extract. Today we are doing a scientific rundown of the findings of various studies about maitake mushrooms and their effect on health.

Sugar from Maitake studied for antitumor effects

The department of microbial chemistry at Kobe Pharmaceutical Univeristy found the a polysaccharide (sugar) from maitake mushrooms, also known by their botanical name of grifola frondosa, has antitumor properties. It does this by promoting expression of mRNA in the spleen, as well as enhancing the cytotoxic (cell death, usually cancer cells), of natural killer cells.

Maitake for gastric cancer

This study was done at Tottori University in Japan, in the Division of organ pathology. A water-soluble extract of maitake mushrooms was studied in vitro on four different cell lines of human gastric cancer. A particular type of gastric cancer cell, TMK-1 cells, showed 90% inhibition after treatment with a 10% solution of maitake extract for only 3 days. Of course, in vivo tests will be needed to discover whether this can be translated to use in the body.

Chromium enriched grifola frondosa could be useful for insulin-resistance

Insulin resistance is an important precursor to type II diabetes, one of the biggest killers in the west. Maitake extract, at least of a chromium enriched kind used in this Sichuan University study, could help lower insulin resistance. Mice that were fed the chromium enriched grifola frondosa (CEGF), showed significantly improved glucose disposal rates.

Maitake helps natural killer cells to kill

A study at Kobe Pharmaceutical University has found that maitake mushrooms have an enhancing effect on the action of NK cells, natural killer cells, which are an important component of a strong immune system. D-Fraction, which is a sugar extracted from maitake caps like in the New Chapter organic supplement, can also activate macrophages, dendritic cells and T-cells, as well as inhibiting the growth of tumor cells.

It seems that cancer and insulin resistance are two of the most important potential treatments incorporating maitake … watch this space!

Micronutrients and Whole Food Vitamins

Taking care of our bodies helps us to stay healthy as we age. We know that eating right and exercising can help our bodies to stay healthy. The only problem is, that many of us lead very busy lives and it is hard to get the proper nutrition that our bodies need on a daily basis. Face it; we have all had those days when the only thing we have time to eat is a burger from a fast food restaurant or a doughnut and some coffee at the office. Living on a diet made up of processed foods is not good for our bodies. This is where taking whole food supplements can help give our bodies the nutrition that they so desperately need to function properly.

Taking whole food vitamins can help keep our bodies healthy when we are not always able to eat right. Whole food supplements are made from whole foods not synthetics like many of the other multivitamins on the market. These supplements are made from whole foods that contain micronutrients. Micronutrients are found in fruits and vegetables. They work with the other vitamins that are contained within a whole food to give the body optimal benefits. These nutritional benefits are lost when taking an isolated vitamin alone.

There are also many options that companies are now offering their customers when choosing whole food vitamins. Some are 100% vegan and others are only made with only organic fruits and vegetables. Both still contain micronutrients and are a good choice. Vitamin Code is a great vegan multivitamin brand and Garden of Life supplements make wonderful organic whole food vitamins.

Isolated vitamins and other synthetic multivitamins can irritate the stomach when taken without food. A whole food multivitamin does not irritate the stomach and can be taken on an empty stomach. This is because the body processes the whole food supplements the same way it breaks down any other type of food that is digested. This can be beneficial for those that suffer from stomach or digestive tract problems.

By taking whole food supplements can help all of us get the micronutrients, vitamins and minerals that we need. With not all of us being able to eat healthy every day, taking organic whole food vitamins can help us get the nutrition that our bodies need. Taking good care of our selves will help many of us live a long and healthy life.

Making a Healthy Resolution

The first day of January is when many of us make our resolutions for the year. Unfortunately many of us make resolutions that are not realistic to stick to for a few months, let alone a whole year. This year, try to make a few small ones that will make a big difference in you over all health. One resolution that I have made was to start taking vitamins and supplements everyday in order to help my body get the vitamins and minerals that it needs to stay healthy.

I did a little research and consulted a nutritionist on what I need to be taking to help improve my over all health. With many of us having different health and nutritional needs, it was important to me to find the right supplements and brands that I should be taking. For me, takingorganic whole food supplements was the right choice. I found that this type of multivitamin would help my body to stay healthy. After all, many of us do not have enough time to exercise or eat right on a daily basis. By taking a product that was all natural also made me feel better about what I was putting in my body. The Garden of Life products were the perfect brand for my health and nutritional needs.

After deciding to start taking the Garden of Life supplements, I then decided that not only was taking vitamins for my body a great way to start improving my health, that I wanted to do something healthy for my skin. I found many great natural skin care products that would help my skin to become healthier too. By taking care of my inner body by taking vitamins, I should also be taking care of my outer appearance. TheMyChelle skin care products were just what I needed to take better care of my skin. This has made a big difference in how my skin reacts to all the environmental stresses that can make our skin look dull or dry.

Just by taking a few small steps can help one to stick to that resolution all year round. Not only will you be doing something healthy for your body everyday, you will start to feel better. By doing small things for my health has helped me to stay on track and not to break my resolutions this year.