Consider what it takes to eat a healthy diet. Experts often point to fruits, vegetables, legumes, roots, tubers, nuts and other plants as excellent sources of calories and nutrients, ones which often lack the fats and cholesterol associated with processed foods. Recently, researchers found that bees and other pollinating insects are vital to keeping these plants productive.

A study appearing in the journal PLoS ONE found that insects that pollinate crops are responsible for the growth and proliferation of numerous foodstuffs around the globe. By extension, this means that bees and other pollinators are a precious resource, one that ensures the healthy growth of nutrient-providing plants of all types.

"Animal-pollinated crops contain the majority of the available dietary lipid[s], vitamin[s] A, C and E, and a large portion of the minerals calcium, fluoride and iron worldwide," said researchers in Germany and Southern California.

The team warned that without these essential organisms, up to 40 percent of the vitamins and minerals provided by crops could be lost.

When fruits and vegetables do not provide one’s full daily amount of nutrients, vitamin supplements may be able to help.

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If you’re occasionally faced with constipation, diarrhea, bloating, embarrassing gas, heartburn and irritated or uncomfortable bowels, then the importance of regular elimination can be the answer to achieving optimal digestive health.

When you can’t properly empty your bowels, you could experience damage to every cell, gland and organ in your body. Even worse, without regular, daily elimination and colon maintenance, your bloodstream and lymph system may become overloaded, and unable to efficiently detoxify.

According to world-renowned British physician Dennis Burkitt, M.D., African tribesmen experienced a rapid bowel transit time of four to six hours compared to 60 to 90 hours for to people eating a traditional Western diet. Burkitt discovered the tribesman consistently experienced:

• Healthier bowels
• Stronger hearts
• Powerful digestive systems
• Regular elimination

What’s their secret for regular and healthy bowel movements? Fiber. According the American Dietetic Association, most Americans consume only 12 to 17 grams (g) of fiber daily but the recommended amount for women is 25 g and for men is 38 g.

Fiber is either soluble or insoluble, and both promote a whistle-clean colon and digestive system. While insoluble fiber moves bulk through your intestines and pushes out toxins with your waste… soluble fiber helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels and boost cardiovascular health.

So how can you boost your fiber intake? Try to increase your consumption of fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, beans and whole grains. Also look for quality supplements containing cascara sagrada, senna leaf extract, black walnut bark and slippery elm bark.

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Millions of Americans rely on certain products and remedies to help boost their heart health. But troublesome side effects from some of these products cause as many as three-quarters of people to look for alternatives. In his book, The Hidden Truth about Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs, former pharmaceutical company chemist Shane Ellison says the first step toward supporting heart health is “engaging in healthy lifestyle habits, not popping pills.”

Ellison recommends adopting these daily habits:

• Abstain from sugar and artificial sweeteners
• Quit smoking—or don’t start
• Exercise moderately
• Eat more leafy, green vegetables every day
• Drink more purified water
• Limit milk consumption to moderate amounts of milk
• Eat walnuts, coconut oil or freshwater salmon for omega-3 fatty acids
• Minimize refined grains
• Lose body fat

These all can help boost heart health and circulation, which can be further promoted with the addition of the enzyme nattokinase to your daily regimen. Discovered by the Japanese more than 1,000 years ago, this enzyme can help safely and naturally eliminate protein buildup—and support healthy blood flow from head to toe. In one scientific study, 173 coagulated blood samples were exposed to various nutrients, but results indicate nattokinase was the only nutrient able to successfully break down the clotted blood.

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Foods can impact your overall health and well-being. Most Americans consume a high-acid diet full of fatty meats, chicken, turkey, pasta, cheese and hundreds of processed food items. This diet can ruin your body’s alkaline balance and actually impact cellular health throughout your entire body.

You need to reverse the acid overload and return to an alkaline state to optimally support the following areas of health:

• Circulation
• Joints and muscles
• Regular heartbeats
• Flexible veins and arteries
• Energy
• Aging

Here’s a simple way to determine your acid/alkaline status. Take special test strips that measure pH and dip them in your saliva or urine. Using the color of the strip once exposed to your bodily fluid, you can determine your levels with a special acid/alkaline chart. The scale ranges from zero to 14, with the lowest being the most acidic and the highest being the most alkaline. For optimum health, you should aim for a 7.5 measurement.

If you find you are more acidic, foods can help regulate your alkaline balance. Alkaline foods include vegetables, fruits, tofu, goat’s milk, soy products, nuts, seeds, whey protein powder, mineral water and green tea. Acid-forming foods to avoid include fatty meats, dairy products, artificial sweeteners and sugars, processed foods, starchy beans and vegetables, soda drinks, beer, wine and white breads.

By consuming a diet made of 80 percent alkaline foods and 20 percent acid-forming foods while drinking at least eight glasses of alkaline water daily, you should see an improvement in your health in no time.

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Under normal conditions your prostate should be about the size and shape of a walnut… and it’s responsible for providing fluid for semen… moistening the lining of your urethra… and protecting sperm from the acidic environment of the vagina and cervix.

For optimal prostate health, research shows that the berries from the saw palmetto plant can help maintain healthy urine flow and maintain prostate structure. In fact, this herb might reduce your chances of age-related male pattern baldness or even mild acne. So how does it work? Saw palmetto helps prevent testosterone from changing to a harmful form called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It also blocks the effects of certain hormone receptors—which can promote normal cell growth.

Other helpful nutrients that have been shown to promote prostate health include red clover, pumpkin seed, lycopene, zinc and selenium.

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One of the unfortunate drawbacks of aging includes the appearance of distended, unsightly veins, which are caused by dilated blood vessels. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that one out of two people over the age of 50 will experience the effects of visible veins, and they’re more common for women than men.

In fact, the NIH reveals there are various forms of distended or engorged veins that can occur in areas throughout the body. The Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine indicates they may be visible just under the surface of the skin as swollen, twisted clusters of blue or purple veins. Other types of visible veins may be thin red capillaries that branch out from the main veins.

Fortunately, there are many natural methods for supporting vascular health and easing the appearance of unsightly, distended veins. The NIH recommends these helpful tips to keep your veins and arteries healthy and flowing freely:

• Exercise regularly with low-impact activities such as walking, swimming or biking, which can all help improve circulation.
• Wear loose clothing to prevent circulation interruption. Specially designed stockings and socks can also be worn to help boost vascular health.
• Elevate your legs after long periods of standing or sitting.
• Promote healthy circulation when sitting by placing your feet firmly on the floor. By crossing your legs for extended periods or dangling your lower legs you risk cutting off your circulation.
• Maintain a healthy weight to avoid added pressure on your legs.

One surprising natural remedy for unsightly, distended veins may be increased consumption of pineapple and its juice. This fruit contains high levels of the enzyme bromelain that can help reduce inflammation, promote normal fluid distribution in the body, and support integrity of your veins and vessels, according to Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

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Some inflammation in your body is good—to help support your immune system. But when your joints are stiff and you ache from head to toe—it could be a sign that you’re experiencing less-than-optimal joint, bone and muscle health.

A new study of people with joint health issues shows a key enzyme called activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) could be produced within the joint itself. Researchers hope to develop future therapies to stop the production of this enzyme before it can contribute to an unbalanced inflammatory response. Results were published in PLoS Medicine.

New solutions are needed because current options intended to address joint health may be linked to an increase in various unwanted side effects.

But you don’t have to wait for relief—not when you can experience the effects of BioCell Collagen II^®. This is one of the most advanced natural forms of collagen available.

This unique combination of nutrients includes:

• Hydrolyzed collagen type II—the main building block of joint cartilage.
• Chondroitin sulfate—a powerful inflammation-balancing agent and cartilage protector.
• Hyaluronic acid—one of the most essential nutrients needed to provide relief and lubrication for your joints.

So do something about it now and get all-natural relief for your joints, bones and muscles.

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You already know your body needs fuel to work properly—and your heart is no exception. Without proper fuel, your heart can struggle to perform at its peak. And if you think you’re getting enough fuel and nutrients from your diet alone to energize your heart, then you could be at risk.

As you get older, illness and stress can affect your heart as significantly as nutrition. When your heart can’t keep pace with your body’s needs for oxygen and nutrients, you may experience:

• Occasional swelling in your feet or ankles
• Weight gain from fluid retention
• Increase in urination
• Lung health issues
• Low energy and decreased stamina

To avoid these health issues, you should nourish your heart with the right kind of fuel—and that means getting more coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). This super nutrient is the “energy switch” that sparks all 100 trillion of your body’s cells and helps keep them fueled for optimal performance.

When you were younger, your body made its own CoQ10. But as you get older, your ability to produce natural CoQ10 significantly decreases. Without enough CoQ10, you could experience less-than-optimal heart health.

The exciting news is that you can restore your natural levels of CoQ10 through supplementation and maximize your heart health. Plus, you’ll also be keeping your circulation flowing to deliver nourishing blood to every cell in your body.

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Certain popular products and remedies are a major cause of less-than-optimal liver function, yet most people are unaware of the real dangers associated with them. According to Melissa Palmer, M.D., there are more than 1,000 remedies and chemicals that are capable of impacting the health of the liver and these products account for at least 40 percent of all instances of less-than-optimal liver health.

In order to help boost your liver function, look for these powerful naturally supportive nutrients…

• Milk thistle—This well-known plant is the ultimate liver supporter and detoxifier. Mountains of scientific research found it turbocharges your liver’s abilities to sweep out toxins… helps fight off the damage of free radicals and promote a balanced inflammatory response… and keeps your liver strong and healthy.
• Artichoke leaf—This ancient, medicinal plant has been found in scientific studies to help stimulate bile, detoxify your liver, support your cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism and protect your body from unwanted toxins.
• N-acetyl cysteine (NAC)—One of the best researched amino acids, NAC has been proven to help protect your liver from the damages of chemical metabolites… sweep out toxins, heavy metals and bacterial byproducts … and promote a balanced inflammatory response.
• Chinese skullcap—Prized by Chinese natural doctors for more than 2,000 years, this amazing plant has been shown to promote a normal, balanced inflammatory response… and may support metabolism of cholesterol in your liver.

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Most people may not realize that the digestive process actually starts in your mouth when enzymes in your saliva start to break down food particles into their component nutrients for optimum absorption. The food is then swallowed and carried by the esophagus to the stomach. However, if you don’t have balanced levels of hydrochloric acid (HCl) to properly digest your food, then you could suffer from annoying digestive discomfort.

Low levels of HCl could lead to intermittent heartburn, indigestion, bloating, diarrhea, upset stomach, embarrassing gas and occasional constipation. And taking typical antacids and other popular acid remedies only lower the acid levels in your stomach temporarily. HCl is necessary for digestion. By reducing stomach acid, these products greatly reduce your stomach’s ability to digest food..

According to Better Nutrition magazine, you need beneficial HCl stomach acid for two reasons:

1. You need acid in your stomach because it helps maintain healthy bacterial balance and stimulates enzymes to break down the foods you eat.
2. If you reduce the acidity in the stomach, your body will automatically start producing more acid.

Plus, many antacids contain an abundance of minerals such as sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate, magnesium and aluminum, which can cause problems for people over 50 when taken in high amounts.

To ensure maximum digestive health, be sure to include HCl in your dietary regimen, plus other beneficial enzymes and nutrients such as L-glutamic acid, amylases, proteases and lipases.

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Estrogen dominance is a frequent health concern for both men and women. An overabundance of estrogen is associated with a variety of health concerns in men and women such as weight gain—especially belly fat, hot flashes, uncomfortable menopausal symptoms, vaginal dryness and reduced sexual desire, bloating and water retention, occasionally irregular or skipped menstrual cycles, poor sexual performance,  and breast tenderness… just to name a few.

However, a nutrient called di-indole methane (DIM) has been shown to help reduce the symptoms of estrogen dominance without the side effects associated with other commonly recommended products. Di-indole methane (DIM) is a natural plant nutrient found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage. 

As DIM balances the good estrogen metabolites, it simultaneously regulates the levels of bad estrogen metabolites, which include the 16-hydroxy estrogen. The bad estrogen metabolites are influenced by obesity and exposure to many commercial and household chemicals. 

DIM promotes balanced estrogen metabolism in a direction favoring production of healthy estrogen metabolites, resulting in increased production of testosterone and progesterone. And in doing so, DIM helps eliminate the concern of estrogen dominance that plagues both women and men.

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When you can’t properly empty your bowels, you could experience damage to every cell, gland and organ in your body. Even worse, without regular, daily elimination and colon cleansing, your bloodstream and lymph system may become overloaded with toxins, chemicals and rotting waste.

If you continue to experience constipation, diarrhea, bloating, embarrassing gas, heartburn and irritable bowels then the importance of regular, clockwork elimination can be the answer to your painful digestive problems.

According to world-renowned British physician Denis Burkitt, M.D., African tribesmen experienced a rapid bowel transit time of four to six hours compared to 60 to 90 hours for people eating a traditional Western diet. Burkitt discovered the tribesman consistently experienced:

• Healthier bowels
• Stronger hearts
• Powerful digestive systems
• Regular elimination

What’s their secret for regular and healthy bowel movements? Fiber. According to the American Dietetic Association, most Americans consume only 12 to 17 grams (g) of fiber daily although the recommended dose is 75 g.

Fiber is either soluble or insoluble, and both promote a whistle-clean colon and digestive system. While insoluble fiber moves bulk through your intestines and pushes out toxins with your waste, soluble fiber helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels and boost cardiovascular health.

So how can you boost your fiber intake? Try to increase your consumption of fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, beans and whole grains. Also look for quality supplements containing cascara sagrada, senna leaf extract, black walnut bark and slippery elm bark.

More »

Krill is a shrimp-like crustacean that abounds in the ocean. The reason krill oil is more effective than other marine oils is the amount of omega-3 fatty acids, phospholipids and extremely potent antioxidants it contains. It’s the unique combination of these essential ingredients that provide the greatest health benefits.

Omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce the symptoms associated with joint pain, high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, poor memory and mood swings. Hundreds of scientific studies have clinically proven the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids found in all-natural krill oil. Here are just a few of the results…

Canadian researchers from the University of Montreal found that omega-3s derived from krill oil significantly reduced several key risk factors for high cholesterol.

In Japan, the incidence of cerebral brain problems has been found to be inversely proportional to blood levels of omega-3s. This means the higher the omega-3s, the less risk of brain problems. And the levels of omega-3s in the Japanese are generally 10 times higher than in Americans, thanks to a diet high in fish and krill.

A review published by the United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) evaluated the impact of omega-3 fats on age-related memory loss. The report found that consuming omega-3 fats contributed to a significant reduction in age-related memory loss.

Boosting your intake of healthy omega-3 fats can help you soothe your minor joint aches… promote healthy blood sugar balance… promote healthy heart and brain function… improve memory and “senior moments”… support healthy cholesterol levels… promote healthy blood pressure… provide healthy support for PMS symptoms… and promote healthy mood levels.

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for your diet—and should be supplemented since your body doesn’t produce them on its own.

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Acid overload, or unbalanced alkalinity, can lead to a weakened heart and decreased circulation… irregular digestion and bowel movements… joint and muscle aches… increased fatigue levels… decreased sexual performance and desire… and accelerated aging. Why do we continue to ignore the importance of alkaline balance in our cells and tissues? We take care of our major organs such as the heart and the brain, right? This health concern is just as important because acid/alkaline imbalance is the ultimate root cause of most all your health issues.

Your body works at its best when you’re in alkaline and acid balance. The pH, or “potential of hydrogen”, is a measure of the relative acidity or alkalinity of a solution. A pH of 7 is a perfectly neutral pH; from 0 to 7 indicates acidity; and from 7 to 14 indicates alkalinity. You want to fall somewhere in the middle around 7 or 7.5.

If you suffer from a pH imbalance, it can:

• Thicken your blood and increase your risk of heart problems.
• Block vitamin absorption and starve your body of essential nutrients.
• Create toxic buildup in clogged cells.
• Slow down organ function and make you feel sluggish and weak.
• Prevent proper digestion and create excess gas and bloating.
• Cause unhealthy weight gain.
• Speed the aging process and make you look and feel older.

In order to reduce your acidity, you need to avoid acid-forming foods like animal meats, processed foods, fried foods, refined sugars, pasteurized dairy products and white flour products. Instead try to add more nutritious alkaline foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans and other foods high in fiber. If you follow the 80/20 rule, where you consume 80 percent alkaline foods and only 20 percent acid-forming foods, you should see a difference in your pH balance.

So don’t worry—your pH level is not permanent. You can make smarter choices with food and learn to balance acidic foods with alkaline ones to get your whole body in tip-top shape.

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Alzheimer’s disease is NOT a normal part of aging, but the risk of getting it does increase with age. For example, researchers estimate that about 3 percent of men and women between ages 65 and 74 have Alzheimer’s disease. This increases to 10 percent by age 80 and nearly 30 percent for those ages 85 and older.

Early symptoms differ by individual, as well as day-to-day. Some signs may be so subtle that they may go unnoticed by family or friends, while others will become increasingly obvious over time. To help determine if you or a loved one has early warning signs of memory loss, the Alzheimer’s Association has developed the following checklist of 10 common symptoms:

• Memory loss
• Difficulty performing familiar tasks
• Problems with language
• Disorientation to time and place
• Poor or decreased judgment
• Problems with abstract thinking
• Misplacing things
• Changes in mood or behavior
• Changes in personality
• Loss of initiative

But there are effective supplements to help preserve your memory for decades to come. Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a naturally occurring phospholipid nutrient. It is essential for optimum cell functions in your body, but it is most concentrated in the brain, making up nearly 70 percent of our brain cell membranes. 

As medical research suggests, PS supplementation can help individuals maintain membrane integrity and youthful synaptic activity. By raising the PS supply to the brain, you can boost brain power, mood, learning ability, the ability to tolerate stress and much more.

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