Better Nutrition articles from March 2006

Better Nutrition archives from March 2006

Smells like spring.(discover herbs)(Editorial)
March 1, 2006... We know when the spring thaw begins: Blades of grass peek out from underneath the gray snow. Their tiny green heads have gathered the strength to break through the frozen, granite-like ground so they can feel the sun. Spring is here--the season...

Milk thistle: your liver is your body's detox center. Keeping it healthy is the key reason to reach for this herb.
March 1, 2006... AKA: Silybum marianum, St. Mary's thistle, blessed milk thistle PARTS USED: Seeds, fruits WHAT IT DOES BEST: Milk thistle is increasingly used to promote general health and efficient detoxification, to protect against environmental...

Neem: this living pharmacy could help you ward off nasty bugs--and cancer.(virtual living pharmacy)
March 1, 2006... Imagine a 24-hour pharmacy carrying one natural product--neem. It's not that far-fetched when you take into account that in India the neem tree is known as "the virtual living pharmacy." Upon further investigation, the nickname fits. Every...

Zinc: this hard-working mineral is essential for health. Read on to determine who should be taking it.(women and men)
March 1, 2006... When people think of vitamins and minerals, most focus on whether they're getting enough A, B or C. Too bad. Because zinc is too important to wait until you work through the alphabet to consider it. This essential mineral is found in almost...

The super seed: the benefits of flaxseed are too abundant to pass up. Here's the lowdown on this healthful hero.(otherwise the linseed)
March 1, 2006... Imagine a whole-food supplement that provides proteins, minerals and vitamins, and may help everything from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to blood pressure and digestion. And that's not all: It covers the gamut of "anti" properties...

Ready, set, shop: fill your basket with our March picks.(groceries)(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2006... ADORA CHOCOLATE fuses milk and dark chocolates with 500mg of calcium and vitamins D and K for an antioxidant-rich, 30-calorie snack. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The newest omega-3 supplement from JARROW FORMULAS is EPA-DHA BALANCE with...

Asparagus: these succulent stalks seduced a king. Here's how to serve them up in royal fashion.(medicinal value)
March 1, 2006... Asparagus spears' flavor and reputed medicinal qualities--which ranged from preventing bee stings and aiding heart ailments to acting as an aphrodisiac--caught the fancy of the Greeks and the Romans. Even French monarch Louis XIV's gardener...

Mushrooms: from buttons to shiitakes, these umbrella-shaped fungi should sprout up in your grocery cart.
March 1, 2006... For centuries in Eastern Asia, mushrooms have been enjoyed for their flavor and revered for their medicinal properties. Neither fruit nor vegetable, mushrooms are fungi and come in more than 2,500 varieties. Available year-round, the natural...

Think faster!(brain activity)
March 1, 2006... Your brain contains about 100 billion nerve cells. Each nerve cell is capable of processing up to 1,000 messages per second. Your brain demands a constant supply of nutrients and energy to keep up this pace! These billions of cells form a...

Pomegranate juice: the BN staff puts pomegranate's popularity to the test and finds some juicy ways to get this superfruit's disease-fighting benefits.(beverage and nutrition)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... The pomegranate has titillated taste buds around the world for centuries. But it has recently gained fame for its oh-so-yummy ability to fight free radicals. Pomegranate's health power comes from polyphenols--natural antioxidants that may...

Pick a nut, any nut: these bona fide functional foods are chock-full of nutrients ... now you just have to choose your favorite.
March 1, 2006... Functional foods are all the rage in nutritional labs, but some of the best are made by nature--nuts. Full of macronutrients, such as protein and healthful plant fats, as well as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, nuts are a heart-smart snack...

Why did your last diet fall? It could be pre-menopausal or menopausal weight gain. So if you're over 35 ... and gaining weight in places you've never gained weight before ... you're not alone! But researchers may have just discovered the solution!(Estrin - D, a diet pill)
March 1, 2006... You're a woman. You're gaining weight in places you never gained weight before. And you just can't seem to lose the excess pounds as easy as you used to. Join the Club! You're one of the more than 47 million American women experiencing...

Love your lotion: nourish the skin you're in with natural alternatives to conventional moisturizers.
March 1, 2006... It's hard to know. which is worse: dry, itchy skin or a body slathered in lotion that feels like petroleum jelly. Suffer these extremes no more. Toss out those conventional lotions that leave an oily coat or are laced with chemicals that might...

Special ingredient: licorice root: this sweet-tasting root benefits your body in many ways.
March 1, 2006... The licorice that eased the inflammation of our sore throats when we were young may have soothed any inflammation lurking in our bodies as well. Either way, our parents could breathe easier--especially if they treated themselves too. This...

Gaining control: after years of migraine suffering, one woman faces her needle fears and challenges her spiky headaches.
March 1, 2006... At 22, I started getting migraines. Simultaneously, I had just started taking birth control pills, which a well-meaning family doctor had prescribed to try and ease my menstrual cramps. While I didn't notice a discernable difference in my...

Finding your center: yoga can help you form a better relationship with your body and improve you health, flexibility and tranquility--if you find the right class and instructor. Here's how.
March 1, 2006... A candle was burning in the dimly lit yoga studio as Trisha O'Reilly rolled out her mat and readied herself for the morning yoga class. As she moved through the series of poses. an irritating voice pierced O'Reilly s calm. It belonged to her...

A common mistake that prevents most people from losing weight... and how to avoid it! Have you ever felt tired, bloated and had trouble losing weight? This simple and often overlooked "first step" can help you successfully lose weight and beautifully shape your body, as well as help relieve bloating, constipation and low energy levels ...(SPECIAL ADVERTISING REPORT)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2006... If you have ever unsuccessfully battled any of these health concerns, or others, this may be the most important article you will ever read... Why So Many People Have Trouble Losing Weight Every day when we eat foods, drink water...

The healing kitchen: today, we hear a lot about foods that may ward off disease. Here, BN examines four of them and gives you delicious ways to put them to work for you.(beverages and nutrition)
March 1, 2006... cayenne Capsaicin, the fiery compound that lends cayenne peppers their heat, has been studied extensively for its pain-reducing effects. Capsaicin inhibits a substance that transmits pain to the brain, and topical creams that contain it...

The best herbs you've never heard of: Andrographis, guggul, passionflower and vinpocetine are lurking at a health food store near you. Here's why you should pick them up.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2006... While certain herbs bask in the limelight of consumer appreciation on a near-daily basis--ginseng echinacea. and ginkgo, to name a few--there are other important varieties that have a long history of efficacy and, more recently, the research to...

Buy herbs: use these 5 tips to shop for (and keep) these fragrant cooking helpers.(HOW TO)
March 1, 2006... Want to dress up a dish with dill or mix sweet marjoram into a meal, but get nervous when faced with picking through produce bins for these fragrant leaves? With these four simple shopping tips, plus one keep-fresh trick, you can make...