SPICES PREVENT HEART DISEASE AND PREMATURE AGING?

According to one of my favourite websites (Dr.Mercola) ....THEY DO!!! Check out this article and my comments (in caps) -

Each spice has a unique set of health benefits to offer, but one study, published in the Journal of Medicinal Foods, found a direct correlation between the antioxidant phenol content of many extracts of spices and herbs, and their ability to inhibit glycation and the formation of AGE compounds, making them potent preventers of heart disease and premature aging.
According to this study, the top 10 most potent herbs and spices are:

1.Cloves (ground)

2. Cinnamon (ground)

3. Jamaican allspice (ground) WE IN JAMAICA CALL THIS SPICE PIMENTO

4. Apple pie spice (mixture)

5. Oregano (ground)

6. Pumpkin pie spice (mixture)

7. Marjoram

8. Sage

9. Thyme

10.Gourmet Italian spice

Choosing Spices for Their Medicinal Benefits

However, when it comes to herbs and spices, you really can’t go wrong. You should let your taste dictate your choices, choosing the flavors that appeal most to you. You can also choose spices based on their health effects. For instance, the following herbs and spices are some of the best for building a strong immune system that functions correctly:
Licorice: Buffers the inflammatory response by increasing steroid output by your adrenal glands; a good buffer if your immune system is over responding to the flu.
Turmeric: ORAC (a measure of antioxidant activity) score of 159,277; general immune system booster due to its high antioxidant capacity, and an anticancer agent as well; turmeric is 5 to 8 times stronger than vitamins C and E, and even strong enough to scavenge the hydroxyl radical, which is considered by some to be the most reactive of all oxidant
Oregano:ORAC 13,970; active agent is rosmarinic acid, a strong antioxidant.
Cinnamon: ORAC 267,536; powerful antimicrobial agent -- found to kill E. coli and many other bacteria, and also has anti-inflammatory compounds.
Cloves:The ORAC grand prize winner at 314,446, highest of all foods tested! Contains eugenol and its mild anesthetic benefits are useful for toothaches and sore throats, also a good anti-inflammatory.
The Huffington Post also recently featured a handy list of herbs based on their health benefits:

* Rosemary and basil for their anti-inflammatory power
* Cumin and sage for their dementia-fighting power
* Cayenne and cinnamon for their obesity-fighting power
* Coriander and cinnamon for their sugar regulating powers
* Lemon grass, nutmeg, bay leaves and saffron for their calming effects on your mood
* Turmeric for its cancer fighting power
* Oregano for its fungus-beating power
* Garlic, mustard seed and chicory for their heart-pumping power
* Basil and thyme for their skin-saving power
* Turmeric, basil, cinnamon, thyme, saffron, and ginger for their immune-boosting power
* Coriander, rosemary, cayenne, allspice and black pepper for their depression-busting power

Another Important Reason to Use Spice-Rich Marinades

BBQ season is nearly upon us in the United States, so I wanted to share a quick tip with those of you who plan to fire up the grill soon.
Grilling is really not a healthy way to cook (ideally you should eat your meat raw or very lightly cooked), but for those of you who aren’t ready to give up cooked meat just yet, marinating meats before grilling or broiling them can reduce heterocyclic amines (according to some experts by 90 percent or more).Heterocyclic amines (HAs) form when food is cooked at high temperatures, and they’re linked to cancer. (In terms of HA, the worst part of the meat is the blackened section, which is why you should always avoid charring your meat, and never eat blackened sections). MY FAVOURITE HENCE THE POSITION I`M IN........ NOTHING USED TO MAKE ME HAPPY LIKE SOME BARBEQUED CHICKEN OR STEAK......IN FACT MY FRIEND THAT DIED LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME GOT THE MOTHER OF ALL GRILLS AND HAD A PARTY TO SHOW IT OFF A FEW MONTHS BEFORE SHE DIED.....
So aside from adding some antioxidants to your food, a spice-filled marinade can also help cut down on the harmful substances created during the cooking process. I recommend preparing your own marinades at home, using high-quality herbs and spices and only natural ingredients (and keep the coating thin to avoid charring).

'MERRY CHRISTMAS TO WHO ?' COMES BACK TO HAUNT ME

I TOLD YOU IN MY 'MERRY CHRISTMAS TO WHO' BLOG HOW DEPRESSED I WAS ABOUT LETTERS LIKE THIS AND PERSONS FIGHTING BUT NOT SURVIVING AS THEY WERE TOO BURNT OUT OVER THE YEARS BY CHEMO, AND TOOK UP EATING A CERTAIN WAY AND USING ALTERNATE MEANS AT THE END WHEN IT'S REALLY TOO LATE...I HAD HOPED THAT MY FRIEND HERE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULE.....BUT IT WAS NOT TO BE HE DIED ON APRIL 22ND AFTER AN UNBELIEVABLE FIGHT !
EVEN AFTER HE SENT THIS LETTER HE HELD ON FOR 4 MORE MONTHS............
IN HIS LAST EMAIL TO US I QUOTE "YOUR HEALTH IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO EVERY DAY WHILE YOU ARE ALIVE"

Hello my dear family and friends,

I have reached a point in my illness that has thrown new challenges at me and overwhelming medical conditions to overcome. In fact, the end is rapidly approaching for me due to some serious medical complications. You all know I’m a fighter and I will use the last of my energy over my next days and possibly few weeks to make the best of every last moment I have to live and breathe the sweet air of this beautiful world we live in. You have all been a great source of strength and inspiration for me, and your prayers have been priceless in every way possible to me. My daughter, Tiffany will be helping me tidy up much of my general “day-to-day” computer details that I would ordinarily handle myself.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for being in my life whether by choice or otherwise. We are wrapping up all final details of my personal affairs over the next few days. I am not ready to die… and I don’t feel like giving up, however, there comes a time when we have to start making plans in case tomorrow, literally, does not come. I think I am close to that time.
Thank you and God bless you, and may all your dreams come true in this life time. I also wish you a long and healthy and prosperous life…and to remind you, your health is the single most important thing you should pay attention to every day you are alive.


With much love and respect,

P.S. Upon my death, in lieu of flowers or cards, feel free to contact my daughter......., for more details on the non-profit organization of my choice.

Caffeine

I grew up loving the smell of coffee but not the taste as my mother prepared it with condensed milk so I never discovered its true taste and of course there was always a jar of instant coffee on the table in the mornings and that isn't coffee.....well fast forward to my second husband who says he loves coffee and so I discovered the joys of 'coffee mate' with coffee. What he is, just like my mother is a flavoured coffee drinker.....then Norma Shirley from Norma's restaurants came into my life and showed me what a joy a small cup of well brewed coffee with nothing in it can be .......
I read from time to time the benefits and negative effects of coffee and come back to my favourite mantra "all things in moderation". Nobody should be having 5 cups of coffee per day ,when I finally weaned myself off one cup per day I had headaches for 2 weeks. As to all those caffeine-laced drinks on the market now that have us shaking like we are 100 years old, please be careful people!
Here is what Casey from RawAndFit.com has to say on his addiction to this false sense of energy and what to do about it.

Fast-forward into my college years… Somewhere between exams and partying, I developed a taste for that brown water. It could have been a girlfriend who worked at the coffee shop where I studied who gave me free drinks, or maybe it was the prestige of drinking an espresso after dinner. Whatever the reason, I was hooked.
Over the course of the next 3 years, I was a coffee fanatic! Starbucks, home brewed, McDonalds, double shots of espresso, triple shots of espresso in coffee with heavy cream. It didn’t stop there. Monster Energy Drinks were a favorite of mine when I had to work, then class, then party at night.
Quitting Caffeine for Good! Ever hear of a Monster BFC?
I’d do 2 pounds of sugary caffeine loaded energy soda in the morning for breakfast, then coke with my Jack Daniels at night.
I was a caffeine monster! I couldn’t help myself.
Once I decided to take accountability for my life, I looked into caffeine. Did I really need all that caffeine to stay awake, or was it some sort of cycle that kept me tired and gave me a false sense of energy? Was I just caught up in something that I wasn’t aware of?
Yes. I was addicted.
The next suitable thing to do was to slowly start weaning myself off caffeine. I began to limit my coffee intake to 1 cup a day, slowly dropped out the energy drinks. It took me about a month to be fully caffeine free. It was tough, but well worth it.
That’s something you should do tomorrow. Start focusing on your caffeine intake and start to reduce it.....
We’re talking about giving you REAL, LASTING energy – not some fake alternative.
Trust me, you’ll be a lot happier with the change!

Martina announces she is fighting breast cancer

Just saw a tired little old lady on ABC Good Morning America........turns out I recognized her by her voice - it was Martina Navratilova and there was no need to ask what she was about to announce, her thinner than usual hair gave her away..... breast cancer had come her way.....Stage 3 but she says a non-invasive kind so after her chemo and radiation she should not have a recurrence.
As I listened to her I heard nothing about change of diet....and she has been a poster child for exercise and fitness for a lot of us, so where does that leave us ? Is it true that too much rigorous exercise makes our body acidic ?
I remember when I went against my Holistic practitioner's advice of no strenuous exercise and kick boxing and weights was my enjoyment during my first recovery year....one day I just couldn`t move...talk about body come-down!
I have not slipped again , I walk, I don`t jog.......
Martina looked so vulnerable and as I listened and looked at both of them, one cancer survivor(Robin Roberts) talking to another struggling to survive, it brought to mind my fight with sugar over the weekend........the whole prevention and moderation in all things came to me again..... I who dont like sweet, had a bun attack...Coronation bakery made the most delicious bun this Easter and I went from having a slice on Good Friday to helping my son eat a bun or two over the long weekend....stupid move.... my body now feels like how Martina looks , so I`m on greens and vegetable juices alone this week, here I go .....always repenting after the event......
Stay clear of this thing called cancer people!

China and obesity

I hope you have started watching Food Revolution on ABC..remember there are no negatives in watching, you can only learn and when I saw that the producer was Ryan Seacrest my perception of him was raised immediately!
What is happening in the world of food is so serious........ look at the problems China is now facing since adopting the western diet - Obesity : China's Growing Epidemic- they opened up and businesses like McDonald's came in and with that problems galore.... They have more people so their obesity rate is growing faster than anywhere else in the world........Can you imagine so many fat, lazy young people,couch potatoes by the millions......
After you watch this video - please get up and do even a stretch!