The Health Diva

Antioxidant Nutrients

Antioxidants are our first line defence against damaging free radicals, the toxins that can cause tissue changes that result in cancer. Antioxidants are substances found in plants that soak up free radicals like sponges. If your body has a diet rich in antioxidants, it can minimize the damage to body tissues, caused by free radicals.

Antioxidants nutrients include Vitamin A, Carotenoids, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Zinc.

Antioxidant rich phytonutrients are found in many super foods such as Acai berries, gogi berries, blueberries, purple corn, green foods, and red wine.

Pycnogenol

Pycnogenol an extract of maritime pine, the healing powers of pine bark have been used for centuries. Rich in bioflavonoid, and procyanadins, Pycnogenol is an amazing antioxidant, helping to protect the body from free radical damage.

Soya Isoflavones

Far Eastern countries that regularly eat soya have noticeably lower levels of several life threatening diseases, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis.

Japanese people often eat an average of 30 grams of soya isoflavones per day, whereas the average European diet contain less than 4mg daily.

Many of the health benefits of soya are derived from several plant oestrogens called isoflavones. The chemical structure of isoflavones is very similar to that of our own oestrogen, however plant oestrogens are gentle and can interact with our human oestrogen receptors, helping to modify the effects of insufficient or excess oestrogen in the body, bring it more into balance, and reduces the health risks of excess oestrogen.

Green Foods

‘Green Foods’ are group of foods that includes young cereal grasses like barley grass and wheat grass, as well a blue-green algae, chlorella, and spirulina. Nutritionally, they are close cousins to dark green leafy vegetables, but offer far greater levels of nutrient density. Concentrated green foods contain much more of the beneficial phytonutrients than found in green leafy vegetables.

The results of many experimental studies show that green foods have marked beneficial effects on skin health, digestion, cholesterol, blood pressure, immune response and cancer prevention.

These effects are attributed in part to their high concentrations of chlorophyll.

Chlorophyll, the phytochemical that gives leaves, plants and algae their green hues, is the plant equivalent of the oxygen-carrying red pigment hemoglobin in red blood cells.

The concentrated levels of plant antioxidant is why green foods have been described as super foods. No mask and cape, but they pack a powerful punch, knocking out free radicals, and helping the body to reduce inflammation.

You can get cereal grasses in powder or tablet form. Dried cereal grasses are certainly easier to handle than fresh, which must be juiced. However, fresh grass juice contains healthful enzymes not found in dried grass powder, and is likely to be higher in just about every phytonutrient found in cereal grass. Many juice bars and health-oriented markets offer these juices on their menus.

Essential Fats

Quality oils and fats are actually essential in maintaining our health and in the prevention of certain chronic diseases – these are the essential fatty acids (EFAs), or good fats.

Evening primrose oil, rich in Omega 6 essential fats, has been found to alleviate cyclic breast pain and tenderness. Women who suffer from breast pain have unusually low concentrations of GLA, the active component found within evening primrose oil.

Evening Primrose Oil has been shown to increase the response to the breast cancer drug Tamoxifen, amongst Patients who took GLA along with Tamoxifen, compared to Tamoxifen treatment alone.

Omega 3 essential fats found in fish and flax also have protective qualities for the breast.

Flax contains lignans, which may have an antioxidant effect and block or suppress cancerous changes. Flax is also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are thought to protect against colon cancer and heart disease. Flax is best taken in combination with Omega 6 essential fats found in Evening Primrose oil.

Fish oils also play a role in reducing the risk of breast cancer. The protective effect of omega-3 fatty acids was first observed in Greenland Eskimo women who seemed to have a strikingly low rate of breast cancer. , These women have a diet that is probably the highest in omega-3 fats of any population to date. The best diet may be when our diet is a balance of Omega 6, GLA, with

Omega 3 essential fats found in fish or flax oils.

Swiss Well Oiled is a perfect blend of essential fatty acids for the whole family. Containing the purest organic blended oils of Flax, Hemp, Sesame, Pumpkin and Evening Primrose. Specifically formulated to provide a complete spectrum of essential fatty acids in the ratio of 2, Omega 3:1, Omega 6:1, Omega 9, with GLA.

Milk Thistle

Milk Thistle helps to support the liver, allowing it to breakdown harmful xeno-oestrogens more effectively.

Early laboratory studies also suggest that silymarin and other active substances in Milk Thistle may have anti-cancer effects. These substances appear to stop cancer cells from dividing and proliferating, shorten their life span, and reduce blood supple to tumours.

Fibre Supplements

Fibre is an important component of a healthy balanced diet. Fibre ensures the removal of toxins from the bowel, and is thought to help to regulate the build up of xeno-osetrogens.

We get fiber from plant-based foods. Current advice says adults should aim for 25-32grams of fiber a day. Most of us eat less than this, and The British Nutrition Foundation puts the average adult intake at 12g. Fibre supplements are a way of ensuring adequate fiber intake.