Nutritional health is achieved through the therapeutic use of whole foods, safe culinary preparation, and understanding the metabolic impacts of specific dietary frameworks and ingredients.
Herbal teas are derived from the leaves, roots, flowers and other parts of plants. While some herbal teas may have sour or bitter tastes, reflecting their level of acidity or alkalinity, once they are digested and assimilated, the vast majority have an alkalizing effect.
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Dandelion, a taproot perennial that grows prodigiously throughout Europe, Asia and North America, is considered a bane of many gardeners and a boon to herbalists and health enthusiasts. All parts of the dandelion are edible, including the leaves, roots and flowers, and some parts are considered medicinal.
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Soursop, a large fruit weighing five pounds or more, is native to tropical America. High in vitamins B and C, soursop has an acidic flavor, and its juice is used in cold drinks and frozen fruit recipes.
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Your nervous system relies on certain nutrients to keep it functioning at optimal efficiency. Prolonged stress can leave you in a nutritionally depleted state with imbalances or deficiencies in these substances that can lead to nerve damage, poor nerve conduction, or physical or mental irritability.
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Fruit and vegetable juices combine high nutritional value and convenience in a range of delicious flavors. Many juices, including grape juice and apple juice, contain phytonutrients in addition to vitamins and minerals that add to their health-appeal and offer cholesterol-lowering benefits.
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Beet greens and radish greens are not only safe to eat, they are packed with nutritional value. Both are hardy plants that are easy to grow. You might even want to grow them primarily for their leaves, which can be harvested gradually as the plant matures.
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Myelin, a fatty substance, insulates your nerves and makes nerve impulse conduction faster and more efficient. Trauma and some health conditions can degrade or damage myelin.
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Endorphins are natural substances that your brain manufactures to control pain and stress levels. A variety of foods contain certain building blocks from which endorphins and compounds that promote the production of endorphins are made.
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Cortisol, a hormone produced by your adrenal glands, helps your body manage the effects of stress by ensuring efficient delivery of blood sugar and other nutrients to areas in need, suppressing inflammation and promoting the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
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Broccoli, a member of the cruciferous family of vegetables, contains high levels of healthy compounds called glucosinolates. When you chop broccoli or chew it, these compounds become activated and can provide beneficial health properties.
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Sweet-tasting foods are undoubtedly one of life's best simple pleasures. On both physical and emotional levels, sugar is often more satisfying than any of the other types of food.
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Pyridoxine hydrochloride, or vitamin B6, is a member of the B complex family. This vitamin is found in high quantities in foods such as bananas, sardines, chicken spinach and avocados, according to the website dietbites.com. Pyridoxine hydrochloride is necessary for proper nerve function and for metabolizing nutrients.
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Chestnuts have been a valued food source in many cultures, notably those of China, Korea, Japan and the Mediterranean, and have been cultivated for more than 6,000 years in China and 3,000 years in Europe, according to Richard Litz, author of the book "Biotechnology of Fruit and Nut Crops."
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Green tea, the unfermented leaves of Camellia sinensis, retains much of the color of the plant's leaves, while black tea, derived from fermentation of tea leaves, takes on a darker color. Dozens of countries produce tea; however, most green tea production remains in China and Japan, where tea drinking originated.
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Your kidneys cleanse nearly 200 quarts of blood every day to produce urine, which is stored in the bladder before being removed from your body, according to the American Kidney Foundation. Together, the kidneys and bladder form a highly efficient component of your body's natural detoxification and waste removal system.
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You might find choosing which foods to eat from the array of healthy and not-so-healthy choices sufficiently challenging amid the ongoing national conversation about diet and nutrition. Add to that the variable of timing, and the potential for confusion might increase.
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For most people, broccoli is one of the standard foods the rule-of-health phrase "eat your greens" brings to mind. This important vegetable also provides a nutrient-packed addition to the world of vegetable foods in the diminutive form of its sprouted seeds.
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The papaya, a tropical tree-like plant, was originally cultivated in Mexico and can grow more than 30 feet tall. The papaya plant bears a versatile fruit that is eaten both ripe and unripe. According to "Papaya the Medicine Tree," the entire papaya plant -- roots, leaves and fruit -- offers medicinal value.
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Avocado oil, derived from the avocado fruit, boasts some unusual and uniquely healthy properties. Avocado is high in vitamin E and unsaturated fats and contains more protein than any other fruit and more potassium than a banana.
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Fish oil and flaxseed oil provide high quantities of essential fatty acids. Fish oil contains eicosapentaenoic acid -- EPA -- and docosahexaenoic acid -- DHA -- which are used directly for such functions as production of healthy cell membranes and to reduce inflammation.
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