Tag Archives: Beverages

The Acai Berry

The Acai Palm
The Acai Palm

image003Acai (pronounced ah-sah-ee) berries come from the palm trees shown above.  There are eight different species of Acai palms that are all native to Central and South America which produce fruit semi-annually.   The Acai berry has been said to be a distant cousin to the blueberry and the juice of the berry has recently become a highly desired health elixir.  If you are looking for more than antioxidants, Acai juice also provides vitamins C and A, calcium, iron and essential amino and fatty acids.

Studies of three commercially available Acai beverages have shown the juice of the Acai Berry has levels of antioxidants that are lower than pomegranate juice, blueberry juice and red wine; antioxidant levels equal to those found in black cherry and cranberry juice and higher antioxidant levels than orange juice, apple juice and tea.  As you can see, a combo of several of these fruits and berries would be ideal to achieve maximum nutritional value.

If  you are looking for a all natural Acai Berry beverage that contains several “power packed” fruits and berries, check out the  Efusjon Energy Drink. Efusjon is a superior choice for  those who consume Red Bull, Monster or other highly caffeinated, artificially sweetened “energy drinks”. Efusjon is extremely low in calories and high in nutrients. If you are trying to loose a few pounds, Efusjon would be a healthier, less fattening, and more affordable alternative to a daily Starbucks Latte or 7-11 Big Gulp.

As far as an allergic reaction to the Acai Berry, the rule of thumb is, if you are allergic to one food be aware of all foods in that specific group.  According to www.webmd.com, If you have pollen allergies or have a known hypersensitivity to similar berries, you may want to avoid this fruit. I you suffer from pollen, ragweed or birch tree allergies and consume specific fruits you may experience an effect called ‘cross-reactivity.’ This takes place when allergenic material on the surface of pollen is very similar to allergenic material on the surface of certain foods making the body unable to distinguish between the allergens and initiating an allergic reaction.

Heart of palm
Heart of palm comes from the stem of the Acai Palm Tree.

Without an existing allergy to Heart of palm or blueberries it would seem unlikely to have a reaction to Acai juice.  However, if there is an allergy concern, introduce the Acai juice in half ounce doses for the first week gradually adding another half ounce per week until you reach the recommended daily serving.  Be sure to stop consuming the fruit and/or juice if any discomfort or physical reaction occurs.

“Don’t Drink The Water”

trash water 2

How safe is your tap water?

Not only is drinking ENOUGH water essential for health and well being, drinking QUALITY water is equally important for all functions of the human body.

Dr. Oz featured the Aquasana Shower and Whole House Water Filters on the “Don’t Drink The Water” show that aired on October 20, 2009, it reinforced how essential is to understand the water quality of your community (click here for the 2008 City of Fort Worth, water quality report).  If the water you and your family are consuming and bathing in is full of pesticides and other toxic residue, it begins to defeat the purpose of drinking water to eliminate waste and to restore optimal cell function.  Toxic water is often orderless, colorless and tasteless but can potentially cause major physical, mental and dental issues.  As Dr. Oz said, “Please filter your water if your City’s water quality report reveals such things as; E-Coli, Arsenic, Lead or Nitrates.

www.aquasanausa.com

"I have used the Aquasana line of products for the past eight years based on the quality, ease of use and affordability." A.Powers

If a Whole House Water Filtration System is not in your budget or you are a renter; my personal recommendation is a “point of use water filtration system”. This means the filtration mechanism is attached directly to your faucet or shower head. Point of use filters  artrash watere less costly than whole house filters, easily accessed for periodic filter changes  and avoid the hassle of keeping up with water jugs. Another advantage to a point of use filtration system is the avoidance of plastic bottles.Not only are you provided the option to drink out of glass eliminating the potential  of drinking toxins released while the water is stored in plastic; you will also help relieve our overloaded landfills.

Listed below are just a few facts on why drinking quality purified  water is essential for optimal health & well being:

  • The body will not function properly without enough water since over 70% of the human body is comprised from water.
  • Daily water intake should be a minimum of  ½ of your body weight in ounces for optimal metabolic function.
  • During weight loss, extra water is needed to flush out the excess waste discarded by the metabolized fat.
  • Retained water is often caused by dehydration and will look like excess weight causing a bloated feeling.
  • Hydration helps maintain proper muscle tone and helps keep the skin clear, healthy and resilient.

Feel free to contact Amanda Powers if you have any questions regarding the Aquasana line of Water Filtration systems

How can I get calcium without milk?

Got_Pus_Milk_Does

Question:

If I cut dairy products out of my diet, how can I make sure that I get enough calcium in my diet?

Answer:

You can rest assured that eliminating dairy products from your diet does not lead to a calcium deficiency.

First of all, the processing that milk and dairy products go through drastically degrades its calcium content. Processing removes the good nutrients but unfortunately in leaves the “pus” behind.  That’s right, pus; the dairy industry knows that there is a problem with pus in milk. Accordingly, it has developed a system known as the “somatic cell count” which measures the amount of pus in milk. The somatic cell count is the standard used to gauge milk quality; the higher the somatic cell count, the more pus in the milk.  According to the dairy industry, any milk with a somatic cell count of higher than 200 million per liter should not enter the human food supply. Therefore, anyone living in a state where the somatic cell count is higher than 200 million shouldn’t be drinking milk. There’s only one problem, every state but Hawaii is producing milk with pus levels so high that it shouldn’t enter the human food supply

seeds
Did you know that sesame seeds contain more calcium pound for pound than any other food on earth?

Even if you are able to get your hands on non-homogenized milk the calcium in cow’s milk is much coarser than in human milk, and is tied up with casein milk protein, which prevents it from being absorbed by humans.

veggies
Green Leafy Vegetables are called Cruciferous Vegetables and are a wonderful source of calcium.

Eating 4 to 6  one cup servings of  green leafy vegetables, non-processed soy, raw nuts and/or fresh fruits, especially berries and citrus, on a daily basis,  will provide all of the calcium you require.

One of the leading causes of calcium deficiency is consumption of carbonated beverages such as Soda Pop.  By removing the “Fizzy Fix” from your daily routine and replacing it with flavored, unsweetened water or an Emergen-C™ you will greatly diminish the catalysts of calcium depletion.  Another way to battle calcium deficiency is exercise.  Exercise that offers soft impact on your bones such as dancing or jogging opposed to swimming or walking is a productive way to maintain bone health.

If you are in good health you may choose to consume dairy products purely for the taste or personal enjoyment.  However, people suffering from serious illnesses such as allergies, asthma, or those who have a difficult time losing weight, produce a lot of mucus, or suspect an allergy to dairy products, should definitely remove dairy from their meal plan and monitor yourself to see if allergies and illness decline.  If you are not sure if dairy is the culprit of existing medical, begin slowly introducing different forms of dairy in very small amounts (i.e. milk, cheese, butter and/or ice cream derived from cow’s milk).  Keep a detailed “diet diary” if it reveals negative effects on your body stop consuming dairy.  Review your results with your medical practitioner if pain or discomfort continues once dairy consumption stops.

Beverages and Nutrition

Changing from poor nutrition to healthy eating habits often starts with an understanding of your current nutritional intake.  One of the largest, but often overlooked, factors in a person’s daily nutritional intake comes from beverages.  Many of today’s beverages provide empty calories with little or no nutritional benefit.  Check out these:

Helpful Beverage Facts:

Coffee and Tea Facts:

16-oz. white chocolate mocha     510 calories
16-oz. latte with whole milk     260 calories
16-oz. latte with nonfat milk     160 calories
16 ounces black coffee     10 calories
16 ounces black tea     2 calories

Juice Facts:

8 ounces pomegranate juice    160 calories
8 ounces cranberry juice    140 calories
8 ounces fruit punch    120 calories
8 ounces orange juice    110 calories

Milk Facts:

8 ounces low-fat chocolate milk    150 calories
8 ounces whole milk    150 calories
8 ounces 2% milk    130 calories
8 ounces 1% milk    120 calories
8 ounces nonfat milk    90 calories

Alcohol Facts:

12 ounces beer     120-180 calories
12 ounces light beer     70-125 calories
2 ounces daiquiri     112 calories
1 shot (1.5 ounces) 80-proof rum     100 calories
4 ounces red or white wine     80 calories

Water Facts:

16 ounces water     0 calories
16 ounces artificially sweetened flavored water     0 calories
16 ounces vitamin- or nutrient-enhanced water     varies; up to 100

Print a pdf of this table for easy reference – Helpful Beverage Facts.