Garden Fresh Co-op

From a Dr Mercola article from today
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In this large study of nearly 50,000 men, researchers found men who drank six cups of coffee a day had a 60 percent lower risk of lethal prostate cancer, while those who drank three cups a day had a 30 percent lower risk. The benefits were thought to come from the non-caffeine components of coffee, which include multiple nutrients and flavonoid antioxidants.

Other studies, too, have shown a lower cancer risk among coffee drinkers. For instance, a Japanese study found that those who drank coffee daily, or close to it, had about half the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a type of liver cancer, than people who never drank coffee. Other research has also linked coffee with lower rates of:

Type 2 diabetes
Parkinson’s disease
Dementia
Heart rhythm problems
Stroke

Is Coffee Good for You?

I have previously said that coffee is better off avoided, but some new revelations have changed my stance on this somewhat.

In an interview I recently conducted with Ori Hofmekler, author of The Warrior Diet, The Anti-Estrogenic Diet, Maximum Muscle Minimum Fat — and a self-proclaimed coffee enthusiast who has researched coffee extensively — you can hear the details of why coffee may be of therapeutic benefit.

Please realize that the warnings against the use of caffeine are well-warranted, because in and of itself it can be quite toxic. However, like so many other natural substances, when it comes to the whole food, in this case the coffee bean as opposed to the isolated caffeine, the converse is oftentimes true.

For instance, recent research, which Ori has written about in his upcoming book, Unlocking the Muscle Gene, has shown that coffee, which can trigger glutamate reuptake inhibition, ALSO triggers a mechanism in your brain that releases a growth factor called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).

BDNF activates brain stem cells to convert into new neurons, and also expresses itself in your muscles. It does this by supporting the neuromotor, which is the most critical element in your muscle. Without the neuromotor, your muscle is like an engine without ignition… Neuro-motor degradation is part of the process that explains age-related muscle atrophy.

So in this respect caffeine from natural, whole coffee may help keep your brain and muscle tissue young.

There is also reason to believe that coffee could help curb your sugar cravings. One of the reasons why you get addicted to a food is because your brain has opioid receptors. They’re part of a primordial reward system that helps you detect, select and enjoy eating fresh foods over rancid ones.

Today, however, we live in a world of plenty, surrounded by processed foods that are typically loaded with sugar, which has led our addictive opioid receptors to become addicted to the wrong foods.

There are a few compounds called opioid receptor antagonists. That means once they occupy the receptors, they prohibit you from being addicted to something else. Coffee is an opioid receptor antagonist, meaning caffeine can bind to your opioid receptors and may attenuate the addictive impact of another substance. So, all in all, it appears coffee may have some valuable redeeming benefits, but there are some important caveats.

Be Careful and ONLY Consume Coffee this Way to Maximize Health Benefits

Most coffee produced today is heavily contaminated with pesticides. It’s actually one of the most heavily sprayed crops grown. So, any coffee you consume should be organic, pesticide-free coffee. You also want only high-quality coffee beans that have been properly dried and roasted, and you’ll want to grind them yourself to prevent rancidity.

Ori explains:

“Basically, if you have a quality coffee bean, even the roasted one, you get multiple nutrients and flavonoid antioxidants. You can detect the quality of the coffee by taste and smell … rancidity can be detected immediately. A coffee that doesn’t have a good aroma or taste is most likely stale and useless.”

Another important caveat is to drink your coffee black, without sugar or cream. Add sugar and you’ll certainly ruin any of the benefits discussed above by spiking your insulin and causing insulin resistance.

Finally, only drink coffee prior to exercise, not after.

When used before exercise, coffee will give you a good boost. However, it affects your muscles similarly to exercise itself. It increases the energy expenditure by your muscle while inhibiting the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) — the mechanism that increases protein synthesis in your muscle.

What that means is that coffee, similar to exercise, actually inhibits the inherent mechanism that builds your muscle, which is why you should avoid it after a workout. (You do not build muscle while exercising. Muscle building occurs afterward.)

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From arcamax.com

Eating a balanced diet that includes about five daily servings of fruits and veggies can give you a healthy, sun-kissed glow. A new study published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior suggests that consuming more carotenoids—orange and yellow pigments found in foods including red and yellow peppers, carrots, spinach and other dark leafy greens—can create an au naturel tan. “Carotenoids are thought to be stored in the fat under the skin, and are also secreted through the pores, where they are then absorbed back into the top layer of the skin, giving it a golden color,” explains study author Ian Stephen, Ph.D., now at the University of Nottingham. If you already eat five portions of fruits and vegetables, though, adding another five (or loading up on only carrots) won’t necessarily give you a more radiant flush. It may, in fact, make you too yellow or orange, warns Stephen.

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Even the government now says “Eat more veggies!” New government recommendations say HALF of your plate should be filled with veggies and fruits. But we already knew that, didn’t we?? 🙂
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303657404576361373191462678.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_health

Ideally, of course, those veggies and fruits should be ORGANIC.

Even better yet, Organic Acres ships those organic veggies and fruits direct to your door!

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I read a recent Burpee Newsletter where they declared this the “Year of the Vegetable” and listed the following eight Kingdoms giving a brief statement about each.

Bulb vegetables are aromatic vegetables that are used to flavor a variety of dishes including, soups, casseroles and stews. Some bulb vegetables are also known for their medicinal uses. Many people store bulb vegetables over the winter months due to their long shelf life.

Fresh fruited vegetables provide you with the satisfaction of growing, picking and eating nutritious garden fresh vegetables. The rich taste of a sun-warmed, vine-ripened tomato or that sweet savory crisp flavor of a pepper are just a couple of the many joys awaiting the home vegetable gardener.

Inflorescent Vegetables are typically clusters of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches including flowers, flower buds, and their associated stems and leaves, eaten as vegetables.  Inflorescent vegetables are packed with nutritious value and are often used in casseroles, steamed as a side dish or served raw as an accompaniment on salads.

Leafy Vegetables, also called potherbs, green vegetables, greens, or leafy greens, are easy-to-grow plant leaves that can be prepared raw, cooked or sautéed and eaten as a vegetable.  Although leafy vegetables come from a wide variety of plants, most share a great deal with other leaf vegetables in nutrition and cooking methods.

Podded Vegetables, beans and peas, tend to be a cool season crop grown in many parts of the country; planting can take place from late winter to early summer depending on location.  The podded vegetable may be used fresh, in salads, frozen, as a snack or canned, ready for those winter meals.

Root vegetables such as beets, carrots and radishes, generally store energy in the form of carbohydrates.  They differ in the concentration and the balance between sugars, starches, and other types of carbohydrate. Of particular economic importance are those with a high carbohydrate concentration in the form of starch.  Starchy root vegetables are important staple foods and provide the daily vitamins and nutrition needed in balancing our diets.

Tuberous Vegetables have an enlarged tip or “tuber” which is an underground stem.  The plant uses this tip to store food. Tuber vegetables, like the sweet potato and potato have long served and still serve as a vegetable staple in many cuisines.  Tuberous Vegetables are rich in carbohydrates.

Stalk Vegetables, very simply put, are vegetables with an edible stalk or stem.  Asparagus, Celery, Chard, Rhubarb and Kohlrabi are a few examples of Stalk Vegetables.  These vegetables are typically used for adding flavor to casseroles, stews and meat dishes as well as a steamed side dish.

Here’s a link to an article by George Ball you might enjoy: “We, The Vegetables. . .”

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