Lemonade - A Natural Healthy Beverage

The University of California, Berkeley, Wellness Letter confirms what I have always believed. It is a healthy drink so natural to the digestive process and a real healthy alternative to coffee or sugar-laden beverages. The questions is, "Does drinking lemonade prevent kidney stones?" The answer: "Yes, in some people this may reduce the risk of a recurrance. In general increasing your fluid intake helps."
Many times in my life I have had cravings for fruits, vegetables or even apple cider vinegar, garlic or in this case: lemon. Twenty years ago I experienced severe pain in my kidney area and was rushed to the hospital and administered morphine and then a second shot. The pain was excruciating and the emergency room staff recognized the symptoms. Because of my heart condition the hospital monitored my intake of water and the urine I passed rather than resort to surgery. Within a couple of days I passed two uric-acid stones. I was placed on Allupurinol or trade name Zyloprim and have taken this drug for the past 20 years.
For some reason, I found both coffee and pop didn't set well with me. I decided to order a caraf of water with wedges of lemon. If the served me thin slices I offered to pay for a whole lemon, but usually they responded with my request. Having been brought up with a sweet tooth, I use a sugar substitute with the water. Now, for the first time, I have evidence from the University of California that a low level of citrate in the urine can increase the two common types: calcium-oxalate and uric acid stones.

If you've had one of these kinds of stones, your doctor may prescribe potassium citrate to raise your citrate level. In addition, or instead, you may be advised to eat lemons, which are rich in citrate, or drink lemonade. Citrate binds to calcium in the urine, preventing the formation of crystals that can develop into kidney stones. It also affects the acid-base balance of the urine, which plays a role in stone formation.
Friends of mine picked up on this habit of mine and order the same drink of water with wedges of lemon when out dining with me.
Lemons contain almost five times more citrate than oranges. Half a cup of pure lemon juice provides the amount of citrate your doctor is likely to prescribe.

In one study, most people with stones who drank eight glasses of lemonade a day (containing 4 ounces of reconstituted lemon juice, in total) ended up with normal levels of citrate in their urine after six days. This should help prevent stone recurrence. I have never experiended a repeat of this horribly painful experience since drinking this lemonade before all meals. The experts advise that if you are concerned about the calories, use a sugar substitute to sweeten your lemonade, or buy artificially sweetened lemonade. Just make sure it contains real lemon juice (or citric acid). Fresh lemons are always with me - just in case the waiter doesn't understand my request for wedges of fresh lemon.
But not grapefruit juice: Some studies have found that grapefruit juice actually seems to increase the risk of kidney stones. Thus, if you have a history of stones, your doctor may suggest that you avoid, or at least limit, this juice. I have always had an aversion towards grapefruit - just something that didn't appeal to me.
When a beverage is offered, ask for water with a couple cubes of ice and wedges of fresh lemon or as my waitress calls them: fish lemons.
It never fails to amaze me the way the body craves what it needs most. We just get hooked on buying what's on the menu and give up our rights to choose healthy foods over those offered.

Substitutions are the way to go if restaurants are to win loyal customers.

Juice up your immune system: Squeeze a little lemon to fight disease. Adding just 1/2 tablespoon of fresh lemon to each of your 8 daily cups of water provides nearly 20 percent of the daily value for vitamin C. This major antioxidant not only fights heart disease and boosts immunity but also helps form the collagen we need to heal tendons, ligaments and blood vessels.

All Salmon Are Not Created Equal

Salmon is a great source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. It's great for you heart, your brain, your skin and your joints. But, are all salmon created equal and is there such a thing as good salmon and bad salmon?

If you buy salmon at the supermarket, chances are, you are getting it from a fish farm. Farmed fish is anything but healthy because: The salmon are hatched in plastic trays, in crowded unsanitary underwater cages and fattened with soybean pellets. They are dosed with antibiotics and pesticides, and injected with synthetic dye that gives them their pink color. Without the dye, their flesh would appear pale gray and unappetizing. The fish-farming industry claims that this provides a healthy food at a reasonable price and protects wild salmon from overfishing.

First the facts are that farmed fish are fattier than wild salmon and contain two-thirds less of the omega-3 fats!

Second, studies show that farmed salmon contain much higher levels of cancer-causing PCBs and dioxins than wild salmon.

Third, farmed salmon contain more antibiotic residue than eggs, meat or any other farm-raised animal products. This antibiotic use has created resistant strains of bacteria that are killing the other fish in the ocean!

Fourth, the pesticides used by salmon farms are killing shellfish and other bottom-dwelling sea creatures.

Fifth, the pink dye used on the salmon contains canthaxanthin, an ingredient used in sunless tanning pills that has since been banned for human use!

Don't buy your food to save money - buy quality fish from a reputable fish market. Wild salmon is readily available, but the price is usually the give-away indicator: Sockeye Salmon usually sells in excess of $12/lb. and is dark red - the color of most beef. When in doubt, ask the waiter or the store manager and remember that poison at any price is unacceptable.

At the same time, you might want to consider that the average size of a serving of wild salmon is about 6 ounces. If you buy about 3/4 pound of wild salmon the cost will probably be about $9 for two servings. Where would you find a restaurant selling any fish fry for less that $5 a plate?

Preparation is easy: I buy the salmon with the skin on and examine the color. Pat it dry, then spray it with an omega 3 margarine and a sprinkle of hickory flavoring with some paprika and a squeeze of natural fresh lemon. Place the wild salmon on a non-stick surface with fine holes to prevent the fish from falling through to the heated surface of the grill. Preheat the grill to a medium heat and place the non-stick plate with the fish on the grill. Set your timer for about 10 - 15 minutes. The fish should be finished when the flesh flakes and turns from dark red to a light pink. Remove the wild salmon by taking a large spatula and getting under the fish - just above the skin. Place it in your platter and let it rest for about 5 minutes. It's delicious, tasty, and healthy as well as a good buy. The devil's is in the details - know what you're getting for your money.

TOP TEN ANTI-CANCER FOODS

TOP TEN ANTI-CANCER FOODS
More than a third of all cancers could be prevented by changes in diet and exercise. One of the most important things you can do to reduce your risk is lose excess weight -- and one of the best ways to lose weight is through a filling, fiber-rich diet, including plenty of fruits and vegetables.But that's not the reason why the National Cancer Institute recently approved the dietary guidance: "Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer and other chronic diseases." These foods are packed with antioxidants and other compounds that protect your DNA and fight free-radical damage.Since these substances work synergistically, it's best to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables rather than relying on one particular produce item to serve as a magic bullet against disease. A growing body of research shows that, once inside the body, fruits and vegetables spring into the role of superheroes, fighting cancer and other diseases in at least eight simultaneous ways. And, like the Superfriends, they seem to work better as a team. These are the top 10 anti-cancer fruits and vegetables that you'd do well to put on your dietary dream team, drawn from an analysis of existing research by the DNI's Nutrition Research Scientist, Tom Mahier:1) TOMATOES: Lycopene, also found in watermelon and pink grapefruit, has been linked to lower risk of prostate, ovarian and cervical cancer. It also targets the free radical that is implicated in lung and digestive cancers.2) BROCCOLI SPROUTS: The ultimate baby vegetable. One forkful triggers a cascade of antioxidant activity that lasts for days. You'll get similar benefits from other cruciferous veggies, including broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage. Sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol protect against prostate, bladder, colon, pancreatic, gastric, breast and other hormone-related cancers.3) BERRIES: Blueberries, cranberries, cherries, raspberries, strawberries and grapes are all rich in anthocyanins that repair and protect DNA.4) SOYBEANS: Isoflavones such as genistein may help prevent and treat prostate cancer and may reduce breast cancer risk.5) TEA: Both black and green contain powerful compounds shown in countless studies to lower the risk of several types of cancer.6) PUMPKIN: This unsung superfood is a super-rich source of both beta-carotene and alpha-carotene, two hard-working carotenoids that combat lung and ovarian cancer. Other good bets: carrots, yams, squash, melons and sweet red peppers.7) SPINACH: Popeye's favorite may help KO cancers of the liver, ovaries, colon and prostate. The active antioxidant lutein is also found in kale and other leafy greens.8) GARLIC: Allium veggies (which also include onions and scallions) work to get your body's own antioxidant defense systems in gear. This process provides protective benefits against stomach, esophageal and breast cancers.9) PINEAPPLE: The enzyme bromelain may inhibit the growth of malignant cells in both lung and breast cancer, while the phenolic compounds also provide a protective benefit.10) APPLE: Can one a day help keep cancer at bay? Studies show quercetin may reduce the risk of lung cancer and impede growth of prostate cancer cells. Other antioxidants, together with pectin, help halt colon and liver cancer cell replication.
And remember that the University of Medicine in Japan would have you add mushrooms to the above list of foods that help battle cancer.
At a meeting of the Alzheimer's Association last month, for example, researchers presented the results of a six-year study of 3,000 senior citizens. In the study, people who consumed lots of vitamin C and carotenoids, both through food and supplements, scored higher on reasoning tests. Carotenoids are found in squash, strawberries and other fruits.
According to another study presented at the meeting, vegetables such as spinach and broccoli — which contain vitamin C and carotenoids, as well as the vitamin folic acid — were found to slow cognitive decline.
Other things that appear to lower the risk of Alzheimer's include vitamin E, found in wheat germ, and fatty fish, such as salmon and mackerel, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
Living longer is based on eating healthy and staying with a lifestyle that protects your body from the many attacks on your immune system.
We believe in keeping healthy in mind, body and spirit so as to have an impact on others as role models in the community.