The Top Ten Healthiest Vegetables List

This healthiest vegetables list can help you get healthier, lose weight and fight disease. How do we know? Tons of research says so.

Just pick out 5 or 6 a day from our list of the healthiest vegetables below eat up!

Important people, from Mom to the top scientists in the world, keep telling us to eat more vegetables. But the vast majority aren't getting even 2 healthy vegetables a day, much less the highly recommended 5 or 6.

The Top Ten Healthiest Vegetables List


Whereas most vegetables are low in calories and high in nutrition, these top 10 healthiest vegetables are a lot better than others. So start adding at least five choices a day from this list of the healthiest vegetables.

1. Cruciferous Vegetables are filled with anti-aging, cancer fighting, immune boosting phytonutrients, plus vitamins C and K, potassium, calcium, iron and folic acid. The cruciferous list of healthiest vegetables below are most nutritious eaten raw, lightly steamed or stir-fried.

• Broccoli,
• Cauliflower,
• Brussels sprouts,
• Green and red cabbage.

2. Carrots help protect against cancer and improve eyesight with super high levels of carotenoids and vitamin A. They're also a good source of vitamins B, C and K, fiber (when raw), potassium, magnesium and folate. Grate them into salads or eat baby raw carrots as a snack.

3. Dark green leafy vegetables can be lightly steamed or used in healthy soups, chilies, casseroles and stir-fries or eaten raw in salads and on sandwiches. The leafy vegetables below are high in iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, carotenoids and B, C, E and K.

• Kale,
• Spinach,
• Swiss chard,
• Collard greens,
• The herb parsley,
• Red and green lettuce,
• Mustard and turnip greens.

4. Tomatoes are very high in lycopene carotenoids and vitamin C and are good on sandwiches, as raw snacks and in salads, soups and pasta sauce.

5. Beans and Peas are much higher in protein than other vegetables. And whether they're dried (lentils), canned (kidney beans), lightly steamed (soybeans), or eaten raw (peas), beans also contain fiber, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium.  Beans can be added to soups, salads, pasta sauce, chili or eaten on their own. The healthy list includes:

• Peas,
• Lentils,
• Soybeans,
• Lima beans,
• Kidney beans,
• Garbanzo beans,
• And other legumes.

6. Asparagus is a great source of potassium, fiber, vitamins A, C, K and B complex – especially B6 and folic acid. At just 4 calories a stalk, lightly steamed asparagus helps reduce weight, inflammation and depression.

7. Allium foods, like garlic and onions, are best known for their natural antibiotic properties and can help boost immunity, reduce inflammation and fight infection. The allium foods below are healthiest easten raw in salads or healthy dips, but are also great for flavoring many cooked dishes.

• Leeks,
• Onions,
• Shallots,
• Scallions,
• And garlic.

8. Sweet potatoes and yams are very rich in carotenoids, vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, iron and fiber and are delicious when baked and eaten plain (without butter) or used in soups, casseroles or stir-fries. And sweet potatoes add delicious flavor when grated raw and used in salads.  9. Bell Peppers are great sources of potassium, manganese, fiber and vitamins A, B, C and K and can be sweet flavorful additions to salads and healthy stir-fries. Choose from the following rainbow of colors:

• Green peppers,
• Yellow peppers,
• Orange peppers,
• And red peppers.

10. Summer and winter squash are rich in carotenoids, vitamins A and C, potassium, magnesium and fiber. Squash can be added to healthy casseroles, soups, stir-fries and many other dishes or served alone.

You can enjoy most of them raw in salads or as a snack, lightly steamed as a side or main dish and added to soups or stir-fries. But however you do it, it's vitally important that you lean to love the healthiest vegetables

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

It’s that time again. We’ll be seeing football teams dressed in pink and pink ribbons everywhere. Yep, it’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). NBCAM is a collaboration put together by public service organizations, medical associations, and government agencies working together to promote breast cancer awareness, share info on the disease, provide increased access to services, and continue breast cancer research.

In the United States, breast cancer affects 230,000 women each year. Approximately 20% of women diagnosed with breast cancer die from the disease. Over the course of a woman’s life, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Risk factors for breast cancer include:

• Family History – You may have a higher risk of breast cancer if you have a close relative who had breast, uterine, ovarian, or colon cancer.
• Lifetime estrogen exposure – Includes estrogen taken orally and produced in the body.
• Alcohol consumption – Drinking more than 1-2 drinks per day may increase your risk for breast cancer.
• Childbirth – Women who have never had children or who have children after the age of 30 have an increase risk for breast cancer.
• High meat and dairy intake – Eating a diet high in animal products early in life causes increased production of estrogen during the course of a lifetime.

Vitamin D and breast cancer

Research has shown vitamin D blocks the growth of breast cancer tumor cells. The active form of vitamin D, calcitriol persuades cells to commit apoptosis, or cell death. Calcitriol has also been shown to limit blood supply to the breast tumor.

A recent study in Belgium reported that high vitamin D levels at the time of diagnosis was significantly associated with increased overall survival. The researchers also found that low vitamin D status was associated with larger tumor size.

A groundbreaking randomized control trial demonstrated how 1,100 IU vitamin D3/day plus calcium reduced the risk of developing all-cancer risk by 77% in post-menopausal women.

The rate of breast cancer appears to decrease by 30% when vitamin D serum levels are greater than 40 ng/mL compared to levels below 20 ng/mL.

How can you help?

Make sure you encourage women in your life to stay up to date with their mammograms, especially if they have family history of breast cancer. Also, remember men can develop breast cancer as well, make sure they check for abnormalities as well. Prevention of all types of cancer involves eating a well balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, exercising regularly, and limiting alcohol intake.

Encourage friends and family to participate is breast cancer awareness events which often raise funds for breast cancer treatment research. Based on the research, we suggest supplementing with 5,000 IU vitamin D/day on days you do not get adequate sun exposure.

~Contributed by The Vitamin D Council

Further Reading:

Vitamin D: Breast cancer treatment effect?

Vitamin D, breast cancer, and chemotherapy: A look at the research

The better your vitamin D level, the better your breast cancer markers?

Start Early to Stay Well this Winter

---

In 1954 Dr. Kojima discovered interferon, and its crucial role in building your body's immune response. He then spent over 40 years dedicated to finding a way to naturally boost interferon production. For Informitive Interferon video click below or copy and paste in your browser: http://images.shaklee.com/video/show.php?video=discover-interferon Call to get your Nutriferon at 25% off!      LifeQuest Health 714-536-6555 Contributed by Shaklee Health Wise

Why is it that we have smartphones but still no cure for colds and flu? It’s because we’re dealing with smart viruses. Any one of dozens of viruses can infect you — and before you know it, you are coughing, sneezing, and sniffling. We only have immunity to those rhinoviruses that we’ve been infected with already— so our immune system needs to be able to optimally react to the various cold or flu germs that can, and will, come our way! And each year, the common flu virus is different from the previous year. Why? Because the influenza viruses are constantly morphing. So, let’s talk about strategies to help you and your family stay as healthy as possible this winter!

Talk to your doctor about immunizations. I encourage everyone to talk to their doctor about whether or not getting a flu vaccine and/or a pneumonia vaccine is a good idea—especially if you or a family member fall into those groups most at risk.
Wash your hands frequently. This remains one of the most effective ways to protect yourself and your family from colds and flu. Use plain old soap and water. Lather, rinse, and repeat throughout the day—especially after you’ve touched door handles or been around anyone who is ill.
Eat a healthy diet, full of antioxidants and immune supporting nutrients.  This means both avoiding the high fat, often fried, and usually unhealthy fast foods, and committing to eating at least FIVE servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day! I personally take 500 mg vitamin C daily through the cold and flu season—and double that if I am feeling run-down or have been around someone with a cold!
Get plenty of rest. Inadequate sleep negatively impacts your immune response.  If you have school-age children, make it a priority for them to get at least nine hours of sleep each night. Moms and dads, you should strive for seven to eight hours yourself!
Try a natural approach. Scientific research has led to the discovery of a combination of plant extracts that naturally boost the body’s own production of interferon, a component of the immune system that helps fight off viruses. Other plant compounds found in elderberry and echinacea extracts can help too. Take these when you feel the first sign of something coming on, and continue taking them for about a week as needed.

Washing hands is one way to keep your immune system strong.

Start Early to Stay Well this Winter

Healthy Weight Loss is a Cinch®

Your Cinch® Transformation: Make It A HABIT, Not A HOBBY

Posted: 25 Sep 2012 10:29 AM PDT

Shaklee Health Wise
Have you seen the Cinch® Transformation Stories? Contestants from across the country entered to win $10,000 at our 2012 Global Conference in Las Vegas. Congratulations to Edgar Ortiz for winning the grand prize! However, all of the contestants are winners for dropping the extra pounds and becoming healthier!
We’ve also started a new Cinch Transformation Challenge! From now until Oct. 31, you can enter for a chance to win $10,000. Get started here!
Maybe you’re thinking your story could be next, and you believe you can do it.  I bet you are excited!
Then, maybe, reality hits you. You realize it isn’t always fun to drink a Cinch® Meal Shake while your family enjoys pancakes on Saturday morning.  Or, maybe, getting up early to squeeze in some exercise while everyone else sleeps in is tougher than you thought.
And, it’s so tempting to enjoy the birthday cake passed around at the office. You don’t want to be antisocial, after all.
Your commitment to getting healthy isn’t always going to be fun or easy.  It is a choice, and one that you make each day, and with each meal.
The results, however, are worth it if you can see the commitment through!
Entrepreneur and motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
The point is you have to get to the point where you make your new Cinch® lifestyle a HABIT, not a HOBBY.
Below are commitments that you can make over the next 30 days to really follow through on your Cinch transformation:
1. To make a habit stick, try repeating it 16-21 times. Even better, repeat it every day for 30 days.
2. Consistently stick with your choice to lose weight with Cinch.
3. Write down what you eat daily in a journal.
4. Replace two meals a day with Cinch.
5. Commit to walking a mile a day, on average.
So, what could you get out of all of this? How about feeling better, being healthier, saving money, having boundless amounts of energy, and a slimmer waistline!
Develop good habits these next 30 days. They will be the foundation for your personal, long-term healthy transformation.
Here’s to good habits!
Your Cinch® Transformation: Make It A HABIT, Not A HOBBY
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

BOOST YOUR BODY'S INTERFERON WITH NATURAL NUTRIFERON

Immune System Builder

We are the ONLY company in the WORLD with this product and it gives the body what it needs to heal itself!  EVERYONE SHOULD BE ON IT!!  SEE BELOW!!   
 -Testimonial from Shawn-
-Shawn –
Just wanted to share my most recent testimonial. I felt that I had already been so blessed since I started using Shaklee’s Essential Foundation. My carpal tunnel has been pain and symptom free since I started on the products in Dec of 2004.
Little did I know how truly blessed I am and that I would be given such a wonderful gift once again. I started on the Nutriferon in October of 2005. I was just basically taking it to rebuild my immune system, not realizing what it was actually doing for me.
I had been taking Synthroid for my thyroid for 20 years. A small tablet once a day that I had resigned myself to the fact that I would be taking it for the rest of my life. In January of this year I started having trouble with my Synthroid dosage and kept having to go into the clinic for blood draws.
Each time that I went in, my Synthroid dosage was dropped. I would take the new dose for about 3 weeks and then the trouble would start again. The doctor, nurses and lab techs were baffled. None of them could figure out what was going on. I stopped taking my Synthroid on Feb 15th because I felt it was making me sick.
  I started feeling better almost immediately after stopping the meds. I went for another blood draw on Feb 20th, got my results on Feb 24th. My thyroid is at at normal range and I was told that I no longer needed to take my Synthroid. I have been ecstatic ever since. Who would have ever guessed that I would be prescription-free after 20 years. My doctor and the nursing staff want more info on the Nutriferon and the lab tech is one of our pilot program evaluators!!  Thank you Shaklee, thank you so very much!! 

Contact Us For More Information.

Getting healthy...One step at a time
Posted by Dr. Jamie McManus on Sep 11, 2012 in Natural Nutrition

As a physician, I have always been more focused on the prevention of disease rather than just waiting until treatment is necessary. Over the past 30 years or so, we have learned so much about what we need to do to prevent the most devastating, chronic diseases facing our society today. Our diets and our lifestyles have become less healthy and less active—with the result being a continuing increase in the prevalence of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer in the past 10 years. So I am here to provide you with the relevant information you need to get inspired into action! No matter whether you are healthy or fighting health challenges, today is the day to learn how to support your health and put those changes into action! Changes you make today will impact your health. You are more in control than you may know. There are thousands of studies that support the idea that weight management, good nutrition, supplementation, and an active lifestyle will positively impact your health.
I encourage you to watch this video to learn more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3s8oMuo7wg&feature=player_embedded

The Hidden Dangers of Belly Fat

The Hidden Dangers of Belly Fat

	Having a wide girth, a beer belly, or an apple-shaped figure may mean you have large amounts of deep-hidden belly fat around your internal organs. This fat, also known as visceral fat, may in fact be the most dangerous fat you can have. It has been linked to high cholesterol, high insulin, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, and other health problems. The more belly fat you have, the higher your risk is for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some types of cancer, or for having a stroke.
There's also new research indicating that having an apple-shaped figure may actually be more deadly. A new study appearing in the Nov. 12 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine reported some very disturbing news. Researchers followed about 360,000 Europeans who participated in one of the largest and longest health studies in the world. They found that people with the most belly fat had about double the risk of dying prematurely compared with people with the least amount of belly fat. Men and women with the largest waist circumference (more than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women) had roughly double the risk of premature death as men and women with the smallest waist circumference (less than 34 inches for men and 28 for women). And with every 2-inch increase in waist circumference, there was an associated increase in mortality—17% in men and 13% in women. What makes belly fat so dangerous? Well, it seems to be the type of fat that goes straight to the liver to be metabolized into cholesterol. LDL cholesterol circulates in the blood and contributes to the development of arterial plaque and narrowing of the arteries. Visceral fat also produces more inflammation in the body than fat found in other areas of the body. And inflammation is thought to play a key role in heart disease and a host of other chronic diseases. New research also suggests that the body's production of adiponectin, a hormone secreted by fat cells, decreases as we gain belly fat. This reduction in adiponectin production has been found to promote insulin resistance, a risk factor for metabolic syndrome and a potential precursor to type-2 diabetes. And finally, studies have shown that belly fat cells produce more fibrinogen and plasminogen, two chemicals in the body that promote blood clotting. Visceral fat also produces more angiotensin, a hormone that causes blood vessels to constrict. Here again lies the connection between too much belly fat and an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. So if you or someone you know is carrying excess weight around the abdomen, losing that belly fat is one of the most important things they can do to stay healthy for life.

I have personally lost several of inches of belly fat the by doing using the Cinch Inch Loss Plan.
It is absolutely an amazing and healthful way to burn fat and hold on to muscle so your metabolism stays strong (preventing yo-yo dieting). Learn more at my web site: www.healthysteps.myshaklee.com