Alignment

Most people have heard that they need 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables every single day, yet nearly 75% of us don’t meet that quota. With all of the new, more specific information we’ve received on the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, all of the focus on healthy options at grocery stores and restaurants, you’d think that our consumption of plant-based foods would have risen. However, statistics provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that in some areas, it’s actually declined over the last decade. With certain diseases and obesity on the rise during the same...

Flax. Surely you’ve heard of this little miracle seed by now. In recent years, the superfood formerly best-known as linseed has become a staple in the refrigerators of anyone who wants to reduce inflammation and add more fiber, protein, and heart-healthy omegas to their diet.    The Scoop Like many other superfoods that have finally hit the mainstream, the use of flax dates back to Ancient Egypt, where its use was extended to making linens for mummification and ship sails. Today, flax is still one of humankind’s most important crops, though we eat it more often than we wear it....

Inflammation, the source of so much disease, has met its match in Curcuma longa. Curcuma longa, known to us as turmeric, is a warm-climate plant that is harvested just once per year for the root. As a cornerstone of ancient medicine, turmeric has spent centuries gladly taking all of the credit for the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties offered by traces of a polyphenol called curcumin. Because it’s natural, renewable, and affordable, spreading the word about the benefits of curcumin hasn’t been difficult. What is difficult, however, is sifting through the mountains of emerging research which appears to corroborate evidence that was...

A television commercial for a credit card company asks the question, “Do you know what’s in your wallet?” Let’s change that up a little: “Do you know what’s in your liver?” I’m guessing you live on Earth. If so, chances are good—even if you eat an organic diet free of genetically modified organisms clean of pesticides or fungicides— your liver and fatty tissues are bulging with xenobiotics. Xenobiotics are alien substances. While they probably aren’t from another planet, they are foreign and often toxic junk your system absorbs, willingly and unwillingly, from the environment. Think of it this way: You...