Eat your veggies!

It's almost summertime and you know what that means...time to start thinking about fresh veggies from your local produce stand. Find your favorite veggie in the list below and see how it can make you happier and healthier with its many, many vitamins, minerals, phyto-nutrients, and other delicious goodness!

Artichoke
-Good source of: Folic acid, vitamin B complex (such as niacin, B-6, thiamin, and pantothenic acid), vitamins C and K, copper, potassium, iron, calcium, manganese, and phosphorus.
-Artichokes contain about 14% of your recommended daily allowance of fiber.
-How it helps: Artichoke can decrease your "bad cholesterol" or LDL levels, fight against free radicals* (known to cause infectious disease), and increase your level of red blood cells, and may help bone formation.

Asparagus
-Good source of: Dietary fiber, folates, vitamin A, vitamin B-complex (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B-6, and pantothenic acid), vitamin E, and vitamin K, and calcium, potassium, manganese, and phosphorus minerals.
-Only 13 calories per half a cup, or 20 calories in 5 spears.
-How it helps: Decrease bad cholesterol (LDL) levels, may help prevent irritable bowel syndrome, fight against and remove free radicals* from your body, helps limit neuron damage in the brain (such as in Alzheimer's patients), and can help control blood pressure and heart rate and increase red blood cell production.

Bell pepper
-Good source of: Vitamins A, B-complex (such as niacin, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflavin, and thiamin), C, and minerals such as iron, copper, zinc, potassium, manganese, magnesium, and selenium.
-Only 23 calories per half a cup, chopped.
-How they help: May reduce triglycerides and bad cholesterol (LDL), remove free radicals* from your body, and help keep your skin, organs, blood vessels, and bones healthy.

Broccoli (one of my recommended "super foods")
-Good source of: Phyto-nutrients, vitamins A and C, folates, and omega-3 fatty acids (in the flower heads), and minerals such as calcium, manganese, iron, magnesium, selenium, zinc and phosphorus.
-Only 15 calories per half a cup, chopped.
-How it helps: Broccoli is simply awesome! It fights against many diseases such as prostate, colon, breast, pancreatic, and urinary bladder cancer, helps maintain good vision, and rid the body of free radicals.*

Brussel sprouts
-Good source of: Dietary fiber, flavonoid anti-oxidants, vitamins A, B-complex, and K, and minerals such as copper, calcium, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus.
-Only 19 calories per half a cup.
-How they help: Protect against vitamin A deficiency, bone loss, iron deficiency anaemia, prevent against Alzheimer's and believed to protect from cardiovascular diseases and, colon and prostate cancers, and remove free radicals* from your body.

Carrots
-Good source of: Vitamin A and carotenes (convereted to vitamin A in the liver), vitamin B-complex (folic acid, vitamin B-6, thiamin, and pantothenic acid), carotenes. Beta-carotenes is the big one here.
-Only 30 calories in one regular-sized carrot.
-How they help: Carrots can help protect against skin, lung, and oral cavity cancers, help vision and sperm production, reduce the number of disease-causing free radicals*, and may help fight and destroy pre-cancerous cells in tumors.

Cauliflower
-Good source of: Phyto-chemicals, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, and minerals such as manganese, copper, iron, calcium and potassium.
-Only 25 calories in 1/6 of a medium-sized head.
-How it helps: The phyto-chemicals help fight prostate, breast, cervical, colon, ovarian cancers, while the vitamins rid the body of free radicals*(in turn helping fight against cancer) and help the body metabolize protein, fat, and carbohydrates.

Celery
-Good source of: Vitamins A, B-complex (folic acid, riboflavin, and niacin), K, and minerals like potassium, sodium, calcium, manganese, and magnesium.
-Only 15 calories in 2 medium stalks.
-How it helps: Used in weight loss regimens due to its high fiber content, promotes healthy mucus membranes, skin, and vision, increases bone mass, and maintains healthy blood pressure. Its leaves contains essential oils that are used in remedies to help combat nervousness, osteoarthritis, and gouty-arthritis conditions. Its seeds can help in breast milk secretion. Also helps in removing free radicals*, protecting against lung and oral cavity cancers.

Cucumbers
-Good source of: Potassium, vitamins A, C, and K.
-Only 8 calories per half a cup of sliced cukes, or 30 calories in one medium-sized cuke.
-How they help: Help reduce blood pressure and heart rate, remove free-radicals* from your body, and help build strong bones.

Eggplant
-Good source of: Fiber, vitamin B-complex (pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, thiamin, and niacin), and the phyto-chemicals known as anthocyanins.
-Only 10 calories per half a cup, cubed.
-How it helps: In a study done at a university in Brazil, eggplant was shown to reduce high blood pressure. Anthocyanins have been shown to have potential effects in fighting aging, cancer, inflammation, and neurological diseases.

Green beans
-Good source of: Dietary fiber, vitamin A, folates, vitamin B-6, thiamin, and vitamin C, and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium.
-Only 25 calories in 3/4 cup, cut.
-How they help: Due to their many minerals and vitamins, green beans are excellent at removing free radicals* from your body. Due to their high levels of folate, they help prevent neural-tube defects in offspring when eaten before and during pregnancy.

Kale
-Good source of: Phyto-chemicals, flavonoids, vitamins A, B-complex, C, K, and many minerals such as copper, calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
-Recognized for its nutrition as early as Greek and Roman times.
-How it helps: Fights against prostate and colon cancers, promotes healthy skin and vision, strengthens bones, strong in anti-oxidants and helps remove free radicals*, reduces blood pressure and increase red blood cell production.

Lettuce
-Good source of: Vitamins A, B-complex (thiamin, B-6, and riboflavins), C, K, folates, and phyto-nutrients and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
-You can get 247% of your daily vitamin A from 100 grams of lettuce.
-How it helps: Lettuce is know to fight against lung and oral cancers, iron-deficiency anemia, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's, and osteoporosis.

Onions
-Good source of: Phyto-chemicals, chromium, vitamin B-complex and vitamin C.
-Only 32 calories per half a cup, chopped, or 45 calories in one medium-sized onion.
-When the bulb is crushed, cut, or simply disturbed, the phyto-chemicals allium and Allyl disulphide convert by enzymatic reaction to a powerful compound known as allicin.
-How it helps: Allicin is known to reduce cholesterol, fight cancer, and lower blood sugar levels in diabetics (also assisted by the chromium found in onions). It's also beneficial in increasing blood vessel elasticity, reducing chance of coronary disease, vascular disease, and stroke.

Peas
-Good source of: Vitamin A, B-complex, C, and K, and folic acid, and minerals such as calcium, iron, copper, zinc and manganese.
-Only 59 calories per half a cup.
-How they help: Peas may lower the risk of stomach cancer, lower the chance for type 2 diabetes, as well as assist in fighting infection and removing free radicals.*

Potatoes
-Good source of: Dietary fiber, vitamin B-complex (vitamin B6, niacin, pantothenic acid and folates), vitamin C (in the skin), and essential minerals such as iron, manganese, copper and potassium.
-Only 58 calories per half a cup, chopped.
-How the help: Helps prevent colon cancer, keeps blood sugar levels regular, keep LDL (bad) cholesterol low, and help fight against free radicals.*

Spinach (one of my personal favorites, and I can see why it was Popeye's, too!)
-Good source of: Iron, dietary fiber, vitamins A, B-complex (B-6, thiamin, riboflavin, folates, and niacin), C, and K, potassium, manganese, magnesium, copper, and zinc, and flavonoids lutein, zeax-anthin, and beta-carotenes, and omega-3 fatty acids.
-Only 7 calories in one cup.
-How it helps: Promotes red blood cell production, removes free radicals*, maintains eye health, strengthens bone mass, limits neuronal damage of the brain (found in Alzheimer's patients), helps control blood pressure, regulates growth and development, promotes sperm generation, and is said to fight against osteoporosis, iron deficiency anemia, prostate cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Sweet potatoes (another one of my recommended "super foods")
-Good source of: Dietary fiber, vitamin A, beta-carotene, complex carbohydrates, vitamin B-complex (pantothenic acid, B-6, thiamin, and riboflavin) and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium. You can find vitamin C, folates, vitamin K, and potassium in the leaves.
-They have the highest amount of vitamin A and beta-carotene among any of the root vegetables.
-Wow, sweet potatos are LOADED with good stuff, and only at 100 calories per medium-sized potato!
-How they help: Vitamin A and beta-carotene help keep your mucus membranes and skin healthy and your vision good. Beta-carotenes fight against lung and oral cancers. B-complex vitamins help metabolize protein, fats, and carbohydrates.

Tomatoes (another of my personal favorites)
-Good source of: Dietary fiber, vitamin A, flavanoids alpha and beta-carotene, lycopene and zea-xanthin,  xanthins, and lutein, vitamin C, potassium, and small amounts of B-complex vitamins such as folate, thiamin, niacin, and riboflavin.  Essential minerals such as iron, calcium, and manganese can also be found in tomatoes.
-About 25 calories in one medium-sized tomato.
-How they help: The antioxidants found in tomatoes have been scientifically proven to help fight cancer such as colon, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic tumors. They also help control blood pressure, remove free radicals*, maintain healthy vision, mucus membranes, skin, and bones. They may also help in fighting against skin cancer.

Zucchini
-Good source of: Dietary fiber, folates, vitamins A, B-complex (thiamin, pyridoxine, and riboflavin) and C, and minerals such as iron, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, and potassium.
-Only 31 calories in a medium-sized zucchini.
-How they help: Protects against colon cancer, prevents neural tube defects in the fetus when consumed before and during pregnancy, reduces blood pressure, helps remove free radicals*, and promotes healthy aging. Also used regularly in many weight loss programs.

*Free radicals are unstable molecules that are looking to attach themselves to other molecules in your body tissue. Among other ways, they are generally created through metabolism, food consumption, stress, and even environmental factors such as pollutions, cigarette smoke, herbicides, and radiation. When they attach themselves to other molecules happens, they can cause cellular or even DNA damage. If not removed, they can cause cancer, promote a quicker aging process, and help develop other types of autoimmune diseases.

Notice that just about every veggie listed above helps in removing free radicals, so, as your mother always said, eat your veggies!

20 Random Health and Fitness Facts

Here are 20 random health and fitness facts that I've put together for you. Some may surprise you and some may not. Take a look...

1. In the 1950's, the average size of a dinner plate was 9". By the 1980's, the average size had reached 11". Today the average size of a dinner plate is 13". The growth of the dinner plate has been directly linked to the growth of obesity in America.

2. The human body is 60% water,

3. A pound of muscle burns 9 calories per day. A pound of fat burns only 2.

4. If you are 25 pounds overweight, your body has almost 5000 more miles of blood vessels that your heart needs to pump blood through.

5. 100 calories-too-many per day could pack on up to 10 extra pounds of excess body weight per year. 100 calories is a half a glazed donut.

6. There's a reason the jump rope has been around forever: Jumping rope for 15 minutes can burn up to 200 calories, making it one of the most efficient forms of cardiovascular exercise.

7. The human body has more than 650 muscles and 206 bones. One quarter of our bones are in our feet.

8. The importance of vitamin D (ya know, the one we can easily get from the sun) cannot be overstated. People who get their RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of vitamin D are on average 16 pounds lighter than those who don't.

9. A 220-pound person running an 8-minute mile burns up to 150 calories per mile, while a 120-pound person running an 8-minute mile only burns about 82 calories per mile.

10. It takes 200 muscles to take a single step.

11. Body temperature can affect appetite. A cold person is likely to be hungrier and consume more food than a warm person.

12. Colorado is the least obese state in the U.S. (21%), while Mississippi is the most obese (34%). My home state of Maine is the 25th most obese state in the nation (26.8%).

13. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 36 states (36!) had an obesity rate of 25% or more in 2010. Of these 36 states, 12 of them have a prevalence of 30% or more. Check out the cool but terrifying graphic at the CDC website.

14. This next one is more of a prediction than a fact: By the year 2030, it is predicted that 86.3% of adults in the U.S. will be overweight and 51.1% will be obese. This is scary as hell.

15. Wonder why number 14 is scary as hell? See #1 and this next one: According to studies, kids from ages 8-18 spend an average of 7 hours, 38 minutes per day watching TV, surfing the Internet, and playing video games. This is up from 6 hours, 21 minutes in 2004.

16. It takes approximately 20 minutes for your brain to tell your stomach that it's full. So slow down!

17. Coronary heart disease accounts for approximately 40% of all deaths in the U.S. The good news is that heart disease-related deaths has decreased since the mid-1900's.

18. Studies have shown that walking at a brisk pace for 3-plus hours per week can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 65%.

19. There are an average of 47,000 products in most U.S. grocery stores. Why do we need so many when all we really need to eat is lean proteins, complex carbs, healthy fats, and fruits and veggies?

20. Kids and adolescents (up to 17 years old) should be getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day. This includes aerobic activity (capture the flag, tag, etc.) muscle strengthening (push-ups, etc.) and bone strengthening (jump rope, etc.) Adults 18 years and older should get a minimum of 2.5 hours of moderate intensity aerobic activity per week (preferably spread out throughout the week) and muscle strengthening activities at least 2 days per week.

Now get off your butt and go get healthier!

The Effect of Exercise on Cancer

Guest Post

By: David Hass - http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/david/

In an effort to conserve strength and energy, many people incorrectly assume cancer patients shouldn’t exercise; however, nothing could be further from the truth. Studies by cancer researcher organizations, including the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA have demonstrated regular exercise can reduce the risk, proliferation and reoccurrence of cancer.

The benefits of exercise and fitness for cancer patients are numerous. Exercise bolsters the immune system, making the body more resistant to disease, and studies have demonstrated people with higher fitness levels have an increased immunological response. Patients with higher fitness levels are better able to deal with both the physiological and psychological stress of cancer treatment, and can help in actually fighting the disease itself.

One of the most critical times for cancer patients is immediately after being diagnosed, and during this time exercise can greatly reduce the feelings of despair. As reported by Matthew Wiggins, Ed.D., of Murray State University, cancer patients develop both physiological and psychological side-effects as a result of cancer treatment. Side effects include, but at not limited to, significant increases in physical fatigue with decreased feelings of overall well-being, including psychological distress and increased anxiety.

During exercise the body releases endorphins, a natural opiate, which generate an overall feeling of well-being. Exercise increases energy levels, providing patients not only the strength to get through their treatments, but the energy to execute regular daily activities, improving the patient’s overall quality of life and ability to carry on with their normal lives.

A common reason cancer patients fail to exercise is due to a lack of having enough energy to begin an exercise routine. Cancer treatment can be draining, sapping energy so the patient doesn’t even feel like moving, and this can be especially true for cancers, which require very aggressive courses of treatments, such as mesothelioma. However, patients can reap the benefits of increased fitness levels without having to exercise for prolonged periods.

The effect of exercise on fitness levels is cumulative. Short periods of exercise throughout the day have the same effect as extended workouts of the same intensity. For example, a short 10 minute walk three times a day will increase a patient’s fitness level to the same degree as a single 30 minute daily walk.

It is important to realize there is no evidence that exercise in itself will cure cancer, but regular exercise will help the cancer patient deal with the physical and psychological rigors of both the disease and treatment. As part of a complete and integrated treatment program, regular exercise is a tool that no cancer patient should overlook.