Raw cooking might sound like an oxymoron, but it’s actually the name for a fantastic, and delicious type of food preparation that helps preserve more of the essential nutrients in foods. It’s an excellent way to combat one of the common complaints about a raw diet: that it gets boring quickly. Cooked food isn’t eaten without preparation and flavoring, so there’s no reason we ought to be eating raw foods the same way. A little bit of artistry allows us to eat raw without feeling like we have to give up enjoying our meals.

Of course, you don’t have to be dedicated to raw food to enjoy raw cooking, either. Experts are agreed, across the board, that including more fresh fruits and vegetables and fewer pre-processed foods is a smart idea, and raw cooking is a great way to get more of those into your diet. You’ll be amazed at what nuts, fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes can do, without the application of much or even any heat.

People who don’t understand the raw diet may think that it all comes down to salad, but there are so many other options out there. Pasta-like dishes, complete with fresh, uncooked marinara sauces, can be made from thinly sliced vegetables. The result is fresh and delicious. Many traditional dishes can be made in a raw form, too. This is excellent for people who are trying to be healthier and eat more raw food, but who find that they miss their old favorites.

There are great raw lasagnas, burgers, raw macaroni and cheese, and even raw desserts, such as cheesecake. These foods may not include the same ingredients we’re used to, but the taste is enough to make even the most skeptical person admit they’re pretty good. Don’t expect raw foods to taste just like their cooked counterparts, complete with animal products, of course. The vast majority of raw cooking is done according to a vegan plan, and avoids things like refined sugars and flours.

Nuts and fatty fruits like avocado replace ingredients like cheese, and legumes and grains replace meat. The results are extremely tasty, however, and a great way to add variety to your existing raw diet, or to get a little more of those fresh fruits and veggies into a predominately nonraw diet. There are even decadent chocolate desserts. If you or someone you know has been feeling like raw eating requires giving up great tastes, check out raw cooking. You’ll be amazed by all the options.

A fully or partially raw diet has many health benefits – you have only to do a search on the Internet or check your local library to hear about some of them. However, unless you eat correctly, you won’t be able to experience all the good things that raw food has to offer. Remember – just because it’s raw doesn’t mean it’s nutritionally balanced. We’ve got to pay attention to what we’re eating if we’re going to get the right caloric intake. No one should be hungry all the time.

While there are a few omnivorous raw eaters, the majority of people consuming raw food are vegan, and the majority of foods that offer significant benefits are light on calories. Some foods are not easily digestible by humans in their natural state, either, or they contain toxins we have trouble dealing with. Raw potatoes are not a good idea for most of us – we just can’t get the benefits they offer. That means that, unless you want to spend every moment of every day grazing, you’ll need to know which foods are the most nutritionally dense.

You’ll hear some people tell you that calories are not the whole story when it comes to nutrition, and they’re correct. It’s clear that human beings live poorly on refined foods, and that vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are extremely important to health and to life. However, don’t ignore calories completely.

After all, our muscles, bones and organs require a certain amount of energy to function on a daily basis. Without that energy, we find ourselves feeling tired and listless. Every person has slightly different calorie requirements, based on where they live, who they are, how tall or short they are, and their ancestry. Figure out what you generally need by what makes you feel good. Listen to your body, and it will tell you when it’s had enough, or when it still needs more to work well.

So, what foods can we eat that are nutritionally dense, but still raw? There are plenty out there – nuts, avocados, legumes (like peanuts, sprouted lentils and fresh beans) and dense fruits like bananas and dates. Olives are excellent, too. Just remember that many nutritionally dense foods are also high in sugar, which can cause an insulin spike in a portion of the population.

If you’re sensitive to sugar, consuming more of your diet in fats, proteins and starches might be the appropriate thing for you. Some people also eat primarily raw, but include a small amount of cooked starch in their diets to help them get their basic calorie requirements. Once again, your body will tell you what it needs – listen to it and you’ll feel much better.

There are a lot of things that a partially or entirely raw diet can do for us, as long as we pay attention to what our bodies are telling us. If we’re feeling weak or tired, headachey, or have mood swings, something needs to change. That thing might be the balance of foods we’re eating. Many people don’t think about their caloric requirements when they go raw, but if you remember to do so, your chances of success are much higher. There’s a whole world of wonderful fresh vegetables, fruits, grains and more out there to enjoy – we should try them all.

You may have heard about people who are feeding their dogs a raw meat based diet, rather than commercial pet foods. Some people say that raw dog food can cure a number of digestive problems and allergies, help pets live longer, and allow them to enjoy their food more, as well as preventing problem conditions in the long run. With claims like that, it can be easy to wonder if this is really true, and if we can sustainably feed our pets raw food.

Most commercial dog food seems like a strange thing to feed a carnivore, when you think about the ingredients. They’re made mostly of grains such as wheat, rice, or corn, and the amount of meat in some foods is vanishingly small. While dogs, being capable of tolerating some plant based foods, can get by on a diet like this, mere survival isn’t the same as good health. And for some dogs, this kind of food can actually cause real problems.

In the wild, our pets wouldn’t be eating premade kibble. Their teeth and digestive systems are built to deal primarily with animal foods, and they certainly wouldn’t have access to cooking. Some worry about the presence of bacteria in meat, but we should remember that dogs have digestive systems that deal with this bacteria better than our own. If the meat has been correctly handled, a raw diet should not be a danger to your pet.

If you’d like to feed raw food, there are a number of guides out there, but you shouldn’t jump in without doing a little research. Feeding raw dog food incorrectly can result in nutritional imbalances. We should remember that the wild cousins of our pets – wolves – don’t just eat steak. They eat organ meats, bones, and just about every other part of their kill. They even take in a little plant matter when they eat animal digestive systems. This is what allows them to get the correct balance of nutrition in their diet, and it’s why you have to plan raw feeding carefully and keep things varied.

Remember to treat meat for your pet just like you’d treat meat for your own consumption. Fresh is best, though frozen meat is also acceptable. Start your pet off very gradually, too. Raw foods shouldn’t become a major part of the diet all at once, or you’ll run into digestive problems that will make neither you nor your dog happy. Choose high quality foods to become the base for your pet’s diet, and remember to discuss your plans with a vet who understands the benefits of raw food. This may take a little searching, but they do exist.

The concerns most vets have are due to people who don’t understand their dogs’ nutritional requirements, and cause illnesses or deficiencies by accident. If you take the time to learn how to feed your dog on a raw, mostly meat based diet, he or she will be healthy and happier, and some conditions, like food allergies, may even disappear! Raw isn’t right for every dog and every owner, but it can work for many. Find out more if you’re curious about the benefits of feeding your pet on a raw diet.

Feeding your pets a diet based primarily on raw meat has been getting a lot more popular. After all, in the wild, cats are carnivores. Yet, we feed them food made mostly of rice and corn. This seems a little strange, and it might explain some allergies, behavior problems, and other issues cat owners are faced with. However, raw diets have also been criticized for not providing enough nutrition. That can make things fairly confusion for the pet owner who wants the best for his or her cat. Wondering if raw cat food is a viable option for you and your pet? Let’s take a look at some things you should know before feeding raw.

Cats require meat – feeding them on a vegan diet is not possible without heavy supplementation. That means that a raw diet for cats is going to be one made mostly of meat, with a little vegetable matter to approximate what they would be eating in the wild. A controlled test with two groups of cats showed that the cats which ate raw were in significantly better health than those eating cooked food, and the group eating cooked had a real improvement in health after returning to raw food.

Some will tell you that raw meat isn’t safe. After all, humans get sick from contaminated meat every day. However, we should remember that cats have evolved eating primarily raw meat, and that their digestive systems aren’t the same as ours are. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t handle your pets’ food carefully, however. Treat it like you’d treat food you were going to eat, and avoid prepackaged ground beef and similar meats. Instead, look for free range meat, poultry and fish, and don’t just buy the flesh. In the wild, cats eat organ meats and even bone and skin. Their diet at home should add elements that give them the nutrition these things offer.

There are a couple of ways to get raw food for your pet. One is to make your own diet. You’ll want to do a lot of research, and consult with a raw diet-friendly vet before you try this. About seventy-five percent of what your pet eats should be meat, composed of raw muscle and organ meat. The rest can be grated vegetables, other than onions, and fresh herbs, plus ground raw bones of a type that don’t splinter, raw seeds and nuts, and a few supplements. A commercial grade grinder and a good hand with a kitchen knife are recommended, as well as regular checks of your cat’s health.

You can also buy a prepackaged raw diet for your cat. These have been put together to be nutritionally balanced, though the approval of your vet is still a good idea. Not every commercial diet does what it claims, after all. As above, keep an eye on your cat’s condition and make sure that all uneaten food is disposed of after half an hour. This is not a diet for free feeding. While raw cat food isn’t for every pet and owner, it can be an excellent choice for some. Take the time to learn more, and go into the situation with a good understanding of your pet’s requirements.

You may not be aware of the ingredients used in the average commercial pet food. Many people picture their dogs and cats healthy, wholesome foods, but the reality is a lot different. Most ingredients used in pet foods are not considered palatable by humans, and are actually waste products from producing human food. Our pets eat the things that human beings throw away, from defleshed and defatted carcasses to grains that have already been pressed for oil and had much of their starch removed. A lot of commercial kibble simply isn’t good for your pet.

On top of that, even the best made premium pet food really isn’t suited for digestion by carnivores. Dogs and cats eat primarily meat in the wild, especially cats, but kibble is primarily made from grains such as wheat and corn. In some animals, this can cause all kinds of digestive and other problems, which are fixed by changing the diet. This isn’t the perfect option for every cat or dog, of course, but for a lot of them, raw pet food leads to better health and longer lives.

Don’t just run out and buy a few pounds of ground chuck at the supermarket, however. To feed your pet a raw diet, you need to do it correctly. Raw pet food requires a strong understanding of the nutritional needs of dogs and cats. Remember that in the wild, carnivores eat flesh, organs, the contents of those organs and even skin and bone. That means that they’re getting a lot of things that ordinary meat can’t provide, and your raw diet needs to offer this.

It will also vary according to the cat or dog. Some pets that have grown up on a commercial diet don’t tolerate a switch to a fully raw diet well, and require a partially raw diet supplemented with a high grade commercial food. It all depends on the animal. Talk to a raw-friendly vet about your options before you think about making the switch. He or she will be able to give you good advice on what your pet should be eating, how much, and what to do to make sure that your cat or dog is getting optimum nutrition.

You can choose from prepackaged raw diets, or make your own. Remember that feeding raw is costlier than feeding kibble, but it’s also much better for your pet, and could prevent costly vet visits down the line. Food makes a difference, so it’s important to feed your pets the best they can get. You’ll see a difference in their appearance and energy level once you’ve made the transition. Just remember to do it slowly, so that your pet doesn’t have trouble from the sudden change. Going raw could be the thing that helps your pet overcome allergies, digestive problems, and all sorts of other difficulties.

Juice Fasting for Weight Loss, for Detox and a Lot More

Do you know that one of the most powerful health therapies used throughout the world is juice fasting?But what is juice fasting and what makes it a powerful therapy?

We know that there are several kinds of fasting that different individuals practice in whatever way that suits to their needs, reasons, and preference. It may vary from those for religious reasons that fast until sundown to those who take nothing but water for long periods. If the fasting is for health purposes, it makes sense to support your body’s needs while you reduce or remove some necessary elements from your diet. And the basic elements that you need to take out from your diet are cooked food and animal products. This includes the denatured packaged products such as white flour, refined sugar, and all animal products such as red meat, poultry, fish and eggs. The best single method to accomplish these ends is juice fasting.

Juice from fresh fruits and selected vegetables is full of live enzymes which are helpful to the body. Unlike coming out from a packet, the juice is fresh and not pasteurized. Pasteurization may have its conveniences but it has resulted in nutritionally dead foods. During pasteurization, high heat is used and this destroys the vital nutrients within the juice. Digestion of the jfruits and vegetable nutrients is much easier.

Our body is in fact, like a juicer. When we eat a celery, our body will digest the celery by extracting the juice to get the necessary nutrients. The fiber is then eliminated via the colon and bowel movements. Here are the other benefits we can get from juice fasting:

* Fasting gives the digestive system a rest. Since fresh fruit and vegetable juices require little digestion, and are quickly assimilated from the upper digestive tract, most of the 10% of the bodies energy normally involved in mastication, assimilation, digestion, and elimination is freed up. The end result is a sense of renewed energy.

* Juice fasting helps in breaking down toxic materials (fat, abnormal cells and tumor) and releases defective tissues and their cellular products into the circulation for elimination. Detoxifying literally means removing poisons from the body.It is the poisons that make us feel tired, mentally confused, irritable, unhappy, depressed and ill.Once these poisons are gone, you will feel energetic,frolic, and healthy.

* During fasting, new cell growth is stimulated and accelerated as the required proteins are re-synthesized from decomposed cells (during autolysis). Your serum albumin reading – blood-protein level – remains constant and normal throughout your fast, as your body uses protein and other stored nutrients where needed.

* Compared to water fasting, juice fasting is a much gentler process of detoxification. For a juice fast, a broad variety of fruits and vegetables should be used in combination. In this manner, the body still gets its daily calories from the easily-digested juices as compared to the more extreme water fast. Thus, the release of toxins from the fat cells in a juice fast is much gentler and gradual.

Some people may enter a juice fast as a way to address some disease condition. Others may use a fast in order to detoxify their body or to lose weight. For whatever reason you may have in choosing the juice fast, one dramatic element is the immediate and dramatic loss of stored body fat. The ‘rule of thumb’ is to stay on the juice fast until you have been free of detoxification symptoms for two days. These symptoms can be rather severe, making one to believe that ‘the cure is worse than the disease.’ To a healthy clean body, fasting comes as natural as eating. For most health conditions, juice fasting is the best method to transform health.

Go Get a Bowl of Goji Berries

Goji Berries have been used in traditional Asian medicine for over 5,000 years. You can find mentions of this extraordinary berry in Chinese medical texts as much as 5,000 years old. Goji Berries come from a pristine, certified organic region in the Ningxia province of China. This is the same amazing place where they hold a festival each year to celebrate the Goji Berry and its amazing health benefits.

Ancient Chinese medical texts praised Goji Berries as tonic support for the liver, and kidneys. More than anything, they are believe to increase the “chi” or life energy in those that eat them.  Goji Berries have a long history of use in the treatment of eye problems, skin rashes, psoriasis, allergies, insomnia, chronic liver disease, diabetes and tuberculosis. They are great for diabetics because they reduce the craving for sugar, and they stabilize the sugar levels in hypoglycemic people.  Goji Berries are also used by the people of Tibet to increase longevity and as a general health strengthening tonic.

Modern science has shown that this bright red berry not only contains extremely high levels of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, but also contains many unique phytochemicals, polysaccharides, and complex compounds that scientists are just beginning to understand.

On a nutritional level, Goji Berries are unmatched by any other food. They’re LOADED with 18 kinds of amino acids (six times higher than bee pollen) and contain ALL 8 essential amino acids (such as isoleucine and tryptophan). PLUS, Goji berries contain up to 21 trace minerals (the most powerful ones being zinc, iron, copper, calcium, germanium, selenium, and phosphorus)! Goji berries are the richest source of carotenoids, including beta-carotene (more beta carotene than carrots), of all known foods or plants on earth! They contain 500 times the amount of vitamin C, by weight, than oranges making them second only to camu camu berries as the richest vitamin C source on earth. Goji berries also contain vitamins B1, B2, B6, and vitamin E.

The benefits of goji berries are actively reflected in many medical conditions,it helps to control and reverse obesity, prevents cancer, prevent age-related macular degeneration, restores hair color, activates the immune system, helps to preventing morning sickness in pregnant women,and it is used to treat sexual dysfunctions and infertility. The Goji Berry is also being called the world’s most powerful anti-aging food. It is rated #1 on the ORAC scale (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity), which measures the antioxidant level in foods. It is a test developed by USDA researchers out of Tufts University in Boston.

People who consume this wonder berry suggest that if you really want to reap all of the benefits that goji berries have to offer you should become a total vegetarian so that the main ingredients of this berry will have the desired result. These same people experience an “I am feeling great today” every time they drink goji juice. In certain parts of Tibet these berries are referred to as laughing berries.

Goji berries are highly nutritious and delicious.  It is one of nature’s most complete foods. A bowl of fresh organic Goji Berries is the best way to begin the day. Go get a bowl of Goji berries!

Maca Root is a vegetable root or tuber, distantly related to the Mexican Wild Yam. The plant grows close to earth and produces a tuber approximately the size of an egg. The Maca root grows wild in the Peruvian Andes just below the glacial icecap. It only grows in areas of extreme weather conditions such as freezing, high winds, and intensive sunlight. The rich soil located at these high plateaus of Peru where it is very cold and oxygen poor may account for the high levels of trace minerals found in Maca Root. Interestingly, no other food plant exists in the world that will grow at so high an altitude and survive. Native shepherds learned quickly that at higher elevations where the Maca grew naturally, their grazing herds became healthier, their stamina increased, and they became much more sexually active.

Maca’s place in pre-conquest Peru as a remedy and nutritious super-food precedes written history. The first recorded uses by Spaniards in the 16th century corroborate exactly what indigenous healers of the Andes mountains had developed into their system of medicine.
Although this rare member of the radish family has been used by indigenous peoples for thousands of years, many considered Maca to be a “lost herb” to the developing world until recently. In today’s modern times, maca root is commonly traded as a medicine and energy giving herb throughout the towns and villages of Peru.

Now, everything is changing as Maca is being eagerly sought after for its extraordinary medicinal powers and attributes. In fact, Maca root is consumed up to 3 times a day by Peruvians and other people from all around the world, (from professional athletes to the elderly), to give them energy and help recover from depression, addictions, traumas, or disease.

With its many health enhancing properties finally becoming widely publicized, Maca root  can make people feel, look, and perform better. Let’s find out why:

Maca is considered by top researchers to be a true adaptogen. An adaptogen is a substance which raises the non-specific resistance in an organism. It enables the body to enhance its power of resistance and adapt to external conditions. It works with the bodies natural rhythms to help rebuild week immune systems, re-mineralize poorly nourished bodies, and increase energy and endurance.

In addition to its effect on the endocrine system, recent studies, articles, and reports show that maca effects the body and mind in a variety of other beneficial ways.

* Bio-available calcium, in conjunction with its alkaloids, make it an effective bond builder, thus reducing osteomalacia and rickets.
* Its fiber as well as glucosinolate content show promise in helping combat some cancers.
* It is an effective treatment for male impotence and erectile dysfunction, and for female menstrual irregularities and hormone imbalances, including menopause and perimenopause.
* Some of its fatty acids function as fungicides and local antiseptics, which may aid in overall immunity enhancement.
* Tannins bind and precipitate proteins, which improves the nutritional value of maca.
* Saponins and terpenoids may aid as sedative, expectorant, pain reliever, anti-tumoral, and analgesic.
* Effects general and not localized to a specific organ.
* Normalizing action irrespective of the direction of the pathological state.

As an adaptogen, maca works broadly to contribute to overall well being. It nourishes and calms the nerves with its calcium, phosphorus, vitamins B1 and B12 , and its fatty acids, all of which work beneficially on the nervous system. It contains significant amounts of amino acids and complex carbohydrates. It also stimulates the appetite and aids in digestion with its calcium, vitamins B1 and B2, B12, and fatty acids. Its phosphorus is a primary building block in the cell fuels Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) and glucose-6-phosphate (G6P).

At the same time it supports the adrenal glands so they don’t have to rely on damaging corticol to fuel the body. Its sterols, calcium, and vitamin C help build muscle mass and its starches aid in physical endurance. Its alkaloids help the body assimilated all these nutrients just where they are required. So, let Maca make you feel good!

Raw Chocolate

Not just “Food for the Gods”

For many of us, the lure of chocolate can be overwhelming. But why is that so?

Cacao contains certain chemicals and sensory properties that make the product very appealing. The sugar in chocolate releases serotonin (a brain chemical related to a positive sense of well-being). In spite of its physical properties, chocolate is not a physically addictive food. However, some people may find themselves psychologically addicted to chocolate. However, this may not be true for raw cacao.

Cacao is in the genus Theobroma and species Cacao. Other common names include Chocolate, Cacao, cacaoyer, cocoa. Cacao beans that are certified organic and raw, dryed at low temperature are difficult to find.

The plant contains components that include: alanine, alkaloids, alpha-sitosterol, alpha-theosterol, amylase, arginine, ascorbic-acid, ascorbic-acid-oxidase, aspariginase, beta-carotene, calcium, dopamine, fructose, glucose, glutamic-acid, leucine, linoleic-acid, lipase, lysine, niacin, peroxidase, phenylacetic-acid, phenylalanine, phosphorus, riboflavin, rutin, tannins, theobromine, thiamin and many other things.

Raw organic cacao is high quality cacao and can be used in raw food treats like smoothies, brownies and pies. The cacao tastes similar to, yet better than, unsweetened bakers chocolate. A sweetener is often used like raw organic agave nectar in conjunction with your raw treat ingredients.

Cacao contains a wide array of unique properties and minerals, including high levels of sulfur and magnesium. Studies show that it may increase your focus and alertness and contains nutrients to keep you happy. It is also known that chocolate and cacao are often associated with love. All this is due to phenylethylamine contained in the cacao. Anandamide can be produced in the brain when we are feeling great, in which cacao makes anandamide stick around longer.

It also contains theobromine (a chemical related to caffeine)..Theobromine may act as a diuretic, and has a stimulant or exciting action not possessed by chocolate itself. Theobromine and theophylline, like caffeine, all found in this plant are used in modern medicine as antiasthmatic.

Cornell University food scientists found that cocoa powder has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times what is found in green tea. It’s also important to note that the antioxidants in cacao are very stable and easily available to human metabolism.

The antioxidants in cacao may have these benefits:

o Decrease blood pressure
o Improve circulation
o Promote cardiovascular functions and help fight heart disease
o Improve function of endothelial cells that line the circulatory system
o Provide protection from free radicals, which may trigger cancer, heart disease and stroke
o Improve digestion

Cacao is found to be one of nature’s richest sources of magnesium, which is a heart as well as brain mineral. Magnesium helps relax nerves and muscles, builds and strengthens bones and keeps blood circulating smoothly. It is also a rich source of other essential minerals like calcium, zinc, iron, copper, sulfur and potassium.

Of much greater interest in the context of health benefits is the rich flavonoid content of raw cocoa and the relatively rich flavonoid content of some chocolates and cocoas. Flavonoids are part of a large and diverse class of phyto-chemicals called polyphenols. Several thousand flavonoids exist in substantial amounts in common plant-based foods, such as tea, chocolate, cocoa, soybeans and wine. Epidemiological research, which studies the association between diet and health, in the last decade has suggested that some flavonoids might protect against certain chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases.

Warning: Eating cacao nibs may cause you to have THE BEST DAY EVER!”Add it to your super foods (goji, maca, etc.) for an extra nutrient boost!

Popeye popularized spinach, but it’s too bad he ate it out of a can!

It has been known that spinach, with its dark green leaves, are an extremely healthy food.    Popularized by the cartoon character, Popeye, spinach is known to have considerable positive health effects. We know that Popeye made himself super strong by eating spinach, but you may be surprised to learn that he may also have been protecting himself against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, arthritis, and other diseases at the same time.

Spinach is rich source of vitamin A, vitamin E and several vital antioxidants, with more than a half-day’s supply of beta carotene found in just a half cup of the vegetable. Spinach is believed to block elevated levels of homocysteine in the bloodstream. Scientists feel that it is the vitamin C, beta carotene and folic acid are the chemicals in spinach and other foods that block homocysteine levels.High homocysteine is associated with cardiovascular disease.

Spinach works on more than just cardiovascular disease; it also appears to be effective in lowering the risk of several kinds of cancer, including lung cancer. Experts believe that it is the high vitamin K level in spinach that provides its benefits against cancer. You can hardly find a better source of vitamin K than you can in spinach.

*But Spinach has more than just these nutritional benefits. It is also an excellent way to get insoluble fiber in your diet. We all know that insoluble fiber is good for the bowels and appears to have a positive effect on the heart, keeping it from being damage.

*Spinach is also supposed to be useful in combating cataracts. There are research studies showing that those foods that contain a great deal of beta carotene, like spinach, have the ability to slow the growth and prevent cataracts. Other studies show that those with a diet with a lot of spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables in it have much less risk of cataract formation. There is one possible reason behind spinach’s effect on cataracts. It contains a great deal of zeaxanthin and lutein—carotenoids that are a lot like beta carotene. Both of these substances are potent antioxidants and are believed to carry the same effect of other antioxidants against cell damage, cancer and aging.

*Spinach and related vegetables are felt to reduce the progression of macular degeneration—an eye disease that can cause blindness in many people. It is felt that the antioxidants in spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables are what makes them so good in preventing and halting macular degeneration associated with advanced age.

*A recent study indicates eating more spinach may lower ovarian cancer risk. The flavonoid kaempferol found in spinach and some cabbages is associated with a 40 percent reduced risk of ovarian cancer (The study was led by Margaret Gates from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston).

On the other hand, Fresh spinach retains the delicacy of texture and jade green color that is lost when spinach is processed. Raw spinach has a mild, slightly sweet taste that can be refreshing in salads, while its flavor becomes more acidic and robust when it is cooked.

So while spinach probably won’t make you super strong the minute you eat it, as it did for Popeye, it will promote your health and vitality in many other ways. It seems like Popeye was pretty smart after all. Spinach should be a part of just about anyone’s diet. It is densely packed with nutrients and is great tasting alone or in recipes. Think about adding it to your healthy diet!