Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The Importance Of Iodine In The Body

Iodine is a trace mineral required for human life. Iodine is important in the developing of the fetus, particularly in the brain. It helps the functioning of the heart, pancreas, liver, kidneys, muscles, and brain. Iodine promotes general growth and development of the body as well as metabolism of nutrients. Iodine is important for maintaining body temperature, and helps the condition of hair, skin, teeth and nails. Iodine is essential for fertility. Deficiency of it is the single most common cause of retardation and brain damage in the world.

Most of the iodine in the body is stored in the hormones of the Thyroid gland. The Thyroid gland is a butterfly shaped gland at the base of the neck near the voice box. A swollen or enlarged thyroid gland can result from the lack or over abundance of the available iodine to the body under certain conditions. Iodine is also a part of every hormone in the body. Iodine is used by every hormone receptor in the body. Iodine is found in the four thyroid hormones, but particularly in Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3).

Iodine is the trigger mechanism for programmed cell death and there must be a constant source of iodine in the urine for this purpose. There is no method for resorption of iodine in the urinary tract and this is how it needs to be to make iodine available for the function in the urinary tract. Because we need to be constantly disposing of iodine we need to be continually taking it in. Depriving the renal system of iodine would immediately lead to the creation of abnormal cells and cancer.

Iodine is the ultimate adaptogen or a substance that helps to normalize bodily functions. Normally we think of adaptogens as herbs like cordycepts mushroom or rhodiola rosea. Now studies are showing that if you take enough iodine (100 to 400 times the RDA), it normalizes other body functions as well.


Good sources of iodine in food include kelp and seaweed, fish and shell fish, leafy vegetables, and dairy products from cows fed iodine supplements.


Because Iodine is a necessary part of every cell in the body, it is important that we are aware of the need to get enough iodine into our body on a daily basis. If our body runs low on iodine we will develop a condition that makes it possible for our body to limit our ability to take high doses of iodine without bad effects. The need for iodine in our bodies involves every cell in our bodies. Find a good source for Iodine and make sure you get enough every day.



Monday, March 29, 2010

Why Are We Iodine Deficient?

Some health practitioners and nutritionists say we get plenty of iodine in our diet and we don't need to worry about it. I think it isn't true that we get plenty of it. Most people eat iodized salt and think that is taking care of their need. I think there is something wrong with that picture. My reasons have a lot to do with Halogens and the chemical properties of them.

Chlorine, Fluorine, bromine and Iodine are all halogens. The more reactive halogens will replace the less reactive halogens in the body. The higher the molecular weight the less reactive the halogens. The most reactive would be Fluorine, then Chlorine, then Bromine and then Iodine. Most municipal water supplies are treated with chlorine so unless we do something to clean up our drinking water we are getting chlorine from our water into our bodies. Many supplies have added fluorine to the drinking water also plus toothpaste and deodorant and baking powder. We get bromine in much of our baking powder. Salt is made up of Sodium and Chlorine and some salt has iodine added to it. Of all these four chemicals, iodine is needed more in the body and is the least reactive halogen so it will get replaced if any of the other three are present.

It has been estimated by some medical doctors that 99.9 % of the people in the world are iodine deficient. It is widespread everywhere except in Japan where they use a lot of seaweed and kelp. If this is true, we all should pay attention to getting a better source of iodine in our diets so we can have our endocrine systems functioning up to capacity. We should also pay attention to cutting down on the other halogens so the iodine can be absorbed by the body.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Why Juice Fresh Fruits and Vegetables?

Did you know that 95% of the nutrient content of fruit and vegetables is found in the juice? A well balanced and healthy diet includes many servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Sometimes it is hard to just eat that much food. Fresh fruits and Vegetables made into juices are an easy source for getting those vital nutrients. When fruits and vegetables are juiced, the cell walls of the produce are broken down to let the juice out. This juice is rapidly absorbed into the blood stream. That is the quickest way to get nutrients into the body through the digestive system.


Phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables have been found to cure ailments such as asthma, diseases of the heart, digestive system, and diabetes. Consumed regularly they prevent and help fight many types of cancer. The best way to access these phytochemicals is through juicing the fresh fruits and vegetables and consuming that juice fresh and raw.


Chlorophyll, which is found in the green vegetables, particularly the leafy ones, has very similar makeup to the hemoglobin in the blood. Basically, it is the blood of the plants. It is healthy to use the green leafy vegetables in juices because of this oxygen transporter that is in them.


Raw fruits and vegetables contain many enzymes that play an important part not only in the digestion of our food but also in the building and repairing of our bodies. Our bodies produce enzymes, but we need so many that as we age, they become less available for the many jobs they are needed for in our bodies. If we supplement them we live healthier. Many of these enzymes are made up of trace minerals and other elements that we can get from juiced raw produce.


You have complete control over the ingredients when you make your own juices. You select the ingredients and other flavorings to be added. You have the final choice when you do it yourself. Because health and tastes are individual things, no two people will choose the same. What works for one may not work for someone else. That is one very good reason for having your own juicer and using it in your home. As you educate yourself about your health issues you are better able to choose what will be right for you.


The benefit we get from our food is so much greater in most cases, if we eat it raw. Juicing raw fruits and vegetables gives us more of the necessary nutrients to keep our bodies functioning at top efficiency than chewing our food. Dietary experts tell us that the juice of fruits and vegetables is absorbed more efficiently. We have the choice of what foods to use, if and how to add flavors, organic or inorganic, how fresh we want the food, and what we ultimately juice when we choose to juice our own food. Choose healthy, choose juicing for health and to enjoy the flavors of good food.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Breakfast Juice Recipe

We got a variety of fruits from Bountiful Baskets the past two weeks. I have Bananas, apples, kiwi, strawberries, kumquats, mangoes, and pineapple left from before. I have been on a juice fast so I haven't been using much of it. I have juiced a few grapefruit with our citrus juicer and that juice is one of my favorite, but I wanted something different today. I didn't know if the bananas would juice so I didn't even try. The other things I decided to use for my juice.

Here is what I used:
2 Kiwi
4 strawberries
1 mango
6-7 Kumquats
1 medium apple
a wedge from top to bottom of pineapple 1 inch wide at the rind
the core of the pineapple.

I juiced all of this through my masticating juicer. I thought it would be too tart, but it was not. It was so good, about as tart as a glass of good orange juice, or a little sweeter.

Try this recipe tomorrow and enjoy your breakfast drink. We have more juice recipes that are great for juice fasting on our juicers web site.

One thing I learned about putting just fruits through that juicer is that you get a lot of pulp without fiber to push it on through. I had to follow it up with some celery to get it to go through. That was perfect though, because celery mixed with the fruits and some spinach leaves, makes a good lunch juice.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Miracle Of AZOMITE®

AZOMITE® is a wonderful trace mineral supplement for crops and animals. It is mined in central Utah and comes from volcanic dust turned to rock. It is pinkish in color and was assayed by Dr. Charles Head, ranking scientific expert at the U.S. Bureau of Mines back in the 1940’s.

AZOMITE® was used to treat an orchard where leaf curl, sluggish growth, poor-quality fruit and many pests were the problem. AZOMITE® corrected the conditions within a year. By the end of the third year, none of the conditions existed.
AZOMITE® has been combined with cattle feed, poultry feed, worked into ground for pasture grass and food crops. The results are exciting. The cattle gained weight faster and had stronger legs. The poultry were more healthy and AZOMITE® gave them earlier maturity, greater weight, stronger legs, and a greater number of prime-grade quality birds.

There is an important thing that we need to understand about trace minerals. They need to be in ingested in balance because they interact. If they are not in balance, they can produce a deficiency instead of helping. Trace minerals function as catalysts within the plan or animal cells. AZOMITE® minerals are balanced minerals. Because they are balanced, they are many times more effective. The plants and animals supplemented with AZOMITE® thrive unbelievably well. The vegetables taste so much better that once you use them you are spoiled for life and never want to eat what hasn’t been given the AZOMITE® boost.

Our personal experience with AZOMITE® verifies all that we have ever read about it. Our gardens and trees and animals are more pests free and healthy because of the AZOMITE® we use. We do not have to spray for cabbage worm or other pests and the food tastes better and lasts longer after harvest without rotting.

We raised broiler chickens last year. We put AZOMITE® in their feed to help make their legs stronger. They grew well and had stronger legs. We do not raise laying hens, but the experience of others speaks well. One farmer observed: When a neighbor put AZOMITE® in the pen where culled hens were housed, by morning it was gone. All of the hens lived and started laying again. Baby chicks will eat AZOMITE® from the first day, if it is ground fine enough; it seems to stimulate their appetite. They develop more evenly, feather out sooner, and give a higher percentage of fertilized eggs. Pullets start laying earlier, and their shells are much harder.

Try AZOMITE® for yourself, I am that sure you will see a difference. Since using it, I will never be without it. Last year we almost ran out and our garden got less than the year before. I will not let that happen again. Our trees produce wonderful pest free fruit without spraying, and our vegetables are so much better than they were prior to AZOMITE®. We are ready to begin growing broiler chickens again and will give them the AZOMITE® advantage this year as well.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Juice Fast For Weight Loss and Cleansing

Having tried juice fasting before, and having talked to others about it I chose a time when I wasn't going to have a lot of stresses in my life. I had been told that the first 3 days would be the hardest and then would get easier. The following is what I did and what I found.

For the cleanse the very most important thing is to drink often, so I set the goal of drinking a glass of something every hour. First thing in the morning is a good time to drink a full glass of lemon water. That helps the liver and the whole body cleanse. Then the next hour water, the next hour juice, then water. Every two hours I try to drink a juice or tea or vegetable broth of some kind. A variety gets you more of the nutrients your body needs. On the opposite hours I drink a glass of water. My goal is to drink 4 or 5 swallows every half hour and I often squeeze lemon into my water.

It is good to use fresh fruits and vegetables mostly so you will get enzymes as well as the vitamins and minerals your body needs. There are proteins in some of the green things as well, but that is a nutrient one has a hard time getting on a juice fast.

Another thing you don't get is fiber. Fiber is necessary to clean the bowel and because you don't get fiber on a juice fast it is recommended that you do a bowel cleanse daily. This can be done with enema, high colonic, or colon hydrotherapy. My colon Hydrotherapist told me that when you don't chew your peristalic movement in the bowel stops. The up side of this she said, is that the plaque in the bowel comes away from the walls of the large intestine. That is why you need to take the opportunity to clean it out.

One recipe for healthy fresh juice is the juice of a potato, a beet, carrots, and celery. Potato gives you potassium, beet is for the liver and gull bladder, carrots for blood sugar and energy, and celery is for sodium. This works well, and on these foods I have not found myself low in energy.

This juice fast, I have concentrated on using low sugar, low glycemic raw foods because I am trying to get rid of some candida.

It is really great to have juicers available in my home to process my raw food into juice. That way, I can juice whatever I have access to or want to eat. My citrus juicer works well to juice the lemons and grapefruit I have juiced. The wheatgrass juicer has worked great for the kale, lettuce, chard, and other leafy things. The centrifugal juicer is what I prefer for juicing the apples, carrots, beets, and peppers, onions, cucumbers, celery, and other hard fruits and vegetables. I have juiced pineapple with this juicer as well.

The hardest part of the fast has been to fix my husband and grandchild their tasty meals and then sit down to drink my glass of juice while they are eating chops and ribs and salads.

This juice fast has gone quickly. I am half through with my 21 day fast and I have lost 8 1/2 pounds and the itching from the candida is going away also.

Juice fasting is a great way to get toxins out of the body that are stored in the fat. It is great to get back on track to healthy eating and healthy living. It is great to get rid of the left over holiday weight. My friend jumpstarted his 78 LB weight loss with a juice fast. It gets you more healthy. This friend was able to get off all 3 diabetes medicines and the high blood cholesterol medicine he had been taking and his blood looks really good. I would recommend a juice fast for anyone who wants to feel better and get healthy.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Food Helps For A Healthy Body


My Cousin D sent this to me a year before he passed away. I just love it. I think whole food is the best way to go for good health. There are some people who don't believe in the creation and all that it means, but I do.

GOD first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... all before making a human. HE made and provided what we would need before we were born. These are best, and more powerful when eaten raw.

GOD left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.





A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.



Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.




A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.



Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys. Note: Parsley is good for the kidneys.


C elery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23 % sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you do not have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility. Note: bananas and cucumbers are also good for the male genitals.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics. Note: Cinnamon is also good for balancing blood sugar.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries. Note: Pomegranets are good for the ovaries also.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female, and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.


Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body. Note: Pineapple is also good for the cells and the skin of the pineapple looks like cells look under a microscope.
Note: The juice of a potato is good for lung and bronchial problems.
Lemons are good to help the liver and clean out toxins.