ASIA NEWS NETWORK
WE KNOW ASIA BETTER
Publication Date : 04-09-2012
With health and wellness gaining prominence in people’s wish lists, there is now a growing awareness of healthier choices.
Here are more answers for your myriad of options. Pick a wellness plan that will suit you best.
Please explain—what’s all the fuss over over nitrates and nitrites?
Multiple choice: Which meal would you consider supportive of brain health?
a) Scrambled eggs cooked in butter plus a generous topping of cheese and sour cream
b) Green salad with lean chicken or turkey ham topped with low-fat Caesar salad dressing.
A is the healthier meal. For one, eggs are nutritious and are considered brain food.
Vegetables are very good for you; however, we do not know about the toppings. Perhaps the ham is laced with preservatives and additives, including aspartame and nitrite. By itself, nitrite isn’t so bad. But when it is eaten, it can transform into nitrosamine compounds, considered potent cancer-causing chemicals.
This occurs when a chemical reaction happens between nitrate (added to food) and amines (found in protein that is present in the body).
Added to processed foods, this chemical, also known as sodium nitrite or potassium nitrite, prevents the contamination of foods by controlling the toxin production of clostridium botulinum (which causes botulism). In the US, these chemicals are allowed to be used, setting the limit to one part nitrite to 120 parts per million.
Nitrates for fertilisers are suspected to enter the food and water supply. And this is why proper farming is a big issue.
Nitrite and nitrosamine are linked with increased cancer of the colon, lung, pancreas, liver, etc.
How to neutralise nitrite poisoning? Take megadoses of vitamin C and E, beta-carotene and flavonoids.
Visit your dentist
How do I cure bad breath?
Would you believe that billions of bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites live in our mouths? It’s true. There are over 600 species of bacteria that claim our mouths as their home. An overgrowth of bacteria leads to tooth decay and gum disease. It could, one day, lead to tooth loss. If you are brushing, flossing and gargling regularly, then you shouldn’t have a real problem.
But if you don’t, then it’s time to visit your dentist. Dental plaque, a sticky, grainy film that grows on teeth due to the mixture of bacteria with the sugars and starches from the food you eat, causes bad breath. Tartar is the hardened plaque build-up after so much dental neglect.
Brush or floss twice daily, thrice if you can. Do not sleep without doing your cleansing ritual. Eradicate parasites from your tummy.
Looking at yourself in the mirror and then smiling is a practice that can get you started on better dental health. Run your tongue over your teeth. If it feels grainy, then it’s time for your dental check-up and cleaning.
Make it a habit to take two acidophilus (good bacteria) capsules daily.
Consider digestive enzymes, one to three tablets daily or eat fresh, raw (uncooked) fruits and vegetables.
Juice fresh veggies/fruits as your morning starter, tonic and cleanser.
Chlorophyll tablets could be taken.
Steep parsley leaves in hot water and sip as a tea.
Rule out parasites. See your doctor.
Alternation to steroids
Are there any legal and natural supplements as an alternative to steroids? I am a professional athlete.
Yes there are. Called branched chain amino acids (BCAA’s), these are compound of leucine, valine and isoleucine. Considered natural anabolic muscle-building supplements, they are a principal source of calories for the human muscle, especially effective during an intense workout.
BCAAs can also reduce the appetite while producing glycogen which balances insulin secretion.
More importantly, it promotes lean muscle mass and distribution.
Supplements should be taken 30 minutes before a workout.