Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet and it is a nutritional powerhouse!  Eating super-nutritious kale on a regular basis may provide significant health benefits, including cancer protection and lowered cholesterol.

Kale Saute Recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 lbs young kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 c. vegetable stock or water
• Sea salt and pepper
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the garlic and cook until soft, but not colored.
3. Raise heat to high, add the stock or water and kale and toss to combine.
4. Cover and cook for 5 min.
5. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring until all the liquid has evaporated.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add vinegar.

Recipe source: “Beyond Organic Living” available at http://bitly.com/fgbfood

(Serves 2-4)

One Cup of Kale Contains:

• 36 calories
• 5 grams of fiber
• 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
• 40% of magnesium
• 180% of vitamin A
• 200% of vitamin C
• 1,020% of vitamin K
• (It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.)

Kale’s Health Benefits:

• Kale’s health benefits are primarily linked to the high concentration and excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K — and sulphur-containing phytonutrients.
• Carotenoids and flavonoids are the specific types of antioxidants associated with many of the anti-cancer health benefits.
• Kale is also rich in the eye-health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds.
• Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of cruciferous kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when kale is cooked instead of raw.

The Power of Vitamin K

• Eating a diet rich in the powerful antioxidant vitamin K can reduce the overall risk of developing or dying from cancer, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
• Vitamin K is abundant in kale but also found in parsley, spinach, collard greens, and animal products such as cheese.
• Vitamin K is necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions, including normal blood clotting, antioxidant activity, and bone health.

(Excerpted in part from http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-kale?page=2)

Our modern diets are loaded with additives and preservatives that create cell damage and can have negative effects on the skin, such as acne or dryness.

When we’re properly hydrated, our immune system works much better and our skin looks better too. Not only does the potassium in coconut water help your body rehydrate, it also creates a healthier heart and circulatory system. With more blood pumping through your body and organs, all the cells in your body will receive more oxygen, helping them work more efficiently.

Coconut water contains a variety of nutrients including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes, growth factors, and other nutrients. All of these minerals are in the form of electrolytes so they are easily absorbable by the human body. Many of the health benefits attributed to coconut water can be traced to its mineral content (This is the same reason that alkaline water like Essentia or Vollara is also so effective.).

Coconut water has saved thousands of lives, especially of children in underdeveloped countries. Ordinary water is not effective in treating severe dehydration caused by vomiting and diarrhea, but because of coconut water’s unique chemical composition it is able to rehydrate the body and give it the strength and energy it needs to fight off the infection. Death rates from cholera are high, but with the use of coconut water survival rates increase to 97 percent.

Coconut water has a therapeutic effect on the urinary and reproductive systems. It is reported to clear-up bladder infections, remove kidney stones, and improve sexual vitality. Medical research has shown that the consumption of coconut water can be very effective in dissolving kidney stones, even when its only consumed 2 to 3 times per week.

Studies demonstrate that coconut water consumption reduces the risk of heart failure in heart disease patients. The evidence is so convincing that the FDA allows coconut water to carry the claim that it “may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.”

Because coconut water improves blood circulation, it is of benefit to diabetics. Coconut water helps dilate blood vessels, improves blood flow, and reduces plaque formation. Coconut water also contains certain forms of dietary fiber and amino acids that help moderate sugar absorption and improve insulin sensitivity.

Some of the most interesting components of coconut water are the plant growth hormones, particularly cytokinins. Coconut water is the richest natural dietary source of cytokinins. The anti-cancer effects of cytokinins have been well documented. Cytokinins are also known as anti-aging hormones. Cytokinins regulate cell division and influence the rate at which plants age. In humans, they have a positive influence on human cells and tissues. When cytokinins are applied to the skin, the result is that on the surface of the skin, wrinkles tend to flatten out. Dry, aging skin is replaced with smoother, softer skin.

Coconut is unlike other beverage in that it is completely compatible with the human body, in so much that it can be infused directly into the bloodstream. In fact, doctors have used coconut water successfully as an intravenous fluid for over 60 years.

Summary of the Health Benefits of Coconut Water as Published in Medical Research and Clinical Observations:

• Aids in exercise performance: makes an excellent oral rehydration sports beverage – replaces electrolytes from exercise, heat stress and illness
• Natural isotonic beverage – contains the same level of electrolytes found in human blood

• Has 15 times the amount of potassium as most sports and energy drinks (264 mg vs 12.5 mg /100 ml) and more potassium than a banana

• Regulates the intestine: reduces problems for infants suffering from intestinal disturbances; improves digestion; contains nutrients that feed friendly gut bacteria; helps relieve constipation or diarrhea
• Cardioprotective: helps regulate blood pressure (due to high potassium); improves circulation; reduces swelling in hands and feet; prevents abnormal blood clotting
• Support the urinary tract/bladder: aids in kidney function including those with kidney stones
• Helps balance blood sugar in diabeticsSupports good vision and provides nutritional support in those who have a tendency towards glaucoma; reported by some people to reverse cataractsPossesses anti-aging properties: contains potent antioxidants; provides nutrients important in preventing osteoporosis
• Nutritional support for healthy skin: restores strength and elasticity to skin; reduces age spots; reduces wrinkles and sagging; promotes clearer, acne free skin; promotes smoother, more hydrated skin
• Enhances healing of wounds and lesions
• Nutritionally supports immune function

Where to Find Coconut Water:

You can now get coconut water in easy-to-carry bottles, cans, and tetra paks from many health food stores, Asian markets, some grocery stores and even on Amazon.com.

One of our favorite coconut water brands at Feel Good Buzz is C2O by Sunsweet Naturals.

Dr. Bruce Fife is a certified nutritionist and naturopathic physician. He is the author of 20 books including Coconut Water for Health and Healing and serves as the director of the Coconut Research Center, http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/. This excerpt of his article has only scratched the surface.

(Excerpted from http://www.litalee.com/shopexd.asp?id=388, http://www.benefitsofcoconutwater.info/2010/12/benefits-of-coconut-water-how-it-can-help-clear-your-skin, and http://www.benefitsofcoconutwater.info/2010/12/benefits-of-coconut-water-how-it-can-help-clear-your-skin)

To learn more about the benefits of coconut and coconut oil, please visit our fats and oils blog category on Feel Good Buzz.

We recently shared some tips for calculating and tracking your daily water consumption (see http://www.feelgoodbuzz.com/?p=360 for a refresher).  Now it’s time to kick your water consumption up another notch . . .

Your body is made up of mostly water. The next time you feel tired, dizzy, thirsty, have a headache, muscle aches or a dry mouth, you might just be dehydrated (so drink some water).

Did you know that it’s not just the amount of water that you drink that matters to your health, but the quality and pH level of the water as well?  Even if you are sure the water you are drinking is a high quality and pure and free of pollutants, you can do even better . . . drink alkalized water.

Why do we Need Alkalized Water?:
Dr. Lynda Frassetto, from the University of California, studied 1000 people and discovered that we are stockpiling acid waste in our fatty deposits instead of eliminating it with our kidneys and liver. According to Frassetto, “The cost is tremendous — obesity, low energy, and many acid related diseases such as osteoarthritis, diabetes, cancer, and much more.  When our bodies are excessively acidic, they borrow essential minerals such as calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium from our vital organs and bones to buffer or neutralize the acid. The result is our bodies suffer from prolonged degradation or corrosion which manifests into these dehabilitating conditions.

The reason is simple — the average American diet is way too acidic.  (Soda is probably the most acidic food people consume at a pH of 2.5.  Foods in healthy alkaline diets usually have a pH of about 7.0 or higher.)

To achieve balance and reverse our acidic bodily conditions, health practitioners recommend consuming an 80/20 mix of alkaline and acidic foods. The problem is, most people don’t like and don’t normally eat enough alkaline food such as spinach, broccoli, and silver beets. Alkaline water, however, is much easier to adapt to than changing your eating lifestyle. Not only does alkaline water help you achieve that 80/20 alkaline to acidic balance, it also hydrates your body as much as three times more effectively than regular water because the water molecule has been reduced. The minerals in the water are negatively charged making them much easier for your body to absorb. Also, alkaline ionized water is full of bound oxygen plus negative hydrogen ions that are nature’s original antioxidant.

If you can drink alkaline ionized water while also eating a sensible diet and incorporating alkalizing activities into your lifestyle such as meditation or prayer, your body will come into alkalilne balance.”

(Exerpted from ”The Importance of Alkaline and Acid Balance in Our Bodies” by Alderin Ordell, MA)

Best Sources of Alkaline Water:

- Essentia: Available at most health food stores.  Has a pH of 9.0 or higher. (Expect to pay $1.70-$2.35/large bottle.)

- Vollara alkalizing home water system:  Vollara is an even better option with a pH of 9.5. First, home ionizing machines like the Vollara system are better for the planet, because there’s no plastic bottle waste.  Second, in less than a year, you will end up saving more money with this home alkalized water system than if you’d contined buying Essentia instead.  (Vollara has an excellent home alkaline water system for an affordable price.  You can even program the acid or alkaline level of your Vollara machine to replace the need to buy cleaning products!)  To learn more about ordering your own Vollara system, visit http://www.myvollara.com/feelgoodbuzz

- NewCell Water Ionizers: NewCell water ionizers may be just as good, if not better, than Vollara’s machines, with even more competitive pricing and a larger selection of water ionization products!  Currently, NewCell is offering reconditioned NC10 ionizing machines for 50% off! And, if you order directly through Feel Good Buzz, we’ll throw in free shipping and handling too!  (For a complete list of Feel Good Buzz pricing specials on NewCell products, email us at feelgoodbuzz@gmail.com or stay tuned for more updates.)

Results to Expect from Drinking Alkalized Water:

• Decreased thirst
• More energy/endurance (even when you have had less sleep)
• Clearer, brighter eyes
• Clearer, fresher, younger looking skin
• Increased mental focus/better brain function
• Decreased appetite
• Decreased urination (in comparison to drinking other kinds of water)
• Better digestion/bowel function