Want More Variety In Your Health Food Choices? Try these foods!

Had it up to here with broccoli? Join the club. But it's hard to take it off the menu when it's such a great source of vitamins and minerals. Still, is a little variety too much to ask?

Not anymore, thanks to research that's shifting the spotlight to a new generation of health-boosting foods -- many of which do double or triple duty to help prevent illness. Here are six on the brink of superstar status.

1. POMEGRANATE: If you're going to have a martini, at least make it a pomegranate one. This fall fruit has higher antioxidant activity than red wine and green tea, which may be why a number of studies show it may prevent skin cancer and kill breast and prostate cancer cells. It also helps:

Fight Alzheimer's disease: Researchers at Loma Linda University found that mice who drank pomegranate juice experienced 50 percent less brain degeneration than animals that consumed only sugar water. The pomegranate drinkers also did better in mazes and tests as they aged.

Guard your arteries: A group of diabetics who drank about 2 ounces of pomegranate juice a day for 3 months kept their bodies from absorbing bad cholesterol into their immune system cells (a major contributing factor to hardened arteries), discovered Israeli researchers.

2. KIWIFRUIT: Don't judge this fruit by its cover: Under that bristly brown peel you'll find a bright green star bursting with antioxidants and full of fiber. Kiwifruit works to:

Protect against free radical damage: A study from Rutgers University compared the 27 most popular fruits and determined that kiwifruit was the most nutritionally dense. Plus, it makes the short list of fruits with substantial amounts of vitamin E, and contains more vision-saving lutein than any other fruit or vegetable, except for corn.

Lower blood-clot risk: In a 2004 study from the University of Oslo in Norway, participants who ate two or three kiwis for 28 days significantly reduced their potential to form a clot. They also got a bonus benefit: Their triglycerides, a blood fat linked to heart attack, dropped by 15 percent.

3. BARLEY: When some whole grains, such as wheat and oats, are processed, they lose their fiber content. Not so with barley, which is full of soluble beta-glucan fiber in its whole kernel or refined flour form. Studies show this particular fiber may:

Knock down bad cholesterol -- by as much as 17.4 percent, according to USDA research. A 2004 study found that adults with moderately high cholesterol levels who went on a low-fat American Heart Association diet began to see an improvement only when barley was added to the menu.

Decrease blood sugar and insulin levels: That makes barley a better choice for people with type 2 diabetes, says a 2005 Agricultural Research Services study.

Better Off Red

Beans may be a near-perfect health food -- especially if they're red.

We already know that beans are a great source of fiber and vegetable protein. But red kidney beans are also stellar when it comes to packing an antioxidant punch. In fact, red beans are right up there with blueberries when it comes to total antioxidant value. So brighten up your salads and stews by tossing in some crimson-colored beauties.

In addition to red kidney beans, other antioxidant champions include artichokes, russet potatoes, pinto beans, sweet cherries, plums, and pecans. What's so great about antioxidants? They help guard against the cell damage that can lead to cancer, heart disease, and early aging by swiftly mopping up free radicals -- cell-process by-products that can damage DNA. Here are the antioxidant winners in a recent study, which examined over 100 different plant-food sources:

Fruits: Cranberries, blueberries, blackberries
Vegetables: beans (red, kidney, pinto, and black), artichokes, and russet potatoes
Nuts: pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts

Take Care of Your Skin

Take care of your skin. As the largest organ of your body, it does an amazing job to protect you and keep you well, fighting off UV rays and toxins that are in the air, keeping moisture in, helping to keep you cool on hot days and warm on cold. It makes perfect sense to protect it - just ask anyone who has suffered with skin cancer or even think of the times you had chapped hands!

I'd like to share a discovery with you, but be forwarned, if you try this new protective and (bonus!) anti-aging system, you won't want to stop. I have seen incredible results in hydrating the skin, resolution of acne and rosacia and turn-arounds in dry painful skin with a discovery that was introduced in Japan just last year. It is soon to be introduced in the States.

What is the secret?

The Perfect Water...Hyper-enhanced water was developed by Haru Naito, a top swimmer in Japan. Haru did extensive research on water's impact on human performance and began to wonder whether purified or certain natural waters could, in fact, increase the span of one's life. Haru then visited the Hunzas, studied their water and the volcanic rock formation that acts as a natural filter and found there were three factors that made the water unique:
There was a high concentration of negative ions in the water.
The water had elevated levels of soluble silica - a mineral found in the nearby mountains of the Hunza region.
The water hydrated and detoxified the body faster than ordinary water.
After deciding that these three characteristics accounted for the well-being of the Hunzas, many of which live to be between 120-140 years old, Haru dedicated seven years to incorporating these findings into the development of a filtration system combining conventional purification methods with the enhancing properties of rare Japanese volcanic stones. Hence, the creation of this luxurious skin care system that will leave your skin nourished, healthy, supple and radiant.

He first introduced his water as "Wellness Water". It is a fantastic drinking water as it gives your body needed minerals. It is also absorbed by the cells at a better rate and has been shown to help even athletes maintain hydration. Haru was approached by a world-acclaimed Research and Development Company, named by Forbes Oct. 2006 magazine as one of the top ten small growth companies, and a pioneer of wellness products to develope a skin care line using this water to protect and rejuvinate the skin. The result is the Optimal Skincare System. The new system is a line of 7 science-based skincare products using Haru's Hyper-enhanced water - a pure, natural water in which fungus and bacteria cannot grow.

Until now, skincare products have contained preservatives that promote skin aging. However, with Hyper-enhanced water and the most carefully selected ingredients makes this skincare system unique to any other.

The Optimal Skincare System delivers healthful nutrients that can protect your skin from premature aging, stress and dryness. It is compatible with all skin types and can be used by men or women.

Consumer testing showed the products actually made people look visibly younger. Introduced in Japan in 2006, it has outperformed all other brands on the market. Results were outstanding:
After just one use consumers had an 80% increase in skin moisture!
After eight weeks users saw:
100% increase in skin moisture
96% decrease in roughness
73% increase in radiance
31% increase in skin tone
32% decrease in lines and wrinkles
21% increase in firmness.

This break-though technology gives you a product that is Hydrating, Paraffin-Free, Fragrance-Free, Colorant-Free, Preservative-Free and good for all skin types (Clinical test results were conducted by Stephens and Associates, Carrollton Texas A worldwide research organization specializing in cosmetic and skincare testing.)

To view a video on this amazing product, go to
http://www.tensawater.info/

Take care of your skin so it can take care of you!
You may also stop in at the studio to see where you can find this new technology in health and wellness or go to www.mannapages.com/DrKathleen

The Power of Phytochemicals

A phytochemical (fight-o-chemical) is a natural bioactive compound found in fruits and vegetables that works together with vitamins, minerals, and fiber to promote good benefits for your health in many ways. The bioactive functions of phytochemicals – or the way they work in your body – is an ongoing area of research.

For example, some studies show that phytochemicals can:
Act as antioxidants
Stimulate detoxification enzymes
Stimulate the immune system
Positively affect hormones
Act as antibacterial or antiviral agents

Phytochemicals are usually related to the color of fruits and vegetables – green, yellow-orange, red, blue-purple, and white. Hundreds of phytochemicals have been discovered. You can benefit from all of them by eating 5 to 9 servings of colorful fruits and vegetables everyday.

Remember, only fruits and vegetables, not pills or supplements, can give you phytochemicals and nutrients in the healthy combinations nature intended. When you eat fruits and vegetables, nutrients are easily absorbed to provide maximum health benefits. In contrast, supplements or pills contain large doses of only one or a couple of phytochemicals. These isolated supplements have not been proven to be effective or even safe.