Healthy Food Tips: from Karen Stoehr of 9th Street Wellness Center

Health Benefits of Watermelon

Not surprisingly, watermelon contains a hefty amount of vitamin C – 21% of the daily recommended value – that helps your immune system produce antibodies to fight disease.  There's also a 17% daily value of vitamin A, boosting eye health and preventing such diseases as macular degeneration and cataracts. The vitamin B6 content helps form red blood cells and assures your nerves will function as they should. Your body uses vitamin B6 to help break down proteins, so the more protein is consumed, the more vitamin B6 is needed. Potassium, although a relatively small amount is in watermelon, helps balance fluids in your cells. (Low potassium levels sometimes cause muscle cramps.)

One of the natural chemicals in watermelons is citrulline, which converts in the kidneys to arginine, an amino acid that works hard for heart health and maintaining a good immune system. The more this conversion takes place, the less fat is apt to accumulate in the cells, helping to keep obesity and type 2 diabetes from becoming issues. Arginine also removes ammonia and other toxicities from your body.

The antioxidant lycopene is the star player in watermelon, a compound now known to pack even more of a punch than tomatoes, pink grapefruit, and guavas. While most of these fruits get their reddish color from anthocyanin flavonoids, it's the lycopene content that does it for watermelon.

What does this do for the body? While nearly 92% of watermelon is water, the 8% left over is rich in this compound, protecting and nourishing the heart, prostate, and skin. Lycopene discourages inflammation and may also be important for maintaining strong healthy bones, not to mention its ability to neutralize harmful free radicals. Research indicates that lycopene has greater potency when ripe. In fact, while it's still white inside, well before maturity, the vitamin and mineral content and just about every other nutritional benefit is close to zero.

Another anti-inflammatory phytonutrient in watermelon is cucurbitacin E, or tripterpenoid, which blocks the activity of pain-, fever- and inflammation-causing enzyme cyclooxygenase. Cucurbitacin E also neutralizes nitrogen-containing molecules in the body.

The nutrients are very similar throughout the entire watermelon and not concentrated in the darker red center as some people believe. In fact, the white rind, which isn't normally eaten, has some of the highest nutrient concentrations.

However, consume watermelon in moderation because it contains fructose, which may be harmful to your health in excessive amounts. 

Health Benefits of Strawberries

Strawberries offer an astonishing 129 percent of the daily value for vitamin C, a known infection fighter, but they're also packed with manganese and folate, as well as potassium with its co-factoring enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Low in calories and fats, strawberries are a rich source of anthocyanins, ellagitannins, flavonols, terpenoids, and phenolic and ellagic acids, all phytonutrients which together multiply anti-inflammatory potential. Minerals like copper for the healthy development of red blood cells are in abundance, as are fluoride, iron, and iodine.

Besides being anti-cancer, strawberries also contain potential neurological disease-fighting and anti-aging compounds. What's more, the free radical-zapping antioxidant activity is outstanding in strawberries, as are their blood glucose-leveling abilities.

However, consume strawberries in moderation because they still contain fructose, which may be harmful to your health in excessive amounts. 

Health Benefits of Eating Onions

Onions are loaded with numerous health benefits, and scientists are still discovering how beneficial this vegetable really is. They’re a very good source of vitamin C and B6, iron, folate, and potassium. The manganese content in onions provides cold and flu relief with its anti-inflammatory abilities.

Two phytochemical (plant-derived nutrient) compounds in onions – allium and allyl disulphide – convert to allicin when the bulb is cut or crushed due to enzyme activation. Studies show these compounds to have cancer- and diabetes-fighting properties, while decreasing blood vessel stiffness by releasing nitric oxide. This can reduce blood pressure, inhibit platelet clot formation, and help decrease the risk of coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular diseases, and stroke.

Significant amounts of polyphenols (another phytochemical in onions) and an antioxidant flavonoid called quercetin (which has proven anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic functions) account for the reputation onions have for disease prevention. 

Luckily, cooking onions in soup doesn’t diminish their quercetin value – it simply transfers to the broth. The flavonoids in onions are more concentrated in the outer layers, so discard as little as possible.
Onions are one of Dr. Mercola’s most highly recommended vegetables.

Karen Stoehr

9th Street Wellness Center

Sources: Dr. Joseph Mercola, www.drmercola.com/

Healthy Food Tips from Karen Stoehr

Health Benefits of Kale

If vitamins could be packaged and labeled as such, they would look very much like kale. That’s because the vitamins offered by just one cup of this relatively little-known veggie can trump a whole week’s worth of other foods: 684% of the daily value of vitamin K, 206% of the suggested daily amount of vitamin A, and 134% of vitamin C (and even more vitamin C in the Scottish curly-leaf variety).

Kale can legitimately be called a superfood, if only after one particular study, which reported the high antioxidant activity in this vegetable. The phytonutrient indole-3-carbinol aids in DNA cell repair, while at the same time slowing the growth of cancer cells. With its sulforaphane content, kale protects against prostate and colon cancers. It also has properties that studies show ca ease lung congestion, and is beneficial to your stomach, liver, and immune system. It contains lutein and zeaxanthin, which help protect your eyes from macular degeneration.

Kale has been compared to beef, which is known as a “go-to” food for iron, protein, and calcium. Kale’s anti-inflammatory capabilities are unrivaled among leafy greens, especially relating to the prevention and even reversal of arthritis, heart disease, and several autoimmune diseases.

Omega-fatty acids are called essential because your body needs them to remain healthy, but they need to come from sources outside the body; kale is an excellent source of these healthy fats. Benefits of these often-talked about but little understood compounds include their ability to help regulate blood clotting, build cell membranes in your brain, and protect you against heart disease and stroke. They may also help combat autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

One serving of kale contains 121 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids and 92.4 milligrams of omega-6 fatty acids.

Kale is one of the best vegetables for your health. 

Health Benefits of Lemons

It's probably no surprise that lemons provide a lot of vitamin C, but the amount per serving is pretty impressive at 187% of the daily value, making it a super infection fighter. Teamed with flavonoid glycosides called esperetin and naringenin (found in most citrus fruits), the combination provides radical free-radical zapping activity. Free radicals can do serious damage to blood vessels and can contribute to cholesterol build up in artery walls, atherosclerosis, and even heart disease.

Lemons are also a good source of thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, iron, and magnesium, and are an excellent source of fiber, vitamin B6, calcium, potassium, and copper, as well as folate and potassium.
If you've ever wondered about the difference in raw lemons compared to bottled lemon juice, the vitamin C goes from 139% to about 100% of the daily value per serving, with the calcium from 7% diminished to 3%. In addition, bottled lemon juice and other processed fruit juices are not as healthy as they seem, and contain very high amounts of fructose and potentially dangerous additives.

The citric acid in lemons aids in digestion and helps to dissolve kidney stones, while the ascorbic acid is a natural antioxidant that prevents the sailor's dread - scurvy. Other antioxidants in lemons include ß-carotenes, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein, and vitamin A, which promotes healthy mucus membranes, skin, and vision. Pantothenic acid and folates, provided by lemons, are compounds needed by the body, but can only be derived from sources outside the body.

Lemons and limes are great for juicing, too! They have virtually none of the offending sugar – fructose – that causes most of the metabolic complications. Additionally, there are amazing at eliminating the occasional bitter taste of some dark, deep green leafy vegetables that provide most of the benefits of juicing. 

Karen Stoehr

9th Street Wellness Center

Sources: Dr. Joseph Mercola, www.drmercola.com/

Healthy Food Tips from Karen Stoehr of 9th Street Wellness Center

MSG: What This “Delicious” Ingredient Can Do to Your Health

MSG or monosodium glutamate is a flavor enhancer and additive that’s found in a wide range of processed food products, including frozen dinners, salad dressings, processed meats, and junk foods.

While MSG makes food more savory, it hardly does wonders for your health. In fact, natural health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola says that consuming MSG-containing products can put your metabolism off balance, causing you to gain weight and become prone to a number of health conditions.

Health Benefits of Avocado

When it comes to nutrition, avocados are in a class by themselves because of the unusually large number of benefits they offer - more than 20, last count. Loaded with fiber, one avocado contains 36% of the daily requirement of vitamin K, 30% of the folate, and 20% each of the daily requirements of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5, needed to break down carbohydrates), vitamin B6, vitamin C, and potassium - more than twice the potassium of a banana. Vitamin E, niacin, and riboflavin levels deserve honorable mention. Eaten with other foods, your body is better able to absorb the nutrients, such as alpha- and beta-carotene and lutein.

Avocado is one of the few fruits that will provide you with "good" fats. That means it can help keep your cholesterol levels already in the healthy range, and help lower your risk for heart disease.
Avocados are one of the best fruits for your health. 

Health Benefits of Carrots

When kids ask if it’s true that carrots are good for their eyes, you can answer in the affirmative, because carrots are very high in vitamin A, an essential nutrient for good vision. In fact, carrots are loaded with beta carotene and are subsequently converted into vitamin A in your liver. Because beta-carotenes can’t be manufactured in the body, they must be obtained from your diet.

It’s no coincidence that “carotene” sounds like “carrot.” The word was devised in the early 19th century by a German scientist after he crystallized the carotene compound from carrot roots. Beta-carotene is one of more than 600 carotenoids, which are the pigments that give color to egg yolks, tomatoes, fruits, dark leafy vegetables and some types of seafood.

Known for ultraviolet radiation protection, carrots are also noted for the role they play in heart disease and stroke prevention, as a poultice to prevent infection in cuts and scrapes, for maintaining youthful skin, and for colon cleansing and toxin flushing.

The calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium in carrots help build strong bones and a healthy nervous system. Calcium consumption, especially, is essential for healthy heart muscles. Phosphorus is essential for softening skin and strengthening teeth, hair, and bones, while magnesium can be thanked for its role in mental development, digestion of fats, and nutrient absorption. Carrot crunchers also get the benefits of potassium, vitamins C and B6, copper, folic acid, thiamine, and magnesium.  

Karen Stoehr

9th Street Wellness Center

Sources: Dr. Joseph Mercola, www.drmercola.com/