Lycopene. Do You Know What It Is?

Tomatoes have long been known for their health benefits -- courtesy of lycopene, an antioxidant carotenoid whose health benefits include reduced risk of cancer, atherosclerosis, and exercise-induced asthma, just to mention a few.

Lycopene gives tomatoes their red color, and works by fighting damaging free radicals in your body.

But there are at least a couple of caveats that you need to be aware of.

First, researchers have discovered that other chemicals in the tomatoes help to boost the effectiveness of the lycopene, so you likely will not obtain the same health effects from lycopene supplements. In general, I am opposed to taking many supplements. I believe that it is far better to consume large amounts of whole foods, as outlined in my nutrition plan, and this is no exception.

Secondly, in order to absorb its nutrients, you need to eat your tomatoes with a little bit of fat.

It’s interesting to note that the lycopene in cooked tomatoes has been found to be more bioavailable than raw tomatoes, which is in partial conflict with the principle that raw foods are better.

However, tomatoes likely contain additional beneficial substances that are lost or destroyed when the tomatoes are cooked, especially if they undergo additional processing. So substituting ketchup, for example, for fresh tomatoes will not do you any good (for a variety of reasons).

But tomatoes are not the only food containing beneficial lycopene. Below is a table listing the lycopene content of several foods:

Approximate Lycopene Content of Various Foods
Food Lycopene Content
(mg/100g wet weight)
Apricot, dried 0.86
Grapefruit, raw pink 3.36
Guava, fresh 5.40
Guava juice 3.34
Papaya, fresh 2.00-5.30
Tomatoes, fresh 0.88-4.20
Tomatoes, cooked 3.70
Tomato sauce 6.20
Tomato paste 5.40-150.00
Tomato soup, condensed 7.99
Tomato powder, drum or spray dried 112.63-126.49
Tomato juice 5.00-11.60
Sun-dried tomato in oil 46.50
Watermelon, fresh 2.30-7.20

Source: Clinton, -S.K.1998. Lycopene: Chemistry, Biology, and Implications for human health and disease, Nutrition Review,56(2)P35-51

Carotenoids, such as lycopene, are the pigments responsible for red, yellow, and orange colored fruits and vegetables. They’re also found in some dark green vegetables such as spinach.

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Dave Kazda
Health Educator/Healer
Aromatologist
Herbalist
Quantum Touch Therapist
Member: SelfGrowth.com
knowledge_quest2002@yahoo.com

Diabetes And What You Can Do About It

Diabetes can seem a nightmare for those who have it. Good common sense indicates one with this issue avoid refined sugars. While this may not be an easy task, it is a do-able task.

There are a multitude of herbs which can help the diabetic, including helping the diabetic get off their drugs. Remember, this information is not put forth in an effort to make you believe herbs will cure you. And while the FDA is very corrupt in their role of supposed guardian of our health and welfare and has a real problem with someone saying a natural product can cure; herbs indeed, are unable to cure you.

What the herbs do, is the same as foods do, the same as your thoughts do, the same as therapeutic quality aromatherapy can do, the same as sunlight can do. And this is: Give your body the tools it needs to heal itself.

Eat as high a percentage of raw foods in your diet as possible. You need the enzymes, which are never in cooked or canned foods, and the raw foods limit candida and fungus within the body, plus you will have much more energy than if you live on canned/cooked foods.

An insulin dependent diabetic has a fungal infection within the body. This must be dealt with, or little relief will ever be had. Ways to do this include using Black Cumin, Garlic, Cinnamon, Coriander, Neem, Bitter Melon, Onion, Ginger and more.

Bear in mind, this will take some time. The longer the person has had the diabetes, the longer it will take to get the problem taken care of. Caution must be observed when starting any therapy of this kind, for the body will release large amounts of toxins due to the fungus dying off and parasites also dying off. And yes, parasites always exist in diabetes.

So start off slow, and work your way up when using herbs. Midday sunlight, the only time sunlight is capable of causing vitamin D production in the body, is a very powerful tool in helping type l diabetes. When being in the sun, avoid sunscreen if possible. This is a two-fold reason.

1. Because nearly all sunscreen sold in stores is loaded with chemicals, which cause cancer along with other health problems.

2.The more UV rays you block, the less vitamin D your body can make. And you are very likely lacking in vitamin D, which is a crucial vitamin; or rather hormone, for the body. By definition, vitamin D is a hormone.

With an SPF of 8, you are blocking 95% of the rays that cause vitamin D production in the body. You need that vitamin. Use a natural sunscreen after you have gotten 15-30 minutes of sunlight, not before.

~Remember~
Take your health seriously because where will you live if you can’t live in your body?

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. – Chinese Proverb

Dave Kazda
Health Educator/Healer
Aromatologist
Herbalist
Quantum Touch Therapist
Member: http://www.selfgrowth.com
knowledge_quest2002@yahoo.com

Raw or Cooked Foods?

Raw foods are, without question, by far the best you can eat. Which is not to say you have to eat only raw. The more raw food you can consume compared to cooked though, will only help you. It will help you in more ways than you might imagine.

For instance, eating a fair amount of raw foods can help you dream more, and remember them. Raw food consumption will almost unquestionably give you more energy and endurance. Raw foods will give you better thinking capability. And perhaps most importantly, raw foods will give your body the tools it needs to help prevent illness of most kinds.

I say most kinds, because there are other factors involved, such as chemicals, pharmaceutical drugs, etc. They will all hurt your health. Pharmaceutical drugs for instance, are known to be fairly common at giving brain fog, losing mental capacity including memory, creating new diseases, and more. Those drugs are nothing more than chemicals in pills or shots.

Some great health aids you can use, which have been mentioned before on this blog, include Barley Grass, Wheat Grass, Chlorella, Goji Berry(also called Lycium or Wolfberry), and many others.

When you consume mostly cooked foods, you are missing some of life's greatest gifts, such as many of the B vitamins, vitamin C, all enzymes, and more. For someone to tell a vegetarian they do not get enough vitamin B12 simply because they are not eating meat is a lack of knowledge.

Eating meat, unless it is close to raw, will not have B12. Like many vitamins, this one is destroyed at temperatures generally used to cook the meat. Vegetarians who know what they are doing seldom are lacking for these vitamins. They generally have more than others who are not vegetarian.

If you know someone who may benefit from reading my posts, please send them this way. I am very appreciative that you have taken the time to read my writings. May your day be sunny and cheerful, and your heart be filled with gratitude.

Dave Kazda
Health Educator/Healer
Aromatologist
Herbalist
Quantum Touch Therapist
Member: http://www.selfgrowth.com
knowledge_quest2002@yahoo.com