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Friday, April 16, 2010

The Healthiest Cocktail around - Bloody Mary

Now ask me why Bloody Mary Mix cocktail information is on a blog about living healthy?

Two reasons: Tomatoes and No hangovers. 

A cocktail is a mixed drink made with distilled beverages such as gin, vodka, whiskey, tequila or rum. Kahlua and Creme, Pina Colada, Gimlet, Bacardi are just some of the one's which come to mind...so which cocktail offers a delightful zing accompanied with a nutritious edge? It is the one and only Bloody Mary!

Research tomatoes and you will find both of them chocked full of nutrients and electrolytes. Tomatoes are a major dietary source of anti-oxidants such as Lycopene. Interestingly, one study cited in the Journal of Medicinal Food states that "the Lycopene content of tomatoes remained unchanged during the multistep processing operations for the production of juice or paste and remained stable for up to 12 months of storage at ambient temperature."  Canned and bottled tomato products such as V8 and Bloody Mary mixes do not show a nutritional degradation.

In addition to the anti-oxidants, there is the extra benefit of minimal hangovers, that's right the high Vitamin C content from the tomatoes also keep the hangovers at bay.

Bravo for Bloody Mary mixes! Just add your favorite tonic to the mix and go!


Meru VIP Beverage's Ultimate One Bloody Mary Mix is not only enriched with Vitamins but also includes Omega 3!


Sources:
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/10966200152053668



Friday, April 2, 2010

Natural Ways to beat Sinusitus

Home Remedies

My daughter was approximately seven months old when I began experiencing bouts with Sinusitis which were increasing in frequency on a monthly basis! I was ordinarily a healthy woman with no history of allergies and rarely caught colds. Another oddity was that not only did I constantly contract colds but they happened to occur during the onset of my menstrual cycle.

I approached doctors who found no correlation with Menses and Sinusitis. I beg to differ as a lay person as I felt that my system was possibly more immune compromised during this stage which probably opened up the gateway to more colds.  He also gave me a depressing prognosis - I was doomed to have sinusitis for the the rest of my life and the symptoms would get worse as I age.

After months of harsh antibiotics and nasal sprays (steriod), I found myself on Google researching herbal alternatives and stumbled on a regimen which basically saved my life!

Here is the alternative:
  • Nasal lavage, Nasal lavage, Nasal lavage. This is about the best way to soothe a stuffed nasal passage. I continued the washes upto thrice a day. Once after waking, during the day and then before bed.  Be   careful not to overdo these, in particular after your system is clear.  Your nasal passages needs the natural flora! Google Nasal lavage for instructions on how to bathe your nasal passages. 
  •   Steaming. I accompanied nasal lavage with steam inhales to clear my passages
  •  Fresh Ginger in tea. I normally threw shaved ginger chunks in my herbal teas
  • Lots of Vitamins, in particular C. I consumed quite a bit of oranges and broccoli during this period
  • Hydrate yourself, drink lots of water
  • Over the counter decongestant. I took these before going to bed as this was the worst time for the stuffiness.
 The results: After pursing this regimen in a rigorous fashion with each of my bouts, I noticed that my recovery period from Sinusitis changed dramatically. I was able to recover within 1.5 weeks versus one month! In addition, the frequency of Sinusitis also decreased tremendously from being sick for six months in a row to literally one occurrence per year during high flu seasons. Over the last two years, I have noticed that I rarely have an issue with Sinusitis now and although I feel a bit fluish during my menses even these symptoms have slowly dissipated!.