The Best Foods to fight inflammation

by Minx life

Whether it's aches and pains, stiffness, headaches, indigestion, stomachaches, yeast imbalances, low energy, weight gain, or free radical damage, it often goes back to two things, acidity and inflammation.

To understand how acidity plays a role in producing bodily inflammation, you first have to understand pH, or the measure of a solution's acidity or alkalinity from 0 to 14, 0 being the most acidic, and 14 being the most alkaline. Our bodies need a very specific pH balance to function and maintain homeostasis. Even slight changes to the pH balance of our blood, for instance, can be extremely problematic.

Our grocery stores and diets are overrun with highly acidic foods, Caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, sugars, refined flours, pasteurized dairy, animal protein are all highly acidic forming in the body, and if you are eating those on a regular basis, chances are you may experience at least some sort of chronic symptom of inflammation. Even natural processes of the body produce acidic byproducts. Stress also contributes greatly to an acidic environment.

So what can we do? How do we reverse the effects of these highly acidic foods and actions? Just as food plays a role in producing an acidic environment, it can be transformative and healing to the body, reducing inflammation and creating an environment that supports health.

The goal should be to consume 80 percent alkaline foods and 20 percent acidic foods. Not all acidic foods are unhealthy necessarily; however, extremely acidic foods like those stated above should be greatly minimized. Fresh fruits and vegetables that have been seasoned and cooked should be the focus of your diet.

Below is a list of some of the most anti-inflammatory foods you should be adding to your diet daily to restore alkalinity and relieve inflammation. Fight inflammation in the kitchen, not the Pharmacy, with:

• Green leafy vegetables

• Turmeric

• Fish Oils(Salmon and Sardines)

• Berries

• Walnuts

• Bone broth

• Coconut oil

• Avocados

• Olive Oil

• Ginger

• Dark Chocolate 70 percent and higher

• Beets

• Broccoli

Remember 80/20... That is the rule to being healthy but you can still enjoy a couple of Margaritas with chips and Guacamole every now and then:-)

MACA'S EXTRAORDINARY BENEFITS FOR WOMEN

by Minx life

Maca is an exceptionally hardy root plant native to the Andean mountain plateaus of Peru. Traditionally, Maca is best known as an adaptogenic plant, which simply means that it balances the body's response in dealing with all different types of stressors. Adaptogens are among the most useful medicinal herbs, helping individuals to better cope with fatigue, anxiety, stress, depression, and sleep problems. Mac is also amazingly rich in amino acids, phytonutrient, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

Maca does not affect human hormones directly. Various studies even show that the herb does not contain plant estrogens or hormones. Rather, it has hormone-normalizing effects, which may be due to the root's unique nutritional profile. The plant provides optimum levels of of nutrients utilized by the body's endocrine system. This action regulates metabolism, energy levels, growth, sexual development and the sense of well-being and attitude.

More specifically, Maca has been known to nourish and calm the nerves with calcium, phosphorus, vitamins B1 and B12, and fatty acids, all of which work beneficially on the nervous system. At the same time it supports the adrenal glands so they don't have to rely on damaging cortisol steroids to fuel the body. The sterols, calcium, and vitamin C found in Maca help build muscle mass and it contains starches that aid in physical endurance.

Of particular importance to menopausal women is Maca research on the production of sex hormones, enhanced sex drive, stimulation of body metabolism, control of body weight, and increased energy, stress reduction, antidepressant activity, and memory improvement.

Recent research shows that Maca has actually stimulated estradiol levels, suppressed follicle stimulating hormone(FSH) and increased HDL. In addition, Maca significantly reduced both the frequency and severity of hot flashes and night sweats. Furthermore, studies on Maca are now showing a significant reduction in psychological symptoms as well, including anxiety, depression, and sexual dysfunction. As such, Maca tends to treat menopausal symptoms as a whole; it doesn't treat any one specific symptom of menopause(such as hot flashes) alone.

In Peru, Maca flour is used in baking as a base and flavoring. The supplement industry uses both the dry roots and Maca flour for different types of processing and concentrated extracts. Gelatinized Maca is stronger than powdered root, and is employed for mainly therapeutic, medicinal and supplement purposes. Theres is also freeze-dried Maca juice, which is a juice squeezed from the macerated fresh root, and subsequently freeze-dried. The recommended dose of Maca extract is 500 mg twice daily. Sounds good to us!