One apple a day

Almost everyone know the expression ‘one apple a day keeps the doctor away’, even in Italy when I grew up! Being lucky enough to grow up in the countryside in Italy and near the seaside I did not realize then that not everyone had the same fortune of picking up their own fruits and vegetables from their front yard. I remember just going under the tree and picking up the fruits of the season wash eat or clean it and eat it. I don’t think I have ever tasted the same fruit ever again really. Or I still do when I go back to Italy and my parents still pick up pears from the tree for our breakfast. But all fruits have really a good amount of nutrients and vitamins, so why just apples are the ones that are so important or why the expression. I am not sure where it started or when but here are some apple history and qualities:

There are about 25 types of apples and they vary in colour and texture, from green to red. Some are sweet such Red Delicious, Royal Gala (my favourite) to Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Cox Apple, etc.. It seems that the original apple tree comes from Eastern Europe and Southwester Asia. Because of the cultivations and hybridization (is the process of combining different varieties or species of trees and make a new type) there are now many more varieties of apples from the first original apple tree. In the past the apple was thought to keep people forever young. Scientifically the consumption of apples in many studies have show to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, asthma, type 2 diabetes (as it releases the blood sugar slowly). Here are some of the nutritional benefits of apples. Apples contain high amounts of flavonoids especially quercetin. Quercetin is an antioxidant that protects the integrity of the cell membrane. Our body is formed of millions of cells and the outside of the cell can be under oxidation attack all the time. Quercetin and other antioxidant such as vitamin C, and many more flavonoids found in coloured fruits and vegetables, protect our cells from being destroyed. Quercetin also blocks the inflammatory cascade, which involves quite a lot of the inflammatory disorders such as asthma, arthritis, allergies, etc... Of course you could be allergic to the apple and so in that case you need to find the solutions for that (see my website for treatments). Pectin is another ingredient in apples; pectin can help lower cholesterol levels by improving the intestinal motility and reducing therefore the reuptake of fat and toxins (in few words good for elimination of food waste). One medium whole apple supplies 3 grams of fibres; eating about two apples a day will reduce the cholesterol up to 11 percent. Pectin is good not only to relieve constipation but also diarrhoea (Kaopectate is an over the counter medication for diarrhoea that contains pectin). Nutritionally raw apples contain vitamin C, pectin, fibres, potassium, phytochemicals such as ellagic acid (anti-oxidant) and quercetin. So really when they say that one apple a day keeps the doctor away is quite true but it is also true that many fruits also contain some sort of nutritional value, antioxidants, and fibres and therefore is worth to vary and combine our fruits to get the most of goodness from them. So hopefully the above has convinced you a bit to start keeping an apple or two in your lunch box or bag or any other fruits. Fruits salads are really good to have and enjoy!!!!

 

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/

Probiotics and immune system

I am still amazed at the fact that in England, most doctors still are oblivious to recommend probiotics and multivitamins after they have prescribed antibiotics or after diarrhoea infection of any kind. Doctors in Italy suggested multivitamins to children and adult 30 years ago and at least for the past 10 to 15 years they suggest probiotics to all children and adults after a rotavirus or any other intestinal. It is always amazing at the huge difference of suggestions. I am sure that quite few doctors do know about the benefit of doing so, but I wander if they do not suggest that because they assume that people cannot afford to buy them. I am sure that any person that can or cannot afford to buy the probiotics would want the option of knowing what is best for them regardless of the cost. Here I summarized some of the benefit of taking probiotics with or without infections.

Microbacteria are part of our gut ecology and depend on what type of bacteria is more prevalent which can help the immune system or cause problems with it. The lumen of the intestinal tract (the small intestine) has got the most bacteria followed by the colon. The stomach does not have many friendly bacteria as they would be killed by the stomach acid. Most friendly bacteria that are found in the intestine are the Bifido species and the Lactobacillus species. The colonization of the intestinal tract starts from birth and it depends on the health of the baby and the milk given on how much will stay and protect the intestinal tract and therefore help the immune system (some formula now include probiotics and the milk of the mother especially the first few days of life will have colostrum which protect and repair the intestinal tract. Things that would destroy the friendly bacteria includes: antibiotics, diarrhoea, viral diarrhoea, allergies reactions, alcoholic drinks and some medication. Consuming a live yogurt or actimel type yogurt is not enough to repopulate the intestinal tract with the billions of good bacteria that it needs when the intestinal tract ecology is not well balanced.

Several studies have shown the benefit of the probiotics. Some of these benefits are protecting the intestinal tract in the children diarrhoea infection by the rotavirus, some protection after a vaccination in adult volunteers, protection against recurrent inflammatory intestinal disorders (there are still many studies on their way regarding the benefit for Chron’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis). Some reduction of allergies, the IgE count goes down in elderly subject with nasal allergies, reduction in milk hypersensitive infants and adults, reduction in tumour recurrence in adult bladder and many others. The most used strains of probiotics used in the research are the Lactobacillus acidophilus, the Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, and the Lactobacillus casei Shirota, La1 lactobacillus johnsonii and Lactobacillus brevi. The Bifido species are found in the colon section of the intestine in the most used are Bifidobacterium bifidum Bb12, Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 and Bifidobacterium brevisYIT4064.

The best way of getting the proper benefits of the friendly bacteria after antibiotics or for helping the elimination process is to buy one that has got all the different strains (for children there are appropriate ones either in powder of liquid). For adults the combination should be a total of billions of them to be most effective. If there are any intestinal settling when you first take the probiotics, the dosage should be reduced until the intestinal tract is settled. The good probiotics will cost a bit more than the common ones but they are worth it and YOU are worth it….

http://www.nutritionhealth.net/