Read the latest alternative health literature, or maybe turn on the news, and you might find a report on the benefits of acai as a natural remedy. For centuries, people of South America have enjoyed acai in drinks, as a mashed pulp topping for food, and as supplements for daily vitality. Only recently has acai come into the Western consciousness, with sources like Oprah and a handful of doctors proclaiming the wonders of this "superfood.
Regardless of who you are, your and where you live, ailments like diabetes and other blood sugar imbalances do not discriminate. While in the United States there are sound treatments for these conditions, natives of the Amazon Rainforest region have used natural remedies for centuries. Two such herbs used are quebra pedra and pedra hume.
QUEBRA PEDRA
From the Amazon Rainforest region comes a wealth of natural herbs and plants, used for centuries by the natives of Brazil for good health and overall well-being.
Deep in the Amazon rainforest exist a multitude of herbs, roots and plants used by the natives as alternative remedies. As Americans become more fascinated by alternative methods of healing and health, these herbs are fast becoming popular. Two such by products of the Amazon are Espinheira Santa and Pata de Vaca.
ESPINHEIRA SANTA
What is an Espinheira Santa?
Part of the evergreen family, the Espinheira Santa (Maytenus ilicifolia) is a shrub-like tree that can grow as high as 16 feet.
When you think of nutrition and eating healthy, most likely you are more concerned about the food you eat than the beverages you drink. You may think having a diet drink could not do any harm at lunch or dinner, but if you indulge too much it could add up to trouble in the long run.
But it's a diet drink...
Perhaps you have seen on television or film a sketch where a person orders a fattening, fast food meal with a diet soda to even everything out.
If you are one of the generation who grew up on 70s-80s Saturday morning cartoons, you might remember a series of public service announcements that aired in between your favorite shows. Tucked in between the adventures of Batman and Robin, and even the kitschy Schoolhouse House videos were very short, very animated appeals to children about good nutrition.
One challenge to planning a health menu for weight loss is choosing and cooking foods with flavor. Of course, many of the foods we enjoy are quite flavorful, yet in an age where bolder is perceived as better we may not always sense the crisp zing of a carrot or broccoli spear on our taste buds. So conditioned are we, too, that it may be impossible for some to enjoy a slice of toast without slathering it with butter! Melted cheese on veggies, shortening in cake recipes, little drips and drabs do pile up eventually, and can help pack on the pounds.
The weather is cooler and the leaves outside are lovely shades of red and orange. Fall is definitely here, and also well indicated by the changing of displays at your favorite grocer. Boxes of turkey stuffing are stacked in pyramids at every isle, there might be a sign-up sheet to claim a nice, juicy bird for the last week of November, and cans of pumpkin pie filling are taking up more shelf space than usual.
Sometimes it cannot be avoided, taking a child under two on a plane for an emergency trip. Perhaps you have heard (or even experienced) horror stories of being trapped on a plane for two hours while a baby screeched the entire time. Maybe, too, you were the person who sat next to the harried mother as she tried to soothe her squirming infant. To be the harbringer of such misery is not a welcome prospect.
Your work schedule is tight - meetings and conferences and phone calls all day long. If you are lucky to get a moment to eat, you probably only have time to wolf down a hamburger from the fast food joint by your office, or something from the employee lounge vending machine, assuming you were unable to pack a lunch. Assuming, of course, you have time to shop for groceries at all!
In our society of quick fixes and rushed time, however, we find that many people who eat on the run wind up on the express lane to obesity, despite the output of energy in a given day.
You're out with a group of friends and it's time to eat. You've been so good with your eating regimen thus far, but you don't want to put anybody out because of your special dieting needs. At the same time, you're worried because majority vote rules, and it's off to the grand, all-you-can-eat buffet!
What do you do? Maybe you are eating on a special points system, and have only so many to spare.
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