Amazon Thunder Pure Organic Acai Fruit Benefits

Acai has a number of benefits, including antioxidants, fiber, fatty acids, and proteins. The antioxidants from Acai are ten to thirty times that of red wine and more than twice that of blueberries. It's known to have the best nutritional value of any fruit on the planet, earning it the title of "super berry."

The Amazon "super berry" has gained recognition in the media, including television and magazines. There are several companies and websites that offer Acai products. Some products contain Acai exclusively, while others use it in combination with other ingredients. Acai shows up in fruit drinks and in powder form as health and energy products.

With all the popularity in recent years, the benefits of the Acai berry is widely unknown. People of the Amazon have long experienced the benefits of Acai to fight disease, strengthen the immune system, fight infection, protect the heart, and provide overall health and healing. These same benefits of this "super berry" are now available to health-minded individuals through taking Amazon Thunder.

Acai is a complete food source and contains an abundance of nutrients necessary for restoring and maintaining optimum health. Acai contains amino acids and vital trace elements important for muscle contraction and regeneration. Acai's nutrients, including a large amount of natural lipids, provide needed energy to tackle competitive sports and daily chores. Acai contains more protein than the average egg. Proteins are the primary component of hormones and body tissues, including muscles and organs.

The Acai berry can help to regulate your stress levels and repair your body. Acai's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties can counter infertility due to stress, pollution and factors related to free radicals. Acai's immune-system-strengthening qualities help protect the entire body. Acai has been used for centuries to cleanse the body from contaminants. The regenerative nutrients and strong antioxidants in Acai help keep our cells operating efficiently and may slow aging.

By boosting the immune system, Acai's rich nutrient profile helps boost the body's natural defenses. Recent findings published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine indicate that Acai's beta-sitosterol prevents immune suppression and modulates the lymphocyte activity. Free radical damage is one of the primary causes of immune weakness or dysfunction. Acai can reduce the frequency of infectious diseases. Acai's antioxidant properties help prevent damage to DNA, which lowers the risks posed by carcinogens and mutagens.

Acai possesses high concentrations of polyphenols, making it an excellent source of antioxidants. Some polyphenols abundant in Acai are anthocyanins, some of the more potent forms of antioxidants. Other polyphenols in Acai, antho-cyanin and cyanidin-3-glucoside, may improve the production of nitric oxide in endothelial cells. Nitric oxide allows blood vessel walls to relax and expand, resulting in less stress on the heart, decreased risk of vessel blockage, and increased blood flow. The antioxidant punch of Acai may also be a powerful weapon in the fight against benign prostatic hyperplasia, commonly known as an enlarged prostate.

Acai is rich in essential fatty acids, which may help reduce harmful LDL cholesterol while supporting levels of the beneficial HDL cholesterol. In diabetes weak capillaries can lead to a condition called retinopathy, which often leads to blindness. The anthocyanins in Acai protect small and large blood vessels, including veins, arteries and capillaries.

Acai's low glycemic index improves glucose and lipid levels in diabetics. Acai's low glycemic index also helps control appetite and delay hunger, which can help individuals trying to lose weight.

Acai provides dietary fiber, excellent for digestive tract health, high levels of calcium, vitamins A and E, and phosphorus. Acai has a significant amount of calcium, which help strengthen bones, prevent fractures, and can help prevent osteoporosis. Women who experience extreme menstrual pain can also benefit from Acai. Calcium-rich foods help coat the lining of the stomach and uterus, and help reduce the pain from cramps and bloating.

Acai's dietary fiber helps promote the health of the digestive tract, including the colon. The broad array of antioxidants in Acai may help protect and repair the lower esophagus damaged by acid-reflux disease. Acai's acid-suppression effects reduce the acidity of stomach contents when reflux does occur. The antibacterial properties of Acai kill bad bacteria, fungi and parasites, including ulcer-causing bacteria. Acai's anti-inflammatory abilities may prevent the malabsorption of vital nutrients by preventing damage to the wall of the small intestine.

Acai's phytosterols help reduce the erosion of the skin's protective coating. Because it's so high in anthocyanins and phytosterols, Acai helps protect connective tissues, including collagen. Acai acts as an astringent which contract, shrink or tighten body tissues, including skin. Astringents can be used to stop bleeding in small cuts or to give the skin a fresh, tingling feeling.

Modern science is discovering the life-enhancing benefits of the Amazon "super berry". Research indicates that Acai can help neutralize free radicals, prevent heart disease, thwart cancer, and much more.

Acai contains powerful nutrients, which combine unique properties and ingredients in a single product. There's no other fruit that can be compared with the effectiveness of Acai and no product on the market that can compete with the quality of Amazon Thunder.

Mike Mallek owns Health and Beauty Net, the Source of Cutting-Edge Health Supplements. "We are part of the aging baby-boomer crowd and we maintain that you can't fight old age, but you can control how and in what condition you arrive at your impending destination. It's our goal to give you the tools to enhance your life quality through superior, wholesome, pure and natural health supplements." Health and Beauty Net can be reached on the web at http://www.healthandbeautynet.com/acai.html .

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Detox Drinks For a 7 Day Detox Diet

It is well worth buying a juicer whether you're on a detox or not, for the mega doses of vitamins and minerals that fresh juice can deliver in one hit. You will not get the same benefits from shop-bought 'freshly squeezed' juices; orange juice, for example, starts to lose its vitamin content seven minutes after being squeezed.

Have fun experimenting

You don't get all the fiber of the fruit and veg when you juice them, but the vitamin content is more than you would get otherwise because - let's face it - who would eat eight oranges in one sitting? Not many of us, but a large glass of juice might contain the juice of eight oranges.

Buy a juicer with a removable filter so you don't have to clean the whole mechanism every time. Buy organic fruit and vegetables where possible, and clean, peel, deseed and chop them before putting them in the juicer.

Experiment with your favorite ingredients to come up with your own recipes, or try the following:

Veg-based combinations

3 carrots, 2 fennel stalks and half a lemon
3 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 inch piece of fresh root ginger and half an apple
3-4 carrots, 1-2 celery stalks and a small wedge of cabbage
1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 3 celery stalks, half cucumber and 5 lettuce leaves
5 handfuls spinach, 1 cucumber and 2 carrots
1 beetroot, 2 carrots, a small handful of spinach, 2 tomatoes and a squeeze of fresh lime juice
5 carrots, 1 apple and half a beetroot
Half head of broccoli, a handful of watercress, a handful of parsley, 1 stick of celery and half a fresh pineapple
4-5 carrots, half a lemon, 1 apple, small wedge of red cabbage and a small piece of fresh root ginger
3 celery stalks, a handful of spinach, 2 asparagus stalks and 1 large tomato
A large leaf each of kale and collard, a handful of parsley, 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot, half red pepper, 1 tomato and 1 large broccoli floret

Some Fruit-based combinations

2 apples, 2 pears and a 1 inch piece of fresh root ginger
A handful of blueberries, handful of raspberries, 1 apple and 2 nectarines
1 orange, 1 mango and 1 kiwi fruit
12 strawberries and 4-5 carrots
A large slice of watermelon, a cup of ripe strawberries and the juice and zest of 1 lime
2 oranges, 4 carrots and a 1 inch piece of fresh root ginger
A large bunch of seedless grapes, 1 apple and some fresh mint leaves

Smoothies

To turn your fruit-based juice into a smoothie, just add some live natural yoghurt. Alternatively, for a fruit-based milkshake, you can add a non-dairy soya, rice or almond milk - although none of these would be allowed on a juice-based fast or 7 day detox [http://www.bodydetoxdiettips.com/detox/the-7-day-detox-diet.html] diet. Always drink your juices and shakes immediately to gain the maximum nutritional value.

By following a 3 or 7 day detox diet every few months you will be improving so many different areas of your health and body it will make your head spin. Better complexion, younger looking skin, weight loss and even improve your sex life. Get the latest natural detox tips and get started today.

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Organic Gardening

There are as many definitions of organic as there are farmers in Iowa. So it is up to you to select your own level of purity and focus. You may choose to be absolutely chemical-free or to accept some level of commercial intervention. Much will depend upon your available time as well as your willingness to get down and dirty with the gross and smelly.

Any organic intervention in your life is better than none, so take the information that fits your needs and begin. Who knows? That first step into the world of independent gardening may free you enough to catapult you into full-fledge organic farming at its best.

Composting

What is considered one man's garbage is another man's treasure. For organic purists composting is almost canon, although not absolutely necessary for organic gardening. Because it is messy and aromatic, some may choose to purchase composted soil or products already composted rather than to learn this age-old method.

The process of composting is the science of decomposition in a controlled environment, such as a big garbage can, a 5 ft. x 5 ft. hole in the ground, or an expensive purchased drum that turns automatically. It provides a faster process of breaking down once-living matter into enriched soil and nutrients perfect for the health of your garden. The compost gardener does all possible to recycle appropriate wastes of any living matter, along with a healthy supply of bacteria (purchased or naturally available in the soil from hard work and time.)

To compost, use and accumulate all fruit, vegetable, and grain scraps throughout the year. Yes, this takes time and might not produce a parfum de toilet that tickles your nose, but you will reap the benefits by producing fruits and vegetables that are packed full of the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Recycling left-over food wastes, leaves, grasses and hay is at the core of organic gardening at its finest and well worth the effort.

Compost must be turned faithfully to oxygenate the matter. The oxygen is required to heat and decompose the food into nutrients and soil in a timely manner. Without the oxygen that is provided by turning, the material will have to take its natural time to change into soil. Although this is acceptable, many gardeners want to use the recycled wastes within the next six months and are willing to put in the biweekly labor of turning the compost. Some may roll the drum of "brown gold" around the yard while others may enjoy turning it by hand with a pitchfork.

Fertilizing

Without fertilizing additives (natural or chemical), plants will be stunted and unhealthy. Organic gardeners may use compost to augment the nutrients in the soil and to improve the texture and good bacteria, but most compost should not totally replace fertilizing additives. Cynthia Boruff, a gardener of fifty years, told us that she annually adds to her garden: compost, chicken manure, alfalfa tea (after the plants are at least six inches tall), and her special formula for fertilizer.

"Since I do not rely on commercial chemical fertilizers, I vary my organic methods to insure a broader spectrum of nutrients," states Cynthia. "My formula that replaces purchased fertilizer is a combination of blood meal, bone meal, and dolomite (or agriculture lime) in equal proportions. I mix it into the soil at the time of setting the young seedlings or planting the seed. It has never failed me yet! My corn is the biggest in the county and my vegetables are award-winning."

Gardeners who don't use chemical fertilizers practice crop rotation--a common technique to lessen the amount of fertilizer needed. This will help to prevent depletion of nutrients specific to individual species of plants by rotating vegetable beds or rows. As an example, organic gardeners will plant carrots in a specific row one year and plant a different vegetable in that spot the next season. Since different plants require different amounts of key nutrients, the soil will not be depleted and less organic fertilizer is needed.

Seed Selection

Depending on your definition of "organic," you may choose to purchase seeds from a universal standard seed catalog or from an organic seed farm. The differences vary from multi-generational hybrids and genetically engineered plants/seeds on one end of the spectrum to heritage or heirloom seeds on the other.

Purists on the organic side religiously purchase only heirloom seeds because these seeds have had little change over decades, sometimes even centuries. Pure high-protein bean seeds used by the Anazasi have managed to survive in tact these past centuries and have been handed down generation to generation for hundreds of years. Heritage farms have kept the purity of the bean and offer the seeds by catalog purchase. The same is true of a bean variety that the Pilgrims brought over on the Mayflower. The catalogs usually boast seventy-five to one hundred different plant seeds, sometimes with very interesting histories.

Heirloom seed catalogs are available via the internet, but it is more fun to collect the seeds or catalogs from other organic gardeners or heritage seed club members. Once seed has been acquired, it is necessary to learn how to harvest and store the seed properly to maintain quality control for the next season and to protect the purity of the heirloom seed. While it is interesting to think of an entire garden of only heirloom plants, gardeners may find themselves disappointed with the final product. Without the science of hybridizing, some historic products may be small or not as tasty.

Winifred Meidinger, a 90-year old gardener, collects her heirloom seeds each year for the following season's planting. She especially loves her tomatoes and zucchini that have been handed down generation to generation for the last one hundred years. Ms. Meidinger enjoys the taste and texture of her produce and has a sense of pride in knowing she is one of the few gardeners holding to the heirloom philosophy. Many find it fascinating to keep in touch with the past by using the same seeds the pioneers used--unadulterated by modern science.

Heirloom seeds are absolutely organic, but not all organic seeds are "heirloom." Organic seeds are not genetically engineered and are not chemically treated prior to purchase. Most organic farmers purchase mainly from organic seed catalogs. But they will also buy seed from standard catalogs if it is the best way to get the desired taste or texture of a particular fruit.

Standard seeds, from the store and most catalogs, are frequently powdered with chemicals to prevent mold or fungus growth and to ward off deterioration in the soil before germination. While there are organic methods to do the same precautionary measures without chemicals, few gardeners know the techniques to protect the seeds. These methods should be researched in organic farming books and magazines. Such approaches include planting in paper towels, or how to properly collect and dry seeds.

Bruised Knuckles

The benefits of organic gardening far out-weigh the work load. But the amount of time down in the dirt is far greater than standard chemical gardening. It requires time picking bugs off of plants, time placing jars of natural attractants and boards on moist ground to trick insects into captivity, time working manure and teas into the soil--all of this instead of the easy chemical fix. The advantage is health from chemical-free produce for you and your family, as well as physical and spiritual balance from the daily physical exercise required to nurture your garden.

In years past the knowledge of organic gardening was handed down from generation to generation, as well as a basketful of tricks to make the job easier. Today, it is a risk for good produce the first season or two if you are a beginning organic farmer -- unless a mentor is nearby to offer helpful hints. However, there are hundreds of books, articles, and internet resources to help the new gardener become successful. Even that takes time, though.

Organic farming is a noble pursuit that requires perseverance. This resolve will remind you of your ancestors and your past each time you pick up a handful of composted soil or preserve an heirloom seed. It will keep you looking to the future -- jumping over and around your present day problems -- to the seeds that you will purchase, the produce that will be picked, the new recipes and uses you will concoct. For that you won't mind a few scrapes, an aching back, or bruised knuckles. It will all be worth it because philosophically, it is where you want to be.

David Beart is the owner of [http://www.professorshouse.com] . Our site covers family issues such as gardening [http://www.professorshouse.com/your-home/gardening-plants/gardening-plants.aspx], children, teenagers, marriage, forums and relationships.

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Why Is Organic Farming Bad - If It Is?

Why is organic farming bad, if it is? We have been told that organic farming is good for our health. Proponents have trumpeted the message that organic farming is good for the environment. How could it possibly be bad?

It seems that, increasingly, life is being divided into traditional and alternative. Each side claims their methods to be better than the other's. Each tries to win people to their side. Traditional schooling fights alternative schooling. Conventional medicine fights alternative medicine. Mainstream culture fights alternative subcultures.

Farming, too, is involved in a battle, conventional farming against organic farming. Environmentalists and those concerned with their health assure us that organic farming is preferable in many ways. But others argue that organic farming is bad.

Why is organic farming bad?

Research Results

In 2002, Swiss scientists at the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture published in "Scientist" a highly publicized study. Their study, which covered 21 years, compared four types of farming. Two of those types were organic farming. The other two types were conventional farming.

Reporters quickly stated that the study proved organic farming was more efficient. Organic farming's advocates said the study showed that organic farming uses 50% less energy. The facts?

1. Conventional farming is 20 percent more productive than organic farming.

2. Crop yields were significantly lower in organic farming.

3. The above two facts meant energy savings in organic farming were actually only about 19 percent per unit of crop produced, not 50 percent.

4. The study did not test organic farming against the most current methods of conventional farming. If it had, experts say, the 19 percent advantage of organic farming would disappear.

5. Current conventional farming matches organic farming when it comes to environmental advantages. Both have beneficial insects, produce less pesticide and fertilizer runoff, and reduce soil erosion.

6. Food quality was almost identical in conventional and organic farming. Advocates of organic farming had long claimed their food was far superior.

7. Current conventional farming methods produce the same or greater yields mentioned in number 1 above.

This research does not, of course, conclude that organic farming is bad. On the face of it, the conclusion is more that organic farming is not very different from current conventional farming. There most be other reasons for people believing organic farming is bad.

Organic Farming Can Kill

Many took from the Swiss study a realization that, as Cambridge chemist John Emsley said, "the greatest catastrophe the human race could face this century is not global warming, but a global conversion to 'organic farming'- [where] an estimated 2 billion people would perish."

Organic farming may supply food for small markets, but how can it feed starving nations? Its adversaries claim that current conventional farming is the only hope for these people. If we turn entirely to organic farming, they say, we will doom billions to die of starvation.

Challenging Organic Farming

Alex Avery, Director of Research and Education for the Hudson Institute's Center for Global Food Issues, recently published a new book, "The Truth About Organic Foods." (2006) In this book, Avery offers an unemotional look at the odd origins and unscientific basis for organic farming.

Nobel Peace Prize Winning Agricultural Scientist, Dr. Norman Borlaug, says about this book, "The Truth About Organic Foods gives consumers a thorough and straight-forward explanation of why organic foods offer no real health or safety benefits. More importantly, Avery communicates why organic farming's lower yields and reliance on scarce organic fertilizers represents a potential threat to the world's forests, wetlands and grasslands. The book offers scientifically sound evidence that more-affordable conventional foods are healthy for families and also good stewardship of nature."

Skimming Mr. Avery's book, one finds statements that indicate:

1. Organic farming started in the 1920s when a German mystic advised use of only animal manure because synthetic fertilizers had no cosmic energy.

2. Soon, the wealthy decided manure-fertilized produce was better.

3. J.I. Rodale first published his "Organic Gardening Magazine" in 1942, and the organic farming / organic gardening movement was named.

4. In 2007, organic farming advocates still have no credible science to support their beliefs.

5. Organic farming does not avoid pesticides. About 5 percent a vegetable's weight is natural pesticides, some of which are cancer-causing.

6. Foods from organic farming have more illness-causing bacteria. (The January 2007 issue of "Consumer Reports" showed that chicken from organic farming has 300% more Salmonella than that from conventional farming. University studies have found more bacteria in vegetables from organic farming than in vegetables from conventional farming.

7. If organic farming, which decries synthetic fertilizer, was chosen over conventional farming, we would have a choice. We could kill millions of people to reduce global food needs, or we could sacrifice wildlife habitat in the amount of millions of square miles so we could produce more manure.

Why is organic farming bad? Mr. Avery believes he has the answer.

Notwithstanding Mr. Avery's new book, I am not sure whether organic farming is bad or not. It is often difficult to sort through rhetoric and find fact. I do know that my forefathers had large organic farms. The produce was good and it was nourishing. Before I can turn my back completely on organic farming and organic gardening, I need clearer evidence. You probably want to do more research, too.

©2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about organic farming on a small scale at http://www.organicspringtime.com. Anna is posting new articles regularly, each one dealing with some facet of organic gardening. If you want to know how to make your own organic fertilizer, you will want to read Anna’s article on the subject.

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