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If the old axiom “you are what you eat” is right, then why not eat a vibrant assortment of foods? Our eye is naturally attracted to deep green of landscapes and the rich red of roses, then why do we eat a mottled gray colored diet? French fries, hamburger, and an artificially flavored drink. Oh they try to spice it up a little bit, throwing in a flimsy slice of tomato or a sorry excuse for lettuce,  but overall a gray and brown meal—how exciting. We eat this stuff because it tastes good. However, its taste is artificially altered because chemicals are added which can cause addiction and cravings, also it tastes good because it is loaded with as much fat, salt, and sugar as they can manage. A test to discover if what you are eating is truly good can often be based on color.

Vivacious and natural reds, blues, greens, and yellows can indicate an abundance of nutrients within. Perhaps it comes from evolution. Maybe the ancients ate the foods that attracted their eye and in time human bodies developed a need for their nutrients. Maybe in 4,000 years our bodies will be able to survive off fat and sugar and artificial chemicals alone. But don’t hold your breath.

For whatever reason, our bodies need an assortment of vitamins and minerals to perform all functions. Each nutrient has specific tasks within the body, and without them problems arise. Colorful fruit and vegetables are known for their density of nutrients.

Dark green vegetables are infused with antioxidants which destroy dangerous free radicals that enter our body through the air and environmental agents. They are also brimming with vitamins A, C, and K, folate, iron, calcium, and fiber. Some of the best dark green foods include spinach, broccoli, and romaine lettuce.

Red colored plants have an important nutrient named lycopene. Lycopene is one of the top ten anticancer carotenoids (or the pigments that create color in plants). Good red foods are things like raspberries, cherries, beets, strawberries, and tomatoes.

Blue or dark purple plant foods such as blueberries, blackberries, grapes, or plums also have anticancer qualities. They contain a pigment called anthocyanin as well as vitamin C, fiber, flavonoids, and antioxidants.

Orange and yellow foods are very unique in their properties. These types of foods actually reduce the effects of aging. They promote healthy eyes, joints, and work with calcium to create strong bones. So make sure to have a variety of apricots, carrots, peaches, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes to your diet.

Also look for white (mushrooms, onions), pink (grapefruit), black (black beans), and dark red (kidney beans) colors.

Filling your life with all these colorful, tasty fruits and vegetables will spice up your life in a healthy way. Even with all this smart eating, we sometimes miss out on needed nutrients, because let’s face it, it’s hard to fit in all these colors and the other food groups (also important, don’t forget about them!) on a daily basis. So add a daily multivitamin to your day to make sure all your bases are covered. Eating healthy is the best way to get vitamins and minerals, but supplementing good eating with a multivitamin is the best way to go. Spice up your life and make your body happy by making smart, exciting choices about what you eat.

Happy Friday morning from www.FloridaHerbHouse.com and www.SharpWebLabs.com!!  It is a rainy, rainy, day here in central Florida so what better time to discuss one of our best selling berries, the “Goji Berry”. First lets get the misconceptions off the table. For all those sites claiming the “Ultimate Miracle” from their magic goji please beware. As the goji does in fact have some fascinating nutrients which we will discuss here one should not be mislead by false claims from people just looking for the quick sale. Also note for the best health benefits from the gojiberry one should purchase the berries whole and organic if at all possible as opposed to the much publized ready to drink and mostly diluted goji juices. Many of these juices are diluted and contain non organic goji berries which may have been subjected to pesticides and other fertilizers.

The scientific name for goji berry also known as “wolfberry” is Lycium barbarum, and the popularly used name “goji” from the common Chinese name for the berry. Some claim there are two forms of the berry namely Lycium barbarum and Lycium chinense, whose fruit is called the goji berry; other sites insist there is only one species, Lycium barbarum. Claims for more than one or two species may be just marketing ploys. The exact origin of the goji plant is unknown, and although goji berries are reportedly grown in several different areas of the world, any goji berries you purchase will most likely come from China, where the berry has been used in traditional herbal medicine for about two thousand years.

The goji berry has been used as a medicinal food for thousands of years, and has been studied extensively in modern times for its health benefits. With over 15% protein, 21 essential minerals, 18 amino acids, and one of the highest amounts of beta carotene, the goji berry is a nutrient-dense superfood in a class all its own. Perhaps the most important nutrient in goji berries though is its polysaccharides, most notably the lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP). Studies show that LBP polysaccharides are exceptional sources of the essential cell sugars necessary for proper immune function and inter cellular communication. These polysaccharides can enhance health in a variety of ways, including helping cancer patients rebuild their natural defenses, improving DNA restoration and repair, and maintaining normal cell growth; and they may help slow the aging process.

Try a small handful of goji berries in your health drink, on your salad, in your tea, in your muffins or pies, or included in any drink/food recipe! See for yourself how much better you will feel after 2 weeks of using these amazing berries on a daily basis!

Today’s lifestyle makes it difficult to take the time to care for the health of your body, with schedules and deadlines putting stress levels over the top, the last thing we want to think about is whether or not we are putting the right things into our bodies.

Cholesterol is one of the leading causes of heart attack, and high cholesterol often gets overlooked or ignored merely causing the problem to worsen. There are many different medications available on the market to help lower and control the levels of cholesterol, but unfortunately these “easy fix” medications bring with them a host of side effects that are often times much worse than the effects of the cholesterol.

To avoid the potential problems that cholesterol medications can cause many people have discovered that by simply including an assortment of cholesterol friendly foods one may be able to lower cholesterol levels safely and naturally. Some of the foods for cholesterol include oatmeal, olive oil, and fish, these heart healthy foods can safely and effectively help to lower what is known as “bad” cholesterol, or LDL.

Of course there is no substitute for regular exercise, and a healthy lifestyle that excludes heavy drinking and smoking. Recently it was discovered that there are some natural products on the market that are able to actually lower the absorption of cholesterol.

Flora Pro-active, an all natural product that contains healthy plant sterols and an abundance of unsaturated fats, effectively controls the absorption of cholesterol in the body, the effects are twice that of eating 3 bowls of oatmeal a day, and produce 10 times that of the effect of olive oil.

In just 3 weeks time, with the introduction of cholesterol lowering foods, such as plant sterol produced margarine to your system, your body can lower its cholesterol absorption by at least 10%, and an additional 5% with a healthier diet. You should avoid saturated fats and trans fats when at all possible. One way of achieving this is to use margarine spreads instead of butter or margarine when cooking or to add flavour to dishes.

It only takes 25g of Flora Pro-active Margarine spread daily to achieve your goal of lowering your cholesterol and with the choices available that amount is easy to achieve. These products are enriched with plant sterols that not only help to prevent the absorption of cholesterols in the body, but also help to prevent re-absorption, this process is vital to keep your cholesterol levels within a safe range once you have lowered them.

The benefits of lowering of your cholesterol levels include a greater chance for a longer, more productive life, as well as reducing the risk of heart attack. An average healthy persons’ total cholesterol level is below 5.5mmol / L. People at a higher risk, including those who are overweight, have a history of heart related problems, or who fail to keep active regularly, should keep their level around 4.0mmol/L or less.