Try These Hearty, Healthy Salads At Dinner Time

If you’re on a diet and keeping an eye on your nutrition, no doubt the idea of eating salad has already occurred to you. For some people, however, no matter how committed they are to their wellness and wellbeing, the idea of eating a salad is hugely unappealing. Many people don’t find them very filling (as salad is, of course, largely water based). Others find the coldness of salad unappealing, especially in the winter.

 

We’ve got a recipe that’s going to change all that. This mushroom and asparagus salad is nutritious, delicious and very, very good for you.

 

To make the salad you need one whole-wheat English muffin (or a slice of whole-wheat bread) torn into pieces, one third of a cup of olive oil, four teaspoons of grated parmesan cheese, half a teaspoon of kosher salt, two tablespoons of minced shallot, freshly ground black pepper, two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, two teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves, two tablespoons of soy sauce, one and a half pounds of asparagus, three cups of sliced cremini mushrooms, two hard boiled eggs (chopped) and five cups of salad greens.

 

You start by pulsing the muffin into crumbs, and then baking these crumbs in the olive oil to make tasty, toasted croutons. Season them with black pepper to taste.

 

Next, whip a little extra oil (about two tablespoons) in with the shallot, soy sauce, thyme, vinegar and black pepper. Spread the asparagus on some baking sheets and drizzle over two tablespoons of the mixture. In another bowl, toss the mushrooms in two tablespoons of the dressing and then scatter the mushrooms over the asparagus. Roast all of this in the oven until the vegetables are tender.

 

Then, put the mixture together with the croutons, salad and chopped egg and serve.

Categories: Asparagus, black pepper, mushroom, mushrooms, nbsp, olive oil, salad, soy sauce, tablespoons

How to Use Magic Mushrooms to Cure Severe Depression

It is very difficult to carry out any research using illegal drugs, which is why it is only just coming to light that a compound found in the illegal drug magic mushrooms may be the answer to curing depression. People who live with this emotional difficulty will welcome the revelation, but there is still a lot of red tape stalling research trials, due to the illegal nature of the substance.

Depression affects the wellness and wellbeing of millions of people in the UK, but they could benefit from the chemical psilocybin, which is the ingredient in magic mushrooms that causes the psychedelic effect. It is thought that this could be used to turn down regions of the brain that are associated with depression, such as the anterior cingulate cortex. In people with depression, these areas seem overstimulated, and are held responsible for many of the symptoms found in severe depression, such as dwelling on feelings of worthlessness, unhappiness or inadequacy.

A research team was headed by David Nutt, a former UK government drugs adviser and took place with the help of a team from Imperial College London. The team from the college believes strongly that psilocybin may be the vital breakthrough that they have been looking for to help tackle serious depression, as sometimes this strength of depression cannot be treated in the usual way, such as with antidepressants and talking therapy.

Volunteers were used for the preliminary research, and the results showed that there may also be benefits beyond improving the wellness of those with severe depression. Increased emotional wellbeing was demonstrated in the volunteers, with effects lasting for up to two weeks after they took the drug.

This exciting preliminary lays the ground work for further research, and the team has secured a half million pound grant to proceed, but first they must tackle the fact that research on the illegal drug is strictly controlled.

How to Use Magic Mushrooms to Cure Severe Depression

Categories: depression, illegal, illegal drug, magic, magic mushrooms, mushrooms, Research, severe, severe depression, team

Vitamin D: Are Mushrooms the Best Alternative?

You wouldn’t think much of the humble mushroom. Normally flavoursome and delicious in soup or a fry-up, it tends to be the bland addition to any dish – but in new research conducted at Boston University School of Medicine; it has been found that they are an excellent source of Vitamin D. More than that, it has been proven to be just as effective as taking a Vitamin D supplement.

Vitamin D helps to promote bone density, which in turn, helps to prevent osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and osteomalacia. Furthermore, it has been known to help combat the symptoms of flu, cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression and diabetes.

Researchers looked at data obtained from 30 healthy adults who participated in the experiment; they were asked at random to take Vitamin D supplements or Vitamin D2 mushroom powder for 12 weeks. What researchers found was that there was no difference between those taking the supplements to those taking the mushroom powder.

“These results provide evidence that ingesting mushrooms which have been exposed to ultraviolet light and contain vitamin D2, are a good source of vitamin D that can improve the vitamin D status of healthy adults. Furthermore we found ingesting mushrooms containing vitamin D2 was as effective in raising and maintaining a healthy adult`s vitamin D status as ingesting a supplement that contained either vitamin D2 or vitamin D3,” said Michael F. Holick, PhD, MD and the principal investigator of the study, according to Zeenews.

According to their findings, the researchers believe that eating mushrooms serves the same purpose as supplements in enhancing the body’s need for Vitamin D. Furthermore, the mushrooms proved to be more beneficial after being exposed to UBV light, which caused the mushrooms to produce Vitamin D3 and D4.

“Although it has been previously reported that mushrooms have the ability to produce both vitamin D2 and vitamin D4, through our own research we were able to detect several types of vitamin Ds and provitamin Ds in mushroom samples including vitamin D3 which is also made in human skin,” added Holick.

With extra levels of care added to your diet, it is suggested that mushrooms are better, alternative root to chowing down on expensive supplements.

Why burn your money when you can burn your toxins?

Vitamin D: Are Mushrooms the Best Alternative?

Categories: cancer, cardiovascular, diet, Flu, healthy adults, ingesting mushrooms, mushroom, mushroom powder, mushrooms, skin, Supplements, vitamin, Vitamin D, vitamin d2, vitamin D3, VMS

Green Tea and Omega-3: Lower Your Cancer Risk Through Diet!

There’s no end to the wellness benefits of a healthy diet. The right balance of the right foods can help you lose weight, keep your body’s organs and functions working to optimal levels, and even boost your emotional wellbeing, but what about cancer? Surely, that’s a task too big for even your diet to overcome, right?

Unfortunately, your diet cannot completely eliminate your chances of developing the Big C (if it did, we’d all be drinking green tea until it came out of our ears!) However, it is an established fact that a healthy diet can help your body to heal itself, and particular foods have been shown to lessen your risks of developing certain illnesses.

When it comes to cancer, though you can’t eliminate it as a possibility altogether, you can reduce your risk using natural methods. The two key elements in this are bioidentical natural progesterone and a dedicated anti-cancer regime, which, of course, starts with your diet. Begin by cutting all foods that contain the ‘bad’ fats, such as polyunsaturated vegetable oils, margarine, vegetable shortening, all partially hydrogenated oils and all foods that might contain trans-fatty acids (such as deep-fried foods).

While you’re eliminating things from your diet, turn to any food you consume that contains added sugar, shake its hand, and say farewell. You don’t have to break up with animal foods altogether, but maybe you should go on a break and spend more time with plant-based proteins such as whole soya products. In fact, make plants your new best pals, and eat at least five portions of fruits and vegetables a day, especially frequent consumption of shiitake, enokidake, maitake and oyster mushrooms.

A few final tips; you can reduce your cancer risk by upping your intake of omega-3 fatty acid. This means eating more cold-water oily fish, freshly ground flaxseed and walnuts. Also, drinking green tea on a daily basis has wonderful wellness-boosting properties, including cancer reduction. Finally, make sure that, whenever possible, the products and the produce that you use are free from hormones, and produced organically. You can’t banish cancer entirely, but your diet and lifestyle can help to keep it at bay.

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Green Tea and Omega-3: Lower Your Cancer Risk Through Diet!

Categories: diet, green tea, mushrooms

Using mushrooms as part of your skincare routine

Research into complementary health methods provides us with surprising news about mushrooms. While the nutritional benefits stand unquestioned, what few people know is that mushrooms are excellent for your skin. It has been discovered that the topical use of certain mushroom varieties can provide all kinds of beauty and wellness benefits. As such; several types of mushrooms are used as an important component of facial creams and serums.

Mushroom extracts provide potent anti-oxidising and moisturising effects, making them perfect for anti-ageing skin products. They naturally brighten the skin while lightening age spots and evening the skin tone. Mushrooms make an excellent addition to moisturisers because they offer a different set of nutrients entirely their own – these complement other main compounds, like vitamin C and E perfectly. The most important mushroom for this purpose is Tremella. Tremella mushrooms are a common feature of Asian cuisine as well as complementary medicine. They contain a polysaccharide which has a superb effect in hydrating and plumping the skin. Tremella also offers a high vitamin D content, which makes it an excellent salve for acne scars.

A further compound unique to mushrooms is kojic acid. This property is renowned as a skin lightener, and makes an ideal complementary alternative to chemical versions such as hydroquinone. Kojic acid is said to inhibit melanin production, which is a great help to the skin’s recovery from damage. As such, its inclusion in creams and lotions makes them effective in treating liver spots, discolourations and uneven skin tone. It should be included in every after-sun care routine.

The other key quality of mushrooms in relation to skincare is its anti-inflammatory effect, making it an excellent solution for eczema, rosacea and acne. Mushroom extracts can fight the inflammation associated with these conditions, while also aiding the healing process. A good natural product infused with mushroom extracts is sure to boost your dermatological wellbeing and provide relief from seriously life-affecting conditions.

Categories: complementary, mushrooms, skincare

The Amazing benefits of Mushrooms

As well as being very tasty, mushrooms are rightly classified as a ‘super food’ these days. They contain a whole host of supplementary minerals; including zinc, iron, amino acids, riboflavin and vitamins B, C, and K. Their contribution to a healthy diet is acknowledged by all, but this is actually just the first of their amazing complementary properties.

Mushrooms of all varieties are useful for detoxing. This is because they contain a substance called Germanium, which is active in boosting oxygen flow through the body. Germanium is a strong tool to help the body counteract the effect of toxins, as well as strengthening the immune system. The compound polysaccharides can also be found in mushrooms. This nutrient that is said to help fight tumours, and also has an immune-boosting effect.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has used mushrooms for wellbeing since ancient times. Over 200 species of mushrooms have been identified as having a healing effect on various conditions, and have become vital to TCM herbal prescriptions. In fact, 25% of these species are also credited with the ability to fight tumours.

 

The following types of mushroom are popular in TCM, and can be most helpful to your wellness programme:

Shiitake Mushrooms –have been used for centuries to strengthen overall health and improve circulation. They also contain a substance called Lentinan, which has been shown to be useful in supporting cancer treatments. In fact, a purified form of this chemical has been embraced in Japan as a tonic for patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Reishi Mushrooms – a favourite in TCM for treating heart and prostate problems. They are also said to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. These mushrooms are now receiving a lot of attention in the West, for their numerous benefits, including their purported tumour-fighting capability.

Maitake Mushrooms – have been shown to benefit AIDS patients by improving their blood sugar levels. They are also thought to have an immune-building and tumour-fighting effect.

The Amazing benefits of Mushrooms

Categories: mushrooms, super food, traditional chinese medicine