Unroasted, unsalted almonds:  Source of protein, vitamin E, fibre, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium and zinc with small amounts of folic acid and vitamin B2. Contains monounsaturated fats to keep arteries supple, and help prevent heart disease.

Maqui berry:  Better bone and joint health due to anti-inflammatory qualities. Healthier/younger looking skin due to toxin removal.  A stronger immune system.  Boosted metabolism good for weight loss and toxin removal.

Tea:   The overall antioxidant power of black tea is the same as green tea, but green tea has ECGC, a powerful antioxidant.   A recent Japanese study on green tea found that men who drank green tea regularly had lower cholesterol than those who didn’t. Researchers in Spain and UK have also shown that ECGC can inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

Whole grains (including brown rice, millet, oats, wholegrain bread): Can help prevent heart disease. The complex carbohydrates and fibre slow the release of blood sugar providing a good energy source. Fibre can also help to prevent constipation and encourages the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut.

Acai berry:  Helps with growth, repair, and maintenance of body tissues.  Strengthens immune system.  Provides a rich source of omega-3, 6 and 9.  Keeps your heart healthy due to three different plant sterols.  Improves digestion and bowel movement.

Ice cream:  A study by the Institute of Psychiatry in London discovered that eating ice cream can light up the brain’s pleasure zones. Even a small amount is enough to stimulate the orbitofrontal cortex, the main processing area and the part of the brain associated with the pleasures of sex and eating.

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BEFORE SURGERY

Foods rich in an amino acid called L-arginine stimulate the thymus gland, which stores infection-fighting T-cells.  Eat plenty of peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, cashews, brazil nuts,  tuna and chicken.

The Bach Rescue Remedy helps to overcome fear and shock. Fill a bottle with water and add several drops of the remedy. Sip regularly.

Some supplements including herbs can alter bleeding time.   While eating garlic, soy, or flax seeds is fine, taking these in supplement form can interfere with blood clotting (particularly if you’re taking anti-coagulants such as aspirin). Tell your doctor if you take supplements of ginseng, St John’s Wort, Echinacea, valerian, garlic, ginger, gingko, genistein, fish oil, omega 3, soy protein or flax seed oil.   It is recommended you stop all supplements at least a week before surgery.

AFTER SURGERY

Following surgery, take Arnica 200 to help reduce bruising and swelling (one morning and one evening for 5 days).   Tip these from the container under the tongue and don’t eat or drink anything ½ hour before and after taking.   Another homeopathic remedy that is useful after surgery is hypericum which aids pain relief and heals nerve damage.

An onslaught of prescription drugs will take its toll on your liver. Support it by taking the herb milk thistle.

Maqui berry will help boost your immune system and increase your energy.

Using Bio Oil or rosehip on a scar can help speed up the healing process.  To minimize scarring, apply to the wound once it has healed and massage gently into the affected area.

Drink 2 litres of water a day to flush toxins out of your body.  Drinking Aloe Vera juice will help your stomach’s reactions to prescription drugs.

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To have lasting weight loss, you need to consider your metabolism, which is the rate at which your body uses up energy.

A person with a slow metabolism uses up little energy, whereas a person with a fast metabolism uses up a lot of energy.  Diets of below 1000 calories a day can slow the metabolism down by almost 45%.  Initially you might lose around 8lb of body fluid with up to 2lb of body fat weekly.  However when you stop counting calories, the fat and fluid return because your metabolic rate has slowed down, meaning you need less food to maintain a stable weight.

In order to get your metabolism working well, you need to include:

• A good intake of complex carbohydrates e.g. whole grains, beans, lentils, vegetables and fruit.
• A low but balanced intake of protein.
• High fibre foods (which reduce your appetite as well as cleansing out your system) such as vegetables, oats, lentils and beans.

Avoid sugar, saturated fats, sweetened foods, coffee and tea.

Your ability to burn fat depends on vitamins and minerals that help to control the breakdown of glucose, which provides energy.  A lack of these nutrients will result in less energy and a tendency to hold onto fat.  The B vitamins, vitamin C and the mineral zinc and chromium are the most important.

Maqui Berry has a reputation for helping with weight loss as well as being an anti-oxidant superfood.

TIP:  The amount of calories you burn depends on how fat/fit you are to start with.  The more fat/unfit you are, the more benefit you will derive from small amounts of exercise.    Take aerobic exercise at least twice a week e.g. swimming, brisk walking.

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OK so if you’re a fan of health supplements then there’s no doubt you will have come across the acai berry, and more recently perhaps the ‘even more powerful’ maqui berry. Both of these supplements have had a lot of attention in recent times and are very popular due to the potent anti-oxidant properties they possess. The only problem with these berries is they don’t travel well so, generally, the only available method to consume them is via supplements. But what about the folk who want to eat anti-oxidants in their daily foods?

One of the foods that contain the highest number of antioxidants can be found in blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.  They are full of fibre, minerals, vitamins and loaded with healing antioxidants, namely pranthocyanidins.  Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries also contain ellagic acid, a compound that contains carcinogens.  Blueberries also appear to delay the onset of age-related loss in cognitive function.

Broccoli is another vegetable loaded with antioxidants.  It is one of the cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, that may help to prevent cancer and ward off heart disease.  These vegetables contain indole-3-carbinol, a potent antioxidant that breaks down estrogen in the body and reduces the risk of breast cancer, ovarian and cervical cancers.  Broccoli also contains beta-carotene which helps to prevent heart disease.

Tomatoes have also made the news media in the past several years, and for good reason.  Science has found that they contain chemicals, including lycopene, which wards off certain types of cancer and prevents macular degeneration and cataracts.  Lycopene is a relatively rare member of the carotenoid family and is twice as powerful as beta-carotene.  Some studies suggest that lycopene can help to prevent lung, colon and breast cancer.  Tomatoes contain the antioxidant glutathione which helps to boost immune system function.

Dried beans are another good source of anti-oxidants as are granny smith apples, pecans and cherries.  10 years ago scientists discovered that an anti-oxidant in red wine may keep your heart beating longer and stronger.  This led to an increase in advertising dollars by the wine industry.  The substances they found were in red grapes that helped to boost heart health by acting as a free radical scavenger.  The actual chemical found was resveratrol, now manufactured in the laboratory and sold as a supplement.

Garlic is a medicinal herb which has been used for centuries in a variety of ways, including as an antibiotic.  Garlic is packed with antioxidants and sulfur compounds thought to be responsible for its healing benefits.  Garlic is known to lower cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure and has anti-clotting properties.

Carrots have long been touted as the vegetable of choice in order to save someone’s eye sight.  This is due to the beta-carotene, also found in beets, sweet potatoes and other orange vegetables which have been found to help prevent macular degeneration.  Research also points to the protection that beta-carotene provides against cancer, heart disease and the progression of arthritis.

You may not like it but spinach is a nutritional jackpot.  The antioxidant found in spinach is Lutein and is the main pigment located in the macula of the eye.  It is believed people who eat spinach are less likely to develop cataracts.  Lutein also works by shielding the retina from sun damage and can help prevent heart disease.

These are only a few of the foods, fruits and vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, that contain antioxidants necessary to fight free radical damage in our bodies.  By getting enough fruits and vegetables on a daily basis we help our bodies to fight the damage done by free radicals produced in our bodies, and also acquired through toxins and waste products in the environment.  We acquire free radicals through strenuous exercise, breathing and pollution, smoking and alcohol intake just to name a few.

Researchers now know that antioxidants are able to provide a level of protection and prevention against illnesses and diseases long thought to be a part of the aging process.  By incorporating only a few things into our diet we are able to positively impact the long term effects of our health.

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The Maqui is still a relative amateur in the superfruit world and is not well known in the UK, with very few retailers offering it. However with the health properties contained within maqui berry (being up to three times more potent in anti-oxidant value than the superlative Acai) it will not be long before this changes. Maqui berry is a purple coloured fruit found in the Patagonia region of South America, mainly in Chile. Although this berry has had many medicinal uses among Mapuche Indians for centuries, it actually only started appearing as a health supplement within the last year or two. As you will see this is one superfood that you should consider utilising. Lets see what gives the Maqui the edge over most other berries out there:

1. Maqui contains a much higher amount of antioxidants than any other superfood – including acai. This means that our body is better protected from toxins, chemicals and free radicals that cause us harm.

2. Maqui is  a new kid on the block in terms of weight loss but is now available to help us overcome any weight control problems. In a recent six month study at the University of Austin in Texas Maqui Berry was found to be 400% more effective than Acai for weight loss, with 92% actually managing to keep the weight off in a check up 6 months later. The fact that the berry is loaded with antioxidants is one of the reasons it often contributes to weight loss. Ridding our body of toxins and allowing us to become healthier, increase metabolism and shed the excess.

3. Additionally, the maqui berry is very high in anthocyanins and polyphenols levels. According to research, Maqui berry has 10 times more polyphenols and 100 times more anthocyanins than red wine. This makes the berry extremely high in nutritional value while it is also a great source of vitamin c, calcium, potassium, and iron.

4. Maqui berry can help boost our immune system and promotes healthy aging. This also means the berry is excellent for preventing disease, illness and even reducing cancer risks.

5. Maqui berry is a natural COX-2-inhibitor and it has anti-inflammatory properties. These anti-inflammatory side effects can help the bones and joints of the body, especially for anyone with arthritis.

6. Maqui can fight against aging and keep us looking younger through it’s skin care properties. It promotes energy level increase so we can fit more into our days, stay healthy and live longer.

Although on the face of it this may seem like a supplement to replace Acai, on the contrary it is a supplement that can work brilliantly alongside Acai. Although the Maqui is more potent in a lot of areas the acai does have its own strengths – such as higher omega content for example. It’s not necessarily a straight choice between them but Maqui is definitely something you should look to introduce into your lifestyle. When it came off the production line at Troo Health Care the first order was my own!

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The Acai Berry and more recently the Maqui Berry are the two top super berries, both hailing from the exotic South America. The Acai comes from the dense rainforests of the Amazon, while Maqui is found further south, in the Patgonian area of Argentina and Chile.

Between the two the Acai fares somewhat better in taste, but what keeps consumers interested in these berries are their scientifically proven antioxidant contents and overall health benefits. Antioxidants protect our body against free radicals which are unstable molecules produced during day to day functioning of the cell. The antioxidant activity of these two berries is attributed to their content of a phytochemical, Anthocyanin. These antioxidant packed berries empower us to fight the pull of age, wear a healthy skin, stay active and look young.

Consumers, in their quest for the one which will promise a longer and disease-free life are now between two horns while searching for the overall better among the two berries.

The acai berry is an excellent source of anthocyanin. No one can argue against the benefits this berry provides to the human body.

The little deep purple Maqui berry on the other hand has now set the bar higher and in doing so set the wellness industry on fire. With its ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) content 4-10 times higher than that of the Acai berry the Maqui is set to become the new king of health supplements. Maqui berries also contain minerals such as iron, calcium and potassium; along with Vitamins A and C.

But the Acai does still win against the Maqui Berry in its rich content of Omega 3 essential fatty acids.

Finally, the factors that will drive home the popularity of Acai and Maqui berries are scientific research and raising public awareness of their superfruit credibility. Both the Acai and the potentially improved Maqui are touted to benefit weight loss, boost immune support, possess anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-carcinogenic properties, and definitely provide long term benefits like help to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

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The Maqui Berry is a recently discovered berry that was found in the jungles of South America. It is power packed with incredible health benefits. Unlike any other fruit in the world, Maqui is an incredible blend of everything that is healthy for you and your body!

Defy ageing: Looking younger is easy with Maqui Berry. The Maqui being punched with so many things that are good for you that it is no wonder how it is so effective when it comes to a natural way to fix your skin & body to look much less aged and degenerated. It contains anthocyanin which helps you to protect your skin naturally from sun’s radiation and pollution.

Detox your body: A detox plan is very important for every person who wants to enhance their wellness and overall health.  The best and most effective way to detoxify your body from harmful toxins and chemicals is by using a natural product such as Maqui berry. By flushing all the toxins and harmful chemicals from your body it helps you to keep your body fit and healthy. Its powerful antioxidant system scavenges on the free radicals and is a very effective stress buster. It strengthens your immune system, improves blood circulation, promotes a clearer thought process, and even decrease the risk of age related diseases like cancer and diabetes in the long run.

Lose weight: Maqui berry spurs your metabolism, makes you active, decreases the levels of stress hormones and is proven to be the best natural way to remove fats without any side effects.

The Maqui Berry is viewed as a symbol of health, power, and healing powers by the Mapuche Indians. The antioxidant content is completely through the roof, which makes it the best known supplement for our body.

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