Vitamin D is a vitamin. It can be found in small amounts in a few foods, including fatty fish such as herring, mackerel, sardines and tuna. To make vitamin D more available, it is added to dairy products, juices, and cereals that are then said to be “fortified with vitamin D.” But most vitamin D – 80% to 90% of what the body gets – is obtained through exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D can also be made in the laboratory as medicine.

Vitamin D is used for preventing and treating rickets, a disease that is caused by not having enough vitamin D (vitamin D deficiency). Vitamin D is also used for treating weak bones (osteoporosis), bone pain (osteomalacia), bone loss in people with a condition called hyperparathyroidism, and an inherited disease (osteogenesis imperfecta) in which the bones are especially brittle and easily broken. It is also used for preventing falls and fractures in people at risk for osteoporosis, and preventing low calcium and bone loss (renal osteodystrophy) in people with kidney failure.

Vitamin D is used for conditions of the heart and blood vessels, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It is also used for diabetes, obesity, muscle weakness, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, bronchitis, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and tooth and gum disease.

Some people use vitamin D for skin conditions including vitiligo, scleroderma, psoriasis, actinic keratosis, and lupus vulgaris.

It is also used for boosting the immune system, preventing autoimmune diseases, and preventing cancer.

Because vitamin D is involved in regulating the levels of minerals such as phosphorous and calcium, it is used for conditions caused by low levels of phosphorous  and low levels of calcium

Vitamin D in forms known as calcitriol  is applied directly to the skin for a particular type of psoriasis.

If you travel to Canada, you may have noticed that Canada recognizes the importance of vitamin D in the prevention of osteoporosis. It allows this health claim for foods that contain calcium: “A healthy diet with adequate calcium and vitamin D, and regular physical activity, help to achieve strong bones and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis.” But the US version of this osteoporosis health claim does not yet include vitamin D.

“>Get one bottle of Vitamin D now!

Beans are about the best nutrition bargain going. Low in cost, they provide thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, iron, and calcium. When complemented by grains or dairy products, they are a main source of high-quality protein for vegetarians.

The simplest cooking directions are to sort through the beans and discard any bad ones, then rinse well, drain, and gently boil, uncovered, in three times their volume of water until tender.

For some beans, cooking “until tender” can take a considerable length of time. If you prefer, you can shorten their cooking time by soaking them according to one of the following methods.

1. Quick soaking: In a kettle, combine 6 to 9 cups hot water with 1 pound dry beans. Bring to a boil over high heat and continue to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let soak, covered, for 1 hour before draining.
2. Long soaking: In a kettle, combine 6 to 7 cups cold water with 1 pound dry beans. Add 2 teaspoons salt, (it helps beans absorb water evenly). Let soak for at least 3 to 4 hours or until next day. Drain before cooking.

To cook soaked beans: In a kettle, bring 6 to 7 cups water to a boil. Add drained, soaked beans. Boil gently partially covered, until tender Add water if needed to keep beans covered. Add salt to taste (up to 2 teaspoons) when beans are tender. Drain excess water when done; reserve for soups or stews, if desired.

Beans double in size; 1 pound dry beans yields about 4 cups cooked beans. We prefer to cook a large quantity of beans and freeze whatever we don’t plan to use right away.

The following list of legumes (mostly beans) contains a brief description as well as recommended cooking time after soaking for each item. Note that lentils and split peas do not need soaking.

1. Black beans: Robust flavor; popular in South American cooking. 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
2. Black-eyed peas: Smooth texture, pealike flavor; good mixed with other vegetables. 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
3. Garbanzos (chick peas, ceci): Firm texture, nutlike flavor; naturals for minestrone, salads. 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
4. Great Northern beans: Mild flavor; good in soups, and combined with other vegetables. 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
5. Kidney beans: Firm texture, meaty flavor; hold shape well in chili dishes and other casseroles. 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
6. Lentils: No soaking needed. Mild flavor blends well with many different foods, spices. 40 to 45 minutes.
7. Limas, baby: Versatile; use like other white beans in soups, casseroles. 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
8. Pink, pinto, and red beans: Hearty flavor; great for barbecue-style beans, Mexican cooking, soups, casseroles. 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
9. Soybeans: Strong-flavored, near-perfect protein source. Refrigerate while soaking. 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
10. Split peas, green and yellow: No soaking; good for soups, side dishes. 40 to 50 minutes.
11. White beans (navy), small: Hold their shape when cooked; classic for baked beans. 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Health Guide Recipes

1.  Ensure that your diet contains a wide variety of foods
2. Control your weight: avoid obesity
3. Cut down on total fat intake
4. Eat more high-fibre and micronutrient-rich foods (fruits, vegetables, wholegrain cereal products). Especially include leafy green and yellow vegetables such as spinach and carrots, and members of the cabbage family such as brussels sprouts and broccoli
5. Be moderate in using salt-cured, smoked and nitrite-cured foods
6. Limit alcohol intake:
*Because heart authorities advise a lowered salt intake in addition to the preceding recommendations, the recipes incorporate this dietary strategy.

Health Guide Recipes

Official cancer prevention campaigns have tended to shy away from advice about nutrition, preferring to focus on personal control of what enters the lungs and is absorbed through the skin. But the self-help anti-cancer strategy is entering a new age. A steady stream of studies, providing compelling evidence linking diet with various types of cancer, has convinced Australia’s state cancer councils that it is time to act. They have issued general advice on nutrition, summed up in the term the ‘Prudent Diet’. This advice is consistent with the dietary recommendations of the National Heart Foundation and with the national dietary guidelines of Federal Health authorities in Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States.

The Prudent Diet, is no ‘fad’ diet based on intuition about possible nutritional influences on cancer risk. Nor will it leave a feeling of perpetual hunger, the outcome of so many dietary regimes. By reducing the emphasis on fats and accentuating complex carbohydrates and fibre-rich fare, we can enjoy delicious foods that have fallen into disrepute in recent years (such as steamed potatoes, bananas and crusty grain breads) while simultaneously minimising cancer-related health risks.

Researchers have suspected for some time that diet influences the incidence of some common cancers. But it is only in recent years, with data from long-term studies of disease trends among population groups, that firm conclusions have supplanted suspicions. The researchers who conduct such studies are known as epidemiologists and, although still hazy about some aspects of the diet-cancer connection, their advice is firming up year by year. Their findings indicate that some components of the foods we eat actually promote cancer risk (a fat-rich diet heightens the risk of breast and bowel cancer, for example), while other constituents help protect against cancer (the fibre, vitamins and minerals in fruits, vegetables and grains, for instance, reduce the risk of cancers at most sites).

Despite the strong circumstantial, population-related evidence of the role of diet in various cancers, supported by laboratory findings, scientists still have some way to go before they can define precisely the relationships between specific aspects of diet and specific disease outcomes.

Nevertheless health authorities recognise there is now sufficient evidence to warrant changes in food selection, preparation and handling so that the cancer risk of all Australians will be reduced.

Raw Food Plan

Health Guide Recipes

Official cancer prevention campaigns have tended to shy away from advice about nutrition, preferring to focus on personal control of what enters the lungs and is absorbed through the skin. But the self-help anti-cancer strategy is entering a new age. A steady stream of studies, providing compelling evidence linking diet with various types of cancer, has convinced Australia’s state cancer councils that it is time to act. They have issued general advice on nutrition, summed up in the term the ‘Prudent Diet’. This advice is consistent with the dietary recommendations of the National Heart Foundation and with the national dietary guidelines of Federal Health authorities in Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States.

The Prudent Diet, is no ‘fad’ diet based on intuition about possible nutritional influences on cancer risk. Nor will it leave a feeling of perpetual hunger, the outcome of so many dietary regimes. By reducing the emphasis on fats and accentuating complex carbohydrates and fibre-rich fare, we can enjoy delicious foods that have fallen into disrepute in recent years (such as steamed potatoes, bananas and crusty grain breads) while simultaneously minimising cancer-related health risks.

Researchers have suspected for some time that diet influences the incidence of some common cancers. But it is only in recent years, with data from long-term studies of disease trends among population groups, that firm conclusions have supplanted suspicions. The researchers who conduct such studies are known as epidemiologists and, although still hazy about some aspects of the diet-cancer connection, their advice is firming up year by year. Their findings indicate that some components of the foods we eat actually promote cancer risk (a fat-rich diet heightens the risk of breast and bowel cancer, for example), while other constituents help protect against cancer (the fibre, vitamins and minerals in fruits, vegetables and grains, for instance, reduce the risk of cancers at most sites).

Despite the strong circumstantial, population-related evidence of the role of diet in various cancers, supported by laboratory findings, scientists still have some way to go before they can define precisely the relationships between specific aspects of diet and specific disease outcomes.

Nevertheless health authorities recognise there is now sufficient evidence to warrant changes in food selection, preparation and handling so that the cancer risk of all Australians will be reduced.

Raw Food Plan

Health Guide Recipes

Take a stroll through any large supermarket . . . shelves groaning, freezer cabinets piled high, aisles stretching into the distance. While the goods on display look appetising enough, it is the labels that attract attention – NO ADDED SUGAR; HIGH IN FIBRE; SALT REDUCED; LOW IN CALORIES; NO ARTIFICIAL COLOURS, FLAVOURINGS, PRESERVERS OR ‘IMPROVERS’.

The labels are signposts of our times, reflecting the growing consensus among medical researchers that small changes to diet can have a big impact on health. Encouragingly, the same alterations that seem to benefit our hearts, waistlines and general fitness also seem to reduce our cancer risk. Indeed the three leading causes of death in Australia, heart disease, cancer and stroke, as well as prevalent debilitating conditions including adult-onset diabetes, diverticular disease, weight disorders and liver cirrhosis, can often be prevented . . . with dietary change a key strategy.
The influence of diet on cancer is considerable. Scientists estimate that diet is a major contributory factor in about 35 per cent of all cancer deaths. Thus, of the 22 000 people who die of cancer in Australia each year, no fewer than 7700 deaths are reckoned to be diet-related. The most prevalent cancer killers among Australian men are those affecting the lung, bowel (colon and rectum) and prostate. In women, the ‘big four’ are breast, bowel, lung, and reproductive organs (particularly the uterus and ovaries).
World authorities on cancer trends and causes consider that diet could play a major part in as many as 70 per cent of breast cancers, 70 per cent of cancers of the endometrium (lining of the uterus), 61 per cent of cancers affecting the bowel, and 96 per cent of those affecting the prostate. And, in the case of lung cancer – one of the biggest cancer killers of men and, increasingly, of women -dietary imbalance appears to enhance the damaging effects of tobacco. Thus smokers who neglect fresh fruits and vegetables have a lung cancer risk that is somewhat higher than that of their counterparts who regularly eat these foods.

Cancer authorities worldwide consider dietary modification to be one of the most constructive ways by which individuals can reduce their cancer risk. Based on current evidence, the measures most likely to achieve this end include eating a diet that has plenty of variety and is low in fat, minimising the intake of smoked and salt-cured foods, ensuring that meals include fruits, vegetables and whole grains every day and drinking less alcohol. For the one in three Australians who develop some form of serious cancer during their lifetime, doctors recommend a similar dietary strategy in the lead-up to treatment. Improving nutritional status prior to anticancer therapy does not guarantee success but it is certainly a practical step that patients themselves can take towards helping their bodies cope with the impact of treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Low Sugar and Sugarless Recipes

Low Fat and Non Fat Recipes

In recent years, the message from medical research has become increasingly clear; a diet rich in high-fibre foods (such as fruits, vegetables and wholegrain cereals) protects against several common disease conditions. It also assists in controlling weight as high-fibre foods are ‘calorie bargains’, that is wholesome, low-calorie substitutes for fatty foods.
Several epidemiological studies have suggested a protective effect of fibre-rich foods in populations with low rates of bowel cancer. Scientists are particularly encouraged by the findings of Japanese research based on a very large population sample showing a direct relationship between daily consumption of green and yellow vegetables and low rates of cancer at most sites.
Many Australians eat far less fibre than the 25 g to 30 g daily recommended by nutritionists. Even rich sources of fibre contain only about 6 g per serve. Thus eating the proverbial ‘apple a day’ is far from adequate; four or five servings or portions of high-fibre foods are advisable. Excellent sources of fibre include beans, dates, nuts, prunes, berry fruits, apples, oranges, pears, bananas, apricots, figs, bran cereals, corn ears, peas, spinach, potatoes, lentils, brussel sprouts, parsnips and wholegrain breads. Although it is uncertain whether fibre itself confers nutritional benefits, it clearly assists body functions related to cancer risk. In particular, fibre speeds the passage of food through the digestive system, influencing rates of nutrient absorption and of waste excretion. Such influences appear to benefit the bowel environment, apparently reducing the risk of cancer.
The vitamin A and C groups and minerals found in small quantities in many fibre-rich foods also seem to play an important role in cancer protection. Fruits and vegetables rich in these vitamins (as well as fibre) include broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, turnips, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, peaches, plums, tomatoes and watermelon.

Nutritionists consider the best way to obtain such micronutrients is within whole foods rather than separately in high dose tablets or liquid preparations. They argue that mega-doses of vitamins and minerals can create dietary imbalance and may even prove toxic when taken in excess.
To gain maximum nutritional value from fruits and vegetables, eat them fresh where possible; cook vegetables complete with skins; steam or bake fruits and vegetables, rather than boiling them; and reduce cooking time to the minimum.

Healthy Salad Recipes

Health Guide Recipes

There is no need to follow an exact recipe to make a flavoursome chicken stock. You may find it
convenient to reduce the stock to a smaller volume before storing it in the fridge or freezer. Remember, before freezing, to remove the fat from the surface of cold stock.
Here are two ways to make 6 cups of chicken stock:
•    Put aside 6 cups of the strained flavoursome broth that has served to simmer a chicken with vegetables (carrots, celery, onion, leek etc.) This is simple and constitutes good planning.
•    Place about 800 g chicken bones (carcasses, necks, wings, or inexpensive chicken pieces) in a saucepan. Cover with 8 cups cold water. Add 1 sliced carrot, 1 sliced onion, 1 sliced stick of celery or a piece of leek, a small pinch of salt (this helps to extract the flavour from the bones), a couple of crushed black peppercorns and 1 clove. The addition of a bouquet garm (a few sprigs of parsley, half a bay leaf and a small sprig of thyme tied together with kitchen string) gives a delicate, aromatic flavour to your stock. Bring it to the boil, simmer for 1 hour, adding a little water if necessary during cooking. Skim the surface and strain.

Health Guide Recipes

The artichoke is a favorite spring vegetable in Mediterranean countries is becoming popular in many countries. Eating this delicate vegetable calls for a little patience as the leaves are savored one by one. However, the reward is certainly worth the effort.

Select unblemished, firm artichokes and preferably those with a stem as they will be fresher.

Preparation: Wash and trim loose outer leaves around base and rub base with lemon juice to help retain color. Steam or cook in boiling water for about 30 mins, or until you can easily detach the leaves.

Eating artichokes: Detach the leaves and carefully dip each one in a sauce or dressing before nibbling off the thin coating leaves have been removed you will notice a little soft hairy part, which is to be discarded. Below this is the heart — the best part of the artichoke.

Suggested Seasoning: Lemon juice and a dot of butter or margarine, freshly ground black pepper.

Health Guide Recipes

Refined sugar is a major cause of dental decay, and foods containing sugar often also contain fat. Examples of such foods are biscuits, chocolate, pastries, desserts and cakes.

Refined sugar contains no nutrients other than carbohydrate.

Some practical steps:

• Explain other members of the family, in particular children, that overeating of sugary foods affects the rest of our diet. Provide your family with drinks that have no added sugar.

• If you normally take sugar in tea or coffee, gradually reduce its quantity. Follow the recommendations for weekly fat consumption.
• Cutting down on sugar in our diet will lead to a reduction in fat consumption as well. (Butter and sugar, and cream and sugar, form the basis of many cakes and desserts.)  Avoid or limit foods high in sugar, such as ice-cream, and jam, and carefully read the labels on foods you suspect of containing sugar. “No added sugar” applies only to sucrose. Other calorie-containing sweeteners such as glucose or fructose are permissible additives.

Sugarless sweet bakes apples recipe

Weight-reducer’s icing recipe