foodscout blog

“Tai Chi exercises can help people with type 2 diabetes control their condition, research suggests.

“Two separate studies found a 12-week programme of exercise was enough to boost the immune system, and to cut blood sugar levels.

“The traditional Chinese martial art combines deep breathing and gentle movement to boost relaxation levels.”

Read the full article on BBC Health News

This is a very interesting opinion piece that highlights the importance of buying both local and organic.  Produce grown in Latin America are often sprayed with highly toxic pesticides that are banned in the United States and are killing migratory song birds at an alarming rate.

Read the op-ed in the New York Times.

From BBC Health News: “Researchers found high dietary folate was linked to lower levels of sperm with the wrong number of chromosomes.  Folate, also protective against birth defects, is found in leafy green vegetables, fruit and pulses.”

Read more about this study on BBC News.

Read more about folate at foodscout.org.

Recognizing that people are becoming increasingly interested in eating healthy food, and also that people are becoming increasingly confused about which foods are healthy, some grocery stores are putting “nutrition score cards” on all of their foods. These score cards will rate the nutritional value of foods on a scale from 1 to 100.

Read the full story at the Chicago Tribune.

I stumbled across this great series on cleansing and detoxing. Many people tell us they have a hard time sticking to a healthy diet because cravings and old habits constantly pull them back into unhealthy eating. Finding ways to detoxify your body, after pouring toxins into for years, can greatly reduce food cravings. After allowing your body to rest and heal, you will start to crave healthier foods and old favorites will not appeal to you as much. This series contains some great basic information about how to cleanse and what you can expect from the detox process.

Check out the Detox & Cleansing Series at Wellness Junction.

“Diets rich magnesium, found in whole grains and vegetables, could help reduce stroke risk in smokers, researchers reported on Monday.

“Their study of 26,000 male smokers in Finland found that those whose diets were high in magnesium had a significantly lower risk of one type of stroke.”

Check out the full story on Yahoo! News.

AOL Body has a nice featured article on the history and nutritional benefits of quinoa. They even have some recipes.

Check out the full article on AOL Body.

While most doctors are pushing Ritalin as the best treatment for ADHD, scientists in Norway are successfully treating the disorder with dietary changes.

Read more about this study on Yahoo! News.

“Researchers in Sweden asked 12 men and six women in their twenties, all slim and in good health, to eat two meals per day at McDonald’s, Burger King or other fast-food restaurants over four weeks.”

Check out the interesting results of this study at Yahoo! News.

As study conducted in Europe shows that living in the flight path of a busy airport for at least 5 years, particularly airports with night flights, increases a person’s risk of chronic high blood pressure (hypertension) by 14%.

Check out the full story on Reuters.