Think Green! Green Beans, that is....

Are you ready for this? Green Beans are probably healthier than you may think! They are full of beta carotene (which converts to vitamin A in our bodies), Vitamin C, potassium, folate, magnesium, riboflavin and fiber.

Here is why this is exciting….

Beta carotene and vitamin C together have strong anti-inflammatory effects, which helps to protect the heart and can reduce the severity of other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. They also work together to stop cholesterol from building up in the arterial walls and both are important antioxidants. Here’s something you might not have known, though…vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant and beta carotene is a fat-soluble antioxidant which works to stop cholesterol from becoming oxidized (potentially cancer-causing).

The magnesium and potassium of green beans work together to help lower high blood pressure and regulate heart beat. The folate helps to prevent mutation in colon cells. Along with the content fiber of green beans, this is a powerful health protecting combination.

Here’s a great Green Bean Casserole Recipe you can serve on Thanksgiving that will wow the relatives and keep ‘em alive a little longer, if you wish!

Hippocrates Green Bean Casserole
Thanksgiving 2007

1 pound of fresh, organic green beans
1 chopped organic small onion
Grated rind of an organic lemon
¼ tsp fresh organic dill weed
1 cup of plain, organic yogurt
1 cup of whole wheat, unsalted bread crumbs
Organic Vegetable or Chicken Broth

Chop green beans into bite-size pieces and steam for 2-5 minutes. Sautee onion in broth, then add lemon rind, dill and yogurt. Cook for about 1-2 minutes. Put green beans in a glass casserole dish and cover with the sauce. Top with bread crumbs if desired and bake at 350F for 15-30 minutes until bubbly.

Take Note about Canola Oil's Misperceptions.

Nutritionists seem to love canola oil. Every time fat is discussed on the Today show by their resident nutritionist she mentions Canola oil as a healthy alternative. I read about it in books and magazines. I think it's time to set the record straight. Here is a quote from a book Good Fats and Oil by Siegfried Gursche. Siegfried is an expert on fats and oils. Another book published by Siegfried is Fats that Heal Fats that Kill by Udo Erasmus.

"Canola oil is a fairly recent newcomer on the market. It has gained popularity for two reasons: First because of a well funded advertising campaign touting it as a "heart healthy" oil, and second because of its low price, by which it has gained a huge market share...

Canola oil is actually the product of genetically engineered rape seeds. Rape seed oil is unsuited for human consumption because it contains erucic acid, a very long chain fatty acid which can cause fibrotic heart lesions. By modifying the rape seeds it was hoped to create an oil rich in healthy fatty acids. However, in the refining and deodorizing process, which is done with high heat (450-500 F), some of the good fats are turned into trans-fatty acids (bad fats). Recent studies also show that refined canola oil actually causes a deficiency in vitamin E, a vitamin required for a healthy heart, and contains traces of the erucic acid that causes heart lesions, especially when the diet is low in saturated fats. Canola oil and other refined oils have no place in a whole-foods kitchen as they have been stripped of all valuable life elements and contain dangerous fats as a result of processing."

Coffee Anyone?

I've had the pleasure to experience recently the joys of an "upside down" coffee as some may call it...i spent a weekend at the Gerson Institute in San Diego learning how to be a caregiver for someone who's either ill or has cancer. It was quite an eye opener. The coffee enema is without question the most unusual part of the Gerson combined regime, and often evokes astonishment in pesons who have never experienced an enema and who emphatically prefer to drink their coffee. From the patients' point of view the coffee enema means relief from various syjmptoms of detoxifciation including headaches, anxiety, bloating and depression. Most importantly, coffee enemas are highly effective for pain management.

The coffee enema has a very specific purpose: lowering serum (blood) toxins. Coffee enemas have a defined effect on the colon which can be observed with an endoscope. The palmitic acid found in coffee promotes the activity of glutathione S-Transerase. This enzyme group is responsible primarly for the conjugation of free electrophile radicals, which the gall bladder will then release. Caffeine enemas cause dilation of the bile ducts, which facilitates excretion of the toxic cancer breakdown products by the liver and dialysis of toxic products form blood across the colonic wall.

The introduction of the 32 fluid oz of coffee solution into the colon will dilute portal blood and subsequently, the bile. Theophylline and theobromine, major constituites of coffee, dilate blood vessels and counter inflammation of the gut. The palmitates of coffee and enhanced glutathione S-transferase are responsible for the removal of many toxic radicals from the serum. Finally, the fluid of the enema itself stimulates the visceral nvervous system, promoting peristalsis and the transit of diluted toxic bile from the duodenum out of the rectum.

Because clinical practice has shown coffee enemas to be well tolerated by patients when used as frequently as every four hours, the coffee enema may be classed as the only non-reabsorbed, effective, repeatable choleretic (any agent that increases excretion of bile by the liver) in the medical literature.