Top 10 detox foods

Realbuzz – Thu, Jan 5, 2012

Lemons are a staple of many detox diets, and there is good reason for this. Firstly, lemons are packed with antioxidant vitamin C, which is great for the skin and for fighting disease-forming free-radicals. Furthermore, the citrus fruit has an alkaline effect on the body, meaning that it can help restore the body's pH balance, benefitting the immune system. Try starting your day with hot water and a slice of lemon to help flush out toxins and cleanse your system.

If too much fatty food or alcohol has caused problems for your digestive system, it may be worthwhile adding some ginger to your diet. Ginger is not only great for reducing feelings of nausea, but it can help improve digestion, beat bloating and reduce gas. In addition to this, ginger is high in antioxidants and is good for boosting the immune system. To give your digestion a helping hand, try sipping on ginger tea or adding some freshly grated ginger to a fruit or vegetable juice.

Garlic has long been known for its heart benefits, however the pungent food is also good at detoxifying the body. Garlic is not only antiviral, antibacterial and antibiotic, but it contains a chemical called allicin which promotes the production of white blood cells and helps fight against toxins. Garlic is best eaten raw, so add some crushed garlic to a salad dressing to boost its flavour and your health at the same time.

If you have recently been overindulging in fatty foods and alcohol, adding some steamed globe artichoke leaves to your meals is a great way to help get your body back on track. Globe artichokes are packed with antioxidants and fibre and can also help the body digest fatty foods. On top of this, globe artichoke is renowned for its ability to stimulate and improve the functions of the liver - the body's main toxin-fighting tool.

For those needing a quick health-boosting shot of nutrients, you can't do much better than beetroot. Packed with magnesium, iron, and vitamin C, the vegetable has recently been hailed as a superfood due to its many reported health benefits. Not only is beetroot great for skin, hair and cholesterol levels, but it can also help support liver detoxification, making it an ultimate detox food. To enjoy its benefits, try adding raw beetroot to salads or sipping on some beetroot juice.

While it's not technically a food, no detox plan would be complete without regular consumption of essential liquids. Fluids are essential for keeping our organs healthy and helping to flush toxins from the body, and drinking green tea is a great way of boosting your intake. Green tea is not only a good weight-loss drink, but it is extremely high in antioxidants. Research has also suggested that drinking green tea can protect the liver from diseases including fatty liver disease.

Many celebs have resorted to the cabbage soup diet to help lose weight and get in shape quickly before a big event, however cabbage is not only good for weight loss - it is also an excellent detoxifying food. Like most cruciferous vegetables (including broccoli and sprouts), cabbage contains a chemical called sulforaphane, which helps the body fight against toxins. Cabbage also supplies the body with glutathione; an antioxidant that helps improve the detoxifying function of the liver.

Fresh fruits are high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre= and are also low in calories, making them an important part of a detox diet. If you're after brighter eyes and skin, shinier hair and improved digestion, try boosting your intake of fruit and eating from a wide variety of different kinds. The good news is fruit is easy to add to your diet, so try starting your day with a fresh fruit salad or smoothie and snacking on pieces of fruit throughout the day.

If you want to cleanse your system and boost your health, it is a good idea to cut down on processed foods. Instead, try supplementing your diet with healthier whole grains such as brown rice, which is rich in many key detoxifying nutrients including B vitamins, magnesium, manganese and phosphorous.  Brown rice is also high in fibre, which is good for cleansing the colon, and rich in selenium, which can help to protect the liver as well as improving the complexion.

Like most green herbs and vegetables, watercress is an excellent health-booster and detox food. Firstly, watercress leaves are packed with many vital detoxifying nutrients, including several B vitamins, zinc, potassium, vitamin E and vitamin C. Secondly, watercress has natural diuretic properties, which can help to flush toxins out the body. To reap the benefits of this nutritious food, try adding a handful of watercress to salads, soups and sandwiches.

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The Laurentians are Quebec's most-stressed region

MONTREAL - Forget that bucolic image of cross-country skiers and cozy chalets. The most stressed-out region in Quebec - Canada's most angst-ridden province - is the scenic Laurentians.

The findings for 2010 are from Statistics Canada's annual report on health in 136 regions nationwide, the Canadian Community Health Survey.

"It's paradoxical," said Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies, who crunched statistics from the survey to draw up a portrait of stress levels in Quebec and the rest of Canada.

"The pace of life in a place like the Laurentians, one would think, would be reasonably slower than it is bigger cities," he said.

But work pressures, economic difficulties or other stressors could be contributing to high anxiety levels in the scenic region northwest of Montreal, he said.

Nearly half of people age 35-44 in the Laurentians said most days in their lives are quite a bit or extremely stressful, the survey found.

Overall, 36.6 per cent of Quebecers in that age group reported having stressful lives on most days.

In Canada as a whole, 29.8 per cent of people age 35-44 described most days as stressful. In Montreal, 31.9 per cent in that age group report being quite or very stressed on most days.

Luisa Cameli, executive director of the Emotional Health CBT Clinic, was surprised to hear that people in the Laurentians reported more stress. But the region offers many pleasurable activities that buffer people from stress, she pointed out.

Commuting to jobs in Montreal might be contributing to pressures weighing on some Laurentians residents, pointed out Angelo Soares, a professor of sociology at Université du Québec à Montréal who specializes in stress and other mental disorders.

The Laurentians are one of Quebec's fastest-growing regions, as families move off the island of Montreal to northern suburbs.

Experts say a supportive network of family and friends helps keep stress at bay. Exercise is also a proven mood-booster.

Among those 35-44, 42.8 per cent in Toronto report having stress on most days, while 41.2 per cent in Quebec City and 32.4 per cent in Ottawa did so. In Vancouver, 22.6 per cent experienced daily stress.

The least stressed-out Canadians are in Newfoundland and Labrador (15.3 per cent of people age 35-44) and Prince Edward Island (15.7 per cent).

In all ages 15 and up, 26.7 per cent of Quebecers reported feeling daily stress, compared to 23.5 per cent of all Canadians.

Statistics Canada surveyed 130,000 Canadians in different health regions and an additional 30,000 people in the different provinces.

While Quebecers might have higher stress, the province also has far more therapists per capita than any other province, Cameli said. "Help is available," she said.

mascot@montrealgazette.com

A little knowledge is a good thing for hangovers

Alcohol can also cause your blood vessels to expand, leading to headaches. It can also lead to a bad blood sugar crash that may leave you shaking and feeling weak. (Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg)

Gearing up for a big night on New Year's Eve? One that will involve some drinking? Then maybe you need a little primer on hangovers, since you could be nursing one soon.

You may already be familiar with the symptoms: The Mayo Clinic lists headache, nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, thirst, not being able to concentrate and dizziness. What causes a hangover? Drinking too much, of course, which leads to a cascade of ill effects.

Imbibing can lead to urinating more, says the clinic, which can cause dehydration, then thirst and possibly dizziness. All that booze can do a number on your stomach lining too, irritating it and making you feel like you want to hurl.

Alcohol can also cause your blood vessels to expand, leading to headaches. It can also lead to a bad blood sugar crash that may leave you shaking and feeling weak.

So, what can you do about them? Not much, apparently. A 2005 meta-analysis in the British Medical Journal looked at studies of various alleged remedies, including tropisetron (a nausea drug), propranolol (a beta blocker that affects blood flow), tolfenamic acid (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory) and fructose or glucose (supposedly they tamp down the metabolic effects of ethanol). The studies also examined the success of various dietary supplements, including prickly pear.

The study authors found no convincing evidence that any conventional or complementary remedies can prevent or cure a hangover. They added that until more is known about what happens in the body to cause a hangover, a true remedy may be tough to pin down.

The authors also offered this nugget: "The most effective way to avoid the symptoms of alcohol induced hangover is to practice abstinence or moderation."

Tempted to try an over-the-counter remedy? Read this first.

How much of a toll can a hangover take on your ability to think and function? A 2010 study in the journal Addiction gave 193 college students alcohol or a placebo and had them take some tests the next day. Researchers measured test-taking performance, neurocognitive performance and mood.

Test-taking performance wasn't affected by drinking, but mood state and attention and reaction time were.

If you're wondering whether certain types of alcohol can elicit more of a hangover than others, a 2010 study in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research looked at exactly that. Researchers tested the effects of bourbon and vodka on 95 healthy heavy drinkers who drank to the point of being drunk. Alcoholic beverages contain substances called congeners, toxins that are created during fermentation. More are found in darker alcoholic beverages such as red wine and whiskey.

The study participants said they felt worse after drinking bourbon, but other than that there were no differences seen on attention and speed tests, sleep disturbance or feeling sleepy the next day.

So pick your poison wisely, and do it moderation. You have been warned.

Ridgewood High School band to perform holiday songs

BY DEBORAH BAYLISS dbayliss@pioneerlocal November 28, 2011 12:56PM

Updated: December 1, 2011 4:11AM

Ridgewood High School’s band program will help set the holiday mood with its annual winter concert next week.

“At our winter concert, audience members will hear arrangements of holiday favorites as well as major pieces from the concert band literature,” band director Steve Klaus said. “They will hear percussion ensembles, the jazz band, the concert band (younger students) and the symphonic band (older students).”

A typical concert cycle involves approximately six to seven weeks of preparation for Ridgewood’s 115 band-member program.

The concert is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, in the high school gymnasium.

“My process for selecting band literature involves choosing pieces that are appropriate for the ability level of the particular group,” Klaus said.

He said concert goers will hear high-quality compositions and arrangements.

“(The arrangements) are excellent vehicles for teaching musical concepts and skills and represent different eras of music and styles,” he said. “(The songs) are appropriate for the type of concert we are doing like the winter concert and are ones that the band can learn well in the time frame we have to prepare.”

The turnout for a Ridgewood concert averages around 250 people, Klaus said.

“We encourage students, parents, friends and families to attend our concerts to not only be entertained but to learn more about the music we are performing and see the result of weeks of hard work by the band students,” Klaus said. “The cost for admittance is minimal, and audience members invariably tell us afterward that they are amazed at how well the students perform.”

Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for seniors and children under 13, and free for Ridgewood High School students and Ridgewood’s Music Booster Card holders.

For more information, please contact Klaus at sklaus@ridgenet.org or by calling (708) 456-4242, ext. 760.

© 2011 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit http://www.suntimesreprints.com/. To order a reprint of this article, click here.

Champions to get Demons in cup mood

By Brendan Mooney

Friday, January 06, 2012

UCC DEMONS return to the revamped Mardyke Arena on Sunday (3.30pm) but 11890 Killester, the defending Nivea for Men SuperLeague champions, can expect anything but a warm welcome.

With the semi-finals of the SuperLeague cup looming a week later — Demons face a third derby game of the season against neighbours Bord Gáis Neptune in that competition — coach Paul Kelleher will be looking for something special.

He has already said that, as far as he is concerned, the recent one-sided derby at Neptune Stadium will count for nothing come the cup semi-final but he also insisted that Demons are still a work-in-progress.

"Killester are still one of the best teams in this country and we will have to be very focused against them as they blew us away in the early stages when we played them recently in Dublin," he said.

"We are enjoying a rich vein of form at the moment and it is imperative that we maintain that and that we get a win before we take on Neptune in the national cup semi-final."

Killester have a big cup final date with their old foes UL Eagles ahead of them so coach Darren O’Neill will be trying to get a win after last Thursday’s overtime defeat by DCU Saints.

"There is no doubt that we are up for it," O’Neill insisted. "Paul [Kelleher] has a really strong squad and they are causing teams a lot of problems at the moment.

"We will have to be at our very best as a result from this game will be a huge confidence-booster for both teams ahead of the cup games against UL and Neptune, which are just a week away."

UCD Marian begin their double-header weekend with a tricky home clash against Belfast Star — a team desperately in need of league points — followed by a visit from DCU Saints on Sunday.

"Saints are very much the form team in this country and we will have to be clinical at both ends of the floor to get anything from this game but it’s not beyond us," coach Fran Ryan said.

A win for Star tomorrow night would be a just reward for veteran coach Danny Fulton, who has had to endure more than his share of frustration this season.

"Since we signed Joshua Johnson we have played some good basketball and had a place in the national cup semi-final snatched from our grasp by Neptune in the closing seconds," he said.

Mention of Neptune is bound to raise a few hackles in the camp as Star entertain them again on Sunday with coach Mark Scannell in buoyant mood after a big win over UL Eagles on Monday.

"We needed a response after getting wiped out by UCC Demons over the Christmas period and we showed great character to defeat Eagles on their home court," he said.

UL Eagles, following that defeat, won’t be taking any chances against Moycullen when they renew rivalry at NUIG, as the Galway side have already beaten them once this season.

In the Nivea Women’s SuperLeague, leaders UL travel to Waterford to play Wildcats while Team Montenotte Hotel are away to Ulster Rockets, before the sides meet in the semi-final of the cup at Neptune Stadium a week later.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Friday, January 06, 2012

Rock Hill church's Christmas lunch feeds bodies, souls

ROCK HILL -- 

There was one message the guests had for the volunteers at St. Mary Catholic Church's Christmas lunch Sunday.

Bless you.

"Bless them, because they're all putting forth an effort to those in need," said Darrett Crockett, 37.

Crockett accepted a tray of turkey, ham, sweet potatoes and more as he talked about the necessity of people and places like these. He and his sister ate, laughed and talked together in the church's Bannon Hall with at least 50 others who came for the food and camaraderie.

The church has been serving its Christmas lunch for more than 20 years, organizers said. Volunteers were also piling food into containers and delivering them to people in the area.

"It's a really good thing," Crockett said. "Everyone needs a little help sometimes."

People like the Lintners are happy to give that help.

After spending months in Spain and Honduras helping others, Meghan Lintner came home to the best Christmas present: continuing to help others. "It's been great," said Lintner, 22. "I was very excited. I love helping people."

Nick and Carol Lintner brought Meghan and their two other children, Kelly, 20, and Nick, 18, to volunteer.

Having just graduated from Elon University in North Carolina, Meghan Lintner is still looking for ways to serve. She is awaiting news on her Fulbright Program application.

The Fulbright Program, an international education exchange sponsored by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, has helped thousands of people continue researching or teaching abroad.

With her role model of Mother Teresa, Lintner hopes to return to Honduras.

"She said, 'Once you do it, you'll know why I'm so passionate about it,'" Carol Lintner said.

Giving back and being grateful was what it was about for them.

"It's the time of year to give," she said. "It's the meaning of Christmas. It's not all about Santa Claus. It's a joy."

In the past, she said the family has done a lot of community service around the holiday season, with the hopes that their children will see how important it is to give back and help others.

"They like to reach out," she said. "Once we leave, they beg to come back."

Kelly Lintner was happy to "spread the Christmas joy."

"It feels good to get out and do something," she said.

And the people they helped touched them as well.

Natalia Wszeborowska, 15, was looking for a community service project as part of her Confraternity of the Christian Doctrine classes at the church.

"I like it," she said. "I didn't do it just for the community service. I did it because I knew it'd be a good experience."

The people they met while serving touched them as well.

"There was a man going through the line singing Christmas carols," Wszeborowska said. "It was a great mood booster."

2012: Year of the simple

Celebrating the good, the bad and the ridiculous moments of motherhood

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