Make A Nutritional Powerhouse Salad

If your dinner salad consists of a wedge of iceberg lettuce and a dollop of ranch dressing, think again.  Your body deserves more than a cream-coated lump of empty fiber - and packed with the right ingredients - a veggie-rich salad can provide your body with a powerhouse of essential nutrients that strengthen your immune system, protect your heart and ward off a variety of diseases.

Start With the Right Greens. Though you may love that pale, crunchy stuff - the dark, leafy greens are where it's at. Two cups of romaine lettuce is packed with enough beta-carotene and vitamin C to actually prevent the oxidation of unhealthy cholesterol. Butterhead is loaded with depression-fighting folate.   Spinach contains 13 different flavonoid compounds proven to lower the risk of ovarian and prostate cancers.  Combine all three for an instant boost of protection.

Dangers of Bottled Water

There are two issues in the bottled water debate. One, is it better than tap water ? The second issue concerns the bottle itself. Let's discuss the health issue first.

Many people believe that packaged water is simply proof that with enough advertising you can get people to buy anything. As late as the 1970's if you asked anyone would they buy bottled water, they would have just laughed. Nowadays consumers are spending over 100 billion dollars a year on bottled water. Americans drink more than 30 billion gallons of bottled water a year. They drink more bottled water than they do coffee, milk and beer combined.

What is Vitamin C ?

The terms "vitamin C" and "ascorbic acid" refer to one of the many non-minerals, micro-nutrients which are essential to the health and well being of the human body.

Every vitamin is essential for the proper functioning of your body, and vitamin C is considered one of the most important. It helps prevent the onset of innumerable diseases and strengthens the immune system. This vitamin may be taken with or without food and is found in many different juices as well as supplements. It can be found in broccoli, peppers, oranges, lemon juice, mustard greens, cauliflower, papaya, and parsley. Since the overwhelming majority of species of animals and plants synthesize their own vitamin c, some, but not all animal products are sources of this vitamin. Vitamin C is most present in the liver and least present in the muscles of animals. In western societies, where muscles comprise the majority of meat consumed, animal products are not a reliable source of the vitamin. Vitamin C is also known to chemically decompose under certain conditions during cooking.