How might we reduce our exposure to pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables? What about staying away from imported produce? Well, it turns out domestic produce may be even worse, dispelling the notion that imported fruits and vegetables pose greater potential health risks to consumers.

Buying organic dramatically reduces dietary exposure to pesticides, but it does not eliminate the potential risk. Pesticide residues are detectable in about one in ten organic crop samples, due to cross-contamination from neighboring fields, the continued presence of very persistent pesticides like DDT in the soil, and accidental or fraudulent use.

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Each color of fruits and vegetables adds different nutrients that are beneficial to our bodies. By eating an array of colorful foods, you can provide your body with the essential nutrition it needs. So let’s look at healthy foods in the color of the rainbow and explore why they can be beneficial to us because of their color.

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Whole Foods was once the most popular place to go for all things healthy and organic, but it seems that many shoppers are expanding their horizons — and reeling in savings — by shopping elsewhere. One of the nation’s most popular big-box retailers, Costco, has stepped up their organic offerings and consumers are definitely taking notice.

For the last three years, Costco has managed to outdo other conventional retailers when it comes to the sale of organic produce. And in 2015, the wholesaling giant’s $4 billion in organic sales surpassed Whole Foods, which reported only $3.5 billion.

Read more here:: http://lowcarbmag.com/are-we-witnessing-the-fall-of-whole-foods/

Slow, deep breathing has remarkable effects on both the mind and body. When done right, almost anyone can gain relief from stress and anxiety in as little as a few minutes.

It’s one of the simplest and most accessible forms of relaxation, yet little has been known about how the simple act of breathing induces such a relaxed state. Now, for the first time, scientists have been able to identify how slow breathing and calmness of mind are connected.

In a recent Stanford University study, scientists discovered a small cluster of neurons deep within the brainstem, which connect the breath to different mind states including relaxation, attention, excitement and anxiety. It was first discovered in mice back in 1991 and is referred to as the”respiratory pacemaker” — now known to exist in humans as well.

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It’s common knowledge that sugar is bad for your teeth, but it wasn’t always so. In fact, when the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle first observed that sweet foods like soft figs caused tooth decay, nobody believed him. But as science has progressed, one thing is certain — sugar causes tooth decay.

That said, sugar on its own is not the culprit. Rather, the chain of events that takes place afterward is to blame. This article takes a detailed look at how sugar affects your teeth and how you can prevent tooth decay.

YOUR MOUTH IS A BATTLEGROUND
Many different types of bacteria live in your mouth. Some are beneficial to your dental health, but others are harmful. For example, studies have shown that a select group of harmful bacteria produce acid in your mouth whenever they encounter and digest sugar. These acids remove minerals from the tooth enamel, which is the shiny, protective, outer layer of your tooth. This process is called demineralization.

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We all want our gut to feel good. No one wants a gut that is in constant turmoil possibly leading to serious conditions of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, diabetes, obesity or rheumatoid arthritis. What our gut is trying to tell us when these diseases arise is that the gut’s microbiome, partly inherited from your mother at birth and partly determined by your lifestyle, have a great deal of influence on our health.

Our gut microbiome is made of up bacteria, all good, that live within our intestines helping us digest our food. Digestion is serious business as these microbes munch away making essential vitamins available to us, make molecules helping our brain to function and assists our immune system to work like a charm keeping us healthy. Diversity of bacteria is also desirable as this can sway what diseases we may or may not develop over our lifetime.

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Recent lawsuits against Monsanto — arguably one of the world’s most evil corporations — continue to highlight the company’s wrongdoings and misdeeds. Many of their actions would have less-connected individuals locked up or worse, and yet, Monsanto continues to enjoy their position at the helm of the agrochemical and biotech industries.

Monsanto has even earned itself the nickname of “Monsatan,” a moniker perhaps more befitting of a company that has used its prowess to collude with the EPA to prevent the toxicity of a hazardous chemical from coming to light — but wait, that was Monsanto.

Recently, a judge unsealed documents that showed EPA official Jess Rowland actually promised Monsanto executives that he would find a way to stop another federal agency, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, from conducting their own assessment of glyphosate.

Read more here:: http://lowcarbmag.com/monsanto-is-an-evil-company-that-doesnt-care-about-you-or-the-environment/

Many plant foods contain phytoestrogens — compounds that are similar to the hormone estrogen. Some people believe that eating foods high in phytoestrogens may impair fertility in men, while others claim these compounds are healthy. This evidence-based review looks into the science. What Are Phytoestrogens? Phytoestrogens are a group of naturally occurring compounds found in […]

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There are many different types of diets out there that have helped people to lose weight or look a certain way, but few of them have been as rooted in our past and the evolution of human beings as the Paleo diet.

As one might expect, the diet revolves around providing food in the form that is closest to what our Paleolithic ancestors might have had. This is done in order to create an environment that is closer to what our bodies are able to handle. Nonetheless, it is important to see whether the Paleo diet is actually right for you.

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Most health and fitness writers don’t spend a lot of time on cartilage. As tissues go, it’s fairly isolated. It doesn’t contain blood vessels, so we can’t deliver blood-borne nutrients to heal and grow it. Cartilage has no nerve cells, so we can’t “feel” what’s going on. Doctors usually consider it to be functionally inert, a sort of passive lubricant for our joints. If it breaks down, you’re out of luck, they say.

Read more here:: http://lowcarbmag.com/feed-train-and-care-for-your-cartilage/