VEGETABLES CONTINUED

What Foods Are in the Vegetable Group?

Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice counts as a member of the Vegetable Group. Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated; and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed.

Vegetables are organized into 5 subgroups, based on their nutrient content.

Key Consumer Message

Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.

Commonly eaten vegetables in each subgroup

• • Dark Green Vegetables

    • bok choy
    • broccoli
    • collard greens
    • dark green leafy lettuce
    • kale
    • mesclun
    • mustard greens
    • romaine lettuce
    • spinach
    • turnip greens
    • watercress

  • Starchy vegetables

    • cassava
    • corn
    • fresh cowpeas, field peas, or black-eyed peas (not dry)
    • green bananas
    • green peas
    • green lima beans
    • plantains
    • potatoes
    • taro
    • water chestnuts

  • Red & orange vegetables

    • acorn squash
    • butternut squash
    • carrots
    • hubbard squash
    • pumpkin
    • red peppers
    • sweet potatoes
    • tomatoes
    • tomato juice

• • Beans and peas*

    • black beans
    • black-eyed peas (mature, dry)
    • garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
    • kidney beans
    • lentils
    • navy beans
    • pinto beans
    • soy beans
    • split peas
    • white beans

  • Other vegetables

    • artichokes
    • asparagus
    • avocado
    • bean sprouts
    • beets
    • Brussels sprouts
    • cabbage
    • cauliflower
    • celery
    • cucumbers
    • eggplant
    • green beans
    • green peppers
    • iceberg (head) lettuce
    • mushrooms
    • okra
    • onions
    • parsnips
    • turnips
    • wax beans
    • zucchini

BACK PAIN

Back pain

Different regions (curvatures) of the vertebral column

Back pain (also known as dorsalgia) is pain felt in the back that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine.
Back pain may have a sudden onset or can be a chronic pain; it can be constant or intermittent, stay in one place or radiate to other areas. It may be a dull ache, or a sharp or piercing or burning sensation. The pain may radiate into the arms and hands as well as the legs or feet, and may include symptoms other than pain, such as weakness, numbness or tingling.
Back pain is one of humanity's most frequent complaints. Acute low back pain (also called lumbago) is the fifth most common reason for physician visits. About nine out of ten adults experience back pain at some point in their life, and five out of ten working adults have back pain every year.
The spine is a complex interconnecting network of nerves, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments, and all are capable of producing pain. Large nerves that originate in the spine and go to the legs and arms can make pain radiate to the extremities.

Back pain can be a sign of a serious medical problem, although this is not most frequently the underlying cause: Typical warning signs of a potentially life-threatening problem are bowel and/or bladder incontinence or progressive weakness in the legs. Severe back pain (such as pain that is bad enough to interrupt sleep) that occurs with other signs of severe illness (e.g. fever, unexplained weight loss) may also indicate a serious underlying medical condition. Back pain that occurs after a trauma, such as a car accident or fall, may indicate a bone fracture or other injury. Back pain in individuals with medical conditions that put them at high risk for a spinal fracture, such as osteoporosis or multiple myeloma, also warrants prompt medical attention. Back pain in individuals with a history of cancer (especially cancers known to spread to the spine like breast, lung and prostate cancer) should be evaluated to rule out metastatic disease of the spine. Back pain does not usually require immediate medical intervention. The vast majority of episodes of back pain are self-limiting and non-progressive. Most back pain syndromes are due to inflammation, especially in the acute phase, which typically lasts for two weeks to three months.

DEEP BREATHING EXERCISES

Do you ever just need a minute to yourself so you can relax? Do you ever let out a big sigh after experiencing some stress or anxiety? Do you ever notice how your breathing is fast when you're nervous right before or during a test? If you answered yes to any of these questions you might want to try deep breathing exercises to help you relax. Read on to learn more about deep breathing and about the positive affects it can have on your body.

  What are deep breathing exercises? Deep breathing is a type of exercise that makes you aware of your breathing so when you inhale (take in air) through your nose, the breath is long and slow so and the air completely fills your lungs. The second part of the exercise is to blow out all of the air from your lungs, nice and slow. You should see your lower belly rise when you breathe in and lower when you breathe out.

 What affects breathing?

Stress, anxiety, anger, fear and other emotions can cause your breathing to become faster than normal. When you are happy and content your breathing is slower, and more regular.

  How can deep breathing exercises help me?

Deep breathing can help you relax, decrease anxiety, improve coping skills and even help to lower your blood pressure.

 When should I use deep breathing exercises?

Deep breathing exercises can be used when you feel stressed, anxious, or you're in any situation where you need to slow down and feel in control. For example: if you're anxious before a test at school, deep breathing is a great tool to use to help you relax and focus. Even if you feel stressed in the middle of a tough day, taking a few deep breaths will help you feel relaxed and calm.
 Deep breathing can also be useful before any medical tests or procedures, such as when you have your blood drawn. Deep breathing gives you a feeling of peace and is an easy skill to learn and use whenever you feel anxious or tense.

VEGETABLES

Vegetables are fruits that should be taken regularly to enrich the body and give it nutrients,unlike regular foods that takes hours to digest in the human system.it takes few hours to digest vegetables.Vegetable comprises of fruits and greens.
 Here are a list of vegetables and how they can be used top enhance the body:Alfalfa,sprouted
  One cup of raw,sprouted alfalfa seeds,contain 1.32 grams of protein,8 calories and o.6 grams of dietary fiber and small amounts of other minerals.
 Amaranth leaves
 One cup of amaranth leaves,cooked,boiled,drained with no added salt has 2.79grams protein and 28 calories.
 Artichoke
 One medium artichoke with no added salt has 3.47 grams protein,64 calories and 10.3grams fiber,contains small amount of minerals also.
 Asparagus
 Half cup cooked with no added salt contains 2.16 grams of protein,20 calories and fiber.
 This and many more to come will help your body build a strong immune system

BACKACHE

Backache could be a result of constipation,back strain,kidney infection,stress or calcium deficiency.

Herbal combinations: Bone combination,Digestion,lower bowels,nerves,pain.

Single herbs:alfaalfa,  Aloe vera, Burdock,comfrey,Dandelion,Hops,Horsetail,lady's slipper,oatstraw,scullucap,slippery elim,white willow.

Vitamins:A, b-complex,c,d,e

Minerals: Calcium and magnesium (balance) manganese,silicon,zinc.

Amino acids:Phenylala (for pain)

GAS

When air enters the stomach,you get gas.It can occur from drinking through a straw,drinking carbonated water or chewing gum.Your body may produce gas if you eat high-fiber foods such as beans,fruits and grains that pass into your intestine and ferment.Gas may result from gastrointestinal infections.If you have prolonged gas,see a doctor to rule out any infections.
 SYMPTOMS

• Abdominal bloating and pain
• Belching
• Flatulence     

PREVENTION
Try not to swallow air
Gradually increase your intake of healthy fiber rich foods
Avoid fermented foods such as cheese and alcohol.
Drink fewer carbonated drinks
Don't mix carbohydrate and proteins at the same meal.
If you are lactose intolerant,replace cow milk with soy milk.                                                                                                                                             

BEET JUICE

This is one of the most valuable juices for helping to build red corpuscles of the blood and tone up the blood generally.Women particularly,have been benefited by drinking at least one pint of a combination of carrot and beet juice daily.The proportion in this combination may vary from 3 to 8 ounces of beet juice,using roots and tops,in one pint of the combined juices,carrot and beet.
 Taken alone,beet juice,in greater quantities than a wineglass at a time,may cause a cleansing reaction which will make one a little dizzy or nauseated.
  For menstrual disturbances beet juice has been very helpful,particularly when,during such periods,it has been used in small quantities,not more than a wine glass at a time( say,2 or 3 ounces)two or three times a day.During menopause this procedures has been found much more permanently helpful than the degenerative effects of drugs or synthetic hormones.
 After all,any drug or inorganic synthetic chemical product cannot possibly bring permanent relief but temporary relief.Any drug that can be guaranteed to relieve or cure permanently any sick condition of the body can also be guaranteed to start something serious or worse in the body some time later.
 It is the one who takes the drug that suffers in the long run,not those who advertise or administer it.
 After all is said and done,Nature has furnished us with natural means through which we may seek,energy,vigor and vitality.