HUH? I SHOULD SPEND MORE TIME IN THE SUN?
By Robert Bazell, Chief MSNBC Science & Health Correspondent

One of the refrains we hear most often covering the health and science beat is: "You tell me one day something is bad for me and then it is good." There are many legitimate reasons for this perception, and this story is a fine example.

About three decades ago, dermatologists alarmed at the rising incidence of skin cancer began a campaign to get people to stop spending so much time in the sun, or at least to cover up with strong suntan lotion if they did. The effort was enormously successful.

Now there is a big problem with it. When the sun's rays (unfiltered by lotion) strike our skin, our bodies produce vitamin D. Scientists always knew vitamin D is critical for good health. Children not exposed enough to the sun can get a terrible disease called rickets. But around 1989 scientists began to discover that vitamin D played an important critical role in all the cells in the body, and they hypothesized that a lack of vitamin D could increase the risks for cancer.

Large population studies have now verified that people with low vitamin D levels indeed have higher levels of several common types of cancer, including colon and breast. Some of the best research comes from the Nurse's Health Study and the Health Professionals Study -- two efforts run by the Harvard School of Public Health that have been following tens of thousands of people for decades. The latest study looks at cancer incidence in men. In addition to the Harvard study, two others came out today demonstrating an increased incidence of breast cancer in women with low levels of vitamin D. Those were presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

So how much vitamin D do we need? Based on these latest studies, experts now recommend a minimum of 1,000 units a day. We get about 200 from food and supplements usually contain 400. That is where the sun comes in. No one is saying people should get sunburned or even tan. But you can get 1,000 units of vitamin C by spending 10 minutes in the sun in the middle of the day with your arms and face exposed. Amazingly, with our automobile and indoor lifestyle many Americans do not get even that much. So here is an example where the advice is changing not because of confusion, but because science is making genuine progress. {end of article}

Once again, science is confirming the age old wisdom that sunlight is essential and beneficial to all living things. As the colors and smells of spring are beginning to fill the air, we encourage you to start the season by doing a Tri-Decathlon or a Liquithon which, incidentally, includes an hour a day of walking, fresh air, and sunshine. These 13 day programs of whole foods, water, walking, and sunshine turn out to be life changing events for many who rise to the challenge. Are you up to the challenge?

For optimum health, scientists say, eat a rainbow of colors. Your plate should look like a box of Crayons." - Janice M. Horowitz, TIME Magazine, January 12, 2002

Colorful fruits and vegetables provide the wide range of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals your body uses to maintain good health and energy levels, protect against the effects of aging, and reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.*

Many of the phytochemicals and other compounds that make fruits and vegetables good for us also give them their color. That's why it's essential to sample the complete color spectrum every day to get the full preventive benefits of fruits and vegetables.

BLUE/PURPLE
Blue/purple fruits and vegetables contain varying amounts of health-promoting phytochemicals such as anthocyanins and phenolics, currently being studied for their antioxidant and anti-aging benefits. Include BLUE/PURPLE in your low-fat diet to help maintain:

A lower risk of some cancers *
Urinary tract health
Memory function & Healthy aging
* Low-fat diets rich in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, a disease associated with many factors.

Get blue/purple every day with foods such as:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Black currants, Dried plums, Elderberries, Purple figs, Purple grapes, Plums, Raisins, Purple asparagus, Purple cabbage, Purple carrots, Eggplant, Purple Belgian endive
Purple peppers and Potatoes (purple fleshed).

GREEN
Green vegetables contain varying amounts of phytochemicals such as lutein and indoles, which interest researchers because of their potential antioxidant, health-promoting benefits. Include GREEN in your low-fat diet to maintain:

A lower risk of some cancers*
Vision health
Strong bones and teeth
* Low-fat diets rich in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, a disease associated with many factors.

Go green every day with fruits and vegetables like these:

Avocados, Green apples, Green grapes, Honeydew, Kiwifruit, Limes, Green pears, Artichokes, Arugula, Asparagus, Broccoflower, Broccoli, Broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage
Green beans, Green cabbage, Celery, Chayote squash, Cucumbers, Endive, Leafy greens, Leeks
Lettuce, Green onion, Okra, Peas, Green pepper, Snow Peas, Sugar snaps peas, Spinach, Watercress
and Zucchini.

WHITE
White, tan, and brown fruits and vegetables contain varying amounts of phytochemicals of interest to scientists. These include allicin, found in the garlic and onion family. The mineral selenium, found in mushrooms, is also the subject of research. Including WHITE in your low-fat diet helps maintain:

Heart health
Cholesterol levels that are already healthy
A lower risk of some cancers*
* Low-fat diets rich in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, a disease associated with many factors.

Get all the health benefits of white by including foods such as:

Bananas, Brown pears, Dates, White nectarines, White peaches, Cauliflower, Garlic, Ginger, Jerusalem artickoke, Jicama, Kohlrabi, Mushrooms, Onions, Parsnips, Potatoes (white fleshed)
Shallots, Turnips and White Corn.

YELLOW/ORANGE
Yellow and orange fruits and vegetables contain varying amounts of antioxidants such as vitamin C as well as carotenoids and bioflavonoids, two classes of phytochemicals that scientists are studying for their health-promoting potential. Including YELLOW/ORANGE in your low-fat diet helps maintain:

A healthy heart
Vision health
A healthy immune system
A lower risk of some cancers*
* Low-fat diets rich in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, a disease associated with many factors.

Choose Yellow/Orange fruits and vegetables like:

Yellow apples, Apricots, Cantaloupe, Cape Gooseberries, Yellow figs, Grapefruit, Golden kiwifruit, Lemon, Mangoes, Nectarines, Oranges, Papayas, Peaches, Yellow pears, Persimmons, Pineapples
Tangerines, Yellow watermelon, Yellow beets, Butternut squash, Carrots, Yellow peppers, Yellow potatoes, Pumpkin, Rutabagas, Yellow summer squash, Sweet corn, Sweet potatoes, Yellow tomatoes, and Yellow winter squash.

RED
Specific phytochemicals in the red group that are being studied for their health-promoting properties include lycopene and anthocyanins. Include a variety of RED fruits and vegetables in your low-fat diet to help maintain:

A healthy heart
Memory function
A lower risk of some cancers*
Urinary tract health
* Low-fat diets rich in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, a disease associated with many factors.

Include RED fruits and vegetables in your diet such as:

Red apples, Blood oranges, Cherries, Cranberries, Red grapes, Pink/Red grapefruit, Red pears
Pomegranates, Raspberries, Strawberries, Watermelon, Beets, Red peppers, Radishes, Radicchio
Red onions, Red potatoes, Rhubarb and Tomatoes

In a hurry? Phi Plus offers you all of the colors in every bite! And don't forget The Wholefood Farmacy Farinas - AmpliPhi (red), BeautiPhi (orange), ClariPhi (yellow), DetoxiPhi (green), ElectriPhi (blue), FructiPhi (indigo), and GloriPhi (violet). Did you eat your colors today?

Many parents are concerned about the recent FDA recommendation that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines not be given to children under 6 years of age because of a lack of effectiveness and potential for side effects.

With this recent news in mind, a team of researchers from the Penn State College of Medicine decided to put nature to the test. They tested the effectiveness of three different approaches for children who were having trouble sleeping due to a cough.

The children in the study were given either no treatment at all, a little bit of buckwheat honey or dextromethorphan (DM), the chemical cough suppressant found in many over-the-counter cold medicines. The children receiving the honey or DM took it about 30 minutes before bedtime.

The research team found that honey was more effective in reducing the severity and frequency of nighttime cough compared with DM or no treatment at all. Honey also allowed the children to sleep better. The findings are published in the December, 2007, issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

According to the study's lead researcher, Dr. Ian Paul, Penn State's director of pediatric clinical research: "Honey provided the greatest relief of symptoms compared with the other treatments. With honey, parents now have a safe and effective alternative to use for children over age 1 that have cough and cold symptoms". Some of the children were hyperactive for a short time after being given the honey, Dr. Paul said. However, children who received honey slept better and so did their parents, he noted.

Paul cautioned that honey should never be given to children younger than 1, because of the rare risk of infantile botulism. In addition, he noted, cough medicines that mention "honey" on the label actually contain artificial honey flavor not real honey.

Honey has been used for centuries to treat upper respiratory infection symptoms such as cough. In addition, honey has antioxidant and antimicrobial effects, and also soothes the back of the throat.

Once again, science has proven that food really can be your medicine.

The use of Cinnamon as a spice and as a medicine dates back to 2000 BC. Just half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day significantly reduces blood sugar levels in diabetics, a study has found. The effect, which can be produced even by soaking a cinnamon stick your tea, could also benefit millions of non-diabetics who have blood sugar problem but are unaware of it.

The discovery was initially made by accident, by Richard Anderson at the US Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland. "We were looking at the effects of common foods on blood sugar; one was the American favorite, apple pie, which is usually spiced with cinnamon. We expected it to be bad. But it helped," he says.

The active ingredient in cinnamon turned out to be a water-soluble polyphenol compound called MHCP. In test tube experiments, MHCP mimics insulin, activates its receptor, and works synergistically with insulin in cells.

To see if it would work in people, Alam Khan, who was a postdoctoral fellow in Anderson's lab, organized a study in Pakistan. Volunteers with Type 2 diabetes were given one, three or six grams of cinnamon powder a day, in capsules after meals.

All responded within weeks, with blood sugar levels that were on average 20 per cent lower than a control group. Some even achieved normal blood sugar levels. Tellingly, blood sugar started creeping up again after the diabetics stopped taking cinnamon.

In the volunteers, the Cinnamon also lowered blood levels of fats and "bad" cholesterol, which are also partly controlled by insulin. And in test tube experiments it neutralized free radicals, damaging chemicals which are elevated in diabetics.

Cinnamon's essential oils also qualify it as an "anti-microbial" food, and cinnamon has been studied for its ability to help stop the growth of bacteria as well as fungi, including the commonly problematic yeast Candida.

You will find Cinnamon used in many of your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods including Phi Plus, Apple Cinnamon Phi, DetoxiPhi, Joule and Cornaborealis.

Recent studies have found a link between physical fitness and academic performance in children. Studies have also shown that children, who eat breakfast daily, do better in school. But there's surprisingly little research focused on the link between a child's overall diet and his or her performance in school.

Dr. Paul J. Veugelers of the University of Alberta in Edmonton and his colleagues have recently completed such a study. Their findings are published in the April, 2008, issue of the Journal of School Health. They studied the eating habits of 4,600 Nova Scotia 5th graders, noting that about 20% of them had failed the standard 5th grade reading test.

The findings indicate that healthy eating habits were associated with significantly better test scores. The healthy habits turned out to be a quality diet, adequate amounts of food, variety of food, plenty of fruits and vegetables, enough protein, enough fiber and getting fewer calories from fat. The results held even after adjusting the data for the effects of household income, parental education, school, and gender.

As parents, we all want our children to have the advantages and opportunities of a good education. Wholefood Farmacy foods can be a big part of your solution. Kids love them because they taste great - parents love them because they're convenient.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous, 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. Bananas can also help us overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Research published in the January 2005 issue of the International Journal of Cancer suggests that regular consumption of whole fruits and vegetables, especially bananas, is highly protective against kidney cancer. The results of this large population based prospective study (13.4 years) of 61,000 women aged 40-76, show that women eating more than 75 servings of fruits and vegetables per month cut their risk of kidney cancer by 40%. Among the fruits, bananas were found to be especially protective. Women eating bananas four to six times a week cut their risk of kidney cancer by 50% compared to those who did not eat bananas.

A group called MIND, the largest mental health charity in England, did a study amongst people suffering from depression and found that many felt much better after simply eating a banana. This is because bananas contain Tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

Two-hundred students at a Twickenham (Middlesex, UK) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Bananas have also been recognized for their antacid effects that protect against stomach ulcers and ulcer damage. In one study, a simple mixture of banana and milk significantly suppressed acid secretion. The nutrients in bananas help activate the cells that compose the stomach lining, so they produce a thicker protective mucus barrier against stomach acids. Bananas also contain compounds known as protease inhibitors which help eliminate bacteria in the stomach that are the primary cause of stomach ulcers.

This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to help with high blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Try making a banana smoothie with Phi Plus! Blend one banana with 2 oz. of Phi Plus, your choice of milk and a few ice cubes. It is delicious beyond words, a very healthy summer time treat, and the kids will love it!

Over half of the most aggressively advertised children's foods that prominently feature fruit on their packaging contain no fruit at all, according to a study released by the Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments. The study - Where's the Fruit? reveals that 51 percent of these products do not contain fruit, and another 16 percent contain only minimal amounts of fruit despite prominent fruit promotions on the packaging.

"Parents drawn to products that seem healthier for their children based on references to fruit on the packaging are being deceived," explains Leslie Mikkelsen, a registered dietician with the Strategic Alliance and lead author of the study. "Food and beverage companies are some of the most sophisticated communicators in the world and are clearly capable of accurately reflecting what is in their products if they wanted to."

The Where's the Fruit? study identifies the most heavily advertised children's food products that include words and images of fruit and/or fruit ingredients on the packaging. A total of 37 products were included in the final study, and their ingredient lists were analyzed to determine the presence of fruit ingredients. A full 51% of the products contained no fruit ingredients at all despite the images of fruits and use of words such as "fruity," "fruit flavors" and "berry" on the packaging.

"The nation is facing a staggering epidemic of chronic diseases that result from poor eating and physical inactivity," cautions Dr. Andria Ruth, a pediatrician for the Diabetes Resource Center of Santa Barbara. "Children are particularly affected and these food companies are making parents' jobs even harder by using misleading packaging to lead them to think that they are making a healthy choice when they are not."

If you're tired of being misled when it comes to the food that your children eat, then let the Wholefood Farmacy be your oasis of truth amidst this desert of deception. At The Wholefood Farmacy we believe in truthfully describing our products and we don't rely on fancy artwork or neon colored pictures to get the job done. All of our full sized food packages feature a clear see-though front panel so that you can actually see what's inside. Fruitalicious is 100% Fruit - and we're proud to show you what's inside.

Almonds are a wonderful Whole Food and science has recently discovered the benefits of eating them in their whole form. Recent research reveals that the flavonoids in almond skin works synergistically the vitamin E found in almonds. This synergistic combination creates more than 200% the antioxidant power of the almonds and almond skins when separated. "We have identified a unique combination of flavonoids in almonds," said Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., senior scientist and director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University. "Further blood tests demonstrated that eating almonds with their skins significantly increases both flavonoids and vitamin E in the body. This could have significant health implications, especially as people age."

Blumberg's team tested the effects of almond skin's flavonoids alone and then in combination with the vitamin E found in almonds. The tests were done on blood samples containing LDL cholesterol. While almond skin flavonoids alone enhanced LDL's resistance to oxidation by 18%, when the almond's vitamin E was added, LDL's resistance to oxidation was extended by 52.5%!

"The synergy between the flavonoids and vitamin E in almonds demonstrates how the nutrients in whole foods such as almonds can impact health," says Dr. Blumberg.

You can find almonds in many of your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods such as Phi Plus, Cranberry Phi, Coco Cherry Phi as well as all seven Wholefood Farmacy Farinas!