Brain Health, Liver Protection, Fiber, Saunas

In This Issue: 

• Keep Your Brain Healthy
• Protect Your Liver with Broccoli
• Are You Eating Enough Fiber?
• Thinking of Buying a Sauna?

Find lots of healthy recipes in my Whole Food Plant-Based, Gluten Free Diet & Recipes Facebook Group

Message from Bernadette Wulf

Greetings!

Spring is still playing hard to get around here. Still waiting for it to warm up enough to plant tomatoes and basil, but the rosemary is bursting out in blossoms everywhere I go.

I was fooling around updating my plant-based nutrition website all day yesterday, so I didn’t get my newsletter out. I think it is looking a lot better, but the home page is still too long. It needs to be broken up into 2 or 3 pages.

Check it out and let me know what you think. You might even learn something!

I’m on a mission to improve my branding. That just means having a recognizable style that runs through all my websites…. like the new header on this site with my hummingbird logo.

I discovered a new WordPress theme that I really like, called Neve, so I’ve been gradually switching everything over to it. If you have a website or a few, you might want to try it. It looks clean, loads fast and it’s easy to modify.

This month on the wellness front, we have more reasons to eat those healthy leafy greens, especially the cabbage family, lots of good reasons to up your fiber intake, which is easy with whole plant foods, and a helpful article about saunas. Enjoy!

Have questions or comments? —>>> Email Bernadette <<<— Please use this link and do not hit reply to this post or I may never get your message.

To your health and happiness!

Bernadette Wulf

WulfWorks.com – HealItAll.com – Eat Plants for Life

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Keep Your Brain Healthy

What you eat really matters when it comes to brain health. One nutrient in particular seems to protect the brain and enhance cognition. It’s called lutein.

The best sources are dark leafy greens and orange vegetables like sweet potatoes, squashes and carrots.

By the way, big California floods are going to impact availability of organic vegetables this summer. Plant a garden so you always have veggies available! Greens are particularly easy to grow.

From Dr. Greger at Nutritionfacts.org:

There are significant correlations between cognitive test scores and the amount of macular pigment. Lutein and a related plant pigment called zeaxanthin “promote cognitive functioning in old age by enhancing neural efficiency.”

Mom was right when she told you to eat your vegetables.

Read more about lutein and brain health – https://nutritionfacts.org/2023/03/14/fight-aging-with-brain-healthy-foods/

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Protect Your Liver with Broccoli

New studies show that brassica family vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, etc.) can help prevent fatty liver disease.

From eurekalert.org:

The study demonstrates how non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, can be controlled by indole, a natural compound found in gut bacteria – and in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, kale, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. It also addresses how this natural compound may lead to new treatments or preventive measures for NAFLD.

The study was recently published in Hepatology and can be found on PubMed.gov.

“Based on this research, we believe healthy foods with high capacity for indole production are essential for preventing NAFLD and are beneficial for improving the health of those with it,” said Chaodong Wu, M.D., Ph.D., a Texas A&M AgriLife Research Faculty Fellow and principal investigator for the study. 

Read more about cabbage family vegetables and liver health – https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/922194

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Are You Eating Enough Fiber?

We hear a lot about protein, fats and carbs as essential nutrients, but what about fiber? It may not have many vitamins or minerals, but it is an important food for healthy gut flora and is essential for preventing constipation. Fiber is also a big factor in preventing degenerative diseases that can lead to death.

Here’s what Dr. Greger of nutritionfacts.org has to report:

How about “fiber consumption and all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortalities”? Researchers found that, compared with those who consumed the least amount of fiber, those who consumed the most had 23 percent less cardiovascular disease mortality, a 17 percent lower risk of dying from cancer, and 23 percent lower mortality from all causes put together. “Unfortunately, most persons in the United States consume less than half of the recommended intake of dietary fiber daily.”

Where to get fiber? Whole plant foods!

There is NO fiber in animal products, and very little in refined foods like white flour, sugar and oil. The best sources are beans, lentils, whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Enjoy a wide variety every day.

Read more about how fiber can save your health – https://nutritionfacts.org/2023/03/21/fiber-an-effective-anti-inflammatory/

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Thinking of Buying a Sauna?

Saunas can be excellent for relaxing and detoxing, but it’s important to get the best. There are more benefits to infared saunas than other types, but not all are created equal.

Here’s what theartofantiaging.com had to say about saunas:

Regularly using an infrared sauna can benefit your health in many ways, including supporting detoxification and boosting your body’s healing processes.

This is great for anyone… perhaps especially those with autoimmune disorders, hormone issues, and those with high heavy metal toxic load.

PLEASE DO BE CAREFUL, THOUGH…

When choosing an infrared sauna, don’t go for the cheapest… go for the best. (In my view, it’s even better not to use one at all than to go for cheap models).

For the best sauna recommendations, keep reading here – https://theartofantiaging.com/10-healing-benefits-of-far-infrared-saunas/