Monday, October 29, 2007

Poga Moonga and Pomegranate Juice

Poga Moonga and Pomegranate Juice

Pomegranate fruits contain polyphenols, tannins and anthocyanins - all are beneficial antioxidants. Interestingly, the pomegranate juice found in poga moonga, contains high levels of antioxidants - higher than most other fruit juices, red wine or green tea.

Research done about the benefits of pomegranate juice suggests that drinking a glass of pomegranate juice a day for one year reduced blood pressure (particularly systolic pressure) and slowed down LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) oxidation. Pomegranate juice, a rich source of a potent flavonoid antioxidants, was tested for its capacity to protect nitric oxide against oxidative destruction.

Pomegranate juice was much more potent than Concord grape juice, blueberry juice, red wine and ascorbic acid. Pomegranate juice, a rich source of a potent flavonoid antioxidants, was tested for its capacity to protect nitric oxide against oxidative destruction.

From research they have determined that natural pomegranate juice can block enzymes that contribute to osteoarthritis. It may prevent prostate cancer or slow its growth and during pregnancy, it may help reduce the risk of brain injuries in babies. It improves lipid profiles in diabetic patients with hyperlipidemia.

It can suppress proliferation (growth) and invasion of human prostate cancer cells. It inhibits low-density lipoprotein oxidation and cardiovascular diseases. With all the benefits of pomegranate juice, consider poga moonga as a great source of a super-antioxidant for your health.

Pomegranate natural restorative powers have been talked about for hundreds of years and more and more scientific studies are finding the legendary claims of the pomegranate are very essential to everyone’s general health. More potent than other fruit juices such as blueberry, cranberry, and orange, as well as red wine. Poga moonga is a great source to obtain pomegranates restorative powers.

It contains a super-antioxidant, a flavonoid, which is much more powerful than normal antioxidants. Studies have found it to have at least three times the antioxidant of other fruit juices. It is also quite high in potassium and fiber, and contains vitamin C and niacin.

There are many great benefits from taking pomegranate juice. Thinning the blood, raising the good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol), which controls the free radicals that can be harmful to your body. It reduces fatty deposits on artery walls. It also lowers blood sugar and reduces cell damage. It also slows cartilage deterioration and osteoarthritis.

It may prevent the return of prostate cancer after surgery. It also helps in the prevention of heart disease and stroke. It may also help people with anxiety and insomnia. It has been used to treat inflammation, sore throats and rheumatism. This has been done for centuries in the Middle East, India, and Iran. These are all pomegranate natural restorative powers.

There are four different varieties of the pomegranate fruit. There are many products today, like poga moonga that contain pomegranate juice. Studies are showing that pomegranate juice should be an important part of everyone’s health regiment. Everyone can benefit from the pomegranate natural restorative powers. Men should especially take pomegranate juice, if for nothing else but for it’s ability to help prevent prostate cancer.


Pomegranate vitamins are a good way to get the essential antioxidants your body needs. It comes in many forms from capsules to concentrate. Each manufacturer has there own blend and combination of ingredients. First you have the capsules. They remove the moisture from pomegranate juice and which leaves just powder.

The powder form has a high degree of hygroscopicity (water absorption character) that renders these powders incapable of full dissolution (the process of dissolving a substance into a liquid). When digested, the powder forms a shell around because of its lack of water. Which makes it almost impossible for absorption at a cellular level. The phytochemicals (non-nutritive plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties) are not released and cannot be absorbed into the body. These are the least effective forms of pomegranate.

Another form of pomegranate vitamins is in a gel form. These are much better than the powder form. They do not lack the moisture, thus the body absorbs the phytochemicals. The only drawback is that the gel form usually contains Vegetable cellulose (vegetable capsule), dicalcium phosphate, magnesium stearate, and silica. (Pills). The gel form is better than the powder form but contains ingredients you don’t need.

Then there’s the juice itself which can be bought mixed with other juices, sweetened or unsweetened, in a concentrate form or in it’s original state. The juice, in any form has the best pomegranate vitamins available. The calories, carbohydrates, sugar, potassium, iron, fiber and protein vary in each product. There are 3 main ingredients in pomegranate juice.

Ellagic acid (is a proven anti-carcinogen, anti-mutagen, and anticancer initiator), Anthocyanins (they are a flovanoid pigment that produce the color for the fruit) and Phytoestrogens (non-nutritive plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties). The amount of juice concentrate varies with each manufacturer. It varies from 2 to 8 teaspoons a serving. The powder and gel form are already pre-measured for you.

Pomegranate fruit originated from Iranian plateau. Pomegranate fruit grows from Iran to the Himalayas in northern India and was cultivated over the whole Mediterranean region since ancient times. Pomegranate fruit is widely cultivated throughout India and the drier parts of Southeast Asia, Malaya, the East Indies and tropical Africa.

A refreshing delicacy, pomegranate fruit is loved by people who dwell in hot, thirsty lands. The pomegranate fruit grows wild in Syria and Iran and is cultivated in Israel, where 3,000 tons a year are grown annually. Pomegranate fruit comes from a shrub or small tree that can grow as high as fifteen feet, with a straight stem, reddish bark and plenty of spreading branches. The dark green leaves are highly polished and the pomegranate flowers are red. When ripe, the pomegranate fruit is about the size of an orange, has a thick maroon jacket surrounding the pulp.

Syrup can be made from the pomegranate fruit seeds. Dried pomegranate kernels, from the pomegranate fruit make an interesting alternative for raisins in cakes (muffins), ice creams and other sweets. The pomegranate fruit juice is commonly used in Northern India not only for desserts and sweets, but also to marinate meat, due to its content of proteolytic enzymes, which acts as a meat tenderizer.
Pomegranate fruit juice, either fresh or in the form of grenadine (the syrup made from pomegranate fruit seeds), is a common souring agent in West Asia and North Africa . The medicinal powers of the pomegranate fruit are mentioned in Greek mythology and have been used for centuries.
In India, the pomegranate fruit juice has been regarded as a food-medicine of great importance. All parts of the tree, the roots, the reddish brown bark, leaves, flowers, rind and seeds, have been used medically for thousands of years. The medical authorities of ancient India have described it as a light food and a tonic for the heart.
The pomegranate juice from the fresh fruit is an excellent cooling beverage for alleviating thirst in cases of fevers and sickness. It acts on the liver, heart and kidneys and tones up their functions. It supplies the required minerals and helps the liver to preserve vitamin A from the food. It increases the body's resistance against infections, particularly tuberculosis.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Amino Acids

Amino acids are made when protein is broken down by digestion of food. Your body needs amino acids in order to retrieve amino acids from the food we eat. When you consume protein, your body breaks down the protein into individual amino acids before the cells can use them but the proper amount and kind of enzyme is required. When protein is broken down it results in 22 different groups of amino acids.

These are called “proteogenic amino acids” because they make up the 15,000 enzymes and 50, 000 proteins in our bodies. Proteogenic means ”capable of producing protein”. Of the 22 groups of amino acids, eight are not manufactured by our body. These eight are called “essential amino acids”. These acids are as follows: Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine , Threonine, Tryptohpan and Valine. These proteins are named” complete proteins”. They can be found in meat, eggs and soy beans or in a multi-purpose digestive enzyme(an amino acid supplement).

Because it is hard for us to eat enough meat, eggs and spy bean to get the proper amount of the essential acids, people use a supplement. But you must be careful when using supplements because the right amount is important to good health. It is recommended to consult a physician for the proper amount. Amino acids are the building blocks of our body. They build cells and repair tissue as well as producing antibodies to fight against viruses and bacteria.

They also carry oxygen through the body and are needed for muscle activity. Amino acids help normalize moods, concentration, sex drive, sleep and aggression. If you are experiencing problems with any or a combination of these it could be a result of your body not getting the proper kind or amount of amino acids. If you can’t concentrate or lack sex drive, it could just be a result of not getting the proper free amino acids.

LDL cholesterol

There are two types of cholesterol. HDL, which is the good cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, which is the bad cholesterol. When too much LDL cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. LDL cholesterol together with other substances can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the arteries and make them less flexible. If a clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery, heart attack or stroke can result.

Triglyceride is a form of fat made in the body. People with high triglycerides often have a high total cholesterol level, including a high LDL cholesterol (bad) level and a low HDL (good) level. Many people with heart disease and/or diabetes also have high triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels. Because LDL choleasterol appears to be harmless until oxidized by free radicals, it is presumed that ingesting antioxidants and minimizing free radical exposure may reduce LDL cholesterol, thus lowering the risk of strokes and heart attacks. Antioxidenst help control free radicals and LDL cholesterol from forming clots in the arteries.


Oatmeal and bran contain soluble fiber, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol), the "bad" cholesterol. Soluble fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, brussel sprouts, apples, pears, barley and prunes. Walnuts and almonds can significantly reduce LDL cholesterol. Rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, walnuts also help keep blood vessels healthy and elastic. Almonds appear to have a similar effect, resulting in a marked improvement within just four weeks. Fish can also reduce LDL cholesterol.

Studies in the 1970s showed that Eskimos had a lower rate of heart disease than did other individuals living in Greenland. Their low LDL cholesterol was due to Eskimos eating less saturated fat and more omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and whale and seal meat. Research since that time has supported the heart-healthy benefits of eating fish can lower LDL cholesterol. Other good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil and soybean oil can also lower your LDL cholesterol. Omega-3 fatty acids are noted for their triglyceride-lowering effect, which also results in lowering their LDL cholesterol.

Amino Acid Supplements

Amino acid supplements are available everywhere today but are not “natural” amino acids. Real food is more nutritious than any supplement you can buy. In fact, food provides nutrients, such as zinc and iron, which your body can absorb more effectively than it can from synthetic supplements. Our bodies need all the essential amino acids present in complete proteins, which are found in soybeans and meat.

These essential amino acids build new cells and build new and repair muscle tissue. As with other nutrients, amino acids are absorbed more effectively from food and plants. Amino acid supplements may actually cause imbalances and interfere with the absorption of other amino acids. Food is also cheaper, as supplements can be quite costly.

Essential amino acids are used to build new muscle tissue, so if you’re a weight lifter, the most important factor is to take in enough calories. More calories from carbohydrates are needed to fuel the body so that protein is used to repair and build muscle tissue. If you are on a low calorie diet, precious protein is burned for energy instead of repairing and rebuilding muscle tissue.

Carbohydrates not only provide fuel for muscles but they also provide a hormone response that enhances muscle synthesis. When the ratio of protein to carbohydrates is 1 to 4 (15 percent calories from protein and 60 percent calories from carbohydrates), testosterone used for muscle increase the most, especially in healthy people.

Eating carbohydrates, within one hour of resistance training (one gram of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight), will also help to decrease the breakdown of muscle protein and help build new muscle tissue. Amino acid supplements do not provide the proper amount of carbohydrates to rebuild and repair muscle tissue like you get from natural food and plants.

HDL Cholesterol

HDL Cholesterol is the ”good” cholesterol, which helps clean your arteries by carrying away excess cholesterol. Healthy levels of cholesterol are needed to produce cell membrane and certain hormones. It also plays an important part in other bodily functions. There are two types of cholesterol, LDL (bad cholesterol) and HDL (good cholesterol).

LDL Cholesterol can be very harmful to your body and cause a number of illnesses like heart disease and stroke. HDL cholesterols main purpose is to keep the bad cholesterol in your body under control. Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found in fats circulating in your blood stream in all of your body’s cells. You can get cholesterol two ways.

Your body naturally makes some and you can also get it from meat, poultry, fish, eggs, butter, cheese, and whole and 2% milk. Cholesterol is not found in foods from plants. When HDL cholesterol levels decrease, the bad cholesterol can get out of control and cause illness, diseases and even death. You must maintain a healthy balance of bad (LDL) and good (HDL cholesterol).

Many people have problems controlling their cholesterol and it is very hard, due to the busy lifestyle we all have, to get HDL cholesterol from eating and drinking enough of the products that contain it. There are many ways to increase the HDL cholesterol in your body.

Any exercise that increases you heart rate (20 to 30 beats per minute), losing weight (if your overweight), stop smoking cigarettes, cut out the trans fatty acids (such as partially hydrogenated vegetable oils), alcohol (only one or two drinks a day), increase the monounsaturated fats in your diet (such as canola oil, avocado oil, or olive oil) and adding soluble fiber to your diet are all ways of increasing HDL cholesterol in your body.