That's Fit

I've been considering taking the supplement Bromelain for the swelling that's settled in my lower tummy region -- a temporary side effect of my recent tummy tuck surgery. Bromelain, made right from the pineapple -- maybe I should just down a bunch of the actual fruit -- is known for aiding in the digestion of protein. It's also believed to have anti-inflammatory properties, which is why I bought a small bottle of pills at the health food store the other day. The pills cost me $10. I took one.

I've never been a fan of supplements. Desperation, I guess, is what motivated my purchase, which clearly was a waste of money. Because I don't plan on swallowing any more pills. Here's why.

• How will I know if the remedy really works? In good time, my swelling will subside, says my surgeon. If I'm taking Bromelain at the same time as my tummy deflates, what will I credit for the result: nature or the supplement? This is how people get roped into supplements, says my oncologist. They have success and attribute it to the supplement when it may have been nothing more than good old fashioned healing.
  
  

• Bromelain has not been scientifically tested for use with inflammation. It's not even its primary function. Nope, digestion is its number one task and that hasn't been tested either. I have no idea what this stuff will do to my body. I took a bunch of echinacea at one point in my life for the common cold. An eventual skin reaction made me realize that while maybe my cold symptoms got better, a skin condition was not a great trade-off.
  
  

Science does support a few natural fixes for what might ail you -- see gallery below. But Bromelain is not one of them, which makes it so not for me. If you think it might be for you, you ought to consult this article before popping any pills.

Each week, we'll be naming a Super Food and offering unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

When I feel sick, when I feel nauseated, when my stomach hurts, I hit the bottle -- of ginger ale, that is. My mama always told me that ginger would make me feel better, and it does. It's not just all in my head either -- it's a well-known fact that ginger can provide relief to nausea, ulcers and other digestive issues. But that's not all -- in addition to spicing up your food and adding a one-of-a-kind flavour, ginger has lots of great health benefits.

In studies, ginger has been shown to alleviate many common ailments, including pain, swelling, inflammation and even the common cold. Got menstrual cramps? Have some ginger. Headache? Grab some ginger. Gas? Yep, you guessed it -- ginger will help. It can reduce your fever and reduce your LDL (bad) cholesterol. It's also widely believed to help slow down or even stop the spread of some cancers. Pretty impressive, huh?

I'm leaving for Seattle in a few hours, prepped and ready to shoot a corporate bit for Pepsi. At any rate, part of the travel arrangements involve sharing a room with a guy that I've been forewarned about: He Snores. Great. There goes the possibility of getting any sleep. But, inasmuch as his snoring may be a single-night sleep disruption for me, it may signal a bigger health problem for him (and, no, I don't mean that it may cause me to kill him in his sleep).

According to an article published in the current issue of Women's Health, snoring may lead to chronic bronchitis for a good number of people. The article references a study featured in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, which found that snoring places a great deal of stress on the airways, thus increasing inflammation. In fact, researchers discovered that people who reported snoring six or seven nights per week were 68-percent more likely to develop chronic bronchitis than silent sleepers.

The article also presents a potential solution: Placing nasal strips on a snorer's nose. This may help widen the nasal passage and reduce the nighttime ruckus. Note to self: Buy a pack of nasal strips at the airport and offer them as a "gift" to my traveling companion.

Each week, we'll be naming a Super Food and offering unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

Flax is an ancient crop (it was used as a food source in 3000 BC!) but there's nothing outdated about it's benefits. Perhaps you've heard of the many, many benefits of flax? If not, well, I'll tell you right now: It's really good for you.

How good? Here's just a short list of ailments it can help ward off: Cholesterol, cancer, constipation, diabetes, heart disease, menopause, inflammation and depression. And it's no surprise -- Flax contains all-important omega-3 fatty acids, as well as a special thing called lignans. Lignans act like antioxidants and have anti-tumor properties. And that's not all: Flax has fiber, which, in addition to helping you lower your cholesterol and risk of heart disease, helps keep you ... well, regular.

Now that we've thankfully moved well past the carb-starve days, it's good to see people enjoying starch again. Carbohydrates are an integral part of a healthy diet, which is why depriving yourself of this macronutrient is not exactly the best course of action. That all being said, keeping your carb intake under control is just as important, as evidenced by a recent study out of the University of Connecticut.

According to UConn researchers, a low-carb diet can reduce inflammation, a known cause of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. Volunteers who went on either a low-carb or low-fat diet had blood samples taken after a 12-week period, revealing that only the low-carb group exhibited any significant reduction in their inflammation (by as much as 30 percent).

Finding a balance of protein, carbs, and fats can sometimes be a bit tricky. For a little guidance, try visiting our sister site, AOL Body, for a wealth of tips and nutrition tools that can help you along.

Rheumatoid arthritis played a big role in my house growing up -- my dad suffered from it and when I say suffered, I mean suffered. Horribly. He struggled with everyday things--writing, chores, walking down the stairs--and just couldn't do many of the physical activities he used to. So if you have the disease, I really feel for you.

However, here's some potentially hopeful news: Recent studies are showing that adopting a vegan, non-gluten diet can help ease the pain of rheumatoid arthritis. It can also help prevent heart disease and strokes in those with arthritis. According to the findings, arthritis sufferers on a vegan diet had lower levels of C reactive protein, a compound that is related to levels of inflammation in the body.

The bad news is that a vegan, non-gluten diet involved cutting out all animal products (including meat and dairy) and many common grains. What can you eat? Lots of nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies.

Did you know almost one in every six Americans is afflicted with arthritis?

According to Wikipedia, arthritis is a group of conditions where there is damage caused to the joints of the body and arthritis is the leading cause of disability in people over the age of 55. There are many different forms of arthritis, each of which has a different cause. Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are autoimmune diseases in which the body is attacking itself. Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection and gouty arthritis is caused by deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint that results in subsequent inflammation.

Because arthritis is a disease of inflammation, the most effective - and logical - treatment is anything that fights inflammation. The problem is that many people (who suffer from arthritis) don't realize how much nutrition can improve the way they feel, but by eating plenty of the right foods you'll automatically reduce the level of inflammation in your body and relieve some of the stiffness.

When I first came across a previous U.K. study about the brain's impact on blood pressure, I admittedly thought that it was going to point to stress. Thinking about work, thinking about mounting bills, thinking about thinking. To much thinking can sometimes result in too much stress. In turn, too much stress will effect your overall health. So, stupid me, I thought I had this whole study figured out.

But, this study was much different than I had anticipated. Leaving stress out of the picture completely, the researchers from the University of Bristol found a much more direct link between the brain and hypertension. Known as junctional adhesion molecule-1 (or JAM-1 to super-cool research types), this protein -- which is located in the walls of the blood vessels in the brain -- traps white blood cells called leukocytes.

"Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head..," says Paul McCartney in the well-known Beatles tune A Day in the Life. It's a very common thing to do, isn't it? You wake up and immediately begin your day of activities; showering, brushing your teeth, combing your hair, eating breakfast, racing to work, and so on. A day in the life, indeed.

Could it be that this routine is what causes sixty-five percent of Americans to report feeling back pain in the morning? Because circulation is slowed during our inactive state of sleep, inflammatory substances can become trapped in blood, thus reducing the flow of healing oxygen and nutrients. As a result, many people wake up feeling quite sore.

Doctors suggest stretching your spine when you wake up to get your blood moving again. For a list of simple stretches you can do after your morning alarm sounds, click here.

If I were to ask you to list five essential minerals, I'd put money on the fact that you wouldn't mention magnesium. This is because you, just like me and almost everyone else, seem to only remember this mineral from the periodic table, not from the label on our vitamins. Iron, Zinc -- those we remember. But, magnesium, not so much. That being said, it may not be a bad idea for us to keep this unpopular mineral fresh on our minds, as its consumption may be linked to our cardiovascular health.

In an 18-year study, French researchers found that men who had the highest levels of magnesium in their blood were 40 percent less likely to die young than those men with the lowest levels. The researchers suspect that this could be due to the fact that low magnesium levels are related to greater inflammation -- which is known to cause heart disease and cancer.

The bigger problem is that an estimated 56 percent of the population doesn't consume a sufficient amount of magnesium -- probably because they forget about it in the first place. To make sure that you're not part of that population, be sure to get around 300mg of the mineral per day. Fortunately, you can get half of that by just eating a small portion of pumpkin seeds.

Do you suffer from knee problems? I do, and it's kept me from being an avid runner, despite my best attempts to just 'get over it.' But knee pain doesn't have to be a way of life; here are some ways to treat it, according to Everyday Health:

• Low-impact exercises can strengthen the knee muscles without pain. For instance? Try swimming, cycling or working out on the elliptical trainer.
  
• Pain reducing and anti-inflammatory meds can be injected directly into the joint
• If it's arthritis, anti-rheumatic drugs can make a difference.
  

If you're suffering from chronic knee pain, talk to your doctor about treatment options.

Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

Vitamin C is vital for the normal growth and development of the human body. It repairs tissues, helps wounds heal, and forms blood vessels and collagen -- an important protein used to make skin, scar tissue, and tendons. Vitamin C is good for cartilage, bones, teeth, and it's a rich and powerful antioxidant, instrumental in blocking the damage caused by free radicals. Pretty super, eh? Yep, but we only benefit from the power of vitamin C by ingesting it.

Our bodies don't manufacture or store vitamin C, so we must consume plenty of vitamin-C rich foods in our daily diets. Miss out on this potent property and your deficiency may lead to dry and splitting hair, rough and scaly skin, nosebleeds, anemia, weight gain due to slowed metabolism, and even scurvy. Get enough and you'll protect yourself from life-threatening illnesses like heart disease and cancer.

Although all fruits and vegetables contain some amount of vitamin C, oranges offer the most readily available supply of it. The orange, a Superfood with about 60 calories, is also famed for its 170 cancer-fighting phytochemicals and 60 flavonoids, as well as its ability to reduce inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and asthma. A daily orange will also help combat diabetes and obesity, and its flavonoid hesperetin and the compound herperidin lower blood pressure and cholesterol. There's more: An orange's peel contains limonene, which may ward off skin cancer.


Healthy Orange Chicken

Curried Zucchini and Orange Soup

For more lowdown on the orange, see what Sunkist has to say about this super citrus fruit.

Yoga is good for so many things -- you body, your mind and your soul. So to us yogis, it never comes as a surprise when it's found to be good for specific ailments, including this one -- recent studies have found that yoga improves the health of heart failure patients. Yoga not only reduced heart inflammation, but it improved the quality of life in patients, and those who did yoga saw a 26% decrease in symptoms compared to those who didn't.

In lieu of these studies, it would be nice to see yoga become a part of rehabilitation process for cardiac patients, don't you think?

Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

I have pineapple on my mind because we just happen to have a fresh one in our house. It's been sliced and diced into nice little squares, and it sits in a Tupperware bowl in our fridge right now. My boys and I are happy to have this juicy fruit during a time when all of our favorites -- strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, watermelon -- are disappearing from the grocery store produce aisles. It's a great fruit for many reasons -- it's super for nibbling, super if you're in a pinch and need to grab a quick bite, super for school lunches, and well, it's just plain super.

Pineapple is a Superfood because of its healing power on the joints. A top source of bromelain, an enzyme that helps support joint health, pineapples have anti-inflammatory properties that can alleviate osteoarthritis. Bromelain also cleans up dead cells after injury, helps reduce inflammation related to asthma, and even inhibits the growth of malignant cells in both lung and breast cancer.

Research shows that inflammation in the body, specifically chronic systemic inflammation, can contribute to all kinds of problems including heart disease, depression, and yes -- weight.

The scary part about inflammation is that it's sneaky, and you may be doing things that cause it and not even realize. Bad health habits like living a stressful life, smoking, not getting enough sleep, eating an imbalanced diet, and even obesity can all make inflammation worse.

As far as how and why inflammation makes losing weight so difficult could be any number of factors, one of which is that it's known to have a negative influence on the body's ability to respond to the hormone leptin. Click here for more detailed information, and for info on following an anti-inflammatory diet.