Nutrition

Coffee was first introduced to the Islands by Chief Boki, the Governor of Oahu, in 1825. He acquired coffee plants in Rio de Janeiro while aboard a British warship, the H. M.S. Blonde. These first coffee plants were planted in Manoa Valley, on Oahu, where they flourished. From this original planting, coffee trees were introduced to locations around the Islands, including the now famous Kona Coast. The coffee tree needs six specific conditions to thrive: rich soil, proper elevation (between 500 and 3000 feet is ideal), sunshine, cloud cover, rain and a moderate slope for proper drainage of roots....

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Juan Valdez is a fictitious character who was created in 1959 to represent the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Columbia, founded in 1926. He is one of the most familiar faces in the advertising world, with his moustache, sombrero, poncho and his faithful mule, Lana. In the first commercials, Juan Valdez used to wander around in the coffee fields, picking the ripe coffee berries with his hands. He was a romantic representative of thousands of Colombian "cafeteros", or "caficultores". At the same time, his image drew a great deal of criticism on its road to success....

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Like much of Hawaii, Kona offers ideal climate conditions for growing coffee. But there is something different about the Kona coffee cherries produced here that has earned this coffee a worldwide reputation for excellence. It might be the dark rich volcanic soil, which contains a perfect blend of acidity and minerals, and retains just the right amount of water. It could be the dependable cloud cover that rolls in each afternoon, protecting the delicate coffee trees from the glaring afternoon sun....

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In Kenya coffee production dates back several hundred years. Coffee was originally discovered in Ethiopia, Kenya's neighbor to the north. Unfortunately, just as in other coffee growing regions of the world, the coffee trade in Kenya triggered heated and bloody battles over the prime growing lands. The Arabs, who monopolized the coffee trade for several hundred years, killed and enslaved many thousand Kenyans and put them to work in coffee production both in Kenya coffee fields and on Arabian coffee plantations....

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Does your morning coffee cause you pain? Are you frustrated whena night out dining with friends ends in discomfort instead ofrelaxed conversation? Do you carry antacids with you every day? Heartburn is more than just a nuisance. It can detract fromenjoying a meal, force you to change your routine and hang overyour every decision - what to eat, what to drink, when to laydown. What is this monkey on your back and how can you find relief? WHAT CAUSES HEARTBURN? Heartburn occurs when the acid content of the stomach makes itsway back into the esophagus....

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After we have eaten a meal -- and often we do this in a hurry, without much chewing, under a lot of stress, or in the presence of negative emotions -- we give no thought to what becomes of our food once it has been swallowed. We have been led to assume that anything put in the mouth automatically gets digested flawlessly, is efficiently absorbed into the body where it nourishes our cells, with the waste products being eliminated completely by the large intestine. To the natural hygienist, most disease begins and ends with our FOOD;...

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Could it be possible that our beloved chocolate may actually be good for us? This is the nutrition news we have all been waiting for. So here is the scoop on chocolate and its health benefits. Yes, you read right, health benefits! Recent studies show that cocoa and dark chocolate with a high cocoa content contain many heart-healthy antioxidants. They contain a compound called flavonoids which may help prevent the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels in the blood....

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America's major dietary deficiency - EFA a panacea for good health Today you cannot so much turn a corner without seeing a sign on a fast food restaurant's window boasting the "Low Carb" menu. You cannot read a magazine without seeing an ad for "Adkins friendly" foods. Everyone it seems is preaching the Low Carb Diet. You are told what not to eat in a sentence. "Lower your carbohydrate intake" they say, but no one is emphasizing what you should eat. As there is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate for life, we humans can do just fine without bread, rice and potatoes....

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Finding simple ways to reduce my waistline is always a personal objective. I am by no means a health expert, and I have not always been too concerned with what I put into my body. But as I get a little older, I fear that if I don't concern myself with health, my doctor will have to. And regardless of the good that they do, I don't like doctors and clinics that much. I do a lot of my own research, and the internet has been a blessing. What I have learned in my research and life experience is that the crap that I used to eat made me fat....

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Scandinavian fishermen are a healthy bunch. It had long been known that they live longer and have much less heart and blood-pressure related diseases than their European counterparts. Their diet of cold-water fish, while not known for variety or sophistication, had been suspected to fortify their health. Now the scientific research gives additional credit to this claim. Eating fish high in fats like sardines and salmon might help to prevent Alzheimer's disease. Such fish contains Omega 3 fatty acids, and those acids prevent build-up of amyloid in a brain....

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