THE HEALTHIEST VEGETABLES FOR YOU

Move this antioxidant-rich produce to the top of your shopping list.
Onions

You'll get the most out of this veggie's cancer-fighting antioxidants by eating it raw; cooking onions at a high heat significantly reduces the benefits of phytochemicals that protect against lung and prostate cancer. Try combining chopped raw onions with tomatoes, avocado, and jalapeño peppers for a blood sugar–friendly chip dip. Finish with a splash of lime juice.
Corn

On the cob or off, just make sure you eat your corn cooked! A study in the Journal of Agricultural Food and Chemistry found that the longer corn was cooked, the higher the level of antioxidants like lutein, which combats blindness in older adults. Try this recipe for coconut grilled corn.
Peas

Tiny but mighty, one study in the International Journal of Cancer found that daily consumption of green peas along with other legumes lowered the risk of stomach cancer. Try a brown rice risotto with lemon and green peas.
Kale

This veggie's curly green leaves are chock full of vitamin C, an antioxidant that may reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering levels of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol. Try one of these easy kale recipes.
Broccoli

Broccoli is full of cancer-fighting antioxidants. One study found men who ate 5 servings or more per week of cruciferous veggies (broccoli's one of them!) were half as likely to develop bladder cancers over a 10-year period as men who rarely ate them. Enjoy with some broccoli cheddar soup.
Red bell pepper

One medium pepper is light on calories (only 32!) but heavy on vitamin C, providing 150 percent of your recommended daily value and warding off atherosclerosis, which can lead to heart disease. Try one of these recipes for stuffed peppers.
Spinach

Spinach is packed with carotenoids—antioxidants that promote healthy eyes and help prevent macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older adults. Cooking the green helps make lutein (a carotenoid) more absorbable by your body. Try this spinach and goat cheese omelet.
Alfalfa sprouts

This tiny powerhouse is rich in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that protects against lung cancer and helps maintain healthy skin, hair, nails, gums, glands, bones, and teeth. It's also a good source of vitamin E, which may help prevent heart attacks, stokes, and lower the risk of death from bladder cancer. Try this chicken, avocado, alfalfa sprouts sandwich.
Brussels sprouts

These balls of antioxidants can help detoxify cancer-causing free radicals, and with 80 percent of your daily vitamin C in just 1/2 cup, also help fight heart disease and ward off cataracts. Try sautéing them with a little bacon or olive oil and mustard for a smoky kick.
Beets

Roasted or pickled, this root vegetable contains high levels of antioxidants that fight cancer, as well as lutein, which protects the eyes. Don't throw out those leaves! Beet greens are the most nutritious part of the vegetable and can be cooked like any other dark leafy green. Try one of these recipes where beets are the star.
(Courtesy to jupiterimages.com & Reader's Digest)

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT HUMAN BODY

Travis Stork, MD, of the hit syndicated show "The Doctors" takes you on a personal guided trip through all the incredible things your body quietly accomplished today.
Amazing Facts About: Your Brain

You had about 20,000 thoughts today.  Picture 100 billion neurons (or brain cells), which each “fire” (talk to each other) five to 50 times per second (on average). The impulses can travel as fast as 270 miles per hour. This speed is what allows you to, say, see an object and immediately identify that 1) it’s a cat, 2) it’s orange, 3) it reminds you of Garfield, and 4) Garfield was your favorite comic.
You didn’t overheat or freeze. Your inner thermostat, located in the hypothalamus, is an engineering marvel. A change of as little as one degree Fahrenheit triggers your body to make lifesaving adjustments. When your temperature gets too high, blood vessels in your skin dilate to release heat. When it drops, they constrict and your sweat glands shut down. Once your core temp hits 97 degrees, you can start shivering as a way to produce heat.
Amazing Facts About: Your Heart

Your heart beat anywhere from 60 to 100 times every minute today. Imagine doing biceps curls at that pace! That’s about 100,000 times a day—and up to three billion times in the average person’s life. What’s also very impressive about the heart is its ability to adapt to our lifestyles. During a vigorous workout, more than 70 percent of the heart’s output fuels your working muscles, for example, compared with just 20 percent while you are less active. You have about 100,000 miles of various blood vessels, laid end to end, and your heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood through them every day.
Amazing Facts About: Your Lungs

Today, you breathed 25,000 times—without trying. If you had to consciously choose to breathe that often, you’d never get anything else done. Or be able to sleep. So thank your brain stem for making the habit of breathing automatic. Curious why you need to inhale and exhale so often? Well, humans have a very high metabolism; at rest, you demand about seven to ten ounces of oxygen each minute. And your lungs are perfectly designed to handle these truckloads of oxygen. They contain about 300 million microscopic air sacs called alveoli, which provide the surface area roughly equivalent to half a tennis court to bring oxygen into the body while releasing carbon dioxide.
Amazing Facts About: Your Eyes

The muscles that help focus your eyes moved about 100,000 times today. That’s a workout equivalent to a 50-mile walk.
You also blinked about 15 times a minute, or almost 15,000 times today while you were awake. You do this spontaneously to protect your eyes and clean away dirt. Even cooler: Your brain doesn’t let you miss out while you blink—it fills in missing information so you never realize your eyes were closed.
Amazing Facts About: Your Mouth

You produced about six cups of saliva today. Yes, that’s a lot of spit, but saliva is one of the body’s most under appreciated fluids. Without it, you wouldn’t be able to taste or swallow food. Or form words. Saliva is also a potent germ fighter: Its enzymes clean your mouth and prevent tooth decay and infections. No wonder animals lick their wounds.

Amazing Facts About: Your Circulation System

Today, you made up to three million red blood cells each second. That’s almost 260 billion for the day. They perform one of blood’s most important roles: delivering precious oxygen to all your body’s cells. A single drop of blood contains millions of these guys, which get their scarlet hue from the protein hemoglobin.
You got cut but didn’t bleed out or get a systemic infection. Next time you get a scrape, think about this cascade of events: After some bleeding, which helps clean the wound, your body stops blood flow by forming a clot. If bacteria enter through the break in the skin, white blood cells quickly arrive to destroy them. Mast cells from your immune system release histamine, a chemical that increases blood flow to the site (it also makes the area red and swollen).
This leads other cells to begin battle with the bacteria. It’s a magical sequence that helps save your life whenever you get cut.
Amazing Facts About: Your Digestive System

The lining of your stomach regenerated about 25 percent of itself today. Your tummy is home to a powerful fluid: hydrochloric acid, which helps break down foods in much the same way that laundry detergent cleans stains. It’s so potent (strong enough to dissolve the metal zinc) that your stomach lining regenerates itself every four to five days so the acid won’t injure it.
You had dozens and dozens of chances to choke to death today—but didn’t. The back of your mouth displays an impressive feat of life guarding every time you eat or drink food or liquids. As you prepare to swallow, your soft palate comes up to cover your nasal cavity (so you don’t squirt spaghetti out your nose) and your epiglottis covers your trachea (so food doesn’t go down your lungs). To appreciate the art of swallowing, watch a baby being spoon-fed a jar of mashed carrots. He’ll push the food out with his tongue because he is still learning how to perfect the swallowing reflex, without which he would likely die.
Amazing Facts About: Your Kidneys

Your kidneys cleaned and recirculated almost 50 gallons of blood today. That’s about three times as much as a medium-size car’s gas tank would hold. To fully appreciate the wonder of the kidneys, which form the most high-tech filtration system you’ll ever encounter, all you have to do is look at someone on dialysis due to poor kidney function. People need a machine about the size of a mini fridge to filter their blood, adjust electrolyte levels, and get rid of waste, while your body accomplishes this without any fanfare using two small organs, each about the size of a computer mouse.
Your kidneys also help maintain the proper level of hydration. When you’re drinking a ton of water, they excrete more, turning your urine a clear or pale yellow color. When you’re dehydrated, they cling to as much fluid as possible, so your urine becomes more concentrated, making it look darker (like apple juice). 

Amazing Facts About: Your Skeleton

You regenerated about 0.03 percent of your skeleton today. Your bones—strong as steel but as light as aluminum—aren’t just some chalky-white lifeless scaffold; they are living tissues with blood vessels and nerves. They are constantly repairing and rebuilding—about 10 percent of your adult skeleton is replaced each year. Your bones are also a good example of “use it or lose it”: The bones of someone with a broken leg who is immobile for a few weeks will literally shrink during that time, but they will bulk up once the person starts bearing weight and exercising again.
Amazing Facts About: Your Feet

Your feet produced up to two cups of sweat today. No wonder your shoes and socks smell less than fresh. That sounds like a lot, but you’ll want to cut your feet a break when you consider how much work they do. If a healthy person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, that’s the equivalent of walking the circumference of the earth four times by age 70!
Amazing Facts About: Your Skin

Your skin shed about 50 million dead cells today. That’s about 30,000 to 40,000 a minute (just think about how much skin you’ve axed since you started reading this article). You may have heard that your skin is your body’s largest organ, and because it serves so many important functions, the scaffolding is always up, so to speak. Just one square inch of skin has 650 sweat glands, 20 feet of blood vessels, 60,000 pigment cells, and more than 1,000 nerve endings. 

Amazing Facts About: Your Immune System

Today, you may have fought cancer. Your body has trillions of cells. If a mutation occurs in the DNA (genetic material) of any, it can create cancer cells, which divide uncontrollably and can clump together to form tumors. When you consider how many cells split every minute—and each time a cell divides, it has to copy 30,000 genes—it’s a wonder we don’t get cancer all the time. The reason we don’t: the body’s incredible system to catch errors. When a cell divides, proofreading enzymes fix any DNA mistakes. If the proofreaders don’t work, the cell itself can detect that it’s “broken” and commit suicide. It says, “I’m about to become cancerous, so I’ll kill myself to save the body.”

Courtesy To: Steve Vaccariello, Bryan Christie & Reader's Digest

5 FRUITS AND VEGGIES, WHICH ARE SUPERFOODS

Next time you hit the grocery store, don’t skip over these underrated winners—they’re a lot healthier than you think.
Which super foods are the healthiest?

You'd be surprised: After examining a group of fruits and vegetables recommended as part of a healthy diet per national guidelines, researchers at William Paterson University developed a list of 41 super foods, determined by “nutrient density” based on overall nutritional value of 17 essential nutrients (potassium, fiber, protein, calcium, iron, zinc, vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, K, and others) per 100 calories, not just a single vitamin or mineral. Which were the shockers?
Watercress

This slightly bitter green with a peppery taste earned the No. 1 slot on the list, ahead of nutrient-rich veggies like Chinese cabbage, chard, beet greens, collard greens, kale, and arugula. (Iceberg lettuce, considered nutritionally light by many, hovered right around the middle of the list.) Watercress is loaded with vitamin A, which studies have shown may help prevent some types of cancer. It’s also high in vitamin C, key to a healthy immune system, as well as vitamin K and calcium, which support strong bones. Watercress even has a bit of protein! Plus, it’s super low-cal—one cup has just 5 calories.
Parsley

Start using this herb—ranked eighth on the list—as more than a garnish. It’s loaded with vitamins A, C, K, and also provides a good amount of iron, calcium, protein, and potassium, which helps control blood pressure. Two cups chopped is only 35 calories, too. Turn a big bunch into parsley pesto, then toss with pasta or brush on lean chicken or fish.
Endive

Endive, the 13th most nutritious veggie in the study, is a member of the chicory family (think radicchio, escarole, frisée). It has a crisp texture that’s slightly sweet and nutty, with only one calorie per leaf. Endive contains loads of B vitamins, which help your body use or make energy from food. It also has high levels of vitamins C and K, calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, and folate. Dip the sturdy leaves in hummus or guac instead of chips or crackers.
Red Pepper

If you need an immune boost, reach for a sweet red pepper, number 17 on the list and among the top fruits, which also include pumpkin, tomato, and lemon. (Surprisingly low on the list were strawberries, oranges, and grapefruits, often hailed for their high vitamin C content.) Red peppers are high in vitamins C and A, both critical to a healthy immune system.
Pumpkin

One cup of fresh pumpkin, ranked 20th, is just 50 calories and filled with vitamins A, C, B, and E, potassium, and even some filling fiber. Pumpkins start popping up at markets at the end of summer, or early fall. Roast them—and don’t throw out the seeds! Packed with protein, you can toast them too and toss on a dish for crunch.

SURPRISING BENEFITS OF GARLIC

Try garlic for these unexpected health benefits, who-knew beauty uses, and hidden home repairs.

Grow beautiful hair with garlic.

Garlic could end your hair loss problems because of its high levels of allicin, a sulfur compound similar to that found in onions, which were found to effectively treat hair loss. Rub sliced cloves of garlic on your scalp, squeezing as you go for the most benefit. You can also infuse oil with garlic and massage it into your scalp.

Garlic clears acne.

It might not be a main ingredient in your drugstore acne medication, but garlic makes a great natural remedy to banish unsightly blemishes. Its antioxidants kill bacteria, so rub a sliced clove of garlic on the pimple for an effective topical treatment.

Garlic prevents and treats colds.

Packed with antioxidants, your immune system could benefit if you give it a constant boost of powerful garlic in daily recipes. If a cold does sneak by, try sipping garlic tea: steep chopped or minced garlic in hot water for several minutes, then strain and drink. You can add a bit of honey or ginger to improve the taste.
Soothe psoriasis with garlic.

Since garlic has proven anti-inflammatory properties, it could be useful in relieving uncomfortable psoriasis outbreaks. Try rubbing a little garlic oil on the affected area for smooth, rash-free skin.

Control your weight with garlic.

Garlic could help you control your weight, according to nutritionist Cynthia Sass, who cites a study that showed mice eating a garlic-rich diet reduced their weight and fat stores. Try to cook with garlic daily for tasty and waist-friendly meals.
Remove a splinter with garlic.

Placing a slice of garlic over the sliver and covering it with a bandage or duct tape has been a folk cure for years. As natural remedies gain in popularity, current bloggers swear this one works.
Treat athlete's foot with garlic. 

With its anti-fungal properties, garlic could be a good way to get rid of itchy athlete's foot. Soak your feet in a bath of warm water and crushed garlic.
Keep away mosquitoes with garlic.

Scientists aren't sure why, but mosquitoes don't seem to like garlic. One study in India found that people who rubbed a garlicky concoction on their arms and legs weren't bothered by the pesky buggers. Make a solution of garlic oil, petroleum jelly, and beeswax for a natural repellant or place cloves of garlic nearby.
Garlic conquers cold sores.

A popular cold sore home remedy involves holding a bit of crushed garlic directly on the cold sore; its natural anti-inflammatory properties could help reduce pain and swelling. Garlic supplements may also speed up the healing process, according to ecosalon.com.
Garlic works as a natural glue.

Have you ever noticed how sticky your fingers get after chopping garlic? That natural adhesive quality is why some people swear by garlic to fix hairline cracks in glass. Crush some cloves and rub the juice on the crack, wiping away any excess.
De-ice your sidewalk with garlic.

A town in Iowa used donated garlic salt to remove ice from roadways. Next time you stumble on old garlic salt in the back of your spice cabinet, save it for an icy walkway.
Protect plants with garlic.

Garden pests don't like garlic, so make a natural pesticide using garlic, mineral oil, water, and liquid soap. Pour into a spray bottle and mist your plants to keep away destructive critters.
Catch more fish with garlic.

Fish are so attracted to the scent of garlic that you can buy bait with the smell built in. Or, make your own using food scraps and, of course, plenty of cloves.

BEST WAYS TO DEAL WITH ANGER

Did you know angry people are three times more likely than calmer ones to have a heart attack? Protect your health with the following five tips on how to keep your cool.
 

First: What's going on in the angry brain?
When we get mad, our brain's more rational prefrontal lobes shut down, and its reflexive back areas take over. Hormonal and cardiovascular responses kick in. We pump out cholesterol and a group of chemicals called catecholamines, which encourage fatty deposits to pile up in the heart and carotid arteries. It’s no surprise, then, that angry people are three times more likely to have a heart attack than those less prone to fury. The fight-or-flight response can prompt your nervous system to cut blood flow to your stomach and divert it to your muscles, impacting digestion secretions. Stress can also increase stomach acids. And anger causes a surge in the stress hormone cortisol, which bumps up oil production and leads to acne and other skin problems. During prolonged and frequent eruptions of rage, parts of the nervous system become highly activated, which can affect our immune systems over time. So, how can we avoid all this?

1. Retrain your brain.

Cognitive restructuring, or “thought stopping,” involves challenging your take on anger-inducing scenarios and reevaluating irrational beliefs.

2. Book an appointment.

Cognitive behavioral therapy can help you learn to spot anger triggers and to control reactions. 

3. Breathe deep.

Bliss out with breathing exercises—they help slow your heart rate and keep your mind focused on something other than the source of your stress. 

4. Sweat it out.

Exercise provides an outlet for aggression and stimulates feel-good brain chemicals. 

5. Medicate.

If anger is a symptom of a bigger problem such as depression, prescription drugs could be a solution. Check with your doctor.