What's really great about organic gift baskets is that they make it easy to give your family, friends or coworkers something healthy for a change. Too many people are still buying huge processed meat sausages and as a result, they're actually giving people cancer, diabetes, heart disease and obesity for Christmas. Sounds silly, but it'strue: Most processed food gifts end up giving their recipients an increased risk of serious disease. So for those interested in actually giving people healthful gifts that enhance health and prevent disease, consider organic gift baskets! Every single food item contained in these gift baskets contains numerous disease-fighting phytonutrients. The white mulberries, for example, which are found in the Bliss Mix product, contain powerful disease-fighting anthocyanins. Raw cacao is loaded with brain-boosting and liver-supporting nutrients, and pistachios and macadamia nuts are fantastic sources of heart-healthy oils that reduce the risk of heart disease. Eating the food items from these gift baskets is not only delicious: It's great medicine. It's a way to give the gift of healing 

Can some foods make you smarter? Research shows that nuts and seeds just might boost your brain power and balance your moods. That's right, everything from the most common nuts -- such as walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews and almonds--to the more exotic seeds and nuts can clear up that "brain fog" and enable you to think clearer and be happier than you ever imagined.

Both figuratively and literally speaking, walnuts are "brain food." As Rebecca Wood points out in her "New Foods Encyclopedia," the walnut looks remarkably like the human brain. "The thin, outer green husk, which is removed before the walnuts are marketed, is likened to the scalp. The walnut's hard shell is like a skull. The thin envelope inside, with its paper-like partitions between the two halves of the nut, is like the membrane. The convoluted nut itself represents the human brain's two hemispheres." Now, you might not like to remember this resemblance while you're eating a handful of them, but you will want to remember that walnuts are made up of 15 to 20 percent protein and contain linoleic (omega-6 fatty acids) and alpha-linoleic acids (omega-3 fatty acids), vitamin E and vitamin B6, making them an excellent source of nourishment for your nervous system.... Read entire article

You don’t need to go to a spa to feel relaxed

Relaxation can not only be achieved in a high-priced spa, but in your own bathroom as well. Follow this guide to find relaxation at a fraction of the cost.

• The hustle, bustle, and hassle of modern life leaves a lot of people feeling overworked, tired, stressed, and in need of a little pampering.
• Take the phone off the hook, put the kids to bed early, lock the bathroom door, light the candles and step into a relaxing, luxurious bath.
• Grab a "real" bar of soap and be prepared to driftaway in a tub filled with fragrant natural oils and lots of bubbles...Read entire article

Coffee and tea can reduce the risk of chronic liver disease
A study published today in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Gastroenterology found that people at high risk for liver injury may be able to reduce their risk for developing chronic liver disease significantly by drinking more than two cups of coffee or tea daily. This preventative effect was only seen in people at higher risk for liver disease due to heavy alcohol intake, being overweight or having diabetes or iron overload. This is the first study to take a prospective look at the relationship between coffee and tea consumption and chronic liver disease in the general U.S. population. Read entire article

Heal Your Heart with Wine and Chocolate If women would drink a glass of red wine a day and eat an ounce of dark chocolate, they could help reduce their risk of heart disease. 

Heal Your Heart with Wine and Chocolate . . . and 99 other ways women can protect their hearts is written by veteran health journalist Debora Yost, who reviewed all the scientific research  and literature exclusive to women and heart disease and interviewed the top experts in heart health to come up with 101 scientifically based dietary and lifestyle practices that uniquely appeal to women...more

If you want to lose weight, pour yourself a bowl of soup
Sipping soup may be the key to losing weight, according to a study publishedin the journal “Physiology and Behavior.”Researchers found that soups reduced hunger and increased fullness as much as solid foods. Studyparticipantslowered their total calorie intake when they ate soup instead ofdrinking beverages. “Soups have a water base, which keeps thecalories down,” said Barbara Rolls, a nutrition professor at Penn State University...more

High protein diet good for your health, good for weight loss, says startling new research
Ever since the popularity of the Atkins diet exploded, low-carb / high protein diets have been under fire from critics who say that eating very high levels of protein (three to four times the normal daily amount) would compromise the function of important organs such as the kidneys. Others claim high protein diets don't really help people lose weight.

It turns out both are wrong. New research on rats conducted in France and appearing in the American Journal of Physiology shows that a highprotein diet not only helped rats maintain a lower body weight(18% lower total body weight than the other group) even while feeding freely on high protein foods, it also resulted in healthy liver and kidney function, outstanding blood chemistry, healthier blood sugar regulation and improved glucose tolerance. No negative effects of a high protein diet were found. The rats fed high protein foods were healthier, weighed less, and showed no abnormal function of the kidneys or any other organs...more