Sunday 10 February 2013

Vitamin C


We all know that vitamin c has many benefits for our bodies. Some benefits include healthy tissue growth, iron absorption and proper collagen formation. Recently though, it has been found that vitamin C can be beneficial for those who with Rheumatoid Arthritis. While Rheumatoid Arthritis affects 1.3 million adults in the U.S alone, researcher Dr. Nina Mikirova and her team have discovered that high doses of intravenous vitamin C eases the pain and inflammation associated with the major inflammatory joint disease. She explained that oxidative stress is elevated in Rheumatoid Arthritis patients, but reactive oxygen species are present as possible mediators of tissue damage. It was also found that RA patients tended to be vitamin C deficient and needed high dosage supplements to maintain vitamin C levels. 

Information taken from: http://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/contents/view_online-exclusives/2013-01-17/vitamin-c-proves-promising-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/

Monday 4 February 2013


During the insanely cold winter days when you get brain freeze waiting for your bus, you might be inclined to buy a hot beverage to warm you up. Here are a few recipes to make your own yummy hot drinks. Making your own can save you some money, save a cup, help you avoid the nasty things that are often found in hot drinks (like artificial flavour, artificial colour, processed sugar etc.), plus it gives you the freedom to tailor it to your liking (dairy-free, soy-free, sugar-free etc.)
 
Mint Hot Chocolate
2 Cups Milk (regular, almond, soy, or coconut for a real treat)
2-3 tsp Pure Cocoa powder (Cocoa Camino is Canadian and fair-trade!)
Dash of salt
A few drops of peppermint extract
Sweeten to taste with agave nectar, raw cane sugar, honey or maple syrup
Heat the milk in a saucepan or in the microwave. Mix cocoa powder and salt in a mug. Pour milk slowly into mug, mixing as you go. Sweeten and add peppermint.
 
 Spiced Chai Steamer
2 Cups Milk (regular, almond, soy etc)
1 Chai Teabag
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
Sweeten to taste with agave nectar, raw cane sugar, honey or maple syrup
Heat the milk in a saucepan or in the microwave. Pour hot milk over tea bag, and steep for about 5 minutes. Sweeten and add vanilla extract. Add a pinch of cayenne for a kick!
 
 Hot Apple Cider
2 Cups Apple Juice (not from concentrate, or ½ C juice and ½ C water)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground ginger
Heat the juice in saucepan or in microwave. Mix the spices in a mug. Pour hot juice over spices.
 
Lemon Ginger Drink
2 Cups Water
3-5 Thin slices of fresh ginger (more if you like it really strong)
Juice of ½ a lemon (lime works too)
Sweeten to taste with agave nectar, raw cane sugar, honey or maple syrup
Boil the water, and pour it over the ginger slices. Let it brew for about 5-10 minutes (the longer the stronger). Add lemon juice and sweetener.
 
These are just a few ideas. Experiment with different spices, teas, and sweeteners! Try to go easy on the sweeteners though.