The Health Benefits of Seeds, Nuts, Fish and Oils

Author: Scott Meyers

Sunflower seeds are not just fun to eat; they are also very nutritious to the body. While sunflower seeds contain approximately the same amount of polyunsaturated fats as their counterpart nuts, they are much richer in antioxidants that ward off cancer, cataracts and heart disease. Sunflower seeds are also high in vitamin E content. It has been shown by research studies that consuming high amounts, which is to say in the area of 100 IU (the RDA is presently at 15 IU on a daily basis) of vitamin E on a daily basis helps to cut the risk of developing heart disease by approximately 40 percent.

Fish and fish oils contain the very important omega 3 fatty acids that the body requires to help lower the blood fats, and in particular triglycerides. It is believed that high amounts of triglycerides in the blood are more dangerous for females than they are for males. Eating regular portions of fish is also beneficial for lowering blood pressure and for easing many of the discomforts that arthritis brings with it. The fish highest in omega 3 fatty acids include salmon, blue fish, anchovies, sardines, mackerel, herring and lake trout. It is recommended that an individual eat two to three servings of fish per week. It is not recommended that you start taking fish oil supplements unless you first discuss it with your physician.

Nuts are very good for the heart. In particular, walnuts have been found to lower levels of bad cholesterol a great deal. By getting rid of saturated fats in the diet and instead substituting polyunsaturated fats that are contained in nuts you can do a great deal of good for your heart. Nuts, listed in order of those containing the highest levels of monounsaturated fatty acids to the least include macadamias, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, peanuts, pine nuts and walnuts.

Olive oil is very rich monounsaturated fat, which helps to decrease the level of cholesterol in the blood. Olive oil is a mainstay of those living in the Mediterranean region. Oliver oil can be purchased in regular, light tasting, virgin and extra virgin. If you do not particularly like the taste of olive oil then reach for canola oil as it contains plenty of monounsaturated fats and is low in saturated fat content. Other types of oils that are healthiest because of their monounsaturated fats include flaxseed oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, grape seed oil, soybean oil and walnut oil. If you want to decrease your bad cholesterol (LDL) by anywhere from seven to ten percent then substitute either olive oil or canola oil fro butter or margarine (more so if you are replacing butter which contains more fat than margarine). Be aware however that all oils have at least 144 grams of fat, not to mention 120 calories for every tablespoon.

Flaxseed oil is another oil that is beneficial for health. This type of oil comes the flax plant and is an "oilseed." Flaxseed oil is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids as well as lignans. Eating a diet rich in lignans helps to decrease the risk of developing many different kinds of cancers, not to mention osteoporosis and circulatory disease.

Seeds, nuts, fish and oils have many health benefits and if you are looking to live a healthier life they should become a staple in your diet.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-health-benefits-of-seeds-nuts-fish-and-oils-394628.html

About the Author:
Scott Meyers is a staff writer for Its Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Food Cures.

What Makes A Perfume Eco-Friendly?

Hamish Taylor

Managing Director & Consultant
http://www.shinergise.com

There are several ways in which this can be answered and in essence (every pun intended) it boils down to the materials that are used to create the fragrance:

1) Essential oils grown on poor quality soils e.g. lavender, lavandin, spike spanish, etc.
These can be grown organically and/or based on Fair Trade as well as grown sustainably on land that is often unsuitable for other growing purposes e.g. lavender and lavandin grows on very poor soil which would find it hard to grow other meaningful crops without extensive fertilization and artificial irrigation.

2) Other Essential Oils such as Vanilla Absolute grown in rainforest canopies.
Vanilla is an orchid which can only grow within small farms by training the vines on trees in the rainforest, most typically Madagascar but also India, PNG, Uganda, Tahiti. Whilst the rainforest trees themselves do not offer eco-friendly or sustainable crops, the vanilla orchids that grow on them do offer sustainable harvests and do therefore "protect" the rainforest trees that they grow on which most otherwise be cleared to plant other cash crops.

3) Eco-friendly aroma chemicals e.g. synthetic sources from by-products.
For example, linalol and linalool and a host of associated similar products are produced from the by-product stream of vitamin production. Others including several turpentine derived materials are manufactured from the by-products of paper pulp manufacture.

4) Biodegradable materials.
The industry is self-regulating and over the past two decades have deliberately and systematically withdrawn materials from use based on their eco-toxicity profiles. This has included the voluntary discontinuation of several non-biodegradable musks and the development of similar olfactive contribution materials which are biodegradable. Extensive eco-testing, leading to appropriate labeling and restrictive use levels are then used to ensure skin safety and meet stringent environmental conditions. There are literally thousands of materials, each of which is governed by the IFRA/RIFM body whose member companies are monitored for compliance.

You could get into a debate about whether sustainable essential oils are the way to go to create an eco-friendly perfume, however you could also look at the carbon footprint and say that using chemicals sourced from by-product streams would also be highly eco-friendly as otherwise these would be waste products.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishtaylor
Hamish Taylor graduated from Edinburgh University in 1987 with a degree in Chemistry and a passion for business. He joined Unilever as part of their graduate programme and spent the next 19 years working for their Quest International fragrances subsidiary. In 1989 he was posted to Japan for the first time, an experience that led to a further three years spent in Japan (1991-94) where he fulfilled Sales and Marketing leadership roles.

After three years of European and global account management experience, Quest was bought from Unilever by ICI in 1997 after which Hamish once again returned to Japan. He led the Asia Pacific Creative Development function in addition to significant account management leadership in Japan and Asia.

Having worked for and with Unilever as a client for some 15 years, in 2002 he moved to the USA to take on global responsibility for Quest's business with Procter & Gamble. Fuelled by a strong identification with P&G's "Connect & Develop" approach to product innovation, his global team won internal and external recognition for creative success. Having fulfilled various business leadership roles in Europe, Asia and the USA, Hamish joined the Fragrance Division executive leadership team in 2006.

After the acquisition of Quest by Givaudan, Hamish left the business in June 2007 to establish Shinergise Partners Ltd.