The bell pepper is, yes, sweet and versatile, but did you know that bell pepper nutrition also helps you fight everything from the common cold to cancer? This delicious food is familiar to many of us for its sweet taste and ability to be stuffed chock-full of yummy stuff before being eaten, but the benefits…
Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is a type of edible, medicinal fruit that is native to Asia, Africa and parts of the Caribbean. It has a very long history of use in China, Ayurvedic medicine — a traditional system of healing that has been practiced for India for over 3,000 years — and also in some of…
If you're not a vegetarian or vegan, you probably eat chicken, but what kind of chicken do you eat: conventional or free-range chicken? These days not all chicken farms are created equal. In fact, some of these places treat their birds poorly and produce some low-quality chicken meat — and quality isn't the only issue.…
There are so many reasons you need to make sure you consume an adequate amount of potassium-rich foods daily. An important electrolyte, potassium is also the third most abundant mineral in the body. It interacts with sodium to perform a number of important functions every single day, such as balancing fluids and mineral levels within…
Never heard of fenugreek? This medicinal herb helps reduce both internal and external inflammation, and it includes many health benefits when used regularly. As noted in the book "Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety," fenugreek extract and oil are known to possess antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic and antitumorigenic activities. Learn more about what fenugreek…
Food allergies are immune-based diseases that have become a serious health concern in the United States, with an estimated 32 million Americans dealing with food allergy symptoms according to the food allergy research organization FARE. Despite the risk of severe allergic reactions and even death, there is no current cure for food allergies. The condition…
Did you know that the manufacturing of aloe vera extracts is one of the largest botanical industries in the world? In the U.S., it has found widespread use in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries. If you walk down the health and beauty isles of your local grocery store, you'll likely see multiple products made with aloe vera.…
Relentless itching, skin rashes, redness and blisters — these are the not-so-fun symptoms of scabies, a contagious skin disease caused by an infestation of the itch mite, Sarcoptes scabiei. It's estimated that more than 400 million scabies cases occur each year throughout the world! It's spread through personal contact by relatives, sexual partners, schoolchildren, chronically ill…
Athlete's foot affects anywhere from 3 percent to 15 percent of the population every year, and it's one of the most common types of fungal infections seen in humans. Up to to 25 percent of people (one in four) will likely develop symptoms at some point. Athlete's foot has some things in common with other fungal infections you've…
What is kimchi? Also called gimchi or kimchee, it is a traditional, fermented, probiotic food that is a staple Korean side dish. Dating back hundreds of years, there are dozens of different recipes for making kimchi, but nearly all have several vegetables and seasonings in common that give it its signature taste. Some of the main…
