Goji Berries – The Mighty Anti-Aging Cancer-Fighting Superfruit

The Goji berry goes by many names including Wolfberry here in North America and gou qi zi in China.  The majority of commercially produced berries come from Asia, but especially China. As they are grown so far away, they often arrive to us here in North America in a dried form.

Dried Goji Berries

When it is not dried, the fruit is a bright orange shiny berry with a taut skin. Each berry is about half an inch in length and slightly oval shaped.  The dried ones look like very large raisins and they can vary in hue from bright gold to dark red.

The raw berries have a very tangy, sweet and sour taste that is a bit like lemon. However once they are dried the fruit loses its sharpness and tastes like a very tasty raisin.

The Nutritional Benefits of the Goji Berry

Goji berries are called the anti-aging superfruit because they contain selenium, which is so nourishing for the skin and nerves and also a potent nutrient for skin regeneration. 

Goji berries are also a rarity nutritionally because they are an excellent vegan source of high protein. Protein, in fact, makes up almost 16 percent of the fruit’s composition making this an ideal snack for dieters. Goji berries are also rich in other nutrients and phytochemicals like amino acids, carotenoids like beta-carotene and zeaxanthin, polysaccharides, antioxidants, calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, and riboflavin.

However it is really Goji berries turn to shine when it comes to polysacchrides.  These are agents that are an exceptional source of essential cell sugars that can help your cells communicate more effectively with each other. This helps slow down the aging process. These polysacchrides also lower blood sugar and blood pressure and reduce inflammation.

The Health Benefits of "Going Goji"

Goji berries have been used for 600 years by herbalists in China and Tibet to protect the liver, improve eyesight, improve sexual function, sustain fertility, strengthen the legs, boost immunity, boost circulation and restore youth.

The high antioxidant content in Goji berries supports brain function. Compounds in Goji berries fight narrowing of the arteries and supply the body with generous amounts of choline, which is an essential nutrient that combats Alzheimer’s disease

It is the beta-carotene and zeaxanthin that are of particular benefit to the eyesight as both compounds prevent macular degeneration which is the leading cause of blindness in people over 65 years of age.

It is a great idea to snack on Goji berries in the winter during cold and flu season.  Yet another benefit of the high protein content is that it boosts the functioning of white blood cells by 300 percent making it more difficult to catch the flu or other air or water-borne viruses.

How to Find and Prepare Goji Berries

Whole Goji berries can be found at Chinese herbal shops and health food stores. The dried berries can be found in most grocery stores nowadays. The reason they are sold mostly dried is because the raw berry is very delicate and sometimes does not survive shipping.

The raw berries may be sold on branches or with stems to preserve their freshness in which case it is suggested you separate the fruit from the stem and wash very carefully.

For more information or to book a consultation about our restorative Healthy and Active diet and  HCG weight loss programs, restorative IV therapy  or any health issue you may be experiencing, visit the Pinewood Natural Health Center website that has a list of full services and products at www.pinewood.ca or call our Toronto Office at  (416)-656- 8100.  We also have an office in Pickering, Ontario at (905)-427-0057. You can also email us at info@pinewoodhealth.ca and we would be happy to answer any question that you have about our holistic health services.

Foods to Avoid to Halt Candida Yeast Infections

You have probably heard the saying, “Food is medicine.”  This is particularly true when it comes to preventing and treating yeast infections because yeast is a living organism that can only thrive if you feed it the foods that it loves such as -

• Aged cheeses such as smoky Gouda, old cheddar, Oka
• Alcohol of all kinds
• Chocolate – even the dark chocolate that is usually good for you
• Dried fruits including raisins, dried apricots, acai berries etc.
• Gluten-rich foods such as store-bought muffins and pasta
• Foods with nitrates such as packaged meats, hot dogs and ham
• Honey
• Ice cream
• Nut butters including peanut butter, cashew butter and almond butter
• Pickles
• Raw mushrooms
• Soy sauce
• Sprouts
• Sugar in anything!
• Yeast including healthy yeast products like milk brewer’s yeast.

The above is a list of foods that are known to make yeast infections worse if you have one. If you are being overcome by an acute attack of yeast or have as severe condition like thrush or bacterial vaginosis then you should also avoid fruits such as –

• Oranges
• Grapefruits
• Lemons
• Limes
• Pineapple
• Tomatoes

You will be able to add this foods back slowly into your diet after the inflammation caused by your yeast infection has lessened and you are no longer suffering severe symptoms

Avoiding the foods on this list might seem very difficult because candida manages to burrow into the intestinal wall and spread, like a wild fungus throughout the entire body.  You may find yourself craving, yeast, flour, sugar and pasta simply because the candida yeast you are hosting in your body needs to be fed.

Candida is actually the main cause of many carbohydrate food cravings and the weight gain that can result from it.  Candida yeast can also cause bloating, gas depression, a rounded belly, fatigue and brain fog.  However, this is not the worst thing that candida does to your body. It also creates an environment in which other organism can live. These parasitic organisms act like leeches in the intestines, consuming nutrients meant for you and causing you hunger and uncontrollable cravings.

Dandelion Greens for Detox

One way to fight back is with food. Thinking of it as medicine, keep it mind that food is most effective if eaten raw. It is also a good idea to consume vegetable and produce that is a bit riper as they contain the most candida-fighting enzymes.  Herbs that can help fight candida include echinacea, golden seal, tea tree oil, barberry, chamomile, cinnamon, dandelion, fennel, marshmallow and peppermint.

It also helps to drink as much water as you can possibly tolerate in a day, far beyond the recommended ten eight ounce glasses of water a day. Make sure that the water you are drinking is purified or distilled water or you will just be “watering” the garden of yeast thriving inside you with more toxins.

Here at the Pinewood Natural Health Center we understanding how overwhelming and tiring a chronic yeast problem can be. We are experts in helping our clients fight the tyranny of candida yeast that has taken over the body. We can, using our special programmes of detoxification and recovery help you easily conquer this problem and they other health issues, such as bad breath and obesity that often go with it.

For more information or to book a consultation about our restorative diet and weight loss programs  visit the Pinewood Natural Health Centre website that has a list of full services and products at www.pinewood.ca or call our Toronto Office at  (416)-656- 8100.  We also have an office in Pickering, Ontario at (905)-427-0057. You can also email us at info@pinewoodhealth.ca and we would be happy to answer any question that you have about our holistic health services.