Another Awesome Superfood: Cacao – or Cocoa…

Yummy nibs!

Theobroma cacao, Cocoa beans, Cocoa pods, and Cacao.

Is chocolate good for you? Numerous studies have suggested that the guilty pleasures of chocolate may not be quite so guilty after all. Cacao beans and nibs, the raw materials for making chocolate, are high in flavonoids, contain more antioxidants than most fruits and appear to lower cholesterol in people with high cholesterol. In fact, the whole cacao fruit was used medicinally among the Maya, Olmec and Aztecs, and was spread from there to Europe after the Spanish conquest of those peoples. From the 16th through the 20th centuries, medical texts reported no less than 100 medicinal uses of cacao. Most commonly, the uses were to encourage weight gain, stimulate appetite, stimulate the nervous system and improve digestion and elimination. Of course, we know cacao as the source of chocolate, the decadently delicious, luxurious guilty pleasure. There are, however, some very good reasons that chocolate is a worldwide favorite food and flavoring, and scientists are discovering more of them every day. Among their discoveries: – Dark chocolate, which contains more cacao and less fats and sugars, can positively benefit the cholesterol profile – Cacao provides the same amount of antioxidant polyphenols as a glass of red wine – Cacao stimulates the production of natural antidepressants in the body, as well as containing its own stimulants, theophylline and caffeine- Cacao beans are rich in magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese and potassium. They are also a good source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, E and pantothenic acid

Constituents:      Caffeine, flavonoids, phenylethylalamine, anandamide, magnesium, sulfur, oleic acid, theobromine, tryptophan, Cacao beans and nibs contain more flavonoid antioxidants than most other vegetables and fruits * up to four times as much concentrated antioxidants as green tea. Cacao stimulates the production of serotonin and endorphins, and contains phenylethylalamine and anandamide, two chemicals that elevate the mood and help increase focus.

 Parts Used: Beans, either whole or broken into nibs

 Typical Preparations:   Eaten raw-as is, or roasted, brewed, and powdered into tea. Used abundantly in food and other consumables. Sometimes found in extract form. 

Summary:

Cacao beans and nibs contain a number of constituents that have been proven beneficial healthwise, but it?s worth noting that many of these constituents are destroyed or lessened by processing. Health practitioners recommend that anyone interested in eating cacao for its health benefits use raw, unprocessed cacao beans and nibs rather than processed chocolate.

Precautions

Anyone with a sensitivity to chocolate should avoid eating cacao beans or nibs. The active polyphenols and other substances in cacao can trigger migraines and cause other allergic reactions in sensitive people.

For educational purposes only This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 

* This information was taken from http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/cacao.php Ubi’s buys their cacao nibs directly from Mountain Rose Herbs in Eugene, OR.  See their website for more information about their environmental practices & quality control!

SUPERFOODS, What are They & Should You be Eating Them?

The word ‘Superfood’ is not an actual word yet. It is a marketing tool word & I’m about to use it for just that purpose: Marketing.  We will blog about various ‘superfoods’ that Ubi’s carries & has available to the South Hill & surrounding communities.  These blogs will be listed under the category: Superfoods on our blog page.  Please share any experiences you’ve had with the superfoods we’re blogging about!

Superfoods have been defined many ways, but I think the most  comprehensive way to define a be something like this: a food containing several nutrients that support the body and helps to keep you in good health when you consume them.  A natural whole food grown organically and unaltered from it’s original natural state.  Our first Superfood: GOJI BERRIES!

Goji berries, sometimes called Wolfberries, are perhaps the most nutritionally rich fruit on the planet. Goji berries contain 18 kinds of amino acids (six times higher than bee pollen) and contain all 8 essential amino acids (such as isoleucine and tryptophan).

Goji berries contain up to 21 trace minerals (the main ones being zinc, iron, copper, calcium, germanium, selenium, and phosphorus).

Goji berries are the richest source of carotenoids, including beta-carotene (more beta carotene than carrots), of all known foods or plants on earth! They contain 500 times the amount of vitamin C, by weight, than oranges making them second only to camu camu berries as the richest vitamin C source on earth. Goji berries also contain vitamins B1, B2, B6, and vitamin E.

Mature fruits contain about 11 mg of iron per 100 grams, beta-sisterol (an anti-inflammatory agent), linoleic acid (a fatty acid), sesquiterpenoids (cyperone, solavetivone), tetraterpenoids (zeaxanthin, physalin), and betaine (0.1%).

Goji berries contain polysaccharides which fortify the immune system. A polysaccharide found in this fruit has been found to be a powerful secretagogue (a substance that stimulates the secretion of rejuvenating human growth hormone by the pituitary gland).

Goji berries have been traditionally regarded as a longevity, strength-building, and sexual potency food of the highest order. In several study groups with elderly people the berry was given once a day for 3 weeks, many beneficial results were experienced and 67% of the patients T cell transformation functions tripled and the activity of the patients white cell interleukin-2 doubled. In addition, the results showed that all the patients spirit and optimism increased significantly, appetite improved in 95% of the patients, 95% of the patients slept better, and 35% of the patients partially recovered their sexual function.

The famed Li Qing Yuen, who apparently lived to the age of 252 years (1678-1930), consumed Goji berries daily. The life of Li Qing Yuen is the most well-documented case of extreme longevity known.

These Goji berries grow in protected valleys in million year old soil in wild and cultivated areas. The plants grow like bushes with vines that reach over 15 feet. The berries are never touched by hand as they will oxidize and turn black if touched while fresh. They are shaken onto mats, then dried in the shade.

The Goji berry is a deep-red, dried fruit about the same size as a raisin. The Goji berry tastes somewhat like a cross between a cranberry and a cherry.

A good daily intake of Goji berries is 10-30 grams (a small handful). Goji berries may be used as snacks or mixed with recipes or smoothies like other dried fruits.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Diet Tea? Meet Yerba Mate

Yerba mate is the dried leaves and stems of a South American rainforest holly, and is the national beverage of Paraguay. The term mate is a Guarani Indian word for gourd, referring to the hollowed out gourds once used to hold the tea. In traditional use of yerba mate, the tea cup is often shared among close friends and family, all of whom use thee same straw, or bombilla. Sharing the same straw is considered a sign of total acceptance and friendship. Yerba Mate is one of the worlds most effective and healing beverages with over 196 active compounds which shadows the active compounds found in Green tea (Camellia sinensis) which has about 144.

Yerba mate is diuretic, inotropic (increasing the strength of each heartbeat), chronotropic (making the heart beat faster), glycogenolytic (breaking down stored glycogen in the liver, allowing it to store calories from the next meal), lipolytic (breaking down fats), and analeptic (stimulating the central nervous system). Yerba mate assists weight loss by increasing the transit time of food through the digestive tract, helping users feel fuller, longer. The British Herbal Compendium also recommends Yerba mate for treating fatigue and headache. Shade grown Yerba mate is far more nutritious and tasty compared to sun grown Yerba mate. One can see the difference just by looking at the color of the dried material. Shade grown Yerba mate is a bold dark green and has a nice heavy taste. Sun grown Yerba mate is pale is color (a little like dried hay) and has a relatively flat taste.

Ubi’s Yerba Mate is shade grown & fresh!  Available by the ounce at $1.75  per or by the pound at $14.

Making Organic Shampoo at Home is Easy!

Besides using herbs for our health we can use herbs to clean our kitchens, to cook nutritious foods, and to decorate our homes.
This article looks at another aspect of incorporating herbs into our lives – washing our hair.

Walking down the personal hygiene aisle of a grocery store you can easily get overwhelmed at the amazing amount of choices. You can also easily get overwhelmed at the amazingly high prices!

Besides being pricy, conventional shampoos can contain many harmful chemicals.
One example is parabens. These chemicals are a common ingredient in hair care products and have been linked to cancer. Surprisingly, shampoos claiming to be more “natural” can also contain harmful ingredients.

A diet rich in nutrients will do more for keeping your hair healthy than any fancy shampoo.

Many of us wash our hair daily but this can actually dry out and further damage hair.
If you currently wash your hair daily and would like to experience the benefits of fewer washings I recommend slowly cutting back to every other day, then every two days, etc. You might find your hair to be oily during these transition periods, but once your hair regains its natural balance you’ll notice this less and less.

Another thing to take note of is that the squeaky clean feeling we are used to experiencing with conventional shampoos is actually signaling that we are stripping the hair of its natural and beneficial oils.

The following recipe works well for people with more oily hair. Please see below for variations for different hair types.

To make this shampoo recipe you’ll need:

8 oz distilled water
2 teaspoons of dried rosemary
2 teaspoons of dried rose petals
3 ounces liquid castile soap
3 Tablespoon aloe vera gel
¼ teaspoon of jojoba oil
30 drops of pure rosemary essential oil
Place the rosemary and rose petals into a jar.

Fill the jar with boiling water and immediately place a lid over the jar.

Let this mixture steep for a minimum of 30 minutes. Sometimes I just let the mixture stand until cool.
Strain the herbs. Let the remaining liquid cool to room temperature.
Place the liquid into a shampoo bottle. (You can buy a new shampoo-like bottle or simply store it in an old shampoo bottle that has been washed out. If wanting new bottles Ubi’s also carries them.)
Add the castile soap to the container

Then add the jojoba oil and essential oil.

And finally add the aloe vera gel.

Shake well and voila! You have your own handmade herbal shampoo. You’ll want to shake this mixture each time before you use it.

This shampoo should last for several weeks. If it will take you longer than that to use the whole content you may consider keeping a portion of it in the fridge to prolong the shelf life.

If you don’t have distilled water (you can buy it at any grocery store), you can use regular water – but this may lead to a shorter shelf life. The distilled water ensures that you aren’t adding any bacteria to the mix.

Variations:
(Feel free to mix and match herbs. This recipe uses about 3 teaspoons of dried herbal material.)

If you have blond or lightly colored hair you might use chamomile and calendula in your herbal mix.

For a dark blend you can mix nettle, sage, and black walnut hulls.

For dry hair try violet leaf and marshmallow root and possibly add more oil to your recipe.

To strengthen your hair, simmer horsetail, oatstraw, and nettle for twenty minutes. Strain and cool. Use this as your herbal base.

Besides rosemary essential oil you might also enjoy chamomile, lavender, and sage essential oils. If you have an itchy scalp and/or dandruff you might try adding tea tree oil to the mix.

Besides jojoba oil you can try almond oil, sesame oil, or even olive oil. Note that olive oil will leave more of a greasy feeling than jojoba or sesame oil. If you have really dry hair you can add a bit more oil to your recipe. If you have really oily hair stick to the jojoba oil and possibly add less to your recipe.

Have Heartburn & Tired of Your Lethal Prescription?

Have frequent heartburn? Take Nexium. An advertising blitz for that little purple pill helped it become the No. 2 best-selling prescription drug in the U.S., with sales of $6.3 billion last year–and let’s not forget the billions spent on its over-the-counter cousin, Prilosec. Now, though, researchers are warning that this category of heartburn drugs, called proton pump inhibitors, may do more harm than good, at least for people with garden-variety heartburn. A series of new studies, published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that daily use of these drugs, which suppress the production of stomach acid, increases the risk of infection with an intestinal bacteria and increases the risk of fractures in postmenopausal women. Previous research has shown that they also increase the likelihood of contracting pneumonia.

“About 60 to 70 percent of people taking these drugs have mild heartburn and shouldn’t be on them,” says Mitchell Katz, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health who wrote an editorial that accompanied the new studies. “It’s not just a question of unnecessary costs, but unnecessary side effects.” Where PPI’s do help, he says, is for the treatment of bleeding ulcers, infection with the ulcer-causing bacteria Helicobacter pylori, or management of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, a rare condition that causes the stomach to produce excess acid. They are also warranted in cases of severe reflux, where an endoscopy reveals damage to the esophagus.

For everyone else, however, “there’s no question that these drugs will relieve indigestion and reflux,” says Katz, “but, beyond symptom relief, there’s no long-term benefit to taking them, while there are some long-term risks.” One study found a 74 percent increase in risk of infection with a harmful intestinal bacteria called Clostridium difficile for those taking a daily prescription-strength PPI, while another found a 25 percent increased risk of fractures in postmenopausal women who used PPI’s. Both findings were considered to be modest increases in risk-but still enough, says Katz, to encourage folks with mild heartburn to forgo the drugs and double their efforts to make symptom-relieving lifestyle changes such as these:

1. Avoid heartburn-triggering foods. These vary from person to person, but common offenders include orange juice, chocolate, tomato sauce, spicy foods, mint, garlic, and vinegar. Fatty, greasy foods, like cheeseburgers and fries, are also heartburn instigators.

2. Stay upright for a few hours after you eat. Sitting up works with gravity to keep food and stomach acid from flowing up into your esophagus. Better yet, move about a bit to help speed digestion. “Our grandparents had it right when they headed out for a walk after a large meal,” he says.

3. But abstain from exercise right after eating. Intense workouts slow digestion, making reflux more likely. Better to exercise first thing in the morning or a few hours after a meal. If you still experience heartburn symptoms after a workout, drink extra water. Staying hydrated helps improve digestion to keep symptoms at bay.

4. Eat smaller meals. To avoid heartburn, aim to eat up to six mini-meals a day, as opposed to three large ones. The worst? Eating a large meal right before bed. Try to abstain from food or drinks within an hour or two of bedtime. Even a tall glass of water before lying down can trigger symptoms in susceptible individuals.

5. Go easy on caffeine and alcohol-and avoid cigarettes. All three can relax the esophageal sphincter muscle, which normally keeps stomach acid from splashing up into the esophagus. Carbonated beverages can also cause this problem.

6. Don’t eat too quickly. Try chewing slowly and putting your fork down between bites. Hot soups are a good appetizer because they take longer to consume.

7. Wear looser-fitting clothes. Tight belts, waistbands, and pantyhose constrict the stomach, sometimes triggering reflux.

8. Find ways to relax. Stress may increase stomach acids, raising the likelihood of heartburn.

9. Aim to lose a few extra pounds. The pressure of excess weight-especially around the abdomen-increases the chance that stomach acid will backwash into the esophagus.

10. Try chewing gum. This can boost the production of saliva, which neutralizes stomach acid.

11. Bend with your knees. Bending over at the waist tends to promote heartburn symptoms.

12. Elevate the head of your bed. Place blocks or bricks under your bedposts to raise the head of your bed 6 inches. Elevating your head and chest during sleep helps prevent nighttime reflux. A wedge pillow may also work.

Ubi’s offers all kinds of products that help with stress relief & we offer soft bamboo & organic loose clothing to keep the juices flowing after you eat. Mention this blog to receive 20% off any single Global Ghetto Designer Bamboo article of clothing! Limit 1 per person till the end of May 2010.

Ubi’s Favorite Green Cleaning Product – & You Can’t Buy it From Us!

The cleaning aisle at just about any grocery store is stocked with a dizzying array of options—and when it comes down to it, there are a lot of expensive, toxic, superfluous products crowding the market. Chances are, you already have one of the best, all-purpose cleaning agents in your pantry: white vinegar. Vinegar actually works as a great laundry booster, stripping away the chemical build-up that detergent leaves behind (and gets rid of clingy odors in the process). And beyond that, there are tons of other applications for the stuff around your home. Here, from vinegartips.com and frugalfun.com, 25 ideas for making the most of vinegar: 1. Deodorize the sink: Pour 1 cup baking soda, followed by 1 cup hot vinegar, down the drain. Let sit for at least 5 minutes, then rinse with hot water. 2. Deodorize the garbage disposal: Make ice cubes out of vinegar. Run the disposal with a few vinegar ice cubes and cold water. 3. Clean countertops: Wipe down surfaces with a rag dipped in vinegar. 4. Clean the fridge: Use a mixture of half water, half vinegar to wipe down the interior shelves and walls. 5. Remove soap build-up and odors from the dishwasher: Once a month, pour 1 cup of vinegar into an empty dishwasher and run the machine through its entire cycle. 6. Bust oven grease: If you’ve got grease spots on the oven door, pour some vinegar directly on the stains, let it sit for 15 minutes, and wipe away with a sponge. 7. To make old glassware sparkle: To get rid of the cloudy effect, wrap a vinegar-soaked towel around the glass and let it sit. Remove and rinse with hot water. 8. Get rid of lime deposits on your tea kettle: Fill the kettle with vinegar and let it boil. Allow it to cool, and rinse with water. 9. Remove stains in coffee cups: Create a paste using of equal parts vinegar and salt (or in lieu of salt, baking soda) and scrub gently before rinsing. 10. Treat Tupperware stains (and stinkiness): Wipe the containers with a vinegar-saturated cloth. 11. Remove stains on aluminum pots: Boil 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup water. 12. Deter ant infestations: Spray outside doorways and windowsills, and anywhere you see a trail of critters. 13. Clean can openers: Scrub the wheel of your can opener with vinegar using an old toothbrush. 14. Remove stickers or labels: Cover the sticker with a vinegar-soaked cloth. Let it sit overnight—it should slide right off by morning. 15. Shine porcelain sinks: A bit of vinegar and a good scrub should leave them sparkling. 16. Clean grout: Pour on some vinegar, let it hang out for a few minutes, and buff with an old toothbrush. 17. Clean the shower door: Spray them down with vinegar pre-shower, or post (after you’ve squeegeed the glass) to remove hard water deposits. 18. Clean a grimy showerhead: To get rid of scum, fill a Ziploc with ½ a cup of baking soda and 1 cup vinegar and tie it around the showerhead. Let it sit for an hour, until the bubbling has stopped. Remove the bag and run the shower. 19. Make a toilet sparkle: Pour in a cup or two of vinegar and let it sit there overnight before scrubbing with a toilet brush. 20. Polish linoleum floors: Add 1 cup of vinegar for every gallon of water you use to wash the floor. 21. Clean paintbrushes: Soak paintbrushes for an hour before simmering them on the stove to remove hardened paint. Drain and rinse. 22. Clean grills: Spray vinegar on a ball of tin foil, then use it to give the grate a firm scrub. 23. Disinfect wood cutting boards: Wipe down wood boards with a wash of vinegar. 24. Clean the microwave: Fill a microwave-safe bowl with 2 cups water and ½ cup vinegar. Heat it on full power for 3-4 minutes until it comes to a boil. Keep the door closed for a few minutes longer to let the steam fill the microwave, loosening the grime. Remove the bowl (carefully!) and wipe down interior walls with a sponge. 25. Polish patent leather accessories: Give them a rub with a vinegar-soaked cloth. Buff with a dry cloth.

The Most Popular Recommendation for Good Health From Ubi’s

People come into Ubi’s all the time with physical complaints.  They want me to recommend a supplement or herb that will make them feel better. I’m not a doctor, but since most doctors are too expensive to see to ask a simple question & since most don’t practice preventative care anyway, people turn to health & wellness stores & supplement stores for answers.  The first thing I ask people is do they drink enough water & do they know what enough water is.  Every cell in your body needs water from head to toe. That is why it is so important to drink enough fluid. Take for example, brain consists of 90% of water, if you do not supply enough water to your body, your brain cannot function well, and you will get headache or migraine. Hence, next time, if you feel fatigue and headache, it may be the sign of dehydration.

There is a ton of information out there about what causes disease & illness. Drinking enough water everyday to keep the body properly hydrated is essential to good health.  There are more options now than ever on how to get good quality water if you don’t want to drink your tap water polluted with chemicals like chlorine & fluoride.  There are the filter systems available at warehouse stores, home improvement stores & through local people that directly sale systems that cannot be found in stores.  I personally recommend the Aqua Pour through Nikken.  This is the system you see at Ubi’s.  The water is delicious & clean & the system costs about $300.   Way cheaper than most direct sale systems & the filters last a long time.  You don’t need a fancy water filtration system. You need one that removes the chemicals & one that you can afford to keep using.

There are lots of good books out there about the importance of water in our lives.  A few can be found at Ubi’s!

New Jewelry Just in Time for Mother’s Day!

Ubi’s jeweler Karen Kroha just brought in some fabulous new pieces!  What a wonderful local jeweler; how lucky is the South Hill community to have her?  She provides sizing, free cleaning & customized pieces for our customers.  Last night Karen brought in several pieces of a rare stone & let one of our customers pick which piece she wanted out of it for Karen to make her a pendant. She was able to size a bracelet for another customer & make earrings out of the left over pieces for only $10!  Karen has only been a Ubi’s jeweler for a few weeks, so stop by & see why we are all excited to have her here!

With Mother’s Day right around the corner, we have all kinds of options for all kinds of moms!  We have 6 local jewelry artist’s on display with prices ranging from $7.50 – several hundred dollars.

Your mom doesn’t like jewelry, no problem!  We have all kinds of unique gift ideas all over the store! We always offer free gift baskets wrapped & ready before the holiday free of charge when you spend at least $25 on items in the basket!  Gift bags are free with $15 purchases! You can even leave it here until the day before the holiday if you don’t want to have to find a hiding place at home!

Stop by today & see how we can help make every holiday, or any day, really special!

Fresh Spice Blends Make Dinner an Event

Have you smelled your spices lately? If they don’t knock your socks off when you open them & take a sniff, they are dead. Sorry, but you need to let them go & replace them with herbs & spices that do knock your socks off!  Come in to Ubi’s & smell a huge variety of FRESH herbs & spices from all over the world.  Ubi’s carries Epicurean Organic Seasoning Blends at prices way lower than most grocers offer on far less quality.  Your family should look forward to eating the meals you cook.

‘Enjoy the world’s tastiest organic seasoning blends which we strictly make from the freshest and most flavorful organic spices from around the globe. What makes our line of Epicurean Organic seasonings so special is that farmers were given full negotiation rights in determining the prices they received for their harvests. This far exceeds traditional fair trade programs which is good for the growers and good for you! All of the Epicurean Organic seasoning blends made by Mountain Rose Herbs are completely free from irradiation treatment and are certified organic by OTCO and Kosher certified by Earth Kosher.’ – Mountain Rose Herbs

Recieve a free sample if you mention this blog post!  Come share the journey with us.

Rooibos Tea

 Rooibos is an ultra fine, delicate tea that has a hearty red color that (excuse the morbid description) brews to an almost blood color. Don’t let the ghastly tone scare you off. It has a superior, natural sweetness that is unsurpassed and drinks down like Kukicha twig tea…smooth and succulent with an aromatic after taste.

Modern medical institutes and, most notably Japan have taken quick notice of the medical benefits of consuming this beverage and have amassed findings on Rooibos including anti-viral, anti-spasmodic and anti-allergic properties. They have also found that Rooibos is over 50 times more active in anti-oxidant properties then green tea! This is good news for a lot of green tea drinkers especially because of the low price of Rooibos, it makes a wonderful economical alternative.
Rooibos is caffeine free, rich in naturally occurring trace elements, and contains healthy amounts of Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Fluoride, Manganese, Zinc, Calcium, and Vitamin C. It also contains fair amounts of alpha-hydroxy acid, which is known to promote healthy skin. This is truly an amazing plant that is just starting to make its way into western culture from its mountain peak home of South Africa.

At Ubi’s we have several varieties of Rooibos. For the whole month of April 2010, we have a special – buy 2 oz of bulk tea, spices &/or herbs & get 1 oz free!  See store for details!