Healthy Tips For Better Live » Food Ingredient

Spirulina- Unleash the Power of Nature’s Super Food

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:09:43 +0000

Blue-green algae are a diverse group of microscopic plants that rarely used for human food. The exception is Spirulina, which has become extensively available as a food ingredient within the last twenty years. It is a nutraceutical food with rather unique phytonutrients and also characteristics.

Spirulina can also be used in a variety of healthy food applications. Wild Spirulina platensis, (or Arthrospira as it is sometimes called), grows in the sunny warm-water volcanic soda lakes throughout the world. This alga thrives in the waters containing high amounts of sodium carbonate with pH values above ten. Where wild Spirulina is found so there are often flocks of flamingos and other animals feeding on it. Spirulina has a distinctive spiral structure with the filaments of cells being about 10 microns in diameter and up to 1,000 microns in length.

Malnutrition severely diminishes the human capital of a country and its multifarious widely impacts hinder the universal achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Developing countries are mainly vulnerable to this easily avoidable catastrophe.

Spirulina offers some remarkable health benefits to an undernourished person. It is rich in the beta carotene that can overcome eye problems caused by Vitamin A deficiency. The protein and B-vitamin complex makes a huge major nutritional improvement in an infant’s diet. It is the only food source, except for the mother’s milk, containing considerable amounts of an essential fatty acid GLA that helps to regulate the entire hormone system.

One tablespoon a day can also eliminate iron anemia, the most common mineral deficiency. Spirulina is the most digestible protein food ever , specially important for the malnourished people whose intestines can no longer absorb nutrients effectively. Clinical studies have also shown it helps rebuild healthy intestinal flora. These health benefits have made it an excellent food for the rapid recovery of children from malnutrition related diseases in Mexico , Togo , Romania , China , Rwanda , Zaire , India , Ukraine , and Belarus .

Advantages of Spirulina

• Spirulina does not need a fertile land for cultivation and therefore conserves fertile land and soil. It has over 60 % protein that is higher than the any other food besides benefits of rapid growth and higher yield.

• Spirulina requires less energy input per kilo than the soy, corn, or bovine protein. As cheap energy sources are depleted and costs of energy dependent foods will rise up with energy prices .

• Spirulina uses less water per kilo of protein than the other foods as the water is recycled back to the ponds after be harvesting .

• Spirulina is a big oxygen producer that is even more efficient than the trees and forests to absorb Carbon dioxide and release Oxygen.

• Spirulina production uses non-fertile land and brackish water and is a great potent remedy to deforestation to cultivate food. As people eat lower on the food chain, the pressures being to destroy wilderness can be halted and help re-green our planet.

• Spirulina has no externalized hidden costs in the terms of depletion of fresh water fertile top soil and forests, pollution from pesticides, herbicides, and also toxins. No long term medical costs from unhealthy foods with thse ochemical additives.

“For WHO, Spirulina represents an interesting food for various multiple reasons, rich in iron and protein, and is able to be administered to the children without any risk. We at WHO consider it a very suitable food”

Food Allergy In Cats: Symptoms, Treatments And Diagnosis

admin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:22:51 +0000

Not only humans’ even animals are affected by food allergy. It mainly affects cars and is rated among the main causes of atopy, flea bite allergies. Cats usually develop allergies from constantly fed kind of foods.

Often cats are sensitive to a certain type of food ingredient. So, an antibody in their intestinal tracts responds, leading to food allergy. Among all other type of allergies, with a 10% ratio allergies caused by food are more prone to cats.

Food allergies affect male, neutered cats and also female ones. It is also a misconception connecting specific breed of cats to allergies caused by food. This condition can initially create symptoms for cats from four months young to eleven years old. But majority of food allergy cases occur between 3- 6 years in cats. These cats are also in connection with inhalant allergies.

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The main difference between food intolerance and food allergy should be learned to correctly manage allergy in cats. Allergy caused by food are taken as true allergies revealing symptoms like itching and skin problems associated with feline and canine allergies. Incase diarrhea or vomiting happens without creating allergic responses, it means that it’s only intolerance of food. Cat food intolerance is similar to a human having a stomach ache or diarrhea as a result of consuming spicy food or eating food that is fried. By utilizing foods food intolerance and allergies can be prevented. This doesn’t offend the agents.

Many studies reveal that few ingredients of food are the main causes of allergies when compared to the rest. The main common causes in cats are dairy products, fish and beef. Many pet owners would have observed that the following ones are the main ingredients found in foods that are consumed by the cat. Even though few proteins are more antigenic, it still comes in similar forms. So, this reaction depends mostly on the quantity of exposure.

The symptoms of this allergy in cats are most likely the same to most kinds of allergies. But the major ones are excessive scratching, hair loss, military dermatitis and itchy skin. For pet owners it is difficult to distinguish cars that suffer from atopy or food allergy by physical signs. But, they must suspect food allergy if these symptoms begin to take place during winter or through out the year and the cats fail to respond to antihistamine or steroid treatment.

When you figure out the symptoms of different allergies in cats it is very simple to diagnose the allergy. Symptoms of food allergy are similar to that of bacterial, notoedric mange, hypersensitivity to intestinal parasites, seborrhea and yeast infections.

It is necessary to carry out food trials. Elimination and provocative testing diets could be done. One should feed the cat with foods that has carbohydrates, proteins for 11 – 12 weeks without any treats. A typical instance is potato and venison or potato and duck. These foods are commercially available in the market or could be homemade. Young and growing cats have special nutritional needs. Diets made at home containing a carbohydrate and a protein eliminating multivitamins and fatty acids could be fed for 12 weeks. Food trials for kitten are carried out by giving a commercially balanced diet. After few weeks, feed the cat with previous food that they once have consumed. Incase the symptoms are shown then it’s surely food allergy. Others perform blood testing which is not accurate when compared to trials (food).

Feed the cats with commercial diets from hill or Purina or homemade diets which makes treatment of allergy simple and easy.