Acerola Cherry

Acerola cherries are widely known for their high Vitamin C and A content. Additionally, acerola contain potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus and other minerals. They also are rich in phyto-nutrients and protein. With this, they support the body’s immune system, help with diarrhea, dysentery and anti-fungal activity.
Other traditional uses of acerola berries include: postmenopausal disorders, digestive disorders, colds, fever, infection, stomachaches and in prevention of tooth decay.
Acerola’s high antioxidant content contributes to the health benefits of the MonaVie juice.
The acerola cherry grows wild in tropical and subtropical climates. It also grows in some parts of Southern California.

To learn more about the the health benefits of the MonaVie juice, please visit: Official MonaVie Claims List.

To learn about the MonaVie juice with 19 fruits, please visit:http://www.the-team.biz/mv991215/19Fruits/tabid/155/Default.aspx

Be still - take a break

"Be Still and Know That I am God." Psalms 46:10

Everybody needs to take a break at times. I am not just talking about a coffee break or bathroom break.
In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey gives a whole chapter to habit #7 – Sharpen the Saw. He talks about the four dimensions of our nature as a human being. Physical includes exercise, nutrition and stress management. Next is the Social – Emotional aspect which mentions: service, empathy, synergy and intrinsic security. Another aspect is the Spiritual dimension. It notes value clarification and commitment, study and meditation. Finally he includes the Mental aspect with reading, visualizing, planning and writing. All four dimensions help us preserve and enhance our greatest assets – ourselves. Paying attention to all four aspects will create balance and allows us to make better decisions by including recreational activities into our lives.

Most of us don’t have a problem with the physical aspects, they are more obvious. During my vacation I was reading a book Journey to Center by Thomas F. Crum. He emphasizes the importance of going inside, being centered and finding the peace and power there. So far, I had glimpse of moments where I could connect with that stillness, that no-thingness inside. That is what the word vacation means, to vacate or make empty.

We are so full of information and stimuli today, therefore we have to make extra effort to just watch simple moments – like the other day I was watching trops of frosting dripping from one bucket into a bowl. Nothing very meaningful but that short moment of about 5 minute gave me very much peace for hours to come. The idea is to observe the space in between the apparent matter where there is no time or space.

Deepak Chopra in his book Creating Affluence calls it possibility amplitude. By the magic of our attention to this place of nothingness we can connect to our true selves and the infinite, omnipotent and omnipresent creator of the universe. We can practice this magic of attention in five ways: watching (eyes), listening (ears), smelling (nose), touching (hands) and tasting (tongue). The magic is that we don’t have these functions only on the physical plane. Our spiritual self has the same abilities in the spiritual realm. Some people sum these functions up as the sixth sense.

Have you ever thought about why we have the seventh day – Sabbath – as a day of rest and reflection? Or why we sleep at night where all the repairing and healing of our body takes place? Nature has built in certain functions which we want to be aware of and abide. So, next time you get overwhelmed with a situation, just go inside and find the place within or even better, set aside times during the day where you center yourself and have a moment of meditation. Be still – take a break.

Vacation

Açai Berry

Nicholas Perricone, MD, author of The Perricone Promise, refers to the açai berry as Nature’s Number 1 Energy Fruit. He praises the purple pigments for its nutritional magic which makes it taste like a blend of berries and chocolate. Derived from an Amazon palm tree, açai is full of antioxidants, amino acids, and essential fatty acids.
Dr. Perricone explains: “The fatty acid content in açai resembles that of olive oil, and is rich in monounsaturated oleic acid. Oleic acid is important for a number of reasons. It helps omega-3 fish oils penetrate the cell membrane; membrane is kept supple, all hormone, neurotransmitter, and insulin receptors function more efficiently. This is particularly important because high insulin levels create an inflammatory state, and, as you know, inflammation causes aging.”
Oprah’s website hailed açai as “one of the nutritious and powerful foods in the world…”
Unlike other resources for nutritional supplements or food the açai berry is harvested from the palm tree like other fruits. Therefore, the rainforest of Brazil is preserved and even replenished for future harvests. Twice a year the fruits are ready to be gathered. Instead of cutting down the valuable tree, laborers climb high into the 9—foot palm to collect what is known as the Black Pearl of the Amazon, the açai berry.

Soon after harvesting, the fresh fruit is frozen into açai pulp to preserve the full complement of nutrients. If not properly cared for, the oxidation process begins and quickly spoils the delicate fruit. A portion of the frozen açai pulp is then freeze-dried, and both forms of açai are incorporated into the final blend of the MonaVie juice. This ensures that MonaVie’s consumers get all the health benefits this unique berry has to offer.
See another article I wrote about the benefits of the MonaVie juice:
http://raysolution.blogspot.com/2008/04/benefits-of-monavie-juice.htmljuice.html

Some benefits of this superfood are (note that these are not medical claims, just suggestions for your personal well-being):

• Boosts energy levels
• Improves digestive function
• Improves mental clarity/focus
• Promotes sound sleep
• Provides all vital vitamins
• Contains several important minerals
• Is an extremely powerful free radical fighter
• Açai has very high levels of fibers
• The protein profile of an egg
• low glycemic index. (Great for diabetics)
• A leading source of anthocyanins, often reported as 30 times that of the protective potential of red wine (Of the many attributes of anthocyanins is its anti-inflammatory qualities).
• Cleanses and Detoxifies the body of infectious toxins
• Strengthens your immune system
• Enhances sexual desire and performance
• Fights cancerous cells
• Slows down the aging process
• Promotes healthier and younger-looking skin
• Alleviates diabetes
• Normalizes and regulates cholesterol levels
• Helps maintain healthy heart function
• Minimizes inflammation
• Improves circulation
• Prevents artherosclerosis
• Enhances visual acuity
  

The greatest benefits of the açai berry comes from the high phytonutrients content which contribute to the flavor, color and disease-resistance of the plant. Another value comes from the powerful antioxidants which neutralize compounds known as free radicals, which can cause damage to your cells through the process of oxidation.

The Brazilian people knew açai promoted their health and well-being -- it had for generations. Word was spreading and people were hungry to learn more about the açai berry, but still very few people had ever heard of the health-promoting substance.

That's where Dallin Larsen of MonaVie and his partners started the research. One of the partners is Alexander G. Schauss, Ph.D, FACN. He has studied nutrition, nutraceutical and botanical medicine for over 30 years. He has taught at Oxford and lectured in more than 40 countries. Dr. Schauss has published over 125 papers and 12 books. Currently, he serves as the Director of Natural and Medicinal Products Research at the American Institute for Biosocial and Medical Research.

To learn about the MonaVie juice with 19 fruits, please visit:http://www.the-team.biz/mv991215/19Fruits/tabid/155/Default.aspx

Acceptance

“What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.”
Eleanor Powell

Accept yourself

* Take responsibility for your life. When you take responsibility for your life and your choices, and you give yourself permission to become self-validating, you no longer seek nor need validation from anyone else.
According to Robert Fritz, author of The Path of Least Resistance, you create structures in your life through your desires, beliefs, assumptions, aspirations, and objective reality itself. He looks at two basic principles: One is that human beings act in accordance with the underlying structure in their lives. We are part of nature and are ruled by the same natural laws.
The second principle is: Some structures are more useful than others in leading to desired results.
Robert Fritz concludes that structure is nothing personal. Someone in a structure that leads to pain, frustration, and hopelessness is not being designated by the universe as a victim of life.

* Be honest with yourself. When you lie to yourself or misrepresent the truth in any way, you increase the stress on your body. After years of misrepresenting your true wants, the increasing stress can lead to health problems.
* Know you can be better, belief in yourself. Align yourself with your true purpose - being a child of God.
* Don’t treat others like they are you (everybody is different).
* Don’t treat everybody the same (different personalities respond in a different way to certain words and actions).
* Be a good example. When you show humility and humbleness, you become empowered.
Everybody has a choice – between stimulus and response there is a choice. The fact is that you are where you are because that’s what you have chosen (even if it is unconsciously). You can do amazing things with your life, but nobody else can change your situation for you. It’s entirely up to you.
Part of self-acceptance is releasing other people’s opinions. You are meant to be different. Your fingerprints are unique. When you can accept this uniqueness, then there is no competition and no comparison. Your value comes from God -- unique, divine, and eternal.
Self-acceptance is the main key to positive changes in every area of your life.

Accept others for who they are
* Allow them to be themselves. Les Giblin in his timely book: How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing with People, suggests that acceptance is like a vitamin. We all hunger to be accepted as we are. We want someone to relax with. Someone we can let our hair down and take our shoes off with. Very few of us are brave enough to “be ourselves” completely when dealing with the world in general. He concludes that people who accept people, and like them just as they are, have the most influence in changing the other person’s behavior for the better.
* Don’t expect people to be perfect or wait for them to change before you can like them.
* Create interdependence (we need each other to succeed). It’s interesting to note that the kinder you are to others, the better you feel about yourself.
* Critizers and complainers don’t want to take responsibility for their own situation.
* Practice the Golden Rule. By doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, you’ll find that your life begins to work, and the things that you desire to have in your life will begin to appear. Be living according to the Golden Rule you will find that all things are possible. It’s by working through the heart rather than through the head that true power is found.
* Live and let live, in other words: to accept other people as they are, although they may have a different way of life.

Accept your circumstances
* Accept your reality but don’t forget your dream.
* Excuses and reasons for not succeeding create victimhood.
* Victimhood comes from blame.
* Stop resisting your destiny. Acceptance is a form of humility which stops you from resisting.
* Look for challenges, they make you stronger. In every adversary there is an equivalent blessing and reward.
Accepting the problem changes the nature of the problem. Now the problem is no longer an obstacle but a stepping stone.
* Stop waiting for the arrival of an ideal day. Enjoy the ups and downs of every day. The present moment is the only time you can be happy because it is the only time that exists.

Acceptance will put you in touch with a finer reality. It will bring you in touch with your true self which is God. Through the grace of God you can change your life. You can go beyond the past, by living in the NOW and create a brand-new future. By accepting yourself at the core you live in the presence of the most high.

Antioxidants and Free Radicals

A couple of months ago (April 28, 2008), I wrote about the benefits of the MonaVie Juice. Today I want to focus more on the benefits of antioxidants.

What are antioxidants?

Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. Antioxidants are chemical compounds that can bind to free oxygen radicals preventing these radicals from damaging healthy cells.

Antioxidants are present in foods as vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, and polyphenols, among others. Many antioxidants are often identified in food by their distinctive colors—the deep red of cherries and of tomatoes; the orange of carrots; the yellow of corn, mangos, and saffron; and the blue-purple of blueberries, blackberries, and grapes.

Traditionally the blueberry along with many other berries were conciderate to have the highest antioxidant content. Then they discovered the acai berry. Antioxidants are messured by their ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) levels:
Foods (ORAC Units per 1 gram)
1. Acai berry 3,800
2. Mangosteen 3,000
3. Cocoa Powder 809
4. Goji Berry 253 5
5. Dark Chocolate 208
6. Pecans 179
7. Elderberry 147
8. Walnuts 135
9. Pomegranate 105 1
10. Cranberries 95.8
According to: Lisa M. Davis, Ph.D., PA-C, C.N.S., L.D.N. the acai berry has the hightest ORAC content.

What are Free Radicals?
Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons and can be formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules. Once formed these highly reactive radicals can start a chain reaction, like dominoes. Their chief danger comes from the damage they can do when they react with important cellular components such as DNA, or the cell membrane. Cells may function poorly or die if this occurs. To prevent free radical damage the body has a defense system of antioxidants.

Oxygen is needed for the metabolism of fat and carbohydrates for energy. However, exceed oxygen molecules and other free radicals that form as by-products of normal cellular reactions can cause damage to cells if not inactivated. The body has a complex antioxidant defense system to neutralize radicals and prevent cell damage and disease. Aging and chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, are currently believed to result from damage caused by free radicals.

It is suggested that we consume 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. To support a healthy lifestyle, it is necessary to eat even more. The MonaVie juice is a healthy addition for an active life. Only 1-2 ounces in the morning and at night gives us full benefits.
To learn more about the MonaVie juice, please visit my website at: http://www.the-team.biz/MV991215.

The Great Awakening

I just finished listening to the book A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. Chapter 8 is about inner and outer space and stillness.
It has been said:

"Stillness is the language God speaks, and everything else is a bad translation."

Stillness is beyond form and time. In stillness we connect with the spirit (formless), it cannot be achieved by thinking about it. Thought is form. Being conscious of the stillness we can connect with the presence of God.
Einstein said:

"I want to know the mind of God, the rest are details."

Through quantum theory, we became aware of the space within the atom. Even solid matter is not very 'solid' at the molecular level. Watching that space, being aware of that stillness, paying attention to the 'no thingness', that's were we meet with God.

The Vedic seers say:

"Have your attention on what is and see its fullness in every moment. The presence of God is everywhere. You have only to consciously embrace it with your attention."
Deepak Chopra, in his book, Creating Affluence, says:

"It is the quality of our attention that is bringing a certain probability amplitude in the field of infinite possibilities into material existence. In fact, all of material creation is nothing but the self experiencing itself through different qualities of its own attention to itself. If our attention is fragmented, then we are fragmented. If our attention is on wholeness, we are wholeness."

Every day becomes more exciting since I have discovered this PRESENCE.