mmking's blog

Pumpkin seeds come from pumpkins, sunflower seeds come from sunflowers and sesame seeds come from... sesames?

Actually, sesame seeds come from a tropical plant called Sesamum indicum which is believed to have originated in Africa and today is commercially cultivated mostly in India, China and Mexico. In the Caribbean and southern U.S., sesame seeds are often known by their African name, benne.

Archeological evidence suggests that the sesame plant was grown at least 2,500 years ago and it has a rich mythological heritage. An Assyrian legend tells of the gods drinking a wine made from sesame seeds on the day before they created the world.

It may sound like a dream come true for many of us, but a research study published in the FASEB Journal, suggests that resveratrol, the healthy compound found in red wine, could help counter the negative effects of being a couch potato.

The study tested the effects of resveratrol on rats under conditions resulting from spaceflight and sedentary lifestyles, and may tell researchers something about the same effects on people.

Thanks to the efforts of a single Peruvian researcher, a neglected and little known ancient plant was saved from certain extinction about 50 years ago.  Today that resurrected root is considered a superfood that improves energy, stamina and libido, and can help menopausal women balance their hormones naturally.

Maca is a root vegetable (belonging to the Brassica family) that has been cultivated in the Peruvian Andes for over 2,600 years.  Growing at about 10,000 feet above sea level, it is the highest altitude crop in the world.

It's hard to believe but, not that many years ago, nutrition experts were telling people to save their calories and skip the blueberries because they had no nutritional value.

Fast forward a few decades and blueberries are now widely revered as a superfood. In fact, investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, studying the link between disease and nutrition, believe that eating just one cup of blueberries every day prevents cell damage linked to cancer. 

Old adages usually survive because they’re based on common experience.  Everyone has heard the old saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." At least one clinical study has found that this may prove out scientifically, at least for menopausal women. 

More and more women are being prescribed cholesterol-lowering statins and some doctors are even recommending the drugs be added to the water supply or dispensed at the McDonald’s drive-thru windows.