Summer is the season for cooking fresh and fabulous feasts. Three summer all-stars are tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. Delicious and versatile, this trio is also incredibly healthy.

1 .Tomatoes

• Although commonly regarded and categorized as a vegetable, the tomato is really a fruit, a very healthful one. Tomatoes are known for being exceptionally high in lycopene, a carotenoid that has antioxidant properties and may help prevent cancer and heart disease. Eating tomatoes with fat increases your body’s ability to absorb the lycopene.
• Tomatoes are also a rich source of vitamin C, folate, riboflavin, and chromium, each with its own extensive list of health benefits.
• For the tastiest tomatoes, grow them yourself or buy them from a farmers market or road-side produce stand. That ensures that your tomatoes are fresh from the vine and healthier, too.

2. Cucumbers

• Boasting a unique and refreshing flavor, cucumbers make a cooling snack for hot summer days. They’re also a good source of water, fiber, and nutrients like vitamin C.
• The real nutritional benefits come from the skin, which contains minerals like silica, potassium and magnesium.
• Silica is an essential component of healthy connective tissue important for your skin, bones and joints.
• Besides providing vitamins and minerals to your body when you eat them, cucumbers can also supply nutrients directly to your skin when applied externally.

Applying cucumber slices over the eyelids can help relieve swollen eyes and other minor skin irritations.

3. Bell Peppers

• Available in practically all shades of the rainbow, bell peppers all start off green, then ripen to their eventual shades of red, yellow, orange, and even purple.
• When they ripen, they become sweeter, especially if allowed to ripen on the vine in the sunlight. They are excellent sources of the antioxidants vitamin C and beta carotene and also contain good amounts of Vitamin B6.
• Select peppers that are firm and smooth, have fresh-looking stems and no wrinkles on their skin.
• Store them in the crisper of your refrigerator, where they will keep for a week.

A high-quality breakfast can start your day off right providing you with lasting energy to fuel your day, curb your cravings and help lower your risk for some chronic conditions.

Worst Breakfast 1: No Breakfast at All

In the largest sample of successful dieters, 78 percent reported eating breakfast every day.  What’s more, a Harvard study reported that men who skipped breakfast were 27 percent more likely to develop heart disease and that female breakfast skippers had a 28 percent higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Eating breakfast may also give you more energy: One study found that breakfast eaters burned 400 more calories during a day through increased daily activity.

Worst Breakfast 2: Smoothies

Smoothies have a health halo, but unless you make it yourself, your smoothie may have more calories than a Big Mac and fries. Even grocery-store smoothies can have a natural sugar content similar to soda. And, despite the flavor, they’re usually just dressed-up apple juice.

Top Picks: Enjoy DIY smoothies with a base of Greek yogurt, frozen fruit (no added sugars) and milk.

Worst Breakfast 3: Juices or Juicing

Despite being lower in calories than smoothies and rich in myriad vitamins and antioxidants, juices aren’t the best way to start your day because most lack filling fiber and often pack in more natural sugar than a cola. Liquid sources of natural sugars cause a more rapid rise in blood sugar and insulin levels, compared with eating solid foods of similar nutritional value.

Top Picks: Stop juicing and start eating! Opt for breakfasts with whole fruit and lean proteins like a bowl of Greek yogurt with fresh berries or sliced banana.

Worst Breakfast 4: Waffles, Pancakes, Bagels and Muffins

Waffles, pancakes, bagels and muffins are common breakfast choices, but they are rich in one thing you don’t want to start your day with: refined flour. They also lack filling fiber or protein. In fact, one study of dieters found those who ate a egg-based breakfast lost 65 percent more weight and lost more belly fat.

Top Picks: If you’re craving carbohydrates, make a pancake, waffle or mini muffin using whole grain flour as a side dish to your eggs.

Worst Breakfast 5: Egg Sandwiches

One of the most popular breakfast choices is a classic egg sandwich a fried egg, ham and cheese on a toasted bagel or English muffin. Breakfast sandwiches have about 300 to 400 calories, but most have up to four times as much low-quality carbs as protein. Because they generally are made with one egg, they fall short of the recommended 25 to 30 grams of protein needed for increased satiety and muscle protein synthesis.

Top Picks: Make your own sandwich using two eggs and one slice of lean bacon served in a whole-grain English muffin, bread or tortilla. When eating out always ask for your egg sandwich on a skinnier English muffin and check to see if the option of a breakfast “bowl” is available.

Worst Breakfast 6: Specialty Coffee Drinks

More than one third of coffee drinkers enjoy specialty coffee drinks every day. But many of these beverages have more than 300 calories and can pack in more sugar than a bowl of Froot Loops, making them more like liquid candy. A sugary start to your day may lead to increased hunger and cravings for sweets once the blood sugar levels plummet.

Top Picks: Opt for cappuccino or lattes and downsize to a small (12 ounce). Skip the added whipped cream and syrups. And if you like almond or soy milk, ask if it’s unsweetened.

Worst Breakfast 7: “Whole Grain” or “High Fiber” Cold Cereals

Don’t let claims like “made with whole grains” or “high fiber” fool you. Research from Harvard published in Public Health Nutrition suggests whole-grain claims may indicate that the food is rich in sugar, sodium and higher in calories. The best bets they suggest are grains with one gram of fiber for every 10 grams of carbs.

Top Picks: Some of the healthiest options : Post Shredded Wheat Original, with 40 grams of carb and six grams of fiber, and Quaker Old Fashioned oats, with 27 grams of carbs and four grams fiber.

Worst Breakfast 8: Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is heralded as a super food because it contains twice the protein and about half the natural sugars of regular yogurt if it’s made using the traditional straining process. A plain Greek yogurt has about one gram of natural milk sugar per ounce, or eight grams (two teaspoons) per cup. But some flavored varieties have three to four times that.

Top Picks: Opt for low-sugar, protein-packed plain Greek yogurt and flavor with fresh or dried fruit.

The presumed cause of Multiple Sclerosis(MS), is multi-factorial, including: genetics, infectious agents and environmental exposure. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society(NMSS) recommends a low-fat, high fiber diet for the general population.

Currently MS is officially incurable, but implementing nutritional strategies will make you healthier and may help prevent MS.

MS

MS is more prevalent in higher latitudes, but there are cultures that are exceptions. American Eskimos have a low prevalence of MS. Coastal Norway has a 75 percent lower MS incidence rate than inland Norway, which is along the same latitude. The main environmental difference in the low prevalence cultures is their high consumption of fish, which is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin D.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Abnormal inflammation is the root of accelerated aging and almost all chronic diseases including MS. Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish have strong anti-inflammatory qualities, while omega-6 fatty acids found in domestic animal meats increase inflammation. Your can balance your body’s inflammation by consuming more salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines, and less beef and pork.

Detox

Evidently we all know the body does indeed clean itself naturally, however, it can only do this when given the chance to do so. Yes many people, particularly in the medical world, often dismiss the notion that we ever need to detox with the reasoning that the body detoxes all the time naturally, regardless of what we do.

Although this is very true, the best way to describe the situation is that if you always pollute the environment in which your cells bathe, then there will constantly be a degree of toxicity in our systems. Therefore, it is worthwhile to give your organs and digestive system an adequate recommended rest from the burden of all the processed foods we consume.

Tips: Keep Detox Simple, because all you really need is a juicer/blender, a flask, the appropriate fruit and veggies of your choice and, of course, the right attitude!

1. Prevent chronic disease.
   Environmental toxins are responsible for many cancers, neurological diseases, heart disease and strokes. Our bodies do have a built-in detox function to deal with these dangers, but those systems are constantly overloaded! Detoxing assists and improves what our bodies are trying to do naturally.
2. Remove toxins from the body.
   Long-term exposure to toxins (environmental pollutants, cancer-causing chemicals, preservatives, pesticides, heavy metals, and industrial waste) affects our metabolism, behavior, immune system, and leads to disease. They are stored in tissues and cells throughout the body, including the brain, often for years.
3. Lose weight.
   I’m sure you were all waiting for this one, toxins affect the body’s natural ability to burn fat, leading to weight gain. Diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure are directly linked to weight issues. Detoxing rids the body of toxins stored in fat cells and increases metabolism.
4. Enhance immune system function.
   A compromised immune system makes us vulnerable to colds and flus, affecting our quality of life and productivity. Regular detoxing helps strengthen immune system functioning and fights off infection.
5. Increasing energy.
   Making you mentally, physically, and emotionally more energized after detoxing. People tend to sleep better and need less of it.
6. Slow premature aging.
   Detoxing rids the body of free radicals and heavy metals partially responsible for aging. Detoxing helps to increase nutrient absorption, including antioxidants and vitamins that help fight oxidative stress.
7. Improve quality of life.
   Very simply our bodies don’t function very well when they’re loaded with toxins. We may have joint pain, headaches, digestive disorders, sleep problems, and lack of energy.
8. Mental and emotional clarity.
   When the body’s systems are aligned, a shift also occurs with our mental and emotional states. We can deal with more when we’re clear and grounded. We can make better decisions, analyze accurately, and see things differently.
9. Improve skin quality.
   Diet and environmental toxins undeniably affect skin. Detoxing improves acne, and strengthens hair and nails, and gives us a natural, healthy glow.
10. Restore balance to our body’s systems.
    Our digestive, nervous, and hormonal systems were designed to work together to achieve optimum health. When we overload them with toxins and unhealthy foods, these systems don’t work as well as they should and we get sick.
    Detoxing brings balance back and helps our systems function properly again.