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Vitamin d deficiency and seasonal variation in an adult South Florida population. Levis S, Gomez A, Jimenez C, Veras L, Ma F, Lai S, Hollis B, Roos BA. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Mar;90(3):1557-62. Epub 2005 Jan 5. PMID: 15634725 The prevalence of hypovitaminosis D is considerable even in southern latitudes and should be taken into account in the evaluation of postmenopausal and male osteoporosis.

Soy consumption reduces risk of ischemic stroke: a case-control study in southern china. Liang W, Lee AH, Binns CW, Huang R, Hu D, Shao H. Neuroepidemiology. 2009;33(2):111-6. Epub 2009 May 30. PMID: 19494552 DOI: 10.1159/000222093 Conclusion: The results provided evidence of inverse association between habitual soy food consumption and the risk of ischemic stroke for Chinese adults.

ScienceDaily (Mar. 10, 2009) - A study led by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) found that men who took a daily folic acid supplement of 1 mg daily had more than twice the risk of prostate cancer compared with men who took a placebo.

Vitamin D deficiency and bone health in healthy adults in Finland: could this be a concern in other parts of Europe? Lamberg-Allardt CJ, Outila TA, Kärkkainen MU, Rita HJ, Valsta LM. J Bone Miner Res. 2001 Nov;16(11):2066-73. PMID: 11697803 Low vitamin D status was prevalent in these young adults in northern Europe in winter, although the vitamin D intake met the recommendation. This probably is not a local problem for northern Europe, because the natural sources of vitamin D are scarce and fortification is not very common in Europe, and with the exception of the southern part of Europe, sunshine is not very abundant in this part of the world. Thus, the results of this study indicate that more attention should be focused on vitamin D status and the sources of vitamin D in these countries.

Lemon balm, or commonly called Melissa, is a kind of herb that is mostly cultivated in Southern Europe and in the Mediterranean.

"Coconut oil is a staple food in many parts of the world. You can travel to Thailand, the Caribbean, parts of Brazil, countries in Africa, and the vast southern half of India and find this oil on center stage when it comes to delicious and healthy cuisine. The popularity of this oil is partly due to its stability, ease of use in cooking, and taste. Like all foods, the quality of coconut oil has a lot to do with its potential health benefits. Refined coconut oil that has been heavily processed, bleached, and deodorized is not going to provide you with the same desirable balance of fatty acids, or the same beneficial polyphenol content, as either virgin coconut oil or less extensively refined coconut oil (sometimes called "naturally refined" by the product manufacturers). Choosing organic coconut oil is a good way to assure you of higher quality in this regard. However, at the same time, there is such a long track record of coconut oil use in many cultures and their food traditions that I will be surprised if the research doesn't eventually show some key health benefits. Some of these health benefits are likely to be related to the unusual fatty acid composition of coconut oil, and other benefits are likely to be associated with the special polyphenols found in this oil (when virgin or very lightly refined). Also, it's the natural pattern of fats found in coconut oil that seems especially important to me, in addition to the blend of fats in the overall diet that results from the inclusion of coconut oil. If you decide to include coconut oil in your diet, I therefore recommend that you continue to use other high-quality oils (like extra virgin olive oil) as well. One of the practical benefits of coconut oil is that it has a higher smoke point than many other oils, so that you can cook with it at normal stovetop temperatures and have less concern about oxidation. The smoke point for lightly refined coconut oil is about 450ºF (232ºC) while the smoke point for unrefi

Mozambican Grass Seed Consumption During the Middle Stone Age Julio Mercader Science 18 December 2009: Vol. 326. no. 5960, pp. 1680 - 1683 DOI: 10.1126/science.1173966 The role of starchy plants in early hominin diets and when the culinary processing of starches began have been difficult to track archaeologically. Seed collecting is conventionally perceived to have been an irrelevant activity among the Pleistocene foragers of southern Africa, on the grounds of both technological difficulty in the processing of grains and the belief that roots, fruits, and nuts, not cereals, were the basis for subsistence for the past 100,000 years and further back in time. A large assemblage of starch granules has been retrieved from the surfaces of Middle Stone Age stone tools from Mozambique, showing that early Homo sapiens relied on grass seeds starting at least 105,000 years ago, including those of sorghum grasses.

Hoodia is a cactus like plant that grows in southern Africa and has a function which I think is very interesting, that is able to reduce appetite.

"This site provides information on herbal medicine (as distinct from herbal medicines) sometimes also called phytotherapy. Herbological.com is maintained by Jonathan Treasure, a medical herbalist with professional qualifications in both conventional medical sciences and herbal medicine from the UK, now located in Southern Oregon, USA. (See bio and consulting pages for further details) "

"The brain, like most other internal organs, or offal, can serve as nourishment. Brains used for nourishment include those of pigs, squirrels, horses, cattle, monkeys, chickens and goats. In many cultures, different types of brain are considered a delicacy. In the Southern United States, canned pork brain in gravy can be purchased for consumption as food. This form of brain is often fried with scrambled eggs to produce "Eggs n' Brains".[1] They are part of the menu in many family owned restaurants throughout the region. The brain of animals also features in French cuisine, in dishes such as cervelle de veau and tête de veau."

Litchi is a fruit with amazing health benefits belongs to Sapindaceae family. It is grown in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world and found abundantly in the summer season. It was first originated in the Chinese regions of Guangdong and Fujian and has been started cultivating in the various countries of the world (India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Australia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Mexico, Southern Africa and etc). It is very delicate and attractive smelling fruit which is usually eaten fresh. It is found in many types such as emperor lychee or biggest lychee, ohia lychee or litchi with little seed, Brewster lychee and etc. Benefits of Litchi (Lychee) Fruit Juice It is loaded with numerous healthy nutrients including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fatty acids and so many. It protects from various diseases, infections and skin problems by enhancing the immunity power. It contains polyphenols which helps in fighting with weight problems, liver damage and type-2 diabetes. Some of its amazing health benefits are mentioned below: Benefits of Litchi for Heart Benefits of Litchi for Cancer Benefits of Litchi for Digestive System Benefits of Litchi for Bones, Teeth and Joints Benefits of Litchi for Hair Benefits of Litchi for Weight Loss Benefits of Litchi for Aging Benefits of Litchi for Women during Pregnancy Benefits of Litchi for Kids Benefits of Litchi for Men Benefits of Litchi Seeds Benefits of Litchi Juice of Skin Nutrition Facts of Litchi Dash per 100 ml Energy: 60 Kcal Fat: 0 gm Carbohydrate: 14.8 gm Protein: 0 gm Sugar: 12.5 g Vitamins Thiamine: 0.011 mg Riboflavin: 0.065 mg Niacin: 0.603 mg Choline: 7.1 mg Pyridoxine: 0.100 mg Folates: 14 µg Vitamin C: 71.5 mg Vitamin E: 0.07 mg Vitamin K: 0.4 µg Minerals Calcium: 5 mg Copper: 0.148 mg Iron: 0.31 mg Magnesium: 10 mg Manganese: 0.055 mg Phosphorus: 31 mg Selenium: 0.6 µg Zinc: 0.07 mg

The summer season each year brings wafting memories of a juicy and luscious fruit called litchi. The origins of Litchi lie in southern China where as a crop it has been cultivated uninterruptedly for close to 2500 years. Its geographical propagation has been rather slow, which is due to the short life-span of its seed and the peculiar soil and climatic requirements associated with the plant.A classical instance of this is India which is the second largest producer just behind China, but litchi farming is chronologically speaking, very recent having been introduced only sometime in the middle of the 1700's. Together China and India between themselves produce more than 90% of the world's Litchi, leaving the rest of the world far behind. In the backdrop of all this it is interesting to know the various cultivars and varieties which dot the world of Litchi farming. Most or all of them have their genesis probably in China but have been suitably bred and modified to thrive in countries of their adoption.

The terms 'cultivar' and 'variety' have often been used interchangeably but this convention often seems to ignore the obvious differences which exist between the two. A 'cultivar' is bred with the help of vegetative propagation, which could include cutting, grafting,budding and tissue culture and is a product of human effort and ingenuity. A 'variety' on the other hand is a natural phenomenon and is bred through seedlings. A 'variety' will always produce clones of the parent plant, but in a cultivar,there may be slight variation in a progeny compared to the parent particularly in the case of hybrids. The Litchi cultivars in India number about 40 out of which around 12 or 13 are commercially cultivated.The same cultivar or variety may be known by different names in various parts of the country. In China there are about 200 known cultivars although only 20 or so are in commercial farming, which means the genetic repository is much more widespread compar

Cultivated for thousands of years in Japan, gobo, perhaps recognized more so as being burdock, is an escaped domestic vegetable that has made its home in almost every country in the northern hemisphere. It also has found its way to Uruguay, Chile, Australia and perhaps other countries in the southern hemisphere.

van der Wielen RP, Lowik MR, van den BH, de Groot LC, Haller J, Moreiras O, van Staveren WA (1995) Serum vitamin D concentrations among elderly people in Europe. Lancet 346: 207-210 These findings show that free-living elderly Europeans, regardless of geographical location, are at substantial risk of inadequate vitamin D status during winter and that dietary enrichment or supplementation with vitamin D should be seriously considered during this season.