Coco Talanoa — Health & Well Being / Page 7
HEALTH BENEFITS OF TARO
The health benefits of taro include its ability to improve digestion, lower your blood sugar levels, prevent certain types of cancers, protect the skin, boost vision health, increase circulation, decrease blood pressure, aid the immune system and prevent heart disease, while also supporting muscle and nerve health.
Taro root, which is the thick, tuber stalk of the taro plant is an extremely important part of global cuisines and diets, as it has been for thousands of years.
In fact, taro is considered one of the first cultivated plants in human history. Its scientific name is Colocasia esculenta and it has a truly fascinating history.
It is believed to be native to Southeast Asia and southern India, but it is cultivated and used all over the Pacific Islands. Every culture uses taro in a slightly different way, depending on how it is prepared and the variety of the crop that is grown. It is also one of the few crops that can grow in flooded areas, due to its petioles, which can transfer materials even whilst underwater.…more
Virgin Coconut oil effective in treating diabetes!
Can Virgin Coconut Oil be the superfood that everyone is saying it is?
Source: Health Impact News
25.8 million children and adults in the United States, 8.3% of the population, have diabetes.
The current rate of people becoming diabetic in the United states is doubling every 10 years. This has resulted in a windfall for pharmaceutical companies capitalizing on this “disease” with drugs designed to treat type 2 diabetes, but not deal with the underlying cause. These drugs have serious side effects.
One of the most popular diabetes drugs, Avandia, was pulled off the market in 2011 after a number of studies showed that the drug increased the risk of heart attacks among type 2 diabetes patients. The manufacturer of the drug reached a $3 billion settlement in December 2011 over its fraudulent marketing of the drug, the largest federal criminal drug-company settlement to date.
Information that is finally making its way into the mainstream media is that type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle and diet issue that can be reversed without drugs.…more
Calling all Supa Suga's and Mamas to be!
Get some tips and tricks for all you Supa Suga's out there for the health of you and your child!
For more info and tips, check out http://bestforbaby.co.nz!
Breadfruit may aid in feeding 9.6 billion!
The humble breadfruit is fast becoming the answer to the world's growing population!
The Breadfruit Institute is attempting to tackle hunger and deforestation by working with non-profit groups to plant breadfruit trees in such countries as Kenya, Rwanda, Pakistan and Zambia.
A healthy source of carbohydrates and antioxidants, calcium, iron and fiber, breadfruit provides better and quality nutrition - The starchy breadfruit can replace potatoes , and can be boiled, steamed or fried to make chips.
The Institute began at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaii in 2003 and launched the global Hunger Initiative to respond to global food security issues about five years later.
In collaboration with other organizations, the privately funded institute has sent about 60,000 plants to around 32 countries.
Check out more info on the project here!
Pacific Islands becoming the fattest place in the world?
A recent scientific study has shown that the people within the Pacific region are amoung the most obese in the world.
Of the top 10 most obese countries or territories in the globe, nine of them are from the Pacific region - according to the World Health Organisation; thus making it the fattest region in the world.
"Up to 95% of the adult population are overweight or obese in some countries," says Temo Waqanivalu, program officer with the WHO's Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases department.
As a Fijian, Waqanivalu has seen this epidemic continually grow for over a decade, and hasn't been helped by the culutral acceptance of bigger bodies is beautiful.
"In Polynesia the perception of 'big is beautiful' does exist," he says. "[But] big is beautiful, fat is not.…more
Celebrating the life and work of Papa Joe Williams
Dr Joseph Williams MBChB, MPH, QSM,QSO
Te mamae nei te ngakau no tatou metua, Papa Joe Williams, tei takake atu na roto ite moe roa. Na te Atua te aroa kite kopu tangata e kia tatou katoatoa i roto i teia taime tumatetenga
It is with the deepest sadness that the Pasifika Medical Association announces the passing of their respected and much-loved Patron Dr Joseph Williams MBChB, MPH, QSM, QSO.
Dr Williams has served his country, the Cook Islands, his community in New Zealand and his many patients for more than 60 years. He spent 25 years in the Cook Islands and served as Minister of Health and Education in 1974 to 1978, Minister of Health, Tourism, Transport and State-Owned Enterprises from 1994 to 1996 and Prime Minister in 1999.
Dr Williams was born in Aitutaki, went to Northland College, graduated from Otago Medical School in 1960 and later completed a Master in Public Health at the University of Hawaii.…more