Plants are the most effective way to increase oxygen levels in the room and improve air quality. There are also beneficial plants that will help you improve mood, and fight anxiety, depression, and prevent panic attacks.

Researchers have found that there is a direct link between stress and oxygen levels and showed that high levels of toxins in the air lead to anxiety and stress. Therefore, you can drastically improve your mood and relieve stress and anxiety.

Scientists have conducted studies on mice and discovered that the aroma of jasmine plant and jasmine essential oil significantly calmed them, and made them stop all activity and sit quietly in a corner. Their brain scans showed that jasmine fragrance boosts the effects of a chemical called GABA on nerve cells, and thus relieves anxiety and encourages rest.

According to Professor Hanns Hatt, these findings published online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry can “be seen as evidence of a scientific basis for aromatherapy”.

Prof Hatt, of the Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, added:

“We have discovered a new class of GABA receptor modulator which can be administered parentally and through the respiratory air. Applications in sedation, anxiety, excitement, and aggression relieving treatment and sleep induction therapy are all imaginable.”

Researchers found that jasmine is much more effective than sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medications, and sedatives, as it increased the GABA effect by more than five times.

Additionally, Kaliana.com reports:

“Research at Wheeling Jesuit University by Dr. Bryan Raudenbush, assistant professor of psychology, shows dispensing jasmine odor into a room where participants were sleeping “led to greater sleep efficiency and reduced sleep movement.” The research showed a greater quality of sleep even though there wasn’t more quantity of sleep.



Participants who breathed jasmine in the air “rated their level of anxiety and vigor lower, and performed cognitive tests more rapidly.” In addition, “level of alertness in the jasmine odor condition was greater during the afternoon hours, thus helping maintain students’ focus on academic work throughout the day.”

Jasmine essential oil is an effective natural way to improve sleep, boost happiness, regulate hormones, and treat anxiety and fatigue. It can be used to improve concentration, soothe spasms, and ease mild depression, since it:

• Reduces anxiety and nervous tension
• Boosts mood
• Improves cognitive performance and alertness
• Improves sleep quality
• Balances hormones
• Treats hot flashes and mood swings
• Increases libido

Therefore, keep a jasmine in your bedroom, and you will reap all the benefits of this amazing plant!
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Supermarkets around the world should be commended for banning plastic bags, but there's another single-use foe on the environmental radar: produce packaging. Sales of some vegetables have soared by up to 300 per cent following moves by a number of New Zealand supermarkets to ditch plastic packaging.

"A group of New World supermarkets have abandoned the use of plastic wrapping for virtually all of their fruit and vegetables in a project labelled 'food in the nude'. Pioneered by the New World store at Bishopdale in Christchurch, it has led to stunning sales figures.

"We monitor them year on year and after we introduced the concept we noticed sales of spring onions, for example, had increased by 300 per cent," says Bishopdale owner Nigel Bond. "There may have been other factors at play but we noticed similar increases in other vegetable varieties like silver beet and radishes.

"When we first set up the new shelving our customers were blown away," he says. "It reminded me of when I was a kid going to the fruiterer with my Dad, you could smell the fresh citrus and spring onions. By wrapping products in plastic we sanitise and deprive people of this experience; it (dispensing with plastic) was a huge driver for us."


Of the 300 million tons of plastic produced worldwide every year, half is used just once and thrown away, while only nine per cent is recycled. In New Zealand about 252,000 tonnes of plastic waste goes into landfill each year, a significant amount also ending up in our waterways and ultimately the sea.



Bond says eight or nine New World supermarkets in the South Island have followed Bishopdale's example, a move which is part of a suite of sustainable practices adopted by New World owner Foodstuffs.

"I went on a study tour to the United States and saw what the Whole Foods supermarket chain is doing over there," he says. "They have a massive range of fresh food and their merchandising is almost an art form.

Bond began discussions with growers and suppliers, most of whom he says were happy to look at ways of providing produce free of plastic packaging (Foodstuffs is also continuing to work with suppliers to look at how it can be reduced across-the-board including areas other than produce).

A new refrigeration shelving system for displaying fresh fruit and vegetables was installed along with a process known as 'misting' to help keep items fresh.

"Vegetables are 90 per cent water and studies have shown that misted produce not only looks better, retains its colour and texture, but also has higher vitamin content," Bond says. "We've also installed a reverse osmosis system that treats the water by removing 99 per cent of all bacteria and chlorine, so we are confident the water we're misting with remains pure."

Bond says some produce - including berries, grapes and some tomatoes - still come in plastic containers while mushrooms are packaged in cardboard trays. Most of this packaging is, however, recyclable.

Although many suppliers are reviewing the way produce is packaged, Bond believes manufacturers don't always understand what consumers want: "We know, but we are like an intermediary, we sell what they give us. I think manufacturers have a much bigger part to play."

New World is also trialling another initiative – bring your own containers. The trial, in which customers can use BYO containers for meat and seafood, is under way in a number of stores including Howick in Auckland, Hastings, Levin and Rototuna.

"Take-up has been slow," says Brendon Jones, owner-operator at New World in Howick, "but we're committed to conducting the trial. We have limited it so far to the butchery and seafood counters, where potential food safety risks are reduced because these products are likely to be cooked after being purchased."

He says Foodstuffs is also trialling paper alternatives to foil seafood bags and fibre-based deli trays.

Foodstuffs have signed the NZ Plastic Packaging Declaration which is committed to making all store and private label packaging 100 per cent reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. It has also introduced recyclable food trays – a measure that gives customers the opportunity to divert more than 80 million trays from landfill every year.

keep your clothes on....’food in the nude’ means beginning of the end for plastic in supermarkets.
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The success of the traditional food movement boosted the popularity of fermented foods, and we finally realized the wisdom of our ancestors. People have consumed fermented foods for centuries, due to the numerous health benefits they offer.

According to Jillian Levy, CHHC:

“Sauerkraut, a form of fermented cabbage, has been popular throughout Central Europe for hundreds of years. Sauerkraut combines one of the healthiest foods there is (cabbage) with one of the most beneficial and time-honored food preparation methods ever used (fermentation).

According to the Institute for Integrative Medicine at the University of Witten in Germany, sauerkraut is one of the most common and oldest forms of preserving cabbage and can be traced back as an important food source to the fourth century B.C.

Fermentation simply refers to an ancient technique and perseveration method that naturally alters the chemistry of foods. Similar to cultured dairy products like yogurt and kefir, sauerkraut’s fermentation process produces beneficial probiotics that are now linked to improvements in immune, cognitive, digestive and endocrine function.”

Sauerkraut is made by pickling cabbage in a process called lacto-fermentation. It is a rich source of enzymes that support digestion and help the absorption of nutrients in the body.

However, the store-bought sauerkraut is pasteurized and treated with numerous chemicals, so it no longer offers the same benefits.



Here is how to make your homemade sauerkraut and boost the intake of probiotics:

Homemade sauerkraut recipe

Ingredients:

• 6 pounds cabbage
• 3 tablespoons sea salt

Instructions:

1. Remove the large outer leaves of the cabbage, and shred the rest of it. In a bowl, mix it with the salt, and in order to stimulate the release of its juices, massage it with your hands for about 15 minutes.
2. Then, transfer the mixture to a larger fermentation container, pound it down for the juice to come up to the surface, and cover it with a plate. You should leave about 2 inches of space at the top.
3. Place a heavy glass jar with water over the plate to press it down and force the water out of it.
4. Keep the container at room temperature, in a cool, dark place, covered with a towel.

The fermentation process will take about a month. Afterward, store the sauerkraut in the fridge, and enjoy its benefits on a daily basis!

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Celery is one of the most nutritious vegetables we can consume, as it is a rich source of magnesium, potassium, and vitamins C, A, B, and K. It is also high in phytonutrients, which act as potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents, strengthen the immune system, boosts the intracellular communication, and repairs the DNA damage due to toxins.

According to Jillian Levy, CHHC:

“Fresh celery benefits nutrition thanks to all the tremendous vitamins and minerals it contains. One cup of chopped raw celery (about 101 grams) contains approximately:

• 16.2 calories
• 3.5 grams carbohydrates
• 0.7 gram protein
• 0.2 gram fat
• 1.6 grams fiber
• 29.6 micrograms vitamin K (37 percent DV)
• 453 international units (9 percent DV)
• 36.5 micrograms folate (9 percent DV)
• 263 milligrams potassium (8 percent DV)
• 3.1 milligrams vitamin C (5 percent DV)
• 0.1 milligram manganese (5 percent DV)
• 0.1 milligram vitamin B6 (4 percent DV)
• 40.4 milligrams calcium (4 percent DV)
• 0.1 milligram riboflavin (3 percent DV)
• 11.1 milligrams magnesium (3 percent DV)

All with some sugars, celery also contains some vitamin E, niacin, pantothenic acid, iron, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium.”




Researchers have confirmed the numerous health benefits of celery:

• Celery treats and prevents chronic inflammation
• It regulates the pH balance of the body
• it helps weight loss since it is low in calories but high in fiber
• Celery helps digestion and treats stomach issues and constipation
• It is 96% water, so it hydrates the body
• It lowers the risk of gastritis and gastric ulcers
• It treats urinary tract infections as it has potent diuretic properties
• It soothes the nervous system and helps you fall asleep
• It regulates cholesterol and blood pressure, as it contains phthalide
• It is low in acids and relieves heartburn and acid reflux
• Celery is abundant in vitamin A, so it improves vision, treats dry eyes, and protects the cornea
• It acts as a natural aphrodisiac since it is rich in the male pheromones, androstenol, and androsterone
• It boosts the levels of the hormone aldosterone, so it improves male’s fertility and the count of sperm
• It can clean your teeth like a natural dental floss since it is breaking into fibrous strands while chewing

You can enjoy the amazing taste and numerous benefits of this vegetable in numerous ways. You can add it to soups, stir-fries, salads, stews, and salad dressings, or dip it in peanut butter, sauces, or hummus.

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