How Cool Are Cucumbers?

Until I began studying nutritional biochemistry,  I didn't think cucumbers were very cool at all.  I saw them as a pretty unimportant vegetable.  Boy!  was I mistaken.   Cucumbers are now a top pick in my book and a vegetable I've listed on my top 25 Super Foods list. 

So What's So Cool About Cucumbers?   They are a great food for anybody,  they are a super food for athletes!

Cucumbers are a great source of vitamin C and caffeic acid which are great for soothing skin irritations and reducing swelling - a natural anti-inflammatory.  Of course, vitamin C is important for a strong immune system.   In addition, cucumbers are  rich in potassium and magnesium, two nutrients that help us with electrolyte balance and bone health.  They contain a mineral called silica which is essential to healthy connective tissue - intracellular connective tissue, muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, & bone.

Because of the high water content in cucumbers it is naturally hydrating.  Hydration is vital to everyone, especially since the majority of people are in a constant state of mild dehydration.  Most people simply do not consume enough pure water.  Their high water content also makes them very alkaline so they hekp combat internal acidity.  This in turn helps with disease prevention, strengthens the immune system, helps lower high blood pressure, and helps prevent osteoporosis and/or maintain a healthy bone density.

Cucumbers can be used topically to soothe the skin, especially sunburned skin.   They help prevent water retention.  And when they are eaten skin and all - they provide a great source of dietary fiber which helps with digestion and maintaining a clean, healthy colon. 

So I would say if you like cucumbers - eat up!


 
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Upcoming Events
 
Boosting Immunity and Natural Healing with Nutrition and Essential Oils
Thursday Oct 28th  7:00 - 8:30pm  
1263  E. Evergreen St.   Mesa,  AZ  85203
Seating is limited,  please RSVP   to 800.775.0712  ex 7015
Special Gift for 1st 5 guests
 
 
Maximizing Sports Performance with Nutrition and Essential Oils
Saturday Oct 30th   6:15 - 6:45 AM (yep, early in the morning)
Freestone Park  in Gilbert, AZ   (Lindsey Rd, btwn  Guadalupe & Elliot)
Optional Group Run with the 1st Marathon Running Group to follow (~7:00 am)
 
 
Achieving and Maintaining Ideal Body Weight with Nutrition and Essential Oils
Thursday Nov 4th   7:00 - 8:30 pm
Location:  TBA
 
 
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To Your Best Health,
 
Melissa Guthrie
Fitness Trainer, Nutrition Coach,  Competitive Athlete, Healthy Cooking Enthusiast
BSc Nutritional Science, BSc  Exercise Physiology

Take the Ultimate Grocery Shopping Tour

I am constantly confronted with folks who are at some level ready to make some improvements in their health and yet are a little stand offish because they tell me how hard it is for them to eat healthy. They tell me, if they are going to eat healthy, it's gotta be really fast, it's gotta taste really good, and it can't cost a small fortune. Excellent!! that is what I do best...fast and simple, delicious and nutritious, and super cost-effective.

Where do we start? I believe a great place to start is the grocery store. If our refrigerator & cupboards are full of unhealthy foods, then that is really going to make eating healthy hard. I often have people tell me things such as they don't buy fresh produce because it goes bad before they use it and that they just CAN'T resist the cookie dough ice cream at 9pm. Well, of course the cookie dough is going to win over the carrots, but for heavens sakes if the cookie dough wasn't in the freezer to begin with then we just might be able to tackle that issue. It's time to do a little kitchen klean out and purge those less-than-healthy heavily processed and refined foods. Then it's time to start fresh and take the Ultimate Grocery Shopping Tour...


Embark on a fun-filled, educational adventure through the untamed isles of the supermarket guided by nutrition coach, Melissa Guthrie. In this exciting 2 hour workshop, you will learn how to decode the deceptive food labels that mislead you (i.e. The SIX Sickening Ingredients), how to easily replace your favorite "not-so-healthy" foods with delicious & nutritious alternatives, how to get the entire family eagerly engaged in healthier eating, how to cut your grocery bill significantly, and how to save precious time by trekking the perimeter path, and more! Including the NEW segment on Functional Foods that can keep you and your family super healthy by developing strong immune systems and thus, dramatically reducing doctor's visits and the associated expenses.

All participants will receive: The ULTIMATE Grocery Shopping Guidebook.

Who: You, your children (8yrs or older), your spouse, your friends, your neighbors, etc
Fee: $30 per individual or $45 per household (2 people: husband/wife, parent/child, roommates, etc)
Where: Fry's Marketplace (Stapely & McKellips) Mesa, Arizona

RSVP is required by midnight June 3rd in order to attend. Call 1.800.775.0712 ext 7015 to RSVP.

To Your Best Health,

Melissa Guthrie
Triumph Training Nutrition & Fitness
BSc Exercise Physiology, BSc Nutritional Science
ACE Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor
New Leaf Certified Metabolic Technician
Competitive Runner/Triathlete
Healthy Cooking Enthusiast

A BERRY Good Habit

It is official...Spring has sprung and that means that fabulous spring and summer fruits are coming into season, this includes fresh berries. Berries are a considered a superfood because they are power-packed with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are one of the body’s inner warriors, they fight harmful free radicals that cause cell damage and can lead to degenerative diseases such as cancer. Free radical damage results in pre-mature aging as well. Free radicals are produced several ways, including through the environment and they are produced in the body as a result of exercise. The more you exercise, the more free radicals your body produces. Wow! Can you believe that something BAD can come out of something as GOOD as exercise. Do not take this wrong. This is not to say that we should all stop running and working out. Oh NO! The benefits of exercise far out weigh the negatives. What is vital is good nutrition in conjunction with exercise.



A daily eating plan that is rich in vitamin, minerals, and anti-oxidants is key. Since berries are some of the most anti-oxidant rich foods on the planet, it is a great idea to incorporate them into your meals and snacks each week, if not each day. Consider buying the actual fruit or a product made from the fruit at your next trip to the farmer’s market or grocery store: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, black berries, mulberries, marion berries, gogi berries, acai berries, etc. Incorporate berries into a mixed greens or spinach salad, smoothies, a top yogurt or cottage cheese, in a fruit salad, or a top hot or cold cereal.


If you are interested in learning more about proper nutrition and healthy eating, then you will want to RSVP to attend the upcoming FREE webinar:

Nutrition Myth Busters: Dispelling the Myths and Telling the Truth about Good Nutrition.

Thursday March 26th at 7pm PST/8pm MST. To RSVP email mmguthrie@hotmail.com or 800.775.0712 ext 7015.


To Your Best Health,

Melissa Guthrie
BSc Nutritional Science
BSc Exercise Physiology
ACE Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
New Leaf Certified Metabolic Technician
Triathlete/Runner
Healthy Cooking Enthusiast