How Can You Burn More Calories

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If you do not have time to go to the gym you can easily burn calories doing your daily duties. You would be surprised at how many pounds/kilograms you can lose without even suspecting.

Lets get to the essential part now, namely how to lose more calories without this being our main purpose?

Rule # 1- Use the stairs. No matter whether you use the stairs in the building you live or at the place where you work, it is always an advantage if you take the stairs instead of the elevator. There are thousands of different ways to climb up and go down the stairs so that you are never bored and most importantly lose some extra weight. You can take 2-3 stairs at a time; you can jump, skip a few stairs, climb sidewise, or simply do a little run up the stairs.

Rule # 2- Set your alarm 10 minutes earlier. Waking up and doing a short series of morning exercises will get you far. It will not only accelerate your blood circulation and warm up your muscles, but it will also charge your batteries for the whole day. Make sure you complete at least 3 different exercises with 15-20 repetitions each. Only after you are done you can go ahead and have breakfast. Burning calories before you have your first meal is much more effective for your body than burning calories late at night after you have already consumed a lot of food.

Rule # 3- Choose the longest route possible. Wherever you go to work, home, to the store, and etc., always take the longest road. You either way have to get where you want so why not actually burn some calories while you are doing that? Put it in your mind that there are no shortcuts to your destination. If you need to drive in order to get there, try to always park at the furthest location possible so that you can at least walk for a bit.

Rule # 4- Sleep naked at night. When your body feels cold it burns more calories in order to warm itself. If you want to burn even more, you can simply keep the air conditioning on all the time. However, I recommend that you to keep the air on during the day when you are awake and can control it constantly. Falling asleep while the cold air is blowing in your face can really make you very sick. However, some people love sleeping with the air on and some don?t. It is up to you what you decide, but remember that the most important is that you are healthy.

Rule # 5- Dress up warm while working out. Some of you might say hmmm, why is it better that I sleep without clothes but at the same time I need to put more clothes on while working out? Yeah, it is very strange, but it is a fact that sleeping without clothes and working out with more clothes have an equal positive effect when it comes to burning calories. The more you sweat during active physical exercising, the more effort your body needs to make to get you back to your normal body temperature. That is the main reason why you tend to burn more calories when you are dressed warm.

Rule # 6 - Burning calories in front of the TV. Do you enjoy watching TV shows? I am sure you do. Do not forget that during each show there are plenty of commercials a few minutes each. During that time you need to get up from the couch and do a few exercises. You can do jumping jacks, pushups, crunches, or simply stretching exercises. The choice is all yours. You will be amazed how these couple of exercises can really make you mood and body feel better.

Rule # 7- Buy a pedometer (a step counter). You can wrap this little device either around your wrist or around your waist and it will automatically start counting the steps you make. In this way you can keep track of how many steps per day you make walking or running. Once you know how many steps you make on a regular day, then you can start increasing this number by a little every day. You can even turn it into a game where you need to make more and more steps each day in order to win.

Rule # 8 - Start walking faster. If it usually takes you 15 minutes walking to get to the gym or somewhere else, try to shorten the time to 10 minutes. You can even rotate by walking 2 minutes fast and 2 minutes slow and so on. This way of walk will accelerate your heart rate and therefore it will be easier to burn additional calories.

Rule # 9- Chew gum. It might really sound crazy to you but every time you chew gum you burn calories. Scientists have found that you can burn 12 calories for every 1 hour of chewing gum. It is not a lot but it?s really something. Additionally while chewing gum you produce extra saliva which helps clean your gums and teeth as well. Well, as you can see there are many creative ways of losing some extra weight without putting any effort in them.

How Can I Gain Weight

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Is a question that is asked by many hardgainers. Although it seems like the majority of society is overweight, inactive and unhealthy, you would be surprised to know there are many people who struggle with trying to add more weight to their scrawny bodies.

There are some steps you can follow regarding how to gain weight on a regular basis. While its possible to add significant size to your frame, you have to understand its a long-term commitment that requires dedication and commitment.

Weight Gain Formula Explained

The most important factor is the amount of calories you consume daily. Eat protein and a minimum of 500 calories for most meals with high calorie snacks in between your main meals. Also make sure you are eating a wide variety of food (proteins, fats, vitamins, carbohydrates, etc). Eating more meals per day is helpful - try eating every 2.5 to 3 hours. The more calories you eat, the better chance you have at gaining weight.

How can I gain weight is the question in every one who wants to put on weight asks him/herself. Individuals hoping to gain healthy weight should opt for a well-balanced diet high in calories, complex carbohydrates, fat and proteins. Never skip a meal, especially not breakfast. And after each meal, relax a while - it's good for your digestion.

How to go about gaining weight is a problem for people unaware that foods such as milk, meat, grain, fruits and vegetables can help them pack on the pounds. Weight gaining foods such as cottage cheese, milk and yogurt are all good for weight gain and should not be ignored. Increase your intake of milk that you drink everyday, it's one of the most effective gainers, helping you gain weight in the shortest period of time.

There are protein rich foods such as red meat, fish, eggs, chicken, and pork, which contain healthy amounts of fat and amino acids that help in weight gain. Vegetables such as peas, green beans, green leafy vegetables, as well as juiced vegetables, are rich in iron, proteins and vitamins, making them very good for your health. By promoting your health, you also indirectly promote weight gain.

To gain weight you should also consume different types of fruits, whether you just eat them fresh as a snack or drink fruit juices. Some fruits are also available dried. Also, drink plenty of high-calorie high-protein beverages such as milk, milkshakes, and weight gainers. Try adding cereals, which are rich in carbohydrates, to your daily meals to gain weight. Another excellent breakfast idea packed full of protein is an egg omelet. Use whole eggs not just the egg whites for a much more nutritious meal. You can also add vegetable margarine or oil to your foods as an extra source of fat in the food to help yourself gain some weight.

How anorexia nervosa affects people

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The common belief among people is that anorexic people actually lose the capability to feel hunger. They couldnt be more wrong. In fact people suffering from this disorder fight a constant unrelenting battle against hunger in order to be slimmer or thinner. The fact is that eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia are quite difficult to predict. In the vast majority of cases people are very secretive about what they do, so symptoms are hard to see. Studies show that up to 15% of young women develop bad eating habits but only a few of them get anorexia.
The sad thing is that actually the society in which we live in sets the standards for women through the skinny fashion models that we see on the catwalks. Because of this almost 80% of women claim to be dissatisfied with the way they look. In the USA alone the amounts of money that are spent on dieting products and diets are absolutely astronomical. This diet dieters have also the bad habit of later on developing compulsive attitudes. Anorexia is not just a physical condition, the fact being that women with this disorder have low self esteem and suffer immense brake downs. The vast majority of people that develop this disease is teenage girls and young women, but older women and men are also prone to developing it. Anorexia involves excessive obsessions regarding weight loss, food and of course calories. People often refer to the illness as slimmers disease.

The most common fact about patients suffering from anorexia is that they are constantly fearing weight gain and will not maintain a normal healthy body weight. Side effects felt because of anorexia may range from dry skin, loss of hair and even, as seen in more severe cases, loss of menstruating periods. Patients have a constant belief that they are fatter than they actually are. They most certainly starve themselves and exercise constantly in order to reach a lower body weight. Because of these extreme measure that they take, they often have problems concentrating and coping with outside temperatures ( they have a constant feeling of being cold). Leaving the disease untreated will usually lead to the severe aggravation of the patient, and in worst cases actually to death.

Bulimia is also one of todays eating disorders. The only thing is that it stands for voracious appetite. It also involves binge eating. People suffering from this disorder also perceive them selves to be fatter than they are and experience uncontrolled and chaotic eating behavior. This is most often followed by self induced vomiting. Other practices would be excessive use of laxatives and diuretics in order to keep a perfect body shape. This constant behavior usually leads to many problems such as depressions, heart damage, kidney damage, and of course damage to other parts of the digestive system. In most extreme cases the patient can also end up with severe mental trauma.

For more resources about pro anorexia please review this page http://www.anorexia-center.com/, or even http://www.anorexia-center.com/anorexia-and-bulimia.htm

Home Gym Machines -The Best Way To Make The Most Out Of Them

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Having a few home gym machines is great, it really is. But, there are a few things you should keep in mind before you buy one. You have to make sure you are setting them up correctly, in a spot that will allow you full range of motion and that you know how to use the machine correctly as well. Safety and space issues might be two of the major reasons that people end up either injured or disenchanted with their home gym machines.

Moving and Setting Up Your Home Gym Machines

It is advisable that you have a spot cleared out and ready for your home gym machines before you are going to pick them up or have them delivered. It is also advisable that you have someone to help you if you are not having your machine set up by the company. There is no sense in having a home gym machine if you are hurt before you ever even use it.

If you need to put together your home gym machines, do so by using the instruction manual. If there is an installation video or DVD, watch it for pointers and to make things easier. Check your progress as you are going along and if you truly get stuck, consider using the toll free number to ask for advice.

Buying Used Home Gym Machines

There are certain times of the year that are just heaven for the bargain hunter, especially those who are looking for a good deal on home gym machines. Have a look at the machine before you actually buy it though and if there is room, give it a little bit of a try.

If there are bolts missing or cables that are about to break through, pass this particular item by because it is likely that you will never find the right cable to replace it. Remember, home gym machines are often cycled out by companies, replaced by newer, better models that use different technology and that means that replacement parts are harder and harder to find.

If the machine is being sold by a toned and taut looking person it might be worn out. On the other hand, if a frustrated person answers the door and has to pull off five coats before showing the machine to you, it is likely that this is a machine that is in nearly mint condition.

Before Using Home Gym Machines for the First Time

Dont just hop on your home gym machines for the first time expecting to pump it and get buff. Glide the moving pieces to make sure they are not catching on anything. Read the safety guidelines to see where possible danger zones can come from. For instance, during one type of exercise on certain home gym machines, your hair is exposed to the pulley system and can be caught if you are not extremely careful. Know how to use your home gym machines so that you can get fit, not hurt.

Learn the best workout for you . At Strip That Fat you will be taught about healthy eating and exercise you can do for the long-term.

Holistic Living A Major Key to Health, Happiness and Success

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Do you want a healthier, happier and more successful life? Then, it is important to realize how crucial it is to deal with all of you, which includes the mind, body, emotions and spirit, our caring and unconditional loving part. I believe that many of our personal, professional, and world problems are caused by this oversight.

Specifically, religions usually refer to the mind, body and spirit. What about our emotions? Schools focus on the mind and often neglect the emotions, spirit and physical body. Doctors are likely to explore physical symptoms, and often miss the mental, emotional and spiritual causes. Employers often care about the employees? productivity and disregard their body, emotions and spirit. Many parents feel responsible for their children's physical bodies and possibly their minds but forget about their emotions and spirits.

How would our cars and homes be if we only took care of parts of them? Many problems can be prevented and solved if we wake-up and live holistically. When we recognize and express our four parts, we have a much better chance to live healthy, happy, loving and successful lives. When men and women focus on the compatibility of their four parts, their relationships have a much better chance of succeeding.

It would be wonderful if we were taught this crucial information in schools. Let's make every class a self-esteem class, so the students feel good about themselves and care about others. Teach them how to communicate constructively and express their feelings in constructive ways. Healthy physical activity and lunches feed the body. Being positive, supportive and caring helps them develop their spiritual part. Holistic education is crucial to transform people and the world.

It is also crucial to realize that there is a mind-body connection. Our emotions affect our physical bodies and our bodies affect our emotions. Unfortunately, doctors are not trained holistically, and they often only focus on the physical parts of us. I think it is tragic that they miss so much of the picture.

I do not expect the doctors to know everything. It would be great for them to have a holistic team that would include professionals that address the mind, body, spirit and emotions. If we live holistically, we can prevent many problems. The prevention and treatment of holistic medical care is the most efficient, cost-effective solution for a healthy country.

If we do have issues, we can learn what caused them, develop healthier habits and live more consciously. For example, we need to avoid all toxins to stop poisoning our bodies. Unfortunately, many popular products, including foods and drinks, contain toxic ingredients. Our bodies can handle just so many toxins before it loses the battle and can no longer protect us and prevent disease. We need to feed our body's healthy food and liquids, put only safe things and products on our skin and hair, and be sure we are breathing only healthy air. Finding out what is toxic and reading all the ingredients is vital for our health.

Employers need to treat their employees as they would like to be treated and show compassion for their feelings, life situations, and other human needs. Holistic managing is the way to reduce stress, disease and accidents and actually improve productivity.

It is important for parents to focus on helping their children raise their self-esteem and be physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually healthy. Holistic parenting will transform homes, cities, countries and the world.

Governments need to make laws that consider all four parts of the people. Holistic governments help create healthy, strong, stable societies.

There is now more healthy living information available than ever before. We can take control of our lives, set our intent to live a holistic life and continue to learn what to do to honor and take care of our mind, body, spirit and emotions. You will be very glad that you did. Holistic people are healthy, well-balanced men, women and children.

History of Walnuts

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The first historical accounts of walnut trees growing under civilized cultivation was in ancient Babylon (Iraq) about 2000 B.C.; however, walnuts have evidently been attached to mankind much earlier by excavations from cave fossils as suggested by archeologists. There is a reference point in the Biblical record in the Old Testament, that King Solomon was growing nuts (identified as walnuts by some translators), however, the likelihood of these nuts being other than almonds is very remote, because of the almond nut image that was used as symbols commonly in Hebrew icons and stone carving displays in Jerusalem inside Solomons temple. The adaptability of almonds is much more likely for almond trees to succeed than for walnut trees in the climate and soils of Israel.

The Greeks were credited with the first certified improvements in the size and quality of the Persian (Iran and Iraq) today called English walnut trees through selection and cultivation. The Romans soon established the Persian walnut trees throughout most of Europe and much of North Africa, that have most popularly become known today as the English walnut trees.

English Walnuts, Juglans regia, were brought into the United States by Spanish missionaries in the early 1800s by Franciscan monks, who settled along the California coast. Because the English walnut orchards, that were rapidly established in Central California came from the seeds planted from those walnuts that grew in the Catholic missions, the walnuts were sold and distributed under the name Mission Walnuts.

Central California walnut tree growers today produce 99% of the total U.S. commercial walnut supplies of English walnuts. This production capacity of California also produces 65% of the world supply of English walnuts.

Famous chefs of the world use walnuts in many types of cuisines including meats, vegetables, desserts, and soup preparations. A world famous dessert--made from walnuts, honey, and paper-thin, buttered, flakes of crusts--is called Baklava.

Important commercial types of walnuts that are grown today for profit are Juglans regia, the English (Persian) walnut, that is mainly grown and produced in the United States. Trees can live to an age of approximately 60 years and grow to about 60 feet tall at maturity.

Black walnut, Juglans nigra, a native walnut tree in America is grown mainly from New England to Minnesota and Nebraska and southwards down to the Gulf of Mexico. The black walnut tree can grow to a height of 60 feet and can live past 100 years. Black walnut trees have been grown mainly for their value in making expensive furniture; the nuts are harvested in considerably large quantities to use in baking, ice cream, and in candy recipes. The nuts can be easily shelled into large pieces if soaked overnight in water. The nuts are known for their crunchy flavor, which is distinctively spicy and enriched in its oil content.

Butternut or White walnut, Juglans cinerea, is genetically closely related to the black walnut, Juglans nigra, that forms oval shaped nuts, with a thick corrugated shell, 2 inches long with white kernels; richly flavored and preferred by many people to have a superior flavor over other cultivars of walnuts. The white walnut can grow 100 feet tall with a life expectancy of 75 years. The white walnut tree is the most cold hardy of all walnut trees, growing vigorously in zones 3-9. The roots of these trees, like black walnut trees, will exude a poisonous chemical that kills other plants (phytotoxic) growing nearby, thus other vegetation does not grow well if located within 80 feet of the trunk of the tree. The tree has a broader, leafy canopy than other walnut trees, but the wood is soft and inferior.

Walnut kernels are universally known to contain many antioxidants that offer health benefits and will lower cholesterol in the body, thus lowering heart damage from disease and cause a dramatic reduction of fatty coagulants in veins and arteries. The leaves have been used as a laxative since antiquity, as well as to induce vomiting, stop bleeding, stop diarrhea, as a cure to many skin diseases and herpes, and to kill human internal worms. Walnut hull extracts have been used to treat liver problems, to kill ringworms, and to help lose weight. Walnuts are highly beneficial in providing all of the Vitamin B series, Vitamin E, and many minerals that are beneficial to keeping a healthy body.

Walnut hulls have found many uses in a powdered state as a metal polish, as a thermal insulator in rocket nose cones and as a mysterious, secret ingredient in womens cosmetics. Walnut tree extracts have been used for centuries to make ink and dyes. The Egyptians used walnut kernel oil to embalm mummies by replacing the blood with walnut oil.

Greek mythology records that Carya, (the Latin genus name for walnut), who fell in love with the Greek God, Dionysus, was transformed into a walnut tree at her death. The wooden walnut columns (and later, marble) at the Acropolis that stand above the city were transformed into her human image (catyatides) that today can be seen by tourists in Athens, Greece.

Luther Burbank in 1893 introduced fast growing walnut tree hybrids that only required 15 years of growth to reach maturity, rather than the usual 50-60 years of growth. One hybrid he named, Paradox walnut tree, Juglans x Paradox by crossing the English walnut tree, Juglans regia, with the California black walnut, Juglans hindsii. This walnut tree is used as a grafting understock for commercial cultivars. Royal walnut tree, Juglans x Royal, by crossing the American black walnut tree, Juglans nigra, with the California black walnut, Juglans hindsii. This walnut tree still today produces almost a ton of nuts per year.

Other minor species of walnuts include the Heartnut walnut tree, Juglans ailantifolia, that is as hardy as the American black walnut, easily grown, very productive, especially after the trees grow older. It bears strings of nuts sometimes 30 or more in a single cluster that hangs down 1 foot in length. The kernels of these heartnut walnuts drop out into a container completely intact when the thin shells are cracked. Luther Burbank felt that this walnut was an intermediate variant of the Japanese walnut. The Manchurian walnut tree, Juglans mandshurica, was introduced as a variant of the Japanese walnut during the Civil War of the United States. The flavor of these nuts is considered spicy and superior in taste to other walnuts, while being crunchier. These trees grow to 100 feet tall or more and are cold hardy from zones 5 to 10. This walnut tree produces a staple food crop in Korea (Manchuria). Many excellent food products are available using the nuts from this walnut tree.

History of the Pecan

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Pecan trees, Carya illinoinensis, grow in natural groves in bottom lands near rivers or lakes with nearby periodic overflowing water. Archeological remains and fossil evidence reveals that pecans were collected and stored by Indians, the original settlers and inhabitants of America, and the group now known as the mound builders. American Indians followed this same example and were actively gathering pecan nuts when the European colonists arrived. The pecan trees were found growing in their northern limits along the tributaries of the Mississippi River near Louisville, Kentucky; Terra Haute, Indiana; and Clinton, Iowa, which is located at the same latitude as Chicago, Illinois.

Thomas Jefferson planted pecan trees, Carya illinoinensis, (Illinois nuts) in his nut orchard at his beautiful home, Monticello, in Virginia; and George Washington reported in his journal that Thomas Jefferson gave him Illinois nuts; pecans which grew at Mount Vernon, Virginia, George Washingtons home. The trees grew and remain majestic in height and spread proudly even today. He called agriculture the noblest of occupations.

Pecan trees are native to the United States and are found growing naturally nowhere else in the world. The range of native pecan trees are found growing along rivers in Texas and in surrounding lands of the lower Mississippi River up to Louisville, Kentucky; Terra Haute, Indiana; and Clinton, Iowa, which is at the same latitude as Chicago, Illinois. Native pecan trees are also found growing as far west as Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas. Nomadic tribes of Indians carried these nuts from their native habitat into other areas of the United States and planted the nuts there as seed. Some of these trees have grown and survived as Goliath specimens, such as one seedling with a 7 foot diameter trunk that is located at the TyTy, Georgia, nursery farm.

The shape of pecan nuts is highly variable; some are oval shaped and some are long and skinny. The size of the nuts can be as small as a pencil eraser or as large as 1.5 inches in diameter to over three inches long. The kernels can vary in size within the hull; some filling out poorly or some not filling out at all. Some pecans have a kernel density so compact that the shells can be broken while the nuts are still on the tree by the swelling pressure that is generated from within, especially after heavy rains at the end of the ripening season.

The thinness of the shells of pecans is an important characteristic in determining the value of pecans. The term papershell pecan refers to the thinness that allows two nuts placed in the fist to be easily cracked, usually producing perfect halves. This thinness of the shell occurs occasionally in the extremea pecan cultivar with such thinness of the shell that the nut can easily be cracked between two fingers like a peanut. A disadvantage of this extreme thinness can occur when hurricanes come up from the Gulf causing long rainy periods. The kernels swell internally and the shells crack on the tree, providing an entry point for disease that can lead to damage or crop loss. Some years hurricanes have struck crops in September, before kernels of nuts have reached full maturity and immature nuts covered by green shucks were blown onto the ground, sometimes creating a layer several inches thick. These nuts are not worth saving, unless they fully mature on the pecan tree to the point beyond the shucks turning a deep brown or black color.

Pollination is not an important factor for pecan trees in most of the South and in areas where the pecan trees are native. The reason for this is that pecan trees are wind pollinated and pollen from a tree ten miles away can be pollinated if wind currents are favorable to transfer the pollen from one tree to the other. Some trees are self-pollinating, such as the Desirable cultivar of pecan, because the pollen and the female flowers both mature near the same time. Other pecan cultivars have pollen that matures too soon or too late to be effective in pollination of the female flowers. There are enough pecan trees in most naturalized areas of the pecan zones to provide adequate cross-pollination; however, the Desirable pecan is generally considered to be the best all-around pollinator, and most orchardists plant one of these pollinator trees at each end of the pecan orchard to ensure complete pollination. In Northern and far Western areas of the United States, it is suggested that a pecan tree buyer get the best information possible before deciding which cultivars to plant.

Despite the fact of the pecan trees Southern origin, the nut shows a surprisingly resilient resistance to cold. The pecan tree will live through low temperatures of zero degrees Fahrenheit and other drastic, sudden weather changes.

Pecan trees that produce superior nuts with characteristics of large size, papershell, high kernel quality, reliable production, and resistance to disease are grafted onto native (seedling) understock to ultimately produce uniform crops of harvested nuts in a cultivated orchard environment. Research has shown that the understock can have a considerable influence on the cultivar in terms of tree vigor. Most pecan tree nurseries plant the seed of Moore or Curtis cultivars to produce a predictable, balanced end-product, which has proven to be satisfactory. Early American nurserymen found that pecan scions could be grafted onto the rootstock of hickory and walnut trees, both of which are closely related to pecan trees, but these grafts were not satisfactory for orchardistsonly to hobbyists.

Diseases of pecans over the years have caused the withdrawal of many of the original cultivars from the market. First they seemed resistant to the notorious scab. This infection causes black spots to appear on the leaves that can spread to the hulls of the nuts, and later in the growing season can cause the premature blackening and drop of the nuts. Sometimes whole crops of nuts can be affected or lost during rainy summers and hurricane season unless the trees are sprayed often. Some insects can damage the quality of ripening nuts or even cause premature dropping; however, many orchardists now control all problems of pecan trees by periodic spraying and weed control. Zinc, manganese, magnesium, and boron deficient soils of the Southeast can be inexpensively controlled easily by soluble, small applications of the elements.

Land speculators of the 1920s planted thousands of acres of pecan orchards in South Georgia, near Albany, with the idea of reaping huge profits from nut production. The trees were subjected to scab infections, that seemed to have mutated and preferentially attacked some cultivars and other cultivars showed different stages of immunity to the disease. New preventive sprays were not available at that time to protect the pecan trees, but many of those orchards have been revived to produce profitable harvests by spraying programs or by topworking the trees to scab resistant cultivars.

In Central Georgia, where peach production flourished for many years, many pecan trees were planted at large distances between the peach trees, because peach trees only have a life expectancy of 10-15 years. The peach growers hoped that when the peach orchards died out, they would be replaced by mature pecan trees, in situ, which is exactly what happened. Central Georgia has become a major producer of high quality papershell pecans as a result of the insight of the peach tree growers and their correct selection of new, superior pecan tree cultivars.

Pecan nuts were reported to contain higher antioxidants than any other nuts, followed by walnuts and hazelnuts (filberts) in the June 9, 2004, issue of Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Antioxidants help to prevent, repair, and reduce oxidative stress a mechanism that interferes in healthy body functions by damaging cells that can lead to the formation of cancer, heart disease, Alzheimers Disease, and Parkinsons Disease.

Dr. Jose Pena, extension economist in Uvalde, Texas, stated that consumers prefer pecans over walnuts and almonds, even though they are purchased at a higher price. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that citizens should eat 3 to 5 servings of nuts each day to maintain a healthy diet. Just a handful of pecans offers Vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, fiber, and more antioxidants than any other nut.

Pecans have a very high concentration of Vitamin A that protects teeth, eyes, and bones, as well as benefiting general health. Because of recent interest in nuts as a healthy food, sales of pecans and other nuts have skyrocketed. Pecans offer a delicious, healthy nut to world markets with profitable financial rewards to those who choose to plant and market the product.