Dear Healthy Friend,

I remember the Popeye cartoons vividly. Olive Oyl was always being
captured by Brutus... Popeye would always save her with his extreme
strength brought on by his trusty can of spinach. As children, we just knew spinach helped you grow strong, but there was something we
didn't know about it...

Spinach could actually help defeat diabetes! Keep reading to find out
what research uncovered...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

P.S. Can you beleive there are only 14 weeks left till the end of the year? What a scary thought! There's so much to be done before then... Stress is bound to creep in (if it hasn't already). Dr Wright reveals some natural solutions to combat this silent killer...

P.P.S. Send to a friend! Please send your friends and family these these health tips and advice! And if they want to subscribe all they need to do is click here!

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Popeye's source of power could be your best defence....
Ed Martin
Editor, House Calls

Popeye's favourite green won't just help him beat up Brutus – it could also help you put the squeeze on your diabetes risk.

A new analysis finds that spinach and other leafy greens could cut the odds of type II diabetes by up to 14%.

Of course, you can bring that risk down to almost zero by following a healthy low-carb diet... But when you consider how this disease is running rampant, a 14% reduction is a pretty good start.

British researchers looked at data from six studies on a combined total of 223,512 people from the United States, Finland and China. The patients were tracked for between four and 23 years, and recorded their daily intakes of fruits and vegetables along the way.

While most fruits and vegetables didn't make much of a difference in terms of diabetes risk, one group stood out among the others: Leafy greens.

You don't even need much of this stuff, either - the study in British MEdical Journal found that a touch over a serving a day (actually 1.15 servings, or about 115g) led to that 14% risk reduction.

But that doesn't mean you need to stop at 115g, because spinach and other greens are packed with essential antioxidants and other nutrients, including the mineral magnesium.

Two things you need to know about magnesium: Low levels of it have been linked to diabetes and most people suffer from low levels of it.

The researchers also found that higher intakes of fruit don't lower diabetes risk, which shouldn't be a surprise since fruits are loaded with natural sugars. While fruits are just about the only safe way to enjoy sugar, you should limit your intake - especially if you're already overweight or at risk for diabetes.

Veggies, on the other hand, are a great idea in any amount. Remember: For maximum benefit, enjoy them fresh and raw or as close to raw as possible. When you cook your veggies, you can heat most of the nutrients right out them.

And while these great greens can help lower your disease risk, they hold only part of the puzzle. The rest of the picture is completed by everything else in your diet.

If you're eating junk most of the time, no amount of spinach will help you defeat Brutus - and you'll be positively Wimpy when you face diabetes.

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The natural way to relieve stress

Q: Are there any safe, natural remedies to help alleviate stress?

Dr. Wright: There are several natural supplements that are known to have a calming effect. First there are the nutrients niacinimide and vitamin B12 (which generally works best when taken intravenously). Both need to be used under a doctor's supervision in order to have dosages and responsiveness closely monitored. Then, there are the herbs kava and St. John's wort, which have both been shown in numerous studies to help alleviate stress and anxiety.

But before you take any of these supplements, you may want to look at your diet to see if it is too high in refined sugar and carbohydrates.

Eliminating refined sugar, white flour and other highly processed foods from your diet could help the body regulate insulin. This is important because when the body's blood sugar falls, adrenaline is released to compensate, which in turn, can induce the symptoms of anxiety. Eating smaller, more frequent meals containing a variety of protein and vegetables is a wiser choice, as is staying away from caffeine.