The Health Benefits of Kale

When you mention kale, the majority will look up with raised eyebrows and mumble "What"? "What's that"? An old, hardly spoken of and powerful green food. Kale is a leafy green vegetable with a mild earthy flavor. The season for kale is between mid winter and early spring where it can be found in abundance in most produce sections of the local grocery store. However, one can find kale year round. Thankfully, kale is starting to garner well deserved attention due its nutrient rich phytochemical content which provides unparalleled health promoting benefits.

Kale absolutely rich and abundant in calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K. Kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein. Kale is rich in Vitamin C not to mention the much needed fiber so lacking in the daily diet of processed food eating Americans. The "Icing on the Kale" are the natural occurring all important phytochemicals sulforaphane and indoles which research suggests may protect against cancer. Let's not forget the all important antioxidant Vitamin E. Rest assured kale spares nothing in providing one with much needed nutrients and associated health benefits.

Health Care

The naturally rich sulfur content of kale deserves a bit more discussion. Science has discovered that sulforaphane, helps boost the body's detoxification enzymes, possibly by altering gene expression. This is turn is purported to help clear carcinogenic substances in a timely manner. Sulforaphane is formed when cruciferous vegetables like kale are chopped or chewed. This somehow triggers the liver to produce enzymes that detoxify cancer causing chemicals, of which we all are exposed on daily basis. A recently new study in the Journal of Nutrition (2004) demonstrates that sulforaphane helps stop breast cancer cell proliferation.

The Health Benefits of Kale

Kale descends from the wild cabbage which originated in Asia and is thought to have been brought to Europe by the Celtics. Kale was an important food item in early European history and a crop staple in ancient Rome. Kale was brought to the USA during the 17th century by English settlers.

A leafy green vegetable starting to gain widespread attention, kale belongs to the Brassica family, a group that also includes cabbage, collard greens and Brussels sprouts. Choose kale with small leaves as they will be tenderer and offer a sweeter taste. Make kale leaves a regular addition to your salads. A sautéed side dish of kale, onions, and garlic drizzled in olive oil is second to none. Enjoy your kale. You'll be glad did.

The Health Benefits of Kale

Dr. Linda Posh MS SLP ND. "Doc Posh" brings a fresh perspective to natural health and nutrition. She packs a solid educational background with degrees in organic chemistry, psychology and a Masters in Communication Sciences and Disorders. The Dr. sports a diverse work history including experience and expertise in acute care neurorehab services, special education, autism support services, spinal cord injuries, senior rehabilitation services and currently consults to both patients and colleagues in natural health. Recently, she has been in the laboratory, formulating revolutionary whole food nutritional supplements. LiquidVitaminAnswers.com Body Balance Liquid Vitamins Answers Website donates all profits to providing free Health Care for those in need. Sign up for Doc Posh's newsletter. Get the latest in health care discoveries, consumer deception and more. Visit http://www.LiquidVitaminAnswers.com for the finest in liquid vitamins.

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2012 Health Care Trends

The face of American healthcare in 2012 is changing. Various reforms have already been implemented and others are pending. Current political debates, opposition movements and pending court cases regarding health-care reform all point to an uncertain 2012. Despite the changes overshadowing the future of the US healthcare market, employers have no choice but to continue managing these costs for their companies. Employers and human resources staff that are well-informed about health insurance trends will be better suited to determine the policies that will be of greatest benefit to their companies.

Projected Health Care Costs

Health Care

According to the Aon Hewitt 2011 Health Care Trend survey, national medical care costs are projected to increase by 10% in 2012. In California, employers may have to shell out an additional 12% for healthcare costs, according to the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) annual survey of December 2011. Healthcare inflation is increasing at levels of 3 or 4 times the degree of national inflation. The expectation is that these trends will continue, creating concern for employers as well as employees struggling to afford medical coverage.

2012 Health Care Trends

According to recent studies, rising insurance premiums may drive many employers to discontinue offering health coverage to their employees, opting to pay a penalty instead. In June 20122, the McKinsey Survey contacted 1300 employers on the CEO or CFO level. The survey found that 30% of all employers were likely to drop their health care plans; of those employers with a "high awareness" of the details of health care reform that increased to 50%. Ostensibly, seemingly high fines of 00-3000 would be enough of a deterrent to prevent employers from discontinuing coverage for employees. However, in truth, such penalties represent only about one quarter of the health insurance costs these employers would have to pay.

California Trends with Co-Pays and Deductibles

According to the CHCF, higher co-pays and deductibles are also on the rise; a trend that is likely to continue. Some interesting statistics pertaining to California health insurance programs highlight this trend as employers look for creative way to reduce insurance premiums.
76% of California HMO plans and 65% of PPO plans have copays of - Less than 1% of all plans offer copays, but over 25% of these plans obligate copays of greater than . 25% of California's employer sponsored plans are high deductible plans of 00 or more.

The bottom line is that through elevated deductibles and greater out-of-pocket expenses employers are passing costs on to employees.

Conclusion

Health insurance for small business is looking to undergo significant changes in 2012. If employers are serious about reducing health costs and shielding their companies from drastic changes in the coming year, they should be sure to review and implement creative health insurance plans for their employees.

2012 Health Care Trends

Ari Rosenstein is the Director of Marketing at CPEhr, a human resource outsourcing firm, specializing in labor law compliance and PEO services. It currently services 15,000 employees and hundreds of clients nationwide.

CPEhr was founded in 1982 and assists small employers with the management of their employees and compliance with employment regulations.

Services include: - HR Compliance - Human Resources Administration - Legislative Compliance - Employee Benefits - Risk Management and Workers' Compensation - Payroll and Tax Administration - Management and Employee Training - Recruiting Services

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