Archive for April, 2008
Hello-
Watermelons hold the honor of being among the most beloved of fruits all over the world. The sweet and juicy call of this delicious fruit is simply irresistible.
Watermelons are an excellent source of vitamin C and a very good source of vitamin A , notably through its concentration of beta-carotene. Watermelons are filled with lycopene, a pigment, which imparts the red color to them. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that may help reduce the risks of cancer and other diseases. You can also find it in ketchup. The redder the watermelon, the more lycopene it contains.
You can even eat the water melon seeds if you want because they also contain some important nutrients. The seeds are rich in magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorous, and zinc.
If you’re having trouble getting your daily 64 ounces of water, you can drink fresh watermelon juice since it is about 90% water. Instead of buying the new vitamin water you see advertised on TV, you can drink watermelon juice and get more healthy nutrients and antioxidants.
Remember that next time you’re thirsty and looking for something sweet and delicious to drink.
Best Foods to Eat
Hello-
You may or may not have heard this before but oatmeal is one of the best foods you can eat.
Eating 1.5 cups of cooked oatmeal provides 4.5 grams of fiber — enough to lower your cholesterol. To mix it up a little, try oat bran or cold cereal made with oatmeal or oat bran. Eat just one of these nutritional powerhouses and you’ll also get about 30 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin K, which is vital for healthy bones.
Oatmeal is excellent for breakfast or an anytime meal. Add skim milk and sweeten with dried fruit like bananas or apricots for a nutritional bounty. Oatmeal’s attributes promote slower and prolonged release of glucose into the blood system which enhances cognitive performance.
I add cinnamon, blueberries, and walnuts to my oatmeal to add even more fiber and some good fats. You have to mix it up a little because eating oatmeal everyday can get dull after a while. You need variety.
Eating a healthy breakfast will keep you from binging mid-morning or eating way too much at lunch because you’re ravenous. By satisfying your hunger in the right way, you’ll enjoy better concentration during those productive morning hours.
Try adding a bowl of oatmeal to your next breakfast.
-Adam
Best foods to eat
The question of what foods are healthy can often be quite a difficult one to answer. The research often seems to be in conflict, The studies that say a particular food is great for you one day often turn around and warn against that very food the next day. Sorting through all this clutter to find the real deal on nutrition and what foods are healthy can be difficult.
Dietary fads seem to come and go on an alarmingly regular basis as well. The low fiber high fat diets of yesterday give way to low fat high protein diets, and the wheel just keeps rolling, with too little thought given to what foods are healthy.
Understanding your current diet
When evaluating your own diet, it is important to take a couple of steps back and evaluate your own health, including what you want to get out of your diet. Knowing your own tastes and preferences, in addition to knowing which foods are healthy, will help you create a diet you can stick to for the rest of your life.
When choosing what foods are healthy, it is essential that you choose foods you actually like. If you choose a list of healthy foods you hate, you will obviously have trouble sticking to your diet long term, and your overall health and fitness level will suffer as a result. It is best to choose from the long list of healthy foods you already like, and to incorporate them into your diet for maximum benefit.
The importance of fruits and vegetables in the diet
Among the healthiest of all foods are fruits and vegetables. There is a good reason that fruits and vegetables make up such a large part of the government’s new food pyramid. The new government guidelines recommend that everyone eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, but unfortunately most people fall far short of this important goal. It is important, however, to incorporate as many fruits and vegetables into your diet as you possibly can.
Eating fruits and vegetables does not mean you are limited to simply eating pieces of fruit and raw carrots all day. When choosing what foods are healthy, it is just as important to prepare them in new and interesting ways. You can add fresh fruits to your favorite energy drink or smoothie, for instance, top your yogurt with strawberries or enjoy a sliced banana with your morning cereal.
Learn to think long term
This kind of variety is vital to the long term success of any diet. It is not enough to simply know what foods are healthy. It is vital to use that knowledge to create healthy meals that you and your family will love.
In addition to fruits and vegetables, of course, there are a wide variety of foods that are good for the body. These excellent foods include whole grains, including whole wheat bread and crackers, low fat meats, chicken, turkey and other poultry products and fresh fish. There are so many answers to the question of what foods are healthy that the hardest part may be choosing among them.
The best foods that help reduce asthma symptoms
Asthma symptoms can be at best annoying and at worst life threatening and the bad news is that cases of asthma are on the rise. More and more children and adults are diagnosed with this condition every year, and asthma continues to be the most commonly diagnosed lung condition in the nation.
The good news, however, is that there is more and more interest in food that helps reduce asthma symptoms. Scientists and researchers are increasingly interested in the role of diet in preventing and treating a host of diseases, and many studies are underway into the many ways in which diet influences asthma symptoms.
Diet and asthma
One recent study focused on the role of diet in young children with asthma. The study focused on food that helps reduce asthma symptoms, and it found that those children who regularly consumed full fat milk, butter and similar dairy products were less likely to develop asthma.
In addition, the children who consumed these full fat dairy products, such as whole milk and butter, also experienced less wheezing than those children who did not consume such foods. This study seems to suggest that dairy products are one type of food that helps reduce asthma symptoms.
Whole wheat and asthma
Another type of food that helps reduce asthma symptoms may be whole wheat bread and other foods containing whole grains. These whole grain products are thought to help reduce the severity of asthma symptoms, and to help reduce the likelihood of asthma in children.
The same study found that fruit juice, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables eaten on a daily basis are another example of a food that helps reduce asthma symptoms.
Despite these promising studies, scientists are still unsure of the basic cause of asthma. There are a number of studies that suggest that food allergies may play a role in triggering asthma attacks. For those food allergy triggered attacks, it is important to find those foods that trigger the attacks, as well as finding food that helps reduce asthma symptoms.
Asthma and allergies
Once these dietary triggers are identified, it will be much easier to tailor the diet to avoid the bad foods and concentrate on that food which helps reduce asthma symptoms.
In some cases, asthma attacks can be triggered by food or drink that is very hot or very cold. On occasion, asthma can also be triggered by overeating. In addition, some people have asthma attacks that are triggered by reactions to common food preservatives, including the sulfites found in many processed meats and other foods. Often, therefore, finding food that helps reduce asthma symptoms simply consists of avoiding these common asthma triggers.
While changes in diet and eating food that helps reduce asthma symptoms can be remarkably effective, such dietary changes should not be undertaken without the advice and consent of your family physician or pediatrician. It is important that your doctor know what treatments you are taking, including not only medications but also dietary changes. This knowledge will allow your doctor to more effectively tailor a treatment program to deal with your asthma condition.
Spinach is believed to have originated in ancient Persia, the country that is now known as Iran. Spinach was introduced to China sometime in the seventh century when it was presented to China as a gift from the king of Nepal.
In Europe, spinach has a much shorter history than many other popular vegetables. Spinach was first introduced to Europe sometime in the 11th century, when the Moors introduced it into Spain. As a matter of fact for some time the English referred to spinach as the Spanish vegetable.
Spinach grows quite well in most temperate climates, and the Netherlands and United States are among the biggest commercial growers of spinach on the market today.
Major benefits of eating spinach
There are many reasons to enjoy the dark green leafy vegetable known as spinach. For many years spinach has been touted as a health food, and this superfood certainly lives up to its reputation. Spinach is a rich source of many important vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, iron, calcium and beta-carotene.
Spinach is also a rich source of dietary fiber, thought to play an important role in protecting the body from many forms of cancer. As a matter of fact, the compounds contained in spinach are being studied for their possible role in preventing many forms of cancer, including such major killers as lung cancer. One reason may be the high concentration of vitamin K found in spinach. Vitamin K has long been associated with cancer prevention, and spinach is one of the very best sources of this vital nutrient.
This possible role as a cancer preventative is only one of the healthful effects of spinach. In addition, spinach may also play an important role in protecting the heart and cardiovascular system from damage. Spinach should be a part of every diet, but it may be even more important to those at risk for heart disease and stroke.
Spinach has also shown real promise at preventing cataracts. Some studies have suggested that this eye protection is due to the high concentration of beta-carotene found in spinach. Beta-carotene is thought to play an important role in eye health, and this may mean that the consumption of spinach can help protect the eyes from cataracts and other common vision problems.
One other reason for the eye protecting benefits associated with spinach may be its high concentration of lutein and zeaxanthin. These important carotenoids, similar to beta-carotene, are not only strong antioxidant vitamins, but they are thought to help protect against cataracts as well.
Spinach in the diet is also thought to help control high levels of homocysteine in the bloodstream. Recent studies have shown that a diet high in vitamin C, folic acid, beta-carotene and other nutrients found in spinach had lower homocysteine levels in their blood.
Why you should eat spinach for your health
The vitamins contained in spinach are also thought to play a role in preventing macular degeneration and other aging related diseases of the eye. Macular degeneration is the most common eye diseases in the elderly, and spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables are thought to help protect the body from these degenerative conditions.
In addition to its value as a superfood, spinach is low in price, widely available, and useful in a great number of recipes. Spinach is delicious and nutritious, and there is no reason not to include it in a healthy diet.
When choosing spinach it is important to choose spinach with a vibrant color and leaves of the richest and darkest green. It is important to avoid spinach that shows signs of yellowing. The leaves of spinach should appear fresh and tender, and they should not be bruised or wilted. In addition, it is important to avoid spinach that has a slimy coating on it, as this can be a sign of decay.
Fresh spinach should be loosely packaged in a plastic bag, and it should be stored in the crisper in the refrigerator. Spinach kept in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator will keep for up to four days, but it is important to use it as quickly as possible to ensure both freshness and good taste.
Spinach should not be washed prior to storage, since the excess moisture could cause it to spoil prematurely. Cooked spinach does not keep well and should not be stored. While spinach can be frozen after it has been blanched for two minutes, frozen spinach will develop a very soft texture. For this reason frozen spinach should not be allowed to completely thaw before being cooked.
