Category: Nutrition

The Best Foods to Maintain a Healthy, Creative Brain

Scientist have put a man on the moon, explored the surface of mars, open heart surgery has become a common procedure. By contrast, how your brain ages still remains a mystery. This is due in part to the fact that until recently the human lifespan was 47 years. Associate professor of psychology David Walsh, Ph.D says that left precious little time to study brain aging. Today the average lifespan is 80 and baby boomers are demanding to know how to preserve their brain function as long as possible.

At one time it was  thought that from the moment you were born brain cells started to die, scientist now know that is not true. Until recently brain aging, related memory loss to more serious conditions Read More »

Quinoa, one of the world's most perfect foods

Quinoa commonly referred to as a grain is technically a seed not a grain. It is the seed of an herbaceous plant related to leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard. Among the Aztecs and Incas it is considered a sacred food, known as the mother seed, recognized for its value in increasing the stamina of their soldiers.

For thousands of years quinoa has been a staple in the diet of South American Indians but was not introduced to America until the 1980s. Two Americans, after discovering this small seed that had the potential of being a nutritional dynamo, started to import quinoa to the United States  and cultivating it in Colorado. Quinoa is becoming more and more popular as people recognize it for both its nutritional value and great taste.

Why is quinoa such a super food? Read More »

Gas Free Beans

Gas-free soak – In a large stockpot, place 1 pound of beans in 10 or more cups of boiling water. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Then cover and allow to soak over night. The next day 75 to 90 percent of the indigestible sugars that cause gas will have dissolved into the soaking water.   

www.mayoclinic.com

6 Obstacles to Healthy Eating and How to Overcome Them

1. You are not aware of how much the food affects your health

There are two types of calories - Energy Dense and Nutrient Dense. They both provide you with the necessary calories to prevent starvation but only one provides nourishment for your body. 

• Energy Dense Calories usually found in the foods that are convenient, provide instant gratification, high in calories but have little (if any) nutritional value. Chances are within an hour or two after eating these foods you will be raiding your kitchen for something else to eat.  
• Nutrient Dense Calories are packed with valuable vitamins, minerals, and fiber. A diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains ensure that you get all your necessary nutrients to protect your health and prevent your waist line from expanding.

2. Not sure of the best foods to eat

We hear such conflicting information in the media; carbs are bad,carbs are good/ fat is bad,fat is good/butter is bad,margarine is good/butter is good, margarine is bad. This is all media hype turning the processed food industry into a billion dollar business.

Not all processed foods are bad for you like milk, high fiber cereals, whole grain breads or frozen fruits and vegetables. They are a convenient way to get valuable nutrients when you are short on time. Avoid any food that has been boxed, bagged, canned or frozen with a long list of ingredients only a chemist can pronounce.

3. Healthy food is expensive and takes hours to prepare

You do have to plan your meals for the week, make a shopping list and buy only the items on your list but the rewards for your efforts will far outweigh any inconvenience.

• You pay for the convenience of  having the meal already prepared for you. Pre-packaged foods are full of sodium, sugar and chemicals that lead to serious health problems later in your life
• Buy fruits and vegetables in season  
• Shop at your local farmer’s market
• Use legumes as your entree, add them to soup or create a main dish salad. You caneasily feed a family of 6 for 3 or 4 dollars
• Add brown rice and pasta to casseroles
• Check the local ads for weekly specials

4. Not having a system for shopping, storing, and preparing

• Think about your schedule for the week
• Plan your meals around events for that week, and most important, plan your meals before you go shopping
• Keep your pantry and freezer full of the foods you use most often
• Plan a few go to meals incase of an emergency or maybe you are just tired.
• Slow cookers and George Foreman grills are a busy persons’s best friends
• Prepare enough for two meals and put one in the freezer

5. A food either taste good or it is good for you

Eating healthy does not mean giving up your favorite foods. Learn new methods of preparation, replace salt with herbs and spices and try new foods.

6. Most Important “Do Not Deprive Yourself of Your Favorite Treats”

If you are eating healthy at least 80% of the time the occasional treat will not endanger your health.       

Coffee, a Healthy Start to Your Day

Coffee for years has been considered an evil drink responsible for every illness from heart disease to cancer; at least 19,000 studies over the past several years have proven quite the opposite. Research coming out of Harvard, Norway and Switzerland found no connection between the consumption of coffee and heart disease or any other disease for that matter. Great news for those of us who love our daily cup of coffee drinking up to six cups a day can reduce your risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammation and Parkinson’s just to name a few of coffee’s benefits.

Coffee beans contain over 1,000 antioxidants and the roasting process can add hundreds more. The American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition reports that a typical serving of coffee contains more antioxidants than typical servings of grape juice, blueberries, raspberries and oranges. How much coffee a day you can drink to reap the benefits is still not clear but I think it is safe to say a couple of cups a day may be much more beneficial than a multi-vitamin.

I think it is becoming very obvious that it is man’s supermarket that creates disease not nature’s supermarket.

Low Fat Diets Lead To Malnutrition

Hear the word malnutrition and chances are your mind’s eye produces an image of a third world child lacking the energy to even swat the flies circling their bodies. With approximately 2/3s of our countries population overweight, many of them obese, it may not occur to many of you that we are a nation suffering from malnutrition.

For thirty years you have been lead to believe the key to disease prevention is a low fat diet. The low fat message has been taken to such an extreme that many of you have attempted to cut all fat out of your diet. When the fat content in your diet is too low it is difficult to eat enough food to get all the needed nutrients.

8 Reasons Why Fat is a Necessary Nutrient

1. Fat provides energy: Fat provides back-up energy if blood sugar runs out(after 4 to 6 hrs. without eating).

2. You eat less food less often: Fat in your diet can actually help you lose weight. You need less food to fell satisfied and you do not feel the need to eat as often.

3. Prevents omega 3 fatty acid deficiency: Omega 3 fatty acids regulate the inflammation that leads to heart disease, strokes, diabetes and depression.

4. Necessary for the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K: Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble vitamins which mean your body can not absorb these vitamins without the aid of fat.

5. Fat builds healthy cells: Fats are a vital part of the membrane that surrounds each cell of your body. Without a healthy cell membrane, the rest of the cell couldn’t function.

6. Fat builds healthy brains: Fatty acids create the specialized brain cells that help you think.

7. Fat forms a protective cushion for your organs: Many of the vital organs, especially the kidneys, heart and intestines, are cushioned by fat that  helps protect them from injury and holds them in place.

8. Fat keeps your heart healthy: Fats keep your heart beating at a regular rhythm; 60% of your heart’s energy comes from buring fat.

Malnutrition develops when the body does not get the right amount of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissue and organ function. Your body does not recognize the difference between not eating enough food and eating too much of the wrong kind of food. 

Is Juice a Health Drink?

We all know that fruit protects our health but do we get the same value from fruit juice? Medical Plants Expert, Navindra Seeram, from The University of Rhode Island says no.

Plants protect their seeds from the enviroment and predators by putting a lot of natural compounds into the outermost layer of their fruit. When the skins and seeds are removed during processing so are the protectors.Juices retain less than 50% of the bioactive compounds; Luke Howard, of The University of Arkansas, states that some studies have shown as little as 20%.

The bottom line is when ever possible pass on the juice and eat a piece of fruit (fresh or frozen). 

Center For Science in the Public Interest

Save The Skin

From Prevention – The Power Of The Peel

Quote: “When you squeeze a lemon (or peel an orange), save the skin. Scientist at  De- Montfort University in the United Kingdom found that a compound in tangerine peel called salvestrol Q40 kills an enzyme that spurs the growth of human cancer cells. Previous research has shown that limonene, a compound found in lemon, orange, and grapefruit peel, might also decrease cancer risk.

Prevention suggest that you zest the peel of the well washed fruit and add it to soups, baked goods, tea, or yogurt.