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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Benefits of Healthy Food



1. Healthy foods like fruits and vegetables or whole wheat chapattis and bread are high in fiber content. Fibers release energy slowly, this food keeps our stomach full for a longer time and we feel less hungry through the day. High fiber foods also keep your gastro-intestinal tract healthy thus controlling your cholesterol and blood sugar level.

2. The proteins that you derive from lean meat and nuts improve your brain functions. Have veggies either steamed or stir-fried. They hold all the nutrients intact unlike fried foods which drain out the essential nutrients.

3. Healthy food is not processed, hence they are low in calories and do not lose out on essential nutritional values. Having multi-grain breads, sprouts, low fat diary items (like skimmed milk, home-made paneer or curd) and fruits will give you a good amount of nutrition.

4. Since these foods are low in calories and Trans fat, therefore, it will help to control your weight. If you are overweight or obese, consult a doctor or nutritionist at the earliest and follow a high fiber low calorie diet strictly.

5. A daily diet of health and nutritional food will also give you a good heart preventing all sorts of heart diseases. It will also control your cholesterol, blood sugar level and blood pressure.

You see healthy food not only supplies you with proteins, minerals and essential nutrients but also has many added benefits. No disadvantages at all, only with the exception that it won’t be able to meet your temptations.

4 SuperFoods

Don't just sit there!

Monday, February 24, 2014

The Difference is What They Eat

It an age old war between healthy food and junk food. When it comes to choosing between junk food and healthy food, junk food has always won the race!
Whether we admit it or not, although we may start off our day with eating an apple, we’ll end it with two to three slices of extra cheese pizza and coke. But why do we love junk food so much when we know that it is unhealthy for us? There are many reasons to which most of you will agree.

1. They are a pleasure to our taste buds. Do we get the same pleasure in eating a bowl of fruits that we get in a cheese burger?

2. Junk food is very tastier than healthy food. Yummy cheesy sandwich vs. a bowl of seasonal fruits; a war is going on in your mind…which one will you choose for your snack? Sandwich always wins.

3. Temptation plays a very important role when it comes to choosing junk food over healthy food. The melted chocolate dripping out of chocolate fudge is more tempting than an apple.

4. Another reason for junk food craving is the mood. It has been noticed that when you are overtly stressed you crave for sweet junk food like cakes, pastries, brownies or chocolates.



4 Levels of Eating

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1/1901255_591392394285912_2050405722_n.jpg

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Food for Thought Friday: Food Labels & Food Claims!

Today's Food for Thought Friday segment delves into food labels and food claims. With so many food claims out there--- organic, natural, reduced fat, low fat, enriched, and more--- it can be hard to understand what these terms mean, and how they should impact our food choices while grocery shopping. So today I've outlined all of the important information for you. Everything from how to read a food label to understanding different food claims is covered--- check it out guys!



How to read a food label:

1. Check the serving size. Ask yourself if that's a reasonable amount for a serving. If it's far less than the amount you'd realistically consume, then the food label is somewhat skewed.

2. Check the calories and the calories from fat. General guidelines: around 50 calories is low range, 100 calories is mid range, and 400 calories is high range. You'll want to choose foods within the low to mid caloric range. Again, keep the serving size in mind!

3. What nutrients you should limit. These include your unhealthy fats, cholesterol, and sodium. You'll want to keep these nutrients in low consumption, so look for foods that contain low amounts of these. 5% or less of your daily value would be considered low.

4. What nutrients you should ensure you get enough of. These include fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients. You'll want to ensure you're getting enough of these nutrients, so look for foods that contain higher amounts of these. 20% or more of your daily value would be considered high.

5. Check the ingredients. Ideally, if you're eating clean, the ingredients list should be relatively short and it should be comprised of ingredients you know. A lengthy ingredient list full of ingredients you can't pronounce is the hallmark of processed, artificial, synthetic foods!
Handy graphic to help you learn how to read a food label quickly & easily
Food claims

Calorie free: Less than 5 calories
Sugar free: Less than 0.5 grams of sugar

Fat free: Less than 0.5 grams of fat
Low fat: 3 grams of fat or less
Reduced fat or less fat: At least 25 percent less fat than the regular product
Low in saturated fat: 1 gram of saturated fat or less, with not more than 15 percent of the calories coming from saturated fat

Lean: Less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol
Extra lean: Less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol

Light: At least one-third fewer calories or no more than half the fat of the regular product, or no more than half the sodium of the regular product

Cholesterol free: Less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams (or less) of saturated fat
Low cholesterol: 20 or fewer milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fat
Reduced cholesterol: At least 25 percent less cholesterol than the regular product and 2 grams or less of saturated fat

Sodium free or no sodium: Less than 5 milligrams of sodium and no sodium chloride in ingredients
Very low sodium: 35 milligrams or less of sodium
Low sodium: 140 milligrams or less of sodium
Reduced or less sodium: At least 25 percent less sodium than the regular product

High fiber: 5 grams or more of fiber
Good source of fiber: 2.5 to 4.9 grams of fiber

Organic claims

- Regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In 2002, 4 classes of "organic" foods were identified. Independent accredited certifiers verify these claims.

- 100% Organic: Must be 100% organic. Contains only organic ingredients with no antibiotics, hormones, genetic engineering, radiation, synthetic pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers. Can show the USDA's organic logo and USDA's organic seal.
- Organic: Must be at least 95% organic, provided the remaining 5% of the ingredients are not available from organic sources. Can also display the USDA's organic seal.
- Made with organic: Foods that are at least 70% organic can use this phrase to describe only the organic ingredients.
- Organic ingredients: Foods that are less than 70% organic can only use the phrase organic on the ingredients list to describe organic ingredients.

- Natural: No regulation for the term "natural" exists. Manufactures can use this term with much discretion, so choose foods labeled "natural" with caution. This term is generally taken to mean that it does not contain artificial dyes, flavors, or substances.

Grain claims

- Multigrain: Foods that contain more than one type of grain. There is no regulation on how much or what type of grains though, so there may not be healthy grains included.
- Whole Grain: Foods that have at least a small portion of whole grain. There is no regulation on how much, so it may be a very small portion of healthy grains included.
- 100 % Whole Grain: Foods made with only whole grains. These are the best food choices of all the grain food label claims.

Nutrient claims

- Fortified: Foods that have nutrients added to them (beyond the naturally occurring ones)
- Enriched: Foods that have nutrients which have been lost during processing added back to them
- Fortified foods tend to be a better choice than enriched foods

- Good source of: These foods contain at least 10% of the daily recommended amount per serving 
- High source of: These foods contain at least 20% of the daily recommended amount per  serving

Miscellaneous food claims
- These have little to no regulation
- Choose these foods with caution

- Green
- Contains antioxidants
- Strengths immune system
- Doctor recommended

In the end
- Make informed food choices!
- Be skeptical of food claims!
- Always check food labels!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Food Sources and Vitamins

Food Sources and Vitamins

Food sources and vitamins and nutrients have their own essential function that contributes to a person’s general overall health and well-being.
Questions that arise about the importance of vitamins and nutrients and other factor that support life are:
  1. Is there one vitamin or nutrient that is more important than another?
  2. What is more important, sun, food, water or oxygen?
They are all equally important for life. So too are all of the vitamins and nutrients. It is impossible to actually state which vitamin is more important than the other. Vitamins need each other to work properly within our bodies.
Do you know the food sources for each of the 23 essential vitamins? There are a number of foods which provide all of these necessary life sustaining vitamins.
The vitamin type varies in each food, making it important to have a balanced diet to ensure that the required amounts of each are obtained.

Food Sources and Vitamins

The following is a guide to the food sources and their vitamins.
Vitamin A sources are milk, eggs, butter, yellow fruits & vegetables, dark green fruits & vegetables, liver.
Vitamin B-1 sources are brewer’s yeast, whole grains, blackstrap molasses, brown rice, organ meats, and egg yolks.
Vitamin B-2 sources are brewer’s yeast, whole grains, legumes, nuts, organ meats, and blackstrap molasses.
Vitamin B-3 sources are lean meats, poultry and fish, brewer’s yeast, peanuts, milk, rice bran, and potatoes.
Vitamin B-4 sources are egg yolks, organ meats, brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, soybeans, fish, and legumes.
Vitamin B-5 sources are organ meats, egg yolks, legumes, whole grains, wheat germ, salmon, and brewer’s yeast.
Vitamin B-6 sources are meats, whole grains, organ meats brewer’s yeast, blackstrap molasses, and wheat germ.
Vitamin B-7 sources are egg yolks, liver, unpolished rice, brewer’s yeast, sardines, legumes, and whole grains.
Vitamin B-8 sources are who1e grains, citrus fruits, molasses, meat, milk, nuts, vegetables, and brewer’s yeast.
Vitamin B-9 sources are dark-green leafy vegetables, organ meats, root vegetables, oysters, salmon, and milk.
Vitamin B-12 sources are organ meats, fish, pork, eggs, cheese, milk, lamb, bananas, kelp, and peanuts.
Vitamin B-13 sources are root vegetables, liquid whey.
Vitamin B-15 sources are brewer’s yeast, rare steaks, and brown rice, sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds.
Vitamin B-17 sources are whole kernels of apricots, apples, cherries, peaches, and plums.
Vitamin C sources are citrus, cabbage family, chili peppers, berries, melons, asparagus, and rose hips.
Vitamin D sources are salmon, sardines, herring, milk, egg yolk, organ meats, sprouted seeds, and sunflower seeds.
Vitamin E sources are cold-pressed oils, eggs, wheat germ, organ meats, molasses, sweet potatoes, and nuts.
Vitamin K sources are green leafy vegetables, egg yolks, safflower oil, blackstrap molasses, and cauliflower.

Image credit: robynmac / 123RF Stock Photo

Health Important Tips

Acupressure Points for the Hands

Cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy usually starts manifesting before the age of 3, and is caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that control muscle movements.

Whole body vibration therapy has been found to help in managing the symptoms of this condition, both in kids and adults.

You can read more about the effectiveness of WBV in patients with CP at the following links:

http://us.hypervibe.com/blog/whole-body-vibration-as-therapy-for-cerebral-palsy-symptoms/

http://us.hypervibe.com/blog/new-study-confirms-the-effectiveness-of-wbv-in-children-with-cerebral-palsy/



Foods that Kill Cancer

The National #Cancer Institute estimates that roughly one-third of all cancer deaths may be #diet related. What you eat can hurt you, but it can also help you.
The following #foods have the ability to help stave off cancer and some can even help inhibit cancer cell growth or reduce tumor size..


Health Benefits of Juicing

How to Eat Healthy Chart

Eating healthy means you are committing yourself to live healthy. Once you have decided to change your eating habits to a healthier way, you begin to embrace the health benefits of healthy eating. Read more http://www.sampateek.com/en/articles/10-ways-eat-healthy