Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Natural Flavonoids From Fruits and Vegetables

(NaturalNews) Natural compounds commonly found in many fruits and vegetables are among the most powerful agents we have in our dietary arsenal to combat many forms of cancer. Flavonoids and proanthocyanidins have evolved as a protective mechanism for a variety of different plants and play a critical role in preventing disease in humans. Our body uses these powerhouse nutrients to lower inflammation, reduce blood pressure and fight the aging effect of free radicals. New research shines a bright light on the cancer fighting capacity of flavonoids you need in your diet to provide optimal disease protection.

Study Finds Significant Risk Reduction for Many Cancer Lines
The results of a study published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer conducted in Italy over the past 20 years found that a high flavonoid diet played a key role in cancer prevention. Study participants with the highest intake of flavonoids and proanthocyanidins demonstrated a 44% lower risk of oral cancer and a 40% reduced occurrence of laryngeal cancer. Incidence of colon cancer was lowered by a third and reductions in breast, ovarian and kidney cancers were noted as well.

The study authors attributed the findings to the powerful antioxidant, anti-mutagenic and anti-proliferative properties of the dietary compounds commonly consumed by the participants in the study. They conclude: "The findings from this large network of Italian case-control studies have provided support for an apparent protective role of flavanones on upper aerodigestive tract cancers; flavonols, anthocyanidins, and proanthocyanidins on colorectal cancer; flavonols and flavones on breast cancer; isoflavones on ovarian cancer; and flavonols on renal cancer."

Including Flavonoids in Your Diet to Prevent Cancer
Health conscious individuals will want to take advantage of these essential nutrients to achieve optimal disease protection. Include some of these flavorful options in your diet every day to lower your risk of many deadly cancer lines.

Black, Green and White Tea: All members of the tea family are packed with a special group of flavonoids known as flavonols (catechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate). Research has shown that these powerful flavonoids work directly on replicating DNA sequences to prevent mutations that lead to cancer initiation. Drink 2 to 4 cups of fresh brewed tea daily.

Garlic, Leeks and Onions: Quercetin is the key flavonoid in this family of vegetables. Known for its ability to spark the immune system into action, quercetin is rapidly taking its place at the top of the antioxidant pyramid. Some people have trouble eating garlic and onions due to the sharp taste so supplementing may be a good option.

Blueberries, Acai Berries and Grapes: Humans have been eating berries and grapes since early in our history. The flavonoids in these foods have been shown to help our immune system attack and destroy rogue cancer cells before they have a chance to develop and become malignant. Enjoy 1 to 2 servings of these super foods for maximum cancer protection.

Diet is our most powerful agent in the fight against many diseases. Adding natural foods including those packed with flavonoids gives our body the ammunition to fight many dangerous lines of cancer so we can live a life free of disease.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030582_flavonoids_cancer.html#ixzz1TIJCaPSx

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

What Food Help Burn Fats And Calories?

What Foods Help Burn Fat And Calories?

These Foods are in Your Kitchen Right Now and will Help You Burn Fat and Calories
The key to weight loss is taking in fewer calories than you burn, but what you eat can give you tremendous advantage. You really are what you eat, food is nothing but a bunch of chemicals that unravel during digestion and become part of your body. The key is to eat foods that help your bodily systems run smoothly and optimally, so your energy and metabolism stays set to high. Here are seven foods to stock up on that will help you burn fat and calories.

Orange Juice
New research reveals that your body has a harder time burning fat and calories without adequate levels of Vitamin C-the star nutrient in OJ. Some experts estimate that up to one-third of Americans routinely run low on this important antioxidant. Why? Because we're still not eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables. Strawberries, kiwi, red bell peppers, tomatoes, citrus fruits and spinach are all excellent sources.

Good to know: Fresh orange Juice is brimming with vitamin C. (It delivers 80mg or more per cup, above the 60mg Daily Value.) But vitamin C degrades with exposure to oxygen and light. Within a month every trace of vitamin C disappears from the juice, leaving you with nothing but a carton of orange-colored calories. By the time you reach the expiration date, the vitamin C is lost. Skip the gallon jug. Buy smaller containers instead and drink it within a week.

Water
There's a reason every weight-loss plan recommends guzzling plenty of water. It helps with weight loss. When German researchers gave 14 men and women two cups of water, they found that the subjects' metabolism began to rise within 10 minutes of their final sip. After 40 minutes, their average calories burning rate was 30 percent higher and stayed elevated for more than an hour. What's more, the water quenches your thirst and helps prevents dehydration, which can slow down your metabolism.

Good to know:
Part of the increased fat and calorie burn occurs as your body warms the liquid to your body temperature, so if you're aiming for max fat and calorie burn, dump ice cubes into a 16-ounce water bottle and fill it to the brim with water.

To read more about the health benefits of drinking water click here

Salmon
People who eat fish three or four times a week have higher levels of leptin - a hormone that is believed to control appetite and promote fat loss. One recent study showed 73 dieters who were given leptin injections lost about four times as much weight (15 pounds versus 3 ½), most of it from fat, during a six-month period, than those who didn't receive leptin. Fish are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help to regulate the body's blood-sugar levels, which keep hunger at bay. Most Americans get only about 15 percent of the recommended daily amount (650mg) of omega-3.

Good to know: Canned tuna contains fewer omega-3s than salmon, and it has recently come under fire for it's high mercury content, which limits the amount of tuna you should eat. Buy canned salmon instead. Twelve ounces a week, or four 3-ounces cans, delivers all the omega-3s you need, plus it's low in calories (80 per can) and high in protein. Toss it in salads, mix it with pasta, or just serve it up with a little mayo on a salmon sub.

Eggs

Burn Body Fat for Energy If you want to burn fat, nothing beats breakfast. The morning meal fires up your metabolism and increases your energy to tackle the day ahead and hopefully your morning workout. Eat eggs. Research shows that egg eaters consume fewer calories than non-egg eaters in the hours following breakfast.

Good to know: Almost 80 percent of people who lose and keep off large amounts of weight eat breakfast daily, according to the National Weight Control Registry.

Milk

Sure, milk can deliver bone-building calcium, and some studies suggest that calcium promotes fat burning, but that's not the whole story, or perhaps even the most important part. Milk is also an important source of vitamin D, otherwise known as the sunshine vitamin. Researchers are now discovering that vitamin D is an important player in metabolism, as well as bone development. The problem is that up to 70 percent of us routinely get less than we need, If you live in the northern states (any above the line from New York City to Northern Carolina), the sun is strong enough for your body to make the vitamin D only from May to September. What's more, sunblock with a SPF higher that 8 will block the UV rays necessary to make vitamin D.

Good to know:
Three cups of milk a day deliver your daily dose of calcium and about 75 percent of your vitamin D needs (400 IU a day). For the rest, hang out in the sunshine for about five minutes a day to get some light on your hands, face and arms. Other good food sources include eggs, and fish such as salmon, sardines and herring.

Sirloin

Lean meats, such as sirloin steaks, as well as turkey, chicken, tuna, lentils and fortified cereals, are rich in iron, the mineral that is responsible for forming hemoglobin and carrying oxygen in your red blood cells. Without enough oxygen carrying hemoglobin, your energy flags and your metabolism falls. Because athletes are so active they may need about 30 percent more iron than the general population. Supplementing iron can be risky, so it's best to get it from food. To read more about iron click here

Good to know:
Cook in cast iron. The minerals leach from the pot or pan into the food. Acidic foods work best. One study showed that the iron content of three ounces of spaghetti sauce skyrocketed from 0.6mg to 5.7mg of iron after being cooked in a cast iron pot.

Almonds
Adding a handful of almonds to your oatmeal in the morning may help you burn fat and calories. A study of 65 overweight adults found that even when the dieters ate identical amounts of calories, those who were given three ounces of almonds every day lost considerably more weight (18 percent versus an 11 percent weight loss) and more inches off their waistline than those who did not eat nuts. Almonds seem to help stabilize blood sugar, which wards off hunger.

Good to know:
Nuts are high in calories, so don't go too nuts. A handful a day should be enough to help keep hunger away.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

WHEN FOODS AND DRINKS BECOMES DANGEROUS

Drugs interaction with foods and drinks we take has for some time being a sort of concern for scientist. Natural foods that are meant to nourish our body could turn out to be trouble seeking for where to happen. It is imperative to know the possible interaction between the foods and drinks we take and our present medication in order to prevent complication. Your doctor or a little research on your own could save you dozens of drugs running down your oesophagus, seeking to make your body an outlet to a pharmaceutical store.

It is known that regularly consuming a diet high in fat while taking anti-inflammatory and arthritis medication can cause kidney damage and leave the patient feeling drowsy and sedated. This calls for a perfect reconciliation between the foods and drinks you take and drugs. A drug or drugs meant for good could actually become toxic to your body. Ignorance has never been an excuse to cause and effect.

Drugs like anti-infections, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular agents, central nervous system agents, estrogens, gastrointestinal agents, erectile dysfunction drugs, anti-hypertension drugs, immunosupressants, sedatives like midazolan and diazapan show interaction with grapes, limes, pumellos and Seville oranges, citrus products and wines of these components. This interaction increases the concentration of the drugs in the bloodstreams and enhances their potency, which can result in toxicity.

Grapefruit on its own is packed with vitamin C, beta-carotene which converts into vitamin A and helps protect against infection keeping the body young and healthy. Taking this along with certain drugs could mean something else.

Milk does not mix with with laxative containing bisacodyl ( correctol and dulcolax) . for people who are asthmatic, caffeinated beverages and asthma drugs should not be taken together. It could result in excess excitability.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

GO BANANAS

Bananas are not only delicious, they 're almost fat free. It's only when they're made into a banana split with ice-cream and cream there is a problem.

Bananas are rich in carbohydrate so they make an ideal between-meal snack to top up you blood sugar levels and give you an energy boost.

Slightly under-ripe bananas contain digestive-resistant starch, which passes through to the bowel where it acts to keep it healthy.

Bananas are high in dietary fibre, each providing three grams. Remember that you need 30g of fibre each day to keep you healthy.

Bananas are rich in potassium, which helps to regulate our sodium balance and control blood pressure.

Slice bananas on your cereal, serve them on rice cakes with honey, blend them with milk to make a smoothie or freeze them for a summer treat.

By Karen Inge
The Australian Women's Weekly-October 1998