Health Care 4 Me » Healthy Food

All That You Need To Know About Bananas

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:30:40 +0000

Bananas, containing three natural sugars, sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, give an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the
world’s leading athletes. But energy isn’t the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

DEPRESSION:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because
bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS:
Forget the pills — eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

ANEMIA:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

BLOOD PRESSURE:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect way to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claim for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

BRAIN POWER:
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that that potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

CONSTIPATION:
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

HANGOVERS:
One of the quickets ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the
honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and rehydrates your system.

HEARTBURN:
Bananas hava a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

MORNING SICKNESS:
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

MOSQUITO BITES:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

NERVES:
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

OVERWEIGHT AND AT WORK?
Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high pressure jobs. The report concluded that to avoid panic induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

ULCERS:
The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over choronicler cases. It also neutralizes over acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

TEMPERATURE CONTROL:
Many other cultures see bananas as a “cooling” fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for
example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER (SAD):
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

SMOKING:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

STRESS:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be re-balanced with the help of a high potassium banana snack.

STROKES:
According to research in “The New England Journal of Medicine”, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%! So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the Vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, “A banana a day keeps the doctor away!”

17 Great Blogs and Websites To Help You Eat Healthier

admin — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:22:05 +0000

Many people delight in choosing and eating healthy foods. They pore over organic quinoa choices at the local co-op, eye up colorful bunches of fresh kale at the farmers’ market, and whip up light meals that are perfect balances of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins. More power to those people, really.

But for the rest of us—those of us who don’t mind sneaking a biscotti every now and then and salivating over Danish pastries instead of Swiss chard—it’s nice to know that there are other people out there who strive to eat healthy food as more of a challenge than a way of life. We know it’s good for us, but it’s not always easy to reach for the veggies when there are doughnut holes on the table and Twix in the vending machines.

Blogs that inspire and celebrate healthy eating offer something for everyone, whether you’re in the gung-ho-health-food camp or the semi-reluctant camp. They have great information on cooking techniques and recipe suggestions, which even experienced chefs can enjoy, and the dishes they create are almost always beautiful and delicious, which inspires all of our tables. Check out these healthy-eating blogs for a few new ideas, recipes, tips, and tricks.

1. Bitten: Mark Bittman on Food
This New York Times food blog is a classic and has helped food writer Mark Bittman become a household name all across America. Bitten reports food news, recipes, and general food-related thoughts, all of which are interesting and insightful. His recipes have a classic flair that makes them timeless—almost all are made with whole, fresh ingredients, and they have simple yet elegant tastes. Some of Mark’s thoughts may be a bit skewed (in this week’s Minimalist column, for example, he includes canned sardines in a collection of staple pantry ingredients that he expects most home cooks would have on hand), but they’re all worth reading.

2. 101 Cookbooks
Heidi Swanson is the culinary genius behind 101 Cookbooks, a blog in which she celebrates the intersections of cookbooks, cooking, traveling, and life. The beautiful photographs on her blog are what keeps me coming back to visit each week, but the recipes themselves are standouts as well. Heidi focuses on natural ingredients and vegetarian dishes that are “good for you and good for the planet,” as she puts it.

3. Orangette
Orangette has gorgeous photography, an easy-to-read layout, and a very smart lady running the show behind it: Molly Wizenberg, who has an appealing appreciation for good food and a true knack for writing. Her blog has even spawned a book, A Homemade Life. Molly’s recipes are creative (roasted rhubarb, anyone?) and make use of fresh, pure ingredients and flavors. They’re not all the healthiest of the healthy, but even the most sinful are probably better for you than those doughnut holes.

4. Simply Recipes
Simply Recipes is a family blog that’s primarily operated by Elise Bauer. She or people she knows and trusts have personally tested each recipe that’s published there, and because she has a big family, the recipes are perfectly suited for kids and for people on the go. Her food philosophy is to “believe in a varied, healthy diet, using real butter, real cream, eggs, lots of green vegetables, and protein from meat, fish, beans, and cheese.”

5. AllRecipes
Though not exclusively a healthy-eating site, AllRecipes has a slew of cooking tips and resources that make it simple for even the über-busy and weak in willpower to improve their diets. With a public, searchable database that includes thousands of recipes, you can find out how to make nearly anything you want here, and the search-by-rating feature is helpful if you want to quickly filter in the best of the best. The “Healthy Cooking” tab at the top of the site offers specific recipes and suggestions for light cooking.

6. Cooking Light
Cooking Light is a magazine that does what some believe is unthinkable—it serves the dual purpose of focusing on healthy, natural ingredients while celebrating and admiring food of all kinds for its splendid taste and ability to please. Unlike many healthy-cooking resources, the magazine doesn’t shy away from using butter, cream, cheese, or bacon; it just strives to include small amounts so that the flavors truly pop in a recipe. The Web site, which is completely open to non-subscribers, features recipes, cooking and entertainment tips, nutrition information, and ideas on how to live a healthier life.

7. Eating Well
Eating Well is a publication much like Cooking Light, with a mission to share great food and encourage good health. Their Web site is also open to non-subscribers and offers free e-mail newsletters, healthy recipes, information about seasonal ingredients, and health- and nutrition-related news. Additionally, the Eating Well blog posts bonus recipes and short articles while inviting reader feedback.

8. Wild Yeast
Want to bake more bread and put a cap on your addiction to preservative-filled grocery-store loaves? Wild Yeast can help. Its recipe index will give you dozens of step-by-steps for making sweet breads, rolls, whole-grain loaves, sourdoughs, and dishes that will use up leftover bread (watermelon gazpacho . . . mmmm). The site’s sweeter recipes, such as cinnamon sticky buns and apricot fritters, won’t do your waistline any favors, but even a healthy diet can fit in room for occasional splurges.

9. Not Eating Out in New York
Not Eating Out in New York is the product of a two-year experiment by blogger Cathy Erway to shun NYC’s restaurants and takeout establishments in favor of exploring alternative food scenes and making her meals at home. Cathy focuses on simple, whole foods in her cooking and awards each of her recipes a Health Factor rating and a Green Factor rating to indicate how good they are for you and for the environment.

10. Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef
The Gluten-Free Girl is Shauna James Ahern, and she was terribly ill with celiac disease for most of her life until she began following a completely gluten-free diet. Now that she can enjoy food again, she and her husband (”The Chef”) provide scrumptious, gluten-free recipes to the masses through this blog. Shauna and her husband are truly passionate about food and love regional delicacies, local items, and really high-quality ingredients.

11. Chews Wise
If food news and sustainability information is your cup of tea more so than recipes, you’ll get a lot out of Chews Wise, Samuel Fromartz’s blog. He’s a journalist, artisan bread-baker, and advocate for sustainable and organic foods. His writing style is simple, straightforward, and easy to read, and it’s refreshing to dig into a blog that addresses the academic and political side of food rather than just the taste.

12. The Ethicurean
Like Sam Fromartz, the Ethicurean focuses on news and information related to sustainable and organic foods. Bonnie Powell and her fellow blog founders have defined “ethicurean” as “someone who seeks out tasty things that are also sustainable, organic, local, and/or ethical—SOLE food, for short.” All of the Ethicureans care deeply about food, and their blog chronicles the reasons why they’re just as interested in where their food comes from as they are in how it tastes and whether it’s the right thing to eat.

13. Mighty Foods
One of the Mighty Foods tag lines is “real foods aren’t just for hippies anymore.” The blog’s contributors (who include Heidi Swanson, the woman behind 101 Cookbooks) tout the benefits of following a natural diet, gravitating toward organics and fair-trade products, and shying away from overly processed foods. The blog includes lots of lovely photographs and recipes as well as reviews of products and dishes and ideas for getting the most out of seasonal ingredients.

14. The Slow Cook
Ed Bruske is a former Washington Post reporter and an advocate of the slow-food movement, a believer in the idea that food should be enjoyed and grown naturally and sustainably. He has a garden near the White House and works as a personal chef for a wide variety of clients. His blog is about many things, including recipes and sustainability, but a primary point is in favor of a shift taking place in consumers that would value quality and fulfillment over convenience in food.

15. The Happy Cow
Interested in eating better when you travel—or when you dine out in your hometown? The Happy Cow is a “compassionate eating guide” that lists vegetarian and vegan restaurants and natural-foods stores in ranges from 1 to 25 miles from any zip code or location in the world. The site also publishes a bunch of vegetarian and vegan recipes and hosts forums where healthy-eating discussions take place.

16. Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen
Here’s a double whammy—a blog full of vegan recipes that are short on fat and sugar. If that isn’t enough for you, the recipes also minimize processed ingredients and look incredibly tasty. Susan V. started her blog after going vegan and losing more than 100 pounds in the process. Her site was voted a Readers’ Favorite blog in 2007 and 2009 by readers of Veg News magazine.

17. Local Harvest
It’s not a blog or a recipe directory, but Local Harvest is a truly valuable food resource that can help you find farmers’ markets, healthy restaurants, co-ops or grocery stores, and CSAs in your area. The site encourages using local, seasonal ingredients whenever possible and even posts a calendar of local-food-related events all over the nation.

source

Anti Inflammatory Food Pyramid

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:06:05 +0000

HEALTHY SWEETS
How much: Sparingly
Healthy choices: Unsweetened dried fruit, dark chocolate, fruit sorbet
Why: Dark chocolate provides polyphenols with antioxidant activity. Choose dark chocolate with at least 70 percent pure cocoa and have an ounce a few times a week. Fruit sorbet is a better option than other frozen desserts.

RED WINE
How much: Optional, no more than 1-2 glasses per day
Healthy choices: Organic red wine
Why: Red wine has beneficial antioxidant activity. Limit intake to no more than 1-2 servings per day. If you do not drink alcohol, do not start.

SUPPLEMENTS
How much: Daily
Healthy choices: High quality multivitamin/multimineral that includes key antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E, mixed carotenoids, and selenium); co-enzyme Q10; 2-3 grams of a molecularly distilled fish oil; 2,000 IU of vitamin D3
Why: Supplements help fill any gaps in your diet when you are unable to get your daily requirement of micronutrients.

TEA
How much: 2-4 cups per day
Healthy choices: White, green, oolong teas
Why: Tea is rich in catechins, antioxidant compounds that reduce inflammation. Purchase high-quality tea and learn how to correctly brew it for maximum taste and health benefits.

HEALTHY HERBS & SPICES
How much: Unlimited amounts
Healthy choices: Turmeric, curry powder (which contains turmeric), ginger and garlic (dried and fresh), chili peppers, basil, cinnamon, rosemary, thyme
Why: Use these herbs and spices generously to season foods. Turmeric and ginger are powerful, natural anti-inflammatory agents.

OTHER SOURCES OF PROTEIN
How much: 1-2 servings a week (one portion is equal to 1 ounce of cheese, 1 eight-ounce serving of dairy, 1 egg, 3 ounces cooked poultry or skinless meat)
Healthy choices: Natural cheeses, lowfat yogurt, omega-3 enriched eggs, skinless poultry, grass-fed lean meats
Why: In general, try to reduce consumption of animal foods. If you eat chicken, choose organic, cage-free chicken and remove the skin and associated fat. Use organic, reduced-fat dairy products moderately, especially yogurt and natural cheeses such as Emmental (Swiss), Jarlsberg and true Parmesan. If you eat eggs, choose omega-3 enriched eggs (made by feeding hens a flax-meal-enriched diet), or organic eggs from free-range chickens.

COOKED ASIAN MUSHROOMS
How much: Unlimited amounts
Healthy choices: Shiitake, enokidake, maitake, oyster mushrooms (and wild mushrooms if available)
Why: These mushrooms contain compounds that enhance immune function. Never eat mushrooms raw, and minimize consumption of common commercial button mushrooms (including crimini and portobello).

WHOLE SOY FOODS
How much: 1-2 servings per day (one serving is equal to ½ cup tofu or tempeh, 1 cup soymilk, ½ cup cooked edamame, 1 ounce of soynuts)
Healthy choices: Tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy nuts, soymilk
Why: Soy foods contain isoflavones that have antioxidant activity and are protective against cancer. Choose whole soy foods over fractionated foods like isolated soy protein powders and imitation meats made with soy isolate.

FISH & SEAFOOD
How much: 2-6 servings per week (one serving is equal to 4 ounces of fish or seafood)
Healthy choices: Wild Alaskan salmon (especially sockeye), herring, sardines, and black cod (sablefish)
Why: These fish are rich in omega-3 fats, which are strongly anti-inflammatory. If you choose not to eat fish, take a molecularly distilled fish oil supplement, 2-3 grams per day.

HEALTHY FATS
How much: 5-7 servings per day (one serving is equal to 1 teaspoon of oil, 2 walnuts, 1 tablespoon of flaxseed, 1 ounce of avocado)
Healthy choices: For cooking, use extra virgin olive oil and expeller-pressed organic canola oil. Other sources of healthy fats include nuts (especially walnuts), avocados, and seeds – including hemp seeds and freshly ground flaxseed. Omega-3 fats are also found in cold water fish, omega-3 enriched eggs, and whole soy foods. High-oleic sunflower or safflower oils may also be used, as well as walnut and hazelnut oils in salads and dark roasted sesame oil as a flavoring for soups and stir-fries
Why: Healthy fats are those rich in either monounsaturated or omega-3 fats. Extra-virgin olive oil is rich in polyphenols with antioxidant activity and canola oil contains a small fraction of omega-3 fatty acids.

WHOLE & CRACKED GRAINS
How much: 3-5 servings a day (one serving is equal to about ½ cup cooked grains)
Healthy choices: Brown rice, basmati rice, wild rice, buckwheat, groats, barley, quinoa, steel-cut oats
Why: Whole grains digest slowly, reducing frequency of spikes in blood sugar that promote inflammation. “Whole grains” means grains that are intact or in a few large pieces, not whole wheat bread or other products made from flour.

PASTA (al dente)
How much: 2-3 servings per week (one serving is equal to about ½ cup cooked pasta)
Healthy choices: Organic pasta, rice noodles, bean thread noodles, and part whole wheat and buckwheat noodles like Japanese udon and soba
Why: Pasta cooked al dente (when it has “tooth” to it) has a lower glycemic index than fully-cooked pasta. Low-glycemic-load carbohydrates should be the bulk of your carbohydrate intake to help minimize spikes in blood glucose levels.

BEANS & LEGUMES
How much: 1-2 servings per day (one serving is equal to ½ cup cooked beans or legumes)
Healthy choices: Beans like Anasazi, adzuki and black, as well as chickpeas, black-eyed peas and lentils
Why: Beans are rich in folic acid, magnesium, potassium and soluble fiber. They are a low-glycemic-load food. Eat them well-cooked either whole or pureed into spreads like hummus.

VEGETABLES
How much: 4-5 servings per day minimum (one serving is equal to 2 cups salad greens, ½ cup vegetables cooked, raw or juiced)
Healthy Choices: Lightly cooked dark leafy greens (spinach, collard greens, kale, Swiss chard), cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, bok choy and cauliflower), carrots, beets, onions, peas, squashes, sea vegetables and washed raw salad greens
Why: Vegetables are rich in flavonoids and carotenoids with both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Go for a wide range of colors, eat them both raw and cooked, and choose organic when possible.

FRUITS
How much: 3-4 servings per day (one serving is equal to 1 medium size piece of fruit, ½ cup chopped fruit, ¼ cup of dried fruit)
Healthy choices: Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, oranges, pink grapefruit, red grapes, plums, pomegranates, blackberries, cherries, apples, and pears – all lower in glycemic load than most tropical fruits
Why: Fruits are rich in flavonoids and carotenoids with both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Go for a wide range of colors, choose fruit that is fresh in season or frozen, and buy organic when possible.

Additional Item:

WATER
How much: Throughout the day
Healthy choices: Use purified water or beverages made with purified water, such as unsweetened tea, sparkling water, or water with a small amount of fruit juice for flavor
Why: Water is vital for overall functioning of the body.

How To Reduce Cholesterol

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:58:46 +0000

As crazy as this may sound even though the word cholesterol is considered an evil element in your diet, cholesterol is in fact essential for life. Your body needs it to make sex hormones, bile, vitamin D, cell membranes, and nerve sheaths.

These and other functions fall to serum cholesterol, which is a waxy, fat-like compound, that circulates in the bloodstream (also called lipid). Your liver makes about a gram each day, which is all your body needs.

Dietary cholesterol is found only in animal products. Your body doesn’t need this cholesterol, and with the exception of strict vegetarians you’ll eat varying amounts of it.

Many factors like exercise, genetics, gender, and other components of your diet contribute to how your body processes dietary cholesterol.

Some people can eat large amounts and have normal blood levels, while others eat very little and have high blood cholesterol.

What you eat seems to account for about 20% of the cholesterol in your body, with the remaining 80% produced by your liver.

Good Vs. Bad Cholesterol

The two major transporters of cholesterol are low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and high-density lipoproteins (HDLs).

LDLs tend to drop cholesterol in your artery walls, which leads to atherosclerosis (hardening of your arteries) and an increased risk of heart disease.

HDLs, collect cholesterol from the artery walls and other tissues and take it to your liver to be metabolized and eliminated from the body.

This is why LDLs are called the “bad” cholesterol and HDLs the “good.”

Eating To Keep Your Cholesterol In Check!

There’s no surprise that what you eat influences the levels of cholesterol and other fats in your blood.

Dozens of studies state that a diet high in animal products and other saturated fats tend to elevate cholesterol levels, when compared to the low levels found in people whose diet are largely made up of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Foods That May Raise Your Cholesterol

Hard margarine and vegetable shortening, which are high in saturated fats and trans-fatty acids.
Cookies, cakes, pastries, and chocolates, especially those made with saturated tropical oils, or partially hydrogenated oils.
Full-fat dairy products, such as cheese, cream, and butter; all are high in saturated fats.
Fatty meats and meat products, such as marbled beef, pork and lamb chops, hamburgers, bacon, frankfurters, salamis, and other cold cuts.

source: marcilall

Feed Your Brain – It’s all about healthy food

admin — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:54:34 +0000

A diet rich in vitamin, minerals and fatty acids can help reduce aggression, improve mood and prevent depression. So why aren’t more people taking omega-3 capsules? The best way to curb aggression in prisons? Longer jail terms, maybe, or stricter security measures? How about more sports and exercise? Try fish oil. How can children enhance their learning abilities at school? A well-balanced diet and safe, stimulating classrooms are essential, but fish oil can provide an important extra boost. Is there a simple, natural way to improve mood and ward off depression? Yoga and meditation are great, but–you guessed it–fish oil can also help do the trick.

A diet rich in vitamins, minerals and fatty acids like omega-3 is the basis for physical well-being. Everybody knows that. But research increasingly suggests that these same ingredients are crucial to psychological health too. And that’s a fact a lot of people seem to find hard to swallow.

The relationship between nutrition and aggression is a case in point. In 2002, Bernard Gesch, a physiologist at Oxford University, investigated the effects of nutritional supplements on inmates in British prisons. Working with 231 detainees for four months, Gesch gave half the group of men, ages 18 to 21, multivitamin, mineral and fatty-acid supplements with meals. The other half received placebos. During the study, Gesch observed that minor infractions of prison rules fell by 26 percent among men given the supplements, while rule-breaking behaviour in the placebo group barely budged. The research showed more dramatic results for aggressive behavior. Incidents of violence among the group taking supplements dropped 37 percent, while the behavior of the other prisoners did not change.

Gesch’s findings were recently replicated in the Netherlands, where researchers at Radboud University in Nijmegen conducted a similar study for the Dutch National Agency of Correctional Institutions. Of the 221 inmates, ages 18 to 25, who participated in the Dutch study, 116 were given daily supplements containing vitamins, minerals and omega-3 for one to three months. The other 105 received placebos. Reports of violence and aggression declined by 34 percent among the group given supplements; at the same time, such reports among the placebo group rose 13 percent.

Gesch is quick to emphasize that nutritional supplements are not magic bullets against aggression, and that these studies are just “promising evidence” of the link between nutrition and behavior. “It is not suggested that nutrition is the only explanation of antisocial behavior,” he says, “only that it might form a significant part.”

But Gesch is just as quick to emphasize that there is no down side to better nutrition, and in prisons in particular, the cost of an improved diet would be a fraction of the cost of other ways of addressing the problem of violence among inmates.

Still, the menu in British prisons hasn’t changed in the five years since Gesch published his results, even though the former chief inspector of prisons in the UK, Lord Ramsbotham, told the British newspaper The Guardian last year that he is now “absolutely convinced that there is a direct link between diet and antisocial behaviour, both that bad diet causes bad behavior and that good diet prevents it.”

Yet the effect of nutrition on psychological health and behavior is still controversial, at least in part because it is so hard to study. Our moods, emotions and actions are influenced by so many factors: everything from our genes to our communities to our personal relationships. How can the role of diet be isolated among all these competing influences? That’s exactly why Gesch conducted his study in prisons. In a prison, there are far fewer variables, since all detainees have the same routine. Do the results of the inmate trials reach beyond the prison walls? Gesch thinks so: “If it works in prisons, it should work in the community and the society at large. If it works in the UK and in the Netherlands, it should work in the rest of the world.”

Another place improved nutrition seems to be working is in the city of Durham in northeastern England. There, Alex Richardson, a physiologist at Oxford University, conducted a study at 12 local primary schools. The research examined 117 children ages 5 to 12, all of whom were of average ability but were underachieving. Instructors suspected dyspraxia, a condition that interferes with co-ordination and motor skills and is thought to affect at least 5 percent of British children. Possible signs of dyspraxia may include having trouble tying shoelaces or maintaining balance, for example. The condition frequently overlaps with dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), and is part of a range of conditions that include autistic-spectrum disorders.

Half the group of children in Richardson’s study was given an omega-3 supplement for three months; the other half received an olive oil placebo. The results: Children given the omega-3 supplements did substantially better at school than those in the control group. When it came to spelling, for example, the omega-3 group performed twice as well as expected, whereas the control group continued to fall behind.

Richardson came to the study of nutrition through neurology. Her interest was sparked by the rapid rise of conditions like ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia. The incidence of these disorders has increased fourfold in the past 15 to 20 years. “These disorders overlap considerably,” she says, “but a real solution is rarely offered. A dyslexic child is assigned a special teacher. A kid with dyspraxia is sent to a physical therapist. One with ADHD is prescribed Ritalin. And you’ve got to learn to live with autism.”

But as Richardson writes in They Are What You Feed Them: “There is always something that can be done. Don’t ever believe it if anyone tells you otherwise.” One of the things that can be done, according to Richardson, is to boost your child’s intake of omega-3. Of course, Omega-3 is not the only answer to ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia or other psychological or behavioral disorders, which also include Alzheimer’s disease. Studies like Richardson’s suggest, however, that it may play an important role in stimulating the brain, keeping it healthy and helping it ward off debilitating conditions.

And it looks like we need all the help we can get. Behavioral dysfunctions like ADHD are currently the fastest-growing type of disorder worldwide. Twenty years ago, no one had even heard of ADHD. Today, everyone knows a kid who is taking Ritalin. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the number of people with psychological disorders will double by 2020–and that around that time, depression will surpass heart and vascular disease as the No. 1 most preventable cause of death. The WHO adds that psychological disorders account for four of the 10 most common causes of disability and that a quarter of the general population will be affected by them at some point in their lives.

Diet could well play a central role in all this. The quality–and quantity–of the food we eat has increased dramatically over the past century or so. But we are eating more and more processed foods, which contain less and less of the essential minerals, vitamins and fatty acids that appear to be so crucial for mental health. Tomato juice, for example, contains 64 percent less vitamin C, 49 percent less carotene and 17 percent less niacin than a fresh tomato.

Gesch says we “seem to have made unprecedented changes to human diets in recent years with little or no systematic evaluation of the effects on our brain or behavior.” He wants to reverse “high-calorie malnutrition” by encouraging nutritionists, physicians and educators to concentrate not just on calorie intake but on the consumption of nutritional components like vitamins, minerals and fatty acids as well.

In our distant evolutionary past, we all had much more varied diets. Research among native tribes in remote areas suggests that our hunter-gatherer forebears consumed between 100 and 150 different types of plants during the course of a year. Nowadays, our grain consumption is heavily dominated by wheat. Soy oil accounts for more than 80 percent of the fat Americans consume. Health authorities recommend a minimum of 400 grams (14 ounces) of vegetables and fruit each day, but lots of people don’t even come close to that. And even those who do eat lots of fruit and vegetables often don’t get the full nutritional benefit because intensive farming has depleted the soil of key minerals.

So what’s a consumer to do? Eat fish. Working with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), American physician and psychiatrist Joseph Hibbeln compared data on fish consumption with figures on depression and murder in a large number of countries around the world. Fish are a rich and ready source of omega-3. In countries in which fish consumption is low, Hibbeln found the likelihood of suffering from depression was up to 50 times greater than in countries where it is high.

Some 6.5 percent of New Zealanders suffers from severe depression; these citizens also eat very little fish. In Japan, where fish consumption is high, 0.1 percent of the population suffers from depression. Manic depression (bipolar disorder) is rare in Iceland, which has the highest per capita fish consumption in the world, but is quite common in Brazil and Germany, where people don’t eat as much fish. Hibbeln also found that, on average, the risk of being murdered is 30 times greater in countries where fish consumption is low compared to countries where it is high.

Cultural and other factors certainly influence these statistics, but the comparisons are nevertheless illustrative. Overall, in subsequent trials, Hibbeln found that depressive and aggressive feelings diminished by about 50 percent after taking fish-oil capsules for two to four weeks. Based on this and other research, the WHO concluded in a report last year: “Certain dietary choices, including fish consumption, balanced intake of micronutrients and a good nutritional status overall, also have been associated with reduced rates of violent behavior.”

How can something like omega-3 have such an impact on behavior and psychological health? Communication between the nerve cells in the brain depends on the circulation of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine. Low serotonin levels are associated with an increased risk of suicide, depression and violent behavior. Omega-3, a long, flexible molecule, appears to facilitate the circulation of neurotransmitters like serotonin in the brain, thus boosting communication among nerve cells. And nerve cells that talk a lot with each other make new connections in the brain, a process crucial for learning. Less flexible fatty acids than omega-3, though, do not as efficiently support the chatter.

Hibbeln’s work has shown that the brain tissue of Americans is different from that of the Japanese. American cell membranes contain much higher levels of the less flexible omega-6 fatty acids; Japanese cell membranes are significantly richer in omega-3. Processed foods happen to be rich in omega-6, and Americans eat a lot of them. These omega-6 fatty acids seem to have displaced the omega-3 fatty acids found so abundantly in fish, of which the Japanese are so fond.

Other studies have found that depressed patients and children with ADHD and autism are deficient in omega-3. So some scientists speculate that this change in the fatty acids contained within our brains could be causing the modern rise in psychological disorders.

Although more and more research underlines the importance of nutrition for psychological wellness, these findings have not been widely translated into action. “Politicians, policymakers and business leaders keep asking for more research involving thousands of people, like the trials done for every new drug,” Richardson complains. “But I say, We have done the uncontrolled experiments now [in the general population] for quite some time.” Pharmaceutical firms have few incentives to organize their own studies, since omega-3 is derived primarily from fish oil–and you can’t patent fish.

This frustrates many scientists in the field. “Do we want to wait for more studies that confirm these findings, or do we want to do something today about the level of crime and aggression in our societies?” asks Stephen Schoenthaler, a sociologist at California State University at Stanislaus, in Turlock, California, who has studied the link between food and behavior for the past 25 years and led several studies among prisoners and schoolchildren showing the social benefits of a healthier diet.

It’s not all good news, though. Consumers should watch out for manufacturers that make exaggerated claims about these nutritional supplements. “Never use supplements as a substitute for a good diet,” counsels Richardson. “The key thing that most people seem to have forgotten is that food is not just fuel, it is nourishment. Food is not just a source of energy that one can consume on the run. A healthy diet needs to provide a minimum of essential nutrients in a dosage recommended for daily use.”

A multivitamin and mineral supplement is a good “insurance policy,” Richardson says, and 500 mg of omega-3 every day is not a bad idea either. But buyer beware: Not all supplements are good supplements, so seek the advice of a qualified professional before deciding which supplement, if any, is right for you.

It almost sounds too good to be true, but research is beginning to confirm that vitamins, minerals and fatty acids can reduce aggression and improve psychological well-being. That could be a simple recipe for a more peaceful world.

How To Eat Protein?

admin — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:50:51 +0000

Without protein it’s impossible for you to stay alive. Protein builds your skin, muscle, bones, blood, your organs – everything! Hormones, enzyme, and antibodies are all proteins and all of these proteins must be constantly replenished in order to keep your body functioning properly.

I guess it’s good that most foods you eat contain protein with the exception of fruit, which don’t really give you an effective amount. You probably don’t have a problem finding protein but are you eating quality protein?

All protein is made up of 20 building blocks called amino acids. Unfortunately your body can’t create nine of these essential acids, which means you have to get them from food sources.

The highest quality proteins contain enough essential amino acids to meet your nutritional needs which you can get from animal sources like egg whites, milk, meat and fish.

On the other hand vegetables and grains are significant sources of the essential amino acids, each one alone is often short one essential amino acid. Therefore, if you eat no animal products you must learn how to combine your protein sources. For example, cereals are low in the essential amino acid lysine, while legumes (like peas, beans, and lentils) are low in methionine. A meal containing both rice and beans will have all of the essential amino acids you need.

So how much protein is enough?

46 g for adult women is recommended. It’s also recommended that 10% to 35% of your total caloric intake come from protein. (The rest come primarily from carbohydrates and fats.)

Is there any danger to eating too much protein?

If you get your protein from animal sources your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol may increase. In addition nitrogen has to be released to help metabolize the protein and has to be flushed away by your kidneys, which takes away some valuable minerals like calcium, magnesium, and zinc.

High-protein diets like Atkins, Scarsdale, or Stillman diets are alluring since you’ll see rapid weight loss because of the water lost in excreting protein metabolites. In spite of this, these diets aren’t safe or long-term, because your body begins to break down its own protein to make the glucose necessary for your brain to function and your body to have enough energy. At the end of the day you lose valuable protein and the unwanted fat stays.

Good Sources of Protein

* Skim Milk
* Fish/Chicken/Meats
* Egg Whites

Grains

* Bread/Bagel/Cereal/Pasta/Rice
* Beans/Peas/Lentils

Starchy Veggies

* Potatoes
* Corn
* Lima Beans

Fibre Veggies

* Asparagus
* Mushrooms
* Tomatoes
* Beets
* Peppers
* Broccoli
* Spinach
* Cabbage
* Carrots
* Turnips
* Eggplant
* Green beans
* Zucchini

Lesson no. 1 – Healthy Food! Plan what to eat and then eat your plan!

admin — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:08:28 +0000

Poor nutrition has been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and many other diseases. We can reduce our risk by choosing well-balanced meals. Balance, moderation and variety are the keys to eating well to maintain a sound mind and body.

Fast foods and eating out in restaurants have become so prevalent in our society that eating healthy meals are somewhat difficult. Understandably, it is easier to take the kids to a fast food restaurant or drive through after an exhausting day at work. No doubt there are more convenient choices but they are killing us and our families. Like with any change, it is challenging to adopt a new way in the early stages, but not impossible.

First begin with a plan. You have heard many times that if you fail to plan, then, you plan to fail. It is the same with eating. Plan your meals at the beginning of the week. Breakfast is as simple as whole grain cereal, whole-wheat toast, fruit, low-fat yogurt, 100% juice, and skim milk. Pack your lunch the night before so you will not make excuses or be tempted to run to the hotdog vendor. Pack leftovers from dinner, a veggie or tuna sandwich with low-fat mayo, fruit or soup. Purchase ready-made salads [without dressing mixed in] for a quick and easy dinner. Store readily available vegetables with low fat dip for easy snacking. Children love to dunk food into dips, this is a great way to get them to eat a healthy snack.

Prepare meals that can be stored in the freezer such as casseroles, pasta dishes, etc. Before you go to work, take a dish out of the freezer to thaw out. When you come home from work, all you need to do is throw the thawed dish in the oven for about 35-45 minutes and dinner is served without much effort.

Eating healthy on a regular basis does take planning and discipline. At first, it may seem rigorous because you are learning how to prepare meals. Grocery shopping may also feel like a chore. But, within a couple of weeks, it will become a habit and second nature. You will feel more in control knowing exactly what ingredients are being used. Therefore, you do not have to worry about hidden fats or too much salt, that are likely present in most restaurant foods.

Be a good role model for your family. You will be serving them by providing both healthy meals and educating them about leading a healthy lifestyle. This is huge because you are setting the example for your kids and passing it on to their kids, and down the line. So, if there was any evidence before of family history health problems, feel well that you decided to take charge and end the madness or at least decrease the risk for your family’s future generations.

The goal here is to enjoy nutritious and tasty foods. Remember, moderation is key so do not be too obsessed or restrictive as you may sabotage your success resulting in binge eating. Many of you can probably relate to forcing yourself not to eat a certain type of food such as a cookie, only to find a whole box devoured later. Have the cookie to prevent overeating down the road.

Plan your meals to incorporate servings of protein, whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. RDA suggest for daily intake of carbohydrates: 55-70%, fats: 20-30%, proteins: 15-20% and the World Health Organization suggests 40-50 grams of fiber daily. A varied diet is essential to good health. Concentrate on foods that are high in vitamins, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, unrefined carbohydrates, high fiber, low in sugar, low in fat, low in sodium, and limit alcohol consumption. Eating well and limiting your use of salt, sugar, caffeine, fats, can reduce stress and disease. American Cancer Society has stated that as much as 60% of cancer is related to diet.

You must start by making a decision to live a healthy, less stressful life by developing good eating habits. Come up with a plan and include your family by asking for feedback. Find out what healthy foods they want to try. Get them involved. It is easier to change when you are supported. Eating well will help you manage stress, reduce risk of disease and illness, control weight, and provide energy.