Health Benefits of Spinach

Health Benefits of Spinach:
Spinach contains choline and inositol, the substances that help to prevent atherosclerosis or thickening and hardening of arteries.
Spinach and alfalfa help stabilize blood sugar among diabetics. Make a drink by getting several handful of spinach, add 3 cups of water. Place over low heat for one hour. Then strain. Take ½ cup twice a day. Spinach and alfalfa may be served as part of the meal.

Spinach is loaded with flavonoid that functions as antioxidant and anti-cancer agent.

Spinach contains carotenoid that help fights cancer.

Spinach is a rich source of Vitamins C and A

Spinach is an anti-aging vegetable.

Spinach is a good source of Vitamin K, which aids in the formation of the blood substance required for clotting of blood.

Spinach is also helpful in the following cases ; Anemia, Tumors, Constipation, Insomnia, Obesity, Neuritis (inflammation of nerves), Nerve exhaustion, High blood pressure, Bronchitis, Colon cancer, Prostate cancer, Breast cancer, Osteoporosis, Dyspepsia (chronic indigestion), Also helps ailment of the kidneys, bladder and liver.

Nutritive Values : Per 100 gm.
Vitamin A : 9,420 I.U.
Vitamin B : Thiamine .11 mg.;
Riboflavin : .20 mg.;
Niacin : .6 mg.
Vitamin C : 59 mg.
Good source of Vitamin k : amount undetermined.
Calcium : 81 mg
Iron : 3.0 mg.
Phosphorus : 55 mg.
Potassium : 470 mg.
Carbohydrates : 3.2 gm.
Protein : 2.3 gm.
Calories : 20

Benefits of soy milk

Benefits of Soy MilkAs the taste of commercial soy milk improves more and more people are drinking it as enjoyment. But many people drink soy milk for the added health benefits. So what are the benefits of drinking soy milk as compared to cow’s milk?

Benefit 1: Soy milk contains only vegetables proteins Vegetable proteins have the advantage that they cause less loss of calcium through the kidneys. It is known that a diet rich in animal (and dairy protein) creates a higher risk for osteoporosis.

Benefit 2: Soy milk contains no lactoseAbout 75 percent of the world population cannot tolerate lactose. Some ethnic groups are more affected than others. For example 75 percent of Africans and 90 percent of Asians have lactose intolerance. As an additional benefit, soy milk contains the prebiotic sugars stachyose and raffinose. These prebiotic sugars boost immunity and help decrease toxic substances in the body.

Benefit 3: Fewer people are allergic to soy milk Only 0.5 percent of the children are allergic to soy milk, whereas 2.5 percent is allergic to cow’s milk.

Benefit 4: Soy milk reduces cholesterol The saturated fats in cow’s milk are unhealthy and increase your cholesterol. The protein in cow’s milk has no benefits for the cholesterol. Soy protein can decrease cholesterol levels. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration of US) confirms that soy protein, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may significantly reduce the risk of coronary heart. The FDA recommends to incorporate 25 grams of soy protein in your daily meals.
Benefit 5: Soy milk contains no hormonesCow’s milk contains natural hormones (from the cow) but also synthetic hormones, which can influence the good working of our own body. The synthetic hormone rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) increase milk production by as much as 20 percent.

Benefit 6: Soy milk does not cause insulin dependent diabetes Although no general consensus exists among scientists, some studies have shown an association between drinking cow's milk in early life and the development of insulin dependent diabetes. This association does not exist with soy milk.

Benefit 7: Soy milk is rich in isoflavones The presence of isoflavones is the most important and unique benefit of soy milk. Each cup of soy milk contains about 20 mg isoflavones (mainly genistein and daidzein). Cow’s milk does not contain isoflavones. Isoflavones have many health benefits including reduction of cholesterol, easing of menopause symptoms, prevention of osteoporosis and reduction of risk for certain cancers (prostate cancer and breast cancer). Incidents of these cancers are very low in countries with high intake of soy products, including soy milk. Isoflavones are also antioxidants which protect our cells and DNA against oxidation.

Top 10 foods for 2010 Part III

Simply put, it's the juice of an olive and it's filled a wide assortment of substances that offer a diverse range of health perks. Besides being a monounsaturated fat, EVOO is chock full of compounds with health-promoting effects. In fact, it's the same substances that provide olive oil's distinctive tastes and colours that are responsible for all kinds of weaponry against disease.

These small packages of goodness continue to impress - a decreased risk of diabetes, blood cholesterol lowering and anti-cancer action is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig in, but practice portion control. They're super as snacks to bridge the gap between meals.

Also known as legumes, dried peas and beans, pulses just don't get the respect they deserve. True, they're thought of as peasant food but these days, that's not such a bad thing. Put that together with the research that shows these foods can reduce blood cholesterol levels, help to regulate blood sugar and blood-pressure readings, and legumes are a clear winner as a meat substitute. The one drawback is flatulence - but if you consume these foods regularly, you can reap the benefits without the unwanted side effects.

While it's not a food and you likely can't get enough of it just eating food, vitamin D can't be left off the top 10 list for 2010. The sunshine vitamin, as it's also known, used to be considered mainly for its role in keeping bones healthy. But after years of people practicing safe sun habits and levels of vitamin D dropping, the potential costs to health of vitamin D shortages are now coming to light.
And they are staggering: Just the impact on immune-system functioning alone is astounding. Besides compromising our ability to fight illness, a deficit of vitamin D is linked to an epidemic of type 1 diabetes in children and other autoimmune diseases like MS. It's also being named as a culprit in the development of a number of cancers as well as heart disease. Experts are now saying that adults should take a supplement of 1,000 IU per day.

source by http://lifestyle.ca.msn.com

Top 10 foods for 2010 Part II

This member of the Camellia sinensis family continues to reap accolades in scientific circles. A defender against different cancers - prostate, skin, bladder, oral, you name it - it seems that green tea's brew of chemicals offers some benefit. It also acts as an antioxidant playing a part in keeping arteries healthy. Bone health and green tea is another area of research. And for those concerned about their weight, a few cups a day may aid in shedding pounds. But go for the real thing: There have been reported cases of liver toxicity with green tea extracts.

They're packed with soluble fibre, the type that reduces blood cholesterol and plays a role in regulating blood sugar. But there's more to their apple a day reputation than previously thought. Apples contain high levels of flavonoids, which appear to reduce inflammation throughout the body. And scientists now know that inflammation is involved in the development of many chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke and some cancers. Eat the peel to up your antioxidant intake.

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Salmon, sardines, mackerel and tuna are all super sources of omega-3s, a type of fat that's in short supply in the diets of most Canadians. And they're vital right through the life cycle from pregnancy through to old age. They're key to the brain health of an infant and to that of an elderly person. In between, they're also essential for a growing list of disease-fighting actions from protecting arteries and mental health to maintaining good vision.

Top ten food for 2010 PART I

While the term superfood has been conferred on some berries more than others, the entire family has been a hotbed of research for scientists. Acai berries, blackberries, blueberries, both wild and cultivated, raspberries, strawberries and even cranberries - all have distinct health benefits, showing that the term variety does indeed have merit. Some berries defend against certain cancers while others promote healthy arteries. Others still fight against cognitive decline.

Here's another powerful disease-fighting family whose members are also known as the cruciferous family. Brassica includes arugula, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, various cabbages, cauliflower, collards, horseradish - including the hot Japanese horseradish wasabi- kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radish, rapini, rutabaga, turnips and watercress. Just this year alone, dozens of studies have examined various substances in these foods and their powerful action in fighting different types of cancer. And these vegetables work in diverse ways to combat cancer at all different stages of the disease.
For those who aren't cruciferous fans, repeated tasting helps. And for broccoli, some garlic and lemon with a splash of extra virgin olive oil might change your minds.

Naming the number one whole grain choice isn't fair. All whole grains have something to offer and by eating a mix, you can gather an assortment of perks. Some, like barley, oats and rye, supply benefits for blood cholesterol and regulating blood sugar while others, like whole wheat, provide advantages for regularity. Read labels and look for whole grain as the first ingredient. Be aware that enriched wheat equals refined grain.

Benefits of Banana

Health Benefits of Banana :

Banana is an energy booster.

Banana contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin. Serotonin is a hormone that is known to make you feel happy and improve your mood.

Banana is a rich source of iron, thus it is helpful in cases of anemia.

Banana is good a good source of potassium. If you are taking diuretics take 2 bananas a day to prevent the depletion of potassium in the body.

The skin of the banana is said to help remove warts(cover the warts with the inner skin of banana).

Banana is good for people who have high blood pressure because it is low in salt.
Banana is also helpful in the following cases : Stomach ulcer (banana has a natural antacid), Colitis, Digestive disorder, Diarrhea, Constipation (banana is high in fiber), Hemorrhoids
Nutritive Values : Per 100 gm.

Vitamin A : 430 I.U.

Vitamin B : Thiamine .04 mg.;

Vitamin C : 10 mg.

Calcium : 8 mg.

Iron : 6 mg.

Phosphorus : 28 mg.

Potassium : 260 mg.

Carbohydrates : 23 gm

Protein : 1.2 mg.

Calories : 88

10 foods to boost your brainpower part II

Sprinkle on sage Sage has long had a reputation for improving memory and although most studies focus on sage as an essential oil, it could be worth adding fresh sage to your diet, too.

Go nuts A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that a good intake of vitamin E might help to prevent poor memory. Nuts are a great source of vitamin E along with leafy green vegetables, seeds, eggs, brown rice and wholegrains.

Brainpower supplements Two supplements are causing excitement within the medical world. The first Eye Q, a blend of high grade marine fish oil and evening primrose oil, is thought to boost brainpower in children. A study by Durham County Council and Mansfield College, Oxford, concluded that 40 per cent of the children sampled improved both their reading skills and attention spans when taking the supplements.

The second is called Ethos Endymion, which contains L-Carnosine, a strong antioxidant which appears to have dramatic results for a number of conditions: cataracts, improving skin tone, speeding up wound healing, and protecting the brain from plaque formation that may lead to senility and Alzheimer's. L-Carnosine is found in chicken and lean red meat so this powder supplement could be especially useful for veggies.

source by www.bbc.co.uk

10 foods to boost your brainpower past I

Opt for wholegrain food Walk into a room and forget why you're there? Forget already what this article's about? Make sure you're eating a diet rich in a mix of wholegrain foods such as cereals, wheatbran, wheatgerm and wholewheat pasta. One study found that women who increased their folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 intake showed an improvement in recalling information compared to women who were not taking a supplement.

Enjoy oily fish : The essential omega-3 fatty acids - found in oily fish, as well as fish oil, walnut oil and flaxseeds (linseeds) - are high in DHA, fatty acid crucial to the health of our nervous system. Low DHA levels have been linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and memory loss. Fish also contains iodine, which is known to improve mental clarity

Binge on blueberries Research from Tufts University in the United States and published in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests that blueberry extract can improve short term memory loss. Widely available, so there's no excuse!

Eat more tomatoes

There is good evidence to suggest that lycopene, a powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes, could help protect against the kind of free radical damage to cells which occurs in the development of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's.

Get a blackcurrant boost

Vitamin C has long been thought to have the power to increase mental agility. One of the best sources of this vital vitamin is blackcurrants.

Pick up pumpkin seeds

Just a handful a day is all you need to get your recommended daily amount of zinc, vital for enhancing memory and thinking skills.

Bacteria and Food

Question: When you see a kid pick food off the floor and eat it, what do you think?

Bonnie Bassler: I think good, he is educating his immune system, right, and so, yes, so, you know, I think that somehow people, kids are covered with bacteria and you are covered with bacteria, so I am not a proponent of not getting the kids vaccinated, of not taking baths and washing him, of course, of reasonable hygiene, right, that is sort of how I live. I’m not hysterical about it and what I do think, what I really think, I think the human body is amazing. It is amazing at how well it works to make us so infrequently sick. People don’t die from infectious diseases in this country, they don’t, right, a few thousand people die a year from infectious diseases and most of them are old people, right, whose immune systems are not working so well, right? So the human body, given the sort of environment we, and I mean Americans by that, listen, it is amazing at protecting us, and the bacteria are helping with that, the good ones, the ones that are on us, so I don’t, this might get you, too, I don’t use those anti-- I mean, I work with bacteria every day, purposely work with gobs of bacteria every day, all day, it’s not quite that bad, but we don’t use those antibacterial soaps, soap is fine. You know, like I think, I just know, I’m always eating it, I’m always rubbing my eyes, I’m always and I am mostly well.

Question: What is your advice to parents?

Bonnie Bassler: Not relax, I think you have to be vigilant, I think you have to expect your kid is going to get sick over his or her young life, that is part of how you give them a nice immune system, so later, when your body is not healthy, you are better at coping with those things. But I think, you know, there are seven billion of us and most of us live in conditions that are so much less hygienic than Americans live in, right, I think it is a system that works.

Recorded on: 6/17/08

source by www.bigthink.com

Fatty foods may cause cocaine-like addiction

(Health.com) -- Scientists have finally confirmed what the rest of us have suspected for years: Bacon, cheesecake, and other delicious yet fattening foods may be addictive.

A new study in rats suggests that high-fat, high-calorie foods affect the brain in much the same way as cocaine and heroin. When rats consume these foods in great enough quantities, it leads to compulsive eating habits that resemble drug addiction, the study found.

Doing drugs such as cocaine and eating too much junk food both gradually overload the so-called pleasure centers in the brain, according to Paul J. Kenny, Ph.D., an associate professor of molecular therapeutics at the Scripps Research Institute, in Jupiter, Florida. Eventually the pleasure centers "crash," and achieving the same pleasure--or even just feeling normal--requires increasing amounts of the drug or food, says Kenny, the lead author of the study.

"People know intuitively that there's more to [overeating] than just willpower," he says. "There's a system in the brain that's been turned on or over-activated, and that's driving [overeating] at some subconscious level."

In the study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, Kenny and his co-author studied three groups of lab rats for 40 days. One of the groups was fed regular rat food. A second was fed bacon, sausage, cheesecake, frosting, and other fattening, high-calorie foods--but only for one hour each day. The third group was allowed to pig out on the unhealthy foods for up to 23 hours a day.

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Not surprisingly, the rats that gorged themselves on the human food quickly became obese. But their brains also changed. By monitoring implanted brain electrodes, the researchers found that the rats in the third group gradually developed a tolerance to the pleasure the food gave them and had to eat more to experience a high.

Healthy Eating
They began to eat compulsively, to the point where they continued to do so in the face of pain. When the researchers applied an electric shock to the rats' feet in the presence of the food, the rats in the first two groups were frightened away from eating. But the obese rats were not. "Their attention was solely focused on consuming food," says Kenny.
In previous studies, rats have exhibited similar brain changes when given unlimited access to cocaine or heroin. And rats have similarly ignored punishment to continue consuming cocaine, the researchers note.

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The fact that junk food could provoke this response isn't entirely surprising, says Dr.Gene-Jack Wang, M.D., the chair of the medical department at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, in Upton, New York.

"We make our food very similar to cocaine now," he says.

Coca leaves have been used since ancient times, he points out, but people learned to purify or alter cocaine to deliver it more efficiently to their brains (by injecting or smoking it, for instance). This made the drug more addictive.

According to Wang, food has evolved in a similar way. "We purify our food," he says. "Our ancestors ate whole grains, but we're eating white bread. American Indians ate corn; we eat corn syrup."

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The ingredients in purified modern food cause people to "eat unconsciously and unnecessarily," and will also prompt an animal to "eat like a drug abuser [uses drugs]," says Wang.
The neurotransmitter dopamine appears to be responsible for the behavior of the overeating rats, according to the study. Dopamine is involved in the brain's pleasure (or reward) centers, and it also plays a role in reinforcing behavior. "It tells the brain something has happened and you should learn from what just happened," says Kenny.

Overeating caused the levels of a certain dopamine receptor in the brains of the obese rats to drop, the study found. In humans, low levels of the same receptors have been associated with drug addiction and obesity, and may be genetic, Kenny says.

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However, that doesn't mean that everyone born with lower dopamine receptor levels is destined to become an addict or to overeat. As Wang points out, environmental factors, and not just genes, are involved in both behaviors.

Wang also cautions that applying the results of animal studies to humans can be tricky. For instance, he says, in studies of weight-loss drugs, rats have lost as much as 30 percent of their weight, but humans on the same drug have lost less than 5 percent of their weight. "You can't mimic completely human behavior, but [animal studies] can give you a clue about what can happen in humans," Wang says.

Although he acknowledges that his research may not directly translate to humans, Kenny says the findings shed light on the brain mechanisms that drive overeating and could even lead to new treatments for obesity.

"If we could develop therapeutics for drug addiction, those same drugs may be good for obesity as well," he says.

Article by http://www.health.com/