Delicious Walnut Health Benefits: Advantages for Brain, Heart, Fertility

By Jobee Knight 

Walnuts are perhaps the most famous tree nut of all and have been named the "Healthiest of all Nuts". They are rich in plant-based fats and are a good source of the B-vitamins and many minerals. Even though walnuts are one of the easiest foods to eat, they are also a powerful weapon against chronic diseases. Walnuts can be eaten by the handful as a snack, or in salads, soups, vegetable dishes, baked goods or smoothies.

Due to their uniquely high amounts of healthy fats and potent plant chemicals, recent studies are publishing evidence that walnuts can reduce brain stress, lower cholesterol, increase fertility in men, reduce inflammation, lower the risk of diabetes, strengthen the immune system, and help with insomnia because of the natural melatonin they contain.

Supporting the claim that walnuts are the healthiest nut is a recent study from the journal "Food and Function". The researchers evaluated nine types of raw and roasted nuts and they found walnuts to contain the highest levels and quality of antioxidants. An "antioxidant" is a substance in food or vitamins that neutralizes the harmful effects of oxygen in the body. These "oxidative" effects contribute to aging and disease.

English walnuts offer powerful benefits to brain health. A study called "Role of Walnuts in Maintaining Brain Health with Age" was published in the Journal of Nutrition. The researchers wrote that walnuts not only reduce the inflammatory load on brain cells, but they also improve communication and connection between the brain cells themselves - helping to maintain good brain health with increasing age.

For a healthy heart and long life, walnuts have been shown to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and also extend life spans in general. Walnuts contain the amino acid l-arginine, which offers protective benefits for the heart. A quarter cup of walnuts contains about 1,130 milligrams of l-arginine. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reviewed 13 heart studies and found that the people eating walnuts benefited from a significant decrease in overall cholesterol and had major benefits in the quantity of antioxidants available to them.

Walnuts have been proven to improve fertility and reproductive health. The medical journal "Biology of Reproduction" conducted a study of 117 healthy men and found that eating around a half-cup of walnuts each day produced an increase in healthy fats in the bloodstream and greatly improved the health and vitality of sperm.

Walnuts can be a good sleep inducing food. Russel Reiter, Ph.D., a professor of cellular biology at the University of Texas says, "Relatively few foods have been examined for their melatonin content. Our studies demonstrate that walnuts contain melatonin, that it is absorbed when it is eaten, and that it improves our ability to resist oxidative stress caused by toxic molecules."

Eating walnuts regularly can be a delicious and simple way to prevent disease and take advantage of their many health benefits.

Jobee Knight is President of Nutrition Breakthroughs. She has written nutrition articles and provided effective natural remedies since 2001. These remedies include the natural sleep aids and joint and pain relief products made by Nutrition Breakthroughs

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Healthy Benefits of Beans and Legumes

By Terry Ravary 

Beans, peas, pulses, lentils all belong to the legume family. It is evident from many studies that the legume family facilitates in preventing heart diseases and cancer. Beans and legumes also help in stabilising the blood-sugar levels. By keeping the cholesterol level low, they also prevent obesity. The varieties of beans and legumes like black beans, dried peas, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, soybeans, tofu, etc could be consumed as dietary food.

A single cup of beans contains 12 - 17 grams of fiber. Some portion of this fiber is soluble while some of it is insoluble fiber. The usual recommended fiber intake per day is around 30 grams. Usually, 10 large potatoes or eight cups of corn is needed for 30 grams of fiber. But, beans and legumes compensate the daily requirement with just 2 cups. Beans and legumes also prevent diabetes. Its high fiber content slows the pace and quantity of sugar progressing towards the blood stream. If a diabetic patient consuming beans and legumes regularly, the possibility for depending on insulin almost reduces by 40%. By controlling the blood and sugar levels, the diabetic patient runs a low risk of heart attacks.

Certain cancers like the pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, etc can be prevented by including the protein and fiber rich beans and legumes in the regular diet. Ligins or phytoestrogen is a compound of the legume family that exhibit properties similar to estrogen. This may help in reducing estrogen related cancers like the breast cancer. Bioflavonoids are another compound that prevents cancers of the male reproductive system because of the soluble fibers. Compounds like phytates avoid intestinal cancer.

Heart diseases can be prevented by including beans and legumes in the diet as they are mainly able to lower cholesterol level in blood. The bad cholesterol (LDL) level is specially reduced along with the blood-lipid levels. The beans and legumes are rich in fiber content can help in reducing cholesterol levels by approximately20% with just half a cup of dry beans each day.

Beans, lentils and legumes are food sources with high nutrition value and little fat. These are rich in proteins, fiber, vitamins and calcium and are easy to cook within a less time. With high protein contents and little fat, this could make a good substitute for vegetarians who don't prefer meat as a part of their diet. Compared to the western countries, the Asian countries are aware of its health benefits and have been consuming these varieties since ages. The reason is also, these are extensively grown in Asia. These foods with soluble fibers are easy to digest and hence could be consumed by anybody. Beans, lentils, peas and legumes come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and flavors could be taken in any form: dried, frozen, fresh and could be included in salads, soups and casseroles. If preserved under proper conditions, these could be stored up to 2 months for packaging.

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A Diet for Diabetics Is Easy to Follow

By Vaughn J Tobes 

If you are looking for an easy diet for diabetics, you are not the only one. Many diabetic patients are looking for the easiest way to manage diabetes. A diabetes diet is normally referred to as MNT which means consuming a variety of foods in moderate amounts. A diabetic diet is a health plan for eating that consists of low calories and high nutrients. In addition to that, it emphasises on a person to eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables. In fact, studies show that a diet for diabetics is the best diet for anybody trying to lose weight.

The Main Purpose of a Diet for Diabetics

If you have diabetes, your physician would advise you to see a nutritionist to assist you in changing your diet plan for that of a diet for diabetics. This is because you need a diet that would control your glucose level and weight.

Studies show that when you consume excess fats and calories, you body's blood glucose rises. If the blood glucose is not controlled, it may result in kidney failure, heart attacks, nerve failure and other chronic diseases. Changing to a diet for diabetics is very important as it will assist you in managing your blood glucose and a way of tracking it. It is important especially for people with type 2 diabetes, as these types of diet plans will make it easy to control the glucose levels in the blood. If you also want to lose weight, a diet for diabetics plan is the best way to achieving that.

What Does a Diet for Diabetics Consist of?

A diet for diabetics should be one that is based on your goals, health, lifestyle and taste. If you are unable to come up with a plan, you should consult the services of a registered nutritionist. Generally, the diabetic's diet should include firstly healthy carbohydrates. When you eat sugar and starches, they turn into glucose, which is not very good for your health. Concentrate on healthy carbohydrates such as fruits, lentils, beans, peas and whole grains.

Any diet for diabetics should also contain food rich in fibre. These are kinds of food that your body cannot absorb or digest. It is important as it controls blood sugar and also decreases the risk of heart attack. Example of such kinds of foods includes legumes, nuts, fruits, wheat bran and whole flour.

A proper diet for diabetics should also include fish. Diabetic patients are advised to consume fish at least twice a week. This is very beneficial as fish can be a good option to red meat. Such kinds of fish include tuna, cod, herring, mackerel and salmon. These types of fish have low-fat and are high in omega 3 fatty acids. Medical studies advise that one should not eat fish, which are high in mercury levels. Examples of these are the swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish.

Lastly is that your diet should have good fats. These include almonds, walnuts, peanut oil, avocados, canola and olive oil. These are very nutritious and also help in lowering the cholesterol level. Note that when cooking with such oils, you should only use a small amount as all fats contain calories.

When creating any type of diet for diabetics, avoid foods that are high in saturated fats. These are mainly animal products such as beef, sausage, hot dogs and bacon. You should also avoid trans fats. These are normally found in snacks, margarine, baked food and shortening products. They increase the levels of cholesterol, which is not very good for the body.

In conclusion, if you find it hard coming up with diet for diabetics eating plan, consult a nutritionist who will teach you how to measure the portions, how to count carbohydrates and how to maintain an overall healthy lifestyle.

The Best Diet for Diabetics

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Eating Tomatoes Can Help Prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes   

by Annalee Chambers

Heart disease and strokes are leading causes of death and permanent disability each year. They are responsible for hundreds of thousands of adults needlessly losing their lives each year. Thousands of adults also become partially or totally disabled after a having a heart attack or stroke. The risks of having a heart or stroke can be reduced by lifestyle changes. A few risk factors include obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and circulation problems all of which diets play a major part. Consequently, many of these deaths and disabilities could be prevented or reduced by eliminating the consumption of foods which are known to increase the risks of any of these conditions and increasing the consumption of health promoting foods.

One food that excels in promoting heart health is tomatoes. Tomatoes are remarkable in their ability to positively affect heart health. They are among the most popular foods consumed which contain a wide range of health-promoting benefits. There are thousands of varieties of tomatoes available all over the world. They come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors. They range from small cherry tomatoes to large beefsteak tomatoes. There are standard varieties and even heirloom tomatoes. They are available in various colors such as yellow, orange, green and red.

Tomatoes are acclaimed for the heart health benefits they provide. Tomatoes are known to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. They have also been shown to help prevent unwanted clumping together of the platelet cells in the blood. This is a very important factor in lowering the risk of heart problems like atherosclerosis. They have also been shown to reduce stroke risk.

Tomatoes are well known for their high antioxidant content. They contain a very rich concentration of the potent antioxidant, lycopene which is the red pigment in tomatoes. Lycopene has the ability to neutralize free radicals that can damage cells in the body. Lycopene excels as the most effective antioxidant promoter of heart health. Lycopene may have specific properties that enable it to protect cells in a way other antioxidants may not. Sufficient levels of lycopene have been shown to lessen the chances of those suffering an ischemic stroke. This type of stroke is caused by a blood clot and it is the most common type of stroke. Tomatoes also contain phytonutrients which support heart health. Additionally, they also contain high amounts of vitamin C, potassium, iron, manganese, beta-carotene and vitamin E.

Those seeking to reduce their chances of having a heart attack or stroke should include tomatoes or tomato products in their diets on a daily basis or at least several times each week. Choose from a wide variety of fresh tomatoes. canned tomatoes, tomato juice, tomato sauces, sundried tomatoes and other varieties of tomato products. You can see that by simply choosing to each heart healthy foods such as tomatoes on a regular basis you can significantly reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. This is the reason it is so important to include heart healthy foods in your diet.

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Healthy Foods & Drinks

Food and drinks are necessary for survival and the gathering and preparation of foods and beverages consumes a large portion of our daily lives and consists of a large portion of the economy. People have become accustomed to easy access processed foods. Whereas the viewpoint of food was once "eat to live", it is now "live to eat".
Among other things, this change in philosophy seems to have correlated with the increased size of the American population. The ease at which food can be obtained, the multitude of food choices, the speed of both food production and preparation has all contributed to the growing waistline and declining nutritional values. As of 2010, approximately 66% of adults over age 20 are overweight to obese. Diabetes and childhood obesity are on the rise. Is it possible in this world of convenient fast meals and processed foods to live to eat without gaining weight, raising our cholesterol levels and increasing our risk to diabetes?
Healthy eating in the new century is easier than ever. Rather than turning to processed foods and drinks, buying high fat fast foods or eating sugary snacks people can use the convenience of today's markets to make healthy food and drink choices. The trend toward healthy eating is spreading. Grocery stores now offer many fresh snacks, ready-made meals, energy drinks and even post easy to see nutritional information. Fast food chains are now cooking with healthier oils, eliminating saturate fats, offering lower calorie meals and offering non-sugary beverages in children's meals. Farmers markets offering fresh local organic produce can be found in most cities. All of these changes have happened quickly so a review on what exactly is healthy eating and drinking may be needed for the benefits to take place throughout the population.

Many people are familiar with the U.S. guidelines for proper nutrition whether it is knowledge of the four basic food groups or familiarity with the food pyramid. Advances in research have led the U S Department of Agriculture and the U S Office of Health and Human Resources to update the guidelines for healthy eating. Now these guidelines will be updated every five years. New guidelines will be published April 20, 2010 based on the latest research. The old guidelines recommended four food groups and the amounts people consume have been changed. There are now six food groups and recommendations are made not based on specific serving sizes of each group, but on a nutrient dense plan. Recommendations are made for special groups including children, women, those over fifty and even vegetarians or other special diets.
The new food groups are: grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat and beans, oils and discretionary calories. Currently the departments suggest a healthy diet include plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat or fat-free milk products. Include but in moderation lean meats, fish, beans, eggs and nuts. Limit saturated fats, cholesterol, salt and added sugars.
An all-around healthy diet includes nutrient dense foods from a variety of the food groups. Emphasis is on colorful vegetables and fruit, limit intake of animal proteins and use oils sparingly. Variety and individuality in diet is important. No two people have the same nutrient needs; each should examine their own eating plan and adjust accordingly.

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