My Health n Fitness

In fruits and vegetables you can tell which of the main phytochemicals they contain by their color.

Fruits and vegetables that are orange in color, such as carrots, cantaloupes and mangoes contain beta carotene.

Those that are red in color, such as tomatoes, watermelon, and pink grapefruit contain lycopene.

Yellow fruits and vegetables such as pineapples, oranges, & peaches contain beta cryptothanxin.

Indoles can be found in the green vegetables, broccoli, cabbage, and kale.

Purple fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, grapes, and eggplant contain anthocyanins.

Allicin can be found in garlic, onions, and chives.

Do you know what is in your food? Did you ever think about what could be there and not there? How about what it is doing to you or your loved ones? Is there something good in your food other then making you not hungry? Yes there is! Your food is consisting of several awesome parts. Try looking at your food differently now. Try looking at it as a challenge and a conquest for better health and life. We laugh at vegetarians, but why? They are very healthy and happy. Vegetarians are getting more of the daily recommend dose of vegetables and fruits then the meat eating population. They are also getting more of the phytochemicals that help fight off the viruses that are in society today.

Fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, legumes are all words you may think to yourself what is that? Well they are the support system of your body. Fruits and vegetables have lots of phytochemicals in them and you can get about 100 different phytochemicals per serving of fruits and vegetables. What are phytochemicals? Well the most commonly known phytochemical is the antioxidant. Antioxidants help to protect our cells from toxic substances and free radicals. You want to keep your cells strong for the long haul of life ahead.

Cholesterol. Yes we all have it and no we don’t want to have to worry about it. Well unfortunately we all must in this day and age worry about our cholesterol. A good way to lower your cholesterol is with oats. Just by eating three grams of soluble fiber a day, the same amount found in a large bowl of one hundred percent oat bran or three packages of instant oatmeal, can lower your LDL cholesterol by at least five point six percent in six weeks. That is an awesome decrease in LDL cholesterol and can save your life.

Still worried about your cholesterol and hate the thought of oatmeal three times a day? Try cooking with olive oil. If you are unhappy with the flavor of olive oil the try canola oil. Both are a great source of monounsaturated fat; A great reducer of cholesterol. Other sources of monounsaturated oils are Peanut oil, Walnut oil, Sesame Oil, and Soybean oil. What ever you do though do not, I repeat, do not go overboard with any oil. They all have fourteen grams of saturated fat and one hundred twenty calories per tablespoon. Lets face it we are an obese society; we need all the help we can get to not add extra fat to our bodies.

Did you know the benefits of Nuts? They are surprisingly good for your heart. Macadamia nuts are the best for you as far as monounsaturated fats go. Walnuts are the lowest on the scale for monounsaturated fats. Apparently replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fats found in nuts reduces your risk of heart disease.

Omega three fatty acids found in fish oils are superb at lowering blood fats such as triglycerides. Omega three fatty acids also help reduce blood pressure and may ease the symptoms of arthritis. You should eat fresh fish two to three times a week, however do not take fish oil supplements with out talking to your doctor first.

Vitamin E, is the great protector. Vitamin E helps to fight cancer, heart disease, and cataracts. Now that is one tough antioxidant! Spinach! I know why Popeye ate his spinach, because it is a powerhouse in the antioxidant family. Not to mention it has every nutrient out there. It is a great source of folic acid, which can reduce the risk of neural tube birth defects. It also protects against cervical displaysia which is a condition that precedes cervical cancer. Women! You must eat your spinach. Women who eat spinach daily are forty three percent less likely to suffer from a stroke, then those women who only ate spinach once a month or less. Now I don’t care those numbers are hard to beat. Eat your spinach ladies and live long happy lives. Women you also need to eat your squashes, which are high in beta carotene. Those of us who eat fruits and vegetables high in carotene reduce our risk of cataracts by thirty nine percent.

Here is a great tasting healthy breakfast that takes about 20 minutes. Serves 4 and the preparation time is about 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 12 egg whites
• 2 15oz. can of black beans
• 4 fat free/low fat flour tortillas
• 1 cup of lite salsa
• ½ cup grated low fat yellow cheese
• ¼ cup chopped chives

Preparation & Cooking:

Preheat the oven to 200oF. Warm the tortillas in the oven for ten to fifteen minutes. In the meantime, drain and rinse beans and heat on stovetop or in microwave. In a separate pan, warm the salsa on a medium-low heat. As the beans are warming up, scramble the egg whites in a nonstick pan.

Cover each tortilla with the black beans, spreading out the beans to cover the whole tortilla. Top the beans with half a cup each of the warm salsa. Finally, top the salsa with the scrambled egg whites, grated cheese and chives. Serve while hot and get fired up for the day!

Healthy Hint: As an alternative to egg whites, use scrambled tofu mix to top this tasty breakfast

If you ask around, most people are on one form of a diet or another. But while losing weight may be a popular goal, for some it’s an absolute necessity. Becoming overweight or obese starts with a few extra pounds that quietly turn into 20 extra pounds, and then 40, and so on. With the extra weight comes an increased risk of heart attacks, diabetes, and some cancers. Other related health issues include:

• Sleep apnea
• Fatigue
• Liver disease
• Urinary incontinence
• Depression or anxiety
• Premature aging
• Early death

In addition, factors like stress, heredity, and lack of activity can cause further damage. Weight loss is the most significant way to reverse and eliminate these health concerns. This can be done through exercise, eating a balanced diet, and taking supplements to increase your metabolism. Of course, you should check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program. However, you can get moving today by taking short walks or bicycle rides around your neighborhood. A diet that involves all food groups will help you fight fatigue and arm your body for battle against destructive elements. Through the use of supplements, you will also increase the rate at which body fat is burned and maximize the benefits of physical activity.

You may be unsure whether or not your weight is a legitimate problem. To find out, you can use the Body Mass Index (BMI) guidelines. Your BMI is a number that will help you analyze your current health situation. Your personal BMI uses your weight and height to estimate your body composition, which directly correlates with your body fat. A BMI of less than 20 is considered low. A low BMI may indicate an underweight status that can be just as serious as being over weight. A BMI of 20-25 is considered to be good, while one greater than 25 is considered high for most people. A BMI of 30 or more places you in the obese category. To calculate your BMI, use the following formula:

BMI = Weight in Pounds X 703
( Height in inches ) x ( Height in inches )

For example, to calculate the BMI of a person who is 150 pounds and is 5’6” (or 66”) tall, you would do the following:

BMI = 150 X 703 = 24
( 66 ) x ( 66 )

Don’t let the needle on your scale advance a single notch. Everyone can learn to enjoy life to the fullest by taking control of those things that can be controlled–your weight, your reactions to stress, and your lifestyle. There are many activities and products that can help to improve the condition of our heart, lungs, muscles, and other systems. My ebook series, A Balanced Approach to Health, will introduce you to ways to eliminate the health risk of obesity for you and your family, explain ways to objectively and scientifically determine your current level of health, and much more.

Recent studies have shown that coffee has some protective health benefits. While coffee is not as healthful as other foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains, etc. laboratory studies suggest that coffee may reduce the risk of cancer and diabetes. It was found in the Iowa Women’s Health Study, where more than 28,000 women were followed for 11 years that the women who drank four or more cups of coffee daily were 20 percent less likely to develop diabetes. In the same study it was found that four to five cups of coffee a day was also linked with a 19 percent lower risk of heart-related death. Other studies have consistently shown that the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant compounds in coffee help reduce the risk of cancer.

Brewed coffee actually is a concentrated source of healthful antioxidants and while consuming a cup of coffee is not nearly as healthy as consuming a Kiwi Fruit or blueberries, the advantages to drinking coffee are real.
Read more about it at A cup of confusion: Is coffee healthy or not?

So Enjoy your Java!

This Tasty Tofu Sweet Omelette recipe serves four and preparation time is about 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of lowfat tofu
• 4 tablespoons of soy milk
• 4 tablespoons of whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 4 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• jam to taste

Preparation & Cooking

Preheat the oven to 350oC. Put half of the tofu in a blender with the rice milk and blend thoroughly. Put the other half of the tofu in a small mixing bowl and mash. Add the flour, baking powder, maple syrup, vanilla, and the blended tofu.

Mix well and then spread the mixture thinly in a baking dish and bake for forty minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully transfer the “omelette” onto a serving dish. Spread your favorite jam or preserve to taste on top and enjoy while hot.

Beans and Lentils

Beans and lentils are an excellent source of protein and fiber. They are also a low fat food. They are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants. Research has shown that they can help prevent and treat a wide variety of chronic diseases such as, inflammatory diseases, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, obesity, cancer and strokes.

Black Beans:

A bonanza of soluble fiber, the kind that helps lower LDL (by as much as 24 percent) and reduce blood pressure.

The fiber also helps keep sugar levels on an even keel, staving off hunger, even reducing the need for insulin among diabetics.

Of course, other beans and peas are full of fiber too. Below is a list of the most common types.

Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
Lima beans
Fava beans
Black-eyed peas
Kidney beans
Navy beans
Great northern beans
Pinto beans

Lentils:

A powerhouse of nutrients mostly B vitamins, which recent research from the ongoing Physicians Health Study, suggest it may help protect against heart attacks.

Lentils are also high in fiber, protein and minerals such as iron and immune boosters copper, manganese and zinc.

Miso:

This soybean paste (used to season soups and sauces) contains isoflavones, substances that may protect against breast cancer by inhibiting the growth of blood vessels that fuel solid tumors.

Tofu or soybean curd, is also rich in iron and calcium (when processed with calcium salts).

Another soy product, tempeh, also provides vitamins A and B6, magnesium and zinc with less fat than tofu.

Other soy products include:

Soymilk, Soy Beverages
Soynuts
Soy Yogurt
Tofu & Tofu Products

Everyone wants to live longer. It is one of the most deeply rooted instincts of mankind. Everyone wants to live a life of usefulness and abundance, free of disease and unhappiness. As we grow older, we look forward even more anxiously to increasing our lifespan. We want time to enjoy our achievements, time still to make plans. By the time we reach 60 we realize with the great French painter Gauguin that “life is a split second.” We begin to think about all the things we still want to do before we reach our seventieth year. If we are fortunate enough to pass our seventieth birthday, we wonder whether we can’t live even longer—perhaps to be 80, 90, or even 100.

Well, why can’t we? We are living much longer than did our ancestors a century ago. We have added 20 years to the average life expectancy in America since 1900.

Advances in medical science have outlawed many dis-eases. These golden years are ours because of advances made by tireless research in medical science and people are living healthier lives. Thanks to the new knowledge provided by recent research, we no longer need fear the ravages of such diseases as diphtheria, scarlet and typhoid fever, syphilis and—to a great extent— tuberculosis. All these pestilences, however, were caused by those invisible but ever-present enemies of health—germs.

Today the picture has changed. We live a healthier and longer life, isn’t it great!