Health Benefits of Pineapple

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To be honest, pineapple is the least fruit I want to eat because it can make my tongue very itchy and there's always no guarantee that what I'll buy from the supermarket is sweet. So, I always pass this up when I buy my fruits in the produce section.

Thinking of its health benefits, I must admit that I do have to consider having pineapple regularly as it packed in nutrients with very little calorie. It is also cholesterol-free and fat-free and is very rich in Vitamin C which helps in lowering your risk in heart disease, cancer, gout, cataracts and stroke.

Since it is packed with vitamins and nutrients, it is good in improving your immune system and strengthen your bones and connective tissues because of its manganese level which is a trace mineral that helps in building and strengthening bones and tissues.

Include pineapples in your snacks or meals daily for a more healthy and nutritious diet.

Foods To Eat For a Healthy Kidney And Liver

The kidneys and liver are important organs of the body. They act as filters for vital minerals required by the overall health and body system. These organs also eliminate toxins to ensure that the body are free from harmful radicals.

To help us keep our liver and kidneys healthy, it is important to take have a healthy diet. Here are foods to eat to help the kidneys and liver remain healthy even as we age:

• Fruits high in antioxidants and fibre such as apples, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries.

• Eat food rich in omega-fatty acid which have anti-inflammatory properties and a good source of healthy fats like salmon and egg whites.

• Use olive oil instead of other oil when cooking your food. Olive oil is high in omega-3 fatty acid which is good cholesterol.

• Include vegetables such as bell peppers, cabbage, garlic and onions in your staple as they are great renal foods.

The Natural Energy Boosters

I sometime hope I am like that rabbit in the Duracell battery commercial where it keeps going and going and going. Just like any other mortals out there, I also conk out and when it happens, there is not much I can do but rest and take a nap.

There are actually natural foods out there that can help us energize. Some of these foods like apples, sesame seeds, avocado, lean meats from chicken and turkey, fish, tofu, eggs and plenty of water to hydrate yourself.

Studies show that food sources of quercetin (a plant-based phytochemical linked to athletic endurance) can boost your energy levels.

Foods rich in magnesium can turn the food that you eat as natural energy boosters that the body can utilize.

Also, complex carbs can be eaten as they are slowly digested and can prolong your energy level. Complex carbs are foods rich in fiber like beans, brown rice, whole-grain breads, brussels sprouts and other leafy vegetables.

So, the next time you feel weary and need a perk-me-up food, grab some fruits and snack on fresh vegetables for a quick energy boost.

Eat Apricots For Good Health

Photo credit: thehindu.com

Apricot is a succulent fruit loaded with vitamins and nutrients. You can eat it raw, dried or canned but studies show that eating dried apricots can yield more health benefits.

This fruit is rich in beta-carotene. It is also rich in potassium, iron, calcium and Vitamin C and is a good natural source of fibre. Here are some health benefits of eating apricots:

• Helps ease constipation because it can act as a mild laxative due to its cellulose and pectin content.
• Helps indigestion because it produces alkaline reaction on the body system. You can take one apricot before meal to aid digestion.
• The juice can help your body to cool down during fever.
• It helps treat skin diseases like scabies, sunburn, rashes, eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis.
• Helps in anemia because it is rich in iron.

Grapefruit and It's Health Benefits

Grapefruit is one of the super fruits loaded with nutritional value that will leave you with plenty of health benefits. It is high in fibre, rich in vitamins and nutrients and is one of the best fruits to eat when trying to lose weight because of its low calorie content.

It is a tangy fruit with a pink to ruby colored flesh. It looks like a big orange but slightly pale rind color. It is available all year round so you don't have to worry about not getting it on any other season.

Eating this fruit will be beneficial to your health as it packs a variety of vitamins and nutrients needed by the body. Here are list of healthy benefits when eating this super fruit:

Rich in Vitamin C - Since it is from the citrus family, it is rich in Vitamin C which helps boost the immune system.

High in Potassium - This is very beneficial to people suffering from hypertension. Potassium is an important nutrient in the body which helps lower blood pressure and improves one's well being.

Lycopene - This is a great antioxidant component which helps fight free radicals in the body. Grapefruit is rich in Lycopene that is why it has that reddish flesh color. Some studies also show that Lycopene can ward the risk of cancer.

Calcium - This is fruit is also a good source of calcium. Calcium helps make bones and teeth healthy. It is also beneficial for people with hypertension because calcium helps in the protection of the heart by regulating the blood pressure.

Pectin fibre - The grapefruit is rich in soluble fibre which helps lower the bad cholesterol. Pectin fibre also help slow down the development of atherosclerosis which is a condition where the arteries are thickened due to the fatty deposits.

Health Nut - Healthy Snacks

I love eating snack. Sometimes, I even eat the wrong ones like chips and cakes. However, most of the time, I try my best to stick with healthy and filling snacks.

If you are like me who loves to snack but would like to stick with the healthy variety, try to choose snacks that will work wonders for your health. Examples of healthy snacks are:

baby carrots or carrot sticks
cucumber slices
Digestive crackers/biscuits
almonds, sunflower seeds, cashew (unsalted)
cut apples with skin, banana, pineapple cubes, melon
steamed veggies like broccoli and cauliflower
pita crackers
unsalted popcorn and pretzels

Healthy Eating this 2011

Okay! I am super guilty for being a slacker. I was already on track and bam! I got derailed. Blame it on low "will-power" and short attention span. Yup! I have been through a rough patch this 2010. So I don't know what 2011 brings but one thing for sure - being healthy is still one of my top priorities.

I cannot stress enough the value of eating healthy food. I am not a big muncher of junk food but neither a saint. Ok, I gorge every once in a while and that is about it. I told myself (not as part of a new year's resolution which I habitually break) that I would make myself more healthy by eating properly and exercising.

So, fresh veggies and fruits are the top of my list when I go to the market. I am done with binge eating during the holidays. It was so difficult to say no to "home-cooked" meals I dearly missed.  Now it's time to be serious because it's hard to get sick and pay for medical bills. Besides, it is frowned upon where I work to be sick. 

I have already made a list of food to buy this weekend and hopefully I stay on track. Here are my food list (for the most part) of 2011.

1. Fresh fruits

2. Fresh vegetables, mostly green because I love eating salad. 

3. More oatmeal during breakfast (without milk and just a teaspoon of sugar)

4. Green tea instead of soda fizz

5. Water, water, water

6. Turkey breast

7. Chicken breast

8. Salmon or other fish high in omega 3 (but not much on the deep sea kind because I cannot stand the taste of salty fish)

9. Brown rice (once in a while)

10. Low fat yogurt (why does Pink Berry always come to mind?!?)

11. Low fat milk (great for bones and teeth especially when you're pushing 40!)

12. More tofu

Have you noticed the absence of red meat on my list? Well, I am not much of a meat eater so I was thinking of skipping the red meat all together. It's not something I am going to miss, really.

So, want to join my food wagon of healthy stuff?  It may look very boring to some who are used to eating savory food. I love eating bland stuff so it is easy for me to adapt to varying food tastes be it bland or not.

Make your list and stick to it. Let's all be healthy this 2011!

Health Nut - Fill Your Tummy With these Fruits

Trying to cut back on chips and junk foods? Then buy these summer fruits filled with water. These fruits are rich in vitamins and are almost 90% water. So, your cravings for junk foods will be curbed if you munch on these instead. Stock your ref with melons, honey dews, watermelons, oranges, and canteloupes. You can either eat them in chunks or make a smoothie with low fat milk or skim milk. Yummy treat for the hot summer months!

Healthy Drink for our Teeth

I have always been an orange juice drinker but ever since my enamel started to wear out, I have cut back on juices or drink them with a straw to avoid contact on my pearlies.

Green or black teas are good for our teeth. It's effect is like water leaving our teeth unscathed unlike the orange juice which attacks our enamels because it has acids like phosphoric, citric, mallic (to name a few) which can strip our enamels.

Here are dos which are good for our teeth.

1. Use a straw with acidic beverages
2. Drink brewed tea straight up sans the lemon, milk and sugar.

3. Snack on apples, celery, and carrots because these food are natural stain removers.
4. Floss daily.

(Source: RealAge tips)

Has God Been Giving Us A Clue?

I have never paid much attention on what I eat (that's the reason for my pudginess...hihihihi!) as long as it's not greasy, not bitter nor gooey and certainly not gross. A good friend sent me this mail few days back and I was mesmerized by the analogy of the writer who presented the common veggies and fruits we eat as clues from God. How, you might ask? Read along...

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

The tomato has four chambers and is read. The heart is read and has four chambers. All of the research shows that tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? .... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of S perm a S well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Grapefruits, Oranges , and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.

(source: forwarded mail)