How Much Fruits, Vegetables & Grains Should We Eat?



http://www.ehow.com


Five a Day

Starchy foods such as grain should make up approximately one third of the average adult's dietary intake. Ensure that you're eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Vary Your Sources

Consume as many different types of fruit, vegetable and grain as possible spaced evenly throughout the day. Stick to wholegrain cereals and unrefined sources of fibre over processed starchy food and eat as many different varieties of fruit and vegetables as you can.

Bottom Line

Fruit, vegetables and grains are an incredibly important part your diet and it's vital you're eating enough of them. While it's difficult to eat too much of these food groups, incorporate them into a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Consult your physician if you have any special dietary requirements.

The 10 scientifically researched benefits of eating miso
1. Contains all essential amino acids, making it a complete protein.
2. Stimulates the secretion of digestive fluids in the stomach.
3. Restores beneficial probiotics to the intestines.
4. Aids in the digestion and assimilation of other foods in the intestines.
5. Is a good vegetable-quality source of B vitamins (especially B12).
6. Strengthens the quality of blood and lymph fluid.
7. Reduces risk for breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers.
8. Protects against radiation due to dipilocolonic acid, an alkaloid that chelates heavy metals and discharges them from the body.
9. Strengthens the immune system and helps to lower LDL cholesterol.
10. High in antioxidants that protects against free radicals.
Miso has a wonderful sweet/salty flavor that can be used in a wide variety of recipes. The color of miso can vary from light yellow, good to use in a sweet miso soup during warm weather, to a deep dark brown with earthy tones and hearty flavor, which can be cooked with cubed root vegetables, wakame sea vegetable and dark leafy greens during the colder months. When cooking with miso use just enough to enhance flavor and avoid overpowering the dish with a strong salty taste.

http://www.care2.com/

A yolk a day may keep the doctor away


Forget the egg-white omelet and egg substitute: the healthiest part of the egg may be the yolk. Growing research indicates that the nutrient choline, which is similar to a B vitamin, is deficient in many adults and more important than once thought, Tran said.
Egg yolks are one of the richest sources of choline, along with butter (surprise!), peanuts, soybeans and oats. Choline is an essential part of most cell membranes, particularly in brain cells, Tran said.




http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com

Why buy in bulk?

Two reasons: Less packaging, and less cost.
Packaging materials make up more than 30% of all consumer waste, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Buying in bulk eliminates packaging waste.
Beyond bulk, look for minimally packaged items, and items that are packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled materials, or can be composted.
Eliminate disposable bag waste by buying a couple good reusable bags -- preferably made from recycled materials -- and remember to carry them with you to the market, so you don't have to struggle with the old "paper or plastic" question.


http://www.thedailygreen.com/environ...#ixzz18jQ9EknT

Taking vitamin E linked to osteoporosis:
research
Japanese scientists say they have found a link between consumption of vitamin E and the degenerative bone condition osteoporosis, in a study likely to shed new light on the use of supplements.



Taking vitamin E linked to osteoporosis: research
Researchers found that giving mice increased doses of the vitamin to a level similar to that found in supplements caused the animals' bones to thin.

The mice developed osteoporosis after eight weeks on the diet, which had levels of vitamin E significantly higher than those found in a mouse's natural diet, according to the study, published in the journal Nature Medicine.

The team, led by Shu Takeda of Keio University, said vitamin E stimulates the generation of bone-degrading cells, which normally work with bone-forming cells to maintain bone strength.

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes the thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time. It often affects older people, particularly women, who may become more prone to bone fractures.

Vitamin E is found naturally in various foods including vegetable oil, nuts and some leafy vegetables.

It is also a popular health supplement as an antioxidant, and is widely believed to enhance health and slow problems related to ageing.

The study called for greater research into how enhanced levels of vitamin E affect human health.

"It is possible that with the volume (of vitamin E) contained in health supplements, bones may become fragile," Takeda told the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.

The findings come after researchers found mice that had been genetically modified to be deficient in vitamin E had a high bone density.

http://news.ph.msn.com/top-stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5959596

thanks

I woke up with a text from my great best friend, reminding how good the LORD is, good morning everyone from the Philippines!

thats good to know, keep healthy!

ALL MY PRAISE


I will follow You through green pastures
And sing hallelujah to Your Name
I will follow You through dark disaster
And sing hallelujah through the pain

And even in the shadow of death
I will praise You
And even in the valley I will say
Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise
Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise

You are seated on your throne in heaven
And You see all of us down here
And You have promised You will not abandon
So I shall not fear

And even in the shadow of death
I will praise You
And even in the valley I will say

Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise
Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise

You made every star
And You taught it how to shine
You knew my name before there was time
And all this was just part of Your glorious design
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise
Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise

Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise
Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise

From: http://www.musicbabylon.com

YOU ARE MY HIDING PLACE


You are my hiding place
You always fill my heart
With songs of deliverance
Whenever I am afraid
I will trust in You

I will trust in You
Let the weak say
I am strong
In the strength of the Lord
You are my hiding place
You always fill my heart
With songs of deliverance
Whenever I am afraid
I will trust in You

I will trust in You
Let the weak say I am strong
In the strength of the Lord
I will trust in You

From: http://www.musicbabylon.com

People Need the Lord

Everyday they pass me by,
I can see it in their eyes.
Empty people filled with care,
Headed who knows where?

On they go through private pain,
Living fear to fear.
Laughter hides their silent cries,
Only Jesus hears.

People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize, people need the Lord?

We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong seems right.
What could be too great a cost
For sharing Life with one who's lost?

Through His love our hearts can feel
All the grief they bear.
They must hear the Words of Life
Only we can share.

People need the Lord, people need the Lord
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize that we must give our lives,
For peo-ple need the Lord.

People need the Lord.

We are the Reason

As little children we would dream of Christmas morn
Of all the gifts and toys we knew we’d find
But we never realized a baby born one blessed night
Gave us the greatest gift of our lives

We are the reason that He gave His life
We were the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live

As the years went by we learned more about gifts
The giving of ourselves and what that means
On a dark and cloudy day a man hung crying in the rain
All because of love
All because of love

*Chorus

I finally found the reason for living
It’s in giving every part of my heart to Him (every, every part to Him)
In all that I do every word that I say (that I know, you know I’ll be saying)
I'll be giving my all just for Him, for Him (everything for Him)

And we are the reason that He gave His life
We are the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give (all that he could give all)(don’t you know that we are the reason)
To show us the reason to live

#He is our reason to live
(don’t you know do you know the reason
that he came, oh he came to save us
when he gave his life for us) he suffered and died
To a world (for a world that was lost He gave)that was lost He gave everything (everything that He had He gave)
To show us the reason to live

*chorus + # together
He gave His life
Don’t know how I could thank Jesus for all that he done all..
He gave His life
He suffered and died for you
*chorus + # together

Red Meat - Myths and Facts

There has perhaps been more misinformation written about red meat than any other food. The reason for these myths are unclear but it seems that "meat" as a category often gets lumped together in scientific reviews irrespective of the fattiness of the meat, the origin of the meat (for example, grain fed versus pasture fed) or whether it's processed.

Red meat is a rich source of protein and an excellent source of iron, the mineral most commonly lacking in diets around the world. It also supplies vitamin B12 for a healthy nervous system and zinc for immune function; vitamin B6, niacin, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids.

The good news for meat lovers is that red meat can play a valuable role in a healthy diet - just make sure the cuts are lean and trimmed of fat and the serving sizes are moderate.

Myth: Red meat is bad for your heart and cannot be included in heart healthy diets

Fact: It depends on the type of meat you choose. A review of 54 studies on red meat and heart disease found that lean red meat trimmed of visible fat does not raise total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol levels. Lean trimmed red meat is low in saturated fat and can be included in cholesterol lowering and heart healthy diets. A number of studies have shown cholesterol reductions when people include lean red meat in a low saturated fat diet. Avoid fried meats, fatty meats and meat which has fat marbled through it.

It is well recognized that plant protein (such as tofu) is associated with lower blood pressure. Recent studies have shown that animal protein in the form of lean red meat is also inversely related to lower blood pressure. A study comparing two groups of moderate hypertensive patients fed one group 250g per day of lean red meat in place of the carbohydrate-rich foods that the control group was receiving. Systolic blood pressures were lower in the group which was given meat. It is thought that certain amino acids, taurine and arginine, in the meat may have helped to lower blood pressure. The diet containing meat was also lower in sodium due to the low salt content of fresh meat.

Cholesterol content of various foods (mg per 100g)*
Beef 50
Veal 51
Lamb 66
Mutton 66
Beef liver 271
Beef kidney 313
Beef heart 103
Lamb brain 1352
Egg, boiled 385
Chicken (meat only) 76
Duck 110
Cod fish 60


* Data for red meats is for Australian products from Williams P, (2007) Nutr & Diet.,64(S4)S113-119
* Cholesterol levels may vary by country of origin as feeding methods vary

(Ref: McCance and Widdowson, 1991)

Myth: Red meat only contains saturated fats

Fact: Fat content and type of fat in meat depends on the type of meat and the feeding protocol. However red meat provides saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Analysis on lean fat trimmed Australian red meat (which is pasture fed) has shown a ratio of saturated fatty acids (SFA) to monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of around 24:40:14. Part of the SFA is stearic acid which has been shown not to raise cholesterol levels.

http://www.medindia.net

Dark Meat Reduces Heart Disease Rik in Women

Women with high cholesterol may protect themselves from developing coronary heart disease (CHD) by consuming dark meat of poultry, research finds.

The study, published online in the European Journal of Nutrition, evaluated the effects of taurine, a naturally-occurring nutrient found in the dark meat of turkey and chicken, as well as in some fish and shellfish, on CHD. It revealed that higher taurine intake was associated with significantly lower CHD risk among women with high total cholesterol levels. The same association was not seen in women with low cholesterol levels, however.

There is very little information available about taurine, said principal investigator Yu Chen, PhD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology at NYU School of Medicine, part of NYU Langone Medical Center. While there have been some animal studies that indicate taurine may be beneficial to cardiovascular disease, this is the first published prospective study to look at serum taurine and CHD in humans, she explained. "Our findings were very interesting. Taurine, at least in its natural form, does seem to have a significant protective effect in women with high cholesterol."

Coronary heart disease is the leading killer of American men and women, causing one in five deaths. Also known as coronary artery disease, it is caused by the buildup of plaque in the arteries to the heart. Large prospective epidemiologic studies have provided evidence that nutritional factors are important modifiable risk factors for CHD.

Dr. Chen and colleagues conducted their study using data and samples from the NYU Women's Health Study. The original study enrolled more than 14,000 women, 34 to 65 years of age, between 1985 and 1991 at a breast cancer screening center in New York City. Upon enrollment, a wide range of medical, personal and lifestyle information was recorded and the data and samples continue to be utilized for a variety of medical studies.

For the serum taurine study, funded by the American Heart Association, the researchers measured taurine levels in serum samples collected in 1985 – before disease occurrence – for 223 NYUWHS participants who developed or died from CHD during the study follow up period between 1986 and 2006. The researchers then compared those samples to the taurine levels in serum samples collected at the same time for 223 participants who had no history of cardiovascular disease.

The comparison revealed serum taurine was not protective of CHD overall. However, among women with high cholesterol, those with high levels of serum taurine were 60 percent less likely to develop or die from CHD in the study, compared to women with lower serum taurine levels. If future studies are able to replicate the findings, taurine supplementation or dietary recommendations may one day be considered for women with high cholesterol at risk for CHD.

"It is an interesting possibility," she said. "If these findings are confirmed, one day we might be able to suggest that someone with high cholesterol eat more poultry, specifically dark meat."

Dr. Chen explained that Caucasian women comprised more than 80 percent of the study population and, therefore, the results may not at this time be generalized to men or other races, but suggested that future studies should be conducted in these populations. In addition, she explained, it is unclear whether synthetic taurine as an additive in food and drink products will have the same benefit observed in this study, and health effects of these products should be investigated separately. "We studied taurine found in the blood that originated from natural sources," Dr. Chen said. "The nutrient being added to energy drinks or supplements is man-made and is added in unstudied amounts. These products also often contain not only very high amounts of taurine, but a multitude of other ingredients as well – such as caffeine and ginseng – that may influence CHD risk."

The researchers are currently using NYUWHS data to evaluate the effect of taurine on the occurrence of stroke in another study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

Source-Eurekalert

Early Babies Likely to Suffer Health Problems

Babies born early have a higher risk of health problems during infancy, shows study.

Doctors said their work challenged widely held views that babies born after 37 weeks had similar long-term outcomes to those born at full term.

The research was carried out by the universities of Leicester, Liverpool, Oxford and Warwick and the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit.

It looked at 14,000 children in the UK, born 10 years ago, up to the age of five and studied health outcomes, including admissions to hospital and having illnesses such as asthma.

Previous work has focused on babies born very prematurely, before 32 weeks, but this study suggests that the higher number of babies born later may also need extra attention.

About a fifth of babies - some 100,000 a year - are born early at 37-38 weeks.

The study found that babies born during this time have a slightly higher risk of health problems up to the age of five. The earlier the baby arrived, the bigger the risk.

For example, 15 percent of babies born full term experienced asthma or wheezing as young children but the figure increased to 17 per cent for those born just a few weeks early.

They were also slightly more likely to go into hospital.

Study authors stressed that parents should not worry about what was a modest chance of extra illness. Rather their work should be used to question the level of healthcare support and monitoring given to these families.

"We've found that it's no longer appropriate, as we have done previously, to think of babies as either being born at term or premature," the BBC quoted Dr Elaine Boyle, from the University of Leicester, as saying.

"What we've found is that there is a gradient of increasing health risk with increasing prematurity but this risk stretches right up until the time at which a baby should be born," she said.

The study was published in the British Medical Journal.

Source-ANI

Paris Shop Offers Gluten-free Cakes For Celiac Sufferers

A small shop in Paris offers customers cakes and pastries that are specially made for those suffering from gluten intolerance. Some of the customers burst into tears when they first bite the cakes, as they can now relish their favorite delicacies unmindful of their health condition since they are gluten-free.

Marie Tagliaferro is one of the very few -- if not the only pastry chef in pastry-loving France -- to offer customers such delicacies in a country where gluten intolerance has long been considered a problem of the very young.

When customers call at her small Paris shop, they always ask "is it really gluten-free?" says her husband Francois, the bakery's owner-manager.

"And we say, yes, I promise, it's gluten-free... And they are very emotional, they start to eat the cakes and we have some people who are moved to tears because they haven't had a religieuse (a glazed puff pastry) or a lemon meringue tart for 15 years," he adds.

It might not quite be the stuff of Marcel Proust's madeleine recollections, but for people deprived for years of a chocolate eclair, the Tagliaferro shop has proved a godsend.

Cakes and pastries were always Marie's life. But a few years ago doctors told her she had a severe intolerance to gluten -- a protein found in cereals such as wheat -- which can cause chronic diarrhea and vomiting.

She thought she would never again be able to enjoy her own pastry creations.

But now she's has opened a patisserie dedicated to gluten-free versions of the best French pastries.

"I did some tests... at the start I just used exactly the same recipes I learnt in traditional patisserie, and then I adapted them according to the results," she explains.

"For example, with choux pastry you want the air to escape but I couldn't use the same approach with gluten-free dough because it goes all over the place. So, if we don't know, we just try it and see if it works!" she says.

A medical intolerance to gluten, known as celiac disease, affects up to one person in 100.

And while in many countries it's a standard dietary variation, in France, where gluten-based foodstuffs are almost a national icon, the disease is still under-diagnosed and little known.

For Brigitte Jolivet, president of French Association of Gluten Intolerance, little is done for French sufferers.

"In textbooks from 20 or 30 years ago, doctors were taught that celiac disease was a disease of children which disappeared in adolescence, so it wasn't something adults had," she says.

"So doctors who trained 20 or 30 years ago -- for them the discussion's over. And it's true that the baguette is one of the symbols of France, so cutting out bread isn't easy here, it's difficult," she adds.

Even for those without celiac disease, a gluten-free diet is popular on health grounds -- meaning anyone can enjoy the pastries here, and if Marie's done her job properly, you won't even know the difference.

So far, the reaction has been far more enthusiastic than they expected.

If things go well, Marie and her husband plan to soon start tackling the next symbol of French cuisine -- home-made gluten-free baguettes.

Source-AFP

Vitamin E


Vitamin E represents a family of eight fat-soluble anti-oxidant vitamins. Alpha-tocopherol is the most important vitamin E in humans. Alpha-tocopherol protects the LDL cholesterol in the blood and body cell membranes from oxidation by free radicals. (Oxidation of LDL cholesterol is believed to contribute to atherosclerosis of the arteries that can lead to strokes and heart attacks.) Alpha-tocopherol also inhibits blood clotting.

http://www.medindia.net

Calcium and Vitamin Supplements - Why the Supplements


Humans are by nature inquisitive and insatiable. They tirelessly pursue a perfect healthy body. Calcium and vitamin supplements are taken to provide the body with the ''required'' nutrients.



People want their daily doses of health through minerals & vitamins not through diet, but through a short cut, via supplements. Various supplements are available in the market and all boast of being the best. These rooftop proclamations of "I am the best" leave the consumer confused. This is an objective effort to clear the mist over supplements and guide the consumers.

http://www.medindia.net

Boost Energy Levels in Brain by Jogging for 30 Minutes

by Kathy Jones on March 03, 2012


The fact that exercise increases our fitness levels by making the muscles more resistant to fatigue is pretty well-known.

Past research has found exercise spurs the birth of new mitochondria - structures in the cells that produce the body's energy - in the muscles.

This process increases your fitness endurance while reducing the risk of obesity.

Now, a team from the University of South Carolina have revealed that a regular gym session could sharpen the mind in exactly the same way.

They have found that regular treadmill sessions also give a boost to the cell's powerhouses in the brain.

Research leader, Dr Mark Davis said this energy boost helped the brain to work faster and more efficiently.

"The evidence is accumulating rapidly that exercise keeps the brain younger," the Daily Mail quoted Dr Davis as telling Scientific American.

In the short term he said this could reduce mental fatigue and sharpen your thinking in between gym sessions.

He added that building up a large reservoir of mitochondria in the brain could also create a 'buffer' against age-related brain diseases such as Alzheimer's.he researchers came to their conclusions after a study, published in The Journal of Applied Physiology, on a group of mice.

Half of the mice were exercised on a small treadmill for half an hour a day while the other half were left to lounge in their cages.

Unsurprisingly they found after eight weeks that the running mice could exercise for 126 minutes before they tired, while the sedentary mice could only manage 74 minutes.

However, tissue samples revealed the running mice also had a surge in mitochondrial development in the brain, with evidence of both new mitochrondria and increased signaling between the brain cells.

Dr Davis said although it was an animal study, it was reasonable to assume the same process 'occurs in human brains'.

He added that a 30-minute jog was the human equivalent to the workout that the mice completed.

Source-ANI

Married Men Indulging in Extra Marital Affairs More Likely to Die During Sex

Married men cheating on their wives are more likely to die during sex according to a new report compiled by the American Heart Association.

The researchers analyzed more than 5,500 cases of sudden deaths and found that a very small number, less than 0.6 percent or 34 deaths, occurred during sex.

However a very large majority of these deaths were among married men who were having extra marital affairs. According to the report, published in the journal Circulation, more than 93 percent of the deaths occurred among married men cheating on their partners.

However lead researcher Professor Glenn Levine said that the high percentage should not be blown out of context. “I would not blow this too out of context. Without being sarcastic, I really can state that I have not had a patient who asked me about the cardiac risks of an extramarital affair”, he said.

Source-Medindia


^^^Married men, beware, LOL!