27 April 2018

Benefits of Tomatoes - The Natural Fat Burner!

Discover the incredible weight loss benefits of tomatoes, how to best prepare them and how much you should eat to get maximum benefit from tomatoes - one of nature's amazing fat burning foods.

Botanically, tomatoes are fruit, but they are considered vegetables because they are not as sweet as other fruits.
Tomatoes are divided into four basic types according to their size.
* Cherry tomatoes are the smallest variety you can find. They grow in clusters and are sweet tasting.
* Early Girl and Better Boy are better known as the medium variety. These delicious and sweet tomatoes are the first to ripen.
* Plum tomatoes, which include Roma tomatoes, have thicker walls and fewer seeds which is why they are preferred for tomato sauces.
* For excellent sliced tomatoes, Beefsteaks are the best choice.
Supermarkets, grocery stores, and farmer's markets usually carry tomatoes year-round.

Fat Burning Benefits of Tomatoes
Tomatoes are high in Vitamin C content along with citricmalic-oxalic acids.
The acid helps speed up your metabolism in addition to boosting the kidneys to get rid of large quantities of fat deposits; it also helps remove fat from your system.
There are large amounts of Vitamins A and K, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and zinc in tomatoes. To produce natural detoxifying and cleansing agents for your body, you need Vitamins A and C.
The chromium in tomatoes helps you keep your blood sugar levels even and reduce the cravings for sugar.
Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant, which helps protect the body from being damaged by free radicals. This antioxidant helps the body make collagen, an important component for healthy skin, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels, and can help heal scar tissue. However, they are mainly made up of beta carotene and lycopene. Tomatoes get their lovely red color from lycopene. The powerful antioxidant quality of lycopene counteracts free radicals and prevents cell damage. Recent studies seem to show that lycopene may have twice as much antioxidant properties as beta carotene.

Studies have shown that the lycopene found in tomatoes can help defend the body against rectal, colon, breast, lung, stomach, and skin cancers.
Recent studies demonstrate that two compounds found in tomatoes, coumaric acid and chologenic acid, assist in blocking the effects of nitrosamines, especially for people who are smokers. They are shown to effectively prevent lung cancer because it blocks the damage done by nitrosamines.
Tomatoes contain niacin, which lowers cholesterol. Potassium, also found in tomatoes, is known to help lower high blood pressure.
Vitamin K activates osteocalcin, which is necessary to add calcium to your bones, helping you keep your bones strong.

Preparation of Tomatoes
There are more ways to prepare tomatoes than there are varieties of tomatoes! When selecting them always try to get tomatoes that are the darkest red [if you are buying red tomatoes]. This is because lycopene's presence is in the red pigment.
Raw tomatoes are great tasting, but if you cook them, more lycopene is released. However, cooking them in olive oil first allows your body to more easily absorb the lycopene.

The Mediterranean cuisine, especially Italian, uses a lot of tomatoes.
Sliced or chopped tomatoes are great in a green salad, or you could add cherry tomatoes.
Tomatoes can be put in all kinds of grilling, baking, steaming, and broiling recipes.
Sliced cucumber and sliced onions are great when served with sliced tomatoes. Chop up some parsley or chives to put on top, finally sprinkle some lemon juice over the salad, or perhaps drizzle a nice olive oil.
Fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese is great with sliced tomatoes.
You can use Roma tomatoes in stews, soups, pizzas, and even casseroles. Romas, Beefsteaks and other varieties can be added to sandwiches and wraps.
Broil sliced tomatoes on top of fish with thin slices of onions, put chopped tomatoes in a gazpacho, or stuff your tomatoes with spinach. Another tasty treat is using shrimp to stuff your tomatoes.

And you should really try okra with tomatoes and corn! Tomatoes can be baked, or combined with eggplant or artichoke hearts.
Try making your own fresh, healthy, homemade tomato soup instead of buying canned soups full of additives and preservatives.
There are hundreds of tomato recipes out of the thousands available that will fit your tastes and needs, for the tomato 'vegetable which is really a fruit' is that flexible and healthy.
They can be included in just about any meal or snack, and when you do so, you can be sure that your body will benefit.

How Much Should You Eat?
The answer depends on how you will fix the tomatoes, e.g., are your going to chop them for a salad, are you going to add cherry tomatoes to dish, are you going to slice them for a sandwich or wrap, or will they be part of a recipe?
Typical serving sizes for you to consider would be: one plum tomato (62 grams) or one medium-sized whole tomato (123 grams), a cup of cherry tomatoes (149 grams), or one cup chopped or sliced tomatoes (180 grams).


Article Source: EzineArticles.com

The Nutrional Benefits Of Aloe Vera

The most important component of over 200 constituents in Aloe Vera is the polysaccharides. Aloe Vera polysaccharides break down or get absorbed. They are self-engulfing, which lets them get to the blood stream where they do what they do best for benefiting your health.
They are important to the chemical composition of Aloe and its benefits. Larger polysaccharides seem to stimulate the immune system. Smaller polysaccharides have anti-inflammatory qualities.

Aloe Vera healing comes from growth factors. It also comes from amino acids glycoproteins, gibberellin, minerals, like zinc and polysaccharides. They synergize together to give us Aloe Vera.
Aloe Vera improves the penetration of water. The mucilage blocs water from leaking out of the leaf. The amount of polysaccharides indicates the quality of the Aloe Vera. The higher the level of polysaccharides, the greater the quality of the Aloe will likely be.
Not a great deal is known for the best true uses for aloe vera in all honesty. Many companies will have you believe otherwise to sell their products, but, we did note that some preliminary studies are suggesting that the nutrient could actually be a powerful antiviral agent, and a very potent immune system enhancer. In other words, it can improve your immune system which will always result in greater and longer health.

Aloe Vera is currently being for the treatment of certain types of cancer and other conditions, even ones as serious as diabetes.
We certainly will be interested to find out if future studies validate, or, dispel, these preliminary promises, on the uses of aloe vera for benefiting ones health.
If the above is validated as a truth, you can be sure many aloe vera products will flood the health industry market stating many benefits of aloe vera.
The Benefits of Aloe Vera: Precautions and Possible Side Effects
Aloe Vera is not considered an essential nutrient, and because of this, there is no RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) set for this particular nutrient.
However, it appears to be a very safe herb. Side effects of supplementation are reported primarily by people who use supplements that use Aloin in their supplements. There is no toxicity information, or overdose information, or any cautions that must be taken before you begin using this supplement.

A few people using aloe vera, may experience a mild allergic reaction, developing a rash or an itchy feeling. If you do, our recommendation is to discontinue using aloe vera.
As with all the herbal remedies that we discuss, do not use if you are pregnant or nursing.
The benefits of Aloe Vera: Tips on Choosing the Best Aloe Vera Products
1. Make sure you Purchase your aloe vera product from pharmaceutical GMP compliant manufacturers. You may, or may not be away, but these facilities comply with the strictest regulatory standards in the world, for the processing of nutritional supplements. This is an issue consumers of health supplements need to take very seriously because, nutritional supplements are largely unregulated in the U.S and the UK, and many supplements have been shown to harbor contaminants or worse yet - do not even contain what is actually stated on the product label.

2. Be sure that when you look for aloe vera products, you choose one that does not contain any fillers or dangerous additives (examples include: sugar, starch, gluten, silica (sand!)) or any artificial colors or flavors.
3. Always try and purchase aloe vera supplements produced using only standardized herbal extracts. Standardized extracts contain the highest amount of the active ingredient, and, because of this, have the best potency and efficacy This means they will give you the best possible benefits of aloe vera. Most manufacturers do not use standardized extracts because it is much cheaper to produce supplements this way.
You should always buy supplements from reputable companies, having used many companies ourselves over the years, we believe it is best to find a quality company that you can use and again and again for your nutrition needs.


Article Source: EzineArticles.com

25 April 2018

Top Tips To Beat Bloating And Sugar Cravings | VIDEO

Do you feel bloated after your meals and would like to find a way how to deal with it? In this video, I have put together few top tips how to fight bloating and sugar cravings.
So what causes bloating? Bloating is a common digestive problem, usually caused by certain foods and ingredients that we consume throughout the day. Bloating can cause discomfort and sometimes even pain and should not be ignored. There are several ways how you can reduce and fight bloating and in this video I am talking about some of them:

Firstly, I would suggest to think about minerals that you could add to your diet and that work very effectively to grab the free radicals in the body and alleviate the bloating:

Charcoal
A natural supplement that traps toxins and chemicals, allowing them to be flushed out of the body. Charcoal can be made from a variety of sources, but for natural healing an activated charcoal made from natural sources is the best. Charcoal is used to reduce bloating and gas, to lower cholesterol level and to detoxify the body.

Zeolite
Zeolite is a safe, natural and non-toxic volcanic mineral that is formed when volcanic rocks and ash react with water. Zeolite is great for detoxification and can remove heavy metals from our body that are causing imbalances. This mineral can absorb, filter and release chemicals, nutrients and ions, depending on your body needs and acts as one of the best antioxidants. It can improve liver function and digestion, purify the blood, balance pH levels and reduce allergies.

What about sugar cravings? We all get them but eating too much sugary foods can damage digestive and immune system. My top 3 supplements to beat sugar cravings are:

Chromium
Chromium is a mineral that balances and controls blood sugar levels. Chromium is found in some foods but can also be taken as a supplement. Foods that are good sources of chromium include liver, kidney, yeast products, wholegrain cereal, nuts and legumes. Most people get enough chromium from food.

Plant bases protein
Plant based protein can be found in various foods, e.g., spirulina, yeast, pumpkin, hemp and chia seeds, quinoa, soy beans, tofu, black beans, green peas, chickpeas, lentils, almonds.

Cinnamon
Cinnamon is one of the most delicious and healthiest spices. It can lower blood sugar levels, reduce heart disease risk factors, and has a lot of other health benefits. Cinnamon is loaded with powerful antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties, helps to fight infections, reduce the risk of heart disease, helps to reduce cholesterol level and blood pressure.

You can find out more about natural supplements here! (Tried, tested and recommended!)

24 April 2018

Carrot is Your One-Stop Shop For Nutrition

It is said that carrot is the ultimate vegetable among all, just as garlic is the ultimate herb of all herbs. Let us explore together why carrot is beneficial for our health and why making it part of our diet is imperative. For starters, carrots have a high dose of beta-carotene. This is an anti-oxidant that is converted by the human body into Vitamin A. Although the body can only convert a particular amount of beta-carotene to Vitamin A on a daily basis, the excess beta-carotene acts as a protection for other diseases and medical conditions.

Carrots have powerful healing properties that people do not realize. Drinking a glass of carrot juice daily can actually make you healthier than most vitamin tablets. Below is a list of several diseases and complications that carrot can help eliminate or heal.
Acidosis
This is a condition in which there is an increased acidity in the blood. This happens when the blood pH level falls below 7.35. Carrots have alkaline elements that help the blood maintain a balanced alkaline and acid level.

Cholesterol
Carrots have Pectin that helps reduce cholesterol levels in the body. Pectin was first discovered in 1825 and is now commercially available in powder or tablet form. But why buy pectin when you can easily get it from carrots?
Constipation
Taking carrot juice will help reduce constipation. Ideally, you need to take five parts of carrot juice mixed with one part of spinach juice.

Anemia
Anemia is the lack of white blood cells and causes lack of oxygen. Carrots have molecules that are very close to that of humans and this helps and speeds up the production of hemoglobin.
Emphysema
If you are a smoker, you are likely to get emphysema. This is a deadly lung disease that causes shortness of breath. On top of this, the issues that support the shape and position of the lungs are damaged. Carrot juice, when taken regularly, will help you avoid emphysema.

Cancer
Yes. Studies have shown that one carrot a day significantly reduces the risk of cancer. The antioxidant properties of carrots help the body eliminate free radicals that damage the body's tissues and organs.
Congestion
The ear, nose, and throat, are often susceptible to congestion and carrot juice is a very powerful mix that unclog these areas. With a glass of carrot juice per day, you will be able to eliminate sinusitis, phlegm, and sore throat altogether.

Eyesight
Should we say more? Carrots are very rich in beta-carotene and lutein. These are compounds that will help you maintain great condition especially in the optic nerves. A lot of food supplement are sold commercially that contain beta-carotene and lutein to help reduce the risks of deteriorating eyesight. Why would you pay for these food supplements when you can get them cheaper and more natural through a glass of carrot juice?
Pregnancy
Did you know that drinking carrot juice will help you prevent your bay from getting jaundice? Drinking carrot juice is highly recommended for pregnant women especially at the last stages of pregnancy.

Fertility
It is said that carrot is also helpful in making people fertile. The reason for infertility is the lack of vital nutrients. Carrot juice will help you solve this problem as it is very rich in enzymes and nutrients that your body needs.
Immune System
With its anti-oxidant properties alone, carrots can help boost the immune system by providing warriors inside the body. The body is subjected daily to toxins and harmful chemicals and these will develop free radicals that will destroy the cells. Without antioxidants, the body will exert more effort killing these free radicals. Carrot can provide extra support to battle these harmful elements and help the body produce more white blood cells. The white blood cells are the body's army for destroying harmful elements that try to destroy the tissues and organs.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4866224

23 April 2018

The Nutritional Benefits Of Raw Spinach

Popeye was right; spinach really is good for you. Spinach is a leafy vegetable that belongs to the same family as kale and beets and is not only great tasting but also able to provide your body with excellent nutrition and can cure many health problems.

Raw spinach is rich in amino acids, carotenes, Vitamins A, C, E, K and B complex, iron (which explains Popeye's strength after eating spinach), iodine (which has anti-inflammatory agents), magnesium, potassium and more. The alkalinity of the minerals found in spinach helps your body to regulate its pH and you will get the same amount of protein from a portion of spinach as you would get from a portion of meat. 

Spinach juice is probably one of the best ways to consume raw spinach and it has many health benefits.

When cooking spinach you will lose a lot of its nutrients and to fully experience the nutritional benefits, it is recommended that you eat raw spinach at least once a day. By eating or drinking raw spinach or spinach juice you will:
* Never become anemic. The iron in spinach allows for the regeneration of red blood cells and is an excellent blood builder.
* Receive relief from rheumatoid arthritis because of spinach's high alkalinity.
* Combat acidosis because the minerals in spinach will clean out the tissue and keep the alkalinity of blood constant.
* Replenish any Vitamin C deficiency that can cause bleeding gums.
* Lower your homocyteine level and reduce your risk of getting atherosclerosis simply because of the anti-oxidants and folic acid found in spinach.
* Prevent and fight against the forming of cancerous cells because of the chlorophyll, lution and flavonoids found in spinach. 

* Prevent vision problems such as cataracts and night blindness with the high content of carotenoids and Vitamin A.
* Make your more regular and less prone to stomach ulcers, colitis, constipation and poor digestion because it is fiber rich and a mild a laxative.
* Prevent osteoporosis with the Vitamin K helping to anchor calcium in the bones ensuring healthy bones.
* Lower high blood pressure.
* Provide the nutrients needed for the fetus to develop in pregnant women and will also improve the quality and amount of milk produced by the mother.
It is amazing to think that raw spinach can have so many nutritional benefits, and when going out to buy spinach you will be spoiled for choice as there are three basic varieties of spinach available. The older types of spinach can be distinguished from the modern types by the fact that they have narrower leaves and a stronger taste that leans towards being bitter.

The three varieties available are: 
* Flat leaf spinach which has smooth broad leaves and is often what you will find if you buy canned or frozen spinach or baby food containing spinach.
* Savoy spinach with the dark green curly leaves sold in bunches.
* Semi-Savoy spinach which is basically a mixture between Savoy and flat leaf spinach with slightly curly leaves and can be used for both processing and/or the fresh market.


Article Source: EzineArticles.com

18 April 2018

Five Power Foods For Healthy Living

A healthy, balanced diet is paramount to promoting your body's health and wellbeing. There are tons of foods which are extremely beneficial to the human body with a number of them preventing disease and weight gain. Read through this introduction to our five power foods of choice and learn to incorporate these great ingredients into delicious healthy dishes.
Power food 1: Salmon
Salmon is no stranger to the healthy foods group and has been praised over the years for its health benefits and disease preventing properties. Salmon is packed full of protein and has a high content of amino acids, making it a true powerhouse food. Salmon has been revered over the years for its high content in the fatty acid omega 3. 

You've heard of omega 3, right? If not then welcome to the rest of your life! Omega 3 has long been hailed for its tremendous effects in decreasing cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks and strokes. In addition, omega 3 is also beneficial for the eyes as it combats macular degeneration and chronic dry eye. The omega 3 content in salmon is also a major preventer of cancerous development and has long been noted as the ideal power food to reduce the risk of cancer.
Power food 2: Beans
Beans and other legumes are a great source of vegetarian protein and high quality carbohydrates. Legumes are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber and also contain high amounts of magnesium, iron and potassium. Some great legumes which you should include in your daily diet include black beans, kidney beans, white beans, soy beans, chick peas and lentils. 

The nutrients in beans and legumes lower cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. This fruit will reduce the risks of coronary artery disease, diabetes and osteoporosis, leaving you with a happy, healthy heart. Now that's a power food!
Power food 3: Kale
Kale seems to be the power food which flies under the radar. It's like the talented kid that keeps to himself and nobody realizes his full potential, until it comes to graduation and he walks away with every prize on offer. That's kale! Kale is closely related to wild cabbage and when steamed the health benefits can be astronomical. Kale lowers cholesterol and greatly reduces the risk of bladder, breast, colon, ovary and prostate cancer. 

Like most other cruciferous vegetables kale is packed full of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. The cancer prevention abilities of kale can be attributed to its wealth of glucosinolates. Once ingested, the body can use these glucosinolates to form cancer preventing compounds, safeguarding the body against cancer. In addition, kale's effects on cholesterol make it great for cardiovascular support and it is also a brilliant for its detoxifying properties.
Power food 4: Açaí
If Açaí berries could talk they would probably say something like, "You may call me - The Energy Fruit!" Why, because that's exactly what they are! Açaí contains stacks of antioxidants, amino acids and fatty acids. They also contain monosaturated fats, dietary fibre and phytosterols which are great for promoting cardiovascular and digestive health. 

Some might say that the Açaí is almost the perfect amino acid complex, and seeing as amino acids are responsible for muscle contraction and regeneration Açaí finds itself perfectly positioned as power food number four!
Power food 5: Almonds
Finally, at number five, we find our old friend, the almond. Almonds are one of the world's healthiest tree nuts. They promote a healthy heart, prevent weight gain and fight diabetes and Alzheimer's. Almonds are rich in magnesium and are great at preventing heart attacks and hypertension. An effective food for reducing cholesterol, almonds have also long been hailed as a great weight gain preventative. 

Large amounts of protein and fibre ensure that you don't overeat, proving a great weight management food. They regulate blood pressure, contribute towards gastrointestinal health and combat diabetes. Almonds health benefits are extensive and that's why the almond proudly represents the nut family as power food number five.
You are what you eat, an old saying which holds true. Expect to get back from your body whatever you put in. If you want to ensure health and wellbeing then you must be prepared to give your body the nutrients that it needs to function at optimum efficiency. Incorporate these power foods into your diet and notice phenomenal results.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

16 April 2018

Pomegranate Health Benefits

One of the newest foods to be mentioned as one of the most beneficial to health is pomegranate. As with other bright and vividly colored foods, this fruit has been found to possibly help the body in a number of ways. Pomegranate health benefits can come from the fruit itself, but is more commonly taken into the body as a juice. More than any other type of fruit juice available, pomegranate juice has a high level of antioxidants, which benefits specific areas as well as overall health.

The reason behind the pomegranate's power is the fact that it contains one of the highest amounts of antioxidants in a fruit. Specifically, the antioxidants are said to be able to help with repairing cell damage and strengthening the body. Also, they help fight the free radicals in the body's system that causes it to age. The slowing down of the aging process is a sure sign of the fruit's benefits.
Nutrition of the pomegranate includes some of the most important vitamins a body needs to maintain good health. Crucial amounts of vitamin C, E and A are all present in the juice. Because of these high levels, another health benefit of pomegranate juice is being able to fight the common cold. This happens in a couple of different ways. First, the vitamins are there to assist the body to keep healthy and boost the immune system. Secondly, the properties of the juice are said to actually be able to kill viruses in the mouth before they can even make it into the body. This would make the benefit preventative as well as a type of treatment.

Other serious diseases and conditions can be looked at to benefit from the pomegranate as well. Because of the restorative properties of the fruit, it may help to fight the progress of damaged brain cells from Alzheimer's. Cancer is another degenerative condition that may be slowed and treated by pomegranate, including prostate, skin and breast cancer. Additional health issues that may be treatable with pomegranate health benefits are high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Heart disease is another area where pomegranate benefits may make major improvements in. Plaque in the arteries can be lessened by the continued use of the juice, which would help with blood flow and that results in better heart health. Another factor that assists in this process may be the blood thinning properties that the nutrients in the fruit provide.

Other benefits may include treatment of osteoarthritis, fighting plaque on the teeth promoting better health in the mouth, and the prevention of infection due to viruses by stopping them in the mouth. Dental and mouth health can greatly impact the health of the person overall, so any measures that can help to increase the health of the mouth area will be of benefit to the whole person.
With so many pomegranate health benefits, it is no surprise that more and more people are becoming interested in finding out how their bodies can really benefit from the fruit. Since the demand for the fruit and its juice is rising, anyone can find more information about how the benefits can help them. There are many sources on the Internet as well as in a person's local library about pomegranate health benefits.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

12 April 2018

Vitamin B12 In A Vegan Diet: The Dreaded Debate

When you follow a vegan lifestyle, there are many questions that you probably dread. Where do you get your protein? Why don't you eat dairy or eggs? How do you get your calcium if you don't drink milk? If you are well-informed on vegan nutrition you can easily answer these questions with pride. But, there is one question that delves a bit deeper, that is a much more difficult to answer, and threatens the view of many vegans that their lifestyle is a more natural way for humans to eat: Why aren't there any plant-based sources of B12?
Every vitamin, mineral, or nutrient can be found in a modern-day plant-based diet, except for one. Vitamin B12 (or cobalamin) can not be found in any plant-based sources and is only found in animal products. This strikes a sore-spot for many vegans.
In practically every book or article that you read on vegan nutrition there are lengthy paragraphs on how and where you can find nutrients such as calcium and protein in a plant-based diet. These discussions are usually followed by a sentence such as this, "Vitamin B12 is vital for your health. Since you can only get B12 from meat or dairy products, if you follow a vegan diet, make sure to take a vitamin B12 supplement daily." After reading a statement like this, you may be wondering, but why? The answer to this question is difficult to find, but if you search the scientific literature long enough, you can find it.

To really understand why we can't get vitamin B12 from a plant-based diet in modern-day society, we have to take a look at nature and a look back into our human history.
B12 is produced by "good" bacteria which are found in the soil and on plants. Every herbivore in nature gets its supply of B12 from consuming these bacteria on the plants they eat. These bacteria then make homes in the gut of the herbivores that eat them. Carnivores get their B12 by consuming the organs and thus the bacteria from their herbivore prey.
Our ancestors, whether you're looking at several thousand years or just a few hundred years back into our past, didn't wash the food they pulled from the ground. They ate the bacteria which produce B12 on the plant-foods they consumed and got an adequate supply of B12 daily.

In our modern-day society, bacteria isn't found on our plant-foods for two reasons. First, the large number of pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals used to treat our food doesn't allow a large amount of this bacteria to grow in our soils. Second, we wash our food very well. So, in our modern-day diet, there is not enough of this good bacteria on our plant foods so we have to find other sources.
People who eat meat or vegetarians that eat dairy and eggs, can easily get their B12 from animal products. This is mainly because of contamination of the animal foods by the bacteria normally found in the gut of these animals.

Unfortunately for vegans, the only source of B12 is through a supplement. So when you pop that B12 pill, hopefully you'll feel better knowing that you have to take it only because of our clean, modern-day culture and not because a vegan diet is fundamentally deficient!
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Nutritional Facts About Probiotics

Do you know why you should be using probiotics? Probiotics has been around for a long time and there are still some people that are not upda...