Frozen Can Be Fresher Than Fresh - Great Tips For Getting Your 'Five A Day'

This morning I was talking to a client about getting more fruit and vegetables into their diet. We agreed that one problem is that fresh food goes off so quickly. Even when you buy plenty of fresh produce all your good intentions can be wasted if it's all gone off by the time to get round to eating it.

I then came home from the session and started making my breakfast. I went to the freezer and got out the blueberries and the raspberries, defrosted them in the microwave and mixed them with my yogurt and muesli.... perfect! At least one of my five a day eaten with breakfast with no worries of gone off fruit.

Frozen fruit and vegetables offer us an incredible opportunity to get a good range of fruit and vegetables into our diets. Frozen fruit and vegetables are picked and frozen at their peak quality meaning many of the minerals and nutrients are preserved better than when they come from the supermarket shelf.

We can also get an amazing variety of frozen products. Fruits as diverse as blackberries, raspberries, apples, blueberries, mango and mixed summer fruits. Vegetables ranging from peas, beans, spinach, carrots, peppers as well as stir fry and casserole mixes. You can even find herbs and spices down the freezer isle. We can eat fruit and vegetables that aren't currently in season without worrying how many air-miles they have travelled from the field to our plate. This also means that we can get a great range of colours onto our plates - which means a great range of vitamins and minerals.

Did you know that 20,000 kg of peas can be frozen in just one hour? Meaning that farms can work round the clock through the 6-8 weeks of the pea harvest with very little waste.

It can take up to 14 days for fresh fruit and vegetables to reach the shop floor once they have been harvested, transported, sorted and transported again to their point of sale. All this means that valuable minerals and nutrients are lost.

Another benefit for the busy cook is that frozen fruit and vegetables require little or no preparation. You can also use as much or as little as you want, putting the bag back in the freezer for next time, which means very little is wasted.

I wouldn't advocate a diet based solely around frozen produce - I am a big fan of eating fresh food that is in season - but at the same time don't forget the freezer in your efforts to consume your "five a day". Frozen can sometimes actually be fresher than fresh!

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5 Great Benefits to Get From a Plant-Based Diet

A plant-based diet includes a high percentage of food sourced from plants rather than animals. This can mean eating nuts, whole grains, lentils, peas, beans, fruits, and vegetables. But, this style of diet does not need to be strictly vegetarian. Here are five of the health benefits that come from eating lots of plant foods:

Blood pressure

A plant-based diet offers a perfect source of potassium-rich foods which can help to naturally lower blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables, as well as most seeds, nuts, legumes, and whole grain include a sufficient amount of vitamin B6 and potassium for healthy blood pressure. Animal foods like meat include minimal potassium and can lead to higher cholesterol and blood pressure.

Cholesterol

A significant benefit of adopting a plant-based diet is the ability to lower cholesterol. Plants are cholesterol-free, even the more saturated types like cacao and coconut. For this reason, eating a diet that mostly consists of plant-based foods can offer a simple solution to lowering cholesterol. Great food choices to lower rates of heart disease and cholesterol include seeds, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Blood Sugar

A highly effective method to control high blood sugar is to increase the fiber in the diet. A fiber-rich diet is perfect to help with slowing the absorption of sugar in the bloodstream. An added benefit is the ability to control hunger throughout the course of the day. Also, fiber can help with balancing the level of cortisol in the blood stream, which is responsible for the feelings of stress. Many of the animal foods can have a significant hand in increasing the blood sugar level.

Cancer

A plant-based diet that includes low-fat, whole food is one of the most efficient choices for helping to cut the risk of cancer. Certain cancers like breast and colon are at great risk for those that eat a diet mainly consisting of animal foods.

Weight Loss

A diet consisting of plant-based and whole foods, with minimal processed sugars and low in fat, is certain to help with cutting weight. A further benefit comes from a diet that is high in clean and raw whole foods. Weight loss is naturally able to occur when the daily diet includes a higher percentage of vitamins, minerals, and fiber compared to proteins and animal fats. A well-planned plant-based diet has the potential to cut 4-6 pounds within a two-week period. This should also ensure you aren't left feeling hungry.

Eating a diet based on whole, plant-based food can reduce your risk of a broad spectrum of diseases, such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. What we should eat is our main concern.

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The Health Benefits Of Juicing

Juicing raw fruits and vegetables is by far the best way to give your body the nutrients it needs for youthfulness and disease-free living.

Much of the foods people eat, such as french fries, fried chicken, microwave popcorn, doughnuts, margarine, cookies and pastries contain an artery-clogging fat called Trans fat. This fat can lead to type two diabetes, high cholesterol and other health problems. If you desire to live a long, healthy, vibrant life, you have to take care of your body by giving it the proper nutrition. That is why I am such a strong advocate for Juicing.

Health Benefits

The benefits of consuming these freshly made, health drinks are many. They aid in keeping organs such as heart, liver, and kidneys strong and healthy. They also help prevent colon cancer and keep your digestive system in tiptop shape. This is because they are a great supplier of protein, vitamins and minerals.

These drinks also boost the immune system and promote good-looking healthy skin.

Another health benefit to consuming these drinks is they help you lose weight and lower cholesterol naturally.

Nutritional Health Begins On The Inside

I am a firm believer that if you work on being healthy on the inside it will show-up on the outside.

Sometimes when I run into old friends they tell me that I  look very healthy. I believe the juices that I drink has a lot to do with this.

I know a woman who smoked for many years. When she finally quit smoking I noticed in a short period of time, the skin on her face look healthier. There was almost a glow to it. Can you visualize what would happen if more and more people would work on being healthy from the inside out? I can!

Raw Vegetable juice Verses Cooked Vegetables

You might be saying to yourself I eat a lot of cooked vegetables with my meal why then should I consider juicing? Well allow me give you two reasons:

1. When you cook vegetables at temperatures above 114 degrees, heat destroys the enzymes. (Enzymes are naturally occurring chemical substances in the human body that help a chemical reaction take place). In other words enzymes are important because they aid in the digestion and absorption of food in your body.

Fruit and vegetable juice that are sold in a shop or supermarket must go through a pasteurizing process before they can be sold to you the customer. The reason for this pasteurizing process is to give these drinks shelf life. However during this process heat reaches about 120 degrees thus destroying the enzymes.

In contrast enzymes in raw vegetable or fruit drinks are live. So they are able to do the job they are intended to do.

2. When you juice, you separate the liquid from the fiber. Thus food value is available to the body in much larger amounts than if the piece of fruit or vegetable were eaten whole.

If you ate one raw carrot, your body would only be able to absorb about 1% of the available vitamin A (beta carotene). That is because most of the nutrients in a carrot are locked in its fiber. However if you separate the liquid from the fiber, your body would be able to assimilate 90% of the nutrients. Pretty amazing!

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Excellent Benefits Of Fruit And Vegetable Juices During Summer

You can refresh yourself in summer with the help of fruit or vegetable juices. These delicious, healthy juices can refresh you and replenish your depleted energy levels. Even though juices can be enjoyed any time of the year, they become much more enjoyable during summers.

You can prepare tasty health drinks at home which can provide you with important nutrients like proteins and vitamins and also help in overcoming the effects of the scorching summer heat. As you might be aware, fruits are very important for our body as well as for a healthy skin.

Fruits and vegetables consist mainly of water and fiber, but they also provide a lot of other important nutrients like minerals, vitamins, phyto-nutrients. It is a very healthy habit to consume fresh fruits and vegetables on regular basis, specially in summer season.

The problem is most people do not like to consume whole fruits or vegetables. Such people can enjoy juices made from them. For example, no one would like to eat 10 carrots at once. But if you make a glass of carrot juice using those 10 carrots, you can easily gulp it down.

Fruits and vegetables provide nutrients which are essential for the growth and healthy functioning of the body. They provide us energy and help in regulating our metabolism. They contain minerals which are necessary for the nerves and muscles of our body. However, keep in mind that vegetable or fruit juices should not be used as substitutes for whole foods, but as supplements. They can be a perfect food supplement, specially for our eat-on-the-run lifestyles. You can make a glass of juice easily and quickly.

Vitamin C present in some juices can be good for the skin. If you regularly drink juices which are rich in Vitamin C, you can notice a significant improvement in the smoothness and beauty of your skin. Vitamin C also helps in joint flexibility and is good for the hair. Grapefruit juice is a good source of Vitamin C and can be helpful in preventing arthritis, cataracts. But people with type 2 diabetes should avoid it due to its high sugar concentration. Orange juice is another good source of Vitamin C.

Carrot juice contains a large amount of beta-carotene, potassium and vitamins. It helps in strengthening the immune system, improving the eyesight and preventing heart related diseases. It can also be helpful in reducing cholesterol levels, healing of wounds and preventing cancer.

Sugarcane juice is very popular during summer season because it quenches our thirst and re-hydrates our body, giving us instant burst of energy. It is also effective in fighting against prostate and breast cancer.

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Why Raw Almond Butter Is So Healthy

Many people are trying to find simple health solutions that they can incorporate into everyday life. For example, making subtle diet changes, such as replacing red meat with turkey, can make a huge difference. These kinds of diet changes have led a lot of people to using raw almond butter for sandwiches and spreads instead of things like peanut butter. The health benefits support doing things like this and simple changes can add up to make a big difference.

The reason why almond products are so healthy is because they are made from almonds. Almonds contain plenty of important vitamins and antioxidants, and some scientific studies even claim that almonds can help with memory loss, and should be investigated further as a way to reduce certain types of cancer. They are also high in fiber and other things of that nature that we normally do not get enough of. The health benefits of almonds have been recognized by different cultures for a long time, making them undoubtedly one of the healthier food out there.

Almond butter is also hypoallergenic, meaning for people with peanut allergies this is the perfect solution. People often switch from peanut butter to these products for that allergy reason. Raw almond butter also contains monounsaturated fats, which is a much healthier alternative to saturated fats that are common in foods like peanut butter. All of these health benefits are big reasons why families are switching to almond products over peanut butters.

The way raw butter out of almonds is made also helps to make it healthy. You want to concentrate on things like raw almond butter, which keep the almonds uncooked. When fruit and vegetables are cooked they often lose their nutrition value. Because of the cooking process of low heat, raw butters keep all of the nutritional value of almonds, a big plus for health conscious individuals.

Taking small steps like switching foods can make a big difference in your health. Almonds taste great, and almond type butter is a great replacement for higher fat and less nutritious items. Picking the right almond products is important, but recommended for people trying to make a little bit of a difference to their health.

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Raw Banana Avocado Ice Cream

Many health conscious people are trying to incorporate more raw foods into their diets. They do this for many different reasons, including the preservation of enzymes and important nutrients. Most health care professionals agree that people need more fruits and vegetables in their daily diets, and eating them raw is a natural choice.

I try to eat foods that will contribute to good health. However, I will not give up flavor in my quest for healthy foods. Years ago I stumbled upon a single ingredient recipe for a banana ice cream substitute. It involved simply freezing a banana and puréeing it in the food processor. The author of the recipe promised it would taste like soft serve banana ice cream. It didn't.

Photo: Divinehealthyfood.com

The resulting concoction had a watery taste that didn't mimic ice cream in any real way. It was similar to the taste of a banana popsicle, but had no creaminess to it. It wasn't bad; it just wasn't what was promised.

I began to wonder how I could keep this recipe as healthy as it was while making it taste a bit more like ice cream. I tried adding almond milk, coconut cream and a few other creamy products. Nothing gave it the right texture and taste. That is until I added an avocado. I know it sounds weird, but avocados are loaded with good monounsaturated fatty acids. These good fats combine with the banana to create a creamy, tasty treat your taste buds won't believe. Top it with chopped nuts for an even more satisfying snack.

Photo: Divinehealthyfood.com

This is what you will need for four servings:

4 very ripe bananas

1 ripe hass avocado

2 teaspoons freshly ground cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

Directions:

Cut the bananas into one inch slices. Put into a sealable bag and freeze for at least twelve hours. Transfer the bananas to the food processor work bowl, fitted with a multi-purpose blade. Let sit at room temperature for five minutes to slightly thaw. Process until smooth. Add the avocado and spices (if desired) and continue to process till well combined. At this point it will be the consistency of soft serve ice cream and can be served as is. If you want a firmer texture, return it to the freezer for 30 minutes. Do not allow to completely freeze or it will become too hard.

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Why Good Nutrition Is An Essential Part Of Your Anti-Aging Skincare Routine

If you're interested in keeping your skin young and beautiful, you need to establish a good skin care routine now, no matter your age. While a skincare routine probably brings to mind cleansers, clarifiers, exfoliants and anti-aging creams, good eating habits should be part of your skincare routine as well. Good nutrition is essential to healthy skin, since it is the body's largest organ. Here is a closer look at how you can establish a healthy diet as part of your anti-aging game plan.

Bright Colored, Raw Vegetables and Fruits

First, you'll want to start making sure you eat plenty of brightly colored, raw vegetables and fruits for great anti-aging results. Going with vegetables and fruits that are brightly colored means you'll get more of the natural antioxidants your body needs to fight free radicals. Cooking vegetables and fruits can destroy or change many of the amino acids, nutrients and vitamins that are in these foods, so eating them raw is a great choice. Getting plenty of bright, raw veggies and fruits also helps to firm skin, smooth it and stabilize the presence of vitamins within the skin tissue. Adding fruits and veggies that have vitamin A in them can help to fight off acne. If you're dealing with blemishes or oily skin, apples are a great anti-aging nutrition choice, since they offer vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and copper.

Avoid High Sugar Foods

If you're working to establish a good anti-aging skincare routine, another nutrition tip is to avoid eating high sugar foods. Foods high in sugar can cause obesity and blood sugar problems, such as diabetes. Highly processed foods that contain a lot of sugar can also ruin your anti-aging routine by causing blotchy skin, wrinkles, sagging and a loss of radiance. Limit the amount of cereals, breads, sugars and other simple carbs to help fight the signs of aging.

Healthy Fats Improve Skin

Healthy fats should be added to your anti-aging skincare routine. While you want to avoid eating bad fats, it is important to ensure you eat good fats as a part of the body. Taking in those healthy fats helps to keep the skin supple, smooth and moist. Healthy fats also are essential for helping with the transport and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin K, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin A, which are all important for anti-aging. You can find healthy fats in seeds, nuts, tuna, flax seeds, sardines, olive oil and avocados.

Build Healthy Skin Cells with Protein

As you work to add good nutrition to your anti-aging routine, you need to focus on getting enough healthy protein, since it is essential for building healthy skin cells. Complete proteins can be found in dairy, fish, eggs, poultry and beef. Those who prefer a vegetarian diet can find proteins in wheat, beans, lentils, soy and dried grains.

Hydrate for Beautiful Skin

Of course, you can't afford to forget proper hydration as a part of your anti-aging plan. Getting plenty of water each day is important for proper food digestion and the absorption of nutrients. The skin is made up of about 70% water, which means you have to continually hydrate to avoid skin that is flaky and dry.

What you put into your body is definitely going to affect your skin, which is why good nutrition must be a part of your comprehensive anti-aging skin routine. Keep this advice in mind as you combine a good diet with quality anti-aging products for beautiful skin that won't give your age away.

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What Is A Raw Food Diet

The raw food diet is a diet where the foods are consumed in their raw state. Foods are considered to be raw if they have not been exposed to high temperatures above 46 degrees Celsius (or 115 degrees Fahrenheit). This ensures that all enzymes and nutrients are left unchanged and intact so that the body is able to absorb them faster.

In addition, raw foods contain many antioxidants that help neutralize free radicals and eliminate toxins. According to studies, most age related diseases and common ailments are the result of too many toxins in the body. Thus the raw food diet can help to slow down the aging process by preventing diseases.

Variations of the Raw Food Diet

There are several different variations of the raw food diet and they include the Raw Vegan Diet, the Raw Vegetarian Diet and the Raw Omnivorous Diet. All three focus on raw foods, but each diet has slightly different restrictions.

Raw Vegan Diet

The raw vegan diet is the strictest of the variations, but it is also the healthiest and the most popular.

The diet mainly consists of raw fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, sprouts, nuts and seeds, as well as many superfoods such as raw cacao, goji berries, protein powders and sea vegetables. The superfoods usually are not available in most grocery stores, but can be purchased in most health food stores or online.

The raw foods are often eaten as they are, or mixed together in salads, smoothies, or are juiced in a juicer. Many western recipes can be mimicked with raw foods, such as ice creams, raw fruit pies, pizzas and many others. Bread, crackers and cookies can be mimicked by using a dehydrator, which is an oven-like appliance that dehydrates the foods at low temperatures over a period of 4 or more hours.

Raw Vegetarian Diet

The raw vegetarian diet is not quite as strict as the vegan, as it allows for the consumption of dairy, eggs and honey. However, there are some vegetarians that only consume eggs, while others will only consume dairy, and still others refuse to eat dairy and eggs, but will use honey as a natural sweetener.

Raw Omnivorous Diet

This diet is the most relaxed diet, as it allows for all animal products provided that they do not contain harmful food additives such as colorants and/or preservatives.

All animal products, whether consumed by the raw vegetarians or raw omnivores are usually obtained from free range and grass-fed animals in order to reduce the risks of ingesting harmful bacteria. In addition, foods from grass-fed animals also contain more nutrients.

Does the Raw Food Diet Eliminate All Cooked Foods?

Many who hear about the raw food diet think that they can no longer enjoy their favorite cooked meals. But this is not so. Dieters can consider themselves to be a raw foodist if they consume at least 75% of their foods in the raw state. This allows for a partially cooked meal every night.

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How To Look And Feel Fabulous In Hot Summer Weather

Summer is a good time to reduce high-calorie and high fat meals. It can help us to lose some weight, detox and relax to look and feel better.

Hot weather increases sweating and reduces urination which might lead to water retention, and sometimes to a puffy face or heavy legs. Try to eat more cherries right now, while they are in season. Only remember that cherries are from the Dirty Dozen List, so it is better (healthier) to buy them organic.

All fruits (apples, berries, pears, apricots plums, melons, grapes, peaches, mangos, papaya as well as all citrus fruits are also cooling and laxative which can help our cleansing/natural detox process.

We also should try to eat more refreshing and cooling salads with slightly bitter-tasting, cleansing greens, such as dandelion greens, watercress and endive. All leafy vegetables have a cooling effect on the body.

If you are on a weight-loss program, you should add more minerals to your diet with asparagus and okra (okra might also help if you have joint and swelling pain). As for me, I also eat a lot of cabbage - I love it more than broccoli. All vegetables from cabbage family increase alkalinity and reduce acid condition such as bad breath, excess hunger and even anger.

If you live in a climate with high humidity, try to eat more watermelons - they can make a delicious breakfast or snack. Sometimes I have water melon detox day and eat only water melons and rye bread all day long like my grandmother liked to do. It is a good detox remedy for our kidneys, full of licopen to prevent heart disease, and like bananas rich in potassium, which might help reduce blemishes, dark circles around the eyes and fatigue.

In summer we can eat more local fruits and vegetables, so don't forget to incorporate a lot of cooling vegetables, such as potato, tomato, summer squash, zucchini, cucumber, celery, mushrooms, bean sprouts, artichoke, bell peppers, asparagus, sweet potatoes, beets root and yam into your diet. You can cook them, eat them raw or make delicious juices. Humid weather demands additional cleansing, so enjoy your fruits and vegetables-natural detox- all day long. And speaking about cleansing/detox, a dash of lemon will be a great addition to any salad or drink.

We are supposed to eat more cooling foods that are easily digested in summer, so mung beans, barley, rice, couscous, as well as sea vegetables can be added to salads if you want to avoid hot dishes.

Sea food will be better choice over poultry or meat - it has cooling effect and is easier to digest.

If we drink more water and juices and eat more cooling vegetables and fruits, we will feel better, get slimmer and look fabulous.

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The 4 Essential Antioxidants In Mango

At the moment, it seems as if everybody is talking about antioxidants, and how to get more of them by eating the right food. Antioxidants are found in many fresh fruits and vegetables, and mangoes in particular are a very rich source. But did you know there are many different types of antioxidant? Did you know which are the most crucial for your wellbeing? Were you aware how antioxidants act in your body? Have you heard which antioxidants exactly are found in mangoes?

Antioxidants shield the cells and tissues of the human body from harm by neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals are extremely unstable particles that can interact with your cellular material, genes and DNA, and cause all sorts of harm. Free radicals are created by your body processing food, by the reaction of your skin to ultraviolet light, and lots of other natural processes. There are also free radicals in foods, the atmosphere, smoke and many other sources you interact with every day.

An antioxidant is a material that can neutralize free radicals before they have time to damage your DNA or cell tissue. But there are different types of antioxidant which interact with different types of free radicals, and which are made more or less effective by lots of different factors. There are even a few antioxidants which simply won't work when inside your body, or can even be toxic. Keeping this in mind, it's crucial to get not only enough antioxidants, but also the correct type of antioxidants.

One of the most potent antioxidants found in mangoes is called mangiferin. So far, mango is the only source of this powerful substance. Researchers are testing mangiferin because they suspect it might be helpful in the fight against diabetes, inflammation, Alzheimer's and some forms of cancer. Mangiferin doesn't just neutralize free radicals--scientists think it may also prevent inflammation in your body before it starts, which could potentially prevent many other types of disease.

Another effective antioxidant found in mangoes is quercetin. It's what's known as a flavonoid or bioflavonoid. It's a type of pigment that some plants use to color their leaves and fruits. Flavonoids are thought to be so important for health that they used to be called Vitamin P. Experts are currently testing quercetin for lots of different applications, thinking it may stimulate the body to burn excess fat, fight viruses, and act against some cancers and types of inflammation.

Mango is also extremely rich in several vitamins which are essential antioxidants.

Vitamin K is found in large quantities in mango, along with many other healthy plant foods. Vitamin K is being investigated to see if it can slow the onset of Alzheimer's disease by protecting the cellular tissues of the brain against damage.

Another antioxidant vitamin found in mangoes is vitamin C. Humans, unlike most other plants and animals, can't make vitamin C by themselves, so it's critically important to get enough in the food you eat. Luckily, mango has lots and lots of vitamin C in every serving. An effective antioxidant, vitamin C might be able to shield cellular tissue against the kind of damage that leads to serious illness such as coronary disease and some cancers.

These are just a small number of the potent and healthful antioxidants found in mango. Every mango is crammed with the micronutrients and nutrition the human body needs to stay fighting fit and resist disease!

Antioxidants are just one of the many mango health benefits. Mangoes can also help you lose weight, keep your heart healthy, and even keep your skin looking young.

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