Rainbow your Plate

YELLOW ORANGE

Yellow fruits and vegetables contain carotenoids and bioflavonoids, which represent a class of water soluble plant pigments that function as antioxidants. These food reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease

Example :Carrot ,mangoes, nectarines, peaches, papaya, oranges, grapefruit, pineapple, passion fruit, carrots, swede, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin, yellow and orange peppers, sweetcorn

Benefits of yellow fruit and vegetable:

·         Good eyesight

·         A healthy digestive tract

·         A healthy immune system

·         A lower risk of some cancers

·         A healthy heart

BLUE/ PURPLE

Research shows that people who eat purple and blue food have reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes. These foods contain anthocyanin which acts against the bacteria that cause stomach ulcer.

Examples: Blackberries, blueberries, black grapes, beetroot, blackcurrants, purple plums, figs, prunes and raisins
Benefits of Blue Purple food

·         Healthy aging

·         Memory function

·         Urinary tract health

·         A lower risk of some cancers

RED

Red foods are a good source of a carotenoid called lycopene which protect the skin against sunburn and skin cancer. Researches shows that tomato reduce the risk of gastric cancer

Example: Tomato, Red apples, raspberries, cranberries, strawberries, red cherries, red grapes, pomegranates, red apples, red plums, pink grapefruit, guava, tomatoes, red peppers, radishes, radicchio and watermelon
Benefits of Blue Purple food

·         A healthy heart

·         Memory function

·         A lower risk of some cancers

·         Urinary tract health

GREEN
Green foods, such as spinach and contain antioxidants and plenty of vitamin A, C and E. Green food also contain zinc and iron .Antioxidants play a major role in protecting your body from viruses.

Example: Avocado, rocket, spinach, lettuce, watercress, cucumber, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, leafy cabbage, spring greens, green beans, peas, sugar snap peas, mange tout, cress, green pepper, spring onions, leeks, green apples and grapes, kiwi fruit.

Benefits of Blue Purple food

·         Good eyesight

·         Strong bones & teeth

·         A lower risk of some cancers


http://porchsidegardening.wordpress.com/2011/10/07/be-sure-to-eat-the-rainbow/

Drinking water

Water is a fundamental part of our lives; without it every living thing will die. The earth is composed of about 75% water and the human body contains 70% of water. It has amazing properties that make it necessary for supporting life. It is the medium for enzymatic & biochemical reactions in the body. Water is very important to maintain regular body function and it speeds up the rate of metabolism in human body. It also regulates your body temperature through evaporation. Drinking water enables to balance water losses and keep your body properly hydrated. But if you don’t drink enough amount of water every day, your body become dehydrated which cause headache and fatigue. Staying hydrated can help you feel active.  You should drink eight to ten glasses of water throughout the day. You can also eat fruit and vegetable with high water content, such as watermelon, strawberries and tomato.

Benefits of Drinking Water

Regulate Body Temperature: Evaporation of water from body surfaces helps cool your body.

Remove of Toxins:Water flushes toxins and waste products out of your system by helping the kidneys to maintain their normal functions.

Helps in Digestion: Drinking enough amount of water helps your digestive system to work properly .This helps in digestion and prevent constipation.
Water Helps to Relieve Headaches: When you drink enough amount of water, your body becomes hydrated and the headache will be reduced.
Increases Energy:Staying hydrated is an easy and inexpensive way to increase energy level resulting in being active.
Water helps you to lose weight and control calories:Water contain zero calories, you can drink it instead of other high calories drinks
Healthy Skin:Water plays an important role in keeping the skin looking healthy and young.

Ideas For a Healthy Breakfast

 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, children who eat a good breakfast perform better in school. Studies have shown that eating a healthy breakfast can help improve mental performance, concentration and weight maintenance. The key to a healthy breakfast is having some fiber and protein for sustained energy.

Try These Easy Breakfast Ideas:

 1-Whole Grain Pancakes with nut butter, you can also spread the nut butter on pancake

2-A bowl of high-fiber, multigrain cereal, lots of strawberries, and milk on top.

3-A cup of yogurt, fresh blueberries mixed in, and a slice of whole wheat toast with a fruit spread on top.

4-A scrambled egg, a whole wheat roll, fresh fruit salad, and a cup of milk.

5-A mini whole wheat bagel, spread lightly with cream cheese and jam; a peach; and a cup of yogurt.

6-Fruit smoothies, smoothies are popular with children because they are sweet. You can add 3 cups of ripe strawberries and one cup of plain yogurt and then 3 spoons of sugar and then blend it for few seconds. It is very easy to make and very healthy to eat!

 

HAVE A GOOD BREAKFAST :)

Healthy Fast Food
It is fast! It is cheap!  It is convenient! It tastes delicious!  BUT fast food is low in nutrition and high in calories,trans fat and sodium. When your foods are fried, they absorb a lot of fat. Even if the food was a low fat item, it ends up with a high fat content when fried and it increases the blood cholesterol level. High cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and it  is one of the major risk factors leading to heart disease. It is also important to know that  excess sodium in your diet can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

How to make you your fast food as health as possible ?

Tips to make fast food healthier

1. Choose grilled food,grilled chicken or meats have a reduced fat content because the fat drips off as the food cook.Grilling food is a healthy alternative to frying
2. Choose fruits, many fast food restaurants offer fruit cups or side salads as a healthy alternative.
3. Drink water or fruit juice because one can of soda has 140 calories.
4. Your meal should include vegetables such as lettuce, onion, tomato and pickles.
5. Order a side salad instead of French fries
6. If you love French fries, split the order between you and your partner, in this way no one eat all fats and sodium in the served meal.  

HAVE A  HEALTHY  MEAL !!

Top Antioxidants Food 

 

Antioxidants are compounds that stop the activity of other group of compounds called “Free Radicals”. Free radicals are highly reactive species that are very unstable and can combine with the natural compounds in our bodies and cause harm to the cells. Free radicals are found in the body as a side product of some chemical reactions and thus the body has its own antioxidants that destroy these free radicals but it cannot depend solely on it because we are exposed every day to sources that induce free radicals as radiation from sun light and some unhealthy food. As a result, one of the most important ways to decrease the free radicals in our bodies is the diet. A lot of fruits, vegetables and nuts are known to contain fair amount of antioxidants. A study conducted by USDA scientists analyzed antioxidant levels in more than 100 different foods, including fruits and vegetables. Cranberries, blueberries, and blackberries ranked highest among the fruits studied. Beans, artichokes, and Russet potatoes were tops among the vegetables. Pecans, walnuts, and hazelnuts ranked highest in the nut category. Free radicals can react with the DNA inside the cells causing damage and incurable mutations which is thought to play a role in developing cancer. So as a rule of thumb, a diet containing a wide variety of nutrients is the best choice to have a healthy body.

 

Healthy Mouth  Healthy Body

10 ways to keep your teeth healthy:

1. Brush your teeth regularly to control the plaque and bacteria that cause dental disease.
2. Floss at least once a day to remove plaque
3. Your diet should include a lot of fruit and vegetable.
4. Avoid too much sugar in food, because sugar can feed bacteria that cause tooth decay.
5. Tongue cleaning is very important. It helps reduce bad breath and improve oral hygiene status because a large number of bacteria reside in the rough corrugated surface of tongue.
6. Chew sugar free gum, chewing gum increases the production of saliva. Saliva helps to flush the mouth to help clear any debris remaining from the meal
7. See your dental professionals regularly, regular dental exams and cleaning visits are essential in preventing tooth problems and maintaining the health of your teeth.
8. To maintain your teeth white, avoid drinking product that stain your teeth such as coffee and tea, and brush or rinse immediately after consuming stain-causing beverages or foods.
9. Drink water frequently to keep your mouth moist and wash away food particles and bacteria.
10. Change your toothbrush at least every two months.

    

 Useful Article:

1. .http://www.ada.org/sections/scienceAndResearch/pdfs/patient_61.pdf

An Apple a Day Really keeps the Doctor Away

 

 It's very true…!

Apple season is starting!  More and more varieties are showing up in the stores. But have you ever heard that people say an orange a day keep your doctor away …!

Apples have properties that no other fruits have and its benefits have been proven by numerous researches. Apples contain many important vitamins and minerals which makes it the perfect fruit.

Source of Energy:

Apples are low in calories; apples contain no fat and are a quick source of energy.  A regular size apple has between 80-100 calories.

Recently it has been found that if you eat one medium size apple 15 minutes before your meal, the amount of the calories intake at that meal will decrease 15%.

Source of Vitamin C       

Apples contain Vitamin C which helps greatly our immune system. Vitamin C play an important role in keeping us healthy .A lot of people who lack Vitamin C in their diet have poor healing, bruise easily , have bleeding gums and their ability to fight body  infection decreased .

Blood Sugar Regulation

Fructose and antioxidant polyphenol in apples improve the metabolic balance and slow the rate of absorbing sugar into the bloodstream.

Healthy Teeth

Apples prevent teeth decay which is an infection that seriously damages the structure of our teeth, which is caused by the action of bacteria. The juice of the apples has properties that can kill up to 90% of these bacteria. So we can say an apple a day also keeps the dentist away!     

Recent studies have shown that the important health benefits of apples come from the amazing effect of apples on the bacteria in the large intestine in our digestive system.

 

Anti-Cancer Benefits:

 

Polyphenols in apples function as antioxidants. Apple skin was investigated as a source of natural antioxidants and the scientist have found that the apple skin extracts can be considered as a potential source of natural food antioxidants.

 

It is very interesting to know that people with a dietary intake of an apple enjoy with healthier lung because apples have been  considered to be one of the few fruits to demonstrate this unique relationship with lung cancer risk reduction.

Finally I recommend everyone to eat at least one apple every day !

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Question J

How do you Listen To Your Body?