Benefits of Blueberries

Blueberries are the fruits of a shrub that belong to the heath family, which includes the cranberry and bilberry as well as the azalea, mountain laurel and rhododendron.

Blueberries grow in clusters and range in size from that of a small pea to a marble. They are deep in color, ranging from blue to maroon to purple-black, and feature a white-gray waxy "bloom" that covers the surface serving as a protective coat. The skin surrounds a semi-transparent flesh that encases tiny seeds.

There are many health benefits of blueberries, among them are :

1. Immune System Enhancer : Blue Berries, being very rich in anti oxidants like Anthocyanin, vitamin C, B complex, vitamin E, vitamin A, copper (a very effective immune builder and anti-bacterial), selenium, zinc, iron (promotes immunity by raising haemoglobin and oxygen concentration in blood) etc. boost up your immune system and prevent infections.
Enhanced immune system means you are more resistant to infectious diseases particularly colds and flu.

2. An excellent source of antioxidant : Antioxidant are molecules that can neutralize harmful free radicals that can eventually cause cancer. Blueberries are well stocked with Vitamin C and Anthocyanin. In fact, blueberries ranked no 1 in terms of antioxidant contents among fruits. Antioxidants also can reduce the risk for cataracts, dementia, glaucoma, alzheimers, and many other diseases.

3. Reduced risk of Heart Disease: The nutrients in blueberries along with their low fat and low sugar all work together to help people reduce their tyglycerides and cholesterol and in turn low their risk for a heart attack.

4. Brain Health: The anthocyanin, the selenium, the vitamins A, B-complex, C and E, the zinc, sodium, potassium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese etc., among others, can prevent and heal neurotic disorders by preventing degeneration and death of neurons, brain-cells and also by restoring health of the central nervous system. This fruit is highly recommended to those affected by nervous-related diseases.

5. Eye Health: As people get older their visions tends to get worse and worse. Blueberries, with their high concentration of anthocyanosides have been shown to help slow this deteriation of vision.

6. Digestive Health: lueberries are high in sodium, copper, fructose, and acids that all help improve digestion. They are also high in fiber which helps to prevent constipation.

7. Low in sugar: Blueberries however are really low in sugar in comparison to other fruits. A cup of blueberries has roughly 80 calories and they are very low on the glycemic index. As a result blueberries are a better choice than many other fruits.

Tips & Facts:

1. Remember, the deeper the color of the Blue Berries, the more they are rich in anti oxidants and other medicinal values.

2. Choose blueberries that are firm and have a lively, uniform hue colored with a whitish bloom. Shake the container, noticing whether the berries have the tendency to move freely; if they do not, this may indicate that they are soft and damaged or moldy. Avoid berries that appear dull in color or are soft and watery in texture. They should be free from moisture since the presence of water will cause the berries to decay. When purchasing frozen berries, shake the bag gently to ensure that the berries move freely and are not clumped together, which may suggest that they have been thawed and refrozen.

3. They keep you fresh, active, fit, sharp, close to nature and in a good mood, as they are very good anti depressants.

Source:

http://www.womenfitness.net/blueberries.htm
http://www.losethattyre.co.uk/the-major-health-benefits-of-eating-blueberries-regularly/

Eat your way smart

Experts say that brain foods also deliver nutrients that are good to our heart, liver and kidneys. The key is to start eating rightly, early. Much of the discussion of nutrition and brain health is linked with infants and children. But it is always never too late to improve your diet. Anti-oxidants against ageing: Oxidation, the very process that causes metal to rust is also damaging to our brain cells. Almost every diseases that related to ageing has somehow linked to oxidative stress and inflammatory component. Anti oxidants-particularly the vitamins A,C,E and other compounds can help to lessen the damage by neutralizing the free radicals. Some anti-oxidants have direct link or contribution to certain parts of our body. Ellagitannins in raspberries, strawberries and blueberries are found in the hippocampus, the brain;s memory control area. Proantochyanins from blueberries, purple grapes, red grape juice and red wine are concentrated around the striatum, which is closely associeted to spatial memory. These compounds is thought to enhance the performance of those specific areas in the brain, In the spice category, curcumin which is a component of turmeric has a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Best to eat: Enhance the variety of different colours of fruits and vegetables in our diet. People who drink fruit juice at least three times significantly reduced their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Teas - which contain high levels of anti-oxidants (green, black without milk) are very beneficial along with a moderate intake of vary dark cocoa or hot cocoa. you can also add some turmeric-ricd curry powder on vegetables, or mix the turmeric into your dips for vegetables, better still have a low oil, low fat curry dish accordingly. Good Luck! and Have fun choosing your food!

Eight Important factors

A Healthy body is freedom, a Sick body is a prison - Francis Bacon

To achieve health, there are several factors that we must consider and put into action.
Which are:

1. Nutrition:
 - the benefits of good diet and nutrition will be enhanced when it is complemented with other healthy habits: Clean air, water, sunshine, exercise and a healthy state of mind. By putting all of them into action, living in this earth will almost be felt as living in the heaven.

Food and diet merely will not benefit us in its simple from, we must also consider how, when and our action when we eat.

2. Air:
-we may be able to survive for a few weeks without food; a few days without water, but we will never survive more than three to four minutes without air. Oxygen is needed to 'burn' our food in the cells to produce energy for life.

we must be able to breathe freely, in a clean air of course. The correct breathing posture must be maintained (upright chest) to ease breathing. And remember, when you breathe in a room with a smoker, you also smoke. It is a wise decision to begin our day by taking a deep breath in an open area. Make it a habit to always get the opportunity to go outside to take a breath 
in clean air. Our brain will only function optimally in the state of enough oxygen.

3. Water
- water is a universal dilute. 60% of us is made from water. our kidneys need water to filter our blood and to excrete unwanted materials and toxins from our body, so does our digestive system.

Our skin needs water to keep it supple and tight, our bones need it to maintain its elasticity and hardness. We need water both for our inwards and our outwards. Try to drink at least 6 glasses of milk every day. 2 before breakfast - to clean the mucus that has been accumulated throughout the night while we were sleeping. 2 before lunch and 2 before dinner. Prioritize plain water more than any other drinks.

-water taken from outside proves a great benefits, if not why people go to saunas and hot water springs? in ancient times, hydroteraphy proves to be a  great aid for curing or diminish the effect of sickness. At times, choose to take a bath with epsom salt and try to relax before sleeping.

4. Sunshine

-sunshine! how nice you are..have you ever thought why sun is always associated with smiley face? its because sunshine has the ability to do so. Solar ray is very important to maintain life and health. Sunshine will help our skin to synthesize Vitamin D. The Ultraviolet rays will kill the bacterias on our body. It also acts as a tonic to stimulate our body processes. Can you think why the winter gloomy and depress? its because during that period, there is less sunshine to enjoy with.

-Nevertheless, recently it has been found that excessive exposure to sunshine can lead to many skin conditions - due to the thinning of the ozone layer in our atmosphere. So moderation is the key!

5. Exercise

- Our body is designed to move! immobility will results in muscle wastage and  organ inefficiency.
Try to exercise at least 4 times per week - 40 minutes each session. It will lower the risks of contracting cardiovascular diseases, heart attack, and circulation problems. The best exercise so far is -guess what? - Brisk walking.

6. Rest

A body without rest can be compared to a car that is driven without stop. The end result: Wreckage. The most likely period for someone to get heart attack is between 9 to 12 p.m. on a busy and stressful day -with lost of coffee and tobacco consumption. Why? A body is like a machine-it needs rest.

We must make it a practice to make sure our body gets enough rest. While we are sleeping, our neurons  will by themselves clean all the metabolic toxic accumulated throughout the day. Cells need enough time to recover - minimum 7 hours for adults.

Apart from daily rests, our body also needs periodical rests, weekly and yearly. We must have at least one day per week to rest. The French Revolution do the talking: they tried to make a 10-day working week but it is unsuccessful - why? more and more people getting sick at the end of the 'week'and production dropped drastically. Rest is always a good habit.

7. Stay away from toxins
-Toxins here are caffeine, alcoholic drinks, tobacco and drugs. If having a healthy and energetic mind is our aim, then we must stay away from all this toxins. Artificial stimulants (caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, cocaine etc) will put our body into stress and then will destroy our world and the world itself.

-According to WHO, Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of diseaseor infirmity. The usage of drugs initially will cause the consumer to fell healthy, but in the long term the dependence to the substance is greatly enhanced to the point that the consumer will unable to maintain daily life without a heavier 
dose of the particular substance.

8. Good mental condition
- Make it a habit to accept all things calmly: not overly worried about ourselves, not keeping revenge among others and ourselves, smile with confidence when you face problems in life.

It is shown that well-balanced mental habit is a prerequisite towards good health. Do you know that cancer can affect more to those who
are easily angered and stressed? It is not an easy task to achieve a well-balanced state of mental in this rude and harsh world but it is, on the other hand, not unattainable.

- most people seek freedom and refuge in reading the Holy Scriptures, Bibles and enhanced with
prayers and meditation. Confidence and Faith contributes a lot to a good mental state - not only mentally though but physically as well. This occurs because people who believes for a good future  and the confidence and faith in that there is Someone who cares, understand and loves him or her.

- a good mental state and a calm and serene soul will surely enhance our body to function with greater effiency and optimally.

What constitutes a proper nutrition?

Now that we know what is nutrition, we proceed to study what are the types of food that we should eat- in correct proportions.

Nutrition and foods can be broadly divided into two parts which are macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are the largest and most common food group that is eaten which are carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Micronutrients are food components that are required in small quantities which is made up of vitamins and minerals. 

Other than that, there are also other food components such as phytochemicals, fibres, liquid (water), alcohol and other components. 

Carbohydrates, Carbohydrates in its simplest form is also known as sugar. Since Carboyhdrates is made up from Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen. It is a valuable if not a primary source for providing energy in our body. It produces energy through the oxidation of sugar, the process known as Glycolysis. We will study about carbohydrates further in the next posts. 

Protein is very important for growth as it is the building blocks of muscles. Individuals growing without getting enough will be stunted because protein makes up muscles, enzymes, hormones and many other components. it is responsible for our hair colour and our skin colour too. 

Fat, also known as lipids, it is a great source of energy and insulation to our body. Fats in the form of triglycerides is readily available in many food. Sadly accumulation of fat is the primary cause of obesity and many diseases, accumulation of fat in our body can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Vitamins and minerals are substances that are required by our body to function optimally. Although required only in a very small amount. It is essential!

There are also other food components used by our body to prevent many possible diseases. For instance, Vitamin C is required for healthy immune system, collagen synthesis and also acts as antioxidants. Minerals such as iron is required for blood formation. Phytochemicals, such as flavonoids,  anthocyanins - which belongs to polyphenols - These are actually chemical compounds found in plants that are required to neutralise toxic elements in our body. For example antioxidants which are found abundantly in many green plants can counter attack the superoxides in our body, which can cause cancer in a long term. 

Fibres are also worth mentioning in this section, as it behaves almost like a "sweep" that cleanses up all the clogged parts in our bowel and intestines. Because it cannot be digested, it helps in digestion by carrying and absorbing the remains of food that are not absorbed by our body to be thrown away. 

At last but not least is water, the most essential substance for our body besides oxygen. Without water, our body could not really function. Water replenishes the fluid that is lost throughout the day, through sweating, evaporation and excretion. It dilutes harmful chemicals, and helps to neutralize toxic and excretion of toxic substance. Inside cells, water acts as a medium that enables metabolic and chemical processes to happen. 

What is Nutrition?

Nutrition is a subject related to food, not only what we eat but also how we eat, our eating habit, the nutritional contents of foods, and its interactions to other factors, also our interactions with food, the relationship between food/diet and disease and many other factors.

Nutrition deals with the type of food to eat, what proportion should we take and what type of food we should eat more or less. And because Nutrition is a study about what we eat, and we are what we eat, Nutrition is also science that examines the relationship between diet and health, either through molecular, metabolic or public health studies. 

Dietitians and Nutritionists also Nutritional Scientistis are health professionals who specialise in this area of study, and are trained to provide safe, evidence-based dietary advice and interventions.

Deficiencies, excesses and imbalances in diet can produce negative impacts on health, which may lead to diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, scurvy, obesity or osteoporosis, as well as psychological and behavioral problems. Moreover, excessive ingestion of elements that have no apparent role in health, (e.g. lead, mercury, PCBs, dioxins), may incur toxic and potentially lethal effects, depending on the dose. Also, excess or deficiency in vitamins and minerals will also cause health problems. For example, excessive intake of Vitamin A poses a higher risk of lung cancer and also liver disease. 

Many common diseases and their symptoms can often be prevented or alleviated with better nutrition. The science of nutrition attempts to understand how and why specific dietary aspects influence health. (this source is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrition ).

So by studying or knowing about nutrition and its components, we can prevent or heal some of the diseases that are directly linked with our diet. 

Nutrition and You

 

Welcome everyone!

All comments and suggestions are welcomed.