Grapefruit For Weight Loss

It help to reduce insulin levels which is helpful for weight loss, lycopene loaded that may reduce your risk of developing cancer. All these health benefits from grapefruit and best to reach darker colored grapefruits. Eating 1 medium grapefruit  give you 80 calories. Healthy snacks isn't it!

Also according to University of Chicago that eating grapefruit may help get much out on your  prescriptions that there are enzyme in our liver and intestines called CYP3A help breaks down drugs you ingest. these enzyme may cause less of the medicine to survive our digestive process. Also found out that these compound in grapefruit that allow more medicine to get into our bloodstream (reference: Women’s Health, May 2008, p. 24). Citrus

Try these easy fruit salad for breakfast, Citrus Avocado Salad organic and healthy recipe from Laurel On Health Food.

 

1 pink grapefruit
2 oranges
1 avocado
1 handful fresh mint leaves

Chop up the grapefruit, oranges, and avocado into bite-sized pieces. Toss together and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve chilled. Tip: If you can’t eat grapefruit because of medications (or personal preference), you could substitute extra oranges, tangerines, or mango.

People who regularly eat dark chocolate

This post was originally published as  Chocolate News! by Laurel on Health Food blog.

Here’s a good reason to pick up some dark chocolate for you or your one true love on Valentine’s Day…and every other occasion after that. A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition concluded that people who regularly eat dark chocolate (in moderate amounts) had 17% lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in their blood. C-reactive protein is found in our blood when there’s inflammation inside the body.Previous research found that people with high CRP levels are at greater risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension.

Remember that with chocolate, a little goes a long way. Have a small square a few times a week (2-3) to keep your heart healthy. University of Illinois professor of food science and human nutrition, John Erdman, Jr., Ph.D., recommends high-cacao content dark chocolate because it has the most flavanols (a class of flavonoids, or those wonderful antioxidants we all need). (Ref: Body+Soul Magazine, March 2009, p.33)

If you have trouble eating just a little bit of chocolate instead of the whole bar, try cutting it into small pieces that you can take on the go. That way you only have the small piece when you go to eat it later in the day.

Learn to Love Whole Grain

This post was originally published as Learn to Love Whole Grain by Laurel on Health Food blog.

 

The National Cancer Institute in Maryland recently conducted a study on whole grains and cancer. Researchers found that people who consumed a daily minimum of 8.4g of fiber from whole grains were 40% less likely to develop cancer of the small intestines. (Self Magazine, March 2009, p. 88)

If you have a minute, check out this helpful tips page from the Whole Grains Council. They’ve got great ideas for how to add more whole grains to your diet. For example, add 1/2 cup brown rice to your favorite soup. Or, add 3/4 cup raw oats to hamburger meat or meatloaf before you portion them out.

To get more information on whole grains, including what they are and why they’re good for you, read the Whole Grains Fact Sheet online the International Food Information Council.

Yogurt or cultured milk products with lactic acid bacteria

This post was originally published as  Eat Yogurt, Avoid Bladder Cancer by Laurel on Health Food blog.
 

If you love yogurt, you’re in luck. You probably already know it’s good for you, but I found a recent Swedish study that gives us more evidence. Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm studied the diets of 80,000 patients in a nine-year span and published their findings in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

They concluded that women who consumed two servings of yogurt every day were 45% less likely to develop bladder cancer than those who only eat it occasionally or not at all (36% for men). What’s interesting is that the researchers found no protective benefit in other dairy products. It was only the yogurt or cultured milk products with lactic acid bacteria.

Lead study author Alicja Wolk, Ph.D., says the probiotic called lactobacillus in cultured dairy products could be responsible for providing these protective benefits. (Ref: Women’s Health, March 2009, p. 28)

Of course, it’s safe to say that most people who eat yogurt probably lead healthier lifestyles, but the findings are still significant. Yeah!

Resveratrol supplements could be a powerful addition to your healthy diet

 

Photo by: Zoran Ozetsky, www.dezignia.com

This post was originally published as  Power Supplement: Resveratrol by Laurel on Health Food blog.

I’ve been hearing more and more about resveratrol over the past couple of years. It’s a powerful antioxidant compound found naturally in foods like grapes, cranberries, blueberries, peanuts, and wine. It’s also found naturally in a Chinese herb called Hu zhang and a Japanese plant called knotweed. According to Natural News, Hu zhang is actually the richest source of resveratrol on the planet!

Recent research found that resveratrol can help the body fight off cancer and heart disease, reduce inflammation, prevent weight gain, expand longevity (anti-aging), boost energy, and even improve athletic endurance. In addition, there’s preliminary research that says resveratrol reduces menopausal symptoms in women. Resveratrol has received support from big names like Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. Mehmet Oz. Fitness Magazine even featured a lengthy article on resveratrol in their February issue.

Resveratrol supplements are certainly popular these days. The Fitness article said it’s one of the top five supplements sold at Vitamin Shoppe. The Nutrition Business Journal estimates that sales of resveratrol supplements are over $30 million a year. A growing number of people are taking them to improve endurance and extend longevity. The research shows that resveratrol may “activate enzymes that help muscles use oxygen more efficiently.”

Unfortunately, resveratrol research has been mostly contained to laboratories at this point. There’s only been a few human trials (though they had successful results), but I’m sure more are underway.  I’m always a proponent of trying to get the majority of your daily nutrients, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, etc. from whole food sources. But resveratrol supplements could be a powerful addition to your healthy diet.

Fitness Mag recommended supplements with trans-resveratrol in the ingredient list (it’s the naturally-occurring form of the compound). Avoid supplements that say “complex”, “formula”, or “blend” on the label because you could only be getting a small amount of the good stuff. A few quality brands to look out for are: Longevinex, Swanson, and Biotivia. (Fitness Mag, Feb. 2010, p. 114).

UPDATE: This post was featured on FitBuff’s Total Mind and Body Blog Carnival 141 and the Baby Boomers Blog Carnival 27.

Heart-Healthy Lycopene

This post was originally published as Heart-Healthy Lycopene by Laurel on Health Food blog. 

Lycopene is the healthy phytonutrient that gives the bright red color to produce such as watermelon and tomatoes. Studies show that lycopene helps keep your blood vessels in their best shape, prevents cancer, and keeps your cholesterol at healthy levels. Here are some of the best food sources of lycopene:

• Watermelon
• Tomatoes (red, orange, and tomato products)
• Pink grapefruit
• Guava
• Papaya

Summer is the perfect time of year to boost your lycopene intake because most of these fruits are in season. Here are a few lycopene-rich recipes to get you started:
Tomato, Cucumber, Onion, and Avocado (TCOA) Salad (Laurel’s recipe)
Caprese Salad (Laurel’s recipe)
Watermelon & Feta Salad with Pine Nuts (ChefMD recipe)
Papaya Green Onion Salad (Bobby Flay recipe)

 

Here’s a few ideas for summer parties. Puree fresh or frozen guava, papaya, or watermelon and mix them with lime juice and a shot of rum or tequila for a healthy cocktail. You can also chop up these fruits into small pieces, add fresh cilantro, lime, and jalapeno for a delicious salsa to put on top of grilled fish or to serve with chips.

New Thinking on Cancer Treatments

This post was originally published as New Thinking on Cancer Treatments by Laurel on Health Food blog.
 

I am such a believer in the healing power of foods, and I found the following video fascinating. William Li, head of the Angiogenic Foundation, recently spoke for TED.com. Not only does he clearly explain how cancer forms and grows in the body, but he explains a new type of cancer treatment called anti-angiogenic therapy which prevents the growth of blood vessels that feed cancerous tumors.

Dr. Li believes that we must eat more foods that “starve cancer” and prevent it from causing harm to our bodies. Some of these foods are grapes and wine (containing resveratrol), strawberries, soybeans, berries, oranges, turmeric, artichokes, dark chocolate, garlic, olive oil, and kale. Watch the following video to get the full list and to hear Dr. Li’s discussion.

One of my favorite parts is where he shows the graph of how effective foods are at preventing cancer growth, as compared to typical drugs prescribed to treat cancer.