Post by Joanna on Jan 21, 2014 0:30:15 GMT -5
Common Foods for Health, Skin and Weight Loss
Following are a few tips from Dave Grotto, author of 101 Foods that Could Save Your Life, that will make you healthy, improve your skin and help you shed those pounds:
Cinnamon: Surprise – cinnamon is a source of fibre, iron and calcium, and helps to reduce uric acid, which triggers gout and arthritis flare-ups. It combats high blood pressure and reduces cholesterol in people with Type 2 diabetes.
Pumpkins: Eat that pie. It’s a great source of fibre, potassium, vitamin A, beta-carotene and phytosterols, the latter of which may benefit enlarged prostate glands. The icon of Halloween and Thanksgiving helps control blood glucose, reduces hypertension and eases suffering for asthma sufferers.
Avocados: Want to have skin as soft as a baby’s bum? Eat avocados regularly. They may taste decadently oily, but they’re rich in mono-unsaturated and unsaturated fatty acids. They contain more protein, potassium, magnesium, folic acid, B vitamins, vitamin E and vitamin K than any other fruit.
Erries: Yes, that’s spelled right. Erries, as in, all fruits that end in “erry.” Raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, boysenberry, etc. Grotto gained 20 pounds during production of 101 Foods after months of being semi-sedentary writing. His remedy? He cut out little from his diet, but added oatmeal drenched in berries “everything and anything that ends in ‘erry,’” he said, in his breakfast bowl. Within a month, he’d lost 10 pounds.
Chocolate: “Chocolate-covered strawberries? People think it’s a decadent thing. But I couldn’t think of a better partnership,” said Grotto. Cocoa flavinols found in chocolate have more phytochemicals and antioxidants than green tea, black tea, red wine and blueberries. They aid heart health.
Coffee: Drink your java, it’s good for you. Grotto cites a 2005 study that found that coffee is high in antioxidants, or cancer-fighting properties. “Coffee doesn’t contain significant amounts of vitamins or minerals, yet its antioxidant properties are off the charts,” he writes in 101 Foods.
Oats: Oats could be the superfood of health. At least, they were for Grotto. Last year, while writing 101 Foods, he gained weight, and his cholesterol shot up. He added oatmeal in the morning, “and it worked like a sponge, blocking cholesterol from the body.” The insoluble fibre benefits the digestive system.
Soy: Research shows there is a protective benefit in soy against breast cancer. Found in soy milk, tofu and edamame, soy contains carbs, fat and protein, all essential amino acids, fibre, iron, copper, vitamin K and magnesium, folate, calcium and much more.
Grapes: Choose 100-per-cent grape juice for a healthy dose of vitamin C and potassium. The polyphenols in grape skin and seeds hold enormous health benefits. Red grapes contain the carotenoid hycopene, which helps in fighting breast and prostate cancer, said Grotto.
Nuts: Because nuts are high in fat, they lead to obesity, right? Wrong. “Research shows up to two handfuls of nuts, particularly almonds, every day help women lose weight and keep it off,” said Grotto. “We know that more calorie-dense foods provide greater security.”
Source: LongLife.