Posts Tagged ‘cup’
Fiber in food is important because it renders a lot of health benefits. Vegetables high in fiber can be included in daily diet to make it a balanced diet and fight against many diseases. Here are some of the vegetables high in fiber.
Fiber is the indigestible content of plants that renders a lot of health benefits. Vegetables high in fiber have been reported to reduce the risk of many diseases like several types of cancer, obesity, high blood cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases. Foods high in fiber also help to reduce the risk of numerous gastrointestinal diseases. Consuming fiber in your daily diet improves the absorption of many minerals like calcium, magnesium and iron. Fiber helps to reduce the blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Stabilizes the glycemic levels and strengthens the immune system. High fiber foods help in weight management. Read the rest of this entry »
Will you walk away from the table with fewer calories if you start your meal with a salad? It depends on the salad.
Researchers had 42 women eat as much pasta as they wanted for lunch, with or without one of several salads before the pasta. The women ate 12 percent fewer calories when they were given a large salad (3 cups) with low calorie density (veggies plus fat-free dressing and light cheese) than when they ate pasta alone.
Even after a small (1 1/2-cup) salad, they ate seven percent fewer calories than when they were offered pasta alone.
However, when the women ate either a large or small calorie-dense salad (with regular dressing and cheese), they ended up consuming more calories than when they ate only pasta.
What to do: Start dinner with a salad that’s mostly vegetables. If you aren’t a fan of fat-free dressing, try reduced-fat (as little as possible) and skip the cheese, croutons, Chinese noodles, and other calorie-dense salad trimmings.
Weight control, protection form heart disease and some cancers are only some of the benefits. So, if you are looking to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, here are some ideas to get you there.
1. Have a smoothie for breakfast. This can be anywhere from three to five servings of fruit. Make one at home or go to one of those smoothie places. Just stick to all fruit smoothies. Avoid the “light” smoothie. It is probably filled with artificial sweeteners.
2. Drink vegetable or tomato juice before meals. They curb the appetite and the five ounce can adds half a cup of vegetables to your diet.
3. Make a big pot of vegetable soup for lunches all week. One of the best recipes is at the website Saving Dinner. Click on the “Body Clutter” free menu, scroll down until you see “Veggie Soup”. You can also try a basic minestrone soup. Avoid canned soup. They are too salty, lack in nutrition, and in flavor. more
4. At dinner, make your sides vegetables and skip the starchy sides like pasta and white rice.
5. If a meal is not a meal with out dessert, make dessert a cup of mixed berries, a dollop of vanilla yogurt and a tablespoon of granola. You can change this up with anything from pineapple, baked apples to peaches.
6. The tried and true fruit bowl. Just get a fruit bowl and fill it with organic apples, oranges, bananas, kiwi and peaches. This makes fruit as snack healthy, truly convenient.
7. Snack on fruit and cheese. It is a winning combination. Mix it up- Apples and Parmesan, pears and cheddar, peaches and cottage cheese, berries and mozzarella.
8. Everyone knows that raw veggies make a good snack but, try them cooked as a snack. This can be especially helpful if you get gas from raw veggies. Lightly steam carrots, sugar snap peas, green beans, and broccoli lightly and spray lightly with butter. You can also dip them in a low fat cheese sauce or ranch. They are great warm or cool!
9. Make a salad as your meal. Go light on the dressing and add some tofu or a chicken breast.
10. Go vegetarian for a week and find new ways to eat your vegetables!
11. Mash cauliflower and turnips into mashed and twice baked potatoes. Your family will not even know they are there.
12. Grate vegetables such as zucchini, carrots, parsnips, turnips and squash. Add them to red sauces, pizza, meatloaf and chili. No one will notice and you’ll get the all the nutritional benefits.
Getting creative with your diet and your fruits and vegetables is a sure fire way to get more into your stomach. Hopefully, the above ideas will spur on a few of your own.
Blueberries and acai berries contain many compounds that have health benefits for humans, and are also delicious to eat.
Many fruits and vegetables contain high levels of compounds that are beneficial to the human diet. These compounds can do many things for the body, including repairing muscle damage, preventing various diseases, or increasing absorption of other vitamins and minerals.
Some of these fruits, known as “superfruits,” have extremely high levels of various antioxidants and other compounds that serve various functions within the body, can improve health, and become a tasty addition to anyone’s diet.
Health Benefits of Blueberries
According to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, blueberries are one of the most potent superfruits available. One cup of blueberries contains about 14 milligrams of vitamin C and about 0.8 milligrams of vitamin E. Blueberries also contain compounds that can act as antioxidants, which prevent free radicals from damaging cells in the body.more
Blueberries also help in aiding the fight against aging. According to studies conducted by the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center, blueberries contain anthocyanin, a compound that helps slow or prevent diminished mental capacity due to age.
Health Benefits of Acai Berries
According to the Mayo Clinic, research on the benefits of acai berries is limited. However, these berries are rich in heart-healthy fats, antioxidants, and fiber. Acai is often paired with other fruits and berries, such as red raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, and pomegranates to increase flavor and health benefits.
How to Eat Blueberries and Acai Berries
As with most fruits and vegetables, blueberries and acai berries are most beneficial when eaten raw. Cooking, freezing, canning, or preserving fruits and vegetables can break down some nutritional compounds while adding sugar and other preservatives.
Blueberries can easily be cleaned and eaten with whole grain cereal, other fresh fruit, or by themselves. They can also be used to top desserts or as an ingredient in other dishes, such as pancakes. Blueberries do not rot as easily as other fruits do, but they do spoil. Their juice can also cause stains on fabrics and other pourous surfaces.
Usually acai berries are imported from South America, where they are harvested, and spoil too quickly to be distributed widely throughout the world. Instead, acai berries can be found in juices, juice cocktails, and mixed in other foods such as flavored applesauce. For those interested in cleansing acai products, a doctor should be consulted before determining the validity and usefulness of the product.
Blueberries and acai berries have numerous health benefits, and can be a tasty snack alternative to less healthy foods. Just like many other superfruits, these foods can have mutliple benefits to the human body when consumed regularly and responsibly.