Tag: antioxidants

Red wine and Chocolate

Well, according to Saturdays Courier Mail, it’s official. Ladies, red wine and chocolate are healthy! Love it!

I have always said that these 2 items are good for us, as long as they are of good quality and consumed in moderation.

 The article states; ‘women are less likely to develop diabetes if they indulge in moderate amounts of red wine and dark chocolate.

A study of 64,000 women found that those who consumed more antioxidants slashed their chances of getting the disease by 27%. The participants consumed 15% of their antioxidants from red wine.’ ‘The study concluded the compounds in wine outweigh the damage of alcohol, provided women consume less than a glass a day.’

Healthy Chocolate

 At the beginning of the year I wrote about the many health benefits of raw cacao. One of those being, that Raw Organic Cacao has over 40 times the antioxidants of blueberries. Therefore, to get the most health benefits from chocolate, you have to consume a very dark and preferably ‘raw cacao’ product.

Your average chocolate bar from the service station probably won’t fit the criteria.

 Keep in mind that a good quality dark chocolate should contain very little sugar and additives. These ingredients will undo the benefits. I shared my healthy chocolate recipe in February.

Red wine

 Grapes are rich in many antioxidants. These include resveratrol, catechin, epicatechin and proanthocyanidins.

These antioxidants, especially resveratrol and proanthocyanidins, are believed to be responsible for the health benefits of red wine.

Proanthocyanidins may reduce oxidative damage in the body. They may also help prevent heart disease and cancer.

 Resveratrol is found in grape skin. This antioxidant has been linked with many health benefits, including fighting inflammation and blood clotting. Resveratrol has also been linked with reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer.

 Red wine was found to be particularly beneficial to lowering the risk of developing diabetes. The polyphenols in red wine actually help to manage blood sugar levels.

 Small amounts of red wine are linked to more health benefits than any other alcoholic beverage.

 People who drink approximately 150 ml of red wine a day seem to be at about a 32% lower risk of heart disease than non-drinkers.  However, a higher intake increases the risk of heart disease dramatically.

 Drinking small amounts of red wine may reduce the risk of heart disease by helping to retain the “good” HDL cholesterol in the blood. Oxidative damage and the oxidation of the “bad” LDL cholesterol may also be reduced by up to 50%

However, there is a fine line between moderate and excessive intake.

 Moderate intake of red wine is defined as 1-2 glasses (100 to 200 ml) per day. It is also recommended that you have at least 1–2 days a week without alcohol.

There are, of course, other sources of antioxidants, such as green tea, blueberries and other fruits and vegetables.

However you get your antioxidants, enjoy it.

Till the next post,

 Live clean n Prosper.

Things you may not know about Celery.

Today’s post topic is Celery.

Recently a small article in the paper about Celery causing sun sensitivity caught my eye. I had never heard about this phenomenon before.

After some Internet searching, I found out some interesting facts.

In regards to sun sensitivity,

There are actually several foods that we eat on a regular basis could cause sun sensitivity. Compounds found in lime and parsley could cause a bad reaction to the sun.

For some people, just touching a lime and then exposing the skin to the sun, causes a rash.

The same phenomenon can occur after handling celery or parsley. Celery contains a compound called ‘furocoumarin’ which is linked to sun sensitivity.

Studies have been conducted to see how much of this compound a person needs to eat for sun sensitivity to occur. It was concluded that a person would have to consume a significant amount of celery. I guess if you love celery juice you may not want to drink litres of it every day.

 Then there are the health benefits,

There are a number of reasons we should eat celery. All parts of celery including the seeds, roots, and leaves can be used. Many of these a lot of people would be familiar with.

Detoxifies the Body

It acts as an antioxidant. Celery contains phthalides, flavonoids, and polyacetylenes. These components detoxify carcinogens, seek out free radicals floating in the body and neutralize them.

Weight Loss

Celery is very low in calories and is also filling due to its high fibre content. The trick is to ensure you are consuming the fibre in the celery than drinking just the juice. Regular drinking of celery juice before meals may help to reduce your weight. The fibre fills the stomach, therefore reducing the amount you eat.

Boosts Immune System

Rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, celery greatly boosts the strength of the immune system and makes it more active and efficient.

Less known benefits,

Then there are a bunch of health benefits that I had never heard of before.

Lowers Cholesterol Level

Eating celery every day may reduce artery-clogging cholesterol (called LDL or “bad” cholesterol). The phthalides in celery stimulate the secretion of bile juices, which work to reduce cholesterol levels.

Reduces Blood Pressure

The phthalides, can also lower the level of stress hormones in your blood. This allows your blood vessels to expand, giving your blood more room to move, thereby reducing pressure. It also contains potassium that acts as a vasodilator, reducing blood pressure.

Lowers Arthritis Pain

Celery has anti-inflammatory properties that help to reduce swelling and pain around the joints. Its also acts as a diuretic, which helps to remove uric acid crystals that build up around the body’s joints that can add to the pain and discomfort. It also increases the regrowth of tissue in inflamed joints

Regulates Fluid Balance

Celery is rich in both sodium and potassium, and both of these minerals help to regulate the fluid balance in the body.

Research has also shown that celery assists with Cancer prevention, reduces Asthma symptoms, improves heart health, relieves migraines and assists in managing diabetic symptoms. Who would have thought it?! (Sources: www.organicfacts.net, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

 

I personally don’t eat much celery. However after this research, I think I will be making more of an effort to eat it regularly.

Till next post,

 Live clean n prosper.

Cauliflower, is it a ‘Super food’?

Todays’ post is about Cauliflower. I found out this week that cauliflower aids the body’s detoxification system. This was new information for me.

So I’ve decided to learn a bit more about this vegetable and share the results.

Cauliflower is a member of the Brassica family, better known as cruciferous vegetables. It contains fiber that helps with the feeling of satiety, weight loss and a healthy digestive tract. It is is not only low in calories but also packed with vitamins and minerals.

May be a ‘Super food’

It seems every week experts are calling a food ‘super food’.  To be given this label the food needs to be ‘nutrient rich and considered especially beneficial for health and wellbeing’.

Well, this versatile vegetable also contains antioxidants and phytonutrients that can protect against cancer, choline that is important for learning and memory, and many other important nutrients.

Raw cauliflower is rich in the antioxidant vitamin C, which is required for tissue growth and tissue repair in all parts of the body.

It is also necessary for the formation of the important protein collagen, which is used to make skin, tendons, ligaments, scar tissue, and blood vessels.

Cauliflower contains decent amounts of vitamin K, which has anti-inflammatory properties. Studies also suggest that vitamin K aids in preventing bone loss in both men and women and that it might also decrease the risk of heart disease.

Regular consumption of cauliflower assists healthy blood circulation and aids in maintaining blood vessels, which is attributed to the presence of sulforaphane.

Aids in ‘detoxification’.

Cauliflower also contains a phytonutrient that together with sulforaphane, helps activate and regulate the function of detoxifying enzymes.

These nutrients are important for Phase I detoxification along with sulfur-containing nutrients essential for Phase II detox activities.

Other compounds found in cauliflower are very important for helping the body detox due to their function to support the liver.

These compounds stimulate what are known as ‘Phase II enzymes’, the natural antioxidant system of our body. They help trigger the liver to produce detoxifying enzymes that block free radical damage. At the same time, sulforaphane stimulates detoxification and digestion by preventing bacterial overgrowth occurring in the gut.

Sources; http://www.well-beingsecrets.com/ and http://www.mercola.com/

Minimal cooking

Cooking is harmful to the nutritional content of cauliflower. Cooking for thirty or more minutes reduces health benefits by 75%. So the lesson here is to steam your cauliflower so it’s just tender, or eat it raw.

There was so much more information available on the health benefits of cauliflower. Who would have thought that this humble and unpopular vegetable could contain so many health-promoting nutrients?

It seems that incorporating cauliflower into our daily diet would be a smart strategy to protect against many health conditions.

 

Till the next post,

 

Live Clean n Prosper