Category Archives: Healthy Eating

Why Is Spicy Food Good for You?

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  Dr. Mercola

Spicy foods are among the best for your health. They contain potent plant compounds called capsaicinoids, which have been found to prevent chronic diseases and are also what give peppers their heat.This, coupled with their high concentrations of vitamins and antioxidants, makes spicy peppers a unique superfood.

Spicy Foods Are Good for Your Heart and More

Capsaicin, one of the most studied capsaicinoids, in particular has also been linked to improved blood vessel function, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver, cardiac hypertrophy, hypertension, and stroke risk.

Hot Peppers May Lower Your Cancer Risk

Capsaicin has been shown to activate cell receptors in your intestinal lining, creating a reaction that lowers the risk of tumors.

Capsaicin has both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and has even shown some promise for cancer treatment. Research has shown, for instance, that capsaicin suppresses the growth of human prostate cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed.Capsaicin has also been shown to be effective against breast, pancreatic, and bladder cancer cells, although you’ll likely need to eat large amounts of capsaicin regularly to get such benefits (such as three to eight habanero peppers a week).

Eating Spicy Food May Help You Lose Weight

Spicy foods increase satiety, helping you to feel full while eating less, and hot peppers may even help your body to burn more calories. Studies have shown capsaicin may help fight obesity by decreasing calorie intake, shrinking fat tissue, and lowering blood fat levels, as well as fight fat buildup by triggering beneficial protein changes in your body.

It stimulates brown fat, for instance, a type of fat that generates heat by helping you burn calories, which is why it’s being explored as a tool for weight loss, healthy metabolism, and more.

Research suggests that consuming thermogenic ingredients may boost your metabolism by up to 5 percent, and increase fat burning by up to 16 percent. It may even help counteract the decrease in metabolic rate that often occurs during weight loss.

Capsaicin Is an Excellent Pain Reliever

Capsaicin is not only a potent anti-inflammatory, which is useful for many types of pain, but also it provides pain relief by depleting your body’s supply of substance P, a chemical component of nerve cells that transmits pain signals to your brain. It also works by de-sensitizing sensory receptors in your skin.

This is why it’s often used in topical pain-relieving creams and patches. It’s actually the very intense burning sensation that, ironically, ultimately relieves pain.

Topical treatment with 0.025 percent (low concentration) capsaicin cream has also been found to relieve pain associated with osteoarthritis, with 80 percent of patients experiencing a reduction in pain after two weeks of four-times-daily treatment.

It’s also been shown to help reduce or eliminate burning, stinging, itching, redness of skin associated with moderate to severe psoriasis, and even help relieve migraine pain.

Boost Your Sex Life and More with These Other Healthy Spices

Peppers are only one type of spice, and when it comes to experiencing the full range of health benefits spicy foods offer, variety is key. In the case of your sex life, it’s not the spice from chili peppers but that from ginseng and saffron that showed benefit. In a review of purported aphrodisiacs, both ginseng and saffron were found to boost sexual performance.

Cinnamon

This spice may help to boost your metabolism, and it also has impressive benefits for blood sugar regulation, making it an ideal seasoning for people with diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Cinnamon has been found to significantly reduce blood sugar levels, triglycerides, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes, as well as increase glucose metabolism by about 20 times, which would significantly improve your ability to regulate blood sugar.

Black Pepper

Black pepper contains a substance called piperine, which not only gives it its pungent flavor, but also blocks the formation of new fat cells. When combined with capsaicin and other substances, black pepper was also found to burn as many calories as taking a 20-minute walk. As an aside, black pepper also increases the bioavailability of just about all other foods — herbs and other compounds – making it a healthy choice for virtually any meal.

Mustard

The mustard plant is actually in the cruciferous family of vegetables (along with broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts, for instance). Mustard seeds have been shown to boost metabolic rate by 25 percent, which means you’ll burn calories more efficiently. In fact, just 3/5 teaspoon of mustard seeds daily may help you burn an extra 45 calories an hour.

Ginger

Ginger is another warming spice that has anti-inflammatory properties and is known to help soothe and relax your intestinal tract. Research also suggests that ginger may have thermogenic properties that help boost your metabolism, as well as have an appetite-suppressant effect when consumed, suggesting a “potential role of ginger in weight management.”

Cardamom

Cardamom is another thermogenic herb that helps boost your metabolism and may boost your body’s ability to burn fat.

In addition to the capsaicin, fresh chili peppers also provide high levels of immunity-boosting vitamin C, antioxidants including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, B vitamins. and even minerals like potassium, magnesium and manganese.

When Spicy Foods Should Be Avoided

You might want to wrap up your spiciest meals well before bedtime, as spicy foods before bed can give you indigestion that makes it nearly impossible to get a good night’s sleep. Even if you can eat spicy foods without discomfort, they are still linked with more time spent awake during the night and taking longer to fall asleep. It’s speculated this may be due to capsaicin affecting sleep via changes in your body temperature. Spicy foods may also irritate your bladder if you’re in the midst of a urinary tract infection (UTI), so you may want to hold off until you’re healed.

As for the notion that you should avoid spicy foods if you’ve got stomach issues, this is a myth – hot chilies may actually be protective. Not only have chili peppers been found to reduce the risk of stomach bleeding in people taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin, but eating them daily may also significantly reduce your risk of peptic ulcers. So if you enjoy them, there’s no reason not to indulge.

So spice it up! And Stay Healthy!

The power of removing nutrient deficiencies

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Here’s just one example (of many): Research in the British Journal of Psychiatry shows that providing fish oil and a multivitamin to prison inmates reduces aggressive and violent behavior by 35% and decreases antisocial behavior by 26%.
Also, a paper published in Nutrition Reviews shows that giving children fish oil and a multivitamin improves both their behavior and intelligence scores. (Who doesn’t want a smarter, better-behaved kid?)
That’s the power of removing nutrient deficiencies. When our bodies don’t have the nutrients they need to do their work, we all suffer. But as soon as we get these nutrients, we thrive.

Stay Healthy.

Eat like your grandparents did, and Stay Healthy

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Carl Lowe

I recently read that the World Health Organization projected that India will be home to 80 million diabetics by the year 2030. This is shocking news but it comes on the heels of a 12-year study that revealed something startling about how, generations later, we are affected by the way our ancestors ate. And when I say ‘we,’ I mean you and me.

The research, performed at the University of Sydney in Australia, in conjunction with the National Center for Cell Science and the DYP Medical College in Pune, India, showed that eating a ‘normal’ diet can cause obesity in animals whose previous generations were undernourished.

This mirrors what is happening in many underdeveloped countries, like India, where multi-generational undernutrition has given way to increasing prosperity and along with it, a rise in metabolic diseases, like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

Why is this happening? The DNA of recent generations of Indians has not caught up to their changed environment and diet, and is still responding to food in the way their malnourished ancestors did — as though there was a food shortage — and conserving calories in anticipation of a hungry tomorrow. This means they are storing fat in way that makes them prone to obesity and the diseases it causes, even when eating a normal diet.

If that’s the situation you find yourself in consider this: Eating like your grandparents may be the key to meeting your goal weight and avoiding metabolic disease. That’s because, most likely, eating a diet similar to theirs can lower your chances of blood sugar issues and diabetic complications.

Most likely your grandparents weren’t malnourished. But they ate a diet very different from what most of us eat today. They may have eaten less, but well, and were satisfied because they ate real food, full of fiber and healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, instead of the nutrient-deficient, low-fat processed stuff we call ‘food’ today.

That difference in your diet and theirs could be causing your body to store fat and get sick. Because if you’re eating the standard American diet, void of nutrition, your body may believe it’s starving. And in a very real way it is.

Food is also a business now, and in your grandparent’s day — not so much. Fast food chains and food companies market comfort foods to us day and night, irresponsibly encouraging us to keep indulging our taste buds until it seems perfectly normal to always have a snack in hand. But this study once again points to the importance of eating less processed food.

If you can make the commitment to eating like grandpa and grandma did — avoiding just about everything advertised on TV — you can improve your health in a wide variety of ways along with dropping your risk of diabetes. The transition isn’t easy. I know, because in following the paleo diet (a diet that closely resembles what most of our ancestors probably ate) I have had to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to everything society (and those relentless ads) tries to tell me about consuming ready-to-eat sweet treats.

But the health rewards are well worth it. And as far as diets go, eating paleo is probably the easiest you could ever follow. Avoid anything you get from a drive-in or a box and odds are you’re safe.

Fiber is Fab

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Adapted from Dr. Mercola

Why Is Fiber So Important?

It is actually because your body can’t digest fiber that it plays such an important part in digestion. Soluble fiber, like that found in cucumbers, blueberries, beans, and nuts, dissolves into a gel-like texture, helping to slow down your digestion. This helps you to feel full longer and is one reason why fiber may help with weight control.

Insoluble fiber, found in foods like dark green leafy vegetables, green beans, celery, and carrots, does not dissolve at all and helps add bulk to your stool. This helps food to move through your digestive tract more quickly for healthy elimination. Many whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables, naturally contain both soluble and insoluble fiber.

9 Health Benefits of Fiber
  • Blood sugar control: Soluble fiber may help to slow your body’s breakdown of carbohydrates and the absorption of sugar, helping with blood sugar control.
  • Heart health: An inverse association has been found between fiber intake and heart attack, and research shows that those eating a high-fiber diet have a 40 percent lower risk of heart disease.
  • Stroke: Researchers have found that for every seven-grams more fiber you consume on a daily basis, your stroke risk is decreased by 7 percent.
  • Weight loss and management: Fiber supplements have been shown to enhance weight loss among obese people, likely because it increases feelings of fullness.
  • Skin health: Fiber, particularly psyllium husk, may help move yeast and fungus out of your body, preventing them from being excreted through your skin where they could trigger acne or rashes.
  • Diverticulitis: Dietary fiber (especially insoluble) may reduce your risk of diverticulitis – an inflammation of polyps in your intestine – by 40 percent.
  • Hemorrhoids: A high-fiber diet may lower your risk of hemorrhoids.
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): Fiber may provide some relief from IBS.
  • Gallstones and kidney stones: A high-fiber diet may reduce the risk of gallstones and kidney stones, likely because of its ability to help regulate blood sugar.
What Are the Healthiest Sources of Fiber?

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“…the current average fiber intake in the United States is about 13 grams a day for women and 17 for men. Increasing these amounts by seven grams a day would bring them close to the recommended levels of 21 to 25 grams for women and 30 to 38 for men. ‘Seven grams a day increase is an achievable goal…’ ‘You’re talking about… increasing vegetable and fruit by two portions a day.’”

If your diet could use more fiber, resist the urge to fortify it with whole grains. (And most certainly avoid fiber -fortified breakfast cereals!) Whole grains contain anti-nutrients that may damage your health. Instead, focus on eating more vegetables, nuts, and seeds. The following whole foods, for example, contain high levels of soluble and insoluble fiber.

Chia seeds Berries Vegetables such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts
Root vegetables and tubers, including onions and sweet potatoes Almonds Psyllium seed husk, flax, and chia seeds, Inulin
Green beans Cauliflower Beans such as kidney beans and Chickpeas
Peas

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A simple “rule” to remember is simply to get most of your fiber in the form of vegetables, not grains. And not breakfast cereals!

Be Healthy.

5 Reasons To Add More Protein To Your Diet

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One of the fastest ways to calm your hunger and sugar cravings is by eating protein. You probably know protein is great for keeping you satisfied, but did you know it can also decrease your cravings?That’s because protein puts the brakes on our neuronal reward system, the brain chemicals that make us feel good and motivate us to get more food, even when we’re not hungry. When we’re low in protein, cravings take over and crack the whip in search of a quick fix. Here are a few ways to combat cravings with protein:
1. Many times when a sugar craving hits, your body is really crying out for protein.

When you’re low in protein, your system knows it needs energy, and you crave foods that will give you fuel fast. Unfortunately, those high-sugar impact foods that you’re in the mood for, will only raise your blood sugar and trigger an insulin response, which shuts off fat burning.

Instead of reaching for a cookie, fill up on a handful of almonds or a yogurt, that way you’ll curb cravings for sweets by giving your body the kind of sustained energy it really needs.

2. Make sure you have a protein-rich breakfast.

One study found that a high-protein breakfast suppresses ghrelin, your hunger hormone, far better than a high-carbohydrate breakfast. Another study found a moderate- or high-protein breakfast curbed cravings in overweight and obese young people. Instead of having a carbohydrate-rich breakfast like cereal that will leave you hungry a couple of hours later, try a protein shake that will keep you full and focused for much longer.

3. You should have a sufficient amount of protein in all of your meals.

How much protein should you consume daily to get those crave-crushing benefits? One meta-analysis concluded 25 – 30 grams of protein at each meal benefits weight loss, appetite and other health factors. Based on my three decades working as a nutritionist, I’ve found the average woman should get 75– 80 grams daily, whereas most men should get 100– 120 grams of protein a day.

These numbers aren’t set in stone. Your weight and body composition will influence the amount of protein you need. Those needs increase if you’re under stress, if you’re healing or if you’re doing some heavy resistance training.

4. Find the right protein sources for your diet.

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The best sources of protein include high-quality animal protein, including grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, wild-caught low-mercury fish and (if you’re not intolerant) eggs.

Vegans and vegetarians sometimes find meeting their protein quota challenging, and supplementation ma be helpful in addition to plant-based high-protein foods like quinoa, legumes and nuts and seeds.

Whether you’re short on time or don’t have much of an appetite, a shake becomes the perfect higher-protein breakfast that takes minutes to prepare, but keeps you full, focused and crave-free for hours. Those are among the reasons I call a protein shake my number one needle mover for fast, lasting fat loss.

5. Make sure you’re not rushing through meals.

Even if you’re eating enough protein, you may not be assimilating it well. Speed eating, drinking too much fluid with your meals, not chewing enough, or low stomach acid (including if you take acid blockers) can all interfere with absorption. Low stomach acid becomes a real concern if you’re over 30 or under stress, which includes most of us.

Your goal, then, becomes eating enough protein but also digesting it well.

Do you know how much protein you’re consuming at meals? Do you find eating a higher-protein diet keeps you full longer or otherwise benefits you? Share your thoughts below.

From JJ Virgin.

And Stay Healthy.