6 Health Benefits of Blueberries

Consuming fruits and vegetables provide copious health benefits. Produce consumption has been shown to lower the risk of developing various chronic conditions and is protective against certain types of cancer. Experts recommend consuming a rainbow of colored produce to provide the various vitamins and minerals that are essential to maintain optimal health. Do your body and taste buds a favor and choose to add blueberries into your diet. Blueberries are packed with nutrients which provide many health benefits.

6 Main Health Benefits of Blueberries

(1) Vitamin C

Get 25% of your daily vitamin C requirements in 1 cup of blueberries. Vitamin C is essential for tissue growth and repair, keeping gums and teeth healthy, and aids in iron absorption. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant which can neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are responsible for the aging process on the body and may play a negative role in cancer, heart health, and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.

(2) Manganese

One cup of blueberries contains 25% of your daily manganese requirements. Manganese is essential for tendon and skeletal development and may play a role in blood pressure, fertility, reproduction and energy production.

(3) Vitamin K

Obtain about one third of your daily vitamin K requirements by consuming 1 cup of blueberries. Vitamin K is essential in blood clotting. Blood clotting is important to prevent excessive bleeding with an open cut. Studies also suggest that vitamin K may also be involved in calcium metabolism and in maintaining bone health.

(4) Anthocyanins

Anthocyanins are compounds that provide blueberries with that rich blue/purple color. Studies suggest that, due to its antioxidant properties, anthocyanins may play a role in decreasing the risk of cancer, cognitive decline and heart disease. The disease-fighting powers of Anthocyanins is one of the many reasons experts, such as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, recommend consuming a rainbow of different colored fruits and vegetables.

(5) Fiber

1 cup of blueberries contains 4 grams of fiber. Fiber is essential for bowel health because it promotes bowel regularity and reduces constipation. Fiber not only regulates blood sugar and helps with satiety, but it can also reduce blood cholesterol. Reducing blood cholesterol can help lower the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and diverticulosis.

(6) Low in Calories, Fat, and Cholesterol

One cup of blueberries provides only 85 calories and essentially no fat and cholesterol! Blueberries make a great snack (and treat!) for individuals trying to lose weight due to the low calorie content. Blueberries make a good heart healthy snack because they are low in fat and cholesterol. Consuming excess cholesterol can cause plaque to build up in the arteries which could lead to a heart attack or stroke.

For being low in calories, fat, and cholesterol, blueberries are packed with nutrients and antioxidants-making it a great snack to add to your diet. Not only is it a great food for weight-conscious individuals, but blueberries are also great for those whom want to eat a heart and bone healthy, bowel friendly, and antioxidant rich snack.

[via WatchFit]

Health Benefits of Raw Honey

Honey is one of nature’s premier superfoods. Not only does honey taste good in tea, yogurt, baked goods etc. but it has been a staple anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory since ancient times. Even modern practitioners swear by its miraculous healing properties.

Top 5 Health Benefits of Raw Organic Honey 

1. Honey Kills Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria 

In the world of medicine, few things can be scarier than bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, but that’s exactly the problem that modern medicine faces. Over the past fifty years, over-use of anti-bacterial drugs, like Azithromycin, have encouraged harmful bacteria to evolve and become stronger. But there’s no bacterium anywhere that’s resistant to honey! That’s right, honey can kill even antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Ancient people applied it to wounds, infections, and abscesses to great effect. Just make sure you use raw organic honey, which doesn’t include high-fructose corn syrup or white sugar that lower its quality and beneficial effects.

2. Soothes Coughs 

In addition to killing bacteria, honey can reduce the severity of coughs and sore throats more safely than over-the-counter medications. This is another example of a traditional remedy that turns out to be more effective than mass-produced drugs by pharmaceutical companies. While adult cough medicines might be dangerous for children to take, raw honey helps lessen the frequency and intensity of a child’s cough, letting parents and kids alike get more sleep during cold season.

3. Boosts Wound and Burn Healing 

Believe it or not, honey sterilizes and heals burns in half the time than its over-the-counter antibiotic competitor silver sulfadiazine. It can disinfect wounds the same way, allowing your body to regenerate faster and with less risk of infection or scarring. If you receive an injury, smear honey on the affected area immediately. Don’t worry about using too much, because with honey, there’s no such thing. When you’re done, apply a bandage over your wound. Repeat this procedure at least once every 48 hours to make sure that you’re not getting an infection (though odds are good that you won’t.)

4. Provides Many Nutrients

Unsurprisingly, honey offers a staggering amount of nutritional value. (Remember, this is the stuff that bees build their entire colonies upon!) Aside from various nutrients, like riboflavin, folate, betaine, manganese, potassium, copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium, selenium, fluoride and phosphorus, honey is loaded with antioxidants, which can lessen the risk of cancer. It also lowers LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and generally reduces inflammation. Of course, if you have a sweet tooth, one benefit trumps all the others on this list…

5. Raw Organic Honey is the Perfect Sugar Substitute 

As if the health benefits of honey weren’t enough on their own. Honey can play another important part in your well-being by sweetening your tea, cookies, pancakes and other baked goods you prepare. Though honey itself is made of fructose, it raises blood sugar far lesser than similar-tasting substances, like sucrose and dextrose. Honey has a healthy Glycemic Index, which means its sugars can be gradually absorbed into the blood stream to result in better digestion. Best of all, you can keep honey on the shelf forever, because it never spoils. Not to put too fine a point on it, but that’s pretty sweet.

Raw Honey Has Many Health Benefits 

There’s a lot that honey can do to improve your active life and diet. It’s a great pre-exercise food, for example, because it’ll give you the power you need and you won’t crash in the middle of your training session. The healing powers of honey don’t just apply to skin wounds – they can help heal painful stomach ulcers, too! Fans of probiotics love honey because it hosts good bacteria, including lactobacilli, which help us digest food. There’s even evidence that honey consumption boosts memory in menopausal women and increase the body’s ability to recover from drunkenness. Old time medical practitioners knew the secrets of honey before science discovered them. Today, there are many good reasons to add this incredible food to your diet!

[via Organic Power Foods]

Meet Muesli, Oatmeal’s Cool Cousin

What the heck is muesli? The term “muesli” (pronounced “MEWS-lee,” as in rhymes with “loosely”) is derived from the Swiss-German word “mus” — meaning, appropriately enough, “mixture.” The mixture consists of rolled oats, nuts, seeds, fresh or dried fruit and other whole grains, like rye or barley. Admittedly, this makes muesli sound an awful lot like granola. Although both foods can be good sources of whole grains, fiber, fatty acids and protein, granola is often toasted in oil and sweetened with honey or a syrup, making it much higher in fat and sugar.

Muesli, alternatively, consists of raw ingredients either eaten like cereal, with milk, yogurt or even fruit juice added right before serving, or it can be soaked ahead of time. Soaking muesli creates a texture similar to chilled oatmeal, making it an attractive breakfast option during the dog days of summer. Of course, muesli also can be heated, if desired. Muesli Fusion, a cereal manufacturer, suggests cooking a half cup of muesli with a half cup of water or milk over medium heat until boiling, stirring frequently. Alternatively, microwave equal parts muesli and water or milk on high for two minutes, stopping every 30 seconds to stir. Cold, hot, raw, soaked — muesli is a choose-your-own-adventure type of cereal.

According to The Kitchn, soaking muesli also might provide greater nutritional benefits because a substance called phytic acid in unsoaked grains’ outer layer joins forces with such nutrients as calcium in your body to hinder absorption. You wouldn’t want all your healthy-eating hard work to go down the drain, would you? Personally, as muesli lacks the enjoyable crunch of traditional granola, I prefer the texture of soaked muesli — even adding the milk half an hour before breakfast makes the cereal much more palatable. The oats and grains drink up the milk, becoming tender and soft, while the dried fruit rehydrates and plumps up. Yum!

The invention of this nutritious breakfast is credited to the Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner in the early 20th century, developed as a means to help alleviate and prevent disease in his patients. The original recipe allegedly consisted of oats, raw apples, condensed milk and lemon juice. Eventually muesli was mass-produced, which led to the addition of dried fruits, a very concentrated source of sugar. Some packaged varieties of muesli boast of their 50% fruit content, luring unsuspecting dieters into consuming more sugar over breakfast than they would in a chocolate bar.

Alternatively, making your own muesli and adding fresh berries or fruit is a good way to get plenty of dietary fiber without the sugar high. One cup, or 85 g, of muesli provides 6.2 g of dietary fiber, according to the USDA Nutrient Database. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends adults consume 25 g to 38 g of fiber each day. Although muesli is not a low-calorie food — a half-cup contains anywhere from 144 to 250 calories, depending on the brand and ingredients, and that does include the added calories from milk, yogurt or juice — the fiber and protein content of muesli creates a feeling of fullness to keep you going until lunchtime. The USDA reports that a half-cup of muesli contains 4 g of protein, providing 9% of women’s and 7% of men’s recommended dietary allowance. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, high-protein foods move more slowly from the stomach to the intestine, and the body uses more calories to digest protein than it does to digest fats or carbs. So, while muesli is not a light breakfast, per say, it can help end your mid-morning snack habit.

My favorite store-bought muesli is the German-made, all-natural Seitenbacher Muesli #2 (Berries Temptation), which contains no trans-fat, cholesterol, sugar or artificial colors and preservatives. Although fairly calorie-conscious, with 160 calories in a 2/3-cup serving, the inclusion of dried apples, dried raspberries and raisins does boost the sugar content to 11 g per serving — and I like to add fresh peach or banana slices to bulk it up a bit, meaning, well, more sugar. Those wanting to tame their sweet tooth and make their own nutrient-dense muesli in bulk can check out this gluten-free and vegan recipe from the food and nutrition blog Nutrition Stripped. This muesli version includes lots of good-tasting, good-for-you ingredients, like quinoa flakes, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes, goji berries and ground cinnamon.

Making muesli is pretty fool-proof, as you can throw in your favorite nuts and fruits into the mix and almost certainly create a tasting, satisfying breakfast. You’ll never go back to boring old oatmeal again.

[via HellaWella]

Organic vs. Local Produce: How To Choose, When You Have To

It’s a bourgeois dilemma, to be sure, but it’s one many produce-loving healthy eaters face: If your neighborhood farmer’s market only sells local blueberries grown with pesticides and the organic ones at your grocer have been flown in from Chile, which do you buy? In an ideal world you’d always have access to berries that fulfill both criteria, but that’s not generally the case.

“I dealt with this yesterday with a client,” culinary nutritionist Stefanie Sacks, MS, CNS, CDN, told me as soon as I presented her with the question. “It’s all about learning how to negotiate.”

We spoke with Sacks, along with local-leaning Juice Generation founder Eric Helms, and the health coach Urban Detox Club co-founder Jen Morris for a well-rounded perspective on the many factors to consider, plus easy tips to help you pick:

FACTORS TO CONSIDER

1. Pesticides and nutrients. 

To avoid gross chemicals altogether, organic is definitely the way to go. But small farmers selling roadside cucumbers may also be using less pesticides than a giant industrial operation; they may even be partially organic, but not up to USDA-certification standards. And if you’re buying the veggies through a third party, they may be checking for you. “We take great pains to meet our farmers and ensure that, certified or not, they’re using sustainable methods and following organic best-practices,” says Juice Generation founder Eric Helms, a huge proponent of local sourcing. It’s just hard to know. Local produce is also going to be richer in nutrients, since it’s been picked more recently.

2. Environment and community.

“If you’re trying to be a conscious consumer, local is usually better,” Urban Detox Club’s Jen Morris says. Not only is it way better for the planet, it also means your dollars are going directly to the person growing your food and supporting the local economy.

3. Taste and appearance. 

As anyone who’s ever opened a plastic box to find already limp, wet arugula knows, when it comes to flavor and prettiness on a plate, local wins. “It goes without saying that local produce—produce harvested just the day before it’s delivered to our USDA Certified Organic production facility—retains a vibrancy with which imported products could never compete,” says Helms.

TIPS TO HELP YOU CHOOSE

1. Talk to the farmers. 

“The people at the market are often the ones growing the food,” says Morris. “Ask them what their practices are like.” If they’re using GMO seeds and spraying pesticides like it’s going out of style, you can always politely move on.

2. Use the Dirty Dozen. 

Both Sacks and Morris suggest using EWG’s list of the top 10 most pesticide-laden foods as a guide. For the foods that top the list, make sure you go organic, even if it means you can’t do local. For those that tend to hold on to less residue, like those on the Clean 15 list, stick to local, even if it’s not organic. This is the kind of grocery shopping negotiation that Sacks recommends.

3. Consider the volume. 

“The amount you’re eating matters,” Sacks says. So if you’re eating an apple every day, for example, you’d better buy the organic bag. If you’re just eating a few slices with almond butter once a week, buy the New York State ones that have been sprayed. “If it’s not something you’re eating a lot of, I wouldn’t get yourself too crazy about it.”—Lisa Elaine Held

[via Well + Good]

Healthy Snacks Made of Real Foods

Tasty, nutrient-packed munchies that satisfy your craving without busting your diet.

What do you do when you are starving for something to eat in-between meals? For me, I will start grabbing anything that is edible around me or in the fridge. Fully aware of my tendency to scavenge, I always make it a point to stock my refrigerator only with healthy snacks, so that when hunger pangs strike, I will always have access to foods that aren’t just satisfying but also healthful.

Even if you are on a diet, you shouldn’t stop snacking. Going too long without eating can cause your blood sugar to drop too low, leading to irritability, foggy brain and reckless eating. For some, very low blood sugar levels, a condition known as hypoglycemia, can even trigger emotional stress, such as panic attacks.

To balance your blood sugar, eat every three to four hours throughout the day. But avoid gorging on high-fat and high-calorie snacks. Instead, opt for low-calorie snack foods that are nutrient-packed, like the ones I will show you later. These snacks are easy to carry around, full of antioxidants, and some are even powerful natural anti-inflammatories by themselves.

But a few cautions on snacks. Snacks are, well, snacks. They aren’t meant to replace regular meals. No matter how nutritious they may be, don’t go overboard with them and consume so much that you leave no room for well-balanced meals.

Though this is common knowledge, it is still worth repeating: Whenever possible, avoid snacks that contained preservatives (read: organic), added sugar, colorings and other additives. Check the food labels because they disclose valuable information about the food you will be putting into your mouth.

Lastly, here is a money-saving tip: Buy your favorite snacks in bulk and store unused ones in the refrigerator. It is much cheaper than buying individual packs from health food stores.

Happy snacking!

Golden Berries

Also called cape gooseberry and physalis, each golden berry is yellowish orange in color and comes enclosed in a paper-like husk that covers the fruit like a miniature lantern. In folk medicine, golden berries are used to treat a variety of ailments, including asthma, hepatitis, rheumatism and even cancer. A few studies on golden berries, such as the one carried out by Taiwan’s Chia-Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, have also found extracts of these cherry-sized berries to exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Increasingly, fresh golden berries are also used as exotic garnish for cakes, pastries and other desserts.

Mulberries

Mulberries come in different colors, depending on the type of mulberry tree they are harvested from. There are white, red and black mulberry fruits and each tastes slightly different from one another. Black mulberries are generally considered the best due to a good balanced of sweetness and tartness. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, mulberries have traditionally been used to nourish the blood and to treat constipation. Mulberries contain resveratrol, the antioxidant found in grapes and red wine, as well as vitamin C, iron and trace elements. But avoid gorging on mulberries, as ingesting large quantity of these sweet berries may cause undesirable side effects. It is interesting to note that the leaves of white mulberry are the only food source for silkworm larvae, which is cultivated for their silk.

Goji Berries

Also known as wolfberries, goji berries have been used as a form of medicine as well as food for thousands of years by the Chinese. Traditionally used as an eye tonic, modern scientific studies have now attributed the vision-protecting properties of goji berries to the high-levels of zeaxanthin, a form of carotenoid critical for healthy eyes, found in these small fruits. Goji berries are also packed with vitamin C, trace minerals, protein, amino acids, fats and other phytochemicals, earning them the superfruit moniker.

Blueberries

Blueberries are well-known for their ability to douse chronic inflammation. Studies that have associated blueberries with better vision, improved memory, reduced intestinal inflammation and lower cancer risk can be traced to these miracle berries’ potent anti-inflammatory properties. The disease-preventing effects could be due to the anthocyanins, resveratrol and other phytochemicals found abundance in blueberries.

Dates

A staple food in the Middle East, dried dates are enjoyed everywhere now because of their wide availability and of course, their delicious sweetness. There are well over hundred types of dates, but dates can generally be categorized into three different groups: soft, semi-dry and dry. Besides containing high levels of energy-giving sugar, dates are also high in filling fiber, just what you need to stop a late afternoon hunger pang. But due to their high sugar content, go easy on them, especially if you are watching your blood glucose levels.

Figs

Do you know that the fig is called “fruit without flower” in Chinese (无花果)? However, to be exact, fig is not a fruit but a combination of the flowers and seeds of the fig tree. A potassium powerhouse, figs are godsend if your diet contains high levels of sodium. Low potassium intake combined with a sodium-rich diet has been associated with high blood pressure. Figs are popular all over the world due to their refreshing sweetness. They are rich in dietary fiber and are a sweet source of calcium and magnesium. Like other dried fruits, figs also provide good amounts of antioxidants for people who adore them.

Apricots

Looking somewhat like a peach, apricot is another fruit, other than fig, that has been cultivated by humans since ancient times. Apricots are rich in vitamin A and beta carotene, which are especially beneficial for the eyes. The high fiber content in apricots also make them a good choice for those with constipation.

Trail Mix

If you are looking a snack that contains a good mixed of proteins, carbohydrates, antioxidants as well as fats, then you won’t go wrong with a high-quality trail mix. Combining selected dried fruits, nuts and/or seeds, trail mix gives you the best of everything: the sweetness and tartness of dried fruits as well as the crunchiness of nuts and seeds.

The Best and Worst Ways to Cook Vegetables

Think a raw-veggie diet is the best way to go for optimal nutrition? Think again. Cooking vegetables helps to soften their tough fibrous exteriors and loosen up all the nutritional good stuff that lies inside. In fact, some vegetables, such as tomatoes, are actually more healthful if you eat them cooked, because the process of cooking them boosts their levels of the potent antioxidant lycopene. The only problem is, not all cooking methods are the same. Some boost nutrient content; some take it away. Some add unwanted fat, while others add the crucial amount for your body to absorb all the nutrients in vegetables.

Here’s what you need to know about cooking your veggies for optimum nutrition:

1. Microwaving

When in doubt, microwave your veggies for maximum antioxidant preservation. According to a Spanish study of how various cooking methods impact vegetable antioxidant capacity, microwaves reign supreme in prepping vegetables to retain their nutrients. Exception: Keep cauliflower out of the microwave; it loses more than 50 percent of its antioxidants if nuked.       

2. Griddling

Beets, celery, onions, Swiss chard, and green beans cook particularly well on the griddle—yes, that pan you pull out only for Sunday-morning pancakes. Griddles allow vegetables to retain as many antioxidants as microwaving, according to the Spanish researchers. Word of caution: Griddles are often coated in nonstick chemicals that make cooking and cleaning convenient but may contain toxins linked to cancer. Shop for one without the coating, or use a thick frying pan with no oil.
     

4. Baking

Baking, or roasting, is hit-or-miss. Based on the study results, bake your artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, and peppers, all of which retained their antioxidant values, but not your carrots, Brussels sprouts, leeks, cauliflower, peas, zucchini, onions, beans, celery, beets, and garlic, which all saw decreases in nutrient levels. Where baking really shines is with green beans, eggplant, corn, Swiss chard, and spinach, all of which saw their antioxidant levels increase after baking. Toss a handful of those veggies into your next casserole. 

4. Frying

It’s probably no surprise that this method fails the test when it comes to antioxidants and nutrition levels. In addition to adding way too much fat to your meal, it caused a loss of between 5 and 50 percent of each vegetable’s nutrients.

5. Pressure cooking and boiling

Generally speaking, don’t use these methods if you want to retain antioxidants in your vegetables. “In short, water is not the cook’s best friend when it comes to preparing vegetables,” says lead researcher A.M. Jimenez-Monreal. Peas, cauliflower, and zucchini are particularly susceptible to losing nutrients through boiling. If you do need to boil your vegetables, save the nutrient-rich boiling water and use it the next time you make a soup or sauce.

Of course there are always exceptions, and in this case, it’s carrots. A 2008 study from Italy found that boiling carrots boosted their carotenoid content more so than steaming or frying them.

6. Steaming

Those same Italian researchers found that steaming is the best method for preserving antioxidants found in broccoli and zucchini. But contrary to what you may think, this may not be the healthiest way to prep vegetables anyway. Many of the vitamins and nutrients in vegetables are fat soluble, meaning your body absorbs them better in the presence of fat. If you prefer steaming your vegetables, toss them with a small amount of olive oil before serving to boost nutrient absorption.

7. Sautéing

None of the studies on nutrient levels and cooking techniques have included sautéing vegetables over high heat in a little bit of oil. However, the process of sautéing is similar to that of microwaving: cooking your vegetables over high heat in a short amount of time. That minimizes nutrient loss, and the oil in which you’re sautéing them helps your body absorb more of the nutrients.

[via Organic Gardening]

Make Meals More A-Peeling

Boost Nutrients in Meals with Fruit and Vegetable Peels

Reducing waste and boosting taste to your meals is as easy as adding some apple peel to your sandwich. The skins and other discarded parts of fruits and veggies are packed with fiber and disease-fighting nutrients, so instead of tossing them out, get twice as many meals out of one food with these delicious ideas (just be sure to choose organic produce to avoid sketchy chemicals).

Potato Skins

Why: About half of the spud's hunger-quelling fiber is in the skin.

How: Make potato crisps. Place peelings on a baking sheet and sprinkle with oil, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Bake at 400°F until crisp, 10 to 15 minutes.

Apple Peels

Why: They contain nearly all of the fruit's quercetin, an antioxidant that helps ward off certain cancers, according to a study in Nutrition Journal.

How: Add peels to a ham and cheese sandwich. Layer ham, thinly sliced apple peels, and grated Cheddar on a slice of whole grain bread, then broil until the cheese is bubbly.

Kiwi Peels

Why: Yep, they really are edible! They're also rich in vitamin E and disease-fighting flavonoids.

How: Blend up this smoothie: Combine 1 unpeeled kiwifruit, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 1 cup orange juice, and 1/2 cup plain yogurt. Blend and enjoy!

Orange Peels

Why: They provide d-limonene, a compound that may protect against skin cancer.

How: Add orange peels to chili. Finely chop the peel and toss in 1 to 2 tablespoons with the beans, tomatoes, and spices.

Broccoli Stalks

Why: A single one contains more than a day's worth of vitamin C.

How: Broccoli stalks are perfect for stir-fries. Peel the stalks—what's inside is almost as tender as asparagus—and toss into a stir-fry.

Carrot Peels

Why: The beta-carotene protects the eyes, skin, and immune system.

How: Meat loaf and burgers and perfect for carrot peels. Mix shredded carrot and carrot peel with lean ground meat. Bonus: the carrots keep the meat from drying out.

[via Prevention]