Find Out NUMEROUS Benefits of Mediterranean Diet

From centuries people form Mediterranean countries use the benefits of their specific cousin extremely diverse in terms of flavors, aromas and colors

This regime protects them from many diseases of modern times – cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes type 2, insult, etc. According to researches, made in Italy between people in 65 and 85 years following the Mediterranean diet probability of death over the next nine years was 31% less than people who ate this way.

Fruits and Vegetables Make us Happy

Mediterranean diet provides the body with all nutritional substances it needs

Mediterranean cousin includes foods traditional for Greece, South Italy, South France, Spain, Portuguese, Turkey and Israel – different types of bread, wholegrain and legumes, fish, fruits and vegetables, olive oil, extremely limited quantity of red meat, ice cream and processed foods (for example chips and fast foods).
Basis of Mediterranean diet is combination between all these foods.
Mediterranean phenomenon
Researches show that Mediterranean people are one the healthiest people in the world. Mediterranean region consist of at least 20 regions and each of them has its own culture, habits and culinary traditions.
The common features of all of them, however, the popularity of olive oil, preference for red wine, consumption of large quantities of vegetables and fruits and the active lifestyle. In combination with the last factor – good weather – has raised the phenomenon Mediterranean health.
Milk and wine
The second important ingredient is milk and all dairy products – cheese and yogurt, which are very popular in the Mediterranean countries. And of course, wine! Almost for every meal in Italy, France and Greece have different wine.

Guarana – Stronger Than Coffee!
Daily, weekly or monthly?
Vegetables and fruits, cereals, bakery products, pasta and potatoes, nuts along with some wine, milk and dairy products should be consumed daily. To this add the mandatory daily physical activity. Poultry, eggs and seafood are used less frequently, once a week is sufficient, and red meat Mediterranean people eat once a month.
Mediterranean diet provides the body with all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and carbohydrates, protein and a small amount of fat helps a healthy heart and longevity.
Total fats re a lot, but they are mostly unsaturated or come from olive oil, nuts and fish. These are the so-called “good” fats that do not harm the heart as saturated, contained in red meat.
It has been proved that such a diet is particularly suitable for people who are prone to heart disease and diabetes type 2. Food with a little more “good” fats is not only delicious, but extremely healthy. Mediterranean cuisine (including whole grains, vegetables, legumes, fruits, olive oil as the principal source of fat) is useful for everyone as long as you do not overdo it with calories. You will live even better and longer if you perceive other traditional Mediterranean feature – high physical activity.

Source : dailyhealtharticles[dot]com

Superfood Decreases Risk of Death by 26 Percent

We keep hearing about the many health benefits of a Mediterranean diet and now there’s even more cause to celebrate this healthy way of eating.

Results of a new study called the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Spain) have been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  Researchers at the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Barcelona, Spain conducted a study of 40,622 people ranging in age from 29 to 69.  They followed the participants’ food and beverage consumption for over 13 years to determine whether there were any dietary factors that would reduce the risk of dying prematurely from cancer, cardiovascular disease, or another cause of death.

The scientists found that those whose consumption of olive oil was the highest had a reduced risk of dying by 26% and a decreased risk of dying from heart disease by a whopping 44% compared to people who did not consume olive oil. During that time 956 people died of cancer, 416 died from cardiovascular disease, and 417 died from other causes.

The researchers found an inverse correlation between the amount of olive oil consumed and the likelihood of death.  For every 10 grams of olive oil consumed there is a 7% decreased risk of dying and a 13% decreased risk of specifically dying from heart disease.  In other words, the more olive oil consumed, the lower the chance of death.  The scientists observed no direct correlation between death from cancer and olive oil consumption.  (Keep in mind however that many other studies found that olive oil consumption is linked to a reduction in breast, respiratory tract, upper digestive tract and colorectal cancers).

The authors of the study Genevieve Buckland and colleagues noted in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that olive oil has been shown to improve systemic inflammation in the body as well as blood sugar control in other clinical studies.

Other research has shown that a compound found in olive oil, hydroxytyrosol (HT), helps protect the cells that line our blood vessels from being damaged by free radicals.

Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, particularly oleic acid which is an Omega-9 fatty acid, one of the few oils rich in this particular fat.  Recent studies have shown this fatty acid reduces cholesterol levels and normalizes high blood pressure.  Olive oil also contains vitamin E and many phytonutrients that play a role in the protection against chronic diseases, including heart disease.

Choose extra virgin olive oil as the best results in research have been obtained from this oil, not just virgin olive oil.  Ideally, choose cold-pressed since it helps ensure the nutrients and oils remain intact.  When cooking with olive oil, keep the temperature on low to medium heat since olive oil begins to smoke around 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  The smoke point is the point at which the oil changes molecular structure and is no longer healthy.

I use olive oil in place of butter or shortening in most baking recipes with excellent results.  Simply keep the baking temperature around 300 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent toxic acrylamide from forming, which may mean a slightly longer baking time for recipes normally baked at 350 degrees.

I also encourage you to make your own salad dressings.  Just use two parts olive oil to one part lemon juice or vinegar, add some berries or herbs, a teaspoon of honey, some unrefined salt, and a teaspoon of mustard as a quick and easy salad dressing.

Subscribe to my free e-newsletter World’s Healthiest News to receive monthly health news, tips, recipes and more. Follow me on Twitter @mschoffrocook and Facebook.  Copyright Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD.

Read more: Aging, All recipes, Basics, Cancer, Cholesterol, Diet & Nutrition, Eating for Health, General Health, Healthy Aging, Healthy Schools, Heart & Vascular Disease, High Blood Pressure, Michelle Schoffro Cook, Natural Remedies, News & Issues, Smart Shopping, cardiovascular disease, Dr. Cook, fatty acids, health food, healthy eating, healthy fats, healthy living, healthy recipe, heart disease, increase longevity, inflammation, longevity, mediterranean diet, Michelle Schoffro Cook, Mortality, olive oil, olives, Omega 9, recipe, salad dressing, salad dressing recipes, superfood, World's Healthiest News

Source : care2[dot]com

High Fiber Diet IS NOT Only for Weight Loss

Fiber is a very useful piece of food products and if we use them correctly, they can only bring us benefits

Plants are richest in fiber. There are animal products in which they are non-existent, so fiber diet focuses mostly on fruits, vegetables and cereals. And without being on a special diet, our menu has to be rich in fiber. Positive qualities are that food present fiber has fewer fats.

6 Benefits of Oatmeal

Do not increase the amount of fiber extremely from the first day.

Fibers help us to fight with gastrointestinal problems, prevent hemorrhoids and are a good prevention against colon cancer. With regular consumption of foods rich in fiber you will not have problems going to the toilet, which for many people is very disturbing problem.
Fiber can be divided into two types – soluble and insoluble. In foods contain different amounts and ratios of them. More useful to us are soluble because they help us to maintain a healthy cholesterol level and diabetes control.
Soluble fibers form a layer around the food in the stomach and glucose and cholesterol are absorb more slowly by the body. Soluble fiber is abundant in oat bran, beans, lentils, fruit and vegetables in the bark fibers are precisely the crust. Insoluble fibers are useful too. They help to quickly cleanse the colon. Fiber helps us to feel full longer and prevent overeating and weight gain.

Do You Like Broccoli? You should!
Fiber diet also helps you to lose weight and for some health problems, but in all cases it is useful. Foods are rich in fiber and other nutrients and vitamins. In this type of diet you will not feel hunger, typical of some other diets.
How to change your diet?
Eat with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes. Increase the quantity of water intake. It is necessary to reduce and calories. So choose foods high in fiber, but low-calorie. Eat at least 6 times a day at regular intervals, without hurry and chew food well. Your menu should have 35 grams of fiber.
Do not increase the amount of fiber extremely from the first day. Too much fiber in the presence of a sensitive stomach can causing bloating and gas. So forget and any other liquids other than water during the diet because further exacerbate the sensitivity of your stomach. To be effective, the diet must have a minimum duration of one week.
Dried fruits also contain high amounts of fiber; add them to your diet. Avoid dairy products in your diet and choose low-fat ones and combine them with fruits, nuts, bran, seeds. Suitable vegetables to your diet are: tomatoes, onions, peas, beans, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, zucchini, and potatoes (especially fresh and unpeeled). Nutritious foods are pears, apples, oranges, bananas, peaches, allowing them to consume unpeeled. Do not give up meat, but let it be chicken or fish.

9 Foods for Lower Cholesterol
Sample menu:
Breakfast: Skimmed milk with wheat bran may be oats or rye, can only oatmeal without milk. Half the fruit according to your preferences
Between breakfast and lunch, eat oat biscuits and drink water as much as you want.
Lunch: Vegetable soup, no matter what the combination of vegetables, it is important that it is mentioned above, bean or lentil stew with a side of fresh vegetables, a slice of rye bread, a fruit for dessert or a handful of dried vegetables.
Snack: half a fruit on request, oat biscuits.
Dinner: Grilled chicken without oil garnished with steamed rice with vegetables, can boiled potatoes, fresh vegetables might sprouts, slice of rye bread. For dessert you recommended fruit, maybe a bowl of low-fat milk with oat bran.

Do you eat enough fiber?

What do you want to know about healthy eating?

Source : dailyhealtharticles[dot]com

33 Tips, Tricks, and Health Benefits of Celery

Celery is 95% water, very alkaline, and filled with fiber. Its weight loss benefits are well-known, but you would be surprised at its other amazing health properties.

We consider it a powerfood that should be eaten daily.

13 Health Benefits:

1. Celery has blood pressure reducing properties. It contains active phthalides, which relax the muscles of the arteries that regulate blood pressure so the vessels dilate. Phthalides also reduce stress hormones, which can cause blood vessels to constrict.

2. The fiber is very good for weight loss.

3. Celery is purported to be a negative calorie food, which means it takes the body more calories to digest it than the food itself contains. While this is not strictly accurate, a single stalk of celery still has only a few calories due to being full of cellulose. The addition of celery to your diet will help you tremendously with your weight loss efforts. I consider it so important to weight loss that it is an element in my Weight Loss Boot Camp.

4. Celery contains plant hormones that calm and soothe the central nervous system, which will make your losing weight an easier thing to do.

5. Celery leaves are a source of flavonoid antioxidants zeaxanthin, lutein and beta-carotene, which have antioxidant, cancer-protective, and immune-boosting functions.

6. Celery seed is used to treat colds, arthritis, and diseases of the liver and spleen in Ayurvedic medicine.

Next page: 7 more health benefits

• 1 of 5

Read more: Basics, Diet & Nutrition, Food, Health, Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian, celery, celery root

Source : care2[dot]com