Powerful Protein Sources That Can Make You Healthy (and Thin!)

Protein builds you up. Growth and repair are protein’s major roles: Your body uses the protein you take in as food to build cells, synthesize new proteins, and keep your tissues healthy. Eating adequate protein supports your physique and satisfies your appetite.

This post is on Healthwise

By Wendy Warner and Kellyann Petrucci from Boosting Your Immunity For Dummies

Protein is a nutritional powerhouse in that it provides important immune-boosting nutrients — essential fatty acids (good fats), vitamins, and minerals. Among these minerals is zinc, which helps in the production of infection-fighting white blood cells. Even a mild deficiency in zinc can open the door to many diseases and infections. So sufficient amounts of protein are wonderful in supporting a healthy immune system.

Enlarge 1 The protein in meats strengthens your body by building strong muscle, providing fuel storage for bursts of energy, and even helping your body burn fat, which keeps you healthier. Buy the leanest, organic grass-fed, free-range meat as possible. Beef, buffalo, lamb, goat, turkey, chicken, organic organ meats, pasture-raised pork, nitrite- and gluten-free deli meats, and nitrite- and gluten-free sausages are all good sources.	Enlarge 2 Wild meat (game) is the best kind of meat, if you can get it, because it’s full of good fats. Venison, rabbit, pheasant, quail, and even boar are all good choices.	Enlarge 3 Purchase the best quality meat that hasn’t been irradiated with chemicals, which is counterproductive to your boosting immunity efforts. When buying conventional meats, look for food that hasn't been irradiated  (exposed to ionizing radiation to kill bacteria, viruses, or microorganisms). Choose the leanest cuts and trim all visible fats before cooking. Make sure you drain as much of the fats released before you cook.
Enlarge 4 The benefit of fish is that healthy fish are loaded with healthy fats. Purchase wild-caught, sustainable fish when you can. Fattier, deep cold-water fish are your best choices. Salmon, sardines, mackerel, cod, and herring are all great for boosting your health. Tuna packed in olive oil is another choice to add to your grocery list.	Enlarge 5 Eggs are amazing: They’re rich in key nutrients, especially fat-soluble vitamins A and D, and the egg yolk is also loaded with brain food and immune-fighting nutrients. Capture as much of this immune-building nutrition as possible by buying the best quality. Organic pastured eggs have the best fatty acid profile. If you can find a farm that carries pastured eggs, you’re sure to get an explosion of nutrients! Studies show that dietary cholesterol has very little affect on blood cholesterol. Actually, the egg yolk contains choline,which is a natural fat transporter, keeping cholesterol out of the blood! Dietary cholesterol is simply not a good indicator of heart disease.	Enlarge 6 If you choose to eat vegetarian protein sources, the most optimal choices are organic, non-GMO (genetically modified organisms, which have had changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques), plant-based foods. Good choices are lentils, black beans, pinto beans, and red beans because they have the lowest impact on blood sugar (and having your blood sugar spike up and down causes you to become unhealthy and overweight). If you buy canned beans, be sure to rinse them a couple of times before eating. If you’re preparing dried beans, soak them for at least 12 hours before cooking. Rinsing and soaking remove the starch (and salt, if canned) and reduce the gassiness that beans cause for many people. Other possible choices are full-fat yogurt and kefir from milk of pasture-raised cows, high-quality protein powders, natto, and tempeh.

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/powerful-protein-sources-that-can-make-you-healthy

The Fruit that Fights Insomnia and 6 Other Surprising Food Cures

June 1, 2013

Everyone knows that some foods are healthier than others. What’s not always clear is which foods are best for specific problems. When it comes to “food cures,” most of what you read is questionable.

Here is what the science really shows…

INSOMNIA

Don’t depend on warm milk when you can’t get to sleep. It does produce some of the relaxing hormone serotonin, but it isn’t particularly helpful by itself.

Best food: Tart cherries. They’re among the richest food sources of melatonin, the same sleep-inducing hormone that is produced by the pineal gland in the brain. The body’s production of melatonin declines with age, which is part of the reason that older adults often have trouble sleeping. A study in Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that small doses of melatonin—about 0.3 milligrams (mg)—helped insomniacs get a better night’s sleep. One cup of tart-cherry juice or about one-eighth of a cup of dried tart cherries contains roughly the same amount. Sweet cherries also contain melatonin but not as much.

What to do: Eat tart cherries or drink one cup of juice about an hour before bedtime. The juice is very tart—you might want to mix in a little apple or pineapple juice.

HIGH CHOLESTEROL

In the past, oats (particularly oat bran) were touted as the best food for lowering LDL “bad” cholesterol. Oats help because they’re high in soluble fiber, which helped lower my cholesterol by nearly 70 points. But they are not the only plaque-fighters in town.

Best food: Benecol spread…Lifetime Low Fat Cheese…Heart Wise Orange Juice…and other foods enriched with phytosterols, plant-based compounds that can lower LDL by up to 14%.

What to do: For people with high cholesterol, the National Cholesterol Education Program recommends two grams of phytosterols daily. Serving sizes will vary, depending on the food. One tablespoon of Benecol spread will provide a little less than one gram.

Also helpful: Avocado. It increases HDL, the “good” cholesterol that helps fight heart disease. One study found that people who added avocado to their diets had an increase in HDL of 11% in just one week.

CANCER

Many people think of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables as the best cancer-fighting foods. These are excellent choices…but they are not the best.

Best food: Black beans. They’re high in anthocyanins and triterpenoids, potent antioxidants that can reduce cell-damaging inflammation and possibly increase the destruction of abnormal cells.
All beans with vivid colors—such as kidney beans (red), pinto beans (brown) and adzuki beans (deep red)—contain these cancer-fighting compounds.

What to do: Eat at least three cups of cooked beans a week. One study found that people who ate beans more than twice a week were 47% less likely to develop colon cancer than those who ate them less than once a week.

Also helpful: Tomatoes in all forms, including ketchup and tomato paste. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a compound that appears to reduce the risk for prostate cancer. Cooked tomatoes actually provide more lycopene than fresh. But don’t overdo ketchup—it’s loaded with sugar and salt.

MEMORY LOSS

If names are escaping you or you’re always losing your keys, you may need to enhance your diet.

Best food: Blueberries. Studies have shown that patients at risk for dementia have improvements in memory when they eat more blueberries. The berries contain flavonoids and other antioxidants that reduce inflammation. In the brain, inflammation can lead to a decline in memory and other cognitive functions.

What to do: Eat one cup of blueberries at least twice a week. If you don’t like blueberries, you can substitute strawberries, raspberries and/or cranberries.

HYPOGLYCEMIA

This is a dangerous condition commonly associated with diabetes in which blood sugar levels fall below 70 mg/dL. It can happen periodically to some people with diabetes when the drugs used to treat the condition, such as insulin, work too well and cause an excessive drop in blood sugar.

Best food: Apricots. Seven to eight dried apricot halves provide 15 grams of a fast-acting carbohydrate when you have a crash in blood sugar. Fresh apricots also will help, but the carbohydrates (sugars) aren’t as concentrated. And dried apricots are easy to store and take with you.

What to do: Eat seven or eight dried apricot halves as soon as you notice the symptoms of hypoglycemia, such as fatigue, dizziness, sweating and irritability.

Also helpful: Anything sugary, including a small amount of jelly beans. When your blood sugar is “crashing,” you need sugar immediately. Toby Smithson, RD, LDN, a nutritionist who has had diabetes for 40 years, always carries jelly beans. They’re even mentioned on the American Diabetes Association Web site.

Other sources of fast-acting sugars include honey and fruit juices.

STOMACH PAIN

Maybe you ate too much…or life’s stresses affect your stomach first. You could take an antacid, but it doesn’t always help and often causes side effects, including constipation or diarrhea.

Best food: Hot peppers. You wouldn’t think that tongue-torching hot peppers would be good for your insides, but they are. They contain capsaicin, a proven pain reliever that works on the inside as well as externally.

One study, which looked at 30 patients with dyspepsia (stomach upset), found that those who consumed about one-half teaspoon of dried red pepper daily for five weeks had a 60% reduction in symptoms. Hot peppers also seemed to help with heartburn.

What to do: To help prevent stomach trouble, eat meals daily that contain “heat”—from chili powder, hot peppers, hot curry and the like. Or add a small amount of cayenne pepper to hot water for a spicy tea.

GUM DISEASE

Periodontal (gum) disease is the leading cause of tooth loss. Research shows that this infection and/or inflammation of the gums also can lead to heart disease.

Best food: Kefir. This fermented milk is high in calcium (good for tooth enamel). It also contains the beneficial probiotic organism Lactobacillus, which secretes hydrogen peroxide and other substances that help kill the bacteria that cause gum disease.

What to do: Drink kefir in place of regular milk. Two or more one-cup servings daily have been linked to a reduced risk for tooth loss.

Also helpful: Live-culture yogurt. Many brands contain the same strain of Lactobacillus that is in kefir.

Source: David Grotto, RD, LDN, a registered dietitian and founder and president of Nutrition Housecall, LLC, a Chicago-based nutrition consulting firm that provides nutrition communications, lecturing and consulting services, along with personalized, at-home dietary services. He is author of The Best Things You Can Eat (Da Capo Lifelong). www.DavidGrotto.com

Black Beans: A Cheap Superfood You Shouldn't Miss

Thursday, February 21, 2013 by Ben H

 

It’s not that you've never heard of black beans before, it’s just that you probably never considered them “super.” Well, you should. These dark, delicious beans are not only plentiful and cheap, they’re jam packed with many of the most essential nutrients your body needs to perform at peak levels. They are a great addition to any diet. The best part of all, is they are versatile and easy to use in a wide variety of recipes.

From protein to fiber to antioxidants, I’m going to take you on a tour of the nutritional powerhouse that is the black bean, presenting 5 reasons why black beans should be added to the list of superfoods. 

Black Beans for Fiber

I want to talk about fiber... you know, the stuff doctors are always saying we need more of in our diet. You’re in luck. Like other legumes, black beans are one of the greatest natural sources of dietary fiber. Just one cup provides nearly 50% of your daily value for fiber.

Because of their low glycemic index, they are a great dietary choice for those trying to naturally maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Fiber is nature’s regulatory board, helping maintain optimum digestion and absorption of nutrients. The soluble fiber helps absorb water in the stomach, forming a gel that facilitates healthy metabolism of the bean’s carbohydrates.

Fiber is also great for naturally maintaining healthy cholesterol levels, because it binds with bile acids that are used to make cholesterol. But it’s fiber’s role in digestion that is really key. More and more research is connecting healthy digestion with overall health and wellness. It seems the better you take care of your tummy, the better you’ll feel overall. Black beans are a tasty way to add fiber to your diet.

 

>>>RECIPE: Delicious Black Bean Dip

 

 Nutrition Facts Image: Eden Foods Organic Black Beans

Black Beans for Protein

 

Most vegans and vegetarians are well-versed in organic foods benefits, which includes black beans for they’re great source of protein. Protein is essential to human life. It is found in your bones, muscles, skin, organs, blood, hormones and enzymes. Just one cup of cooked black beans can provide you with about 30% of your daily value of protein.

So if you’re thinking about reducing your intake of meat, consider adding a serving of black beans to your regular healthy diet to replace that reduction in meat protein. As an added bonus, black beans have fewer calories and less saturated fat than meat or dairy. In that one cup, you’ll only be taking in about 230 calories and virtually no fat at all, which is why protein is also known to help maintain weight loss.

 

>>>RECIPE: Zesty Aztec Chili

 

Black Beans for Antioxidants

 

Superfoods boast high levels of these free-radical fighting compounds, but the most common superfoods are fruits like acai berries and pomegranate, or even tradititional elderberry juice. When you think of antioxidants, you again probably don’t think of black beans. But “research published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry indicates that black beans are as rich in antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins as grapes and cranberries, fruits long considered antioxidant superstars,”  (www.whfoods.org).

These antioxidant compounds are known as “free radical” scavengers because they help prevent oxidative damage to our bodies. Instead of relying mostly on supplements, nutritionists argue that you should up your intake of antioxidant-rich foods like fruits and vegetables. Now you can add black beans to that list. They are one of the most versatile natural health solutions Mother Nature has given us.


Black Beans for Iron

 

Iron is a trace mineral that is often associated with women’s health, mostly due to the importance of iron for pregnant or nursing women. However, we all need iron for its role in natural energy production. Just like fiber, black beans are a great way to maintain a healthy intake of iron if you are on a low- or no-meat diet (i.e. vegetarians and vegans).

Just one cup provides around 20% of your daily value for iron. “Iron is an integral component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen from the lungs to all body cells, and is also part of key enzyme systems for energy production and metabolism,” according to www.whfoods.org. But again, children and adolescents also have increased needs, so adding a black bean dish to your rotation of main healthy meals is just one of several natural health choices that you can make for the benfit of your entire family.

 

>>>RECIPE: Best Black Bean Burgers

Blacks Beans for Folate & Magnesium

 

Due to their significant amounts of folate (aka Folic Acid) and magnesium, black beans have also been studied for their cardiovascular health benefits. Folate’s role in promoting cardiovascular health lies in its role of helping to maintain healthy homocysteine levels.

One cup of black beans provides about 20% of your daily value for folate. That same cup also provides 30% of your daily value for magnesium, a key mineral that is needed for over 300 biochemical reactions in your body. Chief among those is supporting overall heart health. Black beans really are one of nature's best health nutrition products. As far as general health tips go, adding black beans to your diet is a no brainer.

 

 

 

 

Would you ever have guessed that these little legumes provide so much healthy nutrition? How do you use black beans?

Images:

IowaGirlEats.com

SwansonVitamins.com 

 

Source:  Black Beans: A Cheap Superfood You Shouldn't Miss