Whole foods: the nutritional benefit of red bell pepper

Red bell peppers are a tasty vegetable can be enjoyed either cooked or raw. One red pepper contains more than 100% of your daily vitamin C needs. It contains significant amounts of dietary fiber and vitamin B6.  It is rich in carotenoids that can help prevent wrinkles and increase blood circulation to your skin, helping it look more youthful and are also great to fight acne due to their carotenoids.

Red pepper contains lycopene a potent antioxidant that protects against the cancerous degeneration of the cells.
 
A red bell pepper is a perfect, low calorie snack that contain few calories, it is well tolerated by diabetics and suitable for the diet of the obese. The fiber in red bell pepper will help you feel full longer, plus you will have a flawless skin!

Consumption Of Banana Maintains Normal Blood Pressure

Consumption of banana is ideal for the maintenance of normal blood pressure and heart function.

Bananas are the best source of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function.

A medium sized banana provides 350g of potassium which helps the body to maintain normal fluid and electrolyte balances in the cells.

``Bananas help restore normal bowel activity, rich in non digestible fibers, help with constipation and diarrhea and normalize the colon's function to absorb large amounts of water for regular bowel movements.

``Bananas have long been recognized for their antacid effects that protect against stomach ulcers and ulcer damage. They help to neutralize acidity, a great way to get rid of heart burn.

``Bananas are a perfect baby food. They are the best solid food to introduce to infants. A mashed ripe banana is an extremely simple and healthy baby food’’

Bananas are easy to digest and rarely cause allergic reactions and could be recommended for children recovering from gastrointestinal problems particularly diarrhea.

The dietary fiber component in banana pulp has cholesterol-lowering effect and also promotes an overall improvement of the functional efficiency of kidneys.

``The benefits that the kidneys derive from bananas are due to the high potassium content present in it.

``A normal intake of potassium suppresses calcium excretion in the urine and minimizes the kidney stone.’’

Bananas are known to calm an upset stomach and help rehydrate the body.

Bananas contain 25 per cent of Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin B6 necessary for producing antibodies, red blood cells and aiding in the metabolism of fat.

The Vitamin B6 present in banana serves as an immunity booster.

Bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that converts into serotonin known to make one relax, improve one’s mood and generally make one feels happier.

Bananas could stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

``Bananas make you smarter and help with learning by making one more alert. Eat a banana before an exam to benefit from the high levels of potassium’’

Hydrate Your Skin From The Inside Out

 

Our skin may be the largest organ in our bodies, but it’s also the last place to receive nutrients. So, if your skin is supple, and looks all dewy and glowing, it generally means that your insides are in pretty good shape. However it is common for your skin to go through phases where it may not look as good, due to dietary changes, hormonal changes and even environmental changes.

One of the things we know for sure is that, what you put in your body matters, so does what you put on your body. Beauty products promising to rehydrate your skin are often laden with toxic ingredients that you probably can't even pronounce. So before you reach for the bottles off the shelf promising rehydration, give these 7 super hydrating goods a go!

Seven Super Skin Hydrating Foods

1. Cucumbers
Did you know that plain cucumber, eaten whole, makes for an awesome snack? Cucumber contains silica, an ingredient that boosts moisture and elasticity.

2. Celery
Another awesome addition to juices, celery is another hydrating food that contains skin-loving silica.

 3. Chia seeds
Chia seeds are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, and foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids limit water loss in skin cells.

 4. Aloe vera
Aloe vera is not only great when used topically, but it will also quench your skin’s thirst when used internally as well. Add a small amount of aloe vera to your smoothies. Too much and it will make them taste bitter.

 5. Water
This one’s kind of obvious, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve a big, important mention. Up to 60% of the human body is made of water. For our body to function properly, we need to be sufficiently hydrated. It’s particularly important to have a big drink of purified water first thing in the morning to compensate for the overnight drought.

 6. Avocado
Another food that is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, avo is a true beauty food.

 7. Watermelon
All fruits and veggies are great for you and your skin, but melons are particularly hydrating due to their super high water content.

Source: Food Matters

5 (More) Reasons to Quit Sugar

Here are just 5 simple reasons to help you rid yourself of the nasty refined sugar lurking in your life! 

1. Blood Sugar Regulation

Sugar consumption directly impacts the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels and can lead to insulin resistance, hypo-and hyperglycemia, pre-diabetes and diabetes. Uncontrolled blood sugar also can cause damage to blood vessels, impacting the health of the heart, kidneys, nerves, and eyes.

2. Immune System Suppression

Sugar suppresses the immune system through decreasing activity in immune system cells that attack bacteria.

3. Mineral Balance

Sugar inhibits mineral absorption, depriving the body of key minerals necessary for health, and depletes the body of magnesium, which is required for proper functioning of every single cell in the human body and essential for calcium absorption and utilization.

4. Brain Health and Mood

If you’ve read David Perlmutter’s incisive critique of carbohydrates and sugar on brain health, “Grain Brain” you already know that sugar has powerful effects on mood and long-term brain health. Additionally, since B vitamins are required to metabolize sugar and carbohydrates, sugar consumption can lead to deficiencies in the mood-boosting B-complex vitamins.

5. Skin Health

Sugar binds to proteins and fats in the body during digestion to create “advanced glycosylation end products” or AGES, which are free radicals that reduce collagen and elastin in the skin, ultimately causing wrinkles and loss of skin elasticity.

Source:FoodMatters