Is it okay to eat fish every day?

Government dietary guidelines recommend that people eat fish twice a week. And we know that fish are full of omega-3 fatty acids—which can benefit both heart and brain. But is it safe to eat fish every day? “For most individuals it’s fine to eat fish every day,” says Eric Rimm, professor of epidemiology and nutrition, in an August 30 article on Today.com, adding that “it’s certainly better to eat fish every day than to eat beef every day.”

While it might be safe to eat fish every day, Rimm says it’s still not clear if there is any added health benefits to that level of consumption. “Most of the science isn’t looking at daily consumption,” he explains. “But many, many studies have shown that those who have it a couple of times a week have a lower rate of fatal heart attacks compared to those who don’t eat any.”

There are some exceptions, Rimm cautions. For example, pregnant woman and children should avoid larger fish with longer lifespans—like swordfish and tuna—because those can have higher levels of toxins, such as mercury. There are also environmental considerations—including the risk of over-fishing certain species. “Even to get people eating fish two times a week we need to ramp up fish farming,” Rimm says, noting that some types of farmed fish can be more nutritious than those caught in the wild.

Source: Harvard.edu

Tomatoes

There are two things you need to know about tomatoes: Red are the best, because they're packed with more of the antioxidant lycopene, and processed tomatoes are just as potent as fresh ones, because it's easier for the body to absorb the lycopene. Studies show that a diet rich in lycopene can decrease your risk of bladder, lung, prostate, skin, and stomach cancers, as well as reduce the risk of coronary artery disease. Aim for 22 mg of lycopene a day, which is about eight red cherry tomatoes or a glass of tomato juice.

SUBSTITUTES: Red watermelon, pink grapefruit, Japanese persimmon, papaya, guava

Recipe Wednesday: Oil-less Okro Uziza Soup by 1Qfoodplatter

Recipe for Oil less Okro Uziza soup
2 Chicken laps cut into small pieces
8-10 pieces fresh Prawn
1/2 cup ngolo
Pieces of Calamai
4 cups chopped Okro (1 cup pounded or blended)
1 table spoon Uziza seeds
1/2 cup sliced Uziza leaves
1 table spoon ground Crayfish
Scotch Bonnet Pepper to taste
Chicken seasoning to taste

Method

- Crush Uziza seeds and tie up in a parcel
- Wash and season chicken with salt, chicken seasoning, few slices of pepper, Uziza seeds parcel. Steam in the little water in the pot till almost dry, add more water and cook till chicken is soft.
- When chicken is ready, press the Uziza parcel against the side of the pot to squeeze out the meat stock and some more Uziza flavour. You may wish to preserve the parcel in a zip lock bag in the freezer for future use.
- When Chicken is cooked add about 2 cups of water, ground crayfish, prawns, calamari and ngolo and bring stock to boil for about 5 minutes. You may wish to remove the calamari so it does not overcook. Return to soup when okro is cooked.
- Correct seasoning of meat stock, add the Uziza leaves cook for about a one minute and add the Okro. The pounded version first and then the chopped ones. Stir Okro into the stock properly and allow to cook for about 3-4 minutes.
- Serve with swallow of choice. 

Yoga for the Body and Mind

With all the hype about yoga, there has to be a lot more to it than sitting cross-legged and contorting your body in weird poses. And there is much more. With over 800 styles of yoga described, how can you find one that you might like?

Rooted in Indian philosophy, yoga is an ancient method of relaxation and regarded by many as a spiritual experience. However, in the last five years yoga has become ubiquitous, with independent studios sprouting everywhere and fitness centers incorporating yoga classes into their group instruction curriculum. Although some people still view yoga as a practice reserved for spiritual seekers looking for inner peace, yoga is rapidly being embraced by many Americans as an alternative or additional way to increase strength, endurance and body tone.

In fact, today many fitness experts recognize yoga as valuable part of functional training. Functional training (also called functional exercise) has become a buzz word in the fitness industry, used in programs for competitive athletes as well as recreational exercisers. Functional training focuses on endurance, strength and coordination to allow individuals to maximize performance of everyday tasks.

In a weight-training routine, incorporating deadlifts (a great exercise to strengthen the back and thigh muscles) can help to decrease the likelihood of injury and strain in a simple movement like bending over to tie your shoe. Similarly, yoga can functionally develop the body by improving the body’s ability to interpret and respond to nerve signals sent back and forth between the muscles and the brain. The increased connectedness of mind, nerves, and muscles results in more fluid body motions and quicker adjustments to unexpected situations like tripping over a curb.

Yoga Basics

Yoga practice is commonly broken down into different postures or asanas. The different postures are guided by breath and focus on using core strength (mula bandha) to move energy (prana) through the body. Because there are many different schools of yoga, it can be challenging to nail down which discipline is right for you. Below is a simple guide to the different branches of yoga.

1. Asthtanga and power yoga. Ashtanga is a fast-flowing vinyasa-based (connecting movement with breath) practice with a set sequence of postures. Depending on the teacher, Ashtanga can be a rigorous workout, so be prepared to sweat. Power yoga is a generalized term that emerged in the mid-’90s to make yoga more accepted by western culture. Like Ashtanga, which is considered a “power yoga,” the focus is on moving energy and creating heat within the body.
2. Jivamukti. Jivamukti originated out of a studio in New York City. A challenging class with a fast-flowing pace, Jivamukti utilizes the ashtanga-style, but incorporates chanting, singing readings and meditation.
3. Iyengar. The Iyengar flow is generally a much slower practice, emphasizing stillness and form of each posture. Iyengar focuses on the body’s imbalances and promotes physical alignment and mental serenity. Iyengar practice often incorporates props, such as straps, blocks and bolsters to help a person unable to perform a posture independently, obtain the full benefit of the asana.
4. Bikram. The Bikram, also called “hot” yoga, aims to make you sweat profusely. Bikram classes are held in heated rooms of around 100° Fahrenheit. The goal is to heat the body from the outside in and the inside out. The Bikram practice is a series of 26 ordered postures.
5. Kundalini. The Kundalini practice consists of rapid breathing, postures, chanting and meditation. Using slow and deliberate movements, Kundalini focuses on “moving energy through the body to enhance consciousness.” The term Kundalini is also used to describe an energy of awareness. The theory is that through yoga and meditation one awakens his or her kundalini to discover inner awareness.
6. Kripalu. Also called “gentle” yoga, Kripalu integrates mind, body and spirit in three stages - willful practice, willful surrender and meditation in motion. It claims to promote spiritual healing by evoking awareness of your physical, mental and emotional experience. The class consists of postures that tone muscles, improve blood flow and energize the mind and body.

Most yoga classes range from 60 to 90 minutes long.

With so many styles of yoga, and its growing popularity, fitness centers and independent studios have begun to group yoga disciplines. For example you might attend a class called restorative yoga or athletic yoga. Broad terms are used to help students relate to the practice and get a general sense of the flow of the class. You may also encounter hybrid fitness classes that incorporate yoga techniques, such as yogalates (a combination of yoga and pilates), spin yoga (a class of half cycling and half yoga), and kids’ yoga (promoting movement, physical expression and inner spirit for kids).

Yoga can be a great vehicle for positive physical and mental transformation. Ultimately, trial and error is the best way to determine which style of yoga is right for you. Trying different classes and different teachers can help you find one that meets your needs.

Source: Harvardhealth

This Weight-Loss Trick Is So Easy You'll Wish You Thought of It Before

If you want to shed those extra pounds, invest in a refillable water bottle. Researchers from the University of Birmingham in England recently published a study in the journal Obesity that revealed drinking a glass of water before a meal can actually help you lose weight.

For the experiment, 84 adults with obesity were recruited and randomly divided into two groups. The first 41-member group were told to drink about 16 ounces of tap water 30 minutes before their main meals, while the second 43-member group were told to imagine they had a full stomach before eating.

Not surprisingly, the group who drank water before eating lost, on average, about three pounds more than the other group did. And even more incredible is those who drank water before consuming all three daily meals said they loss almost 10 pounds over 12 weeks.

"Losing a few extra pounds over the course of a year can be significant to an individual, and this could be an easy way to help with that weight loss," said study author Dr. Helen Parretti, NIHR clinical lecturer at the University of Birmingham. "It's a simple message that has the potential to make a real contribution to public health."

While we know staying hydrated is important for our health and body, this scientific study proves that the glass of water you're drinking at restaurants before you eat will also help you save on calories. Go, water! And if you are not completely on board with drinking more water, these fruit-infused variations will change your mind.

Source: Popsugar

5 Reasons To Eat More (Healthy) Fats (Plus A Recipe)

 

There are so many benefits for including more healthy fats into your diet! Its important to include a variety of sources as they all offer a variety of benefits e.g. nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter and oily fish.

We sourced 5 key reasons to eat more fats, including saturated fats to show you just how important they really are:

1. Improved cardiovascular risk factors

Fats plays a key role in cardiovascular health. The addition of saturated fat to the diet reduces the levels of a substance called lipoprotein (a) that correlates strongly with risk for heart disease. Research has shown that when women diet, those eating the greatest percentage of the total fat in their diets as saturated fat, lose the most weight.

2. Stronger bones

Fat is required for calcium to be effectively incorporated into bone as key bone-building vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, meaning they rely on fats to be absorbed and transported within the body. According to one of the foremost research experts in dietary fats and human health, Dr. Mary Enig, Ph.D., there’s a case to be made for having as much as 50 percent of the fats in your diet as saturated fats for this reason!

3. Healthy lungs

For proper function, the airspaces of the lungs have to be coated with a thin layer of lung surfactant. The fat content of lung surfactant is 100 percent saturated fatty acids. Replacement of these critical fats by other types of fat makes faulty surfactant and potentially causes breathing difficulties.

4.  Healthy brain

Your brain is mainly made of fat and cholesterol. The lion’s share of the fatty acids in the brain are actually saturated. A diet that skimps on healthy saturated fats robs your brain of the raw materials it needs to function optimally. Plus consuming omega-3 EPA and DHA fatty acids from oily fish, grass-fed beef and certain nuts and seeds supports memory and is critical for overall brain function. 

5. Proper nerve signaling

Certain fats, particularly those found in butter, coconut oil, and oily fish are necessary for proper nerve function and protection. These nerves influence everything in the body from metabolism and muscle movement to the appropriate release of insulin. There are so many more reasons to eat healthy fats daily, but as you can see with just these 5, consuming a healthy diet that includes a range of fats is important for so many critical bodily functions

Kick-start your day with this delicious Walnut Avocado Lime Pie Smoothie for 1! 

• 1/2  ripe avocado
• 1/2  small banana
• 3/4  cup cold water
• 1/3 cup walnuts (crumbs or halves)
• 1/3 cup coconut milk (reduced fat)
• 2 tbsp honey
• Juice from 1 lime

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth for about 1 minute.

What are your favorite sources of healthy fats?

Source: FoodMatters

Fruits that help prevent cancer

Fruit, together with vegetables, is the most effective anticarcinogenic food. Certain rigorously conducted scientific studies conducted throughout the world have shown that abundant fruit consumption prevents most of the cancers that affects humans.

• Citrus, such as lemons, oranges and grape fruit: Their anticarcinogenic capacity is due to the combined effect of vitamin C, flavonoids, limonoids and pectin

• Plums and apples: these protect against colon cancer.

• Pineapples: Prevent stomach cancer.

• Grapes: The resveratrol they contain, particularly in the skin, is anticarcinogenic

• Blackberries and other aggregate fruits such as strawberries, blue berries, and currants are rich in anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that neutralize the carcinogenic effect of free radicals

• Kiwi , guavas and acerolas because of their high vitamin C content.