'Fight Cold And Flu By Eating Right'

Eating the right foods can help prevent getting a cold or the flu. Diet and other smart lifestyle choices will help you to avoid the sniffles, stuffy nose and aches of the cold, as well as the outright misery of influenza.

Food and healthy lifestyle choices boost your immune system, and that can prevent you from coming down with colds and flu. The key is not waiting until you get sick to make these changes; you need to revamp your diet and lifestyle before the cold and flu bugs get to you.

Rely on real foods, not supplements. Foods are better than dietary supplements for the prevention of colds and flu because you get the whole nutritional package. For example, eating an orange is better for you than just taking vitamin C pills because the orange offers you a combination of nutrients -- magnesium, potassium, folate, vitamin B-6, and antioxidant-rich flavonoids.

While we know that vitamin C is important for a healthy immune system, studies don't show that taking massive doses of vitamin C helps to prevent colds and flu at all. Eating fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C will help to keep your immune system strong. Your immune system is what protects you from viral infections, and the foods you eat have a major impact on your immune system's ability to fight off colds and flu. The reason that fruits and vegetables do a better job of keeping your immune system ready is because they also contain vitamins A and E, as well as the flavonoids that work along side vitamin C to keep your immune system and your whole body healthy.

Eat more fruits and vegetables. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables may help keep your immune system strong. People tend to eat fewer fruits and vegetables which is the opposite of what you should be doing. Everyone needs at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day to get adequate vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants -- all things we need for a healthy immune system. Boost your immunity

"You can't underestimate the importance of good nutrition when it comes to your immune system,"  "Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants—these are what keeps your body strong, and without them you're not giving your body the edge it needs to ward off infection."

And am not talking just fruits and vegetables: Foods from every food group are represented here. Make them a part of your diet for your best defense against colds and flu.

One way to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables is to incorporate juice into your diet. Not just any juice will do, though. Make sure you choose 100-percent juices, as other juice drinks contain extra sugar and empty calories.

Make fruits and vegetables part of every meal. Add berries or a sliced banana to your whole grain cereal at breakfast, and drink a glass of orange or grapefruit juice. Pack a bunch of grapes or an apple with your sandwich for lunch, and top that sandwich with tomato slices, avocado, sprouts and lettuce. Start dinner with a salad or vegetable soup, or serve a big salad as a healthy dinner. Keep a bowl of oranges,  apples and pears on your counter top to grab as quick snacks. You can also store cut vegetables in your refrigerator, but remember they'll lose some nutritional value.

Round out your diet with healthy proteins and whole grains. Eat a balanced diet with lean meats, fish, poultry, low-fat dairy, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Protein sources such as lean meats, dairy, eggs and legumes are especially important because they supply the amino acids that your body needs to build the components of your immune system. Eating lean meats also helps you avoid zinc deficiency and iron deficiency, both of which can affect your immune system.

Like the saying goes, you are what you eat, so it makes sense that eating healthy foods can help you stay, healthy. 

Cold and flu season is the perfect time to load up on citrus fruits.

"NUTRITION FROM BOILED PEANUT"

 

 Delicious, crunchy, and nutty peanuts are one of the popular oil seeds known to mankind since ancient times.

Peanuts are members of the legume family, which is the same family as beans.

Boiled peanuts have a high amount of vitamins and minerals and a healthy amount of protein , because of their nutritional benefit and low cost, they are very popular. They also have a high amount of fat, but the good fat (unsaturated) outweighs the bad fat.

 one cup of salted boiled peanuts (includes all types of peanuts) gives you 200 calories, which is 10 percent of your daily calories needs if you are on a 2,000-calorie diet. 54.8 of the calories come from carbohydrates, 116 are from fat, and 29.5 of them are from protein. A cup has 21 percent of your daily fat needs, making the majority of calories come from fat. A little less than half of it is saturated fat. Calories from protein account for 17 percent of your daily protein need, and carbohydrate calories account for 4 percent of your daily carbohydrate need. 

Peanuts are an excellent source of resveratrol, another polyphenolic antioxidant. Resveratrol has been found to have protective function against cancers, heart disease, degenerative nerve disease, Alzheimer's disease, and viral/fungal infections.

One cup of boiled peanuts has several vitamins and minerals within a 2,000-calorie diet. It has 13 percent of your vitamin E needs for the day, 11 percent thiamin (vitamin B1), 17 percent vitamin B6, and 12 percent of your folate needs. A cup of boiled peanuts also has 16 percent of your magnesium needs, 12 percent phosphorous, 20 percent sodium, 16 percent copper and 32 percent of your manganese needs. Each component contributes to the body's well-being and function, from the antioxidant properties of vitamin E to the nervous and immune system support provided by vitamin B6. 

The nuts are an excellent source of vitamin E (a-tocopherol);  vitamin E is a powerful lipid soluble antioxidant which helps maintain the integrity of cell membrane of mucus membranes and skin by protecting from harmful oxygen free radicals.

Boiled peanuts  they are also a good source of fiber. One cup of boiled peanuts has 6 g of fiber, which is 22 percent of the daily need for a 2-000-calorie diet. Another benefit is that boiled peanuts do not have any cholesterol.Boiled peanuts are satiating, but will not make you feel overly full.

Boiled peanuts are a good source of the mineral zinc. Zinc is essential for neurological function, energy metabolism, immune system function and wound healing. A 1-cup serving of boiled peanuts in the shell provides 1.15 mg of zinc. Men need 11 mg of zinc daily and women need 8 mg.

The peanuts are cooked in one of two ways: boiled or pressure cooked. The high water absorption during the boiling process keeps the calories lower than in dry-roasted peanuts.

Recent research studies suggest that boiling enhances antioxidant concentration in the peanuts. It has been found that boiled peanuts have two and four-fold increase in isoflavone antioxidants biochanin-A and genistein content, respectively. (Journal of agricultural and food chemistry).

 Just a hand full of peanuts per day provides enough recommended levels of phenolic anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins, and protein.

Boiled peanut, which is in season are popular now, on the Nigerian street. I went on the street to hear what people had to say about boiled peanuts

'Its mild chewing, easy swallowing, doesn’t inflict pimple or reactions unlike the fried one, sweet when prepared properly, it serves as a meal because when I consume reasonably in large quantum, its fills me up'

Other opinions were because of its low cost, its serves as food mostly lunch,  it keeps them occupied during work hours 

Boiled peanuts!!!!  Oh, the memories they bring back of sitting around my grandmothers kitchen table with a large bowl of them in the middle of the table and a paper towel in front of me on which to put the empty shells.  I would have the salty peanut juice running down my arms to my elbows, but stopping to clean myself up was not conceivable. The object was to crack the shells and shovel the soft peanuts into my mouth as fast as I could go.  Everyone else at the table was doing the same thing and the unspoken rule was that everyone’s empty shell pile had to be the same size. 

Understanding Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is one of the most important measures of your long term health, if not the most important. More than your weight, the range of your blood pressure can give you a quick picture of your health future. In short, blood pressure is the measure of force against your blood vessels, the passages that transport nutrients and keep you alive. It is important to understand blood pressure and what lifestyle choices you can adopt to keep blood pressure in a safe range.

Measurements of blood pressure are reported as two numbers:

•     Systolic pressure, or pressure when your heart is beating

•     Diastolic pressure, or pressure when your heart is at rest

-Normal blood pressure is when your blood pressure is lower than 120/80mmhg

-Hypertension is when you blood pressure is 140/90mmhg or above most of the time

-If your blood pressure numbers are 120/80, or higher, but below 140/90, it is called pre-hypertension

 The Risks of Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

High blood pressure causes damage to your veins and arteries. The repair of damage is never perfect, leaving scaring and potential sites for plaque buildup. The result, called Atherosclerosis, is increasingly smaller passages for blood and higher blood pressure, creating a vicious cycle of increasing blood pressure and blood vessel damage. Via this arterial damage, high blood pressure leads to strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, arterial aneurysm, and chronic renal failure.

 

 Controlling Hypertension

 Blood pressure can be controlled by maintaining a healthy body weight, eating a balanced diet and using medication appropriately if prescribed by a doctor. Eating lots of vegetables and fruit, moderating alcohol intake, adopt a form of exercise which you can keep, and cutting back on sodium [salt] can also help. Further, methods should be practiced to reduce stress in your everyday life. Activities from taking a walk can help to reduce stress and lower blood pressure. 

Since high blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease, it is important to have your blood pressure checked regularly and take steps to keep blood pressure within a healthy range.

Visit a dietitian to help you manage your diet adequately.

Papaya 'Activates The Digestive Process'

 There are many papaya benefits for your health and this beautiful orange/yellow tropical fruit is proof that nutritious food can also have an amazing taste.

Papaya, also known as pawpaw, is a rich source of antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and special digestive enzymes that have a remarkable effect both internally and externally.

If you’d like to improve your skin, relieve digestion problems, protect your eyes and heart and possibly lower your risk of many diseases like cancer, then consider the many benefits of eating papaya. 

Papaya is Good for Your Eyes

Along with its beta-carotene content that can be converted to vitamin A, so important to healthy eyes and vision, papaya also contains the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin.

Lutein and zeaxanthin, known as xanthophylls, are concentrated in the macular region of our eyes. Here they provide protection against high energy blue light that can damage our eye’s retinas. A good intake of both lutein and zeaxanthin is believed to significantly reduce our risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) 

The high levels of lutein and zeaxanthin in papaya may also protect us against developing cataracts, glaucoma, and other chronic eye diseases. Other good sources of lutein and zeaxanthin are pumpkins, spinach, broccoli and the yolks from free range eggs.

Skin Protection 

Ripe papaya is a great source of antioxidant vitamin C, vitamin E and carotenoids like beta-carotene and lycopene. The high levels of these valuable nutrients can help protect your skin against free radicals known to cause damage that leads to wrinkles and other visible signs of aging.

The enzyme papain in the flesh and skin of the fruit actually breaks down dead skin cells and helps promote skin renewal when used topically on the face or body. Papaya facial treatments are a popular way to improve your skin’s texture, elasticity and appearance. They may also help with wound healing and burns and even assist in the treatment of skin problems like acne, blemishes and age spots.

 Heart Disease and Papaya

The high levels of vitamin C and vitamin E along with antioxidants like beta-carotene and lycopene in pawpaw can help reduce the oxidization of cholesterol in our arteries. Cholesterol oxidization is considered a dangerous process, potentially leading to arteries blocked with plaque that can result in heart attacks. Increasing your intake of these antioxidants from health foods like papaya may help improve blood flow to the heart and reduce your risk of developing heart disease.

Papaya is a good source of folate which helps control homocysteine levels in the bloodstream. High levels of homocysteine in the blood is known to damage blood vessels and is considered another potential cause of cardiovascular disease.

The beneficial fiber in papaya can also help lower undesirable LDL cholesterol levels in the blood by inhibiting its absorption during digestion. This is yet another way eating this amazing superfood can help protect us from heart disease and stroke.

Papaya Benefits Improve Digestion

The enzymes in papaya, and especially the green fruit, can improve digestion by breaking down proteins into their individual amino acids. Undigested proteins can lead to many health issues, such as gastrointestinal problems and an overgrowth of flatulence causing bacteria in the colon.

The proteolytic enzyme papain found in papaya is actually so good at breaking down proteins, similar to pepsin in gastric juice. Its primary source is the leaves of the papaya tree or its unripe fruit. Papain is greatly reduced in ripe papayas

Papaya and Cancer Prevention

There are several important compounds that may make papaya a very beneficial superfood for reducing your risk of developing certain types of cancers. Obviously seek the advice of a knowledgeable health care professional when dealing with any serious disease. But also know that nutritious foods can support the body’s natural defenses and, in the case of papaya, may have certain nutrients of particular relevance for reducing cancer risk.

Once again, the rich antioxidant content of papaya, particularly lycopene, beta-carotene and another less well known carotenoid called beta-cryptoxanthin, are particularly beneficial in reducing your risk of developing cancer.

Proteolytic enzymes in papaya can digest the fibrin protein layer of cancer cells that usually surrounds and protects them. This may leave the cancerous cells more susceptible to the body’s immune response. It is also believed to hinder its growth and inhibit the cancer from spreading.

The fruit also contains compounds called isothiocyanates that may help prevent cancer by eliminating potential carcinogens from our bodies and enhancing the action of tumor suppressing proteins. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli are an even richer source of isothiocyanates, but papaya is still a good source.

Recent research has studied the powerful cancer cell killing effects of compounds found in papaya leaves.