Daily Health Care

Posts Tagged ‘healthy tips’

We all know that fried foods are prepared in which most fat and produce more cholesterol. In short, nutritionists recommend avoiding cooking fried food is best to make Grilled, boiled or steamed. Fried foods are fatty foods, and caloric indigestible. However, it is possible to produce lighter fried home and make nutritious delight the whole family. It’s so easy to choose healthy ingredients, a good oil and follow some simple tips.

The fries are widespread because they are easy to prepare, can be taken as snacks, to accompany a dinner or even stop developing entrees, without excessive fat. The famous cakes prepared with ham, chicken, egg or cheese, can be healthier if we change other ingredients such as turkey, rice and vegetables, potatoes and mushrooms, peppers, spinach, carrots or any vegetable.

Add vegetables to the diet to replace animal ingredients, reduce the calorie content of many dishes and increase nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fiber. The selection of fried seafood (mussels, cod, shrimp) is more accurate to fry meat, they are a good source of quality protein and healthy fats rich in omega 3 fatty acids, in the case of blue fish.

The leaves are very good (breaded, stuffed with anchovies, with peppers or ham and cheese), fried cauliflower with white sauce or spinach pies. All these recipes can be prepared in fried but are much healthier. Read the rest of this entry »

Your food choices can modulate their emotions and brain power, say experts. Perhaps the old saying you are right: the heart of man is attained through the belly.

The breads and other foods high in carbohydrates can make you smile, while fish and meat are high in protein may help get the maximum grade on a test, according to research suggesting that what we eat changes how we think and feel.

“You can manipulate your mood and mental acuity just by what you eat and when it does, and such effects can happen very quickly,” said Dr. Judith Wurtman, research scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of Managing Your Mind and Mood Through Food (Managing your mind and mood with food).

She and her husband, Dr. Richard Wurtman (also of MIT) have studied the relationship between food and mood during the past 30 years.

According to Wurtman, the news that carbohydrates can raise the spirits first emerged a dozen years ago, in studies conducted with women suffering from premenstrual syndrome.

“Eating carbohydrates have a profound and dramatic effect in improving mood,” said Wurtman. “I mean the anger, irritability, depression, difficulty concentrating and mental confusion. We find that such changes in mood could be reversed with carbohydrate-rich foods in about 30 minutes.”

Carbohydrates can do little to change serious clinical depression, but does seem to help battle the everyday sorrows small, he said. He noted that the reason could be simple: the body uses carbohydrates to manufacture serotonin, the main regulator of emotion in the brain. “The carbohydrates you eat and produce serotonin, the inconvenience of the moods that you may have can disappear, at least for a while,” he said.

However, there is a problem: eating a fatty food with carbohydrates makes the slower digestion and inhibits the response of welfare. “So if you really want to feel better, try carbohydrates, but something like a fat cereal for breakfast instead of a slice of bread smeared with [fatty] peanut butter,” Wurtman advised.

And what about protein? Wurtman noted that the science on it is a bit less solid.

“However, my husband discovered years ago that one of the amino acids in the protein, called tyrosine, it does increase the synthesis of two key chemicals in the brain, norepinephrine and dopamine, chemicals that we call the ‘brain alert’ he said. For this reason, Wurtman recommends high-protein diets for people who face long periods of mental effort, like preparing for an important exam. “These will help to replenish those chemicals in your brain,” he said.

The researcher noted that there are many myths about specific foods and their effects on emotions. The main myth is the supposed effect hiperactivante sugar.

Food items that are grouped according to their characteristics, must be consumed in a specified amount over a week to get a balanced diet.

1. Fruit
Fruit. Should be consumed daily for two to three pieces. Fruit should be eaten daily. Do not be lacking in our diet at least one or two pieces of fruit a day, although the ideal is three pieces.

In case of small fruit such as cherries or grapes a piece equivalent to a cup of fruits. In the case of fruits like watermelon or melon, a piece equivalent to a cut of about two or three fingers wide. The juices Provide all the vitamins and minerals from the fruit but lack the fiber that makes the whole fruit.

2. Vegetables
The vegetables should be consumed daily and use the variety of vegetables that nature offers us. The best way to exploit all the vitamins and minerals is taking them in oil, alone or in salad.

Baked or grilled is another delicious option. If we do well to boil water to make soup because it contains many minerals are vegetables. The average amount per day is a dish or a 300 gr.

3. Milk and dairy
Milk and milk products must be consumed daily as they are the largest source of calcium and the best allies to maintain and increase our capital bone.

The daily intake should be of a liter per day (4 glasses), and three glasses in the case of calcium-enriched milk. They also provide the same 125-calcium yogurt eight gr. With this consumption from childhood avoiding the onset of osteoporosis.

4. Pulses
The vegetables should be eaten two to three times a week. Provide carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Mixed with cereal protein intake achieves a high biological quality.

Although it is a winter food itself is not ruled out its use as summer salads. The average amount each time is right around 80 deg. raw. Can be taken even in slimming diets, since they increase the feeling of satiety. That yes, without adding fat (bacon, sausage, etc.).. Their role in colon cancer prevention is essential.

5. Eggs
The eggs have been a little unfairly accused of raising cholesterol levels. The truth is that food is a pretty full which makes a lot of protein and vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E, B1, B2 and iron. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an average consumption of three to four eggs a week.

This in countries like Spain with a long tradition in the consumption of eggs, both fresh and processed products (cakes, pastries, custards, flan, etc..), It is difficult to put into practice.

6. Meat and fish
The meat should be consumed two or three times a week and caught a four or five times, both white and blue. The latter are very rich in Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that help prevent cardiovascular disease.

They are a major source also protein, vitamin B12 and iron in our diet. The average amount of each portion is advisable to 150-200 gr. The fatty meats should be reduced because they provide large amounts of saturated fats that damage your cardiovascular system.

7. Sugars fast and slow
Slowly absorbed sugars should be eaten daily. Foods that contain them are bread, potatoes, pasta, rice and cereals. These release sugar slowly, keeping the feeling of fullness and preventing surges in blood sugar and overloading of the pancreas.

Rapidly absorbed sugars or refined to be avoided where possible. The sugar, cakes, pastries, pastries are foods like almost everyone, are easy to eat and satisfy hunger quickly. However their sugar passes too quickly into the blood may prove stressful to the pancreas.

8. Oils
Fats and oils should be eaten in moderation. They are much healthier vegetable fats especially olive oil, so these are preferable to animal fats. There are plant fats that do not provide the healthful properties of the remaining vegetable oil such as coconut and palm.

9. Water
Water does not add calories but it is absolutely essential for the maintenance of life. An adequate water supply ensures the proper functioning of all organs and systems. Also promotes weight loss in slimming diets and prevents constipation.  The recommended amount is about two liters of water a day.