Our hearts are small in size but have a big job. The heart is a muscle that needs to be kept strong through not smoking, participating in daily physical activity, and by eating healthy. Certain foods have been proven to be good for your heart’s health. By eating these foods you will protect your heart and blood vessels and keep your heart in tip-top shape.
Nuts (Nuts for Diabetics) are a wonderful choice when you want food that is filling, good for your heart, and making other dishes taste great! Nuts contain “good” unsaturated fats, they are relatively high in protein, have fiber, contain disease-fighting phytochemicals, and they contain small amounts of vitamins and minerals. Did you know that calcium can be found in almonds? And folate, a B vitamin is found in hazelnuts and walnuts?
Who knew eating the right colors in our meals every day could provide so much nutrition. It is essential to include a colorful variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and dairy on our plates every day. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Sugar Dietary Guidelines) recommend an increased focus on plant-based diets. This combined with lean meats, fish, poultry and low fat dairy products creates a rainbow of colors on the plate that serves as the foundation for a healthful eating plan. Adding colorful seasonal foods to your plate makes for more than just a festive meal; it provides vitamins, minerals and fiber. Choose these foods daily for optimal nutrition:
With the beautiful warm weather, many people are finding themselves relaxing in the sun outside drinking water. But another great beverage to drink that is refreshing, tasty, and healthy for you is tea! Tea (Best Tea for Diabetes) has been cultivated for centuries, beginning in India and China. Today, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world, second only to water. Hundreds of millions of people drink tea, and studies suggest that green tea in particular has many health benefits and may lower your risk for cancer, high cholesterol and Parkinson’s disease.
The most popular types of tea are black, green, white, and oolong teas. All these colorful tea types come from the same tea plant called Camellia sinensis. The degree of processing of the leaves of this plant determines if the tea will be green, black, or oolong. These teas from the Camellia plant are rich in polyphenols, which give each tea its antioxidant properties which can help fight disease and maintain good health. Drinking a couple of cups of tea daily might be good for your heart, cholesterol, bones, digestion and keep you relaxed.
Probiotics (Probiotics for Diabetics) are beneficial forms of gut bacteria that help maintain the natural balance of organisms (microflora) in the intestines. They help stimulate the natural digestive juices and enzymes that keep our digestive organs functioning properly. The normal human digestive tract contains about 400 types of probiotic bacteria that reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and promote a healthy digestive system. The largest group of probiotic bacteria in the intestine is lactic acid bacteria, of whichLactobacillus acidophilus, is found in yogurt with live cultures. Yeast is also a probiotic substance. You can support your probiotic intake by eating foods that are a host to these live bacteria.
Avocado History: On May 15, 1915, in the posh new Hotel Alexandria in Los Angeles, a cadre of California farmers gathered to decide the fate of a new crop. The ahuacate, a pebbly-skinned, pear-shaped fruit, had been a staple food in Mexico, and Central and South America since 500 B.C. In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors fell in love with the fruit after observing its prized status among the Aztecs. Until the early 1900s, this fruit had never been grown commercially in the United States. Is Avocado Good For Diabetics? Read more
Iron is a mineral found in every cell of the body. Iron is considered an essential mineral because it is needed to make part of blood cells. The human body needs iron (Iron Supplements For Diabetics) to make the oxygen-carrying proteins hemoglobin and myoglobin. Hemoglobin is found in red blood cells and myoglobin is found in muscles.
When it comes to knowing the difference between sweet potatoes and yams, it can get confusing! A simple distinction is to know that what is commonly marked as a “yam” is actually a sweet potato that was grown in the Southern United States. Generally speaking, the terms are used interchangeably, but the United States Department of Agriculture requires that the label “yam” always be accompanied by “sweet potato” for clarification. Are Sweet Potatoes Good for diabetics?
Choosing a healthy breakfast cereal (Best Breakfast Cereal for Diabetics) can sometimes be confusing and very time-consuming. The cereal aisle is a long one! There are cereals made with refined grains which mean they hardly have any fiber, there are cereals with more added sugar than some boxes of cookies, and there are cereals made with whole grains and bran that can contain an amazing 7 grams or more of fiber.
Can a whole egg eaten at breakfast raise my blood cholesterol levels? Well, a couple of decades ago, eggs had a not-so-popular reputation and it was decided that the cholesterol in eggs could clog your arteries. Now, more and more research is proving that one egg per day does not result in increased blood cholesterol levels, nor does it increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in healthy people. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 state that consuming less than 300 mg per day of cholesterol can help maintain normal blood cholesterol levels. Plus, consuming less than 200 mg per day can further help individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease.
