New Year Health Tips

New Year Health Tips

Today, I am going to share few of the very interesting articles on New year health tips for everyone.

While i was surfing online for the best new year health tips for the coming year 2015, I could see few articles that makes me to publish on my health tips blog so that people would be benefitted from reading and following those tips.

Health Tips for a New Year 2015

20 Tips to Help You Keep Your New Year's Resolutions

Once we have put some thought into our vision for the future, and set goals that are based on health rather than perfectionism, then the following simple steps can help you develop and maintain the resolve to achieve your goals.

1. Be realistic.
2. Aim for self-improvement and learning.
3. Line your goals up with your priorities.
4. Set a realistic time frame for change.
5. Focus on self-care and nurturance through the change.
6. Develop your patience.
7. Be honest with yourself - change requires commitment.
8. Look for ways to reduce stress, as it will undermine your discipline and your health.
9. Be prepared to try something new.
10. Be prepared to learn from your mistakes.
11. Celebrate the small steps.
12. Be curious and open to the learning.
13. Look for balance in life.
14. Stay focused.
15. Use self-care and self-reflection to help you accomplish your goals.
16. Look for others who share your goals, and support each other.
17. Have 'safe' people who will encourage you during your highs and lows.
18. Take actions to commit to good decision making.
19. Be non-defensive and open to examining poor decision making.
20. Have some fun along the way - joy can fuel positive change.

Top 10 Healthiest New Year's Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions are a bit like babies: They’re fun to make but extremely difficult to maintain.

Read more Top 10 Healthiest New Year's Resolutions

15 health tips for the new year

Year after year we make resolutions to exercise regularly, eat well, and give up smoking and other bad habits. Following such basic rules can cut heart disease risk by 80 percent, diabetes risk by 90 percent and cancer risk by 50 percent, according to the Harvard Nurses' Health Study.

Read more 15 health tips for the new year

9 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions

Want to downsize your figure? Start downsizing your dishes. Studies show using smaller plates and bowls promote weight loss because they help to curb overeating.

Read more 9 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions

8 Tips for Making and Keeping Healthy New Year's Resolutions

If you are the type of person who makes but never keeps New Year's resolutions, these suggestions can help you make healthy -- and attainable -- goals this year.

    1. Don't abandon the idea of setting resolutions because you have broken them in the past. You may need to simply readjust the type and number of goals you're setting for yourself.

    2. Do be realistic. A resolution to run a marathon by year's end is likely unrealistic for an inexperienced exerciser. Likewise, resolving to stop all your unhealthy habits at once is likely to fail. Pick a safe, attainable goal with a realistic time frame. For example, if your resolution is to eat healthier, begin by eliminating one unhealthy food from your diet at a time, not all unhealthy foods.

Read more 8 Tips for Making and Keeping Healthy New Year's Resolutions

5 Diet Resolutions for New Year

Are you making bold resolutions on January 1 to "eat right" -- whatever that means? Stop trying to overhaul your entire diet in a day! Resolve to think small and you can reach any diet goal -- one focused step at a time. Why not start with these simple tips?

Read more 5 Diet Resolutions for New Year

10 Tips to Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolution

Chances are at some time in your life you’ve made a New Year’s resolution — and then broken it. This year, stop the cycle of resolving to make change and then not following through. If your resolution is to take better care of yourself and get healthy, you will have a much better year if your resolution sticks. Here are 10 tips to help you get started.  

1.  Be Realistic

The surest way to fall short of your goal is to make your goal unattainable. For instance, resolving to NEVER eat your favorite food again is setting you up to fail. Instead, strive for a goal that is attainable, such as avoiding it more often than you do now.

2.  Plan Ahead

Don’t make your resolution on New Year’s Eve. If you wait until the last minute, it will be based on your mindset that particular day. Instead, it should be planned well before December 31 arrives.

3.  Outline Your Plan

Decide how you will deal with the temptation to skip that exercise class or have that piece of cake. This could include calling on a friend for help, practicing positive thinking and self-talk, or reminding yourself how your “bad” will affect your goal.

4.  Make a “Pros” and “Cons” List

It may help to see a list of items on paper to keep your motivation strong. Develop this list over time, and ask others to contribute to it. Keep your list with you and refer to it when you need help keeping your resolve.

5.  Talk About It

Don’t keep your resolution a secret. Tell friends and family members who will be there to support your resolve to change yourself for the better or improve your health. The best-case scenario is to find a buddy who shares your New Year’s resolution and motivate each other.

6.  Reward Yourself

This doesn’t mean that you can eat an entire box of chocolates if your resolution is to eat a better diet. Instead, celebrate your success by treating yourself to something you enjoy that doesn’t contradict your resolution. If you have been sticking to your promise to eat better, for example, reward yourself with new fitness clothing or by going to a movie with a friend.

7.  Track Your Progress

Keep track of each small success. Short-term goals are easier to keep, and each small accomplishment will help keep you motivated. Instead of focusing on losing 30 pounds, focus on losing the first five. Keep a food journal to help you stay on track, and reward yourself for each five pounds lost.

8.  Don’t Beat Yourself Up

Obsessing over the occasional slip won’t help you achieve your goal. Do the best you can each day, and take one day at a time.

9.  Stick to It

Experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity to become a habit and six months for it to become part of your personality. It won’t happen overnight, so be persistent and patient!

10. Keep Trying

If you have totally run out of steam when it comes to keeping your resolution by mid-February, don’t despair. Start over again! Recommit yourself for 24 hours. You can do anything for 24 hours. The 24-hour increments will soon build on each other and, before you know it, you will be back on track.

Read more 10 Tips to Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolution

10 Better-for-You New Year’s Resolutions

Making a New Year’s resolution this year? If it’s to lose those pesky 10 pounds—for the sixth year in a row—why not consider making a new, more doable resolution with equally big health payoffs? Take your pick of these 10 attainable resolutions that you can actually tackle this year.

Read more 10 Better-for-You New Year’s Resolutions

100 Ways to Start Your Year Off Light

Healthy Tips for the New Year

With the new year comes new expectations and goals, often accompanied by the fear of falling off the resolutions wagon by month’s end. Make this year different. Put aside over-blown resolutions and commit to making small changes all year to make this year your lightest ever. The benefits: Lose weight, put a bounce in your step, get some calm in the kitchen, and become a healthier you without feeling deprived.

Read more 100 Ways to Start Your Year Off Light

Special tips to prevent cancer

Excercise to prevent cancer. Image: wallpoper.com

Although everyone has been trying to implement a healthy lifestyle, but due to the disturbed environment due to air pollution, or other reasons, the threat of disease can sometimes come on without notice. 

In addition to heart attacks and high blood pressure, cancer is a disease that is feared because it is very deadly, and not everyone can survive or recover from cancer. But someone who has cancer does not mean always die. Because in some cases there are many patients can be cured and live longer.  

If you want to prevent cancer, the foods that contain antioxidants are believed to fight cancer. Antioxidants can be obtained from green tea, garlic, peppers, and fish. In addition, you also need to avoid harmful radiation, as is also believed to be an appropriate way to avoid cancer.

A few simple things that you can make as tips to prevent cancer can be implemented as follows:

1. Reducing Sugar Intake

Need to know that my friend, the cancer cells are in the body of each person and the cancer cells need sugar to grow. Therefore dude needs to reduce the intake of sweets and starchy like potatoes, rice, and sugar.

2. Reducing red meat consumption.

Beef is one example of a delicious red meat, but red meat may trigger bowel cancer. because red meat contains saturated fat and bad cholesterol. Consume too much red meat can also lead to other diseases such as high blood pressure, and heart disease as a result of increased fat in your blood.

3. Stopping smoking

All smokers are at risk of developing cancer, let's see if the smoke mate in the pack has been given a warning that smoking can cause impotence and cancer. This is because smoking causes most of the body is poisoned. So for the smokers can attack the cancer is not just one part of the body ie the lungs, throat and mouth.

4. Drinking Green Tea

From various studies have shown that green tea can cut cancer risk if consumed regularly. This is because green tea has antioxidants that fight cancer. If you drink green tea, make sure you do not add sugar or milk in your tea.

5. Reduce drinking alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol can increase the risk of cancer, especially for women. For women who frequently consume alcohol it will be more susceptible to breast cancer. Ok .. from now on avoid alcohol

6. Begin eating organic vegetables

Organic vegetables are very good to eat one of them is to avoid cancer. Organic vegetables do not contain pesticides that can help fight cancer. So from now on try to eat organic greens. Now you can buy rice, carrots, or fruit and other vegetables are produced organically and naturally.

7. Begin consuming more fish.

To prevent cancer, the fish is very good because they contain omega-3 fatty acids are very important role to protect against the growth of cancer cells. But do not cook the fish too mature because they contain nutrients can lead to being lost. Make sure you also buy fresh fish from the supermarket or fish market that can be trusted.

8. Reducing red meat consumption.

Beef is one example of a delicious red meat, but red meat may trigger bowel cancer. because red meat contains saturated fat and bad cholesterol. Consume too much red meat can also lead to other diseases such as high blood pressure, and heart disease as a result of increased fat in your blood.

 

                                           Healthy life style can prevent cancer. Image: healthyvore.com

                                          

9. Begin consuming more fish.

To prevent cancer, the fish is very good because they contain omega-3 fatty acids are very important role to protect against the growth of cancer cells. But do not cook the fish too mature because they contain nutrients can lead to being lost. Make sure you also buy fresh fish from the supermarket or fish market that you can trust because of the cleanliness and freshness of the fish that they sell.

10. Regular exercise

By moving and sweating can help eliminate toxins from the body. So to get a healthy sweat you must exercise regularly. Do not attempt strenuous exercise enough to walk or run on the treadmill on a regular basis is enough. 

11. Eating Garlic

Eating garlic very useful because garlic is able to fight cancer at the same time is able to increase the thickness of the body. Koreans and Chinese are known as a nation that likes to eat garlic, and many of the nation's two recipes using garlic as a seasoning. Garlic is also believed to be food to maintain stamina and physical fitness.

12.  Drinking Water

Drinking enough water can help remove toxins in the body. By drinking enough water each day then you can cleanse the body system. If you do not have a problem with kidney drink plenty of water every day, but you need to keep a proper distance when you drink water so your stomach is not bloated. Of course excessive drinking water is also not good for your kidneys and stomach.

Of course there are many other ways that you can carry out to prevent cancer, so you can have a better quality of life. Begin your search for references to maximize search engine such as Google or buy books on health, so that you can get the exact reference so that you are always healthy and happy. Positive mental attitude, smile and enjoy the humor is also a way that you have always believed to make more healthy and passionate, to live a life that is highly competitive.

How to Prevent Heart Attack

Health Tips on How to Prevent Heart Attack

Today i am going to share you the most and the important topic for every human being in their life to live a healthy and a happier lifestyle. The article covers the health tips for preventing the heart attack and heart diseases. Hope everyone will be familiar about the topic and might not known how to prevent heart attack. By reading this article you will be knowing how to be safe yourself in preventing heart disease and heart attacks.

Health Tips on How to Prevent Heart Attack

Taking Responsibilities for your Health

Cardiovascular disease (also called heart disease) is a class of diseases that involve the heart, the blood vessels. Cardiovascular disease is one of the major causes for death in USA, lasting for 34 percent of deaths, many suddenly and most of them were premature. If you were prone to diabetes, your risk increases naturally. One of the best prevention against this heart attack or disease is to understand the risk and to follow the treatment options. This first step for preventing the heart attack is to take responsibility for your health.

Know your Risks

For Cardiovascular disease, the major risk factor is the age. The person is older is getting affected by the heart attack first.

Stop Smoking

Continuous smoking will leads to heart diseases. It has been published in one of the article that cigarette smoking and second-hand exposure to smoke increase the risk of heart attack and other Cardiovascular disease like lung disease, stroke and etc. Article on  Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking

Maintain a Balanced Blood Pressure

High blood pressure causes heart attacks and it goes without symptoms in most of the individuals. Heredity and the increasing age is the risk of this disease.

Monitor your Blood lipids or Cholesterol

High blood lipids may cause the Cardiovascular disease. Every human body has the Lousy Cholesterol, Healthy Cholesterol and Triglycerides. The lower the Lousy Cholesterol will lead to a heart disease in a human.

Maintain your body weight

It is good to maintain a healthy weight by doing regular exercise. Every day exercise will help you in reducing the heart problems, hypertension and makes you relax and comfort throughout the day.

Drinking Water in Empty Stomach in Early Morning

Drinking water in the early morning is very important for one's health. That too drinking a liter of water in an empty stomach in the early morning is highly beneficial for the human body.

It is really a tough thing to drink water in an empty stomach in early morning as this would lead to vomiting sensation for everyone. But it is our duty to drink at least a liter of water in an empty stomach to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Initially we can drink a glass of water and after that one can increase the amount of water day by day. Article on Benefits of Drinking Water in Empty Stomach in Early Morning

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Sharing with you easy last minute ideas to decorate your Christmas table...

Christmas Health Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle

Christmas Health Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle

Christmas or Christmas Day is nothing but an annual festival especially for the christian peoples on commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. It is most commonly celebrated on 25th December every year. Celebrated among peoples all over the world. 

Today I am going to share you few health tips on this Christmas day that must be followed by everyone to live a peaceful and a healthier lifestyle. 

Health tips for Christmas December 25 

Drink Plenty of Water 

It is good to drink more water that helps in easy digestion for everyone. Only drinking water will helps us in preventing from diseases. So drinking a minimum of 5 liters every day will keep us safe from disease causing germs.

You can read out this article
Health Benefits of Drinking Hot Water in an Empty Stomach in Early Morning

Eat Fresh Fruits and Vegetables.

Always eat fresh fruits that really brings you some energy. Before you eat just wash the fruits and as well as your hands. This will not affect you. Just have the right kind of vegetables at this winter season. Try to avoid vegetables that cause cold on this winter months. 

Following Diet 

Maintain a proper diet by having your food at the right time. Never skip breakfast as this would lead to ulcer and other problems. Try to eat fresh juices in between break fast and lunch as this would help you in keeping your very energetic through the day. 

Morning Exercise 

It is good to start a day with a little warm up or exercise which makes your mind and body fresh the whole day. Morning exercise also helps you to concentrate on the jobs and makes you relax from tension. If you feel yourself not comfortable in doing exercise, just have a little walk, which really helps you. Before walking you can drink some hot water which helps in burning of calories in terms of sweat. 

Sleep 8 Hours a Day 

In this hurry bury world, we need to keep our mind and body relax. This can be done only if you could sleep 8 hours completed in a day without any disturbances. Doctor advice everyone to have a continuous 8 hours sleep at the night. While sleep just keep away your cell phones which would helps you in having a deep sleep. 

Drinking Green Tea 

Drink green tea instead of having a caffeine at the morning. There are many health benefits of drinking a green tea in the morning.

Related Article
Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea

Plan a trip outing

Just make yourself in planning a trip or tour along with your family members to a nice and chill place where you can be much happier.

Hope everyone would be following these simple tips on this Christmas festival to have a happier lifestyle. I wish you every one a very happy and a merry Christmas.

Tips to prevent Hepatitis C

You can prevent hepatitis C. Get special tips now and follow the simple instructions today. 

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C, which is found in the blood of persons who have this disease. The infection is spread by contact with the blood of an infected person.

Instructions

Step 1
Hepatitis C (HCV): Hepatitis C is a serious problem for some, but not others. Most persons who get hepatitis C carry the virus for the rest of their lives. Most of these persons have some liver damage but do not feel sick from the disease. Some persons with liver damage due to HCV may develop cirrhosis of the liver and liver failure which may take many years to develop.

Step 2
You can protect yourself from HCV by minimizing your contact with human blood. For example, don’t ever shoot drugs and don’t share toothbrushes, razors, or other personal care articles.

Step 3
HCV can be spread by sex, but this does not occur very often. If you are having sex you should always get tested just to be safe.

Step 4
Hepatitis C is NOT spread by breast feeding, sneezing, hugging, coughing, sharing utensils, food, water, and casual contact.

Step 5
If you think you have Hepatitis C, ask your doctor for a blood test. Early diagnosis will help you avoid liver disease and/or further liver damage.

Tips and Warnings
• Many people who are at risk for hepatitis C are at risk for hepatitis A and B. Check with your doctor to see if you should get hepatitis A and B vaccines.

*)By dasbootjoe, eHow Member

Healthy Foods To Eat to Lose Weight Fast

Healthy Foods To Eat to Lose Weight Fast

With changing time, irrespective of the age, we have become very prone towards junk food intake, which in the long run comes up with problems such as overweight and obesity. While some people understand that they need to lose weight but lacks motivation, whereas the other group knows the health risks that junk foods brings but continues with their eating habits. However, there is good news for those people who could not control their eating habits. With the healthy ways to lose weight fast, you can keep eating without thinking much about the calorie count. 

There are many healthy foods to eat to lose weight. Let’s take a look at them.

Eggs are very rich in protein content and can replace most of the high calorie foods. You could start your day with an egg sandwich, which would supply a good amount of energy to start a fresh day. You can have a glass of milk, or juice and an egg in your breakfast. 

If you are thinking about healthy eating plan to lose weight, soups are the right alternative to heavy meals and keep you energetic as well. You can have soups in lunch or dinner. Soups made from colorful and leafy vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes, beans are very healthy and extremely low in calories. You can also add shredded chicken or mushrooms in the soup to make it even more tasty and healthy. 

Oats are considered as the rich source of fiber that helps in reducing weight effectively. It is amazing breakfast option. A bowl of oats with a glass of milk could make your morning even healthier. If you want, you can add fruits and dry fruits to enhance the taste of your breakfast. Foods that are rich in fiber should always be included in the healthy diets to lose weight. 

Coming to hunger breaks in between meals, it is better to resist your temptation of having junk foods, instead have some healthy snacks. Almonds, Walnuts are high on fiber content and boost fat burning process. Also nuts are known for boosting memory and enhance hair growth. You can also take a sip from a cup of green tea. Green tea is known for slimming down and reduction of weight. It has a lot of anti-oxidants which encourages metabolism and burns more calories than your think. Furthermore, a cup of green tea with a spoonful of honey, can keep your skin ten years younger and blemish-free. You can also much on fresh fruits, if you are too hungry in between meals.

Articles which may be useful

How to Lose Weight Naturally At Home Fast

Diet Plans to Lose Weight Fast

How To Lose Weight Fast

Salads are again the best source of proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, calcium and fulfill your body needs in just a full bowl. You can add some broccoli, cabbages, lettuce leaves, radishes and tomatoes in your healthy salad diet to get some instant energy minus calorie. 

Now when you know how to lose weight fast and healthy, what are you waiting for? Get a lifestyle that is systematic, eat healthy, go for a brisk walk daily and stay in shape forever.

10 Superfoods Healthier Than Kale

 

In the world of marketing, image is everything. If you’re James Franco or Roger Federer or Taylor Swift, your name and face can be used to sell anything from phones to watches to perfume—even if you’re not necessarily famous for the your tech-savvy, your promptness, or the way you smell.  

In the food world, the biggest celebrity of all might be kale—the Shakira of salads, the Lady Gaga of leafy greens. It’s universally recognized that kale anything—kale chips, kale pesto, kale face cream—instantly imparts a health halo. Even 7-Eleven is making over its image by offering kale cold-pressed juices. And yes, kale has plenty of benefits—including high levels of folate and more calcium, gram for gram, than a cup of milk. (It’s head and shoulders above these items found in our Eat This, Not That! Special Report: “Health” Foods Worse for You Than a Donut.)

Still, kale’s actually not the healthiest green on the block. In fact, in a recent report published by the Centers for Disease Control that ranked 47 “powerhouse fruits and vegetables,” kale placed only 15th (with 49.07 points out of 100 for nutrient density)! Here’s a roundup of the 10 leafy green cousins that researchers say pack a greater nutritional wallop. Read ’em, eat ’em, and reap the benefits.  

 SUPERFOOD #10 Collard Greens

Nutrition Score: 62.49

A staple vegetable of Southern U.S. cuisine, collard greens also boast incredible cholesterol-lowering benefits — especially when steamed. A recent study published in the journal Nutrition Research compared the effectiveness of the prescription drug Cholestyramine to steamed collards. Incredibly, the collards improved the body’s cholesterol-blocking process by 13 percent more than the drug! Of course, that won’t do you any good if you insist on serving them with ham hocks.

SUPERFOOD #9 Romaine Lettuce

Nutrition Score: 63.48

Even more so than its cousin kale, the humble Romaine lettuce packs high levels of folic acid, a water-soluble form of Vitamin B that’s proven to boost male fertility. A study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility found supplemental folic acid to significantly increase sperm counts. Get the man in your life to start craving Caesar salads, and you may soon have a baby Julius on board. (Ladies, this green packs health benefits for you, too! Folate also plays a role in battling depression, so change out your kale for Romaine and, while you’re at it, stock up on these other 8 Foods That Boost Your Mood.)

SUPERFOOD #8 Parsley

Nutrition Score: 65.59

Yes, that leafy garnish that sits on the side of your plate—the one they throw away after you eat the rest of your meal—is a quiet superfood, so packed with nutrients that even that one sprig can go a long way toward meeting your daily requirement for vitamin K. Moreover, research suggests the summer-y aroma and flavor of chopped parsley may help control your appetite. A study in the journal Flavour found participants ate significantly less of a dish that smelled strongly of spice than a mildly scented version of the same food. Adding herbs, like parsley, creates the sensory illusion that you’re indulging in something rich—without adding any fat or calories to your plate.

SUPERFOOD #7 Leaf Lettuce

Nutrition Score: 70.73

The nutritional Clark Kent of the salad bar, this common and unsuspecting leafy green is ready to take its place among the superfoods. Two generous cups of lettuce provides 100 percent of your daily vitamin K requirement for strong, healthy bones. A report from the Nurses’ Health Study suggests that women who eat a serving of lettuce every day cut the risk of hip fracture by 30 percent than when compared with eating just one serving a week.

SUPERFOOD #6 Chicory

Nutrition Score: 73.36

Chicory is a family of bitter greens, but its most well-known member is radicchio, the small red or purple leaf that comes in a head about the size of a softball. It’s one of the best dietary sources of polyphenols—powerful micronutrients that serve a role in preventing disease. A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that people who consume 650 mg a day of polyphenols have a 30 percent chance at living longer than those who consume less than that. A cup of chicory leaves clocks in at about 235 mg (double that of spinach!), so consider adding a little leafy red into your leafy greens.

SUPERFOOD #5 Spinach

Nutrition Score: 86.43

Spinach is to kale what Michael Jordan is to LeBron James—the once unrivaled king now overshadowed by the hot new thing. But like MJ, spinach has a few more championship rings than its more current rival—primarily its position as a top source of biceps-building iron. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a 180 gram serving of boiled spinach provides 6.43 mg of the muscle mineral—that’s more than a 6 oz hamburger patty! Recent research also suggest compounds in the leaf membranes called thylakoids may serve as a powerful appetite suppressant. A recently published long-term study at Lund University in Sweden found that having a drink containing thylakoids before breakfast could significantly reduce cravings and promote weight loss. On average, the women who took the spinach extract lost 5.5 pounds more than the placebo group over the course of three months. 

SUPERFOOD #4 Beet Greens

Nutrition Score: 87.08

Yes, the stuff they cut off and throw in the garbage before charging you an arm and a leg for “beet salad.” A scant cup of the bitter green serves up nearly 5 grams of fiber—that’s more than you’ll find in a bowl of Quaker oats! Researchers at the University of Leeds found that risk of cardiovascular disease was significantly lower for every 7 grams of fiber consumed. Try them in stir frys and eat to your heart’s content!

SUPERFOOD #3 Chard

Nutrition Score: 89.27

Chard. Sounds like “burnt.” It’s not as fun a name to drop as, say, “broccolini,” but it might be your best defense against diabetes. Recent research has shown that these powerhouse leaves contain at least 13 different polyphenol antioxidants, including anthocyanins–anti-inflammatory compounds that could offer protection from type 2 diabetes. Researchers from the University of East Anglia analyzed questionnaires and blood samples of about 2,000 people and found that those with the highest dietary intakes of anthocyanins had lower insulin resistance and better blood glucose regulation.

SUPERFOOD #2 Chinese Cabbage

Nutrition Score: 91.99

Taking the silver medal in the powerfood Olympics is Chinese cabbage, also called Napa or celery cabbage. Rich sources of highly available calcium and iron, cruciferous vegetables like the cabbage have the powerful ability to “turn off” inflammation markers thought to promote heart disease. In a study of more than 1,000 Chinese women, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, those who ate the most cruciferous vegetables (about 1.5 cups per day) had 13 percent less inflammation than those who ate the fewest.

SUPERFOOD #1 Watercress

Nutrition Score: 100

The top dog, the unrivaled champion, the chairman of the cutting board, watercress may also be the closest thing yet to a true anti-aging food. Gram for gram this mild-tasting and flowery-looking green contains four times more beta carotene than an apple, and a whopping 238 percent of your daily recommended dose of vitamin K per 100 grams — two compounds that keep skin dewy and youthful. The beauty food is also the richest dietary source of PEITC (phenylethyl isothiocyanate), which research suggests can fight cancer. Results from an eight-week trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggest daily supplementation of 85 grams of raw watercress (that’s about two cups) could reduce DMA damage linked to cancer by 17 percent. Exposure to heat may inactivate PEITC, so it’s best to enjoy watercress raw in salads, cold-pressed juices, and sandwiches.

Source:  https://www.yahoo.com/health/

World Diabetes Day: Coffee May Cut Type 2 Diabetes Risk By One Quarter

LOVE YOUR COFFEE? New research, published today on World Diabetes Day, shows that drinking coffee can reduce the risk of type two diabetes by up to 25%.
The report, carried out by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) finds that moderate consumption of coffee on a daily basis may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Three to four cups 
Evidence shows that drinking three to four cups of coffee per day is associated with an approximate 25% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared to consuming none to less than two cups per day.
The study, which was carried out in May 2014 with a sample size of 1000 participants, showed that increasing coffee consumption by one cup per day over a 4 year period resulted in an 11% lower risk of type 2 diabetes in the subsequent 4 years.
Those who decreased coffee intake by one cup per day had a 17% higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
Research has also suggested that the time of coffee consumption could play a distinct role in glucose metabolism.

Lunch time 
One prospective cohort study of 69,532 women examined the long-term effects of coffee on type 2 diabetes and found drinking coffee, especially at lunch time, reduced the risk of developing diabetes.
Conor Minogue from the Irish Coffee Council said the study is welcome news for people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes in Ireland.
He said moderate coffee consumption fits well with a healthy balanced diet and can be enjoyed as part of active lifestyle.
“However, we do recommend that pregnant women limit their caffeine intake from all sources to 200mg per day in line with current guidelines,” he said.

Find out if you're at risk of diabetes with this test:

Sources: http://www.thejournal.ie/, http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

POMEGRANATES: THE WONDER DRUG

Pomegranate has been renowned as a superfood for centuries, and has been found to contain vitamins A, C and E as well as iron and antioxidants – chemicals which help neutralise harmful oxygen molecules called free radicals. From reducing the risk of prostate cancer to lowering cholesterol levels, Alzheimer's to arthritis, stress relief to appetite suppressant, pomegranates and their many health benefits have been well documented. And if that was not enough to convince you to try pomegranate, the fruit is now being hailed as the elixir of youth.

Researchers from the Probelte Bio Labatory in Spain used a potent new type of pomegranate extract including the skin, pith and seeds of the fruit. The 60 participants were asked to take the extract for 30 days in the form of a pill. The results found a significant decrease in a marker associated with cell damage, that disrupts brain, muscle, liver and kidney functions, as well as causing ageing. Dr Sergio Streitenberger, who led the study, said: "We are very excited about this study which we believe demonstrates that regular consumption of this pomegranate extract can slow down the process of DNA oxidation (...) We get old because we fall apart, cell by cell. One way to look at ageing is to think of it as rusting or oxidizing, a damaging process. The free radicals that oxidize our body's molecules include fats, heavy metals and numerous other chemical compounds we breathe, eat and drink. If free radicals reach the DNA of our cells, the damage is cumulative and significant. Being able to guard against this process would be a significant breakthrough".

But pomegranate appears to have an extra benefit: it cuts hunger pangs.
Scientists say regular consumption of pomegranate extract may reduce feelings of hunger, while increasing the sensation of being full. Volunteers who took a pomegranate supplement daily for three weeks reported feeling significantly less hungry during the experiment than those who had a placebo instead. A total of 29 volunteers took part in the study carried out by Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Half the group took a pomegranate extract, containing the skin, pith and seeds of the fruit, every day for three weeks and the rest took a placebo tablet. After three weeks, each volunteer drank a glass of pomegranate juice before sitting down to a meal of pasta with tomato sauce. The pomegranate extract group felt less hungry (by an average of 12%), had less desire to eat (21%), felt fuller (16%) and more satisfied (15%). They also ate an average of 447 grammes of the pasta meal compared with 574 grammes for the control group, or 22% less. Dr Emad Al-Dujaili, who lead the research, said: "We and other researchers have shown that pomegranates contain potent antioxidants that can neutralise free radicals better than red wine, green tea and commonly consumed juices (...) Pomegranate juice intake can cause a reduction in blood pressure and insulin resistance. The present study shows that pomegranate extract can promote satiety by reducing hunger and desire to eat and enhancing fullness and satisfaction" These results indicate that pomegranate extract consumption may have the potential to assist in the challenge of reducing risk factors for overweight and obesity.

Moreover, research suggests that pomegranate juice could slow the spread of cancer.
Scientists have found components in the juice which stop the movement of cancer cells, and weaken their attraction to chemical signals which cause them to spread.
They found that particular ingredients in the juice - such as fatty acids - slowed the spread of the disease from prostate cancer to the bone. The team from the University of California hope the fruit will have a similar effect on other cancers. Dr Manuela Martins-Green said: "This is particularly exciting because we can now modify these naturally occurring components of the juice to improve their functions and make them more effective in preventing prostate cancer metastasis...Because the genes and proteins involved in movement of prostate cancer cells are essentially the same as those involved in movement of other types of cancer cells, the same modified components of the juice could have a much broader impact in cancer treatment."

One active area of research has looked at the potential heart health benefits of the pomegranate.
Spanish researchers found that pomegranates could reverse some of the damage done by junk food. They tested a new supplement on pigs. The supplement was made with polyphenols found in pomegranates. The researchers first fed the pigs—whose cardiovascular systems are similar to ours—a diet of fatty, damaging foods. Unsurprisingly, this diet damaged the lining of their blood vessels. Damage to this lining, the endothelium, is often the first step in atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries which leads to heart attacks and strokes. After the intentional vascular damage was done, the pigs were fed a daily dose of Pomanex, a supplement containing 200 mg of polyphenols. The researchers said the punicalagin-containing supplement was able to repair the damage. Dr Lina Badimon, of the Catalan Institute for Cardiovascular Sciences in Spain, said: ‘Enriching a diet with pomegranate polyphenols can help in preventing and retarding endothelial dysfunctions, which are among the first signs of atherosclerosis and strokes.’
Though while this study focuses on a specific product, this isn’t the first study to demonstrate the heart-healthy benefits of pomegranates in general – and other such studies weren’t linked to a man-made supplement.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicated pomegranate juice was able to reduce oxidative stress and  plaque on arterial walls. Another found men taking pomegranate juice were able to reduce the plaque in their arteries by 30% in a year’s time. The control group, who didn’t take pomegranate juice, saw a plaque increase of 9%.
Researchers at Queen Margaret University in Edinburg, Scotland found that drinking pomegranate juice could lower blood pressure. In the study, when an undisclosed number of people drank 500 ml (16 ounces) of pomegranate juice a day for four weeks, there was a "significant" fall in blood pressure for 90 percent of the group. Drinking pomegranate juice was also linked to "lower levels of unsaturated fatty acids, which are linked to the storage of stomach fat".

In addition to the benefits on blood pressure, this same research found that pomegranate juice can reduce stress hormone. Volunteers were assessed on mood status using a specialist test. After consumption of pomegranate juice most subjects reported that they were more enthusiastic, inspired, proud and active and all reported that they were less distressed, nervous, guilty and ashamed according to the attributes tested. Research Scientist, Dr Emad Al-Dujaili who led the study said: "On the basis of these findings there is a justified argument for busy workers to drink pomegranate juice to help alleviate chronic stress and maintain good health.”

One other study not related to heart health found that pomegranate juice can significantly improve memory and brain health. In this latest study, subjects with self-reported memory problems were randomly assigned to receive 8 ounces of pomegranate juice of a placebo with similar flavor. Over a four-week study period, the subjects participated in memory tests, MRI scans, and blood draws. Those participants in the pomegranate juice group saw “significant improvement” in their verbal memory tests and their plasma antioxidant levels. They even showed increased brain activity during memory and verbal testing, suggesting the juice helped encourage increased blood flow to “critical task-related” regions of the brain.

Need an idea to enjoy all the benefits of this wonder fruit? Try this

Pomegranate-berry smoothie

TOTAL TIME: 5 min - YIELD: one 8-ounce serving

Ingredients
1/2 cup chilled pomegranate juice
1/2 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt
1 cup frozen mixed berries

Directions

Add the juice, yogurt and berries to a blender. Cover and blend until pureed.

Nutritional information per serving: about 250 calories, 6 g protein, 52 g carbohydrate, 2 g total fat (1 g saturated), 5 g fiber, 8 mg cholesterol, 110 mg sodium

Sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ , http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/
Recipe: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/