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Food

Nutrition

NEWS:

Almonds good for digestion “Eating almonds could help improve digestive health by increasing levels of beneficial gut bacteria. As well as being high in vitamin E and other minerals, almonds are now believed to increase good bacteria in the gut.”

Antioxidant All-Stars for Super Healthy Salads

Chicken Labels Can Be Misleading: 'Free range,' 'grain-fed,' 'natural' don't necessarily mean much

Eat This Fuzzy Fruit for Your Heart “Kiwifruit appear to put the kibosh on artery-clogging plaques in two ways: They help lower triglyceride levels, and they reduce platelet clumping. The platelet effect could be particularly good for your ticker: Although platelets aid in blood clotting, when these cells stick together too much, it could set the stage for a heart attack or stroke.”

Four Food Myths -- Busted

Free-range eggs fail the freshness test (Australia)

Fruit juice tied to modest rise in diabetes risk “They found that an increase of three servings a day of whole fruit was associated with an 18 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes, while a single additional serving of leafy green vegetables cut the risk by 9 percent. However, an additional daily serving of fruit juice increased the likelihood of developing diabetes by 18 percent. While the findings must be replicated, Bazzano said, there are plausible mechanisms by which fruit juice could increase risk. "It's a big sugar load and it comes in a liquid form which is absorbed rapidly," she noted. The findings, the study team concludes, suggest that "caution should be observed in replacing some beverages with fruit juices in an effort to provide healthier options. The same caution applies to the recommendation that 100 percent fruit juice be considered a serving of fruit as it is in the present national dietary guidelines." “

Good Fats - What Are Healthy Fats?

How Frequency Of Meals May Affect Health “It showed that when the volunteers were "one-mealers," they had significant increases in total cholesterol, LDL "bad" cholesterol and in blood pressure, compared to when they were "three-mealers." … Further analysis of the study group showed that when the volunteers were one-mealers, they had higher morning fasting blood sugar levels, higher and more sustained elevations in blood sugar concentrations, and a delayed response to the body's insulin, compared to when they were "three-mealers." Insulin is required to lower blood sugar levels.”

Journey of a cheeseburger: A meal of chips, burgers and cola can make you feel sick. US researchers explain how and why. “Do you feel queasy after eating a cheeseburger and a carton of chips, washed down with a cola? If so, it's not your imagination. These 'foods' are playing havoc with your metabolism, say US researchers. In the hours after a meal, they produce wild swings of blood sugar, blood fats, and hormones. And they cause the body to release dangerous inflammatory chemicals that damage the walls of arteries and predispose to heart disease and stroke. Normally when you eat, enzymes in your stomach and intestine break food down into fats, protein and carbohydrates, and these are absorbed into the bloodstream. It's a slow, ordered, gradual process, say researchers from the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, writing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology last month. But not if the meal is a typical takeaway. They describe what happens to the body in the hours after consuming a cheeseburger/chips/cola combo, and it's enough to make you feel distinctly off-colour. These 'foods' are highly processed, so they're quickly broken down and absorbed. They flood the bloodstream with large amounts of fats and sugars. The sugar from the soft drinks and the flour in the burger bun cause 'post-prandial hyperglycaemia': a big spike in blood sugar levels. This in turn creates a surge of insulin (whose job normally is to keep blood sugar levels from getting too high). Too much insulin is produced and it forces blood sugar levels back down again to well below normal levels (which is why you feel faint, and often hungry again, in the hours after a takeaway meal). Levels of the stress hormone cortisol are raised.”

Juice up your diet “Eating fruits and vegetables helps keep you healthy and protects against disease, but it's not always easy to consume as much produce as experts advise. Fortunately, juices can be a convenient way to squeeze in extra servings. Six ounces -- just 3/4 cup of juice -- counts as one serving of a fruit or vegetable.”

Skip Breakfast, Pack on the Pounds “For teens looking to keep weight off, it doesn't have to be a breakfast of champions, but it should be some kind of breakfast -- and preferably a healthy one. Yet another study is confirming that adolescents who skip breakfast have a higher risk of being overweight. "There's a pretty significant inverse association between how frequently kids report eating breakfast and how much weight they gain over time, and we took into account other dietary factors and physical activity," said Mark Pereira, co-author of the study, published in the March issue of Pediatrics.“

Some U.S. cereals more than half sugar: report

Your Health: Mushrooms offer more than good taste “Mushrooms appear to fight cancer in several ways. For starters, they're rich in disease-fighting antioxidants. Researchers at Penn State University concluded that in terms of dietary antioxidant content, several mushroom varieties are comparable to green beans, red peppers and broccoli. Some scientists believe that compounds in mushroom extracts, including lentinan, prevent tumor growth by increasing the disease-fighting activity of the immune system, rather than by killing cancer cells directly. Lentinan stimulates the production of tumor necrosis factor and interleukins, substances that play critical roles in the destruction of tumor cells. Other ingredients in the Shiitake appear to inhibit the proliferation of new blood vessels that are necessary to support the growth of cancerous tumors. In Japan, extracts of the mushroom are routinely administered to cancer patients to bolster immunity and to reduce the unwelcome side effects of cancer treatment. The results of several clinical trials revealed that Shiitake extracts can shrink tumor size and prolong life in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.”

ARTICLES:

A Spud for Better Blood Sugar? “Unsteady blood sugar is a big-time risk factor for diabetes. And, because of their high glycemic index, white potatoes -- be they russet or Idaho -- can send blood sugar levels soaring and then crashing. Sweet potatoes, on the other hand? They have a lower glycemic index than white potatoes. And the carotenoids in sweet potatoes may help your body use insulin better -- although further study is needed to confirm this.”

All Substitutes Are Not Equal

Canola Oil for Popcorn?

Hot off the Grill: Great Food That's Also Good for You

The Nut Case “The FDA includes six nuts in its qualified health claim, but a few others didn't make the cut, including Brazils, macadamias, and cashews. These nuts have relatively high levels of saturated fat, which over time can clog arteries and lead to heart disease. It's also a good idea to steer clear of prepackaged nut mixes, which are often coated in oils and salt. Instead, buy the following types of nuts raw and toast them in the oven or on the stove top to bring out their full, rich flavor.”

Top 5 Foods for Women

Whole grains: Hearty options for a healthy diet

JOURNAL ARTICLES:

Dietary Patterns and Risk of Mortality From Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, and All Causes in a Prospective Cohort of Women (Circulation 2008)

Mediterranean diet: Choose this heart-healthy diet option “Key components of the Mediterranean diet include: Eating a generous amount of fruits and vegetables. Consuming healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil. Eating small portions of nuts. Drinking red wine, in moderation, for some. Consuming very little red meat. Eating fish on a regular basis. “

Phytochemical composition of nuts. (Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008)

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