Health Source

It has been a long known fact that our bodies need more fiber. Nutritionist and health advocates alike have echoed this fact regularly. Frequently, you even hear commercials advertise that the fiber their product contains is good for you and good for your heart so make sure to buy X product today.

Prunes have many other healthy benefits other than fiber but over the years have been long recognized for being a nutrient rich fruit with lots of fiber.

ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbency Capacity) is a measurement of the antioxidant value of foods. The total antioxidant power of chemical substances as well as food is a test tube analysis of measurement which is known as ORAC. Translating to animals some of these studies has shown that this same antioxidant activity will protect cells and their components from oxidative damage as well as in humans.

Using the ORCA measurement they ranked the antioxidant value in some commonly eaten fruits & vegetables and prunes topped the list. With more than two times the power of antioxidants within the fruit; prunes scored higher then such fruits as raisins or blueberries.

A separate study from a university in Boston found that prunes help slow the aging process in the brain as well as in the body in one of their recent studies.

Would you like to prevent senility? Simply add high antioxidant foods to your diet! For the USDA's Agricultural Research Service has further said if you do so the middle aged and young people may be able to slow aging and reduce disease risk.

We all know fiber itself is very necessary and plays a key role in our daily diets, but keep in mind that scientists have identified over 1,700 other biologically working compounds in foods.

The benefits you get from eating a fruit like a prune or plant based foods in general will come in forms much more then fiber itself. These foods can boast the makeup of well-known antioxidants like beta-carotene vitamins C and A but a countless combination of nutrients play a vital role in fruits and vegetables for disease prevention and the promoting of our health.

As far as humanity has come in regards to the research, to the identification, and to the role of nutrients in our foods today; scientists are just beginning to identify and document their activity in our bodies. Among the fiber in a simple prune many have been documented to offer a protective benefit from these antioxidants.

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Randy has been writing articles for a short time and enjoys health and diet. Reading and now writing about health and diet is an ever growing passion and something he practices himself. If you like crafts like Randy does check out his latest websites at rubber stamps crafts collecting decorative rubber stamps can be very addictive.

Vitamin D 'the key to a healthy heart'

Eating regular food which contains vitamin D may be the key to a healthy heart, it has been claimed.

Denise Armstrong, lifestyle manager for Heart Research UK, said that the issue of whether vitamin D is good for the heart has been debated for years, but the substance definitely plays a factor in heart health.

Her comments come after a report issued by the University of Warwick, showed that middle-aged and elderly people with high levels of vitamin D could reduce their chances of developing heart disease or diabetes by 43 per cent

Researchers at the facility looked at 28 studies featuring 99,745 participants which revealed a significant association between high levels of vitamin D and a decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

"We are pleased that the review has come out in favour of more vitamin D. We advise people to get out, expose [themselves] to sunlight, eat a healthy diet, and make sure they get enough vitamin D," Ms Armstrong said.

She added that the research has verified the fact that vitamin D seems to be "heart-healthy", which was pleasing news.

However, the expert said that supplements may not be the way forward, and instead recommended that people ensure they are regularly exposed to daylight, so that the body benefits.

The specialist added that not enough people are aware of the health benefits of vitamin D, and overcoming this obstacle may be the key to lowering heart disease statistics.

"Oily fish is also a good source of vitamin D and avoid taking a supplement if you know that you are going to be out in the daylight," she concluded.

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Juicing is the process of making use of the juice from raw vegetables and fruits to enhance your diet, maintain or perhaps lose excess weight, detoxify your system, and also to appreciate overall good health and vitality. Juicing can be fun and it also has many health benefits. Juicing for your health is one of the best things that you can do for yourself. Juicing for health and wellbeing is a wonderful preventative measure against numerous medical conditions. Juicing certain combinations of vegetables and fruits is actually believed to benefit people who are afflicted by specific conditions such as cancer. Fresh fruits and vegetable juices are not only delicious but full of vitamins and minerals.

The benefits of juicing will provide a vital force in your diet. Through drinking a variety of healthy, live fruit and vegetable juices, you will notice that you feel better and that your body functions better. You don't need a college degree to understand and experience the benefits of juicing for yourself. There's a great deal of common sense associated with choosing the juicing diet and lifestyle.

One of the most important health advantages of juicing is that it could boost the metabolism. While the majority of people don't consume sufficient natural vegetables and fruits to get the amount of phytonutrients that would really make a difference, it's not hard to drink enough juice to acquire sufficient quantities of these highly effective nutrients. Also, because juicing utilizes raw fruits and vegetables, your body absorbs more of the nutrients than if you cook your veggies. Juices are a great source of water so they are also perfect for keeping you hydrated and for maintaining the body's alkalinity.

The healthiest juices are vegetable juices. Vegetable juices soothe the jaded nerves and work in a very mild manner. Drinking vegetable juices is the gentle approach to ridding your body of toxins. This is because fresh vegetable juices necessitate very little digestion and therefore are rapidly absorbed while still within the upper portion of the digestive tract. The majority of the ten percent of bodily energy normally required for mastication, assimilation, digestion, and elimination is freed up. Vegetable juices are massively beneficial to the body's efforts to cleanse its cellular environment.

A power juicer is an inexpensive kitchen appliance that you could have in your home to constantly encourage everyone in the family to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juices every day. Juice machines of all sorts and sizes are now available to the consumer at very reasonable prices. Juicers allow you to create the exact combination of fruits and/or vegetables that you feel like at that point in time. Whether you've got a cheap juicer or the latest and greatest juicer, juicing a couple of times a week will improve your health and make you feel better.

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Syd Kilbey is a 40-something guy who feels 20-something due in part to a healthy juicing lifestyle. Find out more about the benefits of power juicing on Syd's power juicing blog.

"The health of people is really the foundation upon which all their happiness and all their power as a state depend." Benjamin Disraeli (England Jewish Prime Minister, 1804-1881)

Nutrition is essential for a healthy sustenance of human life. Eating healthy encompasses foods that provide nutrients to maintain a robust lifestyle. These nutrients include protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals. Foods have a direct impact on the immune system, emotions and energy levels. Eating healthy for a healthy living is a prerequisite.

A healthy diet is a whole gamut of foods from the categories of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, meat and beans, milk and dairy, and fats and oils. This food when combined with exercise improves the absolute health and maintains a healthy weight, eating healthy is an excellent way to feel good, gain bounds of energy, in conjunction with the body staying stronger and healthy through an entire lifespan.

Nutrition experts recommend a diet should be rich in fruits and vegetables, because each of them contains different nutrients. A good way to include all of them is to eat foods with all the colors of the rainbow. Green is broccoli. Red is peppers. Yellow is a banana. Purple is eggplant. Orange is an orange. Include dark green vegetables like spinach, collard greens, or kale at one meal, and carrots, sweet potatoes, squash in the next.

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away" as correctly said, Apples provide a huge source of essential vitamins and minerals, therefore, cut up an apple into your morning cereal. Eat peaches with your lunch. Frozen raspberries or blackberries are a yummy dessert too.

Health and Nutrition organizations across the world, recommend 3 ounces or more of whole grains per day. They have the bran and the germ intact and hence, include more fiber, minerals, and vitamins than refined grains. Brown rice, bulgur, oatmeal, and barley are examples of whole grains that can be included in your daily meals.

Meat is a good source of the protein and fatty acids. The USDA guidelines recommend 5 1/2 ounces of meat (includes poultry and fish) per day, choose lean cuts and largely opt for chicken or fish. Eggs are also included in this category, and one egg equals a 1-ounce serving of meat.

It is recommended to add milk and dairy products regularly in your meals. Suitably 3 cups of low-fat/fat-free milk or yogurt, 4 slices of low-fat/fat-free natural cheese, and 6 slices of low fat / fat-free processed cheese must be included in your diet daily. Alternatively, a combination of the above foods can be taken, provided the recommended calorie content remains the same.

Nutrition experts' advice 35% of your daily calories should come from fat, preserved in fats and oils. Consuming oils that helps improve good cholesterol (HDL) and inhibit bad cholesterol (LDL) is essential for a healthy heart. Oils manufactured from canola, corn, soybean, mustard, olives and sunflower promote healthy heart.

These five food groups supply you with abundant ad essential nutrients that your body requires to stay healthy and strong. Even junk foods when prepared hygienically and includes some of these food categories, and consumed in moderation adds to the nutrition value and supplements your body with additional nutrients. Always strive for nutritious food whether it's a take-away or home cooked. Remember eating healthy for living healthy.

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