Your questions answered for the week of June 4th

Why are apples good for you?

Apples are packed with beneficial substances, such as pectin (a type of soluble fiber that helps lower artery-damaging LDL cholesterol), vitamin C, and other phytochemicals that may prevent heart disease, certain cancers, and also alleviate symptoms of allergies and asthma.  Eat apples raw for vitamin C and antioxidant power to improve the immune system’s ability to fight off infections.  For pectin, it’s best to cook the apples for the release of pectin when the apple’s cell walls soften as they cook.  Use unpeeled apples so you benefit from the insoluble fiber which adds bulk to stools, eases elimination and promotes satiety as well.

-Rebekah K.

Considering today’s fast paced lifestyle, many eat a lot of fast food and other fatty items.  What’s a good way to naturally detox your body and get rid of the harmful agents in those foods?

Fast food and packaged foods are packed with sugar, sodium, chemicals and fat.  A majority of people are used to eating highly processed foods on a regular basis.  Your body has its own natural detoxifying process through the liver and kidneys.  They process chemicals and eliminate them in sweat, urine, and feces.  The colon’s natural bacterium detoxifies food wastes and its mucus membranes prevent bacteria and toxins from re-entering the body.  There are many detox diets and products available but many are so restrictive you can’t maintain them for long, any weight that is a loss is from fluid or muscle loss and long-term use of detox diet/products can cause harm.  Eating clean which is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and complex carbs and staying away from man-made foods can be a major transition and natural detox for a majority of people due to addictions to sugar, white bread, and fast food.  Increased consumption of water, herb teas, fruits, and vegetables and other fiber rich foods and reducing consumption of fats, red meats and milk products will also help you detoxify naturally.  Adding fiber will help the body detox by promoting regularity. 

·         Water helps detoxify by cleaning us through our skin and kidneys and it improves our sweating with exercise. 

·         Exercise improves our metabolism and helps us overall with our efforts to detoxify naturally. 

·         Aloe Vera juice helps detoxify the bowel, neutralize stomach acidity and relieve constipation and gastric ulcers.

·         Apples contain pectin fiber that is great for your gut and detoxifying.

·         Artichokes are a liver-cleansing food.

·         Arugula, watercress, and dandelion greens help protect against toxins and help us detoxify.

·         Broccoli contains sulfur compounds that assist in detoxifying the body.

·         Carrot juice detoxifies.

·         Cauliflower activates detoxification enzymes in the liver, which disarm carcinogenic molecules and helps remove them from the cells.

·         Garlic helps detoxify heavy metals from the body.

-Eric C.

Your questions answered for the week of May 21st

Is vodka high is sugar?

No!  Vodka does not contain sugar.

One 1.25-oz. serving of 80-proof vodka contains 14 g of pure alcohol. Vodka contains 98 calories per serving and has no carbohydrates.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/302499-calories-carbs-in-vodka-alcohol/#ixzz1vXCDOa69

 

 

 

Is orange chicken a healthy choice?

 

Orange chicken from Panda Exress-5.7 oz. serving contains 420 calories (180 from fat), 21 grams of fat (4 grams are saturated fat), 95 mg of cholesterol, 620 mg of sodium, 43 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 18 grams of sugar and 15 grams of protein according to their Nutritional information listed on their website. 

 

This 5.7 oz. serving of orange chicken equals about 1/3 of the recommended daily values for fat and cholesterol, 25% of sodium, zero fiber of minimum 25 grams and it contains a whopping 4 1/2 teaspoons of sugar. 

 

To improve the nutritional value of this dish, you could ask for the sauce on the side so you could limit the amount of sugar intake, ask for chicken that is steamed versus deep fried, order brown rice on the side and steamed veggies to include some fiber or make a similar recipe at home where you control what goes into the dish.

 

Are limes as healthy as lemons?

 

Limes do not differ much in nutritional value from lemons.  They are both excellent sources of vitamin C and provide good levels of vitamin B6, potassium, folic acid, flavonoids, and the important phytochemical limonene that has been found in studies to have anti-cancer effects.

 

Your questions answered for the week of May 14th

What items are good to eat to help lower blood pressure and cholesterol?

Cholesterol levels are greatly influenced by diet, but they are also affected by your genetic makeup. Foods high in cholesterol and or saturated fat increase cholesterol levels. A vegetarian diet, regular exercise, the nutrients niacin and vitamin C may lower cholesterol according to research. Sometimes it may be necessary to take medication. It is also important to eat a diet that is high in fiber.

Examples of good food choices would be; apples, oats, almonds, bananas, carrots, cold water fish, beans, garlic, cinnamon, olive oil, salmon, strawberries, walnuts, barley and brown rice. Add fresh juices, especially carrot, celery and beet. Limit nutrient intake of saturated fats such as lard, margarine, butter and animal protein.

I am only 25 years old and already suffering from thinning hair. Is there a diet or supplement that can prevent this from happening?

Factors that are involved in hair loss include heredity, hormones and aging. In addition to heredity factors that promote hair loss include poor circulation, acute illness, surgery, radiation exposure, skin disease, sudden weight loss, high fever, iron deficiency, diabetes, thyroid disease, drugs such as those used in chemotherapy, stress, poor diet, ring worm and other fungal infections, chemicals such as hair dyes, vitamin deficiencies and pregnancy.

Considerations: Essential fatty acids (flax seed oil, primrose oil or salmon oil), Ultra Hair from Nature’s Plus (contains nutrients necessary to stimulate hair growth), B-Complex (important for the health and growth of hair), Vitamin C (3,000-10,000 mg daily-aids in improving scalp circulation), Vitamin E (200 IU daily-improves health and growth of hair), Zinc (50-100mg daily-stimulates hair growth by enhancing immune function), Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in starch to provide protection for the hair follicles and encourage hair growth, and Biotin (good sources are brown rice, green peas, brewer’s yeast, lentils, oats, soybeans, sunflower seeds and walnuts). It is normal to lose 50-100 hairs a day. If you are losing large amounts of hair, see a physician.