Foodviki: November 2015

Decoration

Christmas Food Decoration Part 2– Milky Way Sleighs

November 28, 2015

Decoration

Christmas Food Decoration Part 1-CHRISTMAS TREE WAFFLES

November 28, 2015

Drink

Benefits of Drinking Pineapple Water on an Empty Stomach

November 28, 2015

Food

Why You Need To Eat Frozen Blueberries?

November 28, 2015

One of the healthiest foods which contain fiber, antioxidants, and nutrients are blueberries. Not too many people know that when they are frozen, they become healthier. You can benefit a lot from introducing blueberries in your diet, for they are one of the best fruits you can consume. These amazing fruits are extremely high in antioxidants, nutrients and fiber. However, probably only a few of you knew that by freezing them you can make them even healthier.

When they are frozen the amount of anthocyanins are doubled. Those are elements with anti-inflammatory properties and also have anticancer properties.The plain truth is that blueberries possess so many health benefits that it is simply impossible to list them all.

And the secret behind their even doubled value when frozen is that freezing increases the concentration of anthocyanins in them.Anthocyanins are natural anti-inflammatory chemicals that are believed to have anticancer properties. The amount of anthocyanins grows once you freeze berries.

Some of the Benefits Of Blueberries

Advantages in the digestive tract

Blueberries are not only an excellent source of fiber because of which the digestive system works regularly, but they also have abundance if antioxidants which protect the digestive tract from damage.

It is a fact that our overall health depends on good digestion. Due to frozen blueberries’ benefits for digestion, you will have a lower risk of developing colon cancer.

Improved motor functions

We all know that the more we invest in our health now, the more it will pay off later. It is highly advisable to start eating frozen blueberries as soon as possible in order to protect your body and brain during aging.

Moreover, over the years, older people have a greater risk of loss of motor functions, so it is extremely useful to consume frozen blueberries. Thus, one has the opportunity to improve motor functions and reduce the risk of cognitive problems.

Healthy heart

One of the best properties of frozen blueberries is their ability to keep the heart healthy. By consuming frozen blueberries you will reduce the risk of heart diseases, strengthen the arteries, and as a result of that, blood pressure will maintain healthy and stable.

Reducing the risk of dementia

The risks of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia which come with aging can be minimized by consuming frozen blueberries. It comes as a result of the anthocyanins found in frozen blueberries.

These miraculous ingredients improve the function of memory, which makes it easier to remember memories. In addition, they support neuronal connections in the brain. The more neural connections you have when you grow old, the more you will be protected from cognitive problems.

They protect the nervous system

The regular consumption of these amazingly healthy berries leads to protection of the nervous system from damage. Frozen blueberries provide health and strength to the nervous system.

Source: www.healthfoodstar.com

Drink

Healthy Smoothies for Diabetics

November 28, 2015

Try these smoothies for diabetics. Eating healthful, balanced meals can help maintain a steady blood sugar level and smoothies can be a part of this balance. There are even some recommended super foods that are particularly good for controlling blood sugar and they all work well in smoothies. Of course, it is important that you discuss any lifestyle changes, such as your diet, with your doctor.

If you plan them well, smoothies can be a healthy part of a diabetic diet. In fact, there are certain foods that are great for regulating blood sugar levels and smoothies are a fun and easy way to make sure you eat them every day. According to the American Diabetes Association, super foods for diabetics are those that have a low-glycemic index rating and that contain important nutrients including fiber, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and E.

Green, leafy vegetables

These are a super food for everyone, not just diabetics and the darker the green color, the better. Choose Spinach or kale for your smoothie, as they have a mild flavor that you can cover up with other ingredients.

Berries

Any type of berry, including strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and more, are great for diabetics because although they taste sweet, they rate low on the glycemic index. They are also high in fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients.

Citrus

Another great ingredient for smoothies, citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, are rich in vitamins. Use whole fruits rather than juices to get the benefits of the high fiber content.

Nuts and natural nut butters

Nuts are high in fiber, magnesium, and healthy fats. They are also a good source of protein and can help you feel fuller longer if you are trying to lose weight. Use natural nut butters, like almond or peanut butter, or whole raw nuts in your smoothies for creaminess and flavor.

Dairy

Yogurt and milk are good choices for a diabetic smoothie. They provide a good source of protein, vitamin D, and calcium.

Whole grains

Whole grains are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein and they are low on the glycemic index scale. They may not be your first choice in a smoothie recipe, but you can blend them in to add nutrition, a smooth texture, and minimal extra flavor. Whole, rolled oats work particularly well.

Diabetic Friendly Smoothies for you

There are a few other super foods recommended by the American Diabetic Association, which you may or may not want to try in a smoothie recipe. Beans are great for providing fiber, vitamins, and protein and for filling you up for a long period of time.

White beans have a particularly mild flavor, so you can add a quarter to a half a cup to a smoothie to give it a creamy texture. Balance it with something flavorful, like cacao or coconut milk. Sweet potatoes are also recommended for their low-glycemic index rating, high fiber, and high levels of vitamin A. With their sweet flavor, you can make a smoothie with cooked sweet potato that actually tastes good.

Here are a couple of smoothie recipes to get you started. Each one contains one or more of the diabetic superfoods and is low in sugar. Remember when making your smoothies for a diabetic diet that you should avoid added sugar. Let the natural sugars in these ingredients be the sweeteners.

Harvest Time Sweet Potato Smoothie

This recipe is perfect for fall and will get you in the mood for cider mills, cool and crisp days, and Thanksgiving. Blend the following ingredients until you get a creamy, smooth consistency:

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 banana, frozen if you want a chilled smoothie

1/2 cup of sweet potato, cooked and peeled

1 tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to taste

Green Diabetic Smoothie

Green smoothies are for everyone, but this one includes some diabetic super foods and no added sugar. Blend the ingredients until you get the consistency you like:

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 small orange, peeled but with much of the pith left (pith is high in fiber)

1 cup spinach, baby kale, or a mix of the two

1/2 cup frozen berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc)

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (Greek yogurt is high in protein)

Food

Why you should Eat Garlic on an Empty Stomach?

November 27, 2015

Garlic is popular for these health benefits in every part of the world, due to which people started calling it “a healing food” long ago.Namely, garlic can actually relieve the symptoms of hypertension. It not only regulates the circulation, it also prevents various heart problems and stimulates the proper function of your liver and bladder. In addition, it is quite effective in cases of stomach problems, such as diarrhea, and it stimulates proper digestion and good appetite.

Why is it good to Eat Garlic on an Empty Stomach?

Many people have found that garlic can actually relieve the symptoms of hypertension. It not only regulates the circulation, it also prevents various heart problems and stimulates the proper function of your liver and bladder.

Garlic is also efficient in treating stomach problems, such as diarrhea. Some people even claim that garlic is an amazing remedy for nerve problems, but only when it is consumed on an empty stomach.

As we already mentioned, garlic is really effective in treating stomach problems -- it stimulates proper digestion and good appetite. Garlic will also help you to control your stress, and thus stop the production of stomach acid that your body produces every time you get nervous.

Garlic is popular for its health benefits in every part of the world. That is the main reason why people started calling it “a healing food” long ago.

Garlic and Alternative Medicine

In alternative medicine garlic is considered to be one of the most efficient foods when it comes to detoxification. Medical practitioners in this branch say that garlic is so powerful that it cleanses the body from parasites and worms, prevents diseases like diabetes, typhus, depression, and even some cancer types.

If you are allergic to garlic, take two important things into consideration: never eat it raw, and if you still get any skin outbreak, high body temperature, or a headache, stop consuming it.

Some studies have shown that the consumption of garlic can sometimes have side-effects in patients that take medications for HIV/AIDS.

Pay special attention to this health conditions and be extremely careful. Make sure garlic is safe for you before you start consuming it.Its strong smell and taste should not stop you from using all its health benefits. Garlic supplements are a great substitute for raw garlic and even in that form you can still take advantage of its benefits.

Make a special infusion if you need to treat any type of bronchial disease.

Use 7 oz / 200 grams of garlic, 24 oz / 700 grams of brown sugar, and 33 oz / 1l of water. Boil the water together with the garlic, and then add the sugar. Take three tablespoons a day.

Garlic extract is really efficient in treating chronic bronchitis.

You need 1.5 oz / 40 grams of garlic and 3.5 oz / 100 ml of 90 proof alcohol (45% alcohol). Chop the garlic and put it in a bottle, then pour in the alcohol. Seal well. Leave it for five or six days, and strain. Take a cup of this remedy every day. It also lasts for a long time.

You can use the same remedy to treat catarrh and asthma. For this health conditions, add 15-30 drops in some hot water. If you cannot stand its taste and smell, add some mint extract. In this way you will also change its power.

Garlic can be also used for external applications. Use it as a poultice over the abdomen to relieve cold. Apply it directly on an insect or poisonous animal bite. Small amounts of garlic will help you to remove warts, and these skin growths will fall of without any pain. You can use it to relieve toothache. All you have to do is put a small piece on the aching tooth.

The list of its health properties seems to be never ending. Garlic also cures hemorrhoids, constipation, and earache. If you want to treat hemorrhoids and constipation, boil some water and add a good amount of garlic.

Keep the infusion in a container that will allow you to inhale the steam. Inhale until the water gets cold. To treat an earache, squeeze out some of the garlic juice and put one or two drops in the aching ear.

What Should You Remember

Garlic provides a great number of health benefits and protects your health as long as you eat it regularly. Use its healing properties every day, and you will sure see some improvement in your overall health.

Sources
http://steptohealth.com/eating-garlic-empty-stomach-good/
http://optimizedindividuals.com/garlic-in-the-morning-to-you/

Food

Can You Guess Which Of These Egg Yolks Is Actually From A HEALTHY Chicken?

November 26, 2015

Chicken eggs vary in size and color of the shell but if an egg comes from the family farm, the yolk is almost always a darker color. It is also thicker than the typical yellow yolk you find at the store. One of the more interesting aspects of living in Brazil is the different approaches to food. We are connected to local farms from friends and family, spoiling us with organic homegrown everything.

Eggs play a great role in our diet, as they are very powerful source of vitamins and proteins. Therefore, a lot of people eat eggs every morning for breakfast, as it is the best energetic start for the day.

Most of you probably buy your eggs from a supermarket. However, you do not know the origin of those eggs, which is of vital importance. Namely, it is really difficult to find an egg from a healthy chicken in US.

The eggs you consume have probably the same nutrition facts as the organic egg, but it’s more about the chickens and what they eat. Healthy chicken means healthy eggs.

Therefore, you need to know the following facts.

Chickens are not vegetarian. They are more like omnivores. That’s why eggs with “vegetarian” label are suspicious. These eggs don’t come from a healthy chicken.

The eggs from healthy chickens are higher in Omega-3. Moreover, xanthophylls are prevalent in orange yolks and provide bigger nutritional value.

Chickens that eat more insects and eat the right diet produce eggs with darker, as well as thicker yolks. The shelves of these eggs are also thicker, and are hard to crack open.

The color of eggs is influenced by the diet and synthetic formulas, not by the breed.

If the diet of the hen is rich in yellow corn, green plants, alfalfa, and other similar plants rich with xanthophyll pigment will give darker yellow-orange yolk.

Weight control plans of hens that are rich in wheat will create light yellow yolks. Hens bolstered with white cornmeal will create dry yolks. Free-range hens have access to more heavily pigmented food; hence they will produce eggs with darker yolks.

Therefore, you should prefer to buy organic eggs from farmers you know, as the level of healthiness of other eggs is definitely lower. Attempt to locate the ideal agriculturists in your general vicinity and start consuming really healthy eggs, in order to feel all their benefits.

Source: www.healthadvisorgroup.com

Health

Try this Recipe for Sinus Infection

November 25, 2015

Food

Best Natural Foods to Prevent Osteoporosis

November 25, 2015

The food that you eat can affect your bones. Learning about the foods that are rich in calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients that are important for your bone health and overall health will help you make healthier food choices every day.

Use the chart below for examples of the different types of food you should be eating every day. There are several osteoporosis symptoms like pain, bone fracture and height loss. According to researchers, the following foods help in preventing osteoporosis and relieving the painful symptoms.

Yogurt

Yogurt is one of the most noted foods that help to reduce the problems of osteoporosis. It is derived from milk, and it is a great source of animal protein and several other nutrients such as Vitamin B2, calcium, potassium, Vitamin D, magnesium and Vitamin B12. During menopause, the decreased level of estrogen can cause bone loss and to ensure bone health the body primarily needs Vitamin D and calcium.

Probiotics in yogurt help to keep the intestinal tract and the gut free of disease, and it also boosts the immune power. Yogurt prevents colon cancer, and it also helps to reduce the high blood pressure, vaginal infection and improves the problems of constipation, diarrhea.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits like apples, oranges, cherries, strawberries and vegetables like beets, red peppers, red potatoes aid in the reduction of osteoporosis symptoms. They are loaded with Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and magnesium and phosphorous. Vitamin C can slow down the process of bone loss and regulate greater bone mass. It also lowers the rates of fractures.

Vitamin C works as an antioxidant, slowing down the rate of free radical damage, and it is the key to avoiding scurvy. Therefore, increase the consumptions of fruits and vegetables to lose weight in a healthy way and fortify your bones.

Milk

Regular drinking of milk helps to reduce the symptoms of osteoporosis. Milk and dairy products are foods rich in calcium, protein, carbohydrate, fat, Vitamin A, B Vitamins, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Vitamin E , folate, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc. Milk is one of the glowing skin home remedies that helps to prevent premature aging, remove stains on the face, make the face look more radiant, lower allergic skin reaction, heal wounds, nourish and soften the skin and exfoliate dead skin cells.

Vitamin D is important for absorption of calcium in the body and it also effectively prevents osteoporosis, chronic fatigue, depression, hypertension, muscle pain and cancer. It is essential for bone health and also boosts the immune system.

Cabbage

Cabbage is one of the best foods for osteoporosis as it ensures strong and healthy bones.Cabbage is a source of fiber, vitamin B6, Vitamin D, folate along with some of the essential minerals for the body such as manganese, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, calcium for strong bones and potassium that helps to reduce high blood pressure. Rich in Vitamin K, cabbage also helps the process of bone metabolism and prevents Alzheimer’s disease.

Bananas

Banana is one of the effective foods to prevent osteoporosis. Regular eating of banana helps the body to absorb calcium and other essential nutrients that ensure healthy bones. Bananas are loaded with Vitamin A, C and E, natural oils, carbohydrates, potassium, zinc and iron. Bananas protect against cancer, prevent hangovers, diabetes, lower depressions and relieve morning sickness.

The presence of magnesium regulates the development of bone structures. It lowers the level of high blood pressure and prevents cardiovascular disease. Various other sources of magnesium include beans, lentils, fish, nuts, seeds, dark leafy greens, avocado and whole grains. Banana is also an amazing fruit with potent hair and skin benefits and the use of banana face mask for oily skin is well known.

Beans

High in Vitamin D, calcium, fiber and antioxidants, beans and lentils are the best foods for osteoporosis. Folate plays an important role in the development of red blood cells. It is necessary for carrying out many bodily functions like bone repair and bone maintenance, DNA synthesis, amino acid metabolism, the formation of leukocytes and erythrocytes.

Inclusion of fiber-rich beans and lentils in the daily diet might be the answer to the question of how to overcome obesity. It also prevents various cancers including colon cancer as well as heart disease. The presence of antioxidants helps to protect cells from free radicals.

Almond

Almond is an oval nutlike seed of the almond tree, growing in a woody shell. It is widely used as food and for oil extraction. It is a good source of manganese, Vitamin E, biotin, copper and riboflavin. It promotes healthy bones and also increases bone density. Almonds are an inseparable part of the osteoporosis diet plan.

Various other health benefits of almonds include the reduction of the chance of heart attack, lowering cholesterol level, protecting artery walls from damage, providing healthy fats. It also aids in good brain function by nourishing the nervous system and reduces the chance of cancer, especially colon cancer. The benefits of almond milk for skin make it a popular ingredient in skin care products.

Eggs

An ideal diet for osteoporosis should include eggs. Eggs are rich in Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Vitamin A, calcium, folate, phosphorous and selenium. Eggs are one of the best natural sources of protein that protect our bones and promote healthy hair and nails. Vitamin D controls the genes involved in making estrogen. Estrogen is one of the main sexual hormones that aid sexual and reproductive development in women.

Phosphorous is an important component for the making of healthy bones, and the density of bones is build up by phosphorous and calcium. Various other health benefits of phosphorous include improved digestion, protein formation and strong bone formation. Several natural sources of phosphorous include nuts, cheese, fish, beef, soya foods, beans and lentils.

Fish

Fish is a rich source of calcium, and a perfect osteoporosis diet should include fish. The list of calcium rich fishes includes sardines and canned salmon. Their tiny bones are one of the greatest sources of calcium. Calcium is important for bone health as it helps bones remain healthy and strong.

Calcium is important for maintaining the levels of bone mass, and it also helps to maintain the structure of the body. Various vegetarian sources of calcium include oranges, sesame seeds, almonds, kale,Blackstrap Molasses and white beans.