Tag Archives: Food

Good foods That Are Good For You!

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5 Best Foods for Weight Loss

1.) Black Beans – contains protein, without the saturated fat like in other proteins

2.) Oats – Rich in fiber, so a serving can help you feel full. Also, oats contain resistant starch, a carb that boosts metabolism & burns fat

3.) Avocados – contains Oleic acid, which quiets hunger; also is full of fiber & protein. A quarter or a half of an avocado can help get rid of belly fat.

4.) Salmon – A learner choice than red meat.This food helps you feel full without adding any fat because it’s a lean source of protein.

5.) Blueberries – (My favorite) A figure-friendly eat that is also known for it’s anti-aging effects. 1 cup of blueberries is only 80 calories & helps you feel full from the fiber.

 

5 Best Foods for Skin

1.) Seafood – The smell may be bad, but the benefits are good! Seafood improves the smoothness of your skin. These foods contain omega-3 fatty acids & zinc; these ingrediants will help smooth & clear your skin for an all around glowing effect.

2.) Citrus Fruits –  The active component in these fruits are vitamin C, which will also help smooth and taut your skin. Vitamin C is a very common ingrediant in beauty creams.

3.) Red & Green Vegetables – Contains Vitamin A & beta-carotene which helps brighten & smooth skin. Spinach and other leafy, green veggies provide vitamin A, which helps your skin get rid of the old cells and produce new ones. This reduces dryness and keeps your face looking bright and youthful.

4.) Nuts – The active component in nuts are Vitamin E, which benefit your skin greatly, keeping it young looking & soft. Vitamin E locks in moisture, proventing dryness, for brighter, younger looking skin.

5.) Whole Grain – Full of Rutin & B Vitamins, which helps clear and moisturize your skin. Whole foods benifit more than your skin, it also has whole-body benifits.Whole foods are known to be unprocessed (natural) & we all know that natural is good!

 

5 Best Foods for your Brain

1.) Nuts – Contains high levels of serotonin, which helps to boost your mood.

 RealAge Difference: Men: 3.3 years younger, Women: 4.4 years younger

2.) Fish – Contains Omega -3 fatty acids, which helps clear arteries

RealAge Difference: 2.8 years younger

3.) Soybeans – Contains protein & fiber that is good for your heart and arteries

RealAge Difference: 0.4 years younger

4.) Tomato Juice & Spaghetti Sauce –  Contain folate, lycopene and other nutrients to keep arteries young.

RealAge Difference: At least 1 year younger

5.) Oils – Oil is a healthy fat, which is good for your heart. 25% of your calorie intake should be from healthy fats. Olive oil, nut oils, fish oils, flaxseed and avocados contain mono-unsaturated omega-3 and omega-9 fats, which benefit your heart-health.

RealAge Difference: 3.4 years younger

 

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There’s a lot more information on these topics in the websites below if anyone wanted to look into this more. Thank you! 🙂

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20475957,00.html

http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/nutrition/5-foods-for-beautiful-skin.htm

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/facts/5-best-foods-for-brain-health.htm

 

Images:

http://fruits-vegetables-benefits.blogspot.com/2013/06/health-benefits-of-nuts-and-seeds.html

http://www.prosar.com/inbound_marketing_blog/bid/173284/3-Features-to-Market-Health-Food-Products-More-Effectively

Can food be so good that it is addictive?

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Do you ever feel like you can’t stop eating? Like you have to eat that next chip or cookie? Well recent studies show that may be because our bodies are addicted to them, kind of like being addicted to certain drugs. Imagine if eating Oreos could have the same affects on the human body as taking dangerous drugs like cocaine. 

In a study done in Connecticut College they used Oreo cookies and rats to see if unhealthy foods were considered addictive to humans. In the study, researchers used mice to try and see if they were addicted to America’s favorite cookies. In the study they associated one side of a maze with Oreos and the other side of the maze (control) with a type of food that was relatively neutral. What they found was that the mice were acting the same way as a different study they had recently done. The study was similar to the the study with Oreos, however it was done with highly addictive drugs on one side and saline on the other side. This lead the researches to believe that unhealthy foods, specifically Oreos, might have addictive properties.
This research could have huge impacts on everyday foods like Oreos if scientists are able to find more solid evidence linking human addictiveness to fatty foods. It could affect how foods are made, and maybe even outlaw some foods (purely me thinking the worse here). However, I don’t think that at this point this research has enough proof to sway me out of eating my cookies. 
To me I think that there might be some room in the research to find some debate. Maybe there isn’t a link between the cookie and which side the mice picks because the cookies are addictive. It could be purely because of taste, and nothing to do with being addicted to it. Even if the actions of the rats in the two studies are similar, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the mouse was addicted. It could have been going back to the Oreo side for many reasons. Another reason why I wouldn’t go ahead and throw away all of my Oreos is because it doesn’t mean that humans are the same way as rats.

Why do we crave?

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I’d be lying if I said I never have cravings and unfortunately enough, it’s always for the unhealthiest foods.  Why is it that I always crave peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies?  Although I do really enjoy them, there’s no reason for my mouth to be watering at the thought of them.  My taste buds thank me but my body does not for the fact that I can’t resist the cravings and need to eat that specific food.  It sounds a little extreme, but I know I’m not the only one here who feels this way.

Psychologist Dr Leigh Gibson, Reader in biopsychology at Roehampton University described cravings as “…an overwhelming sensation of desire for a certain food.  There are a number of chemicals in the brain that are associated with this.”  From this article I learned that dopamine, a chemical in the brain that works with learning, pairs with opioids, which are involved with feelings of pleasure and enjoyment.  Back in the early stages of evolution, dopamine and the opioids aligned at the enjoyment of healthy food, therefore the brain saw it as a means for survival.  Not much as changed in our genetic makeup today, causing this connection to still be effective.
Clearly, cravings aren’t just based on some chemicals in your brain functioning together.  Your mood has a lot to do with when and what you crave and being stressed certainly heightens this. When you’re stressed, your body wants junk food because of a hormone called cortisol, which increases sugar levels in the blood, increasing your overall state of hunger.  Anna Raymond, of the British Dietetic Association, defines cravings as “a psychological need for high-fat and high-sugar foods which taste pleasant”
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It turns out there’s a reason why you crave the foods you crave.  A need for chocolate could be because you know it will make you feel better, while a craving for dairy means your body is lacking Vitamin A or D.  
To beat these cravings, try to distract yourself from thinking about the food, such as listening to music or do something that makes you happy.  It will take your mind off of eating.  The best, and probably hardest thing you can do, is wait it out.  If you let your body beat the craving, the chances of it coming back are pretty slim.
Good luck!

Does chocolate cause acne?

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Every now and then I like to indulge in a candy bar to satisfy my sweet tooth cravings. But every time I finish a Hershey’s chocolate bar, I can’t help but think to myself ‘Am I gonna break out from this?’ When I was younger, my older sister always told me to watch out how much I ate for acne was going to appear. So it makes me wonder, is this myth true? 

After researching a few articles, it is in fact false. There has been no major studies that show that chocolate is a direct source for causing acne. However, Dr. Ava Shamban, and Los Angeles dermatologists says that “high-sugar/high-fat diet can increase sebum production and promote inflammatory responses in the body.” (Huffington Post) By eating a lot of sugary foods, it can cause hormonal changes in the body. These changes can effect people who are prone to acne in the worse way. However, everyone’s bodies react differently. Which means that there can be other reasons why we break out, we just happen to notice it after eating chocolate. 
In the Huffington Post article, Dr. Shaman also points out that if you do eat chocolate be careful of which kind you eat. The usual chocolate bar that is sold in a store is made with milk chocolate. Milk chocolate has more sugar and dairy products than dark chocolate. A single cup of milk chocolate chips is 899 calories with 87 grams of sugar. (Nutrition Facts) It’s no wonder that we blame chocolate for all we see are the nutritional facts and the acne on our faces. But having a poor diet effects your body in general; not just your face. 
Seeing that there is no actual direct proof that chocolate causes acne, we shouldn’t have as big as a concern about it. Instead we should be concern about what sugary snacks do to our body in general. If craving for a sweet treat and desperately want chocolate, try dark chocolate! It doesn’t have as much sugar added to it and can actually have some health benefits.
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References

“All natural” my booty

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My friend Dina competes in figure contests for teens and, thus, follows a very strict diet. She eats a bunch of fish, veggies, protein, protein… and more protein. She tears food markets apart searching for their healthiest and most beneficial products. After about a year of observing, I decided to try out this healthy lifestyle myself. I’ve always been a fan of working out and staying in shape, but my “healthy diet” was non-existent. I wouldn’t necessarily say I ate unhealthy all the time, but being Hispanic and Italian really takes a toll on my eating habits. Every night my parents would prepare elaborate meals for my sister and I, drowning us in rice or pasta with plenty of seasonings and sauces. Now, I did not go as far as to cut out these delicious meals, but I did try to make better choices throughout the day leading up to dinner, so that I could eat my favorite meals with less guilt.

I decided to go food shopping for myself for the first time. I grabbed the healthiest foods I could find. Labels like “organic” and “fat free” lured me in quickly. Then I came across “all natural”. “All natural? As in nothing bad at all?” I wondered.  Without hesitation, I snatched around four of five “all natural” products: Peanut butter, chips, juices, and even ice cream. I thought I had finally found my “cheat”. I had finally discovered a way to enjoy the foods I love so much, while maintaining a “healthy” diet.

Once I told my friend Dina about my discovery, she laughed. Now I look back and laugh along.

Let me help some clueless kids out here. All natural foods are “minimally processed“. Yes, this is good! Yet, this label is not regulated by the FDA or USDA on any foods except for meat and poultry. Therefore, the term can be easily misused and abused. The term “all natural” does not imply how the food was grown or came to be, and does not even have a clear-cut definition, according to my sources cited. What’s dangerous about this is that buyers could easily fall into the trap of the title and consume foods that they believe are “healthier” and universally approved. For example, all natural foods, such as granola bars contain “natural flavors”, yet these ingredients can be processed through artificially. Continue reading on this site for a list of foods that fool!

While searching the web, I found an article (listed below) from September 2011 titled “Is your dinner ‘All Natural’?” Although not too recent, the issue is still problematic today. Consumers have filed numerous lawsuits against the phrase “all natural” in the recent years, claiming the term is too vague. For example, this website sheds light on the fact that “natural” foods can still contain “loads of sugar, fat, or calories.” Be wary of the labeling!

Now that I am educated in this, I switched to “organic”, a label that provides a much more clear-cut idea of what I’m consuming. Organic food is generally raised by precise farming practices that are monitored strictly by the USDA, according to the website listed below. Although I don’t have Dina around to point out misleading labels, my new roommate Sara is all about organic food. Guess who I’ll be shopping with the next three years?

– JT

Article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903374004576580671156407598.html 

All about “organic”: http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/ofp/ofp.shtml

                             http://www.stonyfield.com/why-organic/organic-vs-natural

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Side note: My links tab stopped working after my third attachment, which is why the websites are listed below the actual post. Sorry for the inconvenience!

GMO’s

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The talk about GMO food is on the rise. I’ve heard more about this new type of food technology within the past year than ever before, but it is not brand new. 

GMO (genetically modified organism) foods have been around since the 60’s which is especially alarming since, like me, you probably haven’t heard of them until recently. The theory behind GMO Foods is that by modifying them you can perfect them and make a better product for the vendor and the consumer. GMO foods mature faster, grow heartier, and are resistant to disease and more importantly to pesticides. The question remains though, are they safe?
The jury is currently out on GMO foods as they have not been studied enough to reach a conclusive decision. Health professionals, such as Dr. Oz, are skeptical. Dr. Oz recently did a special on GMO foods, with the purpose of educating consumers about the process and the science behind them, so that they can choose for themselves. According to the special, GMO foods are present on average in about 80% of what we as American consumers are exposed to. The special also noted that GMO foods are banned in 6 European countries. While there is a lack of research into the subject, if you have animals, such as salmon, that mature to eating size in half the time, logically they are likely to have medical issues. The important question is thus: Would this effect the consumer’s health as well?
This is personally not a gamble I wish to take. I have seen the facts courtesy of the special by Doctor Oz and it has convinced me to avoid GMO foods wherever I can. Unfortunately, due to the high percentage of GMO food in the market, this will be easier said than done.
The video of Dr. Oz’s segment on GMO’s can be found here.