A FEW IDEAS ABOUT USING BROCCOLI

 

I love broccoli. It is tasty and healthy! There are other articles on this blog about the health benefits of this vegetable which is full of vitamin K, among things. This post is about some quick, easy, and healthy ways to enjoy broccoli.

• Cut broccoli crowns off the stems and save for another use. Peel the stems and cut into matchsticks. Turn the matchsticks into a tasty slaw.
• Did you know the leaves are also edible? Sauté for a dish that resembles collard greens.
• Steam small pieces of broccoli until just tender (2-3 minutes).  Place in greased muffin tins, beat some eggs and pour over the broccoli, add shredded cheese and around 12 minutes at 350-degrees.
• Make a tasty dish or snack by tossing florets with some olive oil, garlic salt and pepper. Place in air fryer and cook 8 minutes at 325-degrees, shaking after 4 minutes. Sprinkle with some grated Parmesan.
• Buy the darker heads. You can keep in the refrigerator for around two weeks.

ASPARAGUS AS AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

Asparagus is a great natural anti-inflammatory.  Since inflammation in the body is known to contribute to many illnesses and is thought by the medical community to contribute to the proliferation of cancer, asparagus should be on all our list of foods we eat!  This is one of the vegetables we need to get our children to start eating as young as possible.

The phytochemicals in asparagus mimic a type of anti-inflammatory known as a COX-2 inhibitor.  Other nutrients in which asparagus is rich are other cancer-fighters such as Vitamin-A which has been shown in lab and animal studies to take on skin, breast, liver, colon, and prostate cancers.  Another is Vitamin-K (prostate and lung cancers).  Also, folic acid which is known as an excellent fighter of many cancers including colorectal, esophageal, stomach, and breast.

If you don't like asparagus, think of it as preventative medicine and learn to like it.  If you suffer from any of the above-mentioned cancers, it is imperative to add asparagus to your diet!

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#12 HEALTHIEST FRUITS - GRAPES

 Today's post is about number 12 on the list of healthiest fruits and it is a favorite of many. Grapes are some of the most popular fruits of all ages. No more words are necessary from me so let's get to what the health journal has to say.

"Grapes are high in polyphenol compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, and resveratrol, all of which can help increase heart health and defend against cardiovascular disease. (It's thought that resveratrol may even help prevent skin aging and protect against age-related health conditions.) Grapes are full of nutrients vital to health, such as copper, vitamin K, and B vitamins."

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#4 HEALTHIEST FRUITS - RASPBERRIES

Continuing on with the healthiest fruits list, we have reached number four - raspberries. Raspberries are one of my favorites, so I am glad to see them high on the list.  Below is the quote from the Health Guide list I picked up in my oncologist's office.

"Raspberries are one of the best sources of fiber out there, containing 8 grams of the nutrient per cup, or a hefty portion of the recommended daily amount.  Adding them to your diet promotes healthy bowel movements, helps prevent constipation, and fuels the growth of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract. Their fiber also helps you feel full after eating, making it easier to maintain a healthy body weight. Raspberries have an abundance of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, manganese, and vitamin K, along with disease-fighting antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds."

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BLUEBERRIES AND VITAMIN K

Did you know that eating a half cup of blueberries a day will give you approximately 20% of your daily requirement for Vitamin K.  Vitamin K helps to keep bones healthy and strong.  And the little blueberry is full of other great nutrition, too.  If you have osteoporosis or other bone problems, or you just want to work to prevent them, eat some blueberries several times a week, if not daily.

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DARK LEAFY GREENS WILL HELP DIAL DOWN INFLAMATION

Dark leafy greens deliver concentrated doses of nutrients known by studies to dial down inflammation. These dark leafy greens can help with inflammation because they contain good doses of vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K. You can enhance the absorption of these vitamins by cooking with a little healthy fat like olive oil. We are talking about kale, collard greens, and spinach as the top green leafy veggies.

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LEAFY GREENS FOR THEIR BONE-BUILDING BENEFITS

Are you one who likes to pass up the green leafy vegetables such as Swiss Chard, Kale and Spinach?  Think of them for their bone-building benefits, They are packed with vitamin K, a bone-building vitamin. In a 2020 study published in Bone Reports it found that 200 grams, about 1 1/2 cups, daily improved bone integrity in middle-aged adults in as little as four weeks. If you don't like eating these green leafy veggies, try adding them to salads, soups and casseroles. You can also try roasted kale chips.

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SPINACH FOR YOUR BONES

As many of you know I have osteoporosis, so I am paying lots of attention right now to anything concerning the bones. Thankfully, spinach is one of my favorite foods and I plan on adding a lot more of it to my diet. Here are some 'good for your bones' facts about spinach:

• 1/2 cup of spinach supplies you with 122 mg of calcium
• Spinach provides the body with bone-building magnesium
• Spinach provides the body with bone-building vitamin K

Protect your bones! If spinach is not currently a part of your diet, make a point to start including it often, at least weekly. You can sauté spinach, eat in in a salad, drop some into soup, use it on a sandwich, etc. There are many tasty ways to work spinach into your diet.

 

BENEFITS OF KALE IN YOUR DIET

Yes I know I am weird to a lot of you!  Kale is one of my favorite foods and has been as long as I can remember.  I remember going to the grocery store with my daddy as a child and grabbing kale in the produce section and slipping it into his cart.  Little did I know then how good kale was for my body, I just knew I liked it and I still do.  If kale isn't a part of your diet consider adding it.  Some of the reasons you should eat kale are:

• Kale is high in nutrient density.
• Kale contains powerful phytonutrients like sulfurophane, kaempferol, and carotenoids that can help your body detox, turn on genes that promote longer life, and fight cancer. 
• Kale boasts more than 100 percent of your daily needs of each vitamin A, C, and K, which serves as an important antioxidant to promote blood clotting, improve bone health, and protect the fat cells that comprise more than 60 percent of the brain. 

If you aren't fond of kale, you can easily slip it into your diet by putting it in soups, salads, casseroles, smoothies, etc.  Do yourself a favor and make kale a regular part of your diet.

MORE ON CELERY

Yesterday's post was about celery and its relationship to cancer prevention.  Today, here are a few more facts about this inexpensive, healthy food.  One of the best things about celery is that it is only 16 calories per cup or approximately 6 calories per stalk!  That makes it what is considered a negative calorie food meaning the body uses up the calories you take in to process it when you eat celery.

Another benefit of celery is that it is high in bone-building vitamin-K and trust me, as one who suffers from osteoporosis, you need to build healthy bones!  Celery is also a fiber food.

 

Enjoy celery sticks as a snack or with a sandwich.  It is easy to add celery do your diet by adding sliced or diced celery to soups, casseroles, stir-frys, etc.

BENEFITS OF COLORFUL FRUITS & VEGETABLES PART III

This is the third and last post regarding the benefits of adding colorful fruits and vegetables to your diet.  Again, remember this is only a partial list of colorful fruits and veggies and some of the unexpected benefits you can get from them.

• PURPLE - Beets get their color from betalain which helps to flush toxins from the body.  No need for harsh "cleansing" routines, just add a serving of beets to your diet every week.
• Purple cabbage (often referred to as red cabbage) has 6 times the vitamin C and more antioxidants per 100 grams that does green cabbage.

• BLUE - Blueberries are often referred to as the ultimate brain food since they defend against dementia and Alzheimer's.  Studies have also shown that persons who eat 2 cups of blueberries per week have a 25% less likely chance of developing Parkinson's disease.

• WHITE - Yes, there are white foods other than processed bread and pasta!  Garlic is known for its sulfur compounds that convert to a gas that lowers blood pressure.  Garlic also reduces the risk of blood clots by stopping platelets from becoming too sticky!
• Cauliflower which contains both vitamin K and omega-3s is known to defend against chronic inflammation and to lower one's risk of both cancer and heart disease when eaten on a regular basis.

• BLACK - Blackberries contain salicylate, a natural pain reliever.  They also soothe stomach cramps and ward off atherosclerosis.
• Raisins and other foods containing the mineral boron may provide some of the same benefits as estrogen therapy for women in menopause.

I'll just imagine you have found a few benefits in some fruits and vegetables that you had never known existed or had even considered.  Amazing how God created foods to take care of our bodies when used correctly!

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BENEFITS OF COLORFUL FRUITS AND VEGETABLES PART II

Yesterday's post was about some of the benefits of eating colorful fruits and vegetables.  Today we will continue by discussing orange and green fruits and vegetables.  Remember these lists are partial but give you the idea of how color in your diet is beneficial.

• Orange - Carrots are one of the best foods for heart health.  Scientists have found that people who eat at least one serving of carrots a day are 60% less likely to have a heart attack!  Remember if you are diabetic, cooked carrots are higher in sugar than raw carrots.
• Sweet Potatoes are excellent sources of vitamin A.  One baked sweet potato provides 262% of your RDA of vitamin A.  One of the benefits of vitamin A is to keep your skin looking young by forming new cells.
• Cantaloupe gives your immune system a big boost.  One cup of cantaloupe has 113% of the RDA of vitamin C.  Vitamin C fuels infection-attacking while blood cells.
• Green - Broccoli is known for its' healthy benefits.  But did you know that compounds in broccoli reduce redness and inflammation from UV rays by 37%?
• Limes cancer-fighting properties remain in the bloodstream up to 24 hours after consumption!
• Spinach is packed with vitamin K.  One cup of spinach has 1,000% of the RDA for vitamin K.  Vitamin K is a nutrient that bonds calcium to bones and slows cell breakdown.

If you aren't including color in your diet on a daily basis, you are missing some vital vitamins and minerals!

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EAT YOUR SPINACH

Your mother was right, you need to eat your vegetables.  And that includes the green ones!  Just 1/2 cup of cooked spinach has 100% off the daily requirement of vitamins A & K.  If you don't like spinach, there are easy ways to include it without just eating a serving of spinach.  Include it in soups, stir-fries, smoothies, etc.

HEATHLY EATING = DOING MATH

That's right; healthy eating is all about math!  We should subtract fat, count calories, divide portions, and yes, add. Tara Gidus, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, says, "Adding just one food to another can make a tremendous difference in your total nutrient intake and offer significant health gains."  Sometimes it's just the little things we toss in the pot that often yield the biggest benefits.  Below is a good example:

• Add parsley to all pastas.  Topping a dish of pasta with just 6 sprigs of fresh parsley gives a full day's worth of vitamin K, according to Marisa Moore, RD, an Atlanta based nutritionist and American Dietetic Association spokesperson.  Vitamin K is important for bone health.  Studies show that vitamin K helps prevent fractures and may guard against bone loss.

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POTASSIUM AND STROKES

Are you eating enough potassium-rich foods ie bananas, sweet potatoes, pork, spinach, and more? Foods rich in potassium may cut ones risk of stroke by up to 21%. They may also lower the risk of heart attack. These are tasty foods so be sure to include them in your diet. Below are many of the potassium rich choices.

SPINACH IS A MULTIVITAMIN!

Yes, that's right, consider eating your spinach as taking a multivitamin!  Spinach is loaded with vitamins A,C, and K.  You also get folate in spinach.  Folate boosts the production of brain chemicals that affect mood so if you or someone you know tends to suffer from depression, add spinach to the diet.  Low levels of folic acid are associated with depression.  If you think you don't like spinach, try a little in salads, toss some fresh spinach in soups, etc.  Learn to add this multivitamin to your diet!  It really is good for you, just like your mother said.