Nuts and Their Amazing Health Benefits

Nuts and Their Amazing Health Benefits by Cole Carson

It wasn't very long ago that nuts were feared. They were considered a dieting disaster, with far too high a fat and calorie content to be anything but bad for you! Recently though, extensive studies have shown that the opposite is actually the case. - Nuts are incredible for the human body. Recently there have been many health discoveries showing that nuts are a wonderful protein source that are great for everyone, and should be added to our diets.

Nuts are a food that is high in both fat and calories, but that information alone is misleading, and due to our better understanding of fat, we now know that this is not sufficient reason to avoid nuts. Most of the fat content in nuts happens to come from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which do not contribute to weight gain as much as other fats and are much better for the body. Furthermore, these types of fats have been shown to have the ability to decrease bad LDL cholesterol, making nuts good for the heart. Studies have been done on the relationship between nuts and heart health, and the results show that a regular diet consisting of nuts can actually lower your chances for developing heart-related disease by as much as thirty-five percent.

It's never been a secret that nuts are very high in protein. This is great news, as it means that
nuts are a good source of protein, necessary for the body, but instead of having the negative side-effects on the heart like most sources of whole proteins, nuts are actually beneficial. Because of this, nuts are a staple in vegetarian diets, because they contain the complete proteins that are so difficult to construct by eating plants alone.

Eating nuts can also be a great way to increase your energy throughout the day. Nuts are a great source of antioxidants, which everybody knows are wonderful for helping to retard the aging process. Antioxidants are best known for their ability to fight off free radicals. - Harmful agents that damage the body, lowering energy levels and causing premature aging. Because nuts are such a great source of antioxidants like vitamin E and selenium, they can benefit your body in the fight against premature aging and improve your energy levels.

Research has indicated that while almost all nuts have similar benefits on the body, the ones regarded as the most beneficial are almonds, cashews and peanuts. These studies suggest that 1-2 ounces a day is a good, moderate serving in which the body will receive the greatest benefits. Nuts, while they are healthy, can be an addictive food, and because they do contain a good bit of calories, one must make sure that they keep in check just how many they eat. Fortunately for everyone, nuts are great at satisfying hunger.

Overall, nuts are a powerful food that is packed with surprising and astounding benefits. Their ability to reduce the risk of heart disease while protecting against aging and providing solid energy levels makes them a highly desired health food, as long as a person keeps their intake levels low. They are still loaded with calories, and can contribute to weight gain if high levels are consumed on a regular basis. If you keep your intake down, however, you'll notice remarkable improvements in your health, and you can rest easier at night knowing that you are helping your heart and bettering your chances at escaping cardiovascular disease.

About the Author

Cole Carson is a successful entrepreneur interested in the fields of natural health and wellness! Spiffy, the Himalayan Goji Juice dog is the newest up and coming star! Learn why he loves Goji Health Juice so much!

Best Cholesterol Lowering Diet

Best Cholesterol Lowering Diet – Advice For The Best Cholesterol Lowering DietBy Jean Helmet

You cannot really talk about a certain cholesterol lowering diet to be the best. It depends very much on the metabolism of the patient but also on the response to certain treatments. For some, a simple diet combined with some daily exercise will do the trick, while for others, besides the daily exercise and the diet, some natural supplement or cholesterol lowering medication should be taken. The American Heart Association recommends a step-wise approach to lowering cholesterol levels.

The Step 1 Diet

The Step 1 Diet is the diet for you if you have high blood cholesterol and never tried other dietary approaches. The basic changes in your diet should look like this:

-the total fat intake should not be more than 30 percent of the total number of calories
-saturated fat intake should be less than 10 percent of calories
-8-10 percent should be the maximum intake of polyunsaturated fat
-The rest of the total fat intake should be made up by monounsaturated fat (like olive and canola oil)
-300 milligrams daily should be the maximum of cholesterol intake, and also the sodium level should be kept at a maximum of 2400 milligrams daily

The Step 2 Diet

If the Step 1 Diet has not shown the wanted improvement in lowering your cholesterol level, or you have heart disease you should try a more aggressive diet like the Step 2 Diet. It has mostly all the dietary conditions as the Step 1 Diet but it is more strict when it comes to the saturated fat and cholesterol intake:

-7 percent of calories should be the maximum saturated fat intake
-Cholesterol intake should be kept under 200 milligrams daily
-Calorie intake should be just enough to maintain a healthy body weight (you can talk to a nutritionist about this certain thing)

Low-Fat Diets

Patients who do not respond to the Step 1 Diet and the Step 2 Diet and do not want to take cholesterol-lowering drugs are recommended to try some very-low-fat diets. Practically, these diets eliminate eating most of the meats, added fats and dairy products and they usually contain about 28 to 26 percent of calories from fat.

Long-term, these diets can be very hard to follow. Because of their high carbohydrate content, these very-low-fat diets could raise blood triglyceride which raises the question if such drastic reductions in fat intake are necessary. Combining dietary approaches with stress reductions and exercise, and the Omish Program is an example of a very-low-fat diet program.

Jean Helmet is a content editor who focuses on a wide array of niche health topics. Her latest website - Natural Cholesterol Supplement focuses on cholesterol as a whole, and in partcular, a natural product our editors personally use with excellent health results known as - Cholest-Natural
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jean_Helmet

A Low Sodium Appproach To A Low Salt Diet

Shaking The Salt Habit - A Low Sodium Appproach To A Low Salt Diet Submitted By: Betty Ziegler

Congratulations! You have taken the first step towards a healthier lifestyle. First things first, though. Remove that salt shaker from your table and replace it with Mrs. Dash seasoning or a blend of your own choosing.

You will soon be amazed at how good your food tastes, now that it isn't clouded by excessive sodium. All foods have their own unique flavor, which is brought out by proper cooking and seasoning, and not covered up by salt. Your taste buds will thank you, (you don't know what you have been missing!) By adding a variety of fresh or dried herbs, the flavors in your favorite foods will wake up and be refreshed.

Supermarkets are much more accommodating these days, aware of the growing demand to offer low and no salt products. The Food and Drug Administration has established that "sodium free" labels on products cannot contain more than 5mg per serving. A "very low sodium" label may contain up to 35mg per serving, and a "low sodium" label can have as much as 140mg per serving, or 50 grams of the food.

By reading the labels, and determining how many servings are in one container, you will have a good understanding of what is acceptable for your own diet. A can of "low sodium" soup may have only 140mg of sodium "per serving", but checking carefully, the label may show that each can holds more than one serving.

As an example, a national brand soup (10.5oz) labeled 25% less sodium, contains 530mg of sodium "per serving", but the can holds 2.5 servings! That’s a whopping 1325mg of sodium per can. Can you imagine how much sodium is in their regular label? Yet, another flavor soup (10.5oz), distributed by the same national brand, labeled "low sodium" contains 90mg of sodium per serving, and the can contains only 1 serving. Such discrepancies are not uncommon. Don't be deceived by "less salt" labeling.

To be really aware of what you are purchasing, read all labels. Compare brands. Each brand will vary from another in it's nutritional content. Most frozen entrees contain a great deal of salt, because salt is a natural preservative, and therefore the shelf life will be extended for the package.

Recently I discovered that Trader Joe's Market offers a no salt marinara sauce that is superb. My family prefers it to the national brand, when we use ready-made sauce.
But how much sodium are you really getting daily? Even your tap water contains sodium.

Where I live each 8oz glass of tap water contains 8mg of sodium. Times that by 8 glasses a day and you have 64mg of sodium just in water alone.

To get a good understanding of the salt content of your favorite foods, invest in a good nutritional book, like Nutrition Almanac, by Lavon J. Dunne and John Kirschmann. (the newest edition will be out in December 2006). Or my own favorite, The No-Salt Cookbook by David Anderson and Thomas Anderson. Along with great recipes, there is a chapter dedicated to sodium content of most foods, listed alphabetically.

Soon, you will just know how to calculate your sodium intake. It will become second nature. You will be able to scan a meal and just know.

If your local markets don't yet carry low sodium foods, ask the store manager if they can look into ordering what you need. Chances are you are not alone in searching for these low salt items.
About the Author:Betty Ziegler is the nutritional advisor for http://Cooking-for-Compliments.com, where she shares many of her low salt recipes. Visit the low sodium section at http://www.cooking-for-compliments.com/low-sodium.html where you will find free recipe

Low Fat Cooking

Low Fat Cooking By Dominic Ferrara

No matter what fad diet comes on to the scene it is always good practice to follow low fat cooking recipes in general. You can find a lot of great-tasting meals that are easy to prepare and that are cost-effective. Many of us are so used to low fat cooking that we know some of the recipes by heart.

Since I am one of those fans of the low fat recipes I will share some basic hints and tricks that can lower the amount of fatty foods in your diet. You won’t miss a thing with these low fat cooking tips and you will find your waistline thanking you in a few weeks. These easy tips are affordable and you will be surprised how small details really add up.

Cooking spray is a staple of any low fat cooking regimen. You can find cooking spray in a variety of flavors and they add no fat to your meal project at all. Using these sprays instead of butter and oils will drastically reduce the amount of fat in any meal that you create.

I love to use olive oil flavored cooking spray when grilling chicken. You can create a low fat cooking recipe for chicken Parmesan that you never thought possible. Since Italian tomato sauce is naturally low in fat it makes and ideal element in many of the recipes. Add some pasta and fat-free cheese to the mix and you have a delightful Italian meal that is packed with vitamins and protein.

Fish is another staple of the low fat cooking kitchen. You can make great dishes in no time at all when working with fish. Just grab some foil and put flounder in the center. Spray with butter flavored cooking spray and add your favorite vegetables. Bake the whole concoction in the oven and that’s all there is to it.

Low fat cooking doesn’t just involve fish and chicken. There are plenty of red meats that you can use in your recipes as well. Most of the leaner cuts do tend to be a littler tougher than their fatty counterparts but this can easily be addressed with a good tenderizer.

Remember to add some flavor and spice with great condiments like lemon and honey as well as peppers and seasonings. Your low fat cooking recipes can be very enjoyable. In fact, you may not even realize that you are missing any fatty calories at all.

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Low Fat Dessert as Part of Your New Lifestyle By Arturo Ronzon

Eating a low fat diet can give you so many health benefits. You will enjoy increased energy, weight loss as well as a host of other health benefits. Many people think that eating low fat will mean a loss of taste. It all depends upon you and how much creativity and effort you want to put into your low fat cooking.

Low fat dessert can also be a part of a new and improved way of eating. You can find many recipes for low fat dessert if you are determined to find them. Many low fat dessert recipes can be created from existing recipes using low fat substitute ingredients. There are many delicious foods that can be consumed when you are on a low fat diet.

Low fat dessert will be something you look forward to eagerly when you discover new ways to make old favorites. Once you begin to eat a low fat diet, sticking to it will become easier over time and making a low fat dessert can help you stay the path.

You can find magazines that have so many menu suggestions for low fat meals and low fat dessert. You can also purchase a book, or do your research online concerning low fat dessert. There are so many tasty ways to make low fat living fun and easy.

Any health care professional will tell you that your diet has a lot to do with your health. You should incorporate a low fat diet along with eating real food and exercise. It will also help when you drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.

Once you begin eating low fat dessert and other foods, you will be surprised at how much more pep and vigor you feel. Exercising will be a pleasure once you feel energetic. You will eliminate the heavy foods that were keeping you feeling tired and sluggish all the time. This is especially true for people who eat plenty of fast foods. This kind of high fat diet can surely end your life sooner than it should.

For more information about Low Fat Dessert, feel free to visit us at: http://www.about-low-fat.com/Low-Fat-Dessert.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Arturo_Ronzon

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Low Carb "Luxurious" Diet

Low Carb "Luxurious" Diet By Wouter Van Dyck

Low carb diet indicates a diet with very low or almost no intake of carbohydrates. Such as cutting down on hi carb foods like bread, rice and pasta and eating more of proteins and fats like fish, meat, cheese, milk etc. A person following a low carb diet plan can actually eat a lot of meat, fish, milk and cheese yet can lose or keep a constant weight. Hence a Low carb diet as sometimes regarded as a luxurious diet. Combined with a little bit of exercise, a low carb diet can result to an excellent way of keeping fit and faster weight loss. Learn how you can eat rich and yet lose weight with adequate exercises with the Kimkins weight loss programs.

Carbohydrates are one of the main sources of energy needed by the body to function. So when that source, the carbohydrate, is cut off, alternate sources of energy are required. That is when the fat comes in. When the energy intake of a body is more than it can dispatch, the excess energy is stored as fat. Since a low carb diet literally shuts down the main source of energy, carbohydrates; that’s when the body goes into Ketosis or the fat burning process. Ironically, the fat actually helps in keeping fit when it is taken in balance with the proteins in a low carb diet. Studies show that even a low carb diet consisting of a large amount of animal fat and protein reduces the markers for heart disease such as blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and more. Thus reducing the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Low carb diets do not work as a weight reduction process in many cases, even then it is reputed to improve cholesterol.

Even though fats have a lot of good say in a low carb diet, too much fat can result to a disaster. The greatest disaster, your body may retain the fat and you will be fat. It is better to have a good balance between fat, protein, and a little bit of carbohydrate. Low carb does not actually mean any carbohydrate at all just reducing it; it’s good for the body to take a little carb once in a while other than not taking any at all. Kimkins low carb diets are not only low carb, but also low fat so you can live healthy and reduce faster.

Wouter Van Dyck wrote many articles about different weight loss plans. He has experienced dozens of programs himself over the years but finally found a solution. You can read more about him losing weight and more reviews of kimkins plan on the kimkins review website: http://www.kimkinsreview.com