Tag Archives: Diet

You are What You Eat! Improving Your Skin…

How are you aging compared to others in your age group? A question that we do not easily hide from, as the lines on our face tell a story of  our experiences, happiness, defeat’s and triumph’s!

Our own collagen production slows down as we age, drooping and sagging on our body starts to appear. Expensive cream’s are bought and applied early in the morning and late at night with hopes that their magic will work and turn back the hands of time.  While it’s true that moisturizer’s can help reduce the velocity of water loss from our skin, beware of cream’s that indicate a topical collagen to reduce aging.  Research shows that certain cream’s can promote aging, as their collagen droplets are too big to be absorbed by the skin.  Instead, what we should be doing is eating our way to a healthier and younger body, so that our skin is receiving  a proper combination of nutrients to promote collagen synthesis through both animal and plant foods.

Vitamin C is required to improve skin elasticity and slow aging!

Collagen is  not only skin deep, it is a fiber found within connective tissue through out the body including:  skin,  tendons, ligaments, teeth, bones and organs.  Collagen’s main job is to protect  tissue and provide the body with support. These unique fibers are made from protein and have large amounts hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine. Both of these amino acids must be present for development of all types of collagen and are needed to provide the appropriate amount of strength and flexibility.

A good food source of proline from animal is Egg Whites. Wheat Germ is a high quality plant proline.  Fish has an abundance of animal lysine, while legumes (especially peanuts), nuts and seeds are a strong source of plant lysine.

The key macro-nutrient Vitamin C  needs to be present, in order to convert  proline into hydroxyproline and lysine into hydroxylysine (both amino acids present in the collagen form).  While most plants foods are full of vitamin C, eat those fruits and vegetables with bright colors, for a total of 5 a day to keep replenishing this water soluble vitamin. (Enjoy an additional 4 servings of Green Vegetables  per day.)

From time to time collagen damage may occur from diseases. Garlic is food that improves collagen damage and has two principle sulfur nutrients: an amino acid taurine and lipoid acid, giving garlic the unique ability to support damaged collagen fibers.

Lastly, consume foods from two categories of phytonutrients: catechins and anthocyanidins. Research shows that catechins found in Green Tea have been shown to help prevent breakdown of collagen. While anthocyanidins are found in red-blue Berries and Fruits (cherries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries) which help the collagen fibers link together and strengthen the connective tissue, providing you with healthy skin that keeps you from premature aging.

By:  Kim Crocker

References:

Leslie CA, Conte JM, Hayes KC, et al. A Fish Oil Diet Reduces the Severity of Collagen Induced Arthritis After Onset of the Disease. Clin Exp Immunol. 1998;73(2):328-32.

Mirhadi SA, Singh S, Gupta PP. Effect of Garlic Supplementation to Atherogenic Diet on Collagen Biosynthesis in Various Tissues of Rabbits. Indian Heart J.1990;42(2):99-104.

Nandhini TA, Thirunavukkarasu V, Ravichandran MK, et al. Taurine Prevents Fructose-Diet Induced Collagen Abnormalities in Rat Skin. J Diabetes Complications.2005;19(5):305-11.

Thirunavukkarasu V, Nandhini, Anuradha CV. Fructose Diet-Induced Skin Collagen Abnormalities Are Prevented by Lipoic Acid. Exp Diabesity Res. 2004;5,(4):237-44.

Bloomenkrantz N, Asboe-Hansen G. Effect of (+) catechin on connective tissue. Scand J Rheumatol. 1978;7:55-60.

Han B, Jaurequi J, Tang BW, Nimni ME. Proanthocyanidin: a Natural Crosslinking Reagent for Stabilizing Collagen Matrices. J Biomed Mater Res A. 2003;65(1): 118-24.

Vitamin C Reduces Body Fat, and More…..

Learning about nutritional properties within food will contribute to the overall success of burning the excessive stored body fat; reducing the challenge of resisting foods that we are surrounded by and better understanding how to make them work for us!

Important basic information.
1. Skipping meals will slow your metabolism. In fact, your body will store the food, because it preceives itself as having encountered famine. Therefore, the metabolism slows down and burns calories at a reduced rate.

2. Natural plant foods actually burn more fat than the calorie content of the food itself.

3. Reduce amounts of Salt and Sugar which can work against the body. Excess salt can be stored in the organs and create unwanted swelling. Counter salt with higher potassium intake (fruits and vegetables), which flushes out salt and provides homeostasis (balanced biochemistry in your body). Sugars from sweets, soda’s and wines do not benefit the body and are stored as fat. While wine is vasal-dialator and helps promote HDL cholesterol, it should be consumed in correct amounts; 1 glass per day for women and 2 glasses per day for men.

4. You can utilize your own body to determine a serving. Your closed fist is indicative of  a (approx.) half cup and would apply that is how much 1 serving of  fruit, or vegetable should be in your meal.  With an open hand, examine only your palm; the size of your palm is indicative of 1 serving of meat, fish or poultry that you should consume twice a day.

Food Properties and How we Benefit from them

  • Calcium Rich Dairy Products: Calcium in dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt act as fat burner that can boost weight loss by increasing fat breakdown in fat cells. 1 ounce of cheese a day or 2 glasses of skim milk daily can double the rate of weight and fat loss. Eating 3-4 servings of dairy products a day is more effective at enhancing weight loss efforts than calcium supplementation alone. Researchers found that overweight people who consumed 3 servings a day of calcium-rich dairy lost more belly fat than those who followed a similar diet minus two or more of the dairy servings.

    • Daily servings of 3 Dairy per day.  1 Milk= 1 8 ounce glass.  Cheese=1 ounce. Yogurt=4 ounces

  • Fish and Fish oil: Fish such as: Anchovies, Sardines, Salmon, Tuna are high in Omega 3 and are a great way to shed pounds. A recent study found that fish oil is effective in helping your body burn fat more efficiently. When using supplements make sure that the oil comes from the higher quality afore mentioned  fish.

    • 1 3 ounce Daily Serving of Fish. (considered Protein)

  • Fruits rich in vitamin C – Vitamin C helps the body process fat faster and also stimulates the amino acid Carnitine, which speeds up the body’s fat-burning capacity!  Vitamin C dilutes the fat and makes it less effective and helps in releasing the fat from the body. Berries,  limes, lemons, oranges, guava, grapefruit, papaya, tangerines, tomatoes, watermelon

    • Daily Serving 4-5 fruits.  1 serving =1/2 cup Fruit

  • Honey: Honey mobilises the extra fat deposits in the body.

    • Daily Serving of 1 teaspoon

  • Nuts help feel full while also increasing the body’s ability to burn fat

    • Daily Serving Nuts= 1 ounce (or 28 grams)

  • Pectin in apple restricts the cells to absorb the fat; and also encourages water absorption from the food which helps in releasing the fat deposits from the body. The antioxidants in apples may help prevent metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by excess belly fat

    • An apple a day keeps the doctor away! (Delicious  raw, cooked or baked)

  • SPICES: Chillies: Foods containing chillies or cayanne pepper which contain capsaicin that helps in increase the metabolism. Capsaicin is a thermogenic food, causing the body to burn extra calories for 20 minutes after you eat the chilies.
  • Cardamom: Cardamom is a thermogenic herb like Capsaicin that increases metabolism and helps burn body fat.
  • Curry leaves(Curry Patta): Curry leaves flush out fat and toxins, reducing fat deposits in the body.
  • Garlic: An effective fat burning food.

    • Add Spices to your foods through out the day in order to help your food work more effectively.

  • Proteins: Protein rich foods and high fiber foods are the best as foods burning belly fat. Protein needs more energy to digest than fat: low calorie dairy products, beans, whole grains, oatmeal, eggs, etc.Lentils are high in protein and soluble fiber, two nutrients that stabilize blood sugar levels

    • Daily servinug of Meat: 2 3 ounce servings per day.

  • Tea:  Studies show that green or black tea revs up your metabolism

    • Daily consumption; 4-6 cups a day.

  • Vegetables:  Due to the amount of effort that it takes to completely breakdown a vegetable, don’t forget to include them at your meals, some vegetables are also diuretics. Try these: asparagus, beet root, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, chillies, beans, lentils, soybeans, sweet potatoes

    • Daily serving. 6-7.  1/2 cup=1 serving

    Pomegranate Health Benefits

    Pomegranate Seeds NutritionThe pomegranate fruit is obtained from a tree  that is originally native to the Southwest Asia and is cultivated since centuries together. Pomegranate is widely cultivated throughout the Afghanistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, East Indies, Malaysia, tropical Africa and southeast Asia. Later on, it was also introduced to the US and Latin America. The fruit is typically available from November to February (in the northern hemisphere), while in southern hemisphere, it seasons from March to May. There are more than 750 species that are observed and cultivated all over the world for various purposes from eating to forming pomegranate juice.  The name pomegranate literally means “the apple with many seeds”. The number of seeds in a single fruit varies from 300-1000.

    Pomegranate tree can live up to many years, which is an advantage for the pomegranate growers. This way, it enhances the outdoor decoration of the house with additional fruits provided. The fruit of pomegranate is ruby colored with many seeds that are both juicy and citrus in flavor. Pomegranate seeds nutrition facts are just numerous and therefore, pomegranate seeds are used for many purposes from ancient times.

    Health Benefits of Pomegranate Seeds
    Often called as super fruit, the invaluable pomegranate seeds are loaded with numerous antioxidant properties that are said to be three times higher than the green tea. As we know, antioxidants are very important to control the free radicals from the body that can cause several troubles to the body. Antioxidants also maintain and repair the damaged body cells.  Pomegranate is high in vitamin C, vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin E , fiber, potassium, iron and calcium.

    This ‘magic fruit’ is a bliss for the heart health, as regular intake of pomegranate seeds or pomegranate juice promotes:
    Cardio health and reduces risk of strokes and heart attacks.
    Contributes to proper thinning of the blood, reduce blood pressure levels, increase blood flow towards heart.                 Maintains good cholesterol levels (so that HDL cholesterol is elevated) and reduces arterial plaques.
    Reduces symptoms of:
    Anemia (add 1 tsp of cinnamon & honey to 1 cup of 100 % Pomegranate Juice)
    Arthritis
    Osteoporosis
    Skin allergies
    Skin disorders
    Urinary tract infections
    Wheezing linked to asthma
    Sore throats
    Tapeworms
    Digestive disorders
    Blood impurities
    Anemia
    Diabetes
    Read on for health benefits of pomegranate juice.

    Researchers are carefully observing the effects of pomegranate juice and prostate cancer as well as skin cancer. There are numerous products that are used by the pomegranate seeds including: pomegranate seed oil , pomegranate dietary supplements, pomegranate extracts and pomegranate concentrated juice.

    Due to the polyphenols (anti oxidant) within this wonderful fruit it’s nutrition promotes anti inflammatory effects which strengthens the immune system, wound repair and reduces skin wrinkling making it’s derivites the most sought after when addressing skin remedies.

    Eat, Drink and Enjoy!

    RECIPE

    Pomegranate Apple Salad

    Red seeds from a Pomegranate
    1 Apple diced (remove core)
    1/4 c. Feta Cheese crumbled (optional)
    Lettuce Leaves: Endive, Rucula  (Arugula), Spinach, Green Leaf Lettuce. Tear into bite size.
    Dressing
    1/3 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/8 tsp pepper
    1 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese grated

    Wash Pomegranate, Apple and Lettuce leaves. Over a salad bowl cut Pomegranate into quarter pieces, invert each piece so that the skin is push inward and the seeds com outward. Seeds will easily come out. Make sure to remove white pith that the seeds are attached to, discard pith. Cut apple in half, remove and discard seeds. Cut apple into chunks place into bowl. Add feta cheese and lettuce into salad to salad bowl.
    Toss well so that all ingredients are incorporated.

    Place all Dressing ingredients into a bottle or bowl, cover tightly, shake ingredients so that they are well combined. Pour dressing onto salad 5-10 minutes before serving.

    Southern Italian Lasagna

    Delicious Italian Lasagna commonly served in Southern Italy. Buon Appetito!

    Lasagna in an hour!

    1 Carrot’s diced
    1 Celery stalks diced
    1/2 Onion diced
    1/3 cup Olive Oil
    1/2 pound ground meat
    2 28 ounces tomato sauce (unseasoned)
    1/4 cup milk
    3/4 cup water
    1 1/2 tsp salt
    4 cups Mozzarella Cheese (shredded) 250 g freshly cut Mozzarella
    1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
    1 box Barilla Lasagna

    *Optional: Consider enhancing your Lasagna providing a slight creamy taste and reducing the tomato flavor.
    Additional foods that will make your dining experience more tasty:
    1 hard boiled egg. Peeled sliced and added into a layer of the lasagna.
    6 slices. ham Place ham slices into lasagna and reduce salt granule’s by 1/2 tsp.
    6-10 Basil Leaves or (1/2 tsp dried basil) Steps up the meaning of Party!

    If adding in the egg slices for additional protein: On high heat, place a sauce pan with 2 cups of water and uncooked egg. Allow to boil for 15 minutes.

    In a separate large pan combine vegetables, meat and oil and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, using a wooden spoon to break to pieces the ground beef and to combine with vegetables. Add wine and cover for 5 minutes. Reduce to medium-low heat.  Add sauce, milk, water and salt.  Placing a wooden spoon on top of pan, place lid so that is slightly tilted which will allow for water vapor to escape. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Add basil leaves. Turn off stove and remove from heat.

    Pre-heat oven to 350 F or 180 C.

    In a 9×11 cake size pan add to bottom of pan 3-4 large ladles of sauce. Add 4 pasta sheets distributed side by side in pan. Add 2-3 ladles of  sauce to cover pasta. Place on a layer of mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of parmesan (OPTIONAL: place egg slices all over sauce covered pasta.)
    Add second layer of 4 pasta sheets distribute so they are side by side. Pour 2-3 ladles of  sauce to cover pasta. Place on a layer of 6 mozzarella slices. Sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of parmesan (OPTIONAL: evenly distribute ham slices)
    Add third layer of 4 pasta sheets distributed side by side in pan. Pour 2-3 ladles of  sauce to cover pasta. Place on a layer of mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of parmesan.
    Add fourth layer of 4 pasta sheets distributed side by side in pan. Pour 2-3 ladles of  sauce to cover pasta. Place on a layer of mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle on 2-3 tablespoons of parmesan.

    SECRET TRICK to ensure perfect lasagna! Look at the constructed lasagna in the baking pan. The sauce on the side of the lasagna should stop and not elevate past the side of the third pasta layer. There is sauce on the fourth layer with cheese; you are looking for about 1/4 inch of space between the fluid which stops at the third layer and does not rise to the last layer. It will be “soupy” if the sauce on the side of the lasagna completely evens out with the fourth layer.

    Place in oven and allow to bake covered with aluminum foil for 20 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and allow lasagna to cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

    Remove from oven and allow to sit and cool down for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.


    5 Tips to Ensure Holiday Maintenance

    Chocolates, biscotti, pies and cakes….Holiday’s are for enjoying food, family and fun! Yet our biggest weight gain can occur during the 5 weeks of festivites, for a total of 7 pounds!  We are then reminded, that the party is over,January 2, when the moment of truth hits and one decisively chooses to go on a “diet”.   While new diets that apply calorie shifting are given multiple glances and serioulsy put into consideration, it’s important to remember that the word “diet” is about lifestyle and how one eats on a daily basis.

    Five tips are easy to follow in order to shift caloric intake and to make sure that access weight gain is headed off at the pass.

    Tip 1.      Begin the day with a breakfast.
    Protein such as an egg,
    Slice of wheat bread
    Fruit
    Green or White Tea’s (proven to promote anti-aging due to high phenolic content)
    Glass of milk
    This is an old trick that helps to fill up the stomach so that less food is consumed throughout the morning. You may even feel the need to have a lighter lunch as well.

    Tip 2.      Consume calcium for your snacks. Your body needs to be supplied with calcium for both muscles and bones. Weightgain has been linked to low intake of calcium intake. Example: Three glasses of milk can replace any choice of fluid. Many do not realize how many other foods have calcium. Flaxseed actually contains the highest amount at 40% of dietary intake. Almonds and milk contain the same amount of calcium for dietary intake at 25%. 3 ounces of Almonds = 8 ounces of milk (1 glass). Broccoli and oranges also can be added to the daily dietary count of calcium.

    Tip 3.      Eat! Dietetics is about how “All Foods Fit”. Don’t resist the temptation. Eyeball the cake size that you want and then cut in 1/2 the amount that you would have otherwise have chosen. (If really courageous cut portion by 3/4’s. This way you can have your cake and you get to eat it too.

    Tip 4.      Wine is not a fruit! Just because it comes from a grape doesn’t mean that it gets to be counted on your daily intake of 4 fruits per day. There are 100 calories in a half of glass of wine, which is considered one serving! Women and Men are instructed to consume no more than one to two alcholic beverages per day. 1 serving for a women and 2 servings for men.

    Tip 5.      Salty foods are commonly placed in serving bowls throughout gathering areas. Be careful to choose only half of what you really would like to consume. Fruits and vegetables, especially those high in potassium, will flush out the excess salt from your body that will otherwise contribute to weightgain. (mangoes, cantalope, banana’s, oranges, kiwi, cucumber, tomatoes, plantains, lime beans)

    Follow all these tips or just a few and you should notice only your weight maintenance. Happy Holidays from Eat Know How!

    More on Potassium:  “Potassium is naturally found in fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products. Meat, Poultry and Fish foods are high in potassium too, but an entirely carnivorous diet will be detrimental to your health, causing a rise in acid levels and depleting potassium levels.” http://www.buzzle.com/articles/potassium-rich-foods-list-of-foods-high-in-potassium.html

    Anti- aging Benefits of White Tea
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19653897?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=3