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Diet and Nutrition

How Healthy Can Kimchi Be?

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Have you been wondering what kimchi is? Kimchi is a spicy fermented cabbage and a tasty complement to Korean dishes. Commonly contained in jars, it has a conspicuous aroma and a sour-spicy taste.  Oh well, it may seem to have this pungent smell but do not let that push you back. Why? You got to read on to find out the answers…

Where It Is Made From?

Kimchi is made from the combination of garlic, scallions, vegetables, vinegar, oil and salt. All these make it an au naturel condiment. While Koreans do consume small amounts of protein especially meat and seafood, nonetheless, their intake of fermented Kimchi is what makes their diet so out of the ordinary. There is very little fat found in Korean dishes, because the meat does not dominate the meal at all.

What We Get Out Of Eating Kim Chi?

Scientists conducted a number of studies that show how this Korean food can increase metabolism and prevent obesity and possess numerous health benefits. Therefore, what the Koreans claim about this food to contain many therapeutic elements has just been justified. Conversely, we are now at the focal point of this article, the reasons why you should not underrate kimchi are because:

    • Garlic, garlic and garlic! The garlic we find in kimchi is a powerful antioxidants that purge your body from free radicals that cause harmful diseases like cancer.  When garlic is crushed, two enzymes work in a tandem to produce the powerful substance called allicin. Allicin is responsible for bringing down cholesterol and triglyceride levels. With kimchi having massive amounts of fresh garlic, eating this certainly helps you reduce your bad cholesterol level. The scallions included in kimchi have the same effect on cholesterol levels as well. Furthermore, garlic is the best known natural source of selenium, a key ingredient that helps our skin and hair healthy. On top of that, it restores Vitamin C, the body’s most important antioxidant. The blend of garlic and vegetables in kimchi keeps us healthy and energetic.
  • The cabbage in kimchi is popularly hailed for curing ulcers, since it helps in nurturing the beneficial bacteria and inhibit the bad ones. Good bacteria are needed for proper digestion and healthy digestive system.
  • Studies have shown that kimchi can shorten the duration of a cold. Moreover, there have been subsequent studies that show how kimchi can be helpful in clearing up yeast infections and urinary tract infections. By incorporating kimchi in your diet, you surely get both a protective and healing effects all in the same package. What a solace!

Pairing kimchi as a side dish with meat, eating it with rice or stewing it could never be even better. There are many recipes sold in many places to make your own kimchi. You can also choose to just pick it up in the chilled section of your grocery store or Asian markets; that is how they call it convenience food.  So do not forget to include kimchi in your next meal; you might just love it![ad#afterpost]

Resource Links:

  • http://bodyecology.com/articles/kimchi_wonderfood_recipe.php
  • http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/KimchiHealthy.html

Do You Lose Weight By Not Eating?

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Many people ask: Do you lose weight by not eating?  You think that the quickest way to lose weight is to cut out almost all food from your daily diet or stop eating completely.  In theory, it may make sense that if you restrict your calorie intake by starving yourself, you will lose the weight at a rapid rate.  Sure, you will lose weight because when you do not feed your body; your body will pretty much do something to feed itself in order to provide you some nourishment. You do not want that to happen, do you?

As a result, your body goes into what is known as “survival mode” and your metabolic rate drastically slows down for conversation purposes.  Then, once you have lost your desired amount of weight, you tend to revert to your previous diet.  Since you tried to lose weight by not eating, your metabolic rate is now slower than it previously was.  After torturing yourself by starvation, you now pose this yo-yo consequence, which entails that you are going to bounce back to your normal weight or even twice as much as you weigh initially.

Dangers

Hey, pause right here and understand this section really well! Losing weight by starving yourself practically waves some red flags.  The recommended healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week and losing weight rapidly through starvation is too dangerous. Here are more reasons why:

    • Depriving your body of proper nutrition will have more negative effects on your health than positive. It can lead to malnutrition and health problems as our body requires regular consumption of vitamins, minerals, fibers, proteins and even fats (the good one).
    • Non-eating practices and starvation diets deprive the body of the nutrients needed for conditioned and healthy organs specifically the heart, lungs and liver. Thus, depriving oneself from eating can be fatal where it can lead to serious cardio, circulatory and respiratory issues. And again, yes it can lead to weight gain.

 

  • When your body stops getting food, the weight you will lose (which is not much) will be mostly water and muscle tissue.  This is very bad because not only will you have to start eating again but since you now have less muscle, you’ll have a slower metabolism compared before which will hinder weight loss; as a result you gain even more fat on top of the fat that your body stored while you fasted.
  • Starvation dieting robs the body of needed glucose levels.  Blood glucose  is the preferred energy of our brains so starvation can cause headaches and unhealthy side effects like fainting, depression, irritability, rashes, reduced sex drive, and hair loss. Hypoglycemia can lead to death when taken for granted.
  • Without the needed nutrients of your body, the proteins, vitamins and minerals, you will have little energy for any healthy physical activity so you end up weak and ineffective.  If you really want to lose weight, do it the healthy way, the right way.

Here are some simple tips to lose weight the healthy way:

  • Instead of not eating, eat small portion of food every few hours.
  • Do not skip breakfast because it is the most important meal of the day. Eat fruits and vegetables if you can.
  • Eat less carbohydrates.
  • Exercise: either you jog, do yoga, workout; just get off that lazy butt off the couch!
  • Drink lots of fluid, especially water.

So the next time you even think about starving yourself, think twice or thrice.  The secret is simple, instead of not eating at all, you eat! Eat frequently with the right food and right amount, and for sure, you will get those extra pounds off quickly.

 

Health Benefits of Dragon Fruit

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Dragon fruit
Dragon fruit

Having a mythical character as your namesake is a special privilege. However, dragon fruit has many more attributes to display than just the nomenclature. Full of fiber and water content, it is one of the best known health foods around. Dragon fruit, also known as Pitahaya, originated in Mexico and South America but its popularity spread far and wide. Today, the fruit is grown in several parts of the world including South China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Okinawa, Hawaii, Palestine and northern Australia.

Available across the world

The plant of dragon fruit gets attractive yellow flowers at night while the fruit itself has reddish, green tip with overlapping scales on its skin. The inner portion is similar in taste to watermelon, pear and kiwi. There are several varieties of the fruit available with diverse skins and inner edible parts. It can be either eaten raw, mixed in juices, served in salads or preserved to make jams and sauces. Just slice the fruit into two and scoop out the flesh since the skin is not edible. Middle of the fruit is the sweetest part which you can keep for later as a dessert.

However, taste is not the best of things it offers. By cherishing the dragon fruit you get lots of beneficial nutrients which are easily absorbed by the human body. The fruit contains carotene, Vitamin C, B, calcium, iron, phosphorous, protein, fiber, and carbohydrates. It does have a small amount of fat too which is contained in its small black seeds all of which can’t be removed manually. Luckily, most of the fat is monounsaturated variety which is beneficial for your body.

Health benefits abound

The most prominent among dragon fruit health benefits is its effectiveness in controlling blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. So besides the medications and exercise that your doctor recommends, taking dragon fruit as your natural treatment may help manage the blood sugar in a more effective way. Being sweet in taste, the fruit also helps control craving for sugar. For pre-diabetics, it can be a part of preventive treatment along with exercise.

Being high on vitamin C, dragon fruit heals cuts and bruises very fast and strengthens the body’s immune system also. The high concentration of antioxidants helps prevent formation of cancer-causing free radicals. On the other hand, dietary fiber improves digestion and vitamin B2 enhances appetite. Vitamin B1 metabolizes carbs to give you instant energy which is why it can be a good energy filler before or after a workout. The high protein content in dragon fruit acts as a bonus for exercisers since not only it helps build muscles but also fastens body’s metabolism thus preventing weight gain.

Due to its detoxifying effect, the fruit neutralizes toxic substances like heavy metals. According to various research studies, the dragon fruit is great for the circulatory system and it also neutralizes toxicity in the blood besides helping in prevention of colon cancer.

Its consumption reduces cholesterol levels and manages high blood pressure. If that was not all, the regular intake of dragon fruit also helps fight cough and asthma thus proving to be highly beneficial in managing chronic disorders too.

The cosmetic and health industries have also jumped the bandwagon by coming up with various products containing extracts of dragon fruit. Because it has high antioxidant levels, the fruit is known to be good for skin while good dose of other nutrients helps improve the eyesight. Other products containing extract of dragon fruit claim to be beneficial in strengthening bones and teeth besides helping in tissue formation because of rich haul of calcium and phosphorus in the fruit.

So enjoy and revel in the dragon fruit health benefits.