Tag: antioxidants

  • Staying young forever – What to eat?

    Staying young forever – What to eat?

    Who wants to get old? The answer is no one. Although in reality aging is unavoidable. But we can certainly lower down the rate of ageing. With age our body performs less efficiently and we become vulnerable to age associated ailments. But aging with elegance is in our hands. The manner in which we lead our lives control our aging.  The damaging results of aging can be reduced by the intake of certain food items. These foodstuffs would not put a halt to the aging process but your health and strength will be improved. Even though there are many different kinds of anti-aging cosmetics available in the marketplace but directly consumption of these food items proves to be a better option as they benefit the body thoroughly.  Nutrition has the chief responsibility in restraining the aging procedure. There are many such food items that diminish the symptoms of aging and some of them are listed below. Hence consume them and stay healthy.

    Berries:

    Berries

    Everyone enjoys eating berries. Each and every kind of berry is filled with antioxidants that stimulates the health of the cell and provides defense against infections. The darker berry contains the maximum amount of antioxidants and thus delivers the best anti-aging advantages. Berries are loaded with vitamin C which provides major benefits to the skin. The tissues in the body are greatly repaired with the support of vitamin C.

    Avocado:

    ganze und halbe avocado isoliert auf weiss

    Avocado has major anti-aging properties. It is loaded with vitamin E and many antioxidants. It also contains some amount of potassium. These antioxidants are highly skin defensive in nature and hence provide radiance to the skin. Along with that folate is also present in avocado that is responsible for the restoration of cells in the skin. So eat avocado to possess radiant and glowing skin along with glossy hair.

    Nuts:

    Nuts

    Like berries and avocados, nuts are also regarded as very beneficial for the body. Nuts are highly loaded with protein and healthy fats. Omega-3 fatty acids are present in nuts which are considered to be extremely valuable for the health and skin. A kind of nut, almonds are rich in vitamin E which is very helpful in preventing the cellular impairment. Nuts are packed up with components that relieve irritation and swelling.  So next time if you are starving eat some nuts instead of chips as nuts provide so many health benefits without increasing the calories.

    Tomatoes:

    Tomatoes

    Tomatoes are usually present in our kitchens as they contribute in almost every dish we prepare. These tomatoes are rich in vitamin C that helps in the development of collagen. Consequently the skin becomes stronger and chubbier. Another very important antioxidant which is present in a tomato is lycopene. Lycopene is found to defend the skin from UV harm and helps in maintaining the surface of the skin. If you start eating tomatoes daily the result will be visible on your face in the form of shine and glow.

    Honey:

    honey

    If you eat like eating sugary foods then honey is one of the finest options for you. Honey is considered to be very useful for the skin and many people are in habit of applying honey as a face pack. Moreover inflammation is not triggered in the body with the consumption of honey. It is one of the greatest antioxidant.

    Dark Chocolate:

    dark chocolate

    As we all know that contact to UV radiations is harmful and it makes our skin get older. Chocolates are prepared using cocoa beans which are highly rich in flavanols, an antioxidant. This antioxidant diminishes the irritation and redness caused on the skin as a result of ultraviolet radiations. In addition to that the consumption of dark chocolate enhances the circulation in the skin. As a result the skin keeps the hold of moistness and subsequently the wrinkles fade away.

    Fish:

    fish

    To cope with dry skin it is advised to consume food items which provide healthy fats to our body. Such food items like fish nourish and cleanse our skin. Fishes are packed with omega-3 fatty acid which battle against the inflammation and provide protection from heart related ailments. Fishes like salmon are remarkable for our skin.

    Vegetables:

    Spinach

    Vegetables are super foods which apart from providing so many health benefits also slower down the rate of aging. Especially green vegetables like spinach are highly rich in antioxidants which protect the skin from harmful UV radiations. Along with that vegetables are also filled with vitamins as well as minerals which enhances the immunity of the body.

    Garlic:

    garlic

    One more major anti-aging food is garlic. Garlic is considered as a nourishing and tasty food which is consumed directly or through various dishes. It diminishes the inflammation on the skin, lower down the level of cholesterol and preserves the cellular health. It is a great anti-bacterial food item which advances the immunity naturally. Hence make sure you eat garlic to fight against the ageing process.

  • Maple Syrup: Is It Healthy or Unhealthy for your Body?

    Maple Syrup: Is It Healthy or Unhealthy for your Body?

    Maple syrup is one of the widely used sweeteners today. The manufacturers claim that it is 100 % natural and is in fact far healthier than the regular sugar that we use. They also claim that maple syrup is also better in terms of the nutrition provided to the human body. Believing these claims, people have started to use it in their day to day life without even making any efforts in authenticating if the claims made are genuine or not. Maple syrup is actually manufactured using the sap of the maple trees. These saps are actually sugary fluid which comes out of the maple trees. Its use has been mentioned in various history books making it one of the food items consumed for many centuries now. Currently Canada is the country which produces almost 80 % of the total maple syrup used in the whole world.

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    There is a two-step process involved in the manufacturing of the maple syrup. Firstly a hole is made in the trunk of the maple tree and the sugary fluid circulating is collected in these holes. Then the next step involves the process in which this syrup is boiled till the water present in it evaporates and sugary syrup which is thick in nature is left behind. Then with the help of the filtration, the impurities present in them are removed. Now depending upon the color of the final syrup obtained, the maple syrup is then classified into Grade A and Grade B. In the Grand A variety, we further have the Light, Medium and Dark Amber category. The Grade B category maple syrup is the darkest syrup obtained and so they have the strongest flavor. This is the reason they are generally used for baking while the Grade A category ones are directly used as the syrup. The darker maple syrup or the Grade B maple syrup is generally manufactured using the sap obtained in the harvesting seasons. It is very important to have prior knowledge before buying the maple syrups from the market. You should select the actual maple syrup and not the flavored maple syrups as they offer more health benefits. Moreover the flavored maple syrup is loaded with the fructose corn syrup or the refined sugar which not only affects your health but also invites various diseases towards your body.

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    The reason why maple syrup is preferred over the refined sugar is the presence of many essential nutrients, minerals and antioxidants. A fresh and pure 100 grams of maple syrup contains the following minerals. Potassium: 6% of RDA, Zinc: 28% of RDA, Calcium: 7% of RDA, Iron: 7% of RDA and Manganese: 165% of RDA. Further the 100 grams of pure maple syrup also has 67 grams of table sugar. This high percentage of the sugar is not at all appropriate as they can lead you to type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart related diseases. If you go for the maple syrup considering that it has good amount of minerals in it and ignore the sugar content, then it is not a wise step and you need to think again on your decisions. The only other healthy way by which you can get the right quantity of minerals is by eating the real foods as they are not adulterated and are perfectly natural. Choose a balanced diet of both the plants and animals and you will surely be protected against the diseases.

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    But if you are anyway going to eat the artificial sweeteners  then maple syrup is the best option in front of you as they have about 1/3rd sugar content compared to the refined sugars available these days. Another good thing about the maple syrup is that its glycemic index is 54 which is less than the table sugar and is a good sign. The table sugar has the glycemic index of 65. This low level of glycemic index helps in maintaining the blood sugar level inside the human body. The less the glycemic index, the better it is for your health. Another advantage of using the maple syrup is the presence of the 24 different varieties of the antioxidants. Yes, this is absolutely right. They have 24 varieties of antioxidants. The oxidative damage inside the human body makes it prone to the diseases and also fastens the process of aging. Actually there are some of the unwanted chemical reactions which happen inside the body involving the free radicals that harms you severely and these chemical reactions are called by the name of the oxidative damage. The antioxidants present in the maple syrup helps in neutralizing these free radicals which eventually helps in getting rid of these oxidative damages. The darker maple syrups have more percentage of antioxidants in them than the lighter ones and so you should opt for the darker ones.

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    The final verdict is that although the maple syrup contains the nutrients and essential antioxidants, it also has the high amount of sugar content in it which is not good for your health. You can call maple syrup as slightly better than the actual sugar. So its use should be limited so that you stay protected. Do not use it regularly as it may harm your health.