Crave Bits

Tag: fiber

  • The Best Veggie… BROCCOLI

    The Best Veggie… BROCCOLI

    BroccoliCheeseSoup2

    The luscious, green cruciferous veggie called Broccoli is well-known and liked by all. When it comes to health benefits, it has almost every benefit to offer and people love it for its qualities. This vegetable can increase the attractiveness of almost anything be it salad, in raw form or cooked with peas exclusively. The reason for the fan following of broccoli is due to its nutritional profile which is unbeatingly impressive. When one is eating broccoli, he is sure to get dozens, no actually hundreds of nutrients that support optimal body functioning. If you want to know about the origin of word ‘Broccoli’, it comes from Italian word, basically which means ‘flowering crest of the cabbage’ and is generally characterised by large flower head, green in colour. This large  green or purple flower head is the reason that it is known to contain Phyto-nutrients that are found to have disease prevention and health maintenance properties. Broccoli is rich in Vitamin A, K, C, iron, zinc, B-complex vitamins phosphorus and dietary fiber. Also, it contains a very important compound, called glucoraphanin. Infact, just a 100gm serving of broccoli will provide you with 150% of daily recommended intake of vitamin C and regarding calories, it just contains 32 calories per 100 gm. Due to the presence of Vitamin C in such high quantities, it has gained so  much popularity, as alongwith this, it is also a very good source of Omega-3 fatty acids.

    To prepare Broccoli, it is recommended to cook only the amount one is going to eat for dinner or lunch and better not to keep extra with the purpose of consuming it later, when given fresh broccoli will be cooked in few minutes. Also, it is best to not overcook your broccoli as it will turn to mush and will take a very unappealing green colour and then you wont feel like eating it. Before Preparing, wash the broccoli in running water and don’t soak it in water. To cook it quickly, cut lengthwise slits in the stems, also, leaves are perfectly edible and contain the concentrated amounts of beneficial nutrients. Also, while cooking take care of the temperature by sticking to a low temperature to support your nourishment. It is good to eat freshly raw or half baked or cooked to get all the nutrients and to enjoy the benefits. As, the broccoli is available the year round in the market , it is preferred to choose bright, compact firm textured florets of broccoli seemingly rich in flavour and avoid the overmature flower heads with yellow buds, hollow stem and excessive branches.

    Redzel-Fresh-Broccoli

    Here are some enlisted benefits of broccoli and trust me there are many;

    It prevents or at least reduces Cancer risk: This is the number 1 benefit of broccoli. Researches say that just eat broccoli three times each month and one could potentially reduce the risk of bladder cancer by 40 percent. The reason being that Sulforaphane in broccoli has been known to kill cancer stem cells, thereby striking the root of tumor growth. Even it was found in a study that men who ate broccoli showed a number of  beneficial changes in genes that are known to fighting cancer.

    Prevents Diabetes and improves heart health: Eating it promotes the production of enzymes that helps in protecting heart blood vessels and reduce the molecules that damages them. It is this Sulforaphane that reduces the number of molecules that reduces cell damage. As, people with diabetes are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks and strokes and Eating broccoli might help in reversing these effects.

    Prevents Arthritis: The sulphur rich broccoli compound blocks a key destructive enzymes that contributes in damaging cartilage. So, increasing broccoli in your diet can slow down and prevent arthritis. So, older people should start eating more broccoli and even the younger ones should develop taste of this wonderful veggie.

    Improves the eyes and skin health: Yes, the added benefit of broccoli is that it improves the skin health not by eating it though but by directly applying it. It prevents the skin cancer and improves the skin when damage is caused by UV rays of sun. Also, due to stimulation of variety of antioxidant defense pathways in your body, it slows down the ageing process. Moreover, broccoli also maintains eyesight as it contains Vitamin A in the form of cartenoids.

    Broccoli, overloaded with so many benefits for health, really makes it a wonder food. The range of benefits it offers like it alkalizes the body, helps in reducing cholesterol, maintains the right blood pressure and yes, is an excellent diet aid as it curbs overeating.  This veggie, broccoli is powerful antioxidant and boosts immune health and prevents cold. The working of broccoli for cancer prevention goes like this; The combination of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification components in broccoli make it a unique food in terms of cancer prevention. Connections between cancer development and oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and inadequate detoxification are so well-documented in the research that any food improving all three of these metabolic problems is meant to be highly likely to lower the risk of cancer. The broccoli is the one, that is showing strong signs of decreased risk of prostate cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Recent studies have also provided us with a much better idea about the amount of broccoli that we need to lower our cancer risk and it is found like 1/2 cup of broccoli which is 22 calories per day can be enough. Though, some people are reluctant to have broccoli, the reason can be any many be they don’t like the taste or whatever, but even, a 2-cup serving twice a week would meet this minimum average amount, and this shows that it is a very little minimal amount in context of week’s food. You know, broccoli can provide you with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits, if cooked by steaming. Well, the benefits are innumerable and that’s the reason it has been counted as one of the world’s healthiest foods. Broccoli is like super pack of health food. The nutritional punch, that broccoli has, is irreplaceable from any vegetable. For diet conscious people, this is something perfect being high in fiber. So, keep eating this rich green food, Broccoli.

    Healthy Eating. Happy Life.

  • Why are juices turning out to be unhealthy?

    Why are juices turning out to be unhealthy?

    We all know that fresh fruits are very useful for our body and they provide us with various health benefits. We can ingest more fruits at a time by drinking fruit juice. Consumption of juices of various fruits as well as vegetables is very prevalent now days.  We normally think that drinking juice is quite advantageous. But there are certain demerits associated with the juicing as well.

    juice

    Lack of fiber: Fruits are filled with various necessary constituents that go away during course of juicing. During this process, fiber is eliminated from the fruit which has a significant role in the betterment of the body. We can suffer with digestion difficulties with the absence of fiber. Fiber supports in attaining satisfaction. We generally can’t eat a lot of fruits at the same time because of the fiber which is present in them. Hence consumption of fresh fruits does not lead to the danger of sugar. In contrast to fruits, juices wipe out the fiber. The shortage of fiber leads to consumption of more amount of juice to fulfill our hunger.

    Elimination of the fruit’s skin: Our body receives rarer benefits while drinking juice as the skin of the fruit is eliminated during the method of juicing. Every single fragment of the fruit is important and each fragment is packed with major nutrients which are necessary for the body.  Fruit’s skin is that part which interrelates with the sun light and develops pigments. These particles are valuable in protecting our body from the harm. Generally the fruit’s skin possesses extra nutrients as compared to the flesh.  Hence the intake of fresh fruit is healthier then the consumption of freshly prepared juice.

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    Rise in the sugar content: All the people who are suffering from diabetes and want to control their sugar content must cut out the consumption of juices. Juices are capable of providing a lot of sugar. Sugar is present in fruits and as the juices contains many fruits as well as vegetables at the same time, the sugar level increases. Hence the juices increase the risk of sugar.

    Time consuming task: It is a little time consuming and problematic to prepare juices in our daily routine. Juicing involves slicing and peeling of fruits along with vegetables. It’s quite easier to consume the fruits as a whole rather than producing the juice out of it. People who are occupied with work load find it hard to include juicing in their routine.

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    Freshly prepared juices are of the finest quality: It is best to consume the juice when it is fresh. The juices turn out to be less flavorsome and healthy with time and so preparing the juices in advance is not be suitable. Hence it becomes troublesome for the people to prepare juices regularly because time is involved in juicing.

    Juicing is pricey: Preparation of juices is costlier then the intake of fresh fruits as a whole. The process of juicing involves juicer to extract the juice out of the fruits and vegetables. These juicers are generally costly and as per their qualities and brand their costs varies.

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    But there are certain advices that make the consumption of fresh juices suitable for us.

    Go for the pure juices: Whenever you feel like drinking juice makes it sure that it is freshly prepared from the pure and genuine fruits and vegetables. Avoid buying treated juices from the store. The freshly prepared juices are best for our health.

    Cut down the usage of fruits for sugariness: The juices made out of vegetables are much better and healthier for us as compared to the fruit juices. Only slight piece of fruit must be added to the vegetable juice in order to increase its sugariness. Try to stay away from the juices that are exclusively prepared from fruits as they very high in sugar content.

    Fresh vegetable juices

    Drink in moderation: The major problem with the consumption of juices is the risk of sugar. Juices are beneficial for us provided that the level of sugar content is not surpassed. Hence it is necessary to consume the juices in a controlled manner. Try not to outstrip the sugar level.

    Usage of fine quality juicer: As I have already mentioned above that fiber is eliminated during the process of juicing. Hence try to find the juicer with finest quality which preserves the fruit’s skin during the course of juicing.  Blender is one of the best options in this respect as it retains the fiber completely.

    juicer

    Now you have learnt about the fact that juices are filled with nutrients but in a lesser amount as compared to actual fruits and vegetables.  Fiber which is so essential is not present in the juices.  The sugar level is also enhanced in the juices.  Hence it is better to directly consume the fruits rather extracting the juice out of it to enjoy the major health benefits.