August 20th, 2008
I’ve blogged a number of entries on the various health benefits of flaxseed before, although most of them mention flax only in passing, except for one that focuses on the potential of flaxseed in prostate cancer treatment.
But there’s more to flax than these. I’ve received permission to reprint this from the Flax Council of Canada:
Flax is an ideal, functional food ingredient. It is added to many products on today’s grocery shelves because of the omega-3 fats, lignans, and fiber found in the seed, which all help deliver a extra health boost to food’s original nutrient content. Flax also adds a mild, nutty flavor and provides a powerful health punch to your favorite foods. Its primary health benefits include the following:
Flax’s healthy fatty acid profile is one of the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids, ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), a polyunsaturated fat that offers unique heart health benefits including lowering cholesterol level
- Flax is one the best plant sources of lignans, natural antioxidants that helps prevent cancer and may reduce the activity of cell-damaging free radicals that slow the aging process
- Flax is an excellent source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, providing three grams of fiber per tablespoon. The fiber in flax is good for heart, colon, and digestive health, and can ease the effects of type-2 diabetes
Flax is an easy ingredient to add to your recipes. It’s also already an ingredient in many packaged products, such as snack or energy bars, cookies, crackers, breads, muffins, butter, on today’s grocery shelves. It’s also easy to add to foods you already eat every day. Sprinkle it on your morning cereal, in your smoothie, and over salads or fruit. It also can be added to soups, pasta sauces, or your favorite baked goods.
Want to know more about flax– its health benefits and how to incorporate it into your lifestyle? HealthyFlax has all the info you need!
Tags: aging, diet, flax, flaxseed, functional-foods, health, health benefits of flax, health benefits of flaxseed, health food blog, health-food, Healthy Eating, healthy-diet, healthy-food, heart-health, nutraceuticals, nutrition, ~Cancer, ~DiabetesShare This
By ruth -- 0 comments
August 18th, 2008
Possible, according to a newly published study which indicates that cocoa flavanols increase blood flow to the brain and thus help in cognitive performance.
In a scientific study of healthy, older adults ages 59 to 83, Harvard medical scientists found that study participants who regularly drank a cocoa flavanol-rich beverage made using the Mars, Incorporated Cocoapro® process had an eight percent increase in brain blood flow after one week, and 10 percent increase after two weeks.
In this first-of-its-kind study, the researchers found both short and long-term benefits of cocoa flavanols for brain blood flow, offering future potential for the one in seven older Americans currently living with dementia. When the flow of blood to the brain slows over time, the result may be structural damage and dementia. Scientists speculate that maintaining an increased blood flow to the brain could slow this cognitive decline.
The study has been published recently in the journal Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, but the story is no longer new. although I’ve already blogged about a report on the effects of flavanol on the blood flow to the brain more than a year ago. Perhaps the same data set, just took longer to publish?
Image from CocoaVia.com
Tags: brain, Chocolate, dementia, diet, functional-foods, health, health benefits of chocolate, health food blog, health-food, Healthy Eating, healthy-diet, healthy-food, nutraceuticals, nutrition, ~Mental HealthShare This
By ruth -- 0 comments
August 16th, 2008
Superfoods, and what makes them so, are the stars at next week’s American Chemical Society meeting.
The world’s largest scientific society is observing the 100th anniversary of its Agricultural and Food Chemistry Division with a series of talks aimed at new discoveries in the health benefits from phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables.
“Mom’s conventional wisdom of eating fruits and vegetables to lead a healthy life has evolved into more scientific, fact-finding research during the last four decades due to advances in science,” said Dr. Bhimu Patil, the division chair and director of the Texas A&M University Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center.
“Studies are showing the importance of fruits, vegetables and nuts in reducing the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases,” Patil said in a message to membership. “It is befitting that (the society) is focusing more on health and preventing diseases.”
About time, too. If we can identify the active compounds in food that confers benefits in disease prevention and treatment, that’s already a big step in making full use of what nature is providing us.
Tags: diet, functional-foods, health, health food blog, health-food, Healthy Eating, healthy-diet, healthy-food, nutraceuticals, nutrition, phytochemicals, superoodsShare This
By ruth -- 0 comments
August 15th, 2008
Barbecue season is coming to a close, but I hope I’m not yet late in sharing this tip: marinate your meat before grilling to reduce formation of carcinogen compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCA) during grilling.
In a study published recently in published in the Journal of Food Science, scientists tested three commercial spice- containing marinade blends (Caribbean, Southwest, and Herb) on round beef steaks. The steaks were marinated for one hour and then grilled at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Their results showed that steaks marinated in the Caribbean blend produced the highest decrease in HCA content (88 percent), followed by the herb blend (72 percent) then the southwest blend (57 percent).
“Commercial marinades offer spices and herbs, which have antioxidants that help decrease the HCAs formed during grilling,” according to a prepared statement from study lead researcher J.S. Smith, PhD. “The results from our study have a direct application since more consumers are interested in healthier cooking.”
Tags: barbecue, diet, functional-foods, grilling, health, health food blog, health-food, Healthy Eating, healthy-diet, healthy-food, marinades, nutraceuticals, nutrition, summer, ~CancerShare This
By ruth -- 0 comments
August 14th, 2008
Herbal extracts derived from a tree called Tabebuia impetiginosa, commonly known as Pink Ipê or Pink Lapacho which is native to Central and South America, has been shown in animal trials to delay the absorption of dietary fat. The researchers believe that the extract could be incorporated into a food supplement to fight obesity, as well as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.
Dr Roos and his team have shown that Tabebuia extract can reduce levels of triglycerides, a breakdown product of fat, in rats after they have been fed a fatty meal. “This result shows the extract may have a potential use in treating obesity,” he observes. “However, as coronary heart disease and diabetes have also been shown to be associated with higher triglyceride levels after eating, we believe a food-supplement based on Tabebuia could reduce the incidence of these diseases as well. What is more, as obesity in developing countries is also on the increase, such extracts, taken as a capsule or added to food, may be a cheaper alternative for the rural population to pharmaceuticals.”
The researchers are hoping to isolate and identify the active compounds in the extract and conduct further animal trials using miniature pigs to test long-term efficacy and safety. If you require further reading, watch out for the article in an upcoming release of the journal, Phytotherapy Research.
Photo Source: Wikipedia
Tags: diet, fat absorption, functional-foods, health, health food blog, health-food, Healthy Eating, healthy-diet, healthy-food, heart-disease, nutraceuticals, nutrition, weight-loss, ~Diabetes, ~ObesityShare This
By ruth -- 3 comments
August 14th, 2008
As a segues to my previous post on how increasing potassium intake may help ward off cardiovascular disease, here are the top 10 sources of potassium, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (pdf file):
- Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added
- Orange juice, frozen concentrate, unsweetened, undiluted
- Beet greens, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
- Beans, white, mature seeds, canned
- Dates, deglet noor
- Milk, canned, condensed, sweetened
- Tomato products, canned, puree, without salt added
- Raisins, seedless
- Potato, baked, flesh and skin, without salt
- Grapefruit juice, white, frozen concentrate, unsweetened, undiluted
My favorite among these? Dates and raisins! Add nuts and you have trail mix, which comes #11! To see what other foods are rich in potassium, you may download the list here.
Tags: cardiovascular-disease, diet, foods rich in potassium, functional-foods, health, health food blog, health-food, Healthy Eating, healthy-diet, healthy-food, heart-disease, potassium, potassium-rich foods, stroke, ~Vitamins and MineralsShare This
By ruth -- 0 comments
August 13th, 2008
Sometimes, it’s the little things that make a big impact. A new article published in last month’s issue of The Journal of Clinical Hypertension indicates that an increased intake in minerals such as potassium, and possibly magnesium and calcium by dietary means may reduce the risk of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and stroke, as well as decrease blood pressure in people with hypertension.
According to the paper, if Americans were able to increase their potassium intake, the number of adults with known hypertension with blood pressure levels higher than 140/90 mm Hg might decrease by more than 10 percent and increase life expectancy. Similar studies show that diets high in magnesium (at least 500 to 1,000 mg/d) and calcium (more than 800 mg/d) may also be associated with both a decrease in blood pressure and risk of developing hypertension. Data regarding these minerals, however, are not definitive.
Potassium, in particular is believed to be one reason why vegetarians and those on primitive diets (high potassium, low sodium) have lower rates of cardiovascular disease.
In isolated societies consuming diets high in fruits and vegetables, hypertension affects only 1 percent of the population, whereas in industrialized countries which consume diets high in processed foods and large amounts of dietary sodium, 1 in 3 persons have hypertension. Americans consume double the sodium and about half of the potassium that is recommended by current guidelines.
Next: Top 10 Sources of Potassium
Tags: cardiovascular-disease, diet, functional-foods, health, health food blog, health-food, Healthy Eating, healthy-diet, healthy-food, heart-disease, potassium, stroke, ~Vitamins and MineralsShare This
By ruth -- 1 comment
August 10th, 2008
In an animal trial, injections of high doses of vitamin C have been demonstrated to reduce tumor weight and growth rate by about 50 percent in mouse models of brain, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers.
The NIH researchers, however, tested the idea that ascorbate, when injected at high doses, may have prooxidant instead of antioxidant activity. Prooxidants would generate free radicals and the formation of hydrogen peroxide, which, the scientists hypothesized, might kill tumor cells. In their laboratory experiments on 43 cancer and 5 normal cell lines, the researchers discovered that high concentrations of ascorbate had anticancer effects in 75 percent of cancer cell lines tested, while sparing normal cells. In their paper, the researchers also showed that these high ascorbate concentrations could be achieved in people.
Why injections? Apparently, our bodies precisely regulate the amount of ascorbate absorbed by the body when it is taken orally. So even if you eat lots and lots of oranges and other foods rich in vitamin C, our natural physiology prevents blood levels of ascorbate from exceeding a certain range. Hence, the injection approach.
Tags: ascorbate, ascorbic-acid, diet, functional-foods, health, health food blog, health-food, Healthy Eating, healthy-diet, healthy-food, nutraceuticals, nutrition, vitamin-C, ~CancerShare This
By ruth -- 3 comments
August 9th, 2008
It turns out that there’s a reason you sweat when you eat a lot of red hot chilli peppers: that compound responsible for the fire in your mouth called capsaicin can directly induce thermogenesis.
And although the studies used relatively high amounts of capsaicin (probably more than even a Thai-food addict can tolerate) to demonstrate this, researchers are looking into the structure of capsaicin as a model to design more potent compounds that might have clinical use such as treating hypothermia.
Tags: capsaiciin, diet, functional-foods, health, health food blog, health-food, Healthy Eating, healthy-diet, healthy-food, hot peppers, hypothermia, nutraceuticals, nutrition, spicy foodShare This
By ruth -- 1 comment
August 9th, 2008
Dunkin’ Donuts has recently launched DDSMART, a range of “better-for-you” breakfast options.
These items bear a distinctive new logo, and the menu items include both new and existing Dunkin’ Donuts items that meet at least one of the following criteria: 25% fewer calories; 25% less sugar, fat, saturated fat or sodium than comparable fare, and/or contain ingredients that are nutritionally beneficial.
A highlight of the DDSMART menu is Dunkin’ Donuts’ new Egg White Flatbread Sandwiches. Dunkin’ Donuts is the first national quick service restaurant chain to introduce egg white sandwiches. The DDSMART menu includes two varieties of this innovative item: Turkey Sausage (featuring turkey sausage, spinach and reduced-fat mozzarella cheese) and Veggie (featuring peppers, onions, mushrooms and reduced-fat cheddar cheese). Both are under 300 calories, with nine grams of fat or less, and are served on wholesome toasted multigrain flatbread.
See? With just a bit more thought into your choices, fast food can be healthy, too! Check out their new menu!
Image from: Dunkin Donuts website.
Tags: breakfast, ddsmart, diet, dunkin' donuts, fast food, fastfood, functional-foods, health, health food blog, health-food, Healthy Eating, healthy-diet, healthy-food, nutraceuticals, nutritionShare This
By ruth -- 0 comments
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