Monthly Archives: May 2019

May 31st, 2019

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Does Instant Oatmeal Work As Well As Rolled Oats In Lowering Cholesterol

Oats are one of the healthiest grains you can choose, so they can be a healthy choice. They are high in fiber, which can reduce bad cholesterol and help you stay full longer. They also enhance the body’s immune response and stabilize blood sugar; plus, they’re gluten free.

Over the years, there have been many research studies that have proven the benefits of oatmeal in lowering cholesterol levels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is convinced. Oatmeal was one of the first foods to carry the heart healthy distinction on its label because of promising research findings.

If you are looking for the cholesterol-lowering effects, instant oatmeal or quick-cooking oats do the job as well as steel-cut oats or rolled oats. They are still considered to be a whole grain. However, because instant oats are made into very thin flakes that are quicker to digest, they have more of an effect on raising your blood glucose level. To prevent a rapid rise in your blood glucose, it’s wise to have some lean protein or healthy fats with your instant oatmeal, such as low-fat milk, egg or chopped nuts.

Savory instant oatmeal porridge cooked with lean chicken meat and egg is a very delicious and wholesome meal that keeps you full for a long period of time. And it’s simple and fast to whip up too.

Be very mindful to note the ingredients when buying packaged flavored instant oatmeal. These forms often include sugar, sweetener, chocolate and flavorings which you may not want.

In the USDA nutrient database, instant oatmeal possesses the same nutritional profile as regular or quick-cooking oatmeal. The only difference lies in the glycemic index, which is a measurement of how quickly a food increases your blood sugar within a two-hour period. Because instant oatmeal has been processed to cook more quickly, it is also broken down and digested more quickly by your body, giving it a higher glycemic index. Eating a lower glycemic index diet may help improve your cholesterol ratios. To lower the glycemic index of instant oatmeal, all you have to do is combine it with a little lean protein as mentioned above.

Bottom Line: Instant oat can be handy and healthy, if you choose the unsweetened kind.

Nutritional Information On Food

May 25th, 2019

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Is Instant Coffee Good or Bad?

I am quite a coffee lover but due to time constraint, only consume instant coffee. Drinking regular coffee is linked to many health benefits (1, 2, 3) The question is – do these benefits apply to instant coffee as well?

For those of you who need your quick fix of cup of joe every morning, have you ever wondered how instant coffee is made?

Instant coffee is in fact made from real coffee. Whole beans are roasted, ground and brewed before they start their journey to becoming instant. What makes coffee instant is when all the water is removed from the brewed product, leaving behind dehydrated crystals of coffee. To make it coffee again, simply add water.

There are two ways to make instant coffee: spray drying and freeze drying. Spray drying is achieved by spraying liquid coffee concentrate as a fine mist into very hot, dry air (we’re talking about 480 degrees F). When the coffee hits the ground, the water has been evaporated and it has dried into small, round crystals.

Freeze drying coffee involves a few steps. First, the coffee is cooked down into an extract. The coffee extract is chilled at about 20 degrees F into a coffee slushie. The coffee slushie is then further chilled on a belt, drum or tray to -40 degrees F until it forms slabs of coffee ice. The coffee ice is broken into granules. They’re then sent to a drying vacuum, where the ice vaporizes and leaves behind instant coffee granules.

So, is instant coffee healthy? Or does only freshly ground coffee contain all the health benefits?

Instant Coffee Contains Antioxidants and Nutrients

Coffee is the single biggest source of antioxidants in the modern diet (4, 5, 6, 7).

This high antioxidant content is believed to be responsible for many of the health benefits linked to drinking coffee. Like regular coffee, instant coffee contains many powerful antioxidants (8, 9).

According to one study, instant coffee may contain even more of certain antioxidants than other types, due to the way it is processed (10).

One standard cup of instant coffee contains only 4 calories, and provides small amounts of potassium, magnesium and niacin (vitamin B3). Moreover, instant coffee generally contains slightly less caffeine than regular coffee. For those who are trying to cut back on caffeine but can’t live without their daily cup of joe, instant coffee may be a better choice.

Instant Coffee Contains More Acrylamide
Acrylamide is a potentially harmful chemical that forms when coffee beans are roasted. This chemical is also commonly found in a wide range of foods, smoke, household items and personal care products. Instant coffee may contain up to twice as much acrylamide as fresh, roasted coffee. Overexposure to acrylamide may damage the nervous system and increase the risk of cancer.

However, the amount of acrylamide you’re exposed to through diet and coffee is much lower than the doses that have been shown to be harmful. Therefore, drinking instant coffee should not cause concern regarding acrylamide exposure. Always exercise moderation in your coffee consumption, as with other foods.

Instant Coffee and Cholesterol
Instant coffee has less cafestol than coffee made in a French press or Turkish coffee, according to Dr. Rob van Dam, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. Cafestol is a substance that can elevate cholesterol. Both instant coffee and filtered coffee prepared in an automatic coffeemaker contain very small amounts of cafestol. If you already have high cholesterol or a family history of heart disease, instant coffee is a better choice than French-press or Turkish coffee.

Instant Coffee May Have Several Health Benefits

Given that instant coffee contains the same antioxidants and nutrients as regular coffee, it should have most of the same health effects.

Drinking instant coffee may:

1 Enhance brain function: The caffeine can improve brain function.

2 Boost metabolism: The caffeine may increase metabolism and help you burn more fat.

3 Reduce disease risk: Coffee may reduce the risk of neuro degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

4 Decrease diabetes risk: Coffee may help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (11)

5 Improve liver health: Coffee and caffeine may reduce the risk of liver diseases like cirrhosis and liver cancer (12 13 , 14)

6 Improve mental health: Coffee may help lower the risk of depression and suicide.

7 Promote longevity: Drinking coffee may help you live longer.

Coffee contains a complex array of bioactive compounds. The chemical processes used to create instant coffee alter or remove some of its nutrients. Common sense dictates that this processing should lower the nutrient value of coffee. However, research has not confirmed this. In fact, as mentioned earlier, instant coffees may be richer in some nutrients.

Instant coffee is quick, easy and doesn’t require a coffee maker. It also has a very long shelf life and is cheaper than regular coffee.

Overall, instant coffee is a healthy, low-calorie beverage that is linked to the same health benefits as other types of coffee. But do exercise moderation in your instant coffee consumption.

Interesting Information

May 22nd, 2019

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Why We Should Eat Yoghurt Everyday

Fermented dairy products have long been considered to benefit digestive health and yogurt has even been associated with lower risk of obesity and cardiometabolic risk in both children and adults.

Yogurt can be a fantastic addition to a healthy and well-balanced diet, as long as you choose the right kind, and don’t suffer from an allergy, intolerance or condition that might be worsened by consuming dairy.

Yogurt is rich in nutrients, calcium and protein and may boost your health when consumed regularly. It may help reduce the risk of some diseases, while also benefiting digestive health and weight control.

1. Yogurt is the perfect immune system booster. The lactic acid in yogurt have important effects in preventing cancer, infections, gastrointestinal diseases and asthma.

2. The lactic acid bacteria in yogurt kills the malicious bacteria in our bowel, preventing diarrhea and helps to create a healthy inner bowel environment.

3. As yogurt is a rich source of conjugated linoleic acid, it is a protective food against colon and breast cancers. Furthermore, conjugated linoleic acid which is one of the most important compounds for boosting the immune system is more useful when it is taken from yogurt instead of pills.

Homemade Plain Yogurt

4. Some types of probiotics found in yogurt, such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus, have been shown to lessen the uncomfortable symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is a common disorder that affects the colon (1, 2, 3, 4.)

5. Probiotics have been shown to reduce inflammation, which is linked to several health conditions ranging from viral infections to gut disorders (5, 6, 7, 8).

6. Research shows that consuming at least three servings of dairy foods, such as yogurt, on a daily basis may help preserve bone mass and strength (9)

7. Some studies have suggested that four weeks of regularly eating probiotic yoghurt is good for the brain, while another large study credited the healthy bacteria in yoghurt for lowering risk of heart attack and stroke among people who ate just two servings a week.

plain yogurt

To ensure your yogurt contains effective probiotics, look for one that contains live, active cultures, which should be listed on the label.

Caveat:
While yoghurt is beneficial to our health, stick to sugar-free ones with no added food additives and artificial flavorings. Avoid any yogurt that claims to taste like a dessert, especially one that says it is fat-free but tastes like ice-cream or strawberry pudding. The reason these yogurts taste ‘good’ is that they have been packed full of sugars, and/or sweeteners and artificial flavorings.

Be wary of yogurts purporting to be flavoured with ‘real fruit. This often comes from concentrated fruit sources which still represent a significant amount of sugar. Watch out for the other names for sugar such as dextrose, maltose, and barley malt, to name a few.

Healthy Food, Healthy Snacks, Nutritional Information On Food

May 10th, 2019

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Human Ears And Nose Continue To Grow Throughout The Entire Lifetime

Do you think you stopped growing at age 16 or 18? Yes we may have stopped growing vertically at the end of puberty but did you know that some parts of your body continue to grow after the rest of your body is fully grown?

My youngest daughter keeps commenting that my ears seem to grow longer and longer each time she observes them intently. I didn’t believe her and did a search on whether ears grow with age and bingo, they do! It’s confirmed by the US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health in this article. And I learned something new because of my 11-year old daughter’s curiosity 🙂

Bones, stop growing after puberty and muscle and fat cells also stop dividing. But cartilage – that’s the plastic-like stuff in ears and noses – cartilage continues to grow until the day you die. Not only does cartilage grow, but the earlobes elongate from gravity. And that makes ears look even larger.

Like the nose, the ears are composed of cartilage and will continue to get bigger through your lifetime. In a study published in the December 1995 British Medical Journal, the width of participants’ ears did not increase over time, but the length did — by as much as 0.22 millimeters (0.0087 inches) a year [source: Juan].

So it’s really true. Older people do have larger noses and ears!

Interesting Information

May 2nd, 2019

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Health Benefits Of Activated Nuts

I’ve recently jumped into the activated nut milk bandwagon and am loving it!

Whilst some may think that activated nuts sounds like a modern fad, most traditional cultures soak, sprout and ferment nuts and grains and this has been in practice for centuries. It’s not that it’s been invented, rather it’s being re-discovered.

Activating nuts and seeds is the process of soaking raw nuts and seeds in salt water for a period of time that is long enough to start the nuts and seeds germinating. This process is believed to breakdown the Phytic Acid in the nuts and seeds and in turn you get what raw foodies call a “live” nut full of accessible nutrients that beforehand where bonded up in the Phytic Acid.

Phytic acid binds with minerals and stops our bodies from absorbing these major nutrients properly. Enzyme inhibitors in the nuts can also interfere with our natural digestive enzymes, further reducing our ability to digest and uptake nutrients.

Whilst phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors naturally occur within growing nuts, they are not so compatible with the human body. Whilst a moderate intake of phytates may be associated with lowered cancer risk, an excessive intake may interfere with our bodies’ digestion and absorption.

As nuts have loads of goodness, we want to extract all their rich benefits when we eat them. However, much of this goodness is essentially ‘locked up’ by enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid, preventing our body from absorbing nuts’ nutrients fully. So what can we do about it? We activate them!

Activation stimulates the early germination and sprouting process within the nut and seed. This has a twofold benefit; firstly, enzyme inhibitors are disarmed so that the plant can begin its next stage of growth. At the same time, phytic acid levels drop as the nut taps into this energy store in preparation for its impending growth spurt.

Soaking and sprouting mimics germination, essentially waking up the nut or seed so that we can absorb the highest amount of nutrition it has to offer.

The good news? The substances which block nutrient absorption are disabled, whilst the other beneficial nutrients remain intact. We end up with a delicious, nutritious snack that our bodies can easily digest and absorb!

Are Activated Nuts better for you?
Activated nuts are not only great because they don’t contain enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid. They’re also great because they contain more readily available nutrients.

The process of activating causes the levels of proteins and essential vitamins to increase above those of un-activated nuts. They’re easier to digest, gentler on tummies and because they’ve started to sprout, they’re alive again and chock-full of nutrients! There are many reports of people who couldn’t eat nuts before, but who can now tolerate eating nuts and seeds that have been activated.

How To Consume Activated Nuts
Once the nuts have been soaked for 7-12 hours in warm water and salt, they are then rinsed, drained and dehydrated in a very low temperature oven or dehydrator. The dried nuts are then stored in an airtight container.

Activated nuts can also be pulverized with water using cold press method, poured through a nut milk bag, cheesecloth or other fine mesh strainer to separate the pulp from the liquid. Sweeteners like maple syrup, honey or coconut nectar can be added. Nut milk is indeed a very refreshing and wholesome beverage for the whole family, except for children below 2 years of age and those who are allergic to tree nuts.

Nutritional Information Of Nuts