Soy for Health Benefits

An Introduction

First produced in China around A.D. 25 – 220 for medical purposes, soy has been considered one of five sacred plants along with rice, barley, wheat and millet for centuries.

Today, soy products come in variety of form such as Soy Sauce, Tempeh, Miso and Natto. Others are Edamame, Soy Cheese, Soy Flour, Shoyu, Soy Nuts and the ever refreshing Soymilk.

Besides food, soy also being processed as fabrics, candles, paints, enamels, inks and soaps which made up from soybean derivatives and known for its quality.

The Health Benefits

Soy bean contains some compounds necessary to fight or suppress certain disease. The most powerful are Isoflavones named Genistein and Daidzen.

Heart Disease

• Soy beans contain soluble fiber that reacts with the absorption and metabolism of cholesterol, a common cause of cardiovascular disease.

• Genistein and Daidzein (also named phyoestrogens) known to be an agent reducing serum cholesterol levels.

Osteoporosis

• Soy proteins promote higher bone density; thus prevent menopausal women from osteoporosis.

• Daidzen act similar to Ipriflavone, a drug used to inhibit the bone breakdown while enhancing the body’s ability to remake bones hence significantly lower the risk of fracture.

Cancers

• Genistein suppress the growth and stimulation of cancer cells.

• Phytoestrogen is “anti-estrogens”, protecting women from developing breast cancer.

• Early age diet that includes soy products may inhibit the development of breast, colon and prostate cancers in the future.

Menopause

• Genistein and Daidzein balance the level of estrogen in the body thus preventing the symptoms of peri-menopause like hot flashes, night sweats, headaches, vaginal dryness and insomnia.

• For post-menopausal women, it lowers the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis and promotes longer life expectancy.

• During menopause, soy protein helps higher the bone density thus preventing osteoporosis.

Diabetes and Kidney Disease

• Soy regulates the carbohydrates breakdown into sugar in the body effectively.

• Soluble fiber found in the okara (soy bean grinds) enables glucose absorption into the bloodstream.

• Though soy is high in protein, a soy-based diet is still a good choice for diabetes control since it does not stimulate hyper filtration and proteinuria.

• Help lower the LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), make it effective in preventing kidney damage.

Eye Health

• Genistein protects against x-ray induced cataract.

• Act as radioprotectant when expose to ionizing radiation. This is helpful in cancer treatment, radiation contamination cleanup and space travel.

Lactose-intolerance

• Symptoms of lactose-intolerance are diarrhea, vomiting, gas and cramps.

• About 75% of the globe populations have lactose-intolerance.

• By ethnic, 75% of Africans and 90% of Asians have lactose-intolerance.

• Soymilk is lactose free compared to dairy milk.

Nutritional Value

• Soymilk contains almost the same amount of protein as cow’s milk which essential to build muscle and burn fat.

• Has lower fat density than milk protein or casein.

• Has little digestible calcium, therefore many manufacturers enrich their products with tri-calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate and vegetable calcium from seaweed which available for human digestion.

• Contains less saturated fat and no cholesterol, which help prevent clogged arteries and heart disease.

• A great source of fiber, necessary for our digestive functions.

• Lecithin in soy helps lower cholesterol and triglycerides.

• Vitamin B1, B2, and B6 content are good for metabolism, skin, muscle, immune and nervous system, and cell growth.

• Rich in iron, zinc, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium and boron. Magnesium and boron are important co-factors of calcium for bone health.

• Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids available in soy prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease, boost immune system and promote brain health.

Useful Tips

• Soymilk is lactose-free whereas lactose-free milk is between 70% and 99% lactose free.

• Contain little calcium, therefore consuming calcium rich foods like leafy vegetables, sardines, salmon, avocado and almonds are necessary to complete the other parts of our diets.

• A great alternative to cow’s milk recipes such as making waffles and pan cakes, in coffee or tea, or over cereal.

• Considered a healthy replacement for meats or other foods high in saturated fat and total fat.

• Soy products along with plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables are a healthy balanced diet.

• To get the best out of soy products, look for products which use non-genetically modified soy crops in their production.

• Soybean oil used in fried foods, snacks and salad dressings might be bad for health if taken excessively as it contains more of the Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

• For the cardiac benefits of soy, 25 grams of soy protein is needed. This is equivalent to 2 to 4 servings a day (1 serving = a cup of soymilk or a half-cup of tofu or one-quarter cup of soy nuts).

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Why You Should Eat Dark Chocolate

A Bit of History
Thousands of years ago, the Aztec Empire had used cocoa as part of the ingredients to make spicy bitter drinks for their special occasions. At the later centuries, cocoa beans were brought to Spain, which then spread across Europe. Only at the end of the 19th Century, milk was added to chocolate to eat as well as to drink. Chocolate was once a fashionable choice, meant for the noble, rich and famous but now, it is meant for everyone.


Health Benefits
There are many conducted studies revealed the much benefits one could gain just by having a little bite of dark chocolate. To be considered as dark chocolate, a product should have at least 65 percent of cocoa content.

Why not dairy chocolate? A study shows that milk does interfere in the process of antioxidants absorption, thus lower the chances to fight certain disease. The same goes to white chocolate, which contains no flavonoids (solid cocoa), known to be important as an antioxidants agent.

The following are 3 main reasons why it is good to consume dark chocolate:

1. Antioxidants
• Compounds called phenolic phytochemicals, or flavonoids found in cocoa act to protect the body from free radicals and damage that can lead to ailments such as heart disease, strokes, diabetes, asthma and cancer (lung cancer, prostate cancer).
• Procyanidins produce nitric oxide which helps to stabilize blood pressure, balance up hormones inside the body and also decreases blood clotting.
• It also lowers cholesterol level by reducing LDL (bad cholesterol) oxidation and help increase HDL (good cholesterol) concentrations in the blood.

2. Stimulants
• Caffeine help eases the symptoms of pre-menstrual, boost spirits and increase energy.
• Have low glycemic index which act to maintain blood glucose and insulin levels.
• Theobromine is mildly diuretic (increases urine production), is a mild stimulant, and relaxes the smooth muscles of the bronchi in the lungs. (Notes that this may be toxic or lethal to dogs and other domestic animals such as horses because these animals metabolize theobromine more slowly than humans).

3. Antidepressant and Aphrodisiac
• Phenyl ethylamines and serotonin in chocolate are hormones known to help boost positive emotions.
• Endorphins help create a sensational and pleasure feelings.
• It also helps improving the flow of blood to the key regions of the brain thus prevents fatigue and ageing effects besides help to lift spirit.


Good Fats vs. Bad Fat
Some of the fats in chocolate do not impact our cholesterol. The fats are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid:

• Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil.
• Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but one which research is shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol.
• Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk.

That means, only 1/3 of the fats is bad for us. The others, reflex positively throughout our body.


Useful Tips
• One bar of dark chocolate has around 400 calories. If we eat half a bar of chocolate a day, we must balance those 200 calories by eating less of something else. It’s always good to substitute our snacks or sweets with good bar of dark chocolate in our daily intakes.
• Chocolate is a complex food with over 300 compounds and chemicals in each bite. To really enjoy and appreciate chocolate, take the time to taste it.
• Avoid anything with caramel, nougat or other fillings as they tend to add fats and sugar besides holding us from getting the benefits of dark chocolate. However, chocolate with nuts, flavorings and peels will do just fine.
• It is better not to eat chocolate with milk as it will prevent the antioxidants absorption in our body, thus erase the utmost benefits of chocolate.


A Healthy Diet
Dark chocolate by far is one of the best additions for a healthy diet. It can be consumed in any form like cakes, pastries, and bars or even as beverages. However, the key for healthy diets always come in moderation. This means that dark chocolate should be eaten moderately and never too much as it can still be a high-calorie and high-fat food. Fresh fruits and vegetables should always be eaten regularly as they are still the best source of antioxidants, therefore, never substitute them.


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Food Pyramids: What Should You Really Eat?

**Notes : Nutrition experts from the Harvard School of Public Health created the Healthy Eating Pyramid, and updated it in 2008. The Healthy Eating Pyramid is based on the best available scientific evidence about the links between diet and health. This new pyramid fixes fundamental flaws in the USDA pyramid and offers sound information to help people make better choices about what to eat.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid sits on a foundation of daily exercise and weight control. Why? These two related elements strongly influence your chances of staying healthy. They also affect what you eat and how your food affects you.

Exercise and weight control are also linked through the simple rule of energy balance: Weight change = calories in – calories out. If you burn as many calories as you take in each day, there's nothing left over for storage in fat cells, and weight remains the same. Eat more than you burn, though, and you end up adding fat and pounds. Regular exercise can help you control your weight, and it is key part of any weight-loss effort.

The other bricks of the Healthy Eating Pyramid include the following:

Whole Grains

The body needs carbohydrates mainly for energy. The best sources of carbohydrates are whole grains such as oatmeal, whole wheat bread, and brown rice. They deliver the outer (bran) and inner (germ) layers along with energy-rich starch. The body can't digest whole grains as quickly as it can highly processed carbohydrates such as white flour. This keeps blood sugar and insulin levels from rising, then falling, too quickly. Better control of blood sugar and insulin can keep hunger at bay and may prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. Plus, a growing body of research suggests that eating a diet rich in whole grains may also protect against heart disease.

Healthy Fats and Oils

Surprised that the Healthy Eating Pyramid puts some fats near the base, indicating they are okay to eat? Although this recommendation seems to go against conventional wisdom, it's exactly in line with the evidence and with common eating habits. The average American gets one-third or more of his or her daily calories from fats, so placing them near the foundation of the pyramid makes sense. Note, though, that it specifically mentions healthy fats and oils, not all types of fat. Good sources of healthy unsaturated fats include olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut, and other vegetable oils, trans fat-free margarines, nuts, seeds, avocadoes, and fatty fish such as salmon. These healthy fats not only improve cholesterol levels (when eaten in place of highly processed carbohydrates) but can also protect the heart from sudden and potentially deadly rhythm problems.

Vegetables and Fruits

A diet rich in vegetables and fruits has bountiful benefits. Among them: It can decrease the chances of having a heart attack or stroke; possibly protect against some types of cancers; lower blood pressure; help you avoid the painful intestinal ailment called diverticulitis; guard against cataract and macular degeneration, the major causes of vision loss among people over age 65; and add variety to your diet and wake up your palate.

Nuts, Seeds, Beans, and Tofu

These plant foods are excellent sources of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Beans include black beans, navy beans, garbanzos, lentils, and other beans that are usually sold dried. Many kinds of nuts contain healthy fats, and packages of some varieties (almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios) can now even carry a label saying they're good for your heart.

Fish, Poultry, and Eggs

These foods are also important sources of protein. A wealth of research suggests that eating fish can reduce the risk of heart disease, since fish is rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fats. Chicken and turkey are also good sources of protein and can be low in saturated fat. Eggs, which have long been demonized because they contain fairly high levels of cholesterol, aren't as bad as they've been cracked up to be. In fact, an egg is a much better breakfast than a doughnut cooked in an oil rich in trans fats or a bagel made from refined flour. People with diabetes or heart disease, however, should limit their egg yolk consumption to no more than 3 a week. But egg whites are very high in protein and are a fine substitute for whole eggs in omelets and baking.

Dairy (1 to 2 Servings Per Day) or Vitamin D/Calcium Supplements

Building bone and keeping it strong takes calcium, vitamin D, exercise, and a whole lot more. Dairy products have traditionally been Americans' main source of calcium and, through fortification, vitamin D. But most people need at least 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day, far more than the 100 IU supplied by a glass of fortified milk. (See the multivitamins section, below, for more information on vitamin D needs.) And there are other healthier ways to get calcium than from milk and cheese, which can contain a lot of saturated fat. Three glasses of whole milk, for example, contains as much saturated fat as 13 strips of cooked bacon. If you enjoy dairy foods, try to stick mainly with no-fat or low-fat products. If you don't like dairy products, taking a vitamin D and calcium supplement offers an easy and inexpensive way to meet your daily vitamin D and calcium needs.

Use Sparingly: Red Meat and Butter

These sit at the top of the Healthy Eating Pyramid because they contain lots of saturated fat. Eating a lot of red meat may also increase your risk of colon cancer. If you eat red meat every day, switching to fish , chicken, or beans several times a week can improve cholesterol levels. So can switching from butter to olive oil. And eating fish has other benefits for the heart.

Use Sparingly: Refined Grains—White Bread, Rice, and Pasta; Potatoes; Sugary Drinks and Sweets; Salt

Why are these all-American staples at the top, rather than the bottom, of the Healthy Eating Pyramid? White bread, white rice, white pasta, other refined grains, potatoes, sugary drinks, and sweets can cause fast and furious increases in blood sugar that can lead to weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic disorders. Whole grain carbohydrates cause slower, steadier increases in blood sugar that don't overwhelm the body's ability to handle carbohydrate. The salt shaker is a new addition to the "Use Sparingly" tip of the Healthy Eating Pyramid, one that's based on extensive research linking high-sodium diets to increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Multivitamin with Extra Vitamin D (For Most People)

A daily multivitamin, multimineral supplement offers a kind of nutritional backup, especially when it includes some extra vitamin D. While a multivitamin can't in any way replace healthy eating, or make up for unhealthy eating, it can fill in the nutrient holes that may sometimes affect even the most careful eaters. You don't need an expensive name-brand or designer vitamin. A standard, store-brand, RDA-level one is fine for most nutrients—except vitamin D. In addition to its bone-health benefits, there's growing evidence that getting some extra vitamin D can help lower the risk of colon and breast cancer. Aim for getting at least 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day; multiple vitamins are now available with this amount. (Many people, especially those who spend the winter in the northern U.S. or have darker skin, will need extra vitamin D, often a total of 3,000 to 4,000 IU per day, to bring their blood levels up to an adequate range. If you are unsure, ask your physician to check your blood level.) Look for a multivitamin that meets the requirements of the USP (U.S. Pharmacopeia), an organization that sets standards for drugs and supplements.

Optional: Alcohol in Moderation (Not for Everyone)

Scores of studies suggest that having an alcoholic drink a day lowers the risk of heart disease. Moderation is clearly important, since alcohol has risks as well as benefits. For men, a good balance point is one to two drinks a day; in general, however, the risks of drinking, even in moderation, exceed benefits until middle age. For women, it's at most one drink a day; women should avoid alcohol during pregnancy.

Forget about Numbers and Focus on Quality

You'll notice that the Healthy Eating Pyramid does not give specific advice about the numbers of cups or ounces to have each day of specific foods. That's because it's not meant to be a rigid road map, and the amounts can vary depending on your body size and physical activity. It's a simple, general, flexible guide to how you should eat when you eat.

There's just one basic guideline to remember: A healthy diet includes more foods from the base of the pyramid than from the higher levels of the pyramid. Within this guideline, however, there's plenty of flexibility for different styles of eating and different food choices. A vegetarian can follow the Healthy Eating Pyramid by emphasizing nuts, beans, and other plant sources of protein, and choosing non-dairy sources of calcium and vitamin D; someone who eats animal products can choose fish or chicken for protein, with occasional red meat.

Choosing a variety of fresh, whole foods from all the food groups below the "Use Sparingly" category in the Healthy Eating Pyramid will ensure that you get the nutrients you need. It will also dramatically lower your salt intake, since most of the salt in the U.S. diet lurks in processed food—canned soups, frozen dinners, deli meats, snack chips, and the like.

Perhaps the only foods that are truly off-limits are foods that contain trans fat from partially hydrogenated oils. Luckily, in the U.S. and Canada, trans fats must be listed on nutrition labels. More and more food manufacturers, restaurants, and even entire communities are going trans fat-free, making it easier to avoid this health-damaging type of fat.

Article & Image Source : http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/

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Top 5 Ways to Suppress Appetite

Always hungry? If you answered yes, then this short article is going to be the single greatest discovery you've made in a long time. Here's why. I'm going to share with you the top 5 ways to suppress appetite. They are simple, safe and super easy. Anyone can use them. In fact, you can apply them today and be seeing results before you go to sleep tonight. Guaranteed! They are PROVEN to work like gangbusters.

Best part is... They won't cost you an arm and a leg. And to top it all off, if you apply these 5 hunger killing secrets right now, you'll probably lose weight too. Loads of it! So you should take two minutes and read this article and then try it out. These things are 100% proven to work quickly. If you want to end your hunger, you'd be a total fool if you didn't at least give these secrets a shot. With that said, here's the top 5 ways to suppress appetite...

1. Eat More Fat Calories
Don't buy into the lie that eating fat calories will make you fat. Actually... the exact opposite has been shown to be true. Avocados, fish, olive oil and many other amazing foods are loaded with healthy fats that provide overflowing amounts of energy for your body to feast on. Net result... you'll feel full longer. Healthier looking skin, hair, appearance and dramatically increased energy are also sure to fallow.

2. Eat More Fiber Rich Foods
Foods loaded with fiber add "bulk" to your diet and take longer to digest in your stomach. These foods also eliminate bloating and constipation... giving you a "flatter" looking tummy. Examples of fiber rich foods include whole grains, apples and other fruits, and loads of vegetables. But there are many many more options for you here.

3. Drink More Water
Science has found that your body does NOT distinguish between needing more food and needing more water. This means when you feel hungry, you may actually be dehydrated. Note: Dehydration is also one of the greatest causes of low energy and excess body fat. So just by drinking more water you can suppress appetite, revitalize your energy and flush fat off your body all at the same time!

4. Eliminate Refined Sugar
Refined sugar has infected our food supply. Food companies use it in everything imaginable: Cereal, bread, soft drinks, fruit juices. You name it! When consumed, refined sugar causes nasty blood sugar spikes leading to dramatic food cravings and constant, ravenous hunger. The bottom line is you don't need it. Get rid of this trash at all costs! Read labels and find the foods that contain things like corn syrup and other refined types of sugar. Then replace them with healthier, natural alternatives.

5. Eat Organic
In most cases, organic foods do not contain the artificial additives and preservatives found in heavily processed foods. When you consume these chemicals they cause poisonous reactions in your body that mess with your hormones. Increased abnormal fat, moodiness and skyrocketing hunger are just a few of the many negative side effects. The bottom line here is, if you want to suppress appetite and lose weight all at the same time, then eating organic can't be beat!

Jason Clemens http://www.naturalexplosiveweightloss.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Clemens

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