8 ways berries battle for your health

8 ways berries battle for your health

Berries are just about the perfect food to eat, whether fresh or frozen, and the variety to choose from is outstanding – blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cranberries, gooseberries, loganberries, raspberries, and strawberries. 

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8 unexpected foods packed with plant protein

8 unexpected foods packed with plant protein

Even though animal products are our best sources of high-quality protein, the good news is plant protein sources can be just as healthy in providing the necessary protein you need.

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6 vegetables you may be neglecting and really shouldn’t

6 vegetables you may be neglecting and really shouldn’t

When your repertoire of veggies consists of carrots, corn, and green beans, it’s time to branch out and take a second look at healthy vegetables you’re overlooking.  Some of them are not as familiar as broccoli, cauliflower, or asparagus but they are packed with important nutrients and give just enough variety to an otherwise routine serving of the same old, common vegetables.

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Liver – love it or leave it alone?

Liver – love it or leave it alone?

Here’s an experiment to try – tell your family liver is on the menu for dinner tonight.  Watch their reaction.  You should be able to tell right away who loves liver or who doesn’t just by their expression on their face after your announcement.

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Why a sweet tooth may rule your life

Why a sweet tooth may rule your life

If you’ve ever spoken the words, “I have a sweet tooth,” there may be a good explanation for that. And it looks to be not as easy as simply having more willpower to refrain from indulging in goodies and desserts.  It may actually be more of a biological aspect motivating and rewarding some people to go into sugar craving overdrive that could be the explanation.

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Power up on pulses for good health

Power up on pulses for good health

 More than ever, the pluses of pulses as a nutritional powerhouse for achieving good health continues to grow around the globe. From as early as 800 BC, pulses have had an impact on feeding the world and their popularity helped pushed pulses onto center stage when the United Nations declared 2016 as the International Year of Pulses

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Which is better? Plant-based milk or cow’s milk?

Which is better?  Plant-based milk or cow’s milk?

Take a walk down the dairy aisle and you’ll notice a big change.  The refrigerator case that was once dominated by cow’s milk is taking on a new look.  Cow’s milk is having to give up some shelf space and is slowly being edged out by plant-based milk alternatives.  You may have spotted and even used soymilk, almond, coconut, rice, cashew, oat, hemp, quinoa, or hazelnut, just to name a few.

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Fight springtime allergies with allergy-fighting foods

Fight springtime allergies with allergy-fighting foods

Spring is a wonderful time of year with the reawakening of new growth in dormant plants.  But for many people it’s also a reawakening and a reminder it’s allergy season triggered by all the grass, pollen and mold.  With everything in full bloom this can result in itchy, watery eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, and coughing that can begin as early as February and can last until early summer.

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Say aloha to sweet, nutritious pineapple

Say aloha to sweet, nutritious pineapple

When we think of pineapple, images of Hawaiian women in grass hula skirts placing flowered leis around our necks come to mind.  This exotic fruit was first introduced to the Hawaiian islands in 1813 and by 1930, nine million cases of pineapple were exported out of the state by nine different canneries.  By the 1960’s, Hawaii was responsible for growing 80 percent of the world’s pineapple.  Hawaii still grows pineapple but over the years, it is no longer a profitable place to grow and process this fruit.  Today, Hawaii currently only grows about two percent of the world’s pineapple. 

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Italian coffee and prostate cancer

Italian coffee and prostate cancer

A new study from Italy (where coffee-drinking borders on religion) indicates that men drinking three or more cups of Italian-style coffee daily may reduce their chances of prostate cancer by fifty percent. The new research was designed by the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention – I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed, Italy which collaborated with the Italian National Institute of Health and the I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Dermopatico dell’Immacolata of Rome.

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Sorting out fact from fiction on drinking water

Sorting out fact from fiction on drinking water

What would we do without water – nothing!  Out of the six classes of nutrients (water, carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals) water is undoubtedly the most important nutrient of all.  Our bodies cannot store water or make it on its own and each day it must be replaced as we constantly lose water through our urine, feces, sweat, skin and lungs.  Most of us could go for weeks without eating food but would last only a few days without water.  

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The many medicinal gifts of garlic

The many medicinal gifts of garlic

 

The old saying “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” credited to the Greek physician Hippocrates (circa. 460-370 B.C.), also considered the “father of medicine,” seems to have really practiced what he preached.  He once prescribed a certain food substance for nearly everything from poor digestion, fatigue, respiratory issues, and parasites. This same food was even given to the first Olympic athletes in Ancient Greece to aid in their athletic performance.

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Seven no-nonsense strategies for successful weight loss

Seven no-nonsense strategies for successful weight loss

Weight loss – it’s a constant battle for many and even when a person does lose some weight, the other struggle is keeping the weight off.  How do some people successfully lose significant amounts of weight and maintain the loss while others lose and then regain weight in repeating cycles?

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Egg Whites? Or the Whole Egg?

Egg Whites? Or the Whole Egg?

Is there any advantage to making your omelet with only egg whites, and not the whole egg? It does seem like a popular enough option at most diners, so there must be something to it. But how much is legitimate nutrition science, and how much is just a marketer’s attempt to make you feel better about paying more for the same thing?

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Tumeric – the spice of a healthy life

Tumeric – the spice of a healthy life

Tumeric – a spice spanning several cultures has a long history dating back about 4, 000 years ago.  Native to areas such as India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, turmeric has been used to treat a variety of conditions over the centuries and is still revered as a time-honored medicinal seasoning to this day.  Over 1 billion people worldwide regularly consume turmeric as part of their diet. 

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Is there a link between diet soda, dementia and stroke?

Is there a link between diet soda, dementia and stroke?

For anyone who likes their diet soda, a new study may cause you to pause on slurping down your favorite drink.  An analysis of more than 4,000 participants in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort, found that those who drank at least one artificially sweetened beverage a day were almost three times more likely to develop ischemic stroke and 2.9 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease over the course of 10 years than those who drank artificially sweetened beverages less than once a week. 

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