If you’re like most people, you may not be as familiar with watercress as you are with other vegetables. Watercress is a leafy green vegetable that grows very rapidly throughout Europe and Asia.

It is botanically related to other plants such as the radish, mustard greens, and wasabi. This endows watercress with a very noteworthy flavor that is slightly reminiscent of these plants. However, these are just some basic facts; the real reason to be interested in this plant food is for its nutritional value.

One study published in the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention cited that researchers at William Paterson University at New Jersey noted watercress as one of the most nutrient dense foods, making it a powerhouse vegetable.

Watercress For Health And Nutrition

 Despite many people not being aware of its existence, watercress is one of the absolute best vegetables on the planet (as far as nutritional value at least). It is incredibly rich in vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamin K offering 200% of an average person’s daily requirement per 100-gram serving.

Vitamin K has supported bone health. It is also key in brain health helping limit neuronal damage and it is used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

1 Cup Of Watercress Offers

•  A measly 4 calories
• Potassium – 3% DV
• Vitamin A – 21% DV
• Vitamin C – 24% DV

And…

 

• 0 Fat
• 0 Cholesterol
• 0 Sodium
• 0 Carbs

Combine this with its low caloric content, lack of fat and sugars and what you have is a veritable super-food that is an attractive option for anyone on a carbohydrate, sugar, or fat restricted diet or anyone looking to boost their wellness by eating plant superfoods.

However, the importance of watercress goes far beyond its carbohydrate, fat, or vitamin content. A great deal of research shows that watercress can help in many other ways too.

Most particularly (and most supported by research), is that watercress can aid in digestion and act as a mild diuretic. The digestive effect is most likely due to its high fiber content, although it has been suggested that other chemicals naturally present in watercress may have more to do with it aiding digesting than fiber. The same explanation is also true for the claimed diuretic effect.

The leaves of watercress contain gluconasturtiin, which is the compound that gives it its peppery flavor. Some studies suggest that the hydrolysis product of gluconasturtiin helps to prevent cancer by inhibiting phase-I enzymes.

Therefore, as we can see, this little plant can be extremely useful for dieters and non-dieters alike. There are many ways to enjoy this vegetable in your diet.

Preparation and recipes

 When it comes to preparing watercress, it is not as difficult as you may think. There are quite a number of recipes available that extensively utilize this vegetable, though it is very likely that you will almost never see this vegetable featured in dishes at local restaurants.

So how do you prepare this vegetable for consumption?

 Being a leafy green vegetable, the most obvious application is in a salad. The leaves themselves don’t really need to be prepared for this, except that they should probably be chopped up washed.

Watercress will mix well with just about any of the other leafy greens found in salads and seems to mix particularly well with chicken. When added to a salad, watercress provides a slightly peppery taste and adds a bit more texture to an otherwise predictable dish.

However, salads aren’t the only dish that can make good use of the watercress. If you desire a fine sirloin, throw some watercress along with some shallots in a shallow pan and sauté them until they are soft and barely wilted. Toss this mixture on top of your sirloin for a wonderful twist on an old favorite.

Finally, a classic dish that can be spiced up by the watercress is the sandwich. Since you’re already expanding your food horizons, try something different in a sandwich. Instead of cheese and mayo on your turkey sandwich, throw some leaves of watercress on it along with a few slices of apple for an interesting and tangy on-the-go lunch.

Parting thoughts

While it may seem foreign and strange, the watercress is a great vegetable to add to your diet. This leafy green is not only nutritious; it also has a unique peppery taste that can’t be matched by any other vegetable.

By adding this vegetable to your diet, you can enjoy some excellent health benefits as well as experiencing a new taste and a wealth of recipes that you probably never even thought of before.

Many grocery stores will carry this vegetable. However, if you are having trouble finding it at your local grocer, you may want to try the nearest natural foods store such as Whole Foods. These grocers will usually have this delicious vegetable on hand.

Salmon is one of the healthiest fish you can eat. There are many benefits to eat more salmon, particularly wild salmon, although farmed salmon is what is usually available. Here are some great benefits to eat more salmon:

6 Reasons To Eat More Salmon

Salmon-eating can help you prevent coming down with osteoarthritis and other inflammatory conditions of the joints.

Salmon his high in bioactive peptides, which are small, healthy proteins. One of these bioactive peptides is known as calcitonin, which has been found to increase collagen formation as well as to stabilize the collagen you already have in your joints.

Collagen is important in the synthesis of cartilage in humans. Calcitonin you find in salmon also improves the strength and density of your bones.

Eating servings of salmon help decrease the risk of depression.

Believe it or not, the brain is about 60 percent fat and most of this fat is in the form of the omega 3 fatty acid known as DHA. DHA is crucial for the function of the brain and for the development of a healthy nervous system.

Those who eat salmon on a regular basis have a decreased chance of developing depression. It also seems to decrease the risk of cognitive decompensation in older adults and hostility in younger adults.

Salmon helps to improve the health of your cardiovascular system.

As noted above, salmon contains high amounts of EPA and DHA, both of which are omega 3 fatty acids. These are fats that have been found to reduce inflammation, which decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

You need to eat about 2 to 3 servings of salmon each week to enjoy protection against several health problems, including arrhythmias, high blood pressure, heart attack, high triglycerides, and stroke.

Salmon is good for developing brains.

It turns out that eating salmon during pregnancy and while breastfeeding can increase the academic performance and learning abilities in the children who benefit from the intrauterine environment and breastmilk of women who eat salmon.

Salmon is extremely high in DHA, which is also known as docosahexaenoic acid. This is the main fatty acid found in the brain, the nerves, and the retina. Giving children in preschool servings of salmon also seems to decrease the risk of ADHD in kids and helps increase their performance at school.

Salmon is a great source of vitamin D.

While you normally get vitamin D from sunshine, you can also get it from eating salmon. Vitamin D has many benefits in the body. People who are deficient in vitamin D have increased chances of developing heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes type 1.

Just eating a single can of minced salmon will provide you with the day’s recommended daily allowance of vitamin D.

Salmon balances the nutrients in fresh leafy greens.

Salmon is high in omega 3 fatty acids and B vitamins, which is a perfect complement to the vitamin C and antioxidants you find in leafy green vegetables, such as kale, collard greens, and spinach.

Salmon can decrease the damage to your cells.

Besides being high in protein and many different healthy vitamins, salmon is a great source of selenium, which is a mineral that acts as an antioxidant in the body.

It is associated with a decreased incidence of inflammation of the joints and keeps the thyroid gland and the immune system functioning optimally. It can prevent damage to the cells, keeping all the body’s tissues healthy.

Farmed Salmon versus Fresh Salmon

Most of the Atlantic salmon you find in the grocery store is likely from a salmon farm because the population of wild Atlantic salmon is having problems keeping up with demand.

Fish farmers often feed their salmon corn-based or soy-based foods, which isn’t as nutritious as what they would eat in the wild. This decreases the amount of omega 3 fatty acids found in the fish.

Unfortunately, both corn and soy are genetically modified and contain a lot of pesticides that can affect the health of the fish.

To make matters worse, fungicides are also used in the treatment of the water the salmon have to swim in. The fungicides help avoid the problems that come with overcrowding in salmon farms.

In addition, it is also a common phenomenon to add coloration to the farmed fish, which are paler than their wild salmon counterparts are. They use dyes, such as canthaxanthin in the food they feed the fish and this shows up as a pinker coloration in the flesh of the fish.

It won’t say on the label that dyes have been used to cause the fish to be pink but if it’s pink, you can assume that a dye has been used to make the fish this color.

Your best choice is to eat only organically farmed fish or wild-caught salmon in order to avoid the fungicides, pesticides, and coloration with dyes that are seen in fish that are conventionally farmed. Read the label carefully to see if the salmon you are buying is organic or wild-caught fish.

Final words

Those are 6 reasons to eat more salmon if you want to learn more about foods you should eat in order to lose weight and be health click here to learn more.

Eggs have gotten a bad rap in the nutrition world, probably because they contain a lot of cholesterol. Studies have shown, however, that eggs are really good for you and are one of the “superfoods” you should include in your diet. They are high in nutrients, which make them a healthy food to eat. In this post, I am going to give you 6 reasons to eat more eggs.

Here are six reasons to eat more eggs: 

1: Eggs are very nutritious.

Eggs are among the most nutritious foods you can eat. A single boiled egg contains the following nutrients:

• Folate—5 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA)
• Vitamin A—6 percent of the RDA
• Vitamin B12—9 percent of the RDA
• Vitamin B5—5 percent of the RDA
• Vitamin B2—15 percent of the RDA
• Selenium—22 percent of the RDA
• Phosphorus—9 percent of the RDA

Eggs are also high in vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin B6, vitamin K, zinc, and calcium. It contains only 77 calories per serving and five grams of healthy fat. It contains six grams of total protein.

There are trace nutrients in eggs that you can’t get in high amounts in other foods. Eggs are perhaps the most perfect food you can eat because they contain the vitamins and minerals the body needs for good health. Even better than regular eggs are omega 3-enriched eggs, that are higher in vitamin E and vitamin A.

2: Eggs might be high in cholesterol but don’t affect the blood cholesterol level.

Even though eggs are high in cholesterol, they don’t raise the blood cholesterol levels. One egg contains 212 mg of cholesterol, which is more than half of the 300 mg per day that is recommended that we eat.

You need to know, however, that the cholesterol in the diet doesn’t mean that the cholesterol in the bloodstream will be higher. When we eat eggs, the liver’s production of cholesterol goes down so that there isn’t more cholesterol in the bloodstream. In about 70 percent of individuals, eggs don’t raise the cholesterol level at all.

About 30 percent of people will have a mild increase in LDL and total cholesterol. The only people that shouldn’t eat eggs are those who have a genetic disorder that causes elevated cholesterol levels.

3: Eggs increase the HDL or “Good” Cholesterol level.

HDL cholesterol stands for High-Density Lipoprotein cholesterol. This is the good cholesterol that decreases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other blood vessel-related health conditions. Eggs will increase the HDL cholesterol by 10 percent if you eat 2 eggs a day for a total of six weeks.

4: Eggs are a high source of choline.

Choline is a nutrient that few people know about. It is important for the health of the body and is often put along with the B vitamins. Choline is necessary for the building of cell membranes and signals molecules in the brain that help the brain work better.

According to USDA dietary surveys, about 90 percent of Americans aren’t getting the proper amounts of choline in their diet. You need to eat whole eggs in order to get choline. One egg alone contains 100 mg of choline.

5: Eggs turn LDL or “Bad” Cholesterol into good cholesterol.

LDL is considered the “bad” cholesterol that causes plaques to form on the arterial walls and contribute to heart disease. High levels of LDL cholesterol are connected to a greater risk of heart disease.

There are, however, subtypes of LDL cholesterol that are related to the size of the cholesterol particles. There are LDL particles that are small and dense and there are LDL particles that are large.

The LDL particles that are small and dense put a person at a higher risk for heart disease when compared to people who have mostly larger LDL cholesterol particles. Even if eggs increase the LDL cholesterol level, it turns the small and dense LDL cholesterol to the large variety, which is healthier for you.

6: Eggs contain Zeaxanthin and Lutein, which are antioxidants that are beneficial for the health of the eyes.

One of the signs of aging is that one’s eyesight tends to worsen. There are many different nutrients you need to counteract the degenerative processes that occur in the aging eye.

Two of these nutrients is lutein and zeaxanthin, which are strong antioxidants that build up in the retinal part of the eye.

Research shows that eating a high amount of these nutrients can significantly decrease the chances of getting macular degeneration and cataracts, which are eye conditions associated with aging. It is the yolk of the egg that contains these powerful nutrients.

Those are 6 reasons to eat more eggs, if do you want to learn more about foods that you should avoid in order to lose weight please watch this video as it explains the reasons to you.

Rooibos tea, also known as red tea, is a medicinal herbal tea that is made from the Aspalathus linearis bush, which grows in South Africa. It is not a true tea but is instead an herb that is fermented in the tea.

It has many health benefits that make it a popular tea in South Africa. The health benefits have been confirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture, which has stated that red rooibos tea has the ability to decrease the risk of cancer, premature aging, and heart disease.

Red rooibos tea is high in many minerals, such as calcium, potassium, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, and magnesium.

It is also high in antioxidants, such as nothofagin and aspalathin, which scavenge for oxygen free radicals that can damage cellular structures. It contains no oxalic acid, which means that it can be drunk by people who are prone to oxalic acid kidney stones.

Health Benefits Of The Red Rooibos Tea

This type of tea is one of healthiest drinks you can drink if you have concerns about your health and fitness level. Some of the most beneficial effects of red rooibos tea include the following:

It is high in polyphenols.

Rooibos tea contains plenty of polyphenols that have anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, and high antiviral properties. Polyphenols are excellent antioxidants that fight cancer and other diseases.

Antioxidants act as scavengers for oxygen free radicals in the cells of the body, which are metabolic byproducts that can cause damage to cellular structures, including cellular DNA. Tea containing rooibos can also enhance the immune system.

It is caffeine free.

Rooibos tea contains no caffeine, which makes it a good beverage for people who suffer from a lack of sleep. A cup of rooibos tea can be drunk just before bedtime to help a person sleep better and can reduce your levels of stress.

This can improve your mood and decrease your risk of developing heart disease. It can provide you with energy without having caffeine in it.

It improves hypertension.

Rooibos tea is a stress-reliever and can lessen nervous tension and high blood pressure problems. High blood pressure can cause health problems, such as heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease. Rooibos tea also acts as a bronchodilator, which means that it opens the bronchial tree so you can breathe better.

It is good for bone health.

Red rooibos tea is high in fluoride, manganese, and calcium, which are minerals that help maintain good bone health and build strong teeth. By increasing these minerals in your body, you can lessen the risk of getting things like osteoporosis, arthritis, and other types of joint pain conditions.

Manganese is especially helpful because it stimulates enzymes that repair damaged bones and builds new bones. Fluoride is good for the health of your teeth and is just as good as things like toothpaste and mouthwashes containing fluoride.

It is good for heart health.

Rooibos tea is high in quercetin, which is an especially good antioxidant. It has been found to reduce the incidence of heart diseases and has anti-inflammatory properties.

It increases HDL cholesterol and decreases LDL cholesterol, reducing the risk of plaques on the arteries. This means that it can help protect you from atherosclerosis, strokes, and heart attacks.

It is good for children.

Rooibos tea can be used for infants suffering from abdominal pain or colic. You can give the infant the tea along with sweetened milk so the flavor is better and so the child will drink it. It is used in Africa to treat colicky babies but exactly how it does this is not known.

It helps diabetes.

Rooibos tea is high in aspalathin, which is an antioxidant that can help improve blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, and glucose absorption by the cells. It enhances insulin secretion by the pancreas, making it a good tea to drink for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.

It is healthy for the skin.

Rooibos tea is high in alpha hydroxyl-acid and zinc. These can help improve the health of the skin. It can be drunk as a tea or applied to the skin to decrease acne, sunburn, or other skin problems. It can reduce the signs of aging by lessening the appearance of wrinkles.

It acts as an antispasmodic.

Rooibos tea has many antispasmodic properties, making it a good tea to drink if you have stomach pains or abdominal cramps. It decreases the hyperactivity of the GI tract so that diarrhea can be prevented.

 

Final words

As you read, those are benefits of red Rooibos tea, it is worth to try out, but sometimes it is difficult to get the right recipe in order to prepare it. If do you want to try it and learn its ingredients and where to get them please watch this video.

We all know that losing weight it is not an easy task, and always you’re in search of ways to lose weight, I remember last year a tried a fruit diet for weight loss and I got some results with it. That is why I came out with a list of healthy fruits for weight loss.

I tested a lot of fruits but here are my top 10 healthy fruits for weight loss

1: Watermelon

This is my favorite one, they say that it contains 95% of water, this is ideal for you if you’re trying to lose weight, you can use it as a snack when you feel hungry. This will also keep you hydrated for a few hours.

2: Tomato

Where I came from they don’t consider tomato as a fruit, but I decided to include it. it is a fruit full of antioxidants, it will boost your metabolism and also help to burn fat faster. Where I come from we used to eat it every day, probably that is why most people are not fat.

3: Apples

Apples are included in the group of food called negative calories foods, ie foods that they have fewer calories than the number of calories needed to digest them.

They reduce a risk of cancer, helps with weight loss, boots your immune system etc, according to health experts eating one apple per day can help you to stay away from doctors if there is one fruit in this list you should try apple is the one.

4: Bananas

This is another of my favorite fruits, banana is rich in potassium and fiber, it can reduce heart disease and helps to improve the immune system.

5: Grapefruits

To be honest with you I am not a fan of this fruit, I just don’t like how it taste but apart from that it is an excellent fruit for weight loss. It is extremely low in calories (another negative calorie food).

Having a grapefruit meal lowers your cholesterol levels and it can help you with belly fat loss, it is a very good fruit for your health.

6: Blueberries

Blueberries are citrus species with very little carbohydrates, they can be used as detoxifiers, also they can help you with digestion and weight loss.

7: Pomegranate

I like pomegranate but sometimes I get frustrated when eating it, I think it has to do with the way it is structured inside.

But it is a fruit full of antioxidants, it can increase the blood flow in the body and reduce cholesterol.

8: Oranges

This is another fruit from the citrus family,  it is rich in vitamin C. The fruit is said to increase the metabolism rate and also you can use it as an alternative to sweets.

9: Papaya

Papaya contains papain, the enzyme that boosts the digestion in the body. It is also rich in vitamin C, antioxidants and the flavonoids.

10: Coconut

There is a buzz on the internet about coconut oil and that is for a reason, this is because this dry fruit is rich in saturated fats.

Saturated fats in coconut are healthy as they are not stored as unhealthy fats in the body.

Ok, those are my top 10 healthy fruits for weight loss, which one is your favorite? let me know in the comments section below.