Antioxidant Berry

Someone once said that anything rich, creamy, and delicious couldn't be good for you. It would have been better if you only end up with thunder thighs after a bowl of rich cream, but there are far more serious health risks you'll have to consider when you indulge yourself with such things.

That was then. This is now and it's perfectly okay to whip out your spoons, forks, and mats because today is decades in the making; today is the day you are permitted to salivate.

A recent food Olympics has been conducted and out of the 100 different varieties of foods, vegetables, and nuts, 20 antioxidant rich foods came out at the top. This list of foods contained most of the very rich antioxidant foods as ranked by nutrition scientists at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and reported by the University of Alabama website on November 1, 2004.

Wild blueberry was narrowly beaten out by the small red bean, which captured the red-blue medal. The small red bean was dubbed the food with the highest concentration of disease-fighting antioxidant compounds per serving.

Antioxidants are the heroes in an epic struggle against villain molecules called "free radicals." Free radicals do nothing but assault cells, turning them into molecules like themselves. This actually creates a chain reaction which could eventually lead to killer diseases such as heart disease and cancer, and even aging itself.

The Top 20 list of antioxidants published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry shows the ranks of the capacity of berry foods, fruits, and vegetables to interfere with or prevent oxidative processes where free radicals are formed. Ronald L. Prior, a USDA nutritionist and research chemist based in Little Rock, Ark explains that berry antioxidants were ranked according to their total antioxidant capacity. However, they were surprised to find that besides berry fruits, antioxidants may also come from the most unexpected foods as well.

Prior and his colleagues used the most advanced technologies available to tabulate antioxidant levels in more than 100 different types of berry fruits, vegetables, nuts, and spices. The Top 20 list includes small red beans (dried), wild blueberry, red kidney beans, pinto beans, blueberry (cultivated), cranberry, artichokes (cooked), blackberry, prunes (dried plums), raspberry, strawberry, red delicious apples, Granny Smith apples, pecans, sweet cherries, black plums, russet potatoes (cooked), black beans (dried), plums, and gala apples.

"Even though the small red bean came out on top, berry is better understood," Prior says after noting that a berry devours six of the top 11 blue-red medals.


 

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Essential Oil For Sports Nutrition

Fat; people on a strict diet are afraid of this word. As much as possible, they will avoid any food that will increase fat in their diet. In fact, if you will look at their refrigerator, all you will see are food with less fat, and sometimes, even zero fat.

Despite all the concern of dieters about having fat in diet, our body needs healthy oils and fats to function properly. Athletes most especially, need essential oil for sports nutrition. These essential oils can be compared to all-purpose machine oil that lubricates stuck and rusting metal hinges, screws and other moveable parts of a machine.

The only problem to most people, they get the wrong kinds of fats. They lack the good, healthy fats and essential oils for sports nutrition.

Fats carry fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E and K from the food we eat to our body.

These essential oils for sports nutrition are good for athletes who need to be in tip-top shape all the time. These life giving oils are one of the best sources of energy and help in the production of new and healthy cell membranes and other hormone-like compounds, the eicosanoids. These amazing compounds help the body in regulating heart rate, blood pressure, constriction of blood vessel and clotting, and even the nervous system.

Essential oils for sports nutrition

So, what are the essential oils for sports nutrition?

– Flaxseed oil, essential oil for sports nutrition.

Our body can't function well without the two important polyunsaturated fats: the linoleic and the alpha-linoleic acid.

– Cod liver oil, a fish essential oil for sports nutrition.

Cod liver oil is rich in Vitamin A and D. This two-in-one essential oil is on the list of athletes' favorite essential oil for sports nutrition. Cod liver oil releases large amount of Vitamin A that help athletes maintain clear eyesight.

Athletes can get vitamin D from sunlight. But because of the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays found in sunlight, the only available time for athletes to sunbathe and get vitamin D is during the early mornings till 9 am only. After that, physicians don't advise athletes to expose themselves from the harmful rays of sunlight.

So, to get the proper amount of vitamin D in their bodies, physicians prescribe cod liver oil as a supplement to athletes. Vitamin D regulates calcium metabolism in the body. Vitamin D is so important to calcium that there will be loss of calcium if vitamin D is lacking in the body.

Omega 3, a fish essential oil for sports nutrition

A can of tuna or the fatty parts of a fish such as the belly and the head contain omega 3, a fatty oil that is good for the heart. Omega 3 helps the heart to pump well and clears the arteries of bad cholesterol.

Omega 3 is a fish essential oil for sports nutrition. With omega 3, an athlete's heart is ready for long hours of strenuous activities. Omega 3 also helps in reducing heart rate; thus the heart releases enough oxygen to the brain and other organs. An athlete is less tired and weak if his heart pumps slower even when his body is at work.

Any athlete who would want to take these oils as supplement should consult their physicians first. There are overdoses with these oils if taken in large quantities since they are fat-soluble; the extra doses are not excreted through urine or feces.


 

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Cooked Foods on a Raw Diet

Does moving to a raw foods diet mean never eating hot food again? No, it doesn't. Sometimes you want something hot. Hot food has always signified comfort for many of us. And on a cold, rainy day, carrot sticks or wheatgrass juice probably won't cut it for most of us.

Most raw food, like our bodies, is very perishable. When raw foods are exposed to temperatures above 118 degrees, they start to rapidly break down, just as our bodies would if we had a fever that high. One of the constituents of foods which can break down are enzymes. Enzymes help us digest our food. Enzymes are proteins though, and they have a very specific 3-dimensional structure in space. Once they are heated much above 118 degrees, this structure can change.

Once enzymes are exposed to heat, they are no longer able to provide the function for which they were designed. Cooked foods contribute to chronic illness, because their enzyme content is damaged and thus requires us to make our own enzymes to process the food. The digestion of cooked food uses valuable metabolic enzymes in order to help digest your food. Digestion of cooked food demands much more energy than the digestion of raw food. In general, raw food is so much more easily digested that it passes through the digestive tract in 1/2 to 1/3 of the time it takes for cooked food.

Eating enzyme-dead foods places a burden on your pancreas and other organs and overworks them, which eventually exhausts these organs. Many people gradually impair their pancreas and progressively lose the ability to digest their food after a lifetime of ingesting processed foods.

But you certainly can steam and blanch foods if you want your food at least warm. Use a food thermometer and cook them no higher than 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Up to this temperature, you won't be doing too much damage to the enzymes in food.


 

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Energy Levels and High-vitamin Diets

Good nutrition is very important regardless of which sport you do. A variety of nutrients are needed in your daily diet to keep fit and healthy. A balanced diet should provide the right proportions of carbohydrate, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals, water and dietary fiber.

Energy is the most important nutritional factor for any form of physical activity. Carbohydrate and fat are the main fuels used by exercising muscles. Vitamins and minerals are also crucial in energy metabolism. A diet deficient in vitamin and minerals can compromise sporting performance.

The importance of a high-vitamin diet

In order to obtain vitamins and minerals, athletes need to eat a wide assortment of nutrient-dense foods in amounts that will maintain energy balance. This means that a person must consume 1,200 to1,500 kilo-calories a day.

Meeting vitamin and mineral requirements when energy intake is 3,000 kcal/day or higher (as is among male and female ice hockey and cross country skiers) is actually easy. Even athletes whose energy intakes may be about 2,000 kcal/day can meet their vitamin and mineral needs from food alone.

As long as a wide variety of foods are eaten, vitamin and mineral intake is adequate. Supplementation therefore is not necessary.

Is more better?

Athletes usually meet two-thirds or more of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for vitamins and minerals. Athletes who have high calorie intakes of about 5,000 to 6,000 kcal/day may achieve 200% or more of the RDA for some vitamins and minerals just from foods they eat.

Despite this fact, most of the athletes who are concerned with sports nutrition take supplements to boost performance. While vitamin and mineral deficiencies impair physical performance, research indicates that supplementation of a nutritionally adequate sports diet does not improve physical work capacity, endurance, oxygen consumption, cardiovascular function, muscle strength, or resistance to fatigue.

When are vitamin supplements needed?

Vitamin supplements are commonly used if an athlete's diet is not enough for his energy requirements. Vitamin supplements provide "health insurance," as sort of back-up to ensure optimal sports nutrition.

Multivitamin supplements with no more than 100% of the Daily Value (DV.) provide a safe and adequate balance of vitamins. However, it should not be forgotten that the goal is still to eat a wide variety of foods. Food contains fiber and a multitude of phytochemicals that provide many health benefits.

Supplements should never be replacements for food. While many sports supplements contain the antioxidant beta carotene, at least 450 carotenoids are only found in food. Antioxidant value exists in other carotenoids as well.

Minerals for injury prevention

Minerals like calcium, iron, and zinc are especially important for athletes.

Recommendations of calcium intake are based on levels than can promote calcium retention, maximize bone mineral density, and inhibit bone loss. Food that provide good calcium stores are the following: dairy products, fish with bones, broccoli, and fortified cereals and juices.

Iron depletion, the first stage of iron deficiency is the most common type of iron deficiency among athletes. Lean red meats, dark poultry, fortified cereals, whole grains, and legumes are good iron sources.

Zinc, which is found in meat, poultry, seafood, and whole grains, is essential for protein synthesis, healing, and immune function.

Although minerals are needed to work hand-in-hand with vitamins to ensure good sports nutrition, we must remember that consuming any mineral excessively can interfere with digestion and the absorption of other minerals. This may lead to mineral imbalances. Also, all minerals can be toxic in large doses.


 

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Bee Pollen Supplements

Even though a lot of people don't actually realize it, a lot of antioxidant foods that we consume are from vegetables. Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, and peppers are all excellent choices with some great benefits for your body. When consuming vegetables, you should always go for those that are rich in color, as they are high in what is known as phytonutrients.

Phytonutrients are nutrients found in the skins of several fruits and vegetables, which give the food color as well as flavor and scent. Phytonutrients are quite simply the best types of antioxidant foods that you can find anywhere. If you are looking for a supplement value, the coq10 offers you a high level of antioxidant value.

Although fruits and vegetables are the best sources for antioxidants, the problem with them is that they are produced by the use of chemical herbicides, pesticides, and different types of fertilizers. Over the years, studies have shown that fruits and vegetables which are organically grown are high in antioxidants, and boast a much higher concentration than those that have been produced commercially.

In the busy world of today, it can be very tough to eat like we should, nor can we eat organic fruits and vegetables all the time. If you can't or don't have access to organic fruits or other sources of antioxidant foods, you should look into nutritional supplements that offer you the phytonutrients you need in your diet.

Supplements that contain phytonutrients do have advantages when compared to certain fruits, such as carrots – which can elevate your blood sugar level to a very high level. Phytonutrients found in supplements are the extract of pigments where nutrients are concentrated, meaning that they draw the best from antioxidant foods, leaving the calories and sugar behind.

Don't get the wrong idea here, fruits and vegetables are indeed good for you. They are high in antioxidants, although those that are produced commercially generally come with chemicals and such that aren't so good for you. Canned fruits and vegetables come with high levels of sugars and calories, which antioxidant supplements don't have. The supplements offer you the levels you need, without any chemicals, sugars, or calories. This way, you don't have to worry about consuming anything that isn't good for you.

No matter how you look at it, healthy eating for your body starts and end with foods that contain antioxidants. There are several types of foods that contain antioxidants, although fruits and vegetables contain the most amounts. Steak and meat are also great sources of antioxidants, along with other great benefits, such as protein. Anytime you can't get foods that contain antioxidants – you can count on supplements to deliver the amount you need to stay healthy.


 

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