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Eat Your Greens; They’re Packed With Health Benefits

January 18, 2012 By

Nutritionists preach the benefits of dark, leafy greens.

They are powerful sources of vitamins A and C, and they provide calcium, iron, fiber and disease-fighting nutrients. Greens also are low in calories. For example, one cup of chopped raw spinach has 14 calories, and a half-cup of cooked collards has 38 calories. All greens are free of fat and cholesterol.

When buying greens, remember that they cook down considerably, to one-quarter or so in volume. For instance, 1 pound of raw kale yields about 21/2 cups cooked greens.

Most of us easily recognize spinach in produce bins. But what are all those other unfamiliar green bunches? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Fitness Tagged With: ,

Be A Vegetarian, Live A Healthy Life

September 1, 2011 By

All of us know of at least one celebrity who’s a vegetarian, and there’s news every now and then of one who’s turning vegetarian. Today, an increasing number of people are turning towards a vegetarian diet. The reasons vary from religious, environmental, cruelty towards animals, to just the desire for a healthier lifestyle. A predominantly non-vegetarian diet poses many health risks. Here’s why opting for a vegetarian diet achha hai…

Natural detox

Being vegetarian is a natural way to detox the body, because a vegetarian diet is more rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants, which help to cleanse the body’s system. Meat and fish contain a lot of residue from toxic chemicals. Dr Richa Anand, nutritionist, says that according to a study, it has been observed that the bodies of carnivorous animals contain 10 times more hydrochloric acid than that of herbivorous ones, but the human body should not have the same amount of hydrochloric acid. This establishes the fact that the human body is basically meant for a vegetarian diet. So digestion of vegetarian food is easier for our bodies. [Read more...]

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Health And Fitness: 10 Ways To Add More Fruit, Vegetables To Your Diet

August 25, 2011 By

Fresh fruit and vegetables are everywhere: grocery stories, farmers markets, backyard gardens.

But bringing the food into the kitchen and getting it eaten can be two different things.

“We always need reminders to add to our own nutrition,” Wegmans corporate nutritionist Trish Kazacos said. She noted that these strategies can help slide healthy foods past picky kids and increase adults’ veggie intake, too.

The Center for Disease Control recommends eating four to seven cups of fruits and vegetables a day depending on gender, age and level of physical activity. Kazacos recommended measuring children’s portions in “fists” instead of cups, as it more proportionately indicates tiny bodies’ needs. [Read more...]

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NZ Food Prices Rise For Third Month On Dearer Fruit And Veg

July 15, 2011 By

New Zealand food prices continued to track upward in June for a third month with fruit and vegetable prices again leading the index higher.

The food price index rose 1.4% in the month, according to Statistics New Zealand, and followed from a 0.5% increase in May. All four of the five subcategories saw price increases in June, led by fruits and vegetable costs, which rose 12.2% with this year’s flooding in Queensland exacerbating typical end of season price hikes.

“We expect strong global soft commodity prices will continue to flow through to prices at the retail level in NZ over the remainder of 2011,” ASB economist Christina Leung said in a statement. “The Queensland floods earlier this year has reduced the supply of tomatoes and capsicum from Australia, thus driving prices up further.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fruits Tagged With: ,

Why Going ‘Veg’ Is Good For You

June 24, 2011 By

Experts tell you why going veg is a good idea, even if it’s just once a week

Detoxifies: A veggie diet contains dietary fibre (bottle gourd, pumpkins, spinach, cabbages), which flushes toxins out of the body. A diet containing only eggs, fish and mutton is a poor source of fibre.

Stronger bones: Gorging on meat can lead to protein overload. This can tax our kidneys, interfere with the absorption of calcium and prompt the body to extract existing calcium from the bones. Such calcium excretion is rare amongst vegetarians.

Carb deficiencies: A non-vegetarian diet is a poor source of carbohydrates. Carb-deficiency can lead to ketosis – a condition where the body starts breaking down fat (instead of carbs) as a source of energy. [Read more...]

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Cooked Tomatoes ‘As Good As Statins’ For Battling Cholesterol

May 20, 2011 By

They are common ingredients found in millions of kitchen cupboards.

But pasta sauces and pizza toppings could add much more than a tasty tomato flavour to a family’s favourite meals.

Scientists said that cooked tomatoes can have the same benefits as statins for patients battling against high cholesterol levels or high blood pressure.

They could be an ‘effective alternative’ to statins, the class of drugs commonly prescribed for these conditions which can lead to heart problems, according to a study.

And just two ounces of tomato paste or a pint of juice a day could be enough to help many patients. [Read more...]

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Safe Food, From Farm To Fork

May 6, 2011 By

Now, they will have to do all this and more under a new set of rules and regulations under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, to be notified soon by the Union Health Ministry.

The two states have begun to get their act together.

“Food can be contaminated at any point, from farm to fork. The norms aim to secure each link of the food chain. Right from the fields of farmers, transport, storage, processing units, handling, wholesale markets to the final consumer, contamination can happen at any level, which are then transmitted to the next level of the food chain.

“Since food is primarily handled through agricultural markets administered by marketing boards, the markets will also have to follow hygiene standards to ensure food safety,” says S S Randhawa, Managing Director, National Council of State Marketing Boards (COSSAMB). [Read more...]

Filed Under: Agriculture, Crop Protection Tagged With: ,