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Eat Fruits, Veggies And Look Sexy

March 12, 2011 By

Eating vegetables and fruits can make you look attractive, says a new study, which showed that a healthy diet is crucial to achieving the most desirable complexion.

In the study, researchers from the universities of Bristol and St. Andrews in the UK found that the colour of a person’s skin affects how healthy and therefore attractive they appear.

Using specialist computer software, a total of 54 Caucasian participants of both sexes were asked to manipulate the skin colour of male and female Caucasian faces to make them look as healthy as possible. They chose to increase the rosiness, yellowness and brightness of the skin.

“We knew from our previous work that people who have more blood and more oxygen colour in their skins looked healthy, and so we decided to see what other colours affect health perceptions. This has given us some clues as to what other skin pigments may relate to a healthy appearance,” said Dr. Ian Stephen who is now at the University of Bristol. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Fitness, Research & Study

Add Fibre To Your Diet

March 10, 2011 By

Though they aren’t generally given much importance, including an adequate amount of fibre in your daily diet is a must.

There are plenty of foods that are have high-fibre content, including whole wheat breads, green vegetables, cereals, pasta, fruits and even nuts.

- It’s important to eat such food in order for your digestive system to function normally. It’s especially helpful for those suffering from constipation, piles and other digestive disorders.

- Eating fibre-rich foods can also reduce the risk of developing bowel cancer. Some of these foods also tend to be low in fat and good sources of other nutrients. Cereals boast of iron and vitamin B, many fruits also come rich in vitamins. [Read more...]

Filed Under: diet, Food, Health & Fitness

Fruits: The key To Good Health

March 5, 2011 By

Our grandmothers and mothers were onto something when they kept telling us to eat our fruits. Research through the years has proven that fruits are an important source of essential vitamins and minerals.

Dietician Namrata Mirchandani says that the thing to remember with fruits is their colour. Each colour is rich in a particular mineral or vitamin. Red fruits like apples, cherries and pomegranates are full of nutrients such as lycopene, vitamins A and C and folate. Orange and yellow fruits such as papayas, oranges and mangoes contain beta-carotene, flavonoids, lycopene, potassium, and vitamin C. Green fruits like green apples, grapes, avocados have an abundance of chlorophyll, fibre, calcium, folate, vitamin C and beta-carotene.

“For those who do not particularly enjoy biting into a fruit, you can have fruit juices, fruit smoothies or an extra helping of brightly-coloured vegetables. In the latter case you must be sure of eating enough vegetables to make up for the fruits. Also good are dried fruits such as raisins, dried apricots and berries,” she says. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beverage, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Fitness

One Food Critic Is Making Healthy Oatmeal His Mission

February 28, 2011 By

Mark Bittman Says Some Fast-Food Restaurants Put Too Much Sugar and Other Ingredients in ‘Wholesome’ Breakfast

McDonald’s sells its oatmeal as a healthy breakfast alternative, but according to one food critic, it includes too many not-so-healthy ingredients.

Its new oatmeal, which McDonald’s released nationwide last month as a “bowl full of wholesome,” is actually a crock full of something else, according to Mark Bittman, a food author and blogger for The New York Times.

Watch ABC’s “World News With Diane Sawyer” for more on this story tonight.

“It’s put forward as this wholesome thing when, in fact, it’s sort of an amalgam of ingredients you wouldn’t ordinarily have at home,” he said. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Food, Health & Fitness

Safeguarding The Nutritional Wellbeing Of Our School Children

February 25, 2011 By

Proper nutrition in childhood can reinforce lifelong eating habits that contribute to children’s overall well-being and help them to grow up to their full potential and have a healthy life.

Schools have traditionally focused on children’s academic development; however, research now demonstrates that schools play an important role in promoting physical and social health. Hand in hand with this evidence, research shows that the status of children’s health affects their ability to learn.

Schools also provide the most effective system to reach large portions of the population, including young people, school staff, families and community members. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, Environment, Health & Fitness

‘Heart Boost’ For Moderate Drinkers

February 23, 2011 By

Individuals who drink alcohol in moderation (about one drink a day or less) are less likely to develop heart disease than those who drink no alcohol at all, according to a study.

Those who drink a small amount are 14-25% less likely to develop the condition than non-drinkers, the research led by Professor William Ghali from the University of Calgary in Canada found.

A paper led by Dr Susan Brien, also from the University of Calgary, found that moderate consumption of alcohol (up to one drink or 15g alcohol per day for women and up to two drinks or 30g alcohol per day for men) is good for health.

The researchers say that moderate amounts of alcohol significantly increase the levels of ‘good’ cholesterol circulating in the body and this has a protective effect against heart disease. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Fitness, Medical Research & Study

How Diets High In Fish Oil Fight Alzheimer’s

February 16, 2011 By

Scientists have found how diets high in Omega 3 oils and low in cholesterol fight Alzheimer’s.

Daniel Michaelson of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Neurobiology at the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences found that APOE-one of the five molecules that are known to affect or cause Alzheimer’s disease and created by the apolipoprotein E.gene found in all of our bodies-comes in two forms, a ‘good’ APOE gene and a ‘bad’ APOE gene, called APOE4.

In preliminary results, the researchers found that a diet high in fish oil appeared to significantly reduce the negative effects of the APOE4 gene in mouse models.

In differentiating between the good and bad variants of the APOE gene, Michaelson and his team studied many variables. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fish Farming, Food, Health & Fitness