Spices – 4 Natural Health Remedies in Your Kitchen
You don’t necessarily need mega doses of specific vitamins and minerals in pill form to treat an illness. Fruits and vegetables are one natural source high in both vitamins and minerals.
Today let’s discuss four spices linked to health benefits and why.
Cloves
Cloves are a natural way to reduce blood sugar, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels. This was clearly supported by a published 2006 placebo-controlled study that divided diabetics into four groups. Group 1 received a placebo supplement, group 3 received 1 gram of cloves daily, group 3 received 2 grams of cloves daily, and group 4 received 3 grams of cloves daily. All groups continued their daily supplement for 30 days. All participants receiving some level of cloves experienced improvements.
Cloves are rich in phenolic compounds that interfere with the artery clogging oxidation of LDL cholesterol.
Curry (Turmeric)
Curry is a powerful antioxidant and works to eliminate free radicals and inflammation. This means curry can be an effective tool for treating arthritis, heart disease, and cancer.
Is Social Media Causing You to Gain Weight?
The new social media site Pinterest is coming under scrutiny for wrecking diets and causing increased calorie intake. Why? All those delicious pictures of sweet desserts!
As the third most popular social media platform, Pinterest now has more than 20 million users with a majority being women.
When users “pin” their favorite recipes the recipes tend to lean towards the unhealthy high calorie choices.
Red Velvet Cake
Chicken Taco Chili
Oreo Layer Dessert
Strawberries and Cream Dessert Squares
Gnocchi, Sweet Corn, & Arugula in Cream Sauce
Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Tin Roof Ice Cream Cake
And the list goes on. . .
All sounds delicious, right? On the negative side, the recipes tend to be high in added sugars, saturated fat, and calories.
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How to Select a Bar that is Heart Healthy
It seems like we a constantly on the go, which makes quick and easy snacks a regular part of our daily routine. This is why bars are so popular; however, I don’t want you to assume a granola bar is automatically a heart healthy choice. Let’s cover what you need to look at when selecting a bar in a little more detail.
Carbohydrates
The high carb bars were originally intended for endurance athletes that require high energy food (i.e. high calorie food) to support there high levels of activity. This is not what you need to make it through everyday activities. Look for a bar that provides 40% or less of it’s calories from carbohydrates.
Protein
Find a bar that providers between 15 to 20 grams of protein per bar. Soy is frequently used as a protein source in bars. Due to the potential negative side effects of a diet high in soy, I encourage you to look for a bar that does not include soy. Instead, look for bars that utilize whey as the primary protein source.
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Raspberries to Reduce Inflammation and Lower Cholesterol
Berries of all kinds are a wonderful addition to any diet. Let’s look specifically at the nutrient dense raspberry.
A one cup serving contains just 64 calories, 8 grams of dietary fiber, and 54% of your daily vitamin C needs.
A diet high in fiber promotes lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Studies have found for every 1-2 grams of soluble fiber each day lowers LDL cholesterol 1%. A 1 cup serving of raspberries provides 1 gram of soluble fiber.
Raspberries are low in fat and high in antioxidants, such as vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that boosts our immune system, increases nitric oxide, promotes wound healing, lowers triglycerides, and prevents free radical damage associated with LDL cholesterol. (Vitamin C plays many more roles in our health than what I’ve listed.)
4 Nutrients to Prevent Heart Disease
You can use nutrients now to prevent heart disease later. Here are 4 nutrients to ensure are a regular part of your daily diet.
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone) is a powerful antioxidant and plays a key role in cellular energy production. Within the cellular mitochondria, coenzyme Q10 is responsible for carrying the electrons back and forth between enzymes in the production of ATP (energy).
Coenzyme Q10 also removes many free radicals from circulation. It’s these free radicals that lead to oxidation of LDL and the subsequent chain of events that result in heart disease.
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Three Spices to Boost Antioxidants in Your Diet
Generally when you think about where to get antioxidants in your diet, it’s likely you picture fruit and vegetables. For example, berries are rich in antioxidants as well as dark green leafy vegetables. Red wine and dark chocolate may even come to mind as antioxidant sources.
Antioxidants protect cells from damage caused by free radicals leading to oxidative stress. It’s believed a diet rich in antioxidants may provide protective benefits to fight against chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.
Some examples of antioxidants include beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and resveratrol.
Often overlooked antioxidant sources include several herbs and spices.
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