There is an utmost need to understand what a ‘healthy diet’ means primarily. As long as we do not know what it is, all the food recipes we see and try to include in our diet would be more ritualistic and such a diet fails to become a routine. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends certain guidelines regarding healthy diet; what it should and should not contain.

As per WHO guidelines, one should achieve an ‘energy balance’ to lead a healthy life. Considering our body as a machine, the total energy intake (food) should be balanced with the energy we spend in doing regular activities like walking, bathing, working and also bodily activities like cell production, blood circulation, respiration, excretion and so on.

1. Majorly for this reason, the quality and quantity of food we consume matters a lot. We should as far as possible avoid fat or shift from saturated fats to unsaturated; because consumption of fat rich food implies more energy intake and inability to spend such vast energy will result in energy imbalance and accumulation of unwanted fat in the body. Same is the case with direct/ normal sugar and sugar based food items.

• Avoid animal fat sources like meat and skin as they contain maximum saturated fat which can’t be digested by the body. Instead go for fish and egg based food recipes.

1. On the other hand consume more of essential amino acids and proteins sources. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of all human beings. Amino acids link up to form peptides and polypeptides. These in turn form the proteins which help in coping for the lost cells in the body.

• Leguminous plants and their products like soya beans, peanuts, clover, peas, beans with corn tortillas can be taken as a part of healthy diet.
• Cereals like wheat, millets and maize are rich in proteins and vitamins. They contain nutrients in optimum desired levels when consumed in whole grain form. When refined, they lack most nutrients and are left with carbohydrates, and to compensate for this they can combined with legumes.

1. Micronutrients are also equally important for humans and regular intake of them can not only avert disorders but can even cure them. Minerals like potassium, calcium, sodium, iron and many more should be taken in the form of food rather than supplementary pills.
2. All vitamins like A, B, C, D, E, K are all required in good amounts for proper functioning of the body parts. Deficiency and overdose cause disorders like scurvy (Vit C), eye disorders like night blindness (Vit A), rickets (Vit D), beri beri (Vit B) and so on. Roughages are also needed for proper functioning of digestive and excretory systems.

• There is no substitute for fruits and vegetables consumed in natural form, because in this way human body has the ability to absorb only the required quantities and reject the excess. Berries too can be included along with them as they too are rich in antioxidants.
• Citrus fruits like orange, lemon and grapes are rich in Vit C. Others like banana, mango, papaya, apple are best sources of all nutrients and roughages. Roots like Carrots, beet, raddish, yams, sweet potato are all best substitutes for healthy diet and ones which can add taste to your food too.

1. Water is considered the best regulatory mechanism for human body. Most illnesses, malfunctioning of body systems like stomach ache, loose motions etc. can be avoided. It also keeps metabolism rates intact and your body more energetic, healthy and cool.

Fall is coming, temperature is dropping and flu is about to start again. Recently H1N1 is on our minds now… so I will be writing today about what to do to boost your immune system to reduce the chance of being ill.

There are lots of things that might impact your immune system for example if you are under stress that can depress your immune system, so you have to practice stress management, physical activity can help release some stress hormones, so if you are under a lot of stress try to include some physical activity to help build up your immune system.

Vitamin C

The next thing is your nutrition, try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables they tend to have lots of vitamins and minerals and the vitamins are generally have a lots of antioxidants that helps build up your immune system. Try to include fruits that have lots of vitamin C such as guava, strawberries, cantaloupe, kiwi and oranges. Also a lot of vegetables have a lot of vitamin C such as bell pepper, broccoli and potatoes.

Yogurt

Another important aspect is probiotics that will be found in yogurt primarily, those probiotics are very important in building your immune system because it affects the good healthy bacteria that is in your digestive tract, so if your immune system is under stress you will need more from these healthy bacteria in your digestive tract so that will be a good time to increase your intake of yogurt. Recently they have came up by new type of cheese that contain those probiotic so this will be another option for those people that aren’t a big fan for yogurt or you can have it as probiotic pills.

Mushrooms

Beta-glucan found in mushroom was found to lower bad cholesterol LDL, to boost immunity, and regulate blood sugar. So try to toss more mushrooms in your salads, soups, pastas and pizza.

Seafood

Seafood is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and selenium, a potent antioxidant. A study was made on healthy men were given a high-selenium diet, they showed a better immune response in improving white blood cells. So include a variety of seafood choices into your diet.

Protein

Protein is also an important aspect in building up you immune system for its high zinc content an important mineral that helps increases the production of white blood cells to fight infection and help them to fight more aggressively so try to include lean protein cuts, beans, skinless poultry, fish and nuts and seeds.

Nuts (vitamin E)

Nuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E which is an antioxidant that helps boost your immune system, vitamin E can be found in seeds, and also in vegetable oils, green leafy vegetables, beans and whole grains.
 So the key in building your immune system is to have a variety of different food.

Boost your immune system by trying some physical activity to release your stress, try to include plenty of fruits and vegetables because they contain lots of antioxidants, include lean meats as beans, lean meat cuts, nuts and seeds and do not forget vitamin E rich food.

Fitness needs two important things, healthy diet plan and exercise. There are a variety of exercise plans that depends on the person’s lifestyle and preference, when it comes to diet you have to consume fewer calories and the calories you eat should be healthy.

There are several ways to curb or suppress your appetite naturally without taking appetite suppressant or diet pills. First,

Avoid junk food

First of all because it is absolutely high in fat and sugar such as candies, cookies, potato chips, generally after eating this kind of food you will have the tendency to get hungry very quickly, and because these kind of foods are already high in calories if  you eat again very quickly you will have the chance to eat excess amount of food.

High-fiber food is important

The next thing is fiber, high fiber food will give you the feeling of fullness particularly when there is a lot of fluids that make you feel full for a significant period of time.

Lean protein and healthy fats

Another thing to consider is lean protein and healthy fats such as canola oil, olive oil, avocados, nuts and peanut butter, those types of fats tend to make you feel fuller after having the meals that include them. Try to include lean protein sources in your diet things like skinless chicken, fish and lean beef, any kind of protein is very slowly digested and will stick with you longer so you will reduce the risk of getting hungry quickly later.

Omega-3 fat intake

Omega-3 are essential fats that our body can not make, it primarily exist in seafood and if you are not getting enough omega-3 intake sometimes it may cause you crave on carbohydrates particularly starchy carbs such as pasta or rice or even sweets. So try to include seafood couple of times a week and if you are not, consider supplementing your diet by omega-3 fish oil supplement, other wise include seafood 2-3 times a week.

Eat several small meals each day

Eating several small meals during the day will keep your blood sugar stable and your appetite satiated, maybe it’s going to be difficult at the beginning but it really works it will prevent you from eating unhealthy snacks like potato chips or candies, for example try eating fruits and nuts between your meals. If you have a family dinner try to eat a moderate or half portions.

Exercise

Exercise makes you lose weight and when you exercise your body releases natural endorphins which helps suppress your appetite for a short period of time.

Try make some exercise such as walking for 20-30 minutes on treadmill after dinner that will make you even have a better sleep at night.

Green tea

Some researches have found that the major chemical component of green tea made rats lose 21 % of their appetite and made them consume up to 60 % less food after 7 days of daily injection.

Distract yourself

When we are bored, worried or even alone sometimes we have the urge to eat, it is not real hunger so try to distract yourself by going to the gym or do some house work or anything that may entertain you, try reading a book. Distracting yourself will make you curb your appetite.

We are all different. There are several ways to suppress your appetite, find your ways and stick to them.

Every diet plan has a recommendation for appetite suppression; you have to do what works with you and feel comfortable for you to curb your appetite.

Planning a low calorie diet is easy and simple. The first thing you have to do is to look how do you normally eat and try to identify some foods which are high in calories, high calorie foods mostly tend to be either high in sugar or high in fat. High sugar foods mostly come from soda beverages, soft drinks, smoothies, sports drinks and juices. All those types of beverages tend to have high calories, now let’s say you want to drink a soft drink, the good thing you have to do is to flip over your can and make sure you check how much is the serving size, sometimes the calories written on the can is not for the entire can, maybe it is just for half of the can or less, for example if the calories written were 50 calories for 1 serving that is not necessarily means the whole can contains 50 calories, thus when you drink it you will maybe be taking 100 or 150 for the entire can instead of 50 calories, so again check the serving size it is really important to read the food labels very carefully, focus on the serving size. You can take sugar-free beverages but not frequently because it has artificial sweeteners that may harm your health, you can go for unsweetened tea or barely sweetened or simply water, by that way you will be eliminating a lot of calories from your diet.

The next steps is to watch your actual meals, how they are cooked or prepared, if it’s deep fried there will be a lot of calories that’s because all of the additional fat. If you are eating fatty meats such as bacon and sausage that’s going to have a lot of calories too. So you have to choose food tend to be so lean if you are going to choose meat, and if you are looking for plant sources, it is going to be healthy fats but still they contain high calories, so you have to practice how to control your portion size. For example if you want to eat some nuts you have to limit your intake to 1\4 cup not more, if want to eat avocados which contain very healthy fats you have to split it in half and share it with somebody, eat quarter of 1  small avocado at a day if you are watching your calorie intake.

 When it comes to olives, limit your intake to 3 large olives. When cooking or stir-frying food or vegetables or any item don’t use too much oil, just add a small amount to prevent sticking the food in the pan. One thing I do when I stir-fry my vegetables is to add a little bit of oil about 1 tablespoon to the entire pot and when it starts sticking I just sprinkle few drops of water and stir the food again, do it again and again until your vegetables are done, but do not use  a lot of water that will spoil your stir-frying.

Make sure you choose fat-free or low fat food when it comes to dairy products. Choose skimmed milk or low fat cheese.

If you want to enjoy a sandwich with mayo, why don’t you choose low fat mayo, you are going to save lots of calories by that, spread a little bit on your sandwich or you can substitute it with avocado spread, yes it’s high in calories but at least you will be taking healthy fats but remember to use it in moderation about 1 tablespoon  of avocado into your sandwich.

Another thing you have to know is to see how often do you eat at the end of the day, it is better to eat small frequent meals than eating large big meals that will help you not to feel hungry frequently between meals but you have to practice portion control, even when it comes to healthy fats such as seeds or avocado or olive oil.

One last thing to keep in mind when planning a low-calorie diet is to learn about food calories, it is all over the internet, just search for the food you want to eat to know what actually you are eating or how many calories you are consuming a day, some good sites are nutriotindata or calorieking or caloriecount . Try to search also for healthy recipes over the internet, most of them have nutrition fact list, so it is easier to know how much exactly your meal is going to be. I have written an article before about how to make pizza at home in a healthy way, it is going to cost you 300 calories for the entire pizza. Common pizza restaurants will cost you 350 calories for 1 slice.

So at the end I have to say that following a low calorie diet is so easy just follow the steps I’ve mentioned then see the great results in losing your extra weight permanently, it is not like the diet scams that make you lose 10 pounds in a very short period of time that you will gain it later so fast after going back to your normal eating patterns because it is mostly water loss not fat loss, following a low calorie healthy diet will make you lose weight slower than those fad diets (3 day diet or 7 days what you can eat and others) but it will certainly make you lose fat not fluids, in addition it keeps your body healthy not making you lose muscles and fluids.

Be active, plan to walk or jog at least 3 to 4 times a week, it is summer time what are you waiting for, why not to enjoy swimming, . Ride your bike, get out there walk or run with your friends or family even your pets, use your roll skates and enjoy, there are million of ways to get and stay active just use your imagination. All of that will help you keep your lost weight away in addition of getting and staying active, fit and healthy.

I hope you found  useful tips in this article that may help you in your daily diet. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me and ask through Q&A page.

Not all people want to lose weight, some women want to gain weight, yes it is true there are lots of skinny women do not know how to gain weight, and if somebody asked about information how to gain weight she will be met by a blank look!!

So follow these tips to gain weight in a healthy way,

Identify if you have a poor appetite

A friend of mine asked me last week how to gain weight she is skinny so she made me come up with the idea to write about this. If you are really thin the first thing you have to is to identify that if you have a poor appetite, if you don’t feel like eating most of the time , if you have  a poor appetite then you should see your doctor regarding that to see why actually do you have a poor appetite, sometimes there are some underlined conditions maybe a deficiency in several vitamins and minerals or maybe you’re anemic and that makes you not to have a good appetite for eating, so you have to treat that in the first place to have a normal appetite so you can eat in a normal level and gain weight.

Follow a high calorie diet

If you have high metabolism and you don’t have a problem with your appetite, you feel that you are eating on regular basis so you have to concentrate on eating high calorie foods or follow a high calorie diet, well that doesn’t necessarily means to go out and eat lots of junk foods but you do need to eat more healthy fats for example, seeds, nuts or avocados, you need to prepare your food with healthy oils like canola oil or olive oil so those fats are truly healthy fats very heart healthy fats, they are not going to raise your cholesterol levels or triglycerides, you still can get a lot of vitamins and minerals and they are high in calories so you can include them into your diet to gain weight.

Another high calorie food to add are dairy products, choose whole milk or yogurt and full fat cheese, now even those food have more saturated fat in them than the other fats I’ve mentioned previously but they are not going to make a significant increase in your cholesterol or triglyceride levels if you use them for a short period of time just to gain your desired pounds, once you reach the weight you want to be so you can start cutting back those saturated fats in dairy foods and depend on taking the plant sources of fats, the healthy fats, which I talked about previously like avocados, seeds, nuts, or olive oil or even olives themselves.

But make sure that you stay eating other foods like fruits and vegetables, lean sources of protein like fish, meat and poultry but again make sure that you are eating those healthy fats on daily basis.

Start your weight training, get over you fears

Another thing you can do to gain weight is to go to the gym do not be afraid of training go to the weigh section because muscles weighs more than fat so incrasing muscle mass should be a part of your plan to gain weight, don’t worry you are not going to look like bodybuilder women who have lots of muscles they mostly use unnatural steroidal drugs. A normal amount of regular weight training will just show your natural feminine curves nothing more besides it is good for your health.

Lessen your stress levels

Some people may gain weight if they became stressed, others may lose weight. Stress and poor rest are the main factors these days, not only for obesity but also in making thin girls lose more weight. That is because when you are stressed a hormone is released by your adrenal glands called Cortisol. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone which takes nurtients and sugar away from muscles and enters it into the bloodstream which makes you lose muscles and weight.

So decreasing your stress levels and improving your sleeping patterns are very important to be considered to gain weight in any woman. Make sure you are getting 8 hours of undisturbed sleep at night. Try some yoga or relaxing bath or massage, creat some time to be alone by yourself , try meditation.

Most of us chew gum daily. According to the American Dental Association chewing gum is very good for dental health it increases the flow of saliva in your mouth, when you chew after eating, the increased saliva flow may help neutralize and wash away acids when food is broken down by the bacteria in plaque on your teeth, and this by itself reduces tooth decay.

So we all know that chewing gum are good for oral health but I want to talk about sugar-free chewing gum, about sorbitol and aspartame that is used to substitute the sugar in chewing gum. I have wrote an article about aspartame before which is found in diet soda drinks, you can check the videos again, they talk about aspartame dangers and side effects.

Let’s talk about sorbitol now. What is Sorbitol?

Sorbitol, or glucitol, is a sugar alcohol which our bodies metabolize slowly. Sorbitol can be found in cough syrups, sugar free mints, sugar-free maple syrup,some cereals, chewing gum, diet foods, diet drinks and ice creams. Sorbitol occurs naturally in some stone fruits and berries from trees of the Sorbus genus. Apples and pears also have natural amounts of sorbitol.

Sorbitol provides about 2.6  kcal\gram and sugar provides 4 kcal\gram, As a food additive Sorbitol has an E-number E420. It is also used as a laxative.

Sorbitol side effects are diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, rapid unhealthy weight loss, and stomach pain.

An article was published on BBC news about sugar free chewing gum, they gave an example about 2 people who chewed about 20 sticks of sugar-free chewing gum daily ofcourse it contains sorbitol, they had become sick.

The 1st woman (21 years old) had complained from diahhroea and stomach pain for eight months, she lost 22 kg in that time. She had lots of tests before the doctors realized that the problem was sorbitol in her chewing gum, she became underweight.

Another man who was admitted to hospital after losing 22 kg in 1 year and he suffered diarrhoea.

They were found to comsume 20 to 30 grams of sorbitol daily (Each stick of chewing gum has around 1.25g of the sweetener). Dr Juergen Bauditz, from the Department of Gastroenterology at Charite University Hospital in Berlin, said 5-20g of sorbitol would be enough to cause minor stomach problems such as bloating and cramps but more than 20g could cause diarrhoea and, as these cases showed, severe weight loss.

After the patients stopped consuming sorbitol in thier diet, they put on weight again they had lost and all the symptoms were gone.

Sorbitol is used in diabetes products in order to cut off sugar consumption, but diabetes people can enjoy normal sugar (ofcourse there are limits to their sugar consumption) followed by daily activity and a healthy diet plan preferred by a registered dietitian.

So now after you all  knew the bad side effects of sorbitol in sugar-free chewing gum you have to be aware, you have to read the food labels carefully, and limit your consumption of sorbitol to the minimum possible or just chew your regular gum, most of chewing gum have between 15 to 20 calories, it is not a big deal, you are going to burn these few calories with any tiny unintended activity, if you didn’t like the idea you can simply cut a little of your calories in something else in another meal, or just use less sugar in your tea if that will make you happy, another choice you can chew sugarless chewing gum and make your teeth and dentist happy. It is your choice to make, choose whatever suits your life style.

Soda drinks in general have lots of fans including me, it’s refreshing and some people can’t imagine eating their meals without drinking soda drinks. Unfortunately soda drink whatever it was regular or diet contains bad chemicals that may harm our health.

First let us talk about soda drinks in general regardless of it’s regular or diet soda drink, all carbonated sodas contain phosphoric acid which ofcourse throw off your ph balance away and decrease your calcium levels. Dr. Marcelle Pick, an OB/GYN, in her article Diet soda– how healthy is it, to perform a little experiment says,

“Fill a glass with soda, diet or regular, and drop a nail into the glass. Watch it over the course of an hour or two. You’ll find that the soda eats away at the nail in a surprisingly short amount of time. Now think of what it can do to living stomach tissue!”

So next time you reach for a cool refreshing beverage it may be wise to reach past the diet soda, and grab some hydrating water or ice tea instead. But if you must have your soda fix, diet or regular, remember that most everything is okay in moderation.

Another thing to consider when you drink your soda whether it has caffeine, caffeine is a chemical compound that stimulates the activity of the brain, heart, kidneys and intestines. All of us know that too much caffeine may damage our health including, difficulty sleeping, upset stomach, restless, dizziness, headaches, difficultty concentrating and getting anxiuos. So those who have concerns about caffeine they can check for caffeine free products on the label.

Now the most thing that people is worried and have lots of concerns about is the artificial sweeteners in diet soda or the sugar-free beverages regarding what kind of artificial sweetener is used to substitute for sugar, actually in recent past aspartame was the most common sweetener that is used in various diet drink to substitute for sugar, there was some controversy with aspartame that claims it may cause cancer and a variety of health conditions and there have been also controversy with newer sugar substitute like splenda, so far some researches that have been done on aspartame have shown that they don’t cause any particular health conditions or health risk when it comes to aspartame or splenda, But other researches and doctors say that aspartame is toxic it is really toxic, yes it is approved by the FDA but some researches say that it may cause brain tumors and kills you. So in the meantime it’s better to limit your consumption of diet soda drinks until some certain facts be released, something that we are sure about, why exposing our health to any kind of harm or illness??!!

Watch these videos for more details.

His wife was killed by Aspartame, check this.

Dr. Vincent Bellonzi talking about Aspartame and artificial sweeteners.

on the other hand saccharin (that’s an older sugar substitute) is not found recently in diet drinks these days, researches have shown that saccharin actually is associated with causing cancer.

There is a newer sugar substitute on the market made from herbs called stevia, it is available in liquid,packets,tabs and powder forms these actually are more marketed as natural sugar substitute, they are isolated from the natural stevia plant, but once you think of isolating extract from a plant, it loses the sense of being natural because it has been formulated through process system to a product so that may be different than using the actual natural herb, so these diet drinks are coming out slowly on the market they have recently got approval to be marketed. those diet drinks may benefit people because they actually seem to have even lower risk than aspartame and other artificial sweeteners because of coming from natural herb. So in general, researches haven’t shown any health risk associated with stevia, so from that perspective it’s good to have it if you are looking for controlling your sugar intake and they can be included in a healthy diet but remember everything should be in moderation.

I’ve read an article couple a days ago, it really drew my attention on WEBMD it says ‘drink more diet soda and gain more weight’ , honestly I was surprised at the beginning but after reading the article I got convinced somehow. A recent study shows that feeding animals artificial sweeteners made them crave more calories than animals fed real sugar.

Some studies show that if you offer your body something tastes like too much calories but those calories won’t be there, so your body will be alerted to search for those calories but it will not find it, so at this point your body will crave for more and more calories… don’t fool your body. Another soft drinks studies suggests that diet drinks may stimulate your appetite.

What is Acrymalide?

Acrymalide is a chemical compound that forms naturally in high-carbohydrate foods when frying, baking and roasting them at very hight temperatures, it is not something added to food and it does not come from packaging or enviroment. It forms mainly in foods made from plants. Latest studies shows that acrylamide causes cancer in laboratory animals when feeding them high levels of acrymalide, there have been lots of worries about wether or not this chemical may pose a health risk to humans if comsuming acrymalide at much lower levels.

What Foods Contain Acrylamide?

Potato chips and french fries have the highest levels of acrymalide. But also some cereal products, coffee and toast have acrymalide but much lower levels.

Some people may ask why coffee contain acrymalide??! because coffee beans are toasted at high temperature levels, at this time acrymalide forms in coffee not when it’s brewed at home or at the coffee shop.

Reducing acrymalide in home-cooked foods.

• make sure you are not overcooking high carbohydrate foods when frying, toasting or baking them.
• cook your french fries or baked potatoes to golden-yellow rather than golden-brown color.
• toast your bread to the lightest color acceptable.

Frying method has the highest acrymalide levels, so try to fry your food at lower temperatures and avoid heavy crisping or burning. But try to base your diet on consuming unsaturated healthy fats, avoid trans fat and all kinds of saturated fats to stay in good health far away from high cholesterol and high LDL (bad cholesterol) levels.

When you grill your food try to turn the food from time to time to avoid charring, if it happens just cut the charred parts before eating.

Cooking potato by boiling or steaming do not contain high levels of acrymalide, beacause the temperature in these 2 methods are not high enough to form acrymalide.

Soaking raw potatoes in water for 15- 30 min before frying or roasting helps to reduce formation of acrymalide. One more thing the duration of cooking has also a big effect on forming acrymalide in food so try not to cook your food for a long period of time at high temperatures.

At last there are lots of ongoing studies to check acrymalide effects on human health but until then try to avoid acrymalide as we mentioned previously.

To view the frequent asked questions about acrymalide click here FDA

The truth about sushi.

When we think of japanese food, we usually think of sushi. Yummi really delicous those stuffed rolls with soy sauce dipping, who doesn’t love it?Who can resist that enticing and delicate flavor especially with that firey wasabi paste and pickled ginger . In japan sushi is mainly eaten on special occasions, but in our country sushi is getting increasingly popular choice for a restuarant meal any day of the week.

I was out dinning on sushi last week with some friends and I was surprised that people at our table were thinking that sushi was calorie-free. Sure recent studies show that diet high in omega-3 fatty acids (which is abundant in fish)can helps prevent heart disease through lowering LDL (bad cholesterol) but we have to take in to consideration that some of these rolls have fatty toppings such as mayonaise or cheese, and the shrimp tempura appetizer, don’t forget about the creamy japanese dressing on their salads.. what about fried icecream? Somehow sushi is healthy low in fat IF you order it without these extra toppings and dressings. Fortunatley most japanese restuarant do not serve very large portion sizes.

“Sushi” word actually doesn’t mean the fish or the roll itself, it means the vinegared rice,

Lets talk about something very important, what about eating raw fish, is it healthy?

Generally, seafood is very safe to eat, but raw or undercooked seafood can be unsafe.

Seafood grown or collected from contaminated water can get colonized by viruses in the water. Shellfish foods, such as oysters, pump a lot of water through their bodies each day and filter out microorganisms. Thus, they are very likely to collect viruses from the water. Some oysters, for example, are eaten raw or lightly cooked, which increases the risk of foodborne illness. And viruses are not the only culprits. Bacteria and parasites are threats to raw seafood, as well. To keep seafood safe:

• Buy only fresh seafood that is refrigerated or properly iced.
• Cooking fish until it’s opaque and flaky helps destroy any existing pathogenic bacteria that may be present.

It’s always best to cook seafood thoroughly to minimize the risk of foodborne illness. However, for people who choose to eat raw fish anyway, one rule of thumb is to eat fish that has been previously frozen. Some species of fish can contain parasites, and freezing will kill any parasites that may be present. However, freezing does not kill all harmful microorganisms, so the safest route is to cook seafood.

Some people are at greater risk for foodborne illness, and should not eat raw or partially cooked fish or shellfish. These susceptible groups include: pregnant women, young children, older adults, people whose immune systems are compromised, and people who have decreased stomach acidity.

source: FDA

Three of the most common kinds of sushi are:

Nigiri: Bite-sized pieces of sushi rice topped with Japanese horseradish (wasabi) and a slice of raw or cooked seafood. Nigiri is Japanese for “grab.”
Sashimi: Raw fish sliced into bite-sized fillets and served solo, often with rice on the side.
Maki: Rice and seaweed rolls with fish and/or vegetables.

Flounder, different varieties of tuna, salmon, scallops, shrimp and clams are some of the fish and shellfish you will usually find on the sushi menu. Seafood is largely high in protein, vitamins and minerals and low in artery-clogging saturated fat. It is also a fabulous source of omega-3 fatty acids, a type of fat that can promote heart health. Experts recommend eating fish twice a week to get heart benefits.

When you always go out for sushi you are givven a small plate beside your dish for the soy sauce dipping, but you have to know that soy sauce is very high in sodium so if you are thinking health-wise you have to reduce your consumption of it or simply you can order for low-sodium soy sauce.

A well-known suhsi chef once said that japanese cuisine is all about balance, a little from everything ,so if you use too much soy sauce you will destroy the taste and break that balance.

Veggie sushi

In Japan, sushi is traditionally served with small amounts of cucumbers, plum paste, marinated gourd and pickled radish. The expectation is to eat rice and fish.

Some of sushi rolls contain heart healthy avocados, that we all know it contains omega-3 fatty acids which prevents heart disease. In some sushi restuarants you can order your veggie sushi out of many choices of different vegetables, go for light salads with light dressings such as seaweed salads, spinach and other green salads.

You can also experience soy food at the sushi bar there is a variety of soy beans steamed in some way, beside the miso soup which contains fermented soy beans paste and tofu, usually they use tofu in many dishes of theirs.

One more thingt nori sheets (seaweed) contain many valuable sea minerals,

Nutrition Highlights about soy beans.

Meat alternatives with soy protein will provide a good source of high quality protein, B vitamins, and iron. These are generally very low in total fat and saturated fat, and several are even non-fat. Many provide a good source of dietary fiber. Vegans have several choices that are fortified with B12. Soy meat alternatives and analogs provide important bio-active components, such as isoflavones, which are being studied in relationship to relieving menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, maintaining healthy bones, and preventing prostate, breast cancers, and colorectal cancer. The content and profile of bio-active components varies from product to product, depending upon how much soy protein is in the food and how the soy protein is processed.

Soy meat alternatives are a healthy, high-quality protein source that contains all essential amino acids needed for growth. Soyfoods are a good source of essential fatty acids and contain no cholesterol and little or no saturated fat.

In addition to the quality of soy protein, scientists have found that soy protein can contribute to reducing the risk of heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol and increasing the flexibility of blood vessels. The FDA has approved a health claim stating that “25 grams of soy protein in a daily diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol can help reduce total and LDL cholesterol that is moderately high to high.”

source: soy foods

Conclusion: Sushi considered to be a very healthy food choice but you have to pick out soy foods and veggies, less fattening toppings and dressings (mayo, cream cheese, creamy dressings), and as we mentioned previously try not to eat raw seafood frequently.

Nutriton: Give me the Basics!

Nutriton: Give me the Basics! by Alyssa Bennet

Organic Foods?

Do you know what organic means? Don’t worry, I doubt most of America does. Organically grown foods are grown without the use of any chemicals, including pesticides.

When you eat foods that are not grown organically, you eat a portion of all the chemicals and pesticides that the farmer used to grow that food. Ick! Would you ever sprinkle your lettuce salad with anti-bug spray? Not me! Well, guess what? Every time you eat non-organic foods, that’s exactly what you’re doing.

Essentially, you should eat organic foods to keep away all toxins possible. Your immune system is stressed with many toxins each day; don’t add more! You need a strong immune system that can fight for your health. Not only do organic foods not have a negative effect, they are often more nutrient-rich, which supplies your body with an essential supplement called Phytonutrients.

What are Phytonutrients?

Phytonutrients occur naturally in foods and vegetables. However, if they are harvested before they are completely ripe there are few of these nutrients present. If the food isn’t stabilized within 24-48 hours after harvest, again most of the nutrients are no longer present.

Your body uses these nutrients for your over all health by strengthening your immune system’s functions and defense.

How to I Get Phytonutrients?

Phytonutrients aren’t generally found in our modern diets, which means we are being deprived. Aside from this, we eat absorbatent amounts of unhealthy foods like white breads, sugar, etc. To stay healthy, it is best to eat more fresh green vegetables, fruits, whole grain breads, organic meats, etc.

What about Water?

Your body is roughly 70% water, which means you need to supply your body with loads of it everyday. Sodas, kool aids, and juices just don’t work; your body needs pure spring or well water everyday. Take your body weight in pounds and divide by two. So, if you weigh 120 pounds, you would drink a minimum of 60 ounces of water each day. This allows your body to flush toxins and keep you healthy.

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Article Source: Nutriton: Give me the Basics!