Why Should You Buy Organic Food?

Why Should You Buy Organic Food?

 By Daisy Bell 

What Does Organic Mean?

Agricultural products that are naturally grown and processed are termed as organic foods. The organic crops, in general, are grown without the use of chemicals, synthetic pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers, bioengineered genes or sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Even when it comes to dairy products, meat or eggs, the livestock will be given access to organic feed. Antibiotics, by-products, and growth hormones are rigidly not encouraged.

Why Choose Organic?

A maze of foods labeled organic will claim to be beneficial but is it really so? Does the popularity of organic food outweigh the advantages? If you've ever wondered about what is essentially good for your physical and mental health, you're on the right path. Organically grown foods often contain more nutrients in the form of antioxidants and prevent or reduce allergies when compared to conventionally grown counterparts. It is free of harmful chemicals, contains more taste and sustainable sustenance while being a great choice for personal and planetary well-being.

Why Is It Important?

Organic foods contain fewer chemicals and pesticides but consumption of organically grown food is one of the ways to avoid the chemically intoxicated foods in the current market. Over 600 active chemicals are registered with heavy pesticide exposure that can contribute to serious ailments, impairments, malfunctions and neurological issues. Organic meat and dairy contain synthetic hormones that have been linked to an increased risk of cancer. Alternatively, due to zero pesticide levels, the fertilization techniques are less likely to cause toxic heavy metals that usually accumulate in the kidneys and liver.

Advantages of Organic Food

Organic products such as meat and milk contain 50% of omega-3 fatty acids which is a type of unsaturated healthy fat that does not increase the overall calories.

Sustainable practices for growing crops yield foods with more nutrients including minerals, vitamins, micro-nutrients, and enzymes.

Organic foods grown in a well-balanced soil automatically taste better than conventionally grown crops.

No synthetic hormones or antibiotics are fed to livestock making organic foods intrinsically safer to consume.

Organic products have higher antioxidant content and pose no risk of harmful pesticides or other potentially harmful chemicals.

They contain essential nutrients as soon as they are harvested and must be consumed relatively quickly

Lower risk of water or soil contamination brings a positive effect on human well-being as well as the environment.

Organic foods cannot be altered from the point of their DNA in order to be pesticide free or produce insecticides. It is free of (GMO) genetically modified organisms or in other words genetically engineered

Organic farming plays a positive role in the environment as it reduces pollution and soil erosion, increases the soil fertility, conserves water and uses less energy

It is hard to overlook the problems arising from toxic exposures of conventionally grown foods. The wake of factors such as birth defects, obesity, learning disabilities and water pollution is stimulating a valuable change for delivering organic labels to the market. The growth in this dynamic sector can be contributed to protecting the environment and stabilizing health living.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Daisy_Bell/2472579

7 Principles of Healthy Eating

7 Principles of Healthy Eating

By Sally Solo

The remedy for eating better isn’t deprivation, blandness, or a rigid diet―it’s incorporating good habits into your life

Con Poulos

The key to eating right and maintaining weight is a plan that fits your life. Consider these points: 

1. Know yourself. Some people revel in the art of food preparation. For others, the microwave is a lifesaver. What matters is that you find a healthy way to cook and eat that works for you. If you love a large, sit-down dinner, for example, ignore conventional wisdom that says it's best to eat lots of small meals (just be sure not to snack all day if you plan to feast at night). Knowing yourself also means planning for pitfalls. If, say, you often nosh while you work, keep food as far from your desk as possible or bring in a healthy snack from home. If your downfall is salty junk food, don't eat directly from a multiserving package; take out a handful and put the rest away. Slight changes don't feel like sacrifice, says Brian Wansink, a professor of marketing and nutritional science at Cornell University, but they do make a difference: "Eating 200 fewer calories a day can mean 20 pounds of weight lost in a year." 
2. Give peas (and peaches) a chance. It's easy to say "Eat more vegetables," but what about people who don't like spinach and broccoli? With a little attention to food prep, even vegephobes should be able to find greens (and oranges and reds) that are appealing. "People, when they cook, focus on the recipe for meat," says Margo Wootan, the director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "Then they serve plain steamed broccoli on the side. And that's boring. You need to put the same care into vegetables." Wootan suggests dipping Brussels sprouts in Dijon mustard or sautéing spinach, collards, or Swiss chard with garlic―or bacon.
 "Why can't we add some of the fat in our diet to our vegetables, or some sweetener to our fruit?" she says. "What's wrong with a little bit of sugar left clinging to a peach?"Think about using leftover or fresh vegetables in risottos, soups, casseroles, and stews and putting leftovers in breakfast frittatas or pureeing them with olive oil to make a spread or a dip for a sandwich or an appetizer, suggests Laura Pensiero, who cowrote The Strang Cancer Prevention Cookbook ($17, amazon.com) and owns the Gigi Trattoria, in Rhinebeck, New York. 

Another benefit of piling on the vegetables is that you can pump up the volume of a meal, even as you trim calories. People tend to eat the same weight of food, not the same number of calories, over the course of a day, says Barbara Rolls, a professor of nutritional sciences at Pennsylvania State University, in University Park. By adding water-rich vegetables and fruits and substituting leaner cuts of meat in a recipe, you can create lower-calorie, healthier meals--and trick yourself into thinking you're eating as much as you always have.

Finally, if chopping broccoli or picking through raspberries isn't your thing, buy frozen. You get the same nutrients without the hassle.

3. Eat less meat. The mainstays of a healthy diet should be grains, nuts, and seeds, as well as nonstarchy vegetables and fruits, rather than meat. Whole grains (oatmeal, brown rice, whole-wheat bread) provide fiber, which aids the digestive system and makes you feel fuller, and B vitamins, which can boost energy and aid metabolism. Nuts and seeds contain nutrients, such as vitamin E in almonds and sunflower seeds, that are otherwise hard to come by. Legumes―including beans, soybeans, peanuts, and lentils―provide fiber, too, along with protein, iron, folate, and other nutrients. Replacing meat with legumes as a protein source is a good strategy for reducing saturated-fat intake.It's easier than you think to work these foods into your day. Open up a can of kidney beans or chickpeas and add them to soup, chili, or pasta. Or try a bowl of fortified breakfast cereal, 1 1/2 ounces of shelled sunflower seeds on a salad, or two ounces of almonds. You'll be one of the less than 3 percent of Americans who get the recommended daily dose of vitamin E.

4. Separate your fats. When it comes to fats, there's perhaps no other area of nutrition in which researchers have learned so much and confused so many consumers in the process. What you need to know is this: Fat has more calories per gram than carbohydrates or protein, so if you're trying to maintain or lose weight, limit the amount of fat you eat. That said, not all fats affect the body equally. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are the "good" fats; they're found in nut and vegetable oils and oily fish, such as salmon, trout, and herring. They don't raise blood cholesterol levels and may even reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems. According to the American Heart Association, eating seafood with omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and sardines, twice a week may reduce the risk of certain forms of heart disease.

Saturated and trans fats, also known as the "bad" fats, are found in dairy and beef products and palm and coconut oils. The more of them you eat, the higher your risk of cardiovascular disease. Trans fats are also found in French fries and many commercially baked products, such as cookies and crackers, but are becoming less common. After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandated that companies list trans fats on food labels, some restaurants, like Wendy's and Red Lobster, reduced their use, and many manufacturers have reformulated products to get rid of trans fats altogether. (Be aware, however, that many of those products now contain saturated fats instead.)

5. Watch those portions. Even as you try to eat foods that are loaded with nutrients, pay attention to the overall amount you consume. Brian Wansink, a professor of marketing and nutritional science at Cornell University, explains that people have three measures of satiety: starving, could eat more, and full. "Most of the time, we're in the middle," he says. "We're neither hungry nor full, but if something is put in front of us, we'll eat it." He suggests announcing out loud, "I'm not really hungry, but I'm going to eat this anyway." This could be enough to deter you, or to inspire you to eat less.

Restaurants bring challenges, because portions are huge and tend to be high in fat and sodium. "Eating out has become a big part of our diet, about a third of our calories," says Wootan. "When eating out, we should apply the same strategies we do at home―not on your birthday, but on a Tuesday night when there's no time to cook." One strategy: Share an entrée. You'll eat a healthier portion size and also save money.

6. Eat, don't drink, your calories. Beverages don't fill you up in the same way that foods do: Studies have shown that people eat the same amount whether or not they wash down their food with a 150-calorie drink. And most beverages don't contribute many nutrients.

In fact, all you really need is water, says Barry Popkin, head of the division of nutrition epidemiology at the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina, in Chapel Hill. "In a historical context," says Popkin, aside from breast milk, "we drank only water in the first 190,000 years of our existence.

7. Limit packaged foods and read labels. Many nutritionists recommend shopping the perimeter of a supermarket, where fresh foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are usually sold, and avoiding highly processed foods, which tend to be found in boxes in the center aisles. But you may find it hard to resist the core of the store, with its convenient treats and processed foods. Just be aware that three-quarters of the sodium and most of the trans fats and added sugar Americans ingest come from packaged foods.

The trick is to turn a blind eye to all the enticing claims on the fronts of packages―low-fat, low-net-carbs, zero trans fats!―as some are empty, some are unregulated, and some are misleading. Instead, cast a critical eye over the nutrition-facts box. Look first at calories, saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium. Saturated fat and sodium are presented in grams and milligrams, respectively, and as a percentage of the recommended limit of what we should eat in a day; calories and trans fats are listed simply as amounts. If the numbers seem high, check out a few competing products to see if you can do better. Note that you may need to multiply if there's more than one serving in a package and you realistically expect to eat two or three servings. Also read the figures for fiber, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and vitamins A, C, and E. These are the nutrients you need to be eating more of every day.

(Sources : https://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/healthy-eating/7-principles-healthy-eating)

7 of the Healthiest Foods You Should Be Eating

7 of the Healthiest Foods You Should Be Eating 

By: Matthew Thompson

If you want to get the most nutritional bang for your buck, the best deals are “superfoods.” These nutritional superstars are far more plentiful in nutrients than they are in calories and that research has shown deliver health benefits. You’re probably already eating a lot of everyday superfoods—like bananas, eggs and broccoli—and maybe even some exotic ones (acai, anyone?). 

But what about the power-packed foods filled with good-for-you vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting phytochemicals you aren’t eating? Here are 7 of the healthiest foods that you should be eating but probably aren’t (or at least aren’t getting enough of).

1. Kale

On top of delivering a raft of cancer-fighting antioxidants, kale is one of the vegetable world’s top sources of vitamin A, which promotes eye and skin health and may help strengthen the immune system. It’s a good source of heart-healthy fiber and a 1-cup serving has almost as much vitamin C as an orange. What’s not to love?
8 Kale Recipes You Must Try

2. Sardines

Sardines are one of the best sources of heart-healthy, mood-boosting omega-3 fats, and they’re packed with vitamin D. And because sardines are small and low on the food chain, they don’t harbor lots of toxins as bigger fish can.
Must-Try: Easy, Delicious Sardine Recipes

3. Pomegranate

This vibrant fruit is chock–full of antioxidants, natural chemicals found in plants that mop up harmful free radicals, which damage tissues and may contribute to a variety of chronic conditions, such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer. Don’t have time to prepare the fruit? You can get many of the same benefits from drinking a glass of pomegranate juice! Don’t pass up an opportunity to enjoy the fruit itself, however—the tart, jelly-like taste is unique and wonderful. A 1-cup serving of juice has 150 calories and 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds has only 72 calories and 4 grams of fiber!

Must-Try: Healthy Pomegranate Recipes

4. Oatmeal

Oatmeal has 4 grams of fiber per cup and research suggests that increasing your intake of soluble fiber (a type found in oatmeal) by 5 to 10 grams each day could result in a 5 percent drop in “bad” LDL cholesterol. Also, according to a study in the Journal of Nutrition, eating a breakfast made with “slow-release” carbohydrates, such as oatmeal, three hours before you exercise may help you burn more fat. Here’s why: in the study, eating “slow-release” carbohydrates didn’t spike blood sugar as high as eating refined carbohydrates, such as white toast. In turn, insulin levels didn’t spike as high, and because insulin plays a role in signaling your body to store fat, having lower levels may help you burn fat.
Must-Try: Healthy Recipes for Oats

5. Quinoa

Quinoa is a delicately flavored whole grain packed with fiber and protein and, to top it off, it only takes 15 to 20 minutes to cook. That combination of fiber and protein has an extra value too: research shows that the two together can help you feel full for longer.
Must-Try: Easy, Healthy Quinoa Recipes  

6. Kefir

Think yogurt in a glass. This drinkable fermented dairy beverage is packed with beneficial probiotics that may help give your immune system a little extra edge, plus 29 percent of your daily value of

calcium per 8-ounce serving. Look for it in your supermarket’s dairy section; choose plain for less sugar and fewer calories or fresh fruit flavors, such as peach and raspberry, for extra taste. Try kefir in this Banana-Spice Smoothie recipe.

7. Lentils

Lentils are a versatile, budget-friendly and healthy addition to many dinner recipes. A half-cup of cooked lentils contains over 9 grams of protein and a jaw-dropping 8 grams of dietary fiber. Lentils are also a good source of iron and an excellent source of folate.
Must-Try: Simple Lentil Soup and More Recipes for Lentils

Sources: http://www.eatingwell.com/article/50623/7-of-the-healthiest-foods-you-should-be-eating-but-arent/

The Benefits of Healthy Habits

The Benefits of Healthy Habits

You know that healthy habits, such as eating well, exercising, and avoiding harmful substances, make sense, but did you ever stop to think about why you practice them? A healthy habit is any behavior that benefits your physical, mental, and emotional health. These habits improve your overall well-being and make you feel good.

Healthy habits are hard to develop and often require changing your mindset. But if you’re willing to make sacrifices to better your health, the impact can be far-reaching, regardless of your age, sex, or physical ability. Here are five benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

Controls weight

Eating right and exercising regularly can help you avoid excess weight gain and maintain a healthy weight. According to the Mayo Clinic, being physically active is essential to reaching your weight-loss goals. Even if you’re not trying to lose weight, regular exercise can improve cardiovascular health, boost your immune system, and increase your energy level.

Plan for at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity every week. If you can’t devote this amount of time to exercise, look for simple ways to increase activity throughout the day. For example, try walking instead of driving, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or pace while you’re talking on the phone.

Eating a balanced, calorie-managed diet can also help control weight. When you start the day with a healthy breakfast, you avoid becoming overly hungry later, which could send you running to get fast food before lunch.

Additionally, skipping breakfast can raise your blood sugar, which increases fat storage. Incorporate at least five servings of fruits and vegetables into your diet per day. These foods, which are low in calories and high in nutrients, help with weight control. Limit consumption of sugary beverages, such as sodas and fruit juices, and choose lean meats like fish and turkey.

Improves mood

Doing right by your body pays off for your mind as well. The Mayo Clinic notes that physical activity stimulates the production of endorphins. Endorphins are brain chemicals that leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. Eating a healthy diet as well as exercising can lead to a better physique. You’ll feel better about your appearance, which can boost your confidence and self-esteem. Short-term benefits of exercise include decreased stress and improved cognitive function.

It’s not just diet and exercise that lead to improved mood. Another healthy habit that leads to better mental health is making social connections. Whether it’s volunteering, joining a club, or attending a movie, communal activities help improve mood and mental functioning by keeping the mind active and serotonin levels balanced. Don’t isolate yourself. Spend time with family or friends on a regular basis, if not every day. If there’s physical distance between you and loved ones, use technology to stay connected. Pick up the phone or start a video chat.

Combats diseases

Healthy habits help prevent certain health conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. If you take care of yourself, you can keep your cholesterol and blood pressure within a safe range. This keeps your blood flowing smoothly, decreasing your risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Regular physical activity and proper diet can also prevent or help you manage a wide range of health problems, including:

• metabolic syndrome
• diabetes
• depression
• certain types of cancer
• arthritis

Make sure you schedule a physical exam every year. Your doctor will check your weight, heartbeat, and blood pressure, as well as take a urine and blood sample. This appointment can reveal a lot about your health. It’s important to follow up with your doctor and listen to any recommendations to improve your health.

Boosts energy

We’ve all experienced a lethargic feeling after eating too much unhealthy food. When you eat a balanced diet your body receives the fuel it needs to manage your energy level. A healthy diet includes:

• whole grains
• lean meats
• low-fat dairy products
• fruit
• vegetables

Regular physical exercise also improves muscle strength and boosts endurance, giving you more energy, says the Mayo Clinic. Exercise helps deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and gets your cardiovascular system working more efficiently so that you have more energy to go about your daily activities. It also helps boost energy by promoting better sleep. This helps you fall asleep faster and get deeper sleep.

Insufficient sleep can trigger a variety of problems. Aside from feeling tired and sluggish, you may also feel irritable and moody if you don’t get enough sleep. What’s more, poor sleep quality may be responsible for high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease, and it can also lower your life expectancy. To improve sleep quality, stick to a schedule where you wake up and go to bed at the same time every night. Reduce your caffeine intake, limit napping, and create a comfortable sleep environment. Turn off lights and the television, and maintain a cool room temperature.

Improves longevity

When you practice healthy habits, you boost your chances of a longer life. The American Council on Exercise reported on an eight-year study of 13,000 people. The study showed that those who walked just 30 minutes each day significantly reduced their chances of dying prematurely, compared with those who exercised infrequently. Looking forward to more time with loved ones is reason enough to keep walking. Start with short five-minute walks and gradually increase the time until you’re up to 30 minutes.

The takeaway

Bad habits are hard to break, but once you adopt a healthier lifestyle, you won’t regret this decision. Healthy habits reduce the risk of certain diseases, improve your physical appearance and mental health, and give your energy level a much needed boost. You won’t change your mindset and behavior overnight, so be patient and take it one day at a time.

Source : http://www.healthline.com/health/5-benefits-healthy-habits#overview1