This superfood has more vitamin C than oranges, and you should be eating it

Depending on your geographical location you will know this superfood by a different name: arugula, rugola, rughetta, ruchetta. But beyond the regional distinction one fact is certain: arugula is not just any salad vegetable. This super salad has more flavour and colour than the common lettuce, iceberg or endive, and it makes every dish unique. Not only that, this superfood has anti-aging, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, and regulates blood pressure. In short, it is a genuine superfood that we should fill up on at every opportunity. Ahead, we talk about the benefits of the superfood arugula.

Why is arugula good for your health

Arugula is a vegetable from the cruciferous family, like broccoli and cauliflower. Its growing season is spring-summer, but it can now be found on supermarket counters almost year-round. This plant with its bitter, pungent, almost spicy flavor is native to West-Central Asia but also to the Mediterranean basin, where it has been cultivated and prized since the time of the ancient Romans, who valued it for both its digestive and diuretic powers and its aphrodisiac ones.

Today it is part of the FOSHU, the Foods for Specific Health Uses, those foods that according to a system created in Japan are recognized as foods that can positively influence our health. Low in calories but very rich in fiber, minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, zinc and phosphorus, and vitamins such as vitamin C and B vitamins, this food has a variety of therapeutic properties that should never be missing from our table. Here's why.

Benefits and properties of arugula

• Due to its high content of nutrients such as vitamin C (it contains twice as much as oranges), it has strong antioxidant and cell-protecting powers
• It is rich in fiber that promotes proper digestion, and prebiotics that encourage the balance of the gut microbiome
• Rich in provitamin A and antioxidant vitamin C, it is beneficial for skin health, and gives it tone and elasticity
• Due to its anti-inflammatory powers, it was used in folk medicine to treat and prevent eczema and acne
• It has a diuretic action, and is therefore useful for detoxifying and eliminating water retention.
• Low in calories (it has about 25 calories per 100 grams) and rich in fiber and nutrients, it is ideal for low-calorie diets and weight management
• Due to the presence of beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that also protect against UV rays, it is beneficial for eye health and retinal protection
• Due to its high calcium and vitamin K content (it contains three times as much as milk), it is beneficial for bone and dental health
• It protects the heart, thanks to its content of vitamin C, vitamin K and folate, nutrients that promote heart health

Precautions to keep in mind

• It is not recommended, in large quantities, for those taking anti-coagulant drugs, because it may counteract their action.
• Like all cruciferous vegetables, it can be difficult to digest for those with digestive problems, and cause bloating

How to eat arugula beyond a salad

Choose it wild, if available: it has an even stronger flavour and colour than common arugula, wider leaves, and a crisper texture. Eat it as fresh as possible, and preferably raw, to preserve all its nutritional properties. Its obvious use is in salads, paired with mozzarella and cherry tomatoes from pachino for example, or dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and slivers of Parmigiano Reggiano.

But also to enrich pizza and meat carpaccio, chopped raw on fish dishes, in omelettes and risottos. Use it to make arugula pesto, instead of the classic basil pesto, replacing pine nuts with walnuts, almonds or cashews, for an aromatic dressing for both pasta and brown rice salads, spelt or barley salads, or hummus with chickpeas and arugula.

Put a handful of leaves in soups at the end of cooking to make them more flavorful. And you can also add a handful to your morning fruit and vegetable smoothie, with banana, apple, berries, avocado and arugula for example, to make it even more beneficial and nutritious, and start your day with a health boost.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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Why Tomato Is A Must-add To Your Daily Diet

 Tomato not only imparts taste to food, but it can be great for health too. Yes, tomatoes have some magical nutrients, which can beat the woes of cholesterol. Its benefits will surprise you. As soon as the rainy season arrives, tomato prices are inflated. Its prices rapidly increase and at the moment it has reached a whopping Rs 50/kg. In the days ahead, tomatoes are likely to become more expensive than this. Tomatoes are a brilliantly versatile vegetable that is almost unmissable in Indian cooking. From salads, chutneys to curries, tomatoes are omnipresent in our home kitchen.

Do you know the medicinal properties of tomatoes?

Many health problems can be curbed or contained by eating tomatoes. Cleveland Clinic, which is a hub for modern medicine, has published a report that states that tomatoes contain nutrients of the likes of protein, carbohydrates, fibre, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, potassium, and folate. Tomatoes are also full of 94.8g/100g water. They have negligible fat in them. They also are a great source of antioxidants. Consuming them raw can lead to tremendous health benefits. It is believed that drinking tomato juice on a regular basis can help reduce cholesterol. Consumption of tomatoes in the rainy season can help boost immunity.

 Tomatoes are also considered beneficial for heart health. According to researchers, tomatoes are rich in a nutrient called lycopene. 

Lycopene is a substance that can be very effective in reducing the risk of diseases of the heart. Tomato helps in reducing inflammation in the body. Constituents like phenolic compounds, beta carotene and vitamin c make tomatoes anti-inflammatory. These reduce the risk of chronic diseases. They can prove to be a remedy for high cholesterol patients. A study revealed that bad cholesterol can be contained to a great extent by drinking tomato juice regularly.

In many researches, tomatoes have been proved to be an excellent immunity booster. It is rich in Vitamin C, which is beneficial for our immune system. Consuming them during the rainy season can reduce the risk of infection. The nutrients present in them also reduce the risk of cancer. According to experts, tomatoes can also be effective in preventing infertility. People who have kidney or gallbladder stones should avoid tomatoes. This is because the presence of oxalates in them are known to aggravate the problems of kidney stones patients.

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement
https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for infor on cancer and health related topics
https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs. I'm going to add posts there, do give me your valuable feed back on my blogs. Thanks a lot, take care, be healthy and be happy.

 

9 Reasons You Should Start Eating More Beans

Many people avoid eating beans regularly because of their tendency to increase our gas output, but if you’re doing this, you really should reconsider. Why? Well, they’re incredibly good for us! Below you’ll find 9 amazing health benefits of the humble bean.  

 

1. Improves Heart Health

Beans are rich in water-soluble vitamins, such as thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, and folacin. Folate is vital for lowering homocysteine concentrations, and without enough folate in your diet, your homocysteine level increases and can damage your heart and blood vessels. Besides folate, beans also contain a high amount of calcium, potassium, and magnesium, all of which are healthy minerals and electrolytes, which when combined, can help to minimize the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.

2. They’re Full of Fiber 

Fiber helps to make you feel full so that you don’t have to eat as much during the day. It’s also one of the most important nutrients in a person’s diet as it helps to keep our digestive system operating properly, while also being great for heart health too. Bean varieties, such as pinto, kidney, and black are just a few examples of beans that are extremely rich in fiber. 

 

Besides keeping you feeling fuller for longer, the high-fiber content in beans also helps to absorb cholesterol in your digestive tract before your body can absorb it. This means that the more beans you eat, the lower your cholesterol levels will be. Eating beans three to four times a week can greatly improve your blood pressure, reducing your risk of heart disease. 

 

3. Regulates Blood Sugar Level 

If you’re in danger of developing diabetes (or are already diabetic), you’ll be happy to hear that beans have a low glycemic index. This means that they won’t cause your blood sugar levels to spike the way that refined grain products can. 

 

4. May Prevent Cancer

Beans are full of antioxidants, which help to protect the body against free radicals that could result in cancer. A study that was published in The Journal of Cancer Research found that women who ate four servings of beans a week had a lower chance of colorectal polyps, a precursor to rectal and colon cancer. 

 

5. Reduce Iron Deficiency 

Iron deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies in people and the leading cause of anemia. Beans are full of iron, so can help those who are suffering from this condition. For example, half a cup of lentils contains around 3.3 mg of iron. 

 

6. Punch of Protein 

A half a cup of beans contains around 7 grams of protein, the same amount as in one ounce of meat, chicken, or fish. Vegans can easily count on beans as an excellent source of protein. 

 

7. Improves Eye Health

In terms of eye health benefits, so many beans contain vitamin A, zinc, and bioflavonoids. Zinc is a vision supporting nutrient that greatly improves eye health. Its main role is to convert beta-carotene into vitamin A in a form that’s usable by the visual system and the body. The bioflavonoids present in beans help to improve eye health by neutralizing the free radicals that damage healthy eye cells. 

 

8. Low in Fat 

Most beans contain around 2-3% fat and contain zero cholesterol unless they’re processed or prepared with other fatty ingredients such as lard. To avoid buying fatty beans, it’s best to read the labels thoroughly before buying.

9. Reduces Depression 

Meeting daily folate needs may help people cope with depression better. An adequate consumption of folate can prevent a boost in homocysteine production in your body. Too much of this hormone can decrease your blood flow and other key nutrients from traveling to the brain, which in turn can disrupt the production of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which regulate sleep, mood, and appetite.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com     is my latest addition to my blogs. I'm going to add posts there, do give me your valuable feed back on my blogs. Thanks a lot, take care, be healthy and be happy.

Chole or Rajma: Which is better for weight loss?

Chole Vs Rajma: What should you include in your diet

Chole-rice and Rajma-rice is a comforting and go-to food in most Indian households. Both the legumes are nutritious, easy to make and delicious. Either you pair it with chapati, have it with a bowl of rice or make a healthy bowl of salad by adding some veggies, both of these can provide you with a variety of nutrients. Making them a part of your regular diet can help to manage a healthy weight, improve cardiovascular health, enhance skin condition and help in several other ways. But since most of our calculations around food is based on whether they help in weight management or not, it is not unusual to wonder which out of the two are better for weight loss. So, let's find the answer to this important question.

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Nutrients in chickpeas

Macronutrients, vitamins and trace minerals, chickpeas are loaded with all essential nutrients required by our body to carry out all the internal functions efficiently. 1 cup or 164 grams of chickpeas contains:

Calories: 597

Protein: 19 grams

Fat: 4 grams

Carbohydrates: 60 grams

Calcium: 172 mg

Iron: 10 mg

Magnesium: 188 mg

Zinc: 2.5 mg

Nutrients in kidney beans

Belonging to the legumes family, kidney beans contain the same nutrients profile as chickpeas. It contains all three macronutrients and is a great source of vitamins and minerals. 164 grams of raw kidney beans contain:

Calories: 564

Protein: 24 grams

Fat: 1.3 grams

Carbohydrates: 90 grams

Calcium: 234 mg

Iron: 13 mg

Magnesium: 229 mg

Zinc: 4 mg 

Chickpeas vs Kidney beans

If we compare the nutrient profile, both chickpea and kidney beans are high in calories. There is only a slight difference in it. For the macronutrient ratios, chickpeas contain less carbohydrate and more fat as compared to kidney beans. However, the latter is rich in protein. In terms of trace minerals and vitamins, both the legumes are high in calcium, potassium, iron and zinc. But kidney beans have slightly more nutritional values than chickpeas.

Which of these is better for weight loss

Both kidney beans and chickpeas are nutritious but they contain different amounts of essential nutrients. Based on their nutrient profile, kidney beans are healthier than chickpeas as they are high in some of the essential nutrients, low in fat and calories. If you have to include the healthier one and want to add more nutrients then go for kidney beans. But if you want to add variety to your diet, we would recommend you to experiment with the recipes and use both kinds of legumes.

How legumes help in weight loss

Both kidney beans and chickpeas when combined with rice make a complete protein due to the presence of all nine essential amino acids. A sufficient amount of protein intake is essential to lose weight and replace fat cells with lean muscle mass. Protein also helps to increase satiety and prevents you from unhealthy munching. They are also rich in fiber that helps to keep you fuller for a longer time.

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement