Top 10 Worst Processed Food You Should Never Eat

The popularity of processed food is going up. The main reason is that it’s convenient and affordable. However, with all the sugar, salt, preservatives and fat, processed food are not something you want to eat if you want to be healthy. Even though the temptation is strong and many times it’s much simpler to eat them than go for a healthy alternative, you should try to avoid them. What kinds of processed food are the worst? Here’s the top 10.

 #1  Chicken Nuggets              

They are readily available, mouthwatering and tasty. However, they are bad for you. You would rather consume grilled skinless chicken breast or chicken strips if you want to eat chicken meat. Whether you buy them from your local restaurant or out of your freezer, chicken nuggets are high in preservatives, fat and salt and has no benefit for your body.

 #2  French Fries

Very few realize the amount of calories contained even in the smallest serving of French fries.  Besides high calories, it offers very little nutritional value for your body. Eating french fries are linked to obesity and raised blood sugar level.

 #3  Rice Cakes         

Don’t be fooled by the propaganda rice cakes are somehow a healthy snack. Far from it. In fact, rice cakes almost took our #1 spot. Made of insulin spiking white rice and often soaked in salt and sugar coatings, rice cakes offer nothing healthy to your diet. Think of eating rice cakes on the same level you’d treat eating plastic. They share more qualities than they don’t!

 #4  Energy Drinks

Either packed with sugar or packed with the poisonous aspartame choosing between a diet or non-diet energy drink is really no choice at all. Oh, and the high dose of caffeine and all the other “goodies” will over the long run, knock out of whack your adrenal glands. Which is very far from good or healthy.

 #5   Granola Bars           

They are packed with sugar, dried fruit and other things that are the fast road to getting fat fast. Save the granola bars for when you need all the carbs to run a marathon, not a normal afternoon snack.

 #6 Yogurt and Fruit Cups            

Your yogurt may be fat free but don’t forget all that sugar filled fruit at the bottom of the cup, that will pack on the calories. A much better alternative is Greek yogurt. The nice thing is you don’t lose much in taste either.

 #7  Microwave Popcorn          

We know anything coming out of the microwave, pretty much, is a bad idea. Microwave popcorn? Beyond bad. Treated with all sorts of chemicals with names from science projects, to preserve the corn and make sure it pops correctly in the bag, microwave popcorn may just be the most unnatural snack on our list. Which is saying something.

 #8  Diet Sodas            

touched on this above with energy drinks, but let’s re-emphasize just how toxic diet products are. Incredibly toxic. NutraSweet, Splenda and the rest are likely much more unhealthy than even sugar. Diet sodas are a prime carrier of these chemical sweeteners. Think stevia and only stevia when it comes to healthy sweeteners. Even stevia should only be used in moderation.

 #9  Canned Peaches             

Fruits must be healthy right? Wrong. Not when frozen and drenched in sugary syrup. Canned peaches, the most popular of the canned fruits are no exception to the rule. Canned peaches are barely more healthy than candy but are marketed as a health food. Avoid.

 #10  Cookies           

We all love them, but they are high in calories, fat and sugar. They don’t provide anything beneficial for your body. Try something else that has a nutritional value and is good for you. There are many alternatives that taste good. Source: http://gegeblog.com

Read More

Top 5 Nutrition Myths You Must Not Believe

There are many nutrition myths that misguide people and make them believe something that simply is not true. While talking about nutrition myths, we must be careful. Wrong information about the food we eat can be very dangerous and can cause many health problems. Sometimes very healthy food loses reputation because of the misinformation and false belief. In order to avoid this, here’s the top 5 nutrition myths that you must not believe:

 #1  Drinking regular soda is bad, but diet one is okay       

1 Can of classic Coca-Cola has 143 calories while diet Coke has 0. That sounds awesome right? No calories in your body means no weight gain.. Wrong! It’s a myth that the people use to justify their soda consumption. “Oh I’ll have diet coke, I’m trying to be healthy” – That’s not how it works unfortunately. No matter how much we love the taste, it’s bad for you.

Died soda messes up your metabolism. According to the study that was done in University of Minnesota 4 years ago, drinking one can of diet soda increases the metabolic syndrome by 34%. As the study from Harvard University shows, consuming diet soda is linked to the kidney diseases as well. It is also very acidic since it has pH and it causes teeth rotting. There are lots of other studies done on diet sodas and none of them showed any benefit for our bodies. Try to avoid it and replace it with other less harmful drinks.

 #2   Nuts are bad for you since they are high in fat      

Another myth that is based on misunderstanding. If you thought that this myth is true, you were partially right. Nuts have lots of fat, but they have fat that our bodies really need. They are healthy fats that have lots of benefits. Nuts contain Omega-3 Fatty Acids that protect us from several diseases like heart diseases, arthritis, high cholesterol, diabetes and many other.

Nuts also have dietary fiber that has lots of health benefits, including helping the body to digest the food, lower blood cholesterol, control blood sugar, etc. So, don’t be afraid of the fats that nuts contain and start eating them as often as you can.

 #3  You need to drink 8 glasses of water a day to stay hydrated       

I have no idea where did this ridiculous myth come from. First of all, the human bodies are different and one amount of water can not apply to anyone. Second, our lifestyles are different, so it is a nonsense to say that everyone needs to drink 8 glasses of water. Some people have a desk job and after driving home, they sit on the couch while some people jog 5 miles a day. Do they require the same amount of water? Of course not.

So, how much water should a person drink a day? There’s no right answer. Just like there’s no answer on how much sleep should we get. It depends on a person and his lifestyle. There’s no fixed answer. It is easy to say that you need to drink 8 glasses of water than to watch your body. That’s how we get ridiculous myths like this.

 #4  Do not eat after 6 or 7 PM if you want to lose weight       

Another very popular myth that according to some people really works. It does not and if they lost weight this way, that means that they lost weight because of something else and they give credit to not eating after 6 PM. Just like drinking 8 glasses of water, this one too is not for everyone. First of all, it depends when you are going to bed or when you wake up. If you don’t eat anything after 6 PM and you start a day at 6 AM, you give nothing to your body for 12 hours. This causes the body to think that there is something wrong, so it goes to the starvation mode and slows down metabolism. What slowed metabolism does? Reducing the burning of the fat to keep the resources for the body for a long time, so it’s not very optimal way of losing weight. It also depends what you eat before that 6 PM. If you eat fatty food before 6, those calories won’t magically disappear from your body. So, instead of that, balance your eating habits and make a healthy choices.

 #5  Eating organic food is healthy so we can eat as much as we want        

Some people think that only because a food is organic, they can eat a ton. If you do that, you will be fat and being fat is not very healthy. There are organic potato chips, cheese, burgers and all the bad stuff that has lots of fat, salt or sugar. Eating them is as bad as eating non-organic version.

Organic food simple means a food that were made without using pesticides, fertilizers or genetic engineering techniques. It does not magically make unhealthy food healthy. You can eat organic and still be very unhealthy because organic can be a bad food as well. So watch out and read nutrition labels before buying anything.
Source: gegeblog.com

Read More

Top 10 Food That Will Make You More Energetic And Active

Everybody knows that what you eat affects how your body works. Your diet can influence your health in a variety of different ways, and one of the most noticeable is how it affects your energy levels. Your body turns certain carbohydrates in food directly into energy, so they are essential for feeling energized throughout the day, but not all carbohydrates are equal. Slow-burning ones are best, as the energy they provide is stable and unchanging. Your body also needs minerals and vitamins to provide energy effectively. The following is a list of the ten best foods that fulfil these requirements.

 #1  Oats        

Oats are one of the primary energy-boosting foods. They contain slow-burning carbohydrates, that provide your body with a constant stream of energy. Full of B vitamins, which assist in keeping your body alert, oats can ensure that you’re never lacking in energy.

 #2  Bananas           

Bananas are incredible energy foods, and can give those listless days a shot in the arm. Potassium is one of the factors in this, as bananas are absolutely packed with it, and the sugars contained in bananas are easily digested and turned straight into power for your body.

 #3  Almonds         

Almonds, like many nuts, are under-appreciated in terms of their nutrient content. They are full of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are essential for mental alertness. Raw almonds are best, but even cooked ones can make a discernible difference to your energy levels.

 #4  Spinach          

Spinach is an obvious one for anyone who has ever seen the cartoon “Popeye”. You’ll be happy to hear that it didn’t lie to you, and that spinach is a great energy food. Thanks to its high iron content, it helps make a healthy, strong, energetic body. It is best consumed raw, and tastes great in a salad.

 #5  Lentils          

Lentils should also be a staple part of your diet. They are full of protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, and can replace pasta or rice in almost any dish. Sprouted lentils contain sufficient levels of all the essential amino acids; a must for anyone looking to get a little more vigour from their food.

 #6  The walnut           

The walnut is another great nut for energy. High levels of potassium, iron and zinc serve to make walnuts an excellent choice for anyone feeling a little inert.

 #7  Chocolate           

If you’re a chocoholic, you’ll be happy to hear that a little chocolate can give you a real energy boost. A few squares of dark chocolate contain enough caffeine and theobromine to perk you up when your energy starts to deplete. Try to get high-cocoa chocolate, as it contains more of the compounds that are helpful.

 #8  Brown rice            

Brown rice can be used to replace white rice in any dish. It takes a little longer to cook, but like oats, provides a lot of slow-burning carbohydrates to keep your body ready for anything.

 #9  Sesame seeds            

Sesame seeds are easy to crowbar into your diet somewhere, and are full of the essential minerals for alertness and vigour. They can be mixed with yoghurt, honey or whatever you like, and are a real energy superfood.

 #10  Water           

And finally, though it may seem strange to mention it water is one of the best things you can consume to increase your energy. It is crucially important in the processes used by your body to provide energy, and drinking adequate amounts ensures that your body has what it needs to do its job. So drink around 8 glasses a day, and everything else on this list is guaranteed to work to the best of its ability.

Source: http://gegeblog.com/top-10-food-that-will-make-you-more-energetic-and-active/3/

 

Read More

The 10 Best Foods for Healthy Eyes

Building and maintaining excellent vision isn't something that happens without effort. Even if you believe nothing can be done to help your vision, taking steps to improve nutrition can go a long way toward preserving, or even improving, the health of your eyes.

You need to start with a base of core nutrition, but by adding a few eye healthy foods to that base, you may be able to see improvements in your eye health. Here's a list of 10 different foods that can help to preserve or even improve your vision.

 #1  Spinach           

Spinach leads the list of top 10 foods for healthy eyes as it is a store house of vitamin C, beta carotene and large amounts of lutein, zeaxanthin and antioxidants. The leafy vegetable can absorb almost 40% of blue light intensity and increases the pigment density of the macula which in turns prevents the eyes from macular degeneration. Frequent intake of Spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables can maintain good eye sight.

 #2  Oily Fish            

Cold water oily fish such as salmon, tuna, cod, haddock as well as sardines are well known for healthy Omega 3 oils. EPA and DHA, two Omega-3 fats found in oily fish are important for cellular health and the retina. According to a study by the National Eye Institute in United States, omega-3 helps modulate the inflammation and can avert dry eye and other age related eye problems.

 #3  Eggs        

Eggs contain cysteine and sulphur, two components of glutathione which acts as an antioxidant for the lens of the eye further avoiding the risk of cataract formation. Even the yolk of an egg is rich in lutein that can alter macular degeneration which occurs with age. Daily consumption of egg can also supply your eyes with lecithin, amino acids, vitamins A, B-12 and D enhancing eye sight.

 #4  Carrot        

Night Blindness can be avoided by taking in Vitamin A which is found in carrots. Other than this, the veggie is also loaded with beta carotene, an antioxidant that helps reduce the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.  After beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the liver, it travels to the retina where it is transformed into rhodopsin, a purple pigment that is necessary for night-vision.

 #5  Broccoli          

Broccoli, another healthy vegetable, can work wonder in the avoidance of loss of vision and muscular degeneration. Broccoli contains lutein and zeaxanthin which are good for the eye lenses. In addition, these carotenoids can also protect the eye cells from free radical stressors. It can be consumed as boiled, roasted or as add ups in soups.

 #6  Fruits           

Bright color fruits can actually benefit the eyes a lot especially Kiwi, Orange and Wolfberries. These fruits contain Vitamin C which eliminates free radicals that cause damage to the eyes. Different color fruits have different chemicals and can provide us with a variety of different nutrients needed by our eyes, keeping is healthy and free from other eye related diseases.

 #7  Blue Berries          

Blueberry is another food that has been considered into the list of top ten foods for healthy eyes as it is packed with health promoting compounds, mainly Vitamin C and Anthocyanidin. Anthocyanidin is a flavonoid which strengthens the circulation on the tiny blood vessels of the eyes. The fruit is also effective at the central area of the eye’s retina supporting the capillaries around it.

 #8  Wheat Germs           

Being a big source of Vitamin E, Wheat Germ decreases the development of cataract, macular degeneration and oxidation of cells. It slows down the free radical damage of the retina and eye stress. Apart from consuming it as baked, wheat germs can also be added to oatmeal, yogurt and salads.

 #9  Garlic           

Garlic is rich in sulfur, which is necessary for the production of glutathione, an important antioxidant for the lens of the eye, and the whole body. Raising glutathione levels can be instrumental in both prevention and resolution of visual problems like muscular degeneration, glaucoma or cataracts. Thus including garlic in frequent diet is advisable.

 #10  Red Meat          

 Red meat including beef, turkey, mutton, pork, lamb, ostrich etc are perfect for the eyes as they are loaded with protein, iron and zinc, which is one of the key ingredients for maintaining healthy eyes. Zinc is found in the retina and in people with macular degeneration, the levels of zinc in the retina can be very low, so eating red meat will be a good option of avoiding the doctor.

Source1: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/09/21/foods-healthy-eyes_n_974368.html#s368171&title=Collard_Greens

Source2: http://www.toptenofcity.com/misc/health/top-10-foods-for-healthy-eyes.html

Read More

Top 10 Foods For Healthy Skin

You are what you eat, so in order to have healthy skin you need to put healthy foods into your body. Some foods contain more vitamins and antioxidants than others. Your skin needs these powerful nutrients to look its best and stay healthy. The bonus is healthy skin is younger looking skin. Free radicals from the sun and the environment around us can damage our skin. When we eat the right foods we can help minimize the damage done by our environment, and even help repair our skin from the damage of free radicals with important vitamins, essential oils, and antioxidants.

Find the top 10 foods for healthy skin to be on safer part and have younger skin.

 #1  Blueberries            

Blueberries are tiny food with powerful antioxidants punch which can help your skin fight off free radical damage from the sun. Blue berries are rich in fiber, vitamins C and E and riboflavin.  Vitamin C has an important role in collagen production, the key to keeping your skin elastic, fresh and young-looking.  They’re also high in alpha-hydroxyl acid, which helps eliminate dead skin cells and helps the body build collagen.

 #2  Avocados            

Avocados are rich tropical food considered as healthy food for skin is loaded with B-complex vitamins and essentials fatty acids. The healthy monounsaturated fats found in avocados make them one of the best foods for your complexion.  For youthful appearance and glowing skin, one has to be a regular with avocados.

 #3  Salmon             

Salmon is best in reducing the occurrence of clogged pores and maintaining younger healthier skin. It is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, selenium and minerals that helps smooth skin and act as a powerful antioxidant when joined with its fellow skin-booster, vitamin E.

 #4  Whole Grains           

For healthy and glowing skin, our body needs to have good digestion and hydrated food to flush out the toxins.  Whole grains contain selenium which is best to maintain healthy skin. The high concentration of B vitamins aids metabolism. . Be sure to incorporate whole grains into every meal for improved digestive health and skin that reflects it.

 #5  Pomegranates             

Pomegranates rich in fiber, vitamin C, B5, potassium, polyphenols and other nutrients which benefits the skin and use to cure many skin problems.  Pomegranate has been used to treat several health conditions, including high blood pressure and diabetes. Recent studies have found antioxidants and other beneficiary properties in this fruit which helps to enhance the beauty of skin. This is due to the fact that pomegranate contains Anthocyanin which help strengthen the walls of the tiny blood vessels which in turn supply the skin with the nutrients that it needs.

 #6   Sweet Potatoes           

Sweet potatoes are highly concentrated with vitamin A, E and C and significantly with antioxidant beta-carotene which does wonders to create a great complexion.  Sweet potatoes are delicious in taste and provide healthy and flawless skin.  To reduce signs of ageing and have fair complexion, try sweet potatoes in varied forms.

 #7  Green Tea        

Green tea is preferred drink of supermodels because of its beauty benefits for skin. A cup of green tea contains anywhere up to 200mg of catechins that are known to give its anti-oxidant benefits.  It helps to reduce the bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body and increase the good cholesterol (HDL).  The other chemicals in Green tea like flavonols help to reduce hardening of arteries and naturally helping to keep the blood thin which makes the skin glow.

 #8  Citrus Foods             

Citrus food like orange are considered best for skin care. The phytonutrients present in these food items acts as the protection against free radicals and prevents you from skin ageing. Our body doesn’t have the capacity to store Vitamin C for long and since most of us want to have healthy and beautiful skin, consider it as a piece of advice to eat as much citrus fruits as you can.

 #9  Low-Fat Yogurt and Cottage Cheese           

Low-fat Yogurt comes with myriad of cosmetic benefits including healthy and smooth skin. The presence of lactic acid and enzymes keeps your skin hydrating while its antibacterial and antifungal qualities make it a very good cleaning item. Cottage cheese, on the other hand, helps preventing from Skin cancer with Selenium presence; when combined with vitamin E it gives free-radical fighting antioxidant.

 #10  Nuts like Almond and Walnut                

Walnuts and almonds are good source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and healthy & essential fatty acids needed for human body. For healthy and glowing skin it is highly advisable to include nuts as a part of your daily diet. The nutrient rich walnut and almonds are great source of Vitamin E that act as an antioxidant for skin and can be considered to be a part of your daily skin care regime. 

Source1: http://www.toptenofcity.com/misc/health/top-10-foods-for-healthy-skin.html 

Source2: http://www.blisstree.com/2009/07/17/food/top-10-foods-for-healthy-skin/

Read More