Fruit juices may be delicious but that doesn’t mean they’re always healthy. Many fruit juices, especially the 1% fruit juices are loaded with high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives, artificial flavors and food coloring. Over consumption of high fructose corn syrup has been linked to increased cholesterol levels, obesity, Type II diabetes and pancreatic cancer. Learn The Truth About High Fructose Corn Syrup

Sugary Breakfast Cereals

Breakfast cereals seems like a convenient and healthy breakfast, but often this seemingly healthy meal is filled with sugar, sodium, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavorings, and a vast variety of food preservatives and food coloring. Worst yet, cereal itself undergoes a process called Extrusion that denatures its proteins, making them toxic to the digestive track, and destroys the grains’ naturally occurring fatty acids. The result is a nutritionally void carrier for sugar, sodium and a vast variety of other unwholesome ingredients. If you’re looking for a healthy and high fiber breakfast cereal check out our list of Top 10 High Fiber Cereals

Energy Drinks

The labels of some energy drinks claim that they contain various herbs, minerals and the amino acid Taurine, which is meant to boost your energy by the time you reach the bottom of the can. But, if you look at the ingredients more closely, you’ll find that the main ingredients in most energy drinks are actually just caffeine and sugar meaning that energy drinks are nothing more than high-priced soft drinks. In 2004, energy drinks overtook bottled water as the fastest-growing category in the beverage business. Worst yet, similar products have been introduced for kids as young as 4 years old.

Fast-Food Salads

Most fast-food chains have jumped on the health bandwagon and are now offering salads, wraps and other healthy menu choices for nutrition-minded customers. But, not all salads are inherently healthy. In fact, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), “most of the salad ingredients that fast food chains use make these salads no healthier than a burger without the bun, dipped in salad dressing”. One of their more startling findings showed that McDonald’s Crispy Bacon Ranch Salad has more fat and calories and just as much cholesterol as a Big Mac. Culprits that make good salads go bad are additions like croutons, crispy noodles, bacon, and high-fat salad dressings.

Protein Bars

Unfortunately, most protein bars these days must compete with candy bars in convenience stores and grocery aisles. Therefore, in order to enhance their flavor some brands of protein bars use soy protein and list high fructose corn syrup and sugar alcohol in their top 3 ingredients.

Given our busy schedules, it’s particularly hard to eat something healthy when we’re crunched for time. Oftentimes, we are forced to choose between eating something nourishing or nothing at all. In many cases, we choose to eat the first thing that we can get our hands on and often we grab unhealthy snacks that are fatty, and full of sugar or salt.

To help you snack healthier at work, we’ve put together a few snack ideas that you can buy at the grocery store and put in your refrigerator or pantry for quick retrieval in the morning. Most importantly, these nutritious vegetarian snacks are low in sodium, calories and fats and high in fiber from fruit and vegetables.

Yogurt

Yogurt is a superfood that can easily be combined with fruits and vegetables and turned into a tasty snack at anytime of the day.

• An 8 ounce serving of yogurt (16 tablespoons) provides you with 450 mg of calcium and 10-14 mg of protein
• Lactobacteria (live cultured bacteria) found in yogurt aid the absorption of calcium and B vitamins
• Yogurt helps promote intestinal health by increasing the amount of good bacteria in the colon

How does this snack idea compare to 100 calorie diet snacks sold in supermarkets?

Yogurt is simply delicious, cost effective, and you can eat a cup of it with an assortment of fruits, nuts and vegetable toppings for less than 200 calories. Best of all, you’ll feel full far longer than you would have had you eaten a bag full of the high sodium and high carbohydrate,100 calorie snacks.

Greek Yogurt www.costco.com	Strawberry store.honeyvillegrain.com	Almonds www.nutsonline.com
$6.50 for 4 lbs	$9.49 for 1.235 ounces	$6.99 for 1 lb

Sugar Snap Peas

You can’t get a more wholesome, fresh, and sweet tasting snack than sugar snap peas. Sugar snap peas are less fibrous than their snow pea cousins but are packed with vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, thiamin, folate, and iron. These sweet and crunchy peas are also the perfect snack for diabetics and low carb dieters since they have a glycemic index of 3. Best of all, one cup of sugar snap  peas has just 41 calories.

I like to use a yogurt dip made of finely chopped chives, fennel, and mint. This dip gives the sugar snap peas a cold and refreshing flavor that accentuates their taste. Try it and let us know what you think!

Sugar Snap Peas	Fennel	Mint
$3.15 per pound	$2.75 per bunch	$1.75 per bunch

Mediterranean Style Appetizer

At most Assyrian events, we serve an appetizer made up of a plate of cubed feta cheese, assorted vegetables including Italian parsley, mint, basil, and chives, and squares of lavash (flat bread) perfect for making a delicious and simple wrap that can be enjoyed both as an appetizer and as a light meal. Add a slice of tomato and you’ve got a heavenly snack. Try this wrap sometime in the summer with a small slice of watermelon or a side of red grapes.

I always keep low salt and fat reduced feta cheese in my refrigerator. That’s the key to keeping this snack idea healthy as traditional feta cheese is often stored in salt water and that can seriously increase your sodium intake.

Feta Cheese	Italian Parsley	Tomato
$6.00 for 2 pounds	$2.00 per bunch	$2.00 per pound

Multifunctional Fruit Salad

This simple fruit salad is something I always have on hand in my refrigerator. I call it a “multifunctional” fruit salad because the possibilities of what can be done with this simple fruit salad are virtually endless. I like to add this fruit mixture to my morning oatmeal, mix it with a bowl of vanilla yogurt and granola, us it in most of my pre-workout smoothie recipes, mix it into my pancake and muffin batters and of course, eat it as a snack in itself.

Ingredients:

• Red and green apples
• Bananas
• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Seedless red grapes

Preparation: Cut apples, bananas, peaches, nectarines and strawberries into medium-size pieces. In a large glass bowl mix in all ingredients, toss and enjoy!

High Protein Fruit Smoothie

Recipe makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 ice cream scoops worth of fruit salad
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 cup Pomegranate Kefir Probiotic Smoothie Mix
• 1/2 cup Strawberry Kefir Probiotic Smoothie Mix
• 1 scoop of vanilla flavored protein powder per serving (optional)
• 1 cup ice

Preparation: Place all ingredients in a smoothie maker, blend and enjoy!

Healthy, Kid-Approved Popsicles

The above mentioned smoothie recipe can be turned into delicious, healthy and kid-approved popsicles your whole family will enjoy. Simply make the smoothie as outlined above but leave out the ice. Next, pour the smoothie mixture into your popsicle molds, freeze and enjoy!

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/19802542@N00

Check out my 3 healthy (and kid-approved) snack ideas derived from ingredients featured in this grocery list

Breaking the Link between Food Source & Cancer

What causes cancer? If you can answer that question, you can prevent many forms of cancer from developing. Humans have multiple exposures to cancer causing agents throughout the day. They are all around. One of the biggest areas of exposure is through the food stream. Many produce farms use extensive amounts of pesticides to keep bugs away. Those pesticides become part of the produce. Some farmers are turning to genetically altered forms to get a better yield. Others use irradiation of the picked produce to help maximize shelf life. These three areas of exposure are not good for human health. Eating organically may be a good alternative.

Pesticides

One of the biggest factors related to cancer development is pesticides. Farmers use pesticides to control insects, prevent rodent infestation, control weeds, prevent mold, and to kill off bacteria. While many are pushing for development of safer pesticides, the fact remains that many common pesticides are not safe. Some older farm lands still contain residues from pesticide treatments of past years. That means you can ingest residue from toxic pesticides outlawed decades ago. Despite efforts to clean the produce before it goes on the market, these residues hang around the produce.

You can avoid this problem all together by purchasing foods grown completely organically. Choose your organic produce sources carefully. The use of the word organic does not have any significant enforcement regulation. Purchasing your produce from local organic farms is a good way to get a solid source. These local farms have a reputation to defend in their own community. Buying organic produce from large companies that claim its organic is a gamble on a good day.

Genetically Altered Foods

Another factor potentially related to cancer development is genetic alteration. The agricultural industry is pushing research to create fruits and vegetables that resist disease and insects. The problem with this is there is no study showing whether these foods are safe for human consumption. A common method for altering the genetic material is using viruses to implant new genetic codes into the produce. Many of those viruses have links to different types of cancer. Moreover, the changed genetic structure is not a natural one. No one is studying the effects of that change on human health.

Irradiation

A third factor is irradiation. Irradiation is another modern development in the agricultural industry. Irradiation involves exposing meat, fruits, and vegetables to high doses of radiation to kill off any microbial action that causes spoilage. The idea is to extend shelf life. The problem is that the irradiation process causes chemical changes in the food itself. Those changes can be toxic to humans. One European study showed the presence of chemical byproducts in irradiated beef that have cancer causing properties. Another factor with irradiation is the fact that it practically destroys the nutritional value of food.

Summary

All three of these factors show why choosing organic food is the best option. Organic food grows without pesticides. Many organic sources for seed go back to the early strains of fruits and vegetables that are pure instead of genetically altered or mass produced. These products do not go through irradiation. Going organic will give you and your family a level of protection against many cancer causing agents.

About The Author

Lawrence Reaves is a former journalist who takes the edge off his semi-retirement by freelance writing, exercising, and spending as much time with his family as possible. His concern about health issues and cancer came from his work with a website about asbestos cancer. He also writes about family life, exercise, alternative medicine, healthcare, and more. He holds a BA in Psychology that he earned right before his 55th birthday, showing that you’re never too old to learn new things and improve your life.

References:

http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/food/

http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/factsheet/pesticide/fs24.consumer.cfm

http://www.ghorganics.com/GM%20food%20can%20cause%20cancer.htm

http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/food/irradiation.htm

http://www.mindfully.org/Food/2003/Irradiation-Cancer5mar03.htm

http://www.smallcelllungcancer.nethttp://mesotheliomapage.com/

Of course, with obesity rates being as high as they are currently in the United States, it is obvious that we, as a society, need a great deal of help perfecting our nutritional knowledge and reclaiming our health. However, this is not going to happen if we keep adhering to the same old diet and weight loss tips.

But, good news is that there is a great deal of sound weight loss advice available to us. The following five common diet tips embody weight loss secrets that are guaranteed to work by helping you lose weight, keep it off, and improve your overall physical health and appearance. Our article titled 20 Scientifically Proven Fast Weight Loss Tips teaches you concrete, scientific proven steps to lose more weight.

Drink 8 Oz of Water 20 Minutes Before Each Meal

Drinking enough water is not only the key to preventing those dreaded diet plateaus, but also the key to successful long-term weight loss. This is mainly because being properly hydrated can help trick your body into thinking that it is full.

The average person needs to drink at least 8, 8 oz glasses of water a day. That’s WATER – not soft drinks, tea or coffee, just pure water. Our bodies need water to maintain all the vital systems and flush out waste. When we don’t drink enough water, our bodies try to conserve water by retaining it in muscle and fat tissues. Water your body as faithfully as you would a plant, and you’ll find that it starts ridding itself of excess water. Is it just water weight? Yes! But, that water weight is weight you don’t have to carry around with you.

Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables Raw

Raw fruits and vegetables contain an immense amount of nutrition and fiber per calorie. Thus, consuming raw fruit and vegetables is a great way to make yourself feel full without consuming a great deal of calories. This is especially true if you generally opt for canned fruits and vegetables. Canned fruits and vegetables are packed full of added preservatives and flavorings, such as sodium, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup, that can increase your calorie intake, substantially. But, the main reason why you should always eat your fruits and vegetables raw is because your body works harder to digest raw fruits and vegetables, and that means that you burn more calories as your body tries to get all the nutrients out of these produce. If you hate chewing on celery sticks, carrots, and apples all day long, then juicing all of them together in one drink maybe the a smart and easy to get all of your daily fruits and vegetables servings in one go!

Eat a Balanced, Low-Calorie, Low-Fat Diet 

Ensuring that you eat a balanced, low-calorie, low-fat diet, while attempting to lose weight, is obviously more healthy, but will it help you lose weight, fast? The answer is YES! When your body lacks a nutrient, it tries to make up the difference by attempting to get excess amounts of the missing nutrient or substituting other nutrients in its place. This often results in intense food cravings and the urge to binge eat.

This happens because your body sends your brain the false message that you are hungry, when what your body really needs is more of just one particular nutrient. Eating a balanced diet provides all the nutrients your body needs, in the proper proportions, so that it doesn’t feel as if it is starving and thus needs to protect itself by storing fat and causing you to suffer from intense cravings during your weight loss efforts.

Remember that you should never skip breakfast because starving will keep your body in famine-mode and keep you from efficiently burning fat and calories. Besides that, you’ll become intensely hungry during lunch and over eat as a result. A small bowel of high fiber cereal in the morning will keep that from happening.

Snack Between Meals

Our bodies are not designed to function, optimally, on the 3-times-a-day eating schedule we’ve adopted. Our bodies work round the clock, burning calories as we go about our daily activities, and thus they need to be fueled round the clock. The best way to keep your metabolism from slowing down, as the day progresses, is to eat 5 or 6 small meals, and snack in between each meal. But, be mindful of the fact that the trick to this highly effective weight loss trick is to eat smaller meals – not more food.

Exercise

Our bodies use the food we eat to produce energy for our daily activities. The more energy we use, the more of the food we’ve eaten is used by our bodies as fuel. When we eat fewer calories than our bodies need, our bodies turn to their stored reserves of fat to keep them going. This results in weight loss.

Adding as little as just one half hour of moderate exercise to your daily routine, five times a week, increases your body’s consumption of energy, significantly. But there’s more! When you begin a workout regiment, your metabolism speeds up and causes your body to use up calories even when you are not exercising just to maintain circulation in its tissues and repair the damage done to muscles. This is why our bodies burn more calories when attempting to maintain muscle than fat.

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suckamc/

Numerous scientific studies have solidified the fact that eating a healthy and balanced breakfast is the key to healthy weight loss. The individuals participating in these studies, who were instructed to follow the scientists’ highly structured breakfast routine, consistently weighed less than their counterparts, who started each day without proper fuel for their bodies.

As wonderful and easy as this may sound, most seasoned dieters recognized the fact that achieving healthy weight loss is far more complicated than just eating a healthy breakfast. So, how is it that eating a healthy and balanced breakfast plays such an important role in healthy weight loss? Simple!

• Eating a healthy and balanced breakfast helps prevent drastic fluctuations in blood sugar levels, which in turn helps prevent food cravings and makes it easier for us to make healthy food choices later in the day.
• Learning to eat a healthy and balanced breakfast, each and every day, is the foundation on which all healthy diet plans are built. This is because in today’s hectic world learning the discipline to structure one’s day in a way that allows time for planning, preparing and consuming a healthy breakfast is the key to long-term weight loss success.
  

Breakfast Defined

The word, “breakfast” means “break the fast”. When we sleep, we fast for a period of at least 5 to 8 hours. Once we wake, we must provide our bodies with the necessary fuel they need to restart our metabolisms. Think of it in comparison to a car. It won’t run without gas, right? Our bodies are designed in the same way. We need to feed our metabolisms and by so doing, we can kick start the weight loss process. Another important point in relation to weight loss is that individuals who eat breakfast, consistently, are much less likely to overeat throughout the day, eat late at night or snack on unhealthy foods.

What Is A Nutritious Breakfast?

• Remember the 1-2-3 Rule of Nutrition: Our bodies require one serving of protein, two servings of fruit, and three servings of grain.
  

Healthy breakfast protein options include:

• Eggs
• Low fat milk
• Cottage cheese
• Greek yogurt
  
• Kefir cheese (Labne)
• Soy milk (unsweetened)
  

Eating fruit at breakfast ensures that we start the day with the fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and carbohydrates we need for optimal health.

Healthy, low glycemic fruit include:

• Grapefruit (GI 25)
• Peaches (GI 28)
• Apples (GI 34)
• Pears (GI 41)
• Oranges (GI 40)
• Strawberries (GI 40)

Oatmeal is also a healthy, excellent breakfast food. Oatmeal is a high carbohydrate, low-glycemic food that releases its carbohydrates into the bloodstream, gradually, thereby making it possible for a person to feel fuller, longer.

Fiber is also an important weight loss tool and should be made an important part of a healthy breakfast. It keeps the digestive system running smoothly and that’s just one of the 12 interesting facts about fiber.

Americans as a whole love their breakfast cereals ranging from raisin bran and frosted wheats to chocolate covered bits and more. On the whole, we tend to eat cereals high in sugar and calories because they taste great and avoid those that are healthy for us but taste like cardboard. We’ve compiled a list of the top high fiber cereals that are not only high in fiber (as the name suggests) but also taste great and are light on the wallet.

5-Day Healthy Breakfast Menu Ideas: 400-Calorie Breakfasts

I love eggs! Therefore, you’ll notice that most of these breakfast recommendations feature eggs. Whole eggs, as well as egg whites, are an excellent source of lean protein. However, if you are not a fan of eggs please feel free to substitute another form of protein. Be sure to follow the golden rule of nutrition: The 1-2-3 rule. 

P.S. I mostly drink soy milk because I am lactose intolerant. Feel free to substitute skim milk or unsweetened almond milk in place of soy milk if you prefer.

Monday: Mondays are busy days for most of us. So, it’s very important that we eat a balanced breakfast that is also fast and easy to prepare. When I have this breakfast, I like to mix the fruit in with my cereal and top my scrambled eggs with cottage cheese. Cottage cheese and scrambled egg-whites make a yummy combination!

• 1/2 cup Fiber One cereal (60 calories)
• 1 cup Soy Milk (Unsweetened) (80 calories)
• 1 fruit of your choice (apple, pear, peach, or 1/2 cup strawberries) (80 calories +/-)
• 4 egg-whites, scrambled (120 calories)
• 1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese (50 calories)

Tuesday: Now, that you’re back into your weekday schedule it is time to prepare a slightly more complex breakfast burrito. You can cook the sweet potato and prepare the salsa ahead of time in order to save time. When I have this breakfast, I mash the sweet potato and spread it on the Tortilla before building the burrito.

• Salsa: tomato, Jalapeno, onion, salt, and lime juice (It’s best not to buy Salsa since most brands contain preservatives and high fructose corn syrup)
• 4 egg-whites, scrambled (120 calories)
• 1/2 small sweet potato, baked in skin, mashed (100 calories)
• 1 small whole wheat Tortilla (100 calories)
• 1/2 cup orange juice (60 calories)

Wednesday: This is my vegetarian breakfast day. This Quinoa recipe is my favorite high protein, vegetarian breakfast. You can prepare all the ingredients ahead of time and if you end up with left-overs you can take them to work and eat them for lunch or an afternoon snack.

• 1 cup Soy Milk (Unsweetened) (80 calories)
• 1 cup strawberries (50 calories)
• 1 cup Quinoa (220 calories)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp honey (50 calories) (GI 55)

Preparation: Cook 1 cup Quinoa in 1 cup water. Once all liquid has evaporated stir in strawberries and cinnamon. Transfer to a bowl, drizzle with honey and enjoy!

Thursday: Thursday is a long day for me. So, I like to make this egg and sweet potato Frittata. Of course, I must make this breakfast the night before since it takes a bit of preparation. However, the good thing is that I often have left-overs for lunch, which saves me money and helps me avoid the take-out temptation. Serving size is 2 @ 315 calories per serving which also leaves you room for a cup of soy milk or a piece of fruit.

You will need:

• 1 small, mild onion
• 1 medium sweet potato (150 calories)
  
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil (120 calories)
  
• 12 egg whites (360 calories)
  

Preparation:

• Cook the sweet potato in boiling water, peel, cut into cubes and set aside
• Chop onion and bell pepper and sautee in olive oil till tender
• Stir in cooked sweet potato
• Spray an omelet pan with Pam
• Beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper 
• Mix ingredients together and pour into omelet pan
• Cover omelet pan and cook for about 3 minutes on medium heat to set eggs
• Uncover pan and place under hot broiler till Frittata is firm

Friday: By Friday I am too lazy to cook. So, I make myself an easy breakfast.

• 1/2 cup of oatmeal made with water (150 calories)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 banana (50 calories)
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (150 calories)
• 1/4 cup cottage cheese (50 calories)…Mixed into the Greek yogurt…with 2 or 3 diced strawberries

Ayurveda is an ancient practice of alternative medicine native to India. The first mentions of Ayurveda are made in Indian medicinal literature written around 1700 BCE. The main goal of Ayurvedic medicine is to restore health and increase longevity through the establishment of balance. Thus, practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine see imbalance as the main cause of all physical and psychological ailments. In order to treat this imbalance, practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine turn mainly to plant-based medicines and treatments that are the building blocks of the Ayurvedic diet.

Of course, it is not surprising that this form of alternative medicine spread quickly throughout the ancient world and helped influence and advance the medicinal practices of many ancient civilizations. For example, a close look at ancient Chinese medicine reveals the heavy influence of Ayurvedic medicinal practices on this form of ancient medicine. The ancient Chinese philosophy regarding the Yin and Yan nature of foods is in direct correlation to the Ayurvedic diet’s emphasize on the medicinal balancing nature of certain foods. Furthermore, it’s hard not to correlate the Ayurvedic notions of Vata, Pitta and Kapha with the notions of spirit, water and blood which work together to balance the flow of Qi.

Though the intricacies of Ayurvedic medicine and ancient Chinese medicine are well known throughout the western world, the heavy influence of the Ayurvedic diet and medicine upon the cuisine and medicinal practices of the ancient Persian culture is still one that requires further exploration. Like the Chinese, the Persians drew heavily upon the Ayurvedic notion of balance when fashioning their cultural cuisine and medicinal views. However, unlike the ancient Chinese whose medicinal practices advanced in the direction of the Meridian theory of pressure points and flows of energy, the Ancient Persian’s medicinal practices advanced in the art of “Ishoku Dogen” which means, “Food is medicine and medicine is food”. 

In keeping with the philosophy of “Ishoku Dogen” the Persian food culture evolved to treat food as a source of disease prevention. In keeping with the Ayurvedic principles, the ancient Persians developed an intricate system of combining foods based on the categorizations of “cold” and “hot”. And, as we’ve seen before, this system of food combination was designed to help maintain balance within the body and thus ward of various physical and mental ailments brought on by imbalance within the body’s natural flow of life source.

This ancient philosophy of combining foods based on their categorization of “hot” or “cold” is an integral part of Persian cuisine and culture and is still, currently being practiced. However, what sets the ancient Persian Ayurvedic diet apart from the Ayurvedic diet developed in India is the fact that the Persian Ayurvedic diet includes both white and red meats, as well as other animal products, into its categorization. This is not surprising, though, given the fact that the Persian diet is a semi-vegetarian diet, with close ties to the Mediterranean diet. 

A Short History of Yogurt In Ancient Persia

Note: The “yogurt” referred to in this article is the all-natural Greek style yogurt, which is made with organic whole milk, and has no added sugars, flavors or preservatives. Homemade All Natural Yogurt Recipe

Yogurt is quiet possibly one of the oldest and healthiest foods known to mankind. In fact, some historians claim that cultured milk products existed as far back as 2000 BCE. A close look at the writings of the Indo-Iranians reveals the civilization’s reliance on yogurt as a staple food by 500 BCE. To this day, yogurt is the side dish to all Iranian meals, especially during the hot summer months, and the medicinal backbone of the Persian Ayurvedic diet.

According to the Persian Ayurvedic diet yogurt is a “cold” food. Both hot and cold yogurt soups, yogurt drinks and yogurt side dishes are served to those seeking longevity, a more youthful appearance, increased sexual potency, and relief from insomnia and gastrointestinal ailments.

A Persian Ayurvedic Yogurt Remedy

Iran’s Favorite Yogurt Drink & Natural Ayurvedic Home Remedy for Insomnia

In Iran it is customary to take a siesta after lunch. Of course, sodas, teas and other sugary, caffeinated drinks can disrupt this siesta. Therefore, a yogurt drink called Dugh is served at lunch and dinner. This is a delicious, light and refreshing drink designed to help alleviate digestive and gastrointestinal problems and aid in sleep. This yogurt drink has an uncanny ability to cure insomnia because of its high Tryptophan content.

Yogurt Drink Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups all natural Greek yogurt
• 2 tbs fresh mint (chopped finely)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups mineral water

Preparation

• Beat yogurt slightly
• Pour yogurt, mint, salt and pepper into a pitcher and stir thoroughly
• Add the mineral water to the yogurt mixture, gradually. It is best to add 1/2 cup of mineral water at a time to the yogurt mixture and stir well
• Serve chilled

Recipe Serves: 4

Photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wordridden/

Simply put, any food which has at least 5g of fiber, per serving, is considered a high fiber food.

Water Soluble Fiber

As the name indicates, water soluble fiber dissolves in water and aids in the re-absorption of bile acids. Thus, water soluble fiber plays a key role in reducing bad cholesterol levels (LDL) and regulating blood sugar levels.

Insoluble Fiber

Likewise, as the name indicates, insoluble fiber cannot be dissolved in water. Thus, the human body is incapable of digesting this type of fiber. Insoluble fiber is comprised of the undissolvable parts of plants and is found mainly in vegetables.

High Fiber Diets Prevent Cancer & Heart Disease

It is a well established fact that high fiber diets, such as the vegetarian and Vegan diets, help prevent colon cancer and heart disease. Not only does a high fiber diet prevent chronic constipation, which is often associated with a high risk of developing colon cancer but it also helps prevent heart disease by lowering bad (LDL) cholesterol levels.

Water soluble fiber plays the biggest role in lowering bad (LDL) cholesterol levels by preventing the re-absorption of bile acids. Bile acids are made of cholesterol and are necessary for fat digestion. Water soluble fiber helps purge the body of these bile acids once they have aided in fat digestion. This prompts the liver to pull more cholesterol from the bloodstream in order to replace the lost bile acids leading to a drastic reduction of cholesterol in the bloodstream.

High Fiber Diets Help You Manage Your Weight

High fiber diets are highly effective means of weight management because high fiber foods take longer to chew and digest, making you feel satisfied longer.

Water soluble fiber also plays a significant role in regulating blood sugar levels by slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates into the bloodstream.This helps curb the desire to snack, which is a plus in any weight loss program.

High Fiber Diets Feature Nutritious, All-Natural Foods

The only way to consume fiber is to eat fruits, vegetables and grains. In order to consume a high fiber diet, the average adult needs approximately 40g of fiber, a day.

Adult who follow the typical American diet, place the consumption of meat, excessive amount of dairy products and unwholesome snacks (potato chips, sugary puffed rice cereals instead of bran or whole wheat cereals) and unwholesome beverages (soda, beer, etc) over that of all natural, fiber rich fruits and vegetables end up consuming only about 5-10 grams of fiber a day. This fiber deficiency leaves us, as a society, vulnerable to a series of health ailments including obesity, colon cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Trying eating oatmeal, high fiber cereals, and fruit and vegetables with your coffee (or tea) in the morning.You’ll notice that you have more energy throughout the day, don’t become intensely hungry during lunch, and won’t binge eat as a result. You can also lose at least 5 lbs of weight if you eat breakfast daily and consistently!

High Fiber Diets Help Prevent Type II Diabetes

A number of studies have established a direct correlation between the consumption of a primarily vegetarian diet, which is an inherently high fiber diet, and a significantly lowered risk of developing Type II Diabetes.

The findings of these studies are not surprising considering the fact that fiber, especially water soluble fiber, helps regulate blood sugar levels by slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates into the blood stream. This helps decrease the body’s need for insulin, thus lowering one’s risk of developing Type II diabetes.

High Fiber Diets Benefit People of All Ages

In order to maintain a healthy digestive track kids need fiber just as much as adults. In order to figure out how much fiber your child needs take his/her age and add 5g. So, a 2 year old toddler needs 7g of fiber, a day (2+5=7). Feeding your children fiber is easy since the sensitive digestive track of kids is most receptive to fiber found in fruits, vegetables, and fortified breakfast cereals. 

Proper Hydration Is An Important Aspect of High Fiber Diets

Those who eat a high fiber diet must also drink at least 8, 8oz glasses of water, a day, in order to keep the fiber they have consumed moving through their digestive tracts.

Proper hydration is especially important to the proper function of insoluble fiber within the digestive tract. This is because the role of insoluble fiber is to collect water in order to increase the bulk of stool within the large intestine. This helps prevent constipation by clearing the intestinal walls of all waste matter that can, at times, contribute to the onset of colon cancer.

Fiber Cannot Be Cooked Out of High Fiber Foods

Fiber cannot be cooked out of high fiber foods. Therefore, cooked vegetables are just as high in fiber as raw vegetables. However, insoluble fiber is lost during the manufacturing process. This is the reason why whole wheat breads and pastas contain more fiber than white breads or pastas.

Eating A High Fiber Diet Is Not Difficult

You don’t need to follow a complicated diet regiment in order to increase your fiber consumption. All you have to do is make a conscious effort to consume the right amount of fruits and vegetables and you’ll be well on your way to eating a high fiber diet.

On average, children, women (who have a small frame) and some older adults should consume at least 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables, a day, in order to attain the right amount of fiber. Teenagers and active adults need to consume at least 3 servings of fruit and 4 servings of vegetables a day. Highly active athletes, who need more than 2,800 calories a day, should increase their fruit and vegetable consumption to 4 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables, a day.

You Can Eat Too Much Fiber

You can get enough fiber. As an average adult, if you eat more than 50 grams of fiber, a day, you will get diarrhea and be extremely bloated. The bloating aside, diarrhea, brought on by too much fiber in the diet, can interfere with your body’s absorption of other key minerals and vitamins and lead to severe dehydration. 

High Fiber Foods List

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White tea has gained tremendous popularity in the Western world, recently. Renowned for its mild aroma, sweet flavor and enormous health benefits, white tea appeals to a wide variety of tea drinkers. The unique flavor of white tea can best be described as light, airy and a bit sweeter than black or green tea. It is rarely bitter, even when over brewed and is best enjoyed without sweetener or milk. The sweet flavor of white tea attracts those who find black tea too bold and green tea too grassy. It brews to a paler color than black or green tea and has a very delicate aroma.

White tea is harvested earlier than other teas, before the leaves are fully open and while they retain fine white hair on the buds. White tea is also processed differently than black and green tea, in the sense that it receives the very least processing of all the tea varieties. White tea leaves are simply dried and steamed. The steaming prevents the leaves from oxidizing. This protects the delicate flavor and helps the tea leaves retain their natural antioxidants.

The antioxidants in white tea make it one of the healthiest drinks you can find. For centuries, the Chinese have used tea for medicinal purposes, but the modern world is just beginning to understand the health benefits of tea. The antioxidants in white tea have been shown to fight cancer, heart disease and high cholesterol. White tea has also been shown to improve the immune system and help speed up the metabolism. White tea is also high in fluoride, making it great for preventing tooth decay and inhibiting the formation of plaque.

What Is White Persian Melon Tea?

The finest white tea available is a blend called White Persian Melon Tea. This tea is a delicious blend of the finest white tea with the addition of refreshing melon. Like other types of white tea, White Persian Melon Tea comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant but what makes this blend of white tea unique is that it gives you the sweet flavor and enormous health benefits of white tea plus the added flavor and health benefits of melon.

Melons are a powerful source of antioxidants in their own right, and the combination of the two makes White Persian Melon Tea one of the healthiest drinks in existence. This is mostly due to the fact that melon contain an antioxidant known as GliSODin. This particular antioxidant is known to neutralize some of the most destructive free radicals in our bodies. GliSODin has also been clinically proven to help maintain cellular health and protect against oxidative damage in several studies.

In fact, the antioxidant GliSODin is so powerful that it is often used topically. It is likely that we will begin to see white tea and melon used together in skin care products, especially those aiming to threat Rosacea.

Brewing White Persian Melon Tea

All white tea should be brewed using water that is heated to just below the boiling point. White tea should be allowed to steep for about 5 minutes before drinking. You’ll find that White Persian Melon Tea has a bit more flavor than plain white tea. The melon adds a fruity flavor and enhances the sweetness, making this tea one of the most exotic white tea flavors.

White Persian Melon Tea is, of course, wonderful taken hot. But, because it is very fluffy, it requires a bit more tea per cup to brew. Begin by using about two teaspoons per cup and adjust to your taste. The best loose white tea can easily give you two good infusions. Always use fresh cold water and bring it to a boil. Then let it cool for a minute or two before pouring over the tea leaves. White Persian Melon Tea is ideal for drinking just before bed. That is because white tea has far less caffeine than black or green tea and thus won’t interfere with your sleep.

White Persian Melon Ice Tea Instructions

White Persian Melon Tea is also a favorite for making ice tea. To make ice tea, simply brew several servings of this tea at once and allow to cool, completely. Since white tea is so delicate in flavor, it is not wise to make white tea and then pour it over ice while hot. Doing so may dilute the flavor of the tea to a point that it tastes too weak.