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Tag: Protein

  • Stay healthy: Eat more nuts

    Stay healthy: Eat more nuts

    Nuts are a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals. They also offer other health benefits, reports Daryl Austin for National Geographic.

    Nuts help make strong bones. Some experts claim that nuts also reduce your risk of cancer. And, eating nuts can reduce your risk of diabetes because nuts help manage your blood sugar.

    There’s also evidence that eating just one ounce of nuts each day reduces your risk of heart disease by 21 percent. Nuts can lower blood pressure, sharpen your mind, lower your cholesterol and help you live longer.

    More good news—Even though nuts are high in calories, so long as you don’t eat large quantities, they should not lead you to gain weight . They could even help you lose weight.

    How can nuts lead to weight loss? Nuts contain a lot of fat, protein and fiber, which can sate you, so you don’t feel hungry. And walnuts and almonds don’t have as many calories as you think. Some of their calories leave your body in stool.

    Which nuts are best to eat? All nuts are different. Almonds are very good for you because they have a lot of fiber, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin E; they also help to reduce your bad cholesterol.  Pistachios also offer a lot of health benefits, including vitamin B6 and B1, all nine amino acids, potassium and lutein, which help with brain function and stave off cognitive decline. Of note, they are not as caloric as other nuts.

    Brazil nuts, peanuts and walnuts are also especially good for you. Walnuts are good for improving heart health and brain health and providing omega-3 fatty acids.

    Go for the mixed nuts for a wide range of health benefits!

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  • Live longer, eat less protein?

    Live longer, eat less protein?

    Protein is critical to our well-being. It’s a macronutrient promoting growth, tissue repair and strength, among other good things. As we get older, protein is all the more important. Emily Laurence reports for The Huffington Post that we should not reduce our consumption of food high in protein because it helps maintain muscle, but we also should not eat too much animal-based protein.

    Howard LeWine MD at Harvard Health explains that too much protein can cause kidney stones. Too much red meat can keep you from living a long healthy life. Protein from red meat can cause heart disease and colon cancer.

    In short, we should discriminate among the protein-rich foods we eat. Plant-based proteins are better for you than animal-based proteins. Try to eat vegetables, beans and fish rich in protein. Yogurt also provides good protein.

    If you eat too much protein from meat, it could actually speed up the aging process and hurt the health of your cells. Animal proteins contain a lot of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). AGEs can be bad for your health in combination with sugar in your bloodstream. They can build up in tissue and cause inflammation, which leads to cellular aging. They can cause diabetes and heart disease.

    TMAO fosters a buildup of cholesterol in your arteries. It hurts your heart and, like AGEs, causes inflammation.

    Foods with healthy proteins: Beans, soy, nuts, chickpeas, seeds and lentils. They have lots of antioxidants. They promote heart health and lower inflammation. Americans should also eat a lot more fish.

    One recent study found that eating a lot of fish lowers your odds of dying prematurely. Fish rich in protein has been found to promote brain health, fight inflammation, and foster a hormone balance.

    Keep in mind that, on average, depending upon your weight, you need around 50 grams a day of protein. Protein should represent about 10 percent of your caloric intake each day.

    The takeaway: Stick to a balanced diet with a variety of healthy foods, including vegetables fruits, fish and fiber; and, avoid red meat. Check out the Mediterranean diet or the DASH diet.

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  • The benefits of eating cooked vegetables

    The benefits of eating cooked vegetables

    When I was growing up, my mother always taught me that vegetables lost their nutrients when cooked. Little did she know. Hannah Seo reports for the New York Times on the array of vegetables that are better eaten cooked.

    Sauteeing, microwaving or roasting can actually boost the nutrients in some vegetables. The heat can help bring out certain compounds that are good for you. Which vegetables, you ask? The New York Times has you guessing. I failed the test. How about you?

    Spinach

    Spinach has loads of nutrients, including vitamin C and B6, iron, calcium and magnesium. It also has oxalate that can keep your body from absorbing the calcium and iron in your gut. Cooking the spinach kills some of the oxalate, allowing you to absorb the iron and calcium. Though you will lose some vitamin B and C when you cook spinach, overall you will get greater nutritional benefits. And, you’ll likely eat more!

    Mushrooms

    Mushrooms have a lot of antioxidants. Much as with spinach, grilling or microwaving them can deliver more antioxidants. Sauteing them has been found to increase their protein and your body’s ability to absorb their fatty acids and carbohydrates. But, deep frying or boiling mushrooms may reduce the antioxidants. Mushrooms are also tastier cooked, so you’ll likely eat more of them.

    Carrots 

    Cooked carrots offer carotenoids, which are antioxidants. But, the way you cook the carrots matters. Boiling, steaming and microwaving carrots tends to preserve carotenoids and enhance antioxidants.

    Green beans

    Green beans contain lectin, a protein that can keep you from absorbing nutrients, particularly calcium, iron, and zinc. But, if you pan fry, roast or microwave green beans at a high heat, the lectins no longer have that effect and you benefit from the green beans’ antioxidants.

    Garlic

    Raw garlic gives you allicin, which may contribute to heart health and reduced risk of cancer. That said, you are not likely to eat much raw garlic, so it might not matter.

    Onions

    Onions are better for you when eaten raw. Cooking tends to reduce their micronutrients and antioxidants. But, if you saute or roast onions in low heat for less than five minutes, you should still get more antioxidant benefits.

    Beets

    Beets can help lower your blood pressure and offer many health benefits. They have betalains and provide antioxidants, flavonoids and anti-inflammatory benefits. Overcooking and boiling beets will reduce these benefits.

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  • Protein helps older adults maintain muscle mass

    Protein helps older adults maintain muscle mass

    Older adults should work to ensure they maintain muscle mass. While people can lose muscle mass beginning in their 30’s, people in their 60’s and older lose muscle mass more rapidly. Anahad O’Connor writes for the New York Times about the value of protein and resistance exercises to help older adults maintain muscle mass.

    Loss of muscle mass as you age–sarcopenia–can jeopardize your health. It increases your risk of falling, breaking bones and becoming physically disabled. That, in turn, can mean loss of independence and a poor quality of life.

    Protein can be a solution to retaining muscle mass as you age. There are plenty of foods you can eat to ensure you have enough protein in your diet, including avocados, nuts, milk, yogurt, eggs, lentils, hummus and fish.

    Combining protein with resistance exercises, such as squats, lunges, pushups and weight-lifting, is the best way to go for your muscles. That will lessen the likelihood of your getting sarcopenia. Walking and other aerobic exercise are also helpful.

    How much protein do you need? Some experts recommend eating 1 to 1.2 grams of protein daily for every 2.2 pounds you weigh. That’s about 60-70 grams of protein a day if you weigh 133 pounds. But, other factors contribute to the calculation, including exercise and physical health.

    How should you include protein in your diet? It’s best to consume foods with protein throughout the day rather than in bulk. That way your body better absorbs the protein

    Are protein supplements advisable? You should not need to take protein supplements if you eat a healthy diet with protein-rich foods. If that’s not possible, whey protein is recommended by some as a good protein supplement. It has lots of amino acids and can be easily absorbed. But, as with most supplements, the data is not clear that whey protein has any effect on muscle mass.

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