Pumpkins are oftentimes associated with the fall season, but this stand-out super-food is an excellent ingredient to use year round in both savory and sweet dishes.
The beautiful orange unique globe shaped squash is low in calories with only 83 calories per cup and provides us with an abundance of disease-fighting nutrients including potassium, magnesium, pantothenic acid, vitamins C (17% of your daily requirement in just one cup) and E and a wealth of fiber. This helps to keep us to feeling full and satisfied.
Foods with an abundance of carotenoids have been linked to a long list of disease-fighting, health promoting activities and pumpkins are one of those and likely the reason that pumpkins rank high on the super-foods list.
Containing one of the richest supplies of bio-available carotenoids known just ½ cup serving pumpkin supplies you with more than two times the daily dietary requirement of alpha-carotene and 100% of the daily recommended intake of beta-carotene (a pro-vitamin that converts to vitamin A) in the body.
Carotenoids are yellow or deep orange-red colored, fat soluble compounds found in a variety of plants. Scientists have identified about 600 carotenoids
In fact, studies show that women with the highest concentrations of carotenes in their diets had the lowest risk of breast cancer. Carotenoids have also been shown to decrease the risk of cataracts, macular degeneration and lower rates of heart disease.
This super nutrient food has even proven effective against anxiety and depressed moods. It helps ensure a healthy mood and a good night’s sleep.
Pumpkins contains less sugar and starch than all the other starchy veggies. They are extremely versatile and play successful roles in both sweet and savory dishes.
They can be supportive players or they can assume the starring role. They add color, texture, and flavor to any dish.
You can find them canned, fresh or frozen. Like other super foods, to gain the most from their amazing health benefits its best to enjoy them as close to their original whole form as possible.
And, don’t forget to take advantage of the super health benefits of roasted or raw dried pumpkins seeds!
If you are ready to take your high calories desserts and turn them into “life giving” desserts you’ll love “50 Desserts with Hidden Veggies. ” In it you will discover no bake, Paleo friendly, no sugar, gluten free healthy sweet treat and dessert recipes…
Isn’t it time you began introducing much ignored nutrient-dense veggies into all your dishes…including your desserts? Why not make every bite you take count!
Here’s a great gluten and sugar free dessert and treat recipe to try:
PUMPKIN BITES
Base
1 cup almonds
1 cup dates, soaked for 30 minutes then drained
¼ cup coconut oil, warmed until melted
1 tablespoon cocoa or cacao powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Place almonds into a food processor and process until broken down and crumbly. Add dates, cocoa powder, coconut oil and vanilla essence and process until well combined. Press this mixture evenly onto the bottom of the pan or dish.
Topping
1½ cups cashews
½ cup pumpkin puree or raw pumpkin blended until smooth in a high speed blender
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
Place cashews into food processor and process until broken down and crumbly.
Add pumpkin puree, honey and spices and process until mixture is smooth and creamy.
Pour over the base spreading it evenly.
Place in freezer for a couple of hours to firm up.
Carolyn Hansen is the author of The Blended Bites Healthy Snack and Dessert Recipe Collection. This is a one-stop resource for delicious, healthy, guilt-free snacks that you can eat every day. And even better, EVERY ONE of these recipes are RAW healthy snack foods that taste as good as their fattening counterparts.
You can NOW satisfy your snack urge without any negative impact on your weight loss and fitness goals, and without sweating over a hot stove. These easy-to-prepare snacks contain no sugar, no flour or butter and are paleo friendly.
So, if you want to get your hands on recipes for desserts and snacks that you will not need to feel guilty about eating the next time you have a craving for something delicious, be sure to check out Carolyn Hansen’s books at Blended Bites, where she will show you how to take control of your blender and churn out mouth-watering desserts and snacks that will have the kids in your neighborhood lined up around the block for a sample.
Love ice-cream and frozen yogurt but not the results of eating them?
You have new choices…
Whip up a Smoothie Bowl
Smoothie bowls are fast becoming the “go to” and perfect replacement for ice-cream or frozen yogurt.
Just like ice-cream, smoothie bowls are creamy and cold and thick enough to eat with a spoon. But, there’s a huge difference between ice-cream and smoothie bowls…nutrition.
They are perfect for a quick healthy breakfast when you just don’t have time to stop and sit or for anytime you are on the go and need lots of energy but don’t have time to fuzz with multiple meals.
Smoothie bowls take the “smoothie” to new level of health by way of leafy greens, quality protein, healthy fats and good carbs (from vegetables), creamy avocado, tropical fruits, oats, seeds, coconut products and nuts.
Benefits you receive from Smoothie Bowls:
Jumpstarts your energy with a huge boost so you automatically want to get moving and become more active.
Reduces hunger and helps eliminate hunger pangs which in turn helps you stick to healthy eating.
Improves health due to all the nutrients being absorbed.
Detoxes your system from processed dead foods
Saves valuable time in prep and eating healthy
Helps with weight-loss by filling you up so you avoid junk food cravings.
Great way to get the young ones eating veggies they may not like by themselves.
A basic Thick Smoothie Bowl contains approximately 400-500 calories…which for most people is an entire meal’s worth. But the good thing is you control what goes into those 4 or 500 calories. You can even reduce the calories by switching out ingredients or add more if you are looking for something more filling.
Since Smoothie Bowls are extra thick they are eaten in a bowl and not a glass like traditional smoothies. This adds another level of fun as you can add they have lots of surface area to add some fun favorite ingredients to such as fruits, nuts, homemade granolas and other fun healthy toppings.
Here’s the basic formula for making Smoothie Bowls:
Liquid – water/milk/juice
Greens – spinach, Kale or Swiss chard are perfect choices or Green powders
Fillers – oats, coconut
Seeds or nuts –any unsalted seeds or nuts
Fruits – any fruits will work but frozen is best or you can opt for fruit powder
Protein – any good quality protein powder
For a complete meal smoothie use:
Greens + Healthy fats + Carbohydrates + Protein.
Add optional superfoods:
Greens and other vegetables: Kale, spinach, Swiss chard, romaine, celery, mustard greens, dandelion greens, cucumber, wheatgrass, herbs such as mint, cilantro, parsley and basil etc.
Proteins: plant-based protein powders, brown rice, pea, Sunwarrior, Vega, Whey protein powder (grass fed is best), hemp seeds, Chia seeds or nut butters.
Sweetener if needed: dates, raisins, maple syrup, coconut or Palm sugar, stevia, honey
Superfoods (optional): bee pollen, maca powder, lucuma, cocoa nibs, Spirulina, chlorella, cinnamon, cayenne, young coconut meat, unsweetened shredded coconut, coconut water, avocado, Chia seeds, hemp seeds, matcha green tea powder, nut milks, sprouted buckwheat groats, raw gluten free oats etc.
Add all your favorite ingredients to your high-speed blender, blend everything together, transfer to a bowl and add your favorite toppings. If you want it thicker, add more ice to thick (or use less liquid), if you prefer it slightly thinner in consistency then add more liquid to thin.
The important thing is that you just do it! Your body and your family will thank you for it.
For more delicious veggie based dessert and treat recipes visit: “Blended Bites” …you’ll be surprised what you can do with veggies.
Author Bio:
Carolyn Hansen is the author of The Blended Bites Healthy Snack and Dessert Recipe Collection. This is a one-stop resource for delicious, healthy, guilt-free snacks that you can eat every day. And even better, EVERY ONE of these recipes are RAW healthy snack foods that taste as good as their fattening counterparts.
You can NOW satisfy your snack urge without any negative impact on your weight loss and fitness goals, and without sweating over a hot stove. These easy-to-prepare snacks contain no sugar, no flour or butter and are paleo friendly.
So, if you want to get your hands on recipes for desserts and snacks that you will not need to feel guilty about eating the next time you have a craving for something delicious, be sure to check out Carolyn Hansen’s books at Blended Bites, where she will show you how to take control of your blender and churn out mouth-watering desserts and snacks that will have the kids in your neighborhood lined up around the block for a sample.
But a new study sheds a dark shadow on healthy eating. In some cases, it may not do anything to improve your health. In fact, it may backfire in form of worse health and increased body weight.
In this study published in the Journal of Marketing Research, a group of people who were concerned about their fitness and health were recruited.
They were all given packs of “trail mix” (mix of nuts, dried fruits and chocolate chips). They could eat as much as they wanted.
There was a difference in the trail mix, though- specifically in the packaging. Half the group got normal trail mix packaging, whereas the other half got the same mix labelled “Fitness” with a picture of training shoes on it. Afterwards, everyone hit the gym.
Now, those who got the “fitness trail mix,” ate significantly more of it than the other group with “normal trail mix.” The fitness group also worked out significantly less than the ‘non-fitness’ group.
So why is this?
The only conclusion is that our mind plays a trick on us. When we think we’re eating healthy, we also think that we can eat more of semi-unhealthy foods and we don’t have to pay for it in increased weight or health issues. We also tend to think that eating healthy is enough and we don’t have to take other actions like working out.
Marketing firms have known this for years. The energy drinks, fitness bars, protein mixes and other packaged stuff sold with fitness imagery labels are most often loaded with sugar and other unhealthy ingredients. And the consumer thinks, by eating or drinking these “health foods” they’re improving their health: Why not eat an energy bar instead of going for a walk?
Previous studies have shown similar effects from vitamins. Those who take vitamins daily, tend to eat less healthy and workout less. The thinking is that we get enough vitamins from the pills and can therefore skip on our fruits and vegetables. This is especially dangerous when using cheap store brand supplements that have been proven to not include most of the ingredient list or are not absorbed by your body.
The bottom line is that for optimal health, we need to eat healthy, fresh, unprocessed foods. Fancy labels on the packages don’t do anything for our health.
And we also have to exercise and make other lifestyle changes.
Eating Healthy – This Is What Happens Immediately Switching to Organic
Eating organic is expensive and often difficult to manage (you’re not spending as much time at McDonald’s). But is it worth it?
A new study from The Swedish Environmental Research Institute put this question to the test, having a family of five switched completely over to organic.
What happened immediately was astonishing!
This was a typical Swedish family who very rarely ate organic. But with the support of The Swedish Environmental Research Institute and a supermarket chain, for two weeks they switched everything to organic.
That included food, cleaning products, all hygiene products, and even the father’s chewing tobacco.
Before switching, urine examples were taken daily, for a week, from every member of the family. The same procedure continued during the two weeks of organic eating.
In the beginning, and unbelievable amount of pesticides and other chemicals were found in the samples. That included: 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (herbicides), Atrazine (herbicide), Boscalid (fungacide), Chlormequat chloride (CCC) and mepequat (growth inhibitors), Chlorpyrifos (insecticide), Ethylenebisdithiocarbamates (fungicide), MPCA (herbicide), Pyrethroids, such as cypermethrin and esfenvalerate (insecticides), Propamocarb (fungicide), Thiabendazole, iprodione, diuron, vinclozolin (fungicides).
Long story short, after only two weeks of using nothing but organic, most of these chemicals had completely disappeared.
Now authorities claim that the amount of each chemical was never above risk level. But there is no long term study taking into account the combined amount of so many different chemicals and what they will do.
Not only that, reliable studies have shown that many of the commonly used or “normal” chemicals cause erectile dysfunction.
This post is from Julissa Clay’s IBS Solution Program. This program is a step-by-step 21-day plan for relieving irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) for good, 100% naturally and without side effects. You will regain your normal social life again with no more pain, cramps, bloating and “emergency” trips to the bathroom.
The traditional medical system has been totally in the dark when it comes to the underlying causes of Alzheimer’sand other types of dementia.
And how can you cure something when you don’t even know how it happens?
But a new study from Amen Clinics, UC Irvine, Johns Hopkins University, and Thomas Jefferson University reveals not just the cause of Alzheimer’s but also the exact mechanism of how it happens.
Which leads to a simple, free way to cure it.
These researchers used brain imaging scans already obtained from previous research work at the Amen Clinics. Altogether, they had access to 35,442 brain scans taken from 17,721 adults between ages 18 and 94. Their average age was 40.8.
The scans of 128 of each participant’s brain areas were taken both while they were at rest and while they were engaged in a concentration task.
They were then categorized into underweight (BMI less than 18.5), normal weight (BMI between 18.6 and 24.9), overweight (BMI between 25 and 29.9), obese (BMI of 30 and up), and morbidly obese (BMI of 40 and up).
For all ages, brain function and blood flow declined progressively as BMI increased. This was true for almost all regions of the brain and both while the participants were at rest and concentrating.
This pattern was especially striking in the areas particularly involved inAlzheimer’s disease, namely the temporal and parietal lobes, the hippocampus, the posterior cingulate gyrus, and the precuneus.
For these areas, activity and blood flow started to decrease from normal weight, and then further to overweight, obese, and morbidly obese.
This is depressing when considering that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has calculated that 72 percent of American adults are overweight and 42 percent of them are obese. Sadly, 40 percent of young people aged 20 to 39 are obese, as are 44.8 percent of those between 40 and 59, and 42.8 percent of those above 60 years.
Dementia is a serious health condition in which the patient gradually loses his/her cognitive abilities. Studies done on this disease show there are numerous conditions that can cause Dementia. While, some of these conditions are treatable and can be avoided by making certain changes in lifestyle, there are others conditions about which not much can be done.
What is Dementia?
Dementia is a condition in which a person gradually loses his/her mental ability. The condition degenerates with time and as the condition worsens, patients experience a complete loss of their cognitive abilities.
What causes Dementia?
The condition is a result of gradual degeneration of brain cells in cerebral cortex, part of the human brain responsible for higher brain processes, such as thinking, reasoning, sensation, and memory. When the brain cells in cerebral cortex – the ‘grey matter’ of our brain – dies, patient loses their cognitive abilities. When this happens, patients face extreme difficulty in doing everyday tasks or reasoning through simple problems.
The biggest contributor to Dementiais Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the second major cause of this debilitating disease is vascular dementia. In vascular dementia, brain cells in cerebral cortex die gradually as a result of series of strokes, majority of which are minor in nature.
How stroke causes vascular dementia?
Cells in our body rely on life-nourishing oxygen for energy and growth and the oxygen is transported to different parts of the body by arteries. Stroke occurs when the brain does not receive the required amount of oxygen and blood. This happens when either the blood vessels that transfer the oxygen and other nutrients burst or are clogged.
When the brain cells are deprived of oxygen and blood for more than a few seconds, brain cells begin to die. The death of brain cells in cerebral cortex leads to the onslaught of vascular dementia.
Changes in lifestyle can reduce the risk of stroke
Vascular dementia is a very difficult condition to live with or see one’s loved ones dealing with. The patient loses their cognitive capabilities, causing great frustration and pain, as doing everyday tasks becomes progressively difficult.
Strokes can put you at a greater risk of developing dementia. With awareness and making changes in our lifestyle we can reduce the risk of developing stroke.
Therapeutic Interventions can help Alzheimer’s Patients
Alzheimer’s is a fatal brain disorder, and as of now, there is no cure for this condition. The disease worsens with time and is recorded as the biggest contributor to dementia.
Different stages of Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease has three stages – mild, moderate, and severe. A person suffering from Alzheimer’s may show all or some of the symptoms mentioned below:
Mild
Frequently getting lost
Noticeably slow in completing everyday routine tasks
Frequently placing common things in odd places or losing them
Asking repetitive questions or making repetitive statements
Poor judgment
Problem in managing money
Noticeable personality or mood changes
Moderate
Problem in writing or reading
Speech problems
Decreased ability to connect with current reality
Decreased ability to understand date and time
Disturbance in sleep patterns
Difficulty performing simple activities such as dressing, grooming, and eating
Frequently unable to recognize familiar people or places
Severe
Inability to speak coherently and communicate with others
Loss of ability to recognize family members and friends
Sleeping for long hours at a stretch
Increased susceptibility to skin infections, respiratory problems, and other illnesses
Losing control over common bodily functions such as bladder, swallowing, or bowel control
Severe or complete failure of memory
Requiring constant care and monitoring
The symptoms mentioned above confirm what people whose loved ones have Alzheimer’s know all too well – that Alzheimer’s is very difficult to cope with, both for the patients and their families. Though Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease and one that has no cure yet, therapeutic interventions can help improve a patient’s quality of life.
What are Therapeutic Interventions?
By definition, therapeutic interventions are non-invasive strategies used to treat the symptoms of a disease and to provide physical and mental relief to a patient.
Therapeutic interventions for Alzheimer’s try to connect an Alzheimer’s patient to his/her own life. Studies show that therapeutic interventions have a high success rate in decreasing an Alzheimer’s patient’s depression, anger, and anxiety.
Furthermore, as these activities require active participation of family members and friends, it also helps them to cope with the situation at hand.
Some of the important factors that go into therapeutic interventions are:
Routine – Creating a routine for Alzheimer’s patients is a must, as it lends consistency to each day and eases the confusion that is bound to occur with degenerating memory.
Structure – Structure is vital for Alzheimer’s patients as it defines each activity’s start and end time. Also, make sure that the place or room where each activity is conducted remains the same.
Planning – These include activities that are planned beforehand and cater to the patient.
Patient Involving – These include activities that engage Alzheimer’s patients and require their active involvement.
Customized activities – These include activities that are customized based on the previous experiences, history, interest, family, et al of an Alzheimer’s patient.
Uses of previous interests, hobbies, and skills – These activities are based on an Alzheimer’s patient’s previous interests, hobbies, and skills.
Examples of therapeutic interventions include: pet therapy, music, mediation, and exercise, to name a few.
Alzheimer’s disease is indeed difficult for both the patient and the family. However, therapeutic interventions can assist a great deal in improving the quality of the patient’s life.
This post is from the Brain Booster Exercise Program created for the purpose of helping to reverse Alzheimer’s, boost memory.It was made by Christian Goodman Blue Heron health news that has been recognized as one of the top-quality national health information websites. This is an all-natural system that utilizes the power of exercises to slow down, prevent, or even reverse memory loss and boost your brain with energy and power. These exercises work to deliver as much nutrition and oxygen to your starving brain as possible and begin the restoring of the damaged brain cells.
