Our Top 10 High Fibre Sources

Some Health advisor's recommend getting about 18g of fibre a day, but most people only eat about 14g. So how can you get more healthy fibre into your diet? Here are our Top 10 good sources of fibre:

1: Beans. All beans are good, whether baked beans, beans like kidney beans in chilli or beans in salads. Half a tin of baked beans (200g) is 7g of fibre.

2: Wholegrain and wholemeal. Skip white bread and pasta, look out for wholegrain and wholemeal on the labels.

3: Brown or wholegrain rice. White rice doesn't offer as much fibre.

4: Keep your finger on the pulses. As well as beans, chickpeas and lentils are full of fibre, high in protein and low fat.

5: Nuts. Almonds, pecans, and walnuts have more fibre than other nuts.

6: Jacket potato - the skin is the important bit. A small baked potato has 3g fibre.

7: Dried fruit. If fresh fruit isn’t available, dried fruit offers a fibre-full snack. A 50g portion of dried figs is 4g fibre.

8: Bran based cereal and other healthy cereal options. To count as high-fibre food, it has to contain at least 6g of fibre per 100g. A 30g bowl of bran flakes delivers 4g of fibre.

9: Porridge. Porridge is made from oats which are a great source of fibre.

10: Fruit and veg. As much fruit or veg portions and the crunchier, the better. A medium-sized apple alone is 2g fibre.

Kidney flushing juices and foods.

The kidneys are responsible for filtering waste from your system, so keeping them healthy -- by eating a balanced, nutritious diet -- will keep the rest of your body functioning well as wastes are properly eliminated. Because a poor diet can lead to problems with your kidneys, such as kidney stones or chronic kidney disease, eating foods rich in calcium and citrate, as well as drinking adequate amounts of water, can help your kidneys flush out all necessary waste.

Drinking Enough Water

While not technically a juice, water is perhaps one of the most important beverages you can consume to keep your kidneys healthy. Harvard Health Publications considers it one of the primary ways of preventing kidney stones. While there is no recommended daily intake, in general, a minimum of eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day is recommended. This will help you produce around 2 liters of urine, and regular urination will help get rid of excess wastes, while the extra fluid will help dilute any materials in your system that could potentially cause kidney stones.

Kidney Stone-Preventing Cranberry Juice

Cranberry juice has long been associated with kidney health, and a 2003 edition of “BJU International” included a study which found that cranberry juice consumption might help reduce the risk of kidney stone formation. Over a period of 14 days, adult men were given a diet that included regular consumption of cranberry juice. Scientists found that cranberry juice consumption reduced calcium oxalate and phosphate levels, which lowered the risk of kidney stone formation. While the results were promising, further long-term research is still needed.

Yummy Citrus Fruits and Juices

Eating citrus fruits or drinking juices made from citrus fruits can stop small kidney stones from developing into larger, more painful stones. The citric acid found in citrus fruits, such as grapefruits, oranges, lemons and limes, helps break down small kidney stones, as the acid eats away at the calcium oxalate. Citrate, which is used in calcium citrate supplements, is similar to citric acid and is also helpful in breaking down and preventing kidney stones. According to the University of Wisconsin, lemon and lime juice have more citric acid than other juices, including orange and grapefruit.

Kidney Benefits of Kale

The leafy, dark green leaves of kale are chock full of nutrients, including calcium, which helps reduce your risk of developing kidney stones by keeping your body’s oxalate levels low. While kale can be eaten raw or cooked, it can also be made into a juice, using either a blender or a juicer. A 2-cup serving of kale has between 15 percent and 20 percent of the recommended dietary intake of calcium for adult men and women, with 201 milligrams of calcium per serving.

Green Tea and its #HealthBenefits

Green tea has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat everything from headaches to depression.
The leaves are supposedly richer in antioxidants than other types of tea because of the way they are processed.

All types of tea (green, black and oolong) are produced from the Camellia sinensis plant using different methods. Fresh leaves from the plant are steamed to produce green tea, while the leaves of black tea and oolong involve fermentation.
Green tea is alleged to boost weight loss, reduce cholesterol, combat cardiovascular disease, and prevent cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
We've teamed up with the British Dietetic Association (BDA) to examine whether the myriad health claims about green tea are supported by the evidence.
Green tea contains B vitamins, folate (naturally occurring folic acid), manganese, potassium, magnesium, caffeine and other antioxidants (notably catechins)

The evidence

Cancer
There is no evidence that drinking green tea protects against different types of cancer. A good quality study from 2009 reviewed 51 studies involving more than 1.6 million participants. The studies looked for an association between drinking green tea and cancers of the bowel, prostate, breasts, mouth and lungs. The authors of the review concluded that the evidence of a link between green tea and cancer was weak and "highly contradictory".

Weight loss
It is thought that the antioxidants catechins and caffeine in green tea may have a role in helping the body burn more calories – sometimes referred to as speeding up the metabolism – which can help weight loss. Green tea preparations used for losing weight are extracts of green tea that contain a higher concentration of catechins and caffeine than the typical green tea beverage prepared from a tea bag and boiling water. A well-conducted review from 2012 of 18 studies involving 1,945 people found no significant effect of drinking green tea on weight loss.

Cholesterol
There is increasing evidence that both green and black tea are beneficial for cardiovascular disease prevention. A good quality review from 2013 of 11 studies involving 821 people found that daily consumption of green and black tea (as a drink or a capsule) could help lower cholesterol and blood pressure thanks to tea and its catechins. The authors of the review caution that most of the trials were short term and more good quality long-term trials are needed to back up their findings.

Another good quality review from 2011 found that drinking green tea enriched with catechins led to a small reduction in cholesterol, a main cause of heart disease and stroke. However, it's still not clear from the evidence how much green tea we'd need to drink to see a positive effect on our health, or what the long-term effects of green tea consumption are on our overall health.

Alzheimer's disease
Evidence of a positive link between drinking green tea and Alzheimer's disease is weak. A 2010 laboratory study using animal cells found that a green tea preparation rich in antioxidants protected against the nerve cell death associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Whether these lab results can be reproduced in human trials remains to be seen. As such, the findings do not conclusively show that green tea combats Alzheimer's disease.

The dietitian's verdict

Alison Hornby, a dietitian and BDA spokesperson, says the evidence about green tea's health benefits are inconclusive.
She says: "In the Far East, green tea has been used as a treatment for a variety of conditions ranging from arthritis to weight loss, as well as a preventative measure for diseases such as cancer, although the evidence for the majority of these conditions is weak or lacking.
"However, as a social drink, it appears to be safe in moderate amounts, so lovers of green tea can continue to enjoy it."

Green Tea Side Effects

• Caffeine, which is part of green tea, has an insidious effect that is addictive.

Abuse of strong teas, including green tea, can lead to: insomnia, morning sickness, increased irritability, dizziness and heart palpitations.

• Nursing mothers should be aware that caffeine, which is contained in all tea drinks, can cause insomnia in infants.
• Excessive drinking of strong green tea can cause sleep disorders in adults.

How Much Green Tea Should You Drink?


Some studies recommend 2-3 teacups (not mugs) a day to be beneficial to health. However, consuming up to 5 teacups a day has been shown to lower stomach cancer risk. For weight loss, the best results have been revealed with drinking 7 cups a day. Drinking 10 cups is thought to be the upper limit.

IG: #BeastGang 

Lowering Cholesterol with Aubergine ( Eggplant ) water

Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in the blood. Some cholesterol is necessary for good health, but too much cholesterol can result in serious health complications, including heart attack and stroke. According to "Mosby's Manual of Diagnostic and Laboratory Tests," a total cholesterol level of less than 200 mg/dL is ideal, 200 mg/dL to 239 mg/dL is regarded as borderline high and a level of greater than 240 mg/dL is defined as hypercholesterolemia and places you at increased risk of developing heart disease. When used daily for one month, eggplant water can reduce total cholesterol levels by up to 20 mg/dL, according to "Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies." Lowering high Cholesterol.

Managing your high cholesterol with eggplant water is not a substitute for medical care. Consult your physician prior to using eggplant water or any other home remedy to treat your high cholesterol.

MAKING EGGPLANT WATER

Step 1 
Wash and dry a fresh eggplant. Cut the eggplant into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch slices.

Step 2
Fill a 32 oz. pitcher with water.

Step 3
Place the eggplant in the water. Put the pitcher in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

Step 4
Sip the eggplant water throughout the day. If you find the taste of the eggplant water unpleasant, mask the flavor by squeezing the juice of a lemon, lime or orange into the water.

Step 5
Drink 32 oz. of eggplant water daily for at least one month -- the minimum amount of time necessary to produce a reduction of total cholesterol levels with eggplant water, according to "Making Plant Medicine." However, eggplant water is safe to drink daily for as long as you and your doctor believe it is beneficial for you.

Drinking coffee provides lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes??

Why do heavy coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, a disease on the increase around the world that can lead to serious health problems? Scientists are offering a new solution to that long-standing mystery in a report in ACS' Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry..

Ling Zheng, Kun Huang and colleagues explain that previous studies show that coffee drinkers are at a lower risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90-95 percent of diabetes cases in the world. Those studies show that people who drink four or more cups of coffee daily have a 50 percent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. And every additional cup of coffee brings another decrease in risk of almost 7 percent. Scientists have implicated the misfolding of a substance called human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) in causing Type 2 diabetes, and some are seeking ways to block that process. Zheng and Huang decided to see if coffee's beneficial effects might be due to substances that block hIAPP.

Indeed, they identified two categories of compounds in coffee that significantly inhibited hIAPP. They suggest that this effect explains why coffee drinkers show a lower risk for developing diabetes. "A beneficial effect may thus be expected for a regular coffee drinker," the researchers conclude.

The authors acknowledge funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Basic Research Program of China and the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Superfoods - Blueberries

Blueberries: Antioxidant superfood

Packed with antioxidants and phytoflavonoids, these berries are also high in potassium and vitamin C, making them the top choice of doctors and nutritionists. Not only may they help lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, they are also anti-inflammatory.

Inflammation is a key driver of all chronic diseases, so blueberries have a host of benefits. When selecting berries, note that the darker they are, the more antioxidants they have. Frozen fruits are just as good as fresh, experts say, but make sure you include lots of other fruit and vegetables in your diet as well.

The Ultimate SUPERFOOD - EGGS

The best protein source on the planet, eggs consistently outrank milk, beef, whey, and soy in the quality of protein they provide. In addition to containing all nine essential amino acids, eggs are loaded with nutrients. "EAT THAT DAMN EGG YOLK TOO" says Bowden. 

People avoid the yolks because they fear cholesterol, BUT egg yolks contain choline, which helps protect heart and brain function and prevents cholesterol and fat from accumulating in the liver.

The poor, misunderstood “incredible, edible egg”. Over the years, this nutrition powerhouse has acquired a bruised reputation from reports they contribute to raised cholesterol. Like other pieces of information associated with cholesterol, avoiding eggs is off the mark. Eggs stand alone in beneficial elements.

Eggs are a great source of protein. Numerous vitamins, including vitamin A, potassium and many B vitamins like folic acid, choline and biotin, are also packed into this oval-shaped staple. In fact, very few foods share the same diverse nutrient makeup available in a single egg. Many of these are specifically needed for the health of the nerves and the brain. Through the years, all fats have become public enemies, often blamed for an increased risk of heart disease. Eggs fell out of favor and people gravitated toward egg whites as a substitute. In truth, the yolk is where many of the vitamins and nutrients are found.  

The topic of cholesterol has become very confusing. Dietary advice on the subject is often so far off that consumers actually hurt their health by trying to avoid cholesterol. The body needs to achieve a balance when it comes to cholesterol consumption. Fat from healthy sources is vital to the body, while fat from poor choices, such as margarine or foods fried in vegetable oil, are very dangerous. Eggs remain a beneficial source of healthy fat. Many nutrients, such as vitamin A, are better absorbed with fat, making eggs a very good source of vitamin A. Research has documented that eggs do not appear to promote heart disease risk.

Diabetics may be one of the only groups that should avoid averaging more than one egg a day, as they might show some increases in cholesterol with higher egg consumption. But even in diabetics, eggs can be very helpful. Much of the standard breakfast for Americans is laden with sugar. Waffles, pancakes, pastries, gourmet coffees and most breakfast cereals offer little or no nutritional value and are often loaded with sugar. These foods are poor choices for diabetics, and the rest of us. For most individuals, eggs are a nutritional breakfast choice.

But every egg is not created equal. It's best to buy any source of protein from an environment that is as natural as possible, meaning the animal was able to feed on foods that its body could tolerate, in conditions that were not overly stressful. For egg-producing chickens, this environment is often called “cage-free” or “free-range.” This means the chicken was allowed to roam, picking what it wanted to eat. Research has shown that cage-free hens have produced eggs higher in various vitamins. Chickens packaged tightly in cages undergo stress, lowering their immune systems and raising their likelihood of infection. Frequent infections are a common problem for animals raised in cramped quarters. Many times, chickens are given regular antibiotics to help keep down infection rates. These antibiotics may lead to stronger, more resistant bacteria in the feces of the chicken and even in that of the farmer who raises them. This presents two big potential problems for the consumer: 1) antibiotics like sulfa in the chicken that could aggravate drug allergies, and 2) super resistant bugs. Free-range eggs actually show greater resistance to bugs like salmonella. When purchasing eggs, choose those that were grown in a free-range or cage-free environment, or better yet, purchase eggs directly from a farmer who focuses on growing eggs in a healthy environment. Eggs that say "organic" or "omega-3" have the right idea, but will still not be as good as cage-free.


Like nearly all foods, eggs lose some nutritional value when cooked. Regular egg eaters should choose not to scramble their eggs every time. When the yolk of the egg is broken (when the eggs are scrambled) and exposed to high heat, the proteins and fat of the eggs are damaged. In this case, the fat does become unhealthy. Eating scrambled eggs occasionally is not a major problem, just don't make it your routine.