Learn the secrets of
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foods that reduce inflammation!
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One of the reasons most people are interested in health food is well, to be healthier!  To live well, feel well, and enjoy life.  So how do we do that?

First off, it’s important to understand that a lot of our health problems stem from inflammation in the body.  Not a short term problem like the inflammation caused by an infection, but a long-term problem, or chronic inflammation.  And one of the causes of that inflammation is found in the foods we eat.

We can blame it on all the junk food out there, and there’s some truth to that.  We can blame it on so-called “Frankenfoods” and there’s some truth to that as well.  Or we can blame it on all the chemicals and pesticides found in a lot of our foods today, and there’s certainly a lot of truth to that.  When you think about all the the problems with the food supply, it can be overwhelming and it may seem impossible to do anything but throw up your hands and say, “I give up! I’m doomed to bad food and inflammation and possible chronic illnesses!”

Do NOT give up.  Instead, learn more about those

FOODS THAT REDUCE INFLAMMATION!

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While marketing hype and problems in the food supply are certainly a concern, you still have the last say in what food you put in your body.  You can spend your hard-earned dollars on cheap junk food, or buy higher quality foods.  Yes, sometimes these foods will cost more than junk food.  But here’s the thing…. what’s your health worth to you?  And have you ever considered the costs of all the drugs people take to control inflammation-induced illnesses?  Wouldn’t it be better to spend that money on delicious quality foods instead of pills that often have nasty side effects?

There’s an old saying, “An ounce of PREVENTION is worth a pound of cure.”  And like a lot of old sayings, it’s based on truth.  The trouble is a lot of people don’t want to be bothered.  It seems easier to “go with the flow” than to try and take charge of your own life and the foods you eat.  If you’re one of those people, nothing I can say will change your mind.  However, if  you are ready to improve your diet, here’s the lowdown on foods that reduce inflammation.

#1 Secret of Foods That Reduce Inflammation:
       Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Even if you’ve never heard of Omega-3 fatty acids, you probably have heard of fish oil as a great promoter of good health.  That’s because it contains Omega-3 fatty acids which are important to every single cell in your body.  For one thing, this substance helps maintain the cell wall which is vital!

One top source of Omega-3 is fatty fish such as salmon.  Don’t like fish?  Other dietary sources of Omega-3 fatty acids include milk and eggs.  The best kind are from range fed animals instead of grain fed.  These have a higher Omega-3 and lower Omega-6 ratio, which is important.

If you’re unsure you’re getting enough Omega-3 in your diet, you can also supplement with a high quality pure fish oil that is high in EPA and DHA.

#2 Secret of Foods that Reduce Inflammation: The Right Oils

We get too much Omega-6 in our diet in comparison with Omega-3.  One way to balance this out is to change your cooking oils.  What should you use?

• Olive oil
• Grape seed oil
• Coconut oil

Butter is good for baking, and for dressing vegetables try avocado, coconut, walnut or hazelnut oils.

#3 Choose Whole Grains for Foods that reduce inflammation!

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Plain and simple, white refined flour has all the good stuff milled out.  Whole or cracked grains still have the nutrients your body needs.  When you buy breads and pastas, be sure to get the whole grain variety.  (For more information on whole grains check out the post “Whole Grain or Not Whole Grain, That’s the Question!”)

Worse, most of this refined white flour is combined with sugar, salt, or trans-fats… and sometimes all of those!  Talk about a killer combination… literally!  Avoid that mess.  Look for the real deal and get whole grains.

These top 3 secrets to foods that reduce inflammation will give you a good start to a better, healthier diet that helps avoid illness inducing inflammation.  You can read even more about it on our “Anti Inflammatory Foods List” page, or get more information from “The Great Cholesterol Lie“.  (Don’t be fooled by the title, it’s not just about cholesterol but about an anti inflammatory diet that fights heart disease and other chronic illnesses.)

Learn all you can about foods that reduce inflammation for a healthier diet!

Post from: Health Food Made Easy

Top 3 Secrets To Foods That Reduce Inflammation

Looking for Healthy Chinese Food?

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If you want to eat healthy Chinese food, the best bet is to make it yourself.  Then you know what ingredients are in the meal, and can control the amount of sodium and other items.

However, sometimes it’s nice to be able to go out and eat at your favorite Chinese restaurant.  If you enjoy that, don’t despair!  You can still go out to eat and find healthy Chinese food options!

Check the menu for the Healthy Chinese Food Options

When looking at the menu, it’s good to keep in mind that deep-fried foods are going to be higher in calories and possibly saturated fats.  It’s better to choose steamed foods, poached, roasted and even barbecued.

Some of the healthier appetizers include hot and sour soup, egg drop soup, spring rolls and steamed vegetable or pork dumplings. 

When it’s time for the main course and healthy Chinese food, it’s best to skip noodle-based dishes.  Menu items like Lo Mein and Chow Mein are high calorie, and have a lot of saturated fat and sodium.  Better choices would be dishes that have a lot of vegetables and lean meats.

Unfortunately, one of the favorites at Chinese restaurants, friend rice, is high in fat and calories.  It’s also usually white rice, which isn’t as healthy for you as brown rice.  If steamed rice is available, it’s the better choice, and of course if it’s available, brown rice is better than white.

Avoid These Items When Looking For Healthy Chinese Food

Whatever foods you choose, there are two items at a Chinese restaurant that can cause problems.  One is the monosodium glutamate.  Restaurants are more aware of this, and often have dishes free of monosodium glutamate on the menu.

The other problem, however, is more common and hard to avoid.  Most Chinese menu items are high in sodium.  Too much sodium, as I’m sure you’re aware, is bad for your health.  For that reason, eating out at not only Chinese restaurants, but most any restaurant, usually results in getting too much sodium in your diet.  For that reason, eating out should be more of a treat than an everyday thing.  However, by making wise food choices, you can alleviate the problem somewhat, but for really healthy Chinese food, you can’t beat making it at home.

Read more about healthy Chinese food options here!

Post from: Health Food Made Easy

Healthy Chinese Food

There’s more than one reason to go with the saying, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”  Lemon benefits health! 

An excellent source of vitamin C, lemons also contain vitamin A, folate, calcium, and potassium.  All citrus fruits are high in flavonoids, an antioxidant thought to block substances that cause cancer and heart disease. 
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Lemon Fights Cancer

If all that wasn’t enough, lemons also contain a compound called limonene which is shown to have anticancer properties in laboratory animals, so quite likely for humans also.  Test show citrus limonoids to fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon.  This substance also battles human neuroblastoma tumors.  Researchers believe that limonoids may be better suited to for suppressing cancer cell growth than other nutrients because they stay in the bloodstream for a long time.
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Lemon Home Remedies

Instead of buying real lemons in your dishwashing liquid, and fake lemon juice in your food, get some real lemons or lemon juice!  Here are a few uses for lemon juice:

• Lemon Juice and honey (1/2 squeezed lemon and 1 teaspoon of honey) as a cold remedy.
• Lemon juice in hot water is widely advocated a daily natural treatment for constipation.
• Lemon removes odors from your hands.
• Lemon added to milk makes a good buttermilk substitute (1 tablespoon of lemon in one cup of milk).

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Other Lemon Tips!

Lemons will last for a week or two at room temperature.

For extended storage, keep lemons in a zip-locked bag in the crisper of the fridge for up to 6 weeks.

A lemon should be at room temperature to yield the most juice.

Roll a lemon under your palm on a hard surface to soften it before juicing and it will yield more juice.

A large lemon yields about 3 to 4 tablespoons of juice.
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Lemon Benefits Health!

Scurvy isn’t such a problem today, but miners in the California gold rush era prized them as a preventive against scurvy.  They’d pay up to one dollar per lemon, which was really expensive then!

You don’t have to spend so much for lemons today, so eat lemons and get some vitamin C and other goodies in your diet.  Remember, lemon benefits health!

Post from: Health Food Made Easy

Lemon Benefits Health