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We have come to the final entry in our ’superfruits’ series. For the past week, we have been featuring foods which are superbly rich in antioxidants. They are a great substitute for the common fruits which are easily available in our food basket – including apples, grapes and oranges.

Our last entry is the exotic guava fruit. Aside from being rich in antioxidants, guava has five times the vitamin C content as a medium orange. For all the women out there, vitamin C-rich foods are great for fighting those wrinkles.

Aside from this, guava has bacteria-fighting agents which help promote wound healing. This exotic fruit also improves the digestive system, it helps prevent the risks of certain cancers and it lowers your cholesterol level.  Finally, guava is a great source of calcium, iron, folic acid, fiber, potassium and iron.

The outer and inner flesh, the seed and the rind of the guava fruit are all edible.  You can eat them as is, but they can also be added in fruit cobbler recipes and cocktail drinks.

Tagged with: Antioxidants • guava • Health Articles • Health Food • superfuits

Papaya is the fourth entry in our ‘superfruits‘ series – which are rich in antioxidants. These luscious, exotic and delicious fruits are a great substitute for watermelon – I personally prefer the sweet taste of ripe papayas than the watery texture of watermelon.

Nutrition-wise, papayas are a great source of vitamins A, E, C and K. They are also rich in potassium, folate and dietary fibers. Papaya is also rich in lycopene which helps prevent the risks of certain cancers.

In addition, papaya helps protect against heart disease, it promotes digestive health, it offers immune support and has anti-inflammatory effects. The seemingly endless health benefits of papaya also include protection against rheumatoid arthritis as well as the promotion of lung health.

Papayas are best served with a fruit salsa – but my favorite is to eat them just like a cantaloupe melon, squeezed with a bit of lemon juice on top to provide that extra zing.

Tagged with: Antioxidants • Health Articles • Health Food • papaya • superfruits

It’s the third entry for our ’superfruits’ series – and this week we are featuring anti-oxidant rich fruits which are a good substitute for the common food items that we eat today.

Instead of binging on some frozen or fresh red grapes, lychees are a great substitute. Lychees provide 15% more of the polyphenol content of red grapes since it has the second highest level of this component which provides a lot of benefits for the heart. When the antioxidants work with the polyphenol compound, they act to protect your cells from damage.

Lychees have more vitamin C content than oranges and other citrus fruits, they have as much fiber as apples and you can get the same level of potassium as a banana. Finally, lychees have components which help protect against breast cancer.

When eating lychees, peel off the red, leathery skin, eat the white flesh of the fruit but skip the seeds – they are not edible. Since they have almost the same flavor as grapes, you can skewer lychees onto kebabs – and they are also a great addition to any cocktail drink.

Tagged with: Antioxidants • Health Articles • Health foods • lychees • superfruits

Just like apples, Asian pears are juicy, crunchy, with an almost buttery, grainy texture which melts in the mouth when you eat it. This is the second item in our list for the fruits which are dubbed as the new ’superfruits’ due to their rich antioxidant content.

If your tastebuds are tired munching on the all-too-familiar flavor of the apples in your dinner table, why not substitute it with Asian pears? These antioxidant-rich fruit has almost twice as much as the dietary fiber content of a large apple, and is also rich in vitamins C and K. Dietary fibers are great for lowering your cholesterol level. 

For those who are on a weight loss program, Asian pears help speed up your goal of shedding off those excess pounds. Since they are high in dietary fibers, Asian pears help curb those unnecessary cravings, making you feel full for a longer amount of time.

Finally, Asian pears help promote colon and cardiovascular health, it is a hypo-allergenic fruit and it helps prevent macular degeneration.

Chopped, fresh Asian pears can be combined with your favorite green salads, added onto your breakfast cereal or served with goat cheese for a sumptuous dessert.

Tagged with: Antioxidants • Asian pears • Health Articles • Health Food • vitamin C

Last week we started a series about foods which help fight the fat in your diet. This week, we are featuring five fruits which are exceptionally rich in antioxidants that they are dubbed as the new ’superfruits’.

It is a good thing that more and more people are incorporating fresh fruits in their diets – but the most common items include bananas, apples and oranges. Why not try out something that is both exotic, new to the tastebuds and will provide you with as much health benefits as the traditional fruits in your refrigerator?

The first item on our list is fresh figs. Figs are rich in dietary fibers, potassium and manganese. This chewy, lusciously sweet fruit has double the potassium content of one large banana.

Figs are rich in antioxidants which help boost the immune system. In addition, this fruit helps promote bone density, helps in weight loss and lowers high blood pressure.

Instead of bananas, add some fresh figs to a bowl of oatmeal for a power-packed, healthy breakfast. Fresh figs can also be stuffed with goat cheese, chevre or Brie and sprinkled with some nuts for a healthy and tasty hors d’oeuvre.

Tagged with: Antioxidants • figs • fresh figs • Health Articles • Health Food

This is our fifth and final entry in the fat-fighting-food series. So far, we have identified apples, beans, dairy, as well as nuts and seeds as the food items which help rid the body of the excess fats.

Another item that needs to be added in the list is oatmeal. As you very well know, oatmeal is an excellent source of soluble and dietary fibers. It also contains essential fatty acids, protein and complex carbohydrates which all provide health benefits to the body.

Instead of having bacon and eggs or a piece of sweet doughnuts for breakfast, you can substitute it with a bowl of slow-cooking oatmeal. Aside from giving you enough energy to face the day, oatmeal is very rich in fiber which helps reduce the craving factor after you eat it.

Oatmeal takes longer to chew, eat and digest. As a result, you will feel full for a longer amount of time. In addition, it helps stabilize your sugar level during the day so you will not have those unnecessary cravings. As a fat-fighting food, oatmeal is definitely the one to beat because it also provides great benefits to your heart.

Tagged with: breakfast cereal • fat fighting foods • Health Articles • Health Food • oatmeal

We are onto our fourth day in the fat-fighting foods series wherein foods that help get rid of the excess fat in your diet are featured. Among the many food items that we have identified so far, this one is my favorite: dairy.

Whether it is a thick slice of grilled cheese, a glass of low-fat milk or a healthy serving of yogurt – I have always loved that milky and rich taste which has always been associated with dairy.

The reason why dairy is considered to be a fat-fighting food is due to the fact that when the body is deprived of the proper amount of calcium, a chemical called calcitrol is released in the body. This is the one which is responsible for storing fat.

By increasing your calcium intake with dairies, you are also helping your body burn fat more efficiently. Another fat-fighting component included in dairy is leucine.

I personally suggest increasing your daily dose of dairy to about three or four servings a day. This can include cheese, non-fat milk or yogurt – whatever dairy catches your fancy. Aside from helping rid your body of the fat, it will also help improve your bone health and keep those excess pounds for good!

Tagged with: cheese • dairy • fat fighting foods • Health Articles • Health Food • milk

We’re on to our third entry in the fat-fighting foods series and the next item on our list is nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds are a great source of fat-fighting protein and dietary fibers. A two-ounce serving of peanuts, for example, contains 4.5 grams of dietary fiber.

Dietary fibers and fat-fighting proteins help in such a way that foods which are rich in these two take longer to empty from the digestive tract. The ‘chew factor’ which makes fibrous foods like nuts and seeds longer to eat also helps in curbing those unnecessary food cravings.

As long as you keep your consumption of nuts and seeds to an ample amount – as they are a little high in calories – then you should be good to go in your fight against fat. Nuts and seeds make for a healthy and filling snack for people who are always on the go.

Examples of the nuts and seeds that you can keep in stock includes:
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Chestnuts
• Macadamia Nuts
• Peanuts
• Pine Nuts
• Pecans
• Pistachios
• Walnuts
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Sunflower Seeds

Tagged with: dietary fibers • fat fighting foods • Health Articles • Health Food • nuts and seeds

For those of you who missed the start of our fat-fighting foods series, this is the second post for my list of foods which help you do that exactly: fight fat.

Beans are considered as a superfood and a fat-fighting food because of its high dietary fiber content. They are high in complex carbohydrates and dietary fibers. Beans are also known to be low in sodium, calories and fats – the bad ones at least – because they are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids which is good for the heart.

Now, the dietary and soluble fiber content of beans is what makes them a fat-fighting food. When you eat beans, you will feel full for a longer amount of time as compared to snack foods that you just munch on. They only temporarily fulfill your cravings. With beans, your blood sugar will be stabilized over the day so you will not feel those hunger pangs as often as you would by light snacking.

In addition, foods like beans which have high fiber content takes longer to eat and they are not that easily emptied from the digestive tract. The result? Those who are on  a diet will fill fuller longer, and not have those unnatural cravings anymore.

Here is a quick list of the bean variants that you should include in your diet:
• Kidney  beans
• Black beans
• Navy beans
• Pinto beans
• Chickpeas or garbanzo beans
• Soybeans

Tagged with: beans • dietary fibers • fat fighting foods • Health Articles • Health Food

I recently stumbled upon an ad for an e-book which promises to provide readers with a list of “fat-fighting” foods which you can actually eat, instead of avoid. The result is that the foods that you will consume will be actively fighting the fat on your diet. This is especially helpful for those who are tired of looking for ways to reduce the food on their plate in order to shed off those excess pounds.  I decided to have my own list of fat-fighting foods and this is what I have come up with.

The first item on our fat-fighting foods series is apples. Apples are a great source of dietary fibers and vitamin C. The cliché about an apple a day keeping the doctor away holds true – since there are dozens of health benefits that you can enjoy from apples.

However, the reason why this is number one in our list of fat-fighting foods is that the skin of the fruit contains pectin. This is a type of insoluble fiber which serves as a natural appetite suppressant.

When you are really hungry, grab the largest apple that you have in the kitchen – whether it is green or red. The bulky fibrous content of apples will help you feel full immediately. As a result, your hunger pangs are sated, and your tendency to overeat will be significantly controlled. Sounds too easy? That’s because it is.  Watch out for the next food item in our fat-fighting food series.

Tagged with: Apples • dietary fibers • fat fighting foods • Health Articles • Health Food