There are so many kinds of apples, that if you ate a new one every day, it would take over 20 years to try them all.
300 years ago, the average person ate about five pounds of sugar per year. Today, the average person consumes nearly 200 lbs of sugar per year! At that dose, sugar is considered toxic. It can cause: Diabetes; Increased Inflammation; Heart Disease and Cancer. Since I’ve been having to watch my sugar intake, I’ve been reading labels and counting grams of sugar in anything and everything I purchase.
Did you know that plain, unflavored yogurt has about 9 grams of naturally occurring milk sugar, but a store bought vanilla yogurt typically has 30 grams of sugar. The manufacturer of the vanilla yogurt added 21 grams of sugar to give it that sweet vanilla flavor.
But you can make your own.
Buy plain unflavored yogurt (brands like Two Good only contain 2 grams of sugar. Read the labels!)
Add one teaspoon of real maple syrup and a few drops of vanilla extract.
Total sugar will be between 13 – 15 grams, less than half the store bought version.
Manufacturers add sugar because it is a cheap filler and they know it helps to addict you to their products!
Look at this comparison to the sugar in different products, I was amazed to see the levels of sugar!
Shop wisely for your health. We got this.
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They are a nutritionally rich food! They are one of the main sources of Alpha Linolenic Acids or ALAs, an omega 3 essential fatty acid. ALA’s offer a range of health benefits from reducing rheumatoid arthritis to protecting against dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Nuts also contain unsaturated fat. This type of fat is linked to protection against heart disease.
But they are high in fat and calories, so moderation is key. Just one serving a day is all you need!
One study found that participants burned 28% more calories after a meal containing walnuts than a meal containing fat from dairy sources. In other words, healthy fat can burn fat!
A high blood caffeine level might curb the amount of body fat a person carries and their risk of type 2 diabetes, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Medicine.
In light of these findings, the potential role of calorie free caffeinated drinks for lowering the risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes is probably now worth exploring, say the researchers.
Previously published research indicates that drinking 3-5 daily cups of coffee, a rich source of caffeine, is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, note the researchers. An average cup of coffee contains around 70–150 mg caffeine.
But most of the published research to date has concerned observational studies, which can’t reliably establish causal effects, because of the other potentially influential factors involved, the researchers note. What’s more, it’s difficult to disentangle any specific effects of caffeine from the other compounds included in caffeinated drinks and foods.
To overcome these issues, the researchers used Mendelian randomization to find out what effect higher blood caffeine levels have on body fat, and the long term risks of type 2 diabetes and major cardiovascular diseases—coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, and irregular heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation).
Mendelian randomization is a technique that uses genetic variants as proxies for a particular risk factor—in this case blood levels of caffeine—to obtain genetic evidence in support of a particular outcome—in this study, weight (BMI) and type 2 diabetes risk.
The researchers looked at the role of two common genetic variants of the CYP1A2 and AHR genes in nearly 10,000 people of predominantly European ancestry, who were taking part in 6 long-term studies. The CYP1A2 and AHR genes are associated with the speed of caffeine metabolism in the body.
People who carry genetic variants associated with slower caffeine metabolism drink—on average—less coffee, yet have higher levels of caffeine in their blood than people who metabolize it quickly to reach or retain the levels required for its stimulant effects.
The results of the analysis showed that higher genetically predicted blood caffeine levels were associated with lower weight (BMI) and body fat. Higher genetically predicted blood caffeine levels were also associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
The researchers then used Mendelian randomization to further explore the extent to which any effect of caffeine on type 2 diabetes risk might principally be driven by the concurrent weight loss.
The results showed that weight loss drove nearly half (43%) of the effect of caffeine on type 2 diabetes risk.
No strong associations emerged between genetically predicted blood caffeine levels and the risk of any of the studied cardiovascular disease outcomes.
The researchers acknowledge various limitations to their findings, including the use of only two genetic variants, and the inclusion of only people of European ancestry.
But caffeine is known to boost metabolism, increase fat burning, and reduce appetite, they explain. And a daily intake of 100 mg has been estimated to increase energy expenditure by around 100 calories a day, which could consequently lower the risk of developing obesity.
“Our Mendelian randomization finding suggests that caffeine might, at least in part, explain the inverse association between coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes,” write the researchers.
“Randomized controlled trials are warranted to assess whether non-caloric caffeine containing beverages might play a role in reducing the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes,” they conclude.
This article was originally published March 16, 2023 | On MedicalXpress Breaking News-and-Events.
Well it depends on who you ask.
The official definition just means a food that is nutrient dense but some marketers reference their products as “super” when they are actually just mediocre nutrition that is over-hyped. Be careful buying powder mixes that pose themselves as all that. More often than not, your stomach acid will nix any benefit from those pricey “collagen superfood mixes”.
Instead, look for foods that are high in antioxidant content. For example, everyone knows how Kale is a great superfood. BUT Red Leaf Lettuce actually has a higher antioxidant content and I think it tastes better too.
Almonds get a lot of attention as they are a healthy snack, but pecans have over 4 times the antioxidant content. I was happy to learn this one as almonds are okay, but I LOVE pecans. Pecans have become my go-to quick snack.
Turmeric is one of, if not the most, studied superfood. The reason? Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, has been linked to a number of health benefits. Studies suggest it is beneficial in treating heart disease, cancer, osteoarthritis, infections, MS and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimers.
Chia Seeds contain more Omega 3’s than salmon! Athletes respect chia’s high protein content and excellent all 9 essentail amino acids. That makes it one of the best raw vegan superfoods for protein.
Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
There is a lot to be said about the Keto diet and many store bought items are being marketed as “Keto Friendly”. But be careful purchasing anything listed as “Keto Friendly.”
Why? Because Keto is based on high fat, high protein and many of the foods and food combinations offered in the store are designed purely to get fat grams in the body without any carbs.
For example, most nuts they recommend contain a high calorie to fat ratio and contain very little protein, such as macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, cashews, and pistachios. It’s best to take this snack list in moderation to avoid going into ketoacidosis.
R3 is based on healthy food, learning to adopt clean, healthy, non-emotional eating. R3 allows you to eat many of the snacks listed below in moderation and make certain you are getting your daily protein.
Hayseeds Creative 