Fast Food and Vitamins Take Up Some Healthy Habits

If you ask most adults why they don't get the vitamins they need as part of their daily food intake, they'll likely tell you that they just don't have the time to eat like they should. It's true that eating right does take some time and effort, but it's also true that you can develop and maintain healthier eating habits without any drastic changes. Take a look at some facts and some alterations that can make a big difference in how you eat, and how you feel about what you eat.

Think the only healthy food is food that's served on a plate that you eat with a fork? The truth is that many foods that are very rich in vitamins that your body needs everyday are available for your consumption on the go. And with some minor changes, even your fast foods can be healthy choices when you're considering vitamins.

A cheeseburger from your favorite fast food place doesn't have to be something you only indulge in now and then. While there are some other issues to consider (the amount of grease and salt, for example), a cheeseburger can provide you with many of the vitamins you need. A regular cheeseburger with a double patty gives you about 30 percent of your body's B12 needs for the day and the dill pickles are a source of Vitamin K.

Instead of ordering French Fries to go with your burger, choose a salad. That doesn't mean that you have to stop what you're doing and sit down to eat the salad. Pile those veggies on the burger! The tomatoes are a source of Vitamin C, and the lettuce and mayonnaise has Vitamin K. Add it all up and a cheeseburger isn't a bad choice when you're trying to get the daily requirement of some necessary vitamins. Even a fast food taco can be a good source of Vitamin B12.

Sandwiches are generally not associated with healthy eating, but the same "cheeseburger rule" applies to any sandwich. Pile on the jalapeno or bell peppers for Vitamin C. Oils are also a good source of vitamins. Sunflower oil is very high in Vitamin E, for example.

Many foods that aren't naturally high in vitamin content are fortified with vitamins. Most dairy products are fortified with Vitamin D. Taking just the time for a bowl of vitamin-fortified cereal in the morning can provide you with all the vitamins you need for the entire day. The next time you're ready to dismiss a particular food as just empty calories, take a minute to evaluate what you're really eating. You may be surprised to find the vitamin content is higher than you thought, or you may find that some simple changes can rectify the vitamin-poor choices.

Chocolate - The Latest Health Food?

There are now even more reasons for chocolate lovers to rejoice! As more amazing research news comes in about chocolate, the substance is moving from a bad-for-you candy to an important health food. Those of us who had always continued to indulge in occasional chocolate treats can stop feeling guilty and now easily justify our cravings.

You may have already heard that chocolate contains beneficial flavonoids and antioxidents. Flavonoids are naturally-occurring compounds found in plant foods that are full of recognized health benefits. There are more than 4,000 flavonoid compounds, which are a subgroup of a large class called polyphenols. Phenols are believed to help reduce the risk of heart disease by helping prevent atherosclerosis. The flavanols in chocolate appear to help the body use nitric oxide, which is crucial for healthy blood flow and blood pressure, which means that chocolate might help reduce hypertension as well.

Red wine is know for its high phenol content, but an average bar of dark chocolate contains more phenols than 8 ounces of red wine. Scientists at Cornell University and Seoul National University examined the cancer-fighting antioxidant content of hot cocoa, red wine, and tea, and found that cocoa had nearly double the antioxidants of red wine and four to five times more than tea.

Holland's National Institute of Public Health and Environment found that dark chocolate contains 53.5 mg of catechins per 100 grams. (Catechins are the powerful antioxidants that fight against cancer and help prevent heart disease). By contrast, a cup of black tea contains only about 14 mg of catechins and green tea has about 30 mg of catechins.

A study at University of California Davis found that participants who ate chocolate showed a reduction in platelet activity. This means that chocolate has an anti-clotting, blood-thinning effect that can be compared to aspirin.

A Harvard University study of 8,000, with an average age of 65, revealed that those who consumed chocolate lived almost a year longer than those who did not. Those who ate one to three candy bars per month had a 36 percent lower risk of death (compared to the people who ate no candy), while those who ate three or more candy bars per week had a 16 percent lower risk.

A study of older men in The Netherlands, known for its chocolate, showed that those who ate the most chocolate, an equivalent of one-third of a chocolate bar every day, had lower blood pressure and a 50 percent lower risk of death. The researchers also noted the men eating the most cocoa products were not heavier or bigger eaters than the men who ate less cocoa.

And it's not just dark chocolate that is the only healthy type of chocolate. Most studies talk about the benefits of dark chocolate, but some of the most recent news about chocolate includes good news for milk chocolate lovers, who have been left out in the past.

The Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia did a study that shows that milk chocolate seems to boost brainpower. The groups in the test consumed, on different occasions, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, carob and nothing. Then they were tested for cognitive performance including memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem solving.

According to Dr. Bryan Raudenbush, "Composite scores for verbal and visual memory were significantly higher for milk chocolate than the other conditions." The study also found that consumption of milk and dark chocolate was associated with improved impulse control and reaction time. It seems that by consuming chocolate you get stimulating effects from substances found in chocolate, such as theobromine and phenylethylamine, which then lead to increased mental performance.

Chocolate really does make you feel good, too. It is known to stimulate the secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasurable sensation similar to the "runner's high" a jogger feels after running several miles. Chocolate also contains a neurotransmitter, serotonin that acts as an anti-depressant. Studies in England show that even the aroma of chocolate gives a bout of euphoria and will help lift the spirits.

And now people are looking at chocolate for skin care. According to Marlies Spinale, director of Tru Spa, "Like many other antioxidants, cocoa polyphenols are thought to offer the skin protection from free-radical damage caused by sun, pollution, stress, alcohol consumption and other factors. I believe that we will hear more about the benefits of chocolate in skin care."

Some people have been avoiding chocolate because one of the main ingredients of chocolate is cocoa butter. It was thought that it was an unhealthy fat, but actually cocoa butter is not unhealthy. It is made up of the beneficial fatty acids-- oleic acid (a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil), stearic and palmitic acids. Stearic and palmitic acids are healthy forms of saturated fat. Plus chocolate contains vitamins A, B1, C, D, and E, as well as potassium, sodium, and iron.

So go ahead and indulge in a little chocolate, in moderation of course. I would recommend that you try to find organic chocolate, and stick with darker chocolate because it has more chocolate flavonoids and less sugar. (Sugar weakens the immune system; so don't consume sugar if you are ill.) And a little bit of milk chocolate is alright when you need an occasional milk chocolate brainpower boost, such as before a test. All you students take note!

Chocolate as a health food-- can life get any better?

The Foods You Eat Determine Your Health

Somewhere caught up in your busy lifestyle, between your Palm Pilot or Blackberry, day planner, lap top, the kids sports, piano lessons, traffic, and household duties, being healthy got deleted from your agenda. Instead of planning and taking time to sit down to eat, you're on the go, driving through fast food franchises eating combo meals, forgetting to eat lean protein, fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, the quick and easy foods are loaded with carbohydrates, sodium, sugar and fats. Healthy eating will help you stay healthy.

Here are a couple of tips for healthy eating so you don't ignore your healthy:

1. Don't skip breakfast. Eating in the morning will jump-start your metabolism, giving you energy to get you through the morning. Protein and carbohydrate in the morning is a great breakfast. Breakfast should be your largest meal for the day.

2. Reduce your intake of caffeinated and carbonated beverages. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant and is addictive. Caffeine will make you hungry. Carbonation prevents your body from absorbing nutrients. Both caffeine and carbonation will cause your body to be in a more acidic state. The best pH for your balance is more alkaline or slightly over 7.0 which is half way between total acidic and alkalinity.

3. Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. I personally drink distilled water and avoid tap water at all costs. Filtered, purified, ionized and reverse osmosis water is also good. Think of water as cleansing the toxins out of your body. Water is water and water is not ice tea, coffee, Crystal light.

4. Eat your fruits and vegetables daily. A diet rich in dark green, orange, red and yellow choices are best. Your body likes variety which comes in all colors. Variety gives your body a greater amount of nutrients. The most overlooked benefit of eating raw vegetables in your diet is the benefits of the enzyme activity in raw vegetables. Eat at least 3 portions of raw vegetables a day.

5. Eat whole-grain products. Your best sources are whole-grain breads, cereals, rice and pasta. Stay away from enriched and white flour products. Read the label. Processed foods are not whole-grains. All the healthy nutrients have been stripped away from processed foods.

6. Cut the "bad" (saturated) fats and increase the "good" (unsaturated) fats. The bad fats include coconut and palm oil, butter, full-fat dairy products and animal fat. Eat the good fats that include olive, canola and corn oils. Read the label. Anything fat which is solid at room temperature is best to avoid.

7. Drink alcohol in moderation if at all. Alcohol has wasted calories and if consumed on a regular basis, adds unwanted pounds. Alcohol also increases your blood sugar levels which is unhealthy for your metabolism.

Just try and make one change a week. Or continue to work on one of these tips until it becomes a part of your healthy lifestyle. Healthy eating takes some planning. It's very difficult to eat healthy on the fly. Spend some time and plan your meals. It's well worth the rewards. You are what you eat. If you are eating unhealthy, don't expect to stay healthy for long. I believe it's easier to stay healthy than to try to get healthy once your sick.

With only a few simple changes, you can make a big difference in your daily eating habits. Use your mind - if you think healthy, you will eat healthy. Think of foods as fuel for your body. Eating healthy foods will produce a healthy body.