A Quick Glance – Carbohydrate (Carbs), Protein & Fat

Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are called the “macronutrients.”

Carbs - to fuel our bodies,

Protein -  to keep all our muscles and glands healthy, and

Fats - for hormone production and for a healthy nervous system. 

Healthy Choices -
While protein sources and fat sources are pretty straight forward, it is a bit more difficult to know how to choose carbohydrates. You will be able to eat more volume if you choose the low-starch vegetables and the low-sugar fruits. Junk foods like soft drinks, candy, cookies, and other sweets should be enjoyed only as occasional treats. 

Here is a list of fruits and vegetables grouped into high starch and low starch. You can use this list to balance your menus. Remember that pastas, breads, and grains have a higher starch content than the green and colored vegetables. A serving of pasta or potatoes should only be about one-half cup, while a serving of low starch vegetables is equal to about 2 full cups. 

Sources –

Low Starch Vegetables 
Asparagus, Bean Sprouts, Leafy Greens, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Spinach, Watercress, String Beans, Beets, Eggplant, Okra/Lady’s Finger, Onions, Pumpkin etc

High Starch Vegetables 
Peas, Carrots, Dried Beans, Corn, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes etc

Low Carbohydrate Fruit 
Musk Melon, Berries, Watermelon, Melons, Tomatoes, Apricots, Guava, Lemons, Limes, Oranges, Papayas, Peaches, Plums, Raspberries, Tangerines etc

High Carbohydrate Fruit
Apples, Cherries, Grapes, Kumquats, Mangoes, Pears, Pineapple, Pomegranates, Bananas, Figs, Dried Fruits etc

Carbohydrates include sugars like table sugar or fruit sugar, starches like potatoes or bread, and also something called fiber.

Fiber - for a healthy digestive system, to help slow down blood sugar metabolism, and to keep our cholesterol levels normal. 

Proteins  - meats, legumes, nuts, seeds, and fish, other vegetables have some protein too. Each source of protein contains different amounts of fat and or carbohydrate in addition to containing protein.

Fats  - the oils in vegetables, nuts, seeds, and from the fat in animals.

-- Taken from Internet sources

Green Tea

Most of the time I’m a green tea drinker. Not for the love of the taste — no way! To be honest, the real reason I drink it is because I believe it help keeps my weight in check.

I summarized few points, from one of the articles, that will definitely boost your faith in Green-Tea…as well…. J

 

Origin -

Green tea has been used as a medicine for thousands of years, originating in China but widely used throughout Asia this beverage has a multitude of uses from lowering blood pressure to preventing cancer.

 

Reason Why Green Tea is better than Black Tea –

The reason that green tea has more health benefits than black tea . This is due to the processing. Black tea is processed in a way that allows for fermentation whereas green tea’s processing avoids the fermentation process. As a result, green tea retains maximum amount of antioxidants and poly-phenols the substances that give green tea its many benefits.

Here are some amazing benefits — benefits that you may not have been aware of. Some of these benefits are still being debated, so please do your own research if you want to use green tea for medicinal purposes.

1.    Weight Loss. Green tea increases the metabolism. The polyphenol found in green tea works to intensify levels of fat oxidation and the rate at which your body turns food into calories.

2.    Diabetes. Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. This can prevent high insulin spikes and resulting fat storage.

3.    Heart Disease. Scientists think, green tea works on the lining of blood vessels, helping keep them stay relaxed and better able to withstand changes in blood pressure. It may also protect against the formation of clots, which are the primary cause of heart attacks.

4.    Esophageal Cancer. It can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer, but it is also widely thought to kill cancer cells in general without damaging the healthy tissue around them.

5.    Cholesterol. Green tea reduces bad cholesterol in the blood and improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.

6.    Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It is said to delay the deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Studies carried out on mice showed that green tea protected brain cells from dying and restored damaged brain cells.

7.    Tooth Decay. Studies suggests that the chemical antioxidant “catechin” in tea can destroy bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections, dental caries and other dental conditions

8.    Blood Pressure. Regular consumption of green tea is thought to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

9.    Depression. Theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea leaves. It is this substance that is thought to provide a relaxing and tranquilizing effect and be a great benefit to tea drinkers.

10.  Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial. Tea catechins are strong antibacterial and antiviral agents which make them effective for treating everything from influenza to cancer. In some studies green tea has been shown to inhibit the spread of many diseases.

11.  Skincare. Green tea can apparently also help with wrinkles and the signs of aging, This is because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Both animal and human studies have demonstrated that green tea applied topically can reduce sun damage.

How Much should be the intake?

These are some of the many benefits but the reality is one cup of tea a day will not give you all the abundant gains. The jury is out on how many cups are necessary; some say as little as two cups a day while others five cups — and more still say you can drink up to ten cups a day. If you are thinking of going down this route, you may want to consider taking a green tea supplement instead (it would keep you out of the bathroom).

Another thing to point out is that there is caffeine in green tea — so if you are sensitive to caffeine then one cup should be your limit. Green tea also contains tannins (which can decrease the absorption of iron and folic acid), so if you are pregnant or trying to conceive then green tea may not be ideal for you. You can try mixing green tea with other healthy ingredients such as ginger.

For the rest of us with all these abundant benefits…it’s a wonder drink!!! J J J

--- taken from internet sources

Simple way to shed fat with Water

Burn 17,400 extra calories a year simply by filling up on the wet stuff. Here are five best H20-laden foods.

That figure is the extra calories you'll burn by increasing your daily water intake by 1.5l, found the Franz-Volhard Clinical Research Center in Berlin. Stay on target with these high water percentage foods.

Cucumber: 97%
Celery: 95%
Watermelon: 91%
Broccoli: 89%
Apple: 86%

Sources of Vitamin B2

Taken from Facebook post