Nutrition and Salmon
Salmon is a highly nutritious food. It’s high in protein, and rich in Omega-3 fatty acids (the good fats). But it also provides the full daily requirement of Vitamin D (one of the few foods that can make this claim), as well as over half of the necessary B12, niacin, and selenium, and is an excellent source of B6, and magnesium. Salmon is a high-protein, low in sodium meal that is important for kids and adults alike, since omega-3s help protect against heart disease, promote healthy skin and joints, and are essential to proper neurological development in unborn babies and young children. The sheer number of advantages and good benefits which come from a steady diet of salmon is remarkable, and experiencing them only involves a few minor changes to your diet.
- Salmon provides higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids than most other fish sources.
- Omega-3s help lock moisture into skin cells, encouraging the production of strong collagen and elastin fibers, which aid in youthful looking skin, and help reduce skin blemishes.
- Along with strengthening skin cells, Omega-3s can help maintain healthy joints by reducing inflammation and limiting joint pain.
- Numerous reports show that Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and joint pain.
- Required throughout pregnancy, Omega-3 fatty acids are critical for proper brain, eye and nervous system development in the developing fetus.
- Another benefit of omega-3s anti-inflammatory effects may be their ability to protect our skin against sunburn, and possibly, skin cancer.
- While high in essential fatty-acids, salmon is low in “bad” fats, or saturated fats. Salmon has approximately a third of the saturated fat of lean ground beef and 50 percent less saturated fat than chicken.
- Compared to hamburger, steak, and pork loin, salmon contains 20 percent more protein.
- This low-fat, high protein food source is also low in calories. One serving of salmon contains less calories than both beef or chicken, as well as many other fish.
- In addition to essential amino acids, high-quality proteins help maintain an active metabolism, which plays an integral role in weight loss.
Nutrition and Walnut
Adding walnuts to your diet can be an important step in improving your cardiovascular health. The main claim to fame for this delicious nut is their omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight heart disease. Eating a handful of walnuts about five times a week will reduce your chances of getting a heart attack between fifteen and fifty percent. It makes sense that nuts and seeds are rich sources of a wide variety of nutrients, because they are, after all, nature’s nurseries. A nut or seed is basically a storage device that contains all the highly concentrated proteins, calories, and nutrients that a plant embryo will require to flourish. The walnut’s concentration of omega-3s has many potential health benefits ranging from cardiovascular protection, to the promotion of better cognitive function, to anti-inflammatory benefits helpful in asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis. In addition, walnuts contain an antioxidant compound called ellagic acid that supports the immune system and appears to have several anticancer properties.
- Walnuts are the flagship nut in the SuperFood category, and they are just plain delicious.
- Walnuts contain lots of antioxidants, and plant sterols, which lower cholesterol.
- Besides the reduction of coronary heart disease, walnuts also reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, and a host of other chronic ailments.
- They are one of the few rich sources of plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids along with canola oil, ground flaxseed and flaxseed oil, soybeans and soybean oil, wheat germ, spinach, and purslane.
- Omega-3s benefit the cardiovascular system by helping to prevent erratic heart rhythms, making blood less likely to clot inside arteries, and improving the ratio of good cholesterol to potentially harmful cholesterol.
- Alpha linolenic acid, the omega-3 fat found in walnuts, promotes bone health.
- And all this is important because more than 95% of the US population is lacking a daily amount of Omega-3 fats.
- Walnuts are a good source of fiber, protein, magnesium, copper, folate, and vitamin E. They are the nut with the highest overall antioxidant activity, including at least 16 antioxidant phenols, vitamin E, and gallic acid.
- Their flesh consists mainly of a blend of vegetable fats(60%), a very respectable amount of protein (24%), and carbohydrates (10%).
- What’s great about walnuts is that medical studies have shown them to promote weight loss (even with a high caloric content).
- Melatonin, which is involved in inducing and regulating sleep and is also a powerful antioxidant present in walnuts.
- Walnuts also contain an antioxidant compound called ellagic acid, which blocks the metabolic pathways that can lead to cancer. Ellagic acid not only helps protect healthy cells from free radical damage, but also helps detoxify potential cancer-causing substances and helps prevent cancer cells from replicating.
- 5-10 Walnuts a day is all it takes to regain a big slice of your health back.
previous – Nutrition and Blueberry
Nutrition and Blueberry
Blueberries are an excellent source of vitamin A, C, E, K, and beta-carotene, as well as being rich in the minerals potassium, manganese, magnesium. They are also packed with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids which help protect the body against the damaging effects of free radicals and chronic diseases associated with the aging process. Not only can they lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, they are also anti-inflammatory (inflammation being a key driver of all chronic diseases). So you can see that blueberries have a host of benefits, all of which puts them in the category of Superfood.
- Researchers have shown that blueberries are one of the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity, and the capacity to destroy free radicals.
- They also contain anthocyanins and phenolics that can act as antioxidants.
- Blueberries are also high in potassium and vitamin C, making them the top choice of doctors and nutritionists.
- When selecting blueberries, the darker they are, the more antioxidants they have, and frozen are just as good as fresh.
- Blueberries help with short-term memory loss associated with aging.
- They can help improve vision.
- Blueberries have compounds called proanthocyanidins that promote urinary tract health and reduce the risk of infection by preventing bacteria from adhering to the cells that line the walls of the urinary tract.
- These berries are very low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
- Blueberries include a flavonoid called kaempferol, and one study revealed that women whose diets provided the most kaempferol had a 40% reduction in risk of ovarian cancer.
- They improve memory and work to defend the brain from aging.
- They are also a good source of dietary fiber. A diet high in fiber contributes to heart health, helping to keep cholesterol in check, aids in digestions, and helps maintain regularity.
- Manganese, which is found in this berry, plays an important role in the development of bones and in the metabolism of protein.
