13 Health Benefits of Apples

Let me share with you 13 Health Benefits we can get from Apples.

1. Apple contain a large amount of minerals and vitamins that can strengthen the blood.

2. Study shown that by eating 100g of apple can give an antioxidant effect that equal to taking about 1,500mg of vitamin C. Thus it strengthens the gum aside from cleaning the teeath.

3. Apples are good for the bones! French researchers found that a flavanoid called phloridzin that is found only in apples may protect post-menopausal women from osteoporosis and may also increase bone density. Boron, another ingredient in apples, also strengthens bones.

4. Apples offer Asthma Help. One recent study shows that children with asthma who drank apple juice on a daily basis suffered from less wheezing than children who drank apple juice only once per month. Another study showed that children born to women who eat a lot of apples during pregnancy have lower rates of asthma than children whose mothers ate few apples.

5. A study on mice at Cornell University found that the quercetin in apples may protect brain cells from the kind of free radical damage that may lead to Alzheimer's disease.

6. Apple helps lower Cholesterol. The pectin in apples lowers LDL ("bad") cholesterol. People who eat two apples per day may lower their cholesterol by as much as 16 percent.

7. Apple helps prevent lung cancer. According to a study of 10,000 people, those who ate the most apples had a 50 percent lower risk of developing lung cancer. Researchers believe this is due to the high levels of the flavonoids quercetin and naringin in apples.

8. Breast cancer can also be fought by apples! A Cornell University study found that rats who ate one apple per day reduced their risk of breast cancer by 17 percent. Rats fed three apples per day reduced their risk by 39 percent and those fed six apples per day reduced their risk by 44 percent.

9. Apple prevents colon cancer. The skin of Apple contain pectin that can help remove toxic substances from the system by supplying galacturonic acid. Pectin helps prevent protein matter in the intestine from spoiling. Study shows that the pectin in apples reduces the risk of colon cancer and helps maintain a healthy digestive tract.

10. Apple say no to liver cancer. Apple contain malic acid and tartaric acid, that can help prevent disturbances of the liver and digestion. Research found that rats fed an extract from apple skins had a 57 percent lower risk of liver cancer.

11. Apples help manager diabetes. The pectin in apples supplies galacturonic acid to the body which lowers the body's need for insulin and may help in the management of diabetes.

12. We can lose weight with apples! A Brazilian study found that women who ate three apples per day lost more weight while dieting than women who did not eat fruit while dieting. The insoluble fiber found in apples is responsible for a host of other benefits such its "filling" effect, making it an effective appetite supressant.

13. Nutritive Values : Per 100 grams

    * Vitamin A : 900 I.U.
    * Vitamin B : Thiamine .07 mg.;
    * Vitamin C : 5 mg.
    * Vitamin G : Amount uncertain
    * Calcium : 6 mg.
    * Iron : 3 mg.
    * Phosphorus : 10 mg.
    * Potassium : 130 mg.
    * Carbohydrates : 14.9 gm.
    * Calories : 58

I hope you all learn something today. I did and I will never look at apples the same way again.

Happy Thursday 13 everyone! 

8 Glasses of Water a Day

...burns the fat away! 

Yes, you read it right. The single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off is WATER.

Water happens not to be just a thirst quencher--it also speeds up the body's metabolism. According to some researchers in Germany, drinking two 8-ounce glasses of cold water increased their subjects' metabolic rate by 30%, and the effect persisted for 90 minutes. One-third of the boost came from the body's efforts to warm the water, but the rest was due to the work the body did to absorb it. "When drinking water, no calories are ingested but calories are used, unlike when drinking sodas, where additional calories are ingested and possibly stored," explains the lead researcher, Michael Boschmann, MD, of University Medicine Berlin. Increasing water consumption to eight glasses per day may help you lose about 8 pounds in a year, he says, so try drinking a glass before meals and snacks and before consuming sweetened drinks or juices.

How's that possible? 

Well here is what I gathered in my research. The kidneys cannot function properly without enough water. When they do not work to capacity, some of their load is dumped on the liver. One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. But if the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it cannot work at full throttle.

As a result, it metabolizes less fat... more fat remains stored in the body and weight loss stops!

Drinking an adequate amount of water every day is the best treatment for fluid retention. But when the body is given less water than it needs... it perceives the shortage as a threat to survival and will begin to retain every drop. Water reserves are stored in extra-cellular spaces (outside the cells). This water can show up as swollen feet, hands and legs. Diuretics only offer a temporary solution at best. They force out stored water along with some essential nutrients. Again, the body perceives a threat and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity. Thus, the condition quickly returns.

The best way to overcome the problem of water retention is to give your body what it needs — plenty of water — only then will stored water be released.

If water retention is a constant problem then time to examine if there is some excess salt in the system! The body will only tolerate sodium in certain concentrations. The more salt we eat, the more water our system retains to dilute it. But getting rid of unneeded salt is easy — just drink more water!

As the water is forced through the kidneys, it will remove the excess sodium.

Over weight people need more water than thin people. Larger people have larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism... it follows that the over weight person needs more water to metabolize excess fat.

Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone... which in turn, aids proper muscle contraction and prevents dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss. Shrinking cells are buoyed by water which plums the skin and leaves it clear, healthy and resilient.

Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has more waste to get rid of, and all that metabolized fat must be shed. Again — water helps flush out this waste!

A Healthy Snack...

This is a quick healthy snacks that I always enjoy with the IT Guy...

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Never Too Late to Plan Ahead

After my post yesterday it occurred to me to make a follow-up post. Sometimes having senior problems are inevitable and well to combat that I'm making sure I have some financial coverage for myself when I am over 60.

I am always a believer of financial planning and right now I am investing for my future. I just want to make sure I can take care of myself in my senior days. And well for those who weren't able to start young, it's not that late yet. People in their seniors can still get life insurance coverage even when you are over 65. My Grandma and my mom who are both over 60  were still able to get one for themselves!

So what are you waiting for? Start shopping around for a good deal. When senior problems are inevitable, we just have to make sure we are ready for them when they come!

Ways to Prevent Senior Problems

I spent last weekend at the farm with Grandma. It was my Grandpa's death anniversary and well I always grab every opportunity to visit the farm and my Grandma. She will be 90 this year and with God's grace she is still very active and of good health.

I'm trying to look at her life and see how I can mirror her lifestyle to I get to reach her age without any senior problems and I sum it up to 5 tips --

1. Adopt a healthy lifestyle at any age. Eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, limit alcohol intake, and quit smoking.

2. Engage in mentally stimulating activities. Read, play cards, do puzzles and memory games. Take up a hobby if you will!

3. Be socially active. Do volunteer work, join a club, travel in group.

4. Visit your doctor regularly. Be in tip-top shape and get prompt treatments for any conditions as the crop up.

5. Adopt a positive outlook in life. Avoid stress and learn to relax.

I'd say the last one matter a lot and seems to be the hardest to do!