healthy living tips by Dr.Vina

Ever wonder what a glass of strawberry juice can do to our body? Well, in essence strawberry is a fabulous fruit that is packed with important nutrients for our health. Among other fruits (pears, cherries, apples, grapes, oranges and other commonly eaten fruits), strawberry is in the top list in regards to protection power to our heart and artery walls.

The first factor to consider from this fruit is its content of antioxidant. Strawberry is loaded with flavonoids particularly ones called quercetin and kaempferol. The antioxidant helps protect our body against oxidative damage. Remember our story about LDL cholesterol? The antioxidant keeps the LDL from oxidizing and becoming detrimental to our artery walls. In particular, quercetin and kaempferol prevent blood plattelets from clomping together. This capability minimizes the formation of blood clots --the number one enemy for your heart-- thereby reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Another goody from strawberry is vitamin C. For one cup of serving, you will have about 140% of your daily needs. Now, with all these facts, start having a bowl of fresh strawberries for your powerful breakfast. You can also have them for dipping in our favorite yogurt. If you are fans of morning cereal, you might want to add slices of strawberry. Not only that your breakfast will look more appetizing, it is also doing wonder to your health.

Photo by Charlene

It is dinner time and as an opening menu you have a mouth-watering asparagus soup. Well, asparagus is much more than a delicacy. It contains folic acid which is important ingredient for a healthy cardiovascular system. Folic acid is known to lower the risk of heart disease, colon cancer, liver disease, and spina bifida. Asparagus is laden with source of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Asparagus is also brimming with naturally occurring phytochemicals of glutathione and rutin. Like banana, asparagus is a very good source of potassium and quite low in sodium.

Who does not know kiwi? Go to your local super market, you can easily spot this wonderful fruit. They are soft with fuzzy brown fur on the outside. Its flesh is bright green loaded with heart-healthy vitamins and minerals. The mineral contents (magnesium, calcium and potassium) help keep our blood pressure under control. Meanwhile, one serving of kiwi has over 130 percent of aily need of vitamin C, an antioxidant that prevent the LDL holesterol from damaging our artery walls. Unlike many other ruits, kiwi also contains vitamin E which also keep the the bad cholesterol from oxidizing and becoming detrimental to your heart.

According to the study from Rutgers University in New Jersey, among 24 frequently eaten fruits (including apples, oranges, and bananas), kiwi was found to be the most nutrient laden fruit. And that is not all. Each piece of kiwi also provides us with over 10 percent of fiber needs.

So, what are you waiting for? Go grab them now. You can use them to top off your smoothies, salads and pasta. Surely you can also have the wonderful fruits with yogurt, waffles or cereal.

Imagine a glass of iced pink guava juice on a hot sticky day!
Very tempting for sure ...

But there is a lot more about it.
Guava comes laden with vitamin C, fiber and potassium, the three players to help combat heart disease and hypertension.

A medium size guava offers a staggering 275% of our vitamin C needs, 20% of our fiber needs, a load of potassium all in an only 45 calories.

In a 12-week study, a group of participants were asked to eat 4-7 guavas a day.

The result was stunning!

Cholesterol level dropped an immense 10% translating to 20% reduction in heart disease. HDL went up while the blood pressure fell.
Is there any better combination you can ask for a glass of guava juice?

A three-ounce serving of canned clams has only 126 calories, about two grams of fat and 60 mg of cholesterol. At glance, this can easily portray clams as a bad food.

Closer examination however will reveal that the fat is actually of the omega-3 type that helps slash down the heart disease risk.

The cholesterol turned out to be the sterols that actually block cholesterol absorption in the intestinal tract. In addition, clams has a whoping 4000 percent of your vitamin B₁₂ needs.

Eating clams on a regular basis may lower blood cholesterol level. So next time when you prepare chowders, seafood stew or casseroles for your dinner, confidently include fresh or canned clams!

I should say, apple is an A+ food for your health.
According to a number of research studies, eating an apple a day can protect yourself from heart disease.

Apple is brimming with fiber called pectin and phyto-chemicals. Pectin lowers cholesterol level by binding it in the intestines keeping it from entering your system. Further components of the apple called flavonoids (a kind of phyto-chemicals) has been proven to be lowering the risk of heart disease.

Good news for apple lover : snack on apples anytime!
A study in Netherlands found that a ground of elderly men who ate at least an apple a day slash their risk for dying of heart disease by 50%.

So apple anyone?

The keyword here is really the small amount.

The study shows that chocolate contains the phyto-chemicals (phenols) which fight against heart disease!

The bottom line for chocoholics is again the moderation.
So next time you shop in your groceries store, you can add chocolate into your list.

But just remember to keep portion sizes small and stick with dark chocolate which has a greater portion of phenol content that milk chocolate.