This blog is all about nutrition, weight loss, diet, exercise and other healthy lifestyle information. I'll update the postings here at least once each week. If there's something vital to report, I'll write more often. Enjoy, and come back often. I'd also encourage your comments. Peace!
26th April 2006

The Wellness of YOU! - # 77 - Beans

Nutrition and Weight Loss

So far in this series of articles about “healing foods” we’ve covered whole grains, black or Bing cherries, yogurt, salmon, cabbage,walnuts and blueberries. Today we’ll cover another of the “healing foods” so that you will be able to move forward with your nutrition and weight loss program with confidence.

Today it’s all about Beans!! Yes, beans! All kinds of beans. Read on to see why beans are such an important part of the list of “healing foods”.


So often whenever you mention beans people get this funny look on their face and make comments like, “I only eat beans when I’m alone!” — or — “Sure, I’ve heard they’re good for you, but they aren’t something I’d ever eat in public — they give me too much gas!”

Folks, beans can do wonders in warding off colon cancer!

Beans are one of the most underrated nutritional powerhouses on the market today. They are a tremendous source of protein. They’re loaded with antioxidants — and here comes the part where they can help reduce colon cancer — they are full of fiber.

Yes, it is the fiber part that can give you gas. One of the reasons why we tend to have problems eating beans is that we don’t eat them as frequently as we should. We don’t eat them often enough to allow our bodies to adjust to them. We should be including a serving of beans with our meals at least two to four times a week. If we did that, the gas problem would cease to exist.

The reason for eating beans is simple — if you want to stay healthy, you have to keep your GI tract moving — and eating beans is an excellent way to do that.

Furthermore, in a study published in November 2005 in The Journal of the American Medical Association, a healthy diet rich in lean protein — about half from plant sources such as beans — was found to lower blood pressure and “bad” LDL cholesterol, and to cut the risk of heart disease by 21 percent.

Talk about bonuses — ward off colon cancer and cut the risk of heart disease just by eating a few beans with your meals — that’s like hitting the jackpot!

It doesn’t matter what bean or beans you choose — they’re all good. If you buy canned baked beans be careful of the amount of sugar in some of those — it’s best to make your own using fresh beans.

That will be it for today — I’ll be back tomorrow with some more about “healing foods” to help you with your nutrition and weight loss program.

I would love to hear from you. One of the advantages of using a blog to communicate is the fact that it’s not a one-way medium. At the end of each article there is a link where you can comment about what you’ve read. It’s a great way to exchange thoughts and ideas.

***** So, let me hear from you! *****

As always, remember to follow a good-fat — good-carb diet. And do whatever you can, within your doctors recommendations, to keep up with the exercise part of your program. The benefits are priceless.

Here is some information about the nutritional supplements I add to my nutrition and weight loss program. These have helped me more than I would have ever imagined. I’m not kidding. Click on the links in the box below — you won’t be sorry!

You can find out more about the supplements that I take and highly recommend by looking at these pages:

— My Health Products – Testimonials — and Uses for My Products.

Read through those pages and then contact me with your questions. I’m here to help you to achieve your nutrition and weight loss goals. My contact information can be found at this site:


http://www.proactivityteam.com/ronrink

Have a great day. I’ll be back tomorrow with some more nutrition and weight loss thoughts for you.

And give the South Beach Diet a try. That’s what I follow and it sure has worked for me. Here’s where to go to learn more:


Click Here!

Shanti,

Ron
_______________________________________________________________________________

Would you like to exchange links with us? It’s easy! Follow the instructions here:

Click Here –>> Linking To Us Is Easy

posted in Nutrition and Weight Loss | 0 Comments

24th April 2006

The Wellness of YOU! - # 76 - Blueberries

Nutrition and Weight Loss

So far in this series of articles about “healing foods” we’ve covered whole grains, black or Bing cherries, yogurt, salmon, cabbage and walnuts. Today we’ll cover another of the “healing foods” so that you will be able to move forward with your nutrition and weight loss program with confidence.

Today it’s all about Blueberries!! Those juicy, succulent blueberries — I love these — and — the best part is they’re good for keeping your mind sharp. Not only are they delicious, but you can get smart at the same time. Is that a bonus, or what?


Not too long ago the researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University analyzed 40 different fruits and vegetables looking for the disease-fighting factors, especially the antioxidant activity.

Out of the 40 fruits and vegetable, blueberries came out on top — they were the big winner. And, I do mean a BIG winner.

The study showed that if you were to eat one serving of nice, wild blueberries, you would receive the same benefit as if you had eaten two or three servings of other fruits and vegetables. That would include the other well-known disease-fighters like apples, broccoli, and even spinach.

Just within the past year there have been other studies published showing that eating plenty of blueberries may help to lessen the brain damage from strokes. Those same studies also state that blueberries may reduce the effects of Alzeimer’s disease or dementia.

Not only do blueberries show promise in helping us with keeping our brain sharp, the antioxidants in this delicious fruit can protect your cells from damage. The researchers are also finding that there are other components in blueberries that might restore damaged cells and make them more healthy.

I know that blueberries are a seasonal thing in some parts of the country. Whenever they are in season, don’t worry about what they cost, just be sure you eat them a couple of times each week — more if you’d like. They’re good on your cereal — mixed in with some yogurt — as part of a nice whole wheat pancake — and there are so may other tasty ways that your imagination might conjure up.

In the off season, you can always find dried blueberries, (they’re right there with the Craisins) and even the frozen ones aren’t too bad.

That will be it for today — I’ll be back tomorrow with some more about “healing foods” to help you with your nutrition and weight loss program.

I would love to hear from you. One of the advantages of using a blog to communicate is the fact that it’s not a one-way medium. At the end of each article there is a link where you can comment about what you’ve read. It’s a great way to exchange thoughts and ideas.

***** So, let me hear from you! *****

As always, remember to follow a good-fat — good-carb diet. And do whatever you can, within your doctors recommendations, to keep up with the exercise part of your program. The benefits are priceless.

Here is some information about the nutritional supplements I add to my nutrition and weight loss program. These have helped me more than I would have ever imagined. I’m not kidding. Click on the links in the box below — you won’t be sorry!

You can find out more about the supplements that I take and highly recommend by looking at these pages:

— My Health Products – Testimonials — and Uses for My Products.

Read through those pages and then contact me with your questions. I’m here to help you to achieve your nutrition and weight loss goals. My contact information can be found at this site:


http://www.proactivityteam.com/ronrink

Have a great day. I’ll be back tomorrow with some more nutrition and weight loss thoughts for you.

And give the South Beach Diet a try. That’s what I follow and it sure has worked for me. Here’s where to go to learn more:


Click Here!

Shanti,

Ron
_______________________________________________________________________________

Would you like to exchange links with us? It’s easy! Follow the instructions here:

Click Here –>> Linking To Us Is Easy

posted in Nutrition and Weight Loss | 0 Comments

21st April 2006

The Wellness of YOU! - # 75 - Walnuts

Nutrition and Weight Loss

So far in this series of articles about “healing foods” we’ve covered whole grains, black or Bing cherries, yogurt, salmon and cabbage. Today we’ll cover another of the “healing foods” so that you will be able to move forward with your nutrition and weight loss program with confidence.

Today it’s all about Walnuts! Those fabulous walnuts — so good for the ticker, you know.
I can remember back when I had my pair of heart attacks — (they were both in the early 1980s) — all the advice from the nutritionists at that time was, “Ron, don’t eat any nuts — they’re full of fat and you don’t want to pick up any extra weight or plug up your arteries!”

Thankfully, especially since I really do like all kinds of nuts, the scientific gurus have learned a lot more about fats — they’ve learned that there are a wide variety of fats — some are good for you — some are not — and nuts have come back into favor. Yes!!

By the way, if you missed out on the articles I wrote about all the different fats, you can catch up by going here …

Please see http://wecould2.com/2006/03/page/2/ — there are several articles about good fats and bad fats on that same page.

The one nut that stands out among the rest is walnuts.


Why? Walnuts are unique among nuts because they’re full of omega-3 fatty acids. That’s the same omega-3 that is so prevalent in salmon that we talked about in our article a few days ago.

There is now a ton of scientific proof that omego-3 fatty acids can do wonders to reduce the risk of heart disease and hypertension. In one study a group of Japanese men and women who ate one-fourth to one-third cup of walnuts a day lowered their “bad” LDL cholesterol levels by up to 10 percent.

Walnuts have another good thing going for them — (and they have a couple of nut buddies for this benefit, almonds and pistachios), it’s that these nuts are high in arginine — which is an amino acid that increases blood flow to the heart. Nothing wrong with that, huh?

The bottom line is this — Eating walnuts and other nuts in moderation can be very good for your health and your nutrition and weight loss program.

I have a very busy weekend ahead of me so I may not get another article written before Monday. But, I will be back then with some more about “healing foods” to help you with your nutrition and weight loss program.

I would love to hear from you. One of the advantages of using a blog to communicate is the fact that it’s not a one-way medium. At the end of each article there is a link where you can comment about what you’ve read. It’s a great way to exchange thoughts and ideas.

***** So, let me hear from you! *****

As always, remember to follow a good-fat — good-carb diet. And do whatever you can, within your doctors recommendations, to keep up with the exercise part of your program. The benefits are priceless.

Here is some information about the nutritional supplements I add to my nutrition and weight loss program. These have helped me more than I would have ever imagined. I’m not kidding. Click on the links in the box below — you won’t be sorry!

You can find out more about the supplements that I take and highly recommend by looking at these pages:

— My Health Products – Testimonials — and Uses for My Products.

Read through those pages and then contact me with your questions. I’m here to help you to achieve your nutrition and weight loss goals. My contact information can be found at this site:


http://www.proactivityteam.com/ronrink

Have a great day. I’ll be back soon with some more nutrition and weight loss thoughts for you.

And give the South Beach Diet a try. That’s what I follow and it sure has worked for me. Here’s where to go to learn more:


Click Here!

Shanti,

Ron
_______________________________________________________________________________

Would you like to exchange links with us? It’s easy! Follow the instructions here:

Click Here –>> Linking To Us Is Easy

posted in Nutrition and Weight Loss | 0 Comments