Tomatoes!

Bright red in color and round in shape, tomatoes are not only look appealing, but also very tasty to eat. Many people thought that it's in the veggie group, when it's actually a fruit.

image credit to free-extras.com

Besides its freshness, tomatoes are rich in antioxidants, which are effective in fighting those free radicals. The antioxidants in tomatoes fight them by adding an electron into the free radicals, neutralizing them and stop the chain reaction of the free radicals that disrupts the health. One of the antioxidants tomatoes is lycopene. Lycopene is an important antioxidants that can help prevent the formation of cancer cells, like prostate, rectal, stomach, and throat cancer.

Lycopene is a part of the "pigment family" called carotene. Carotene is a natural component in fruit and vegetable colors. For example, beta carotene is an orange pigment in carrots.

Our body does not produce lycopene, therefore it needs a supply of lycopene from the foods we consume. Tomatoes actually contain more lycopene than other fruits, such as carrots or watermelon.

Nutritional Content in 100 grams of Tomatoes

• 27 mg of phosphor
• 360 mg of potassium
• 0,6 mg of iron
• 11 mg of calcium
• 23 mg of vitamin C
• 0,06 mg of thiamine (vitamin B)
• 1 g of protein
• 1000 iu of vitamin A

Health Benefits from Tomatoes
Except its merit in preventing the formation of cancer cells, tomatoes also have 5 other important benefits for our health, and they are:
1. Prevent the Premature Aging
With its high content of antioxidants, tomatoes can prevent premature aging from free radicals. Tomatoes also contain citric acid, which can make our skin looks fresh and cleaner.

2. Lower the Blood Cholesterol
The nicotinic acid in tomatoes can help you lower the high blood cholesterol, therefore preventing any heart disease.

3. Maintain the Blood Sugar Level
Tomatoes also contain important mineral, chromium. Chromium is useful in maintaining the stability of the blood sugar. Therefore, tomatoes are good for diabetic people.

4. Lower the Effects of Smoking
Tomatoes are highly recommended for smokers. The chlorogenic acid and the coumaric acid in tomatoes help smokers fight carcinogens, the dangerous substance in cigarettes which can cause cancer.

5. Maintain the Bone Health
Besides chromium, tomatoes also contain other important minerals such as calcium and vitamin K. These two nutrition are important in repairing the broken bone tissues while preventing the osteoporosis.

Start consuming tomatoes today, and get ALL the health merits!

Diet Soda: Better Than Regular Soda?

People often consume diet soda in order to replace the regular soda-consumption, which, as we all know, contains high sugar and calories. Consuming diet soda in a reasonable amount - say, 1 can a day - is considered safe, because the sweetener and the chemicals contained in it is still within the safe limits for most people.

image credit to thefoodfarce.com

But still, diet soda is not a healthy drink for you, especially those in diet. Even if replacing regular soda drinks with diet soda reduces significant amount of calories, but a lot of research indicates that the more soda you consume - diet soda or regular soda - your appetite will grow, heightening the risk of obesity and other related diseases such as diabetes mellitus or osteoporosis.

Other research also finds that consuming more than 1 can of carbonated drinks a day will increase the risk of metabolic syndrome as much as 40%. Metabolic syndrome is the main cause for heart disease and diabetes.

There are still a lot of healthier drinks around. The best one there is, is of course regular water, 8 glasses a day. For some variations, instead of drinking carbonated drinks, you can also consume juice, low-fat milk, of green tea. Bottoms up!

Watch Out, We Got a Fat Belly Over Here! (Part 2)

After the reading the previous article, you know what caused the fat belly. In this post, we will explore more about the health risk of having a fat belly.

- Cancer
Fat belly is associated with many risks of cancers, including endometrial (cancer in uterus layer), colon, gall bladder, prostate, kidney, and post-menopausal breast cancer. Women who gain weight more than 10 kg since they're 18 until they are middle-aged increased the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer twice than women with stable weight.

-  Fatty Liver
The main cause of fatty liver for non-alcoholic people is insulin resistance, a metabolic interference where the cells are not sensitive to the effects of insulin. One of the most common risk factors for insulin resistance is obesity, especially central obesity. Study shows there are close association from obesity and the degree of liver damage.

- Breathing Problem
Obstructive sleep apnea (breathing disruption whilst sleeping) generally occurs to overweight people. Obesity is related to the increase of asthma risks and severe bronchitis, and also obesity hypoventilation syndrome, and breathing insufficiency.

- Arthritis
Musculoskeletal disorders, including osteoarthritis, generally occurs to obesity patients, especially patients diagnosed with chronic obesity. Health research indicates that obesity is a strong predictor for osteoarthritis disorders, especially in the knee. The risk of osteoarthritis increase with every 1 kg of weight increase.

- Social and Psychological Impact of Obesity
Emotional impact might be one of the hurtful fact of being obese. Our society these days emphasize on physical appearance which is close to being thin (or skinny), especially on women. This will make overweight people feel like they are not attractive.

image credit to fat2abs.org

Preventing instead of Curing
After knowing the health risk of the accumulation of visceral fat in a fat belly, it's only natural if you want to prevent it before it risks your health. Therefore, if you still have a fat belly right now, or have no problem having a fat belly and still want to prevent it, start doing these steps regularly:

- Do 30 to 45 minutes of cardio 4 to 5 times a week
- Consider to start lifting some weight. Lifting some weight regularly will increase your muscle mass, and the more muscle you have more fat will be burn, lowering the risk of fat accumulation in your belly.
- Adjust your diet. It's better to not consume high fat and high calorie food to prevent the accumulation of new fat. Eat more veggies and fruits.

Therefore, if you want a six-packs abs, you have to get rid of all the fat in your belly. The abs muscle won't show up as long as there are some fat layering your belly. Aside from that, avoid central obesity earlier by working out regularly and eat healthier food to have optimal health quality.

Watch Out, We Got a Fat Belly Over Here! (Part 1)

Take a look at your belly in the mirror. Do you feel like your belly is too big and fatty? Now this is the time for you to know the dangers of having a fat belly so you can take the right steps to avoid the health risks!

Fat belly, also known as central obesity, is fat accumulation in your stomach, causing the increase of stomach size and the area around the waist. Central obesity was known to have some relations to many health problems. So what caused the central obesity?

There are two kinds of fat in our body. There's subcutaneous fat, the layer of fat under the skin. There's also visceral fat, also known as intra-abdominal fat, which accumulated under the fat and surrounds vital organs, including in the fat belly. The liver will metabolize this fat into blood cholesterol, making it dangerous for your health.

image credit to duniafitnes.com

Here are some of the factors which is causing the accumulation of fat in your stomach:
- Genetic factor
- The habit of eating high-fat and high-calorie foods
- Excess consumption of saturated fat
- Lack of workout and other physical activities
- Stress

Health Risk from a Fat Belly
Central obesity itself is categorized as a disease which have many other negative impacts, either for your physical health or your psychological health. Here are some other diseases which can be caused by central obesity

- Premature Death
According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 300,000 deaths a year in America was estimated to be related to obesity. People with obesity have 50 to 100% increase of premature death compared to people with healthy "weight".

- Health Disease
The risk of heart attack, heart failure, sudden death, or chest pain from heart disease is increasing for those with obesity or overweight people. Obesity is also associated with high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and degrading HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol)

- Stroke
Atherosclerosis, or blood vessels constriction - which can cause blood coagulation - is the condition which started many stroke accidents. Atherosclerosis is triggered by high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and lack of workout. Obesity also associated with high-fat diet or meal plan, causing the increase of blood pressure. Therefore, obesity was regarded as the secondary risk which can cause stroke.

- Diabetes Type 2
Weight increase of 5 to 10 kg from a healthy weight will increase the risk of having diabetes type 2 about twice compared to those who have a "normal" weight. More than 80% of people with diabetes was known to be overweight or suffering obesity.

Besides many health risks above, there are also a few dangerous diseases that can caused by having a fat belly. More on the next post!

Blame It on the Alcohol. Really?

When I mentioned alcohol, most people will immediately think about partying and get drunk. But is it really that bad? Are there any benefits of alcohol for our health?

image credit to universal-healthcare.org

Like any other things in life, it's good when you have enough. Consuming the right amount of alcohol can give you some health benefits. Fact is, alcohol can lower the risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke, gallstone, and diabetes.

On the other hand, if you consume too much alcohol, it will definitely increase the risk of:
- pancreatic, mouth, throat, and liver cancer
- swelling of the pancreas
- dying of heart attack
- high blood pressure

Unfortunately for some people, alcohol is a big no-no. For those of you who had some stroke (from hemorrhaging), have liver or pancreatic illness, or in the middle of a healing process, ALCOHOL IS A BIG NO.

So you can see that alcohol is actually a double-edged sword for your health. About 355 ml of beer and 150 ml of wine twice or thrice a week is good for you.

Why Seafood is Good

There are many reasons as to why consuming seafood are good. Besides that it have a good taste when we process it into many variations of food, seafood are sources of high-quality proteins that are low in fat in cholesterol, and also act as sources for vitamin B12, vitamin D, magnesium, and Omega 3 fatty acid which are good for your heart and blood veins.

image credit to ocean.nationalgeographic.com

Some of the seafood, such as clams, deep-sea fishes, and crabs are delicious and high in nutrition. Clams and crabs are high in vitamin B12 that supports the nerves and brain, and also minerals such as zinc, magnesium, and potassium. Meanwhile, deep-sea fishes such as salmon, tuna, or mackerel are the best sources for Omega 3 fatty acid, that can help you prevent heart diseases.

Omega 3 is known for good fatty acid that can help reduce the the risk of getting heart disease, stroke, and many kinds of cancers. Better yet, foods that are high in Omega 3 are related to positive-mood change. In other words, fishes can be functioned as a therapeutic cure for mild depression!

Fish and seafood are also good for pregnant women for their fetus' brain growth, and also reduces the risk of premature birth. Besides that, other nutrition in fish and seafood like protein and vitamin, all are good for our health.

It's clear that consuming fish and other kinds of seafood is so good, that the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends to eat fish at least twice a week. More importantly, if you have a heart disease, AHA recommends if you have a high-Omega 3 diet by eating fish every day. Therefore, by start consuming these sea delicacies in our everyday diet also plays a role for a healthy heart.

So, got fish?

I Heart Coffee? Think Again

Well I don't like coffee that much, actually. But my mum is a coffee drinker, and I know some people who actually survive on the coffee that they drink every morning. Anyway, before this post turn into some kind of rambling about some people in my life who loves coffee, then I should start by stating that people who drinks coffee in huge sum but doesn't have a healthy diet tend to suffer on heart arrhythmia (commonly known as heart disease).

image credit to coffee-cereal.com

Some Italian researchers surveyed their patients who recently diagnosed with heart arrhythmia to know their eating habits, including caffeine intake. Their eating pattern then compared with people who does not suffer on heart arrhythmia. They announced the results on annual meeting of European Society of Cardiology in Barcelona.

In that research, daily coffee consumption was divided into 4 categories: low (1 cup/day), average (2-3 cups/day), high (more than 3 cups/day), and no consumption at all. The patients are also categorized based on their adherence to Mediterranean diet, which is rich on whole-wheat, olive oil, fruits and vegetables, but low on red meats.

Based on this research, people who suffers on heart arrhythmia does not adhere to the Mediterranean diet, compare to those who does not suffer on heart arrhythmia. Patients suffering heart arrhythmia also consumes more red meats and high-fat milk.

What's interesting is that patients with arrhythmia consume more antioxidants from coffee than other foods such as fruits, vegetables, and wine, as the researchers said.

Die-hard coffee drinker also prone to heart arrhythmia than those who drink less coffee. In heart arrhythmia, both heart atrium vibrates in an abnormal manner, which caused heart palpitations (poundings), asphyxiate, fatigue, and higher risk of stroke.

In conclusion, it's better to balance out your coffee consumption with healthy foods and drinks. I'll definitely post about the goodness of coffee in the future :)

Eggs and Cholesterol

Sometimes we heard some people say that they don't want to eat eggs because it's high in cholesterol. Well, it is high in cholesterol, and consuming foods that are high in cholesterol daily can lead to increasing cholesterol level in your blood. However, nevertheless, a lot of researchers believe that saturated fat and trans-fat have bigger impact on the increase the cholesterol level.

image credit to heartheavy.com

The American Heart Association (AHA) claimed that as long as you can limit the cholesterol consumption out of all the other foods, it is very good to add eggs into your daily healthy diet, considering that eggs are good sources of protein.

Fact is, one egg contains about 213 mg of cholesterol in its yolk. If you're in healthy condition, it is better to limit your cholesterol consumption in less than 300 mg a day. However, if you got some health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, or your LDL (bad cholesterol) level is high, then it's better to limit your daily cholesterol consumption into less than 200 mg.

So, if you already consumed one egg a day, then it's better if you limit or even avoid another consumption of cholesterol from other foods in that day. However, if you really have a egg-craving day (those days exist, folks), then just consume the egg white, since it doesn't contain cholesterol.

In conclusion, you don't have to worry about consuming eggs. You just have to control the sum and the frequency. Eggs are good sources for protein, easy to digest, and easy-to-get animal protein. Therefore, consuming eggs (especially the egg whites) will be good for your diet :)

Yummy and Healthy Beverages

To achieve your ideal own ideal weight, it's really important to have some variations in your diet menu. Drink variations in your diet menu are as important as food variations. There are a lot of drink nowadays that are high in sugar, also artificial coloring and sweetener. Our body won't be in its best condition by consuming those drinks. So here I'm gonna post some of the healthy drinks that you can add into your diet menu :)

image credit to howtojuice.org

Orange Juice
The favorite drink that people usually add into their diet menu is orange juice. Orange juice got this natural flavor that people tend to like, and it's easy to prepare too. Besides its high content of healthy vitamin C and phyto-nutrition, eight ounce of orange juice had the same potassium content as it is in bananas. With its many vitamins and nutrition in it, orange juice has been believed to lower the blood pressure.

Apple Juice
Apple juice is a compulsory drink that you have to have in your diet menu. The right way to serve it is without sugar, because apples have enough sugar content to get the natural sweet taste. Fresh apple juice contains many useful vitamins and minerals. The malic acid in apples can be your additional energy when working out. The old saying of "an apple a day can keep the doctor away" is true, apparently, because there are already some research that indicates how apples can prevent heart diseases and lower the cholesterol.

Cranberry Juice
Another healthy drink is cranberry juice. The antioxidants from cranberry juice has been long known for its curing ability for urinary tract infections. The acidic taste from cranberry juice can prevent the growth of the germs causing the infections. A cranberry juice in your diet menu can keep you fit everyday.

Besides the three drinks, you can also combine it with other kinds of fruits and vegetables such as pineapples, carrots, and also tomatoes. With the three choices, you can be closer into the workout goal that you want to achieve :)

10 Healthy Foods for a Healthy Heart

Heart attack is the most dangerous disease in the world, with increasing patients every year. One of the cause of this disease is wrong meal pattern. Foods these days usually contain high cholesterol, which can clog your blood vessels. In this article, I will share about the ten foods that are good for your heart.

image credit to healthyfoodssite.com

1. Fresh Fish
Fish contains many Omega 3 fatty acids, which can lower your triglycerides level and lower your blood pressure. Consuming fishes with high Omega 3 once or twice a week can lower the chance of coronary death as high as 36%.

2. Tea
Tea are high on polyphenolic antioxidants. Scientists believe that polyphenols can prevent us from bad cholesterol (LDL) from oxidation that can clog our blood vessels. Click here for my post about green tea.

3. Beans
Beans are low in fat but high in vitamin B, folate, potassium, iron, magnesium, fiber, protein, and phytochemicals (a compound in plants that can help prevent some chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases). Black beans, red beans, navy beans, peas, and kidney beans are few of the beans that are good for our heart.

4. Paprika
Paprika are high on vitamin C, potassium, vitamin A, and antioxidants. Potassium helps balance the fluids and cells ratio in muscle contractions. People with high blood pressure are recommended to fulfill the needs for potassium from fruits and vegetables to balance the blood pressure.

5. Green Vegetables
Green vegetables contain many fibers, carotenoids, folate, phytochemicals, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Carotenoids are pigments with antioxidants that can lower the chance of heart attacks, which are available in fruits and vegetables with bright colors.

6. Orange
Besides the fact that it's high on vitamin C, oranges also high on folate, antioxidants, phytochemicals, potassium, and fibre. Vitamin C are good to increase our immunity, and the fibers on oranges can also help reducing the cholesterol in our blood.

7. Wheat
Wheat are good calorie sources that are also rich in fibers, vitamins and minerals, iron, magnesium, and folate. Some studies have tied a connection between wheat consumption to reduce cholesterol and cardiovascular disease-prevention. Wheat cereals, oats, and wheat pasta are some of the good foods that are good for your heart.

8. Garlic
Studies show that garlic have some influence in lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Garlic is better to eat fresh.

9. Berries
Berries are higher in antioxidants than any other fruits and vegetables. A study in Finland also shows that eating berries can also increase the HDL level and lowering the blood pressure.

10. Rice
A study indicates that by consuming rice you'll get 12 essential vitamins and minerals, including folic acid, potassium, and vitamin C with lower saturated fat than those who doesn't consume rice. This study also indicates that consuming rice can also lower the risk of blood pressure and heart disease.

In the end, knowing what's good for your heart is not enough. Get some workout regularly too :)