10 Things You May or May Not Know About Blueberries

In all of nature’s bounty, there are few foods that can match blueberries in terms of diversity of health benefits. Every subsystem in your body will be boosted if you make it a habit of eating this purplish-blue pellet-sized fruit. And their sweet, pleasant taste makes it an easy habit to get in. There is no dank, dull, or overly bitter flavor about these nutritional power pellets.

Of all the gifts of health that nature has provided us, the blueberry is among the greatest. Attractive as well as flavorful, there are few foods that have even close to the number of health benefits they provide.

 Author: terri_bateman

Blueberries Can Improve Brain Function

It really should not be that much of a surprise. Given the concentration of flavonoids and antioxidants that are contained within blueberries, it should stand to reason that they would have a positive effect on your brain.

This especially holds true for the elderly. A diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables in general has long been associated with a lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease as well as other forms of dementia. Research that was conducted by the University of Exeter consisted of giving older adults 30 milliliters of concentrated blueberry juice every day for a period of 12 weeks. All of the subjects showed a marked improvement in cognitive ability and overall brain activity.

In addition, gallic acid has long been connected with a positive impact on memory improvement.

They Lessen Your Risk of Stroke

Cognitive ability and prevention of dementia are not the only benefits that blueberries will yield to your brain. As we age, we are more prone to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. This makes us gradually more susceptible to both heart disease as well as strokes. Antioxidants and micronutrients contained within the blueberry have a dual impact on your arteries. They widen them, as well as keep them supple. This allows blood to move more freely through these vital passages in the brain, lowering your risk of having a stroke.

Lowers Your Risk of Heart Disease

Of course, anything that will help your arteries and blood vessels will also benefit your heart. Blueberries help lower your low-density lipid (LDL) cholesterol, as well as raise your high-density lipid (HDL) levels. The oxidation of the LDL in your system is what produces arterial plaque. The antioxidants in blueberries lower the oxidation of those low density lipids, thereby reducing the development of plaque. The widening and maintaining of the arteries, in turn, lowers your blood pressure. Hypertension is the main precursor to heart disease.

Keeps Your Skin Looking Young

One of the main causes of aged skin is oxidative stress. In your everyday life, your skin will get some exposure to oxidation. Being out in the sun, or eating something you probably should not are two examples. Being one of the most antioxidant-rich foods in nature, blueberries will counteract the free radicals generated by your exposure to elements that cause oxidative stress.

In addition to the antioxidants, blueberries possess an abundance of Vitamin C. Among the many functions of this vitamin is the ability to make your blood vessels stronger. Proper blood flow to the skin will keep you looking younger than your age.

Boosts Your Immune System

There are two types of dietary fiber: insoluble and soluble. The insoluble type is found in the skin of the blueberry. Because this type of fiber does not break down, it acts as a brush when it runs through your intestine. It scrapes away and clears out toxins from the walls of the intestine. The result of this is the promotion of the growth of good bacteria, otherwise known as gut flora. Your gut flora can constitute up to 70 percent of your entire immune system.

Lowers your LDL Cholesterol Levels

This is where the soluble fiber in the blueberry comes into play. Soluble fiber is found in the body of the fruit, and is effective in lowering your low-density lipid, or LDL cholesterol levels. This is commonly known as the “bad cholesterol” in your system. It accomplishes this in two ways.

Slows the Aging Process

Among the many antioxidants is a molecular compound named resveratrol. It is perhaps better known for being in a particularly high concentration in red wine. However, it is also found in several fruits, among which are blueberries. Apart from expanding your blood vessels and fighting oxidative stress, resveratrol is also capable of reducing and stabilizing your blood sugar levels.

Protects Against Gum Disease

Most people brush their teeth the recommended twice per day. However, a significant number of people still do not floss as often as they should. Those people may have a set of beautiful, white teeth free of cavities. However, you can end up losing beautiful, white, cavity-free teeth to gum disease. While it should not be considered a substitute for flossing, getting your recommended daily intake of Vitamin C is another substantial guard against gum disease. To help maximize the health of your gums, regular consumption of blueberries is a tasty way to do so.

Promotes Bone Health

In addition to the extensive list of phytochemicals, blueberries have the trace element manganese. This is one of the bone-supporting elements. Getting your recommended daily intake of manganese will not only keep strong bones strong, it can actually improve the condition of weak bones. Blueberries, along with an overall diet of other elements such as magnesium and calcium will prevent catastrophic misfortunes such as hip fractures when you reach old age.

Blueberries Have the Highest Antioxidant Content by Volume

Between the anthocyanins, the flavonoids, and other phytochemicals in this pellet-sized fruit, the blueberry ranks above all in total antioxidant capacity, with wild blueberries having a higher TAC content than the cultivated. However, both pack a nutritional punch that is second to none. Interestingly, some of these antioxidants are what attract people to this fruit in the first place. The compounds located in the skin are what gives blueberries their beautiful, purplish-blue color.

Flossing - Tips, Truths, and Misconceptions

Flossing is not only one of the three main parts of oral hygiene – the others being tongue cleaning, and obviously tooth brushing – it is also important in personal health maintenance. Like anything else, it must be done correctly in order to get the maximum benefit. Improper flossing can lead to tooth and gum problems. Here, we will deal with some misconceptions and tips on how to turn flossing into a successful, daily exercise that will reap tremendous benefits and cost you little time. It takes less than two minutes, but your teeth – as well as the rest of your body, will thank you for your diligence.

An ergonomic flosser. These can be used by people who find normal, wrap flossing difficult due to arthritis, or lack of dexterity.

Author: Jakonini, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Is it Possible to Floss too Much?

Actually, yes. Flossing once per day is plenty. With certain exceptions, any more than that gives virtually no added benefit. In fact, it can carry a risk. Plaque takes between 16-24 hours to build up on and in between the teeth. Therefore, flossing twice or more per day is throwing away floss – and money.

The risk of flossing too frequently is irritation of the gums, and the wearing down of the sides of the enamel. If there is no residue to remove when you floss, you are abrading the floss against the tooth. If this is done too frequently over a period of too many years, it can cause wear.

Refraining from Flossing Because it “Makes Your Gums Bleed”

This is perhaps one of the most popular and counter-intuitive reasons people have in forgoing flossing. People who have not been introduced to floss as children, or have not done it since they were in their youth, will probably find that when they begin to floss, they will have the taste of some blood in their mouths.

Many will try again the next day, or perhaps they will wait a few days. They end up getting the same result. It is at this point where many of these misguided souls will then throw their floss away, saying that it does them no good – all it does is hurt and cause them to bleed. This is exactly the wrong thing to do.

The very reason your gums are bleeding after not having flossed for years is gingivitis. Which is, of course, a result of not flossing. Your gums are swollen, and thus sensitive to the abrasion of the floss. If you continue to floss once a day, the bleeding should cease after a couple of weeks, with the accompanying pain level also gradually subsiding. You just have to push through that period to restore your gums to health. Ceasing to floss will eventually cause that early stage gingivitis to progress to more serious gum disease, leading to more severe pain along with tooth loss.

Up and Down, Not Back and Forth

This is a mistake made by many beginners. The correct form of flossing is to make a bend, firmly pressing against the side of the tooth. Then the motion should be vertical. Flossing up and down will ensure that the entire side of the tooth will be treated. Sawing back and forth can result in inadequate cleaning, as well as a more serious problem in the long term. The sawing motion can severely irritate the gums, causing gingivitis by abrasion. Improper flossing can actually have a similar result as refraining from doing so when it comes to your gingiva.

Not Flossing

Despite repeated warnings and campaigns by dentists, an alarming number of people do not floss their teeth with adequate frequency. Different studies have calculated nearly one-fifth to as high as one-third of Americans remain non-flossers. Daily flossers have been estimated at anywhere to as low as 30 percent to just over 50 percent. As for people who floss less than daily, the estimation lies in the 30 to 40 percent range.

Regular, twice per day brushing is essential to prevent plaque and tartar buildup, and prevent cavities. However, it will all be for naught if cavities are not prevented on the sides of the teeth and below the gum line where the brush cannot reach. If your gums become too diseased to tightly hold in your teeth, brushing will not save them.

In recent years, the medical understanding of the importance of flossing has gone beyond oral and dental hygiene. There is now increasing evidence that flossing will reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. The reason for this is that your gums are rife with blood vessels. Your mouth is full of bacteria – some of which are beneficial – however, poor oral hygiene also results in the harmful types. If gums are swollen, inflamed, and prone to bleeding, this harmful bacteria can get in the bloodstream and transport to other areas of the body, where they can cause inflammation.

Flossing is not just important for your oral health, but the health of your body. It should be part of the daily grooming and cleaning regimen for everyone, yet there are still millions that unfortunately skip it.

Using the Wrong Type of Floss

 Today, there are several different types of flosses. There are

·         Waxed

·         Non-waxed

·         Shred resistant

·         Woven

·         Satin

·         Electric

·         Hand-held floss picks

If you floss with proper form with any of these products, it will adequately do the job. There is no singular best product for every person. The two main factors in finding the right floss for you are how it feels on your teeth and gums, and how well you can manipulate it with your fingers. Keep in mind that how easy it is for you to handle can have a considerable influence on how comfortable it will feel in your mouth.

Holding the Floss Incorrectly

Your index fingers are the most sensitive and dexterous in your hand. You should use them along with your thumbs to do the maneuvering. Many people make the mistake of wrapping the floss around the index fingers, making maneuverability more difficult. Wrap the floss around your middle fingers, to free up the motion for your indexes.  

Popeye Knew What He Was Doing - Spinach Will Make You Stronger

Regardless of what nutritional diet you might ascribe to – paleo, primal, DASH, Mediterranean – there is really no debate about whether spinach is good for you. None of the schools of thought disagree that it packs a serious nutritional punch on many fronts. Just one cup of spinach contains

·         0.7 grams of dietary fiber

·         167 milligrams of potassium

·         56 percent of Vitamin A needs

·         14 percent of Vitamin C

·         181 percent of Vitamin K

·         15 percent of folate

·         Significant amounts of Vitamin B1, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin E, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc.

In addition, there are 0.86 grams of protein. With all of these nutrients, spinach promotes a whole host of health benefits, such as

·         Lowering blood pressure

·         Lowering blood sugar

·         Promotes better eyesight

·         A digestive aid

·         Protects against hardening of the arteries

·         Protects against skin conditions such as acne and psoriasis

·         Helps prevent constipation

In previous generations, this dark green vegetable gained a rather unfavorable reputation in the department of taste, especially among children. This is due to the fact that their taste buds are more sensitive, especially to bitterness. Spinach leaves have oxalic acid, which gives a bitter accent that also tends to linger in the mouth afterward. This bitterness is accentuated during the cooking of the leafy vegetable. The version of spinach served in school lunches in decades past was of the cooked and canned variety, usually with no dressing offered, so it is no surprise children were averse to it.

What perhaps compounded the problem was that many make the mistake of overcooking spinach, which also brings out more of the bitter flavor. To counteract these palatability issues, parents used to entice their children to eat their spinach so that they will “grow up big and strong.” The implicit notion of not being as strong as their peers was at times an effective motivation, particularly among young boys. Parents would also receive assistance from the world of entertainment, with the popular Popeye cartoon. Whenever Popeye was put in a predicament, a can of spinach always served as the source of his extra strength he needed to overcome his opponents.

Spinach plants grown in Castelltallat, Catalonia.

Author: Victor M. Vicente Selvas, with full permission.

 This is Actually True

Conventional wisdom would say that this is nothing more than a popular lie told in order to get the kids to eat something healthy that they do not typically find tasty. After all, spinach is a leafy vegetable, containing a scant amount of protein. As we all know, it is protein that is the building blocks of muscular tissue. Not only is spinach severely lacking in that department, the quality of vegetable protein is inferior to those found in animal sources.

However, as it turns out, it seems that Popeye – and parents – were on to something after all, most likely without knowing it. Despite it being a leafy vegetable, spinach in fact does promote muscle growth and strength. So how does spinach manage to do this?

It Actually Does Contain Steroids

No, not the harmful, health-risking types that many athletes shoot into their veins, or swallow. These are naturally occurring, plant-based steroids of a class known as phytoecdysteroids. They are actually synthesized by the plant to protect it from parasites such as nematodes. However, ingested by us, they also have health benefits. They increase the rate of metabolism of glucose. Also, it improves the body’s ability to adapt to stress. This ability is a key component of muscular growth from weightlifting. Also, if you contract an illness and have to rest for a few days, the adaptation to the stress of immobility will allow you a greater ability to retain more of your muscle.

Muscle Building Hormones

A hormone that is essential to increased muscle mass is HGH, or human growth hormone. Its structure is that of an amino acid chain, and it has two essential functions. It stimulates cell production, and also aids in their repair. Your body produces it spontaneously. Though, without a proper diet and effective exercise plan, it may not be produced in adequate amounts for growth. Furthermore, the body naturally produces less as you age. Human growth hormone not only stimulates growth for the muscles, but also the bones. Lack of adequate amount of HGH can render you susceptible to conditions such as osteoporosis.

It so happens that spinach possesses two compounds that stimulate the production of human growth hormone. The first is glutamine, an amino acid that also has several other functions, including, but not limited to

·         Aiding in protein biosynthesis

·         Transporting ammonia in blood

·         Produces ammonium which balances the kidney acidity

·         Biosynthesis of lipids

Glutamine is the most prolific amino acid flowing in the blood. Under most conditions, the body can make enough to perform its essential functions. But, if you are endeavoring to grow your muscles, you will need more from food sources such as spinach.

The other amino acid found in spinach that is responsible for HGH stimulation is glycine. With just one hydrogen atom at the side, it is the simplest amino acid in existence. Its functions, however, are far more complex than its makeup. It serves as a neurotransmitter for the central nervous system. In this capacity, it actually works together with glutamate, a product of glutamine for receptors. It also synthesizes aminolevulinic acid, which is a precursor to porphyrins such as heme, which gives red blood cells their color. Glycine is also widely used in industries such as cosmetics, toiletries, medicine, and of course, the food industry.

Boost the Taste

For some people, spinach can be an acquired taste – and some have a more difficult time acquiring it than others. As stated above, cooked spinach, especially the canned variety, can have an unpleasant bitter taste if cooked too long – and the children will be the most sensitive to that.

If you cannot reliably cook spinach without preventing the bitter flavor, there is no better way to get your children to handle it than having it raw. The texture is somewhat different than lettuce, but it makes for a much healthier substitute to the often used iceberg lettuce. Raw spinach has a weaker flavor, and if you or your children find it unpleasant, it will be overwhelmed by the dressing you use.

There are many ways to improve the taste of cooked spinach. One is to make it part of a dish, such as an egg omelet. Another is to make use of the flavor of spices. Together with olive oil, you can use your preferred flavoring. Garlic, cinnamon, sea salt, crushed red pepper, and turmeric are popular choices, or a combination of some of the above. Of course, if you have a preferred blend in mind, it couldn’t hurt to try that as well. Sautéing is a delicious way to bring out the best in this vegetable.

Muscle building purposes aside, spinach is definitely a food that should be consumed on a regular basis. So if you are going to include it in several meals per week, it is much more fun to eat it if it tastes good. Of course, if you are the type that likes the plain cooked spinach, by all means dig in without any additions. And you can tell your children with a clear conscience that they will indeed grow up big and strong if they eat this nutritional powerhouse.