Eat This for That; Don’t Eat This to Avoid That: Part Two

Eat This for That;

Don’t Eat This to Avoid That

Part Two

By Gary F. Zeolla

This two-part article is continued from:

Eat This for That; Don’t Eat This to Avoid That: Part One.

Fox News. These foods can help you look and feel younger, experts say.

From pomegranates to potatoes, these 10 foods will make you look and feel vibrant and healthy.

If you are what you eat, you may want to consume foods that make you look and feel as vibrant and healthy as possible. Fox News tapped nutritionists for their top picks.

1.       Artichokes.

2.       Pomegranates.

3.       Lupini beans.

4.       Broccoli sprouts.

5.       Blueberries.

6.       Potatoes.

7.       Kefir and sauerkraut.

8.       Beef liver.

9.       Unripe bananas.

10.   Legumes.

The only somewhat processed foods here are kefir and sauerkraut. But the processing consists of fermentation, which adds nutritional benefits to the food, as described in the article.

Also, going back to Part One, do not miss that some foods are showing up on more than one list. Also note that different kinds of berries keep showing up.

Health. Health Benefits of Flax Seed.

A serving of flax seeds provides impressive amounts of good for you nutrients like fiber, magnesium, and iron. Evidence-based benefits of flax seeds include improved digestion and reduced cancer risk….

For the past few years, flax seeds have become increasingly popular thanks to their abundance of health benefits. So far, research has found flax seeds:

1.       May improve cardiovascular health.

2.       Support digestive health.

3.       Help reduce cancer risk.

4.       Might improve blood sugar.

5.       Support weight management.

6.       Help protect against chronic disease.

Note again the somewhat “iffy” language. But, as with the raspberries discussed in Part One, flax seeds are an unprocessed food, though the article recommends buying flax seed meal or grinding them yourself, as that improves digestion of the small, hard seeds.

Newsmax. 8 Foods to Avoid Before Bedtime.

That bedtime snack you grab could keep you up at night, so choose wisely. A light bite, such as pumpkin seeds or a slice of turkey breast, that contain tryptophan, are a good choice. This amino acid is converted into melatonin and serotonin and helps you slumber. However, some foods will disrupt your sleep by triggering heartburn, nightmares, and trips to the bathroom.

Here are some sleep-robbing culprits:

1.       Pizza.

2.       Coffee.

3.       Alcohol.

4.       Onions.

5.       Spicy foods.

6.       Sugary cereal.

7.       Soda.

8.       Orange juice.

The problem with most of these items in regard to disrupting sleep should be obvious. Anything with caffeine will keep you awake. High sugar foods will do so also due to the sugar rush. And anything that is hard to digest can be disruptive. Though alcohol has a depressive effect, it actually prevents deep sleep. And drinking a glass of any liquid before bedtime could have you up at night to go to the bathroom.

Newsmax. 6 Foods Proven to Help Ease Anxiety.

According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, rates of anxiety and depression, which often go hand in hand, tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first line of treatment is usually medication but there are several natural strategies you can try to relieve anxiety, says Healthline. Exercise and breathing techniques often help. You can also consume more brain-boosting foods that have been proven to ease anxiety too, say experts. Here are six science-backed foods and beverages to try:

1.       Salmon.

2.       Chamomile.

3.       Turmeric.

4.       Green tea.

5.       Yogurt.

6.       Dark chocolate.

The article then discusses the compounds in each food that supposedly help lessen anxiety.

Newsmax. 10 Processed Foods That Are Actually Good For You.

We’ve all heard that processed foods are bad for your health….

According to AARP, it is possible to eat processed foods and get a nutritional boost. “The milk you drink and the baby carrots you snack on are both processed foods,” says Christine Rosenbloom, a registered dietitian and coauthor of Food & Fitness After 50. “Processing helps keep foods safe and affordable, and on our shelves a little longer.”

Here are some examples of healthy, processed choices:

1.       Canned beans.

2.       Dairy or soy milk.

3.       Yogurt.

4.       Frozen vegetables and fruit.

5.       Tomato sauce.

6.       Sauerkraut.

7.       Frozen or canned fish.

8.       Nuts, seeds, and nut butters.

9.       Rotisserie chicken.

10.   Fortified cereals.

This article as it appears on AARP’s website that this Newsmax article is taken from adds four more:

1.       Packaged salads or precut vegetables.

2.       Precooked lentils or whole-grain brown rice.

3.       Chickpea pastas.

4.       Hummus.

Looking at these lists, none are highly processed foods. Most involve only minor preparation that is common with most foods. As such, these types of foods ae not what most people would think of as processed foods. That is why they can be called healthy.

Newsmax. Avoiding Diabetes May Include Avoiding Meat.

Eating a healthy plant-based diet may help you head off type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.

Healthy plant-based foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, coffee/tea, vegetable oils and legumes. Unhealthy plant-based foods include refined grains, fruit juices, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, and sweets/desserts.

“Our findings support the beneficial role of healthy plant-based diets in diabetes prevention and provide new insights for future investigation,” the researchers wrote in the April 8 issue of the journal Diabetologia.

A study is then overviewed that shows the benefit of substituting these plant-based foods for meat. The issue here is similar to the study on avocados discussed in Part One, though in reverse. Is the benefit due to not eating meat? Or is the benefit due to eating these healthy plant-based alternatives? It could be that if you eat meat and these alternatives you would see the same beneficial results.

Moreover, I must again point out the difference between factory farmed meats and old-fashioned meats that this news article does not even mention but which I do in my books God-given Foods Eating Plan and Creationist Diet: Second Edition.

Newsmax. Eating Carrots and Celery Protects Against the Negative Effects of Pollution.

Air pollution is a major global health problem, responsible for over 4 million deaths each year. And here, in the U.S., many cities in California and major cities in other states are notorious for poor air quality and smog. But a new study published in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, reveals that eating more apiaceous vegetables such as carrots, celery, parsnips and parsley, can help mitigate the negative effects of air pollution.

According to Study Finds, scientists at the University of Delaware found that eating more of this family of vegetables protects the body from acrolein accumulation. Acrolein is a hazardous substance that is a lung and skin irritant with a strong, acrid odor that is present in large quantities in both cigarette smoke and automobile exhaust.

The benefit is believed to be the result of the antioxidants in these foods. But it says you need to eat two cups of them a day for the full benefit. Except for carrots, most do not eat that large of an amount of these foods. But the article does not say if other vegetables that are more commonly eaten in larger amounts have the same benefit.

Newsmax. Edamame: Boost Your Health With This Super Snack.

Edamame beans, often served as an appetizer in Japanese restaurants, are chock full of nutrients and disease-fighting power. They are one of the most nutritious foods you can consume. One cup of edamame has only 180 calories but has 8 grams of fiber to fill you up and a whopping 17 grams of protein. The little green powerhouses are gluten-free and high in heart-healthy fatty acids.

According to The Beet, edamame are technically immature soybeans native to Asia and have since become a popular crop in America…

Here are some of the amazing health benefits of edamame:

1.       Fights inflammation.

2.       Inhibits cancer growth.

3.       Protects against stroke.

4.       Reduces the risk of dementia and death.

5.       Promotes weight loss.

This article is a bit bolder than most in that it does not include the word “may” in the list of purported benefits. It most also be noted that you should be careful with soy. Many are allergic to it, and some find it messes up hormones due to its estrogen-like compounds.

Newsmax. Foods That Can Trigger Hair Loss.

Signs of hair loss or thinning hair strike fear in the hearts of many men and women. This common problem ― more than 80% of men and nearly half of all women experience significant hair loss in their lifetime ― can begin as early as middle age.…

While aging and heredity are top causes of hair loss, stress, medication, thyroid disorders and even the foods you eat can affect the condition. According to Medical News Today, here are some culinary culprits:

1.       Simple carbohydrates.

2.       Fish that are high in mercury.

3.       Alcohol.

4.       Diet soda.

Simple carbs and diet soda are highly processed foods. Fish is a healthy food, though the presence of mercury can make if less so. I address this issue in my Creationist Diet: Second Edition book. Alcohol would require a whole discussion in itself, which I do as a full chapter my God-given Foods Eating Plan book.

T-Nation. Lower Blood Pressure With This Tasty Food.

Scientists found that eating the equivalent of 100 grams of blueberries twice a day works as well as blood pressure medicines in reducing high blood pressure.

This sounds good, but most would not want to eat what is the equivalent of two cups of blueberries every day. That is why the studies, “used a blueberry drink, a blueberry powder drink, or capsules that contained blueberry anthocyanins (the class of chemicals that give blueberries their characteristic blue color).” The is article then goes on to recommend an anthocyanins supplement that it conveniently sells. This is something you always need to be cautious of when reading news reports about foods studies. They often turn into advertisements for supplements.

T-Nation. The Best Weight Loss Food.

You probably read “weight loss food” and got a little excited. After all, everybody wants to eat something that helps them lose fat. But you’re also probably a bit skeptical.

That’s understandable, but the food I’m talking about really is something to get excited about, even though its very name screams ordinary and dull. The food is... beans.

Beans? Yep. A recent study of 246 subjects found that regularly adding some beans to the diet was related to less body fat and smaller waists than low bean intake.

Beans or better legumes are high in fiber and protein, which gives them a high satiety value. In other words, they fill you up, lessening the chance of overeating. They are also high in other nutrients, which makes them an overall healthy food to eat.

T-Nation. The World’s Healthiest Salad For Fitness.

This alleged “healthiest salad” consists of the following ingredients:

1.       Spinach

2.       Black olives (canned)

3.       Pumpkin seeds (or any palatable seeds, really)

4.       Tomatoes

5.       Avocado

6.       Wild salmon (canned)

7.       Hard-boiled egg(s)

All of these ingredients are one-ingredient, natural, unprocessed or minimally foods. Combining them together increased the health value of the total meal.

Conclusion

No one food is going to make or break an eating plan. What matters is the overall pattern of your diet. If it concludes mostly one-ingredient, whole, natural, unprocessed or minimally unprocessed foods, then you are doing just fine. Don’t get too hung up on including a supposed “super-food” that will aid or prevent a specific health condition.

However, if your eating pattern includes many highly processed foods, then you might want to reconsider what you are putting into your body. It is not one bad food that could bring on a health problem but a pattern of eating mostly unhealthy foods and few healthy foods.

For much more on all of these matters, see my books God-given Foods Eating Plan Eating Plan and Creationist Diet: Second Edition.

For a follow-up to this article, see Drink This for That; Don’t Drink This to Avoid That.

Creationist Diet: Second Edition

Disclaimers: The material presented in this article is intended for educational purposes only. The author is not offering medical or legal advice. Accuracy of information is attempted but not guaranteed. Before undertaking any diet, exercise, or health improvement program, one should consult your doctor. The author is in no way responsible or liable for any bodily harm, physical, mental, or emotional, that results from following any of the advice in this article.

The above article was posted on this site August 1, 2022.
It originally appeared in the free email newsletter FitTips for One and All.

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