Health Tips » Nutritious http://www.good-health-tips.com Tips to improve your health Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:42:06 +0000 en hourly 1 What are different health benefits of including parsley in your diet? http://www.good-health-tips.com/2011/04/16/what-are-different-health-benefits-of-including-parsley-in-your-diet/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-are-different-health-benefits-of-including-parsley-in-your-diet http://www.good-health-tips.com/2011/04/16/what-are-different-health-benefits-of-including-parsley-in-your-diet/#comments Sat, 16 Apr 2011 11:00:05 +0000 ashish http://www.good-health-tips.com/?p=1165 Parsley also called as rock celery is scientifically known as Petroselinum Crispum. Parsley grows in most climate and seasons of the year. This herb is well known for its disease fighting capabilities, probably, one reason as to why parsley is so widely used in a variety of cuisines.
Parsley is highly nutritious because of which there are a whole lot of health benefits associated with this herb. This herb is rich in vitamin A, B and C and has a rich reservoir of volatile oils and falvonoids that impart the nutritive property to parsley. Some of these health benefits are discussed below.

Anti-oxidant
Parsley is rich in vitamin A content. Vitamin acts as an active antioxidant getting rid of the highly toxic free radicals from the body that are produced during the various metabolic activities of the body. These free radicals if not removed from the body can initiate a cascaded of harmful reactions in the body leading to cancer as well. Apart from the vitamin A, vitamin C and falvonoids in parsley, also significantly help in clearing the body off these harmful free radicals.

Anti carcinogenic
Free radicals in the body can lead to the initiation and progression of cancer. Vitamin C and vitamin A works to reduce the risk of cancer in the body by checking the development of cancer cells and the cancer causing free radicals. Another compound present in parsley is folic acid. Folic acid is vital for the cell division hence its presence is important to avoid uncontrolled division of cells which may lead to cancerous growth.

Anti inflammatory
Parsley is also recommended to people suffering from osteo and rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. Vitamin C present in abundance in the herb acts as an active anti inflammatory agent which helps in reducing the pain associated with such conditions.

Cardiovascular health
Homocysteine is a very harmful compound which is produced during the metabolic activities in the body. This compound can inversely affect the blood vessels and at higher concentration can also lead to strokes. Folic acid in parsley helps to neutralize this harmful compound into harmless molecules there by reducing the risk of heart attacks or any related cardiovascular disorders.

Immunity
Parsley helps in strengthening the body immunity against diseases. Vitamin C which is one of the vital nutrients helps the body fight against infections like influenza. Deficiency of vitamins C can also lead to conditions like scurvy. Moreover the volatile oils found in parsley particularly Myristicin has shown to be inhibiting the formation of tumor in the
Lungs.

Diuretic
Apart from all the above health benefits of parsley, recent studies have shown that this herb acts as a natural diuretic by increasing the kidneys’ ability to excrete water and sodium. Hence this herb is highly recommended to people suffering from diabetes or hypertension both of which conditions may lead to water retention in the body.

Digestion
Another health benefit of Parsley is that it helps immensely in the digestion of more complex food material like proteins and fats allowing a faster digestion and assimilation. Parsley is in fact highly recommended in diarrhea. Consuming parsley in the form of tea can highly benefit a person having digestive disorders.

There are many more health benefits of parsley which make it a must in our daily diet. Excessive intake of any substance is of course harmful, in moderation this herb can do wonders for our overall health.

]]> http://www.good-health-tips.com/2011/04/16/what-are-different-health-benefits-of-including-parsley-in-your-diet/feed/ 0 Tofu-a high protein, low fat energy source: benefits of eating tofu. http://www.good-health-tips.com/2010/05/29/tofu-a-high-protein-low-fat-energy-source-benefits-of-eating-tofu/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tofu-a-high-protein-low-fat-energy-source-benefits-of-eating-tofu http://www.good-health-tips.com/2010/05/29/tofu-a-high-protein-low-fat-energy-source-benefits-of-eating-tofu/#comments Sat, 29 May 2010 11:25:25 +0000 ashish http://www.good-health-tips.com/?p=528 The highly nutritious, protein-rich tofu is commonly called ‘the cheese of Asia’ and is prepared by curdling soybean milk. It is usually off-white in color and forms an important constituent in the cultural cuisines of many Asian countries, like China and Japan.
The food has high amounts of iron and proteins and is relatively low in calorie content. It also has high amounts of calcium and magnesium levels. Also, tofu contains certain soy isoflavones, which can actually mimic natural human estrogens, causing certain beneficial effects in human body.
Tofu, made from the curds of soybean milk, is primarily available in three textures: firm, extra firm and silken. Silken tofu has a custard-like consistency and is usually substituted into dressings, protein shakes and desserts. Firm and extra firm varieties are usually cut up into chunks that stand up well to marinating and can be sautéed, grilled or baked. Tofu itself is rather bland, but strongly absorbs the flavors used to prepare it.

Health Benefits of Tofu

- Besides calcium and protein, tofu is a good source of iron. It is primarily used as part of hemoglobin and helps in the transport and release of oxygen throughout the body.
- Soya beans and other soya based products may play a role in preventing various types of cancer, especially breast cancer.
- It is also known to prevent osteoporosis, thanks to its calcium.
- Another benefit that tofu offers is that it is very easy to digest. This is because the fiber of the soya beans is removed during the manufacturing process.
- A mere 4 ounces of tofu each day provides around 14.45 of the daily beneficial fat requirement. This beneficial fat or Omega-3-fatty acid helps control erratic heart rhythms, reduces clotting of blood inside arteries and improves the ratio of good HDL to bad LDL.
- Tofu is rich in isoflavones. When making tofu, the soy isoflavones, genistein and daidzein, remain bound to the soy protein.
- The copper present in tofu helps in reducing the painful symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).
- Tofu has high level of trace mineral selenium which is very important for the proper functioning of the antioxidant system.

Caution

- Tofu contains considerable amount of the naturally occurring substance called oxalate. The presence of high amounts of this substance causes its crystallization, resulting in certain health problems. Hence, people suffering from existing or untreated health problems should avoid the consumption of high amounts of tofu.
- Certain allergic reactions may occur as a result of consumption of tofu.

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