eating healthy Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Sweet and Smoky Dressing Recipe

The AHA! Team — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 06:38:29 +0000

Recipe by: Chef AJ via Nutrition Facts – Sweet and Smoky Dressing Recipe Serve this Sweet and Smoky Dressing over salad greens, bean and grain bowls, or roasted sweet potatoes with your favorite fixings. Spicing up your plant-based meals may make them even healthier. When researchers compared the antioxidant content of 3,139 foods, they found that dried herbs and spices, ounce for ounce, average the greatest antioxidant punch of all. COURSE: Condiment, Salad DIFFICULTY: Easy SERVINGS: 4 Ingredients ▢1 cup water ▢½ cup lime juice ▢4 oz pitted dates (about 4 small Deglet Noor or 2 larger Medjool dates) ▢¼ cup salt-free stone-ground mustard ▢1 teaspoon chia seeds ▢2 teaspoons smoked paprika ▢¼ teaspoon chipotle powder Instructions In a high-speed blender, combine all of the ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Store the dressing in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. To read the original article click here.

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Feeling Groggy in the Morning? Wake up Alert and Refreshed by Following THIS Common Sense Advice

AHA Publisher — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 08:00:07 +0000

Stephanie Woods via NaturalHealth365 – There are morning people, and then there are night people. Why is it that some people are able to wake up at the crack of dawn, alert and perky, as soon as their feet hit the floor? And why are there others who don’t wake up till sometime after 8 or 9 am, and you can’t talk to them until they’ve had at least one cup of coffee? Scientists have pondered this for years, and while many simply chalk it up to genetics, the science shows something quite different. In fact, genetics only plays a very small part in how alert a person is in the morning. A new study has uncovered some keys to improving your morning alertness and minimizing grogginess upon waking. Study Finds That Your Morning Alertness Is Linked to What You Eat Plus Much More Researchers at the University of California followed 833 participants to analyze the relationship between the foods they ate and morning grogginess. Over a two-week period, participants were given premade meals, along with muffins that had specific nutrients. Not everyone received the same amount of nutrients; some participants got more and some less. They each received a standardized breakfast that included either complex carbs and fats in fairly moderate amounts or high protein and high simple sugars. The purpose was to observe the way each participant responded to the different diets when they woke in the morning. And, although it’s clear this study only used unhealthy food choices for its “carbs,” “fats” and other “nutrients” … the results are still worth observing. Throughout the study, the participants wore glucose monitors continuously to keep track of their blood glucose levels. The participants that consumed breakfast containing high amounts of sugar had difficulty waking up and staying alert. On the other hand, the participants who consumed a greater percentage of complex carbohydrates, which reduced simple sugars and added more protein or fat, did not have as much difficulty waking up in the morning. They were alert very quickly after waking, and that alertness was ongoing. But that was only part of the puzzle. Sleep played a significant role in morning alertness as well. Participants who slept longer (between 7 and 9 hours a night) than usual, woke up better and were alert faster. The last piece of the puzzle is maintaining a controlled, healthy blood glucose response after consuming breakfast is the key to better, more effective alertness in the morning. This is common sense: the quality of your diet has everything to do with maintaining a “healthy blood glucose response.” It should be noted that many integrative healthcare providers and health coaches see great improvements in morning energy by simply advising their clients to try “intermittent fasting.” How to Wake Up Alert and Refreshed If you want to wake up alert and refreshed, try this three-step approach suggested in the study and common sense: Eat a breakfast higher in complex carbohydrates coupled with some quality protein or fat, plus avoid simple sugars. You may find that skipping breakfast works even better for you – as suggested here. Just be sure to drink 8-10 ounces of pure, clean water as soon as you can in the morning. You can even add a healthy superfoods powder to your morning glass of water filled with dried medicinal mushrooms, sea vegetables and/or greens. (i.e. “Pure Synergy” from The Synergy Company) Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep. The most restorative hours to be asleep are from 10 pm to 2 am. And, to help you with sleep, stay away from artificial (white) light from cell phones, computers and other electronic devices, for about 1-2 hours before bedtime. Keep your blood glucose levels stable. Some helpful tips include: eating a healthy (organic) diet, chewing your food much more, regular exercise, drinking lots of clean water, learning to manage your stress, spend more time in nature, getting enough sleep in a dark bedroom with minimal to no light, and avoiding smoking and alcohol will help you stay healthy and maintain a healthy blood glucose level throughout the day. Making your health a top priority is one of the kindest things you can do for yourself and others. After all, if you don’t feel well … how can you help others? Sources for this article include: Sciencedaily.com News.berkeley.edu Nature.com To read the original article click here.

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Does Eating Healthy Prevent People from Getting, Dying From COVID?

AHA Publisher — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 07:00:35 +0000

Walla! via The Jerusalem Post – We know that a daily diet that includes lots of fruit and vegetables is healthier, but now it seems that it can also help prevent one from being infected with COVID-19. A new study from Boston published in the journal Gut reports that consuming healthy food like produce may lower the risk of contracting the virus, in addition to lowering the severity of symptoms if one is infected. Although doctors have stated that metabolic conditions including obesity and type 2 diabetes can cause severe coronavirus complications, this study is among the first to add nutrition to the equation. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston added that the effect of diet on COVID-19 risk, as well as on the severity of symptoms is particularly strong among those living in weakened socio-economic areas. Previous reports suggest that poor nutrition is a widespread trait among groups disproportionately affected by the epidemic, but data on the link between diet and the risk of getting the virus and then developing severe symptoms is lacking, said study editor Jordi Marino, a doctoral student and instructor at Harvard Medical School, in a press release. The research team analyzed data collected on 592,571 people from the United States and United Kingdom between March and December 2020. Each participant completed a survey of their dietary habits, with study authors scoring people’s “diet quality,” with an emphasis on fruit and vegetable consumption. During the follow-up period, 31,831 participants developed COVID-19. The findings showed that people who had a healthier diet had a 9% lower risk of contracting the virus compared to people who ate a poorer diet. Similarly, the results showed that those who ate healthier were 41% less likely to develop severe symptoms. “These findings have been consistent in a variety of analyses we performed that address other health habits, social welfare factors, and virus transmission rates in the community,” Marino added in the release. Another one of the researchers, Dr. Andrew Chan, explained that while getting vaccinated and wearing a mass indoors and in crowded spaces is paramount the research suggests that eating properly may reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19. The researchers also observed a cumulative link between poor nutrition, increased socioeconomic deprivation and COVID-19 risk. People who live in poor neighborhoods who rely heavily on fast food are much more susceptible to the virus than any of these conditions alone. Models estimate that nearly a third of virus cases would have been avoided if one of these two conditions didn’t exist, explained Dr. Marino. In conclusion, the researchers believe that making healthy, plant-based foods more available and affordable can help advance the end of the epidemic. “Our findings are a call for governments and those who develop protocols to prioritize healthy eating and welfare with influential policies,” Dr. Marino concluded. To read the original article click here.

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