Eat Healthy Nuts each Day.

Almonds are especially known for having a slimming effect and a special beneficial effect upon the fat of the stomach. But almonds are also a fine source for E- vitamin, a strong antioxidant, which both strengthens the immune system and takes care of the aging proces of your cells, when they are threatened because of oxygenation. In addition, the almonds have a high content of dietary fibers, iron and magnesium. The dietary fibres are good for you because they at the same time saturate and benefit the digestion, while the magnesium plays a part of your Heart Health.
NUTRITIONAL PR. 100 G:  
Energy: 527 kcal.
Protein: 20,5 g
Fat: 39,1 g
Carbohydrate 29,5 g
dietary fibers: 9,2 g 


 Hazelnuts abound with E-vitamin which is a common term for a group of vitamins, which among others work as strong antioxidants. If you  eat 30 gram hazelnuts, the body's daily need of E- vitamin is covered. Besides this the hazelnuts have a fine content of the B-vitamin folic acid, which among others supposedly can prevent depression, blood clots and dementia.
 


 
NUTRITIONAL PR. 100 G:
Energy: 640 kcal.
Protein: 14,9 g
Fat: 54,4 g
Carbohydrate: 29,3 g
Dietary fibers: 8,2 g

Walnuts - if  you don't eat much fish it would be good for you to eat some walnuts, which have a fine content of the special omega-3 fatty acid ALA, which your body changes into the genuine and important fish oils EPA and DHA. Because of the fatty acids the walnuts attenuate inflammation in the body and lower the blood content of the dangerous LDL- cholesterol. Besides of the healthy fatty acids you'll also get lots of B6-vitamin, which is a part of a multitude of metabolic reactions - and which has an important function in the formation of the red blood cells.

NUTRITIONAL PR. 100 G: 
Energy: 678 kcal.
Protein: 14,3 g
Fat: 64,3 g
Carbohydrate: 16,2 g
Dietary fibers 5,6 g


 



Pecans have a very high content of the mineral zink, which plays an essential role in the metabolism of the body and is a part of many enzymes and hormones. At the same time zink is important for the skin. Pecans have a high content monounsaturated fat, which works beneficially upon the cholesterol level. Besides the pecans have a high concentration of E- vitamin, which keeps the cell membranes healthy by creating a protection against the free radicals.
NUTRITIONAL PR. 100 G:
Energy: 707 kcal.
Protein: 9,2 g
Fat: 72 g
Carbohydrate: 13,9 g
Dietary fibers: 9,6 g

Pistachios are stuffed with dietary fibers and proteins - and they are a very good solution, if you are a little hungry and need a saturating snack. They are a good choice if you wish to keep the slim line. Besides they give you a shot of potassium, which is important for the function of muscles and nerves. They also regulate the heart rhytm and the blood pressure. The nuts have a high content of E-vitamin and riboflavin, which is a B-vitamin with a big influence upon your skin, nails and hair. A bonus is the high content of the antioxidant lutein which protects your eyes against the ultraviolet rays from the sun.

NUTRITIONAL PR. 100 G: 
Energy: 566 kcal.
Protein: 20,6 g
Fat: 44,4 g
Carbohydrate: 28,0 g
Dietary fibers: 10,3 g

Cashew nuts have in general a high content of various minerals, like zink which is an important piece of the body's metabolism, but they also bring you magnesium, which is important for the nerve function, the metabolism and the muscles. The nuts also give you a fine supplement of iron, which is a part of the production of the red blood cells. Cashew nuts are rather caloric , but at the same time you'll get many heart-healthy fatty acids.





NUTRITIONAL PR. 100 G:
Energy: 597 kcal.
Protein: 15,3 g
Fat: 46,4 g
Carbohydrate: 32,7
Dietary fibers: 3,0 g

Peanuts are propped with niacin which both is a part of the metabolism of the body and plays an important role for the hormone production and the repair of the body's dna. In addition you'll get two strong antioxidants , E-vitamin and resveratrol (which is known from grapes). The experts have the opinion that resveratrol protects against aging and against cardiovascular diseases. Although all nuts in general are a fine source of protein, the peanuts have a high content which reminds about the protein content in meat, chicken and fish.

NUTRITIONAL PR. 100 G: 
Energy: 576 kcal.
Protein 24,9 g
Fat: 42,7 g
Carbohydrate: 28,4 g
Dietary fibers: 7,7 g

Brazil nuts  are especially known for the huge content of selen. This trace element is a strong antioxidant which among others can protect you against cardiovascular diseases - and on the whole protect the body cells against damage and destruction. Selen supports your immune system and is also an important piece in the formation of metabolic hormones . Brazil nuts also give you a  supplement of E-vitamin, which strengthens your immune system and of potassium which lowers your blood pressure. 
 


NUTRITIONAL PR. 100 G: 
Energy: 678 kcal.
Protein 15,0 g
Fat: 65 g
Carbohydrate: 13,8 g
Dietary fibers: 5,3









Photos from wikipedia
Source: Hjerteforeningen. dk, article in sundhed@soendag.dk /2015

5 Good Things for Your Health

Watercress protects against cancer

Research from University of Ulster in North Ireland shows that watercress can minimize the risc of cancer. The test involved that 60 persons between 19 and 55 years ( including 30 smokers) eat 85g fresh watercress each day for 8 weeks. It showed that watercress both reduces the DNA damage (which can lead to cancer) and increases the the ability of the infected cells to avoid further damage from the free radicals

Watercress contains more than 15 essential vitamins and minerals and has through centuries been used as a super food. It contains more iron than spinach, more C-vitamin than oranges and more calcium than milk.

Watercress is fine in salads, and for soups, herb butter or as assecories for meat.

A handfull of nuts between meals.

30 gram nuts - it's a little handfull -  that's good for you each day. Choose the nuts you like best. Nuts contain proteins, fibers, vitamins, minerals and not least the healthy fats. The healthy substances in the nuts can lower the cholesterol, boost the digestion, strengthen your immune systeme and lower your blood pressure.  The nuts saturate, give new energy and are easy to bring with you. They are best in their natural version, not salted or fried. A handfull of nuts is a good snack between meals.



       
Elderberry against a winter-cold

You can buy yourself an extra shot of health by making some elderberry soup or juice. The research shows that the elderberry juice can reduce fever, fatigue, headache and relieve sore throats. A glass of elderberry juice or a cup of soup is a real vitamin bomb with a high content of C-vitamins and flavonoids, which promote the inclusion of the vitamins.
                                            

 Milk is good for your teeth.

Enjoy your café latte! When you are drinking it you also strenghten your chance to keep your own teeth. The high content of calcium in dairy products protects against the development of caries and gingivitis. A cheese sandwich does not give the same since the calcium has to be added together with the more liquid dairy products.  

                                                  



Saffron controls your desire for sugar.

We have often a tendency to put the saffron in the back of the spice cabinet, where it is collecting dust, but this is a shame. New tests show that saffron brings more than colour and taste to the food. The pretty and precious spice also helps to stabilize the blood sugar, preventing you from desiring candy and cakes. So it's good sense to use the pretty saffron more often - it brings a delicate taste to rice dishes, poultry, grilled shrimps, homebaked bread etc.






Sources: Your Health, Magasin Søndag "Nyt om din Sundhed" 2012/2013.

photo: gb

Boosting Your Burning..........

.......... with 5 healthy things.

In  my weekly magazine were 12 pages, a whole section, with advice for health and beauty, one better than the other and one more forgetfull and expensive than the other . But there was a good little page with 5 healthy things which would be easy to remember. And not only if you want a weight loss but just want to treat your body in a good way.

Green Tea.
Most people know green tea. It promotes the combustion, it reduces the bad cholesterol and reduces the fat depots. Studies have shown that green tea inhibits the ensyme lipase, which deplete the fat in the food, and therefore lesser fat is absorbed. Green tea also stimulates the thermogenesis, (which promotes the calorie burning). Green tea reduces the speed, and thereby carbohydrates are taken into the bloodstream.

Chili.
New studies show that special natural plant-substances like capsaicin and epigallocatechin gallate affect the food-caused stimulation of the compustion. Both substances are in chili. Strong spices boot the system and give you warmth -  and at the same time they boot the socalled food-induced compustion - daily just called compustion or burning - and this burns off your calories.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar alone does not give you a weight loss, but together with a sensible food it supports the weight loss immensely and counteracts the side effects in a food, which contains lesser calories than you burn.

 







Grapefruit     
It has been shown that plant chemicals in grapefruit can contribute to reduce the insuline level in the body and thereby the amount of the energy from the meal, which is transformed into fat.

 




All Vitamins and Minerals
And then it is important to be supplied with all essential vitamins, minerals and fats daily - especially if you want a weight loss. 












Source: Caroline Fibæk,  Femina, nr. 16, 19. April 2012, Aller Media A/S , Havneholmen, København.

photos: copies

Watercress/ Brøndkarse
Nasturtium officinale

- a brook almost overgrown in watercress.

Watercress is native from Europe to central Asia and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables. The plant is a member of the cabbage family, related to garden cress and mustard, known for their peppery flavour. It is not related to Tropaeolum, popularly known as "nasturtiums".
Watercress grows mainly in running water, with its long creeping, hollow stalks floating on the surface. The small flowers are white or green - and like many plants in this family the foliage of watercress becomes bitter when the plants begin producing flowers. If unharvested, watercress can grow to a height of 50-120 cm.

Watercress thrives in clean, running water, but can be cultivated in a garden or in a pot. The plant is immensely rich in minerals and vitamins and works fine in the kitchen. Watercress has more iron than spinach, more calcium than milk and three times as much vitamin E as lettuce. It's packed with vitamins A and C, and is low in calories. It is dealed fresh and the young shots are used before flowering. Its taste is spicy and piquante, it can be used raw or cooked in salads, soup, shellfish and as a green sprinkle; suits for Hamburg parsley, pork, champignons, chicken, grill, fish and dressing. The seeds kan germinate like common cress and the dry seeds can be crushed to a mustard. One of Britain's best known dishes, watercress soup, became very popular in the 17th century when it was claimed to cleanse the blood. Watercress was once popular as a tea, freshly made with lemon and sugar. It was drunk as a tonic to ease aches and pains.

NB: It is not advisable to gather watercress out in nature unless it is absolutely certain that no animals are upstreams, especially sheep. People can get a deadly serious infection from a liver parasite. (The parasite dies by cooking.)

The juice from watercress is used in bathing soaps, and the cooked plant in baths for soar muscles. It has a long-standing reputation as a hair-tonic, helping to promote the growth of thick hair when rubbed on the head. Watercress cooked in milk and added honey is used for a face lotion, which keeps the skin soft and brightens freckles. Victorians actually thought the plant could remove freckles, and they also used it as a cure for toothache and hiccups. Eating a bag of watercress is said to be a good cure for a hang-over.


Dollerup Bæk

When Hippocrates founded the first hospital on the island of Kos around 400 BC, he grew wild watercress in the natural springs and used it to treat blood disorders. As a medicinal plant watercress has been traditionally considered a diuretic, expectorant, purgative, stimulant, stomachic and tonic. It has also been used as a remedy against anemia, eczema, kidney and liver disorders, tuberculosis, boils, warts and tumors. It is commonly detoxicating and strengthening by long illness. According to Pliny the smoke of burning cress keeps away serpents.

According to the book "James Cook and the Conquest of Scurvy", Captain James Cook was able to circumnavigate the Globe three times, due in part, to his use of watercress in his sailors diets. Maybe he had read about the Persian king Xerxes who ordered his soldiers to eat watercress to keep them healthy during their long marches. It was also used by soldiers in general to both prevent and cure scurvy. Irish monks were said to survive for long periods eating only bread and watercress and referred to watercress as"pure food for sages". Lord Byron was quoted as saying that watercress "doth restore the bloom to the cheeks of a young maiden". He also called it the "Herb that while young is friendly to life."

Superstition:
Watercress belongs to the Moon. It is connected to the water's elementary creatures, the Undines. If it is worn in a red flannelbag it protects people who sail or flies over water. It gives insight in the nature of water. If watercress is eaten by day peoples' dreams will be more provident, mysterious and visionary. The plant increases empathy and understanding.

Anglo-Saxons swore by watercress potage to "spring clean" the blood. The British vegetarian writer Colin Spencer says that the Romans treated insanity with vinegar and watercress. Roman emperors ate it to help them make "bold decisions". Watercress is believed by many to be an aphrodisiac and in Crete, islanders swear by its powers and ancient recipes are handed down from one generation to the next. The Greeks had a saying that "Eating cress makes one witty". According to Cretan legend watercress grew in the springs of the Dikton Cave on Crete where the god Zeus is said to have eaten the plant to fortify himself against his murderous father Cronos.


"When I ask for a water cress sandwich, I do not mean a loaf with a field in the middle of it.”
Oscar Wilde



photo Dollerup Bæk, 25. July 2009: grethe bachmann