It is Strawberry season and I love eating Strawberries a lot. I have just run across some great info on just how good strawberries are as a health food.

Strawberries are one of nature’s healthiest “packages” of power nutrients. There is strong evidence that strawberries are a heart-protective fruit, an anti-cancer fruit, and an anti-inflammatory fruit all rolled into one ripe treat.

A serving of strawberries will provide you with 210 mg of potassium, a mineral that will help regulate the electrolytes in your body, lowering your risk of heart attack and stroke. Strawberries are also high in folate, a key ingredient in the manufacture of red blood cells, and a possible aid in delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Strawberries are Packed with Vitamins and Minerals

Rounding out the roster of beneficial vitamins and minerals of note are B2, B5, B6, vitamin K, copper, and magnesium. Strawberries also contain omega fatty acids. All of this goodness is available to you at a cost of 45 calories for about seven medium strawberries. And not only that, but the fiber in strawberries, about 12% of your RDA per serving, helps your body absorb nutrients, inhibits the production of cholesterol in your liver, and helps stabilize your blood glucose.

Do you want to learn more about all of these strawberry affects and more? Go to the Health Assist Blog.

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

There is no doubt that the overuse of whole-milk dairy products is one of the main reasons why such a big percentage of the fat calories in the average American diet are swollen with satts. We have been bombarded on all sides with the dictum that milk is our “most nearly perfect food.” Mothers are forever urging their children to drink milk. “Drink milk— it’s so good for your health!”

We accepted that premise fully, until a few years ago—until we began to dig out the truth about the various types of fat. Right then and there, we discovered that whole milk was not the “most nearly perfect food” for humans—although it was ideal for calves.

It is an entirely different story with skim or low-fat milk. It is immensely good for all of us, and perhaps entitled to the accolade, the “most nearly perfect food.” Read the rest of this entry »

For years we have looked at antioxidants as being one of those magic substances that will heal our bodies from the ravages of free radicals and also the natural breakdown of the body.

New Scientist has an article today that disputes the help of antioxidants on getting rid of free radicals and even mentions a couple of reports and studies that support their hypothesis.

I am not to sure how much to trust this story but it is always important to look at any studies with a critical eye and watch as more and more come out. For now I will continue taking my vitamins and working on getting as many antioxidants into my diet as possible.

Wondering about what exactly an antioxidant is? Here is some info from Wikipedia:

Since the discovery of vitamins, it has been recognized that antioxidants from the diet are essential for healthful lives in humans and many other mammals. More recently, a large body of evidence has accumulated that suggests supplementation of the diet with various kinds of antioxidants can improve health and extend life. Many nutraceutical and health food companies now sell formulations of antioxidants as dietary supplement. These supplements may include specific antioxidant chemicals, like resveratrol (from grape seeds), combinations of antioxidants, like the “ACES” products that contain beta carotene (provitamin A), vitamin C, vitamin E and Selenium, or specialty herbs that are known to contain antioxidants such as green tea and jiaogulan. However, to date, the FDA finds insufficient evidence to endorse health claims that have been made regarding antioxidant supplementation (see Clinical Trials above).

Vitamins are a little controversial as there are two sides to an argument as to whether our diets in North America have enough nutrients or not.

I eat what I think is a full diet of the good food that I need but still am not sure as to weather I eat all the vitamins and minerals necessary to stay healthy and to allow myself to rebuild my body from the environment and my daily exercise so I take some Vitamins.

Here is what I take:
2 multivitamin pills per day one in the morning and one in the evening
1 calcium pill in the evening with dinner
1 omega 3-6-9 in the evening with dinner

This may seem to some as overkill but I know that I have always felt better day in and day our when I am remembering to take multivitamins.

There are a few things to look for in a multivitamin that I always look for myself. The first thing is looking for B vitamins; B vitamins are good for combating stress to the body so I find they are important. In a multi you will find that the B vitamins are usually 2-3 milligrams as they are more expensive to produce and most companies minimize their costs by keeping the amount of this essential vitamin down. Look through all of the multi vitamins in the stores nearby for B vitamins in the 40-50 milligram range instead but still be aware of the price that you are paying.

I try also to stay away from the health food and nutrition stores as the vitamins that they sell are a lot more expensive and I am not sure that they are worth it, so I usually just go to the local grocery store or pharmacy and look there.

Among the other vitamins that I take Calcium I take as I am not sure that I am taking in enough and my wife worries about osteoporosis and who would really want brittle bones anyway. I take the Omega vitamins as they are good for your heart. Also be aware of antioxidants, these are vitamins Beta Carotene (Vitamin A), C, and E are thought to slow down the aging process by removing free radicals from your body.

Although I may be a little aggressive with my vitamin intake compared to some people it seems to me good prevention to at least take a multivitamin once a day and to try to keep up with nutritional info as you see it in the news.