Almonds and Cholesterol: Are Almonds Really a Heart-Healthy Snack?
It seems that many people are experiencing confusion over almonds and if they should or shouldn’t be included as part of a heart healthy diet. On one hand, almonds are reported to lower bad LDL cholesterol. On the other hand, almonds are a calorie-dense food that’s also high in fat.
Numerous studies, including one by the British Journal of Medicine, has shown convincing evidence that regular almond consumption helps lower bad LDL cholesterol. And not just any LDL, but it’s been shown to reduce the small dense LDL particles that do the most damage to your arterial walls and puts you at a much higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
So what about the question of almonds being high in fat? Over 60% of the fat content in almonds is monounsaturated fats. (This is the same type of fat that is found in olive oil.) Monounsaturated fat is widely accepted to be a key ingredient to reducing the risk of heart disease and part of a heart-healthy diet.
But the health benefits of almonds doesn’t stop with having healthy natural fat and it’s ability to lower low-density lipoproteins. Almonds pack an antioxidant punch with it’s high levels of Vitamin E. And with over 60 mg of magnesium in a quarter-cup of almonds, that’s just more good news for your heart. You see, magnesium has been shown to help improve blood flow and make things ‘easy’ on your veins and arteries. (Translation: Less stress and work for your heart.)
Concerned about adding too many calories if you start eating almonds? Truth is, almonds have been shown to be beneficial at helping aid weight loss. But if you are just a little too ‘scared’ to add more calories, do this…
Substitute almonds for other foods vs. adding almonds to your existing diet. In fact, it’s been estimated by some researchers based on date from a Nurses Health Study that replacing carbohydrates with healthy nuts like almonds may low the risk of heart disease by as much as 30%. The risk may be lowered as much as 45% if you substitute nuts with saturated fats like those founds in meat and dairy.
Looking for some ways to add almonds to your diet? Try these…
– Add almonds to your salad instead of meat or croutons
– Add to your morning cereals (hot or cold)
– Add to yogurt for a tasty crunch
– Add sliced almonds to vegetable dish (great with green beans)
– Eat with a sandwich as a crunchy substitute for chips
– Two words: Almond butter!
And not surprising, eating almond as a “whole food” is optimal for maximum health benefits. The antioxidant punch mentioned previously is more than doubled when the skins are combined with the meat of the almond, compared to either one separately.
Soft cat food
Cat food is specially made to meet the specific nutritional requirements of cats. One element that should be paid attention to in their diet is that cats need the amino acid taurine. Make sure your cat food has little or no grains and only a small amount of vegetables. The right cat food is critical in keeping your cat happy and healthy!
Adult
The ingredients in kitten, adult cat, and senior cat food is really all alike. Adult cats (1 year) may be given food once or twice a day. Most adult cats are lactose intolerant and drinking milk will give them diarrhea. Kittens and aging cats need more food than the adult cat. Also, kitten nutrient needs are greater than an adult cat’s because they are growing SO very fast!
Balance
There are many nutritionally balanced cat foods that you can get in both the canned and dry forms. August, 2007: The FDA recalled several foods under the Natural Balance Eatables product line due to botulism toxin contamination. It’s really simple to get the nutrients out of balance and seriously compromise your cats health. Try to use cat-treats that are nutritionally balanced so as to minimize any disruption in your cat’s overall diet.
Foods
While the Menu Foods recall was the largest pet food recall in the history of commercial pet food, don’t think that this was the first time that many cats and dogs have died after eating commercial pet foods that have been contaminated with chemicals, bacteria, and bacterial or mold toxins. Foods like Science Diet, although more expensive than the average, are usually better for your cat.
Kittens
Kittens have other special food needs, so be sure to get a kitten formula for kittens. Give them food that’s dry as soon as the kittens teeth are strong enough to chew hard food (8 to 10 weeks). Kittens will need supplemental food as early as 2-1/2 weeks after birth and surely by 4 weeks because mom’s milk isn’t going to be an efficient nutrient food source. Kittens should only be given kitten replacement milk (like KMR), never cow’s milk.
Nutrition
Your cat’s nutritional needs will change as she grows from a kitten into an adult. Giving her a premium cat food formula for each stage of her life gives her nutrition that will help her stay fit and healthy. My cats are very special to me and I feel it is important for them to eat a diet that is equal in nutritional quality to what I would eat myself. Purina one cat foods are formulated with high-quality ingredients to give your cat all of the nutrition he needs. Nutro natural choice cat food contains the finest natural ingredients with essential vitamins and minerals for superior nutrition, taste and performance. Evo cat and kitten food was created to supply the key nutritional benefits of a raw food diet in a safe and convenient manner. Diamond cat food gives your pet high quality nutrition at an affordable price. This is important, since every pet is unique, and has different nutritional needs. Over the years we are glad to have witnessed an increasing trend of caregivers becoming more participatory in understanding their feline companions’ dietary/nutrition needs.
Owners
In reading the survey results, it seems that many cat and dog owners don’t know quite as much as they think they know about the food they are giving their pets to eat. Many cat owners are turning away from commercial pet foods and are feeding their cats homemade organic pet food. The quality of ingredients in cat food has become more vital than ever in many owners’ eyes, especially following the pet-food recalls of last recent yeras. Today cat owners are being tortured by the uncertainty of it all.
Problems
Even though bones are the most natural and optimal source of calcium, one of the most common problems that people run into in their cats when starting to feed a raw diet is them getting constipated. In theory, we should not need to remove any bone when using chicken thighs but if your cat is experiencing some problems with constipation, try removing 20% of the bones and see if that helps. Do not use canned fish as a protein source for cats that are prone to urinary tract problems. Did you know that wheat and corn can cause skin problems and diarrhea and vomiting in cats and dogs. Whole brown rice (not rice gluten) is about the only grain that provides some good nutrition for a cat or dog and doesn’t cause allergies or digestive problems for your pet. There are variations for cats with kidney problems (lower protein), cats with weight issues (more bulk like wheat bran and water-filled veggies), etc. Forget about buying anything for “Urinary Tract” problems because these are still the same old cheap pet foods with a fancy name so people will buy the product.
Soft
The three main types of cat foods are dry, soft-moist and canned products. Soft-moist cat foods generally offer higher palatability as compared to dry diets, are convenient to serve and store easily. Soft cat food is also sometimes the only alternative to feeding your cat because that’s all they really enjoy sometimes!
If pets had their way, they’d raid the bags containing their kibble and help themselves to an all-day feast, every day. This is hardly a desirable scenario, as it leads to obesity and digestive upset, so take care to store food where pets can’t get at it while you’re not looking.
Dogs, by the way, are not the only ones guilty of raiding bags of kibble; hungry cats have also been known to apply their claws and teeth to almost-full bags – even those heavy-duty foil models! – and help themselves to heaps of between-meal snacks.
Most pet-food storage containers are made of plastic, which is porous (so their contents are not safe from bacteria) and easily gnawed open by a large, determined dog.
Pet-supply stores sell large clips to “reseal” opened bags of kibble – but these do nothing to prevent the contents from growing stale, or permitting the entry of hungry insects.
Happily, there are much better, more sanitary ways to store large bags of opened kibble.
If there’s room in your refrigerator, stick the opened bag of kibble in there. Or, decant the contents of the bag into glass food-storage jars. These are widely available at kitchen-supply stores and online, and they come in a variety of sizes and shapes, from round to square. Some have threaded metal lids, others close with a rubber washer that securely closes with a metal clamp.
If you’d like double protection – refrigeration plus a glass jar – investigate refrigerator glassware, widely available in nesting sets, complete with convenient plastic lids. Just don’t subject glass that isn’t made for refrigerator storage to your fridge’s chilly atmosphere, or it will crack and break, and you’ll have wasted all that kibble.
In the fridge or out, glass jars keep pets and bugs away from the food, and they look quite decorative just sitting there on your kitchen counter or shelf. The good habit of transferring kibble from the bag to the jar could even inspire you to be better about putting away flour, sugar, and other bagged food items!
We`re all familiar with the idea of taking your tea or coffee to work in a thermos, but did you know that you can keep food warm in that handy container, as well? It`s nice to have a hot meal ready to go, even if you`ve been hard at work all morning and your thermos can help you do just that.
1. Soup. This one is pretty obvious, since it`s liquid. However, it`s worth mentioning because you can literally have a different soup every day for a month and never repeat! From minestrone to chicken noodle and cheddar chowder, you can enjoy delicious hot meals poured right out of your thermos.
2. Pasta. If you`ve ever had a hankering for ravioli at your noon break, this is a great way to satisfy it. You`ll find that this works best with a wide mouth thermos, as do most foods. When you cook your pasta, make sure you cook it to just over half done. That means, if you bite a piece of spaghetti in half, it should still have a white center. Other pastas should still be chewy. Pour the drained pasta into your thermos, add your favorite topping or sauce and seal it up.
3. Veggies. Cold, boiled vegetables are just nasty in most cases, but it doesn`t have to be that way. Pour them into your thermos, add a dab of butter and some salt and let them stay there until you`re ready to eat your steaming hot, delicious vegetables.
4. Pudding. If you don`t relish the thought of having lukewarm pudding in your Tupperware at noon, then try putting the cold pudding into your thermos in the morning. It will stay nice and cool until you`re ready to treat yourself.
5. Chili. Not technically a soup, this dish tends to taste best when hot, so put it in your thermos and pack a few slices of cornbread to enjoy with it. Your chili will still be piping hot when you`re ready to sit down to lunch at the office.
You can make it easier on yourself by purchasing a wide mouth thermos that will let you easily put food in and dump it back out. A long handled spoon is also very useful for getting the last bits of food out of the bottom of the thermos. And with that, you`re ready to start eating great, healthy meals at work.
Our last article explained the likely connection between poor diet choices and acne. However, merely knowing that junk food plays a role may not be enough. Changing one’s diet is one of the most difficult adjustments to make. It requires tremendous discipline during the early stages and the sacrifice of long-time comforts. Often, the best way to start eating a healthier diet is to transition into it. That is, substituting healthy foods that satisfy you in a similar way to the junk you hope to stop eating. This helps your body do its job in two ways: by giving it a break from filtering out junk, and by giving it the vital nutrients it is desperately lacking. Here are four unhealthy foods many clear skin seekers consume too much of, along with suggestions on healthy things to substitute.
Junk Food #1: Potato chips, pretzels, Doritos, or popcorn
Why You’re Hooked: The addiction to potato chips boils down to a few things. Many are satisfied by the crunchiness and texture of the chips themselves. Something about the way the chips feel in your mouth just makes you think of them when you are hungry or bored. Other people really do just like the taste; let’s be honest, there are a lot of great-tasting potato chips out there, and I have yet to meet the person who did not enjoy a handful of Smartfood. And all of these are fine in moderation. However, many people with acne are binge-eating these foods and their diet is suffering from it.
What To Substitute: One great substitute for these foods is baby carrots dipped in a sweet, tangy balsamic vinagrette. The carrots provide the crunch, and the balsamic vinagrette offers the tang. As an added benefit, carrots are positively loaded with essential nutrients like Vitamin A and beta-carrotine. You will also be happy to discover that you will not feel sick or bloated after eating them.
Junk Food #2: Oreo cookies, Chips Ahoy, any kind of chocolate bar or sugary snack
Why You’re Hooked: Cookies and sugary snacks satisfy our “sweet tooth” which is stronger in some people than others. Not everyone who binges on potato chips, for example, has to worry about binging on cookies, although many do binge on both. In either case, it can be very hard to kick the habit of eating too many sugary snacks. They are a form of “comfort food” that appeals to us more and more as we become stressed or anxious. Unfortunately, they offer no nutritional value and contain many unhealthy ingredients.
What To Substitute: Luckily for you, there is a natural substitute that will give you all the healthy sugar you need: grapes! Besides being cold and somewhat crunchy, grapes actually satisfy much the “sweet tooth” craving that you currently satisfy with cookies and candy bars. If you can get over the initial cravings for junk food and just try to eat grapes instead, you will find yourself quite satisfied and full after eating them -and your body will appreciate the fiber!
Junk Food #3: Frozen pizza (or most delivered pizza)
Why You’re Hooked: Pizza may be one of the most universally liked foods on Earth. Few can resist the mouth-watering cheeses, sauce, spices and toppings that a delicious slice of pizza has to offer. Nor should you, in all cases. Pizza is truly one of life’s joys, and you should enjoy it in moderation. The problem is that many people turn to cheap, mass-produced frozen pizza which contains preservatives and various ingredients your body despises. Ditto for most delivered pizza like Dominoes.
What To Substitute: The best substitute for frozen pizza is to prepare your own home-made pizza using fresh, delicious ingredients. You can actually buy your own dough, sauce, cheese, spices, and toppings that are not frozen and have not been sitting on shelves for months. Prepared this way, pizza can actually be quite healthy and much better-tasting! For convenience’s sake, you can even make multiple pizzas at a time, eating some and storing the rest so you can eat it later, just as conveniently as your frozen pizza of old.
Junk Food #4: Pop-Tarts, toaster strudles, doughnuts, or other sugary breakfast foods
Why You’re Hooked: When you wake up in the morning, your body literally feels as though it just went through a famine. It has not eaten in 8 hours. This is why sugary foods are so appealing and appear to give you a great energy boost after you eat them. Unfortunately, the energy boost is short-lived, followed by a crash, and just increases the amount of junk your body has to filter out. As we’ve discussed, this junk often manifests in the form of acne or other health problems.
What To Substitute: You do not have to completely sacrifice sweet-tasting breakfast foods. You just need to eat healthy ones. For example, visit the natural foods section of your local grocery store until you find fiber-packed Raisin Bran or Cranberry Crunch cereal. Believe it or not, these healthy cereals are actually delicious and will leave you feeling completely full as you walk out the door. Bananas and apples are another excellent morning food, delivering a surge of fiber and potassium that none of the aforementioned junk can provide.