Seaweed Good for the Heart

Seaweeds are one of the most underrated foods. Usually common as part of the diet in East Asia, coastal Europe, and Hawaii, they are packed with essential vitamins and minerals and could be considered as a superfood.

Seaweeds have a number of heart-health compounds, including ACE (Angiotensin-Converting Enzymes) inhibitors, antioxidants and essential fatty acids (lipids).

In a recent study using varieties of Irish and Canadian species of seaweeds, findings revealed that, indeed, they can have a role in keeping the heart healthy.
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Raisins Found to be as Effective as Sports Chews for Workout

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A study was made recently regarding the effectivity of raisins in fueling a workout, in comparison to sports chews and sports drinks.

Conducted by University of California-Davis researchers and published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, the study claims that eating a handful of raisins is just as effective as having a couple of sports chews. This was tested on a group of runners who were given raisins, sports chews, and water, respectively, for a week. Those who had raisins or sports chews were able to run one minute faster on their 5k allotment than those who only drank water.
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Eggs May Help Prevent Heart Disease and Cancer

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University of Alberta Department of Agricultural Food and Nutritional Science researchers Jianping Wu, Andreas Schieber, graduate students Chamila Nimalaratne and Daise Lopes-Lutz recently discovered that eggs have antioxidant properties which is good in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Egg yolks produced by hens fed typical diets of either primarily wheat and corn were examined and found to have two amino acids, tryptophan and tyrosine, which have high antioxidant properties.
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Potatoes Can Lower Blood Pressure

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A couple of servings of potato a day reduces blood pressure almost as much as oatmeal without causing weight gain, according to a recent study.

The finding, presented at the 42nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), was that microwaved plain purple potatoes lowered blood pressure by 3%-4% without gaining weight.

In this research, 18 patients who were primarily overweight / obese and with high blood pressure ate 6-8 purple potatoes (each about the size of a golf ball) with skin twice daily for a month. The results showed that people who ate purple potatoes lowered their diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number in a blood pressure reading) by an average of 4.3% and their systolic (the top number) by 3.5%. Eating potatoes was not accompanied by changes in body weight, blood fats (lipids) or glucose levels (HbA1c) and the blood pressure went down in spite of the fact that 14 of the 18 participants were also on blood pressure medication.
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Eating Nuts Daily May Help Control Type 2 Diabetes and Prevent Complications

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Based on a new research from St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto, daily consumption of nuts may help control Type 2 Diabetes and prevent its complications.

According to Dr. David Jenkins, head of research team in the University of Toronto Department of Nutritional Sciences; St. Michael’s Hospital Risk Factor Modification Centre), consuming two ounces of nuts daily as a replacement for carbohydrates proved effective at controlling the glycemic and serum lipid of people with Type 2 Diabetes.

“Mixed, unsalted, raw, or dry-roasted nuts have benefits for both blood glucose control and blood lipids and may be used as part of a strategy to improve diabetes control without weight gain,” Dr. Jenkins said.

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