Healthy Food: Sprouting Grains

In order to make your nutrition healthier, it is recommended to sprout your own grains and include them in your everyday diet.

Sprouting grains are very easy to prepare. When a seed is put in water, enzymes are activated, mucus is reduced and digestion is aided. Protein turns into essential amino-acids and starch turns into simple sugars and vitamin multiplies.

Choose seeds that are not too old and free from chemicals. Look for young, viable and whole seeds (get them from organic farmer or healthshop). Seeds that can be commonly sprouted in a jar are alfalfa, beans, lentils, soyabeans, shelled sunflower seeds, peanuts, almonds,wheat, rye and spice seed (fenugreek, mustard seeds). Wheat grass, lentils, beans and oat grass can also be grown.

Begin by washing the seeds well with fresh,pure water and then remove any broken ones. Soak the seeds in water overnight and rinsed thoroughly. Use the purest water for washing the seeds. Then drain the water - the seeds should be rinsed well. The jar of seeds should be set upside down in a dish rack to drain off all the water for ten minutes or longer. Good rinsing and drainage give good healthy sprout.

The sprouts need water two or three times a day. Cover the jar with a mesh screen, cheesecloth or nylon stocking. Shake the jar several times a day to loosen the grains from the bottom of the jar. Remember, excessive amount water will spoil the grains.

The sprouts are usually ready in two or five days depending on the temperature. Do not place them in direct sunlight - it is too hot and hфrmful for the tender sprouts. Therefore, place them in indirect sunlight to bring the chlorophyll into the leaves.

Remember to rinse the sprouts to give them a constant supply of fresh water. Do not let them dry up. If the sprouts are not rinsed, they may get spoiled.

Eat the sprouts at the peak of their vitality and nutritional value. Enjoy your meal!

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Foods High in Magnesium

Over a dozen foods are high in magnesium, although few of them are eaten regularly as part of the normal diet. Vegetarians and vegans are more likely to eat foods high in magnesium than meat-eaters.

Foods high in magnesium include wheatgerm, almonds, cashew nuts, brewer's yeast, buckwheat flour, Brazil nuts, peanuts and pecan nuts. Nuts are generally a good source of minerals, so it is not surprising that they are high in the list of foods high in magnesium.

Calcium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamins B1, B6 and D all help the absorption of magnesium from foods. The large amount of calcium, which is not well absorbed, is detrimental to the absorption of magnesium. When you look for foods high in magnesium, look for those that contain calcium, but in t he right proportion. Calcium and magnesium are absorbed best when taken in a proportion of 3 parts of calcium to 2 parts of magnesium - 600 mg calcium to 400 mg magnesium, for example.

Magnesium is an important mineral, since it strengthens bones and teeth while it leads to improved muscles. Like all minerals, if taken as a supplement, it should be combined with other minerals in a multi-mineral supplement.

This is a list of foods that are high in magnesium, shown per 100 grams are:

  • Wheatgerm - 490 milligrams (mg)
  • Almonds - 270 mg
  • Cashew nuts - 267 mg
  • Brewer's yeast - 231 mg
  • Buckwheat flour - 229 mg
  • Brazil nuts - 225 mg
  • Peanuts - 175 mg
  • Pecan nuts - 142 mg
  • Cooked beans - 37 mg

Almonds, which are also a good source of calcium (234 milligrams per 100 grams) are an excellent source of nutrition, and especially for minerals. They also contain iron and zinc.

Foods high in magnesium are fairly plentiful, but care is needed to ensure that they are kept at low temperatures. Nuts and seeds, which are among foods high in magnesium, should be kept in the refrigerator to prevent them oxidizing. But wheatgerm is best among foods high in magnesium, and can be taken easily by sprinkling it on cereal at breakfast. It can also be added to dough mixtures. Calcium and magnesium go together.

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Tips to Eat Properly

When you enter grocery food stores you are bombarded by advertising all around you. The advertising can be very misleading as to what is really healthy for you and what is not. There is an old rule that holds true most of the time when trying to shop healthy at the supermarket. That rule is to shop for your food items around the perimeter of the store. The perimeter of the store is where they have all the fresh fruits, vegetables and meats, the natural items. When you start moving up and down the isles you find bags, boxes and cans which equals some sort of processing which also equals not good for you.

Eating right isn't as hard as some people would have you believe. You have many choices as well. If you are stuck in the habit of making everything from a box, you really can change. There are cooking shows on TV that show you very easily how to cook up simple healthful meals using mostly fresh ingredients. There are tons of online recipe sites that you can use for free to get new ideas of what to cook and how to do it.

Eating properly also includes the amounts of food you eat and the timing of your meals. Most people are eating too much food at one time. Our bodies were designed to utilize food by eating smaller meals more often throughout the day. Most people eat three big meals and snack in between with sugar and fat. This is the fastest way to becoming overweight. The best way for your body to work properly, you should eat five to six smaller meals evenly spaced throughout the day. It sounds like a lot of eating but it really is very easy. It almost feels like you are snacking all day, only it is with good snacks. It gives your body the energy it needs throughout the day and removes that stuffy, lay around feeling you get after a big meal. Eating this way also keeps your metabolism at its highest so you are able to burn more fat.

Portions sizes are as simple to figure out as making a fist. Your clenched fist should be about the right portion size for you. At each meal you should have a portion of protein, carbohydrates and vegetables. They work together. I'll give you a list of some healthy choices. Pick one from each list and you will have a meal. The fats list should be used minimally.

PROTEINS

• Nuts
• Low-fat cottage cheese
• Egg whites
• Egg substitutes
• Whole eggs
• Chicken breast
• Turkey breast
• Lean ground turkey
• Tuna
• Haddock
• Salmon
• Orange Roughy
• Swordfish
• Trout
• Shrimp
• Crab
• Lobster
• Top round steak
• Top sirloin steak
• Lean ground beef
• Buffalo
• Lean ham
• Veggie burgers
• Vegetable protein
• Tofu
• Tempeh

VEGETABLES

• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Lettuce
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Green beans
• Green peppers
• Mushrooms
• Onion
• Peas
• Spinach
• Tomato
• Zucchini

CARBOHYDRATES

• Apples
• Baked potato
• Barley
• Beans
• Corn
• Fat free yogurt
• High fiber cereals
• Kidney beans
• Melons
• Oatmeal
• Oranges
• Pasta
• Pumpkin
• Squash
• Steamed brown rice
• Steamed wild rice
• Strawberries
• Sweet potatoes
• Whole grains
• Whole wheat bread
• Whole wheat Tortilla
• Yams

HEALTHY FATS

• Avocado
• Cold water fish
• Flax seed oil
• Low fat cheese
• Low fat salad dressing
• Natural peanut butter
• Olives
• Olive oil
• Pumpkin seeds
• Raw nuts
• Sunflower seeds

AVOID OR USE SPARINGLY

• Butter
• Fried foods
• Mayonnaise
• Sweets
• Whole fat dairy products

Health food stores offer you items you can't always find in the traditional food store. But remember, everything you find on the shelves of a health food store may not be totally healthy for you. They sell things that are healthier for you and offer up advise on different health issues, but you must be the one to exercise control in your eating habits. You can buy a bag of low fat baked chips, but if you eat the whole bag at one sitting, there is nothing low fat or good about it.

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