Nutritional health is achieved through the therapeutic use of whole foods, safe culinary preparation, and understanding the metabolic impacts of specific dietary frameworks and ingredients.
It’s no coincidence that carrots have a permanent place in the produce aisle -- the sweet root vegetable is a popular snack; a common ingredient in soups, stews, salads and slaws; and a staple of crudite platters.
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One of the first things you’ll notice about prune juice is that it’s far thicker than the average fruit juice. This is because there’s no juice to extract from prunes -- instead, the dried fruit is pulverized into a thick paste that’s dissolved in hot water.
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Salad greens -- the leafy green vegetables that are either too delicate for cooking or traditionally consumed raw -- are a common staple for calorie-conscious dieters and healthy eaters alike.
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Iron is one of the most vitally important nutrients in the diet. Not only is it essential for normal growth and development, healthy skin, bones and teeth and optimal immunity, but it also supplies body cells with the oxygen they need to produce energy.
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If you’re a fan of pumpkin seeds, you probably don’t need to be convinced that extracting them from their pulpy web is worth the effort. Including whole pumpkin seeds in your diet -- chewy white shell and all -- is an easy way to boost your intake of unsaturated fat, dietary fiber, zinc, iron, magnesium and vitamin E.
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If you eat oranges for their vitamin C, bananas for their potassium and apples for their fiber, you may want to pick up some kiwifruit on your next shopping trip.
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Few foods are as versatile as they are nutritious, but the humble sweet potato is one exception. Whether you bake, roast, grill, saute, steam or microwave it, the orange-fleshed root vegetable delivers substantial amounts of vitamins A, C and B-6, potassium, iron and dietary fiber.
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If food prices were based on nutritional value, the humble carrot would be far more expensive. Carrots are the leading source of beta-carotene -- and therefore an important source of vitamin A -- in the American diet, according to “Wellness Foods A to Z: An Indispensable Guide for Health-Conscious Food Lovers.
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With a per capita consumption rate that exceeds that of apples and grapes combined, bananas have long been America’s favorite fruit. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that since about 1990, the average American has consumed close to 25 pounds of bananas a year.
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It takes little more than water, time and sunshine to transform plump, juicy grapes into sweet, chewy raisins. That doesn’t mean you would have found people downing them by the handful in ancient Rome, where the dried fruit was a precious commodity used to pay taxes, reward top athletes and “cure” old age.
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If statistics are an accurate indication, sweet potatoes are widely underrated in the United States. While the average American enjoys regular potatoes enough to consume more than 36 pounds of them each year, sweet potatoes are appreciated to the tune of just over 5 pounds per person per year.
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Depending on the compounds they produce when metabolized, all foods — with the exception of pure water — are either acid-forming or alkaline-forming in the body. Consequently, each food you eat has a temporary and minuscule effect on your body’s pH balance.
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Not only do bell peppers pack more nutrients per calorie than practically any other food, but these crisp, sweet vegetables are as versatile as they are nutritious. While it doesn’t take much effort to incorporate bell peppers into your diet, how you choose to prepare them can affect their nutritional value.
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Bowel regularity is more of an individual experience than a collective one. One person might get rid of solid waste once or twice a day, while another might have the urge to eliminate just once every couple of days.
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Since losing their undeserved status as a nutritional outcast, nuts have secured a more accurate reputation as a nutrient-dense food that promotes cardiovascular health and helps protect against weight gain and Type 2 diabetes.
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If you sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on your oatmeal every morning because you’ve heard it’s good for you, you’re not alone.
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The Chinese have harvested and eaten kiwifruit, known to them as “yang tao,” since ancient times, according to “The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods.” Missionaries carried the fruit to New Zealand in the early 20th century, where they became known as Chinese gooseberries.
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Unless it’s one of the few that behaves neutrally, every food is either acid- or alkaline-forming in the body. In general, fruits and vegetables are alkalizing, while meat, most dairy and all sugary foods are acidifying.
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Every food you eat temporarily affects your body’s acid-alkaline balance. Blood and other bodily fluids are naturally alkaline, with a narrow pH range between 7.365 and 7.45 on the acid-alkaline scale. Highly acid-forming foods, such as sugar, coffee and meat, have an acidifying effect on your bodily fluids.
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Whether they came from a bag or straight from the fruit, you’ve probably tasted pumpkin seeds. Pumpkins aren’t the only winter squash that contain edible seeds; however, you can eat the seeds of virtually any squash variety, including acorn squash.
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