Carrot Juice Benefits and Nutritional Facts

Carrot juice is an excellent nutritional health drink for dieters, providing you with array of benefits and rich supply of essential vitamins and minerals and that too without being accompanied by all of the calories that a health shake might give you. Pure carrot juice is a very low calorie juice to drink, one ounce of beverage yields just 10 calories usually. 

You can dramatically increase the calories by blending the juice with rolled oats, cereal, or boiled rice if you are an athlete and need more calories you can blend it with fruit yogurt, milk, ice cream, or a protein powder supplement.

Pure carrot juice in an eight ounce serving can provide up to 6% percent of your daily recommended intake level of calcium. It is very important to receive a healthy level of calcium in your daily diet. 

Bones and teeth are dependent on calcium for growth and formation, especially the skeletal structure and development of children. Calcium absorption should also be accompanied by vitamin D, which helps aid your body's intake of the mineral. Like potassium, calcium is important for neuro-transmition, and muscle movement and contraction. 

Vitamin A is very crucial for expectant mothers and the unborn fetus. Although vitamin A is very important for your body, eight ounces of carrot juice can contain as much as 800% of your daily recommended dosage of vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential and necessary for tissue growth, especially within the bones. 

Vitamin A is also very important in maintaining good vision. The old myth that eating carrots will help you see better is true, as vitamin A deficiencies can lead to vision problems such as night blindness. it is also important to maintain moderate levels of vitamin A intake, as too much can lead to liver toxicity, and other health problems.

 
Potassium deficiencies are very bad for your body, with such effects as Hypokalemia, acne, muscle spasms, dry skin, and elevated cholesterol levels. Carrots juiced with celery or turnips can provide your body with a large intake level of potassium. 

Carrot juice is an excellent drinkable source of potassium. Potassium is very important in helping to maintain a healthy electrolyte balance and fluid level in the cells of your body. It's also necessary in muscle movement, such as contraction, as well as neurotransmission. 

Carrot juice is also an excellent source of vitamin C. An eight ounce glass of pure carrot juice can provide your body with up to 35% of your daily recommended dosage of vitamin C. Vitamin C has a wide variety of uses throughout our entire body, such as collagen production of the mucous membranes, skin, bones, and teeth. Vitamin C is also a very crucial antioxidant.

 Health Benefits

Carrots are popular for its famous ingredient carotene's, it is an awesome anti-oxidant that has powerful healing virtues for many diseases. Drinking a glass of carrot juice daily will do much more for you than many bottles of supplement and tablets. Here are some disorders that can be helped by drinking carrot juice regularly: 

Acidosis: The vital organic alkaline elements in carrots help balance the blood acidity and blood sugar. 

Acne: Its powerful cleansing properties are effective in detoxifying the liver, thus overall effective for acne which are caused by toxicity of the blood.

Anemia: Carrot's molecules are closest to human's hemoglobin molecules, making it very beneficial in blood-building. 

Atherosclerosis: The highly cleansing power of this miracle juice scrubs away even the old build-up of arterial deposits, reducing the risks of heart diseases and stroke.

Asthma: The anti-oxidants effectively protects the respiratory system from infections and free-radical attacks.

Cancer: Studies show that adding one carrot per day in our diet significantly reduces cancer risks.

Cholesterol: Pectin in carrots lowers the serum cholesterol levels.

Congestion: Carrot juice is very effective in dispelling mucus from the ear, nose and throat area, easing nasal congestion, sinusitis, phlegm and mucus in the throat and other similar disorders.

Constipation: Take five parts of carrot juice with one part of spinach juice regularly to regulate chronic constipation problems. 

Emphysema: If you smoke or are exposed to second-hand smoke, taking carrot juice regularly may well save your life.

Eyes: Beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin are some of the finest nourishment that help keep the optic system in tip-top condition, with special protection against astigmatism, macular degeneration and cataracts.

Fertility: One of the reasons for fertility is lack of nutrients and enzymes in your dietary. Carrot juice taken regularly, is able to nourish your body back to fertility.

Inflammations: Its anti-inflammatory effect greatly helps reduce arthritis, rheumatism, gout and other inflammations.

Immune systems: It does wonders for boosting the immune system by increasing the production and performance of white blood cells; building resistant to various kinds of infections.

Breast feeding mothers: Carrot juice helps enhance the quality and quantity of a mother's breast milk.

Pregnancy: Drinking carrot juice regularly during pregnancy, especially during the last few months, will reduce the chances of jaundice in baby. No, you won't get an orange baby!

Skin problems: The high quality vitamin C and other rich nutrients in carrot juice efficiently nourish the skin, preventing dry skin, psoriasis and other skin blemishes.

Thread worms: One small cup of carrot juice in the morning taken daily for a week can help clear up thread worms in children.

Ulcers: The abundance of nutrient present in carrots helps nourish cells that have been starved of nutrients which result in ulcers.

Water retention: Carrot juice is diuretic and helps to eliminate excess fluids from the body, reducing water retention, especially for women during their monthly menstruation cycle and in pregnant women.

Beet Juice

 

 

Beets are one of the world’s healthiest foods. With abundant and unique sources of phytonutrients like betalains and vulgaxanthins, beets offer more than a purple color. These phytonutrients promote antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory properties, and detoxifying properties. Beets are especially important in Phase II of the detoxification step.
Beets get their vibrant red color from betacyanins. Beets contain numerous antioxidants like manganese, vitamin C, and phytonutrients. Anti-inflammatory benefits are due to phytonutrients like betanin, isobetanin and vulgaxanthin. Anti-inflammatory properties work by inhibiting cyclooxygenase enzymes that trigger inflammation.
Packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients, beets also contain betaine. Betaine is a nutrient that is made from choline. B vitamins like choline are important for helping reduce inflammation and reducing homocysteine levels. High homocysteine levels are linked to greater incidence of heart disease.  Betaine has been shown to reduce inflammation, reduce C reactive protein, reduce interleukin-6 which all lead to inflammatory responses. Not only do beets reduce inflammation, but they also support detoxification especially Phase II detoxification in the liver.
Recent scientific studies, beets have been shown to reduce tumor cell growth. Studies that demonstrated reduced tumor cell growth include: cancers of the colon, stomach, lung, breast, prostate and testicular. Beets also contain a good amount of fiber that is very important for preventing colon cancer.
Fitlife Tips:
-          If you’re going to steam or cook your beets make sure to keep it under 15 minutes of cooking. Beets like most vegetables are sensitive to oxidation.
-          If you eat beets and your urine is purple or red, don’t worry this is called beeturia.
-          Buy organic beets.
-          The greens of beets contain oxalates. If you have gallbladder or kidney issues try to avoid juicing the greens.

Source: http://fitlife.tv/beet-juice/

10 Amazing Benefits of Pink (Himalayan) Salt

By Amanda Ennett

Imagine everyone sitting down for a big family feast. The best china set gently upon silk cloth, crystals brimming with fresh apple-cinnamon-ginger juice. An array of baked, steamed and sautéed vegetables decorate the table. Suddenly Grandma reaches for the salt, startled she rears back and exclaims, “Why is the salt PINK?!”

                     

Origins

The Himalayan mountain range stretches across Asia passing through China, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan, and India. Most people associate the Himalayans with Mount Everest, the highest peak on this planet, but here is something new to think about- salt.

Once upon a time (a couple of hundreds of millions of years ago) crystallized sea salt beds, now deep within the Himalayans, were covered by lava. Aside from being kept it in a pristine environment that has been surrounded by snow and ice year round, the lava is thought to have protected the salt from modern-day pollution leading to the belief that Himalayan Pink salt is the purest salt to be found on earth. It is now hand-mined from the mountains and brought to the culinary market.

Why Pink? 

The many hues of pink, red and white are an indication of this salt’s rich and varying mineral and energy-rich iron content.

Benefits

In the same manner that vitamins and minerals are perfectly packaged in fruits and vegetables, because this salt was formed naturally the minerals within the sodium work in synergy.

(Synergy is the interaction of multiple elements in a system to produce an effect different from or greater than the sum of their individual effects.)

Iodine- Natural salts are rich in iodine, so it doesn’t need to be artificially added in.

Less sodium consumed per serving- Himalayan salt is made of the same components as table salt but since the crystal structure is larger than refined salt, and by volume- this salt therefore has LESS sodium per 1/4 t. serving- because the sea salt crystals or flakes take up less room on a teaspoon than highly refined tiny table salt grains.

Packs a hearty 80+ minerals and elements- Himalayan salts are mineral packed crystals which formed naturally within the earth made up of 85.62% sodium chloride and 14.38% other trace minerals including: sulphate, magnesium, calcium, potassium, bicarbonate, bromide, borate, strontium, and fluoride (in descending order of quantity).

Because of these minerals Himalayan pink salt can:

• Create an electrolyte balance
• Increases hydration
• Regulate water content both inside and outside of cells
• Balance pH (alkaline/acidity) and help to reduce acid reflux
• Prevent muscle cramping
• Aid in proper metabolism functioning
• Strengthen bones
• Lower blood pressure
• Help the intestines absorb nutrients
• Prevent goiters
• Improve circulation
• Dissolve and eliminate sediment to remove toxins

It is even said to support libido, reduce the signs of aging, and detoxify the body from heavy metals.

Pink Salt vs. Sea Salt

Even though pink salts come from the mountains, they are technically sea salts as well. All salt comes from a salted body of water—namely, an ocean or salt-water lake. However, Himalayan salt is said to be the purest form of sea salt.

Why Table Salt is Inferior

Commercial refined salt is not only stripped of all its minerals, besides sodium and chloride, but is also chemically cleaned, bleached and heated at unnecessary high temperatures.

In addition, it is treated with anti-caking agents which prevent salt from mixing with water in the salt container. These agents also prevent dissolving within our system leading to build up and then deposit in organs and tissue, causing severe health problems.

Finally, the iodine that is added into salt is usually synthetic which is difficult for your body to process properly. Shockingly under U.S. law, up to 2% of table salt can be additives.

The Many Uses of Pink Salt

Cooking and curing- use pre-ground salt or grinders like any other salt.

Salt Slabs- used as serving platters, the slabs will impart an enhanced salt taste and mineral content. Chilled: decorate with fruits, sushi, vegetables or cheese. Frozen: present cold desserts and even sorbets. Heated: use the slabs to sear vegetables, shrimp, fish fillets or thinly sliced beef or even to fry an egg. The dense salt blocks conduct heat beautifully with near perfect heat distribution.

Best of all, Himalayan salt is naturally anti-microbial, so clean up requires just a quick scrub or rinse.

Decoration- use the salts in containers, as décor crystals and sprinkled on food for presentation.

Bathing- throw in the tub for a detoxifying Himalayan salt bath. The replenishing nutrients stimulate circulation and soothe sore muscles. Naturally rich in 80+ nourishing and skin-replenishing minerals, bathing with pink bath salt is a healing and therapeutic experience for mind and body.

Potpourri Holders and Essential Oil Diffusers- many on-line sites sell beautiful home décor featuring the pink salt as crystal rocks.

Air purification- crystal rock lamps for air purification are also found and sold on-line.

Hopefully now you will not be as shocked as Grandma when you reach for the salt shaker and find pink crystals staring back at you!

If you eat meat, brining should be in your bag of tools. Brining makes meat very juice and succulent! Here’s is an extremely simple recipe for it.

Basic low sodium brine for pork and poultry. (Brine will work for up to 8 lbs. of protein.)

Ingredients

• 1 gallon water
• 3 ounces sea salt
• 3 ounces sugar (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. citrus zest (lemon, lime or orange – optional)

Instructions

• Add the salt, sugar and other aromatics to a pot and bring the water to a simmer until the salt and sugar have dissolved.
• Remove the pot from the heat and chill before using the brine.
• Let your protein brine for 6 hours.
• Drain the protein, and let it rest and air dry in fridge for 2 hours.
• Roast, broil or grill as you would!

Source: Amanda Ennett - FitLife.tv

The Art of Food

 

Beautifully-plated meals have certainly always been appreciated for the care and attention given to them, but does the beauty of a presentation somehow affect your palate?   According to recent research, how you present the meals you create could indeed greatly affect how flavourful those meals are perceived to be.

Researchers recently conducted a study where diners were presented the same meal in two different arrangements on two different nights.  Subjects reported that they liked the food on the plate more when it was presented in a way that was judged to be more attractive.  This relationship between the attractiveness of a meal presentation and how well it played on the taste buds was confirmed for all food items that were served except for vegetables.  Despite the resiliency that vegetables showed to a nip here and a tuck there, researchers concluded that their study could be used to increase the overall acceptance of healthy foods.

So next time you’re serving healthy fare to family or guests add a little flair to the presentation and tell us how your research went.

 

Source: www.sciencedirect.com