Eating For Health

Who doesn’t love some fresh‑cooked asparagus? My husband recently stopped by our local farmer’s market hoping to pick up a bundle — but it wasn’t quite in season yet. When it is available, asparagus is truly a powerhouse of good nutrition. And here’s something many people don’t realize: how you cook asparagus can affect its nutritional value . Let’s take a closer look at why asparagus is so good for your gut, your bones, and your overall health. 🥗 Packed With Vitamins and Minerals Asparagus is naturally low in calories — just 27 calories per cup of raw spears — yet loaded with essential nutrients: ·          5 grams of carbs ·          No cholesterol ·          Very little fat ·          Almost half your daily vitamin K ·          20% of your daily folate, and several ot...

Who doesn’t like bananas?   One of my favorite fruits.   Such a fave, that I eat a banana every morning.   What are some health benefits and convenience of eating bananas? Easy and convenient Bananas are now available in grocery stores all year.   One doesn’t have to wait for them to be in season. Bananas are easy to store, don’t need refrigeration and easy to pack in a lunch. Kids find bananas easy to eat.   If you ever went to a school lunch room when apples are served, you would be shocked to see how many apples have a tiny bite in them and then the rest of the apple hits the garbage can.   But when bananas are served, the kids usually eat all of the banana.    What are the health benefits of bananas? Potassium:   Loaded with the mineral, potassium .   “A medium banana gives you 422 milligrams, which is 9% of what you need every day.”   Potassium helps you lower your blood pressure.   How?   Potassium helps yo...

So many of us are doing everything we can to kill bacteria and have a cleaner home.   But did you know there are “good bacteria” that are actually good for our health?   We want those “good bacteria” to multiply in our gut so we can have a healthier gut. What are the “good bacteria”?   It actually doesn’t sound too healthy but good bacteria are good for a healthy gut.   NIH defines the healthy bacteria in your body as all the bacteria, fungi and viruses that live on or inside our bodies.   NIH notes this “microbiome” actually contributes to our health in many ways including:   protecting us against bacteria that can cause disease, helping your immune system, and helping our bodies digest food.   Dr. Mullin from Johns Hopkins University notes , “Your gut bugs help determine your overall health in a good way – or a bad way.” Can you change the population of “good bacteria” in your gut?   Yes, you can and diet is one way to do so.   The foo...