The health benefits of grapeseed oil make it a versatile and guilt free choice when it comes to a cooking oil. Although not as high in monounsaturated fat as olive oil, it has a higher concentration of these “heart healthy” fats than most other forms of oil. Even more importantly, a 1993 study showed that an ounce and a half of grapeseed oil per day decreased LDL cholesterol by seven percent and raised HDL cholesterol by thirteen percent. As you know, HDL cholesterol is the good cholesterol, so you want the number to be high..

Because of its high smoke point, organic grapeseed oil is a versatile cooking oil. It’s the perfect oil for sautéing at high temperatures and for cooking popcorn on the stove or grilling meat where a high heat is required. The smoke point of grapeseed oil is around 485 degrees Farenheit in comparison to olive oil which smokes at about 250 degrees Farenheit. You only need about a third to a half of the amount of oil when you cook with grapeseed oil when compared to other oils. This makes it quite economical.

If you’re accustomed to the rich taste of olive oil, grapeseed oil may seem blander, almost neutral with slight nutty undertones. This can be an advantage in recipes where you want the texture of fat without the overbearing taste of an oil with strong flavor. In applications where you want a more outspoken oil adding herbs and spices can give additional flavor impact.

When choosing a grapeseed oil, select one that has no synthetic preservatives such as BHT. Grapeseed oil is naturally high in vitamin E which has natural preservative properties. Organic grapeseed oil can be found in most natural food markets and many mainstream grocery stores or ordered online.

If you’re looking for a healthy cooking oil, organic grapeseed oil is one you’ll want to consider both for its health properties as well as its amazing versatility.

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A study published in the journal Human Reproduction shows that exposure to a common group of chemicals known as perfluorinated chemicals or PFCs can make it more difficult for a woman to conceive. Even more disturbing is the fact that these chemicals are found in commonly used household itemss and even food and cosmetic products that women are exposed to on a daily basis.

How did PFCs affect women in this study? The researchers were able to measure blood levels of PFCs in women and compare them to the time period it took for the women to become pregnant. Infertility is considered to exist if it takes longer than a year to conceive. When the women with the lowest levels of PFCs were compared to those with the highest levels, it was found that those with the highest blood levels of these chemicals were significantly more likely to take longer than a year to conceive, suggesting that PFCs might cause female infertility.

The manufacturers who use these chemicals in their products emphasize that there’s no proof that these chemicals actually affect fertility, just that there’s an association. Despite this, the EPA has chosen to take action against companies who use these chemicals in their products. Their goal is to require these companies to eliminate PFCs completely from products by 2015.

Is there proof that PFCs can adversely affect fertility or cause other health problems? The EPA website points out that PFCs have been shown to cause developmental disorders as well as other health problems in animals. They emphasize that most women have a certain level of these chemicals in their bloodstream when tested. It’s unclear whether their health effects extend beyond affecting female infertility to serious health conditions such as cancer. More research is needed to further clarify the potential health risks.

Although PFCs are just one of many factors that can affect infertility in females, this study raises concerns about the role environmental pollutants and toxins play in compromising fertility as well as impacting fetal development. Even more disturbing is the fact that these chemicals occur in products that women are exposed to on a daily basis.
Thankfully, the EPA seems to be taking a proactive stand on this issue.

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Have you heard the advertisements for a weight loss product called Wulong Slimming tea? It’s being heavily marketed as the latest “quick fix” weight loss plan. Does this tea really help to promote weight loss or is it another clever marketing gimmick? The answer may lie somewhere in between.

While Wulong Slimming tea sounds may sound like a special product with proprietary ingredients that only the product originators have privy to, this tea is already widely available in most natural food markets and health food store under the name of oolong tea. Oolong tea comes from the Camellia senensis plant, just as do black and green teas. The difference lies in the amount of processing the three types of tea undergo.

Black tea is the most processed of the three teas since it’s allowed to undergo a fermentation process that gives it a dark, rich flavor before being packaged. In the process many of the catechins that give tea its health benefits are removed. In contrast, green tea is steamed in order to stop the fermentation process and allowed to dry naturally. It retains most of the desirable, healthy catechins. Oolong tea lies somewhere in between in terms of processing. It’s allowed to partially ferment, but not as much as black tea, so it retains some catechins.

Oolong tea began to receive real attention after a 2003 study conducted on eleven Japanese women showed that consumption of oolong tea increased resting energy expenditure. The study not only looked at the effect of oolong tea on metabolic rate, but also that of green tea. The study demonstrated that green tea increased energy expenditure by four percent while oolong tea increased it by around ten percent. While it was believed that the increase in metabolic rate was related to the polyphenols present in the teas, the green tea had more polyphenols than the oolong tea due to the fact that it was less processed. Why did oolong increase the metabolic rate of the women more? It was determined that the oolong tea contained more polymerized polyphenols than the green tea which probably accounted for the greater boost in metabolic rate.

According to this one very small study, it does appear that not only does oolong tea boost metabolic rate, it also raises it more than does green tea. Although this is encouraging, large trials haven’t been conducted to verify these results. Still, there are lots of anecdotal reports that oolong tea helps to promote weight loss. Thus, Wulong tea probably does have some effect on metabolic rate.

Unfortunately, the amount of weight loss seen with Wulong or oolong tea is unlikely to be dramatic even if sipped throughout the day. Previous studies have shown that green tea increases metabolic weight when drank in large enough quantity, but the number of extra calories burned only amounts to around eighty calories in a day. With oolong tea, it should be higher but is still unlikely to be over 200 extra calories burned per day. Still, if sipped consistently over time along with a healthy diet and exercise program, it may be a useful weight loss adjuvant.

The bottom line? Wulong tea probably does up the metabolic rate at least slightly but the weight loss achieved with this product probably won’t be dramatic unless combined with a sensible diet and weight loss program. It would also be more cost effective to buy oolong tea from your local health food store rather than invest in more costly Wulong tea. 

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Heart disease is the most common killer of both men and women in this country. It might surprise you to learn that heart disease contributes to four out of every ten deaths in the United States. Although genetics play a role in whether a not a person gets heart disease, lifestyle factors are also of critical importance. One of the best ways to reduce your risk of heart disease is to eat a heart healthy diet. Making your diet heart healthy doesn’t always require a major overhaul. Making subtle changes and substitutions to your regular diet can sometimes be enough to reduce your odds of developing heart disease. Here are four healthy foods for the heart you can easily add to your diet to reap the benefits of a healthier ticker.

Good foods for the heart: Fish

Most Americans don’t get enough fish in their diets. The best types of fish for reducing the risk of heart disease are ones high in omega-3 fatty acids, including fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon, and sardines. It’s generally recommended that Americans eat two servings of fatty fish each week to get the recommended amount of omega-3’s. Omega-3’s not only reduce inflammation in the body that can increase the risk of heart disease, but also have a beneficial effect on blood lipid levels including LDL and triglycerides. Although fish can be expensive, a cheap alternative is to buy packages of sardines in the canned goods section of your local grocery store and enjoy them as a snack twice a week. Sardines are low in mercury and other potential toxins which makes them one of the safest fish to eat. However you choose to do it, make sure you’re getting your two servings a week.  

Good foods for the heart: Nuts

Although they’re calorie dense, nuts are a good source of monounsaturated fats which help to lower LDL, the bad cholesterol, and, possibly, raise HDL, the good cholesterol. Several studies have correlated nuts with a lower risk of developing heart disease. What are the best choices? Walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids as well as monounsaturated fats. Almonds and macadamia nuts have also been shown to be heart healthy.

Good foods for the heart: Green tea

The flavanoids present in green tea appear to have a positive effect on heart health. In addition, components in green tea appear to dilate the coronary vessels slightly making it easier for blood and oxygen to flow through them. One Japanese study showed that drinking five glasses of green tea a day reduced the risk of heart disease by 31% in women and 22% in men. An easy way to add more green tea to your diet?  Make it your drink of choice at every meal instead of high calorie soft drinks and sodas.

Good foods for the heart: Dark chocolate

This is an easy one for most people to add to their diet. Eating a square or two of dark chocolate each day improves the flow of blood through the arteries and helps to inhibit 

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If you suffer from depression, you know it can impact almost every area of your life, making it difficult to sleep at night and even more difficult to get out of bed in the morning. To help solve the problem, some people turn to prescription antidepressants which can cause side effects almost as bad as the symptoms of depression itself

How do antidepressants work? Prescription antidepressants artificially alter the levels of certain brain neurotransmitters which help to relieve some of the hopelessness and loss of motivation associated with depression. Fortunately, there are natural ways to alter neurotransmitter levels by eating the right foods and, in some cases, taking supplements. One natural way to relieve the common symptoms of depression is through exercise.

Although exercising may be the last thing you feel like doing when you’re feeling down and depressed, intense movement can cause some amazing changes in your biochemistry that help to boost mood and improve many of the symptoms of depression.

Why is exercise effective for relieving depression? The answer lies in the endorphins your body produces when you start moving for sustained periods of time. Endorphins are small protein molecules that interact with receptors in your brain and nervous system to reduce pain and produce a peaceful sensation. These are the same brain chemicals responsible for the “runner’s high” that so many runners experience after running longer distances.

Although exercise to relieve depression sounds good in a theoretical sense, are there any studies to back up its effectiveness? A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine examined the effectiveness of exercise for relieving the symptoms of depression. It was found that engaging in any type of exercise significant reduced symptoms with the greatest improvement seen in people who did moderately intense workouts consisting of jogging or riding a stationary bike three to five days a week a week. Symptom reductions were also seen with low intensity exercise, although the effects were less pronounced. It appears that exercise for a sustained period of time at a moderate to high intensity level is best to relieve depression.

Exercise may also have other benefits when it comes to relieving the symptoms of depression. Staying active and reaching new fitness goals helps to build self-esteem and athletic skills that can be mood elevating. Exercise can also help improve sleep patterns in some depressed people.

Although you shouldn’t discontinue your antidepressants without contacting your doctor, exercise can be a natural way to relieve some of the common symptoms of depression while improving you body image and self esteem. Why not make time for some daily exercise? 

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Green tea seems to have become the darling of the health world and for good reason. Studies show that the catechins found in green tea may have some highly beneficial health properties, but don’t let black tea get pushed to the back burner. Black tea appears to have some benefits of its own. What are the health benefits of drinking black tea?

The basic difference between black tea and green tea is that the tea leaves of black tea are allowed to completely ferment before being packaged. Green tea is steamed to prevent the fermentation reaction and then dried before being packaged. Thus, green tea is less processed than its darker counterpart and doesn’t undergo the same fermentation process.  The fermentation process that black tea undergoes converts some of the catechins, such as EGCG, to other compounds, thus lowering the content of available EGCG to the body. EGCG has been credited with many of the health benefits that green tea offers. Although black tea may have lower levels of EGCG than green tea, there still appears to be considerable health benefits of drinking black tea.

A study carried out in 2004 showed that drinking black tea was associated with a reduction in levels of the aromatase enzyme, an enzyme that supports the growth of estrogen dependent breast tumors. Some of the standard medications used to treat breast cancer block this particular enzyme. Based on this study, it’s thought that the polyphenols found in black tea may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of estrogen dependent breast tumors. More research is needed on this issue.

A study published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer in 2006 showed drinking black tea was associated with a reduction in ovarian cancer risk. This effect appeared to be dose dependent, meaning the more black tea consumed, the lower the risk of ovarian cancer. In this same study, similar declines in ovarian cancer risk were seen for decaffeinated coffee, but not coffee containing caffeine. Several studies have also associated drinking black tea with lower LDL and cholesterol levels as well as a reduced risk of stroke and heart disease.

Although green tea may have higher levels of certain catechins, particularly EGCG, it appears to have high enough levels of other polyphenols to have health benefits. Should you choose green tea over black tea? It would be ideal to consume some of both each day. In fact, some companies are now coming out with black and green tea combinations to give the benefits of drinking black tea along with the high EGCG content of green tea. You can also combine the two into one pot at home. It appears that tea in all of its various forms has some health value. 

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Ditch the whole milk

You can significantly reduce the calories and fat content in your low fat milkshake by substituting skim milk or low fat soy milk for whole milk. Another even healthier option is to use Almond Breeze almond milk which has no added sugar. At only forty calories and three grams of unsaturated fat per cup, it’s a caloric bargain. Soy milk and almond milk can be found at most natural food markets and many conventional grocery stores.

Use light chocolate syrup

Although Hershey’s regular chocolate syrup is fat free, it has one hundred calories per two tablespoon serving. To reduce the calorie content of your low fat milkshake, substitute Hershey’s Lite Syrup which has half the calories with all of the great taste. Although Hershey’s makes a sugar-free syrup that has only fifteen calories per serving, it doesn’t have the same good taste as the Hershey’s Lite version.

Reassess the ice cream

There are so many low fat options when it comes to ice cream. Instead of using regular ice cream, substitute a low fat ice cream or a low fat yogurt which can cut the calories and fat content of your milkshake in half. Keep in mind that low fat yogurt may give your low fat milkshake a tangier taste than low fat ice cream. You can also substitute a fruit puree for a portion of the ice cream to reduce the calories and fat and still keep your milkshake thick and delicious.

When you make a low fat milkshake, you can sip without guilt and still enjoy an old fashioned comfort food.

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