Cranberry - The Fruit Everyone Loves

Although very small in size, Cranberry has a lot to give. Not only is cranberry a very delicious fruit or a dish on your dining table, but it also has many health benefits associated with it.

picture taken from uscranberries.com

Heart: Cranberry contains flavanoid and polyphenolic compounds which are proven to be good for the heart. These are antioxidants which prevent the oxidation of low density lipoprotein(LDL), which are your bad cholesterol. This would in turn reduce the risk of getting atherosclerosis, blocked arteries, which is due to the accumulation of the LDLs.

Gastric Ulcer: The presence the bacteria Helicobacter pylori is the main cause of many gastric ulcer. It neutralises the pH of the gastric lining which allows itself to the stomach wall and hence proliferates. However, Cranberry contains proanthocyanidins which undermines the bacteria's ability to stick on our stomach wall and hence preventing gastric ulcer.

Urinary Tract Infection: Similar to that of gastric ulcer, proanthocyanidins prevents the bacteria E. coli from clinging on the lining of the urinary tract. Since the E. coli cannot stay on the urinary tract, it gets flushed away and therefore less chance for an infection to occur.

Anti-inflammatory benefits: An infection on the gum may cause peridontal diseases which might damage the support for the teeth. However cranberry contains phytonutrients which has anti-inflammatory properties that is capable of combating such and infection. It also prevents inflammation along the gastro-intestinal tracts.

Choosing your cranberry is just as important as knowing the benefits of it. Jin's Health Tips suggests that you choose cranberries which are plump, deep red and firm. The firmness indicates the freshness of the fruit. The more red it is, the more nutritious it is.

Live well, Eat Well!

Should you have any questions, please email Jin's Health Tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

DHA - The Health Formula

Over the past few years, there has been a hype about DHA in terms of its health benefits. It is widely advertised with products such as baby powder and supplements. DHA, Docosahexaenoic acid, is a very important omega-3 fatty acids required by our body. It is essential especially for pregnant women and for the development of the fetal's brain and eye. In addition, research has shown that DHA is also good for people with cardiovascular diseases, depression.

picture taken from www.nu-mega.com

DHA is very important for the development of the brain and retina especially for the fetus. Since the only source of DHA comes from the mother, pregnant women require a higher intake of DHA to meet her body's needs. After birth, the baby still requires a high amount of DHA for brain development. Even in adult hood, a good intake of DHA ensures a good mental health. This means that you are less prone to dementia, depression and other mental diseases.

Studies have also shown that DHA may also benefit your heart and prevent you from getting cardiovascular diseases. However, if you already have a heart disease, DHA reduces the chances of another attack. For patients who have undergone bypass surgery, it prevents the blood vessel from closing up again.

DHA can be obtained from fish oil which also contains EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid, yet another form of omega-3 fatty acids. The combination of DHA and EPA is believed to have a greater health benefit to our body. If you are a vegetarian, do not worry because there are other sources of omega-3 such as soya bean, brussel sprouts, flax seeds etc.

Jin Health tips recommends two servings of fatty fish per week to supplement your body with sufficient DHA.

Are You More Cultured Than a Cup of Yogurt?

If you are a lover of dairy products, you will never want to miss this food called the Yogurt. There are a lot of health benefits associated with yogurt and you would definitely want to add it into your grocery list the next time you are going to the supermarket. It provides a very good source of nutrition such as Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12), probiotics and calcium.

Picture taken from wdexpo.org

Here are some reasons why Yogurt is good for you

1) Good for your bones

An average person would require 1,000mg of calcium a day and a glass of yogurt would easily provides you with 30-40% of calcium required for the day. Calcium is an important mineral as it is required for the development of bones. A high calcium diet would allow you to have strong bones. It also prevents osteoporosis especially for the old people. Choose yogurt which contains Vitamin D because it promotes the absorption of calcium into our body.

2) Boost immune system

Yogurt contains probiotics, good bacteria which are good for the immune system. Probiotics such as Lactobacillus casei has been proven to increase the number immune cells, such as T-lymphocytes,which kill unwanted substances in the body. As the number of these cells increase, the body will have a better immune system. It also prevents cancer.

3) Prevents yeast infection

Women, especially those with diabetes are more prone to Candida infection, commonly known as vaginal or yeast infection. Patients with Candida infection have vaginal pH around 6.0. Research has shown that active culture in yogurt helps to reduce vaginal pH to around 4.0 (normal range), hence, discouraging yeast growth.

4) A healthy gastrointestinal system

For people who exhibits diarrhea due to lactose(milk sugar) intolerance. The high lactase (enzyme which breaks down lactose), low lactose yogurt would reduce this problem.

Healthy bacteria such as Acidophilus prevents the conversion of bile into carcinogenic bile. Hence, preventing diseases such as colon cancer and H pylori infection.

Just a tip on how to choose your yogurt. Choose those with active probiotics, low fat and light sweetener.

Ever heard of the phrase "You are what you eat?" If you want to stay healthy, then eat well.

If you have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's Health tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Red Wine & the French Paradox

Heard of the French paradox? Wondering why albeit their high fat diet, the French still maintains a low mortality for heart diseases. This arouses the attention of scientists and they discovered that Red Wine is the answer.

Picture taken from telegraph.co.uk

Red wine contains many antioxidants which prevent the free radicals from attacking the healthy cells. The most studied antioxidant Resveratol, a derivation of grape skin and seeds, has been scientifically proven for the prevention of heart disease and cancer. On the contrary, white wine contains less Resveratol than red wine because the skins of the grapes are removed during the wine making process.

Resveratol prevents the blood clots from forming. This would allow a good flow of blood, supplying oxygen efficiently to all parts of the body. When blood clots are formed, ischemia(lack of oxygen) would occur. If ischemia occurs in vessels near the brain or heart, it might cause a stroke or a heart attack.

If you have read my article on Cholesterol, you would know that Low-density lipoprotein(LDL) are the bad cholesterol that you would not want too much of them in the body. These LDL cause plaque in the arteries which results in atherosclerosis. What Resveratol does is that it prevents the oxidation of LDL and thus preventing the formation of plaques.

Resveratol also has anti-cancer properties as it has the ability to neutralize the free radicals. Research has shown that Resveratol can cause the apoptosis(self destruction) of certain cancer cells. It can also suppress the formation of tumor by preventing the formation of new blood vessels around the tumor. Hence, cutting of the supply of nutrients to the tumor.

If alcohol is part of your daily diet, Jin's Health tips suggests that you make red wine your choice. Recommended consumption is a glass of red wine daily for women and two glasses for the men. It's important to note that over consumption of alcohol has detrimental effects to the body, especially the liver.

For people who don't drink, please do not start drinking red wine because grape is definitely the better choice as does not contain alcohol at all.

If you have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's Health tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Water VS Sport Drinks - Jin's Health Tips

I'm sure that you have definitely walked past the beverage section of a supermarket and saw a lot sports drinks on the shelf and wondered if they are really better than plain water. In addition, there are so many types of sports drinks in the market that you might not be buying the one suitable for you.

The main reason why we drink when we exercise is to rehydrate ourselves from all the water loss through our perspiration. In addition to losing water, electrolytes and carbohydrates are lost when we exercise all well. That is the very reason why sports drinks existed.

How do you choose your sports drinks?

Primarily, there are three types of Sports Drinks. They are namely hypotonic, isotonic and hypertonic.

• Hypotonic: "Hypo-", meaning less, suggests that the liquid is less concentrated as compared to the body. Therefore, it promotes a better uptake of water into our body.

• Isotonic: "Iso-", meaning same, suggests that the beverage has the same concentration as body fluids. It not only hydrates the body but also replenish the electrolytes and carbohydrates in the body. Jin's Health Tips feels that this is the most suitable if your exercise duration is more than 60mins.

• Hypertonic: "Hyper-", meaning more, suggests that liquid is more concentrated than the the body. Jin's Health Tips suggests that you only use hypertonic drinks as a post exercise drink to replenish your energy and replenish lost as it doesn't serve the purpose of hydration.

Water, being Hypotonic to body fluids, are being well absorbed into the body during exercise. It is certainly a very good choice for almost any exercises. Moreover, it is cheap and most readily available.

Which ever drink that you choose, Jin's Health Tips urges you to have proper hydration during exercise to prevent yourself from heat injuries.

If you do have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's Health Tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Above picure taken from nextgenerationfood.com