Can A Low Carb Diet Help You Avoid Trans Fats?Written by Lee Dobbins
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware that trans fats are thought to contribute to heart disease, weight gain, and other health problems. These transformed fatty acids are commonly referred to as Trans Fatty Acids or TFA’s and are present in most of packaged foods found in grocery store and your pantry! Trans fats are produced by hydrogenation - process of heating an oil and passing hydrogen through it. This process turns liquid oils into solid (margarine, Crisco) and extends shelf life of most processed foods. The high temperatures used to heat oils also destroy essential fatty acids and transforms them into trans fats (short for transformed fatty acid). These fats compete with essential fatty acids for absorption in body and are thought to contribute to coronary heart disease by raising LDL cholesterol levels (bad cholesterol), while lowering HDL levels( good cholesterol). They also increase platelet aggregation, which in turn increases chance of blood clotting, strokes and heart attacks. And if that isn’t bad enough, they also create free radicals that have been linked to cancer. If you are on a low carb
| | How To Get The Most Health Benefits From GarlicWritten by Lee Dobbins
It’s reputed to fight infections, colds, bacteria and lower cholesterol - no wonder this herb tastes so good! Garlic has been used as an herbal remedy for over 5000 years and has long been recognized for it's anti bacterial powers and has even been used by medical doctors to fight off infections in wounds.Garlic, pungent herb that we associate with Italian Foods is loaded loaded with vitamins and minerals including Vitamin A, B and C, selenium, potassium, calcium, zinc and magnesium. It has antibacterial and antifungal properties and claims to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. A recent study even shows that taking a garlic supplement once a day can reduce risk of getting a cold by 50% and help you gain a speedy recovery if you do happen to catch one. In addition, garlic is thought to help athletes foot, worms, respiratory ailments, some cancers of stomach, colic, ear aches, and bladder problems. So what gives this herb it’s powerful healing properties? Researcher say it is in allicin which is released when garlic is crushed. This phytochemical is also what makes it so pungent and is best when eaten raw and shortly after crushing. For best effects, you should chop or crush garlic into tiniest pieces possible then let it sit for 10 minutes or so and eat it raw! If it sits for too long, it will start to degrade and lose some of it’s power. Cooking it also causes it to become less potent so if you are planning to combine it in a sauce or with cooked food try just adding it during last 5 minutes of cooking to preserve some of healing properties.
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