Mix of fresh fruits

The urge to restrain sugar from our diet knowing that its excess contributes to obesity and other health problems is causing many people to wrongly avoid eating fruits.

The New York Times published an article in 2013 called “Making the case of eating fruit by Sophie Egan” in which, many experts say that fresh fruit should not become a casualty in the sugar wars. Actually, Dr. David Ludwig, the director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital said studies have showed that increased fruit consumption is tied to lower body weight and a lower risk of obesity-associated diseases.

“Whole fruits, he explained, contain a bounty of antioxidants and healthful nutrients, and their cellular scaffolding, made of fiber, makes us feel full and provides other metabolic benefits. When you bite into an apple, for example, the fruit’s fiber helps slow your absorption of fructose, the main sugar in most fruits. But fiber is not the full story. You can’t just take an 8-ounce glass of cola and add a serving of Metamucil and create a health food,” Dr. Ludwig said. “Even though the fructose-to-fiber ratio might be the same as an apple, the biological effects would be much different.”

Read full article here. 

The USDA recognize fruits are important sources of many nutrients, including potassium, fiber, vitamin C and folic acid, which are vital to maintain our body functioning well and healthy. Most fruits are naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories. Besides that, diets rich in foods containing fiber, such as some vegetables and fruits, may reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Fiber is also important for proper bowel function and fiber-containing foods such as fruits help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories.

Thus, doctors advise that is preferable to opt for whole or cut-up fruits as sources of dietary fiber, instead of drinking the fruit juice. According to Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, Chewing the whole fruit slows down consumption compared to when you take an 8-ounce juice and just pour it down the hatch, which not only makes it easier to ingest more calories, but releases fructose faster into the bloodstream. Plus, he said, with juicing, “you reduce some of the metabolic benefit of the fiber by pulverizing it so fine; it changes the physical structure.” Commercially produced juices are particularly concerning since they are often filtered removing fiber altogether. If you opt for juice, tossing whole fruit in a blender rather than squeezing it offers the best chance of retaining most of the fiber, vitamins and minerals.

This way, it is recommended that you eat one to 2-1/2 cups of fruit each day and choose a variety in order to get the most benefits by absorbing different types of antioxidants and nutrients from different types of fruits.

Below, watch a video to find out what are the top 10 healthiest fruits on the planet:

Sources:

http://www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Eating/All-Star-Foods/Fruits.aspx

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/fruits-why.html

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/making-the-case-for-eating-fruit/

The Gracie Diet is a dietary method popularized and tested by Carlos Gracie over 70 years ago, and it helps combat illness and provide better quality of life through simple, yet somewhat unusual, recipes.

Today GRACIEMAG.com brings you a health tip for you, whether you’re a vegetarian or not: green juice.

In his book “The Gracie Diet”, Rorion Gracie recommends a quick and tasty green juice, which all you need to do to relish is stick 1 cucumber, 5 carrots, 5 radishes, 3 stalks of celery, 1 bushel of broccoli and 1 green pepper in the centrifuge. Tried it yet?

Now our own Adriana Gracie is big on a similar recipe, one that enriches and detoxifies your body with antioxidants. The secret is in one ingredient: collard greens.

Green juice with collard greens is a boon to your digestive and immune systems, not to mention being great for your skin. “Collard greens combats ailments such as depression, ulcers, and helps detox the body, eliminating carcinogens,” asserts Adriana, who shares yet another recipe with us. Enjoy the snack!

1) Rejuvenating juice

(50 calories per glass)

½ cup papaya or persimmon
1 carrot cut into wheels
½ bushel of mint

Beat in blender and sweeten with honey

2) Green juice with collard greens

(40 calories per glass)

2 leaves of collard greens
2 Brussels srouts
1 bushel of cauliflower
4 carrots
1 small apple
1 glass of orange juice

Beat in blender and sweeten with honey

The other day the “Jornal Hoje”program on Brazil’s Globo television network featured a menu of interest to anyone clued in to the pillars of Gracie Culture, of which GRACIEMAG.com is a fervent devotee—healthy and pleasurable eating.

On the program (watch here), experts listed the main foods responsible for preventing a variety of different forms of cancer, or even successfully combating malignant cells, as do beets.

Check out the list and add them to your grocery list. And to be all the wiser in maintaining a sound body, subscribe to GRACIEMAG for monthly tips and tricks for keeping healthy.

Lycopene: antioxidant shown to prevent prostate cancer.
Food: Tomato and red guava.

Omega 3: Restructures part of the cell membrane and, thus, inhibits tumor growth. It has been shown to be a powerful aid in preventing breast cancer.
Food: salt-water fish like salmon and sardines.

Reverastrol: Acts within the cell and the membrane surrounding it, blocking angiogenesis, or growth of new blood vessels through which the tumor spreads.
Food: Grapes, grape juice and wine

Fibers: Protect the large intestine. During the digestive process, soluble fiber is fermented by helpful bacteria, and from this chemical reaction comes butyric acid, which inhibits the spread of malignant cells. Now insoluble fiber prevents cancer because it aids in digestion.
Food: Fruit (soluble), oats, wheat and whole grain rice (insoluble)

Epigallocatechin gallate: prevents malignant cell mutations and reduces the spread of existing malignant cells. To benefit from this effect, it should be taken in large quantities (about ten cups per day).
Food: Green tea

Isoflavones: Studies show that consumption of the substance – when women start at an early age – helps prevent breast cancer
Food: Soy

Sulforaphane: Antioxidant effect
Food: Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage

Gingerol: Powerful antioxidant
Food: Ginger

Capsaicin: Analgesic effect
Food: chilli pepper

Curcumin: Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial
Food: Curry

Betacyanin: Antitumor
Food: red beets, beet juice