Health and Fitness Tips

Frozen food has long had a reputation for being inferior to fresh, on a par with canned. But this is now largely undeserved. Frozen fish is a good example of how freezing has come a long way.

Back in the Seventies and early Eighties, when we weren’t so picky or knowledgeable, frozen fish consisted mainly of fish fingers made from the tail ends of poor quality fish, and freezing techniques meant they were often mushy when defrosted.

But freezing technology has improved vastly since then – today fish is frozen within minutes of being caught out at sea.

It’s cleaned and popped into the freezer and transported in this frozen state, so that when you defrost it, it is almost as good as it would have been had you eaten it straight from the net. [Read more →]

A high-fat, high-sugar diet could have the same effect on brain chemistry as mood-altering drugs, giving scientific support to the craving for “comfort food”, Australian researchers said on Tuesday.

A controlled study of rats that were traumatised in early life and went on to exhibit depressed or anxious behaviours found those that were fed lard-laced foods such as cake or pie reversed their stress levels.

“We asked the question, if you’re stressed early in life and then you’re given yummy food to eat does that reduce your behavioural deficit, and basically that’s what we found,” lead researcher Margaret Morris told AFP.

“The animals who’d been exposed to stress who were then given palatable food, junk food if you will, no longer looked anxious.” [Read more →]

Having fallen in and out of favor with nutrition experts, you’d think the fragile egg would be broken and beaten by now. Luckily, its ego isn’t nearly as vulnerable as its shell. Oblivious to the attempts to separate the egg from its well-deserved title of “best source of complete protein on the planet,” the egg has managed to remain a nutritious, inexpensive, and popular food.

For awhile, nutrition experts hypothesized that the high cholesterol content of eggs raised blood cholesterol levels, which can increase a person’s risk of heart disease. But this hypothesis was never proven. In fact, several studies have shown that the consumption of eggs is not associated with higher cholesterol levels but is associated with higher nutrient intake. [Read more →]

Dailymail reported that Drinking too much cola can cause weak bones and even paralysis

Drinking large quantities of cola could lead to muscle problems, an irregular heartbeat and bone weakness, according to experts. The number of cola-lovers suffering health issues is on the rise as the food industry pushes towards an ‘increase in portion sizes’, they added.

As well as tooth decay, diabetes and ’softening’ of the bones, doctors have seen patients suffering from hypokalaemia – where potassium levels in the blood drop too low. This can increase the risk of muscle problems and heart rhythm abnormalities, which could prove fatal in some cases. [Read more →]