Q: How much exercise do I need each week? 
What do we need Vitamin A for?
You may have heard that eating carrots will improve your eyesight and have wondered have wondered if it was true (and if so, why?). Carrots contain Vitamin A, which is needed to form a light-absorbing molecule (retinal) in the retina of the eye. Eating carrots will not necessarily improve your eyesight, but because of the Vitamin A content will help you maintain healthy vision. In addition to being an essential vitamin for maintaining healthy vision, Vitamin A plays a role in gene transcription, immune function, bone metabolism, and skin health, among a few other functions.
What happens if we do not take in Vitamin A?
In the USA, for a person not to get enough Vitamin A is unlikely. A regular-sized carrot actually contains about four times as much Vitamin A as a person needs. However, a lack of Vitamin A eventually can lead to vision impairment, drying of the cornea, and even blindness. Unfortunately, each year hundreds of thousands of children in developing countries, primarily in Africa, become blind due to a lack of Vitamin A.
Can we have too much Vitamin A?
Just like anything else, too much of Vitamin A can be harmful. It is fat-soluble; thus, unlike when dealing with Vitamins B and C, an excess of Vitamin A cannot be disposed easily by the body. The first sign of a Vitamin A “overdose” is called carotenemia, in other words, when the person’s skin turns orange or yellow. If this discoloration is overlooked, though it is quite obvious, toxic death can occur.
In what foods (besides carrots) can I find Vitamin A?
Many daily vitamins contain Vitamin A, but it is relatively easy to find in foods that naturally contain it. In order of high Vitamin A content to low (but significant) Vitamin A content, the following foods also contain Vitamin A: liver, broccoli leaves, sweet potatoes, butter, kale, spinach, pumpkin, collard greens, cheddar cheese, cantaloupes, eggs, apricots, papayas, mangoes, peas, broccoli, and milk. (Carrots falls between the liver and the broccoli leaves.)
You are about to learn more about the kiwifruit than you probably want to.
Kiwis are among the most nutritionally dense fruits in the world. They are packed with powerful antioxidants and are extremely rich in many vitamins, flavonoids and minerals. They have more Vitamin C than oranges do, as much potassium as bananas have, and a lot of beta-keratin as well. Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant that has been proven to protect our body from free radicals– thereby improving one’s chances of leading a healthier life without all sorts of diseases. Vitamin E is also in kiwis. This vitamin is fat-soluble, therefore it compliments Vitamin C very well.
These fruits are very high in dietary fiber content. Fiber has been proven to reduce cholesterol levels. Not only does it have overall benefits, but it has been shown that consuming fibers also helps to control diseases, such as diabetes, by maintaining sugar levels. It also helps people with colon cancer because of the properties of fiber that allow it to bind to toxic compounds in the colon that then will be expelled.
Kiwis come from the fruit species Actinidia Deliciosa. They are hybrids between this species and others in the genus Actinidia. The kiwifruit originally was known by its Chinese name, yáng táo or Mihou Tao. However, after it was introduced to New Zealand, it was known as the Chinese gooseberry, because people thought that the fruit had a hint of gooseberry flavor. The United States began to import the fruit into the US, but they needed a shorter name that did not show a connection to China and could be connoted quickly to New Zealand.
Here are some other health benefits that studies have shown to be connected to eating the kiwifruit. Eating kiwis prevents asthma and wheezing and coughing (specifically in children). These fruits also help to prevent DNA mutations from occurring.
The kiwifruit is one of the most power-packed fruits on this planet. It is the most nutritionally dense fruit that also happens to taste delicious!
In December, we published an article about the essential first aid supplies you should keep at your house. This quite thorough list will have you prepared for almost any minor injury or illness. However, after a recent injury occurred at our house, we discovered that one important item was lacking- non-adhesive dressings.
The list provided by the American Red Cross does include many important supplies for wounds. (more…)
The debate between whether or not bagels or donuts are the more “healthy” option already was discussed in a previous article, but what about those muffins? While it is true that muffins could earn you more nutrition points over donuts, they still are not the healthy option just because they are “bread.”
So, we know, for example, that donuts vary in calorie count. For instance, while yeast donuts are usually anywhere from 170 to 270 calories each, the denser cake-like doughnuts can be from 290 to 360 calories, and the cream-filled types can run from 300 to 390 calories each. While that make seem like a lot, it may be interesting to note that muffins are rarely lower in calories. (more…)
If through the years you have tried different kinds of diets, you know that almost all of those diets center on lowering carbohydrate intake. There is a reason why in most diets the daily carbohydrate intake is lessened significantly. Carbohydrates are used by the body for energy. When the intake of carbohydrates is less than what is necessary, the body is forced to break down fat to use as energy. Of course, when fat is broken down and used for energy, you lose weight. This is a condition known as ketosis. But weight loss is not the only good thing that a low-carb diet can bring you; there are some studies that show how low-carb diets help lower blood pressure. A study conducted in 2007 showed that a low-carb diet is better than a low-fat diet in improving good cholesterol (HDL) and triglyceride levels. (more…)
