Pumpkin Seeds and Health Benefits

You are probably getting ready to toast up pumpkin seeds after carving a scary or happy face into your pumpkin. Or if you are anything like me, you have carved an elementary pumpkin face and your boyfriend is carving a masterpiece of The Death Star from Star Wars. Either way, there is something you should know about pumpkin seeds. It's not just a tasty tradition to roast them they also have some significant health benefits, such as protection for men's bones, promoting prostate health, and anti-inflammatory benefits for arthritis. Pumpkin seeds also possess phytosterols which help to lower cholesterol.

To most of us you can just toast the seeds and eat them once a year, however since they are so good for you here a few ideas to keep them in your diet all year. Toast them and put them on a salad, add them to a vegetable medley, put them in your hot or cold cereal, or grind them up and add them to your burger meat.

So go ahead and toast your pumpkin seeds and don't listen to anyone who claims they aren't tasty, because they are delicious! Even dogs like the delightful taste of pumpkin products.

Ginkgo Biloba

So we all know that ginkgo biloba is good for memory. But what you may not know is that it is good for your eyes too!

The flavonoids found in ginkgo may help slow or reduce some retinal problems. For example problems to the back part of the eye such as macular degeneration and blindness from diabetes. Macular degeneration (also referred to as age-related macular degeneration or ARMD) is a degenerative and progressive eye disease that is known to affect older adults and is the number one cause of blindness in the United States. Some studies suggest that gingko may help preserve vision in those with ARMD.

So grab some ginkgo biloba and add it to your vitamin regimen!

Green Tea and Mental Health

In the fall and winter who doesn't like drinking tea? Now a new study is saying that not only is drinking tea good for your digestive system but that drinking five cups of green tea per day may reduce the incidence of psychological distress by 20%.

This Japanese study showed that more than 450 million people suffer from stress worldwide. People all over the world are stating that mental stress is the leading cause of their overall health problems. Related mental health costs around the world are increasing at a rapid rate.

Green tea and its extracts already have a positive reputation. This is because studies report that it may offer protective effects against Alzheimer's and some cancers, cardiovascular and oral health, and play a large and important role in weight management.

Frozen Fruits and Veggies

So summer has come to an end and all the fruits are now out of season. If you live in a cold climate area you may be packing down the pot pies and hot cocoa and waiting until spring to get your essential vitamins and nutrients from fruits and veggies. But you don't have to. Recent studies have shown that freeze-dried fruits and veggies may not hold all of the nutrients as they do on the vine, but they do retain enough to still be beneficial.

A new study even says that freeze dried strawberries may reduce cholesterol levels. So even though it may be cold and out of season you can still pick up some bags of fruits in the frozen section. You can take frozen strawberries and blend them or thaw them and put them right in your hot cocoa. Fruit smoothies are also a delicious way to get vitamins and coat a sore throat.

And frozen vegetables will taste great in that pot pie!

Blindness is preventable and avoidable

According to the WHO (World Health Organization) most cases of blindness can be prevented or reversed. The leading cause of blindness for people over 60 is macular degeneration. This is an exact example of a preventable blindness. According to the 10-year AREDS study a certain combination of vitamins can help prevent this blindness. If you want to protect your vision you should make regular appointments to see an optometrist and an opthamologist.

Chocolate – Better than we thought!

A new study shows that chocolate in all of its flavonoid-rich deliciousness may reduce arterial hardening and boost heart health.
Researchers from the University of Barcelona in Spain found 42 people with an average age of 70 to drink either skim milk, or skim milk plus the cocoa powder for four weeks.
All the participants were at high risk of coronary heart disease since they were diabetic, smokers, hypertensive, obese, and/or had raised LDL or low HDL cholesterol levels, and a family history of early coronary heart disease.
The benefits of antioxidant-rich chocolate have received much recognition in recent years, with positive findings from a number of studies impacting on consumer awareness. Chocolate manufacturers are using high cocoa content (over 70 per cent) as a means of differentiation, and cocoa has also received attention for its potential in functional food applications.
I don't know about you, but to me, this is great news. I think I might grab another cup of cocoa.