Fruit and vegetables: Low sodium and cholesterol

Fruits and vegetables are a key part of an overall healthy eating plan. They’re also delicious, colorful, versatile, convenient, affordable and fun.

In food label, Low Cholesterol means 20 milligrams or less per serving, and 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving. While Low Sodium means 140 milligrams or less per serving.

Most fruits and vegetables also have no or little sodium. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables may help to control body weight and blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Fruits and vegetables also low in cholesterol. Cholesterol is a fatty material called a lipid, which is found naturally in the blood. High blood cholesterol can affect anyone. It’s a serious condition that increases the risk for heart disease, the number one killer of Americans—women and men. The higher blood cholesterol level, the greater risk for heart disease. LDL (bad) cholesterol can build up in the arteries. This build up increases the chance that to have a heart disease.

Eating foods that are high in fiber helps in many ways besides lowering LDL cholesterol. Foods that are high in soluble fiber are better at lowering LDL cholesterol.

Additional Notes:
*In order to increase the fiber in the diet are: Eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 2-4 servings of vegetables per day. (1 serving = ½ cup).
*Be sure to have at least one citrus fruit daily.
*One dark green (string beans, escarole) or one deep yellow (squash) vegetable is recommended daily. Cauliflower, broccoli, and celery, as well as potato skins are recommended for their fiber content. It is preferable to steam vegetables, but they may be boiled, strained, or braised with polyunsaturated vegetable oil.
Fruit and vegetables: Low sodium and cholesterol

Food sources of Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a generic name describing the bioactivities of both tocopherol and tocotrienols derivatives.

It was discovered in 1922 in vegetable oil given the name ‘tocopherol’ by Evans and Bishop. It was describe as a dietary factor required for production in rodents.

Vitamin E, of which there are four different forms, is fat soluble. The four have the same name except with the prefixes alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-, (the first four letters of the Greek alphabet).

Only alpha-tocopherol contributes toward meeting the human vitamin E requirement and it is the most common form of vitamin E in food. Alpha-tocopherol has been shown to reverse human vitamin E deficiency symptoms and is recognized preferentially by hepatic alpha-tocopherol transfer protein.

Mayonnaise

It is human body’s major fat soluble antioxidant. It protects vulnerable polyunsaturated lipids in cell membranes, in blood and elsewhere throughout the body.

Vitamin E generally occurs in the fats of vegetable foods. Natural vegetable oils are a particularly rich source of vitamin E, with cottonseed corn, soybean, safflower and wheat germ oil having the highest concentrations.

Curiously enough, these oils are also the richest sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which vitamin E protects from oxidation.

Seeds and grain are the sources of high potency oils and hence, important plant sources of vitamin E.

In western diet, vitamins E intake derives mainly from fats and oils contained in margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressing and desserts, and increasingly also from fortified food (e.g., breakfast cereals, milk, fruit juices).
Food sources of Vitamin E

Vegetables for kids

Many parents strive to ensure that their children eat vegetables. Some meet with complete success, others with very little success.

Green vegetables is the most protective diet for children. Veggies contain many vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients that a body needs to main good health and energy.

Green vegetables help protect against the effect of aging and reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Getting kids to eat vegetables may take a bit more effort and creativity. The best way to introduce vegetables to kid is to start when they are young and to offer a variety so foods and preparations.

The family can enjoy the pre-meal vegetable together at the table before starting the rest of the meal.

You can try some tricks to get your child to eat vegetables.
*Blend vegetables in a blender and add them to spaghetti sauce or liven up any non-veg dish.

*Broccoli can be pitched as tiny little trees that are yummy to eat, and carrots can be sliced thin and served with ranch salad dressing or top.

*While making sandwiches for lunch, add lettuce, tomato slice or carrots in between. Chicken, tuna or pasta salads taste great with dash of vegetables in it.

*Kids like the bright colors and crisp texture of vegetables. To keep them appealing, steam or microwave veggies in small amounts of water, or stir-fry.

*If your child thrives on noodles, add boiled or lightly steamed vegetables to it.

*Serve the vegetables as appetizers before the main course comes.

*While making pizza, add chopped broccoli, spinach, etc in addition to other toppings.

*Vegetables with a dash of melted cheese added to soups changes the flavor altogether.

*Serve cucumber rounds and show them how to make a moon by taking a bite out of yours and holding it up; kids might want to try it.

*Offer raw finger-food vege. Kids prefer uncooked vegetables. They like to ‘dip’. So offer salsa. Bean dip, or herb flavored plain yoghurt.
Vegetables for kids

Health benefits of vegetables

The term ‘vegetable’ is defined as ‘plants cultivated for food or as the edible part or parts of such plant’ and includes some fruits and possibly legumes too.

The nutritional content of vegetables varies considerably, though generally they contain a small proportion of protein and fat and a relatively high proportion of vitamins, pro-vitamins, dietary minerals, fiber and carbohydrates.

Vegetable can be considered more nutrient-dense than foods from other food groups.

Many vegetables also contain phytochemical, which may have antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anticarcinogenic properties. Phytochemicals may provide equally important benefits for the prevention of chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease.

By increase the consumption of vegetables, it can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and obesity. In addition, some scientific studies have demonstrated that greater vegetables is consistent with a reduced risk come types of cancers, including cancer of the stomach, esophagus and lungs.

Consumption of a diet high in vegetables increases antioxidant concentration on blood and body tissues and potentially protects against oxidative damage to cells and tissues.

It is estimated that one third of the cancer cases and up to half cardiovascular disease cases are thought to be diet related.

USDA’s Food Guide Pyramid recommended daily consumption of at least five servings of vegetables.

Health benefits of vegetables