February 2009

  • Lower Your Blood Pressure and Cholesterol With Soba Noodles

    By Niki Fears on 2/17/09 2:40pm
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    A long time favorite in Japanese cuisine, soba noodles are a delicious and easy way to improve your health and shed a few extra pounds in the process.  Here are just a few of the great health benefits that you can enjoy simply by adding soba noodles to your diet or replacing traditional pasta with this healthier alternative:

    Lower blood pressure
    Bring down cholesterol levels
    Help to reduce the accumulation of fat in the body
    Promote a healthy metabolism
    Strengthen the blood capillaries
    Helps to fight free radicals in the body (free radicals can often lead to cancer)
    Aid healthy liver function
    Decrease blood sugar levels

    So, what makes soba noodles such a healthy addition to your diet?  Soba are noodles made from buckwheat flour (which despite the name, contains no wheat).  This buckwheat flour contains a wide variety of healthy nutrients including vitamin B1 and vitamin B2 along with an important array of minerals including iron, and contains 12-17% protein; that is nearly double the amount of healthy proteins found in rice.  In addition to these essential vitamins and nutrients, soba noodles also contain antioxidant power and other benefits from a bioflavonoid called rutin.

    Rut

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  • What Exactly Is A "Mediterranean Diet"?

    By erika on 2/16/09 9:05am
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    New York Times writer Tara Parker-Pope answers this question in her latest article, Confusion About Mediterranean Cuisine. We have been hearing about the benefits of the "Mediterranean Diet" for ages now, and a new report links Mediterranean dietary habits with better cognitive health, and a lower rate of Alzheimer's disease.

    Unlike many other dietary fads, the Mediterranean Diet is simplistic and common sense. Although most of us think of cheese and beef laden treats like lasagna and risotto when we think "Mediterranean," the diet is specific to coastal communities which eat a lot of - surprise! - fruits and vegetables. Although carb lovers can rejoice, as the base of the Mediterranean diet pyramid consists of "bread, pasta, rice, couscous, polenta, other whole grains, and potatoes."

    Although not vegetarian by any means, meat is only a small part of the diet, and is usually added in small amounts for added flavor and body. The classic rule of thumb is "meat once a month," although this is something of an exaggeration.

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