Do you like green tea?

Most of my friends drink coffee every day, and only coffee as their daily beverage. They can tell you tons of reasons why they drink coffee and its benefit. But currently I am hitting on green tea, and strongly recommend to my friends and people around me.

Why? I like the fresh taste and its unique smell. But most important, green tea is a kind of wonderful healthy beverage. Green tea is proven to be an effective beverage to lose weight, reduce the risk of esophageal cancer, increase fat oxidation, treat rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular diseases, treat impaired immune function, and etc. Regularly drinking green tea can realize above functions.

Comparing to other tea, for instance, black tea, green tea is withered and steamed by fresh leaves, instead of fermented leaves. Therefore, green tea contains much more antioxidant polyphenols than the other teas. Studies show that black tea has 3-10% polyphenols, but green tea has 30-40%. Among the polyphenols, a catechin named epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), plays major role to realize green tea’s function, such as anticancer and antioxidant effects. Tak-Hang Chan, PHD, professor emeritus in Chemistry Department at McGill University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) has achieved success in a study, in which prostate cancer tumors in mice are shrinked by using of a synthetic form of EGCG.

Health benefits from green tea are associated with how much green tea is drunk. Studies indicate that one cup of green tea contains 20-35 mg of EGCG. Health experts recommend three cups of green tea per day will supply sufficient EGCG for health issue and realize most of green tea’s function. For sure, it is a long run. Switch to green tea now to keep your health in good condition.

Avocado, a gift from God

Most of us like fruit salad. Whether we are having dinner or taking a break in the afternoon, we would like to share some salads with family or friends. Personally, I prefer the avocado salad, which I can get it from the grocery store just close to my office. Well, I am not talk about the taste, although it is important, I am referring to its high nutritional value.

Avocado is a good substitute to food cause it contains a large volume of calories, 75% of which come from fat, mainly monounsaturated fat. From the statistics data from USDA, in each 100g avocado, there is 160kcal or 670kj energy. Besides, there are 8.53g carbohydrate, 14.66g fat, 2g protein, 6.7g fiber, which is the highest of all fruit. Avocado also has many minerals, from the same source, 100g avocado has 485mg Potassium, almost 60% more than banana does, 52mg Phosphorus, 29mg Magnesium, 12mg Calcium, 7mg Sodium, and others as well. Definitely, avocado is rich in vitamins. each 100g avocado has 10mg vitamin C, 81mcg folate, 14.2mcg choline, 62 mcg carotene beta, 24mcg carotene alpha, 146 IU vitamin A, 2.07mg vitamin E, 21mcg vitamin K, and many vitamin Bs.

As for RDI (recommended daily intake), 100g avocado satisfy an adult daily nutrients demands as follows, Vitamin B1 5%, B2 9%, B3 12%, B5 28%, B6 20%, B9 20%, Vitamin C 17%, Calcium 1%, Iron 4%, Magnesium 8%, Phosphorus 7%, Potassium 10%, Zinc 6%.

It is quite convincing that avocado is an valuable nutrients intaking fruit. Actually, many people from tropical areas, where avocados grow up, have avocado as food instead of fruit. In America, most grocery stores sell avocados. Although its price is a bit higher than others, I still consider it is worthy as its high nutritional value. By the way, avocado is not only for salad, It is also available to sandwiches or hamburg. There are tons of recipes on the web telling you how to make delicious and healthy food with avocado.

Last but not least, rumors come that avocado is noxious to some animals. But I have not confirmed that. My suggestion is that do not leave avocado or its remains to your pets.

Enjoy a healthy BBQ

Finally, June is coming. For north residents and Canadians, lovely summer arrives. I bet most Canadians enjoy Barbecue. Juicy sausages, sweet smelling steaks plus spicy barbecue sauce, ennn... Yummy. I used to live in Vancouver for a couple of years. One of the most interesting activities is having BBQ at Jericho beach with my family and friends. With beautiful ocean scenery, we share laugh and delicious foods. It is a fantastic memory!

Here are some BBQ tips for barbecue preparation. When we plan a BBQ, the first thing jumping into our mind is definitely steak, sausage, pork chops, chicken breasts and legs. However, these foods are full of calorie and fat. The less we eat them, the slimmer and the healthier we would be. But what else we can choose if BBQ comes?

As for me, I prefer some vegetables and fish instead of meat. When I make kebabs, I will select alternatives instead of regular beef or pork.

Most vegetables are fine to be a part of BBQ menu, such as bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, cauliflower, tomatoes and tofu. I highly recommend to take some fruits when planning a BBQ. After the greasy BBQ, fruit is the best choice to refresh your mouth and bring your tongue a fresh flavor.

Well, salmon is another good choice. No need to worry about the hi-calorie or fat from the meat. Salmon is a great substitute of beef and pork if you are addicted to meat. Actually, there are tons of BBQ recipes on the internet. Move your mouse to find your favorite BBQ and grilling recipes and enjoy your summer with a healthy BBQ.

Omega 369, an important supplement

American lifestyle brings us convenience and efficiency. We are surrounded by McDonalds and Coca Cola culture. Everyday we are boomed by Big Mac or Carbonated Drinks. What they give us? FAT and Sugar. More and more people are suffering heart disease and cardiovascular disease. Too much fat is the main reason.

A way to decrease the risk of these diseases from too much fat is Omega 369, pure natural groups of fatty acids, which are necessary for good health. Omega 3 family has two essential fatty acids, EPA and DHA, which are hardly found in our food sources, except little quantities in oily fish or its supplements. Omega3 has many functions, such as preventing of heart disease and the complications of heart attack, lowering blood pressure, improving glucose metabolism and so on. Omega 6 is regarded as pro-inflammatory, GLA. However, if it is intaken dietetically, it has the function of anti-inflammatory. It is helpful to maintain healthy skin, hair and nails. And it helps to balance the hormone and emotion. Most important, Omega 3 and omega 6 interact each other. Therefore the balance between each other is quite critical. With the two fatty acids, the production of eicosanoids in human body can be greatly influenced. The eicosandoids has an important role on inflammation and all functions of at a cellular level. Omega 9, the main component, is Oleic acid, which is helpful to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and arteriosclerosis. Omega 9 oil can be found in olive oil.

Omega fatty acids are polyunsaturated fat, much better than saturated fats, and have a lot of metabolic functions. Both Omega 3 and Omega 6 are essential fatty acids, called EFA's, can not be produced by our body, have to be intaken from our food sources. Omega 9 is not essential, but our body can make it.

Having an Omega 369 supplement, which has balanced ratio of different oils, can ensure you intake essential nutrients to maintain good health.