5 Health Benefits of Salmon

As I only have been blogging about fruit and nuts so far, I like to share something else. Salmon is a great addition to anyone's diet. Salmon is delicious and besides that, offers many health benefits! You can eat it raw, cook it or grill it, in any way you will benefit from eating it. As for my own experience, salmon really helps me to stay fuller for a long time, which is really helpful especially when losing weight. Most of the times I just eat it like the picture here to the right, or i mix smoked salmon in my salad.

Salmon is rich in Vitamin D and is one of the best foods available when it comes to omega-3 fatty acids. 

Omega-3 fatty acids offer a wide range of health benefits. They help preventing heart disease, aid in weight loss and boost your mood. Omega-3s will also slow the rate of digestion, you will feel fuller for a longer time after eating. More on omega-3 fatty acids later..first the benefits of salmon!

Benefits Salmon

Brain and Nerve system

Omega 3 fatty acids will help improving your memory and overall brain function. Besides that, eating salmon has been shown to lower the risk of developing Alzheimer and Parkinson's Disease. The omega-3 acids will also prevent blood clots that lead to strokes.

Heart Health

The omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon will help lower cholesterol. Salmon will lower bad cholesterol and boost the good cholesterol. Salmon also lowers the blood pressure and prevents the hardening of your arteries which in result reduces the chance of heart attacks.

Cancer Prevention

The vitamin D found in salmon will lower the risk of several types of cancer, mainly breast, prostate and colorectal cancer.

Eye health

Two pieces of salmon per week is enough to decrease the risk of macular degeneration and chronic dry eye. Fish oil has been well known for improving vision.

Hair and Skin health

Salmon is high in protein which helps to maintain healthy and strong hair. The omega-3s support a more youthful looking skin and have also been known to alleviate skin blemishes.

''Omega-3s are essential for brain development and function (source). The human brain is 60% structural fat, and in order to function properly, needs the right kind of fat (Omega-3s to make sure that signals are passed quickly and easily between the membranes of our brain cells.''

the above information comes from this website.

CSIRO research shows that seafood in particular Atlantic salmon has between10 and 100 times higher levels of Omega 3 than beef, chicken or lamb.

Overall, salmon offers too many health benefits to ignore. Eat it however you like. For some healthy salmon recipes visit this link.

Ps. did i mention salmon goes very well with lemon?

Superfood : Lemons

Lemons are a superfood when it comes to healthy living. Many people might find them hard to eat though, as they are quite sour. Of course there are many other ways to include lemons into your diet without eating them straight away. 

For myself I like to mix them with either Tea or Water. When I have a cold I eat them straight away, to get the nice burn in my throat. Lemon goes great with fish and can be sprinkled on salads as well.

Benefits

Extremely rich in vitamin C
Lemons are high in vitamin C, which will help battle infections and diseases.

Powerful Antioxidant
Lemon is high in Antioxidants just as the Blueberries, Green Tea and Walnuts in the previous posts. The Antioxidants battle free radicals that produce cancers. Lemons actually contain 22 anti-cancer compounds that, in a study slowed or even halted tumor growth in animals.

Anti-carcinogenic
Studies suggest that lemons are Anti-Carcinogenic which lowers the rates of prostate, colon and breast cancer.

Good for your liver
A few drops of lemon juice mixed with hot water purifies the liver and cleans the digestive system. Lemons are great for detoxification.

Anti-Bacterial properties
In experiments, the juice of lemons destroyed bacteria of malaria, cholera, diphtheria  typhoid and other deadly diseases. Image what it does to the flu.

Raw Lemon juice

Drinking raw lemon juice gives great benefits as well. Drinking raw lemon juice is said to assist in..

• Losing weight
• Detoxification
• Boosting the immune system
• Battling colds
• Clear radiation(if there is remaining radiation in the body after chemo for example.)

This is only a small breakdown of the benefits this great fruit provides. Most sources say it's the best to mix lemon with hot water. For myself its either Green Tea + Lemon + Honey. Or cold water + lemon. I sometimes mix up water using lemons and limes or even fresh mint leaves. When you only drink water, tea, coffee and juices it's great to get creative with your drinks and mix them up with fresh fruits. When you are putting lemons in your water don't forget to remove the peel, as a lot of pesticides are used on the peel. 

If you have any suggestions on how to include lemons in your diet, feel free to leave a comment.

Avocado's awesome Health Benefits

Avocado is one of the healthiest fruits on the planet. It contains many essential nutrients like..

• Vitamin A, B, C, E, K
• Copper
• Iron
• Phosphorus
• Magnesium
• Potassium

Avocados offer lots of fibre and protein. They also contain disease-protecting substances like Beta-sitosterol, glutathione and lutein.

Avocados are high in fat, but for the most part its monounsaturated fat. This is a healthy fat variety.

Benefits

Battle Cancer

A lot of studies show that avocado's prevent prostate cancer from growing. Other studies suggest that avocado's are effective in preventing breast cancer as well.

Controlling Blood Pressure

Avocado's contain a lot of potassium. Potassium helps controlling blood pressure levels.

Promotes a healthy brain

In the book ‘Change Your Brain, Change Your life’ the author mentions avocado's as one of the best foods for the brain. Actually it is also one of the foods known to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Folate, a substance found in avocado's helps to prevent the formation of tangles in the brain that are considered to cause Alzheimer’s. Avocado's contain a lot of brain healthy omega-3 fatty acids and natural vitamin E. These substances have been proven to prevent Alzheimer’s from progressing and can even reverse Alzheimer’s in the early stages.

Reducing the risk of strokes

The high levels of folate might also protect against strokes. A study has shown that individuals who maintained a folate rich diet had a lower risk of stroke than the individuals who did not.

Boost Eye health

Avocado contains a lot carotenoid lutein. This antioxidant is known to protect the eyes against oxidative stress damage. This can lead to poor vision, cataracts and macular degeneration.

Anti-aging

The antioxidant glutathione supports your liver and your immune system. It replenishes and recycles other antioxidants in your body. It’s a vital antioxidant for a strong immune system. Avocado is one of the few fruits that contains a high amount of glutathione. The antioxidants in avocados also battle free radicals. 

Helps absorbing nutrients

When eating avocados nutrient aborption is increased. A study shows that, persons who ate salad including avocado's, absorbed five times the amount of carotenoids than those who did not include avocado's.

Other benefits include; maintaining a healthy heart, lower cholesterol and regulation of blood sugar levels.

How to eat Avocado

Slice in two pieces, remove the nut. Avocado's are great in smoothies and salad. Avocado is also the main ingredient for Guacamole.