Strengthening your immune system is a long process. You can’t just have a strong immunity to diseases in a small time frame and it takes a lot of patience, discipline, will, and determination.

However, starting now can make a difference; not just today but also in the future. So, here are some ways to make your immune system stronger:

Eat Rainbows

No, we are not talking about the unicorn frappe. We are talking about adding colors to your diet, which means focusing on plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

Unstable compounds called free radicals are dangerous — they can cause inflammation and cell obstruction, which in result weakened the immune system. Antioxidants present in plant foods battle them out.

These foods are rich in fiber, which flushes out toxins in the body. Thus, resulting in a healthier flow of your body system. The fiber also feeds the gut microbiome or the community of healthy bacteria in your guts.

Read: Thrifty Dishes For This Quarantine Period

Eat Fat, Sana Oil

Are you happy seeing fat? However, it’s not lechon or balat ng manok. We are talking about healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado oil, and fish oil.

Such oils are proven anti-inflammatory that may help your body fight off disease-causing pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. Also, it’s been known to decrease the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Now we know why people, who are under a strict ketogenic diet, used to great weight loss.

Sleep Better

Sleep and immunity are buddies. In fact, poor sleeping patterns are linked to higher chances of having a disease. In a study conducted by PubMed, people who slept less than six hours every night have greater chances of catching a cold compare to those who sleep more than six hours every night.

Now, here’s the twist – is sleeping at night same as sleeping during the day? For the night owls, we are sorry to say: they aren’t. Actually, there are changes in body activity when you sleep more during the day than regularly.

A study, which was published at Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, British researchers asked 22 young and healthy individuals to participate in a sleep experiment. They stayed in a dimly-lit lab for three days.

On the first day, the researchers disrupted the participant’s sleep at regular intervals to reset their body clock and on the second and third day, the volunteers ate and slept on a 28-hour schedule. The longest period of sleep was from noon until before dinner.

In all three days, the researchers drew blood from the participants.

It turned out that during the first day, about 6.4% of the genes were in sync with the body circadian rhythm. However, during the second and third day, the genes that were in sync with the body drastically dropped to 1 percent.

This means that sleep disruptions can ultimately impact about a third of a person’s genes.

Exercise More

It’s a no-brainer that exercise can give your immune system a boost. According to Healthline, exercise promotes healthy turnover of immune cells, promotes good blood flow, and improves body functions.

Additionally, exercise can increase the production of endorphins, which is associated with better moods. Thus, having a sound mind and body. It’s also been proven to reverse the negative effect of oxidative stress, which is a result of normal cellular function.

Drink Water

Hydration won’t necessarily fight germs. However, it will improve your overall health.

According to Korey Stringer Institute,  dehydration will decrease the production of saliva and the concentration of salivary immonuglobulin A, which is the body’s first line of defense against foreign objects such as bacteria.

Hydration also prevents headaches, improves performance and focus, lifts mood, and helps in body functions such as digestion, and heart and kidney functions. As a result, you decrease your susceptibility to diseases.

Don’t Take Too Much Sugar

Sugar is one factor to obesity and may likewise, increase your risk of getting sick.

Researchers recruited 1022 individuals for an observational study of an influenza vaccine and it’s relative risk based on body mass. It turned out that 9.8% of the obese participants confirmed that they had influenza or influenza-like illnesses compared to the 5.1% of those who have considered normal body weight.

Too much sugar may cause type 2 diabetes and heart diseases. All can weaken the immune system.

Manage Your Stress

Stress is a big culprit to a weakened immune system. It has been proven that stress can alter the immune response of people, including children.

Exercise, yoga, journaling, and other mindfulness practices can help you manage your stress. Web MD suggests that practicing positive attitude, acceptance to things you can’t control, being assertive, eating healthy and relying on your hobbies are some of the ways to eliminate stress.

Stay Away from Vices

Drinking too much alcohol, smoking (tobacco and vape), and illegal drugs can ruin someone’s immune system.

According to Recovery Ways, alcohol affects the gut microbes in the body, which will result in a weakened immune system. It also disrupts the gut barrier, allowing more bacteria to pass into the blood.

Aside from nicotine, tobacco contains 7,000 more dangerous chemicals, which can damage the body. It can also disrupt the function of Vitamin c, damage the lungs, weaken the bones and many more effects.

Wash Your Hands

In this pandemic, we used to hear experts advising us to wash our hands with soap and water for more than 20 seconds and as often as we could in order to prevent the spread of the disease. Why? Because most of the viruses and bacteria have skin made of fat and with soap, they can be washed away.

Vaccines Help

Vaccines are usually made of molecules from known pathogens like bacteria and viruses. When they are injected in the body, the immune system can learn how to attack such hostile invaders in a timely manner, make antibodies for it, and remember it for the future.

Stop with the unnecessary conspiracy theories and vaccinate the kids and your family members.

Health is Wealth

“Health is wealth,” they said. Well, it’s been proven. Stay healthy and live longer.

The post How To Strengthen Your Immune System? appeared first on Food Citations.

Sugar, the tiny culprit to many health problems, is loved but hated at the same time. People from all over the world know the dangers of consuming it but can’t help to buy it because it simply makes food tastier.

Stevia, the sweet superstar, is a popular choice for people who want to reduce their sugar intake. It is also the best for diabetics.

Advantages of Stevia

One of the most significant products for people who want to reduce sugar intake is stevia. They are extremely sweet and has a glycemic index of zero.

For those who didn’t know, glycemic index is a value assigned to foods depending on how slow or quick they can increase someone’s blood sugar level. The smaller the number, the better. It’s a number that diabetics should lookout for.

Chew on stevia leaves and feel it’s sugar. They are tingling. When they are extracted, two to three drops of the juice can replace a teaspoon of ordinary table sugar. Some concentrated products are 500 times sweeter.

Stevia Explained

Stevia plants contain substances called steviol glycoside (stevioside) and rebaudioside, which both provide the sweet and delighting taste. However, the former has a lingering bitter aftertaste while the latter doesn’t have.

The plant itself also contains vitamin c and other nutrients.

How Manufacturers Process Stevia?

The early stevia sweetener is green and bitter. They are produced by drying the leaves and pulverizing them into powder, working like a tea bag. Such processes are still present up to this day and used as a sweetener or for health remedy.

The modern process involves a machine that can separate the sweet substances. Some manufacturers can even filter the rebaudioside up to 99% resulting in a highly concentrated liquid without the after taste. They are more expensive though.

More Benefits

PubMed conducted a study involving 31 adults. Those who ate snacks containing stevia reported the same level of satiety with those who consumed snacks containing ordinary sugar.

This means that stevia provides the same level of satisfaction with what we usually consume. Additionally, it is also proven to increase several hormones that suppress the appetite.

In another study involving 12 people, those coconut dessert containing 50% stevia and 50% sugar showed lower blood levels than those who ate the dessert containing 100% sugar. The same resulted when researchers used sweetener in animals.

Downfalls

Though a good sugar substitute, stevia has downsides as well.

Manufacturers add fillers and preservatives to prolong the product’s shelf life. Examples of fillers are xylitol, dextrose, and “natural flavors” that are not clearly defined. Furthermore, the process of extracting the liquid from the plants involves friction that destroys beneficial nutrients. Contamination is always in question.

Stevia can also kill good bacteria, especially in the tummy. In a test-tube test, concentrated products prevents the growth of gut bacteria by up to 83%.

The Bottom Line

This is a good substitute for sugar because it has zero calories and zero glycemic indexes. You’ll also need a small amount to make your food taste better.

However, the healthiest way is to control yourself. Cut down your sweet intake and use stevia to replace sugar. Remember the longer you spend time taking less sugar, the sweeter food will taste.

The post Stevia as Table Sugar Substitute? appeared first on Food Citations.

For most of us, dieting, for whatever purpose we wanted, is like a dark alley — scary and as much as possible should be avoided. Humans evolved and along with it is the evolution of tastebuds resulting in a more meticulous palate.

Disregarding the budget, people used to choose the unhealthier options because they simply taste better.

How about if I’ll tell you that there is one gadget for a healthy refreshment that is worthy? It may cause pocket harm but the result is delighting.

Introducing the Hurom Juicer, a kitchen gadget that each family should have. This is also good for people who wanted to cut down their sugar intake but can’t stay away from refreshing drinks.

What is Hurom Juicer?

Hurom is one expensive juicer that features this slow and patented technology compared to the usual ones that use the grate-and-spin process. However, it’s worthy because it yields more juice compared to other juicers in the market.

With this product, you can create pure watermelon juice, the refreshing carrots and cucumber juice, and grape juice. You can also juice out soybeans, olives, almond for almond milk and many more.

I and my family have tried several juicing machines and so far, we are contented with the standard Hurom Juicer.

The Masticating Process

The company spent 40 years of research to provide the world with the high-end juicer and as a result is the so-called masticating process. This involves slowly crushing the pulp as if the machine is chewing it and then will squeeze it resulting to 40% more juice than the ordinary grate-and-spin juicers.

This is done with the use of an auger that rotates at a desired speed, which is usually at around 43 rpm. It’s fast and strong enough to thoroughly munch the pulp but slow and gentle not to create a friction that destroys the enzymes.

Read: Tool Find: New Capsule Cutter

The auger is made from BPA-free polyetherimide (PEI), which is high-performance thermoplastic. It is shatter-proof even in a high-pressured environment.

The strainer, which comes in an array of sizes based on models, is also made of a flexible PEI and stainless steel. It won’t shatter or wear out even in a long period.

This masticating process produces almost no sound. Based on my experience, it is indeed silent. I’ve become more confident to juice during the dawn without waking my parents up.

Setup and Cleaning Process

The Hurom is the safest and definitely, the most user-friendly among the juicers we bought. When setting this up, you just need to follow the colored dots and not the complicated mechanisms.

There is also this automatic machine-lock technology where the parts serve as gears of the system with one is essential in making the whole system work. One missing or misaligned piece, the Hurom Juicer won’t function.

Since this features a slow process, you won’t be paranoid that some pieces will go flying around and might cause injuries.

The parts are also easy to remove and clean. Just use an ordinary sponge to clean the auger and a used toothbrush to remove the fiber that stuck in the holes of the strainer.

The Negatives

Though Hurom is one heck of a product, it also has disadvantages.

One of the known bad sides is the price… Even the most basic unit will cost you a few hundred of dollars. So, we can say this is not for people with a tight budget. Though the parts are tough, they are not diamond and therefore will also break. Guess what? The replacement parts, which you can only buy from Hurom, are also expensive.

This juice more than any other brand. However, when you check the pulp, you can still squeeze out some more juice, a thing that actually cringes me.

The tube where you will insert the fruits and vegetables is quite narrow. You still have to slice them.

Conclusion

Hurom Juicer may cost you hundreds of bucks, especially if you want to upgrade the functions compared to the standard one. However, allow me to say, that it’s worthy. Not a perfect product but you will be amazed.

Hurom is acknowledged by health experts. It was also featured by celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart.

The post Hurom – The Best Juicer In Town appeared first on Food Citations.

Way back the early 90s when I was still a dirty, obnoxious, and playful kid, I used to buy a pack of small fruits that I and friends will enjoy. We can buy about a cup of them for only P1.00.

The fruit, which is smaller than a pea, comes in green, red, and black with each color represents a distinct flavor. Green is sour and a bit bitter, red is sour, and black is sour with kicks of sweetness. The only thing I didn’t like is the huge seed that covers about 70% of the fruit.

The fruit is bignay.

What is Bignay?

With scientific name Antidesma bunius, bignay is native to Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. The tree grows up to 30 meters and produces flowers arranged into clusters with a scent many considered as foul. In time, some of the flowers will become fruits.

The fruits are eaten raw or can be processed into jams and bignay wine.

Me and my friends enjoy it so much despite the sour flavor. Little did we know that these cheapies pack awesome health benefits.

Bignay is a Great Antioxidant

Free radicals are impaired atoms produced by oxygen metabolism. They attach to cells and tissues causing damages to the cell membranes making them vulnerable to outside dangers. As a result, there will be a delay in body’s impairment and rejuvenation.

Bignay is rich in Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and Catechins. Together, these form a great team in eliminating the free radicals in the body. This can result in fairer and healthier skin, glossier hair, pinkish lips and many more.

Bignay Aides in Losing Weight

The fruits and leaves of Bignay are proven to suppress appetite. This is the reason why companies are now into manufacturing and repacking the dried leaves and fruits of this wonderful tree. Several natives of the country believe that consuming the fruits in large amount will boost the digestion to increase metabolism.

The fruit is also known to clean up the colon and a great laxative for a more frequent bowel movement.

It Can Reduce Blood Sugar and Pressure

Research proves the fruit and essence of bignay can reduce blood pressure. This will be a great advantage for people with hypertension so they can avoid other health compromises. The tea also aids in lowering the levels of SGPT (alanine aminotransferase) and SGOT (aspartate aminotransferase). The SGPT and SGOT are indicators of liver and kidney damage.

Tests with diabetic people found out that bignay fruits and tea can lower the sugar level.

The health department recognizes bignay as one of the precious gems of the country. Researchers are continuously doing more research to further prove its health benefits.

The post Bignay: The Small But Terrible Nutritious Fruit appeared first on Food Citations.

Health professionals from around the world recommend xylitol as a sugar substitute.

In fact, the American Dietetic Association (ADA), enumerated some of the benefits one can have by using xylitol to cut ordinary sugar consumption. Among them are a reduced glycemic response compared with sucrose, increased absorption of B vitamins and calcium, and reduction of dental caries risk.

With this, many are now into using such sugar alternatives, whether to weight loss or maintaining health. Grocery aisles and health club counters are filled with food stuffed with xylitol, which is an obvious indication of its demand.

First of All, What is Xylitol?

A sugar alcohol, Xylitol is actually found in nature. Several plants including berries, oats, beets, sugar cane, corn, and birch have it. With this definition alone, we can say that it’s perfectly fine. The FDA even put it in the list of GRAS or Generally Recognized as Safe Product.

Tests proved that sugar alcohol encourages a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria in the ear canal and sinus cavities.

How to Manufacture?

To produce it in a volume, many companies use the process of sugar hydrogenation, which requires a catalyst. Surprisingly, in this matter, Raney nickel is used which is a powdered nickel-aluminum alloy.

This poses a serious health risk because of contamination and cancer. Yes, nickel is a carcinogen. There is also a correlation between aluminum in the body and dementia. Heavy metals are dangerous the body can’t eliminate them properly.

We all know that GMO corn is cheap and easy to find. So, these manufacturers will definitely use it instead of the more expensive natural source.

Xylitol will also result in “passive diffusion,” which will leave an unmetabolized part, which will later ferment. It will be a perfect place for bacteria to grow and spread, which can also result in a yeast problem. This is why using it usually result in gassy days and sometimes diarrhea.

It Might Cause Dangers

According to Natural News, a 1.65-gram of Xylitol killed a 100-gram rat. A typical Xylitol gum contains .7 to 1 gram of Xylitol. So, what’s more with xylitol as sugar alternative?

Though there are no documented that it affects humans, there is also a poor tracking of hydrogenated foods in general.

All in all, this is beneficial only to its definition. When humans touched it that’s the only time it poses potential damage to humans. Only for instances of sinus and ear infection, it’s good. Other than that, I don’t think so.

The post Cracking Up Xylitol: Is It Really Safe? appeared first on Food Citations.