Which Fibers To Take? Oats and Barley

Fiber is very important for us if we wish to be healthy. The aim is to get at least the minimum recommended amount of between 12g and 18g per day for adults. For children over the age of 2, the recommended intake is the child’s age plus 5g, according to United States guidelines. In addition, we should also have a balance of both soluble and insoluble types of fiber.

A few familiar and surprising fiber options will be introduced over the next few days. First of all, Let us take a look at oats and barley.

Study has shown that beta-glucan, a specific soluble fiber contained in oats and barley, can lower cholesterol. Therefore, for people with high cholesterol, consuming a mere 3g of soluble oat fiber per day (it is appropriately the amount found in a bowl of oatmeal) can typically lower their total cholesterol by as much as 23 percent.

Because of these findings, the United States FDA has approved health claims on products that have soluble fiber from foods such as oat bran.

Beta-glucan also has the beneficial effects in stabilizing blood sugar levels, hence it is good for diabetics as well.

Are There Other Ways To Boost Your Fiber Intake?

Besides fruit and vegetables, you can start your day right by eating a fiber-rich breakfast. For example, you can try oatmeal with fruit, or make a smoothie in the blender with yogurt and a variety of fruit like banana, mango and berries. Furthermore, don’t forget to add in a tablespoon of ground flax seeds.

Another way to increase fiber intake is to consider beans in dips as well as in soups, salads and stews. Beans are wonderful things that you should not ignore.

Refined foods lack fiber. For example, there are not much fiber left in white bread and white rice. Remember to stick to whole, unprocessed foods and experiment with new grains. Brown or wild rice, buckwheat, millet and quinoa should be included into your meals. These work well as a side dish or in a salad.

Take More Fruit and Vegetables To Increase Your Fiber Intake

Fiber forms an important part of our daily diet in order to keep us healthy. But not many people are aware of this or they simply ignore taking fiber because they do not like it.

Let us look at some ways that you can boost your fiber intake!

Fruit contains fiber. But you should take them without peeling, and not in juice form. This is because the skin of apples and pears, and the fine membrane that holds orange segments are rich sources of fiber. Another way to get fruit fiber is to snack on dried fruit.

Vegetables are also excellent origins of fiber. In order to increase the fiber intake, you can have a side salad with your meals. Iceberg lettuce does not have much fiber. So you may want to discard it and instead, choose other alternatives such as spinach and aragula leaves. If you like, you may add beans, grains and even different vegetables to your salad. Some people also add fruit into salad to make it more tasty and colorful to induce appetite.

Nevertheless, make sure you rinse fruit and vegetables thoroughly before eating. If you are very concerned about the possible pesticide residues, you can choose organic fruit and vegetables.

How To Make Our Meal Tasty And Healthier With Less Salt?

We are always told to cut down the salt in-take in order to avoid high blood pressure which can lead to heart disease. However, food without salt is simply tasteless for most of us.

A meal without salt is not a meal! This proverb does make some sense. Isn’t it? So, what should we do?

Besides training our tongue to get use of natural taste of food without salt, there are also other ways to improve the flavor of our food without excessive salt. Here are some suggestions.

You can choose gravy instead of stock cubes and artificial seasoning. Garlic, chili, onions, lemon, lime, pepper or basil may be employed as alternative seasoning. When preparing pasta, meat and vegetables, you can simply use fresh herbs to season. In order to achieve better flavor for our food, marinade meat and fish in advance to allow the flavor to soak through. Where applicable, white and red wine can be added to accentuate the taste of our foods.

Some Measures to Lower Our Salt Intake

When you eat outside, it is important that you assess the sources of salt in your diet. If possible, you should ask for no or less salt added.

On your next trip to supermarket for purchasing items such as cereals, crackers, canned foods, or pasta sauces, read the labels and select those with low-salt options.

In case your meal is high in sodium, you can always balance your diet with high-potassium foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, which have plenty of fiber and nutrients as well.

Add salt only at the end of your cooking because cooking the food longer may mute the flavor. Reduce your salt gradually over stages so as to train your tongue. Once you get used to it, you can go for salt-free and enjoy the natural taste.

Remember this, salt is always added to processed foods. So fresh is best. As far as possible, choose fresh vegetables, poultry and meat over processed, pickled or cured food.

Why Should Excessive Salt Intake Be Discouraged?

Sodium is the major component (about 40%) of salt (sodium chloride). It is essential for cell function as it maintains the electrolyte balance in the body, which regulates the flow of fluids such as water and blood.

Regular consumption of excessive salt intake will lead to hypertension in the long run. Based on the prevailing rate of salt intake, average blood pressure is expected to hike by about 6 mmHg over a 10-year period. For 30 years, it will be 18 mmHg (6 x 3). If the starting systolic pressure is 120 mmHg when you are 20 years old, then your blood pressure will be 138 mmHg by the time you are 50.

Hypertension is likely to raise the risk of coronary heart disease, too. Other possible medical complications include kidney problems, loss of calcium through urine which will cause osteoporosis and higher risk of fractures. Chances of stomach cancer will also be higher, according to research.

How To Find Out Whether One Can End Up With Brugada Syndrome?

A person who has a positive family history should not only go for an ECG but also request for some very sensitive DNA-based tests.

As a matter of fact, all immediate male and female relatives of someone who has had an unexplained and unexpected sudden death should have such tests done to find out if they have inherited similar mutations. Though Brugada syndrome is more common among males, this does not mean that females will be spared.

In 2004, a study conducted by a group of researchers from New York, Spain and other regions revealed that the immediate period after giving birth to a baby seems to be particularly risky for affect women.

Once the tests confirm a person is at risk, preventive measures should be initiated. The potential candidate may have to take drugs known as beta blockers, which modulate the heart rhythm. If necessary, pacemakers or cardiac defibrillators could be implanted to prevent dangerous heart rhythms from taking over. The cardiac defibrillators are devices that are capable of delivering an electric shock to reset the ticker when situation requires.