Honeydew Fun Facts & Nutrition

Honeydew is a variety of muskmelon, considered the sweetest of all melons. They’re also called winter melons because they’re harvested late in the season, peaking during late summer, fall and winter, though honeydew is available almost the whole year round. Most of our U.S. honeydews come from Arizona, Texas or California with imported melons from Mexico taking up the slack during winter months.

Where did Honeydew originally come from?

No one is exactly sure the origin of honeydew but Persia is named the likely humble beginnings for this succulent melon. Columbus carried honeydew seeds to America and now it’s one of our favorite melons behind watermelon and cantaloupe.

How To Pick A Honeydew Melon:

Things you want to look for when picking out a perfectly ripe melon are no bruises, soft areas or cracks. Don’t bother shaking or hitting it, that won’t tell you anything. Sniff the stem end (which should be somewhat smooth): if you can smell it, then it’s ripe. Also, a ripe melon should be somewhat firm, if it’s a little soft that’s ok but if it’s very soft, put it back, it’s overripe.

Honeydew Nutrition:

Like other melons, honeydews contain a large amount of water and are happily quite low in calories. Additionally, they’re fat-free and cholesterol free. They’re also a great source of Vitamin C and potassium.

How To Store Honeydew Melon:

You can refrigerate cut honeydew in a covered container for up to three days. Make sure to keep it covered though, as the smell can mix with other foods thanks to its wonderful aromatic properties.

Want to keep that sweet taste of summer with you all year? No problem, you can easily freeze honeydew. Just slice it up, freeze it on a cookie sheet and place in freezer baggies. You can also add syrup or sugar if you like.

Some Honeydew Serving Suggestions:

Before cutting into it, it’s best to wash your melon with soap and water because honeydew is grown on the ground and can make contact with fertilizer and other contaminants you don’t want to ingest.

Serve it barely chilled. If it’s been stored in the refrigerator, remove it from the fridge 15-20 minutes before serving. You can put it in a fruit salad, whip it up into a frothy cool summer drink or drizzle lemon on top to add tang to the melon’s natural sweetness. A clever serving idea is to use a half-cut melon as a serving bowl, perfect for yogurt, cottage cheese or even ice cream if you’re feeling mildly decadent.

Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex Gainer Helps Gain Body Mass With Fewer Calories.

Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex Gainer helps gain Body Mass with fewer calories.

Considered the “Gold Standard” of protein for serious athletes Whey protein helps those who work hard to develop and sustain a strong, lean, and well-defined physique. Depending on how much Athletes work out, they often need as much as twice the recommended daily allowance of protein in their diet. A preferred choice of protein for athletes is Whey protein. There are several reasons that the protein they choose can make a difference like the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard.

Protein powders can be an excellent supplement between meals or as a meal replacement for those who want to control or lose weight. A nutritious daily diet includes foods that have “complete proteins”. Complete proteins must be obtained through the diet each day and contain all of the essential amino acids required. Optimum Nutrition 100% Natural Gold Standard Whey is a great source of protein and contains no artificial sweeteners, color, or flavoring. It is very low in carbohydrates, saturated fat, lactose, cholesterol and other fats.

These are the main proteins in order of the highest to lowest order of how proteins are rated and how well the body utilizes them. They are: Whey protein, Egg white, Fish, Dairy products, Beef, Soy, and Legumes (e.g., beans and lentils). Optimum Nutrition Pro complex contains Egg Albumen; Whey Protein Isolates and Hydrolyzed proteins which are proteins extracted from plants such as soybeans and are broken down into amino acids which are used in the production of products like bullion or soy sauce as a flavor enhancer. To enhance muscle-building, they have created a premium blend of protein by using a combination of 8 different sources.

Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex Gainer is the perfect example of “lean gainer” in the supplement category. Unlike typical weight gain formulas, Pro Complex Gainer derives a much higher percentage of its calories from protein. And while some “ultra-hard gainers” require 1,000, 1,200…even 1,500 calorie/serving weight gain product, many athletes can gain quality mass with considerably less. So, in addition to having fewer calories, Pro Complex Gainer provides a blend of 6 premium protein sources, complex carbohydrates including dietary fiber, lipids, digestive enzymes, vitamins and minerals.

For serious athletes Whey protein helps those who work hard to develop and sustain a strong, lean, and well-defined physique. Depending on how much Athletes work out, they often need as much as twice the recommended daily allowance of protein in their diet. A preferred choice of protein for athletes is Whey protein. There are several reasons that the protein they choose can make a difference like the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard.

Nutrition for Nail Growth

Don’t waste good iron for nails or good men for soldiers”. As it is correctly said, nutrition plays an extremely significant role right from the tip of fingers to one’s toe. Nail growth is a good indicator for all possible health related problems which can be linked to intake of daily nutrition.

These problems are associated with multiple factors working together. Lack of proper daily nutrition including proteins is the main cause of improper growth of nails. Deficiency in nutrients can lead to crooked structure, loss of texture, ridged, fragile and yellowing of nails which hamper the growth. One’s body needs adequate amount of all elements for proper development of nails, thus in order to avoid problems one must add certain things in his/her diet. Some of the essential nutrients that affect the nail growth include calcium, vitamin B, Vitamin C or folic acid, protein, fat and iron.on.

Eat plenty of healthy food to get sufficient amount of minerals and vitamins for healthy nails. Let’s take a look on how nutrition plays an important role in growth. Low iron content can cause brittle nails and thus inhibit development. People with iron deficiency generally tend to have spoon shaped nails Hence one should include iron rich product to the diet viz broccoli, shellfish meat, juice, walnut etc. Calcium being the key ingredient for nails should be consumed daily in some form or other. One can get optimum amount of calcium from dairy products.

Nails require proteins and requirements for this can be met by eating lean meat or nuts. Vitamins B and Vitamin C are essential nutrition for nail growth. Hence one should have citrus fruits and other multivitamin supplement along with healthy food. Another component which is essential for growth is Zinc which can be obtained from crabs, breakfast cereals etc. Low level of zincs can cause white spots to occur during growth. Biotin is a vitamin that supports nail growth and the ideal dose recommended in order to eliminate splitting and making nails grow is 2.5mg each day. Besides these elements MSM, methionine and essential fatty acids can significantly assist nail growth. This is the best way to assure oneself of healthy growth.

Diet & Nutrition Myths Debunked

Diet & Nutrition Myths Debunked

1. Sugar Causes Diabetes
The most common nutrition myth is probably that sugar causes diabetes. If you have diabetes, you do need to watch your sugar and carbohydrate intake, with the help of your Registered Dietitian, to properly manage your blood sugar level. However, if you do not have diabetes, sugar intake will not cause you to develop the disease. The main risk factors for Type 2 diabetes are a diet high in calories, being overweight, and an inactive lifestyle.

2. All Fats are bad
It’s a long-held nutrition myth that all fats are bad. But the fact is, we all need fat. Fats aid nutrient absorption and nerve transmission, and they help to maintain cell membrane integrity – to name just a few of their useful purposes. However, when consumed in excessive amounts, fats contribute to weight gain, heart disease and certain types of cancers.

3.Brown Sugar is better than White Sugar
The brown sugar sold at grocery stores is actually white granulated sugar with added molasses. Yes, brown sugar contains minute amounts of minerals. But unless you eat a gigantic portion of brown sugar every day, the mineral content difference between brown sugar and white sugar is absolutely insignificant. The idea that brown and white sugar have big differences is another common nutrition myth.

4.Brown Eggs are more nutritious than White Eggs
Contrary to a widely believed nutrition myth, eggshell color has nothing to do with the quality, flavor, nutritive value, cooking characteristics, or shell thickness of an egg. The eggshell color only depends upon the breed of the hen.

5. Avoid seafood to lower blood cholesterol
I still can’t believe it, but I heard this nutrition myth from my own doctor! In fact, the dietary cholesterol found in seafood and other meats has little effect on blood cholesterol in most people. Saturated fats and trans fatty acids are the most important factors that raise blood cholesterol.

6.Avoid carbohydrate to lose weight
The key message that many low-carb diets convey is that carbohydrates promote insulin production, which in turn results in weight gain. Therefore by reducing carbohydrate intake, you can lose weight. Unfortunately, this is just another nutrition myth.

7. Avoid nuts as they are fattening
Yes, it’s true that nuts are quite calorically dense. Fifteen cashews, for instance, deliver 180 kilocaleries! On top of that, it is very tough not to overeat these tasty snacks. But if you can restrain yourself from overeating them, nuts can be a part of a healthy diet.

8. Eating for 2 is necessary during pregnancy
Energy requirements vary among individuals. Unfortunately, the idea that pregnancy is an ice cream free-for-all is a nutrition myth. It is generally recommended that pregnant women increase their daily intake by 100 kcal in the first trimester and 300 kcal in the second and third trimesters. An extra snack before bedtime consisting of a fruit, a serving of milk or yogurt, and a few biscuits is often enough.

9. Skipping meals can help lose weight
Many people think that by skipping a meal, they will be eating less food and therefore lose weight. As we now know, this is a nutrition myth. People who think skipping meals means weight loss do not understand how our bodies work.

If you skip a meal, your body will think that you are in starvation mode and therefore slow down the metabolism to compensate. You then tend to overeat at the next meal. Often, skipping a meal and then eating too much at the next one means that you have a higher total caloric intake than if you just ate more frequently throughout the day. A better approach is to eat smaller frequent healthy meals and snacks to keep your blood sugar balanced.

10. Red meat is bad for health
I often hear people saying that they do not eat red meat. When I ask why they don’t, or even what they consider to be red meat, the answers vary dramatically.

It is a nutrition myth, however, that red meat is altogether bad for your health. Instead of excluding red meats, choose leaner cuts of beef and pork. For beef, choose eye of round, top round roast, top sirloin and flank; for pork, choose tenderloin and loin chops.

How to Gain Healthy Body by Eating Healthy Nutrition

Online health store for getting quality health products in India. Today, people are getting several advices or suggestions on how watch out their bodies, and for making physical body strong, people generally go to the gym or join any health club or go for a walk in the morning to evening to become physically fit. But, it is not enough for us if we are not taking good nutrition because besides exercise, a body needs healthy eating equally so as to operate well. Now stop worrying concerning what you eat and begin loving it, just enjoy your food or meals with your family and make your meals a pleasurable experience that you exactly anticipate to. Do not take large meals, but break your food in small portions, this is very important for those people who are suffering from gastritis, and it also helps in maintaining blood sugar levels. Remember, little changes can make an enormous impact so that try these important tips

Take your lunch or dinner properly
Don’t take fizzy sugary drinks, but sugar-free versions. For example, drink water rather than try a slice of lemon, orange, etc.
Don’t not add more salts on your food as well as decrease size (quantity) of your meal.
Take breakfast every day instead of taking snacks, biscuits, etc. at morning.
Do not take high fat food always or whenever you go out to party of enjoying celebrations with your friends of family, just try to avoid it most of the time. Always take balanced food, which are satisfying by selecting full of nutritious meal from all food groups including carbohydrate, protein, vitamins, and minerals as well as fat because they provide you energy and keep you fresh and active for many hours. Today, people can easily get the best nutrition’s product online also as there are many online health store that are providing branded Nutrition products in India at the affordable prices with free shipping.

In today’s fast and furious life, people generally junk food instead of homemade food because due to busy schedule or lack of time due to high work pressure. But, homemade meal is the best food in comparing to junk food (which includes fast food) by many ways, including junk food is higher in fat, salt, sugar, lower in fiber, calcium and iron and served in big portions that mean more kilojoules. Therefore, always try to take home made meal as it keeps our body more health and diseases free. You can take help from your doctor or any Dietitian for making a diet chart as well.