Healthy Foods - Legumes Are Amazing Health Foods

What is a legume? Any food that develops a seed pod that will split on both of its sides when it is ripe is in the legume food group. Grasses, alfalfa and clover are legume foods that are fed to animals because of their high nutritional value. Legumes have two times more protein than grains; contain vitamin B and high iron content. These are easy foods for your digestive system and contain no cholesterol. We know them in our diet as lentils, peanuts, soybeans, beans and peas.

Prebiotics, which is a dietary supplement in the form of non-digestible carbohydrate that favors the growth of desirable microflora (plants that can be seen only under a microscope) in the large bowel, is found in legumes, as well as in bananas, asparagus, garlic, leeks, sunchokes, onions and the list goes on. Lentils which are legume have a naturally large quantity of dietary fiber and prebiotics. Instead of eating a lot of red meat in your diet which is very hard for your body to digest you can get high quantities of iron and protein by eating lentils especially when you cook them along with foods that are rich in vitamin C like tomatoes.

Yogurt without added sugar is also an excellent prebiotic. Like the legume, yogurt that has either active or live ingredients listed, especially if there is added fiber, is a culture that works wonders for your intestinal bacteria. This is good bacteria that promote health and immunity. Yogurt without added sugar promotes the growth of these good bacteria that aid digestion. Besides aiding the intestinal track these foods can also assist the body in absorbing important minerals like iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium.

The following is a detailed list of legumes:

Adzuki beans (Asian cooking)
Anasazi beans (Southwestern cooking)
Black-eyed peas
Butter beans
Chick peas or garbanzo beans
Green beans (snap or string)
Kidney beans
Lentils
Mung beans (sprouted beans that can be made into noodles)
Navy beans
Peas (dried or split)
Pinto beans
Soy beans
Licorice (Used to flavor or sweeten products, such as candies, beverages, and medicine)
Peanuts

Peanuts are legumes and actually are not technically nuts. They do come from a split pod and seed which is part of the leguminosae family of foods. The plant does bear flowers so there is a confusion of which family it should be classified as, the nut or the legume. The very name indicates there is a confusion, pea-nut. Bottom line, is the peanut has the nutritional values of the legume family of foods but is used in cooking like nuts, besides the flavor is nutty.

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Adding Yogurt to Your Diet Can Benefit Your Health

You may have heard about many different super foods that you can eat to boost and enhance your health. One of these great foods you should try to eat on a regular basis is yogurt. Yogurt provides many health benefits. It is not only an excellent source of calcium, but it also provides your body with probiotics that can help with several different issues. If you are looking for a great new snack to include in your diet, yogurt is a perfect option.
The most obvious health benefit that comes along with eating yogurt on a regular basis is its calcium content. Most yogurts on the market today have 30-40% of the daily recommended amount of calcium for adults. Eating a sufficient amount of calcium can help keep your bones and teeth strong and health and helps to prevent osteoporosis. If you are wanting to eat yogurt primarily to help with your calcium intake, you should make sure to purchase a variety that includes vitamin D. Vitamin D helps your body to absorb the calcium nutrients and will give your body more benefits from the calcium you eat.

Another thing that you should look for when shopping for yogurt is a yogurt variety that includes live, active cultures. These cultures are actually called "probiotics" and are known as "good bacteria." The exact type of bacteria in the yogurt will vary depending on the manufacturer. The probiotics are considered good bacteria because they help your body. They help your digestive system function smoothly and can also balance out the pH of the vaginal area in women to help prevent yeast infections.
Yogurt is a common snack among people who are trying to lose weight. This is because yogurt has a large amount of protein. Proteins in foods helps to make your body feel like it is full. People who eat protein-rich snacks like yogurt can go longer without feeling hungry. If you are dieting or trying to lose weight, adding healthy yogurt to your nutritional plan can be a great step towards your goal weight.
When buying yogurt, you should know that not all yogurt are made the same. Yogurt in its simplest form only has milk and probiotics. This type of yogurt is generally called plain yogurt and is considered to be sugar-free. All yogurt, even if they have no added sugars, will have a considerable amount of sugar on the nutrition label due to the fact that milk has lactose sugars. If you do not like this plain, sugar-free yogurt, you can also buy yogurt that have been sweetened with either natural or artificial sugars and flavors. There is a huge variety of yogurt available on the market today. Try to stick with yogurt that are either plain or sweetened with low-calorie sweeteners.

Eating a serving or two of healthy yogurt can be a great addition to your diet. It helps build strong bones, helps promote a healthy digestive system, and can help you in your efforts to lose weight. If you are trying to eat more nutritional foods and are looking for a new snack, make sure you remember yogurt.

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