Food Selections that Contribute to Health

for an afternoon snack or instead of dinner will do you a lot of good.

You could also add a small amount of nuts to salads, muesli, or other

dishes. What you really shouldn’t do is add nuts to dishes which

are already high in fat and calories such as biscuits, cake and ice cream.

What about alcohol?

Many researchers testify to the fact that alcohol in moderate doses

isn’t harmful -- it can even be beneficial to health. Half a glass

or one glass of good wine per day (but not more) can reduce the risk of

cardiovascular disease development.

Products containing less than 100 calories:

• 200 grams of ice cream = 70-100 calories.
• 1 cup of milk with sugar = 50 calories.
• 1 cup of cappuccino = 77 calories.
• 1 hard-boiled egg = 77 calories.
• 1 glass of white wine or champagne = 72 calories.
• 1 glass of light beer = 99 calories.
• 1 handful of filberts = 90 calories.
• 100 grams of lean beef = 80-90 calories.
• 20 raisins in chocolate = 80 calories.
• 3 chocolate candies = 60-80 calories.
• 1 slice of cheese = 30-50 calories.

A cucumber

Today we are going to talk about the numerous useful properties of cucumbers.

Cucumbers contain a lot of water -- 96 percent in fact. Cucumber water

is rich in biologically active substances, mineral salts and vitamins.

Specialists claim that the significant amount of potassium that cucumbers

contain has a salutary influence on heart performance, normalizes blood

pressure, and also promotes liquid withdrawal from the body. There is

also iodine in cucumbers, which is necessary for the normal functioning

of the thyroid gland. As for sulfur, it improves teeth, nails and hair.

As a result of numerous studies, it has been ascertained that cucumbers

contain fluorine, zinc, molybdenum, iron, aluminum and folic acid. This

fact is of great importance to people who suffer from pancreatic diabetes.

Due to being low-calorie, cucumbers are recommended for overweight people.

It should also be noted that specialists advise everyone trying to lose

weight (and those cleaning the body) to have one fasting day per week,

desirably on the weekend. On each fasting day you should consume about

two kilos of cucumbers. Fasting days are also useful for those who have

high blood pressure.

It should be noted that fresh cucumbers contribute to fat and protein

assimilation within the body, and they also have a soft laxative effect

on the body.

Now a few words about cucumber juice. It eliminates thirst, calms and

strengthens the nervous system, and also improves memory and helps to

deal with gum problems. A mixture of cucumber and carrot juice is helpful

when dealing with rheumatism.

Do not have too many fresh cucumbers if you suffer from gastritis, enteritis,

or colitis. Cucumbers are bad for people who have stomach ulcers and nephritis.

Cosmetic masks made of cucumbers, however, are useful for everyone. Such

masks make the skin more elastic and smooth, and they diminish pores.

Pears

Pears are one of the healthiest treats. Pears are rich in sugar, organic

acids, ferments, cellular tissue, tanning, nitric and pectin agents, as

well as vitamins C, B1, P, PP, and carotene (provitamin A). Pears usually

seem sweeter than apples, although they do contain less sugar. A lot of

pears abound in microelements, including iodine. Pears contain up to 10

percent carbohydrates; that is 10 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams

of pear.

There is not much vitamin C in pears. As far as folic acid is concerned,

however, pears surpass even black-currants.

Both traditional and folk medicines recommend pears in a lot of cases.

But it should be noted that pears should be eaten in the following way:

you should have pears when your stomach is empty and you should drink

water when you eat them. They shouldn’t be eaten with meat or within

a half-hour of finishing a meal.

Keep in mind that only ripe, aromatic, juicy and smooth pears posses

medicinal properties. As for pear juice, it’s a wonderful restorative,

tonic, and vitamin remedy which is extremely useful in curing certain

stomach diseases.

Doctors recommend eating more pears after you turn 40. Plus, you can

benefit greatly if you have two “pear” days per week: 1.5-2

kilos of fresh green fruit and nothing else. If the fruit is hard you

can boil it a little.

In ancient times, doctors valued pears as a method to heal wounds and

bring down temperature.

The pleasant crunch that we get when biting into a pear can be explained

by the presence of stone cells in pulp, the outward of which consists

of lignified cellulose tissue. This very tissue irritates the mucous of