One of my favorite fruits of all time is the banana. It’s a pretty good snack to keep your satisfied until your next meal. So what is the deal with bananas? Well, the well known factor of a banana is that they’re high in potassium which means it lowers blood pressure and maintains normal heart function. Eating bananas also help in ulcers and thickens your stomach lining, which is helpful for those with sensitive stomachs.

Not to mention, bananas taste really good and don’t require cleaning before eating them. Just pull, peel and eat. Bananas are also great in shakes, baked goods – such as banana bread (yummy!), cereal and oatmeal and not to mention peanut butter and banana sandwiches! I love them because not only are they easy to eat, they’re easy to incorporate in foods that are otherwise boring.

Sodium can be in foods that you don’t even expect, which can make it difficult to figure out what to eat. Too much sodium results in excess water weight, which is harmful for those with high blood pressure, heart, kidney and liver disease. The most sodium we should take is about 1/2 – 1 1/2 teaspoons which is not that much, and the average person takes more than that!

Ways to Reduce Sodium Intake

• Choose foods labeled sodium free, low sodium or reduced sodium. These foods have less than 5 milligrams of sodium
• Try a salt shaker with smaller holes or ditch the shaker all together, if you can.
• Buy vegetables that don’t come with salt, notably packaged vegetables, which usually have salt on them. You can also rinse the salt off if you absolutely have to get a package with salt on it.
• Buy meats that don’t come with salt, so you can add your flavoring your way.
• Substitute seasonings and salts with natural flavoring such as garlic, onions, lemon, vinegar, pepper, parsley or cilantro. Personally I love all of these, except vinegar.

It’s better to be aware of the vegetables and fruits you’re taking in more than obsessing about salt, although there’s nothing wrong with watching it. Focusing on a nutritious diet is more important.

I was never a fan of tuna when I was growing up, but now I absolutely love it. I had a tuna sandwich today and not only did I felt good about eating something that is beneficial to my health, it was something that I enjoyed eating. Tuna is a great source of protein and is high in omega-3 fatty acids. It is suggested by nutrition experts that we should consume omega-3 foods 3 times a week. Tuna also lowers cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of heart disease.

My favorite tuna dish is Tuna Noodle Casserole. The only things that I would change in this recipe is the noodles to a less glutenous noodle as well as a lower sodium version of the Cream of Mushroom soup. Here is the recipe from the Campbell’s Kitchen website.

There are an endless amount of tuna recipes, so check out some more recipes at the Tuna Facts website.

We all know that lettuce is mostly used in salads. We also know that eating salads is better than eating a cheesesteak. But do you know how healthy lettuce is? I decided to do some research and I found out that lettuce doesn’t have much calories and aids digestion as well as reduces cancer and heart disease risk. Also, the darker the green, the healthier. Iceberg lettuce, the lettuce that is in majority of salads are the least nutritious. Supplements of vitamin C, beta-carotene, folate, and dietary fiber as well as some calcium are in lettuce, and even more in the darker greens.

For best results you should mix up different greens to get the best nutritional content. I find salads are best when you just buy the lettuce, or those salads in a bags…which I find easier. The fresher the greens, the better. Iceberg lettuce lasts for 12 days, romaine for 10 days, and butterhead and leaf for 4 days. Buy enough greens knowing you’ll consume it right away. And of course, make sure they’re washed and dried.

source, photo credit

I was never really into Soy at first, I thought it had this really weird taste. The more I had it, the more I got used to it and now I actually crave soy foods!

So what’s the deal with soy? Well, soy is classified as having a lot of protein and they originated in China. It is low in saturated fat which is bad fat and polyunsaturated fat which is good fat and is cholesterol free. Soy can be consumed in many ways such as soy milk, cheese, beans, tofu and nuts. Soy has been accepted as a dietary source of protein and to ease and prevent sickness and diseases. It’s also organic, so its totally pesticide free as far as soy milk goes. I think soy milk is better than regular milk because of this, and I don’t feel as sick when I drink soy milk to regular milk. It it also said 25 grams of soy a day can prevent heart disease. There are some sources on the web that soy is dangerous, but it seems to me that if you don’t eat just purely soy foods, you should be fine. I mean, too much of something is not always a good thing, and you should always be cautious of what you consume to make sure of its freshness just like any other fruit or vegetable.