Tag Archives: pumpkin seeds

August 15, 2020 · 12:26 am

Magnesium and Migraine – Tufts

I count myself among the lucky ones in that I rarely get headaches and have never experienced a migraine. Over the years, I have had friends who suffered from them and it was fearsome to behold. The following is from Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

The International Headache Society (IHS) defines migraine as a headache disorder with recurrent attacks (at least five) that last from 4 to 72 hours, are associated with nausea and/or sensitivity to light and sound, and also have at least two of four other characteristics including: pain that is of moderate or severe intensity; throbbing or pulsing; affects only one side of the head; or is worsened by routine activity such as walking.

According to the 2017 Global Burden of Disease Study, migraine is a major cause of disability worldwide. “Migraine headaches have been recognized as a specific condition for centuries,” says Stephanie W. Goldberg, MD, a neurologist with Tufts Medical Center board-certified in neurology and headache medicine. “The word ‘migraine’ comes from the Greek ‘hemicranium’ meaning ‘on one side of the head.’” Women are disproportionally affected, and they may be even more susceptible during menstruation. Continue reading →

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November 6, 2018 · 4:17 pm

Eat These Foods To Prevent The Flu

I like this post. Consider it another arrow in your quiver against the flu this season. I wrote recently about getting my flu shot and recommended that you do the same. Here are some more good ideas to help get you through the coming five or so months.

Tony

Let's Discuss Nutrition

cold comfort cover cute

Flu season is almost here and often a flu shot and taking vitamin C isn’t enough. Aside from mitigating stress and getting enough sleep, it’s important to pay attention to nutrition. Here’s what you should be eating for flu prevention:

1 basket of mushrooms

Hello mushrooms! These fungi contain glucans, a polysaccharide that enhances natural killer cells in the body. In order to optimize the immune-boosting benefits of mushrooms, eat a variety such as shiitake, white button, and maitake.

No more crying. Garlic, onions, shallots, and chives have been shown to reduce the severity of cold and flu symptoms by increasing the activity of natural killer cells. Onions have properties that increase white blood cell counts needed to fight off pathogens. Why not saute mushrooms and onions for a double whammy of these immune fighting foods?

sliced kiwi fruits

A cup of kiwi blows citrus out of the water, with 273% of your daily value of…

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October 29, 2018 · 4:39 am

Edible seeds for you and me

I think one of the main reasons folks have a problem with their weight is the American Diet that includes lots of meat and potatoes, not to mention junky fast foods. So, this Guide to edible seeds may be very handy. Seeds provide a lot of nutritional value in the form of useful fiber, fats and protein. Some people object to the calorie count, but that seems a small price to pay for good nutrition. Remember, good health requires intelligent eating and regular exercise. You can burn off extra calories.

I eat regularly and have posted on chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds.

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August 22, 2016 · 1:58 pm

Brain boosters & brain busters – Infographic

This is a nice little roundup of foods that benefit the brain and those that don’t. I was pleasantly surprised to see pumpkin seeds on the list and good for it as I love them and snack on them regularly. Check out my post Are pumpkin seeds good for you? for more, or you can type pumpkin seeds into the search box at the right. I think I have posted on them about five times.

Regular readers know I am a big fan of brain lore in general. Please check out my Page – Important facts about your brain (and exercise benefits) to read further on this critical organ.

brain-boosters-and-brain-busters_523ac6280e90f-640x1600.jpg

Tony

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Tagged as brain, brain health, Exercise Benefits, pumpkin seeds

March 26, 2016 · 6:31 am

Top 10 Foods for a Better Mood

Lots of good suggestions here. I think this follows nicely on yesterday’s post about whether food can be both delicious and nutritious.

A couple of my personal favorites here include nuts and pumpkin seeds and cocoa nibs.

If it helps your mood it helps your brain.

Tony

Our Better Health

Eat these “brain-healthy” foods to keep a positive mood and healthy mind.

Sep 15, 2015 Marlynn Wei, MD, PLLC

When was the last time your therapist or doctor asked you what you’re eating?

Food is important, not just for our physical health but also for our mind. It can be an excellent source of vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants. Growing research supports the theory that what we eat everyday can improve our mood and help with treating depression and anxiety. Nutritional psychiatry (or “food psychiatry”) is a new but growing field that is becoming mainstream.

Our Westernized, so-called “cafeteria” diet is calorie-loaded, nutrient-poor, and highly processed, resulting in extra calories without real nutrition. Animal studies have found that this type of food leads to higher anxiety and depression. Foods high in sugar, fat, and sodium are very addictive and especially comforting. In fact, evolution has probably set us up this…

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February 24, 2016 · 3:51 am

Are You Getting Enough Magnesium? – Infographic

Magnesium is one of those under-appreciated minerals that don’t get a lot of fanfare. However, as you can see from the infographic, it is a very valuable one.

Here are some foods also add to your magnesium intake:

Are Pumpkin Seeds Good For You?

Raw cacao is the highest whole food source of magnesium
Why and How You Should Add Raw Cacao to Your Diet

Keen on Quinoa (keen-wa)

Tony

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Tagged as avocado, bone health, magnesium, nuts, pumpkin seeds

February 1, 2016 · 6:38 am

Are Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) Good For You?

As a person with both sweet tooth and a salty tooth, there is a wide variety of snacks that appeal to me. Of course, many of them are empty calorie ones that taste great but don’t give my body very good nutrients. That’s why tamari-roasted pepitas have become one of my favorites. Last year as I increased my calorie burn through active bicycle riding, pepitas have been a tasty and welcome snack for energy replenishment.

Pepitas are shelled pumpkin seeds. Some consider them a seasonal snack following the pumpkin carving of late fall. However, pepitas have a strong ethnic year ’round appeal also. The word itself is from Mexican Spanish. Lightly roasted, salted and unhulled pumpkin seeds are popular in Greece, too. The leading commercial producers of pumpkins include the U.S., Mexico, India and China.

They were a celebrated food of the Native American Indians who treasured them both for their dietary and medicinal properties. The cultivation of pumpkins spread throughout the world when the European explorers brought back many of the agricultural treasures of the New World.

In my experience pumpkin seeds come roasted and/or salted and remain in their hulls. The pepitas I have found are always already shelled.
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Tagged as calorie counting, pepitas, prostate health, pumpkin seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds, snacking, weight

October 28, 2015 · 11:55 am

What are the Health Benefits of Edible Seeds? – Infographic

I think one of the main reasons folks have a problem with their weight is the American Diet that includes a lot of meat and potatoes, not to mention junky fast foods. So, this Guide to edible seeds may be very handy. Seeds provide a lot of nutritional value in the form of useful fiber, fats and protein. Some people object to the calorie count, but that seems a small price to pay for good nutrition. Remember, good health requires intelligent eating and regular exercise. You can burn off extra calories.

I eat regularly and have posted on chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds.

Tony

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Tagged as chia seeds, edible seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds

October 2, 2015 · 12:09 am

What are the Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds? – Infographic

As we move through carving and/or eating our pumpkin, let’s think about the seeds.

Let it be known that I am a huge fan of pumpkin seeds. My favorites are tamari roasted pumpkin seeds. I love the salted in the shell ones, too, but I don’t like how my mouth feels after eating a lot of them. Also, I don’t like eating that much salt, either.

I have posted on pumpkin seeds previously:

6 Reasons You Should Eat Pumpkin Seeds Year-Round
Are Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) Good For You?
Nuts Offer Great Nutritional Benefits – Infographic”

Tony

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Tagged as bladder, calcium, magnesium, pumpkin seeds

August 6, 2015 · 5:25 am

10 Amazing Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds

I love to eat pumpkin seeds and consume them year ’round. This may sound strange, but I have salted, in the shell pumpkin seeds every day with a cup of coffee.

Here are some previous posts:
6 Reasons You Should Eat Pumpkin Seeds Year ‘Round
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) – Awesome Healthy Snack
6 Tricks to Eat Healthier – Harvard Check them out. You may find a tasty and very healthy snack. Tony

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Tagged as calories, pepitas, pumpkin seeds, snacking, weight

December 7, 2014 · 7:40 am

The Importance of Zinc

Pumpkin seeds – great source of zinc

Zinc is very important in the first line of defence in our bodies. This first line is represented by physical barriers, such as the skin and mucous membrane linings inside the body. Zinc is found in the mucous secretions of the respiratory system and on the surfaces of lungs and throat. It has an antimicrobial effect, so helps to kill inhaled bacteria and viruses before they get chance to take hold. Zinc is also secreted in the saliva and the mucous membranes of the digestive system to kill any ingested invaders.

Our Better Health

by Jane Cronin

Do you suffer from acne, stretch marks, white spots on your nails, poor wound healing, poor immunity? Zinc may have something to do with it. Here we discuss Zinc deficiency, causes, symptoms and why zinc is important.

Zinc is an essential trace mineral and is one of the most abundant to be found in the body. It is naturally found in some foods, added to others and also available as a dietary supplement. You have approximately 2-3g with around 60% is in the muscles that support your skeleton and 30% is in the bones. So if nothing else zinc plays an important part in keeping you upright. The remaining 10% is found in the teeth, hair, nails, skin, liver, leukocytes (white blood cells), prostate, sperm and testes.

So what are some functions of Zinc in the body?

Zinc makes things happen

Zinc is used in by…

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Tagged as antioxidants, bones, common cold, pumpkin seeds, stress, zinc

September 13, 2014 · 9:28 am

What are the Best Foods for my Brain? – Infographic

Anything that benefits the brain is important to me because of the dementia in my family. Besides these five foods, don’t forget that cardiovascular exercise has powerful positive effects on the brain. Check out my Page Important Facts About Your Brain (and Exercise Benefits) for much more on this subject.

Check out the following posts for more details:
Six reasons you should eat pumpkin seeds year ’round, What are some super snacks under 100 calories? Fresh avocado enhances absorption of essential nutrients, What About Krispy Kreme vs. an Avocado? New Research: Avocados May Improve Satiety and Reduce Snacking, Chicken Avocado Sandwich – Mr. Lazy Cook, Are Avocados Good For You?

Tony

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Tagged as aging, avocado, blueberries, brain, cardiovascular exercise, chocolates, Exercise, pumpkin seeds

May 19, 2013 · 1:47 pm

How Good is the Costco Energy Blend Snack?

On a recent trip to Costco, I happened upon the Energy Blend snack. As I shop there regularly and have never seen this before, I have to believe it is new to Costco. Since I ride my bike as close to daily as is possible in a four season city like Chicago, i am always on the lookout for fresh and portable sources of energy to take with me on rides.

The Energy Blend seems to fill the bill. It has a simple composition of edamame (soybeans) , cranberries, almonds and pumpkin seeds. In addition there are blueberry pomegranate juice and natural strawberry flavor. These are some very good sources of nutrition on their own so the combination looks promising.

At this point, I have only had a single serving of it which comes to 1/4 cup or 30 grams – about an ounce.

I enjoyed eating it. Very nice taste and texture.

The nutritional breakdown is as follows:
Calories 130
Total Fat 6 grams
Saturated fat 0.5 grams
No trans fat
No cholesterol
Sodium 65 mg
Total Carbohydrates 14 grams
Fiber 4 grams
Protein 7 grams

This seems a very good nutritional breakdown to me. There is fat for energy, not too many calories, enough sodium to restore salt sweated away, a good slug of fiber and protein. I think it is worth the try.

Let me know what you think.

If you aren’t a regular reader, here are some other recommendations on Costco items:

Roasted Seaweed

Coconut oil

Fruit and Nut treats

Organic Chocolate Love Crunch

Rotisserie chicken

Sunrise energy bars

Tony

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Filed under energy, energy bars, Exercise, portion control, portion size, salt, sodium, Weight

Tagged as breakfast, calorie counting, Costco energy blend, edamame soybeans, Exercise, fiber, food, health, healthy eating, men's health, men's exercise choices, natural strawberry, portion size, protein, pumpkin seeds, weight

October 14, 2012 · 5:07 pm

What About Eating Movie Popcorn?

I grew up going to the movies. Every Saturday we would go catch the Western double feature along with cartoons. My mom gave me money for admission and a box of popcorn. So movie watching has always been a munching experience for me.

I live in downtown Chicago. There is a wonderful AMC Theater about a mile from my door. That Multiplex is usually my go to theater. With a choice of 10 screens I almost can’t go wrong. The only fly in the ointment is the popcorn. I am always sorely tempted to buy one of their tubs to munch on while watching. Unfortunately, AMC popcorn can turn any movie into a horror flick.

A large AMC popcorn has 1030 calories, 443 mg of Sodium, 31 grams of total fat with 27 grams of saturated fat. The only good news is 13 grams of protein but at an awful nutritional price.

A look at the breakdown yields the following. The 1030 calories amount to half of my calorie budget for the day. The 443 mg of Sodium are about a quarter of my salt allotment. Lastly, 27 grams of saturated fat are 6 grams higher than the total amount suggested as a maximum for the entire day. The only reservation I have on this is it might be that the saturated fat comes from coconut oil which is wonderfully healthy for the body. Check out my write up Why you should include coconut oil in your diet.

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Tagged as calorie counting, food, health, healthy eating, portion size, pumpkin seeds, snack foods, snacking, weight

June 20, 2010 · 12:47 pm

Are Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) Good For You?

In my experience pumpkin seeds come roasted and/or salted and remain in their hulls. The pepitas I have found are always already shelled.
Continue reading →