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Avocado for Shiny Hair
“Long touted as the miracle hair food, they’re high in vitamins B and E which promote a healthy scalp and the growth of new strands,” says Cynthia Pasquella, certified clinical nutritionist, SoCal Cleanse founder. “They’re also full of healthy, monounsaturated fats to plump up and moisturize hair follicles. Talk about shine!”

Kiwifruit for Your Bones
Eating kiwifruit will not only help maintain clear skin, it will also promote healthy bones. Lisa Drayer, MA, RD, author of The Beauty Diet, says one cup peeled kiwifruit contains more vitamin C than the equivalent amount of oranges. Plus, it neutralizes free radicals that could lead to things like cancer and heart disease.

Garbanzo Beans to Fight Grey Hair
“Since hair is primarily made up of the protein, keratin, it’s important to get enough protein to fight off hair breakage and loss,” explains Pasquella. “These beans, also known as chickpeas, provide tons along with the trace mineral manganese. It’s known to prevent changing pigmentation, a.k.a. gray hair!”

Oysters for Your Eyes
Not only are oysters full of zinc and selenium, according to Drayer, the high levels of these minerals serve as an antioxidant and help protect you against eye-related disease.

Cilantro to Prevent Hair Loss
“This herb works wonders for hair loss!” says Pasquella. “It works as a purifying agent to rid the body of toxic metals quickly. A good thing, since they can stop nutrients from getting to your scalp, resulting in hair loss and dull strands.”

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Myth 1: Drinking water between meals is bad for digestion – This is one line that has been passed down from generation to generation. However, there is no scientific evidence to indicate that it will affect the digestive process. At the most, it will probably fill you up and reduce your appetite for dinner. But besides that, go ahead and enjoy a glass of water with every meal.

Myth 2: Drink 8 glasses a day for good health – Drinking 8 glasses of water a day is one of the most popular myths in circulation today, despite scientists saying that there is no clear correlation between good health and sipping on water all day. Doctors recommend drinking water only when you are thirsty!

Myth 3: Drink water, you can never have too much of a good thing! – Recent studies reveal that drinking too much water can in fact, be potentially harmful. Excessive water consumption is dangerous in that it can lower salt concentration in the body. Water intoxication, a life-threatening condition, occurs when there is dilution of blood sodium because the kidneys are over-worked, and unable to excrete the excess water as urine.

Myth 4: Water cleans out the body’s toxins – The toxins in our body are filtered out by the kidneys. And common myth says that drinking more water means clearing out the toxins. Wrong! In truth, drinking large amounts of water will actually reduce the kidneys’ ability to function as a filter.

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One study review found that consuming an extra two or three servings of fruits or vegetables per day would do the trick. The researchers added that a combination of increased potassium and reduced salt had a bigger effect than changing just one of these factors alone.

Scientists from the UN World Food Programme, Imperial College London and Warwick Medical School, among others, looked at 22 controlled trials and another 11 studies involving more than 128,000 subjects.

Potassium-rich foods include vegetables, nuts and seeds, milk, fish, chicken and bread.

The Mayo Clinic reports that most adults need 4,700 mg of potassium a day, but that is not always an easy feat, since you’d need to eat 11 bananas a day to meet those requirements. However, a healthy diet packed with fruits and vegetables should provide ample levels of this important nutrient, they add.

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But make way for beer lovers as recent research has shown that the beverage also has its own share of health benefits. From curing insomnia to treating arthritis to even increasing longevity, beer does it all.

1. It helps deal with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid Arthritis can be a pain of a disease. It is essentially the inflammation of joints that can happen at a very early age. Early symptoms include redness, swelling and soreness of joints. But the good news is that you can it with the help of beer. Of course, beer alone is not going to solve the purpose. With the help of limited intake of beer in your diet plan and coupling it with proper exercises, you can treat this condition.

2. It reduces cancer risk. Marinating steak in beer is the best way to consume meat. It not only kills 70 percent of the carcinogens (cancer causing agents) but drastically reduce the HCAs (heterocyclic amines) in the meat that are the root cause of neurological disorders.

3. It calms an upset stomach. Sipping on a carbonated beer can actually help in soothing up a stomach ache, just like 7Up or sprite. However, if you suffer from an ulcer of gastritis, then avoid alcohol as it may inflame it. Otherwise, alcohol can be used in buffering the pain.

4. It helps you treat your kidneys better. A bottle of beer can actually lower the risk of developing kidney stones by 40 percent in men. The reason can be the high water content in beer that helps in the proper functioning of both the kidneys, since dehydration increases kidney stone risk. Beer also promotes the production of urine as its diuretic so you can flush out your bladder and kidney and keep them healthy.

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Pears
Pears are packed full of nutrients that promote a healthy glow – copper, potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and vitamins C, E, B and K. “Although pears have a high oxygen radical absorbance capacity, which neutralizes aging free radicals quite efficiently, most of pears’ antioxidants are contained in the skin,” says Snyder. So if you plan on adding pears to your anti-aging regimen, she recommends going organic so that you can eat the skins without the pesticides.

Cabbage
“It is not commonly known that cabbages actually contain about 11 percent more vitamin C than oranges by weight, and vitamin C is the super anti-aging nutrient that helps heal damaged tissues and minimize deep lines,” Snyder says. Another plus – the vegetable is packed with vitamin A, which is helpful in smoothing fine lines.

Turmeric
Turmeric increases circulation, helps keep red blood cells from clumping and promotes their formation. But how does this help our complexion? By “increasing circulation via better blood flow, turmeric helps make the skin more glowing, supple and healthy looking. Cleansed blood also helps prevent acne and skin disorders,” Snyder explains.

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1. Use Fresh Garlic, Not Bottled Garlic for the Most Health Benefits of Garlic
Allicin, a healthy compound in garlic, is most potent in fresh cloves. Japanese researchers found that crushed garlic stored in water lost about half its allicin in six days; stored in vegetable oil it lost that much in under three hours.

2. For Maximum Health Benefits of Garlic, Cut and Wait
Cutting a garlic clove breaks its cells and releases stored enzymes that react with oxygen. That triggers healthy sulfide compounds, such as allicin, to form. Letting the chopped garlic stand for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking allows the compounds to fully develop before heat inactivates the enzymes.

3. What’s the Best Way to Use Garlic: Crush, Mince or Mash?
The more you damage garlic’s cell walls the more sulfide-transforming enzymes you release-and with them, more pungent garlic flavor. Since crushing breaks the most cells, crushed garlic cloves taste harsher, sliced or coarsely chopped garlic cloves milder. Intact garlic cloves are mildest of all. (Cook’s tip: Mashing minced garlic with a pinch of coarse salt helps tame the harsh flavor.)

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In your 20′s: Salmon
Your 20′s aren’t always about fun times, but luckily, chowing down on this cold-water fish may help prevent or treat depression, a condition that women are nearly twice as likely to experience as men. Sadly, quarter-life crises are all too common: Studies show that depression is most likely to first develop between the ages of 15 to 34. But salmon is jam-packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which may stabilize your mood by boosting levels of feel-good serotonin. “In your 20′s, you are likely working hard and socializing and may not have time to cook, so eat one pre-cooked pouch (two servings) of salmon a week,” says Ruth Frenchman, RD, author of The Food is My Friend Diet. “Toss it on a salad or mix it with low-fat mayo for a lunchtime sandwich – you don’t even need a can opener.”

In your 30′s: Eggs and spinach
These are your prime baby-making years, so if you’re breastfeeding, pregnant, or even just thinking about creating a mini-me, serve yourself a spinach omelet – yolk and all – each morning. Egg yolks and spinach both contain choline, a nutrient that helps babies’ brains develop properly. The Institute of Medicine recommends getting 425 mg of choline at all times, 450 mg if you’re pregnant, and 550 mg if you’re breastfeeding. One large egg will supply you with about 145 mg of the stuff, and a half-cup of spinach will give you roughly 240 mg. Spinach gets bonus points because it contains yet another important nutrient for expectant moms: folate, which helps prevent birth defects. One half-cup of the slightly-cooked green provides about 130 mcg of folate, about one-third of what the National Institutes of Health advises women in this age range to get. When pregnant, aim for 600 mcg, and when lactating, for 500 mcg. If you’re not reaching those levels through your diet, ask your doctor whether taking a supplement is a good idea.

In your 40′s: Lean beef and broccoli
Burger lovers, you’re in luck. Lean beef is high in iron, a nutrient that helps make red blood cells, supply oxygen to the body, and keep energy levels up. The federal government recommends 18 mg per day for women in their 40′s – and 27 mg during pregnancy and nine mg when lactating. A 4-ounce patty will provide you with about 4 mg of iron. But since the American Institute for Cancer Research recommends limiting red meat intake to 18 ounces per week – more can mess with heart health and cancer risk – also seek iron from other sources, such as shrimp, pumpkin seeds, or fortified, whole-grain cereals. In your 40′s, it’s also critical to eat lots of cruciferous vegetables – such as broccoli – as they may reduce the risk of breast cancer.

In your 50′s: Non- or low-fat yogurt

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1) It Protects Against Toxins
Perhaps the reason chocolate helps me regain focus when my mind is frazzled is all of those flavonols? Flavonols are the main type of flavonoid in chocolate and they protect plants against environmental toxins and damage. In humans, they perform a similar function by improving blood flow to the heart and brain and keeping platelets from clotting.

2) It Keeps Blood Pressure in Check
One of the reasons dark chocolate might keep me from blowing my top when my patience is almost gone is its ability to regulate blood pressure. Studies have shown that eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate can lower blood pressure by a couple of points.

3) It Can Keep Blood Sugar Levels Down
If blood-sugar levels are something you think about, dark chocolate may be something to consider adding to your arsenal. Recent studies suggest that eating dark chocolate can help keep blood-sugar levels down.

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It Can “Detox” You: FALSE
Drinking juice cannot flush chemicals, such as pesticides, from your body. In fact, your body does a great job of eliminating any toxins itself. But juice does provide antioxidants that over time may help protect against the long-term effects of being exposed to harmful compounds.

It’s Good For Hydration: TRUE
Drinking a cup of fruit juice pre- or postrun will hydrate you while supplying 15 to 40 grams of carbs. But be aware, that single cup can also pack up to 160 calories, which adds up quickly if you’re watching your weight. Vegetable juice typically has fewer calories, with 50 to 90 per cup.

It Helps Your GI Tract: FALSE
Some juicing enthusiasts claim drinking only juice for a few days and not eating will give your digestive tract a needed break. But your stomach, intestines, and colon are muscles that need to work to stay in shape.Without fibre from whole foods, your GI tract may actually become more sluggish on a juice-only diet.

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Beans support your body’s insulin response. One of the great benefits of eating beans is their high pectin content. Pectin and other fibers in beans produce extra insulin receptors that sensitize your cells to insulin and aid in its uptake. These insulin receptors function as “doorways” that make it easier for insulin to do its two-fold job of removing glucose from the blood and ushering it into the cells, where it’s used as the body’s essential fuel.

Beans regulate blood sugar.
Beans also are high in soluble fiber, which binds to carbohydrates and slows their digestion into the bloodstream, preventing wild swings in blood sugar levels. They also contain generous amounts of resistant starch, which means that beans are less digestible than other carbs in the small intestine, so they move into the large intestine faster. Once there, they behave like a dietary fiber, limiting the sharp rise of glucose levels and insulin that can follow a meal, even one that is filled with refined carbohydrates.

Beans help you burn fat.
People who eat resistant starches such as beans are able to burn more fat, which is crucial for weight loss and controlling diabetes. An Australian study found that for those people who ate meals composed of a mere 5% resistant starch, such as beans, the rate at which their bodies burned fat increased by an amazing 23% for 24 hours.

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