By Sola Ogundipe

STRAWBERRIES. This is the sweetest way to prevent diabetes. If you are diabetic or hypertensive, you probably don’t need another reason to love strawberries — so tasty and so many antioxidants! Among the 50 best antioxidant sources in commonly eaten foods, strawberries are quite exceptional. When only fruits are considered, strawberries are ranked 4th (behind blackberries, cranberries, and raspberries). Among the total antioxidant capacity, strawberries are 3rd among all foods including spices, seasonings, fruits, and vegetables.

Strawberries contain Nrf2 – a biological component that may actively protect against conditions like diabetes and heart disease. This may tempt you. Strawberries activate the Nrf2 protein, which in turn decreases blood lipids and “bad” cholesterol. Essentially, this mighty berry was shown to prevent the buildup of compounds that directly cause heart attacks and diabetes.

The positive effects may be particularly achievable in people with metabolic syndrome. Persons with obesity, high cholesterol, increased blood pressure, and trouble with glucose metabolism, may have the most to gain by making this berry a diet staple. Just eating two to three servings of strawberries a week is beneficial for your health. Choose organic. Enjoy!

Spicy

Keep a date with Rosemary

Anyone who has ever tasted chicken or lamb spiced with Rosemary – one of the best culinary condiments in the business – will remember the distinctive flavour. If there is one herb that tastes absolutely delectable in culinary dishes, it is Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) – the robust and versatile evergreen herb with a heavenly flavour that complements a wide variety of dishes and ingredients.

Rosemary belongs to the same family of herbs, such as oregano, sage, thyme, basil, and lavender. It has been hailed since ancient times for its medicinal properties. Rosemary is an excellent source of iron, calcium, vitamin B6, and a rich source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that help boost the immune system and improve blood circulation.

Often used to help treat indigestion, it has been approved for treatment of dyspepsia. Scientists have found that Rosemary contains Carnosic acid, which fights off free radical damage in the brain, enhances memory and concentration and may significantly prevent brain aging while promoting eye health. Crude ethanolic Rosemary extract is believed to have differential anti-proliferative effects on human leukemia and breast carcinoma cells. Essentially, Rosemary is an effective herbal anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour agent. The Journal of Food Science says adding Rosemary extract to ground beef reduces the formation of cancer-causing agents that can develop during cooking.

Lifeline

Stop smoking before it stops you

Smoking can kill. In reality,smoking kills. This has been known as a fact for decades, yet millions still smoke. All over the world, smoking is routinely linked with bad health and declining wellness. Smoking is the No. 1 cause of preventable death, killing more people than many non-communicable disorders such as obesity, drug abuse, infectious disease, firearms, and road traffic accidents. Cigarettes and other tobacco products are among consumer goods that are guaranteed to kill when used exactly as intended. While smoking harms the smokers’ health, it also puts lives of people around in danger because they inhale the smoke exhaled (secondhand smoking).

Unfashionable habit

Smoking is no longer fashionable. Many countries have pushed out some of the toughest anti-tobacco laws and restrictions in history, yet for some people, the urge to smoke remains strong. Nowadays, people look at you with less regard and even contempt when you smoke. In many countries smoking openly in public places such as restaurants, airports or bus stops is forbidden. Smoking is restricted in designated places and even when you smoke in privacy, people who see you smoking consider you a nuisance and threat to public health. Family and friends repeatedly tell you smoking will kill you. And they are right.

Warnings

Warnings on cigarette packs have become increasingly widespread over the years. There are warnings such as “Caution: Cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health”. Later, this changed to “Warning: Cigarette smoking is dangerous to health and may cause death from cancer and other diseases” and then to “Warning: The Surgeon General has determined that cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health”. Today’s packs carry general warnings such as: “Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and may complicate pregnancy” , “Smokers are liable to die young” and “ Quitting smoking now greatly reduces serious risks to your health.”  Some nations use graphic images.

Threats

The World Health Organization calls tobacco a “gradual killer.” By the time smokers may feel the effects, they’re addicted. The chemicals in cigarette smoke also affect those around. Cigarette smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and overall health. Tobacco smoke contains a deadly mix of more than 7,000 chemicals. Hundreds are toxic. About 70 are known to cause cancer.

Fertility hazard

Smoking can make it harder for a woman to become pregnant and can affect her baby’s health before and after birth. It increases risks for preterm (early) delivery, stillbirth (death of the baby before birth), low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome (known as SIDS or crib death). Smoking affects men’s sperm, which can reduce fertility and also increase risks for birth defects and miscarriage. Smoking affects dental health and can cause tooth loss. It can increase risk for cataracts, and make diabetes harder to control.

Quitting

Quitting smoking cuts cardiovascular risks. Just one year after quitting smoking, the risk for a heart attack drops sharply. Within 2 to 5 years after quitting smoking, risk for stroke could fall to about the same as a nonsmoker’s. Quitting drops risks for cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder drop by half within 5five years. Ten years after quitting, a smoker’s risk for lung cancer drops by half.