Super foods are foods that contain high levels of nutrients. Okra is a super food. Not only that, it’s a food that links many African cultures. From Okra Soup cooked with palm oil in western Africa to Gumbo in southern United States, Okra is considered a valuable source of nutrition as well as a comfort food. Okra is a superfood because it contains high levels of B Vitamins, fiber, iron, and Vitamin C.Studies published in 2010 and 2011 in the “Nutrition Journal” and the “African Journal of Biotechnology” indicate that okra has a higher concentration of antioxidant compounds than other high-antioxidant vegetables, as well as many high-antioxidant fruits. Antioxidants are able to inhibit the ability of free radicals to damage DNA and cellular tissue. The Mayo Clinic’s Donald Hensrud, M.D., says that a diet incorporating lots of antioxidants may help prevent heart disease, cancer and neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.

Okra has been said to have many health benefits like the following:

• The mucilage and fiber found in okra helps adjust blood sugar by regulating its absorption in the small intestine.
• The fiber of okra has many superior qualities in maintaining the health of the gastro-intestinal tract.
• It helps reabsorb water and traps excess cholesterol, metabolic toxins and surplus bile in its mucilage and slips it out through the stool. Due to greater percentage of water in the bulk it thereby prevents constipation, gas and bloating in the abdomen.
• It is an ideal vegetable for weight loss and is storehouse of health benefits provided it is cooked over low flame to retain its properties. This also ensures that the invaluable mucilage contained in it is not lost to high heat.
• Okra facilitates the growth of good bacteria referred to as probiotics. These are similar to the ones encouraged in the small intestine by eating yogurt and helps biosynthesis of Vitamin B complex.
• For adding bounce your hair. Boil horizontally sliced okra till the brew becomes maximally slimy. Cool it and add a few drops of lemon and use this as the last rinse and see your hair spring back to youthfulness and jump.
• Okra is an excellent laxative that treats irritable bowels, heals ulcers and sooths the gastrointestinal track.
• Protein and oil contained in the seeds of okra serve as the source of first-rate vegetable protein. It is enriched with amino acids on the likes of tryptophan, cystine and other sulfur amino acids.

Okra is definitely a “food jewel”!

There is a difference between food allergies and food intolerances. Food allergies are a result of a person eating a particular food that their body identifies as harmful. When the body has identified the food as harmful, histamine (a chemical released by the body as a natural immune system response) is released. Histamine causes the body to experience itching, rashes, swelling of the mouth or tongue. Anti-histamines reverse these symptoms of allergic reaction.

In the case of food intolerances, the food identified by the body as harmful does not cause an immune system reaction, but does cause the individual who ate the food to have symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, intestinal bloating.

The incidences of food intolerances are increasing in the United States. Healthcare researchers have concluded that in the United States the increase in processed foods has lead to increased incidences of food intolerances. Dairy, gluten, soy, lactose, and fructose have been the most recent culprits of food intolerances. Selective elimination of foods is the best way to identify food intolerances For more information on food allergies and food intolerances, visit the website: http://www.nutritionist-resource.org.uk

Weight control means weight maintenance that is suitable to your individual body needs—not necessarily eating to lose or gain weight. Your goal in weight control should be disease prevention. One of the major factors causing disease is excessive weight for your body structure.

Weight gain, loss, or maintenance should address individual needs with notation to your Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI chart gives a guideline on what your individual average weight goal should be. This guideline just gives you an idea on your ideal weight range. A BMI of 19 to 25 is considered a healthy weight range. An individual with a BMI below 19 is considered to be underweight. An individual with a BMI of 26 to 29 is considered overweight. A BMI of 30 or greater is considered obese.

To identify the ideal weight range for your height, find your BMI on the table below. To use the table, find your height in inches in the left-hand column labeled Height (example: 5 feet = 60 inches). Move across to the right and find your current weight range(in pounds). Where you find your current weight range, move straight up that column to the line marked BMI. The number you come to on the line marked BMI is your BMI. Pounds have been rounded off.

In those who have a muscular build or those older individuals who have lost muscle mass, the BMI table may not give an accurate assessment of healthy weight range. However, the BMI table gives a good assessment of healthy weight range.

Waist circumference is also a consideration. Waist circumference above 35 for women and 40 for men has been considered a risk for heart disease. Diet noting food portions, exercise, and lifestyle habits like avoiding junk foods, cigarette smoking, and too much alcohol, are also significant to maintaining a healthy weight range. For more information on healthy weight control, visit the website: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/index.htm. A video message by Michelle Obama is featured on this site with the weight control campaign “We Can”.