Health Benefits of Tuna

Tuna fish is good for our health according to health authorities. Tuna salad, my favorite tuna recipe, you want it?  I really love the taste of tuna aside from it nutritional value, making it one of my favorites. Tuna is one of the ‘oily fishes’ that is recommended by health authorities that we should consume at least twice a week. Tuna is an excellent substitute for meat. At home, we usually cook some recipes that use meat with tuna instead.

What is in tuna fish that makes it one of my favorites and good for your family health? It is a good source of protein, low in saturated fats and rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Like other oily fishes, it is an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, making tuna good for the heart, an immune system booster, an anti-inflammatory food, anti-cancer, good for the eyes and brain. Tuna is also rich in vitamin B12, potassium, selenium, niacin and phosphorus. Selenium is excellent in detoxification which takes place in the liver. So, if you are a liver and heart lover, tuna is best for you.

Have a family bonding with this simple yet healthy tuna recipe I love:

TUNA SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

350 g fresh tuna fish fillet

1 can (234 g) crushed pineapple, drained (reserve syrup)

1/4 kg potatoes, boiled, peeled and cut into cubes

1/4 kg  sweet potatoes, boiled, peeled and cut into cubes

2 tbsp sweet pickle relish

1 tsp minced onion

1 medium carrot, boiled, peeled and cut into cubes

1 cup mayonnaise or soyannaise

salt

pepper

PROCEDURE:

• Simmer tuna in pineapple syrup with 1 tsp calamansi juice, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper for 10 minutes. Drain. Flake into large pieces. Combine with potatoes, sweet potatoes, pickles and carrots. Set aside this fish-vegetable mixture.
• Mix mayonnaise or soyannaise, onion, crushed pineapple, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Mix with fish-vegetable mixture. Chill.

*makes 6 servings

Hope you will love my favorite tuna recipe, the tuna salad.

The Benefits of Eating Avocado

avocado fruit

Today is a special day for me so, I want to share to you one of my favorite fruits since I was a kid, the avocado fruit. Yes! And, it is best eaten either alone; when it is sprinkled with little amount of sugar; solely avocado shake or mixed with other fruits; avocado smoothie; as part of fruit or vegetable salad or solely avocado salad; or as dip for raw vegetables.  I even witnessed my mom fed it to my younger siblings as baby food, it was blended alone or sometimes with other fruits. No wonder, we all love avocado fruit. How about you, what are your favorite avocado recipes?

What makes avocado popular aside from its taste? Of course, the benefits we can get from avocado.

Because of its high fat content, it is a superb substitute for meats for the vegetarians.

Avocado fruit contains more than 25 essential nutrients, with fourteen minerals to stimulate growth that makes it a good food for growing children.

Avocado contains 75% insoluble and 25% soluble fibers, making it good for sweeping out bad cholesterol (soluble fibers) and constipation (insoluble fibers).

It is an ideal fruit for diabetics because it has low sugar content.

Avocado has oleic acid that helps lower total cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels and increases the HDL (good cholesterol) level.

Folate is an important nutrient for heart health; a cup of avocado has 23% of the daily value of folate. Individuals who eat folate-rich diets have much lower risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke than those who did not eat as much of this vital nutrient.

Potassium helps regulate blood pressure; avocados are a good source of potassium. It has 60% more potassium than bananas. Sufficient intake of potassium can protect us against circulatory diseases, like high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke.

Avocado fruit has lutein, glutathione and beta-sitosterol phytochemicals. We all know that phytochemicals are thought to help prevent many chronic diseases including various types of cancer. Not only that, avocado also acts as a “nutrient booster” by allowing the body to absorb more of the fat-soluble phytochemicals in other foods that are eaten with avocado.

Benefits of avocado is so amazing, right? Indeed, avocado is a complete food! And, I am proud that it is one of my favorite foods, specially avocado salad and avocado smoothie. I hope from now on it will be one of your favorites too.

You want to know how many calories and some nutrition facts you can get from avocado fruit you have eaten?

For 1 piece (250 grams) green avocado:

• 252.4 kcal energy
• 2.25 gram protein
• 39.98 mg calcium
• 34.99 mg vitamin C
• 2.62 mg mg niacin
• 2.00 mg iron
• 54.98 ug vitamin A
• 0.10 mg thiamine
• 0.15 mg riboflavin

For 1 piece (250 grams) red avocado:

• 242.76 kcal energy
• 2.18 gram protein
• 26.70 mg calcium
• 31.56 mg vitamin C
• 3.52mg mg niacin
• 1.94 mg iron
• 19.42 ug vitamin A
• 0.10 mg thiamine
• 0.15 mg riboflavin

Avocado Nutrition Facts
Serving Size:                            1 medium (145.0 g)
Amount Per Serving Calories:    276
Calories from Fat:                    248

% Daily Value based on a 2000 calorie diet
Total Fat                                27.6g          42%
Total Carbohydrates              1.4g             0%
Dietary Fiber                          4.3g           17%
Protein                                  1.4g

Avocado is so nutritious, right? I really love to know your favorite avocado recipes. Feel free to post it on comment section.