VERY Interesting Health Info

  This is very interesting health  information......  Coincidental???

MUSHROOM –  EAR
Slice a mushroom in half and it resembles the shape of  the human ear.
And  guess what? Adding it to your cooking could actually improve your  hearing.
That's  because mushrooms are one of the few foods in our diet that contain  vitamin D.
This  particular vitamin is important for healthy bones, even the tiny ones in  the ear that transmit sound to the brain.
 
  
  
 
BANANA (SMILE) –  DEPRESSION
Cheer yourself up and put a smile on your face by  eating a banana.
The popular fruit  contains a protein called tryptophan.
Once it has been  digested, tryptophan then gets converted in a chemical neurotransmitter  called serotonin.
This is one of the most  important mood-regulating chemicals in the brain and most  anti-depressant drugs work by adjusting levels of serotonin  production.
Higher  levels are associated with better moods.
 
  
  
 
BROCCOLI –  CANCER
Close-up, the tiny green tips on a broccoli head look  like hundreds of cancer cells.
Now scientists know this  disease-busting veg can play a crucial role in preventing the  disease.
Last year,  a team of researchers at the US National Cancer Institute found just a  weekly serving of broccoli was enough to reduce the risk of prostate  cancer by 45 per cent.
In Britain , prostate  cancer kills one man every hour.
 
  
  
 
GINGER –  STOMACH
Root ginger, commonly sold in supermarkets, often  looks just like the stomach.
So it's interesting that  one of its biggest benefits is aiding digestion.
The Chinese have been  using it for over 2,000 years to calm the stomach and cure nausea, while  it is also a popular remedy for motion sickness.
But the benefits could  go much further.
Tests on mice at the  University of Minnesota found injecting the chemical that gives ginger  its flavour slowed down the growth rate of bowel  tumours.
 
  
  


CHEESE –  BONES
A nice 'holey' cheese, like Emmenthal, is not just  good for your bones; it even resembles their internal structure.
And like most cheeses,  it is a rich source of calcium, a vital ingredient for strong bones and  reducing the risk of osteoporosis later in life.
Together with another  mineral called phosphate, it provides the main strength in bones but  also helps to 'power' muscles.
Getting enough calcium  in the diet during childhood is crucial for strong bones.
A study at Columbia  University in New York showed teens who increased calcium intake from  800mg a day to 1200mg – equal to an extra two slices of cheddar -  boosted their bone density by six per cent.
 
  
  
 
BEANSPROUTS –  SPERM
The stir-fry favourite bears an uncanny resemblance to  the images we see of 'swimming' sperm trying to fertilise an egg. And  research from the US suggests they could play an important part in  boosting male fertility.
A study at the Cleveland  Clinic in Ohio showed that to make healthy sperm in large quantities,  the body needs a good supply of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that  protects cells against damage by harmful molecules called free  radicals.
Just half  a cup of bean sprouts provides 16 per cent of the recommended daily  allowance of vitamin C for a man.
It's not just dad but  baby too who could benefit.
Bean sprouts are packed  with folate, a vitamin that prevents neural tube defects, where the baby  is born with a damaged brain or spine.


 
 
GRAPES –  LUNGS
OUR lungs are made up of branches of ever-smaller  airways that finish up with tiny bunches of tissue called alveoli.
These structures, which  resemble bunches of grapes, allow oxygen to pass from the lungs to the  blood stream.
One  reason that very premature babies struggle to survive is that these  alveoli do not begin to form until week 23 or 24 of pregnancy.
A diet high in fresh  fruit, such as grapes, has been shown to reduce the risk of lung cancer  and emphysema.
Grape seeds also contain  a chemical called proanthocyanidin, which appears to reduce the severity  of asthma triggered by allergy.


 
 
TOMATO –  HEART
A TOMATO is red and usually has four chambers, just  like our heart.
Tomatoes are also a  great source of lycopene, a plant chemical that reduces the risk of  heart disease and several cancers.
The Women's Health Study  — an American research programme which tracks the health of 40,000 women  — found women with the highest blood levels of lycopene had 30 per cent  less heart disease than women who had very little lycopene.
Lab experiments have  also shown that lycopene helps counter the effect of unhealthy LDL  cholesterol.
One  Canadian study, published in the journal Experimental Biology and  Medicine, said there was "convincing evidence' that lycopene prevented  coronary heart disease.
 
  
 
WALNUT –  BRAIN
The gnarled folds of a walnut mimic the appearance of  a human brain - and provide a clue to the benefits.
Walnuts are the only  nuts which contain significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.
They may also help head  off dementia. An American study found that walnut extract broke down the  protein-based plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers at Tufts  University in Boston found walnuts reversed some signs of brain ageing  in rats.