Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 9-9-16 Online Edition

Health News
Carbs and sugars often get a bad rap. But the reality is, both are pretty much in everything: milk, fruit, certain fibers. So, to say they are bad and you should avoid them is wrong.” In fact, “your body needs carbohydrates to function.
Now, don’t get it twisted. That doesn’t mean you should gulp down a 2-liter of soda in one sitting or help yourself to that extra slice of strawberry cheesecake for desert. There are levels to understanding how to choose healthy carbohydrates and sugars. Here’s how...
There are three main types of carbohydrates:
Sugar – is the simplest form of carbohydrate. In fact, it appears naturally in many of our favorite foods, including fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products. Sugars include fruit sugar (fructose), table sugar (sucrose) and milk sugar (lactose).
Starch — is a complex carbohydrate — meaning it is made of many sugar (glucose) units bonded together. Starch occurs naturally in popular foods like grains, legumes and starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, peas, winter squash and sweet potatoes.
Fiber – Fiber is also a complex carbohydrate. Fiber hap- pens naturally in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and cooked dry beans and peas.
Note, that several items listed above, such as grains, milk products, fruit and veggies are all part of a balanced diet. So, how does one make a healthy choice when reaching for a snack? Reach for something with whole grains or fiber. Also, opt for natural sources of sugar over added sugars. Things like honey, agave, and high fructose corn syrup have zero nu- tritional value.
If you’re like me, at first glance you can’t tell the difference between a yam and a sweet po- tato. They both are orange on the inside and both taste great in a pie or mashed or in a casserole. Even though they may look the same, technically, they’re two different vegeta- bles–especially how your body digests them.
Yams sold in the United States are actually a type of sweet potato. Sweet potatoes origi- nated in South America and are grown in the United States. True yams are native to Africa and are seldom sold in your local grocery store.
The two potatoes also do not share similar carbohydrate profiles. As a result, sweet pota- toes boost blood sugar, while yams help keep it balanced.
After you eat sweet potatoes and yams, their carbohydrates are digested into simple sugars that enter your bloodstream, causing a post- meal boost in blood sugar.
For most people, this isn’t a problem, how- ever, if you have health conditions that inter- fere with normal secretion or use of insulin — insulin resistance, prediabetes or diabetes — your body struggles to remove the extra sugar and blood levels remain high.
Sweet potatoes have 12 times more sugar and 3.8 grams of fiber, compared to 5.8 grams of fiber in yams.
So what does this all mean?
Try eating a smaller serving of sweet potato, it will have less impact on blood sugar.
The strength, look and feel of “healthy hair” can define not only your overall look, but also, how you feel. While there are literally thou- sands of products that market to “healthy black hair” there are only a handful that have the proper ingredients to keep your hair healthy. And just like vitamins help your body, there are certain vitamins that specifically help your hair.
Here is a short list of eight vitamins that you need to look for in your hair products:
1. Amino Acids: These are the building blocks of protein and your hair follicles require a constant stream of amino acids for optimum hair growth. Eight amino acids are essential for humans, as the body cannot produce them by themselves, and they have to be supplied ex- ternally. These are: isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, trypto- phan and valine.
2. Biotin: Biotin is a crucial vitamin for hair growth. In laboratory studies, people who were low in Biotin experienced slower-than- normal hair and nail growth. Biotin is also water-soluble and supports healthy skin as well.
3. Inositol: This nutrient actually helps strengthen hair by ensuring that your hair fol-
licles retain moisture.
4. Choline: Your body actually makes
choline in very small amounts, but you need more for hair growth because choline works to- gether with inositol to encourage hair growth.
5. Zinc: An essential mineral for proper health and hair growth. It’s quite common for American women to suffer from low mineral levels.
6. Copper: Another essential mineral, cop- per, aids in the production of collagen and elastin, which are crucial for healthy nails, skin and hair.
7. MSM: MSM is a naturally occurring form of sulfur, which helps the body form ker- atin – a tough protein that strengthens hair and nails against harmful chemicals.
8. Overall Diet: While it’s not a vitamin per se, a healthy diet plays an important role in how healthy (or not) your hair is. Any prod- uct that you use topically on the skin and the scalp won’t achieve it’s best results unless you put good nutrition in your body. Your body is one big organism, and your body’s system works together as an organism.
So, remember whatever you put on your skin and in your hair isn’t going to work unless you can put it in your body too.
PAGE 8-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016