Keeping yourself healthy means putting the right nutrients into your body. Here are some tips that can help you incorporate healthier foods into your daily diet. Don’t feel like you have to make a complete change overnight. You’ll find many ideas to improve your health while enjoying the food you eat.
Eating a full five servings of fruits and vegetables every day is important for several reasons. First, fruits and vegetables both provide vitamins and minerals crucial for your body’s operation. Both are full of water, and foods that contain water (fruit, vegetables, beans) are much more filling than dry, processed foods.
Incorporate a variety of vegetables into your diet and keep yourself from a nutritional rut. Many people only eat a handful of vegetables and lose interest in eating them. There are a wide variety of vegetables with different nutritional values. Keeping a wide assortment of them in your diet is not only healthy, but makes eating more enjoyable.
Eat more soy containing foods for healthy bones. Many of the soy foods which contain soy, contain a lot of calcium, or they are fortified with calcium. Magnesium and borron, which work with calcium for optimum bone health, are also found in soy foods. Soy foods are great for strong, healhty bones.
Omega 3 fatty acids not only assist in growth, development and brain function, they also help to protect against Alzheimer’s disease. Consuming Omega 3’s, has proven effective in its ability to protect the body against accumulating a certain protein believed to be linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have been quite encouraging.
Omega 3 fatty acids should be consumed for a healthy heart. These poly unsaturated fatty acids work to lower the triglycerides and increase HDL, the good cholesterol, in your body. Omega 3 fatty acids can also prevent blood from clotting inside your body. Studies also show that consuming Omega 3 fats can help to lower blood pressure.
When ordering out, avoid unhealthy side dishes. These may seem like a delicious thing that may appear harmless, but many are loaded with calories and fat and grease, despite their tasty exteriors. Stick to healthier options like fruit, veggies and salads. Just make sure not to use unhealthy oils and fattening dressings.
Don’t rely so much on artificial sweeteners to satiate your sweet tooth. Also try to cut back on actual sugar, honey, corn syrup and molasses. Try to opt for naturally sweet foods like fruits such as strawberries, cherries, peaches, etc. A fruit salad or trifle is also a great dessert that is very sweet.
In learning about nutrition, you will need to choose between two approaches. One approach bases its findings entirely on studies of the physical body. The other also includes the mind or spirit as a factor. It says that we transmute, to some degree, the physical substances we take in–in accord with our mental or spiritual state.
When you begin to feel full do not eat anymore. This helps to prevent you from eating too much and signals to your body that it is time to digest the food. When you quit eating before filling up, you maintain the control you seek and you strengthens your resolve.
Limit your intake of frozen meals if you’re watching your sodium intake. The salt content in most frozen meals is ridiculous. Some even contain an entire day’s worth of salt. They may be convenient, but are you willing to risk your health over spending a few extra minutes in the kitchen?
Save your used drink bottles, fill them with water and freeze them. Having water available to quench your thirst is imperative to good health. Frozen water bottles will likely stay cool all day and an added wellness benefit, is that they are handy to grab to wet down a wipe and cool yourself off on hot days.
If you really need a pick-me-up, make some pureed fruit. It makes a tasty spread for baked chips and is great for dipping pretzels. Mix and match your fruit choices so that you don’t get bored of the same fruits over and over again.
To lower your blood pressure, you should include plenty of potassium in your diet. Studies have shown that consuming potassium on a regular basis can give you significantly lower blood pressure. Some examples of foods rich in calcium are lima beans, potatoes, and spinach. Fortified orange juice is another great source.
Most of the time we fall prey to unhealthy or indulgent foods simply by tossing them in the grocery cart. Exercising restraint at the supermarket is immensely easier than exercising restraint when the culprit is only steps away in your refrigerator or cabinet. By making unhealthy or processed foods inaccessible, you are doing yourself (and your body) a huge favor.
Even if you can’t apply all of these tips into your lifestyle at once, make small changes. Do what you can, then take bigger steps when you’re ready. It will take time to fully adapt to a healthier lifestyle, but you’ll be rewarded when you start feeling better and looking younger. You’ll see that you get to enjoy delicious foods too!
