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How Do I Ensure Better Nutrition For
Myself ?
Having a well-stocked pantry and refrigerator can be a busy
cook's best weapon in the war against resorting to fast-food, high-fat, unhealthy meals. Fresh oil is a source of
essential fatty acids, which help keep the skin healthy and the hair shiny.
We believe eating sensibly, combined with appropriate exercise, is the best solution
for a healthy lifestyle.
Foods
When you choose healthy foods instead of sugary or high-fat foods you can actually
improve your health by adding extra phytochemicals and fiber. The goal is to balance negative foods with positive
foods so that the combined rating for all foods eaten in a single day is positive.
If you want to restrict your caloric intake without feeling hungry, find foods
highest in any vitamin or mineral or lowest in carbs, saturated fats, or sugars. Our general state of health is
partially driven by the types of foods we consume.
To make vegetable oils suitable for
deep frying, the oils are hydrogenated, so trans fats are commonly found in deep-fried foods such as French fries
and doughnuts. Trans fats, beyond a limit, are not good for our health.
Hydrogenation solidifies liquid oils and increases the shelf life and the flavor
stability of oils and foods that contain them. Other sources of trans fats are vegetable shortenings, some
margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods.
Since trans fats increase a products shelf life, many
pre-prepared foods and mixes (for example, some pancake mixes and pizza dough) contain trans fats.
The solution: Whenever
possible, eat whole, fresh, and unprocessed foods. When buying packaged foods, put in at least as much time into
reading labels and selecting products as you do when choosing a shower gel or
shampoo.
A good diet is central to overall good health, but which are
the best foods to include in your meals, and which ones are best avoided.
Fast food has become much more popular of late and all over the world the out cry
regarding harms of fast foods is on increase.
Be aware that there is little scientific information about the effect of so-called
functional foods --foods to which vitamins, minerals, herbs, or other dietary substances are added -- despite their
growing popularity in the market place and claims of beneficial effects.
Some common foods, including nuts, wheat gluten, dairy products, fish, shrimp, soy,
bananas and eggs may trigger allergic reactions.
Fat
Fats add taste to meals and
give one a feeling of fullness when eaten. When you choose healthy foods instead of sugary or high-fat foods you
can actually improve your health by adding extra phytochemicals and fiber.
Breakfast foods should be healthy but they have a tendency to
be high in fats and sugar. The human brain is almost entirely composed of unsaturated fatty acids.
You deprive yourself of more than fats when you go for the fat-free or low-fat salad
dressing. We need fats to absorb all the beneficial elements of salads and other fruits and vegetables. Learn which
are the right types of fats, to create beautiful, supple skin, and a healthy body.
Eating more whole foods is a good way to replace many of the processed snacks and
foods that have a lot of extra sugar, fat (including trans fat), salt, and other things added to them and a lot of
good things taken out, like fiber.
In addition to food labeled fat-free and low fat, healthy low
fat foods include most fruits and vegetables.
Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (called macro nutrients)
are broken down (metabolized) to give the body energy.
For example, lowering fat and cholesterol
intake and adding whole grains to the diet can prevent atherosclerosis (plaque build up in the arteries), which can
lead to heart disease or stroke.
Fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential components of cells and can
protect the heart from, for example, fatal arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm). Omega-3 fatty acids found in cold
water fish (such as herring, tuna, and salmon) have been reported to reduce inflammation and help prevent certain
chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis.
Safe food and good nutrition are important to all. Basic nutrition knowledge is
constantly taking shape every day, producing new diet trends to an ever growing audience of people who want to know
the latest and greatest ways to achieve their physical fitness goals.
Did you know that you can drastically decrease your chance of heart disease and
cancer by eating a healthy diet and following the recommended nutrition guidelines?
Proper nutrition is a
powerful good: people who are well nourished are more likely to be healthy, productive and able to
learn.
Good
nutrition benefits families, their communities and the world as a whole. Malnutrition is, by the same logic,
devastating.
By: Pradeep Mahajan
Last updated : Feb
18, 2011
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