Proper nutrition is the keystone of a healthy and productive life. When you take in the nutrients your body needs, you provide the raw material for all the processes your body performs on a daily – and nightly – basis. Your nutritional choices have a profound influence on the level of well-being you can achieve.
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.
If you are pregnant or breast feeding it is especially important to have a nutritious diet. Pregnant women must get enough protein. However, they may not want to eat at times. To start your day off right, mix egg whites to get a protein-rich smoothie. Not only are egg whites rich in protein, but they’re also low in fat. Always make sure to check with your physician before doing this, and only consume pasturized eggs. This can help you to avoid potentially harming your fetus.
Your diet should be rich in whole grains. Refined carbohydrates such as white bread is less healthy than whole grain products. Your daily food consumption should include brown rice, whole wheat bread that is 100% and pasta. This helps your body get what it needs as well as what is missing from refined carbs.
Have a treat once a week or more. Many people who decide to start eating in a healthy way think they have to cut out all the food they really love, and that’s not so. When you do have a fatty food or one high in sugar, just make sure that it is a smaller portion.
When considering a diet that provides an adequate nutrition level, be sure to start your morning out right with healthy foods such as fruits and whole grain muffins. This will ensure that you not only get all the nutrients you need, but also that you do not weigh yourself down early with unneeded calories. While deliciously tempting, avoid obviously bad foods such as doughnuts or danishes at all costs.
To get your day off to a great start, have a bowl of oatmeal at breakfast time. When you eat oatmeal, it helps fill your stomach up so you’ll be full for a longer time.
Peanut butter is a great source of protein, but you should eat natural peanut butter. The ingredients are usually just peanuts and salt. Regular peanut butter contains hydrogenated fats and sometimes extra sugar or other ingredients. Since there is no hydrogenated fat, the oil will float to the top in the natural peanut butter. You will need to store it in the refrigerator and stir it before use.
To maintain good nutrition it is important to avoid trans-fats. Trans-fats damage the cardiovascular system. Labels can lie about the presence of trans-fats. Look for hydrogenated oils in the ingredients. Hydrogenated soy bean oil is a common trans-fat. Foods can claim they do not contain trans-fat even when they do. Companies set the serving size so they can round the amount of trans-fats down to zero, but if you eat the whole bag of chips you have still consumed plenty of harmful trans-fats. Be careful, vigilant, and check the ingredients closely.
Eat dark leafy greens. These super foods, which include spinach, kale, chard, collards, and others, are extremely low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals. Among the many ways they improve your health, the vitamin-rich greens help maintain vision, reduce blood clotting, and strengthen bones. These highly-versatile greens can be eaten raw, sautéd, or added to a soup.
Certain nuts can be healthy and nutritious for you to eat if you select them correctly. A few natural almonds taste good and are high in fiber, they are great to eat.
People that are big fans of snacking sometimes find it hard to give up chips even though they are greasy and full of salt. Instead of giving up chips you can switch to baked chips. They are much lower in fat and they are not greasy, but you will need to keep and eye on how much sodium they contain.
Even though food may taste a lot better when there is cream in it, you need to be careful about eating cream based sauces and seek out healthier alternatives. Adding plain yogurt or silken tofu to sauces can give you that creamy texture that you desire without all of the additional fat and calories.
When you apply the basic principles of nutrition, you maximize the quality of the fuel you feed your body. This is an important step in your overall health and wellness plan. Like using the proper fuel in you car, proper nutrition can optimize the overall performance of your body. Remember, don’t live to eat, instead, eat to live!
