Nourishing your body seems like it should be simple enough. However, in this current day and age, there is so much noise and confusion surrounding nutrition that it’s hard to make the right choices. With the aid of these tips, you’ll be better equipped to trim the fat (pun intended) and pick the healthiest foods.
Limit your consumption of red meat to once a week or less. A great treat, red meat is not as healthy for you as other forms of protein. Try replacing some of your meals with fish, beans, and grains as the main components. Red meat has its place but nutritionally you can do better.
If you’re looking to improve your nutritive intake, but aren’t yet ready to make huge changes, start with small ones. For example, if you like white bread, it’s completely painless to switch to one of the “soft wheat” breads currently available. Some brands are as white as their low-fiber white-bread cousins, yet they provide much more fiber per slice.
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.
Follow the Mediterranean diet plan. This diet is typically followed by people who live in Greece, Spain, France and Italy. It mainly consists of fresh fish, fruit, vegetables, dairy products. wholemeal pasta and olive oil. Meat is only consumed occasionally. It isn’t really a diet, rather a lifestyle. Eat good food in moderation, and know what to avoid. Any artificial products are a no-no. Not only will you lose weight, you will feel much healthier.
You may have heard a lot lately about the cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. Studies show they are a highly desirable addition to your diet. They reduce toxins in the intestinal tract and help prevent cancer–especially colon cancer. Their only downside is their high sulfur content, which disagrees with some peoples’ digestion.
Don’t eat too many salty foods such as preserved meats, BBQ sauce, crisps, dips and processed cheese. Salt is popular with food manufacturers because it can enhance flavors and preserve food, however, diets high in salt can cause high blood pressure, dehydration and bloating. Remember, the RDI for sodium is 2300mg, about 6 teaspoons of salt.
Fat is not your enemy. Cutting fat out of your diet or eating very little fat can be harmful to you. Eat fat as part of a well-balanced diet. There is no need to eat a carton of ice cream in one sitting, but a bowl is fine. Everything in moderation.
If you want to add a little variety to your fruits, try dipping them in unsweetened applesauce. Applesauce is great for dipping most of your fruits in. It can add a little bit of variety to your snacks, which will help you from getting bored with eating the same things, all of the time.
Don’t over eat when you’re pregnant. Many mothers think that because they’re pregnant they need to take in significantly more calories when in fact you only need an extra 250-300 calories a day. More important than the amount of food you eat is the quality. Make sure you’re maintaining a balanced diet.
When pregnant, ensure your diet contains enough vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 has been shown to lower the danger of birth defects. Most people get enough vitamin B12 in their diet, but you should be careful if you are following a specific diet.
Saturated fat consumption is strongly linked to metabolic syndrome, which is the name for the constellation of symptoms that includes, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and high blood cholesterol. In order to reduce your consumption of saturated fat, you should use liquid plant oils, such as olive or peanut oil when possible, for frying, as well as, reducing the consumption of fatty foods in general.
Instead of eating junk food when you get a craving, turn to rich, nutritious pumpkin seeds. These snacks are extremely delicious and can help curb your appetite as well. Change your diet and the snacks that you choose if you want to improve the way that you feel and look.
A great nutrition tip you should know about is to invest in creatine if you’re interested in gaining muscle. Creatine is naturally produced in the body and it’s great for muscle recovery. Taking creatine can make you bloated, but it’s only water weight so it’s nothing you should worry about.
As described earlier, it can be difficult to sift through all the information out there on nutrition and determine what’s best for your body’s needs. Fortunately, using the previous tips should help you find your way to a healthy lifestyle. Before you know it, you will have much more vitality and energy.