Healthy
eating and physical fitness go together, but there are no magic foods that
cause you to be one hundred percent healthy by just eating the one food. No,
you need a variety of foods from each of these food groups each day. It's also
important to watch the portion size so as not to overeat. Make your mealtimes
pleasant and relaxed occasions and your healthy foods will work effectively
with your healthy emotions to give you a healthy body.
Berries
You may
like all types of berries or just one or two favorites, but you can never go
wrong by adding a few fresh berries as a quick energy snack or frozen berries
made into a luscious smoothie in place of calorie laden desserts. Berries are
high in vitamin C across the board, but some are high in other nutrients as
well. Choose ripe blueberries for vitamin C and heaps of anti-oxidants for the
health of your circulatory system. Gogi berries are less well-known but are
wonderfully rich in many of the nutrients your body needs to be nutritionally
and physically fit.
Citrus
The foods
of the citrus family are widely recognized as a valuable source of vitamin C.
Choose fully ripe citrus fruits for the best nutritional value and choose
citrus as near to the tree as possible. Tree ripened fruits picked at the peak
of perfection and consumed with hours of picking give you the top nutritional
rating. Try grapefruit for breakfast. Add a dash of fresh squeezed lime to your
salad as a dressing and enjoy slices of orange with coconut in a light honey
dressing for dessert.
Vegetables
The variety
of vegetables is amazing. For people who are vegetarian or vegan, choosing
vegetables to be part of a nutritionally sound diet is a way of life. Your
vegetable group provides many of the minerals required in a good diet. For
example, you may realize that potassium is necessary for healthy nutrition.
Many people claim the benefits of potassium found in a single banana. But did
you know, you can also get adequate potassium in your diet by eating a stalk of
broccoli? Try a salad of fresh young spinach topped with pine nuts and stirred
with lightly cooked penne'. Feta cheese and a light vinaigrette dressing to
create the perfect light luncheon meal.
Whole
Grains
Like many
other of the best foods, choosing only one type of whole grain for your meals
doesn't provide all the variety you need to be nutritionally sound. Often,
mixing two or more whole grains together will give you complete proteins. For
example, brown rice and wheat kernels with a spicy seasoning are a popular dish
in many countries.
Salmon
Salmon is
lean fish and nutritionally one of the best fish choices. It is rich in Omega-3
oils that are noted as helping improve the functioning of the brain. Salmon
baked whole with just lemon or lime as a seasoning makes a fantastic main dish
or a hearty luncheon featured menu item. Salmon is also commonly found in
chilled seafood dishes.
Legumes
A legume is
the name for a variety of fruits with a single dry seed. Legumes are sometimes
called pods. Examples of edible legumes are soybeans, peas, dried beans and
peanuts, among others. Legumes are rich in iron and high in fiber, making them
excellent nutritional choices. Peanuts are a type of legume that have been used
to make hundreds of different products some edible and others with various
types of helpful uses.
Nuts and
seeds
Nature has
packed a lot of goodness into small packages. Most everyone has heard of
walnuts and pecans which are very good nutritional products, but did you
realize that flax seeds are brain food--containing critical non-meat sources of
the Omega-3 oil.
Lean
proteins
The keyword
here is lean. Americans eat far too much protein compared to the rest of the
world. Cut down of portion sizes--three ounces will provide all the needed
protein needed for your day. Also, trim
all visible fat from your protein source. Alternatively, use non meat
substitutes such as the complete proteins found in vegetable dishes like beans
and brown rice.
Tea
Depending
on the type of tea you prefer, you can get an energy boost from a cup of green
tea, or the calming effect of chamomile tea. Get going with mint teas or start
your day with Earl Grey Breakfast Tea. Herbal teas are soothing, tasty and good
for you. Non herbal teas will help you to stay alert when you need help to
function.
Olive oil
Olive oil
is probably the healthiest substance you can use to keep fat in your diet. You
can use it on your salad, mix it with a little vinegar to create your own, or
fry other foods in the hot oil. Just
make sure that the temperature is not too hot so that the oil is broken down.