Karen’s Free Health and Fitness Tips

Archive for the ‘Eat Healthier’ Category

Lately it would seem that fats and carbohydrates have both gotten a bad rap. First it was fat that was the culprit in all dietary ills, and low fat diets were all the rage. Then the two switched places, with carbohydrates being the bad guys and fat reigning supreme.

As with most extremes, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. There is no such thing as a bad food, only bad dietary choices. While some foods are naturally better for you than others, there is no reason that all foods cannot be enjoyed in moderation. After all, the most successful diet is not one that you can follow for a day, a week or even a year. On the contrary, the only successful diet and nutrition program is one that you will be able to follow for a lifetime.

Both fats and carbohydrates play an important role in nutrition, and both are important to a healthy diet. It would be impossible and unwise to eliminate all fat from the diet, since fat is important for the production of energy, and for carrying valuable fat soluble vitamins like vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K, throughout the body. In addition, fat plays a vital role in regulating various bodily functions.

You may have about the importance of antioxidants in the diet, and their possible role in fighting a variety of illnesses, including some kinds of cancer, age related degeneration and heart disease.

You could also be forgiven for thinking that antioxidant vitamins are things that come in pills, powders and capsules. The marketing of antioxidant vitamin supplements, such as vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E, is intense and relentless. While vitamin supplements can be helpful, however, the majority of antioxidant vitamins should come from food, not from vitamin supplements.

It is important to understand how antioxidant vitamins work to protect the body from harm. Antioxidants work by combining with and neutralizing harmful elements known collectively as free radicals. Free radicals are produced naturally by the body, as a consequence of a number of natural bodily processes. Most of the time, the body is able to neutralize and eliminate these free radicals on its own.

Every nutritional expert stresses the importance of fruits and vegetables in the diet. Fruits and vegetables are one of those rare cases in which more is better, and the new dietary guidelines recommend that everyone eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Unfortunately for the health of America, most people do not eat sufficient quantities of these important nutrients. That is too bad, since increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables you consume may well be the most important and easiest dietary change anyone can make.

The health benefits of eating large quantities of fruits and vegetables has long been established, and study after study has shown that eating fruits and vegetables is a great way to increase your level of fitness and nutrition.

Citrus fruits have long been known to have many health benefits. In the days of the first ocean crossings, sailors often became sick with scurvy due to vitamin C deficiencies caused by a lack of citrus fruits. Even though vitamin C deficiency is no longer such a problem, many people do not eat enough citrus fruits.

That is a shame, since citrus fruits are among the most delicious, and most nutritious, fruits available. Whether you have a grapefruit at breakfast or an orange at lunch, adding more citrus to your diet can do wonders for your healthy eating program.

Of course citrus fruits are not limited to the standard oranges and grapefruits. Most major grocery stores have an endless variety of citrus fruits on their shelves, including pineapples, tomatoes, lemons kumquats, mandarin oranges, tangerines, and lemons.

When it comes to eating healthy and enjoying a healthier lifestyle, it is hard to overstate the importance of fiber in the diet. Even though fiber is most associated with grains, rice and breads, it is important to remember that fruits and vegetables also contain significant amounts of dietary fiber. In fact, the need for fiber is just one more reason to eat your fruits and vegetables every day.

In order to understand why dietary fiber is so important, it is a good idea to know what fiber is and what role it plays in digestion. Simply put, dietary fiber is the portion of food that the human body cannot digest. Fiber is found in foods of plant origin only; there is no fiber in meat and dairy products. Fiber plays an important role in the digestion of food, and in the elimination of waste products as they travel through the body.

Good sources of dietary fiber include grains, cereals, legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. As we said before, meats and dairy products do not contain any dietary fiber, so it is important to eat some plant based foods ever day to get the fiber you need.

Everyone has heard about the importance of keeping the level of fat in the diet to a minimum. While some fat in the diet is necessary, most Americans eat far too many fatty foods. Fats do play a vital role in the diet, including in the absorption of important fat soluble vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K. These vitamins are stored in fatty tissues, and dietary fat aids in this process.

Too much fat in the diet, however has been linked to high cholesterol, heart disease and even some kinds of cancers. Eating less fat, especially less saturated fat and trans fats, is an important part of adopting healthier eating habits.

For this reason, it is important to use foods that are high in dietary fats as an occasional snack or treat, and not as a staple of the diet. Many meats are high in fat, so it is important to choose lean cuts of meat whenever possible, and to trim excess fat from steaks and chops. Even some poultry can be high in fat, and for this reason, removing the skin from chicken, and avoiding fatting dark meat, is a good practice to follow.

Raising the level of dietary fiber, while lowering the amount of fat in your diet, is one of the most effective changes you can make, both in terms of weight loss and overall health and fitness. Unfortunately, most people consume too much fat and not enough fiber, and reversing that trend can be difficult even for the most motivated.

A good place to start is by knowing which foods are highest in dietary fiber. Eating a diet rich in these foods is a good way to boost fiber while lowering fat and other negative dietary elements.

When boosting the amount of fiber in the diet, however, it is best to start gradually in order to let your body adjust. An abrupt change in the amount of fiber in the diet can lead to cramps, abdominal pain, bloating and gas.

It is hard to beat fish and seafood for high protein and low fat. Fish has been shown in study after study to have a positive impact on health, and to lower the risk of heart disease and other diseases. In addition, fish is delicious and easy to prepare.

Many nutrition experts recommend eating fish at least once or twice every week. The most nutritious varieties of fish, and those that contain the greatest amounts of heart protecting omega-3 fatty acids, tend to be those that live in cold ocean waters. These varieties of fish include salmon and sardines.

The benefits of a fishy diet
Fish has long been thought to have a positive benefit on the heart. So far the results of clinical studies have been inconclusive, but research into the heart healthy effects of fish continues. No matter what the benefits, there is little doubt that fish is a healthy food, containing significant levels of protein and smaller amounts of fat and calories than other types of meat.

Recent changes in food guidelines have meant an increase in the recommended daily consumption of fruits and vegetables. That is because eating nutrient rich, low calorie, low fat foods such as fruits and vegetables, has been shown to have a strong impact on overall health.

In addition, high levels of fruits and vegetables in the diet has even been shown to help provide protection from a number of diseases and chronic conditions. There are ongoing studies on the relationship between a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and prevention of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other conditions. While there may not yet be conclusive proof of a link between fruits and vegetables and lower risk of disease, there is ample anecdotal evidence to suggest that a healthy diet leads to a healthy body.

One reason for the strong health benefits of fruits and vegetables is their strong antioxidant qualities. Many fruits and vegetables are high in important antioxidant vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin A. In addition, fruits and vegetables contain lots of other nutrients and trace elements that are important to the proper function of the body.

As concerns about healthy eating have grown, so too has the interest in vegetarianism and veganism. Many nutrition experts recommend “eating low on the food chain”. In plain language this means eating more grains, vegetables and fruits, and fewer meats, cheeses and other animal based products.

There are of course various levels of vegetarianism, and each type has its own unique health benefits and some health challenges as well. Of course vegetarians, like meat eaters, must still make healthy food choices. Simply pigging out on French fries while avoiding the burger will not make you a healthy vegetarian.

Some people who consider themselves vegetarians still eat poultry and seafood, while others avoid all animal flesh, even fish and chicken. Most vegetarians still eat milk, dairy products and eggs. In nutritional circles these people are referred to as lacto-ovo vegetarians.