Thursday, September 1, 2011

Useful Healthy Eating Habits

Color of fruits and Vegetables:
Artificial colors like 2 parts per million of citrus red dye number 2 gives the orange peels their rich color - but this artificial dye cannot be legally used on organic oranges although when used, we do get fascinated by it and buy the fruit supposing it as the naturally produced one. These artificial colors, mechanical processing techniques, and genetic engineering can create fruits and vegetables that look fantastic, but will have very low nutritional value, rather will be harmful for our body. A Natural color fruit/begetable is rich in phytonutrients with different variants and proportions. These phytonutrients are powerful antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, anti-ageing agents, and catalysts to neurons communication in the brain. Try buying your fruits and vegetables with all natural colors and no artificial/induced colors from a reliable store to gain their full nutritional value and causing no harm at all.
Proteins and Fats:
Avoid heavy intake of animal proteins to avoid arthritis and rheumatoid at a later stage of life. Ensure regular intake of healthy fats to keep your joint healthy as you age. The regular intake of healthy fats helps to reduce inflammation that exists in the body and also ensures to build your cell membranes stronger. If you are struggling to reduce your weight, try having a tablespoon of coconut oil (it may sound weird, but has a logic), before your lunch and dinner. It will immediately do two things – one, will speed up your metabolism, and second, will help prevent overeating.
Fruits: Pomegranate has a unique combination of four nutrients - ellagic acid, caffeic acid, luteolin, and punicic acid useful for cancer prevention especially prostate cancer. The unique polyphenols present in Pomegranate are also good for cardiovascular system. Strawberries contain unique phenolic phytonutrients that serve as potent antioxidants, which help to protect cell structures in the body and to prevent oxygen damage in all of the body's organ systems. Phenols makes strawberries a heart-protective fruit and also an anti-inflammatory one. Like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, strawberry's phenols block the enzyme cyclo-oxygenase (or COX) whose over-activity has been shown to contribute to unwanted inflammation, such as that involved in rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Rhe characteristic red color is due to specific phenolic compounds known as anthocyanins.
Grains: Most raw grains contain significant amounts of phytic acid, which can bind to minerals and lower their absorption. That is why reducing the activity of phytic acid found in raw grains is required and hence the cooking or sprouting (it can also be done by fermentation and malting but is difficult to do at home and is best done at a food processing facility). Cooking or Sprouting also becomes important to increase their digestibility. Soybeans are a good source of protein, and approx. 29 grams per day, can provide a significant amount of our daily protein requirement.
Salmon fish’s skin should be removed before its preparation as food, the reason being the skin is a high source of contaminants such as toxin residues when harvested in lakes. Yes, if fish is grown in uncontaminated water, the skin becomes a nutrient-rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. A quick broiling of the fish can help in removing the skin easily.
Seeds and Nuts are very high in fat, and fat is the most difficult to digest of all macronutrients. Seeds and Nuts should be taken in a limited quantity depending on age of a person keeping in mind the regularity of bowel movement and ease of digestion. Oil roasted or fried are difficult to digest as compared to dry roasted or raw nuts/seeds simply due to the increased fat contents. Most nuts and seeds are rich source of fiber. Nuts have less fiber as compared to seeds if compared on weight basis. All nuts and seeds if well chewed and taken in small to moderate quantity are quite beneficial for bowel regularity. The seeds and nuts which are difficult to chew can be grinded and a paste can be prepared. Systems like Ayurveda recommend always soaking nuts to help increase their digestibility.
Garlic has unique sulfur compounds like Allicin that promote antioxidant activity and are powerful antibacterial and antiviral agents. It reduces blood pressure, decreases LDL cholesterol and with Vitamin C helps killing harmful microbes, and protects against colon cancer. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6 and manganese. Adding garlic while cooking your meal reduces the effect f harmful carcinogenic compounds. Carcinogenic chemicals that result from cooking meat at high temperatures can be reduced with garlic. Onions and garlic are very health supportive foods. They have been found to help reduce cholesterol, reduce risk of cancer and contain sulfur-containing phytonutrients that have anti-microbial properties. Onions also have been found to help to balance blood sugar levels.
Vegetables: Broccoli florets, stems and leaves all have rich nutrient contents like variants of B Vitamins, minerals, fiber, beta-carotene, chlorophyll and phytonutrients.
Red cabbage contains almost twice the vitamin C as green cabbage and is much richer in anthocyanin flavonoid phytonutrients that not only act as antioxidants but also help support immune function.
Honey(particularly from darker combs) contains propolis, a complicated resin-like substance that is sometimes called "bee glue." Many aromatic acids, as well as benzyl cinnamate, methyl cinnamate, caffeic acid, cinnamyl cinnamate, cinnamoylglcine, terpenoids, and other molecules are contained in propolis, and all of these may be involved in its anti-fungal activity.
In general healthy food has to be nutrients rich like vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytonutrients. Another reason of taking healthy food is that when you eat it, you feel better, more energy, more vitality, more resistant. Healthy foods improve memory and learning. To have a better digestion, enjoy your food in a relaxed manner with plenty of chewing. Some trouble given to teeth will reduce the load on digestive system.