Are you busy? It is so easy when you get busy to grab a quick and unhealthy meal. But, with proper knowledge, it’s simple to make nutrition part of your daily life. Check out the tips below.
For cancer prevention, try adding more plants to your daily diet. These are versatile enough to go anywhere from a salad to a soup to a stew to even a smoothie. Try eating green things like lettuce, spinach, broccoli, asparagus and more to get a vast array of nutrients. Also, add things like fruits and nuts for a huge boost to prevent cancer.
One of the best things you can do to ensure proper nutrition is to include a good multi-vitamin in your daily regimen. A good multi-vitamin should be balanced against your physician’s recommendations for you, not the RDA. These multi-vitamins provide your body with the necessary levels of various minerals and vitamins you might not be getting in your diet.
Everyone should have their vitamin D level checked at least once a year. If they are deficient their doctor can recommend a supplement to increase their level. Even though vitamin D is supplemented in milk, many people do not drink enough to get the amount they need. The other main source of vitamin D is from sunlight. Since people in northern countries have less sun exposure during the year they are especially prone to deficiency. Widespread sunscreen use has contributed to low levels of vitamin D also.
When buying prepared foods, avoid those that have sugar, corn syrup or fructose listed among the first several ingredients. Try your best to look for alternatives that have a low sugar content. There are now many foods available, including mayonnaise, salad dressing and ketchup, that you can buy in sugar-free versions.
Eat healthful foods to keep your whole body fit and healthy. Your skin will glow if you eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, proteins, and natural oils. Be sure to get plenty of good oils, such as olive oil, sunflower oil and peanut oil to keep your skin, hair, and nails moisturized, flexible and strong.
When possible, choose wild salmon over farmed salmon. Both types offer nutritional benefits, but wild salmon has higher nutritional value. Farmed salmon may be overexposed to antibiotics and pesticides that farmers add to the water. Some farmed salmon may even have artificial coloring injected into the meat to give it a more attractive orange hue. With wild salmon, you do not have these risks.
Wheat, made into bread, has been called “the staff of life.” Most of us make it a major part of our diet. But in recent years we have learned more of the “down side” of wheat. The high gluten content in wheat can cause indigestion–even celiac disease–in some people. We should note our body’s reaction to wheat carefully.
Dark chocolate is the chocolate of choice for nutrition-conscious consumers. Dark chocolate contains blood pressure lowering flavonoids not found in other chocolates. The exciting thing about flavonoids is that they actually make improvements to cholesterol levels, while helping to diminish bad cholesterol. Just make sure that you pick chocolate made from a minimum of 70 percent of cocoa in order to get the most benefit. Of course, you shouldn’t go overboard. Chocolate still has a lot of calories and is best enjoyed in moderation.
Watch your salt intake. While we need a certain amount of salt to insure good health, too much salt has been proven to have a number of adverse health impacts. If nothing else, too much salt can result in our retaining water. Who feels like exercising when we are bloated with excess water?
Pack your lunch. Rather than going to a fast food restaurant for lunch, bring your own. Use a variety of bread for healthy sandwiches, such as wholemeal rolls, ciabatta or pita bread. Choose fillings that are high in protein such as chicken or tuna. A healthy alternative to a sandwich is a flask of soup, and always include a piece of fresh fruit or some sliced raw vegetables.
To get the most nutritional value out of vegetables, be careful to not overcook them. A light steaming keeps vitamins in broccoli, carrots and other veggies better than a boil that will wash nutrients out. They’ll also be much more appealing prepared this way, with a satisfying crunch to them instead of a soggy mush-like texture.
Pay close attention to your late-evening snacking habits. Even after eating dinner, many people still make a habit out of indulging in a snack in that window between dinner and bedtime. This should be avoided at all costs unless you choose to snack on a healthy, nutritious food, like veggies or non-fat dairy products.
It can be easy to understand and maintain good nutrition. In fact, once you have a foundation of knowledge, it will be easy to pick food each day that are smart and nutritious choices. It’s better for your overall health when you have control of what goes in your body. You will be in better shape if you use these suggestions.
