Health Food Tips Biography
Source:- Google.com.pk
A healthy food should include a good variety of nutritious. These include a range of breads, pastas, lean meats, fruits and vegetables. Eating breakfast is also an important part of a healthy food. Keep fat and salt intake low. A good balance between exercise and food intake is important to maintain a healthy body weight. Follow these healthy food tips to maintain your body
1. Pile on the vegetables and fruit. Vegetables and fruits are high in fiber and contain many vitamins and minerals as well as hundreds of beneficial plant chemicals (phytochemicals) that you can't get in supplements (see No. 8). Diets rich in vegetables and fruit can benefit the heart by lowering blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and inflammation and improving insulin resistance and blood vessel function. In long-term observational studies, people who eat more fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and weight gain, and those who eat more fruit also have a lower risk of stroke. Hint: Fresh fruits and vegetables are great, but don't avoid the frozen kind (or dried fruit or canned fruits and vegetables minus the heavy syrup or salt) when they're more convenient.
2. Go for the good fats. At one time, we were told to eat less fat, but now we know that it's mainly the type of fat that counts. The most beneficial sources are plants and fish. You can help lower "bad" LDL cholesterol by eating mostly polyunsaturated fats (including vegetable oils and omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, seeds and nuts, and canola oil) and monounsaturated fats (in avocados and many plant-based oils, such as olive oil and canola oil). Saturated fats (found mostly in dairy and meat products) and trans fats (hydrogenated fat found in many fried and baked goods) boost LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, increasing your risk of heart disease. Worse still, trans fats reduce your "good" HDL cholesterol. Hint: As long as you replace bad fats with good ones, you can get up to 35% of your calories from fat.
3. Replace refined grains and potatoes with whole grains. Whole grains retain the bran and germ of the natural grain, providing healthful fiber, vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. Many of these substances are removed from refined grains, such as white bread and white rice, and are barely present in starches such as potatoes. Starches and refined carbohydrates are digested quickly, causing surges in insulin and blood sugar, boosting triglycerides, and lowering HDL cholesterol. These changes increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. The rapid rise and fall of blood sugar and insulin can also make you hungry, raising the risk of weight gain. Potatoes aren't all bad; they're a good source of vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. But eat them only occasionally, in small amounts, and with the skins on (that's where the fiber is). Hint: Be adventurous. In addition to whole wheat and brown rice, try quinoa, millet, farro, and amaranth. Some of these whole grains can be cooked like hot cereal or rice, and some are ground into flour for baking.
4. Eat breakfast. It's easy to skip breakfast when you're in a rush, aren't hungry, or want to cut calories. But a healthy morning meal makes for smaller rises in blood sugar and insulin throughout the day, which can lower your risk of overeating and impulse snacking. (Eating breakfast every day is one characteristic common to participants in the National Weight Control Registry, who've lost at least 30 pounds and kept the weight off longer than a year.) Hint: A healthy, balanced breakfast is moderate in size and includes healthy protein, whole-grain carbohydrates, and fruit — for example, an egg, whole-wheat toast, and strawberries. If you like cereal, have whole-grain cereal with fruit and low-fat yogurt or milk.
5. Plan for a snack attack. Snacking isn't an essential part of a healthy eating plan, but try telling that to a rumbling stomach at midafternoon. A healthy snack can boost energy levels by stabilizing blood sugar while giving you an added dose of healthful nutrients. But unplanned, impulsive snacking often takes the form of cookies, chips, or candy bars. So prepare healthy snacks ahead of time, and keep them handy at home or in your office. Limit calories to about 100 to 150 per snack. Good choices include a small bunch of grapes, a banana, or other fruit; a handful of unsalted nuts or sunflower seeds; and plain nonfat yogurt with a few raspberries or strawberries tossed in. Hint: Before giving in to a snack attack, drink an 8-ounce glass of water and wait 10 to 15 minutes to see if you're still hungry.
6. Rethink supplements. It's best to get your vitamins and minerals from food rather than supplements, but this can be hard, especially if you're cutting calories or your energy needs are low. We showed how to meet almost all your nutrient needs through food alone, even if you're consuming 1,500 calories or less per day. The key is choosing nutrient-dense foods, such as leafy greens, low-fat yogurt, dried beans, whole grains, and salmon. The only problem is vitamin D. Here a supplement is probably a good idea, because it's difficult to get the recommended daily intake (600 to 800 IU) through foods. Hint: You can get enough calcium on a 1,500-calorie-a-day diet by eating low-fat dairy products and nondairy foods such as canned salmon, tofu, sesame seeds, dark leafy greens like collards and kale, and legumes such as pinto and kidney beans.
7. Dine mindfully. Taking time to savor your food not only makes eating more enjoyable, it can also help control your appetite. Your sense of fullness and satisfaction depends on hormonal signals from your digestive tract. If you eat too quickly, your brain may not receive the signals that say you're full. Try putting down your fork between bites and chewing more slowly. Tune in to your food's aroma, taste, and texture, and stop eating when you feel full. Some small studies suggest that this approach may help some people make healthier food choices. Hint: To start, try taking one mindful bite at the beginning of each meal — a sort of eating speed bump.
8. Eliminate liquid sugars. Sugar-sweetened beverages — non-diet sodas, sugary fruit drinks, iced teas with added sugar, and sports drinks — provide calories and little else. There's good evidence that these drinks can raise the threshold for satiety (feeling full), thereby increasing the amount you eat and promoting weight gain. A 2011 Harvard study found that sugar-sweetened beverages were one of the dietary components most strongly linked to long-term weight gain among healthy women and men. What about 100% fruit juice with no added sugar? Even all-natural fruit juice has a lot of calories. The Healthy Eating Plate guidelines suggest you drink no more than one small glass a day (say, 4 to 6 ounces). Hint: Add carbonated water to your "one small glass" for full-glass satisfaction.
1. Pile on the vegetables and fruit. Vegetables and fruits are high in fiber and contain many vitamins and minerals as well as hundreds of beneficial plant chemicals (phytochemicals) that you can't get in supplements (see No. 8). Diets rich in vegetables and fruit can benefit the heart by lowering blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and inflammation and improving insulin resistance and blood vessel function. In long-term observational studies, people who eat more fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and weight gain, and those who eat more fruit also have a lower risk of stroke. Hint: Fresh fruits and vegetables are great, but don't avoid the frozen kind (or dried fruit or canned fruits and vegetables minus the heavy syrup or salt) when they're more convenient.
2. Go for the good fats. At one time, we were told to eat less fat, but now we know that it's mainly the type of fat that counts. The most beneficial sources are plants and fish. You can help lower "bad" LDL cholesterol by eating mostly polyunsaturated fats (including vegetable oils and omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, seeds and nuts, and canola oil) and monounsaturated fats (in avocados and many plant-based oils, such as olive oil and canola oil). Saturated fats (found mostly in dairy and meat products) and trans fats (hydrogenated fat found in many fried and baked goods) boost LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, increasing your risk of heart disease. Worse still, trans fats reduce your "good" HDL cholesterol. Hint: As long as you replace bad fats with good ones, you can get up to 35% of your calories from fat.
3. Replace refined grains and potatoes with whole grains. Whole grains retain the bran and germ of the natural grain, providing healthful fiber, vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. Many of these substances are removed from refined grains, such as white bread and white rice, and are barely present in starches such as potatoes. Starches and refined carbohydrates are digested quickly, causing surges in insulin and blood sugar, boosting triglycerides, and lowering HDL cholesterol. These changes increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. The rapid rise and fall of blood sugar and insulin can also make you hungry, raising the risk of weight gain. Potatoes aren't all bad; they're a good source of vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. But eat them only occasionally, in small amounts, and with the skins on (that's where the fiber is). Hint: Be adventurous. In addition to whole wheat and brown rice, try quinoa, millet, farro, and amaranth. Some of these whole grains can be cooked like hot cereal or rice, and some are ground into flour for baking.
4. Eat breakfast. It's easy to skip breakfast when you're in a rush, aren't hungry, or want to cut calories. But a healthy morning meal makes for smaller rises in blood sugar and insulin throughout the day, which can lower your risk of overeating and impulse snacking. (Eating breakfast every day is one characteristic common to participants in the National Weight Control Registry, who've lost at least 30 pounds and kept the weight off longer than a year.) Hint: A healthy, balanced breakfast is moderate in size and includes healthy protein, whole-grain carbohydrates, and fruit — for example, an egg, whole-wheat toast, and strawberries. If you like cereal, have whole-grain cereal with fruit and low-fat yogurt or milk.
5. Plan for a snack attack. Snacking isn't an essential part of a healthy eating plan, but try telling that to a rumbling stomach at midafternoon. A healthy snack can boost energy levels by stabilizing blood sugar while giving you an added dose of healthful nutrients. But unplanned, impulsive snacking often takes the form of cookies, chips, or candy bars. So prepare healthy snacks ahead of time, and keep them handy at home or in your office. Limit calories to about 100 to 150 per snack. Good choices include a small bunch of grapes, a banana, or other fruit; a handful of unsalted nuts or sunflower seeds; and plain nonfat yogurt with a few raspberries or strawberries tossed in. Hint: Before giving in to a snack attack, drink an 8-ounce glass of water and wait 10 to 15 minutes to see if you're still hungry.
6. Rethink supplements. It's best to get your vitamins and minerals from food rather than supplements, but this can be hard, especially if you're cutting calories or your energy needs are low. We showed how to meet almost all your nutrient needs through food alone, even if you're consuming 1,500 calories or less per day. The key is choosing nutrient-dense foods, such as leafy greens, low-fat yogurt, dried beans, whole grains, and salmon. The only problem is vitamin D. Here a supplement is probably a good idea, because it's difficult to get the recommended daily intake (600 to 800 IU) through foods. Hint: You can get enough calcium on a 1,500-calorie-a-day diet by eating low-fat dairy products and nondairy foods such as canned salmon, tofu, sesame seeds, dark leafy greens like collards and kale, and legumes such as pinto and kidney beans.
7. Dine mindfully. Taking time to savor your food not only makes eating more enjoyable, it can also help control your appetite. Your sense of fullness and satisfaction depends on hormonal signals from your digestive tract. If you eat too quickly, your brain may not receive the signals that say you're full. Try putting down your fork between bites and chewing more slowly. Tune in to your food's aroma, taste, and texture, and stop eating when you feel full. Some small studies suggest that this approach may help some people make healthier food choices. Hint: To start, try taking one mindful bite at the beginning of each meal — a sort of eating speed bump.
8. Eliminate liquid sugars. Sugar-sweetened beverages — non-diet sodas, sugary fruit drinks, iced teas with added sugar, and sports drinks — provide calories and little else. There's good evidence that these drinks can raise the threshold for satiety (feeling full), thereby increasing the amount you eat and promoting weight gain. A 2011 Harvard study found that sugar-sweetened beverages were one of the dietary components most strongly linked to long-term weight gain among healthy women and men. What about 100% fruit juice with no added sugar? Even all-natural fruit juice has a lot of calories. The Healthy Eating Plate guidelines suggest you drink no more than one small glass a day (say, 4 to 6 ounces). Hint: Add carbonated water to your "one small glass" for full-glass satisfaction.
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