Everyone knows that variety is
important when it comes to diet. Not
only is eating the same foods every day boring, but it is extremely unhealthy
as well. That is because each type of
food contains different nutrients, and different levels of those
nutrients. The best way to eat healthy
is to eat a wide variety of foods from all the food groups.
It is important to eat a good combination of meats, beans, dairy products, fruits, vegetables and whole
grains. All these foods contain
important nutrients, and no vitamin pill in existence can provide the vast
variety of nutrients your body needs every day.
Of course simply eating foods from a variety
of sources is not enough. It is also
important to make smart choices within those food groups. After all, nonfat yogurt and an hot fudge
sundae are both dairy products! The best
choice in that situation should be obvious, but other choices are more subtle.
Fortunately, the nutritional labels
which are required on all packaged foods are a big help for those pursuing a
healthier diet. Not only do these labels
contain information on the number of calories, fat grams, etc., but they
provide detailed information on the levels of many important vitamins and
minerals as well.
When choosing healthy foods, small
changes can have a huge impact. Simply
exchanging fresh, low fat fish for higher fat meats can greatly lower the
amount of fat in your diet and increase your level of health.
Replacing highly processed grains for
more nutritious whole grain products can also have a great impact on healthy
eating. In nutritional terms, less is
often more – that is less processing and less refining. Processing and refining methods can strip
many vital nutrients from foods, so choosing less refined whole grain foods is
important.
Cooking techniques are also very
important when maximizing the health benefits of the foods you choose. After taking the time to choose the
healthiest, freshest broccoli in the supermarket, it would be quite a waste to
slather that cooked broccoli with cheese and butter, for instance.
It would also be a mistake to overcook
that broccoli, especially by boiling it in water for a long time. That is because vegetables can lose
significant amounts of nutrients through overcooking. When preparing fresh vegetables, it is best
to quickly steam them in the microwave or on the stove, using as little water
as possible. Use only enough water to
keep the vegetables from scorching.
When cooking potatoes, it is a good
idea to eat the entire potato, including the skin. Potato skins contain significant levels of
nutrients, including fiber, vitamins and minerals. Cooking a baked potato in the microwave, or
on the grill, is a great way to make the skin moist and delicious. In addition, these methods of cooking
minimize the need for high fat butter or sour cream to flavor the potato. In place of these high fat options, why not
use a dollop of plain nonfat yogurt, or some low fat cottage cheese?
Choosing a variety of foods is
important to a healthy lifestyle, but it just as important to limit the amount
of certain foods. Foods high in sugar,
and those high in sodium should be avoided as much as possible. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy that piece
of cake or serving of potato chips as an occasional snack; it simply means
limiting regular consumption of these high fat, low nutrition products.
When adopting healthier eating habits,
it is important to make changes that you can stick with for the long run. After all, a healthy eating lifestyle is just
that, a lifestyle. Changing your
shopping, cooking and eating habits are not easy, but the many benefits make
healthy eating an important habit to get into.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments.