Monday, March 11, 2013

Follow These Nutrition Tips And Lead A Happier Life

By Hershel Bile


You have always wanted to find out about, or possibly enhance your current knowledge of, nutrition and how to obtain it from your diet. The tips and hints we provide in this article, when followed as suggested, should help you to either improve on what you have already done, or help you start off well.

How do I calculate the fat content of my food? Most people recommend that no more of 25% of your calories should come from food, but it is very hard to figure out. Rather than focussing on counting fat grams, try to follow certain guidelines. Avoid fried foods, choose low fat versions of dairy products, and eat fresh fruit and veggies whenever possible. Choose poultry or fish over red meat, and cut back on snacks.

If you're worried whether your kids are getting good enough nutrition, you are not alone. Your child may be one of those who only eats a few foods. But rest assured because as long as the choices available to your child are healthy ones, they will select from them and eat well. If you don't bring junk into the house, it won't be around for them to eat and they will have no choice but to eat well.

When considering a diet that provides an adequate nutrition level, be sure to include low fat milk. Milk provides many nutrients - including calcium and protein - that the body needs. Studies have shown that drinking milk does benefit both muscle growth, and also the body's ability to maintain a healthy body fat content.

To naturally reduce your levels of stress, eat foods that contain folic acid. Folic acid works as a mood stabilizer, and can leave you feeling calmer and more relaxed. Examples of foods rich in folic acid include avocado, lentils, and dark leafy greens. Consuming folic acid also reduces your risk for depression.

Choose your fat intake wisely. While some fats are extremely important for the body to have, others can quickly turn your health into a downward spiral. Eating healthier fats, such as those found in many fish, are great for your body. Try to avoid eating overly processed fats, such as those in margarine or salad dressings.

People who are nutritionally aware have made an effort to reduce or eliminate hydrogenated fats in their diet. Studies have shown the dangers of hydrogenated fats, found most commonly in margarine, peanut butter, and bakery products. Hydrogenation increases the shelf life of products, but it "gums up" our bodily systems.

Try to limit your consumption of processed and packaged foods. These types of foods are usually high in fat, salt and refined sugars. Also, if you are cooking for a large family, it can be a lot cheaper to make meals from scratch rather than buy large numbers of packaged ready meals.

Monitor carbohydrate intake to measure the amount of glucose going into your system. Glucose is generally the end-product of sugars, and is the main source of energy for your body. When you eat too many carbohydrates they get stored as glycogen and eventually fat. When you eat too little these fats dissociate and revert back to their sugar states. Monitoring your intake is very important when deciding if you wish to lose or gain weight.

A good nutritional tip is to be consistent with the timing of when you serve your child meals. Ideally, you'll want to serve them meals around the same time everyday. It's also a good idea to limit fruit drinks and soda to only meals because they can easily fill up on them.

Peanut butter is a great source of protein, but you should eat natural peanut butter. The ingredients are usually just peanuts and salt. Regular peanut butter contains hydrogenated fats and sometimes extra sugar or other ingredients. Since there is no hydrogenated fat, the oil will float to the top in the natural peanut butter. You will need to store it in the refrigerator and stir it before use.

Cholesterol is one of the most damaging things that you can put into your body. Try to eliminate cholesterol from your diet, not only to increase your heart flow but also to improve your mood during the course of the day. Lowering cholesterol reduces toxins in your body, which can play a big role in weight loss.

When considering nutrition for a child, be sure that you stick to a standard schedule so that they eat when they are supposed to eat. If a child snacks throughout the day, it is very possible that they will not be hungry enough to eat a full meal and may miss out on nutrients that were not available in their snack food.

To improve your health, limit your intake of unnatural foods. Cut back on processed foods and foods fried in oil. When you do consume processed foods choose ones made from whole grains. Whole grains are more nutrient dense than the alternatives and since it takes the body longer to break whole grains down, you stay full longer.

To smooth out your nutritional intake, make sure you take a multivitamin appropriate to your gender and age. It's no substitute for eating real foods with the nutrients you crave, but if your diet is deficient in one area, a multivitamin will lessen the chances of cravings for certain foods. Multivitamins are not a crutch, but they can actually serve as a layer of appetite control.

Focus on complex carbohydrates for energy. Some people get the impression that carbohydrates such as potatoes, grains and pasta are low in nutritional value and high in calories, but this isn't the case. The problem is usually the fats that are added to them, such as butter. Complex carbohydrates are very important, as they are quickly converted into glucose, which is the main fuel for the body.

If you want to keep your body in the best shape imaginable, then you should dump the idea that you need to eat three large meals a day. This ideology slows down your metabolism, causing your body to store fat. Instead, you should eat somewhere around 6 small meals a day.

Introduce vegetables to your children at a young age. The taste may not be what they're used to, so you might have to try experimenting with different ways to cook and season vegetables to make them desirable for them. Vegetables have a lot of minerals and vitamins unavailable anywhere else, so getting your children used to them is a good idea for their lifelong health.

To summarize, there is quite a bit to learn about nutrition. Do not be overwhelmed though, because the basics are easy enough to implement. A lot is dependent on your willingness to make some changes, and a lot of those will start at your next trip to the grocery store. Are you ready for the challenge?




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment