Ten Rules for Healthy Eating

Размещено на http://www.allbest.ru/

Ten Rules for Healthy Eating

1. Eat a Variety of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Eat three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruit each day. Among the many nutritional benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables are vitamins, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folic acid, and natural plant chemicals (phytonutrients) that protect against many chronic health diseases and conditions. In fresh produce, more than five thousand flavonoid chemicals have been identified with antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antitumor, antiaging, and detoxification activities that are the body's first line of defense against disease and poisoning. The variety of fruits and vegetables you consume

daily directly affects your chances of developing a heart attack, diabetes, cancer, or a brain disease such as Alzheimer's. Cranberries contain antioxidant flavonoids and polyphenols that help relax blood vessels and protect against heart attacks. They also have been shown to have a positive effect on gum disease, ulcers, and cancer. Other examples of disease-preventing flavonoids in foods are quercetin, found in vegetables, tea, fruit skins, red wine, and onions; xanthohumol, found in hops and beer; genistein in soy; and several compounds in garlic, green onions, and leeks. Deeply colored fruits and vegetables contain color pigments that have powerful antioxidant properties that protect against infections, inflammatory conditions, and the damaging effects of free radicals associated with cancer and aging. An example is lycopene, an antioxidant pigment that gives vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, pink grapefruit, and watermelon their red color. Several studies suggest that eating foods rich in lycopene is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease. We don't think of fruits and vegetables as builders of strong bones, but the latest research says they are. Boys who eat the most fruits and vegetables have the strongest bones, a Canadian study in the September 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports. Researchers who followed a group of boys and girls over a seven-year period found that while most consumed enough dairy products, they failed to eat enough fruits and vegetables. Those who consumed 10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily wound up with significantly more calcium in their bones than those who ate less, despite eating the right amounts of dairy foods. Boys who exercised and ate more fruits and vegetables had the strongest bones of all. If you don't form strong bones in the teen years you risk brittle bones (osteoporosis) later in life.

2. Eat Whole-Grain Pasta, Rice, Breads, and Cereals

Natural, unprocessed, and unrefined whole grains are nutritional storehouses. Aim for two to five servings each day. Whole grains include whole wheat, oat, rye, spelt, quinua, corn, barley, millet, buckwheat, and brown rice. They provide fiber (different types from the fiber in vegetables and fruits), B-complex vitamins, vitamins A and E, and the minerals magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, and selenium. Bleached, soft, and fluffy white flours contain no significant amounts of nutrients and fiber unless they are added back after processing.

Refined carbohydrates are quickly converted to sugar and more easily stored as fat. Since whole-grain products contain balanced amounts of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, they are broken down more slowly in the body and have relatively low glycemic index scores, a measure used to compare the impact of various carbohydrates on blood sugar levels.

In cultures where whole grains are traditionally eaten, rates of cancer and heart disease are much lower.

3. Eat Certified Organic Foods

food organic healthy eating

Organic produce tastes better and is healthier than commercially cultivated produce. They contain higher levels of vitamins C and A, antioxidants, and essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, selenium, and chromium. They are free of synthetic additives suspected of contributing to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, migraines, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's, and they have no residues from the more than five hundred chemical pesticides routinely used in conventional farming, some of which are endocrine disrupters, neurotoxins, and causes of reproductive abnormalities.

They are not and cannot, by law, be made from genetically modified crops that make their own pesticides and are tolerant of additional applications of chemicals. In fact, buying certified organic produce is the only way you can avoid pesticide residues in your food unless you grow it yourself.

Organically raised animals are not treated with hormones, antibiotics, and growth promoters as are conventionally raised farm animals. Organic farms cause less pollution and produce less carbon dioxide and other wastes, which is good for wildlife and the environment.

4. Eat Natural Fats/Avoid Synthetic Fats

The low-fat fad of the 1980s and 1990s had many people convinced that fats were our enemy and carbohydrates our friend. In attempting to eat healthier and stay trim, many people eliminated almost all fat from their diets. The result: people with brittle, aged-looking skin, hair, and nails, more infections, moodiness, and weight gain! People who became morbidly afraid of eating fat weren't getting enough healthy fats required for critical cellular functions, protecting the brain and nervous system, absorbing vitamins, and maintaining fertility.

A moderate amount--two to three tablespoons-- of natural, healthy fats is essential daily. These include extra virgin, cold-pressed olive oil (not the highly refined light versions), avocado, butter, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, and nuts. These fats won't harm you--in fact, they protect you from illness and help you lose weight by turning off the hormone messengers that direct fat storage, especially around your midriff, which is what happens when you trade healthy fats for unhealthy carbs. Healthy fats lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol without lowering HDL (“good”) cholesterol. What's more, in cultures that eat a lot of healthy fats (such as in the Mediterranean) there are much lower rates of heart disease, stroke, and cancers. Olive oil, prominent in the Mediterranean diet, is a monounsaturated fat rich in vitamin E with a natural antiinflammatory chemical, squalene, known to slow the formation of blood clots.

Other healthy fats needed by the body for critical cellular functions, especially in the brain and nervous system, are omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s, found in cold-water, wild fish such as Alaska salmon and sardines, are the reason for the recommendation to eat fish twice a week in the new U.S. dietary guidelines. Wild, ocean fish are preferable because farm-raised fish may have been genetically modified or contain contaminants and antibiotics. Eating fish a minimum of once a week can halve your risk of having a coronary, reduce the risk of heart arrhythmias and high blood pressure, improve inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Avoid hydrogenated fats, which are implicated in heart disease because they cause arteries to become more rigid and clogged, which raises LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and creates conditions for heart attacks. Good saturated fats are found in meats, poultry, eggs, butter, cheese, ice cream, and other whole milk products containing milk fat such as coffee drinks, creamy sauces, and desserts. Hydrogenated fats are damaged fats that have been altered through processing. They contain trans-fatty acids, “backwards” fatty acids that are not found in nature. Our bodies can't metabolize trans-fatty acids so they accumulate, clogging arteries and cells and causing inflammation, cell damage, and heart attacks. Hydrogenated fats are in deep-fried foods, margarine, baked goods, artificial creamers, and many other foods. Check labels for the words hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. Also avoid commercial high heat-processed vegetable oils made of corn, soy, and canola.

Most commercial soy and canola oils are made from genetically modified ingredients and may contain toxic ingredients and/or be altered in processing. Our bodies don't handle them well and they don't offer the health advantages of natural fats or cold-pressed vegetable oils.

5. Avoid Refined Starch and Sugars

Limit sweetened foods and drinks to no more than 10 percent of daily calories. Foods made with refined white flour that are heavily sweetened with sugar or corn (or high fructose) sweeteners are digested rapidly, which releases large amounts of glucose into your bloodstream quickly. This triggers the release of insulin and other hormones that convert excess sugar into fat (the kind that is stored around your middle) to push it out of your bloodstream and normalize your blood sugar level. Refined starch and sugars not only make you fatter but also cause common sugar-related diseases, from metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar levels.

6. Eat Wild Fish and Meat and Eggs from Range-Fed, Antibiotic- and Hormone-Free Animals

Consume a total of five to eight ounces of protein foods daily, with seafood at least twice a week. You need protein even when you are trying to lose weight. In fact, eating more protein and fewer carbohydrates may help you lose weight more efficiently. Try to eat at least a small amount of protein (one or two ounces) in every meal and snack.

7. Eat Several Good Sources of Calcium

Children and teens need two to three servings of calcium-rich foods each day; adults need one to two servings. Good sources of calcium include dishes made with milk or cheese, such as puddings, soups, pizza, melted cheese sandwiches, and yogurt; canned fish (sardines or salmon) with soft bones; leafy greens such as kale, mustard greens, turnip tops, and tofu (if made with calcium sulfate); and tortillas made with lime-processed corn.

Genetically modified foods. Biotechnology uses the technique of genetic engineering to redesign life forms to satisfy the demands of the marketplace. But these techniques of splicing DNA from unrelated plants, animals, and microbes to the cells of our foods have been introduced to the market untested, and unanticipated consequences from these methods can not only endanger consumers, but potentially, all life on earth. Today, more than 80 percent of the soy ingredients in our foods have been genetically engineered while at the same time allergies to soy have increased 50 percent. Some scientists urge caution and worry about the potential for weakening people's immune systems, while others point to damaging effects seen in animal studies. The government continues to encourage the use of these unproven techniques in foods without labeling or otherwise identifying them. The only way to avoid them is by eating certified organic foods, exclusively.

8. Drink Plenty of Clean, Filtered Water

The most abundant essential substance your body needs is water. Seventy percent of our bodies are made up of water, and all the chemical reactions continuously underway in our tissues and cells must take place in a watery environment. You've probably had the experience of feeling very tired as the day wore on and realizing that you had very little to drink all day. If you solved the problem by downing several good-sized gulps of water, you probably felt less tired afterward. But what's better is making sure you have a continuous supply of water all day. Make a habit of drinking six to eight glasses of water each day.

Don't wait until you feel thirsty because that is a late signal of your body's need for water replacement.

If you live in an urban area and have a municipal water system that pipes water into your home, your water probably has been treated with disinfectants (chlorine), and additives (fluoride) that are toxic, and may also contain traces of industrial wastes such as lead or mercury. Fluoride, which is added to the water supply because it is believed to help prevent dental cavities, is a known thyroid toxin, a neurotoxin, and a cause of periodontal disease and, possibly, of brittle bones and bone cancer in young men. There is some evidence that topical application of fluoride to children's teeth might be more effective and less risky for people of all ages who drink fluoridated water. Toxins get into water systems from many sources including farm and factory runoff, acid rain, and plastic and metal ions dissolved from pipes. Government inspectors usually test water only for bacterial contamination, lead, and arsenic.

Bottled water may or may not be cleaner than tap water, depending on where it comes from and how it's been handled. If you are going to use bottled water, ask to see an analysis of it and be sure it tastes good. Off tastes can indicate dissolved plastics or waste products in the water. Installing your own water filtering system is cheaper than buying filtered water.

Размещено на Allbest.ru