Saturday, March 9, 2013

Nutrition Success Is A Few Short Tips Away!

By Bennett Piermarini


Proper nutrition is the keystone of a healthy and productive life. When you take in the nutrients your body needs, you provide the raw material for all the processes your body performs on a daily - and nightly - basis. Your nutritional choices have a profound influence on the level of well-being you can achieve.

One nutrition tip that most people would be wise to implement is to ease up on the salad dressing when eating their salad. Generally, salads are extremely healthy meals, but if you drown them in dressing, you have turned your salad into a bowlful of empty calories. If you must use dressing, use it sparingly.

Always try to eat local, seasonal produce. Produce that is in season and local, is fresh and has had less opportunity to lose valuable nutrients. It is, therefore, the healthiest option, full of valuable vitamins and minerals. Shopping your local farmers market can be a great way to find out what is in season and available locally.

Arrange your schedule so you can get seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Adequate sleep prevents you from confusing tiredness with hunger. The sleep also gives your body the opportunity to repair itself. Getting enough sleep means you will remain calmer in times of anxiety, which helps you cut down on eating in stressful situations.

A great nutrition tip you should know about is to invest in arginine. Arginine is a nutritional supplement that helps get more blood to your muscles. This causes a greater pump when you work out with weights. Taking arginine will also grant you more energy, so it's definitely a supplement worth having.

Introduce food to your young children gradually. If they are small, expect them to want to touch and smell the food first. Don't chide then for doing this, or they may have a negative impression of the food and refuse to eat it. Help them to get a grasp on the color, texture, and smell of the food.

Include more vegetables in your diet for proper nutrition. Vegetables are low in fat and have many important vitamins and minerals. They are also high in fiber, which is important in regulating your digestive system and preventing constipation. Another benefit is that many vegetables require a lot of energy to digest, which means you can burn a lot of calories by just eating more vegetables.

Fresh fruit is much better for you than drinking fruit juice. Fruit juice is often sweetened, and does not contain all the vitamins and nutrients of fresh fruit Fresh fruit offers a lot of fiber and vitamins. The next time you are craving fruit, grab a piece instead of a glass.

One way of maintaining good health is to visit the doctor on a regular basis. By doing this the individual will be aware of any health issues that he may have and therefore removing the risk of being ill or sick. It is advisable to go to the doctor at least twice a year.

Don't forget to count liquid calories. Americans drink a ton of juices and colas, but don't usually figure them into their calorie counts for the day. This cannot only make you fat if you're not careful, but it can also mess with your insulin levels. Reach for the water if you feel like drinking something.

It's a good idea to add cabbage to your diet. Not only does it store well, and is a versatile ingredient in everything from kimchi-topped burgers to the humble coleslaw, but it's filled with copious amounts of fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and lots of minerals. A quick steaming is a great way to preserve the nutrients.

If you are a big soup fan you should try making your own from scratch instead of eating those that are in a can. Store bought soups in a can are full of fat and sodium, and a lot of time the low-fat versions have sugar added to them for flavor. Making your own means you regulate what goes in them.

We should consider carefully the meats and poultry we eat. Most are still laden with antibiotics and hormones, nitrites and nitrates--all detrimental to our health. Fortunately, in recent years, meats raised without these chemicals have become far more widely available to the general public. We can find them now at major supermarkets.

Many people are not aware of how damaging trans fats can be. They are commonly found in processed food, such as margarine or shortening and are frequently found in ready to eat food, such as commercial pot pies. These fats, deposit and clog your arteries, because your body does not know how to process them. It's okay to use saturated fat, like butter or coconut oil, in moderation instead.

In order to develop healthier eating habits, consider eating a handful of nuts instead of something sweet and fattening. Many nut varieties are available, and they are chock-full of substances, which produce health benefits. In fact, nuts have been shown to help maintain a healthy heart and may help to reduce bad cholesterol.

Eat oatmeal for breakfast. Foods that contain oats or a lot of grain can be very filling. Try eating foods like oatmeal for breakfast in the morning. This will make you fill fuller for a longer amount of time than a typical breakfast. You will be more likely to make it from breakfast to lunch without picking up a snack.

Meat is a very important source of protein nutrition. Leans meats can make you feel fuller longer, offer your body a fuel source, and help you reduce weight gain. You should avoid fatty meats or meat that is deep fried. This can actually add more unneeded calories into your diet.

If you are serious about losing weight over an extended period of time try to cut your caloric intake by about 150 calories per day. That amount of calories works out to be around 15 pounds lost in just one year. If you cut out a few calories and increase your exercise by just a little, you will see results.

When you apply the basic principles of nutrition, you maximize the quality of the fuel you feed your body. This is an important step in your overall health and wellness plan. Like using the proper fuel in you car, proper nutrition can optimize the overall performance of your body. Remember, don't live to eat, instead, eat to live!




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...