Posts Tagged ‘doesn’
There’s just too many benefits from fruit to ignore or exclude them from your diet.
People on a mission to lose weight will try almost anything. They can get pretty desperate.
If you scan the pages of any fitness or bodybuilding magazine, you’ll see a lot of sample diets from prominent fitness folks. They’re usually pretty cut and dry chicken, broccoli, and occasional brown rice diets. Blah. Blah. Blah.
You’ll hardly ever see bodybuilders wolfin’ down fruit smoothies. Ever see a muscle building ad with a ripped lady eating a handful of grapes? Nope. For a long time, I didn’t understand. I mean, fruit is healthy, right? Why don’t the hardcore fitness mags push them? In fact, they almost make fruit out to be an evil. They hardly discuss it at all. Read the rest of this entry »
Five a day of fruit and vegetables is considered the minimum necessary for healthy eating. But five a day of what, and what constitutes a portion for the five a day diet?
Five a Day
‘Five a Day’. That’s the slogan that’s being promoted to encourage us and our children to eat more healthily. Five a day refers to the number of portions of fruit and vegetables that each person, whether adult or child, needs to eat to keep themselves in good shape.
What Does Five A Day Mean?
While the slogan is one that most people are now aware of, what does it actually mean in practice? To put the issues into two simple questions, “If you need five a day, what is that five of?” and, “If you need five a day, how much makes one?”.
Five A Day of What?
The requirement for five a day refers to any vegetable or fruit. It doesn’t really matter whether its raw, cooked, tinned,frozen,pureed, sautéed, steamed, mashed or turned into a smoothie. They’re all good. That’s good news for parents who have difficulties persuading their children to move beyond burger and fries.more
What is important to remember, however, is that any one type of fruit or vegetable can only be counted as ‘one’ of the five a day once during the day. It’s no good drinking five bottles of strawberry smoothie (probably the nicest single way of eating fruit!) and thinking ‘that’s my five a day’. Because different fruits and vegetables bring different benefits, and contain different minerals, amounts of ruffage and vitamins, the body (and the mind) needs a variety of fruit and veg to keep it working at full efficiency. So, remember, mix up the fruit and vegetables and makes sure that everyone in the family gets a ‘real’ five a day.
The Size of a Portion
Now that the mix of five a day is determined, what makes an appropriate five a day portion? Basically, a portion of fruit or vegetable should be about the size of a fist. So,
• if it’s peas, cooked cabbage, turnip or carrot, two or three heaped tablespoons should do the trick
• an apple, orange or grapefruit is very handily sized being about the size of a fist, so one of those constitutes a portion
• plums are a little smaller, so two or three will fit the bill
• for smaller berries, a third of a breakfast cereal bowl is about right
• if it’s a mixture of salad leaves, the lower density means that a portion constitutes a larger volume.
Staying Healthy Through a Good Diet
Five a day is both a slogan and something people should aspire to. (There are those who suggest that people need more than five a day, something closer to eight.) For those who don’t already have many fruit and vegetables in their diet, it’s something to work towards. For parents, thinking about how to get the kids interested in eating healthily can provide a lot of mental stimulation (also good for you)! There are lots of interesting ways of preparing fruit and veg to make them appealing to kids. The internet is awash with recipes and many can be found here at Suite101. Take a look around. Five a day can and should be enjoyable and fun and it constitutes an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.
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The average American’s daily diet includes less than half of the required fiber we need. So, exactly how much fiber do we need to ward off nasty health concerns? Learn why high-fiber foods like apples and strawberries help alleviate constipation?
How would your automobile react if it only received half of the octane it needed to run? What if it only got a third of what it needed? Do you think you would see and feel a difference in its performance? No doubt it would be sluggish, it would lack power and it would barely move. Now consider that the average American’s daily diet includes less than half of the required fiber we need. Yeah, your body will perform just like that automobile.more
Studies have shown that a diet that’s high in fiber can help prevent cancer and heart disease, as well as many other threatening diseases. You know the old adage—An apple a day, keeps the doctor away. It turns out that that phrase actually has some truth to it. Apples are very high in fiber. They also have pectin in them which adds bulk to the stool. Apples have a natural laxative effect on the colon and they encourage bowel movements. Not to mention they’re one of the tastiest ways to get fiber!
Apple cider, applesauce and apple cider vinegar are also valuable for they offer many of the same benefits as apples. But apples aren’t the only fiber rich fruit on the tree. Here’s a delicious list that will help you get the right amount of fiber in your diet:
• 4 Bananas – Bananas are also very high in fiber and they can help restore normal bowel functions. The potassium in bananas keep the muscles of the intestine functioning properly.
• 5 Strawberries, Prunes and Spinach – Everybody already knows about prunes, but strawberries and spinach also work as laxatives.
• 6 Whole Grains – Whether through cereals or wholesome breads, whole grains are an important addition to your diet.
• 7 Beans – Add beans to soups and salads to add depth to the taste and fiber to your body.
Recent studies have shown that we need at least 35 mg of fiber in our daily diet to be able to effectively fight off many chronic illnesses and diseases, such as heart disease. The average American gets between 11 and 15 mg of fiber a day. Is it any wonder cancer, diabetes and heart disease runs rampant?
Warding off those nasty health concerns is one thing, but for most people, they connect fiber to constipation more than anything else. If you don’t eat enough fiber, you get constipated, plain and simple. So exactly how does high-fiber foods like apples and bananas help alleviate constipation?
Fiber adds bulk to the stool and in the process, the stool becomes softer and easier to pass. It also speeds up the digestive process so the food waste isn’t sitting around hardening, it’s actually on the move through the digestive system. A high-fiber diet requires that you drink at least 8 cups of water a day. The fiber needs the extra water to work effectively and the water also acts as the body’s lubricant, allowing the stool to pass even easier. Fiber causes less straining during bowel movements, reducing the chances of hemorrhoids.
Changing your diet to include more fiber and drinking more water is a great start to a healthier lifestyle. But what about all those years of ignoring nutritional labels and soda drinking? All of the effects of those hard living years can be found right in your colon. There’s anywhere between 5 and 25 pounds of collected waste lining the nooks and crannies of your colon. It’s been accumulating for years and it doesn’t have plans on leaving anytime soon.
This accumulated waste is responsible for nearly every illness you get, from flus to the common cold. Your body’s immune system is severely limited as long as that waste is in your colon. The only way to remove the build up is to take a colon cleansing product like Oxy-Powder.
Oxy-Powder uses a unique formula of oxygenated magnesium, germanium and citric acid to soften and lift that deep seated debris. Your body will then be able to gently remove the years of build up that’s been clogging your system. You’ll be left feeling refreshed, clean and healthy, probably for the first time in years. Your colon will even begin breeding good bacteria that can help increase the effectiveness of the digestive system.
Cleaning your colon with Oxy-Powder, increasing your fiber and water intake and routine exercising will substantially lower your chances of chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Diabetes, more than any other condition, is so easily affected by diet that it’s one disease that can be severely limited if the majority of people followed 4 easy steps. The 4 simple steps to a healthier life—exercise, eat more fiber, drink more water and routinely clean your colon with a product like Oxy-Powder. It will keep your engine running smooth and allow it to battle any rust spots that show up along the way.