Posts Tagged ‘fruits and vegetables’
Figs fruit can lower and control high blood pressure because this fruit contains potassium, a mineral that can control hypertension. Some potassium deficiency because they avoid eating fruits and vegetables and consume more sodium, a material mainly used in food packaging.
This sweet figs fruit that was rich in nutrients and has many health benefits. Although categorized as seasonal fruit, the fruit is often available in dried form. It was also going to be sweeter in dry form and nutritious because they contain vitamins A, B, and minerals such as phosphorus, iron, calcium, and manganese.
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Fiber in food is important because it renders a lot of health benefits. Vegetables high in fiber can be included in daily diet to make it a balanced diet and fight against many diseases. Here are some of the vegetables high in fiber.
Fiber is the indigestible content of plants that renders a lot of health benefits. Vegetables high in fiber have been reported to reduce the risk of many diseases like several types of cancer, obesity, high blood cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases. Foods high in fiber also help to reduce the risk of numerous gastrointestinal diseases. Consuming fiber in your daily diet improves the absorption of many minerals like calcium, magnesium and iron. Fiber helps to reduce the blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Stabilizes the glycemic levels and strengthens the immune system. High fiber foods help in weight management. Read the rest of this entry »
The energy fruit contains is in the form of natural sugars.
The burning of these sugars is a ‘clean’ process.
The contents of fruit
As the interest in nutrition increases and people are getting more and more conscious about what they eat, the interest in fruit and its contents also grows. But we still don’t know that much about fruit and there is much to discover about the substances that fruit contains. We know it is healthy for us, and that people who are sick can be cured by a diet of raw fruits and vegetables. Even cancer can sometimes be cured by this diet but which substances fruit contains is a mystery. That a human being can live healthily on fruit alone has been proven by the fruitarians, they only consume fruit. 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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