By Dr Pj Prakash
We're taught nutrition from a young age, but the fact is that science changes as technology advances. That means what you knew as a child may no longer be applicable to your day-to-day life. Staying on top of your nutrition means taking the time to check the news, too! This article will outline some fresh ideas on nutrition.
Calcium is one of the most important things our bodies need to perform optimally. Whether you're nine years old or forty-nine years old, everyone needs calcium. At younger ages, calcium aids in the building of healthy bones. At older ages, our bones begin to deteriorate. Calcium can slow and even stop that process. Proper nutrition can help you relieve many types of health conditions. Certain types of serious health concerns can be kept under control when you eat foods that do not make the problem worse. Diabetics can reduce sugar intake and those with high blood pressure can reduce salt and fat.
When considering nutrition for your child, be sure that you follow the same guidelines that you ask of them. This is important because you will have an extremely hard time trying to convince them why they need to do something when you, yourself do not. And no matter what you do, your child most likely will find out what you are doing just through their natural curiosity.
To understand nutrition's importance, you need to gain an understanding of how your body functions. It is made up of many complex systems: the neural, the gastro-intestinal, the lymphatic, the endocrine, the muscular-skeletal and so on. These all dovetail and work together as a whole. This complex "wholeness" is what you need to gain a good sense of, in order to meet your body's nutritonal needs.
In the grocery store, shop the outer areas and try to avoid the inner aisles. The outer walls of the grocery store is where the good stuff is. Fruits and veggies, fresh meat, fish, bread and dairy are all usually located on the outer aisles and areas. The inner aisles are usually full of preprocessed foods that can tempt you off course like cookies, chips, pastas, and others. Stay away from them to keep your shopping in line.
Legumes are superstars of the nutritional world. They provide protein and help balance blood sugar. But they may seem dull. Just dress them up in a good recipe and they are superstars of taste also: lentils become a good veggie burger, chick peas become hummus, beans excel in Mexican dishes, and there is nothing better than a bowl of homemade pea soup on a cold winter day!
Instead of reaching for a sugary or salty preservative-laden snack, try distracting yourself by finding more productive things to do with your hands and mouth. Call a friend, sing along with your radio, or pick up the latest page-turner from the local library. Chances are good that you will find that you were not even hungry to begin with.
If you are going to snack during the day and you need something filling you should try snacking on some Laughing Cow cheese. They have wedges that are individually wrapped and great for snacking. Avoid the American cheese though, because it is made of mostly oil.
If you have bought one of the new special peanut butters with extra omega-3s added in order to improve your nutrition, be aware that you've mostly bought a marketing ploy. Though many foods are fortified in a way that makes a real difference nutritionally, the amount of omega-3s added to this special (and expensive) peanut butter is so small that you would have to eat 8 sandwiches' worth (16 tablespoons) to get as much omega-3 as in a four-ounce serving of salmon.
Clearly, excellent nutrition is the cornerstone of a healthy life. Reading through all the available information on good nutrition may seem overwhelming, so you should start from the beginning. Apply the tips from this article and you'll be making better nutrition decisions in no time.
Calcium is one of the most important things our bodies need to perform optimally. Whether you're nine years old or forty-nine years old, everyone needs calcium. At younger ages, calcium aids in the building of healthy bones. At older ages, our bones begin to deteriorate. Calcium can slow and even stop that process. Proper nutrition can help you relieve many types of health conditions. Certain types of serious health concerns can be kept under control when you eat foods that do not make the problem worse. Diabetics can reduce sugar intake and those with high blood pressure can reduce salt and fat.
When considering nutrition for your child, be sure that you follow the same guidelines that you ask of them. This is important because you will have an extremely hard time trying to convince them why they need to do something when you, yourself do not. And no matter what you do, your child most likely will find out what you are doing just through their natural curiosity.
To understand nutrition's importance, you need to gain an understanding of how your body functions. It is made up of many complex systems: the neural, the gastro-intestinal, the lymphatic, the endocrine, the muscular-skeletal and so on. These all dovetail and work together as a whole. This complex "wholeness" is what you need to gain a good sense of, in order to meet your body's nutritonal needs.
In the grocery store, shop the outer areas and try to avoid the inner aisles. The outer walls of the grocery store is where the good stuff is. Fruits and veggies, fresh meat, fish, bread and dairy are all usually located on the outer aisles and areas. The inner aisles are usually full of preprocessed foods that can tempt you off course like cookies, chips, pastas, and others. Stay away from them to keep your shopping in line.
Legumes are superstars of the nutritional world. They provide protein and help balance blood sugar. But they may seem dull. Just dress them up in a good recipe and they are superstars of taste also: lentils become a good veggie burger, chick peas become hummus, beans excel in Mexican dishes, and there is nothing better than a bowl of homemade pea soup on a cold winter day!
Instead of reaching for a sugary or salty preservative-laden snack, try distracting yourself by finding more productive things to do with your hands and mouth. Call a friend, sing along with your radio, or pick up the latest page-turner from the local library. Chances are good that you will find that you were not even hungry to begin with.
If you are going to snack during the day and you need something filling you should try snacking on some Laughing Cow cheese. They have wedges that are individually wrapped and great for snacking. Avoid the American cheese though, because it is made of mostly oil.
If you have bought one of the new special peanut butters with extra omega-3s added in order to improve your nutrition, be aware that you've mostly bought a marketing ploy. Though many foods are fortified in a way that makes a real difference nutritionally, the amount of omega-3s added to this special (and expensive) peanut butter is so small that you would have to eat 8 sandwiches' worth (16 tablespoons) to get as much omega-3 as in a four-ounce serving of salmon.
Clearly, excellent nutrition is the cornerstone of a healthy life. Reading through all the available information on good nutrition may seem overwhelming, so you should start from the beginning. Apply the tips from this article and you'll be making better nutrition decisions in no time.
About the Author:
About author: Dr. PJ Prakash has a Ph.D. in Nutrition from the Univ. of Rhode Island (USA). Visit his website to download your Nutritional Weight Loss eCourse, or to get advice on good nutrition.