Tips for healthy eating with fruits and vegetables
Zaak OConan

Everyone knows the importance of a diet rich in healthy fruits and vegetables. Most people do not eat enough of these important foodstuffs, and increasing your consumption of fruits and vegetables is probably the single most effective thing you can do to improve your overall health. Eating enough fruits and vegetables does not need to be chore. After all, fruits and vegetables are delicious, easy to buy and easy to use.

In addition, fruits and vegetables are rich sources of antioxidants, which are though to play an important role in maintaining good health. Antioxidants have been studied for their effectiveness at preventing cancer, heart disease and even reversing the signs of aging. In addition, fruits and vegetables are excellent source of trace elements and micronutrients. These important elements are not available in any vitamin pill; they must be obtained from the daily diet.

Tips for choosing the best fruits and vegetables
– When possible, choose fresh fruits possible. Fresh fruits and vegetables may contain more nutrients than frozen or dried varieties.
– Even though fresh is best, frozen and canned vegetables are great for out of season varieties. When buying canned fruits, avoid those packed in syrup and opt for those packed in water or juice.
– Choose fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors. Not only are bright, colorful fruits more attractive, but the different colors indicate different types and amounts of nutrients. For instance, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables are good sources of beta carotene, while dark green leafy vegetables are rich in vitamin C and calcium.
– Be careful when cooking vegetables. A quick steam in the microwave with minimal water added is the best way to prevent loss of nutrients when cooking.
– Keep your vegetables healthy by adding minimal butter, margarine and oil. Most vegetables can be flavored using a stock, a low fat yogurt or fresh fruit pieces.

Understanding portion sizes
We have all heard the government recommendations that we eat 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. This talk of servings and portions can sometimes be confusing, so let’s take a look at just what a serving consists of.

A serving of a fruit or vegetable can be:

– A medium sized piece of fruit, such as an apple, banana or orange
– One large slice of a fruit like a cantaloupe, melon or pineapple
– Two pieces of small fruit, such as a kiwi fruit or plum
– One cup of strawberries, raspberries or grapes
– One half cup of fresh fruit salad
– One half cup of stewed or canned fruit
– One quarter cup of dried fruit
– One half cup of 100% pure fruit juice
– One half cup of cooked, canned or frozen vegetables
– One side salad

Unlike with many other types of foods, more is better when it comes to fruits and vegetables. When planning and preparing meals, it is important to plan ahead and include as many servings of fruits and vegetables as possible. Proper meal planning and shopping are the best ways to meet the five a day minimum recommendation for fruit and vegetable consumption.

Some tips for healthier living
– Stock the fridge with healthy snacks like celery sticks and carrots
– Keep a bowl of fruit, stocked with healthy attractive fruits like oranges, apples and bananas, on the kitchen counter and dining room table
– Drink a glass of 100% pure apple, orange or grapefruit juice every morning
– Warm up a cold day with a steaming bowl of vegetable soup
– Eat at least one salad every day. Experiment with different salad additions, like broccoli, sprouts, carrots and green peppers.
– Snack on fruits like apples and oranges. Dried fruits like apricots and raisins also make handy and nutritious snacks
– Add sprouts, cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes to sandwiches for extra variety
– Garnish meals with chopped or grated carrots
– Strive for at least two servings of vegetables at each evening meal
– Use your creativity to create exciting vegetable stir fries for family and friends
– Spice up the grill with vegetable and fruit kebobs
– Use baked apples and pears as great low calorie desserts
– Add vegetables like carrots, cabbage, onions, lentils and peas to soups, stews and casseroles.
About the Author

Zaak O’Conan discovers and presents useful information on how to enhance and/or repair your life, body and relationships. You’ll find his other articles on eating better and other ways how to improve your life at http://your-health-center.com

Tags: Author, Butter Margarine, cancer;, Canned Fruits, Canned Vegetables, Cooking Vegetables, Dark Green Leafy Vegetables, Diet Tips, Different Colors, Foodstuffs, Fresh Fruits And Vegetables, Frozen Vegetables, Fruits And Vegetables, Fruits Vegetables, Green Leafy Vegetables, Healthy Eating, Healthy Fruits, heart disease;, Maintaining Good Health, microwave;, oil;, Rich Sources, Sources Of Beta Carotene, Trace Elements, Vitamin Pill —

For A Healthy Living: Just Enjoy A Variety Of Vegetables
Rene Graeber

Eating healthy is important for everyone – and I bet: you know
that already…

Plus: one of the most important keys to eating a better diet is
eating more fruits and vegetables. I bet again: you knew that
too. But:

Many people are unsure how to use vegetables more effectively as
part of their diet, but it may be easier than you think to
provide yourself and your family with healthy, nutritious meals
at a great prices!

One way to create wonderful meals that are healthier than ever
is to take a stroll through the produce section of your local
grocery store.

Most major grocery store chains have huge produce sections,
containing a wonderful variety of fruits and vegetables from all
corners of the world.

Trying a variety of different fruits and vegetables is a great
way to keep your meals interesting and exciting in addition to
nutritious. It is all too easy to become bored when trying to
follow a healthy diet, and boredom can lead people to abandon
their healthy habits.

Avoiding diet burnout is important to the long term survival of
even the most sensible eating plan.

So if you’ve never had vegetables like collard greens, asparagus
or kale before, why not give them a try. Not only can trying new
things allow you to make great new discoveries, but it can
increase your level of fitness as well. Leafy green vegetables
like spinach, broccoli and kale are rich sources of many
important vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients.

Another great way to increase the variety of vegetables you
enjoy is to combine fresh, frozen and canned vegetables. While
fresh vegetables are generally better and healthier, frozen and
canned vegetables can be great alternatives for when the fresh
varieties are out of season.

One of the best things about fresh fruits and vegetables is the
great variety of flavors, colors and textures available. Eating
a variety of different colored vegetables and fruits does much
more than provide much needed variety. It also provides a great
variety of nutrients.

For instance, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables tend to be
very high in beta carotene, while green leafy vegetables are
often great sources of calcium and other important nutrients. So
why not spice up your plain old green salad with a splash of
color in the form of yellow peppers or orange carrot slices?

Many people wrongly think that they can make up for a crappy
diet by using vitamin and mineral supplements. This mistaken
belief is apparently very widespread, since sales of these
supplements continue to break records.

When considering vitamin and mineral supplements, however, it is
important to remember that foods contain many different
minerals, trace elements and other micronutrients.

That means that for every nutrient that has been discovered and
synthesized, there may be ten, twenty or more of these
micronutrients that have yet to be fully understood. That is why
no vitamin supplement, no matter how complete, can truly replace
a healthy, balanced diet.

In addition, vitamin and mineral supplements are quite a bit
more expensive than a good selection of vegetables and fruits,
and not nearly as tasty.

When changing your diet and eating for a healthier lifestyle, it
is important to educate yourself about eating right, and go
choose the right fruits and vegetables for your tastes. After
all, the best diet is the one you can follow for the rest of
your life.

One of the best ways to start eating a healthy diet is to choose
the freshest fruits and vegetables. Not only do fresh fruits and
vegetables taste better, but they are less expensive and more
nutritious as well. Choosing a variety of in season fruits and
vegetables every week is a great way to enjoy healthy and varied
meals.

Of course your favorite fruits and vegetables will not always be
in season, so it will sometimes be necessary to supplement those
fresh fruits and vegetables with canned and frozen varieties.
When choosing canned fruits, try to avoid those packed in syrup;
choose canned fruits packed in fruit juice or water instead.
They will be healthier and contain less sugar.

Adding fresh fruit, such as apple slices, mandarin oranges,
nectarines and the like is a great way to make plain salads more
interesting and more delicious. Combining fruits and vegetables
is a great way to enhance your nutrition as well.

About the author:

When it comes to vigorous energetic youthful health your very
first challenge is to separate the hype, theories, and outright
‘BS’ from proven strategies and tested programs – just visit
Rene Graebers website at http://www.gesund-heilfasten.de

Tags: Author, Burnout, Canned Vegetables, Collard Greens, Eating Habits, Flavors, Fresh Fruits And Vegetables, Fruits And Vegetables, Fruits Vegetables, Graeber, Grocery Store Chains, Healthy Diet, Healthy Habits, Kale, Leafy Green Vegetables, Local Grocery Store, New Discoveries, Nutritious Meals, Rene Graebers, Rich Sources, Term Survival, Vegetables And Fruits, Vitamins And Minerals, Vitamins Minerals —

Enjoy a variety of vegetables for healthy living
Zaak OConan

Eating healthy is important for everyone, and one of the most important keys to eating a better diet is eating more fruits and vegetables. Many people are unsure how to use vegetables more effectively as part of their diet, but it may be easier than you think to provide yourself and your family with healthy, nutritious meals at a great prices.

One way to create wonderful meals that are healthier than ever is to take a stroll through the produce section of your local grocery store. Most major grocery store chains have huge produce sections, containing a wonderful variety of fruits and vegetables from all corners of the world.

Trying a variety of different fruits and vegetables is a great way to keep your meals interesting and exciting in addition to nutritious. It is all too easy to become bored when trying to follow a healthy diet, and boredom can lead people to abandon their healthy habits. Avoiding diet burnout is important to the long term survival of even the most sensible eating plan.

So if you’ve never had vegetables like collard greens, asparagus or kale before, why not give them a try. Not only can trying new things allow you to make great new discoveries, but it can increase your level of fitness as well. Leafy green vegetables like spinach, broccoli and kale are rich sources of many important vitamins, minerals and micronutrients.

Another great way to increase the variety of vegetables you enjoy is to combine fresh, frozen and canned vegetables. While fresh vegetables are generally better and healthier, frozen and canned vegetables can be great alternatives for when the fresh varieties are out of season.

One of the best things about fresh fruits and vegetables is the great variety of flavors, colors and textures available. Eating a variety of different colored vegetables and fruits does much more than provide much needed variety. It also provides a great variety of nutrients. For instance, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables tend to be very high in beta carotene, while green leafy vegetables are often great sources of calcium and other important nutrients. So why not spice up your plain old green salad with a splash of color in the form of yellow peppers or orange carrot slices?

Many people wrongly think that they can make up for a crappy diet by using vitamin and mineral supplements. This mistaken belief is apparently very widespread, since sales of these supplements continue to break records.

When considering vitamin and mineral supplements, however, it is important to remember that foods contain many different minerals, trace elements and micronutrients. That means that for every nutrient that has been discovered and synthesized, there may be ten, twenty or more of these micronutrients that have yet to be fully understood. That is why no vitamin supplement, no matter how complete, can truly replace a healthy, balanced diet.

In addition, vitamin and mineral supplements are quite a bit more expensive than a good selection of vegetables and fruits, and not nearly as tasty.

When changing your diet and eating for a healthier lifestyle, it is important to educate yourself about eating right, and go choose the right fruits and vegetables for your tastes. After all, the best diet is the one you can follow for the rest of your life.

One of the best ways to start eating a healthy diet is to choose the freshest fruits and vegetables. Not only do fresh fruits and vegetables taste better, but they are less expensive and more nutritious as well. Choosing a variety of in season fruits and vegetables every week is a great way to enjoy healthy and varied meals.

Of course your favorite fruits and vegetables will not always be in season, so it will sometimes be necessary to supplement those fresh fruits and vegetables with canned and frozen varieties. When choosing canned fruits, try to avoid those packed in syrup; choose canned fruits packed in fruit juice or water instead. They will be healthier and contain less sugar.

Adding fresh fruit, such as apple slices, mandarin oranges, nectarines and the like is a great way to make plain salads more interesting and more delicious. Combining fruits and vegetables is a great way to enhance your nutrition as well.
About the Author

Zaak O’Conan discovers and presents useful information on how to enhance and/or repair your life, body and relationships. You’ll find his other articles on eating better and other ways how to improve your life at http://your-health-center.com

Tags: Author, Burnout, Canned Vegetables, Collard Greens, Eating Habits, Flavors, Fresh Fruits And Vegetables, Fruits And Vegetables, Fruits Vegetables, Grocery Store Chains, Healthy Diet, Healthy Habits, Kale, Leafy Green Vegetables, Local Grocery Store, New Discoveries, Nutritious Meals, Rich Sources, Term Survival, Vegetables And Fruits, Vitamins And Minerals, Vitamins Minerals, Zaak —

There are many different weight loss surgery procedures but the weight loss surgery diet does not vary too much. High protein is essential to promoting healing and stimulate weight loss. But right at first the weight loss surgery patient needs to take it slowly when reintroducing foods to the digestive system.

After each procedure the pouch left by the surgery is only big enough to hold about an ounce of food. The weight loss surgery diet for the first few days following the surgery is high protein liquids only.

If all goes well, the patient can then graduate to puree or baby food consistency foods, all high protein as well. Baby food is a really good choice by the way. It is inexpensive and you can add some high protein powder to it if the protein amounts are inadequate.

When introducing more solid foods back in to your digestive system, you will be told to learn to chew your food well to avoid discomfort that can become extreme if you do not. Of course if you forget and do not chew your food well, you will only do it once. The discomfort you will feel will be very memorable and you will not forget again.

If you have already had your weight loss surgery you already know the “four rules” you need to follow regarding your follow up diet. The most important of the Four Rules is protein first. Which means that of all the nutrients taken in, patients should eat protein first, then carbohydrates, then fat.

The formula for computing how much protein you should be consuming in one day after your weight loss surgical procedure is 0.68g X your body weight in pounds = grams of protein per day. On average, protein consumption should be any where from 60g to 105g per day. Of course this is based only on a 1,200 calorie a day diet and varies on the patient and the nutritionist who is handling their case.

Some rich sources of protein you can choose from are fish, shellfish, chicken or turkey, meat and eggs. Consumption of nuts and legumes are discouraged, especially at first because they contain more fat than animal based proteins and because they are high in fiber, they are more difficult to digest.

Any foods that cause gas like fresh vegetables such as broccoli, cucumbers, green peppers, and cabbage should be avoided at all costs.

A high protein diet promotes fat loss because it takes more energy to digest protein than the amount of energy it contains so you body has to find other energy sources, like your fat stores, to completely digest the protein you ingest. So it would stand to reason that a high protein diet will trigger body fat mobilization.

Protein is important for growth and development of healthy muscle, skin, hair, nails and blood production. Protein intake is also essential for the healing process and a few extra grams of protein a day couldn’t hurt as part of a healthy weight loss surgery diet.

Tags: Baby Food, baby food consistency foods, computing, Diet Tips, Digestive System, energy sources, energy;, First Few Days, Fish Shellfish, food;, High Protein, Liquids, Nutritionist, Nuts And Legumes, Ounce, Protein Consumption, Protein Powder, Puree, Rich Sources, Sources Of Protein, surgery, Surgery Patient, Surgery Procedures, Turkey Meat, Turkey;, Weight Loss Surgery, Well Baby —