NATURAL FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

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Fruits and vegetables are essential minerals and vitamins that are necessary for consumption as it assist to combat all manner of maladies. It has been scientifically proven that eating a diet rich in natural health-giving foods can help us to ward off common complaints such as colds, coughs and infections as well as to protect ourselves against chronic degenerative diseases, including cancer, heart diseases and arthritis. It is really possible to eat your way to good health and improve the way we feel and look. Most fruits and vegetables have wide ranging benefits. Many health conditions stem from nutrient deficiencies, so they can be alleviated and often cured by eating better. Henceforth, base your diet on a wide range of vegetables and fruits, backed by whole grain cereals, organic meat and dairy products, with as little processed as possible.

Fruits

Fruits contain more vitamins than vegetables, whereas vegetables rate higher in the mineral stakes. Most fruits are exceptionally cleansing and alkalizing, helping to eliminate toxins from the body and to regulate the digestive system by stimulating movement of the digestive tract and improving the body‘s ability to absorb nutrients. Fruits are also a fantastic source of enzymes, natural sugars and cell-protective phytochemicals.

Just Right Fruit Basket

As the body digests fruits relatively quickly, they are best eaten on their ow, separately from other foods that take longer to digest. Both fresh and dried fruits are nutrient-rich, with dried fruits also being an excellent source of minerals. Some of the fruits are orange, strawberry, lemon, grapefruit, banana, apple, pear, figs, etc. Fruits are not only delicious but it is packed with vital nutrients that help the body to function at its best.

HEALTHY RECIPES

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Creamy Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

675g ripe tomatoes
1 red onion
1 medium carrot
1 stick of celery
1 medium potato, weighing about 175g (6oz)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1/2 vegetable stock cube
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon dried basil or mixed herbs
ground black pepper
4 tablespoons semi-skimmed milk
4 small sprigs of fresh basil

Preparation:

Cut each tomato into quarters. Cut out the green cores and throw them away. Cut the quarters into small pieces. Cut off the ends of the onion, peel it and cut it in half. Slice the onion, then cut it into small pieces. Peel the carrot and cut off the ends. Wash the celery and cut off the ends. Cut the carrot and celery into thin slices.

Peel the potato and cut it into 6 chunks. Put the oil into a large saucepan and heat it for 20 seconds. Add the onion and cook it for 3 minutes, stirring it often. Add the celery, carrot and potato to the pan. Peel the garlic and crush it into the pan. Cook the vegetables for a further 3 minutes, stirring them every now and then.

Put half a stock cube in a heatproof jug. Pour 600ml (1 pint) of boiling water into the jug. Add the tomato puree and stir until the stock cube has dissolved. Add the stock, tomatoes, herbs and a pinch of pepper to the pan. Bring the soup to the boil. Turn down the heat. Then, put a lid on the pan, leaving a small gap. Let the soup bubble gently for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. Using a hand-held blender, carefully blend the soup until it is smooth.

Finally, add the milk to the soup. Gently heat it until it bubbles. Then pour the soup into bowls. Put a sprig of fresh basil in each bowl before you serve it.

Healthy Food Facts

Celery is a good source of the mineral potassium, which is good for kidneys, digestion and nervous system.

Tomatoes contain vitamin C which fights germs, heals bones and wounds, and helps you absorb iron. The red colour in tomatoes is called lycopene. It helps to protect your body from diseases. Cooked tomatoes contain even more lycopene than raw tomatoes because the lycopene is more concentrated.

 

 

Natural Weight Loss Supplement

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Raspberry Ketone is the primary aroma compound of red raspberries, and is a safe and healthy supplement with no side effects. Raspberry Ketone is an incredible, exciting new fat-burning formula containing not only raspberry ketones as the main ingredient, but also a powerful blend of super fruits and antioxidants to help boost fat burning results. Raspberry Ketone is a potent formula with other anti-oxidant fat burning ingredients such as African mango, apple cider vinegar, green tea extract and grapefruit. This new discovery in weight-loss supplements is quickly becoming increasingly popular amongst slimmers and athletes worldwide.

Raspberry Ketone Burn is a maximum strength, highly concentrated weight loss supplement designed to help you eliminate fat and lose fat.

Why Raspberry Ketone Burn is good for your health

• Highly concentrated, 100% pure, Raspberry Ketone fat burning supplement.
• High potency formula, shown to burn more fat and produce weight loss results faster than other leading brands.
• Drastically increases lipolysis (fat breakdown) in the body as well as greatly increasing your body‘s resting metabolism, allowing you to burn stored fat and shed pounds quickly and efficiently
• Studies have shown the formula in Raspberry Ketone Burn naturally contains high levels of antioxidants, helping to improve immune system function and protect against the effects of aging.


STOMACH TROUBLES

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Stomach ulcers and indigestion are common throughout life, but as we get older, those little  health niggles can become more of a problem and this might be a sign of something more serious.  We should know that our modern lifestyle are not very kind to our stomachs.  Eating on the go, lack of exercise, stress and unbalanced diets all take their toll on our stomachs.  Thus to protect our stomach, we must ensure that we get away from bad habits to avoid tummy troubles such as aches, indigestion and wind.  Thus a few lifestyle changes can make a huge difference to our digestion and make a whole lot more comfortable.

Thus, you need to eat regularly so you are not tempted to gulp down your food.  Eat modest portions at mealtimes or give your digestion an easier time and try four or five small meals instead of three big meals that can be unpleasant to your stomach.  Under no circumstance should you rush your food, take time to eat slowly, swallowing air when you eat could lead to trapped wind.  Make sure you drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated and your digestion moving.  Please note that I’m talking from my experience with stomach troubles.  Free yourself from every form of anxiety as anxiety can upset your digestion also.  As much as possible avoid eating in stressful situations and keep meal times relaxed.  Whenever you are feeling stressed, try a relaxing bath, a gentle walk or doing some yoga instead.

Stop smoking because it can worsen the muscle that controls the lower end of your gullet as acid in your stomach can travel in the wrong direction.  Try and stay slim as overweight can also cause heartburn and indigestion.

DIET TIPS FOR A HEALTHY STOMACH

  1. Limit the amount of beans, broccoli, cauliflower, prunes and raisins you eat if you have too much wind.  These vegetables contain unabsorbed carbohydrates which can cause excess gas.
  2. Cut back on caffeine and alcohol both of which can make indigestion worse.
  3. Reduce the quantity of spicy foods that you eat.
  4. Get insoluble and soluble fiber. It is important to consume both types of fiber, which each help your digestive system in different ways. “Insoluble fiber, also known as roughage, can’t be digested by the body and therefore helps add bulk to the stools. “Soluble fiber draws in water and can help prevent stools that are too watery.” Good sources of insoluble fiber include wheat bran, vegetables, and whole grains; get soluble fiber from oat bran, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
  5. Choose lean meats. Protein is an essential part of a healthful diet, but fatty cuts of meat can lead to uncomfortable digestion. When you eat meat, select lean cuts, such as pork loin and skinless poultry.

In addition, make sure you eat plenty fruits and vegetables on a daily basis and thus keep your stomach healthy.

STRENGTH TO YOUR BONES

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It is extremely important that a person need to pay attention to its bone health, especially if you want to maintain your independence as you get older.  Your bones keep building up their strength until mid-20s and once you hit the age of 35 your bone density begins to decline.  To slow this process and help your bones stay strong , you need to put in a bit of work, and it is worth the effort.  If you leave your bone unchecked, it could continue to get weaker until one day one breaks after a slip or fall.

You can maintain your bone density with a healthy lifestyle – starting with a balanced diet that include plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean protein and whole grains to ensure you are getting all the nutrients your bone need.  This can be found in milk and dairy products, green leafy vegetables, dried fruits such as figs, apricots and currants, tinned fish such as sardines and tofu.  You also need to reduce substantially the habit of drinking soft drinks such as cola as this could negatively affect your bone mineral density.  Instead of indulging in soft drinks, why not stick to water or try green tea as water is good for a healthy living and researches have shown that green tea could help stimulate an enzyme in your body that promotes bone growth.

Your bone is a living tissue and it needs to be exercised just like your muscles.  When it comes to bones, weight bearing exercise counts – that’s anything where you are supporting your own body weight, such as walking, jogging, aerobics, tennis and dancing.  Vitamin D is equally important as it helps your body to absorb calcium.  Your skin can help you make Vitamin D from sunlight, so try to get between 15 – 20 minutes on your face and arms every day during the summer.

Another important thing to do is to give up smoking, as the chemical and toxins in cigarettes speed up bone breakdown.  Smoking also reduces the amount of oxygen and healing blood circulating around your body and this means that if you break a bone it could take longer to heal if you continue to smoke.  Equally important is to ensure that you keep your weight stable.  Do not attempt losing weight through extreme dieting or over-exercising which is not good for your bone.

Ways to ensure strong bones

Eat calcium-rich foods

Adults should eat at least 700mg of calcium a day, and 1,200mg if diagnosed with osteoporosis. You could consume 700mg in one day by eating a yoghurt, a cheese sandwich, a handful of almonds and a spinach salad.

Get your sunshine quota

Your body needs vitamin D to help it absorb calcium. Vitamin D is found in oily fish, liver, fortified spreads and cereals, and egg yolks. Your body also makes its own vitamin D when you’re exposed to sunshine

Go easy on the protein

Excessive amounts of meat, cheese and protein make body acid, which drains the body of calcium and weakens bones. Keep your diet balanced.

Your meals should contain protein (meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds), fresh fruit and vegetables, and carbohydrates (bread, pasta, potatoes and rice).

Try to quit smoking

The more you smoke, the more likely you’ll suffer from osteoporosis. Aim to quit smoking completely instead of reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke daily.

Cut out the salt

Salt is thought to speed up the body’s loss of calcium. Most of us consume 9g of salt a day, but the recommended limit is 6g, which is just a teaspoonful. Don’t add salt to your food, and look at food labels to help you cut down.

Avoid foods that contain 1.5g salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium) or more. Crisps, ham, cheese, cooking sauces and processed foods such as pies, pizza and soups are all high in salt.

Be active

Bones get stronger when you use them. The best way to strengthen them is to do at least five hours of ‘weight-bearing’exercise a week. This includes walking, running, dancing, golf, tennis or netball. It doesn’t include cycling or swimming (although swimming is good for staying flexible).

Bones also benefit if you lift and carry things. Weight training is ideal, but carrying shopping, gardening and housework all count.

You may wish to check out this book on building a strong bone Whole Foods for Strong Bones: A Holistic Approach (Whole-Body Healing)

HAVE A HEALTHY HEART

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A healthy heart  is essential for a long life, however heart diseases is common nowadays.  There is however a lot that you can do to protect yourself and keep your heart in a very good condition.  Do not take your heart for granted, therefore ensure you eat good food, vitamins, nutrients and minerals.  Do not wait until something goes wrong before you give it a thought to maintain a good heart.  Heart diseases is one of the most common killers in the world today and it affects just as many women as it does men.  Coronary heart diseases (CHD) is usually caused by a build-up of fatty deposits on the walls of the arteries.  Thus the more clugged your arteries become the harder it is  to get nourishing blood and oxygen to your heart.  As the fat builds up your arteries harder it makes even harder for your heart to pump enough blood through your arteries.

If you want to have a healthy heart, you have to learn how to eat a healthy heart diet. All of the food you eat affects the health of your heart. Learn which foods are heart smart and try to include them as a regular part of your diet.

Consult your doctor for an eating plan that best suits your dietary needs.  Ensure you have a diet plan which you must follow always.

No matter which eating plan you follow, the following guidelines can be given a thought to:

  • Total fat intake should be less than 30 percent of total calories daily.
  • Saturated fatty acid intake should be less than 10 percent of total calories daily.
  • Polyunsaturated fatty acid intake should be no more that 10 percent of total calories daily.
  • Monounsaturated fatty acids make up the rest of total fat intake, about 10 to 15 percent of total calories daily.
  • Cholesterol intake should be no more than 300 milligrams per day.
  • Sodium intake should be no more than 3000 milligrams per day.
  • Beware of chemicals in your food like caffeine, MSG, and other food additives.

Don’t forget that you can enjoy the taste of eating right. Healthy heart foods can be delicious.  Love your heart.

 

VITAMINS AND MINERALS

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Vitamins and minerals, have a unique role to play in maintaining your health. For example Vitamin D helps your body absorb the amount of calcium (a mineral) it needs to form strong bones. This a deficiency in vitamin D can result in a disease called rickets (softening of the bones caused by the bodies inability to absorb the mineral calcium.) The body cannot produce calcium; therefore, it must be absorbed through our food. Other minerals include chromium, copper, iodine, iron, selenium, and zinc are called trace minerals because you only need very small amounts of them each day. The best way to get enough vitamins is to eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods. The amount of vitamins you need can be derived from the foods you eat.

What role do vitamins and minerals play in nutrition?

Vitamins help the body turn food into energy and tissues. There are 13 vitamins in all: vitamin A; the vitamin B complex, which includes thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin B12 pantothenic acid, and biotin; and vitamins C, D, E, and K.
Minerals are needed for growth and maintenance of body structures. They also help to maintain digestive juices and the fluids found in and around cells. Unlike vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, minerals are not made by plants and animals. Plants get minerals from water or soil, and animals get minerals by eating plants or plant-eating animals.
The minerals the body needs in large amounts include calcium, chlorine, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and sulphur. Other minerals, called trace elements, are needed in much smaller amounts. Trace elements include iron, copper, fluorine, iodine, selenium, zinc, chromium, cobalt, manganese, and molybdenum.

If your body lacks any of the above, automatically the body will not function well and can lead to health crisis such as diabetes, heart diseases, cancer, etc.  You will save yourself from ill-health by eating and drinking the right amount of diets that are rich in both vitamins and minerals.

HEALTHY FOOD

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Having a healthy diet is all about eating the right amount of lots of different foods.  Different foods contain different nutrients, which do different jobs in the body.  Thus an individual needs to eat a variety of types of food to make sure one is getting  a good range of nutrients. Below are the main ones.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates give energy and there are two forms of carbohydrates: starches and sugars.  Starchy foods such as bread, potatoes, rice and pasta are better than sugary foods.  Natural sugars in foods such as honey and fruits contain some nutrients which are good for the body.  However, processed sugar such as the ones found in cakes, sweets, biscuits or sweetened drinks is not really good for the body.  Thus care should be taken in ensuring that little amount of processed sugar is consumed if a person cannot totally afford this type of sugar.

Protein

Protein helps you grow and it helps your body to repair itself.  Protein can be found in lean meat, fish, cheese, eggs, milk, nuts, beans, fibre, whole grains, vitamins and minerals.

Fat

The body uses fat to keep a person warm, to protect organs like the kidneys and to help absorb vitamins.  Although fat is high in energy, too much of some fats can be dangerous to your health.  Therefore it is necessary to avoid fatty foods such as crisps and fried foods and try ones which also contain other nutrients such as milk, meat or oily fish.

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals do different jobs in the body, some fight  germs, some help one to grow, and others help your body to use the energy you get from food.  For essential chemical processes to take place in the body, you need small amounts of almost 40 different vitamins and minerals.  A good balanced diet will ensure you get the right amount of all the nutrients required to help the body grow.  Calcium is also a mineral found in foods such as milk and cheese.  Iron is a mineral which is essential for healthy blood and it is found in meat, fish and vegetables, such as spinach.

Fibre

Fibre is vital for keeping food moving through your body and preventing diseases.  It helps make waste soft enough to pass out of your body.  Fibre is found in vegetables, fruit, wholemeal bread and pasta, whole grain cereals, brown rice, beans and nuts.