If you are confused as you walk the aisles of the supermarket, wondering what foods will contribute or detract from your health, you are not alone. Nutrition is a complex topic, and you will read a lot of contradictory advice. These tips will clear up some questions about basic nutrition.
Chocolate is not your enemy. While candy bars are obviously an unhealthy choice, dark chocolate is a much healthier alternative. Dark chocolate has much less fat and calories than milk chocolate, and consuming a little bit of it can reduce your sweet tooth and has even proven to increase your life span.
Here’s a scary one. Have you ever wondered why dogs only live 10 to 15 years while humans live typically 60 years or more? It all lies within our cells and our metabolism where oxygen plays a big part. Oxygen moves energy throughout our cells breaking the carbs we consume into energy. The problem is, oxygen also breaks down our cells in the same process. This is called “oxidation.” But our cells also have a buffer against the oxygen, these are called “antioxidants” and are prevalent in fruits and veggies.
Dogs have faster metabolisms than humans, which breaks down energy quicker and pumps much more oxygen into the cells. The cells die faster because of oxidation. Dogs also don’t or can’t eat many fruits and veggies, which carry those all important antioxidants.
While humans have slower metabolisms, you can actually speed yours up almost to the speed of a dog’s, simply by eating pure sugar, which the body converts to energy almost immediately. Pure sugar is a high energy carb. Cells turn the sugar into energy, but harm the cells in the process. Cells take time to grow back and they don’t grow back indefinitely! So if you want to live a longer life, eat lots of fruits and veggies and keep away from the pure sugar!
If you have a sweet tooth, or want to binge on potato chips, it is an addiction you must beat if you wish to be healthier. When you eat junk food, it becomes an addiction because it is easy to get and tasty. It can be hard to resist these cravings long after the foods have been eliminated from your diet. That’s why it’s crucial to be aware of cravings and to build enthusiasm for healthy alternatives.
When considering a diet that provides an adequate nutrition level, be sure to distribute your food intake more evenly across the day, as opposed to large meals. This will help to prevent eating too much, as well as to aide in digestion and the usage of nutrients. Having five or six medium or small meals, is much better than two or three larger meals.
To feel your best, maintain a balanced diet. One great health and nutrition tip is to cut back on refined sugars. Keep an eye out for bad foods and drinks such as fruit juice and soda pop. These have lots of sugar, which needs to be avoided. You will notice fast changes when you cut sugar from your diet. It can also improve your appearance.
Try to keep your snacks prepared and in a spot that you can easily get to them. When you buy your snacks, such as fruits and vegetables, cut them up and store them in containers. This will give your snack the convenience of a prepackaged snack. Instead of grabbing for a quick bag of chips, you will already have quick fruits and veggies on hand.
Most of the time we fall prey to unhealthy or indulgent foods simply by tossing them in the grocery cart. Exercising restraint at the supermarket is immensely easier than exercising restraint when the culprit is only steps away in your refrigerator or cabinet. By making unhealthy or processed foods inaccessible, you are doing yourself (and your body) a huge favor.
Nutrition is just as important before you get pregnant as it is during pregnancy. So start now by replacing soft drinks with water. There is no nutrition in soda to help your body get ready for the stresses of growing a baby. Water helps clear the body of toxins to make sure you are in top shape before you conceive.
If you are interested in adding salmon or tuna to your diet because they are high in minerals but you do not know how to cook them, you can buy canned versions. You just have to make sure that the ones you buy are packed it water and not in oil so they won’t be loaded with excess fat and calories.
If you are interested in nutrition, you can find articles online, magazines, and books that are sure to answer your questions. If you know what food categories promote health — and what categories corrode health — you have an excellent chance of building a nutritious future. You will benefit from learning more about nutrition.
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