Nutrition Treat

Food That Promotes Digestive Health

Posted on October 17, 2014 by dietfigure

Did you know that 70% of your immune system is found in the digestive tract? This means that maintaining the good health of your digestive tract can really uplift your body’s health and contribute to an improvement in your well being. Digestion is the breaking down of the food you consume into nutrients that can be absorbed by your blood and cells to provide you with energy and nourishment.

To improve your digestive health there are some foods and healthy snacks you should have more of and these are:

High fiber foods

Fiber is the part of food that passes through your body undigested. There is soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber bulks up your stools and sweeps through your digestive tract cleaning out waste. It is excellent at regulating bowel movement. Examples of insoluble fiber are whole grain, and non-starchy vegetables such as celery, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber and dark leafy vegetables. Soluble fiber captures water and turns into a gel that fills you up. This helps to keep hunger pangs at bay and balance blood sugar levels. Examples of soluble fiber are oatmeal, nuts, seeds, apples and berries. Use these fiber foods to make healthy snacks such as oatmeal cookies or vegetable sandwiches.

Food high in water

Foods and vegetable that have high water content are great for your digestive health. The water helps in ensuring the metabolic processes in the digestive tract work as required. These foods are also diuretics thereby promoting the health of the urinary tract by flushing it out regularly. They are also good high volume and low-calorie foods because you only need a small quantity of them to feel full and they are easy to digest thereby reducing the work to be done by your digestive system. High water content foods are also an alternative source of water for the body. Good examples are watermelons, tomatoes, cucumber, leafy green vegetables, berries and eggplants among others.

Probiotic- rich foods

Taking foods rich in probiotics will greatly improve your digestive system. This is bacteria introduced into the body that has a beneficial effect such as fighting off harmful bacteria and improving food digestion. You get probiotics from fermented foods and cultured foods. These foods will replenish the healthy bacteria and get rid of excess amounts of bad bacteria making sure things in the digestive tracts are balanced. This will boost the body’s immune system and greatly improve digestion. Food such as sauerkraut, kimchi and natural yoghurt are good examples of these foods. Ensure that the yoghurt you choose is free of sugar and filled with live and active cultures. Yoghurt and fruit can be used to make healthy snacks, as well.

Flavor food with herbs and spices

There are herbs and spices that will boost the health of your digestive system. One of them is ginger which helps in promoting the production of saliva for digestion. Garlic is a good inclusion because it promotes the health of the gut through its antibacterial and antiviral properties. Cinnamon inhibits overgrowth of unhealthy bacteria such as yeast and is also a reliever of bloating. Having lots of natural herbs in your food will, therefore, boost the health of your gut immensely. Others to look out for are oregano, thyme and sage. Use these herbs in healthy snacks such as guacamole dip with whole wheat crackers.

Fast Food and The Slow Food Movement: What is it All About?

Posted on October 5, 2014 by dietfigure

The weight loss movement has shifted from one diet hype to another over the years. If it is not about low carb foods, it is about calorie counting and many more diets and fads that have come up over the years. Have you heard of the term slow foods? We are all familiar with the term fast food, but what are slow foods?

Fast foods are foods that are prepared and served in record time in hotels and restaurants. These meals are most of the time unhealthy and full of fats, but taste really good. Although not all fast food is unhealthy most of it is filled with a huge amount of fat, salt, sugar and additives that are unhealthy. Most of these foods contain very little nutritional benefits in terms of vitamins and minerals hence they are often referred to as empty calories and not healthy snacks.

For a long time, doctors have campaigned against the eating of these foods because they foster ill health. They trigger heart ailments, obesity, diabetes, skin problems and can even have a negative effect on one’s mood. They actually are a pleasant route to chronic ill health and a lackluster life. To fight this growing plague, in came the slow food movement.

The slow food movement is a movement that encourages the conscious effort to move away from fast foods and the culture of fast living that encourages the consumption of these foods. This is actually an organization that has been around since the 80s. It was started by 62 eco-lovers and health food lovers in Italy. The aim of it was to sensitize people on how to protect the environment and their health by making the right choices as concerns the foods they choose to eat by monitoring it from production to consumption.

The main goals of the slow food movement are to educate people on how to taste and enjoy wholesome food of quality and healthy snacks as opposed to going for good taste without health value as in the case of fast foods. It also encourages the protection of the environment by encouraging activities like organic farming that limit the use of chemicals and synthetic fertilizers on farms. This ensures that the integrity of the soil is maintained. The surrounding ecosystem is maintained and the foods produced are of high quality and not contaminated by chemicals and other things used in commercial farming that are dangerous to our health and the environment. It also encourages interaction of food producers and lovers who support the first two objectives.

If you are a champion of slow foods, then you care where your meal comes from, how its ingredients were produced and also prepare it in the right way. This means finding ways that will most maintain the integrity of the ingredients of your meal in terms of preserving the vitamin, minerals and other nutrients in them. This will ensure that when these foods are consumed, they provide the eater with the most benefits health wise and taste wise as well making for healthy snacks.

So, slow food culture is a healthier way of approaching food production and intake that is meant to benefit the community and the people in general. Following it should result in reduced cases of chronic ill health, help in maintaining a healthy weight and generally improve the quality of the lives of human beings in general. Why not adopt some aspects of this culture in your diet and see the change it brings to your health and the health of those you love?

Dangers of Food Obsession and Overdoing Healthy Eating

Posted on October 2, 2014 by dietfigure

Have you ever met a health food fanatic? He/she is always counting calories, reading labels, juicing and preaching the benefits of organic foods and eating healthy snacks. These people can be quite annoying even though they mean well. However, they are not only a danger to others in terms of being fun busters, but they can also be a danger to themselves. It’s good to eat healthy foods but look out as you can overdo it and get into trouble. Common mistakes done in healthy eating include;

Overdoing the omega three’s

These are healthy fats known to fight inflammation and chronic ailments such as diabetes and heart ailments. However, they should not be taken in excess because they may interfere with the body’s immunity. So, eat fish and eggs in moderation and ensure that you do not too much of nuts, fish and eggs among other omega 3 rich foods.

Taking too much vitamin C

Vitamin C is great for boosting your body’s immunity and maintaining healthy skin, bones and teeth. However, there is a limit to the amount of vitamin C you can take from food and supplements. Doctors recommend no more than 200 mg a day. When taken excessively, it may cause kidney stones, trigger heartburn and insomnia. It may also cause diarrhea and bloating. To avoid overdoing this vitamin intake, get your vitamin C in healthy snacks from fruits and vegetables as opposed to taking it in supplement form. Get it from papaya, citrus fruit, bell peppers and Brussels sprouts among others foods.

Completely avoiding certain food groups

Some people avoid certain food groups, for example, avoiding fat completely. This is wrong because each and every food group has a purpose for your body. The only thing you can do is portion your meals and consume healthy snacks in between meals making sure that you have each type of food in moderation.

Taking too much of certain foods

Did you know that there is such a thing as too much fiber? This applies to all other foods. Take them in moderation. The danger of over- indulging in certain types of food is that your body may not be able to handle them. For example, excess protein intake has been known to stress the kidneys

Over juicing

Juicing fruits and vegetables is a very good way of attaining your vitamins and minerals from fruits and vegetables. It is especially beneficial for people that are averse to eating fruits and vegetables because they can take it in the form of tasty juices and smoothies. However, some people over do juicing. One thing to know is that there is a limit to the amount of vitamins and minerals that can be absorbed by your body in a day.

Hence, taking lots of fruits juice and vegetables does not mean that your body is absorbing all the vitamins and minerals. In many cases, this can lead to an overdose of vitamin and minerals that can trigger organ problems and ill health. The bottom line is to do things in moderation when consuming food and healthy snacks to avoid negative repercussions in healthy eating practices.

Low Carb Food List to Consider

Posted on September 29, 2014 by dietfigure

You need to know what to eat as part of your low carb food diet. Your ultimate goal will remain getting a well-balanced diet since that is what you need to maintain good health. This blog post has all the necessary foods that you will consider helpful when under a low carbs diet. Make sure you don’t confuse anything since this is a serious matter touching on your dieting.

Fruits

You don’t eat any type of fruits when you are under a low carbs diet. Make sure you are selective enough to settle on the right ones. The best fruits are those with low quantities of sugar because it translates to high nutritional value. Lemons, blackberries, strawberries, papaya, peaches, blueberries, casaba melon, guavas and apples are some of the fruits that you should include in your low carb food list. Oranges and pears have a fair amount of sugar and will not be bad for consideration.

Vegetables

These are foods that should never miss out of your low carb diet list. In choosing the right vegetables for your low carb diet, consider the carbohydrate levels in every serving. Sprouts, spinach, lettuce, chard, kale, rosemary, mushrooms, cabbage and jicama are some of the vegetables that you can have for your low carb diet. There are also cucumbers, peppers, cauliflower, okra, green beans, wax beans and pumpkin which you will not have made any mistake to consider for your diet. Since your diet is aimed at lowering carbohydrates, you should not consider eating starchy and sweet vegetables.

Meat

This brings together dairy products as well as seafood. You have to cast your net wide in getting the best meaty products for your low carb food list. You have to be very careful on these foods because most of them might end up being counterproductive. For instance, you are prohibited against taking breaded seafood and meat like fish sticks or fried chicken, processed foods are not highly recommended because they contain sugar while canned meat contains carbs.

You can get to know about all that by reading labels for every canned or processed food. Organ meat is one of the best for low carb diets because their nutritional value is always high. You can have liver from chicken and animals but don’t take more than 4 oz. in a day. Eggs are also good to substitute meat as well as soy beans which are more or less the same.

Nuts and seeds

In this category, you will have to consider foods like walnuts, almonds and sunflower seeds among others that are known to have very little of the carbohydrates.

Dairy products

These are good because they have high fat contents and good for situations where you want to lower carbohydrates. Consider yogurt, cream, butter and cheese for your low carb diet list.

10 Most Healthy Foods to Eat

Posted on September 26, 2014 by dietfigure

It is very unfortunate that very many people don’t know the best healthy foods to eat. They just take in whatever they come across as long as their hunger is satisfied. Luckily, this blog post will discuss the top ten healthiest foods that you will ever come across.

Lemon

This is a fruit highly rich in vitamin C and it’s important for bone formation and increasing cholesterol. The fruit has citrus flavonoids which is helpful in preventing cancer as well as suppressing inflammation.

Kale

This is a common type of vegetables and it’s good in fighting diseases like cancer making it a healthy food type. Vitamin K is its key nutrient and it helps in blood clotting as well as growth of cells. It is very tasty.

Dark chocolate

Many people might consider this to be a food for children but it is good for maintaining respectable health in adults. This chocolate helps to tame blood pressure thanks to its high contents of flavonoids and antioxidants.

Salmon

It might surprise you that salmon is one of the healthiest foods in the world but not every salmon fits in. You have to specifically go for the wild salmon which has vitamin D in addition to omega-3 fatty acids for proper protection of the heart. Actually, the fatty acids are good in preventing aging effects as well as memory damage.

Pumpkin

This is a more traditional food but very healthy for consumption even in the modern world. It contains very limited levels of calories but rich in fibers and vitamin A. Beta carotene is the other nutrient that you will find in pumpkins.

Potatoes

Go for red potatoes and you will consume high amounts of folate which is a nutrient for building cells. Vitamin A is also present in tomatoes and will be good for dealing with cancer and bolstering immunity to diseases.

Apple

This is also a fruit that makes it to the top healthy foods that you can eat. They have high contents of fiber with pectin the notable soluble fiber found in apples. Pectin helps to clear harmful cholesterol from the body and you will find most of the helpful compounds in the fruit’s skin.

Avocado

This is good for decreasing cholesterol levels in the body. That is for the reason that avocados have high amounts of fats and fiber coming with the added advantage of lowering risks of suffering heart diseases.

Banana

There is no other food that you will come across with high potassium levels than a banana. This compound is good for improving blood pressure as well as making sure the digestive and muscular systems function properly.

Whole-wheat bread

The fact that this bread is made of whole grains make it absolutely healthy. Whole grains help to maintain cholesterol levels low, contain blood sugar and pressure as well as prevent killer disease like cancer.

About Author:

The food that you eat must be healthy which remains to be the clarion call by this celebrated author. To date, he has written many books and articles on key healthy recipes for people to use as their health guidelines. He likes impacting lives of other human beings positively through his writing.