Healthy Eating GuidelinesBREAKFAST. They often told us since grade school:Start the day with a good breakfast! But while eating breakfast does seem to boast performance in children, it's not so clear whether it's equally important for adults. While a number of studies have suggested that skipping breakfast can cause fuzzy thinking and fatigue, some experts say that the evidence is not convincing. Studies on human performance indicate that people who regularly skip breakfast may actually experience an energy slump on occasions when they do eat it.Dr Arthur Frank,MD,medical director of the Obesity Management Program at George Washington University Hospital in Washington D.C. is not opposed to the idea of having breakfast,"you shouldn't feel obligated to eat it",he says."Follow your body's lead." Of course,if you frequently find yourself feeling tired as the day wears on, skipping breakfast could be making the problem worse,says Wahida Karmally, DrPH,RD,CDE, director of nutrition of the Irving Center for Clinical Research at Columbia University Medical Centre. She recomments starting the day with a breakfast that is high in complex carbohydrates blended with protein- whole-grain cerial with low-fat or fatfree milk and fresh fruit,for example, or whole-wheat toast topped with low-fat cheese. We recommend adding one of USANA's Macro-optimizers to your breakfast. They contain complex carbohydrates,dietry fibre for more energy, soy protein and potassium in the right ratio's, with a low glycaemic index of 23. You can read more about macronutrients in one of the following sections. Children who eat breakfast are more likely to have better concentration, problem solving skills and hand-eye coordination. The State of Minnesota Breakfast Study showed that "students who ate breakfasts before starting school had a general increase in math grades and reading scores, increased student attention, reduced nurse visits and increased student behaviours." Eating only sugary foods may cause your child to have eratic energy levels, it actually spike their blood sugar levels which can cause type 2 diabetis. Eating a balanced breakfast will help get them going and sustain their energy until lunch time. A healthy breakfast does not have to take a lot of time. Stick to the basics and serve simple foods that are nutritious and quick in the morning. For ideas, here are ten tips for nourishing ways to kick-start the day.
Ten tips for a healthier breakfast. 1. Oatmeal in an instant. Instant oatmeal is geat on a cold morning and contains fiber and vitamns. Choose oatmeal that isn't already pre-sweetened. Sweeten it with raisins or fresh fruit. 2. Smoothy madness. Blend frozen fruit(bananesans berries are great),low-fat or fatfree milk and 100% fruit-juice for a quick, tasty breakfast smoothy with lots of nutrients. 3. Go 100% whole grain. 100% whole-grain,bibre containing cereals served with low- or fat-free milk are a healthier alternative to sugary cereals. Whole-wheat muffins with smashed banana are also easy and tasty. 4. Eggxactly! Boil,scramble or poach eggs and serve on whole-wheat toast they're packet with nutrition and in appropriate portions, are great for kids. 5. Toaster Treats. Frozen, whole-grain waffles take almost no time to make. Top them with berries, low sugar apple-sauce or sliced bananas instead of syrup. 6. Go Nutty! Spreading peanut or almond butter on whole-grain toast is great to get both protein and fiber. 7. Go Fruity! A fresh fruit cut up with a dollop of low-fat or fat-free yogurt is a great way to start the day. Apples contain fiber and bananas contain potassium. 8. Try All-Fruit Spreads. Instead of butter or margarine on toast, try all-fruit spreads, fruit butters, or even sliced bananas or strawberries. 9. Bagel Classics. Try a whole-wheat or sunflower seed bagel with low-fat cream cheese or peanut butter. 10. Breakfast On-the-Go. Don't have time to eat breakfast at home? Keep whole-grain mini bagels on-hand or muffins or the USANA Nutrition bars (Iced lemon Fibergy Bar,Oatmeal Raisin or Peanut Crunch Nutrition Bars.) LUNCH. A lunch should be just enough to satisfy your appetite, but not to much so that you get sleepy afterwards. Especially when you eat a warm lunch. I would not recommend this for people who are working. I prefer I light lunch of two slices of wholemeal toast with avocado, slices of tomato and sweet & saur cucumber on top. This is my favorite. Of course you can also vary this,instead of avocado use salmon or ham as a base.If you have time during luch, make a fresh salade of carrot,celery, beatroot,capsicum,alpha sprouts, union and lettuce. Sprinkle some olive oil and lemon juice on top. Ad salt and pepper to taste. It is best to eat your salade first, your digestive system would like this better as it takes less time for your digestive system to digest salade than other food. It is best to start your breakfast, lunch and dinner with some fresh fruit, because fruit takes only fifteen to twenty minutes to digest.It is not good practisch to finish of a dinner that contains meat or chicken with fruit. The fruit has to wait till other food is digested and in the mean time start a rotting process in your stomach which causes a bad smell when you go to the toilet.Harvey Diamond in his book'Fit for Life', suggest to eat only fruit in the morning for breakfast. I like to finish my lunch with yogurt.Preferable use plain organic yogurt. Yogurt has a lot of health benefits. Yogurt that contains live cultures promote a longer life. The bacteria strenghen our immune system, help ulcers cure more quickly and protect women aganst yeast infection.It keeps the vagina's natural bacterial environment in balance, making it harder for the yeast funges to thrive.Yogurt also has a higher calcium content than milk. In a study of the eating habits and health of 5,996 women and men by researchers at Rush University Medical centre in Chicago, levels of homocysteine-a compound in the blood that's been linked with heart attacks- were 6.4 times lower for people who ate yogurt more than 15 times a month than for people who avoided yogurt. Yogurt packet with live cultures may also rebalance your cholesterol. Mix 2 tablespoons of USANA's OptOmega through your yogurt,it contains the right ratio's of Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9 essential fatty acids, a unique blend of certified,organic flexseed oil,sunflower,pumpkin seed rosemary,turmeric and extra-virgin olive oils.Ad a spoonful of honey. I like to top it up with some crunched almomds. Don't mix fruit through your yogurt,as it is not so good for your digestive system.
DINNER. Nearly every day,researchers announce more exciting discoveries that show how the foods we eat help fight disease.There is now no doubt that Mother Nature's most delicious foods-from apples and broccoli to yogurt and zucchini- can be your best medicine for cutting cholesterol,losing weight,preventing cancer,beating allergies,reversing heart disease and managing scores of other conditions. Thanks to the constant stream of new studies, we now know that it's the remarkable microscopic substances in plants called phytonutrients, that act in any number of ways to help us prevent illness and achieve optimal health. Quercetin,lycopene,resveratrol,ellagic acid,sulphoraphane,alpha-and beta- carotene..,these are just a few of the powerful phytonutrients. Some stimulate your body's immune cells and infection fighting enzymes, preventing colds and flu and combating environmental toxins. Others help to balance hormone levels, thus reducing the risk of hormone related conditions, such as symptoms of menopause and breast and prostate cancer.And still other phytonutrients function as antioxidants, neutralizing the harmful free radicals that are believed to play a role in the onset of so many degenerative diseases. Today more than 9,000 phytonutriens have been documented and this is just the tip of the iceburg. These discoveries have changed everything we thought we knew about foods! One of the most exciting discoveries is that some foods can literally stop the chemical changes that can lead to ancer.Watercres,for example,has been found to block some of the harmful effects of cigarette smoke. And strawberries and other berries that contain ellagic acid, have been shown to block the harmful effects of cancer-causing chemicals in the body. Scientists have also discovered ways to make the food that we eat even more powerful.You may know for instance, that beta-carotene is good for your heart. But scientists have learned that your body can't readily absorb beta-carotene unless you eat it with a little fat.That's why a drizzle of olive oil on cooked carrots or broccoli or a dab of yogurt on fresh fruit can fastly increase their healing powers. For more quick and easy healthy recipes, visit Don's site: www.easy-special-health-recipes.com/index.html Your Vegetarian Kitchen offers timeless vegetarian recipes, eggless desserts, tips, advice, product recommendations, and more for the modern veg-friendly kitchen. Helping you Explore the Vegetarian Chef in YOU! |