2009

25

May

Vegetables: Selection, Storage, and Serving

Vegetables are usually recommended in a diet but you need to know more about how they should be selected, properly stored, and served. Vegetables are an important source of dietary fiber that does not contain cholesterol, is low in calories, sodium, and fat.

Vegetables may help prevent some diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Spinach, green peppers, and broccoli are sources of antioxidants and help protect tissues by slowing down oxidation. Carrots are rich in vitamin A, asparagus in vitamin C, chicory is a source of vitamin B-6, magnesium, calcium, and riboflavin.

Buy only high quality vegetables and try to enhance their flavour and preserve their nutrients. When selecting them, look for vegetables with blemish-free surfaces and characteristic shapes. Choose only the vegetables you plan to eat during the next few days. If you keep them longer they can lose taste or nutrient levels.

Avoid vegetables with wilted or damaged leaves. Choose in-season vegetables if possible because they taste better, or packed vegetables. Frozen vegetables contain nutrients and have low amounts of sodium. It`s good to choose canned vegetables without added salt.

Selecting the best vegetable products isn`t enough. They must also be properly stored. Don`t wash them before storage. Throw away the vegetables that smell bad or were kept for too long.

The vegetables must be stored according to their type. The root vegetables must be placed in a cool, dark place while the others may be kept in the refrigerator crisper drawer.

Vegetables may lose some nutrients because of the long exposure to high temperature. That’s why it`s good to choose quick-cooking methods such as steaming, microwaving, or stir-frying.

Considerable amounts of fiber and nutrients can be found in the peels of some vegetables such as potatoes. The vegetables must be washed before cooking to remove pesticides and dirt. Raw vegetables such as carrots, bell peppers, celery, cauliflower, or broccoli are healthy snacks and may help you on a diet.

You can increase the amount of vegetables from your food. For example, add them to the spaghetti sauce, eat vegetarian pizza instead of your usual pizza, or choose pasta with spinach or beets. Include in your salad chicory, kale, spinach, arugula, collard, mustard greens, watercress, or dandelion greens.

Filed under: Other - Health No Comments » Posted by admin

2009

13

May

Tips for a Healthier Lifestyle

Stay in shape with a balanced diet and regular workout. Little physical exercise and unhealthy diet may lead to excess weight and health problems.

When it comes to healthy eating, some of the following tips might help:
• Eat for breakfast daily. This way, it’s less probable to overeat later. In the morning try some low-fat yogurt with low-fat granola, low-sugar cereal, or whole-wheat toast with peanut butter.
• Eat whole grains more often: brown rice, bulgur, oatmeal, pastas, and whole-wheat bread.
• Eat all kind of vegetables: collards, kale, mustard greens, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, red peppers, and carrots.
• Eat fresh or canned fruits. Fruit juice has little fiber.
• Use oils from olives, peanut, and canola. Fish and olives provide fats, minerals and vitamins healthy for the heart.
• Use peanut, nuts and avocado butters.
• Eat three meals daily and try to follow a healthy eating plan. A healthy diet should be low in fats, cholesterol, added sugars and salt. Include lean meats, fish, bean, nuts, eggs, poultry, vegetables, low-fat or fat-free milk, fruits, and whole grains.
• Keep low-fat or low-sugar snacks in hand if you can not withhold from overeating. Try fresh or canned fruits, rice cakes, low-sugar cereal, air-popped popcorn, or sliced vegetables.

Here are some ideas that might help if you want to lose weight:
• Keep a food diary
• Store food in the kitchen, out of sight.
• Shop when you are not hungry and from a list.
• Eat with the TV turned off, at a table.
• Aim for a modest – not excessive - weight loss, so you can take satisfaction from achieving your goals.
• Accept family and friend support.
• Workout regularly. Even modest physical activity can make a difference. Take it step by step. Start with a ten minutes walk per day, then slowly increase the effort but keep an activity log.
• Stay in a good mood, get plenty of sleep, or take short breaks during the day.

If you’re always busy, take advantage of your daily activities and burn some calories: leave the car further away from entrances, forget about the elevator and take the stairs, or get off the bus earlier and walk to work.

Check your health before starting a strong physical activity program and combine stretching with aerobic activity and muscle-strengthening exercise (only two or three times a week).

Aerobic controls your weight, maintains strong bones, and prevents stroke and heart disease. It’s good for lowering the blood pressure and cholesterol.

Strengthening activities include doing push-ups, using resistance bands, or lifting weights. These activities focus on the main muscle groups and maintain strong bones, reduce injury, and burn more calories.

It’s good to do aerobic daily but keep at least one day of rest before another strengthening workout.

Always consult a specialist before starting any diet or workout plan. What works for others may not work for you. This information is for educational and entertainment purposes and is not medical or diet advice.

Filed under: General Health Care No Comments » Posted by admin

« Previous Entries