Healthy Eating Guidelines
The healthy eating guidelines that Mother Nature intended for us to eat will make you look and feel better. The best way to eat healthy is to simple stick with Mother Nature’s healthy eating guidelines she provided for us. She really went all out to make sure we have an abundance of healthy choices.
For some reason though we tend to look for packaged and processed foods that lack in nutritional value and can actually have adverse effects on our health. Adapt this healthy eating guide into your daily routine to achieve your best possiblehealthy eating plan.
Top on the list of healthy eating guideline is Fiber. Foods with fiber are often referred to as roughage; it’s actually not rough at all. In fact, quite the opposite, it has a sweeping action affecting your adipose cells. Your body doesn’t digest fiber instead it cleanses the cells with a unique brushing action. This helps break down and wash out our enlarging cells passing through the body and is eliminated. This helps control the buildup of fat in the cells and speeds up the elimination of fat.
One of Mother Nature’s best foods with fiber includes fruits and vegetables. Not only are they delicious they are a fiber rich food, fat free, low sodium and low calorie loaded with vitamins, minerals antioxidants, phytochemicals and flavanoids. These are key nutrients that promote health and fight disease, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure as well as reducing the risk of some type of cancers.
Other foods high in fiber consist of whole grains, nuts, beans, wheat bran, barley, and psyllium and flax seeds. These foods all supply our bodies with the fiber we need for a healthy digestive system keeping our gastrointestinal tracks in order. Fiber makes you feel full longer without adding calories helping you lose weight and maintain that weight loss. Eating an adequate amount of fiber rich foods will also help control blood sugar, keeping energy levels high.
Protein
Protein is the life substance of the body and is considered the building blocks of life. Obviously very high on the healthy eating guidelines. It is the only nutrient capable of building and repairing the cells and tissues of the body. Next to water,protein is the most abundant substance in the body.
Protein is a capable energy source, but only in limited situations. For example, as the only remaining option, protein is used as an energy source during starvation, insufficient calories or carbohydrates or in extended exercise.
Eating good sources of protein are recommended however some people believe in eating an abundance of protein rich foods which in turn will be stored in the body as fat. Remember, moderation is key. The list of high protein foods includes lean meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, milk and nuts.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy. One carbohydrate the brain relies on completely is glucose. It provides fuel for our body allowing us to function properly. Without a proper daily carbohydrate intake the bo
dy goes into an “emergency state of mind” which over an extended period of time leads to a possible dangerous situation called ketosis.
Carbohydrates help bodily functions, digestion, and muscle exertion while helping us maintain a good energy level and the ability to think clear. Consuming the correct kind of carbohydrates helps maintain a stable blood sugar level keeping you from improper snacking.
Complex Carbohydrates foods are unrefined, natural foodswrapped by Mother Nature. These foods contain fiber, an important element. Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate which keeps the body satisfied longer and helps with good digestion and elimination. The list of complex carbohydrates includes whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables.
Simple carbohydrates should be avoided if possible and include such things as table sugar, various juices and processed and refined grains. As much as possible, try and stay away from processed foods that are so easily obtainable at the supermarket. A lot of these foods have refined sugar to help make it taste better, refined flour to hold it all together and preservatives for a longer shelf life.
Fats
Yes, fats are essential to health and a big factor on healthy eating guidelines. They not only soften our skin but are transporters of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, aid indigestion and actually are a rich source of energy. So yes, healthy eating does include fat however, the right kind of fat. Consuming too much of the wrong kind of fat is stored in the liver, in arteries around the heart and in all tissue, consequently many health aliments.
Therefore keep in mind, not all fats are created equal. There are good and bad fats. The healthy and essential fats are unsaturated fats found in olive oil, canola oil, nuts, seeds and avocado. Try and limit fats found in animal products like meat and dairy. And for the processed food we all seem to love, most contain unhealthy fat such as partially hydrogenated oil or trans fat and certainly are not found on healthy eating guidelines.
Water
The benefits of water cannot be under estimated. Water is involved in almost every bodily function. Water carries nourishment to the cells, aids in digestion and elimination, regulates our body temperature, protects our organs and tissues and lubricates and cushions our joints. Whether dieting or not, keep in mind that drinking water is one of the easiest and least expensive sources to improve health. Get addicted to drinking your water and feel the healthy difference.
And when you just want to relax and enjoy life, there are still ways to enjoy your favorites and still be healthy. Eating low fat, fat free and sugar free products allows you to splurge a little satisfying your craving of some of the foods and drinks you love. Rest assure, if you follow the basic healthy eating guidelines that Mother Nature intended us to eat for us the majority of the time, you’ll look better and more importantly feel better.
