If you are looking for ways to improve your overall health, you cannot avoid the subject of nutrition. Scientists have found direct links between the health of the body and the nutrients that are consumed. Understanding the impact of the food you eat can substantially alter your health.
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!
Riboflavin is an integral part of any healthy diet. Humans need it in order to glean energy from proteins, fats and carbs. It can also move iron and help with metabolism in the body. Dairy and whole grain products contain a sufficient dietary amount of riboflavin.
When considering nutrition, it is important that you incorporate foods that you love because there is no better way to get nutrition than when you are enjoying it. There are many ways that you can add extra nutritional benefits to foods you love simply by adding in or leaving out key ingredients. Searching for low fat recipes will provide many good results.
Have a treat once a week or more. Many people who decide to start eating in a healthy way think they have to cut out all the food they really love, and that’s not so. When you do have a fatty food or one high in sugar, just make sure that it is a smaller portion.
When looking at the amount of calories in a food, make sure that you pay attention to serving size. If a serving of cereal is 200 calories but the serving size is half a cup, know that a bowl of cereal will be far more than 200 calories! Often serving sizes listed are less than what people typically eat.
For better nutrition, eat your favorite fruits and vegetables raw instead of cooked. Raw produce contains many vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that steaming, boiling and frying removes. It is also a good decision to eat the skin of the fruit or vegetable, if possible, as most of the nutrients are near the surface.
Use extra virgin olive oil in your cooking. Unlike hydrogenated oils that can clog arteries, extra virgin olive oil is high in monounsaturated fats that can protect you from heart disease. It can reduce the level of bad cholesterol and raise the level of good cholesterol. It also plays a role in the prevention of colon cancer.
Whenever you go on a diet there is always the possibility that you will deprive yourself of certain vitamins and minerals. Giving your body the proper nutrients it needs is difficult with any diet so you should always take a multivitamin supplement. A supplement will help to keep you healthy by giving you some of what your diet is lacking.
It is important that your diet includes plenty of selenium. Selenium is a mineral which acts as an antioxidant. It will improve the elasticity of your tissue, as well as keep your skin looking healthy. In addition, selenium can protect the body from free radicals and their harmful effects. It can also shield the skin from being damaged by the sun. Foods that contain a lot of selenium include tuna, nuts, eggs and garlic.
Avoid using hydrogenated oils for cooking, and watch out for them in packaged foods. These oils provide no nourishment for your skin or your body. In fact, they actually interfere with “good” oils (olive oil, sunflower oil, flax seed oil, fish oil) ability to nourish your skin, hair, nails and entire body!
The science of human nutrition has much to offer as far as improving one’s health. These are just the basics that are fairly well understood after being thoroughly tested. Stay tuned for more information as it is revealed, as more studies are constantly being done so that we can understand even more.