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Healthy Choices For A Healthier You

You Have Choices in 2021

By Paula C. HendersonPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
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Healthy Choices For A Healthier You
Photo by Suresh Designer on Unsplash

The healthiest foods you can consume are vegetables. They should make up at least 70% of your daily food intake. Vegetables have the widest variety of balanced nutrients for the body and many of them are good sources of Protein, Vitamin C, fiber, Calcium, and healthy carbs.

Healthy Proteins like meat, fish, and eggs, which are low to no carbs, should make up about 15% of your diet. Remember that many vegetables offer good sources of protein. Try for 10% Fat to be included with your diet. Easily attained when using oils to cook with and when making salad dressings, sauces and general preparation of foods, not to mention good fats like Avocado and nuts.

Limit pure carbohydrates to about 5% of your diet and limit that to good healthy choices like a sweet potato, nuts, raw honey, and fruits.

Food Groups

  • Vegetables
  • Protein
  • Fats
  • Carbohydrates
  • Fruit
  • Dairy
  • Grains
  • Starches

Potatoes are in the starches group, not the vegetables.

Legumes are carbohydrates (not true vegetables). Legumes (beans in the high carbohydrate group) are: · Chick peas (garbanzo beans (what hummus is made of) · Black beans · Lentils · Kidney beans · Pinto beans · Navy beans · Baked beans · Northern beans · Black eyed peas Legumes are high carb foods to be mindful of avoiding if trying to lose weight. If you want to include them in your diet consider increasing your level of activity and daily exercise and watch portion control.

Beans in the vegetable group that are low carb and true vegetables: · Green beans, · Sugar snap peas and Pea Pods.

It is a myth that eating foods like iceberg lettuce is a waste of time because they are made up of mostly water. They ARE made up of mostly water but we are a society that is highly dehydrated. Water is good for you. And if you can’t drink it, then isn’t it nice to know you can eat it? What remains of the lettuce are necessary vitamins and minerals that will be more readily absorbed by the body because of the high water content in the lettuce.

There are 35 important vitamins and minerals our body needs.

1. Amino acids 2. Beta carotene 3. Biotin 4. Calcium 5. Carbohydrates 6. Choline 7. Chromium 8. Copper 9. Fiber 10. Flavonoids 11. Folate 12. Iodine 13. Iron 14. Isoflavones 15. Magnesium 16. Manganese 17. Omega-3 18. Pantothenic acid 19. Phosphorus 20. Phytoestrogen 21. Potassium 22. Protein 23. Selenium 24. Sodium 25. Vitamin A 26. Vitamin B1 aka thiamin 27. Vitamin B12 28. Vitamin B2 aka riboflavin 29. Vitamin 3 aka niacin 30. Vitamin B6 31. Vitamin C 32. Vitamin D 33. Vitamin E 34. Vitamin K 35. Zinc

My personal opinion is that excess weight is a health issue. So anytime I refer to health conditions or symptoms, I am including excess weight. While there are charts telling us what a healthy weight is based on height, age, and gender, I do think those are a mere guide. Only you and your doctor can determine what your heathy weight is. What we do know, through various studies, is that those of us carrying excess weight are more prone to heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and high blood pressure to name a few. Too much fat around our vital organs can interfere with proper function and threaten your health.

People who lead more active lives whether through deliberate exercise programs, organized sports, labor intense careers or just constantly on the move also take deeper breaths bringing in fresh oxygen to all the cells and organs of the body.

Eating a healthy diet so that you are nourishing your body with necessary nutrients for a body that can function at its best is for everyone. Exercise and leading an active lifestyle will bring fresh air into the body and will exercise the heart muscle even for those who don’t need to shed pounds. Those within a healthy weight range still need vital nutrients, exercise and activity to remain as healthy as possible, maintain flexibility, balance and enjoy a good quality of life as you grow older.

I remember a co-worker who was in a terrible car accident some years back. Her doctor told her she weathered the accident much better than most would have due to the fact that she was in such good physical condition. She was very fit and this not only helped her to escape more serious injuries in the accident but helped her to heal much quicker. There are many reasons to be as fit as you can and that won’t be the same for all of us as we each have our own challenges and exceptions. Being fit and healthy does not have one look. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina there were stories of some of those who drowned. Some, due to being obese were simply unable to physically save themselves. Due to limitations you may not be able to get to a size 8, but I hope that each of you are striving to be the best that you can be with your own unique circumstances! If you have something that currently works for you, for example, many people eat a bowl of oatmeal every morning and find this keeps them stay regular. If this is you, continue to do that and only incorporate suggestions from this book that resonate with you for your best health. We are all unique. Oatmeal, as an example, use to work for me prior to my thyroid disease. Now it does not and I avoid it.

To help you create a diet for your best health check out: Healthy Choices, Healthy You. Amazon.com/HealthyChoicesHealthyYou This book profiles the 35 vitamins and minerals listed above and includes a list of your best vegetable choices to get those much needed vitamins/minerals in your regular diet. It also list for you what each of the 35 vitamins and minerals is good for, such as Beta Carotene is best for healthy skin, a healthy immune system and good eye health and vision.

There is also a chapter on healthy fats, healthiest foods by ranking, the health benefits of herbs and more. If you are living with restless leg syndrome, ringing in the ear, yeast infections, and other ailments that have become all too common there are several chapters devoted to tips and suggestions on how your diet can ease symptoms.

Healthy Choices Healthy You Amazon.com/HealthyChoicesHealthy

https://amzn.to/38ihMJr

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About the Creator

Paula C. Henderson

Paula is a freelance writer, healthy food advocate, mom and cookbook author.

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  • Incognito Moneyabout a year ago

    https://vocal.media/lifehack/nutritionists-say-why-eating-grapes-causes-many-problems

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