Diet is perhaps one of the easiest ways to attack and prevent
many common ailments like hypertension, coronary heart disease and
diabetes. Of course everyone knows about the old standard bowl of
chicken soup to battle the all too frequent occurrences of the flu. In
addition to chicken soup there are many other very powerful foods that
if included in your daily eating regimen will help to ameliorate and
prevent illnesses like diabetes and hypertension. Yet, maybe because of
the lack of knowledge, we tend not to take advantage of these benefits.
In the next few paragraphs I will describe some of the benefits of these foods and illustrate how to include them in a sample one-day plan.
Breakfast: This is the first meal of the day and arguably the most important so it makes sense that this meal consists of a super food. I recommend a heaping bowl of oatmeal (original or quick, NOT instant) fortified by a touch of honey and if available, berries of your choice or how about adding a banana and turn breakfast into a nice treat. Oatmeal is from the whole grain family of foods and is rich in fiber for digestive health and potassium and omega-3 fatty acids which are known to promote healthy cholesterol and triglycerides.
Morning Snack: Boost your energy level with a hand full of nuts, one of nature's super foods (I like almonds). Nuts are great, healthy snacks for between meals. They are full of energy and a rich source of fiber.
Lunch: For lunch I'm going to recommend a hearty helping of green salad (spinach, lettuce, collards, kale, tomatoes, mixed with cruciferous vegetables) with a lean meat of your choice (I recommend backed breast of chicken). Eat as much of this salad as you want and unless you are really craving meat exclude the chicken. The salad is filling and is packed with antioxidants and vitamins.
Afternoon Snack: Pull out your spoon and dig into a nice serving of yogurt but make it fat free and of course sugar free. If you need something sweet, add some blue berries or straw berries to it. Yogurts are good source of calcium and are usually fortified with vitamin D which as you know is great for bone health. Of course, berries are rich in antioxidants and are also high in fiber. Further, yogurts stimulate the growth of probiotics which are essential for digestion and other gastrointestinal functions.
Dinner: The super food I would recommend here is fish. The one thing the body does not appear to get enough of is omega-3 fatty acids and fish is the best natural source of this compound. Salmon and tuna are especially rich in this substance which is used throughout the body especially for heart health. Side dishes you should consider to include in your dinner are potatoes, beans and vegetables. These foods are known to be packed with vitamins and fiber especially.
Nowadays, we spend millions yearly in purchasing supplements to supply our bodies with many of the nutrients contained in the identified super foods and no doubt the supplements we purchase are many times weaker and less effective than the nutrients found in foods. It would seem prudent then to spend less on supplements and invest more in super foods. Especially since it has been demonstrated time and time again that consuming super foods can help in the fight against many common diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
In the next few paragraphs I will describe some of the benefits of these foods and illustrate how to include them in a sample one-day plan.
Breakfast: This is the first meal of the day and arguably the most important so it makes sense that this meal consists of a super food. I recommend a heaping bowl of oatmeal (original or quick, NOT instant) fortified by a touch of honey and if available, berries of your choice or how about adding a banana and turn breakfast into a nice treat. Oatmeal is from the whole grain family of foods and is rich in fiber for digestive health and potassium and omega-3 fatty acids which are known to promote healthy cholesterol and triglycerides.
Morning Snack: Boost your energy level with a hand full of nuts, one of nature's super foods (I like almonds). Nuts are great, healthy snacks for between meals. They are full of energy and a rich source of fiber.
Lunch: For lunch I'm going to recommend a hearty helping of green salad (spinach, lettuce, collards, kale, tomatoes, mixed with cruciferous vegetables) with a lean meat of your choice (I recommend backed breast of chicken). Eat as much of this salad as you want and unless you are really craving meat exclude the chicken. The salad is filling and is packed with antioxidants and vitamins.
Afternoon Snack: Pull out your spoon and dig into a nice serving of yogurt but make it fat free and of course sugar free. If you need something sweet, add some blue berries or straw berries to it. Yogurts are good source of calcium and are usually fortified with vitamin D which as you know is great for bone health. Of course, berries are rich in antioxidants and are also high in fiber. Further, yogurts stimulate the growth of probiotics which are essential for digestion and other gastrointestinal functions.
Dinner: The super food I would recommend here is fish. The one thing the body does not appear to get enough of is omega-3 fatty acids and fish is the best natural source of this compound. Salmon and tuna are especially rich in this substance which is used throughout the body especially for heart health. Side dishes you should consider to include in your dinner are potatoes, beans and vegetables. These foods are known to be packed with vitamins and fiber especially.
Nowadays, we spend millions yearly in purchasing supplements to supply our bodies with many of the nutrients contained in the identified super foods and no doubt the supplements we purchase are many times weaker and less effective than the nutrients found in foods. It would seem prudent then to spend less on supplements and invest more in super foods. Especially since it has been demonstrated time and time again that consuming super foods can help in the fight against many common diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
This article is part of a series of articles on various health related conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure and weight management. If you wish to read more please visit my blog http://naturalbptreatments.siterubix.com
