subject: A Healthy Body Is A Happy Body Even Before Lap Band Surgery [print this page] Your body is a machine, and for it to work at its best, you need to give it the proper fuel. Good nutrition is the basis for a healthy body, and a healthy body is the foundation for a full, rich life. This article is loaded with great advice to help you eat better and feel great.
To maintain good nutrition it is important to avoid trans-fats. Trans-fats damage the cardiovascular system. Labels can lie about the presence of trans-fats. Look for hydrogenated oils in the ingredients. Hydrogenated soy bean oil is a common trans-fat. Foods can claim they do not contain trans-fat even when they do. Companies set the serving size so they can round the amount of trans-fats down to zero, but if you eat the whole bag of chips you have still consumed plenty of harmful trans-fats. Be careful, vigilant, and check the ingredients closely.
Make your diet as fresh as you can. The more fresh foods you consume, the better your overall health will be. Fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants, and have been shown to help cells in the body flush toxins. This will help keep each cell in your body functioning properly.
Eat a wide variety of different colored fruits and vegetables each day. While scientists know the level of certain nutrients that we need, ideal levels of some minerals and antioxidants are still unknown. Even though we do not know how much of these beneficial nutrients are needed, we should still strive to get them in our diets. Different color foods have various essential elements.
Another very important nutrient in your diet is potassium. It is very important for nerve signal transduction, urination and sweating. Good sources of potassium include, bananas, oranges, dried apricots and soybeans. It is also a frequent salt replacement for people who are on low-salt diets. Make sure you get enough potassium!
Enjoy a drink now and again. Countless studies have shown that a drink now and then, whether it be a glass of wine or beer, is actually good for you. A certain amount of alcohol can help to lower the incidence of cardiovascular disease. That being said, you should aim for a low-alcohol version, which is obviously, lower in calories.
One nutrition tip that everyone should use is to cut down on processed foods. Processed foods have many additives that can be harmful to your body if eaten for a long time. They also lose many nutrients when they are being processed. Try and use fresh, preferably raw, foods whenever you eat.
Feed your children well right from the start to avoid problems with diseases such as diabetes, and obesity. A good nutritional foundation can mean the difference between a healthy life and one that consists of constant medical care. Help your children avoid problems in the future with good nutrition now.
As stated in the beginning of the article, you have to give your body the proper fuel if you expect it to perform well. If you begin to think of food as fuel for the most important piece of machinery that you own, then making the right choices becomes a whole lot easier.