Being a healthy eater requires you to become both educated and smart about what healthy eating  actually is.  Being food smart isn’t about learning to calculate grams or fat, or is it about studying labels and counting calories. Healthy eating is all about balanced and moderate eating, consisting of healthy meals at least three times per day.  Healthy eaters eat many different types of foods, not limiting themselves to one specific food type or food group.

Eating healthy requires quite a bit of leeway.  You might eat too much or not enough, consume foods that are sometimes more or less nutritious. However, you should always fuel your body and your brain regularly with enough food to keep both your mind and body strong and alert.

A healthy eater is a good problem solver.  Healthy eaters have learned to take care of themselves and their eating with sound judgment and making wise decisions.  Healthy eaters are always aware of what they eat, and know the effect that it
will have on their bodies. Read the rest of this entry »

Usually in the morning you are in a rush and breakfast is probably the last on the list of your priorities. Or maybe it isn’t there at all. Breakfast is a very important meal that your body needs.

Why do cereals make the perfect breakfast?

Breakfast cereals are made from corn and rice most times and they are the optimal solution for every morning. Cereals have a rich content of vitamins like vitamin A, C, the whole complex of B vitamins, minerals like iron, magnesium, copper, phosphor and zinc and anti-oxidants as well. Also cereals are an important source of calcium. They provide an adequate quantity of calcium for any age, and vitamin D that has a very important role in helping the calcium be absorbed by the organism. Cereals have a low quantity of saturated fats, but a high quantity of unsaturated fats, substances good for the organism. Read the rest of this entry »

Vitamins (combination of two words: Vital Amines) are the complex organic substance essential in small quantities to the metabolism (nutrition) in most animals. These are found in minute quantities in food, in some cases are produced by the body, and are also produced synthetically. The human body needs them to work properly, so that we can grow and develop just like we should. Their deficiency results in many serious disorders.

Vitamins are divided into two major groups: the ‘fat-soluble vitamins’ designated as vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K, and the ‘water-soluble vitamins’ which include vitamin C and the group of molecules referred to as the vitamin B complex.  Each of them has its own special role in the development of human body.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin, plays a really big part in eyesight and helps us to see in dim light and also at night. Vitamin A is also involved in the formation and maintenance of healthy skin, hair, and mucous membranes. In addition, it is necessary for proper bone growth, tooth development, reproduction and for the development of epithelial cells (that line any opening to the body e.g.; nose, throat, lungs, mouth, stomach, intestines and urinary tract). Read the rest of this entry »

Vitamin B itself is a complex of different vitamins like: B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, folic acid, biotin and pantothenic acid. These B vitamins are very important in metabolic activity and in facilitating the red blood cell (which carry oxygen throughout your body). They also help your body make protein and energy.

The sources of vitamin B are leafy green vegetables seafood, beans, peas, citrus fruits, whole grains (such as wheat and oats), poultry, meats, eggs and dairy products (like milk and yogurt). Some bacteria in our large intestine also prepare some type of B-vitamins.
The deficiency of vitamin B can cause the disease “Beri Beri”, cracked lips, weak muscles, malformation of red blood cells, affects normal growth and disturbs the nervous system.

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is a water-soluble, antioxidant vitamin that is vital to the production of collagen, a protein that gives structure to bones, cartilage, muscle, and blood vessels. It is important for keeping body tissues, such as gums and muscles in good shape and it helps in quick healing of wounds. In addition, it helps protecting the fat-soluble vitamins A and E as well as fatty acids from oxidation.

The vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits (like lemon & orange), cantaloupe, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage and in other fresh fruits and vegetables.

The deficiency of vitamin C affects the healthy skin; poor wound healing and can lead to a disease called “Scurvy” which causes bleeding in gums, easy bruising, bumps of coiled hair on the arms and legs, pain in the joints, muscle wasting, and many other problems.

Are you wondering just how much protein to include in your diet for optimum health?  The perfect diet, which can provide the right kind of nutrition, is composed of a diet with the right combination of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and vitamins.

Among all these components, protein has a different and very essential role to play to keep the body in shape and make it strong. The main function of protein is reviving the dead tissues and enabling the growth of cells. Another essential function performed by proteins is the making of hormones in the body and other serums required by the body. Proteins from plants are as nutritious as animal proteins. Proteins are made of essential and non-essential amino acids.

A normal diet should contain 15-20% of protein. The intake of protein shouldn’t be more than 20% as suggested by new research. Protein contributes 4 calories of every gram consumed by the body. The right combination of essential amino acids as per the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) 1989 is: Isoleucine (10 mg), Lysine (12mg), Leucine (14 mg), Phenylalanine (14 mg), Methionine (13 mg), Threonine (7mg), Valine (10 mg) and Tryptophan (3.5 mg). Read the rest of this entry »