You must have often heard how important it is to implement a healthy diet and balanced. One element that should not be missed in the diet are vegetables and fruits. But unfortunately, it is sometimes difficult to insert routine to keep vegetables and fruits into your diet everyday.
Heather Mangieri, a nutrition and public relations of the American Dietetic Association (USDA), provides six simple tips to be able to eat more vegetables and fruits in the daily diet.
1. Starting early
To
get the amount of vegetables and fruits recommended that 5 times a day,
start by eating earlier in the day, when the breakfast. Try to insert a banana on cereal, or vegetables are eaten at breakfast omelets, Mangieri said.
2. Do not hide the fruit
If you have a stock of fruit or vegetables, do not just keep it in the fridge or pantry. Make sure they are "invisible" to stimulate to eat. You can put fruit on the dining table or living room, and do not hesitate to make the fruit as a snack menu.
3. Frozen is good
By freezing the vegetables, you will always have a stock at home, Mangieri said. Besides frozen vegetables are also easy to be recycled and be able to be stored for a long time. Fear of reduced nutritional value? Keri
Gans, a publicist from the USDA also stated that, typically frozen
vegetables have the same nutritional value of fresh vegetables.
4. When eating, focus your attention on vegetables first, not protein
Try to fill half of the plate with vegetables and fruits. The rest just fill with carbohydrates and protein.
5. You can drink fruit and vegetables
Currently widely available juice drinks fortified vitamins to meet the daily needs. According to the USDA this product may be drunk, but not every day. Because the sources of vitamins and minerals the best still comes from fresh fruits and vegetables. Do not forget, fresh fruits and vegetables contain fiber that is part of a healthy diet.
6. Make fruit as dessert
Mangieri suggest adding fruit as dessert after a big meal for the ice cream. The form can be processed as an ice jam or fruit without added sugar. You also can make a fruit smoothie, plus yogurt, no sugar. "The sweet taste of the fruit is enough for our sense of taste, so no need to add sugar anymore," he said.
The process of making dried fish will not remove the calcium content in fish. Therefore, salted fish can be one of the good sources of calcium for bones. Calcium levels found in fresh fish is relatively nothing was missing, when the fish is marinated.
"Even with the same weight, salted fish have higher levels of calcium than fresh fish. This is because the anchovies have less water content," said Chairman of the Sub Macro Community Nutrition Ministry of Health Mohammad Nasir in a talk show titled Balanced Nutrition for Health and Intelligence Children in Jakarta, Wednesday (06/02/2013).
Because salted fish has a high calcium content, it does not mean the same as the total nutrient content of fresh fish. The process of washing and warming is destroying the vitamins and minerals it contains.
At the same time, nutritionists UI College of Public Health, Fatmah, said, "probably good salted fish to be a source of calcium, but to get the vitamins and minerals, you still need other sources, such as vegetables and fresh fruits."
Fatmah added, in addition to complementary nutrients from other foods, variations in nutrient sources is also needed. According to him, eating salted fish can be a source of variation in calcium. However, there are many food sources of calcium are others, such as milk, cereal, or green vegetables, such as spinach and kale.
Besides that, you should not consume too much salt fish. Some studies indicate that anchovies can be one of the factors triggering cancer. This is due to the salt fish contain substances called nitrosamines which are carcinogenic.
Diet only eat lean meat and replace it with healthy fats such as the Mediterranean diet is considered very good for people with diabetes. A diet is considered effective in lowering blood sugar levels.
In addition to the Mediterranean diet, a diet low in carbohydrates, high in protein, and low in simple sugars are also considered good for diabetics.
"Of the four methods are all diet can improve various aspects of the control of diabetes," said Dr.Olubukola Ajala, diabetes experts from the UK.
Diabetes is now considered a global epidemic. People suffering from this disease can not keep the blood sugar into the cells effectively so that their blood sugar levels soaring.
Lifestyle changes such as weight loss and reduced caloric intake has been shown to control blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of complications.
In an analysis of 20 studies over the past 10 years, Ajala and his team compared the benefits of 7 popular diet for people with type two diabetes.
Mediterranean diet, low carbohydrate diet, a diet high in protein, and low glycemic index diets were least effective in lowering blood sugar levels.
People were diving Mediterranean diet can lose weight. But these benefits are not found in the three other dietary methods.
The Mediterranean diet is a diet that more intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish, and use olive oil and spices to replace salt and butter. Saturated fat from red meat and dairy products is very limited.
Other studies have also linked the diet with a reduced risk of cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and the risk of heart attack.
Continuous calorie restriction is an important element in the diet of diabetics. The Mediterranean diet is considered easier to follow in the long run.
Food items that are rich in nutrients can actually turn out to be less healthy foods when cooked the wrong way. Yet there is a way to process the food was delicious but still healthy.
How to cook with high temperatures can destroy vitamins in vegetables, especially vitamin C, folate, and potassium, to 20 percent. Perhaps this is why the followers of the raw food diet (raw food) believes the best way to present the food is not cooked.
Yet research shows that most of the food would be more nutritious after cooking, such as carrots, spinach, and tomatoes. The cooking process will help release antioxidants by destroying the cell wall so important substances in vegetables is more easily absorbed by the body.
Here are 7 methods of cooking that are considered the healthiest:
1. Using the microwaveCooking with a microwave is probably the most healthy for a short cooking time so the damage less nutrients. Research shows the most appropriate cooking vegetables is to microwave. Broccoli, for example, the vitamin C content is more optimal if cooked by microwave. Raw foods cooked by microwave it can be dry, but it can be prevented by adding a little water before it is heated. Make sure you are using a special meal for the microwave.
2. BoilBoiling is an easy and fast way. You only need to add water and a little salt. However,
the high temperatures and large quantities of water can reduce the
amount of water soluble vitamins and minerals in vegetables by 70
percent. More advisable to boil carrots, broccoli, or zucchini (green vegetables like cucumbers).
3. SteamAlmost all kinds of food, from vegetables to fish steamed match. With this method of cooking food original flavor and nutrients remain intact.
4. Boil some waterBoil a little water (poaching) is the recommended way to foods such as fish, eggs, or fruits.
5. BurnIt is a method of cooking food directly to the heat or flames in no time. Burning is the recommended way to cook a cut of meat, such as satay.
6. RoastGrilling is the recommended way to get a taste of the meat stays fresh and soft. But some of the research mentioned cooking methods can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer and cancer payduara. Grilling
at high temperatures will produce a chemical reaction between the fat
and protein in meat so as to produce a toxin that would destroy the
balance of antioxidants in the body. It is known to trigger diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
7. SauteingThis method only requires little cooking oil. Most of suitable food cooked in this way.
8. Not cookedRaw food diet (raw food) are popular lately. Followers of this diet claim is the most healthy way for vitamins, minerals, fiber, and enzymes in vegetables is not lost. Even
so some research called mengasup raw food will make us lose the
antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes and the carrots or spinach.
Beta carotene, nutrients that give red and orange fruits and vegetables, potentially preventing the onset of diabetes mellitus powerful in someone who is genetically at risk for this disease.
Similarly, according to research by a team from Stanford University School of Medicine. The study also mentions gamma tocopherol, the type of vitamin E, can increase the risk of diabetes.
Indeed, it remains to be proven with more research. In this study, the scientists used a "big data" for a variety of genes associated with the risk of type two diabetes and blood levels of various nutrients.
In people who do have a predisposition gene variation, beta-carotene was able to prevent the onset of diabetes type two. While vitamin E act otherwise.
Previous studies conducted on people who have high blood sugar levels also showed similar results.
Although not yet concluded beta carotene to prevent diabetes mellitus, but a diet high in beta carotene and other carotenoids are known to lower the risk of cancer.
So do not hesitate intake of fruits and vegetables such as orange carrots, sweet potatoes, or pumpkin, in your healthy diet.
