Nutrition
Potatoes can be one of your biggest allies in your weight loss program if you learn about them and everything they have to offer you.
This amazing vegetable is one of the most popular in America. Its popularity even surpasses lettuce and onions. Many people never get tired of eating this food because it can be fixed in so many different ways. About one third of the meals eaten by Americans include this veggie in some form.
One great thing about the spud is that it adds the bulk to your meal that lets you know you’ve eaten something and when stored and prepared properly the potato packs a very nutritional punch.
Spuds are high in fiber, carbohydrates, contain more potassium than a banana and one medium sized potato contains about 45% of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin C that’s recommended for good health.
A potato is naturally low in calories and contains no fat, sodium, or cholesterol. Potato skin provides a helpful dose of fiber, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and several B vitamins.
This vegetable is best and it retains more of its natural nutrition when stored in a cool, dark place such as a basement or cellar. Too much light in your storage area may result in green potatoes. Refrigeration or freezing should be avoided when possible because the starch is turned to sugar by the cold and that causes them to turn dark when cooked.
You can prepare potatoes by boiling them, steaming them, or even roasting them. If at all possible, you should avoid putting your spuds in the refrigerator or freezing them, as cold will turn the potato starch to sugar and cause them to turn dark when they are cooked.
Mashed, baked, fried, boiled and broiled are a few of the ways this amazing vegetable can be prepared. The calories you get from eating potatoes come more from the toppings you add than the veggie itself.
Piling on the sour cream, chives, bacon bits, chili, cheese or butter adds up a LOT of calories you don’t want or need BUT taking a cut up spud and baking it with French dressing creates a very tasty side dish that’s easy on calories and very filling.
In my opinion, every weight loss program should include potatoes as a part of the menu.
Disclosure of Material ConnectionPresented by Natural Remedies Products Staff - Natural Remedies Products
Ask Dr. Wayne Garland a specialist in natural remedies and natural products.
Powered By WP Footer
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be budget busting as these healthy eating tips show. Everyone is feeling the pinch from the consistently climbing food prices.
- Eliminate Junk food – Create a list and stick to it. Do NOT go grocery shopping with your kids or spouse or you WILL stray to please them. Junk foods provide marginal nutrition for you and the price per unit is often budget busting.
- Drink Water or Juice instead of soft drinks – You can still enjoy milk and your favorite soft drinks on special occasions BUT limit your intake because milk is a very expensive source of vitamins C and D AND soft drinks offer no useful nutrition.We all need Calcium and the Natural Calcium Sources page shows that milk isn’t always the best source of calcium for us.
- Fruits and Vegetables – If possible, grow your own and then either can or freeze what you don’t eat. Growing your own food may not be an option but there are often local growers that let you pick your own for a substantial savings. If this isn’t an option either, buying from local growers or buying in bulk are the next level of savings.
- Tuna Fish – Tuna is a relatively inexpensive source of protein AND it has the omega fatty acids that help feed the brain. The calories in tuna dishes don’t climb until you start adding mayonnaise and all of the other ingredients that are commonly used to make dishes with tuna.
- Fresh Fish - In season and where you can, fresh fish that you catch is a great supplement to your nutritious diet. Extra fish can be frozen for another day.
- Beans - Beans are another great protein source and they are very versatile. You can add beans to other ingredients to make very tasty and healthy meals that are inexpensive, healthy and good. Note: The USDA recommends eating beans at least 4 times per week. If you experience gas after eating beans you should try washing them, covering them with water, bringing the water to a boil, then draining it off and refilling the pot.
- Whole Grain Rice - White rice has been processed and bleached so most of the nutritional value is lost but whole grain rice still has the nutrients and fiber you need.
- Peanut Butter – This isn’t as inexpensive as it used to be but it is still nutritious and popular among many of us. A large jar of peanut butter that is refrigerated may last for weeks.
- Potatoes - This low calorie carbohydrate is good for you and it will help fill you up. Potatoes are often thought of as fattening but they aren’t. They become so when liberal amounts of butter, sour cream, bacon bits and other toppings are piled on the potato.
- Sweet Potatoes – This is a favorite for the holidays that is usually neglected the rest of the year. Like the white potato, the sweet potato is healthy and it tastes good.
Healthy eating is a lifestyle choice and someone on a budget will still find a way to live their chosen lifestyle without feeling deprived. I hope these healthy eating tips have gotten your creative juices flowing.
Disclosure of Material ConnectionPresented by Natural Remedies Products Staff - Natural Remedies Products
Ask Dr. Wayne Garland a specialist in natural remedies and natural products.
Powered By WP Footer
Vegetarians are 75% less likely to have heart attacks than non vegetarians and hard core vegans that refuse to eat any food with meat, eggs or dairy products are 90% less likely to have heart attacks or circulatory problems the average non vegetarian may face.
Because of their food choices, vegetarians and vegans consume far fewer foods with preservatives; they don’t consume animals that may have been given growth hormones through feed, may have been injected with antibiotics or been exposed to other diseases or chemical substances that may get passed up the food chain.
The vegetarian and vegan diets naturally provide less cholesterol and other items that can adversely affect circulation and create heart attacks.
Vegetarians and vegans have been shown to be at lower risk for cancer.
Is a vegetarian diet right for you? Only you can answer that question but armed with the above knowledge, I’d at least investigate the possibility of increasing my intake of the following:
-
Organic meat – This will help you avoid the growth hormones and antibiotics given some animals.
-
Organic potatoes, rice, produce and other vegetables available in your area. Foods grown organically are naturally fertilized and are free from chemical pesticides.
-
Look at organic or at least whole grain breads. These haven’t had the flour bleached so there are potentially more nutrients and fiber.
-
Consider raw unprocessed honey instead of processed sugar or jellies where possible. Raw honey is naturally full of nutrients that are lost when the product is heated during pasteurization.
-
Eat more natural raw foods that are grown locally when they are in season like apples, lettuce, carrots and other fruits and vegetables. These provide good nutrition and fiber that help maintain weight and overall health.
Making small adjustments in your diet to include foods that are organic and farm fresh may provide more health benefits and a much tastier eating experience.
Eating more fiber, fruits, vegetables and other raw foods will also help control diabetes because natural sugars are being introduced that the digestive tract can work with and use.
Research vegetarian diets and consult with your medical and nutritional professionals before making lifestyle changes. You’ll need proper nutrition whether you derive it from a mixed food diet or a vegetarian.
There are a lot of good vegetarian recipes you may wish to incorporate into your lifestyle even if you aren’t on of the many vegetarians among us..
Disclosure of Material ConnectionPresented by Natural Remedies Products Staff - Natural Remedies Products
Ask Dr. Wayne Garland a specialist in natural remedies and natural products.
Powered By WP Footer
Healthy eating tips are necessary for most westerners because we’ve forgotten why we need to eat. Eating food is something we all must do to receive the life giving and sustaining nutrients our bodies need. Too many people are eating as a crutch to cover depression, loneliness, low self-esteem or simply for the pleasure a good meal provides. Healthy eating is looking at food as the provider of the dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and nutrients you need instead of a substitute for something lacking from your life.
Healthy eating is necessary to give your body the fuel it needs to prevent illnesses, diseases, heal, provide they energy you need and to help maintain the proper weight.
- Drink plenty of water.
Proper hydration is necessary in digestion, delivery of the nutrients to the areas that need them and expulsion of the waste. - Chew each bite of food until it liquifies in your mouth.
This practice serves two purposes. 1. The brain takes about 20 minutes to catch on to the fact that you are eating, process this information and tell you that you are full. (By taking the time to chew each bite to a liquid and talking with a dinner companion, you are letting your brain catch up.) 2. Digestion starts in the mouth as saliva mixes with the food you are eating. When you chew your food to a liquid, you are helping your body get all the nutrition it can out of the food before it passes from your digestive system. - Eat 5 or 6 small meals rather than 3 large meals
The energy you get from the food you eat at breakfast will not last your body 5 or 6 hours until lunch and the midday meal will not provide enough energy to last another 5 or 6 hours to the evening meal. The snacks you often get out of vending machines or convenience stores should prove you crave the extra energy. - Eat locally grown organic foods as much as possible.
Locally grown foods like honey will not only have the nutrients available in oney everywhere but it will also have pollens specific to your area so your body can naturally build defenses against these allergy causing agents. Read the labels on organic foods as well because the government is allowing some foods to be called organic even when some ingredients aren’t all natural. Organic foods often have a shorter shelf life so buying locally not on saves on shipping but you can buy smaller quantities to prevent spoilage. - Learn to prepare your foods the healthier ways.
Baked, broiled, boiled, grilled, steamed and stir fried are much healthier than fried or deep fried. Using fresh herbs and spices to flavor your food is better than salt and processed spices. Remove the skin and trim away fat and before eating meat and choose leaner meats over the fatter options. - Reduce or eliminate foods with processed sugar.
The processed sugar you eat delivers empty calories. Very little, if any, nutrition is gained but calories are packed on. Artificial sweeteners may not offer as many calories, if any, but the effects of those chemicals isn’t known plus the sweetness makes the body think it has sugars to break down. - Forget diets exist.
Diets usually deprive you of enough calories to avoid starvation or they avoid one or more important food groups or both. Before cutting your calorie intake, switch to eating multiple small meals spaced 2 – 3 hours apart, add more water to your diet, add more fruits and vegetables to your diet and start an exercise program that includes both strength training and cardio training. If the dietary and exercise change alone doesn’t help you with fat loss, reduce your calorie intake by no more than 20 percent.
Incorporate these healthy eating tips into your daily life and you’ll have all the energy your body needs to be healthy, fight diseases, manage your weight and enjoy activities that you choose to engage in.
Eating for Excellent Health IS Possible if you are willing to make the effort to learn what’s needed.
Disclosure of Material ConnectionPresented by Natural Remedies Products Staff - Natural Remedies Products
Ask Dr. Wayne Garland a specialist in natural remedies and natural products.
Powered By WP Footer
Reuters recently had an article titled ‘Red meat unfriendly to cancer’ which was reporting on a study of colon cancer patients with stage III cancer and how their diets affected their survival and the recurrence of the disease after treatment. The study followed 1,009 colon cancer patients for 5.3 years and they found that those that ate a western diet were 3.3 times more likely to either die or have their colon cancer return.
A western diet was defined as a diet with high intakes of meat, refined grains and desserts. The prudent diet was the other variant and it is defined as a diet with high intakes of fruits, vegetables, fish and poultry.
The prudent diet is high in fiber, nutrients in forms the body can readily use and helps the body flush toxins out of the body. Whereas the western diet provides fewer natural nutrients or fiber and it adds toxins to the body.
Our Opinion
We’ve believed for a long time that your health is determined by your diet and activity level. When our society was mostly agricultural, people did a lot of physical labor and there was much less obesity and home gardens provided foods that were both good and good for you. The industrial age brought many people a more sedentary lifestyle and obesity started to appear in larger numbers. As our cities grew and the food supply was further removed from the consumer, preservatives were added to the food to extend the time it was still good to eat. Population growth has also put more pressure on the farmer to produce large crops on less land which has led to over farming the land. This over farming depletes the natural nutrients, the commercial fertilizers are geared at quantity and not quality.
The change in our lifestyle, added preservatives, fewer nutrients in our food supply because of a combination of factors and added stress have all conspired to make you less healthy than the generation before you.
Switching as much of your diet to locally grown organic fruits, vegetables and meat is best. Your budget, location and schedule may not always make this easy. Read the labels in the store and get foods with the fewest preservatives, whole grains instead of processed, reduce the fatty foods from fast food restaurants, etc. and you can add more nutrition to your life. Did you know most dietitians consider a serving of meat to be about 3 ounces instead of the 8 to 16 ounces many of us eat?
Green tea supplements have been shown to help protect against some cancer causing agents and liquid vitamin and mineral supplements made from whole food sources provide the nutrients your body craves and your diet may not be providing.
MotherNature
Disclosure of Material ConnectionPresented by Natural Remedies Products Staff - Natural Remedies Products
Ask Dr. Wayne Garland a specialist in natural remedies and natural products.
Powered By WP Footer
