Benefits of Eating Right - Nutrition Facts - Choosing Foods that are Good for You
Nutrition Facts
There is a lot of information about nutrition facts. What we put into our mouths, the food we eat, greatly affect all our organs and our entire body. How good we feel, is greatly dependent on how we take care of ourselves. There are a variety of foods that are important to eat to get the most benefits to feel our optimum best, protect us against certain diseases, and take good care of ourselves.
Here are some more nutrtition facts:
High fiber foods, those filled with vitamin D, and rich in calcium are know to possibly reduce risk of colon cancer. Vitamin D may kill cancer cells. Fiber and calcium bind to the toxic compounds which can keep them from harming the colon. Healthy breakfast cereals are a great way to get these nutrients.
High Fiber Foods Are Good for Us
Junk Food and Your Genes
Chick peas help you eat less high fat, low fiber food. ½ cup of garbanzo beans is all it takes, and have about 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. Works well to add to pasta sauce instead of meat.
Roasted peanuts provide the highest polyphenols which help fight disease. You can also also bake the peanuts at 350 degrees until brown.
People who watch a funny movie eat less calories than people who don’t according to a study done at the University of Colorado Springs.
Nutrition facts about junk food: Doughnuts encourage your body to store more fat. Junk food might provoke a gene that slows up your metabolism. This could cause more gain weight gain. Oranges and berries, and vitamin C may help burn calories.
What Makes Omega- 3 Fatty Acids Great?
One of the best supplements areOmega-3 fatty acids.
- reduce inflammation
- helps muscles recover from workouts and strenuous exercise
- lower blood pressure
- lowers the risk of heart attack by lessening levels of triglycerides in the blood
- reduces placque in the arteries
- boosts your mood
- increases concentration
- improves memory
- can possibly help fight cancer
- help muscles grow and increases a person’s strength
- helps burn fat
In a study done at the University of Iran, the effects of omega-3 fatty acids were conducted on 40 male wrestlers. Over a 12 week period the men who were given the omega-3 fatty acids.had better lung functioning and capacity doing the same physical hardcore training, as the men who took a placebo. The more efficient the lungs work, the more oxygen gets to the muscles. This increases endurance and sped up the recovery between workouts.
Fish Have the Highest Omega 3's
Another study done in England, about nutrition facts, gave some participants meals that were high in omega-3 fatty acids, and others were given meals with no omega-3 fatty acids. The people who received high amount of these supplements had less stiffness in their arteries. Scientists credit this with an increase in higher nitric oxide which dilates blood vessels and helps more of the nutrients get to the tissues in the muscles. Omega -3 fatty acids can be found in the layers of fat from cold water fish, plants and nut oils and fortified foods, plus:
- mackerel
- sardines
- salmon
- certain types of tuna
- flaxseed
- english walnuts
- algae oils
Fish are contain large amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids. Flaxseeds and plants have less Omega-3 fatty acids and you would need to eat much more of these type of foods than you would from fish.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids Help Fight Many Diseases
By eating these foods 3 times a week and also taking 1 to 2 grams of fish oil supplement with breakfast, lunch and dinner. The USDA (U.S. Dept of Agriculture), the HHS (Dept of Health and Human Services), and the AHA (American Heart Association) suggest consuming an 8 oz serving of fish two times a week.
Omega-3’s have shown to protect against diseases such as cancer, depression, asthma, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases, ADHD, and even rheumatoid arthritis. The reason you can get this protection from all these diseases is because Omega 3 is an anti inflammatory, which is the common thread among these ailments. Having information about nutrition facts can help protect you against many issues that can interfere with your health.
Calcium Builds Bones
Calcium and foods high in proteinsuch as low fat dairy foods are helpful in maintaining a healthy weight and even in losing some weight. Knowing the nutrtition facat about these foods is important. Calcium can actually help to burn fat. Calcium is also beneficial in building strong bones. Some cheeses are lower in fat like feta, goat cheeses and mozzarella. Reduced fat cheeses have about 25% less grams of fat in each serving. As an example, regular cheddar cheese contains 9 grams of fat in each ounce. Reduced fat cheddar has 7 grams for the same ounce. Light cheeses have about 50% less grams of fat. Light cheddar has 4.5 grams of fat per ounce. Low fat cheese has 3 grams of fat or less per ounce.
Light Havarti cheese is great for salads and pizza
- 200 mg of calcium
- 8 grams of protein
- 80 calories per ounce
- 5 grams of fat
- 3 grams of saturated fat
Reduced Fat Sharp White Cheddar cheese is great for grilled cheese sandwiches
- 200 mg of calcium
- 7 grams of protein
- 90 calories per ounce
- 6 grams of fat
- 4 grams of saturated fat
Chevre Goat Cheese is great when crumbled and added to pizzas, pastas, and salads
- 20 grams of calcium
- 4 grams of protein
- 70 calories per ounce
- 5 grams of fat
- 3.5 grams of saturated fat
An Orange is Healthier than Orange Juice
When looking at the ingredients of food you are going to buy, some advice is to put it back on the shelf if the initial 3 ingredients have an “ose” ending. As an example: fructose, glucose, dextrose.
Interesting nutrtition fact: An orange is healthier than orange juice because there is no sugar added to the orange.
Make homemade iced tea and fresh lemonade to avoid drinking sugar filled soda and other drinks make with high fructose corn syrup and sugar.
To make your own lemonade: ¼ to ½ cup of lemon juice. Add 3 ½ cups of water. Add about 50 drops of liquid stevia as a sweetener.
Good Food for Your Brain and Your Heart
There are foods that are known to be good for healthy bones, for your brain and heart.
- eat plenty of fruits and vegetables - they are high in vitamins and minerals and fiber - they help you maintain a healthy weight and protect your heart
- whole grains can be found in barley and oats - they help protect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes
- nuts - although high in fat, the majority of fat is unsaturated fat. This fat actually protects against heart disease
- dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure and protect your heart. The polyphenols in dark chocolate help the flexibility of blood vessels, which can help blood pressure to be lower
Food education and having nutrition facts are important knowledge to have. When we make the right choices about the way we eat, there are many benefits we can enjoy. This list is only a partial of foods that are good for you. Making the right food choices will benefit you now and always.