A Guide on What to Eat

What you eat isn't the only determinant of your overall health status. There are plenty of other facets of your life that play major roles in determining how functional and energetic you are.

Here's how I think about the role that diet plays in contributing to health and disease:

If you're consistently eating foods that nourish your cells and don't create cellular injury or inflammation, your diet can take a back seat to other high priority items, like getting enough rest, being physically active, being in a healthy environment, and spending time with people and projects that leave you feeling fulfilled.

If you're not eating the right foods for your health – foods that are injuring your cells and creating inflammation in your body with or without your awareness – then your diet deserves the bulk of your attention and resources, as taking care of other areas of your life while continuously crippling your body with your food choices is a recipe for chronic disease.

Figuring out what to eat to support your best health is a project that you best take on yourself, as no one else can observe all of the ways in which your body responds to the foods and beverages that you consume.

Put another way, it's virtually impossible for one specific dietary program to best support everyone because we're all unique in countless ways and we're always changing.

What is possible and effective for many is to follow a few specific principles that govern healthy eating, to continuously be mindful of how you're feeling, and to make modifications whenever necessary.

Sometimes, modifications may be called for immediately, as in the case of discovering a food allergy. At other times, you may find that changing life circumstances – like aging or even changing of seasons – require alterations to your diet to keep you feeling strong and healthy.

What follows are general principles of healthy eating that I personally strive to follow and that I recommend to my clients.

1. Eat Nutrient-Rich Foods.

Nutrient-rich foods are naturally abundant in one or more of the following health-promoting nutrients:

    * Healthy protein
    * Healthy fat (including cholesterol)
    * Healthy carbohydrates (including fiber)
    * Vitamins
    * Minerals
    * Enzymes
    * Water
    * Phytonutrients (health-promoting nutrients found in plant foods)

Dark or brightly colored vegetables, fruits, and legumes are generally considered to be nature's most nutrient-rich plant foods that are typically well tolerated by the masses.

From the animal kingdom, eggs from healthfully raised birds and cold-water fish are good nutrient-rich food choices for many people.

Broths made from vegetables and/or bones from cold water fish or healthfully raised chickens are also deeply nourishing choices.

2. Minimize Or Avoid Consumption of Highly Processed Foods.

Foods that are predominately made of sugar, flour, and highly processed grains (found in many commercially prepared cereals) are generally low in nutrient value. Ditto for the vast majority of deep-fried foods like donuts and potato chips.

You may be able to indulge in highly processed foods without experiencing significant consequences to your health in the short term if your health is relatively good, but the more you stay away from this group of foods, the healthier you will be and feel in the short and long term.

3. Minimize or Avoid Consumption of Foods that Cause Cellular Injury or Inflammation.

Based on everything that I know about human health and nutrition, the worst offenders are:

    * Pasteurized and homogenized dairy products.
    * Foods that contain shortening or partially hydrogenated oils.
    * Most varieties of highly processed luncheon meats, hot dogs, bacon, and sausages.
    * Factory-farmed flesh meats that have been cooked to a crisp.

4. Chew Your Foods Well.

Chewing your foods until liquid takes burden off your digestive organs, and allows your body to maximally extract and absorb nutrients in the foods that you eat.

You aren't what you eat; you're what you fully digest, and thoroughly chewing your foods is an essential requirement for optimal digestion and health.

source :
By Dr. Ben Kim
DrBenKim.com

The Nourishing Pyramid (Food Guide Pyramid)

The Nourishing Pyramid teaches the great variety to us of foods that can and must be consumed by the people, furthermore the proportional amounts in which they must be consumed in daily form so that its organism stays in f suitable form and can realise all functions in normal form. The variety, amount and proportion of the foods that consume will give to their organism the necessary nutrients for their normal operation.

As a rule, it is recommended to include major amount of foods of the low levels but (first level), since these foods contain complex carbohydrates like starches and fibers. and minor amount of the foods that appear in the levels superiors, In the second level some vegetables and fruits provide vitamins To and C. These meals also are low in fats. In the third level the milky products, like milk, yogurt, and the cheeses provide calcium and protein. Generally these meals contain "the invisible fats". Therefore, it is important to read the label when these meals are bought to select low fat products. In the group of meat and its substitutes the meat is included head of cattle, the birds, the fish, the peanut (peanut), the eggs, and the kidney beans. It is important to recognize that when one eats kidney beans with rice, tortillas, or bread, it is not necessary to include meats Of the quarter and fifth level, it is recommended to ingest fats, the sugars and the salt in form little it frequents and limited to limit the calories.

FIRST LEVEL: it is the base of the Pyramid or bases, are cereals, the bread, the rice, the leguminous tortillas, flours, Popes and the fresh airs. This food group most of contributes the calories that a healthy individual consumes to the day. The amount that is consumed must be proportional to the power cost of each person, the one that is in favor conditional as well of its age and sex and physical activity. Thus the active people but, who spend a greater amount of energy, can consume a greater amount of these foods that sedentary people of its same age and sex.

SECONDLY LEVEL: watched from the base, compartment is divided in two, where the vegetables and the fruits are located, respectively. These groups are very important their vitamin contribution, especially the antioxidants, and by their fiber content. One is due to try to stimulate his consumption in all the groups of age.

THIRD LEVEL: located to the center of the Pyramid, and proportionally smaller than the previous ones, also it is subdivided in two parts: the group of milky and the one that groups to meats, fish, seafood, chickens, eggs and leguminous droughts. The group of milky ones is particularly important by its contribution of calcium and proteins of high biological value. All the people must try to consume milk daily. One recommends to people with overweight or obesity to prefer you milk partially skimmed or skimmed, who maintain their contribution of essential nutrients with a contained caloric fat minor. In the group of the meats the fish consumption is recommended, by its excellent contribution of proteins, iron and, especially, so that it contributes necessary fats for the health that contain a preventive effect of the factors of risk of the cardiovascular diseases. After the fish, it is recommended to prefer the white meats, by his contained minor of fats and, in the case of the red meats, the thin meats. The group of the meats characterizes itself by its protein contribution of high biological value, iron and zinc, essential minerals of good bioavailability.

FOURTH LEVEL: the penultimate level of the Pyramid is a relatively small compartment that groups to oils, fats, butter, margarine and to those foods that contain an important amount of fats, like the olives, nuts, and peanut. In this group, it is recommended to prefer vegetal oils of wonder, trims off lower branches of, canola, soya and the foods like paltas and olives, so that they contain essential fatty acids for the organism. The consumption must be moderate, according to the needs energetics of the individual. In all the cases it is recommended to have a low origin fat consumption animal, by his content of fatty acids saturated and cholesterol.

FIFTH LEVEL: it is the smallest compartment and it is there where the sugar, the honey and the foods are located contain that them in abundance. It is recommended that the consumption of these foods is moderate in all the groups.

• It eats a variety of foods. Thus, you will have the energy, protein, vitamins, minerals and the fiber that your body needs to be healthful.
• It balances what you eat with exercise so that you reduce or you maintain a weight healthful. In this way also you will reduce the possibilities of suffering of diseases of the heart, cerebral attacks, sanguineous high pressure and of diabetes type 1.
• It consumes low foods in salt and sodium so that you reduce the possibilities of suffering of sanguineous high pressure.
• It moderates the consumption of sugars. A high sugar diet brings many calories and few nutrients.
• It moderates the consumption of spirits. These are loaded of calories and contribute to very few or no nutrient. In addition, the alcohol can cause addiction, problems of health and accidents.
• That your diet is loaded of grains, vegetables and fruits. These foods are excellent sources of vitamins, complex minerals, fiber and carbohydrates. In addition, you consume if them frequently you will avoid high fat foods.
• It chooses a low diet in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. It is the unique healthful form to arrive at your ideal weight and to maintain it healthful.

   
   

Sources:
(Doctor Judith Rodriguez, Ph.D. Catedrádica of the University of the North Florida)
(Univ. of Chile. academic: Gloria Jury, Isabel Zacarías, Sonia Olive, Raul Goatherd)