General Nutrition Tips
Read these 18 General Nutrition Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Nutrition tips and hundreds of other topics.
Add Fiber to Your Diet
To add more fiber to your diet, eat breakfast cereals, hot or cold. Top with fruit for even more fiber.
Add wheat germ or bran to crumb toppings for casseroles or desserts, and try to use whole wheat bread crumbs.
Enhance green salads with fiber-packed additions, such as raisins, nuts, shredded carrots, sunflower seeds and fresh apple slices.
No Bad Foods, Part 2
Here is a list of foods you should limit to one serving on an occasional basis: Fried foods; Red meat (no more than two 3-oz. servings per week); Egg yolks (no more than three per week); Dessert items that are high in sugar and fat; High sodium foods; Candy - an occasional piece is fine especially if eating a piece after a meal prevents you from eating dessert; Fruit juice - it contains calories that are easy to lose track of; Sodas. Again, it is easy to lose track of what you are drinking in regard to calories; Cheese because it is very high in saturated fat. Try low-fat varieties; Butter or margarine - use sparingly!
Anti-cancer Foods
Giovanucci at Harvard has found in two studies that tomatoes and strawberries in the diet were related to a low rate of prostate cancer. The relevant substance in tomatoes is believed to be lycopene, the most powerful carotenoid. Strawberries, however, don't have lycopene, yet keep on showing up in the studies!
Alternative to Bacon
If you've never tried turkey bacon, you're missing out! Regular bacon is made entirely of fat, with no nutritional value whatsoever. Turkey bacon is not a pork product, it is made from turkey meat. Turkey bacon contains little fat (it is usually about 97 percent fat free). It still doesn't have a lot of nutritional value, but it is relatively low in fat and will give you a little protein. It tastes considerably different from regular bacon, but it is very good!
Egg Nutrition Basics
Eggs are perfect sources of protein. The only downside is that they are high in cholesterol at 213 mg per egg. Actually, it is the egg yolk that you need to be concerned with in regards to cholesterol, so limit whole eggs to 3 to 4 per week. You may eat as many egg whites as you please. The yolk of the egg is not all bad. It contains a number of different vitamins that are very healthy. So, yes, it is okay to eat the yolk, just limit the number you eat per week.
Choosing Lean Poultry
For chicken, white meat contains less fat than dark meat. Try to buy boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. These contain relatively little fat. Turkey can be substituted for chicken. Boneless turkey breast is cheaper than chicken breast, and it is a little lower in fat (although chicken breast is low in fat also).
Lean Burgers
When buying hamburger, look for extra lean. This type has much less fat than regular hamburger. You can also substitute ground turkey for hamburger. Turkey has a slightly different taste, but it is good and generally costs less than hamburger. Ground turkey is generally very low in fat.
No Bad Foods
There are no bad foods ... only bad food choices. To put together a list of foods you should not eat would not be right. You should instead learn to limit foods, which includes portion control and frequency. Eating a "not-so-good for you" food every once in a while is fine. Just make sure that when you eat that food, you eat a sensible portion rather than the whole carton, box, or bag.
What to Look for in a Soup
Many soups are very high in sodium. While a soup may be low in fat, a 12-ounce serving may provide you with enough sodium for the entire day. Best choices? Bean, tomato, or vegetable based are lowest in fat and calories. Minimize creamy soups and cheese varieties.
High Fiber Diet
A high fiber diet is associated with decreased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and even obesity. Fiber is found only in plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Most adults only consume half the recommended 25-35 grams of fiber each day. Including fiber-rich leafy green vegetables in your food choices will help boost fiber intake.
Fiber-Booster
For extra fiber, add green peas to soups, stir-fries, and rice. Put chickpeas in your salads. Throw an extra can of red kidney beans into the chili.
Basic Principles of Food Combining
These are the general guidelines for food combining, a popular but unproven theory. 1. Fruits should be eaten by themselves, allow 30 min. before eating anything else.
2. Proteins and starches should not be eaten together as one meal.
3. Combine protein and vegetables or combine starch and vegetables.
4. Do not eat more than one protein food per meal.
5. Melons are best eaten as a separate meal from other fruits.
Stimulants
Stimulants can quickly change a mental or bodily state but that the change is only a temporary solution. We use stimulants to make us feel good. If you try to control a symptom with stimulants, the cause of that symptom will remain. So try to stay away from stimulants as much as you can. The most well known stimulants are:
Refined white sugar;
Coffee,
Alcohol;
Cigarettes;
Spices;
Red meat;
Diet pills;
Drugs.
Overall Good Health
Good total health means being physically, mentally and emotionally healthy.
Eat a nutritionally adequate diet. Keep calories from fat to 30 percent of total calories. Maintain a healthy weight. Eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, and grain products. Drink moderately and don't smoke. Avoid salt and refined sugars. Don't take drugs unless prescribed under a doctor's care. Exercise regularly.
Fruits Rich in Beta Carotene
The following are the 10 most nutritious fruits according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest:
1. Papaya
2. Cantaloupe
3. Strawberries
4. Oranges(navel)
5. Tangerines
6. Kiwi
7. Mango
8. Persimmon
9. Apricots
10.Watermelon
Remember that all fruits are healthy and chock full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Note that 9 out of 10 of these fruits are orange or red, meaning they contain a lot of beta carotene or lycopene - both thought to be cancer fighting pigments.
Breakfast
Start your day with breakfast. Breakfast fills you up to get you going after a long night without food. And it can help you do better in school and work. Easy to prepare breakfasts include cold cereal with fruit and low-fat milk, whole-wheat toast with peanut butter, yogurt with fruit, whole-grain waffles or even last night's pizza.
Lean Ham
Trim as much fat as possible from pork before you cook it. Turkey ham can be substituted for real ham. Turkey ham, of course, is really turkey. It really does taste like ham, though, and can be used wherever a recipe calls for ham. Some people can't tell the difference between the two. Turkey ham has very little fat compared to regular ham.
Sugar-Free Does Not Mean Calorie-Free
While sugar substitutes have been shown to be safe and helpful for people with certain diseases such as diabetes, do not assume that "sugar-free" means the food product is low in calories. Identify which type of substitute is contained in the product and how much fat is listed per serving. Some "sugar-free" food products provide the same amount of calories as the original version. Look out for xylitol. Xylitol is a sugar substitute shown useful for people with diabetes because it is absorbed into the bloodstream at a slower rate than sugar requiring little insulin to be metabolized. BUT - it is not calorie-free. Word of caution: Consuming large amounts of xylitol can cause diarrhea and cramping.
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