GOOD NUTRITION
QUICK-TIME STRATEGIES FOR HEALTHY COOKING
If you're tied to a hectic schedule, you don't always have the time or energy to prepare dinner. You're lucky if you can find your car keys, much less the kitchen. As a quick dinner solution, many people opt for take-out or fast food.
Here are three healthy meal strategies that can help when tonight's dinner can't come from your kitchen:
Don't take home more than you can afford to eat (or keep). Ask for a half portion if you know the restaurant's servings are generous.
Buy only what you don't have time to make--keep some vegetables in the freezer or toss together a salad when you get home.
Order with your health in mind. Think about what you're having for dinner after you've already eaten breakfast and lunch. You're more prone to think healthy when your stomach isn't empty.
GOOD NEWS FOR SHRIMP LOVERS
Although shrimp is higher in dietary cholesterol than fish or chicken, it's low in saturated fat. We all know that saturated fat is the main culprit for raising blood cholesterol levels. Not only is shrimp low in saturated fat, but it also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which can actually be heart healthy!
On the downside, three ounces of cooked shrimp provide a whopping 167 milligrams of dietary cholesterol. Since some experts recommend that we keep dietary cholesterol levels below 300 milligrams per day, you can still enjoy shrimp. Simply balance your intake of shrimp with other low-cholesterol foods such as fruits, vegetables, and nonfat dairy products.
COLD-FIGHTING FOODS
Certain foods can help minimize and shorten the duration of symptoms associated with the common cold. Here are some of the proven cold-fighting foods:
Chicken soup thins the mucous in the lungs, making the mucous easier to expel.
Hot and spicy foods act as expectorants. When you eat these foods regularly, they help thin mucous secretions of colds, asthma, and allergies.
Garlic kills the viruses and bacteria associated with the common cold and flu.
Drinking plenty of liquids will hydrate the mucous membranes. Viruses thrive in dry environments.
DELICIOUS WAYS TO PREVENT WRINKLES
Your face reflects what you eat. Do you want to know some delicious ways to avoid getting wrinkles?
Make fruit a part of every meal--not only fresh fruit but also canned or frozen.
Eat carrots--they contain carotene, a skin-healthy agent.
Add broccoli and fresh spinach to salads. These additions fit into just about any recipe. (Spinach contains more carotene than lettuce.)
Fruit is an excellent source of carotene. Enjoy a fruit smoothie a combination of yogurt and fresh fruit such as apricots, peaches, mangos, or papaya--to boost the carotene in your diet.
Try some chilled melon balls with a splash of champagne as an after-dinner treat.
Look for juices made from fruits high in carotene--just another way to boost your carotene intake.
Substitute papaya for tomato--not only a carotene booster, but also a taste enhancer!
Keep fresh broccoli florets on hand and serve them with a tasty low-fat dip.
TIME TO EAT
Learning to differentiate between physical hunger and psychological hunger can help you control your weight. For instance, instead of eating lunch just because your brain says it's noon, try listening to your body. Learn how your body tells you that it's hungry. Is your stomach growling? Do you become tired when you're hungry?
You should eat only when you feel hungry and quit eating when you feel full. If you consume more calories than your body needs at any given time, your body stores the extra calories as fat. If you continue to overeat, you'll continue to increase the amount of fat.
HEALTHY, QUICK FOODS
Does it seem like you're always in a hurry when it's time to eat? If so, don't worry. It's still possible to eat healthy even when you're on the go, without speeding through a fast-food lane. Stock a healthy pantry and keep these tips in mind:
Keep lots of fresh fruits on hand. Apples, bananas, and oranges are excellent staple fruits.
Keep lots of vegetables (carrots, green peppers, onions, and celery) in the refrigerator so that you can steam up a healthy snack.
Maintain a good supply of yogurt.
Grab some peanut butter and a stalk of celery for a delicious, quick munchie.
Buy bagels and, if you want, freeze them. Bagels thaw well when toasted or heated in the microwave.
Buy 100-percent fruit juices in bottles or in little drink boxes.
IMMUNITY-BOOSTING FOODS
Did you know that you have foods located right in your kitchen that can boost your immunity? Immunity-boosting foods give cells the ammunition to ward off illnesses from minor infections and viruses to cancer. Some of the best choices include:
Yogurt--studies have proven that eating six ounces of yogurt per day for at least four months can prevent colds and reduce hay fever symptoms.
Garlic--garlic increases the potency of T-lymphocytes and macrophages, substances important in fending off an attack of foreign invaders in the body.
Fruits and vegetables--concentrate on ones that are high in beta-carotene and vitamin C, since those substances stimulate immune defenses.
Another immunity booster is zinc, a nutrient that revitalizes aging immune systems and speeds up the healing of wounds.
(Forwarded for Kanjur Folks by: William Fernandes)
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HEALTHY EATING - Part 1 of 2
HEADACHE? - EAT FISH!
Eat plenty of fish - fish oil helps prevent headaches. So does ginger, which reduces inflammation and pain.
HAY FEVER? EAT YOGURT!
Eat lots of yogurt before pollen season. Also-eat honey from your area (local region) daily.
TO PREVENT STROKE - DRINK TEA!
Prevent build-up of fatty deposits on artery walls with regular doses of tea.
INSOMNIA (CAN'T SLEEP?) - HONEY!
Use honey as a tranquilizer and sedative.
ASTHMA? - EAT ONIONS!!!!
Eating onions helps ease constriction of bronchial tubes.
ARTHRITIS? - EAT FISH, TOO!!
Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines actually prevent arthritis.
UPSET STOMACH? - BANANAS - GINGER!!!!!
Bananas will settle an upset stomach. Ginger will cure morning sickness and nausea.
BLADDER INFECTION? DRINK CRANBERRY JUICE!!!!
High-acid cranberry juice controls harmful bacteria.
BONE PROBLEMS? EAT PINEAPPLE!!!
Bone fractures and osteoporosis can be prevented by the manganese in pineapple.
PRE-MENSTRUAL SYNDROME? EAT CORNFLAKES!!!!
Women can ward off the effects of PMS with cornflakes, which help reduce depression, anxiety and fatigue.
Just thought i'd like to let you guys know!