Dieting – Health Foods

The truth of the matter is that all foods are health foods. The variety of foods that are available has their purpose and uses. The food that grows in one region is a balanced food for that region and is not superior to those that grow in another which is also the food that is very appropriate for that region. Everything is where it should be. No amount of hype and sales pitch could change that, and no matter the try, people will remain healthy if people eat in variety and in correct proportions without gorging.

Health foods however is a term used by health proponents in the 1920's to foods that have special benefits to specific health issues. Health foods for example are those foods that are low in sugar and fat since these are the primary causes of obesity when left unchecked.

What are these?

Organic Foods

These are foods farmed as organic in nature. Organic foods for most of human history had been the staple in farming. These are foods farmed without the use of pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. For livestock, organic classification mean that the animals were not injected with antibiotics, are not genetically modified nor growth hormones used in raising them. Today, there are two basic kinds of farming of organic food. One is the private garden which will also sell their produce labeled as organic, the other are organic food industries regulated heavily by most governments.

Natural Foods

Natural foods are health foods that are similar in ideal to organic foods although these foods are processed without the use of refined sugar, food coloring, refined flour, and flavorings.

High Fiber Foods

High fiber foods are health foods that have high fiber density. Examples of high fiber foods are berries, cabbages, and fruits and vegetables that have high fiber concentration. The thing that is so important with foods that are high in fiber is that it improves the absorption of nutrients in the body as it cleanses the digestive system. A clean colon and healthy colon for example prohibits 64 different kinds of diseases that would otherwise afflict the body when the gunk and the junk in the system are not flushed out.

Omega 3 rich foods

Unlike foods that are low fat and low sugar, foods rich in Omega 3 are good sources of essential fatty acids whose benefits are too numerous to name. Some of the benefits of foods rich in omega 3 are that it has excellent anti aging qualities, is a good cancer retardant, good for heart problems, skin, hair, metabolism, rheumatism, good for the memory and brain health, etc. What is good about these foods is that it is everywhere and is not expensive. Examples of foods are, Avocado, berries, soya beans and soybean oil, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, olive oil, Brazil nuts, tofu etc.

Vegetables like, broccoli, squash, kidney beans, green beans, lettuce, cauliflowers are very rich in Omega 3. Likewise fish especially the cold water/fatty variety are excellent sources of Omega 3. Some of the fish are the trout, swordfish, milkfish, salmon, mackerel, herring, and Albacore tuna.

Health foods are everywhere. Those mention here are just a few of the examples but mostly the healthiest and among the best. Dieting through health foods is as easy as picking the next choice.

Dieting – Try These Healthy Foods

Include these healthy foods in your diet. No matter how much weight you are working out to loose or gain, these healthy foods will enhance any diet. Do not mind about the added calories, they are so minimal. To think of it, most food contains calories. The benefits you get from these foods are great.

Let us drink to your health

• Water for the body is good. Water with flavoring? As Rabbis usually says, we could look at that in different ways. Funny sometimes are Rabbis but actually there is too much wisdom in that. You see, you will never go wrong with water. No one does. Any water that is not needed by the body gets out of the body. The more is flushed out, the cleaner our system gets, and the healthier we become. What should be bothering is what we mix with the water.

• Fruit juices? Okay but make it natural. Juices squeezed out of fresh fruits do wonders for the body. It has some calories but the benefits far outweigh whatever the added calories. The sugar in fresh fruits unlike processed sugar is good. The calories derived from it give constant, steady burning energy unlike table sugar that gives sudden energy boosts and the feeling of tiredness afterwards. Because of the natural sugars, the feeling of being full lasts and so we feel hungry less. If the diet leans on strict adherence, do not buy bottled juices or powders. There are so many other additives in it that may upset your dieting program. This is the time where you should read the label. Read the fine print too. You may be getting more of the additives and less of the fruit juice. Most fruit juice preparations are so watered down, perked up with additives, highly sugared and not worth much in the healthy foods department.

• Coffee – Yes. Coffee are very rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants benefit the body in many ways. One of these is the slowing down of the aging process. Now, eating food that are rich in antioxidants may not shave off years to our looks but it makes our body function better. But limit that to a few cups because of the caffeine.

Then We Feast

• Eat avocado and no, do steer off it because of the fat. The fat in avocado is good and considered in nutrition circles as "healthy Fat". Avocado is one of the richest in fiber especially those that are fully ripe. Actually the more mature it gets the better the fiber. It is one of those rare food that are very filling without calories. Just like coffee avocados are very rich in antioxidants less the caffeine. It is also an excellent source of Omega 3 fatty acids. Avocados could be a complete meal when mixed with milk. It also blends very well with many different kinds of food like salads, guacamole, tortilla etc. This is not a boring health food.

• If avocado tops in fiber, walnuts top in Omega 3. Good as salad and pastry toppings, it is also a good portable snack. Hemp oil is almost similar in benefits.

• Likewise, apples, potatoes, oats, Brazil nuts, and fishes of the fresh water/fatty variety are healthy foods that you will never go wrong even when you eat plenty.