If You Are Feeling Sluggish-Try These Easy Nutrition Ideas.

By Franklin Tourigny


Proper nutrition is the keystone of a healthy and productive life. When you take in the nutrients your body needs, you provide the raw material for all the processes your body performs on a daily - and nightly - basis. Your nutritional choices have a profound influence on the level of well-being you can achieve.

Plan ahead for healthy nutrition. Keep healthy snacks on hand so that you don't make a poor choice, on the spur of the moment when you get hungry. If the healthy and nutritional choice is the easier one, it becomes a habit to pick that option instead of putting forth the effort to locate an unhealthy item.

It's a fact: most kids just don't like to eat their veggies! But there are ways to get them to enjoy these wonderful foods. Try new, interesting vegetables and add low-fat dips. Take your child shopping and allow him to pick the veggie for tonight's meal. And if your child likes sandwiches, try to load them up with lettuce, tomatoes or anything he will allow!

Make sure most of your meals or snacks includes some protein, and try to get an adequate amount of healthy fat each day. Both fat and protein will make you feel more satified than if you got the same number of calories from a sugary snack. Additionally, protein is necessary if you're exercising as well as dieting, to ensure that you don't lose too much muscle along with fat.

While nutritional supplements like protein shakes, vitamin tablets, and other products can be beneficial to your health, it's important to remember that relying on them can be unhealthy and expensive. If you take a lot of these supplements, try to find one food that can act as a natural alternative.

Feed your child healthy snacks. Ignore those pre-packaged sugary snacks, and introduce your child to healthy snacks disguised as fun treats! Dip a banana in vanilla yogurt, roll it in crushed cereal, and freeze. Spread frozen yogurt on two graham crackers and fill with sliced bananas to make a tasty 'sandwich'. Mix cornflakes with peanut butter, roll into balls and cover with crushed graham crackers. Spread peanut butter on apple slices. Mix together cereal, nuts and dried fruit in a small bag for a healthy travel snack.

A great nutritional tip is to eat something before you go to a thanksgiving dinner. If you go to a thanksgiving dinner on an empty stomach, you're more likely to overindulge. By eating a little something before you go to a thanksgiving dinner, you'll fill up quicker and you won't eat as much.

You should buy and eat foods that you can still identify what they are. Foods that have been processed to oblivion are not healthy and are not good for you to eat. You should eat foods in their simplest form such as raw broccoli, bananas and rice that has not been overly processed.

It is not all about counting points or counting calories. It is all about controlling your insulin levels and eating food that is good for you. If you follow a diet of nutrient-dense food, you are sure to have much more success in maintaining a healthy weight.

When you eat a salad, put your dressing on the side for dipping your fork. Most of the calories in a salad come from the salad dressing that is poured on top. If you put the dressing on the side instead, and put a little bit on your fork before you pick up a bite of salad, you will still get the flavor of the dressing without using a lot of dressing. This will really cut down on the calories consumed.

Sugars and starches are bad for you and may make you inattentive. Sugar and starches are both considered "empty calories" without a lot of nutritional value. Replace these foods with low-GI fruits, vegetables, and meats. Eating smaller meals high in these foods can also improve your attention span.

Mushrooms come in a multitude of varieties and add amazing flavor to many dishes. This is a good enough reason to use them. But they have great additional benefits nutritionally. Mushrooms contain protein as well as many trace minerals and needed vitamins--especially the B vitamins such as biotin.

With the information that you've learned about how to proper nutrition, you should feel more confident that you can boost your health. Try your best to apply the information you learned to the degree that you can, and you should start feeling more healthy as the days pass. In time you should notice a significant change in your body and mind!




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