Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life. There are some simple steps to assist with this. Eat well and exercise will have a huge positive impact on your lifestyle. For a quick start add these five ingredients to your diet. Soy to Manage Your Cholesterol Adding soy to your diet has been shown to significantly lower cholesterol, which can reduce your risk of heart disease. Plus, soy is high in iron, which many women need. Some women also say that soy helps them manage hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause, although those benefits have not been proven by long-term clinical studies. Still, its cholesterol-lowering benefits are powerful enough. Indeed, the right diet can lower cholesterol as much as medication. You can add soy foods such as tofu, soy milk, soy nuts, or green soybeans to your diet. There are meal replacement shakes that contain a high level of quality soy. These are a quick and healthy way to increase your soy and protein intake. You can check this out at my website. Fiber for Your Whole Body Once upon a time our diet was made up mostly of whole foods loaded with fiber which helped keep our cholesterol and blood sugar levels low, and kept our bowels functioning smoothly. Studies have shown that dietary fiber -- including foods such as apples, barley, beans, and other legumes, fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, oat bran, and brown rice -- clearly lower blood cholesterol. High-fiber foods are also digested more slowly, so they don't cause spikes in blood sugar levels like white bread, potatoes, and sweets do. Of course, everyone knows that fiber helps keep you regular, but so do laxatives. Fiber, however, has an added plus: High-fiber foods help us feel full, making it easier to control weight. You could also take a fiber supplement such as chitosan. Antioxidant 'Superfoods' to Protect Your Cells and Heart When you're thinking "superfoods," think color. That means foods that are deep blue, purple, red, green, or orange. The carotenoids and anthocyanins that provide the color for these foods contain health-enhancing nutrients that protect against heart disease and cancer, and also improve our sense of balance, our memory, and other cognitive skills. Your "superfoods" color chart should include: * Deep green -- Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli may help prevent colon cancer, while spinach and kale are good sources of calcium. * Red -- Red tomatoes, especially when cooked, are beneficial sources of lycopeine, which helps protect against prostate and cervical cancer. * Orange/yellow -- Squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, and yams promote healthy lungs and help fight off skin cancers such as squamous cell carcinoma. * Deep blue/purple -- Eggplant, plums, blueberries, blackberries (strawberries, raspberries, and cherries come under this category as well) lower your risk of heart disease by helping the liver "sop up" extra cholesterol, as well as improve your mental functioning. Calcium for Your Bones If you want to keep your bones strong and lessen your chance of fractures as you get older, add calcium-rich foods such as low-fat cheese and milk to your diet. If you take a calcium supplement make sure it includes vitamin D which helps the body absorb the calcium. Calcium also keeps teeth strong, helps your muscles contract, and your heart beat. Recent studies have even shown that calcium may lower your risk of colon polyps, and help you lose weight. Researchers at Purdue University found that women who consume calcium from low-fat dairy products or get at least 1,000 milligrams a day showed an overall decrease in body weight. Water for Energy and Your Skin Most people don't drink enough water. You should aim for 8 large glasses a day. We need water to flush out toxins, keep our tissues hydrated, and keep our energy up. Water is also essential if you're eating high-fiber foods. Water helps fiber do its job. Keep a water bottle with you always. Have one in the car, one where you work and keep a jug of water on your bench at home. Your body will thank you for it. Exercise The exercise you do will vary depending on your personal lifestyle. If you are currently not exercising, start slowly, build up gradually. Weight resistance exercises are important for strong and healthy bones. The simplest exercise is walking. Dont catch the elevator, use the stairs. Swimming is a safe exercise for most people. Do not spend too long procrastinating over what type of exercise you will do. Just start some form of exercise today. Healthy Outcomes By following these simple steps you will improve your health. Cutting down on processed and fatty, fast food and carbonated drinks will save you money. It will lessen your need for medical interventions. Your body will look and feel so much healthier and younger. |
