Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin or excluding favourite foods that are considered bad for you. Rather, it’s about maintaining a positive view about what you eat and acquiring enough energy to replace the amount that is used throughout daily routines. With all the conflicting advice about proper nutrition and dieting tips persons may get easily confused about what to eat. One dish that can help to maintain a balance is the salad; it can be as basic as a serving of leafy greens dressed in olive oil but to be considered a healthy alternative it must consist of all the major food groups.
You know the salad has made an impression when you are able to select one combination from a variety on almost every fast food restaurant menu. Small roadside cook shops to large restaurant franchises have acknowledged that whether a salad is had before, after or as a meal it is beneficial. “Globally people are more health conscious and want to make eating healthy an important part of their lifestyle,” stated Alex Morrison, marketing coordinator at Salads “R” Us, born out of the realization that weight-gain has been an issue in the Morrison family. “So it is not a trend, people in Jamaica are aware of information about lifestyle diseases that are caused by poor eating habits.” And the Salad is considered one of the easiest and quickest meals to prepare that everyone, even the children, will enjoy. It may be hard for individuals that are accustomed to high-fat and sugar diets to switch to the salad-ruled régime but having a serving of salad before, during or after a meal is a good direction to follow. “We believe strongly that consumption of fresh unprocessed foods as part of one’s daily diet is definitely going to help fight off lifestyle diseases in the long term.”
Whilst salads are beneficial it all depends on the extras that are added to it outside of the serving of greens, tomato slices and all the other garden vegetables. “If a Salad includes protein, carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits which provide the phytochemicals, then it’s a complete meal.
Some persons think lettuce as soon as the word salad is mentioned but that is mostly water; there are other types of lettuce and green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach that can add to a salad meal,” says Virginia Mitchell, nutritionist and owner of Vianda’s. It is a given that the salad is the ultimate expression of creativity in the kitchen. Foodies like to enhance the appeal of salads with cheeses, nuts, meats, fruits and even chocolate then call it a “cheat” but to know the specific calories a salad will carry all depends on the ingredients used. So while a salad may suffice as a meal it can also make an individual pack on a lot of unnecessary calories.
Fruits and Vegetables for the Heart & Stomach:
Experts recommend that persons should include up to 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day to acquire a useable source of phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals as well as fibre. Five portions is not as large as it may sound; by including a banana, an apple, half of a mango, one carrot (whole or shredded) and four slices of sweet pepper is easily had in a salad. These nutrients and phytochemicals help cardiovascular function and improve digestive function by acting as a “broom” to speed up digestion by stimulating the production of important enzymes and clear the intestinal pathway.
Food from Animals for the Liver and Kidneys:
Meat especially selected organ meats like the liver, kidney, tripe have the highest concentration of nutrients including proteins and healthy fats. Liver is known to be high in Iron & vitamin A, kidneys are particularly high in B12 and zinc and other organs are abundant in minerals including copper magnesium, selenium and phosphorous which are all beneficial to maintain blood count, connective tissue health and joint health. It has been stated that too much protein may overwork the kidneys but proteins are still essential nutrients to produce amino acids that are the building blocks of the body. Amino acids are the basis of all chemicals produced by the body. Vegans and vegetarians may opt to replace the meat kinds with soy, a variety of nuts and even low-calorie, high protein seafood such as fish, shrimp and other shellfish.
Starch for Muscle Building & Energy:
Some people automatically think fats when starchy foods are mentioned but potatoes, whole grains, brown rice and whole wheat pastas are a good source of fibre, carbohydrates and vitamin B. The body requires carbohydrates and vitamin B for energy and to build or increase muscle strength. Crushed Irish or sweet potatoes and whole wheat pastas are a good addition to a salad.
Even so, a salad isn’t going to help you slim down and prevent the above-mentioned health stresses if fatty foods such as creamy dressing, deep-fried bacon and high-fat nuts are loaded on top of all the vegetables and fruits. Since the salad has now transformed into a food canvas and the various lean meat kinds, poultry, seafood, fruits, nuts and dairy products are the paints. There is no end to the food combinations to make a salad all that’s required is a little imagination and to follow a simple guideline when making it. Instead of worrying about cutting out ‘bad’ foods the focus should be placed on adding healthy supporting foods to everyday meals
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Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin or excluding favourite foods that are considered bad for you. Rather, it’s about maintaining a positive view about what you eat and acquiring enough energy to replace the amount that is used throughout daily routines. With all the conflicting advice about proper nutrition and dieting tips persons may get easily confused about what to eat. One dish that can help to maintain a balance is the salad; it can be as basic as a serving of leafy greens dressed in olive oil but to be considered a healthy alternative it must consist of all the major food groups.
You know the salad has made an impression when you are able to select one combination from a variety on almost every fast food restaurant menu. Small roadside cook shops to large restaurant franchises have acknowledged that whether a salad is had before, after or as a meal it is beneficial. “Globally people are more health conscious and want to make eating healthy an important part of their lifestyle,” stated Alex Morrison, marketing coordinator at Salads “R” Us, born out of the realization that weight-gain has been an issue in the Morrison family. “So it is not a trend, people in Jamaica are aware of information about lifestyle diseases that are caused by poor eating habits.” And the Salad is considered one of the easiest and quickest meals to prepare that everyone, even the children, will enjoy. It may be hard for individuals that are accustomed to high-fat and sugar diets to switch to the salad-ruled régime but having a serving of salad before, during or after a meal is a good direction to follow. “We believe strongly that consumption of fresh unprocessed foods as part of one’s daily diet is definitely going to help fight off lifestyle diseases in the long term.”
Some persons think lettuce as soon as the word salad is mentioned but that is mostly water; there are other types of lettuce and green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach that can add to a salad meal,” says Virginia Mitchell, nutritionist and owner of Vianda’s. It is a given that the salad is the ultimate expression of creativity in the kitchen. Foodies like to enhance the appeal of salads with cheeses, nuts, meats, fruits and even chocolate then call it a “cheat” but to know the specific calories a salad will carry all depends on the ingredients used. So while a salad may suffice as a meal it can also make an individual pack on a lot of unnecessary calories.
Fruits and Vegetables for the Heart & Stomach:
Experts recommend that persons should include up to 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day to acquire a useable source of phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals as well as fibre. Five portions is not as large as it may sound; by including a banana, an apple, half of a mango, one carrot (whole or shredded) and four slices of sweet pepper is easily had in a salad. These nutrients and phytochemicals help cardiovascular function and improve digestive function by acting as a “broom” to speed up digestion by stimulating the production of important enzymes and clear the intestinal pathway.
Food from Animals for the Liver and Kidneys:
Meat especially selected organ meats like the liver, kidney, tripe have the highest concentration of nutrients including proteins and healthy fats. Liver is known to be high in Iron & vitamin A, kidneys are particularly high in B12 and zinc and other organs are abundant in minerals including copper magnesium, selenium and phosphorous which are all beneficial to maintain blood count, connective tissue health and joint health. It has been stated that too much protein may overwork the kidneys but proteins are still essential nutrients to produce amino acids that are the building blocks of the body. Amino acids are the basis of all chemicals produced by the body. Vegans and vegetarians may opt to replace the meat kinds with soy, a variety of nuts and even low-calorie, high protein seafood such as fish, shrimp and other shellfish.
Some people automatically think fats when starchy foods are mentioned but potatoes, whole grains, brown rice and whole wheat pastas are a good source of fibre, carbohydrates and vitamin B. The body requires carbohydrates and vitamin B for energy and to build or increase muscle strength. Crushed Irish or sweet potatoes and whole wheat pastas are a good addition to a salad.
Even so, a salad isn’t going to help you slim down and prevent the above-mentioned health stresses if fatty foods such as creamy dressing, deep-fried bacon and high-fat nuts are loaded on top of all the vegetables and fruits. Since the salad has now transformed into a food canvas and the various lean meat kinds, poultry, seafood, fruits, nuts and dairy products are the paints. There is no end to the food combinations to make a salad all that’s required is a little imagination and to follow a simple guideline when making it. Instead of worrying about cutting out ‘bad’ foods the focus should be placed on adding healthy supporting foods to everyday meals
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