Three Healthy Foods to Eat That Can Improve Your Health!
December 1st, 2008We are so bombarded with food choices that are unhealthy that it can be challenging to make wise decisions when selecting foods and preparing meals for our family. What kind of choices are you making? Are you choosing the best and most optimum foods for you and your family?
People used to look toward nature and to specific healthy foods to cure ailments and disease. Today we often look for man-made drugs to fight off illness. When I first became pregnant, I became more and more interested in eating more healthy and making sure I had the best diet possible for me and my growing child. I realized that many foods could help increase my energy during pregnancy and breastfeeding and that many foods could aid in helping me lose the baby weight. I also realized that in choosing healthy foods to eat I was setting a good example for my children.
Did you know that you can reduce certain symptoms, eliminate illness, and lower risks for diseases by choosing specific healthy foods to eat? For example, flax oil can help reduce the symptoms of ADHD while sardines and salmon can help with depression. Certain types of nuts have even been shown to help women lose weight.
It’s true, certain foods do have medicinal properties that can improve your life. Three, among a few others, are acai, hazelnuts, and barley. These foods are beyond just adding variety to your diet. They are actual “power house” foods that can improve the way you feel and help fight off illness.
Acai contains many antioxidants and has been shown to help protect the immune system from physical stress. It comes in juice or frozen pulp form, as it cannot be imported in actual berry form. Grown mainly in Brazil, it is a food staple in Amazon communities.
Hazelnuts can easily be added to your diet. You can put them into your baked goods such as breads and cookies, add them to your stir-frys, put them into your pancakes, throw them on a salad or into yogurt, or just eat plain or roasted. They are also high in antioxidents including phytonutrients and Vitamin E which help the body repair itself and strengthen the immune system.
The last of the three healthy foods to eat is Barley. Containing beta-glucans, this food can increase your immune function as well as lower cholesterol. Barley has been around for 10,000 years and commonly used in beer-making; however, you can add barley into your diet in a few ways. You can make soups, stews, add to salads, grind into flour for baking, or make it into a hot cereal for breakfast.
These are just three of the many healthy foods to eat that can benefit your life AND improve your immune function. Also, all of them can be found in your local grocery or health food store.