List Of Healthy Food - A Small Guide To Eating Healthy

Healthy ingredients are of course necessary for healthy food. In this healthy food guide section I'll try to expand on what ingredients you can add to your cooking to make it really healthy yet also tasty. I'll also share some good healthy ideas with you which I hope will inspire you to better health!

Any list of healthy food should start with fruit and vegetables. A healthy diet should ideally include 3 portions of fruit and 4 portions of vegetables.

When I first read that, I thought 'how am I going to eat that in a day?' Well, a 'portion' doesn't have to mean something big!

For example, a good sized portion would include a small cup of juice, a medium-sized piece of fruit, half a cup of cooked vegetables, or a small salad (with, for example, lettuce, tomato, grated carrot and/or cucumber).

Some of my favourite fruits are bananas, strawberries, peaches, rockmelon (also called cantaloupe) and mango. A really good way to get a portion (or two) of fruit is to blend some of your favourite fruits with some low fat milk. This makes a delicious addition to breakfast, and I don't know how I would start my day without one!

With vegetables, try to have some that are orange or dark green as they are an even better source of nutrients that your body needs to maintain good health.

Fibre is also essential to overall health, and it helps keep your body's digestive system in tip-top condition. Fibre is also good as it makes you feel full, and less likely to overeat.

Healthy ingredients that are a good source of fibre include chick peas (great with chicken stir fry dishes), sweet corn (great with barbecues), pasta, potatoes and dried fruits (such as apricots).

A few years ago I discovered wheatgerm. This is a particularly good source of fibre, vitamins and nutrients, and (to me, at least), it has a nutty, almost sweet flavour. Because of this, I started sprinkling some over my cereal rather than sugar. I still get a nice sweet taste, but far greater health benefits! I would suggest trying some and see if you like it.

So far I've shown you what healthy ingredients to include in your cooking. Now it's time to mention a few things to take out.

Sugar, as you'd expect, is high on this list! The thing about sugar is that it's high in calories but has zero other nutrients. Cutting back on sugar means you can reduce your calories intake without sacrificing any nutrients. Sugar also has a variety of names, so watch out for things like sucrose, glucose, maltose, fructose and dextrose. Sugar can also be raw, brown or cane sugar. Brown sugar might also go by the names of Demerara, Turbinado or Muscovado/Barbados sugar.

Fat is another thing to reduce, however not all fat is bad. Some fat is needed for energy and other fatty acids your body needs. It's also used to help the body absorb vitamins, it helps insulate the body and, of course, it gives food a pleasant taste and texture. Last of all it's a good source of backup energy if you're sick.

Having said that, most fats are good in moderation. Try to reduce your fat intake by eating less fast food, butter, full cream milk and chocolate. Trim any meat you cook of the excess fat you can see, and take the skin off chicken before cooking.

So this is a good list of healthy food to get you started. Check out the other pages in this section to really get your healthy living off to a good start!

Return from List Of Healthy Food to Basic Cooking Home