A Diet Primer For Health Food And Vitamins
Quite often, we want to eat healthier but dont know exactly how to start. Sometimes food you think might be good may in fact not be right for you, and vice-versa. This article looks at some simple diet changes you can start to make right away that will improve your overall health.
Whole Wheat Products
One of the simplest changes you can make is to start eating more whole grain foods instead of those made with white processed flour. Why is this? The whole grain variety has retained more of the nutrients and it breaks down much more slowly in you body. This avoids sudden spikes in your blood sugar level, which can lead to diabetes in the long run.
Heart Healthy Foods
Heart disease is one of the biggest health problems we face. Frequently caused by blood clots in you arteries, this can be alleviated by eating some of the right foods. Try eating things like oatmeal, blueberries, and soy products like tofu. Even a daily glass of red wine or some dark chocolate has been found to be good for your heart.
Drink More Water
Weve often been told we should drink 8 glasses of water each day, but how many of us actually do? Drinking water is a great way to help you lose weight. Water helps the body metabolize stored fat. Water is also great for your skin it helps to keep it clear and healthy-looking. Start drinking more water today!
Eat More Vegetables
Common vegetables like carrots, broccoli and spinach contain carotenoids, which are thought to protect against cancer. Vegetables generally provide excellent health food and vitamins essential to your well-being. A simple way to increase your intake is to serve more than one vegetable with your meals.
Fruits Are Fine!
Like vegetables, fruit is an excellent source of vitamins and other nutrients. Eating fruit can help you lose weight and also prevent illness. Apples, bananas and melons are particularly good for you. Try introducing some of these fruits at meal times. Bananas go well with your cereal in the morning, and fruit in general can make a great dessert at the end of your meals.
Fish Is Good For You
Cold water fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines contain omega-3 fats. These fats are essential but they cannot be produced by the body, and must be obtained from foods. Fish is also a good source of protein low in calories and saturated fat. Try a tuna sandwich next time you have lunch!
Spare the Meat
Red meat like beef is very popular in many of our diets, and it is high in protein and essential amino acids. However it can contain a lot of saturated fat. This doesnt mean we have to give up this summertime BBQ favorite. Simply look for the lean cuts and stay away from the fatty ones like rib-eye.
There is much more we could say on the topic of health food and vitamins. But just by following these simple suggestions you will be well on you way to a healthier diet. The many benefits you will see from increasing your intake of health food and vitamins include weight control, more energy and a reduced risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Deborah Prosser is a partner in Ipcor Publishing and Personal Logs personallogs. She is publisher of the website Get In Shape getinshape.ipcor. You can find more information about healthy food choices on her webpage
getinshape.ipcor/Health-Food-Vitamins.
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Wal-Mart Helping the Little Man
Although it caused quite a stir when the idea was first spoken of, the plan for Wal-Mart to offer generic prescriptions for $4 each has faded from the limelight. A perfect time to approach the topic again. Mainly, how does this sort of price slashing benefit the American mega-corp? And, how do the ripples of this venture effect the rest of the pond?
To tackle the first question is very easy. Why would such a seemingly profit hungry corporation suddenly drastically slash the prices on medications? Because they expect to make a great deal of net revenue doing it. While viewed by many as a selfless act, the Wal-Mart drug plan is not intended to run at any kind of loss. Not a single statement Wal-Mart has made says anything about that, in fact, they readily admit they expect and want to profit from this program. Because Wal-Mart can buy enormous quantities of product, the price for doing so is extremely low per unit. However, instead of making the kinds of profits that turn the heads of any suspicious consumer, they will do so at a much lower profit margin per unit.
And that is where the magic is. They will make less money in each sale, but the idea is that low prices attract large numbers of people. In doing this they increase overall profit by simply driving up the volume of sales. There is no happy, selfless, or saintly motivation here, only the raising of the bottom line in a way that only very large and economically powerful corporations can do. However, for every action there is a reaction.
In an article by David Harsanyi of the Denver post, Dr. Jeffrey Zax, an economics professor at the University of Colorado ay Boulder, was quoted as saying this.
I dont see any downside to it. I think its a terrific idea. Its hard to imagine what downside there could be. The only change will be that others will try and meet these prices.
But, of course, there is a downside. Most private pharmacists have no way of matching these kinds of prices. It has long been the same argument against Wal-Mart that they drive anything smaller than them out of business. This is certainly a consequence worth noting. There is another very human consequence to note.
People in America have long carried the heavy load of the insurance industry and its less than helpful attitude about helping people. Now we not only carry the weight, but suffer from it in very real ways. We are a country that does not take preventive measures in health care, we only react to illness and injury that poses a great threat to us. We suffer many ills because we cannot afford to treat them before they stop us. Four dollar prescriptions can make a very real difference in this climate. A family formerly faced with the choice of food or medicine will be able to afford limited health care much more easily. This certainly does not cure the problem of the system, but at least it staunches the bleeding. We must weigh in our minds and hearts if the price of losing small pharmacies is equitable in terms of gains in affordable medicine.
This could be a rare example in modern times of dedicated work toward raising profits is working to also help people live better. Not only that, but it has been done without mandate by the federal government. This may be a very small change, possibly ambivalent, step in the right direction. But in a nation where many people cannot afford insurance for health care at all, even troubled baby steps are better than digging deeper trenches.
Chris Schaffer graduated with his BA in psychology from Mesa State College in 2006. He is the founder of the Sustainable Democracy website and movement.
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