Best Things to do for Your Body - Part 4

Today we'll learn about food.  Foods we should try to eat and foods we should try to avoid.

Foods to eat, guilt free

• Lean protein
• Fiber - not always easy to eat enough so look for high fiber breakfast cereal (at least 5g/serving)
• Iron rich foods - many women of childbearing age are iron deficient.  If you're a veg and getting your iron from non-meat sources, you can absorb the mineral only if you eat it with vitamin C (just an FYI)
• Wild Alaskan salmon - can you say Omega 3's?
• Eggs (not just the whites) - both the whites and the yolks have health benefits (try for six a week)

And one food related tip

• Learn how to eyeball portions - as Americans, our idea of what a portion is is completely out of whack

Foods to avoid

• Processed and refined carbs
• Hot dogs, bologna, sausage - fat and salt bombs plus nitrates!
• Artificial sweeteners - studies are showing that use of artificial sweeteners makes you crave more food (as I just put a little Splenda in my tea)
• "Fortified" junk food - don't be fooled by nutritional claims on the packaging
• Booze - try to limit yourself to one drink a day

Once again, all good tips!  Sometimes people think i'm strange because I eat full eggs, not just the whites but i've read many articles touting the health benefits of whole eggs.  I do however need to work on my artificial sweetener issues.

Source: Women's Health Magazine http://www.womenshealthmag.com/files/best-tips/pdf/76TipsForBody.pdf