Nutrient rich foods

Looking for foods that are rich in nutrients is not a hard thing to do. The key is to look in the right places. If you are trying to research and find foods that offer the best nutrition then that means you are one step ahead of many people out there. Unfortunately today there are so many fast food restaurants and junk foods available to us that we fall victim to eating these foods because they are quick and convenient. What a lot of people do not realize is how much junk they are filling themselves with daily. In order to find foods that are best for our bodies and that will provide us with the much needed nutrition our bodies crave, we must take a look at the different food groups.

We all know that fruits and vegetables are essential to our health and there is a reason for that. Fruits and vegetables are foods that come straight from nature. Foods in their rawest form offer us the best nutrition possible. Fruits and vegetables are just about the only thing that we can eat that does not have to be prepared first. For this reason you can be assured that they are the healthiest foods on the earth. They offer so many wonderful vitamins and the best part is that you can really eat as much of these foods without having to worry about side effects or weight gain. Fruits and vegetables come in all different colors of the rainbow and it’s a good idea to have some of each color in your diet as often as possible. Since it has been proven that different fruits and vegetables offer different nutrients that our body needs, it’s a good idea to have a variety in your diet. The darker and more rich in color the vegetable is typically means the better it is for your health too!

Another wonderful food to include in your diet would be whole grains. Most people buy bread because they like the taste or they buy regular pasta because it’s what they are used to, but switching over to whole grains and replacing your existing choices with better ones is the best option for getting all the nutritional value out of meals you already enjoy. Whole grains are so healthy for you. They are another part of nature that has so many benefits. Whole grains that include bran, germ and endosperm are the best in offering antioxidants, vitamins B and E, fiber and iron. The next time you want to buy a loaf of bread, opt for the whole grain bread, same goes for pasta. Also try switching from white rice to brown rice. Try eating other foods like oatmeal or barley or try a whole grain breakfast cereal to start your day. It is recommended that we eat 3 or more of these foods a day for maximum benefits. These foods fit into the carbohydrate family but are the good type of carbs that we need for energy. Do not be afraid of eating these foods for fear of weight gain.

Protein is a very important part of our diet as well. Protein helps our muscles stay healthy and strong. Protein can be found in several types of foods. Most often a person may feel that the only source of protein is through eating meat, but that just isn’t the case at all. In fact, the healthiest types of protein come from beans, nuts and whole grains. The reason for this is because when you rely on getting all your proteins through means of meat, dairy or eggs, you also do not realize how much fat and cholesterol you are gaining as well. The protein will be good for you but the bad stuff that comes along with it can quickly outweigh the benefits.

One thing to remember when seeking out foods that are rich in nutrients, is to stay away from processed and packaged foods as much as possible. Obviously good foods will be contained somehow, but look at labels and try to find as many foods in their rawest form as possible. These are the foods that will offer you the most nutrition your body is looking for.

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Last updated on Apr 1st, 2009 and filed under Healthy Eating. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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