POWER FOR HEALTH: Healthy Food For A Healthy Body

There is no doubt that if you are able to eat a healthy diet you will have a lot more energy to enjoy life. You will also find that you immune system can be improved, as well as ensuring you have a healthy heart. For many people the idea of eating healthy food simply doesn't come into play; the will go there whole lives eating poorly, either doubting or ignoring the importance of eating well. But if you are one of those who is committed to eating healthy food to improve your overall health, then you will want to start by learning more about what makes good food health, and the nutritional benefits of these things.

A simple mistake that a lot of people make when considering how to eat healthily is that they mistakenly place too little emphasis on the repercussions of the occasional ice cream and piece of pizza. The problem that arises is that these things tend to add up and the bad habits we form begin to increase the calories. There are simple steps to control the things that you are eating, and as you are more experienced with monitoring your food, you will find it comes more naturally. It is also worth considering that you eating habits can be impacting other loved ones and you would hate to be the catalyst for bad habits in your family.


Choosing to eat healthily is a chance to try many new and varied foods; including fruits, vegetables and grains that you would otherwise not normally have tasted. The benefits of eating health food have indicated in research that you will be able to lower your blood pressure and reduce the likelihood of developing elevated blood pressure in the first place. When you introduce a healthy and well balanced diet you are not only teaching your children great habits for life, you are ensuring that they will grow up to be strong and healthy also. It is shown that children who are used to sitting down to eat with their families are more likely to eat fruit and vegetables, and less inclined to form the habit of snacking on poor quality junk foods.

The most common health problem from eating these junk foods is that it is closely tied to weight gain. When you are eating healthy food you are keeping your body balanced, and there is no reason not to eat food that you enjoy, it is simply a matter of finding healthy alternatives that will leave you satisfied. Following a healthy diet means steering clear of too much candy, cookies, pastries and cakes. If you are aiming to reduce elevated blood pressure, then studies have shown that simply adding more low fat dairy, fruit and vegetables will assist this.

To get started making healthy meals, start by introducing more raw foods into your diet, such as salads and vegetable juices. You can also make simple changes by switching to whole grain bread and using low fat options. Even using less fat or 'healthy' fats such as olive oil can reduce your fat intake. So start making the right choices with food today - your family as well as your body will thank you!

By: Rozita Daud

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Author: Rozita Daud is freelance writer at Power for Health

PRE-BIOTICS

The concept of prebiotics which were first defined by Gibson-Roberfroid in 1995 as “non-digestible food ingredients that beneficially affect the gut by selectively stimulating the growth and activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon, that can improve host health”.
The function of pre-biotics therefore is to specifically promote the growth and activity of desirable types i.e. Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli are major contributors to these benefits which consequently produces a relative reduction in undesirable types such as E.coli, klebsiella, clostridium and Candida albicons. Probiotics have been found to inhibit intestinal bacterial enzymes involved in the synthesis of colonic carsinogens.
A characteristic of all pre-biotics is that they escape digestion in the small intestine and are fermented in the large intestine by the microflora. This produces predominantly lactate, acetic, propionic and butyric and also the gases of hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide.
As classical prebiotic oligosaccharides added in food, human milk oligosaccharides stimulate the proliferation of bifidogenic microflora in breastfed children, but have also other important roles in the local intestine immune system. Presently, standard prebiotics are largely used depending on their putative positive action on the host’s health. For these reasons, this new class of food ingredients has been added to human and domestic animals foods. Concerning carbohydrates, the term prebiotic may be ambiguous a lot of saccharidic compounds are present in feeding with or without prebiotic action.
Prebiotic oligosaccharides are noncariogenic, nondigestible and low calorific compounds stimulating the growth and development of gastrointestinal microflora described as probiotic bacteria.