Health foods are basically foods that help you to maintain health; physically and mentally both. Good nutrition and safe food is very important for all people across the world and eating healthy foods and a balanced meal helps to protect and promote good health.
This can be achieved with the help of a food pyramid which guides you how much to eat from a particular food group, how to make wise choices from that group and how to prepare to prevent any nutrient loss. A healthy food pyramid also helps to plan meals, teach the serving or portion size and gives smart tips to maintain our ideal body weight.

Tips For Better Health

To ensure that you are including a health food in diet remember these points

Include complex carbohydrates in the form of whole cereals, whole wheat and wheat products, brown rice and other millets in diet to get energy. These are also rich in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Whole pulses, sprouts and soy are very essential source of protein in a vegetarian diet. Soy protein is of more significance as besides being a very good source of protein it also supplies n-3 fatty acids which are necessary for various functions in the body.
Skimmed milk and skim milk products, lean meat, fish, egg and de skinned chicken also provides good quality protein and are healthy if consumed in recommended amounts.
Include at least 9-10 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables out of which eat one dark green and one orange vegetable daily.
Take minimum amounts of ‘empty calories’ that comes from sugar and also concentrate not only on the quantity but also the quality of fat that is being consumed.

Health foods can also refer to the foods that are grown organically and are free from chemicals. Certain vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, beta carotene, selenium, magnesium, calcium, chromium, boron and lithium are many times higher in organic foods compared to the normal counterparts. These foods are very expensive and not cost effective for a simple reason as their production is lower, more labor intensive and has lower yields compared to the commercial methods.

Certain foods are also labeled as ‘health food’ as they are specially fortified with various nutrients. These fortified foods are often rich in vitamins and minerals, but it is very important to read the product label and decide according to ones requirement before its consumption.

The need for any dietary supplements is nil if an individual is on a balanced diet and includes variety of healthy foods in meals.

How Many Calories In Black Grapes?

Black grapes, or seedless grapes, are very healthy fruits. Black grapes calories come along with a lot of nutrition as well. A single grape gives you 64 calories, 0.3 grams of fat, 16.5 grams of carbohydrates, 0.6 grams of proteins, and 2 mg sodium. All these nutrients make black seedless grapes extremely nutritious and healthy, while the black grapes’ calorie content remains low.

Though these black grapes are seedless, they have high soluble fiber content. Most people consume these grapes during their lunch time and when eaten with other foods, the nutritional value goes higher. Although not especially considered a diet food, black seedless grapes are extremely nutritious as well as delicious.

Is Chikoo Good For Diabetes?

A native of Mexico, sapodilla or chickoo is extensively cultivated in South Asia. It is a sweet fruit with numerous health benefits, including its ability to cure dysentery and diarrhea, pulmonary diseases, cough and cold, and other microbial diseases.

If you are wondering whether chickoo is good for diabetes, the answer is no. The fruit is excessively sweet and is constituted of simple sugars. These simple sugars can easily be assimilated in the blood stream, thereby significantly raising the blood sugar levels and aggravating diabetes. As such, chickoo is not good for diabetics. There are certain other fruits which are good for diabetes like apple, berries, banana, and citrus fruits.

What Are The Benefits Of Figs Juice?

Fig is a sweet fruit which may be eaten raw or consumed as a juice.

Some of the fig’s juice health benefits are as follows:
• Fig’s juice is rich in carbohydrates and as such, is an instant source of energy.
• One of the other fig’s juice benefits is its ability to maintain the health of the skeletal system on account of its rich calcium content.
• Fig’s juice may also be used to cure arthritis when consumed with goat milk.
• If you want to gain weight, you should consume fig’s juice. You can also use it to supplement over-the-counter bodybuilding supplements.
• Fig’s juice also helps control blood pressure and prevents cardiovascular diseases.

Are Almonds Good For Brain?

Almonds are a rich source of nutrients and offer numerous health benefits. One of the health benefits of almonds is that almonds are good for the brain. This is because they have certain chemicals like phenylalanine, which easily pass the blood-brain barrier and help in the secretion of mood elevating hormones. These hormones are adrenaline, noradrenaline, and dopamine.

Moreover there is also mounting evidence on the effectiveness of almonds for brain power. Almonds promote the secretion of chemicals like riboflavin and L-carnitine, which in turn help enhance memory. Almonds also enhance intelligence levels and regulate the overall health of the nervous system.

Are Beetroots Good For Diabetics And Skin?

Beetroot is a rich source of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamins, fiber, and certain pigments. It may be consumed raw, as part of a salad, or cooked as a vegetable. Beetroot helps prevent and cure a variety of skin diseases. It also prevents dryness of the scalp and dandruff.

The effectiveness of beetroot for skin benefits lies in its ability to reduce skin inflammation, prevent breakouts of pimples, pustules, and acne, and cure boils. The pigments in beetroot also help enhance skin complexion. It also prevents and cures anemia, kidney and gall bladder stones, and digestive and circulatory disorders.

However, there is no evidence that the consumption of beetroot for diabetics has any effect on the condition.

Submitted on January 16, 2014