People spend most of the day away from home, whether if they're working or doing something else, but as every human, we get hungry and we have to eat, and nowadays most frequent solution is to eat fast food, also known as junk food. These fast foods can be very harmful for anybody whether you're a teenager, a kid, or an adult, if you eat it frequently
Benefit of Healthy food.
1.Healthy foods like fruits and vegetables or whole wheat chapattis and bread are high in fiber content. Fibers release energy slowly, this food keeps our stomach full for a longer time and we feel less hungry through the day. High fiber foods also keep your gastro-intestinal tract healthy thus controlling your cholesterol and blood sugar level.
2. The proteins that you derive from lean meat and nuts improve your brain functions. Have veggies either steamed or stir-fried. They hold all the nutrients intact unlike fried foods which drain out the essential nutrients.
3. Healthy food is not processed, hence they are low in calories and do not lose out on essential nutritional values. Having multi-grain breads, sprouts, low fat diary items (like skimmed milk, home-made paneer or curd) and fruits will give you a good amount of nutrition.
4. Since these foods are low in calories and Trans fat, therefore, it will help to control your weight. If you are overweight or obese, consult a doctor or nutritionist at the earliest and follow a high fiber low calorie diet strictly.
5. A daily diet of health and nutritional food will also give you a good heart preventing all sorts of heart diseases. It will also control your cholesterol, blood sugar level and blood pressure.
You see healthy food not only supplies you with proteins, minerals and essential nutrients but also has many added benefits. No disadvantages at all, only with the exception that it won’t be able to meet your temptations.
Do you find it hard to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy food? Wondering how you can consume just the healthy stuff amidst a vast array of unhealthy and synthetic food products? Well, there are a few pointers that can help you out!
Major Differences between Healthy and Unhealthy/Junk Food:
Basically, the difference between healthy and unhealthy food often depends on their calorie and fat content. So, it is always better to know how to distinguish healthy foods from their unhealthier counterparts. And this post will help you do that! Following is a list of factors that you can check in order to keep yourself away from unhealthy/junk food
1. Oil Difference:
There are so many varieties of cooking oils in the market today that it can get really confusing to choose the healthier ones. The key difference between unhealthy and healthy oils is the amount of saturated and unsaturated fats they contain. Unsaturated fats are healthy. So, the oils with greater percentage of unsaturated fats are considered a healthier option. The saturated fat content in coconut oil is about 91 percent, whereas this percentage is only about 7 in canola oil. Palm oil, butter and lard are some of the unhealthy oils that contain a high level of saturated fats. Olive oil and sunflower oil are considered healthy, as they are low on saturated fats.
2. Nutrient Capacity:
Healthy foods are rich in nutrients like calcium, fiber, potassium, vitamin D, etc. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and whole grains provide fiber. Leafy vegetables and dairy products low on fat provide calcium. Vegetables and fruits like banana, avocado, strawberries, apricots and cucumber are rich in potassium. Eggs, fish, orange juice and fortified milk are good sources of vitamin D. Unhealthy foods contain very little of the nutrients discussed above.
3. Refined And Unrefined Food:
During the process of refining, lots of enzymes, vitamins, and fibers are lost, which makes refined food unhealthy to some extent. The vegetable oils are originally good for health if consumed in reasonable amount. To increase the shelf life of the oil, it is partially hydrogenated and then used for cooking and baking. After the process of hydrogenation, the oil, which was formerly good, turns into less healthy trans-fat. The processed oil has disastrous long-term effects on the body. So, always try to use unrefined and unprocessed ingredients for maintaining better health.
4. Healthy Foods Are Rich In Antioxidants:
Antioxidants are essential to defend the body from free radicals, which can cause cancer. Healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, and beans are rich sources of antioxidants.
5. Different Snacks:
It is very important to choose healthy snacks, because it is during snack time that we consume the unhealthiest of foods! It is healthier to have crunchy vegetables like celery and carrots with a low-fat dip instead of potato chips or French fries with an onion dip. Nuts and air popcorn are healthier than processed food snacks like chips. It is better to pack a small box of dried fruits instead of cookies or candies to munch on at office!
6. Healthy Diets Over Unhealthy Diets:
Healthy diets mainly consist of foods rich in nutrients such as fruits, legumes, whole grains, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and lean meat. On the other hand, diets loaded with saturated fats, added sugar, trans-fat and sodium are a complete no-no! Unhealthy diets often consist of fast foods or processed foods that are deficient in many nutrients and are filled with empty calories.
7. Risk Of Disease:
Following an unhealthy diet increases the risk of many health issues. It increases the chances of heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes. As per WHO, around 2.7 million people all over the world die every year due to the deficiency of nutrient-rich vegetables and fruits in their diet.
8. Healthy Food Is Rich in Complex Carbohydrates And Fibers:
Carbohydrates are categorized into simple and complex according to the structure of their molecules. Simple carbohydrates mainly contain sugar, while complex carbohydrates include starch and foods with high fiber content. A fiber rich diet improves the digestion process and gives energy. Simple carbohydrates provide energy, but they also lead to some side effects such as mood swings and obesity.
9. Healthy And Unhealthy Meats:
To know whether the meat selected is healthy or unhealthy, it is important to look at its fat content. Meats with low-fat content are healthier. Chicken without any skin, extra lean ground beef and low-fat turkey are considered healthier meats and should be used instead of regular beef, chicken, and hot dogs. Breaded or fried fish and meats should be avoided as the fat content is quite high in them
1. Oil Difference:
There are so many varieties of cooking oils in the market today that it can get really confusing to choose the healthier ones. The key difference between unhealthy and healthy oils is the amount of saturated and unsaturated fats they contain. Unsaturated fats are healthy. So, the oils with greater percentage of unsaturated fats are considered a healthier option. The saturated fat content in coconut oil is about 91 percent, whereas this percentage is only about 7 in canola oil. Palm oil, butter and lard are some of the unhealthy oils that contain a high level of saturated fats. Olive oil and sunflower oil are considered healthy, as they are low on saturated fats.
2. Nutrient Capacity:
Healthy foods are rich in nutrients like calcium, fiber, potassium, vitamin D, etc. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and whole grains provide fiber. Leafy vegetables and dairy products low on fat provide calcium. Vegetables and fruits like banana, avocado, strawberries, apricots and cucumber are rich in potassium. Eggs, fish, orange juice and fortified milk are good sources of vitamin D. Unhealthy foods contain very little of the nutrients discussed above.
3. Refined And Unrefined Food:
During the process of refining, lots of enzymes, vitamins, and fibers are lost, which makes refined food unhealthy to some extent. The vegetable oils are originally good for health if consumed in reasonable amount. To increase the shelf life of the oil, it is partially hydrogenated and then used for cooking and baking. After the process of hydrogenation, the oil, which was formerly good, turns into less healthy trans-fat. The processed oil has disastrous long-term effects on the body. So, always try to use unrefined and unprocessed ingredients for maintaining better health.
4. Healthy Foods Are Rich In Antioxidants:
Antioxidants are essential to defend the body from free radicals, which can cause cancer. Healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, and beans are rich sources of antioxidants.
5. Different Snacks:
It is very important to choose healthy snacks, because it is during snack time that we consume the unhealthiest of foods! It is healthier to have crunchy vegetables like celery and carrots with a low-fat dip instead of potato chips or French fries with an onion dip. Nuts and air popcorn are healthier than processed food snacks like chips. It is better to pack a small box of dried fruits instead of cookies or candies to munch on at office!
6. Healthy Diets Over Unhealthy Diets:
Healthy diets mainly consist of foods rich in nutrients such as fruits, legumes, whole grains, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and lean meat. On the other hand, diets loaded with saturated fats, added sugar, trans-fat and sodium are a complete no-no! Unhealthy diets often consist of fast foods or processed foods that are deficient in many nutrients and are filled with empty calories.
7. Risk Of Disease:
Following an unhealthy diet increases the risk of many health issues. It increases the chances of heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes. As per WHO, around 2.7 million people all over the world die every year due to the deficiency of nutrient-rich vegetables and fruits in their diet.
8. Healthy Food Is Rich in Complex Carbohydrates And Fibers:
Carbohydrates are categorized into simple and complex according to the structure of their molecules. Simple carbohydrates mainly contain sugar, while complex carbohydrates include starch and foods with high fiber content. A fiber rich diet improves the digestion process and gives energy. Simple carbohydrates provide energy, but they also lead to some side effects such as mood swings and obesity.
9. Healthy And Unhealthy Meats:
To know whether the meat selected is healthy or unhealthy, it is important to look at its fat content. Meats with low-fat content are healthier. Chicken without any skin, extra lean ground beef and low-fat turkey are considered healthier meats and should be used instead of regular beef, chicken, and hot dogs. Breaded or fried fish and meats should be avoided as the fat content is quite high in them.
1. keep an eye out
