What is your best food group?

Fruits and veggies are the best food group for you to stay healthy and well.

 

Lentil soup with sweet potatoes, a good healthy choice. The lentils are packed with protein and the sweet potatoes full of vitamins and minerals

Lentil soup with sweet and white potatoes, a good healthy choice. The lentils are packed with protein and the sweet potatoes full of vitamins and minerals

Fruits and vegetables are packed with fiber and vitamins for your health. If you are trying to get healthier, add more  fruits and veggies to your daily diet.

What is Nutrition?
The term- Nutrition means to nourish and good nutrition promotes health and well-being in mind, body and spirit.
Good nutritious foods provide energy to the body.
There are carbohydrates, the simple sugars ( which you should have in limited portions) and the complex carbs– our starches from our grains such as rice, quinoa, barley and oats, potatoes, and don’t forget that yellow corn is a grain too.  They provide the fuel you need to heat your body and the energy we need to start our day. That is why oatmeal would be a great choice for your morning energy.
You do need some dietary fat in  daily foods but not as much as you may be eating. And remember to stay away from the dietary fat that is saturated fat (from butter, lard, processed foods- even candy!) and stick to the unsaturated fat because  the good fats contain the essential fatty acids that we need for health and wellness. Adding just a teaspoon of olive oil to your diet each day can help. There really is no need for adding supplements such as fish oil to your diet unless you do not get enough essential fatty acids from the foods you eat.
Proteins- You may know that protein is for tissue building and it is a necessary component of a healthy diet. These amino acids are the building blocks of for making and repairing body tissues. There are ways to get your protein without always eating meat. Learn how to cook tofu and tempeh, great sources of protein along with grains; most grains have 9 grams of protein per 1/4 cup serving, and black eyed peas and all the beans and legumes ( such as split peas and lentils) are packed with protein too.

Vitamins and Minerals
And for tissue repair do not forget about minerals and vitamins. Vitamins are essential to certain tissues. For example, Vitamin C helps to produce the substance that cements tissues together to prevent tissue bleeding and Vitamin A is in the rods and cones of your eyes for vision in dim light.
As for the minerals, we need minerals to give strength to our bones and teeth- this is found in calcium. And the trace element iron is a component of hemoglobin to bind oxygen for cell transport.

Reference from topics of Nutrition: Schlenker &Roth ( 2011) Williams Essentials of Nutrition and Diet Therapy. Tenth Ed.  St. Louis, Mo., Elsevier-Mosby