Can red wine make you healthier than you are? If you’ve been thinking that good health lies in being vegetarian, think again. Here, we present fish and lean meat, two high protein sources and four other sources that contribute to making you healthy while you enjoy consuming it.
1) Fish Food Groups: Fish is a good protein food, with a low content of total fat, saturated fat and calories. Certain cold water fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna have a high content of Omega-3 fatty acids that are instrumental in reducing your blood’s ability to clot which can go on to cause a heart attack.
Salmon: Salmon is a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin D that go to protect the heart, premature aging of the brain and memory loss. It is best eaten grilled with lemon juice, garlic and soy sauce.
Tuna: Rich in protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin B and selenium, tuna boosts your immunity, lowers triglycerides, blood pressure, obesity and the risk of heart disease and stroke. It also reduces the risk of breast and kidney cancers. Make a yummy tuna sandwich with whole wheat bread or brown bread, mustard and eggless mayo.
2) Lean Meat Food Groups: When you choose to eat meat for good health, you’re on the right track. To be on the good health trail, choose lean meat like skinless chicken and turkey breast that are rich in protein, B Vitamins, Vitamin E, zinc, iron and magnesium. Make cutlets out of chicken and turkey breasts or roast beef to have a delicious steak. Don’t bread and fry your chicken, instead grill or broil it.
3) Dairy Products Food Groups: Drinking a lot of milk is to care for your bones. Besides, it decreases the risk of developing kidney stones, breast cancer, colon cancer, hypertension and Insulin Resistance Syndrome (IRS). It also treats PMS.
Fat-Free Milk: Fat-free milk is rich in calcium and Vitamin D, which are good for the bones. If you low-fat butter or cheese, you benefit by having a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and low blood pressure. To get these benefits, drink fat-free milk plain or add any kind of flavors you like–chocolate, cocoa, butterscotch, strawberry or anything else.
Fat-Free Greek Yogurt: Eating fat-free Greek yogurt as part of your meal each day, or as a snack has a lot of health benefits for you. For instance, it keeps your health in good shape as it does not contain fat and cholesterol. Even if you eat 6 oz. of Greek yogurt, it does not contain any saturated fat or cholesterol, so your heart is still in good shape.
It also stimulates bone health as it contains 20% calcium; it helps with weight loss as it gives you a feeling of fullness, making you eat less and therefore lose extra weight.
To eat it, add bananas and walnuts to it and enjoy this combination of taste and health.
Dark Chocolate: If you’re a chocolate freak, do away with all the other flavors and stick to dark chocolate. Eating it will give you all the goodness of antioxidants called flavonol and cocoa. While flavonol lowers blood pressure and improves resistance to insulin, cocoa improves cognitive functioning and normalizes the flow of blood through the blood vessels.
4) Beverage Food Groups: Drinking any beverage – alcoholic or otherwise – brings its own bouquet of benefits, but overdoing it causes all kinds of problems. So, moderation is the key here and if you keep to a conservative amount of drinking, you could reap innumerable benefits.
Red Wine: Take wine, for instance. If you drink one or two glasses of wine a day, you can have a lowered risk of heart disease and diabetes, prevent osteoporosis and common degenerative diseases, live longer and prevent cancer and tooth decay. This is due to the presence of resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant that keeps all illnesses at bay. Drink a glass of red wine with your dinner or lunch or sip on it after dinner.
5) Cooking medium: The cooking medium or oil you choose can depend on just how healthy you are. So, choose your cooking oil with care.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: The Mediterranean diet is very nutritious and olive oil is a definite ingredient of it. Being rich in monounsaturated fats, it helps lower cholesterol levels. To lower your chances of developing heart disease, doctors recommend that you reduce your intake of saturated fats and increase polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.
Extra-virgin olive oils are less refined than olive oil and are therefore better to go with. They contain antioxidants; Vitamin E and Oleocanthal that helps reduce inflammation. To get health benefit out of olive oil, use only a small amount of it when you cook or roast food.
These few health pointers are sure to have an amazing impact on your health. So, don’t delay. Reach out to the easiest of these food types and make it a part of your daily diet. Then, see the difference.