Most of us are aware that eating less burgers, fries, pizzas and fried foods helps to improve our heart, and our overall health. However, eating more healthy food options can do more than just reduce cholesterol levels, or keep the heart healthy. Eating healthy foods also helps to improve skin tone, strengthen the immune system, sharpen the eyesight, and lower the risks of getting a heart attack or stroke. The consumption of fruits and vegetables, especially vitamin-C rich fruits and green leafy veggies, has also been found to offer a protective effect against stroke and other coronary heart diseases.

Kiwi Fruit And Avocado

Avocados are delicious and creamy, and they are also good at reducing LDL, or bad cholesterol, as well as regulate blood pressure. Avocados are also rich in plant sterols, soluble fiber, mono-unsaturated fats and minerals. The kiwi fruit is also a low-key but hard working fruit that’s good for the heart. Kiwi has a high potassium content, which helps in regulating blood pressure. .

Leafy Greens Are Heart-Healthy Items

Leafy greens are good at enhancing your body’s immune system. They’re also good at keeping your heart in good shape. Leafy greens like kale, Swiss chard, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, mustard greens other dark green veggies are good sources of calcium, vitamins and other antioxidants. They help reduce plaque build-up in the arteries, and also aid in reducing blood pressure levels. These greens are also good sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. Add fresh greens to your sandwich, taco or pizza, or sprinkle them in your soup and salads.

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Pregnancy is an exciting, but also sensitive time for women. During this period, women need not only take care of their own health, but the health of their offspring as well. However, pregnant women need not give up eating all the food they love. All they need to do is eat smart, and ensure that their food choices are healthy ones. Here are some great healthy eating tips for pregnant women.

Watch Your Serving Size

According to nutrition experts pregnant women need an estimated three hundred extra calories each day during this crucial period. However, the extra amount of calories they require will depend on their weight before they got pregnant. Pregnant women also have to follow the appropriate serving recommendations, by talking to their health care provider about having the appropriate eating plan. Pregnant women also need to take close tabs on their serving portions, because they may be eating more than what they think.

Daily Food Serving Guidelines To Follow

Women should be careful of what they eat, and how they eat during pregnancy. They need to remember that fatty foods like chips, cookies, doughnuts and sweets like sodas and candy do not give their baby the right amount of nutrition they actually need. Here is some interesting food serving guidelines to consider.

– Pregnant women should consume at least six ounces of grains per day. An ounce of grains is equivalent to 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal, 1 small pancake, 1 slice bread and 1 small tortilla.

– 2 ½ cup serving of vegetables. A cup of vegetables is equivalent to 1 cup vegetable juice, 1 cup raw or cooked vegetables and 1 medium-baked potato.

– 1 ½ cup of fruits. A daily serving of 1 ½ cup of fruits is equivalent to ½ cup of fruit, ¼ cup dried fruit, 16 grapes or ½ cup fresh, frozen or canned fruit.

– 3 cups of milk each day. This daily serving is equivalent to 1 cup yogurt, 1 ½ ounces natural cheese, 2 ounces processed cheese and 1 cup milk.

– 5 ½ ounces of protein each day. This daily serving is equivalent to ¼ cup cooked dry beans, 1 egg, ½ cup nuts, 1 ounce of poultry, meat or fish, and a tablespoon peanut butter.

Apart from considering the daily serving guidelines mentioned above, pregnant women should also take regular doses of folic acid. Folic acid helps prevent serious birth defects and spinal cord defects. Women of child-bearing age need to take at least 40 micrograms of folic acid each day before and during pregnancy. Foods that are rich sources of folic acid include enriched grain products, green leafy vegetables, orange juice, beans and vitamin-fortified breakfast cereals.

During these stressful, fast-paced times, more and more people are turning to fast foods and restaurants for convenient and pleasurable dining. However, dining out can be a pain on your wallet, and your waistline. While eating out need not be too costly or fattening, you certainly need to be aware of what you’re putting in your mouth. Here are a few tips for healthy eating in a restaurant.

Restaurants Often Serve Sodium and Preservative-Laden Foods

We all agree that the typical restaurant food far tastes better than the food we cook at home. Why? Because restaurants and fast food outlets often use a lot of flavor enhancers, preservatives and sodium-filled sauces, to make their food taste great. The sad thing is that these preservatives and sodium-laden sauces bloat our body, and add more bad cholesterol to our system.

How To Have A Healthy Restaurant Eating Experience

According to some nutrition experts, the biggest mistake in restaurant dining usually happens during the first and last 10 minutes of the meal, where you usually get served with calorie-rich dressings, cream-based soups and sugar-coated desserts. Here are other healthy eating restaurant ideas.

• All-you-can-eat restaurants are truly tempting places, but family-run restaurants are much healthier. Since most buffet establishments don’t allow you to bring home any leftovers, the temptation to overeat here is definitely very high.

• Typical restaurant servings are definitely larger than home-made meals. Before you clean-up your plate, and plan to take at least half the meal home. Eating half the meal later will benefit your waist. And save you money as well.

• If you plan to order soups, choose broth-based soups instead of cream-based ones. Vegetables soups are healthy choices. However, most restaurant soups are quite salty, because, generally, they’re sprinkled with MSG, a preservative that enhances flavor.

• Green salads make for healthier restaurant food choices. However, ask for oil and vinegar to be served on the side, instead of fatty dressings. Instead of using oil, squeeze lemon juice over your veggies, and sprinkle pepper to add more spice. If you were offered a choice between soup and salad, go for fresh green salads instead.

• Order plain food, instead of fried food items. A plain broiled or baked chicken, steak or fish provide better sources of protein, to help build muscles and generate energy. – To add extra flavor to your meals, used tomato-based marinara sauces and salsas instead. For side dishes, go for steamed vegetables or plain potato and rice. Vegetable side dishes offer a lot of healthy nutrients and low calories. Always remember to choose the meals that offer the freshest and high-quality ingredients. Choose plain steaks or chicken breasts instead of entrees filled with lots of creamy or oily sauces, or ask for potato or plain rice instead of hash browns or French Fries.

Regular exercise, checking your serving portions and eating right. Healthy eating requires a lot of will power and commitment. However, there are a number of myths that continue to deceive dieters and healthy eating advocates. The key to eating healthy lies in how you check out the food items you buy, as well as on how dedicated are you in making sure that you watch what you eat every day. Here are some food myths that you need to watch out for.

All Low-Fat Foods Are Healthy

When you go to the grocery store, and you see food items labeled as “low fat” or fat-free”, beware of them. Just because they have the “fat-free” sign posted on them doesn’t mean that they’re truly healthy. The truth is that some of these food items actually have the same number of calories as the regular versions, and sometimes sugar is added to replace the flavor lost when fat is removed. By having more sugar, these food items will have empty calories, which may lead to you gaining weight instead. Fats come in different forms, and some of them actually are good for you. The fats that you need to steer clear from are trans fats and saturated fats. Monounsaturated fats and the fat found in olive oil or nuts are good for the heart.

All Fruits Are Created Equal

Not all fruits are created equal. Some of them actually contain lots of calories, which may help to add more weight to you. The healthiest fruits are those that have low sugar and high fiber content. Apples, bananas and grape fruit are one of the nice fruits, because they contain high fiber and are low in fat and calories.

Chocolate Is Bad For Your Health

While some so-called fitness advocates frown on eating chocolate, because they think these make you fat, the truth is that chocolates are good for you. However, you must also know that not all chocolates are created equal. High-quality dark chocolate is one of healthy variants, because it contains high levels of flavonols and antioxidants. Commercial chocolate bars however, such as milk chocolate and white chocolate contain high amounts of fat, sugar, wax and artificial chemicals. To eat healthy chocolates, try making your own unsweetened cocoa with sugar and skim milk instead.

Salads Help You Lose Weight

A large bowl of leafy greens is actually very good for your health. However, the problem starts once you pour in the dressings and other toppings. Some salad offerings include stuff like fried chicken, bacon bits, and thick creamy dressings, which are jam-packed with calories and fats. But if you fill up on the leafy greens alone, the salad mix can be very healthy. A truly healthy salad mix includes a variety of vegetables, mixed greens, beans, almonds, and a light vinegar dressing.

To ensure that you’re eating healthy, and losing or maintaining weight at the same time, eat high-fiber veggies, fruits and grains, but never skip breakfast. Instead, you need to stop drinking energy bars and drinks, sodas and alcohol, as well as lessen your intake of fatty junk foods and snacks.