Diversify and Expand Your Diet

I’m sure that you’ve heard eating a variety of foods with different shades is good for your health, but exactly why is eating a rainbow of natural colors important? Many necessary nutrients are associated with different colors and if your diet doesn’t contain a healthy mix of all of them, then you’re almost certainly lacking vital nutrients.

For example, if you often get stomach aches, you’re probably deficient in green vegetables which are necessary for healthy digestion. If you seem to always be sick, you are most likely not getting enough orange and yellow fruits and vegetables. Let me go through the rainbow of colors and let you know why they are all important for your health.

I’m going to start with the most important color when it comes to eating healthy, green. Green fruits and vegetables are highly nutritious, with dark leafy green vegetables topping the list. Spinach, kale, and kiwi are some examples of green fruits and vegetables. These green fruits and vegetables are extremely important for digestion, fighting cancer, and improving the immune system.

Red fruits and vegetables are excellence sources of phytochemicals, which are essential for fighting cancer. Great sources include cherries, apples, and tomatoes. Red fruits and vegetables also decrease blood pressure and cancer risk.

Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables are usually lumped into one category. These fruits and vegetables are associated with beta carotene (Vitamin A), which is necessary for vision, skin health, and immune function. Sources include carrots, sweet potatoes, and mangos.

One common blue fruit is blueberries, which are extremely important for improving your memory and decreasing your risk of heart disease. Some other important blue fruits and vegetables include grapes, eggplant, and prunes.

Lastly, I am going to talk about white vegetables. Although white isn’t a color of the rainbow, eating white vegetables are also important. Some examples include onions, cauliflower, and dates. These white fruits and vegetables balance hormone levels and they provide a powerful boost to your immune system.

Although you probably aren’t consuming all of these colors on a daily basis, it is a good idea to consume them as often as possible. Those who don’t eat fruits and vegetables regularly might feel fine, but the truth is that their body is not as healthy as it should be. It can take years for a vitamin deficiency to outwardly show. Once the deficiency is visible, there has already been an incredible amount of damage within the human body. Instead of being at a high risk of cancer and heart disease, take care of your body and taste the rainbow.

Becky <3

A Change You Can Stick To

*Published in The UWM Post

Did you make a weight loss goal for 2009? Setting a weight loss goal of five, 10, or 15 pounds as your new year’s resolution is fairly common, but these good intentions may have already been lost.

The key to lasting weight loss, however, is not a crash or fad diet. Instead of trying to lose weight quickly for spring break or some other special occasion coming up in your life, you should make a lifestyle change that will stick.

Often when someone loses weight too quickly the result is mainly water and muscle loss. With the lost muscle, the body’s metabolism slows down significantly, thus restricting one to consume fewer calories to maintain this new weight. Once the dieter has reached the desired weight, he or she will usually go back to their old lifestyle and go off the diet. Since the body’s metabolism has been slowed down from the reduction in muscle and improper weight loss, the individual will almost certainly gain back every pound lost and maybe even then some.

In order to avoid slowing down your metabolism during weight loss, you should follow a proper exercise program. This could include 30 minutes of cardio exercise paired with 20 minutes of strength training, three days per week. The cardio exercise will help burn body fat, and the strength training will help maintain muscle strength, hence maintaining your metabolism.
Talking with a personal trainer can really help you get on the right track. They can design an exercise program for you to follow and help you achieve your weight loss goals. A good rule to follow is to lose no more than two pounds per week.

Yes, exercise needs to be considered when making a lifestyle choice, but you also need to examine food choices. Instead of saying “I can’t eat that; I’m on a diet,” you need to tell yourself, “I’m only going to eat one cookie, instead of four.” Small changes really make a difference when it comes to cutting a few calories per day. Also, if you incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet you will naturally feel fuller and won’t crave high-calorie, high-fat foods.

Good luck with your lifestyle changes!

Becky <3