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Eating well for winter
2010-10-04 16:00
Eating well for winter - October nutritional advice
Summer is a fading memory, school is now in full swing and autumn has arrived. Now is an ideal time to finally leave behind those lingering holiday excesses and to put into effect some of those healthier eating options you have been contemplating, but might just have been putting off for a while.
A few simple adjustments to our daily diet can not only greatly improve our general health, weight management and energy levels, but may also strengthen and reinforce our immune system, thus protecting ourselves and our families against typical maladies which often accompany the approaching winter season.
First, we need to make sure we are eating the ‘right’ sort of carbohydrates and not the ‘wrong’ ones - that means trading in the simple carbohydrates for the complex ones. Second, we must ensure our daily dose of ‘good’ fats, or essential fatty acids – these are absolutely vital for human health, but cannot be manufactured in the body. Third, we need to guarantee the necessary intake of vitamins and minerals - especially those all important immune-boosting, free radical-zapping antioxidants (free radicals are high-energy particles produced through exposure to sunlight, pollution, fried foods and as a normal by-product of metabolism - that ricochet wildly and damage our cells).
Why not get a great start by making sure our daily breakfast contains all of these wonderful healthy ingredients? For instance, an example of a healthy breakfast would be as follows:
• Fresh orange juice: An excellent source of vitamin C - a potent antioxidant critical in immune function (and necessary for the manufacture of collagen – vital for healthy skin and to protect against premature aging)
• Porridge: Porridge oats are complex carbohydrates which help sustain energy levels and make us feel fuller, longer. They have antioxidant properties, are a good source of other vital nutrients (B vitamins, calcium, magnesium) and help stimulate digestive function.
• Nuts and seeds: A few pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or walnuts sprinkled on top of your porridge provide you not only with an array of vitamins and minerals too long to list, but are an excellent source of essential fatty acids which help boost our metabolism, improve digestion and protect our immune system.
• Seasonal fruit: Add some autumn fruits such as blackberries, blueberries and raspberries to for an extra helping of antioxidants and their immune-boosting, disease fighting effects.
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Susan Tomassini