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Become a Healthier You Series: Feed your Body the Good Stuff

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Would you put a lower grade of gasoline in your Mercedes-Benz?  I sure wouldn’t because I would want my Benz to run smooth without any knocking and pinging.  Well, consider your body temple like a Mercedes-Benz or any car that you would consider your dream car.  What would you put into it?

You know you would put only the best fuel into your most prized possession.  Why not put the best fuel into your body?  Do you realize that we oftentimes treat our vehicles and other valuable objects better than we treat our own bodies?  It is the truth and it is a shame.

Your body needs the best fuel to run smoothly and efficiently.  You need the best fuel because it will not only help you in your day-to-day activities, but the best fuel will also contribute to you being, feeling and looking healthy.

You are probably wondering what the best fuel is for your body.  Well, no need to fear, I’m hear to tell you.  I realize that everyone will not be a vegetarian or vegan, but you still can give your body the best fuel by increasing the good stuff and decreasing the bad stuff.

Good Stuff #1 – Vegetables

It is a known fact that vegetable consumption is low.  I have family members who hardly ever eat vegetables, so I can see some truth in this.  I have a family  member thinks that whenever he eats a sandwich from McDonald’s that happens to have lettuce and tomato on it, that he has had his vegetables for the day.  No, no, no, not so!

Let’s look at what vegetables are and how what they contain.

A vegetable is the edible part of a plant.  This is usually the leaf, stem or root of the plant.

Vegetables contain:

  • Little protein
  • Little fat
  • Vitamins
  • Provitamins
  • Dietary Minerals
  • Fiber
  • Carbohydrates
  • Phytochemicals
  • Chlorophyll
  • Carotenoids
  • Anthocyanins

Vegetables are packed with all kinds of goodies.  Good things that your cells need and will benefit from by you eating them on a regular basis.

Good Stuff # 2 – Fruit

Most people have no problems eating fruit.  Because fruit is usually sweet to the taste, but there are some fruits that are not sweet to the taste.  Some call these fruits vegetable fruits.  Either way it goes, fruit is another goodie that you should be eating on the regular.

Fruit is the structure of the plant that contains its seeds.

Fruits are high in:

  • Fiber
  • Vitamin C
  • Water
  • Carbohydrates
  • Contain various phytochemicals

There is more good stuff out here, but I’ve only shared 2 of the main ones that I believe are the most important.  I believe these lay the foundation for you to Become a Healthier You.

What other foods do you find to be good fuel for your body?

Your health is your wealth!

Image: xedos4

Filed Under: Healthy Living Tagged With: ,

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Comments

  2. Random side note: the first car I bought myself was a Benz, and I DID put the wrong gas in it out of ignorance. Not my most prized posession, but I did watch it clunk along on it’s way to the shop and it’s never been the same since. I guess what’s great about your analogy is that it helps bring to life the issue of healthy eating. After that mistake with my car, I learned my lesson, but it took me years of struggling with migraines, joint pain, bouts of depression and fatigue before I decided that I ought to give vegetables a try. I wasn’t ignorant about vegetables the way I was about cars, but I had so many other options laid out before me: low cal brownies, fat free ice cream, diet pills, migraine medicines, anti-depressants, gimmicky exercise products that don’t require real exercise, etc. I guess I avoided the deeper issues behind my choices for as long as I could until it wasn’t an option any longer.

    • Hi Nancy,

      Welcome to this blog and thank you for commenting!

      I am so glad that you shared your story. It really helps us put things into perspective.

      Thanks for chiming in and take care! 😉

      Evelyn

  3. Hi Evelyn:

    Well I know I am here, again, you never came to my site yet. Yesterday I saw you at two different blogs, and wanted to communicate with you as a blogger. You are doing great. Not only your comments and readers are increasing but also your blog presentation is getting better, every day. So, I have an idea if you are interested, may be you are too busy. I will email it to you.

    Make it a great day for yourself

    • Hi Fran,

      How are you? Thanks for stopping by and for your feedback. Greatly appreciated!

      I have been to your site..a while back. But maybe I haven’t subbed to your blog via my reader, that’s how I truly keep up with my fellow bloggers. I’ll be sure to subscribe to your blog via my reader as soon as I finish responding to your comment. I apologize for that, but it’s tough trying to make my rounds. I’m not making any excuses. 🙂

      Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you!

      Have a great day!

      Evelyn

  5. Hi Evelyn,

    I am big on God’s foods. Fruits and veggies are whole and pure.

    When I eat them consistently I feel great. When I don’t, boy do I get cranky 😉

    As you note your body is like a Mercedes, BMW or any other luxury car. It’s your home during your stay on earth.

    Super advice here, thanks much for sharing!

    Ryan

  6. I think nuts are a great snack and I tell my patients to consider adding them to their diet. A few nuts a day can affect your levels of cholesterol and other fats in beneficial ways. This good news about nuts was published in the Archives of Internal Medicineby by researchers at Loma Linda University School of Public Health who did a meta-analysis. They looked at the data from many different studies. The great news about the beneficial effects of nuts on the heart is: Eating about 2.3 ounces of nuts a day (67 grams or about 1/3 cup) lowered overall total cholesterol levels about 5.1 percent, reduced LDL levels about 7.4 percent, and changed the ratio of bad LDL to good HDL cholesterol by 8.3 percent.

    What types of nuts should you eat? Walnuts are probably the most heart healthy but other nuts including almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, macadamias, and pistachios are also probably good. My advice is to eat a variety of types of nuts. One warning do not overdo you nut consumption. Moderate amounts of nuts are heart healthy but nuts have a lot of calories so don’t overdue it. One of my favorite ways to limit nut consumption is to get the 100 calorie snack packs. Eat well!

    • Hi Dr. Matzer,

      Welcome to this blog and thanks for chiming in!

      I appreciate you sharing the information it is very helpful.

      I can agree with you..one should eat a variety of nuts.

      Take care,

      Evelyn

  7. You are such a sane voice in the topic of healthy eating! Yep, those fruits and veggies are the quality fuel, the good stuff, the core of a balanced diet. Simple as that. 🙂

  8. Fruits and veggies are my favorite food groups =)

    I’m a meat eater (please dun kill me), and when I’m feeling low on energy, or need to rebuild after working out, I like eat liver.

    It’s also not for everyone, but I also like to supplement daily with fish oil, been noticing a huge difference in my skin when taking this everyday for a couple of months.

    • Hi Henway,

      Thanks for sharing!

      Fruits and veggies rock! 😉

      You don’t have to worry about me killing you. You’re doing what you feel is best for you. If if works for you, then that’s all that matters. 🙂

      Thanks for sharing and chiming in!

      Take care,

      Evelyn

  9. Evelyn, I agree with your “best fuel” analogy.

    What helps me make optimal food choices is remembering that the foods I eat literally become the cells of my body. Do I want vital, vibrant, healthy cells? Then I’d better eat vital, vibrant, healthy food!

    🙂

    Christianna

    • Hi Christianna,

      Thanks for stopping by!

      That is a great way of looking at our food choices. I’ll definitely keep what you have said in mind. 😉

      Take care,

      Evelyn

  10. Evelyn,

    I like vegetables a lot. I do not eat as much fruits as I should though. As a vegetarian, I also love grains, beans and nuts.

    • Hi Preeti,

      That’s great!

      I too enjoy grains and beans. It is amazing all the flavor one can add to a dish. These foods are the “good stuff” too! 😉

      Take care,

      Evelyn

  11. Well said Evelyn! It’s funny, but once we start to eat healthy we start to crave healthier foods. It’s like our bodies start to learn what they need. I find occasionally juicing fruits & veggies to be helpful. Also keeping healthy snacks around me at ALL times keeps me from temptation. Thanks Evelyn!

    • Hi Dandy,

      Thanks for sharing!

      I totally agree with you..juicing and keeping healthy snacks around really helps in the temptation department. 😉

      Take care,

      Evelyn

  13. GREAT foundation, Evelyn, I agree completely. It is amazing how people treat their possessions better than they treat their bodies. To that foundation I would add nuts , because protein and healthy fats are important as well and round out the food groups you mention. I always tell my clients that if they are looking to lose weight or have more energy that they should be eating veggies, fruits, and nuts for most of the day. They are amazed at how good they feel when they do.

    • Hey Susan,
      Cool!

      Thanks for chiming in!

      Nuts are definitely a good food to add to one’s diet. I appreciate your sharing that information.

      Take care,

      Evelyn

  14. Some of my favorite food is carrots..I eat them like candy..someone in middle school told me a long time ago it was good for my eyes..

    “TrafficColeman “Signing Off”

    • They contain a vitamin that is good for night sight so they were right 🙂

      Patricia Perth Australia

  15. Way to go Evelyn. You’ve covered all my favourites ie fruit and veg 🙂 I love eating lots of both but try to limit the fruit to couple pieces a day (eat lots of dried fruit too) as it is high in sugar but so delicious. Five veg 2 fruit a day we are recommended to eat here in Oz. No probs that’s okay by me. As always thanks for all your healthy insights into us being and staying healthy.

    Patricia Perth Australia

    • Hey Patricia,

      That’s awesome! I try to limit my fruit intake too. I usually only eat it as my first food (mornings), then that’s about it.

      I’m beginning to really understand that the vegetables are probably even more important, because of the recommended servings vs. the fruit servings. 😉 Thanks for sharing!

      Take care and best wishes on your product launch! 🙂

      Take care,

      Evelyn

      • Thanks Evelyn. It quite exciting for me as this is completely new venture. The support I am getting from the blogging community is amazing. And I just had my first guest post published so it’s all happening 🙂 Hope you can go check it out too.

        Patricia Perth Australia

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