Health | Best foods

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Help your body fight off disease by incorporating these foods into your diet.

Preparing these foods crispy fried, candied, salted or creamed definitely doesn’t count.

Whole grains e.g. Oats

This whole-grain delivers cholesterol-lowering soluble fibre and energy-providing carbohydrates without spiking blood sugar levels. Oats also keeps blood pressure in check.

Prepackaged already sweetened ‘oatmeal’ breakfast cereals contain high amounts of sugar.

Try cooking quick or rolled oats with milk, soy or almond milk and topping with cinnamon, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, diced dried fruit like apricot, currants or figs to add sweetness, or the good old cranberries (mentioned below) for a tart kick.

Also consider topping with diced fresh fruit like blueberries or strawberries. The possibilities are endless. Use a little agave nectar rather than sugar for added sweetness.

Too much work? Try Original or MultiGrain Cheerios. 

Green and Leafy veges e.g. Spinach

It’s hard to beat spinach as a green and leafy for vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Spinach is also high in calcium and vitamin K, which is great for the lactose intolerant among us.

Eat alone, steamed or sauteed with onions, garlic, green peppers, mushrooms and herbs for flavour. Cooking with cream and excessive salt will reduce it’s overall health benefit.

 

Legumes e.g. Black beans

Beans (legumes not peas!) in general are packed with protein, fibre and yummy nutrients such as magnesium, folate and iron. They keep the heart happy by controlling cholesterol and blood pressure.

Keep salt and sugar levels down when cooking a mean bean stew. Flavour using herbs and spices instead. Consider adding garlic, onions and diced veges like celery for added depth in flavour profile. Also cook with oils like canola, sunflower or olive oil which are free of trans fatty acids.

Antioxidant berries e.g. Cranberries

 

Packed with anthocyanins, bacteria fighting substances, cranberries also help heart health by inhibiting the build-up of the bad LDL cholesterol.

Found in it’s usual preparations  however, cranberries are usually laced with sugar – in juices or in most commercially packaged snacks. These don’t count as ‘healthy’.

Nuts e.g. Walnuts and Almonds

Like salmon, nuts in general especially walnuts and almonds, contain significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. They also contain magnesium, folate and the anti-oxidant vitamin E.  

Eat nuts fresh or roasted. As you would imagine that I’d say, eating them sugar coated or candied doesn’t count.

 

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Anti-Aging Tip #3

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Preserve the protective layer of the skin.

In discussing the various skin types – Normal, Dry, Oily and Combination skin, we spoke about the importance of the protective layer, or the barrier function, of the skin.

With age and increasing sun damage, the protective layer on the skin’s surface decreases causing:

- Water to escape from the lower levels of the skin, and
- Irritants to penetrate the skin much easier, causing inflammation and leading to free radical damage.

A compromised protective layer on the skin’s surface hampers the skin’s ability to hold in moisture which can result in pre-mature aging, which includes:

- The formation of fine lines and wrinkles
- A lack of muscle tone in skin (saggy, droopy skin)
- The skin generally looking older and more damaged than it really is.

Avoid using aggressive soaps and cleansers on the skin as these products strip the skin of it’s protective layer.

Cold, wind and forced heat are also some factors that interfere with the skin’s barrier function. Under these conditions, it is important to use a suitable moisturizer to maintain the barrier function of the skin.

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