Healthy Diet, Healthy Body

Healthy Diet, Healthy Body

When we speak of having a healthy body, remember that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you.  So… we really need to take care of our body.  As the old saying goes, “Garbage in, Garbage Out”, this can be analogized by what food and drink we put into our bodies will directly reflect how well we are, free of disease, and what energy we have.

Steps to Healthy Diet

Below are some steps to a healthy diet:

1. If possible, stay away from unhealthy processed foods – some processed foods are healthy.  
   1. The meats that are unhealthy have salt, sugar, or fat added to them, such as, hot dogs, sausages, salami, beef jerky corned beef, canned meat, & meat-based sauces.
   1. Also, frozen and microwave ready meals must be checked to see if they are loaded with excess fat, sugar, and sodium – read the labels.
   1. Microwave and ready-made popcorn adds salt and fat to your diet. 
   1. Instant noodles are carb-heavy, add lots of salt and sodium, and give little to no nutrition.
2. Make sure to eat foods high in polyphenols.  Polyphenols are micronutrients that occur in plants.  They are included in many supplements, but they are easily available in fruits, vegetable, teas, and spices. Studies show that people who have “polyphenol-rich diets – consuming more than 650 milligrams per day – have lower death risks than those who get less than 500 milligrams per day.  This action can manage blood pressure, improve heart health, lower diabetic risk, raises immunity, and some studies show that polyphenols may block tumor growth and kill active cancer cells.  Below are food that have the highest polyphenol content per serving.
   1. Berries: elderberries have the highest amounts with 870 milligrams per half cup serving; blueberries have 535 milligrams; blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries have about 160 milligrams.
   1. Herbs and Spices: Cloves has 542 milligrams per ounce; peppermint has 427 milligrams per ounce; oregano, celery seed sage, rosemary and thyme have more than 30 milligrams for the same amount.
   1. Cocoa Powder has 516 milligrams per tablespoon.  Heating can reduce the amount of polyphenols.
   1. Nuts: Nuts add fiber protein and essential fatty acids to your diet.  Most nuts contain polyphenols.  Chestnuts are the highest with 347 milligrams per ounce (about 3 nuts); other choices are hazelnuts and pecans with 140 milligrams; and almonds with 53 milligrams for one ounce serving.
   1. Flaxseeds: Flaxseeds improve digestion and relieves constipation.  They also add 229 milligrams of polyphenols.
   1. Vegetables:  Some vegetables with the highest polyphenols are:
      1. Artichoke – small has 260 milligrams
      1. Red Onion – small has168 milligrams
      1. Fresh spinach or shallots – 40,000 milligrams per cup
   1. Olives: 113 milligrams for about five black olives; the same serving of green olives gives you 70 milligrams.
   1. Coffee and Tea: One brewed cup of coffee yields about 30 milligrams; teas such as green, black or ginger add less, but still add polyphenols

This is a lot of information about adding a healthy diet to your lifestyle, but you will find that it adds years and vitality to your life.  More about a healthy diet, next week.

Warm Regards,

Dr. Mike

References:

Processed Foods and Health

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236906635_Processing_of_meats_and_cardiovascular_risk_Time_to_focus_on_preservatives

https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-in-polyphenols