MEDICAL SOLUTIONS ZONE

Eat healthy; be healthy

Proper diet enables us to live comfortably and enjoy fully. Besides it helps maintain our normal weight, neither losing nor gaining, as well as avoid some common health problems. Healthy diet, if followed, offers the largest part of benefits to our lives.

If we have to remain for a long time without food, we should consume slow digesting foods including fiber containing-foods rather than fast-digesting foods. Slow digesting foods last up to 8 hours, while fast-digesting foods last for only 3 to 4 hours.

Slow-digesting foods are foods that contain grains and seeds like barley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, whole meal flour, unpolished rice, etc. (called complex carbohydrates). Fast-burning foods are foods that contain sugar, white flour, etc. (called refined carbohydrates).

Fiber-containing foods are bran-containing foods, whole wheat, grains and seeds, vegetables like green beans, peas, marrow, spinach, and other herbs like, the leaves of beetroot (iron-rich), fruit with skin, dried fruit especially dried apricots, figs and prunes, almonds, etc. The foods eaten should be well balanced, from each food group, i.e. fruits, vegetables, meat/chicken/fish, bread/cereals and dairy products.

Fried foods are unhealthy and should be limited. Such types of foods cause indigestion, heartburns, and weight problems.

Try to avoid:

× Fried and fatty foods.

× Foods containing too much sugar.

× Over-eating.

× Too much tea. Tea makes you pass more urine taking with it valuable mineral salts.

× Spicy foods, caffeine, and Cola drinks.

× Smoking cigarettes. Smoking is unhealthy and one should stop completely.

Healthy meal:

• Complex carbohydrates so that the food lasts longer making you less hungry.

• Foods that are sources of protein.

• Foods that are sources of sugar, fiber, carbohydrates, potassium and magnesium.

• Almonds; these are rich in protein and fiber with less fat.

• Fruits which contain potassium, magnesium and carbohydrates.

• Eat foods rich in the above minerals e.g. vegetables, fruit, dairy products, meat and dates.

• Other meal containing vitamins required for our fitness.

Healthy drink:

• Water as much as you can.

• Fresh fruit juices as possible.