We all know that a healthy and balanced diet is essential for a healthy living. As the adage goes “Health is Wealth”, we tend to put in less effort to understand the underlying message. A well-balanced and nutritious diet is the most important requirement for all ages, especially with the kids and growing children.

Don’t we skip meals? More importantly, several research studies revealed that kids tend to skip the meals especially the breakfast. Some kids skip breakfast simply because they sleep late and tend to have no time in the morning to eat before they rush off to school and some think it’s a way. Again, some of the kids will step out of their homes, early morning with only a glass of milk. This practice is very harmful and kids tend to suffer from mid-morning hunger and those results in decreased attention in whatever they do. The attentiveness in academics too takes a downward dip. It also affects their energy levels. The chemistry is simple, brain cells need glucose to be active and a skip in breakfast meaning no energy to the cells and they remain dull and inactive.

continue reading Ready, Set a Healthy Breakfast for Your Kids

Discovering different flavors and textures would be a good idea and this would certainly open a new window to nutrition. It is like adding new colors to the health. To improve the health and to protect the bodies from chronic disease bright colored fruits and vegetables provide a wide range of vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients. Eight to ten servings of fruits and vegetables a day is the recommendation of newly revised ‘Dietary Guidelines for Americans’. This type of diet is discouraging but it becomes practicable when it is divided according to some meal guidelines. Example is given below:

• Serve the breakfast with one fruit or 4-6 ounce of juice or ½ cup of frozen fruit or ¼ cups of dried fruit.
• Serve the lunch with 2 cups of salad.
• Serve the snacks with one fruit or vegetable.
• Serve the dinner with 2 cups of cooked vegetable or 1 cup salad and 1 cup cooked vegetable.
• Serve the snacks with 1 fruit or vegetable.

Have Pleasure with Taste Buds

One of the greatest pleasures in life is food. In standard diets favorite foods are banned. The defeat of diet is due to the deficiency that leads to intense desire and cheating. To stay healthy and have a balanced diet it is sensible to take in a sensible amount of the favorite food. Food should be eaten tastily and enjoyably. Blindly following a diet pattern designed without studying an individual’s health status could be even more harmful. So better be sensible in selection and take good advice from an expert.

continue reading Importance of Nutrition

Wild Blueberries and other antioxidants-rich foods, if taken at every meal, help prevent ‘oxidative stresses. Oxidative stress has a direct linkage with the chronic diseases and aging. A recent study concluded by USDA scientists and published in the latest issue of the ‘Journal of the American College of Nutrition’ established the research findings.

The research study focused on antioxidants moved beyond the measurement of antioxidants in foods and actually examined the performance of specifically selected fruits for their impact on oxidative stress.

“It’s not just what you eat but when you eat it that matters. Phyto-chemicals in foods have varying degrees of bioavailability and generally are cleared from the blood 2-4 hours after they’re eaten. Ensuring that your body has a steady supply of antioxidant-rich foods can help combat oxidative stress throughout the day“, says Dr.Roland L.Prior, the lead scientist from USDA Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Centre.

continue reading Blueberries Help Fighting Oxidative Stress