So you’re doing all the right things. You’re looking for organic food alternatives, selecting lean meats, and staying away from processed foods, but maybe you still feel you could be doing more.
The truth is, you can! You can always add more nutrition in each and every meal and doing so ensures your body is getting a wide spectrum of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and many other essential nutrients. So how do you do it? We’re glad you asked because we have some great tips just for you!
Pay attention to liquid calories. Many of us focus on the foods we eat and overlook the beverages we drink. Unfortunately, most drinks are packed full of sugar and void of any nutrition. Instead of grabbing a soda with your dinner, opt instead for juice, making sure it’s 100% fruit juice without any additional sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Natural, whole juices deliver an array of vitamins and antioxidants.
Include protein. Each meal you should be consuming some form of protein and while many of us instantly think of meat, there are plenty of other ways to bump up your protein intake. If you eat meat, opt for lean cuts, such as chicken or turkey breast. Non-animal sources include beans, nuts, seeds, and some grains. For a full list of the best sources of healthy protein, read this article.
Add fruits and veggies to every meal. With every meal, you should try your best to get at least two full servings of veggies and one serving of fruit. Try not to doctor them up with butter and salt or sugar, but instead consume these side dishes in their whole form. With breakfast, throw a bunch of veggies into your omelet instead of just ham and cheese. With lunch, top your cottage cheese with fresh, ripe raspberries. And with dinner, heap a pile of steamed broccoli onto your plate alongside your main dish. In a hurry, try this powerful veggie nutritive product - Giving Greens.
Eat local. There are tons of reasons to eat locally, but one benefit is due to nutrient break down. The longer a food has waited from its harvest to get to your doorstep, the more its nutrients break down and are no longer bioavailable. The closer your fruits, veggies, and animal products were grown and harvested to your dinner table, the more nutrient-dense they are.
Prepare ahead of time. Each week after grocery shopping, prep your fruits and veggies ahead of time. While this may be time-consuming to wash, chop, and store, it will be easier when you’re in a rush to get dinner on the table to your starving family. The broccoli florets will be ready for steaming and the spinach will be washed and waiting to be made into a quick, easy weeknight salad.
Pair foods for maximum nutrient absorption. Did you know certain foods paired together actually help maximize nutrient absorption in the body? Some examples include:
Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) with dietary fats. Foods like carrots, potatoes, squash, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, and Swiss chard go best with foods such as nuts, avocado, coconut oil, and olive oil.
Iron with vitamin C. Therefore, foods like spinach, kale, and lentils are best served with a spritz of lemon juice, oranges, or strawberries. Think a fresh, summer salad topped with fruit for maximize nutrient use. Another great example is grains paired with berries.
Lycopene and healthy fats. Lycopene, found in tomatoes, is best absorbed alongside healthy fats. Next time you’re whipping up spaghetti, make the sauce yourself from fresh garden tomatoes and don’t go light on the virgin olive oil.
Eggs and salad. To best absorb raw nutrients from veggies, couple it with an egg.
Replace desserts with fruits. When your sweet tooth is calling, opt for something fruit based instead, like a wild berry cobbler or apple slices and peanut butter. You’ll get far more nutrition out of it compared to the empty calories from highly processed dessert items.
When you’re ready to really rev up your nutrition, these tips are here to help. By following a few simple rules, you can maximize your nutrient intake for a healthy and well-balanced diet.
Tags: Dinner, Eat Local, Food, Fruits, Health, Local, Meal, Meals, Minerals, Nutrition, Protein, Supplemental Health, Supplements, Vegetables, Vitamins, Wellbeing, Wellness
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