Nutrition and Health

Archive for the ‘Food and Nutrition’ Category

This is news that most people have waited to hear for many years!  But the key to this message is that dark chocolate, with at least 70% cocoa, is the healthy treat. Dark chocolate contains polyphenols, the same antioxidants that are found in red wine and green tea. These polyphenols can help to reduce the formation of plaque in the arteries.

Stearic acid, the fat contained in chocolate, doesn’t increase cholesterol.  And, a recent study has found that flavonoids, another antioxidant in dark chocolate, are good for your heart.  They decrease platelet stickiness, which reduces blood clotting and, therefore, the chance of having a heart attack. Another study reported that dark chocolate can help to reduce blood pressure.

Many of you may prefer the milk chocolate over dark chocolate.  Unfortunately, the compounds in milk chocolate have not been found to be as beneficial. The difference between dark and milk chocolate is the chocolate liquor-to-milk ratio.  The chocolate liquor, which is non-alcoholic, is the semisolid mass used to produce all chocolate.  (It takes 400 cacao beans to make one pound of chocolate liquor.)  Dark chocolate has more of the chocolate liquor than milk chocolate, which contains more milk.

Energy:

Complex Carbohydrates (50% of your calorie consumption):

High Energy Foods that will be your preferred Energy Source, Eat these three  hours before your workout or Race:  Brown, Rice , Rice  ,Grains , Cereals,  Pasta , Potato.

Medium Chain Carbohydrates (20% of your calorie consumption):

High Energy foods that are to be eaten 1 hour before a Workout or Race:  Vegetables , Breads  ,Vegetables  Fruits , Energy Bars/ Shots (Power Bar, Cliff Bar, Gatorade Bars, etc.)

Simple Carbohydrates (5% of your calorie consumption):

Not preferred energy source for an aerobic athlete: To be eaten  while working out  or when Energy stores are low and you need a quick fix  Sweets  Honey  Simple Sugars

Fats (5% of your calorie consumption):

Non-saturated Fats (non- land animal sourced fats) (5% of your calorie consumption):

These are “good” fats and are essential for a healthy body  Beans, Nuts , Fish  Omega 3 supplements

Saturated Fats

Avoid Animal Based Fats: like Red Meat ,Sausage Pepperoni , Beef etc. which is not good for health and increase fat content.

Parents decide what to feed their child and when:

This involves:

•choosing, preparing and presenting a wide variety of foods

•continuing to offer foods without a fuss, even when they are rejected

• avoiding ‘junk’ foods and sweet drinks, which may reduce their appetite for ‘healthier ’ options

•providing food in ways that children can easily handle  (eg cut into small pieces)

•providing meals and snacks at regular times

• parents having meals and snacks with their child whenever possible

• setting rules about behaviour at the meal table and sticking to them

Children decide whether to eat and how much to eat:

Remember that children eat when they are hungry and do not starve themselves. Children have a natural ability to sense when they are hungry and when they are full; if parents insist that their child eats more than they choose to, they are also likely to be over-riding this natural ability.  Children are encouraged to decide whether they will eat and how much they will eat. Remind parents to avoid feeling the need to encourage their child to eat a little more, even if they have left most of their meal.  The child will not starve!  If parents try to control whether their child eats and how much he/she eats, they are providing opportunities for fussing and tantrums.