By eating high fiber
cereals, vegetables and soyfoods you can get your cholesterol
down. Soybean, tofu, tempeh, soy cheese, soy yogurt and soy burgers
all slash cholesterol levels.
Season with garlic,
onions, shallots, scallions and chives. All these members of the
onion family drop cholesterol to its knees and protect you from
dangerous blood clots.
Eat carrots, sweet
potatoes, yams, pumpkins, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel
sprouts and spinach to raise your carotenoid levels to prevent
heart attacks. Sometimes I see my husband, also a coach, compete
against his younger peers & athletes (while I am holding my breath)
and he always seems to have an edge. Although he has maintained
his physical activity, I honestly feel it is because he eats healthy.
Citrus fruits add fiber
which reduces cholesterol.
Eat legumes, beans,
peas and lentils.
Eat oatmeal, oat bran,
barley and brown rice.
Eat salmon at least
twice a week. The coach and I try to have salmon at least twice
a week and even more often during the summer when we barbeque.
We also substitute potatoes or rice for tomatoes slices. Save
the bread for last if you are still hungry. The bread will fill
you up before you have nourished your body with protein, fats
(Omega 3) and the vitamins and minerals found in vegetables. Eat
avocados cooked with olive oil. The monounsaturated fats are very
heart smart!
Eat red meat. This
includes pork once a week. I switched from a vegetarian diet to
eating meat and feeling healthier. I actually crave meat after
extensive workouts. Since my appetite is increased, I want to
be sure I don't deprive my body. Meat gives me all the amino-acids
I need.
Apricots, bananas,
peaches, melons and citrus are low in sodium and high in potassium
and magnesium.
Eat dark, leafy greens
like kale, spinach, chard, collards or turnip greens.
Eat five servings of
vegetables everyday. Asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots
and sweet potatoes are a few of the most popular.
Eat garlic, two cloves
a day.
There are a lot of
foods that help build healthy bones. You'll also want to be sure
to add vitamin C to your diet; it helps minerals to be assimilated.
The following foods are high in the nutrients you need to keep
your bones strong and are calcium-rich foods: dried beans, dark
green leafy vegetables, figs, almonds, calcium fortified orange
juice, yogurt, milk, soy milk, sardines with bones, salmon with
bones, tofu.
Vitamin C-rich foods:
oranges, limes, lemons, kiwi, cherries, tomatoes and all peppers.
The cruciferous vegetables:
broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and brussel sprouts, as well
as turnips, parnips, mustard turnip and collard greens - are potent
natural cancer fighters. Have one or more at every meal.
Eat tomatoes everyday.
A Harvard study showed that the chances of dying of any kind of
cancer were lowest among those who ate tomatoes. Canned, in sauce
or even paste, tomatoes pack a big cancer-fighting punch!
Salmon oils reduce
the risk of several types of cancers. Cooking with olive oil is
also protective. Use it for salad dressings with herbs and balsamic
vinegar. Soyfoods have mighty power over cancer. Include them
in your meals once a day.
Garlic and onions are
strong in the war against cancer, as well as many herbs. Rosemary,
parsley, turmeric, cayenne, basil and many other herbs are strong
antioxidants. Be imaginative in your seasoning.
Walk
the walk and talk the talk. Be an example! Eat a rich
array of fruits and vegetables. Eating by example shows you care
about your body and you show others that you are eating healthy
and preventing diseases. Just like you plan when training, competing
or at work, plan your work. It's really not difficult. The markets
have many ready-to-eat foods like chopped and packaged vegetables.
Fruits are easy to carry. Put a small cooler in your car to keep
filled with "good for you" drinks like water and Gatorade. Now
you can add fruit, etc. Personally, I find this not only convenient
but necessary. In the event hunger strikes you when traveling,
held up in traffic, unable to leave the workplace, etc. you will
be prepared.
For more information
on nutrition, read Prescription for Nutritional Healing,
2nd Edition: a practical A to Z reference to drug-free remedies
using vitamins, minerals, herbs & food supplements by James F.
Balch, M.D. and Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C.
Are
you taking the time to plan your meals? Do you have poor eating
habits? Do you have health problems? If you have a poor diet,
the food you are eating will not protect you against diseases.
Just like you take the time to plan to get the most in training
and competition, you should plan to get the most out of your meals.
Here are some suggestions for planning a healthy diet and staying
healthy.