FITNESS FOODS
Fitness foods are often marketed as being dramatically different from the usual foods we eat every day. That is not the case at all and it is often the everyday foods we buy that provide us with the right nutrition. So what are these foods? In no particular order they are:
Apple: You can eat it or cook it, include it in breakfast or as a dessert, apple is a very popular fruit. It is rich in fibre and protects the membrane of the colon, thereby
boosting health to prevent colon cancer. As an antioxidant, it prevents
infection and inflammation, while the potassium helps control your heart beat
and blood pressure.
Milk: There has to be at least one bottle of milk in every fridge. What we drank daily when
growing up, must continue being part of our daily diets when we step into adulthood. It increases your bone density and improves your iron count. The fat in the milk has various uses; it constructs cell membrane and is an important component in hormone production, as well as energy storage.
Berries: Sweet, tangy and full of tiny seeds, they are everyone’s favourite. A cup of
strawberries is as good as a cup of oranges. Berries protect your body from
inflammation and rejuvenate your cells. People suffering from cancer and heart
diseases should make berries an important part of their diets.
Onions and garlic: Put both of them together and you can call them natural healers. Even before science entered health studies, their medicinal value was well established,
that could be the reason why they are a major part of our cuisine. They help prevent various cancers, fight cardiovascular diseases and diabetes and respiratory
problems. Garlic also helps fight various infections.
Mackerel): It’s delicious, easy to clean and affordable – factors we look for when buying any food (and fish!). Rich in Omega 3, mackerel helps stop cancer producing cells, regulates hormones, makes the blood vessels elastic, helps eliminate bad cholesterol, is
great for people suffering from arthritis, and improves memory.
Cabbage: This is found on every continent, so you have no excuses to shy away from this green leafy ball. Cabbage is the ideal veggie for constipation, skin and eye
disorders, aging, stomach ulcers and Alzheimer’s to name a few.
Lean protein: The soul food for fitness enthusiasts, lean protein like trimmed white meat is excellent for general health and wellbeing. Your body is made up of 70 % water,
but it gets its strength and growth from protein. Bones, tissues, muscles,
skin, blood, hair, nails all need protein as their building blocks. Fish,
poultry, beans and nuts are a great source of proteins.
Eggs: They are cheap and easily available all year round, hence there are more reasons than one to have an egg EVERY DAY. Unlike popular belief, two eggs a day can improve
your total cholesterol. Further, it reduces breast cancer if you have six eggs
a week; it is also a rich source of vitamin D, and helps control cardiovascular
diseases, as well as keep your nervous system in good shape.
I hope you found this post interesting. If anyone would like to discuss this or indeed any other health and fitness subject then please get in touch with me. You can either e-mail me at eamonn@fitnessinstockport.co.uk or call on 07985 194957.
Eamonn Greene
Personal Trainer, Stockport