Making Healthy Food Choices
If you're like one of the many Americans who are overweight, or the many more who do not have their ideal body, do not despair. You can make many healthy food choices that will help. In addition to weight loss, healthy food choices go beyond the superficial and can add years to your life. So let us discuss some of the healthy and tasty ways you can choose foods that are higher in vitamins and minerals and lower in saturated fats.
- Sponsored Listings for Healthy Food
Healthier Drinks
The first healthy food choice option, which is not technically a food, but is nevertheless consumed with every meal and can be unhealthy and high in calories, is your choice of beverage. Soft drinks, for instance, have lots of calories. In contrast, water has 0 calories. Juices have fewer calories than soft drinks and are also high in vitamin C. In addition to choosing healthier drinks, it is key to practice moderation of portions. Large drinks are often twice as big as small drinks, not to mention that many restaurants and fast food joints offer free refills. Consider ordering a water instead of a soda (it's free of charge and free of calories), or alternating a glass of water after each glass of another beverage.
Side Order Substitutes
French fries are a staple of any fast food meal. They are also the most unhealthy choice. Many fast food restaurants allow patrons to substitute french fries for healthier food choices. Instead of deep fried french fries, consider choosing fruit or a salad. Burger King now offers apple fries, pieces of apples shaped in sticks. They come with caramel dipping sauce and even with the dip, it is a much more a healthy food choice than french fries.
Food Preparation - Just Say No to Deep Fried Foods
The way your food is prepared is a key factor in whether or not it will be a healthy food. Fried foods, for instance, are far less healthy than food that are baked, grilled, or broiled and which do not cook in oil. Cooking oils are high in saturated fats. If are really partial to deep-fried foods, choose a cooking oil lower in saturated fat and trans-fatty acids. When reading the label of an oil you are considering buying, avoid those with the word hydrogenated (even partially hydrogenates) which is virtually synonymous with trans fatty acids.