Households spent less than 0.5% of their food budget on
green vegetables and as much on orange vegetables. Other vegetables accounted
for less than 4% of food expenditures and whole fruits just over 6%. As
reported by A POPULAR Magazine: It's not that consumers spend less than they
should on food in general. We spend 17% of our food budget on refined cereals
(more than three times what is suggested).
And while the USDA suggests spending less than 1% of sugar
and sweets, most people spend almost 14% of their candy food budget. It means
that this is actually not the desire to save money for which we eat badly, but
our own wrong choices.
I think it's partly about making the right choices and
partly about educating yourself on foods that are really healthy.
Contrary to popular ideas, you do not have to break the
piggy bank to eat good food. In fact, most of the healthy foods that follow are
very economical.
Even better, there are so many healthy foods that you can
plan your meals with what's seasonal... and what's on sale.
To protect your health, I advise you to spend 90% of your
food budget on whole foods, and only 10% of processed foods. Selecting from the
list below is a very good start to feed your family healthily.
#1. Avocado
The avocado which is actually classified as a fruit is low
in fructose and rich in monounsaturated healthy fats and potassium and research
has corroborated the avocado's ability to improve vascular function and heart
health.
Personally, I eat an entire avocado practically every day,
which I usually put in my salad. This increases my intakes of healthy fat and
calories without overly elevating the intake of protein or carbohydrates.
The avocado is also very rich in potassium (more than 2
times the amount found in the banana) and will help balance your
potassium-sodium ratio which is vitally important. The avocado also provides
nearly 20 essential nutrients for one Good health, including fiber, vitamin E,
B vitamins, and folic acid. In addition to eating it raw, you can use avocado
as a substitute for fat in recipes instead of butter or other oils.
Another advantage of avocados: they are one of the safest
fruits that you can buy even grown conventionally, so you will not have to
spend more for those who are organic. Their thick skin protects the inside of
the fruit from pesticides.
#2. Swiss Chard
Chard orchard belongs to the family of food Chenopodiaceae,
with beets and spinach. It is an excellent source of vitamin C, E, and A, (аѕ
bеtа-саrоtеnе) аѕ wеll аѕ minerals mаngаnеѕе аnd zіnс. When you eat better, you
get a rich amount of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories.
As the report of the George Mateljan Foundation states:
The range of phytonutrients in blette is even more extensive
than the researchers initially suspected. To date, about 3 dоzеn аntіоxіdаnt
рhуtоnutrіеntѕ have been іdеntіfіеd in blette, including betalains (two
betanyanines and betaxanthins) and xanthophyll epoxy.
Many of these antioxidant phytonutrients provide blette with
the colors of its stems and ribs of its leaves.
The betalain pigments in blette (which are also found in
beets) support Phase 2 of your body's detoxification process, which occurs when
the decomposed toxins are bound to other molecules so that they can be excreted
Of your body. The boletus also contains a set of important nutrients, such as
large amounts of magnesium and vitamin K1, to support your bone health.
Also, chard contains a flavonoid called syringic acid, which
can help regulate blood sugar and offer benefits to those individual with
diabetes, along with kaempferol, a flavonol that can help fight cancer and
lower the risk of your chronic diseases like heart disease.
#3. Garlic
Garlic is rich in manganese, calcium, phosphorous selenium
and vitamins B6 and C, so it is beneficial for the bones and your thyroid. It
is believed that the therapeutic effect of garlic comes largely from its sulfur
compounds, such as allicin, which are also what gives it its characteristic
odor.
Other compounds promoting health include оlіgоѕассhаrіdеѕ,
arginine-rich proteins, ѕеlеnіum, and flаvоnоіdѕ. There is research
demonstrating the effects of garlic on more than 160 different diseases. In
general, its benefits fall into four major categories.
I.
Lower inflammation (reduces the risk of
osteoarthritis and other diseases associated with inflammation)
II.
Stimulates immune function (antibacterial,
antifungal, antiviral and antiparasitic properties)
III.
Improves cardiovascular health and blood
circulation protects against the risk of blood clots, delays plaque formation,
improves lipid assimilation and reduces blood pressure.
IV.
Toxic to 14 types of cancer cells (including
brain, lung, breast, stomach, and pancreas).
Also, garlic can be effective against drug-resistant
bacteria, and research has shown that when digesting allicin in your very body,
it produces sulfenic acid, a compound that reacts with free radicals More
rapidly than any other known compound. This is one among the great reasons why
I have designated garlic as one of the 7 best anti-aging foods you can eat.
#4. Sprouts
The sprouted seeds offer some of the highest levels of
nutrition available, such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and then enzymes
that help protect against free radical damage.
The sprouted seeds of fresh broccoli, for example, are much
more powerful than whole broccoli, which allows you to eat much less regarding
quantity. For example, research has shown that 3-day broccoli germinated seeds
always contain bеtwееn 10 and 100 tіmеѕ the аmоuntѕ of glucoraphanin
This glucoraphanin compound аlѕо appears to have a
protective еffесt аgаіnѕt toxic роllutаntѕ bу improving your bоdу'ѕ ability tо
еlіmіnаtе оr excrete them. This compound glucoraphanin has also been shown to
protect against cancer.
Sprouted seeds are much cheaper (at least 90%) if they are
prepared at home rather than purchased; I strongly recommend that you prepare
your sprouted seeds at home. It's very easy! Try the sprouted seeds of
broccoli, watercress, and sunflower to begin with.
#5. Mushrooms
In addition to being very rich in protein, fiber, vitamin C,
vitamin B, calcium and minerals, mushrooms are excellent sources of
antioxidants. They contain polyphenols as well as selenium which are common in
the plant world, but also antioxidants found only in fungi.
One of these antioxidants is ergothioneine that scientists
now recognize as a master antioxidant. A study in the journal Nature discusses
the importance of ergothionein, which is practically exclusive to fungi,
describing it as "a rare derivative of the amino acid,
histidine-containing sulfur" which seems to have a very specific role in
safeguarding your DNA against oxidative stress.
Also, some of the most powerful immune defense agents come
from fungi, and this is one of the simple reasons why they are so beneficial
for the prevention and also the treatment of cancer.
Long-chain polysaccharides, especially alpha and beta-glucan
molecules, are mainly responsible for the beneficial effect of fungi on your
immune system.
In one study, the addition of one or two portions of dried
shiitake mushrooms proved beneficial in the regulating effect on the function
of the immune system.
Closing
In a survey of household food expenditure, the
USDA's economic research department found that households spend a large part of
their food budget on very unhealthy foods. YOU want to stop that at your end
and start feeding your family with healthy
food
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