Wanna Be Healthier?
Eat more berries.
It seems a new fad diet hits the market every day. Sometimes, these fads take the world by storm, as people are anxious to cash in on the promises that such diets make. Eventually, these fad diets go the way of all fads and make room for the next fad to come along and take over the constant dieter's imagination.
But truly health-conscious people realize that good health doesn't come and go like fads. It's a lifestyle that requires vigilance and dedication. If you're beyond fads and are interested in adding another burst of good health to your life, it may be time to add some berries to your meals and snacks.
Why Berries?
Besides being able to fit a dozen of them in your hand for a snack, berries offer an array of health benefits. They're filled with fiber, vitamins (vitamins B, C, and K to name a few), minerals (iodine, manganese, and folate, among others), and everyone's favorite cancer-fighting chemical: antioxidants.
Doubtless God could have made a better berry (than the strawberry).-William Allen Butler
On top of this, each berry you consume during the day has special properties that make it particularly worth your while. For example, cranberries help you ward off urinary tract infections, strawberries lower your blood pressure and increase your good (high-density lipoprotein or HDL) cholesterol, blueberries are considered useful for fighting coughs, and blackberries are great at protecting you against heart disease. Want to get the biggest bang for your berry buck? Don't just eat one type of berry all by itself. Mix up a few types of different berries, and the accumulative result will be substantially greater than eating one type of berry on its own.
Believe it or not, there are more reasons to put berries higher on your priority list. Because not only are they delicious and full of great stuff for your body, but they're also low in calories and add no fat, cholesterol, or sodium to your diet. So by eating plenty of berries, you add nothing but good stuff to your body!
How Berries
No matter what time of the day or night, there is always an opportunity to add some berries. Want some easy ways to slip your favorite berries into your daily regimen? No problem.
Breakfast: Eating berries first thing in the morning is a great way to give your body a boost for the day. Add berries by tossing some cut-up strawberries or a handful of blueberries on top of pancakes; add blackberries to a cup of vanilla yogurt; or sprinkle some raspberries on top of your favorite cereal. When you're in a time crunch, spread some organic blackberry jam on a piece of toast or drink a glass of cranberry juice.
Lunch: It may seem obvious, but a small bowl of berries goes with just about any food on planet Earth. Mix a few raspberries and blackberries with some blueberries and strawberries, and you'll have a berry-tastic lunch that will make all your other lunches seem dull.
Dinner: You may not think that salads are the most exciting food, but berries can change that. With a few strawberry slivers, your green salad gets some much-needed color and flavor. Feel really creative? Find a recipe for berry-based salsa, make it up as directed, and add it on top of your favorite chicken or fish dish.
Snacks: Between meals and need something to keep your hunger at bay? Leave the candy bars and potato chips on the shelf and go with a couple handfuls of berries instead. Having a hard time finding fresh berries to snack on? Get a frozen bag of your favorite berries and have them ready for a cool treat!
No comments:
Post a Comment