The Relationship Between Nutrition and Mental Health for Women
Good nutrition isn’t just important for physical health – it also plays a key role in mental health. Eating a diet rich in whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can help improve mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and boost overall wellbeing. By making healthy eating a priority, you can support your mental health as well as your physical health.
The Benefits of Proper Nutrition for Women’s Health and Fitness
Eating a healthy, balanced diet is crucial for women’s health and fitness. Proper nutrition provides your body with the essential nutrients it needs to function at its best, and can help you maintain a healthy weight, improve your energy levels, and reduce your risk of chronic diseases. By fueling your body with the right foods, you can feel your best and perform at your highest level.
Go Nutty With Snacks
Are you looking for a quick protein snack to nibble on? You can’t go wrong with nuts. Almonds, cashews, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts and peanuts are all great choices—of course, you need to eat these in moderation. I always say toss in a handful of nuts, and really that’s all you need. Balance them with a little fruit and maybe a slice of cheese and you have a great little meal that will satisfy your hunger and give you the energy you need.
• Almonds are high in fiber and rich in vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. Sliced or whole almonds help to lower blood sugar and assist in weight management. Recent studies have shown almonds raise the levels of good bacteria in the gut that boosts the body’s immune system.
• Cashews can make you smarter. Cashews are rich in magnesium, which helps improve memory function. These nuts also contain high amounts of zinc and iron essential to the body’s immune system. Eating cashews can also improve eyesight.
• Pecans are high in oleic acid, antioxidants, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. They are great crushed, halved or whole. Pecans promote digestive health, improve heart functions and build healthy bones and teeth. High in calcium, magnesium, copper and iron and helps to reduce inflammation and reduce blood pressure.
• Pine Nuts give you energy and are an excellent source of vitamin B-complex, which helps to improve the body’s metabolism. Pine nuts are also high in vitamin E, copper, vitamin K and iron. All of these nutrients support heart health. Furthermore, pine nuts are an excellent source of monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fat is a healthy fat that helps reduce cholesterol.
• Walnuts contain a large amount of antioxidants and rich in Omega-3s, which fight inflammation, help you to lose weight and can improve your mood. Walnuts help to reduce bad cholesterol in the body, improve metabolism, and control diabetes.
• Peanuts contain many of the same antioxidants as red wine. They are chock full of monounsaturated fat, a heart-healthy fat. Peanuts feature an array of other nutrients that, in numerous studies, have been shown to promote heart health. Peanuts are good sources of vitamin E, niacin, folate, protein and manganese.
Nuts aren’t just for snacking. Add them to your salad to give you a nice healthy crunch, or sprinkle some on your fruit and yogurt to add a good source of protein that’s as delicious as it is nutritious.
Keep The Doctor Away With Apple Cider Vinegar
Improve your health dramatically by drinking apple cider vinegar to help reduce acid reflux, lower blood pressure, improve diabetes and support weight loss. It doesn’t take much to make a big difference in your overall health.
The benefits of apple cider vinegar come from its powerful healing compounds, which include acetic acid, potassium, magnesium, probiotics and enzymes.
Acetic acid has the ability to kill “bad for you” bacteria and at the same time, improve the “good for you” bacteria in your gut. Because acetic acid kills unwanted bacteria when it comes into contact with it, it essentially acts as a natural antibiotic.
Apple cider vinegar is also full of polyphenols. Studies have shown polyphenols to be extremely helpful in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, osteoporosis, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
There are no recommended servings, but you must remember to never drink apple cider vinegar straight as it can burn your esophagus. Just mix a teaspoon to a tablespoon in 8 ounces of water and drink it 1 to 3 times a day. You can add a little honey if you don’t like the taste. It’s also a great way to dress your salad with a touch of olive oil for a healthy little zing.
These are some of the ways apple cider vinegar benefits your health and fitness.
Detoxifies by helping to remove harmful environmental toxins that build up in the body. Apple cider vinegar helps to flush out the liver and improve the natural blood filtration process while boosting your energy levels.
Aids in Weight Loss by reducing sugar cravings and detoxifying the body.
Balances Blood Sugar with acetic acid found in apple cider vinegar; it also improves insulin sensitivity and insulin responses.
Lowers Blood Pressure Studies have shown that consuming apple cider vinegar lowers triglycerides and blood pressure significantly.
Relieves Allergies by helping break up mucous in your body and support lymphatic drainage. It also supports the immune system and can clear your sinuses.
Conditions Hair with just a little dab. Add shine to your hair with apple cider vinegar.
Whitens Teeth due to the pH, apple cider vinegar can remove stains from your teeth, which helps naturally whiten.
The Benefits of Fermented Foods
Feasting on fermented foods is a healthy trend that’s gaining popularity. Eating fermented, probiotic foods has many health benefits. Fermented foods contain lots of antibodies that add a barrier against microbial infection and help to build a stronger immune system. They also improve brain function, promote healthy skin, regulate the appetite and reduce sugar and refined carbohydrate cravings for better weight management.
Fermented foods are foods that have been through a process of lactofermentation in which natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in the food to create lactic acid. This process preserves the food, and creates beneficial enzymes, B-vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids, and various strains of probiotics.
The microflora that lives in fermented foods creates a protective lining in the intestines and shields it against pathogens. This natural fermentation process has also been shown to preserve nutrients in the food and make it more digestible.
With all of these benefits, I am sure you will want to include some of these tasty probiotic foods in your diet. Here’s a run-down of some of the more popular fermented foods and the benefits they provide. You can find most of these foods, or the ingredients to make them, at your local grocery store.
• Sauerkraut is high in dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K and B vitamins. It’s also a great source of iron, copper, calcium, sodium, manganese and magnesium. Boosts digestive health, aids circulation, fights inflammation, strengthens bones and reduces cholesterol levels.
• Pickles contain 18 percent of your daily value of vitamin K, an essential fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in bone and heart health.
• Kombucha is rich in B-vitamins, enzymes, probiotics and a high concentration of acid (acetic, gluconic and lactic). Improves digestion, helps with weight loss, increases energy, detoxes the body, boosts the immune system, reduces joint pain and prevents cancer.
• Yogurt provides better overall diet quality, healthier metabolic profiles, healthier blood pressure and increased triglyceride levels.
• Kefir contains high levels of vitamin B12, calcium, magnesium, vitamin K2, biotin, folate, enzymes and probiotics.
• Kimchi contains high levels of antioxidants that reduce the risk of serious health conditions such as cancer, diabetes, obesity and gastric ulcers.
• Miso has anti-aging properties and helps to maintain healthy skin. Boosts the immune system, improves bone health and promotes a healthy nervous system.
• Tempeh reduces cholesterol, increases bone density, reduces menopausal symptoms, promotes muscle recovery and has the same protein quality as meat. It contains high levels of vitamins B5, B6, B3 and B2.
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