| When considering what to include in a weight | | | | |
| loss diet, there are two factors that you | | | | Garlic |
| should always consider early. The first is | | | | |
| whether or not your chosen diet will be | | | | When it comes to making boring foods tasty, |
| sufficiently nutritious to keep you healthy. | | | | garlic is way up there amongst the best. |
| The second is if the diet will be tasty | | | | Along with tomatoes, garlic is an important |
| enough to maintain your interest, rather than | | | | part of the Mediterranean Diet. Like |
| for you to opt out through boredom. | | | | tomatoes, it can be used with just about any |
| | | | other cooked food, so whatever your diet |
| It is possible to address both of these | | | | regime is, you should find you can utilize |
| concerns at the same time by considering | | | | garlic widely to satisfy your palate. |
| health food vitamins, and in so doing you may | | | | |
| be in for some pleasant surprises. Much will | | | | Garlic has some important nutrients too, such |
| depend in your tastes in food, but with | | | | as calcium, vitamin C and vitamin B6, |
| experimentation, you should be able to | | | | phosphorus and selenium, plus antibiotic |
| construct a diet, within the guidelines of | | | | properties. |
| your nutritionist and doctor, that is also | | | | |
| interesting enough to enable you to not only | | | | Basil |
| stick to the diet but enjoy it also. | | | | |
| | | | Basil is a humble and popular herb that can |
| If you are able to end up with a diet that | | | | be used liberally to bring its distinctive |
| you can really enjoy, then there is a chance | | | | flavour to other foods. What you may not |
| that it will become a lifelong habit. It is | | | | realize is that basil also packs a punch when |
| possible to make permanent changes; I know | | | | it comes to calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A |
| that from personal experience. Initially, it | | | | and vitamin C. Also, basil is a good source |
| can be difficult to make drastic changes, but | | | | of iron, potassium and magnesium, and |
| it can be done much easier if you are | | | | carotenoids such as beta carotene. |
| enjoying the food you are eating. In many | | | | |
| cases, drastic changes may not even be | | | | How about tomato and basil soup, with a touch |
| needed, but that is something it is best to | | | | of garlic? A super combo of health foods that |
| discuss with your doctor in relation to your | | | | will fit into most diets. |
| own health and weight problem. | | | | |
| | | | Strawberries |
| I have selected five of my best diet foods, | | | | |
| health foods rich in vitamins and other | | | | The mention of strawberries seems like a self |
| nutrients, which will provide you with some | | | | indulgence; their flavour to some can seem |
| of the most important nutrients to sustain | | | | too good to be true (me included). Well, |
| you during your diet: | | | | indulge, because the strawberry is a great |
| | | | health food too, with some nutrients you may |
| Tomatoes | | | | not have anticipated. Strawberries contain |
| | | | Vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese, folic |
| I find tomatoes one of the most versatile and | | | | acid, potassium, riboflavin, vitamin B5, |
| useful foods for cooking, and can be used to | | | | vitamin B6, copper, magnesium and omega-3 |
| add interest to all sorts of meals, such as | | | | fatty acids. |
| curries, casseroles and soups. Tomatoes go | | | | |
| well with lean meats, or mixed with other | | | | Strawberries are best fresh and eaten on |
| vegetables, when used for cooking. They are | | | | their own. (Please read carefully. I did not |
| also delicious raw, if you can find good | | | | say strawberries should be eaten laced in |
| tomatoes rather than the insipidly flavoured | | | | sugar with a dollop of clotted cream.) |
| tomatoes you may find in the supermarket. | | | | |
| | | | Spinach |
| Tomatoes also happen to be one of the most | | | | |
| valuable health foods, rich in lycopene, plus | | | | Many may turn their noses up at the mention |
| vitamins A and C. Lycopene is a powerful | | | | of spinach; I know I did as a child. However, |
| antioxidant, which is why much scientific | | | | once you discover its true flavour, spinach |
| attention has been paid to tomatoes in recent | | | | does make an excellent food as a side |
| years. Lycopene's ability to neutralize free | | | | vegetable, in a soup or in a curry. All the |
| radicals that cause cell damage has been the | | | | old stories about the goodness of spinach |
| centre of attention, due to the possible | | | | were true, as it contains Vitamin C, iron, |
| potential in cancer prevention. | | | | beta carotene and calcium., plus vitamins E |
| | | | and K, fibre, lutein and zeaxanthin |
| Tomatoes also have one other special asset. | | | | (carotenoids). |
| That is, that the nutrients are not destroyed | | | | |
| during cooking, and even processed tomato | | | | Those are just a few ideas for healthy foods, |
| products such as tomato sauce or ketchup, and | | | | rich in nutrients, that can add flavour and |
| canned tomatoes, retain the nutritional | | | | interest to your diet, as you set out to make |
| benefits. Tomatoes are therefore my health | | | | a permanent lifestyle change to lose weight. |
| food super hero. | | | | |